I don't have anything to say because I didn't see the speech. I was too preoccupied with studying the psychodemographics of frolf (see below). (I can always catch up with it on Youtube, right?) So, have your say in the Comments.
By the way, the original speechwriter was apparently American Conservative contributor Matthew Scully, so if a few of the lines about Obama sound like they came from somebody familiar with my articles, perhaps they did.
By the way, the original speechwriter was apparently American Conservative contributor Matthew Scully, so if a few of the lines about Obama sound like they came from somebody familiar with my articles, perhaps they did.
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
Posts
76 comments:
Home run for Palin. They also cleaned up her daughter's baby daddy-to-be and had him up on stage with the rest of the family after the speech, which was a smart move.
- Fred
It's hard to imagine how difficult it is to do what she did - read a speech off teleprompters in front of the world while sounding natural. To get an idea how hard it is, just look at any one of Hillary's speeches. She nailed it - she read her lines with ease, modulating her voice appropriately, pausing, hesitating, emphasizing, stringing some phrases together while parsing others, with just the right voice.
It would be very unfortunate if this wonderful woman is responsible, however indirectly, for plunging America into another protracted cold war with another nuclear power.
Best speech I've seen since at least, "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
I told you this chick was a natural.
PS: And wow, what a family.
I thought she sounded a little nervous, but perhaps that's he normal speaking manner. After I watched her on TV, I listened to the NPR wrapup. Their reporters walk a fine line, trying to sound unbiased enough to meet minimum professional standards, but not so convincingly as to be mistaken for the wrong sort. They said her best line was "You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick." That was pretty good, but I would say her best line was "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities." I understand that might not seem funny to NPR types, though.
It was phenomenal: it laid to rest doubts about her intelligence and leadership skills. Her beauty, and I'm a woman, could have been distracting, but she is so fiery that it did not.
Anyways, the part that captured the very essence of her spirit, for me was the following line. When you read it, imagine a woman dramatically pointing towards the cameras with her jaw clenched:
But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.
Open threads? So you're finally becoming a regular blog. Next up, isteve personals ads.
I forgot to mention that she mentioned Obama's styrofoam columns... team Obama has to be absolutely smarting. She body slammed them over and over. Her son with Down's was shown to the world at the end, proudly, on stage. The sweetest moment came, and I was watching ABC, was when they focused for an unusually long time, because it was so darned cute, on little Piper holding Trig and licking her hand and smoothing his hair with it. Diane Sawyer and the others gasped at the cuteness and uttered something about how precious it was, interrupting the speech.
Well, Steve, seems to me she's getting some of her talking points from you:
"The American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of 'personal discovery.' This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn't just need an organizer," Palin said, a clear reference to Obama's time as a community organizer in Chicago.
The world's a small place for speechwriters. Go ahead and enjoy a smirk.
:)
Sorry, but after this Palin speech, F the New World Order is still the phrase that comes to mind.
For all the faint signs of patriotic life that the Palin VP pick represents, I can't help but remain cynical in the extreme.
Malkin had a thread up yesterday on the harsh reality of the GOP platform and McCain's looming amnesty or otherwise open border plans. The fix is in like never before. McCain is going to break hearts and utterly smash any notions of national borders and posterity for American citizens.
OUR POSTERITY HAS LITERALLY BEEN OUTLAWED.
Demography is destiny and Republicans will continue to lurch hard to the Left, as they did tonight, in order to appeal to the dumbed down Brazilianized America.
Listening to GOP stars on the convention stage tonight wax poetic about America, I couldn't help but think about relentless Republican efforts to sell out America at home to La Raza, ACLU, SPLC, AIPAC etc, and sell us out abroad to China and whatever other Third World cheap labor pool is available.
Not that the Democrats are any better. Indeed, at this late stage, it is ludicrous for either party to pretend they are working in the interests of the people of this nation. Absolutely LUDICROUS. The power elite represented by the two main parties are blatantly treasonous. We, Constitutionalists, Nationalists, Patriots, are under permanent attack.
