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Advice to GOP...
...just put your hands behind your back, whistle softly, walk away, and pretend like it never happened.
Come to think of it, I should probably do the same thing.
Jes|11.6.08 @ 12:33AM|#
Shepard Smith told some of the same anecedotes during election night coverage. Fox News already had the blame Palin narrative ready by 8 pm election night.
|11.6.08 @ 12:39AM|#
What you want to do, Radley, is take that column and pack it away for a few years, maybe incorrectly link it in the Reason archives. Could come in handy a few years down the line.
Kolohe|11.6.08 @ 12:43AM|#
That Africa thing seems a little too good to be true, especially
considering his sources have enough sour grapes to create metric
tons of botrytis.
That said. I've basically followed the same arc as the esteemed
Agitator wrt my opinion of Palin.
Seward|11.6.08 @ 12:44AM|#
I suspect that large segments of the U.S. population thinks of Africa as a "nation" rather than as a continent.
Larry McElhinney|11.6.08 @ 1:05AM|#
she's as aware of national and global politics as the average american - the only choice that made sense on election day was "none of the above" just like last time and the time before that and the time before that and the time before that and the time before that...
|11.6.08 @ 1:21AM|#
I think the GOP was looking to find someone the American populace could identify with and it looks like they did.
|11.6.08 @ 1:33AM|#
Yuck. Its a good thing McCain lost, I'd hate to see a bunch of disloyal, factionalized dipshits try to assemble an administration.
Kaiser|11.6.08 @ 1:34AM|#
Disclaimer: Sarah Palin is an idiot, I would never give her a
vote and hopefully she will disappear from the political spectrum
BUT...
I don't really think she was a bad choice. For a couple of reasons.
The VP pick is usually made to complement the presidents weaknesses
or to garner more votes from a specific demographic. Let us not
forget the VP's duties basically involve breaking a tie vote in
congress and to act as President in case the president is incapable
of performing his duties. Biden was picked for the same reason,
until his announcement BHO was railed on for his inexperience.
(arguably part of the reason they let up was Palin)
The other reason I have, was that this was a Democratic year. It
was BHO's to lose from the beginning. So many people are
disenfranchised by the Republican party you almost could have put
Hitler himself as the nominee and he would have won. By choosing
Palin I am sure he was just hoping to garner votes from the PUMA
people and possibly some other feminists that may be willing to
depart from the Democrats. IT was a very risky choice but overall I
don't think it was a terrible one. McCain's entire campaign was
just a farce from the beginning (or at least after the primaries.)
It is easy to nit pick things in hind sight however the Palin pick
was just one in the list of many that lead to his defeat.
nj|11.6.08 @ 1:38AM|#
Woah, the idea that Palin thought Africa was one country bit seems too good to be true.
|11.6.08 @ 1:43AM|#
I don't believe the anecdotes coming-out about Governor Palin.
McCain had a bunch of David Gerganesque advisors who couldn't be
trusted to vet the VP choice w/o leaking it to the press. These
same advisors have been hedging their bets all along. Yuck.
Palin's no Encyclopedia Clintonica, but she's not a stupid rube
either. The notion that she wasn't prepped for Gibson or Couric is
laughable-part of her problem in both cases was trying to latch-on
to the correct campaign talking points.
The diva/prima donna claims are pretty ridiculous, too. She is
reasonably vain (e.g., french manicure, lasik [yes, the glasses are
cosmetic now], attention to hair care, occassional use of hair
extensions). And she is incredibly disciplined about her schedule
and use of time. I can see her laying in to a few of the more
"casually scheduled" of the McCain people. She should have laid
into them about letting their boss blow the election by suspending
the campaign, betraying the house republicans, and then apologizing
it to david letterman...
|11.6.08 @ 1:50AM|#
Sarah Palin is an idiot
No one who has met or worked with her would claim that. She is
inexperienced, headstrong, confident, and bossy. She's not an
intellectual in that she's not an abstract thinker, and she's not
an academic.
But she's smart, gets (mostly good) things done, and has a stable
set of values that makes her behavior predictable to potential
voters. The nightmare being put out by her detractors w/in the
campaign is crap. Keep in mind, these guys need jobs now &
feeding a highlight to the media isn't a bad way to get a few
pundit slots thrown your way.
|11.6.08 @ 1:53AM|#
I think McCain's biggest blown opportunity was probably when he came out in favor of the bailout. If he had come out against it, while Obama was for it, he may well have been able to swing a couple percentage points from Obama to McCain. That would've tied up the ballgame right there.
Brownie|11.6.08 @ 1:58AM|#
quasi, you're probably right that she's not an "idiot" in the traditional sense - she's a talented politician, and I'm sure she has a great grasp on all the issues facing Alaskans. But I think it became pretty clear that she doesn't have much fluency on issues of national importance, and her sphere of expertise has very little overlap with the skill set we usually demand of someone aspiring to the vice presidency.
|11.6.08 @ 2:24AM|#
Woah, the idea that Palin thought Africa was one country bit
seems too good to be true.
Obama thinks there are 57 states...
But I guess that is unfair...let us only compare Palin's lack of
knowledge to Biden's....
Nash|11.6.08 @ 2:28AM|#
"I think McCain's biggest blown opportunity was probably when he
came out in favor of the bailout. If he had come out against it,
while Obama was for it, he may well have been able to swing a
couple percentage points from Obama to McCain. That would've tied
up the ballgame right there."
I think this was the biggest mistake of the McCain campaign. He had
an opportunity to distinguish himself as an alternative to both
Bush and the Democrats while simultaneously appealing to
conservatives but instead resorted to "Me Too".
Maybe it doesn't deliver the White House but it at least gives the
GOP some ammunition against the coming economic government
intervention for the next 4-8 years. As it stands now they can't
even pretend to be less inclined than the Democrats.
|11.6.08 @ 2:55AM|#
"We're told" / "aids say" blah blah..
I think one problem with both parties are these horrible aids and
staffers. Where do these people come from?
Pepe|11.6.08 @ 3:19AM|#
"I think one problem with both parties are these horrible aids
and staffers. Where do these people come from?"
