The Plank

Palin: Obama Plans Are "Backassward"

That's the word Palin used in her ABC interview to describe Obama's handling of the economy:

"I would start cutting taxes and allowing our small businesses to keep more of what they are earning, more of what they are producing, more of what they own and earn so that they could start reinvesting in their businesses and expand and hire more people," Palin told Walters. "Not punishing them by forcing health care reform down their throats; by forcing an energy policy down their throats that ultimately will tax them more and cost them more to stay in business. Those are backassward ways of trying to fix the economy."

This is starting to feel like some kind of postmodern joke, a giant trick Aaron Sorkin is playing on us. That would be less scary than the reality of this woman taking over the political-media conversation for a week.

More Articles On: ABC, Aaron Sorkin, Palin

COMMENTS (5)

11/18/2009 - 4:07pm EDT | wildboy

Couldn't Babwa have asked Palin about whether cutting taxes would really help when we have a major decline in private sector demand for goods and services? Or why she thinks businesses are hampered by proposed health care regulations that won't take effect until four years from now? Or are follow-up questions not allowed in these interviews, just like in the VP debate? [I think I know then answer, but still...]

11/18/2009 - 4:45pm EDT | ironyroad

What annoys me about that kind of language prudery is that it hypocritically permits someone to use an earthy and coarse turn of phrase without technically going on record using it -- so afterwards they can claim no breach of decorum took place.

Either say "ass-backwards" or, if that's too salty, say "mistaken" or "wrongheaded" or something.

The GOP is going to heck.

11/18/2009 - 4:48pm EDT | rhubarbs

Exactly, wildboy. Does it really take a mind sharper than that of anyone in the entire TV newsmedia to wonder how cutting tax rates will help businesses that are losing money and thus already pay no federal taxes?

11/18/2009 - 7:24pm EDT | ratnerstar

I'm gonna disagree with you there, Irony. It's not really a euphemism or a way to sound less coarse; the idea is to express that something is so ass-backward that the word itself has been rearranged. The problem is that she totally mangled the expression. It's bass-ackward, Sarah! "Back-assward" sounds like a gay sex position.

11/18/2009 - 7:53pm EDT | blackton

and who would know gay sex positions better than ratnerstar

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