Why do you hate Sarah Palin?

[Netzach]

Well, it's more MSM than some of the sources that have been quoted here, on both sides of the aisle. And I did say a "liberal arm," implying that it's on the periphery of the MSM, not center mass.

They can have George Will but not TNR, if I can keep The Nation and I don't care about huffpo, it's entertainment.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

Santa Di Terrosa Pinot Grigio has the best nose to match the veal-like quality of Chistian baby, in my extensive experience. You're all just latecomers on this scene.

*patented CM/BiBunny, Inc. snort* *spew!*

Dammit, Netz! WARN us!

 

[midwestyankee]

Santa Di Terrosa Pinot Grigio has the best nose to match the veal-like quality of Chistian baby, in my extensive experience. You're all just latecomers on this scene.

Surely you can't be thinking of the 2004 vintage, for that issue had a hint of ketchup and the salt air of windsurfers' dreams. It was entirely too weak and unfit for the task in my view. I'm afraid one has to go back several decades for a vintage that truly matches well with the current need.

 

[Homburg]

I'm starting to see more ads for various forms of Palin spoof porn. Larry Flynt is in on it.

 

[midwestyankee]

I'm starting to see more ads for various forms of Palin spoof porn. Larry Flynt is in on it.

Titles please.

 

[Homburg]

Titles please.

Flynt's effort is "Nailin' Palin" if I remember rightly.

Here's a bit of still photo work by some other producer. I especially like the added captions on the first few shots. Tasteful.

 

[midwestyankee]

Upon no less an authority than John Cleese, Michael Palin is no longer the funniest Palin.

 

[Homburg]

Palin booed at a Phillies game

The video at The Young Turks' channel has audio that's a bit more honest.

From another site (that I didn't get the url for, sorry), "Jim reports "The arena had to raise the music volume to drown out the booing. Some have claimed they also piped in cheers." Seems like an accurate assessment, as you can hear the music volume change during the video.

 

[00Syd]

Interactive nightmare:

http://palinaspresident.com/

 

[midwestyankee]

Interactive nightmare:

http://palinaspresident.com/

I haven't wanted an Irish coffee this early in the day in a long time. Thanks, kiddo.

 

[midwestyankee]

Note: I moved over here to continue this discussion of Palin in this thread.

Her childhood explains a lot (to me) because it confirms both her personal narrative and the fact that this is a world she's never left, while at the same time highlighting the enormous cultural divide between that world and most other Americans'.

Your friends possess the personality and character traits necessary to explore and embrace the broader world, but it seems clear to me that Palin does not. This distinction is what I find most alarming about her as a VPOTUS candidate.


Compare Palin to Bill Clinton. Here was a kid from Hope, Arkansas. Went to Georgetown on scholarship and got a B.S. in Foreign Service. Spent time in England (at Oxford), New England (Yale Law) and then back to his home state. True, when he ran for POTUS his only experience was that of governor of a small state. But everything that had happened up to that point had confirmed a level of knowledge and world view that was far from provincial.

I don't mean to imply that Ivies are the only way to broaden one's perspective. Far from it! But there's gotta be something. Some evidence of a thirst for knowledge about the world outside your own backyard.

In many ways, this was the same problem with W. Apart from a single trip to Israel and a single, very brief trip to Russia, W had travelled almost nowhere outside of the United States. And except for west Texas and coastal Maine, he had not been many places here that didn't have a major league baseball team. W was proud of his ignorance in a way that seemed to insult the very nature of civilization.

George W Bush's lack of intellectual curiosity was both a feature and a bug. For Karl Rove, W's blank slate meant the ideal proving ground for his theories of how to attain and manage political power. It meant that Cheney could manipulate W with consummate skill and remarkable ease. It meant that W could honestly show disdain for anyone who thought it important that he should know the names of the heads of state of some of the more important nations in the world. His lack of curiosity also drew fire from a few in the press and many on the left. It was the root of nearly all criticism of him during the 2000 election. At that point, all we knew of W was that he promised to be a "compassionate conservative" and to be mild in his foreign affairs. Little did we know that because W was unaware of so much, he never understood just how much Cheney and Rumsfeld were pulling his strings.