Law school?
cmoney|11.6.08 @ 3:22AM|#
anyone who thinks she's an idiot is, well, an idiot. These
reports are so obviously bogus. Plenty of people, even from the
left, who came into close contact with her marveled at her ability
to soak up information and her photographic-like memory.
She may not be the most educated, but idiotic she is not. The only
way idiots get that far in politics is if they're born into it.
John|11.6.08 @ 3:55AM|#
These are quotes coming from bitter McCain loyalists who want to take as much heat off their guy as possible. McCain would have done no better with Romney, Pawlenty and would have done far worse with Lieberman with many pro-life voters staying home.
|11.6.08 @ 4:30AM|#
McCain's compaign reflected McCain. He's an erratic hothead, and it showed. Thank God such a person is not in control of thousands of nuclear weapons.
Kenneth|11.6.08 @ 4:54AM|#
I can only hope that the Repubs take some time off to think before they try foisting another George Bush off on us, or should I say a Dick, since Cheney was the power behind this administration.
|11.6.08 @ 6:26AM|#
Several things.
One the McCain camp of "handlers" could be a tad more pedantic if
they actually expect me to believe that Sarah Palin did not know
Africa was a continent.
Two, I absolutely doubt, hothead that he may be that McCain would
willingly endorse the future of Palin to his supporters had he and
she disagreed so vehemently. I even in grace, he would have been
more muted and just thanked her.
Three, if George W. Bush did not accidentally fire off a missile or
that goofy I am actually smart but can't keep my fly zipped doof
Clinton, I very much doubt John McCain would flippantly fire off
nuclear arms.
Four, if anyone thinks that the Republicans are already not
swarming for a controllable face and shell like Bush they are
kidding themselves.
Five, I really do not care anyhow, the Republicans keep talking a
big game and delivering wasted years, they are no better then the
Democrats in their will to trash the constitution.
|11.6.08 @ 6:39AM|#
McCain would have done no better with Romney, Pawlenty and
would have done far worse with Lieberman with many pro-life voters
staying home.
How do you think he would have done with Tom Ridge? Winning
Pennsylvania sure wouldn't have hurt. The places where pro-life
voters are strongest are also the places least likely to vote for a
black man. In other words, states McCain was always going to
win.
The Palin pick totally screwed him. And she's a moron. The evidence
has been there for all of us to see for the last eight weeks. We
don't need anonymous leaks from McCain staffers to verify it.
Kaiser|11.6.08 @ 6:49AM|#
cmoney
anyone who thinks she's an idiot is, well, an idiot. These reports are so obviously bogus. Plenty of people, even from the left, who came into close contact with her marveled at her ability to soak up information and her photographic-like memory.
She may not be the most educated, but idiotic she is not. The only way idiots get that far in politics is if they're born into it.Sean Healy
The Palin pick totally screwed him. And she's a moron. The evidence has been there for all of us to see for the last eight weeks. We don't need anonymous leaks from McCain staffers to verify it.
I am not validating the stories in that broadcast by calling Palin
an idiot. I even think, as I mentioned in my post, that she wasn't
a terrible pick in the least. However, as Mr. Healy said the
evidence is there for all of us to see. I don't need an inside
person to make my opinion of her being an idiot. Maybe I am wrong,
maybe she is very bright but I have not met her so I go on what I
see. If she is such an amazingly bright person why doesn't it
show....at all?
Also I do not base this opinion off of one interview, such as the
Couric interview. I realize those can be skewed and edited, but for
the love of god she has done nothing but sound more and more
ignorant every time I have heard her speak. To be honest,
personally I hope she does not come back to the political spectrum
in 4 years, but I am not saying she can't. I realize she is very
popular in her home town and you can always learn a lot, especially
over a 4 year period.
Godless American|11.6.08 @ 7:48AM|#
On the bright side, a bigoted airhead dipshit who was already in power got her big-haired Christian head handed to her. It's been real, Liddy. Don't be a stranger. I kid. Be one. Please.
|11.6.08 @ 7:59AM|#
"Obama thinks there are 57 states..."
Yeah, Obama actually thinks that. He did not mispeak a line, he
actually believes that! He never learned how many states there were
at Harvard graduating with honors!
C'mon.
This is the conservative problem that was displayed with claims
that Biden was just as dumb as Palin. Biden gave 57 press
conferences in the same period that Palin gave 2 interviews (Gibson
and Couric). When someone answers that many aggresive questions
they will misspeak some. But it was clear to most voters that when
a person barely speaks but when she does she flubs and struggles
that there is a difference. One misspoke a couple of times which is
easy to do and to be captured in the media when you regularly talk
to folks and are scrutinized, and the other is not that
bright.
And you know what I'm waiting for: Palin-Huckabee 2012!
Fluffy|11.6.08 @ 8:02AM|#
I find this eminently believable.
I said in one of the previous Palin threads that I thought that her
journalism degree was a glorified communications degree, that her
intended career path was to become a weather girl or sportscast
girl, and that her entire political career was a complete
accident.
She demonstrates all the characteristics of the pretty girl at
college who didn't know about, well, anything, but aimed for a
career that used her looks to best advantage. She may not be stupid
in the sense of having limited mental ability, but she's almost
certainly one of those people who has no grasp of the historical,
geographical, and literary "trivia" we expect an educated person to
know, because of her Pretty Girl Life Experience.
Kaiser|11.6.08 @ 8:09AM|#
Crow Eating Dumbass
And you know what I'm waiting for: Palin-Huckabee 2012!
OMG then we get the chance to say Puckabee!! Hey it may be a
terrible ticket but who could pass up that opportunity.
ed|11.6.08 @ 8:31AM|#
her journalism degree was a glorified communications
degree
Given the current state of journalism, can you tell me the
difference, Fluffy?
Elemenope|11.6.08 @ 8:46AM|#
Given the current state of journalism, can you tell me the
difference...
A communications degree includes some material on theory.
Journalism classes are those classes where you learn that lede is
spelled "L-E-D-E", and is often followed by a funny sounding thing
called a "nut graph" (they don't help you with spelling nut graf in
those classes, I hear.)