F the New World Order.
All that nonsense leading up to this speech has truly backfired. If anyone tuned in to finally see the woman speak for herself, they saw a poised and powerful presence. And fierce--at least before the friendly audience. Not just critical of Obama, but cuttingly sarcastic. Some of the best comic timing I've seen in a political speech. Pretty extraordinary, I have to say. Of course, she was aping the standard talking points of today's GOP--I don't know what else you can expect, but it's disappointing to hear. But it's a convention speech, so it's all about performance, and on that score she even upstaged Giuliani.
I'm disappointed with the substance of the speech, although in my crush I'm willing to pass it - the warmongering - off as the price of business.
The Iraq War was a war that lasted a matter of weeks in the year 2003. Everything since has been an occupation. There is no "war" to speak of, and this carrot of "victory" that the warmongers wave...who really believes it? The bases that have been built there are permanent, just some of the 800+ full blown military bases the U.S. has in over 140 countries, not counting the "black ops" CIA bases that we told you existed for years before the government admitted them.
As an aside, the track record of people who scream "tinfoil hat!" at any suggestion of government malfeasance is so uniformly awful that I am contemplating full aluminum haberdashery.
Aaaaaaanyhoo, are we gonna be talking about "victory" in the "war" in 2012 too? An overseas war in a country that 99% of Americans will never see in their lives? What about America?
The other major theme of the speech - criticizing big government - doesn't fly at all given the fiscal fecundity of the Bush administration, which, even subtracting "war" costs, such as a billion a week on fuel just for the Iraq "war" (!), has been atrocious.
The timely and snidely "fact" box running at the bottom of CNN's feed was amusing in its over the top partisanship, they're not even hiding it anymore.
If the GOP wants to win they must, in the rather conceited opinion of this writer, STFU about the "war", which is really unpopular, and start talking about America. There are so many third rails, however, that I don't know what is left to talk about.
I am still impressed with Palin though. I'm a flat out misogynist and I can't find anything I dislike about this woman. The veep job may be a bit much but considering the opposition in the form of Hopey McChange and his sidekick Redstate McTaxandspend and the boost she gives the ticket I say vote GOP, early and often.
Awesome speech. She is as likeable as Michelle Obama is not. In fact, she may be the Anti-Michelle. Rudy was so funny and so cutting.
Olbermann- so mad.
Buchanan- only analyst worth listening to
Matthews- hair of a five year old
Levi- stud
Bristol- fecund
Todd- humble stud
Eugene Robinson- huh?
What a woman! A wonderful moment to see a real woman, and not a narcissitic b*tch in a position of power. Women like Palin really invigorate the spirit and remind me of why I love women so. Some cynics might say that she is not smart enough or not sophisticated enough to be VP, but in the end she seems to be a remarkable person. What real man on this planet would not wish for a wife with similar qualities to Palin?
Regarding the speech, I felt the beginning was touching, but the middle section was a complete zero and lacked the poetry to stir souls.
I watched the whole speech. She seems to have an attractive personality, not just an attractive (for her age) face. There was fun in her voice. Optimism and all that. I'm sure that the speech was written by a committee, but she delivered it naturally, like a pro. Actually better than a pro - it sounded much less awkward than the drivel that Hollywood actors read from their prompters at the Oscars. She made (politically correct) fun of Obama without seeming in the least mean to him. It's like she was engaged in the very fun sport of politics with him. Such a contrast with Hillary's dourness.
Of course I don't think any of this means much. I'm guessing that she has no independent opinions about foreign policy, for example. Those will no doubt be supplied for her by the neocons.
At one point she said very sincerely that if she and McCain win, parents with special needs children will always have a voice in the White House. Wouldn't it be weird if the election turned out to be very close and McCain ended up winning because of the moms of disabled kids who were watching that speech? And then went ahead and disabled some more kids with his wars?
Decent speech. Didn't get to see it all but what I did see seemed good, though a bit pieced-together, one liner-ish.
But except for the die-hard radicals few people will go away disliking Sarah Palin.
