GIZZI: What was the biggest mistake made in the ’08 campaign?
PALIN: The biggest mistake made was that I could have called more shots on this: the opportunities that were not seized to speak to more Americans via media. I was not allowed to do very many interviews, and the interviews that I did were not necessarily those I would have chosen. But I was so thankful to have the opportunity to run with John McCain that I was not going to argue with the strategy decisions that some of his people were making regarding the media contacts. But if I would have been in charge, I would have wanted to speak to more reporters because that’s how you get your message out to the electorate.
Grammar is interesting. After being freed from English classes in college, I forgot things like subjunctive and participle. Pluperfect hasn’t stayed with me either. I do recall that using the passive voice is mostly a no-no. What stuck with me was the same thing that stayed after music lessons. I can no longer say why something doesn’t sound right, but I hear it like a bad note in an aria. When Sarah Palin speaks, it’s like listening to a tone-deaf soloist at an American Idol tryout. It hurts. I feel sorry for her that her grammatical constructions, or lack thereof, are so off-putting. But my sympathy doesn’t ease the pain.
In this particular interview, she’s lamenting not being allowed to speak with more reporters. Henry Higgins might have suggested she say:
It was a mistake to keep me away from the Media. I was so honored to be chosen as John McCain’s running mate that I didn’t question their strategic decisions, but had I been in charge, I would have opted for more exposure to the electorate through Press and television interviews.
But had she answered it this way, they might actually have let her do more interviews. On the other hand, had she answered it this way, she wouldn’t be Sarah Palin. Is this a conundrum? a paradox? an oxymoron? Is bad grammar attractive to some like talking dirty? As I recall, this woman got a degree from college[s] in communications/journalism…
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