QuotePalin's Formal Farewell Includes Parting Shots
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 9:45 p.m. ET
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) -- Sarah Palin stepped down Sunday as Alaska governor to write a book and build a right-of-center coalition, but she left her long-term political plans unclear and refused to address speculation she would seek a 2012 presidential bid.
In a fiery campaign-style speech, Palin said she was stepping down to take her political battles to a larger if unspecified stage and avoid an unproductive, lame duck status.
''With this decision, now, I will be able to fight even harder for you, for what is right, and for truth. And I have never felt that you need a title to do that,'' Palin said to raucous applause from about 5,000 people gathered at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks.
Her first order of business as a private citizen is to speak Aug. 8 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. She also wants to campaign for political candidates from coast to coast, and continue to speak her mind on the social networking site Twitter, one of her favorite venues to reach out to supporters.
Free speech was a theme of her farewell speech at a crowded picnic in Fairbanks, as the outgoing governor scolded ''some seemingly hell bent on tearing down our nation'' and warned Americans to ''be wary of accepting government largess. It doesn't come free.''
She also took aim at the media, saying her replacement, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, ''has a very nice family too, so leave his kids alone!''
And she told the media: ''How about, in honor of the American soldier, you quit makin' things up?''
She didn't elaborate, but Palin said when she announced her resignation July 3 that she was tired of the media focus on her family and felt she had been unfairly treated by reporters and bloggers.
Friend and foe alike have speculated that Palin may host a radio or TV show, launch a lucrative speaking career or seek higher office in Washington.
Palin hasn't ruled out any of those options, and her political action committee, SarahPAC, has raised more than $1 million, said Meghan Stapleton, a spokeswoman for the committee and the Palin family.
Stapleton said Palin is still deciding what her future will be.
''I cannot express enough there is no plan after July 26. There is absolutely no plan,'' she told The Associated Press.
Palin's surprise announcement she was stepping down 17 months before the end of her first term pushed her favorability rating down to 40 percent, according to a Washington Post-ABC poll. Fifty-three percent of those polled gave her an unfavorable rating.
Last summer, almost six in 10 Americans viewed her favorably. The latest poll was taken July 15-18.
Nearly 20 ethics complaints had been filed against Palin, and the outgoing governor cited the resulting investigation's financial toll -- both on her and the state -- for stepping down. An independent investigator looking into the complaints found evidence she may have violated ethics laws by trading on her position as she sought money for lawyer fees, according to a report obtained recently by The Associated Press.
Parnell, 46, of Anchorage, was sworn in Sunday as the state's new governor.
''I'm firmly convinced that Alaska's greatest days are ahead,'' Parnell said in pledging to continue Palin's policies, which he said ''put Alaska first.''
Palin received a warm welcome Sunday, both during her speech and as she served food at the annual Governor's Picnic.
Among those present was Donna Michaels, 57, of Fairbanks, who wore a red T-shirt that said: ''Palintologist.''
The T-shirt defined a Palintologist as ''someone who studies Palin and shares her conservative values, Maverick attitude and American style.''
Michaels also held a poster board sign showing the front page of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner when Palin announced she would resign. Michaels altered the banner headline ''Palin steps down,'' replacing the last word with ''up.''
''She's really not stepping down. She's stepping up to do something bigger and better,'' said Michaels, who attended the picnic with her daughter and two granddaughters, one of whom who wore Sarah Palin-style eyeglasses.
Larry Landry, 51, of Fairbanks held up a red, white and blue sign that that read, ''Quitting: the new American value.'' The other side read: ''Thanks for the laughs.''
Landry, a registered independent, said he respected Palin when she ran for governor in 2006, but he felt she changed during last year's presidential campaign.
''She turned into a vicious vixen,'' he said. ''She descended into ugly, divisive politics.''
Alaska's first female governor arrived at the state Capitol in December 2006 on an ethics reform platform after defeating two former governors in the primary and general elections. Her prior political experience consisted of terms as Wasilla's mayor and councilwoman and a stint as head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
Unknown on the national stage until Republican John McCain tapped her as his running mate, Palin infused excitement into the Republican's presidential bid. But she also became the butt of talk-show jokes and Democratic criticism, especially after it was revealed that the Republican Party spent $150,000 or more on a designer wardrobe for Palin.
Former state House Speaker John Harris, a Republican with sometimes chilly relations with Palin, said he thinks Palin will run for president in 2012, although he has no inside information.
Stapleton said the answer will emerge in the coming weeks.
On Monday, ''we'll sit down and say, 'OK, here are your options. How do you now want to effect that positive change for Alaska from outside the role as governor?''' Stapleton said.
Here's to hoping the Republicans aren't retarded enough to ever try to resurrect this cunt again. God, what a fucking disgrace, how close this woman came to the presidency!
Who the hell gives her the right to say "in honor of the American soldier"? Her husband is a fucking secessionist. And why would the "honor of the American soldier" prevent the Press from ,you know, having freedom of the press?