What I DO want to know is how often have Republicans at this convention been referring to Obama as Barack Hussein Obama? The last time a candidate's middle name(s) was such a gift was back in 1992 when every Dem convention speaker referred to President Bush as "George Herbert Walker Bush."
She's a good speaker, but she did nothing but list talking points. Her attacks sounded petty. The crowd seemed just mean when they laughed at Obama.
home run... i'm proud to be a republican again
btw love your work steve. agree/disagree, you are one of the few existing adventurous intellectuals in the public domain
She's a very charismatic speaker. She delivered lots of well-deserved zingers at Obama and the media. She did a great job in a short amount of prep time.
I'll be very interested to see how she does in a debate when she doesn't have prepared remarks to work from.
I liked her suit and the change to her hairstyle. Less school marmy and more sophisticated. She definitely projected a presidential presence. If only they could totally erase her Fargo-ish accent - it came through every now and then.
that line about community organising didn't seem funny to evangelical community organisers, either.
My favorite line was the one about the Presidency not being a path to personal discovery. Sounds like she's been reading Steve.
Man, does she know her way around a teleprompter. Got my vote!
It was pretty fucking good, but it's obvious where she is a lightweight... She needs to be exposed to different opinions that what she will be supplied.
With regard to the community orginizing jab, go to this link.
Obama's "community organizer" phase was about political power, not soup kitchens
I watched a tiny portion of the speech and heard a number of major hypocrisies / self-contradictions. Examples:
1. Shortly after railing against the Democrats' efforts to mildly limit the torture of loosely suspected terrorists, she whined about McCain (professional bomber of civilians) being tortured.
2. She praised McCain for being the only one in this election who has served in the military, and the audience applauded wildly. Of course, 100% of those cheering voted against war hero John Kerry and in favor of draft dodger George Bush.
Anyone who is impressed with any politician's speech should not be allowed to discuss politics with grown-ups.
Speech really motivated the base, but in the process she attached herself too closely with the republican brand and that may pose a problem with attracting independent voters.
There was something unseemly about show casing a baby to the cameras
There won't be a cold war with Russia.
Very likely a series of wars against proliferating nations until some sort of deterrence/arrangement/alliance is constructed to deal with proliferation-deniable terrorist proxies.
Her family was great, photogenic, a "real" family not Yuppie Designer Kids (Obama).
Return of the culture wars, Yuppie Urban slickers vs. Rural / Small town America.
Kerry was not a war hero, he threw away his medals and called his fellow soldiers/marines/sailors war criminals. Swift Boating worked because it used Kerry's own words (in pompous tones too) and depended on fellow vets who hated Kerry. McCain's fellow inmates at Hanoi were there at the convention.
Yeah of course we will have wars. Nuclear proliferation guarantees that for us (and Russia, and China and Europe).
She did well, and there's a lot to like about her on a primal level - the fecundity and so forth; in fact, the knocked-up teen-aged daughter only enhances this - but of course, the American political process has been a reality TV show at least since Reagan, if not Kennedy.
It's a shame that these people actually do influence the course of the nation, because most of them have long since learned to stopped thinking about the consequences of their actions in any terms other than election results. Or should I say "ratings?"
Black CNN commentator Roland Martin was positively livid at her line making fun of Obama's "community organizer" experience, and mentioned his parents, who were community organizers in Houston. What he and many others can't acknowledge is that this speech was intended to appeal to the many, mostly white Americans who live in functioning communities that do not require "community organizers".
What's the equivalent of a "community organizer" in a white small town or white/Jewish/Asian suburb? Someone who organizes a church dance or summer concert?
It's kind of sad to see so many evilcons here falling all over themselves to lick Palin's stilleto boot.
There is no reason to believe that she has different positions different than McCain's on immigration. Certainly she won't as long as she works for him. McCain = amnesty, more immigration, and a white minority by 2035 or so. She's a good speaker and a good fertility totem, but she changes nothing. The only actual policies she mentioned were endless war and drilling for oil - at least the former of which I thought people around here opposed.
