Sarah Palin Resigns as Gov. of Alaska

[Sug]

9/11 did run in 2008 and lost.

Actually the party that allowed 9/11 to occur lost, people forgot in 2004. I say never again, if you catch my drift.

 

[Denny Crane]

Actually the party that allowed 9/11 to occur lost, people forgot in 2004. I say never again, if you catch my drift.

Cross your fingers it won't happen again, or some rogue NGO doesn't come up with a missile that can reach us.

 

[KingSpeed]

At some point we need to figure out some way of getting people to have less children. .

Tell gay people that it's okay for them to be who they are and that they can get married.

 

[Chutney]

People forgot 9/11 quick enough, they'll forget about Palin's screwups.

Time was actually good to Quayle, FWIW. He was ridiculed by Murphy Brown for saying that it's better for families to have two parents. A couple of years later, Al Gore said the same thing and there was no ridicule.

http://dir.salon.com/story/politics/feature/2002/05/10/quayle/index.html

Dan Quayle's strange victory

He also suggested that the show was "mocking fathers" by showing that, in certain situations, its better for the mother to take that responsibility on her own (which is absolutely true). And roundly blamed a hedonistic Hollywood. And then topped it off by arguing that we need to re-introduce Christianity into schools.

Quayle's feelings of redemption are misplaced. His underlying point has always been valid (and the Murphy Brown actress praised it), but it was surrounded with the typical social conservative idiocy. And that's why he drew so much criticism.

 

[crandc]

Denny Craine, I am so glad you recognize the importance of marriage, and that other types of arrangements are not the equivalent.

So you will now support marriage equality? So that all families will have the benefits of a legally recognized marriage? Thank you!

Back to the topic at hand. Palin said that others have left office for "a higher calling" and not been criticized but of course she knows there is a different standard for her. Others have left Senate seats and governorships to join a president's Cabinet or take on an ambassadorship or some other service. I am not sure what "higher calling" Palin has in mind, but she does not seem to be considered for a high level position of service to the country. And whining, self-pity, and martyrdom are not attractive qualities in a would-be president.

BTW, the photo shops are disgusting. There is probably not a single issue I agree with Palin on, but women do have the right to run for office and be judged on the EXACT SAME BASIS as non-female candidates.

 

[Chutney]

Quick! Somebody photoshop some Barack Obama porn so that it's OK for me to laugh at those pics!

 

[Stevenson]

Bush proved that a tool can run the country.

Don't you think he proved that a tool can't run the country? The president actually has to be smart, curious, and yes, articulate.

She is charming and intriguing, but that alone is not the stuff of presidents.

 

[Sug]

She is charming and intriguing, but that alone is not the stuff of presidents.

Basically men vote for her because they want to sleep with her.

 

[prideandglory]

Who knows what she has up her sleeves. I really don't think she's going to run in 2012, but I could be wrong. Only time will tell.

 

[ucatchtrout]

Don't you think he proved that a tool can't run the country? The president actually has to be smart, curious, and yes, articulate.

She is charming and intriguing, but that alone is not the stuff of presidents.

W proved that a puppet does NOT have to be smart curious, or articulate.

And he got away with it for eight years. Palins popularity proved that a better looking more articulate puppet would againg be successful.

 

[Denny Crane]

Denny Craine, I am so glad you recognize the importance of marriage, and that other types of arrangements are not the equivalent.

So you will now support marriage equality? So that all families will have the benefits of a legally recognized marriage? Thank you!

I support legalizing same sex marriages. If you live with your partner as if married, you basically are in a common law marriage by definition.

And why should I care who you date or live with? None of my business. You have a right to pursue happiness.

I think don't ask don't tell is absurd. If a gay guy (or gal) can kick the enemy's ass, that's all that matters to me.

I have no problem with gay couples adopting, either.

Any more questions?

 

[deception]

i think denny crane has a hard-on for sarah palin. here's my thoughts on palin- she's utterly incompetent at being a functioning human being, let alone a political official. she's had one personal melodrama after another- from relatives in trouble with the law to a very public feud with her grandson's father.

she clearly has a "base"- the evangelicals and white working class voters. however, she's too much of a polarizing figure to make any traction on the national stage. plus, the demographics of america are rapidly changing and that "change" devalues her supporters from making any headway. furthermore, she reminds me of an "activist" candidate like a nader or ron paul who have a rabid base but they have a fundamental inability to reach beyond their staunchest supporters. however, nader and paul have both demonstrated a capacity to tweak their activism from " promoting seat belts in all cars" to railroading against globalization in nader's case. conversely, palin is too intransigent or too dim to move beyond the wedge/activist issues of "abortion" and "gay marriage". she truly is a maverick but a maverick of one gets nothing done

 

[Denny Crane]

I don't at all think she'd make a good president. She does have star power, and still draws big crowds. It's too bad she doesn't have a loud enough quality message to be heard.

