In a predictably dreary Wall Street Journal op-ed that probably does not merit too much close textual analysis, Sarah Palin does at least say one thing that we should pay attention to:
...[I]s it any wonder that many of the sick and elderly are concerned that the Democrats' proposals will ultimately lead to rationing of their health care by—dare I say it—death panels? Establishment voices dismissed that phrase, but it rang true for many Americans.
It is always worth knowing how certain people think. According to Palin, what matters here is not whether the federal government will implement death panels. No, what matters is that the phrase "rang true" for people. Thus if you are, say, the governor or former governor of Alaska, and a public figure that people pay attention to, you are well within your rights to spread falsehoods as long as the opinion polls support your lies.
Okay, let's take Palin's logic and put it to some real use. Suppose I wanted to prove that Palin was not very smart. For evidence I could cite her sub-literate sentences and inability to answer basic questions. But this would be to betray Palin's own logic. So instead I would simply talk to a bunch of my liberal friends who think she is not very smart, and use their opinions as my evidence. What a neat trick.