That several million Americans are clamoring for more of the same simply boggles my mind. It fucking boggles my mind.

 

[Netzach]

Note: I moved over here to continue this discussion of Palin in this thread.



In many ways, this was the same problem with W. Apart from a single trip to Israel and a single, very brief trip to Russia, W had travelled almost nowhere outside of the United States. And except for west Texas and coastal Maine, he had not been many places here that didn't have a major league baseball team. W was proud of his ignorance in a way that seemed to insult the very nature of civilization.

George W Bush's lack of intellectual curiosity was both a feature and a bug. For Karl Rove, W's blank slate meant the ideal proving ground for his theories of how to attain and manage political power. It meant that Cheney could manipulate W with consummate skill and remarkable ease. It meant that W could honestly show disdain for anyone who thought it important that he should know the names of the heads of state of some of the more important nations in the world. His lack of curiosity also drew fire from a few in the press and many on the left. It was the root of nearly all criticism of him during the 2000 election. At that point, all we knew of W was that he promised to be a "compassionate conservative" and to be mild in his foreign affairs. Little did we know that because W was unaware of so much, he never understood just how much Cheney and Rumsfeld were pulling his strings.

That several million Americans are clamoring for more of the same simply boggles my mind. It fucking boggles my mind.

I don't think it's enough though.

It worries me that "populist" means something so very very very very very different than it did in the teens and twenties.

 

[intothewoods]

Note: I moved over here to continue this discussion of Palin in this thread.



In many ways, this was the same problem with W. Apart from a single trip to Israel and a single, very brief trip to Russia, W had travelled almost nowhere outside of the United States. And except for west Texas and coastal Maine, he had not been many places here that didn't have a major league baseball team. W was proud of his ignorance in a way that seemed to insult the very nature of civilization.

George W Bush's lack of intellectual curiosity was both a feature and a bug. For Karl Rove, W's blank slate meant the ideal proving ground for his theories of how to attain and manage political power. It meant that Cheney could manipulate W with consummate skill and remarkable ease. It meant that W could honestly show disdain for anyone who thought it important that he should know the names of the heads of state of some of the more important nations in the world. His lack of curiosity also drew fire from a few in the press and many on the left. It was the root of nearly all criticism of him during the 2000 election. At that point, all we knew of W was that he promised to be a "compassionate conservative" and to be mild in his foreign affairs. Little did we know that because W was unaware of so much, he never understood just how much Cheney and Rumsfeld were pulling his strings.

That several million Americans are clamoring for more of the same simply boggles my mind. It fucking boggles my mind.

Wellll, yes and no. I agree on the lack of intellectual curiousity. But Bush and Palin could not have had a more different upbringing! And I think the whole son v. father and crazy overbearing mother issues played heavily in who W is. W was the governor of Texas, and he actually did have something of a relationship with the President of Mexico at the time he first ran. And governor of Texas is a far cry from governor of Alaska. I mean, really, seriously. It's mind-boggling that people are clamoring for more Palin, but it's not like she's as popular as Bush. Oh wait.

 

[midwestyankee]

I don't think it's enough though.

It worries me that "populist" means something so very very very very very different than it did in the teens and twenties.

This is a very good point. Populist does seem to have evolved into something with fewer teeth and more gauzy whistfulness somehow.

Wellll, yes and no. I agree on the lack of intellectual curiousity. But Bush and Palin could not have had a more different upbringing! And I think the whole son v. father and crazy overbearing mother issues played heavily in who W is. W was the governor of Texas, and he actually did have something of a relationship with the President of Mexico at the time he first ran. And governor of Texas is a far cry from governor of Alaska. I mean, really, seriously. It's mind-boggling that people are clamoring for more Palin, but it's not like she's as popular as Bush. Oh wait.