Though the image the NYT used was great.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fgraphics8.nytimes.com%2Fimages%2F2009%2F07%2F27%2Fus%2F27palin.large1.jpg&hash=0255abf1b514bd14c236f374baff7b7a4b0aafb2)
I wonder if she puts hearts on the dots in official correspondence? :D
Spelluses attacks on Palin are vaguely ridiculous, given that his favorite guy ever is a thief who associates with hate-mongers.
You betcha!
I think the comment was silly, but her son has been serving in Iraq for last 10 months.
So? What right does she have to use him? <_<
Is the verb "to deepend" a bizarre mix of "to deepen", "to depend" and "deep end"?
Quote from: Queequeg on July 26, 2009, 10:23:26 PM
Here's to hoping the Republicans aren't retarded enough to ever try to resurrect this cunt again. God, what a fucking disgrace, how close this woman came to the presidency!
Spellus's misogyny amuses me.
You know that 18 of the ethic complaints were already dismissed in court as groundless? It was all part of a "death by a million cuts" strategy by the Democrats.
It is unlikely that he cares. ^_^
Quote from: Alcibiades on July 27, 2009, 12:40:20 AM
So? What right does she have to use him? <_<
Same right that Jim Webb had.
she's the american hockey mum version of Vladimir Zhirinovsky. ;)
I suspect Squeelus' hostility is rooted in family dynamics.
I don't know what to make of Palin anymore; but I don't really care much either. She seems basically a political light weight, but she has a fair amount of support. She also seems to be quite damaged goods having quit her governor's job, but she's heading in other directions anyway now. I'm sure that doesn't include running for President, more like becoming a spokes person for conservative ideas I guess, the speaking (money making) tours and all that as well.
She clearly wasn't ready for prime time, and has crumbled as a result. In hindsight she should've stayed out of national politics.
Quote from: Alcibiades on July 27, 2009, 12:40:20 AM
So? What right does she have to use him? <_<
He's her property. He would be his father's property, but it seems that his father is a brainless hick who has abdicated all authority to his wife.
Quote from: KRonn on July 27, 2009, 08:32:47 AM
I don't know what to make of Palin anymore; but I don't really care much either. She seems basically a political light weight, but she has a fair amount of support. She also seems to be quite damaged goods having quit her governor's job, but she's heading in other directions anyway now. I'm sure that doesn't include running for President, more like becoming a spokes person for conservative ideas I guess, the speaking (money making) tours and all that as well.
:yes: I'd be shocked if she ever runs for political office again.
She did a couple of interviews on energy related matters as governor before being picked as VP and came across as down to earth and very well informed. Maybe that was the only topic she could speak on intelligently, but something went haywire.
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 27, 2009, 06:11:02 AM
So? What right does she have to use him? <_<
Soldiers have been political tools ever since the first army was mustered.
Quotebe wary of accepting government largess. It doesn't come free.
Meh everybody blabs about fiscal responsibility when they have no authority to do anyhting about it...then when they do they need to bribe all the Representatives and Senators and forget all about it.
Color me cynical. Putting the Republicans back in power will do not one thing to help turn the government budget around, I am pretty much convinced the whole system will have to break down before anybody will lift a finger.
Heck, maybe not even then judging from California.
Quote from: alfred russel on July 27, 2009, 08:45:31 AM
She did a couple of interviews on energy related matters as governor before being picked as VP and came across as down to earth and very well informed. Maybe that was the only topic she could speak on intelligently, but something went haywire.
I would imagine the personality cult that grew up around her, telling her that she was the next Ronald Reagan might have had something to do with it.
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 27, 2009, 06:11:02 AM
You know that 18 of the ethic complaints were already dismissed in court as groundless? It was all part of a "death by a million cuts" strategy by the Democrats.
I haven't conducted an in-depth analysis, but everything I have seen or read about these ethics charges suggests that Hans is correct and that the charges are politically driven. This is not the only example, and both parties indulge in it. I have some sympathy for Palin's position, because as a practical matter she faces the prospect of personal financial stress if she stays at her post.
By no means am I sad see her go, and the spectacle she has made of her resignation reinforces yet again her unfitness for any serious position in political life. But that doesn't justify the dubious means used to attack her.
Quote from: Neil on July 27, 2009, 08:51:57 AM
Quote from: alfred russel on July 27, 2009, 08:45:31 AM
She did a couple of interviews on energy related matters as governor before being picked as VP and came across as down to earth and very well informed. Maybe that was the only topic she could speak on intelligently, but something went haywire.
I would imagine the personality cult that grew up around her, telling her that she was the next Ronald Reagan might have had something to do with it.
Maybe that is part of it, but by the Katie Couric interview she had already lost the ability to speak coherently.
So my new idea is this: Whatever Spellus loves is wrong, whatever he hates is probably correct.
Quote from: PDH on July 27, 2009, 09:37:15 AM
So my new idea is this: Whatever Spellus loves is wrong, whatever he hates is probably correct.
He is a very angry young man. :)
Quote from: Caliga on July 27, 2009, 09:38:18 AM
He is a very angry young man. :)
With the focus of a myopic archer.