What I do like about her is that she's not some northeastern elite. Didn't go to Harvard. Didn't go to Yale. Seen enough of that crew for a lifetime.

In my perfect world. the government would be made up of above average citizens who see it as public service, do the job for a couple of terms, and then let the next citizen take over.

I think the guys who photoshop her in insulting sorts of images are the ones with hard ons for her.

 

[crandc]

I support legalizing same sex marriages. If you live with your partner as if married, you basically are in a common law marriage by definition.

And why should I care who you date or live with? None of my business. You have a right to pursue happiness.

I think don't ask don't tell is absurd. If a gay guy (or gal) can kick the enemy's ass, that's all that matters to me.

I have no problem with gay couples adopting, either.

Any more questions?

No. Thank you for your reply and for supporting equal rights. I am quite willing to unite around what we agree on even though we disagree on most everything else.

 

[boatsandstars]

I don't at all think she'd make a good president. She does have star power, and still draws big crowds. It's too bad she doesn't have a loud enough quality message to be heard.

What I do like about her is that she's not some northeastern elite. Didn't go to Harvard. Didn't go to Yale. Seen enough of that crew for a lifetime.

In my perfect world. the government would be made up of above average citizens who see it as public service, do the job for a couple of terms, and then let the next citizen take over.

I think the guys who photoshop her in insulting sorts of images are the ones with hard ons for her.

We should not aspire to be led by mediocrity. American anti-intellectualism is one of the biggest concerns I have for the the current state of our country.

Want an "outsider"? Fine, but at least want a brilliant outsider. An average or above average outsider? Well, that's just a nice way of saying unqualified and uninformed.

I don't think that means that just because someone goes to a certain school makes them a good politician or that all the people in government should be there... but people should embrace intellect and knowledge and strive for better ways of doing things.

 

[maxiep]

I don't at all think she'd make a good president. She does have star power, and still draws big crowds. It's too bad she doesn't have a loud enough quality message to be heard.

What I do like about her is that she's not some northeastern elite. Didn't go to Harvard. Didn't go to Yale. Seen enough of that crew for a lifetime.

In my perfect world. the government would be made up of above average citizens who see it as public service, do the job for a couple of terms, and then let the next citizen take over.

I think the guys who photoshop her in insulting sorts of images are the ones with hard ons for her.

I know literally scores of people who went to Harvard and Yale that aren't of the "northeastern elite".

 

[maxiep]

In my perfect world. the government would be made up of above average citizens who see it as public service, do the job for a couple of terms, and then let the next citizen take over.

Get out of my head. I'd love it if government asked itself, "why should we do it?" rather than "why shouldn't we do it?"

I think the guys who photoshop her in insulting sorts of images are the ones with hard ons for her.

I've never seen a group so capable of hate as those "tolerant" and "inclusive" folks on the left.

 

[maxiep]

I support legalizing same sex marriages. If you live with your partner as if married, you basically are in a common law marriage by definition.

And why should I care who you date or live with? None of my business. You have a right to pursue happiness.

I think don't ask don't tell is absurd. If a gay guy (or gal) can kick the enemy's ass, that's all that matters to me.

I have no problem with gay couples adopting, either.

Any more questions?

See how it works, Denny? You're not a hard leftist, therefore you're assumed to be a homophobe and a bigot.

Jeez, and we're the intolerant ones?

 

[barfo]

I know literally scores of people who went to Harvard and Yale that aren't of the "northeastern elite".

In fact, our current president went to Harvard Law and is certainly not of the "northeastern elite".

barfo

 

[maxiep]

We should not aspire to be led by mediocrity. American anti-intellectualism is one of the biggest concerns I have for the the current state of our country.

Want an "outsider"? Fine, but at least want a brilliant outsider. An average or above average outsider? Well, that's just a nice way of saying unqualified and uninformed.

I don't think that means that just because someone goes to a certain school makes them a good politician or that all the people in government should be there... but people should embrace intellect and knowledge and strive for better ways of doing things.