You're right; I could have drawn a sharper contrast between the two. One of the truly scary things about W is that he had the surface appearance of a well-educated man but clearly very little of the substance of his time at Yale and Harvard Business School took hold. Governor Palin, on the other hand, shares W's lack of intellectual curiosity without ever having been exposed to much more than the skills necessary to prospering in a very limited environment. She had little in her life that might have inspired her to develop some curiosity. That's not only a shame but a limiting factor in her ability to grow into any more challenging position in the political world.

 

[bridgeburner]

I don't think it's enough though.

It worries me that "populist" means something so very very very very very different than it did in the teens and twenties.

America has been hell-bent on a path of anti-intellectualism disguised as populism for quite a few years now. It's truly disheartening to see.

It shows that people are more concerned about their fragile egos than actually taking care of the country. Bubba don't want no pansy-ass, elitist intee-lec-tchew-al making decisions about the U.S. of A. Bubba wants somebody like Bubba looking after Bubba's interests.

The problem is that somebody like Bubba is only going to look out for his own interests and doesn't have the ability or inclination to look out for anyone else. The elitist pansy-ass at least has ideas of nobless oblige.

Let's not elect anyone better educated or more sophisticated than the average citizen because that just shows that we aren't proud enough of our citizenry. That's like saying that only children should raise other children because insisting on adults raising children says we don't think children are special and capable in their own right.

Except that it's true. Children are not qualified to raise other children. Just as Joe Six-Pack isn't fit to run the country no matter what his kindergarten teacher told him about any boy growing up to be President of the United States.

All of this crap alternately pisses me off and depresses the shit out of me.

 

[Homburg]

America has been hell-bent on a path of anti-intellectualism disguised as populism for quite a few years now. It's truly disheartening to see.

It shows that people are more concerned about their fragile egos than actually taking care of the country. Bubba don't want no pansy-ass, elitist intee-lec-tchew-al making decisions about the U.S. of A. Bubba wants somebody like Bubba looking after Bubba's interests.

Let's not elect anyone better educated or more sophisticated than the average citizen because that just shows that we aren't proud enough of our citizenry. That's like saying that only children should raise other children because insisting on adults raising children says we don't think children are special and capable in their own right.

I keep thinking of Vonnegut's excellent short story, "Harrison Bergeron".

 

[intothewoods]

America has been hell-bent on a path of anti-intellectualism disguised as populism for quite a few years now. It's truly disheartening to see.

It shows that people are more concerned about their fragile egos than actually taking care of the country. Bubba don't want no pansy-ass, elitist intee-lec-tchew-al making decisions about the U.S. of A. Bubba wants somebody like Bubba looking after Bubba's interests.

The problem is that somebody like Bubba is only going to look out for his own interests and doesn't have the ability or inclination to look out for anyone else. The elitist pansy-ass at least has ideas of nobless oblige.

Let's not elect anyone better educated or more sophisticated than the average citizen because that just shows that we aren't proud enough of our citizenry. That's like saying that only children should raise other children because insisting on adults raising children says we don't think children are special and capable in their own right.

Except that it's true. Children are not qualified to raise other children. Just as Joe Six-Pack isn't fit to run the country no matter what his kindergarten teacher told him about any boy growing up to be President of the United States.

All of this crap alternately pisses me off and depresses the shit out of me.

It is possible though to use the vocabulary of populism without sounding like a spoiled kid or an idiot. Mike Huckabee never sounded like either, even though I consider some of his opinions to be wrong and not very well thought out.

 

[intothewoods]

I keep thinking of Vonnegut's excellent short story, "Harrison Bergeron".

Oh, that's a really sad story.

 

[Netzach]

It is possible though to use the vocabulary of populism without sounding like a spoiled kid or an idiot. Mike Huckabee never sounded like either, even though I consider some of his opinions to be wrong and not very well thought out.