Quote from: PDH on July 27, 2009, 09:37:15 AM
So my new idea is this: Whatever Spellus loves is wrong, whatever he hates is probably correct.
He is the Tim of the history set.
Tim squared. T
2
Quote from: Caliga on July 27, 2009, 09:38:18 AM
He is a very angry young man. :)
Thank god, he's not a black lesbian. We wouldn't even be able to stand the impact of his anger.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 27, 2009, 07:08:32 AM
I suspect Squeelus' hostility is rooted in family dynamics.
She has an Idaho accent, just like my (mostly awful) father's side of the family. That's partially it.
In person, I swear to God I'm nowhere near this angry, except sometimes when dealing with my parents. This is a valve.
Quote from: Queequeg on July 27, 2009, 01:54:23 PM
She has an Idaho accent, just like my (mostly awful) father's side of the family. That's partially it.
I will agree that her accent is grating... but you should still be happy she isn't from South Boston. :bleeding:
Quote from: saskganesh on July 27, 2009, 06:47:11 AM
she's the american hockey mum version of Vladimir Zhirinovsky. ;)
The Hyperbole Police would like you to come downtown for some questioning.
Quote from: Caliga on July 27, 2009, 01:55:57 PM
Quote from: Queequeg on July 27, 2009, 01:54:23 PM
She has an Idaho accent, just like my (mostly awful) father's side of the family. That's partially it.
I will agree that her accent is grating... but you should still be happy she isn't from South Boston. :bleeding:
Boston accents are fascinating from a linguistic perspective. Idaho isn't, and again I have personal reasons for hating her accent and her lifestyle and mindset.
I would put the Boston accent at the top of my "most grating" list, actually.
Quote from: Queequeg on July 27, 2009, 02:03:57 PM
Boston accents are fascinating from a linguistic perspective. Idaho isn't
:huh: What makes one accent fascinating, and another one not? I know the Boston accent has a fairly complicated genesis, as well as very pronounced local differences--having lived there for 14 years--but I know next to nothing about Idaho's accent so I can't say that it's not fascinating.
Quote from: Caliga on July 27, 2009, 02:05:53 PM
Quote from: Queequeg on July 27, 2009, 02:03:57 PM
Boston accents are fascinating from a linguistic perspective. Idaho isn't
:huh: What makes one accent fascinating, and another one not? I know the Boston accent has a fairly complicated genesis, as well as very pronounced local differences--having lived there for 14 years--but I know next to nothing about Idaho's accent so I can't say that it's not fascinating.
Boston's accent is older, and from what I understand in some respects more conservative than most Northern accents (in that it retains a lot of stuff from the British Isles, not that it adheres to 'proper' English more). I think it is also quite a bit more different from standard Mid-West/California English than the Idaho accent.
Again, a part of it is personal preference, though. Boston underclass=The Departed. Sarah Palin=My extremely unpleasant maternal grandmother.
Quote from: derspiess on July 27, 2009, 02:03:02 PM
The Hyperbole Police would like you to come downtown for some questioning.
:rolleyes:
They'd like him to come downtown to face extensive questioning with enhanced interrogation techniques.
Quote from: Queequeg on July 27, 2009, 02:11:59 PM
Boston's accent is older, and from what I understand in some respects more conservative than most Northern accents (in that it retains a lot of stuff from the British Isles, not that it adheres to 'proper' English more). I think it is also quite a bit more different from standard Mid-West/California English than the Idaho accent.
Again, a part of it is personal preference, though. Boston underclass=The Departed. Sarah Palin=My extremely unpleasant maternal grandmother.
Oh, I can assure you that the Boston underclass contains many more unpleasant individuals than your mother's family. :ph34r:
As far as the Boston accent goes, my impression is that it has changed quite a bit since the mid-19th century, when it was dramatically influenced by Irish immigration. I would imagine the rustic accents one finds in upstate New Hampshire and Vermont are closer to 'original' American English (I deliberately excluded Maine since in upstate Maine one encounters a large French Canadian population).
Having spent a good bit of time in rural upstate New Hampshire and Vermont, I personally think that these accents bear a noticable resemblance to Appalachian English (i.e. what one finds in east Kentucky, a swath of West Virginia, and through much of rural Pennsylvania). There is a quality that sounds like Southern English--but you would still never mistake someone from rural Vermont for someone from rural western North Carolina.
Hey now, what's wrong with my Bawstun accent!? :mad: So it's hahd to find a place to pahk yaw cah in town... big deal! :cool:
Quote from: KRonn on July 27, 2009, 02:36:12 PM
Hey now, what's wrong with my Bawstun accent!? :mad: So it's hahd to find a place to pahk yaw cah in town... big deal! :cool:
I go by the law of conservation of 'r's.
Everytime somebody in Boston washes his cah, somebody in Oklahoma warshes his car.