I don't have a problem with common sense thinking triumphing over intellectualism. And I say that possessing little common sense myself. In management, it is actually an attribute. Intellectuals see so many shades of grey, they can't recognize black and white. Intellectuals are oftentimes paralyzed by demanding more data and analysis, even when the obvious course of action has been demonstrated. Finally, intellectuals tend to see things how they want them to be or think they should be, rather than paying attention to the current realities.

In fact, some of our smartest presidents have been the biggest failures. Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter come to mind. And so far President Obama seems to even be trailing President Carter. Thomas Jefferson was largely ineffective in his terms as Chief Executive. In fact, the only president that I would classify as being an intellectual who was an effective President was Bill Clinton.

 

[maxiep]

In fact, our current president went to Harvard Law and is certainly not of the "northeastern elite".

barfo

It doesn't matter where you live or how you were brought up, it's a belief system. And President Obama, if he isn't a member of that group, badly wants to be.

 

[mook]

David Brooks wrote a really interesting article today that went from George Washington to Sanford to Jacko to Palin:

When George Washington was a young man, he copied out a list of 110 “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” Some of the rules in his list dealt with the niceties of going to a dinner party or meeting somebody on the street.
“Lean not upon anyone,” was one of the rules. “Read no letter, books or papers in company,” was another. “If any one come to speak to you while you are sitting, stand up,” was a third.
But, as the biographer Richard Brookhiser has noted, these rules, which Washington derived from a 16th-century guidebook, were not just etiquette tips. They were designed to improve inner morals by shaping the outward man. Washington took them very seriously. He worked hard to follow them. Throughout his life, he remained acutely conscious of his own rectitude.
In so doing, he turned himself into a new kind of hero. He wasn’t primarily a military hero or a political hero. As the historian Gordon Wood has written, “Washington became a great man and was acclaimed as a classical hero because of the way he conducted himself during times of temptation. It was his moral character that set him off from other men.”
Washington absorbed, and later came to personify what you might call the dignity code. The code was based on the same premise as the nation’s Constitution — that human beings are flawed creatures who live in constant peril of falling into disasters caused by their own passions. Artificial systems have to be created to balance and restrain their desires.
The dignity code commanded its followers to be disinterested — to endeavor to put national interests above personal interests. It commanded its followers to be reticent — to never degrade intimate emotions by parading them in public. It also commanded its followers to be dispassionate — to distrust rashness, zealotry, fury and political enthusiasm.
...
But the dignity code itself has been completely obliterated. The rules that guided Washington and generations of people after him are simply gone.
...
First, there was Mark Sanford’s press conference. Here was a guy utterly lacking in any sense of reticence, who was given to rambling self-exposure even in his moment of disgrace. Then there was the death of Michael Jackson and the discussion of his life. Here was a guy who was apparently untouched by any pressure to live according to the rules and restraints of adulthood. Then there was Sarah Palin’s press conference. Here was a woman who aspires to a high public role but is unfamiliar with the traits of equipoise and constancy, which are the sources of authority and trust.
In each of these events, one sees people who simply have no social norms to guide them as they try to navigate the currents of their own passions.
...
But it’s not right to end on a note of cultural pessimism because there is the fact of President Obama. Whatever policy differences people may have with him, we can all agree that he exemplifies reticence, dispassion and the other traits associated with dignity.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/opinion/07brooks.html?_r=1&em

There's a reason he's my favorite pundit. He really puts his finger on the pulse of what bothers me so much about modern politics. Al Franken, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Clinton, Biden, Dubya....there just seems to be a lack of basic dignity in politics. It's a reality show where the most outrageous actions are all that seem to matter, nevermind that most of us are actually pretty centrist, and try to live our own lives with at least a modicum of dignity.

 

[barfo]

It doesn't matter where you live or how you were brought up, it's a belief system. And President Obama, if he isn't a member of that group, badly wants to be.

Dunno if I agree about it being a "belief system". Betty Lou in East Bumfuck, Texas, is an eastern elite if she believes in certain things? I guess that's a ok definition, but not the one I'd use.

Nor do I see any real evidence that Obama hungers to be an eastern elite. Would be a weird career choice for someone with that obsession to leave wall street for community organizing in Chicago. Unless, of course, being an eastern elite is just a non-observable state of mind and doesn't have any bearing on what you do, where you live, or anything else in the physical world.

barfo

 

[maxiep]

Dunno if I agree about it being a "belief system". Betty Lou in East Bumfuck, Texas, is an eastern elite if she believes in certain things? I guess that's a ok definition, but not the one I'd use.