I will admit to having a fantasy that she's really one of us and that McCain will kick the bucket this December, but that's a real stretch and there's really no evidence that it's true.
Chuck Baldwin '08.
"so if a few of the lines about Obama sound like they came from somebody familiar with my articles, perhaps they did."
Being the grey eminence is even better than being some hothead in the TV studio! Next thing you'll be doing the socio-strategic thinking for the upcoming Palin presidency. If anything Palin proves that more is not automatically better. The MSM was forever bickering about how daft Bush is/was, and implied that more brains means better judgements. I think they also used this against Reagan, although its hard to understand how it works for Carter or Kerry. I'm fairly certain that's not always true. There's something beyond brains that needs to be right. Once that's in place of course brains do help, as in the case of Bismarck, but the right "Gesinnung" needs to be there first. Obama certainly does not have the right “Gesinnung”, unfortunately McCain neither. Maybe Palin has?
But I'm just am observer from Europe; I'm clueless about US politics.
Man, does she know her way around a teleprompter. Got my vote!
Thanks for bringing us the Team Obama's talking point. If that's the best they can do they're really in a lot of trouble.
If she's a Buchanite and got the Amcon guy to write her speech, I'm sure somebody showed her Steve's columns. Maybe she's been lurking here all along? So now we're like the new Cheney's fan base?
I liked how awkward and modest her family seemed when they came on stage after her speech. I had been skeptical about the "just regular folks" angle, but now I'm sold.
Then McCain joined them to great fanfare, but his doddering presence put a slight damper on the proceedings. He really seems uncomfortable around Palin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-QevraCQUc
Very funny Palin video
http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/1219935799/Girl_Practices_For_School_Talent_Show
Very funny new woman video
My analysis (and see also confirmatory link below):
* Obama has big, big problems. For the first time since April and the Wright controversy, I think this election is in serious doubt. Palin tore the bark off him in that speech like no one ever has. The line about the Styrofoam Greek columns, skewering him on that custom presidential seal, the bit about him being a "community organizer"...really hitting him where it hurts.
* And if he hits back in kind he'll look sexist. He better hope that the media hits out at Palin, because Hillary certainly isn't going to do it for him (haha!).
* Moreover, there's going to be a backlash if the media keeps going after Palin's kids, because moms of America don't like that...
* Perhaps most seriously, Palin completely scrambles Obama's gameplan regarding small towns. Palin is the genuine article for all those small town folk in battleground states like PA, OH, MI, etc. A lot of people on the left instinctively sprang to attack Palin as white trash...forgetting that a significant talking point of the Dems is that they're going to "stand up for the poor" via class warfare. The attacks on Palin clarified that the Democrats are the party of Yale and Jail, rather than the people who "fight our wars and grow our food".
* And since Palin and McCain both have sons in Iraq, and since we are clearly winning in Iraq, the chickenhawk talking point has gone away as well.
* Had McCain chosen Romney rather than Palin, Obama/Biden could have plausibly portrayed themselves as the champions of the middle and working class against the rich. Not anymore. Overall, huge problems in battleground states.
I think Palin has made this race competitive.
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stump/archive/2008/09/03/focus-group-palin-was-alarmingly-strong.aspx
Focus Group: Palin Was (Alarmingly) Strong
Several moderate-Democrat friends of mine have been emailing--few if any would ever vote for McCain--but all agree that Palin was very strong. The more liberal among them are a little panicked.
I completely misjudged how negative she would be. Her lines about Obama were brutally cutting and possibly over the top in places. But she's a far better messenger than an angry white man.
daughter's baby daddy-to-be
Gawd, I hate that word. Fiance! He's her fiance.
Dude is seriously good looking, and I say that as a heterosexual guy who can't usually recognize this stuff.
If he's willing to play ball, and is capable of at least moderate levels of elocution, the Republicans should totally have them tour the country and do some soft focus stuff (photo-ops and whatnot) on the View or whatever. No hard questions, just cooing over the couple.
