A Schelling For Your Thoughts

Last night, Sarah Palin helped Jay Leno relaunch his new/old Tonight show. Palin appeared as a guest during Leno’s second night of his return to his old time slot on national TV, having failed to make it with a one-hour prime time show.

It was the perfect match: Leno, a polarizing figure himself after forcing Conan O’Brien out to make his way back to the Tonight Show, and Palin, one of the most polarizing figures in our nation today. Her guest spot was predictable at best and embarrassing at its worst.

Leno asked Palin softball questions the entire time, which seemed intended to paint her in a positive light. While it would be unexpected for him to do otherwise, the louder than usual crowd reactions to Palin’s responses would make you think she was saying something groundbreaking or even significant. But that was far from the case. As usual, Palin’s colloquial speaking nature was on display for anyone who cared to tune in.

About the notes on her hand, Palin said: “Just to get the left all ‘wee-weed’ up, and get their heads spinning, I’m gonna promise I’m gonna keep doing it.”

It got worse, though, when Leno invited Palin to do a stand-up comedy routine. Her third joke involved Olympic snowboarder Shaun White, saying, “I watched him do a double mctwist 1260. And the only other people to do a double mctwist 1260 was last week, the White House, on health care.”

At the end of the show, I could only wonder: Whose writers are worse, Leno’s or Palin’s?