Sarah Palin

[Ron Ecker]

I mentioned the stupid comments of Biden . . . If the idea is not to elect stupid people to office, how is this arrogant moron allowed a free pass?

I don't deny that Democrats may tend to get a freer ride in the U.S. media than Republicans. But Biden is not even close to being a "moron" on the level of Quayle or Palin. Biden is a very intelligent man who simply can't keep his mouth shut. Such people are prone to occasional gaffes and putting their feet in their mouths. Biden is known for this, it's no secret. (What is lesser known, as he seems to be getting a free pass on it from the media, is that he is a two-time plagiarist. That says something about his character, not his intelligence.)

When Biden asked the guy in the wheelchair to stand up, that was just Biden talking again without thinking. He immediately realized his mistake, and asked everyone else to stand up instead. Did Quayle immediately realize his mistake when he said that he wasn't born in the 20th century? No. Quayle is a moron, and there's the difference.

[Len Colby]

The vitriol directed at Sarah Palin is astonishing. You'd think that many women would at least appreciate her, simply because she's only the second woman ever nominated by one of the major parties for vice-president.

Sarah Palin is hardly an unusually stupid politician. Why is she being singled out? As I pointed out in another post, Joe Biden's remarks about FDR addressing the nation on television in 1929 were far more ignorant than anything Palin has ever said. If the American people are so adverse to allegedly air-headed political candidates, how did George W. Bush get elected (well, at least be given the office) two times? I would be shocked if Palin's IQ isn't higher than that of our beloved "decider." Eisenhower wasn't a brilliant man. Neither was LBJ. Gerald Ford was a dunce. Reagan was clueless, to put it kindly. The elder George Bush was often as illiterate as his son. Al Gore once asked, on live television, who the large bust was supposed to represent, during a tour of Monticello.

So who was the bust of?

Recently, obnoxious comedian Sandra Bernhard launched a disgusting attack on Palin during her stand up act. She declared that she hoped Palin would be "gang raped by blacks"

I'd like to see the clip or see a transcript before passing judgement but even more obnoxious than that comment was Mayor Palin's decision to charge rape victims in he city for rape kits. Especially since at the same time putting the town of 5 - 6000 millions of dollars into debt to build a sports and recreation center and using city funds for snowmobile races which her husband participated in especially since they owned a snowmobile store. Perhaps Berhard was making reference to that

[J. Raymond Carroll]

PALIN SWEARS TO UPHOLD THE LAW,

(as soon as she finds out more about it)

After noting Roe vs. Wade, Palin was apparently unable to discuss any major court cases.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/29/l...n_n_130395.html

[Don Jeffries]

Len,

I don't know if you're being sarcastic, but any adult with a passing knowledge of history could identify the bust as being of Jefferson. The fact that it was promiently displayed in Jefferson's home should have given Al Gore a slight clue. You'd think the guy who invented the internet would be a little sharper than that.

As for the Sandra Bernhard clip, it was all over You Tube. I would imagine it still is. Watch it and judge for yourself.

[John Simkin]

The vitriol directed at Sarah Palin is astonishing. You'd think that many women would at least appreciate her, simply because she's only the second woman ever nominated by one of the major parties for vice-president.

Sarah Palin is hardly an unusually stupid politician. Why is she being singled out? As I pointed out in another post, Joe Biden's remarks about FDR addressing the nation on television in 1929 were far more ignorant than anything Palin has ever said. If the American people are so adverse to allegedly air-headed political candidates, how did George W. Bush get elected (well, at least be given the office) two times? I would be shocked if Palin's IQ isn't higher than that of our beloved "decider." Eisenhower wasn't a brilliant man. Neither was LBJ. Gerald Ford was a dunce. Reagan was clueless, to put it kindly. The elder George Bush was often as illiterate as his son. Al Gore once asked, on live television, who the large bust was supposed to represent, during a tour of Monticello. Like Biden's ignorant remarks, Gore's historical ignorance was not of interest to the same mainstream press corps that has been micro analyzing everything Palin does and says.