Quote from: KRonn on July 27, 2009, 02:36:12 PM
Hey now, what's wrong with my Bawstun accent!? :mad: So it's hahd to find a place to pahk yaw cah in town... big deal! :cool:
^_^ Your accent isn't NEARLY that strong. :P
That would make a lot of sense, as Appalachian English is, for the most part, pretty conservative, as the people who colonized that area, like Vermont and Boston (before the Irish) were directly from the British Isles and came with their own dialect of English. Presumably the Boston accent would be a mix (I want to say a creole but it is presumably intelligible, at least when sober) of the older English-derived accent and the new Irish one.
The same cannot be said, obviously, of most of the Mid-West. The German population that settled the area seems to have adopted their new language and culture to the point of becoming more "American" than the Americans, resulting in "accent less" English and an architectural style that bears little resemblance to the motherland. This makes a fascinating comparison with German migrants to Brazil and Argentina who are still purported to speak some German and have constructed entire neighborhoods in German style.
IIRC The Horse, The Wheel and Language, a very interesting book about the Indo-European expansion, uses the Mid-West as an example of cultural-linguistic assimilation
Quote from: Caliga on July 27, 2009, 02:38:40 PM
Quote from: KRonn on July 27, 2009, 02:36:12 PM
Hey now, what's wrong with my Bawstun accent!? :mad: So it's hahd to find a place to pahk yaw cah in town... big deal! :cool:
^_^ Your accent isn't NEARLY that strong. :P
I know, but they can't tell by my posts! ;)
I like the Boston accent. But I like accents generally. I can't really think of any that grate, but a number that bore (Birmingham <_<).
Quote from: Sheilbh on July 27, 2009, 03:58:12 PM
I like the Boston accent. But I like accents generally. I can't really think of any that grate, but a number that bore (Birmingham <_<).
Brummies are great, as is Birmingham. Decayed industrial cities FTW. Spent some influential years of my youth there, and ever since I've loved cities in varying degrees of decay.
Palin-hating is so 2008. :yawn:
I'm not trying to defend her. Just saying she's old garbage and the coverage of her antics bores me.
Quote from: FunkMonk on July 27, 2009, 05:02:39 PM
Palin-hating is so 2008. :yawn:
I'm not trying to defend her. Just saying she's old garbage and the coverage of her antics bore me.
She is old news and her "gaffyness" means that no matter how badly Obama may have fucked up Palin will lose if she is nomated. Keeping her in the news is cruel like cripple fights.
It's my fondest hope that she tries to start a 3rd party. Hopefully that will siphon away alot of the wingnuts that drag the GOP down.
Quote from: Viking on July 27, 2009, 06:58:54 PM
Quote from: FunkMonk on July 27, 2009, 05:02:39 PM
Palin-hating is so 2008. :yawn:
I'm not trying to defend her. Just saying she's old garbage and the coverage of her antics bore me.
She is old news and her "gaffyness" means that no matter how badly Obama may have fucked up Palin will lose if she is nomated. Keeping her in the news is cruel like cripple fights.
It's not really gaffes. A gaffe is a mistake. She didn't become stupid by accident.
If Palintology requires a close study of her anatomy, where does one sign up for the classes? :unsure:
Quote from: Armyknife on July 27, 2009, 05:01:33 PM
Quote from: Queequeg on July 27, 2009, 02:39:32 PM
......
The same cannot be said, obviously, of most of the Mid-West. The German population that settled the area seems to have adopted their new language and culture to the point of becoming more "American" than the Americans, resulting in "accent less" English and an architectural style that bears little resemblance to the motherland. This makes a fascinating comparison with German migrants to Brazil and Argentina who are still purported to speak some German and have constructed entire neighborhoods in German style.
.......
:huh:
I knew what Spellus was trying to say, but it came out a little strange to a non-American, no doubt. The Midwest accent so predominates in news broadcasting that Americans have come to think of is as the 'default' accent.
It is the default! It's the only true American.
Quote from: Caliga on July 27, 2009, 08:44:55 PM
I knew what Spellus was trying to say, but it came out a little strange to a non-American, no doubt. The Midwest accent so predominates in news broadcasting that Americans have come to think of is as the 'default' accent.
Um... no. Midwestern accents tend to be pretty sharp, but not as pronounced as Boston, New York, or most flavors of southern drawl. GAE's closest to a neutral far-western accent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_American
Everyone speaks far-western in Canada, aside from Atlantic types.
Quote from: Razgovory on July 27, 2009, 07:07:23 PM
Quote from: Viking on July 27, 2009, 06:58:54 PM
Quote from: FunkMonk on July 27, 2009, 05:02:39 PM
Palin-hating is so 2008. :yawn:
I'm not trying to defend her. Just saying she's old garbage and the coverage of her antics bore me.
She is old news and her "gaffyness" means that no matter how badly Obama may have fucked up Palin will lose if she is nomated. Keeping her in the news is cruel like cripple fights.
It's not really gaffes. A gaffe is a mistake. She didn't become stupid by accident.