Fluffy|11.6.08 @ 8:47AM|#
No, Ed, I guess I can't.
I'm just saying that if there are two people in a room - a cable TV
sports show interview girl, and a girl working for the Harvard
Crimson, and I ask each of them what their Achilles' heel
is, the first girl will probably give me the same evasive
expression and answer Palin would.
|11.6.08 @ 8:51AM|#
Fluffy,
Dead on - which is why the SNL skits with Tina Fey winking and
prancing and posing are so funny. It highlights how SP is a bimbo.
A bimbo, despite her obvious intelligence, in the sense that the
tools life has taught her to use are mostly superficial not
intellectual.
Abdul|11.6.08 @ 8:57AM|#
Radley: most forthright disclosure ever.
I thought Pepe's comment was a thread-winner.
On the Palin question: I'm a little too cynical to believe that
Palin didn't know that Africa is a continent based on hearsay from
an anonymous staffer with an axe to grind.
Elemenope|11.6.08 @ 8:58AM|#
Dead on - which is why the SNL skits with Tina Fey winking
and prancing and posing are so funny. It highlights how SP is a
bimbo. A bimbo, despite her obvious intelligence, in the sense that
the tools life has taught her to use are mostly superficial not
intellectual.
But, but, but...she knows energy policy!!!
Seriously, though, this whole thing seems like a pile-on for the
purposes of scapegoating the GOP loss on an admittedly ridiculous
public personage.
|11.6.08 @ 9:02AM|#
El, you're right - we are piling on. but are we scapegoating? I mean there are so many mistakes to choose from - I'm sure this is not the only (or even worst) one we could talk about - it's just the one this thread is about.
Elemenope|11.6.08 @ 9:13AM|#
domoarrigato --
I think that we are not scapegoating, exactly. After all, it is not
our sins that are being cast onto the goat for Azazel...it's the
GOP's. My point was that these stories (which have lately come out
in something of a gush) all seem to originate with a GOP campaign
operative who could have a horse in their little upcoming
internecine bloodbath. They are, I think inarguably, scapegoating.
All that is left is determining how much of the pile-on is deserved
and how much is just pile-on.
To me it strikes like polishing the brass on the Titanic, but I'm
not a Republican, so the view may well be different from inside the
ship.
BakedPenguin|11.6.08 @ 9:22AM|#
Biden gave 57 press conferences in the same period that
Palin gave 2 interviews...
You sure that wasn't 50 conferences, CED?
I was willing to allow some lack of knowledge, and answering
off-the-cuff questions with precision, speed and grammatical
correctness takes practice. But I never heard her say anything that
implied she had a modicum of intelligence. Still, there is a huge
difference between not knowing facts and being too stupid to learn
them.
To me it strikes like polishing the brass on the
Titanic
More like looting the silver out of a burning house...
|11.6.08 @ 9:23AM|#
Ah - I see you are saying that operative is scapegoating - not the people on this thread. that definition of "this whole thing" makes more sense.
|11.6.08 @ 9:24AM|#
I don't get Radley's whole "she is an idiot" claim. What did
Radley get drunk and hit on her and get turned down back in college
or something? His hatred of Palin and the whole "idiot" line is
really odd. I would love to pluck Radley up and make him a major
party candidate over night and have the media desend on him like a
pack of wolves and see how well he does. I also would like to see
Radley go out and run for mayor of wherever he lives and see if he
can end up as governor. I doubt he would do one tenth as well as
Palin did. If she is an idiot what does that make him?
No one right or left who as actually met and worked with Palin
thinks she is an idiot. Yes a bunch of reptilian campaign managers
don't like her, but since when did the dislike of a bunch sleazy
spinmeisters become anything but a badge of honor? I understand why
Reason hates McCain. The guy is responsible for campaign finance
reform. That alone ought to earn him a lot of hatred.
Radley wierd obsession and hatred of Palin says more about him than
it does about her.
T|11.6.08 @ 9:25AM|#
My point was that these stories (which have lately come out
in something of a gush) all seem to originate with a GOP campaign
operative who could have a horse in their little upcoming
internecine bloodbath.
I'll just speculate here. If you want a job on the next big
campaign, do you suck it up and admit your strategies and campaign
work failed while promising to do better next time? Or do you try
to pin it on somebody whose selection can be blamed wholly on the
candidate and who isn't likely to be able to do much about it? I'm
thinking the quest for future employment is leading some
ex-McCainiacs to pile on Palin.
|11.6.08 @ 9:26AM|#
Oh, I'm no palin fan, but giving biden "credit" for doing so many press conferences by comparison seems a bit spurious. The real challange is to get the guy to shut up at the right moment - arguably he would have been even more effective had he said less.
|11.6.08 @ 9:27AM|#
Awesome. Civil War.
The Republican Party is riven between thugs and sleazy operators.
The thugs made it clear a couple of weeks ago that they were going
to rally around Sarah Palin, that they were going to treat support
for her as the basic test of Republican loyalty, and purge everyone
who faltered. Now the operators are striking back.
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
|11.6.08 @ 9:28AM|#
Further, what did Palin ever say in the campaign that was half as stupid as "they are going to test him"? That was not only stupid but downright dangerous now that Biden is actually VP. God only knows what that idiot is going to say over the next four years. Regardless, I doubt Radley will ever heap the scorn on Biden that he heaps on Palin.
|11.6.08 @ 9:29AM|#
John, I think the "you couldn't do any better" argument is kinda disingenuous. Some people would never run for office - don't want power - would rather raise their families in peace. Doesn't mean they aren't smarter/couldn't do better in office than the power hungry perps that get elected.
|11.6.08 @ 9:32AM|#
Enjoy the next two months Joe. Come January Democrats will have
to start leading as opposed to throwing temper fits. It is going to
be so much fun. Russia is saying they are going to deploy missiles
on their western border in response to our missile defense system
in the Czech Republic. Hamas is rocketing Israel again. Iran is
busy beavering away enriching urainium and signing a deal with
Russia to build a new pipeline in the Caucasis. Sadly, the world
will not allow us to engage in the frivolity of the Clinton
Administration and blowjobs and blue dresses.
