re: #41 Ming

I believe that some part of Palin’s appeal is due to the simple desperation of so many people who are out of work and worried about losing their homes. In a country that is working for 90% of other people, but not working for them, they may look to Sarah Palin to be the “joker” who upends the card table, and deals from a new deck. I suspect that many people are well-aware that Sarah Palin is not qualified to be President, but in a country that has really left them by the wayside, her mental illness is actually an ADVANTAGE. I felt this myself, when I was looking for work last year: the current system is not working for me, and anything would be better than this. Sad but true. The times call the people, and these difficult times are calling to Sarah Palin. Bottoms up!

I think this hits the heart of it. When people feel disenfranchised and angry, they are more likely to want a bomb thrower to burn it all down than they are to want a fixer with a nuanced understanding of complex problems. If a system has repeatedly failed you, do you want to fix it, or destroy it?