If you really need a geek fix, and you are ready to cry and/or laugh over some of this stuff, read "Battlin'" Bob LaFolette's arguments in the congressional record, in I think like, 1917, 1919 somewhere in there. (I was doing research for a video and ran into this stuff)


I promise you, this won't bum you out as much. Plus the country has looked and sounded the way it has now in the past - same principals - us vs. them, clean vs. unclean, Godly, vs. Satanic - prepare to be amazed at the cyclical nature of it all.


Populism isn't just folksiness any more than feminism is just the having of a vagina.

Populism is the idea that genius can come from anywhere. Excellence can grow up trapping animals or splitting rails or be languishing in the projects. It's not the idea that anything from anywhere is genius because it's American so it is.

 

[Homburg]

Oh, that's a really sad story.

Sad, sure, but also some of the finest social commentary Vonnegut ever penned.

 

[jockdom]

Quite an amusing "article" in Scotlands national rag the daily record.

"And in political news (because you now we like to be highbrow as well as educational on this page), we bring the latest developments in the American presedential race.
In a move that Bill Clinton could only gaze upon in envy, a Sarah Palin Blow up-doll has now hit the shops... or at least, those with blacked out windows.
In a stance that is disturbingly reminiscent of reality, there is no word yet on how the new product will cope with swinging voters, spin tactics or inflation."

 

[FurryFury]

Agreed!

Every time I see a McCain yard sign or a Palin button I wonder if I'm actually living inside the movie Idiocracy ! I really do.

America has been hell-bent on a path of anti-intellectualism disguised as populism for quite a few years now. It's truly disheartening to see.

It shows that people are more concerned about their fragile egos than actually taking care of the country. Bubba don't want no pansy-ass, elitist intee-lec-tchew-al making decisions about the U.S. of A. Bubba wants somebody like Bubba looking after Bubba's interests.

The problem is that somebody like Bubba is only going to look out for his own interests and doesn't have the ability or inclination to look out for anyone else. The elitist pansy-ass at least has ideas of nobless oblige.

Let's not elect anyone better educated or more sophisticated than the average citizen because that just shows that we aren't proud enough of our citizenry. That's like saying that only children should raise other children because insisting on adults raising children says we don't think children are special and capable in their own right.

Except that it's true. Children are not qualified to raise other children. Just as Joe Six-Pack isn't fit to run the country no matter what his kindergarten teacher told him about any boy growing up to be President of the United States.

All of this crap alternately pisses me off and depresses the shit out of me.

 

[midwestyankee]

Fact of the Day: October 16, 2008

Courtesy of Andrew Sullivan:

"Joe the Plumber has now had more press conferences than Sarah Palin."

 

[intothewoods]

If you really need a geek fix, and you are ready to cry and/or laugh over some of this stuff, read "Battlin'" Bob LaFolette's arguments in the congressional record, in I think like, 1917, 1919 somewhere in there. (I was doing research for a video and ran into this stuff)


I promise you, this won't bum you out as much. Plus the country has looked and sounded the way it has now in the past - same principals - us vs. them, clean vs. unclean, Godly, vs. Satanic - prepare to be amazed at the cyclical nature of it all.


Populism isn't just folksiness any more than feminism is just the having of a vagina.

Populism is the idea that genius can come from anywhere. Excellence can grow up trapping animals or splitting rails or be languishing in the projects. It's not the idea that anything from anywhere is genius because it's American so it is.

Sure. Just admit you read the Congressional record for kicks.

I don't mean to go all Woody Allen paranoid on you, but the anti-semitic streak in populist movements has always troubled me. Then again, they've totally moved on to Muslims. Phew!

Courtesy of Andrew Sullivan:

"Joe the Plumber has now had more press conferences than Sarah Palin."

LOL.

 

[Netzach]

Sure. Just admit you read the Congressional record for kicks.

I don't mean to go all Woody Allen paranoid on you, but the anti-semitic streak in populist movements has always troubled me. Then again, they've totally moved on to Muslims. Phew!



LOL.

Honestly I can't remember if it was La Follette, but I think it was, who spoke up very movingly on the example of a boatload of Jews sent back to Russia and their probably fate as a reason to reform immigration quotas in the Record.