The room where they give the new Pope his robes and garb is called
"The Crying Room" because when the person realizes the job he is
facing he usually cries. If Dear Leader hasn't started crying yet,
he will. Have fun Joe.
|11.6.08 @ 9:33AM|#
joe - I guess that's how the party rights itself - by kicking out the d-bags that screwed it up and lost their way. It might be entertaining for you, but it ultimately makes your competition stronger. Not that I care - I just hope they kick the fundies out of the party.
Steven Coalbear|11.6.08 @ 9:33AM|#
Comparing the GOP to the Titanic is a terrible analogy. This party isn't sinking, it's soaring! If anything, this is like polishing the brass on the Hindenburg.
|11.6.08 @ 9:34AM|#
John, name a political magazine, or newspaper, or journal, or
web site, that you read to learn about politics and events.
Name a Supreme Court case other than Roe v. Wade. Any Supreme Court
case will do.
|11.6.08 @ 9:35AM|#
"John, I think the "you couldn't do any better" argument is
kinda disingenuous. Some people would never run for office - don't
want power - would rather raise their families in peace. Doesn't
mean they aren't smarter/couldn't do better in office than the
power hungry perps that get elected."
If Radley were saying she was a bad politician, you would be right.
But he is not saying that. He is just being a nasty fuck and
implying that she is an "idiot" and he means it. To say Palin is
dumb is just invective not arguement and a waste of space on
Reason. Radley needs to get over himself and go back to writing
police stories.
|11.6.08 @ 9:35AM|#
John - but look for the Oprah special on how Michelle decorates the lincoln bedroom to dominate the news.
Elemenope|11.6.08 @ 9:35AM|#
I'll just speculate here. If you want a job on the next big
campaign, do you suck it up and admit your strategies and campaign
work failed while promising to do better next time? Or do you try
to pin it on somebody whose selection can be blamed wholly on the
candidate and who isn't likely to be able to do much about it? I'm
thinking the quest for future employment is leading some
ex-McCainiacs to pile on Palin.
Thing is, if it were me looking to hire a political operative, I'd
be looking for guys who didn't publicly blame their past losses on
their own candidate.
|11.6.08 @ 9:36AM|#
Joe last night a friend of my wife's husband was talking to me. i have met this guy like ten time. He is a law student. I am a lawyer. I couldn't remember what the hell he did for a living and asked him. It was a bit embarassing. Catch me or anyone at the right time and I can give a really stupid answer to any question. We are people not computers.
|11.6.08 @ 9:36AM|#
Fluffy wrote: "I'm just saying that if there are two people in a
room - a cable TV sports show interview girl, and a girl working
for the Harvard Crimson, and I ask each of them what their
Achilles' heel is, the first girl will probably give me the same
evasive expression and answer Palin would."
Actually, the sports person might have run across it in terms of
sports injuries. But the Crimson girl would more likely know who
Achilles was.
|11.6.08 @ 9:38AM|#
In 2012, the GOP base will be saying that you don't have to be smart to be President, all you need is two bent twigs and a prayer cloth.
|11.6.08 @ 9:39AM|#
Radley wierd obsession and hatred of Palin says more about
him than it does about her.
Actually, Radley' "weird obsession" is in line witht he perceptions
of a large majority of Americans. It's those who still think of her
as popular, smart, and able who are the fringe.
Come January Democrats will have to start leading as opposed to
throwing temper fits. Yes, the world will the back to normal.
The party that is wholly incapable of governing, but which excels
at media strategy and attacks, will be back in the opposition,
while the party that is wholly incompetent as an opposition party
but can run the government without looting half of it and letting
the other half collapse will be back in power.
C'mon, admit it; the Republicans were never cut out to be a
governing party. They're like the LibDems in England.
Sports Bimbo|11.6.08 @ 9:39AM|#
Oh no, I've been very lucky - I had shin splints two years ago when I trained for a marathon, but that was it.
|11.6.08 @ 9:41AM|#
C'mon, admit it; the Republicans were never cut out to be a
governing party. They're like the LibDems in England.
joe, would you be happy with one party rule?
|11.6.08 @ 9:45AM|#
That's why I say, I like every American I'm speaking with we're
ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the
tax payers looking to bailout.
But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are
concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore
up the economy- Helping the - Oh, it's got to be about job creation
too. Shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track.
So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending
has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for
Americas.
And trade we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a
competitive scary thing. But 1 in 5 jobs being created in the trade
sector today. We've got to look at that as more opportunity. All
those things under the umbrella of job creation.
This bailout is a part of that.
D.A. Ridgely|11.6.08 @ 9:46AM|#
Did I correctly hear the reporter state there were "problems with her knowledgability"?
Radley Balko|11.6.08 @ 9:49AM|#
Regardless, I doubt Radley will ever heap the scorn on Biden
that he heaps on Palin.
Uh, did you read the article I linked in the post? I initially
defended Palin.
As for heaping scorn on Biden, I took time out of my vacation to
write a 1,000 word post expressing my disappointment in Obama's
selection. Here's the gist:
He's an overly ambitious, elitist, tunnel-visioned,
Potomac-fevered Beltway dinosaur, with all the trappings. He may
well have been the worst possible pick among congressional
Democrats when it comes to the drug war and criminal
justice.
http://www.theagitator.com/2008/08/23/biden/
I suppose I could have been harder on him. Maybe if I just
out and out called him an asshole.