Which is why I had to coin "gaffyness". She just makes blunders constantly that in others would be considered gaffes. I don't want to characterize somebody as stupid without actually having met them, however, in her case her publicly projected persona does not include inquisitiveness and being well informed.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on July 27, 2009, 09:39:45 PM
Quote from: Caliga on July 27, 2009, 08:44:55 PM
I knew what Spellus was trying to say, but it came out a little strange to a non-American, no doubt. The Midwest accent so predominates in news broadcasting that Americans have come to think of is as the 'default' accent.
Um... no. Midwestern accents tend to be pretty sharp, but not as pronounced as Boston, New York, or most flavors of southern drawl. GAE's closest to a neutral far-western accent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_American
I don't mean the Great Lakes accent, if that's what you thought I meant. I'm talking Iowa/Nebraska/Kansas.
Great Lakes is all DA BEARSSSS and Chi-KAHHHHH-goh.
Quote from: Neil on July 27, 2009, 09:53:08 PM
Everyone speaks far-western in Canada, aside from Atlantic types.
Newfies = virtually impossible to understand. I talked to one on the phone once and I think I had to ask him to repeat himself after virtually every sentence.
William Shatner recites Palin's farewell speech as spoken word poetry. It's pretty much verbatim. :lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7_UHHA5peY&feature=player_embedded
Transcript from Palin's speech (http://www.ibtimes.com/services/pop_print.htm?id=288916&tb=bh) so you can compare:
(reformatted by myself)
"... soaring through nature's finest show.
Denali, the great one, soaring under the midnight sun.
And then the extremes. In the winter time
it's the frozen road
that is competing with the view of ice fogged frigid beauty,
the cold though, doesn't it split
the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs?
And then in the summertime such extreme
summertime
about a hundred and fifty degrees hotter
than just some months ago,
than just some months from now,
with fireweed blooming along the frost heaves
and merciless rivers that are rushing
and carving and reminding us
that here, Mother Nature wins.
It is as throughout all Alaska
that big wild good life
teeming along the road
that is north to the future."
Master thespian. :lol:
Quote from: Viking on July 28, 2009, 08:48:13 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on July 27, 2009, 07:07:23 PM
Quote from: Viking on July 27, 2009, 06:58:54 PM
Quote from: FunkMonk on July 27, 2009, 05:02:39 PM
Palin-hating is so 2008. :yawn:
I'm not trying to defend her. Just saying she's old garbage and the coverage of her antics bore me.
She is old news and her "gaffyness" means that no matter how badly Obama may have fucked up Palin will lose if she is nomated. Keeping her in the news is cruel like cripple fights.
It's not really gaffes. A gaffe is a mistake. She didn't become stupid by accident.
Which is why I had to coin "gaffyness". She just makes blunders constantly that in others would be considered gaffes. I don't want to characterize somebody as stupid without actually having met them, however, in her case her publicly projected persona does not include inquisitiveness and being well informed.
Basically, she sounds like Obama and only slightly better than Biden.
Yes, Obama displays the same level of inquisitiveness and being well-informed as Palin. :rolleyes: Don't they teach you that half-truths are a lot more effective than outlandish lies? God help us when right wingers develop anything resembling subtlety.
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 04:47:23 PM
Yes, Obama displays the same level of inquisitiveness and being well-informed as Palin. :rolleyes: Don't they teach you that half-truths are a lot more effective than outlandish lies? God help us when right wingers develop anything resembling subtlety.
He certainly hasn't displayed any inquisitiveness when it comes to his own Stimulus bill, cap-and-trade, or health care bill. Some simple-minded people confuse endless equivocating as a sign of thoughtfullness or retrospection, when it is of course only a cover for ignorance.
Obama's pronouncements on historical events have been downright hysterical for their uninformed nature. It's funny how Democrats always roll out these morons like Al Gore, John Kerry, or Obama and try to sell them as intellectuals to the public.
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
As I said before, I'm glad the vast majority of right wingers have a complete lack of subtlety, it sure makes them less dangerous. Then again, maybe the lack of subtlety is what pushes one into right-winger camp in the first place.
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
He got the job via affirmative action and crime.
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
That's funny - leftists had no qualms about calling Bush Stupid despite an MBA from Harvard, and a Bachellor's from Yale...
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
As I said before, I'm glad the vast majority of right wingers have a complete lack of subtlety, it sure makes them less dangerous. Then again, maybe the lack of subtlety is what pushes one into right-winger camp in the first place.
He certainly displays incredible levels of ignorance of the law. I remember when he railed last year against the "theory" of the unitary executive as if it was an invention of the neocons instead of a basic part of our Constitution. :lmfao:
The same when it comes to his pronouncement that judges should show "empathy" instead of following the model of "blind justice". :rolleyes:
Quote from: Barrister on July 28, 2009, 05:56:54 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
That's funny - leftists had no qualms about calling Bush Stupid despite an MBA from Harvard, and a Bachellor's from Yale...
The difference is in the merit of the achievements. Bush skated by on the strength of his family's connections, which is unfortunately not that uncommon in the "elite" universities, while Obama had none of the sort.