We have hardly been blessed with brilliant presidents or vice-presidents over the past few decades. To be honest, I'm amazed that more women aren't offended by the treatment Palin has received. She's basically been smeared as a vacuous "dumb blonde" caricature. Is the fact she's pro-life and likes guns enough to permit her to be stereotyped and mimicked relentlessly by women who would otherwise feel empowered by her success?

I usually agree with your political comments but you have completely lost me with your defence of Sarah Palin. I have no interest in her 19th century views on abortion, sex before marriage, evolution, etc. However, I am concerned with her views on foreign policy. Especially when you consider the age of John McCain which means she could become president of the US.

In a recent CBS interview with Katie Couric she said the US had already won in Iraq and that the war provided a template for other conflicts. She went onto say that "a surge in Afghanistan will also lead us to victory there as it has proven to have done in Iraq". In the same interview she said she fully supported Israel as they were the "good guys" in the Middle East and they should not be held back if they wanted to bomb Iran. It seems that she is even further to the right than George Bush who reportedly warned Israel's leadership recently that Washington would not support such an attack.

[Len Colby]

Len,

I don't know if you're being sarcastic, but any adult with a passing knowledge of history could identify the bust as being of Jefferson. The fact that it was promiently displayed in Jefferson's home should have given Al Gore a slight clue. You'd think the guy who invented the internet would be a little sharper than that.

Actually Don it was sort of a trick question but not one in the vein of “who’s buried in Grant’s tomb”. You see there were four busts and not one of them was the author of the Declaration of Independence. They were of Washington, Franklin, Lafayette and John Paul Jones.

He asked “Who are these people?” Admittedly he should have recognized the first two but from the video it is hard to tell how much they resembled the traditional portraits of them. Perhaps he was tired, perhaps he was referring to the latter two, I doubt I’d recognize them, would you? The story was covered by the NY Times and perhaps other outlets. In any case his inability to recognize a bust of Washington doesn’t call his ability, if the need arose, to be president. By contrast Palin never seemingly having heard of the “Bush doctrine” and McCain’s repeatedly making the same gaffs call into question their grasp of world affairs.

http://www.mediaresearch.org/rm/realityche...25/segment1.ram

Oh and since were on the subject of stupid remarks here’s a retarded one from a candidate you favor, and this is not something she blurted out but rather something she’s thought about and looked into.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YbEEyTIVKMI

[Guest Stephen Turner]

and John Paul Jones.

Led Zeppelins bass player? Sorry, couldn't resist.

[John Simkin]

I usually agree with your political comments but you have completely lost me with your defence of Sarah Palin. I have no interest in her 19th century views on abortion, sex before marriage, evolution, etc. However, I am concerned with her views on foreign policy. Especially when you consider the age of John McCain which means she could become president of the US.

In a recent CBS interview with Katie Couric she said the US had already won in Iraq and that the war provided a template for other conflicts. She went onto say that "a surge in Afghanistan will also lead us to victory there as it has proven to have done in Iraq". In the same interview she said she fully supported Israel as they were the "good guys" in the Middle East and they should not be held back if they wanted to bomb Iran. It seems that she is even further to the right than George Bush who reportedly warned Israel's leadership recently that Washington would not support such an attack.

Interesting article about Palin as president:

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/feat...75-d0f79b1001e7

[Len Colby]

She's become a liability it seems

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081002/ap_on_...idential_debate

[Don Jeffries]

Actually Don it was sort of a trick question but not one in the vein of “who’s buried in Grant’s tomb”. You see there were four busts and not one of them was the author of the Declaration of Independence. They were of Washington, Franklin, Lafayette and John Paul Jones.

He asked “Who are these people?” Admittedly he should have recognized the first two but from the video it is hard to tell how much they resembled the traditional portraits of them. Perhaps he was tired, perhaps he was referring to the latter two, I doubt I’d recognize them, would you? The story was covered by the NY Times and perhaps other outlets. In any case his inability to recognize a bust of Washington doesn’t call his ability, if the need arose, to be president. By contrast Palin never seemingly having heard of the “Bush doctrine” and McCain’s repeatedly making the same gaffs call into question their grasp of world affairs.