If you can look at all that's come out about Palin and still
conclude that she's "smart" or was anything but a cynical and
desperate choice for McCain, John, it isn't my turning on Palin
that's pathological, it's your obsessive defense of her.
|11.6.08 @ 9:50AM|#
well if the GOP are supposed to be keeping us honest - you probably ought to be a bit less elated right now.
|11.6.08 @ 9:55AM|#
Palin has been disappointing, mostly because she just wasn't ready. I don't think she lacks intelligence, I think she lacks experience and knowledge - things that can be gained. However, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and she's got a tall hill to climb to overcome this. I can't see voting for her in a primary over a Flake or a Pence-type. Paul will probably be too old by then...
dhex|11.6.08 @ 10:09AM|#
clinging to palin is probably a good way to ensure a decade and
a half of democratic wins.
since the purported republican attachment to small government is a
mythical animal, like a unicorn, and i don't have any virgins with
which to trap this supposed relationship between the gop and
minarchist thought, i don't know how much that matters. they're
going to play the social conservative game, perhaps not realizing
that minority blocks that are lukewarm or openly hostile to teh
gheys are generally openly hostile to republicans as well. who
knows? weirder things have happened.
i don't think calling palin a bimbo is fair, as - winking aside -
it's not like she's all va va va voom out there.
maybe in private she's reeling off recitations in classical greek,
or reading printed material on this strange technology we call
"paper" - lord knows the public and private spheres are often
separated by a veil not unlike maya. if this is what the
republicans want to continue with, good luck to them. calling her
libertarian leaning because she hunts and does other things which
tap right-libertarian sensibilities - the faded genetic echo of
KULTUR WAR - is a great game if you're into farce, but i've always
been more of a surrealist so it's not really my thing.
|11.6.08 @ 10:13AM|#
As one Republican said to me, "If only Mitt Romney had been, say, a Presbyterian."
|11.6.08 @ 10:18AM|#
"What did Radley get drunk and hit on her and get turned down
back in college or something?"
That could be possible. Radley, did you go to Hawaii Pacific, North
Idaho Community College, University of Idaho, or Matanuska-Susitina
Community College?
|11.6.08 @ 10:56AM|#
i don't think calling palin a bimbo is fair, as - winking
aside - it's not like she's all va va va voom out there.
There are smart bimbos. Bimbotude is how you carry yourself. Let's
not forget, though attractive people get more perks and favors,
when they fuck up, they get punished more. That's the case right
now. The problem is Palin should have known that she had
significant weaknesses on national issues and passed* on the job
offer. Heck, for all of her supposed expertise on energy issues,
she routinely had no clue what share of oil, energy, etc. Alaska
provided for the US (always on the high side). As inexperienced as
Reagan and Clinton supposedly were, they knew national issues cold
when they ran for president, Palin didn't. That's her fault.
I don't care if you're a 2 day or 2 term governor, if you don't
understand national issues, you shouldn't run for national
office.
robc|11.6.08 @ 11:12AM|#
Mo,
As inexperienced as Reagan and Clinton supposedly were, they
knew national issues cold when they ran for president, Palin
didn't.
Palin hasnt run for president. Yet. Maybe she will cram on that
stuff over the next 4 years. Who knows?
|11.6.08 @ 11:16AM|#
Palin hasnt run for president. Yet. Maybe she will cram on
that stuff over the next 4 years. Who knows?
You're right she didn't. But as vice president, you still need to
know national issues cold as well. Especially because she didn't
have a year or two of campaigning to get an understanding, she had
2 months until election day and 4 until inauguration. That's a lot
to cram while running a campaign at the same time.
robc|11.6.08 @ 11:21AM|#
VPs can learn the stuff once in office. Yeah, there is the risk that McCain might have pulled a William Henry Harrison, but its unlikely.
robc|11.6.08 @ 11:23AM|#
Of course, if we reduced the presidency to its constitutional role, the amount of stuff you need to know is much less. Hmmm....maybe a president who doesnt know stuff is what we need - of course we would need a sort of socratic "I know what I dont know" president to pull that off.
|11.6.08 @ 11:30AM|#
"Especially because she didn't have a year or two of campaigning
to get an understanding"
That's usually preceded by some period, usually years I bet, of
presidential ambition, and an inclination towards getting this kind
of knowledge.
Most people who aspire to run for president in 4-8 years aren't
going to be focusing exclusively on local issues. They're going to
be fitting themselves into the presidential mold, staying informed,
thinking about issues, etc.
I, Kahn O\'Clast|11.6.08 @ 12:26PM|#
Idiot is not the word for Palin. "Willfully Ignorant" is. That's
why she appealed to the Republican Base since it too is populated
by people who are willfully ignorant themselves. People who believe
that the Bible is the word of god, that the end times are near,
that deny evolution, etc etc. These people cotton to Palin because
she, like them, is an "anti-elitist".
What newspapers do you read? Couric asked. Rather than following
Bush's lead and admitting that she does not read any she punts and
hems and haws and says "all of them". Please.
Those of us who are elitists think that people who believe as she
does are idiots, but that's not always the case. There is a deep
culture of willful ignorance and the larger the population of that
culture, the more the support for Palin in the polls.
|11.6.08 @ 12:27PM|#
"""Obama thinks there are 57 states..."""
He misspoke. The Bush admin was great at that.
Being Obama is the President elect, it's ok to compare him to Bush
now.
57 states vs childrens. Obama has a long way to go before he looks
as moronic as Bush. But he's got plenty of time.
""""Uh, did you read the article I linked in the post? I initially
defended Palin."""
And pointed out that the libretarians could do worse. Of course
that was before the republican party had their way with her. I
think the republican party isn't ready for her. Not that I like her
that much but she was a DC outsider, pro gun, and from a state
that's been big on individual liberty, that I do like. But the
republican party wanted to mold her their way. The republican party
blew it more than Palin.
|11.6.08 @ 12:29PM|#
"Hell, no! We need an opposition, to keep things honest."
Joe that is the funniest thing you have ever written in your entire
life. You have never made one honest criticism of a Democrat in
your life. Of course you want one party rule. I will give you this,
you don't want to put anyone in camps, but you do feel that only
you and people like you have the right to have any say over their
lives. The last time the Democrats ruled anything, it lasted two
years before their control of Congress collapsed in a head of
ineptitude, theft and corruption and that was a Congress that still
had people like Danial Moynahan, Bob Kerry and Sam Nunn. Now you
have Reid and Pelosi. I give this Congress six months. What is the
approval rating of Congress 12% last I looked? Yeah, the Democrats
are the annointed party all right.
|11.6.08 @ 12:29PM|#
Given the number of people I've heard--talk radio, various TV personalities, some of the posters here (John et al)--still trying to defend this pathetic excuse for a VP candidate, it looks like the Republican party is going to have to spend a biblical amount of time in the wilderness in order to get their shit together. The rest of us grown-ups (you know, the ones who believe that intellectual curiosity, expertise, actual knowledge about the world around us are desirable qualities that you don't suddenly acquire overnight by cramming) will keep the seat at the table warm for you. Take as long as you want.
|11.6.08 @ 12:31PM|#
I have advice for the GOP. Next time you get power, don't act
like a douchebag and practice what you preach.
