about an NPR story by Yuki Nogushi of interest because it involves the use of technology, specifically wikipedia, to shape peoples ideas about the candidate. How many of you looked her up on wikipedia after you found out she was announced? Probably a lot of people.Well, it turns out:
Someone - and apparently it was just one person - felt like the existing biography wasn't appropriate for a vice-presidential candidate. On Friday, 15 minutes before the rumor that John McCain had picked Palin as his running mate, a Wikipedia editor discovered 30 mostly favorable changes had been made to the Alaska governor's profile.
She was called "a politician of eye-popping integrity" and sections on her participation in a beauty pageant and her alleged use of influence to get her former brother-in-law fired were diminished.
The same person editing McCain. That was probably the most affective way of shaping people ideas without spending a dime.
However, damn that thing is busy. Look at the history on it
It seems like everytime you look at it, it is different.
And she has foreign policy experience because she's adjacent to Russia!
I don't really care except it makes the Republicans look like hypocrites defending her after attacking Obama.
Grrrrr... She governs a state with an estimated population of 663,661 :::link::: the 47th smallest state by population, above Vermont, Wyoming and North Dakota. :::link:::
So it's easier to compare her with mayors of large cities... :::link::: which puts her around Memphis, Tenn., Fort Worth, Texas, Charlotte, N.C., and Baltimore, Md. These aren't impressive credentials no matter how you look at them.
(e:paul) , it looks like the Republican Distortion Field isn't having the desired effect on you. Please report to the nearest WalMart.
You see, things that you think are negative about Palin are only negative when applied to a Democrat; if it's a Republican, then those same negatives become positives. It may seem like a bizarro world, but it really is not. (waives hand).
So she hasn't traveled much abroad? OK, since she's a Republican, that means she's untouched by conventional thinking and will bring fresh ideas to the table. (A Democrat would have been called a rookie and without experience).
So she governs out in the boonies, and got elected by just 115,000 votes (our County Exec Chris Collins got more votes in his election) ? Since she's a Republican, that means she's a maverick who will shake up the Establishment. (A Democrat, on the other hand, would be considered inexperienced and "out of touch with mainstream America").
Glad I could clear that up for you...
I know some people might take offence but to me she seems like a woman whose ideologies are very medieval and retrogressive. I was speaking to my parents back home and I got this strong impression that as a whole, this nomination is not being viewed favourably abroad. :(
I think the part that scares me most is that she has only been abroad twice and she could be president. She also lives in a land that is pretty much nothing like the rest of the country. I would think those factors combined would put her pretty out of touch with Americans and definitely with the world at large.
I probably shouldn't care about her as well since I don't even have a franchise. But I can't help shuddering at the thought that she has even a miniscule of chance at being the president of this country. *shudder shudder, double, triple shudder*