Thanks for clearing up my faulty memory, Len. I apologize for confusing the details. You must be really on the ball to get all that information about a C-SPAN broadcast all those years ago. However, what I said still stands- while Lafayette and John Paul Jones would not be readily recognizable to most people, Washington and Franklin ought to be. Regardless, if the vice-president in question had been Dan Quayle, there is no doubt he would have been ridiculed for his stupidity. This is no endorsement of Quayle or any other Republican-I don't like them any more than most Democrats-but I just think they are treated differently by the establishment press.

[Don Jeffries]

I usually agree with your political comments but you have completely lost me with your defence of Sarah Palin. I have no interest in her 19th century views on abortion, sex before marriage, evolution, etc. However, I am concerned with her views on foreign policy. Especially when you consider the age of John McCain which means she could become president of the US.

In a recent CBS interview with Katie Couric she said the US had already won in Iraq and that the war provided a template for other conflicts. She went onto say that "a surge in Afghanistan will also lead us to victory there as it has proven to have done in Iraq". In the same interview she said she fully supported Israel as they were the "good guys" in the Middle East and they should not be held back if they wanted to bomb Iran. It seems that she is even further to the right than George Bush who reportedly warned Israel's leadership recently that Washington would not support such an attack.

John,

I usually agree with you, too, so let me try to clarify what I'm saying. First and foremost, I think John McCain is one of the most dangerous of all the odious career politicians we have in Washington, D.C. I would hesitate to vote for him even if my political hero Huey Long was his VP candidate. That being said, I do think he made a surprisingly good choice in Palin. She is a real "outsider," who was totally unknown outside of Alaska, even to political junkies like me. She also sounds more like a populist than a neo-con, even when she's trying to support McCainiac. I get the distinct impression that she doesn't really support much of his platform, and/or believes she can "change" him with her input. Of course, I could be totally wrong; maybe she is just an empty suit that mesmerizes people with her looks and personality. It wouldn't be the first time I've been fooled by a pretty face.

I watched some of the VP debate tonight, and must admit that Palin is much better in small doses. I become very irritated when average Americans, let alone political leaders, consistenly mispronounce the names of countries like Iran and Iraq. Palin uses the most ignorant pronunciation ("I-Rack), which really turned me off. Why can't these so-called leaders say "E-Rock" or "E-Ron," which are the correct pronunciations? Whenever I hear someone say "I-Rack" or "I-Ran," I immediately think of the old term "ugly American." Palin's midwestern-type accent also makes her sound more ignorant than I suspect she is (for instance, she leaves the "s" off of words like turning, saying "turnin" instead). All in all, after listening to part of that debate, I'm less smitten with her. However, I still think she's been treated very unfairly by the mainstream media, and I was hardly impressed with Biden.

Watching these two "opposing" candidates "debate" was like attending meetings with upper management. Afterwards, you feel optimistic, because they really seem to agree with you, and promise to address your concerns. It takes awhile before you realize that nothing has changed, and they aren't intent on addressing any of those concerns. I'd like to have a dollar for every time Palin and Biden said "middle class" and "the American people." You'd think they were honestly slugging it out over who cares the most for ordinary folks like us.

Don't forget that both Biden and Palin (via McCainiac) support the atrocious trillion dollar banker bailout. Btw, Hillary Clinton voted for it, too. More of that lovely "bipartisanship" the media salivates over so often. I don't how I will vote, frankly. Either I'll hold my nose and vote for Obama (yet again doing the "lesser of two evils" thing) or go with Nader or some other third-party candidate.

[John Simkin]

Watching these two "opposing" candidates "debate" was like attending meetings with upper management. Afterwards, you feel optimistic, because they really seem to agree with you, and promise to address your concerns. It takes awhile before you realize that nothing has changed, and they aren't intent on addressing any of those concerns. I'd like to have a dollar for every time Palin and Biden said "middle class" and "the American people." You'd think they were honestly slugging it out over who cares the most for ordinary folks like us.