Too simple?
|11.6.08 @ 12:31PM|#
"And pointed out that the libretarians could do worse. Of course
that was before the republican party had their way with her. I
think the republican party isn't ready for her. Not that I like her
that much but she was a DC outsider, pro gun, and from a state
that's been big on individual liberty, that I do like. But the
republican party wanted to mold her their way. The republican party
blew it more than Palin."
You are right. She is an outsider and pro gun and from state not
federal government. She ought to be the kind of person libertarians
cut some slack to. Instead, Reason cut her no slack and hate her
guts. Reason is more about culture than it is about policy. She is
not one of them so they don't like her.
|11.6.08 @ 12:34PM|#
"Given the number of people I've heard--talk radio, various TV
personalities, some of the posters here (John et al)--still trying
to defend this pathetic excuse for a VP candidate, it looks like
the Republican party is going to have to spend a biblical amount of
time in the wilderness in order to get their shit together. The
rest of us grown-ups (you know, the ones who believe that
intellectual curiosity, expertise, actual knowledge about the world
around us are desirable qualities that you don't suddenly acquire
overnight by cramming) will keep the seat at the table warm for
you. Take as long as you want."
Intellectual curiosity my fucking ass. The conservative pundits who
slammed on Palin (Noonan and Brooks and their ilk) are a bunch of
pseudo-intellectual posers who are more worried about kissing the
right liberal ass and being "acceptable" to the right people than
they are about thinking or actually changing anything.
|11.6.08 @ 12:35PM|#
It is not so much that I like Palin that much. It is more that I can't stomach the beltway ass kissing fake intellectuals who slam on her. The woman made the right enemies on both sides of the isle. She can't be that bad.
dhex|11.6.08 @ 12:40PM|#
She can't be that bad.
john, sometimes the enemy of my enemy is still my enemy. and i sure
as hell don't see the libertarian cred coming from governor of the
most collectivist state in the union - i mean, wealth sharing? holy
frickin' crap, man! how much more commie do you need? the fur hat
with the hammer and sickle?
as an aside, what is a "pseudo-intellectual"?
dhex|11.6.08 @ 12:42PM|#
I don't care if you're a 2 day or 2 term governor, if you
don't understand national issues, you shouldn't run for national
office.
needless to say the quote above seems so obvious as to be nearly
painful, and yet...so terribly misunderstood by so very many
people. this seems like the most basic barrier of entry.
mo, i see where you're coming from, but i still think bimbo is
needlessly charged in terms of the sexual connotations. she's not
waving her fanny at the crowd and whatnot.
the wink though...yeah. that was pretty close to the flippin'
line.
|11.6.08 @ 12:44PM|#
No seriously,
John, when you and your ilk grow the fuck up and start fielding
adult candidates again, we can all talk grown-up politics, Bill
Kristol can come to.
"DC outsider, pro gun, and from a state that's been big on
individual liberty"
Sorry, the DC outsider, pro-shooting wolves from planes or whatever
other puerile nonsense you want to trot as a substitute for actual
qualifications only continues to indicate that you are in deep
denial and need to wake and grow the fuck up.
|11.6.08 @ 12:44PM|#
"""Instead, Reason cut her no slack and hate her guts."""
Like this?
http://www.reason.com/news/show/128695.html
|11.6.08 @ 12:47PM|#
creech | November 6, 2008, 10:13am | #
As one Republican said to me, "If only Mitt Romney had been, say, a
Presbyterian."
Why? Does being a Presbyterian allow you give good speeches while
appearing not to be a smarmy creep?
Because Mittens could have really used that.
Seriously, Mitterns/Palin in 2112! Or Palin/Mittens. Either one
will be fine.
|11.6.08 @ 12:50PM|#
"as an aside, what is a "pseudo-intellectual"?"
I won't highjack the thread on a debate about Alaska politics.
Suffice it to say I disagree with you. But to answer that question,
a pseudo-intellectual is someone who knows the words but doesn't
know the meanings, a bullshit artist basically. That is what most
journalists who write on editorial pages are. They have never done
anything practical, so they don't know much about the world. That
would be okay, if they were truly experts in a field. Some of them
are true experts. Paul Krugman, for all of his faults, really is a
big brain economist and not a poser. Most of them are just
journalists who can a few sentences together and look thoughtful. I
hate that. Noonan has always been one of my pet peeves even though
she is a conservative. What exactly does that woman do? She was a
speech writer, big deal. She basically gets paid because she is
easy on the eyes and can bloviate about this or that in a
non-threatening way. I have more respect for the screamers and
lunatics like Oberman or O'Reilly. At least they don't pretend to
be anything beyond what they are.
This bread of beltway pundit right and left who joined in on the
piling on Palin that I really despise. It would have been one thing
if they had been partisan hacks like Joe and were just calling in
from the peanut gallery. But they have pretensions to be something
beyond. But they can't. None of them, unless they are writing a
column on it and trying to look erudite, know the pre-emption from
re-emption, but someone like Noonan can sit there and tisk tisk
because Palin didn't know the Bush doctrine. Yeah whatever
Peggy.
|11.6.08 @ 12:51PM|#
Oh, John, stop whining at me. It's all you ever do
anymore.
BTW, "that's the funniest thing you've ever written" is your new
"Yeah, joe." It's what you write when you have aboslutely nothing
to say except what a terrible, terrible person I am.
I've criticized plenty of Democrats; that I don't do so as the
entirety of what I write, which is what it would take to satisfy
you, is officially not my problem.
|11.6.08 @ 12:53PM|#
John, if you despise elitist pseudo-intellectuals who comment
about politics without having done anything practical, why do over
half of your comments consist of cut and paste jobs from National
Review Online?