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 06:09:25 PM
The difference is in the merit of the achievements. Bush skated by on the strength of his family's connections, which is unfortunately not that uncommon in the "elite" universities, while Obama had none of the sort.
That's not the difference, plenty of Democrats have done that as well. People just have a natural tendency to dismiss those who disagree with them as idiots.
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 06:09:25 PM
Quote from: Barrister on July 28, 2009, 05:56:54 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
That's funny - leftists had no qualms about calling Bush Stupid despite an MBA from Harvard, and a Bachellor's from Yale...
The difference is in the merit of the achievements. Bush skated by on the strength of his family's connections, which is unfortunately not that uncommon in the "elite" universities, while Obama had none of the sort.
And Obama skated by as an affirmative action quota. It's easy to play this game. Of course having gone to Havard or any other elite university is no proof of intelect. In the end a diploma is just a piece of paper. Would an intelligent person go to jeremiah Wright's church for twenty years and adopt him as his closest mentor and inspiration? Sorry, that is just completely indefensible. Unless Obama is a moron, or a racist. you pick which one.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 28, 2009, 06:13:56 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 06:09:25 PM
The difference is in the merit of the achievements. Bush skated by on the strength of his family's connections, which is unfortunately not that uncommon in the "elite" universities, while Obama had none of the sort.
That's not the difference, plenty of Democrats have done that as well. People just have a natural tendency to dismiss those who disagree with them as idiots.
Especially if those who disagree with them go out of their way to show that they're simple folk, and not burdened by intellectualism.
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 28, 2009, 06:26:06 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 06:09:25 PM
Quote from: Barrister on July 28, 2009, 05:56:54 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
That's funny - leftists had no qualms about calling Bush Stupid despite an MBA from Harvard, and a Bachellor's from Yale...
The difference is in the merit of the achievements. Bush skated by on the strength of his family's connections, which is unfortunately not that uncommon in the "elite" universities, while Obama had none of the sort.
And Obama skated by as an affirmative action quota. It's easy to play this game. Of course having gone to Havard or any other elite university is no proof of intelect. In the end a diploma is just a piece of paper. Would an intelligent person go to jeremiah Wright's church for twenty years and adopt him as his closest mentor and inspiration? Sorry, that is just completely indefensible. Unless Obama is a moron, or a racist. you pick which one.
Great. Now Spellus is going to show up and tell us how it's alright for people in South Chicago to rage against whitey.
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 06:29:12 PM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 28, 2009, 06:13:56 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 06:09:25 PM
The difference is in the merit of the achievements. Bush skated by on the strength of his family's connections, which is unfortunately not that uncommon in the "elite" universities, while Obama had none of the sort.
That's not the difference, plenty of Democrats have done that as well. People just have a natural tendency to dismiss those who disagree with them as idiots.
Especially if those who disagree with them go out of their way to show that they're simple folk, and not burdened by intellectualism.
Since people tend to prefer to vote for candidates who are just like themselves over pointy-headed intellectuals I would say a smart person would play down his intellect instead of puffing his chest out.
That's how Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan did it.
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 28, 2009, 06:43:58 PM
Since people tend to prefer to vote for candidates who are just like themselves over pointy-headed intellectuals I would say a smart person would play down his intellect instead of puffing his chest out.
That's how Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan did it.
Isn't that how Obama won, as well? Drones of college students and young adults who believe they're smarter than everybody else?
Quote from: Tonitrus on July 28, 2009, 07:18:44 PM
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 28, 2009, 06:43:58 PM
Since people tend to prefer to vote for candidates who are just like themselves over pointy-headed intellectuals I would say a smart person would play down his intellect instead of puffing his chest out.
That's how Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan did it.
Isn't that how Obama won, as well? Drones of college students and young adults who believe they're smarter than everybody else?
No, it was in the end because McCain fought for all the issues the pointy-headed advocated much more than the back-bencher Obama ever did (amnesty, global warming) thus losing the very people he needed to win(frequently to the nonvoting pool). You basically had two candidates who were ijn the pointy-head camp, one who fought for them (mcCain) and one who didn't(Obama). So it was in effect tweedle-dee vs tweedle-dum.
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 28, 2009, 07:44:31 PM
No, it was in the end because McCain fought for all the issues the pointy-headed advocated much more than the back-bencher Obama ever did (amnesty, global warming) thus losing the very people he needed to win(frequently to the nonvoting pool). You basically had two candidates who were ijn the pointy-head camp, one who fought for them (mcCain) and one who didn't(Obama). So it was in effect tweedle-dee vs tweedle-dum.
Can't really blame it on stay-at-homes when Obama got 4 million more votes than Bush got in '04.
Quote from: Barrister on July 28, 2009, 05:56:54 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
That's funny - leftists had no qualms about calling Bush Stupid despite an MBA from Harvard, and a Bachellor's from Yale...
Thats because he did and said stupid things.
Quote from: Razgovory on July 28, 2009, 08:35:18 PM
Quote from: Barrister on July 28, 2009, 05:56:54 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
That's funny - leftists had no qualms about calling Bush Stupid despite an MBA from Harvard, and a Bachellor's from Yale...