Don't forget that both Biden and Palin (via McCainiac) support the atrocious trillion dollar banker bailout. Btw, Hillary Clinton voted for it, too. More of that lovely "bipartisanship" the media salivates over so often. I don't how I will vote, frankly. Either I'll hold my nose and vote for Obama (yet again doing the "lesser of two evils" thing) or go with Nader or some other third-party candidate. [/color]

BBC website about the polls following the debate:

A new poll by the Washington Post suggests that 60% of voters now see Mrs Palin as lacking the experience to be an effective president.

One-third say they are less likely to vote for the Senator McCain, as a result.

Independent voters, who are not affiliated to either political party, have the most sceptical views of the 44-year-old Alaska governor.

[J. Raymond Carroll]

Independent voters, who are not affiliated to either political party, have the most sceptical views of the 44-year-old Alaska governor. [/color]

Late last night McCain and his inner circle were unwinding over a few drinks. McCain was reminiscing about his days as a bomber/pilot. "of all the bombs I ever dropped, boys," says the brave McCain, " Sarah Palin may be the biggest bomb of all"

[Pamela Brown]

Late last night McCain and his inner circle were unwinding over a few drinks. McCain was reminiscing about his days as a bomber/pilot. "of all the bombs I ever dropped, boys," says the brave McCain, " Sarah Palin may be the biggest bomb of all"

As in Hiroshima or an 'impaling' such as being hoist on one's own petard?

[Len Colby]

Actually Don it was sort of a trick question but not one in the vein of “who’s buried in Grant’s tomb”. You see there were four busts and not one of them was the author of the Declaration of Independence. They were of Washington, Franklin, Lafayette and John Paul Jones.

He asked “Who are these people?” Admittedly he should have recognized the first two but from the video it is hard to tell how much they resembled the traditional portraits of them. Perhaps he was tired, perhaps he was referring to the latter two, I doubt I’d recognize them, would you? The story was covered by the NY Times and perhaps other outlets. In any case his inability to recognize a bust of Washington doesn’t call his ability, if the need arose, to be president. By contrast Palin never seemingly having heard of the “Bush doctrine” and McCain’s repeatedly making the same gaffs call into question their grasp of world affairs.

Thanks for clearing up my faulty memory, Len. I apologize for confusing the details. You must be really on the ball to get all that information about a C-SPAN broadcast all those years ago. However, what I said still stands- while Lafayette and John Paul Jones would not be readily recognizable to most people, Washington and Franklin ought to be. Regardless, if the vice-president in question had been Dan Quayle, there is no doubt he would have been ridiculed for his stupidity. This is no endorsement of Quayle or any other Republican-I don't like them any more than most Democrats-but I just think they are treated differently by the establishment press.

The story didn’t “smell right” so I did some quick Googling and it turned out that Gore’s blunder less serious than you remembered. Just how ‘dumb’ he was is hard to without actually seeing the busts. I’m not sure if I were tired and in a dark room if I’d recognize these statues

Which of them are of our first president which ones aren’t?

One thing I’ve noticed Don - you complain that American voters tend to become distracted by what you consider superficial issues such as abortion and gay marriage, to a large extent I agree. But you tend to focus on things like stupid remarks and pronunciation. Did you look at the video clip of McKinney? If so do you no longer back her? It showed a remarkable lack of critical thinking skills

My position is closer to Mark’s than to Raymond’s. Though I’m not totally gaga over Obama I am cautiously optimistic about him. He is certainly a better choice than McCain or even Barr, Nadar and McKinney. I’m more comfortable with the idea of Biden succeeding than Palin, esp since a 72 year-old recovering melanoma patient is far more likely to die in the next 4 – 8 years than a 47 year-old with no known history of chronic disease.

I’m not sure I buy your thesis Democrats get free rides by and Republicans unduly mocked everyone but Fox. McCain was IDed as a “songbird” (by AP IIRC) during his imprisonment and dumped his trophy wife because she became disfigured in a car crash after he got back. That has gotten almost no pres coverage. On the other hand the press knew that Biden had accredited Kinnock most of the times he paraphrased him, this how ever got little if any coverage at the time. IMO the evidence that Bush intentionally manipulated pre-war intelligence on Iraq has been virtually ignored.

Edited October 4, 2008 by Len Colby