Does Rich Lowry have a sheep ranch I don't know about?
|11.6.08 @ 12:55PM|#
"I've criticized plenty of Democrats; that I don't do so as the
entirety of what I write, which is what it would take to satisfy
you, is officially not my problem."
No you haven't Joe. You wouldn't even criticize John Murtha the
other day. Go and do a search and cut and paste any criticize you
have ever made of a Democrat on here and prove me wrong. I don't
think you can find one. But if you can, I will take that back.
Until you can, shut up and admit that you have never done it.
|11.6.08 @ 12:55PM|#
Sarah Palin can't actually be dumb or ill-informed, because
something something something about what kind of people are
better.
There, John, you can take the rest of the day off.
|11.6.08 @ 12:56PM|#
I'm not your mouthpiece, John. That I don't single out people for criticism at your command doesn't tell us a whole lot.
|11.6.08 @ 12:58PM|#
Joe,
You won't even criticize Joe Biden. Come on Joe, if you have all of
these secret criticisms of Democrats, lay it all out right here.
Just tell us four or five things you find wrong with the Democratic
Party and name two or three nationally known Democrats you think
are baffoons. That is all you have to do. Name Names. What
Democrats don't you like?
|11.6.08 @ 12:59PM|#
You won't do it Joe because you can't. There are no Democrats you dislike and are no Democratic policies you object to no matter how crazy or contradictory. I really think sometimes someone locked you in a room and did some kind of experiment on you. I have never seen anything like it.
|11.6.08 @ 1:01PM|#
joe | September 29, 2008, 2:50pm | #
The Democrats could have passed this thing without one
Republican vote, letalone the forty or fifty that they
got.
One possibility is that the Democrats pass a Democratic bill - one
that negotiated not between the leadership (which leans strongly
centrist/DLC) and the Republicans, but between the different
factions of the Democratic caucus.
This would mean that Henny Stoyer or whatever the hell his name is
goes from being the leftmost faction at the table to the
rightmost.
I wouldn't count on it, though. Harry Reid's testicles get
sucked up into this abdominal cavity when a Republican looks at him
cross-eyed.
Haha, John. You are a such a hack.
|11.6.08 @ 1:01PM|#
i still think bimbo is needlessly charged in terms of the
sexual connotations.
Fair enough. Though there are mimbos.
a pseudo-intellectual is someone who knows the words but
doesn't know the meanings, a bullshit artist basically.
Like say ... you?
Intellectual curiosity my fucking ass. The conservative pundits
who slammed on Palin (Noonan and Brooks and their ilk) are a bunch
of pseudo-intellectual posers who are more worried about kissing
the right liberal ass and being "acceptable" to the right people
than they are about thinking or actually changing
anything.
Do you include Powell and Eagleburger in that group? If not, why is
their criticism valid, but Noonan's and the Brooks' aren't? They
made the same criticism.
|11.6.08 @ 1:02PM|#
It's "buffoon," John. Buffoon. This is a word you should have
some familiarity with.
Second, why, exactly, would I go ahead and do that? To make you
happy?
But your tears are so yummy and sweet this week!
|11.6.08 @ 1:03PM|#
"I wouldn't count on it, though. Harry Reid's testicles get
sucked up into this abdominal cavity when a Republican looks at him
cross-eyed."
That is right Joe you criticized Harry Reid, once. Wow. The
conditioning must be wearing off. But of course you didn't
criticize him for what he thought or anything substantive, only
that he didn't have the courage to stand up to those evil
Republicans. So the conditioning is still pretty strong.
|11.6.08 @ 1:05PM|#
Here, here are some more, John:
joe | October 21, 2008, 9:16am | #
"Once we get past the present emergency, which requires immediate
new investments, we have to break that cycle of debt."
I never knew Barack Obama had so much in common with Tom
Delay.
im n yr bujjit, strvin yr beest!
...
joe | October 21, 2008, 9:33am | #
Cool, I can pay off a little more of my credit card with another
stimulus check.
I, too, will be socializing my private sector debt.
Stupid helicopter money. How many times does this strategy have to
fail before they stop trying it?
But remember, I don't ever critize the Democrats, or any of their
policies. You can tell this is true, because John thinks I'm too
pro-Democrat.
dhex|11.6.08 @ 1:06PM|#
But to answer that question, a pseudo-intellectual is
someone who knows the words but doesn't know the meanings, a
bullshit artist basically.
john the palin joke here...do you see it? it is writing
itself.
in all seriousness, stick to using "bullshit artist" because that
honestly sounds better. and makes more sense. pseudo-intellect
makes me think of pseudo-dionysius and we don't really need to
travel that road, do we?
anyway, needless to say we disagree. peggy noonan is a writer. if
being a writer isn't "doing anything" than you've disqualified a
lot of facets of american life and, well, there ya go...
|11.6.08 @ 1:07PM|#
Keep it up, John. You're becoming like the Life of Brian:
OK, other than the aquaduct, roads, civil order, medicine, and
engineering, name one thing the Romans have given us?
|11.6.08 @ 1:07PM|#
"Second, why, exactly, would I go ahead and do that? To make you
happy?"
To show that you actually think about things and say things in good
faith. If you always think the same side is right and never
criticize that side, you are not very serious. You are not a stupid
guy Joe. It is not like you are Mo or someone. That is why it is
disapointing you will defend the indefensable sometimes with the
Dems. You would be so much more interesting to go back and forth
with if you would just break away be a little more independent.
|11.6.08 @ 1:09PM|#
"anyway, needless to say we disagree. peggy noonan is a writer.
if being a writer isn't "doing anything" than you've disqualified a
lot of facets of american life and, well, there ya go..."
True but I don't consider her a serious writer. Someone like Anne
Applebaum who wrote a pretty interesting history of the Gulag, she
is a writer. William F. Buckley who wrote some pretty serious
thoughts on government is a writer. Noon is a speechwriter and a
good one maybe even a great one, but she has never really impressed
me very much.
|11.6.08 @ 1:10PM|#
Nobody except you has any doubt about whether I think about
things or argue in good faith, John.