Thats because he did and said stupid things.
Just like Obama.
I know you have a one track mind but do you really think that policy can be summed up in of True/False answers?
Quote from: Razgovory on July 29, 2009, 06:25:42 AM
I know you have a one track mind but do you really think that policy can be summed up in of True/False answers?
survey says: Yes!
excellent.
we should compare to the poetry of Donald Rumsfeld:
e.g.
Happenings
You're going to be told lots of things.
You get told things every day that don't happen.
It doesn't seem to bother people, they don't—
It's printed in the press.
The world thinks all these things happen.
They never happened.
Everyone's so eager to get the story
Before in fact the story's there
That the world is constantly being fed
Things that haven't happened.
All I can tell you is,
It hasn't happened.
It's going to happen.
—Feb. 28, 2003, Department of Defense briefing
http://www.slate.com/id/2081042/
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 28, 2009, 04:29:30 PM
Basically, she sounds like Obama and only slightly better than Biden.
If you say so dude. :mellow:
Quote from: Razgovory on July 28, 2009, 08:35:18 PM
Quote from: Barrister on July 28, 2009, 05:56:54 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
That's funny - leftists had no qualms about calling Bush Stupid despite an MBA from Harvard, and a Bachellor's from Yale...
Thats because he did and said stupid things.
Pres Obama will start to get a similar treatment, in time. Already he's given some fodder to critics, and politics will pick up on more and more. We may even get to ODS, Obama Derangement Syndrome, as we did with Clinton and Bush. Given all the scurrilous things said about them I'd have figured they'd be headed for Gitmo or some such after their Presidency was up.
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Yes, the former president of Harvard Law Review is a moron and not an intellectual, sure.
As I said before, I'm glad the vast majority of right wingers have a complete lack of subtlety, it sure makes them less dangerous. Then again, maybe the lack of subtlety is what pushes one into right-winger camp in the first place.
It's not like this thread isn't a fine example of the reverse, you know.
I mean, you are right of course - whatever problems Obama has, not being intellectual enough is certainly not one of them.
But it is ironic that you are blasting Hansy for this, in THIS thread, which is nothing if not un-subtle bashing and exaggeration of Palin. Of course, she certainly deserves it more than Obama, but its not like you would ever be caught dead saying anything positive about the woman.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 28, 2009, 06:13:56 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 28, 2009, 06:09:25 PM
The difference is in the merit of the achievements. Bush skated by on the strength of his family's connections, which is unfortunately not that uncommon in the "elite" universities, while Obama had none of the sort.
That's not the difference, plenty of Democrats have done that as well. People just have a natural tendency to dismiss those who disagree with them as idiots.
^^^^This^^^^
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 28, 2009, 08:17:27 PM
Can't really blame it on stay-at-homes when Obama got 4 million more votes than Bush got in '04.
I read an article that said while Obama got a lot of votes out of those who traditionally vote less (blacks, possibly said youth), that the amount of white voters had a slight decline.
Quote from: Hansmeister on July 28, 2009, 06:05:42 PM
He certainly displays incredible levels of ignorance of the law. I remember when he railed last year against the "theory" of the unitary executive as if it was an invention of the neocons instead of a basic part of our Constitution. :lmfao:
There are major academic and legal controversies over the scope of executive brach power -- which Obama is certainly aware of even if you are not.
Quote from: garbon on July 29, 2009, 11:26:04 AM
I read an article that said while Obama got a lot of votes out of those who traditionally vote less (blacks, possibly said youth), that the amount of white voters had a slight decline.
Ok. He won by over 7 million votes though, it would have had to be a fucking huge decline for Hans' thesis to hold.
Quote from: Caliga on July 27, 2009, 02:38:40 PM
Quote from: KRonn on July 27, 2009, 02:36:12 PM
Hey now, what's wrong with my Bawstun accent!? :mad: So it's hahd to find a place to pahk yaw cah in town... big deal! :cool:
^_^ Your accent isn't NEARLY that strong. :P
What about me?
I wonder if Palin is becoming the lefts red herring for Obamas rather epic failure to get anything done so far?
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 29, 2009, 01:51:33 PM
What about me?
IIRC your accent is stronger than his, but still not that strong. Going by my memory, here's the order:
Wags
Tim
KRonn
in descending order of strength of Boston accent.
Quote from: Berkut on July 29, 2009, 01:59:40 PM
I wonder if Palin is becoming the lefts red herring for Obamas rather epic failure to get anything done so far?
He's been president for less than a year and he's managed to dramatically improve our image abroad while keeping most of the (relatively sane) later Bush II initiatives. He's not God. I find it amusing that while everyone here suggested that I'd be gravely disappointed by Obama in office, I appear to be one of the few people on this board willing to give him some time to get into his stride.
Quote from: Caliga on July 29, 2009, 02:22:14 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 29, 2009, 01:51:33 PM
What about me?
