Sarah Palin flubs explanation of Paul Revere’s ride

**celeb_2006** · June 3rd, 2011, 06:56 PM

Palin flubs explanation of Paul Revere

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS4C7bvHv2w&feature=player_embedded[/YOUTUBE]

Sarah Palin is a divisive figure. But no matter where you stand with the former Alaska governor's politics, this recent video of her speaking about Paul Revere's historic ride is sure to raise a few eyebrows.

In the video, which was taken at Boston's Old North Church, Palin gives a bizarre version of Revere's 1775 ride. Addressing an unknown person, Palin remarks:

He who warned the British that they weren't going to be taking away our arms by ringing those bells and, um, making sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that, uh, we were going to be secure and we were going to be free.

A couple of things are wrong with that interpretation, but one central main point seemed to be lost on Palin: Revere wasn't warning the British about anything. Indeed, he was warning the Americans about an impending British attack--as his celebrated historical catchphrase "The British are coming!" made abundantly clear.

But Palin can take some small consolation in knowing she's not alone among high-profile leaders affiliated with the tea-party wing of the conservative movement in misremembering a key development in colonial American history--even as the movement prides itself on serving as the guardian of the American Revolution's founding principle of liberty. Last month, Michele Bachmann--Palin's likeliest rival for the tea party vote should they both elect to run for president in 2012--told a crowd in New Hampshire that they came from the state where the first "shot heard round" helped set off the American Revolution in Lexington and Concord. Lexington and Concord, of course, are in the neighboring state of Massachusetts.

You can watch footage of Palin's remarks in the video above.

**KrisNine** · June 3rd, 2011, 07:05 PM

Damn Paul Revere...gotcha!!

**BBDSP** · June 3rd, 2011, 07:49 PM

She actually got some of the details right but strung them together incoherently. I believe the British were heading to Concord because the colonial militia had a cache of weapons there, and in each town he stopped at the bells were rung to rouse the townspeople. I don't have a good source to cite for this but I'm pretty sure this was the case.

**Brookie** · June 3rd, 2011, 10:13 PM

So, in Palin's scenario, Paul Revere is riding about town and warning the British by ringing bells (did they know this was a warning?) and hollering "the British are coming". So did these guys holler back, "We're already here, dumbass"? Was he accompanied by the headless horseman or Lady Godiva? Was he selling Revereware from door to door?

**KrisNine** · June 3rd, 2011, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by Brookie

So, in Palin's scenario, Paul Revere is riding about town and warning the British by ringing bells (did they know this was a warning?) and hollering "the British are coming". So did these guys holler back, "We're already here, dumbass"? Was he accompanied by the headless horseman or Lady Godiva? Was he selling Revereware from door to door?

Tee hee

**SHELLEE** · June 3rd, 2011, 11:31 PM

Bwaaahaaaahaaaa....

**BBDSP** · June 4th, 2011, 06:33 AM

I noticed that some people commenting on this story on another web site tried to explain that Sarah was actually being accurate because the colonists at this point were still British. Ha ha ha.

Sarah almost has a Katie Couric-moment here--it's as though she starts talking with no idea what she is going to say. She really is an idiot.

**twitchy2.0** · June 5th, 2011, 03:57 PM

Palin supporters have been desperately trying to edit the Wikipedia entry on Paul Revere to reflect their new version of history.
Revision history of Paul Revere - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

bunch o' fucktards

**BBDSP** · June 5th, 2011, 05:15 PM

Somewhere you know that Mitt is laughing his ass off and Tina Fey is taking notes.

**OrangeSlice** · June 5th, 2011, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by Brookie

So, in Palin's scenario, Paul Revere is riding about town and warning the British by ringing bells (did they know this was a warning?) and hollering "the British are coming". So did these guys holler back, "We're already here, dumbass"?

The stupidity of her followers amazes me sometimes.

**witchcurlgirl** · June 5th, 2011, 06:29 PM

Another 'gotcha' question. She got all confused 'cause she thought they meant this Paul Revere

**KrisNine** · June 6th, 2011, 03:02 PM

Sarah Palin is a moron...that's all. Pretty simple. She's now calling this another one of those "gotcha" questions. OK, maybe it is, but don't you think it's funny that these questions are only asked to you, Sarah? Maybe it's because people think you are an absolute moron.

**sluce** · June 6th, 2011, 03:11 PM

This is one of my favorite blogs!!
http://www.borowitzreport.com/
June 6, 2011

Palin: ‘We Must Never Forget the Wisdom of Jefferson, and his Wife, Weezy’
Former Gov. Gives History Lesson

MONTICELLO (The Borowitz Report) – Visiting Thomas Jefferson’s historic home, Monticello, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today paid tribute to the nation’s third President, telling an audience of supporters, “We must never forget the wisdom of Jefferson, and his wife, Weezy.”

Gov. Palin said that “at a time of our history when the American people needed leadership, it was Jefferson who said the immortal words, ‘We’re movin’ on up.’”

The former Alaska Governor, criticized in recent days over her grasp of American history, used the Monticello speech to demonstrate her knowledge of the country’s founding fathers.

“Let us have the ingenuity of Benjamin Franklin, who invented the electric chair,” she said.

“Let us have the honesty of George Washington, who told his father that he chopped down a cherry tree because it was blocking his view of Russia,” she added. “And let us have Washington’s perseverance, which he demonstrated during that harsh winter at Sweet Valley High.”

But she saved her most fulsome praise for her favorite American hero, Paul Revere: “In his famous cry, ‘One if by land, two if by sea,’ Paul Revere proved that you don’t have to know how to count higher than two to be a great American.”

At the end of her speech in Monticello, Gov. Palin said that she was looking forward to the next stop on her bus tour, Philadelphia, “the home of the Taco Bell.”

Get the Borowitz Report delivered to your inbox for free here.

**Janet296** · June 7th, 2011, 06:21 AM

What is wrong with her? Why go into detail if you are not sure? How is it that this nitwit still has followers?

**Brookie** · June 7th, 2011, 07:16 AM

MSNBC reported yesterday that the "gotcha" question was (and I'm paraphrasing), "What have you seen so far? What are you taking away from your travels?" Not quite as bad as "What do you read?", but anything that forces Sarah to think beyond what she had for breakfast is just well, sneaky and underhanded.