By now, most folks have heard the silly telephone encounter between Sarah Palin and the Masked Avengers. Avengers Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudelare are reportedly becoming international media darlings outside of their native Quebec, where they are already stars. For political junkies and everyone who enjoys a good practical joke, this was a winner.
Like many, I chuckled through the audio clip and shook my head at Palin’s credulity. And then I began to feel sympathy for Palin, not because she was (yet again) exposed as vacuous, but because, once again, the media was applying a sexist double standard.
Cast your mind back to the 2000 election campaign where the CBC’s Rick Mercer ambushed then-Governor George W. Bush with the news that Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Poutine was backing his bid for the presidency. Bush beamed his gratitude for Poutine’s “strong statement” and blabbered something about free trade and promised to “work closely together.”
It was Mercer at his best, and the chattering classes in this country, anyway, enjoyed the prank. I don’t recall that it got nearly as much attention south of the border. This is in stark contrast to the exposure Palin’s gaffe is getting.
At this point, thankfully, it doesn’t seem likely that Palin will get to be vice president. Nonetheless, as you watch this collection of moments from Mercer’s “Talking to Americans” (which includes the Poutine Endorsement), bear in mind that millions will still vote for her and her phony war hero running mate, proving once again that while it takes only a village to raise an idiot, it takes a whole nation of idiots to elect one.
Here’s hoping America’s experiment with collective idiocy is over.
Paul S. Graham 