IIRC your accent is stronger than his, but still not that strong. Going by my memory, here's the order:
Wags
Tim
KRonn
in descending order of strength of Boston accent.
I'm from Row Di'land. :)
Quote from: Caliga on July 29, 2009, 02:22:14 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 29, 2009, 01:51:33 PM
What about me?
IIRC your accent is stronger than his, but still not that strong. Going by my memory, here's the order:
Wags
Tim
KRonn
in descending order of strength of Boston accent.
:cool:
Quote from: Queequeg on July 29, 2009, 02:25:22 PM
Quote from: Berkut on July 29, 2009, 01:59:40 PM
I wonder if Palin is becoming the lefts red herring for Obamas rather epic failure to get anything done so far?
He's been president for less than a year and he's managed to dramatically improve our image abroad while keeping most of the (relatively sane) later Bush II initiatives. He's not God. I find it amusing that while everyone here suggested that I'd be gravely disappointed by Obama in office, I appear to be one of the few people on this board willing to give him some time to get into his stride.
Yeah, the jury is certainly out, but it isn't looking that good so far. He doesn't seem to be able to get his Congress to do anything he wants them to do, and health care "reform" is looking like a disaster.
Maybe things will turn around - we shall see.
Quote from: Caliga on July 28, 2009, 09:02:26 AM
Great Lakes is all DA BEARSSSS and Chi-KAHHHHH-goh.
How else would you say it?
:P
Quote from: Queequeg on July 29, 2009, 02:25:22 PMHe's been president for less than a year and he's managed to dramatically improve our image abroad while keeping most of the (relatively sane) later Bush II initiatives. He's not God. I find it amusing that while everyone here suggested that I'd be gravely disappointed by Obama in office, I appear to be one of the few people on this board willing to give him some time to get into his stride.
I don't recall thinking this about you, but I definitely recall thinking it about FB, and we've been proven right since recently Obama made it clear he will not push to legalize/decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. :lol:
Quote from: KRonn on July 29, 2009, 09:14:34 AM
Pres Obama will start to get a similar treatment, in time. Already he's given some fodder to critics, and politics will pick up on more and more. We may even get to ODS, Obama Derangement Syndrome, as we did with Clinton and Bush. Given all the scurrilous things said about them I'd have figured they'd be headed for Gitmo or some such after their Presidency was up.
I think we're at ODS for the far-right of the Republican party. From the whole 'he hates white people or white culture' to the birthers and the Michelle Bachmann style of silliness I think people on the hard-right really, really dislike him. The challenge for the Republicans is to channel the energy and motivation of that part of their party without seeming to let them take over the message - something I think the Democrats failed at in 2004. You need a base to be angry but you've got try and keep it this side of crazy.
QuoteI mean, you are right of course - whatever problems Obama has, not being intellectual enough is certainly not one of them.
But it is ironic that you are blasting Hansy for this, in THIS thread, which is nothing if not un-subtle bashing and exaggeration of Palin. Of course, she certainly deserves it more than Obama, but its not like you would ever be caught dead saying anything positive about the woman.
I think this is true. I have said before that I think Palin's a pretty compelling figure and I blame her for not blinking and John McCain for picking her, because I think given a few more years she could have been someone very impressive.
Having said that I don't think she's an intellectual. But I don't think that was ever part of her pitch. Obama's sort-of intellectualism and perceived thoughtfulness were part of the attraction, I think he/the campaign consciously cultivated that.
I think that regardless of who won in the election we'd read a lot of stories about how thoughtful the White House is, how long the President lets debate go on and so on, because I think almost all administrations spend a period correcting the perceived errors of the previous administration and sometimes go too far. So after stories about Carter's micro-management you get Ronald Reagan running a pretty hands-off White House, which leads to problems in his second term. After those problems you get a very formal and minuted White House under Bush I which gives way to fast food and all night binges of all sorts under Clinton; Bush II cleans up the White House, is initially praise for the decisiveness and terseness of his meetings and the new, brisk formality. By the end of his second term those positives are seen as negative and indicative of intellectual laziness, that questions weren't asked and debates weren't held that could have helped. So I think McCain or Obama would both have cultivated an image of a White House that's a fulcrum of debate and a President who asks lots of follow-up questions. Whether it's true or not is another issue.
Edit: Despite my unhappiness that Palin's been spoiled I think it's good because if she's weaker it could lead to Huck doing more :wub:
Quote from: Queequeg on July 29, 2009, 02:25:22 PM
Quote from: Berkut on July 29, 2009, 01:59:40 PM
I wonder if Palin is becoming the lefts red herring for Obamas rather epic failure to get anything done so far?
He's been president for less than a year and he's managed to dramatically improve our image abroad while keeping most of the (relatively sane) later Bush II initiatives. He's not God. I find it amusing that while everyone here suggested that I'd be gravely disappointed by Obama in office, I appear to be one of the few people on this board willing to give him some time to get into his stride.
Nobody figured that you'd be disappointed. He's your hometown boy. He could name Dick Cheney Overpresident and you'd find an excuse to suckle at his manbits.