Nor do I see any real evidence that Obama hungers to be an eastern elite. Would be a weird career choice for someone with that obsession to leave wall street for community organizing in Chicago. Unless, of course, being an eastern elite is just a non-observable state of mind and doesn't have any bearing on what you do, where you live, or anything else in the physical world.

barfo

I'd call Jay Rockefeller a member of the northeastern elite, and he moved to WVA to work with the poor. What difference does it make where he lived?

 

[barfo]

I'd call Jay Rockefeller a member of the northeastern elite, and he moved to WVA to work with the poor. What difference does it make where he lived?

If his name was Jay Reynolds and he'd moved to WV from Tucson, would he still be a member of the northeastern elite?

barfo

 

[mook]

What exactly is the "northeastern elite belief system"?

Is it just a fancier way of saying "progressive with money"?

Sort of like you are batshit crazy, except if you happen to have money you are "eccentric"?

 

[maxiep]

If his name was Jay Reynolds and he'd moved to WV from Tucson, would he still be a member of the northeastern elite?

barfo

If he were educated at one of a select group of institutions, held a certain set of beliefs and went to WVA to further his political career, then yes.

 

[maxiep]

What exactly is the "northeastern elite belief system"?

Is it just a fancier way of saying "progressive with money"?

Sort of like you are batshit crazy, except if you happen to have money you are "eccentric"?

I'll take a shot:

1. There are a certain coterie of educational institutions that matter.

2. That it's more important to be thought well of by certain groups than by the average American.

3. That only the largest American cities matter. The rest is flyover country.

4. That it's important to be liked by Western Europe; that their populace is more enlightened than ours.

5. That the "riff-raff" are incapable of ruling themselves.

6. Than an "elite" exists in the first place.

I'd like Jeff Foxworthy to take a shot at this description: "If you (insert observation here), you might be a northeastern elite."

 

[mook]

I'll take a shot:

1. There are a certain coterie of educational institutions that matter.

Well, there are a certain coterie of educational institutions that matter more. I mean, I know Sarah Palin wandered through there, but the University of Idaho kind of sucks. I've been there.

2. That it's more important to be thought well of by certain groups than by the average American.

I don't really care much about "average American", because it's pretty hard to define. Is Joe The Plumber representative of "average America"? Because I think that's a little demeaning to a lot of Americans. What is average America"? Is it white? How much money does it make?

I do, however, think it's nice to be thought well of by certain groups. I like fellow Blazer fans to like me. I like people living on my street to like me. I like it when smart people like me, because that means I might be smart.

3. That only the largest American cities matter. The rest is flyover country.

Well, the largest American cities do matter more. After all, that's where more people live, more money is made, most companies are based, etc. The founders seem to agree, as the President, House and Supreme Court all seem weighted to ward the big populations, while only the Senate is a counterbalance.

I live in a flyover state, though, and I've noticed a lot of liberal eastern rich-types have been moving here lately.

4. That it's important to be liked by Western Europe.

Yuck! Who needs to be liked!

that their populace is more enlightened than ours.

Man, it's horrible that all those ***gy effeminate pussy northern eastern elites are so bigoted. Wait, my irony detector is going on overload!

5. That the "riff-raff" are incapable of ruling themselves.

I sometimes doubt we are. Democracy is the worst form of government, except all the others.

6. Than an "elite" exists in the first place.

Don't they? There are elite businessman, sports stars, prostitutes, hair stylists, educators, lawyers....isn't the idea of "elite" kind of the basis of competition (and capitalism?) Is "elite" shorthand for "famous person I disagree with"?

I'd like Jeff Foxworthy to take a shot at this description: "If you (insert observation here), you might be a northeastern elite."

Yeah, Jeff Foxworthy has really done a lot to elevate the discussion about rednecks. What America could really use is a whole new batch of stereotypes. That'll help.

 

[Denny Crane]

We should not aspire to be led by mediocrity. American anti-intellectualism is one of the biggest concerns I have for the the current state of our country.

Want an "outsider"? Fine, but at least want a brilliant outsider. An average or above average outsider? Well, that's just a nice way of saying unqualified and uninformed.

I don't think that means that just because someone goes to a certain school makes them a good politician or that all the people in government should be there... but people should embrace intellect and knowledge and strive for better ways of doing things.

We should have a govt. small enough that someone mediocre is ideal to lead us.

Besides, who wants to be "led" besides sheep and lemmings?