Here's a thought: maybe I'm not the one who lets his partisan
leanings get the better of him. In case you haven't noticed, there
seems to be a pretty strong consensus developing about your
partisan delusions about Sarah Palin.
I really don't care how interesting you think I am. I really don't
care if you think I'm too pro-Democrat. You are more or less
universally treated like a joke on this site, John. Your opinions
is sort of like Gil Martin's or joshua corning, except they spell
better.
|11.6.08 @ 1:12PM|#
Oh, and btw: Mo is so much more intelligent and thoughtful than
you, it's like you're different species.
That you would single him out as someone who doesn't have a lot on
the ball, while defending the intellect of Sarah Palin, is pretty
much all anyone needs to know about you.
Tacos mmm...|11.6.08 @ 1:12PM|#
Oil and coal? Of course, it's a fungible commodity and they don't flag, you know, the molecules, where it's going and where it's not. But in the sense of the Congress today, they know that there are very, very hungry domestic markets that need that oil first. So, I believe that what Congress is going to do, also, is not to allow the export bans to such a degree that it's Americans that get stuck to holding the bag without the energy source that is produced here, pumped here. It's got to flow into our domestic markets first.
I have no idea what Palin is saying here, except perhaps that we should pass laws to keep all domestically produced oil within the country, which doesn't convince me that she understand energy issues any better than Joe the Plumber.
She's good at reading off a teleprompter. That's about it. She flops catastrophically when she has to improvise answers to questions instead of read them, and her grasp of issues like oil, in which she supposedly has some expertise, is demonstrably lacking.
Do you think McCain was telling the truth when he said she knew more about energy than anyone else he had ever met? The two of them were like a bad joke.
dhex|11.6.08 @ 1:15PM|#
True but I don't consider her a serious writer.
serious thinker, no. serious writer? yes.
the two are not necessarily related.
still, she's leagues ahead of palin. palin is a stone-cold ding
dong, son! she's the death of the gop, man, all sitting there
winking at a bunch of people like what the living hell? it's bad
enough that captain foreverwar and chocolate jesus straight up both
told the tv universe that "your house you cannot afford will never
lose money ever ever ever and here's a pony" but she takes the
cake. and this includes biden, who last time i checked was some
kind of living feeding machine for credit card companies.
also mo is smart as hell; in the words of many east coast
philosophers i would suggest you check yourself before you
re-re-re-re-wreck yourself.
|11.6.08 @ 1:20PM|#
I love the image of a guy defending Sarah Palin's intellect and knowledge, while attacking her critics as pseudo-intellectuals, accusing me of being to partisan, insufficiently independent, and eager to defend the indefensible.
Lester Hunt|11.6.08 @ 1:34PM|#
Radley, I wrote similar things about Palin at about the same time. At least we can prove we wrote these things before she had gotten much exposure.
|11.6.08 @ 1:37PM|#
joe and dhex, thanks for the kind words, but they're not needed. Being called dumb by John doesn't bother me.
|11.6.08 @ 1:53PM|#
Nick Hogan! Out of jail and posting on Reason!
Admit it, Nick! You tried that shit on Fight Club where Tyler Durden lets go of the wheel!
|11.6.08 @ 3:06PM|#
At least one of those comments about Palin is complete BS - the
claim that she doesn't know which countries are in NAFTA is
flat-out wrong. I saw an interview on CSPAN before she was picked
as VP, and she talked about NAFTA with a normal amount of
intelligence for a Governor. And Alaska does plenty of trade with
Mexico and Canada, and in fact one of the Governor's most important
jobs is to help promote that trade. To that end, the Palin
administration issued plenty of press statements regarding trade
with both Mexico and Canada.
So if one 'fact' is complete nonsense, I'll assume the other is,
too.
|11.6.08 @ 3:34PM|#
As one Republican said to me, "If only Mitt Romney had been,
say, a Presbyterian."
I'm picturing all the Republican evangelicals waking up the day
after the election, seeing the Obama photos and headlines on their
newspaper, and smacking their forehead - "I coulda had a
Mormon!".
Freeper|11.6.08 @ 4:41PM|#
Sarahcuda was the most intelligent of any of the four candidates! Palin/Bachmann '12!
daveylee|11.6.08 @ 5:01PM|#
Pawlenty, if he's able to win again in MN, a staunchly blue
state, in 2010, will be the best bet the GOP has going for them in
2012.
It's true that Pawlenty probably wouldn't have changed the outcome
of the 2008 election. Would have been closer, but McLame would have
lost anyway.
McCain picking Palin was the best thing that ever happened to
Pawlenty's political career. At least he didn't get pasted with the
"loser" label like Palin has. If she has ANY future in Presidential
GOP politics, then the Dems will have an easy time of it in 2012,
2016, etc.
|11.7.08 @ 8:42AM|#
Africa:
Sarah Palin was an honor
student in her high school. Her parents
insisted on good grades and her father was a high school
science teacher. She is the popular and effective governor of a
state. I doubt very much that someone with this background is
misinformed that Africa is a country. It simply doesn't compute,
sorry. This one should be filed along with her
fake high school transcripts. An incredible claim like this
requires an incredible level of proof. What is the proof that is
offered? Anonymous accusers who won't come forward and make their
incredible accusations in the light of day.
It's interesting to watch people who want to believe the worst
about people that they don't like. It makes them incredibly
gullible, to the extent that they will believe the most unlikely
things about their opponents, without considering common sense or
performing even the minutest of research. If you believe this
incredible claim without asking for convincing proof, it really
says more about you than about Sarah Palin.
The amount of slander that has been dumped upon this woman is
sickening, and frankly, reveals the true tolerance and
inclusiveness of the slanderers.
|11.7.08 @ 8:56AM|#
By the way, here is CSPAN's interview of Sarah Palin in Feb 2008, well before she was considered for VP. It is only 11 minutes long. Watch the interview and her response to callers with questions and think honestly about whether this is a stupid woman.
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