Maybe Fox could help out with this. Hmmm.
airtommy:
You don't seem to realize that most of us here are simplistic American nationalists. I don't agree with testing99 on many issues, but he already covered the John Kerry thing -- a guy who throws away his medals and baselessly accuses his fellows of "war crimes" i s no war hero, but a traitor. As for the torture thing...dude, I don't care *what* we do to terrorists, but I *do* care what they do to our boys. Terrorists fight outside uniform and attack civilians. They have forfeited all provisions of the Geneva convention and certainly do not abide by it themselves. That means **gloves off**.
It does *not* mean that they get all the provisions of the constitution that apply to citizens.
Do you understand that? Is that simple enough for you?
c23:
Work out the life expectancy tables for a 72 year old man with cancer. McCain will not make it through his first term. Palin is the only possibility for immigration reformers. I could sum up why I think this is the case, but there's a recent article on VDare (by Ryan Handley, I think?) that makes the point. Basically, she has *nationalist instincts*, something which just comes across unmistakably, and she's
definitely not a Republican tool (as can be seen from her defiance of
Murkowski et alia in Alaska).
I think that she *is* probably going to end up with neocon foreign policy
views, but you know what -- I don't care how many countries we need to invade for
greater Israel so long as the borders are secured. Damn, if the Forward
offered a deal like that -- you know, a two state solution with Mexico where the US and Mexico actually remain *two separate states* -- but it meant that I'd have to sign up to bomb Iran, it'd probably be worth it!
Im surprised that more hasn't been made of the hypocrisy of the Dems for the way they went after Palin for being "white trash". Aren't they supposed to be on the side of the poor and disenfranchised? And who are people who live in trailer parks but people too poor to own a house? Yet any time someone from a blue collar background has the temerity to criticize a member of the liberal establishment, they play their "white trash" card. Aren't they suposed to be playing class warfare from the other side? Reminds me of the vicious attacks on Paula Jones when she accused Clinton of exposing himself to her and asking for a bj. Which reminds me, aren't the Dems supposed to be on the side of working moms as well? It certainly makes their attacks on Palin for working so soon after the birth of her last baby seem a little hypocritical.
Ditto the personal growth line, I instantly thought of Steve when I heard it. BTW, Obama is awful when he immediately reacts to something and much, much better when he has had hours to formulate a response.
As you can see from the snark in your thread, it was an extremely smarting speech to her enemies. Nobody is asking if she was too soft.
ziel: It's hard to imagine how difficult it is to do what she did - read a speech off teleprompters in front of the world while sounding natural.
Dude - the teleprompter WAS BROKEN - the chick was ad-libbing.
And a couple of Code Pink whackos, including a $100,000 bundler to Obambi, tried to storm the stage, and she still kept going.
I cannot believe anyone takes this woman seriously. As VP. Other than that, why would you have an opinion?
"It would be very unfortunate if this wonderful woman is responsible, however indirectly, for plunging America into another protracted cold war with another nuclear power."
But it WOULD be fortunate if this wonderful woman were in the White House, and directly responsible for getting America OUT of another protracted cold war with another nuclear power. Because, ziel, contrary to popular opinion in grad schools across the US, sometimes we're simply on the receiving end of aggressive behavior, not the progenitors. And I'd rather Sarah was in that house than Biden or the Dali-Bama.
Carolyn: If only they could totally erase her Fargo-ish accent - it came through every now and then.
NO!!!
Don't change a thing.
She's obviously very articulate, an excellent public speaker, revels in the pit bull image. Apparently she may also be fluent in tongues other than English: Palin's Faith Is Seen In Church Upbringing.
Michael Barone's analysis of Obama's lack of appeal to Jacksonians is perhaps the best political analysis I've seen this election cycle. I think Palin's speech last night, along with the images of her family, solidified the Jacksonian vote for McCain (the political jabs at Obama might have hurt with independents and Washington pundits but not with Jacksonians, who love a fighter) . The hope of the McCain campaign is to turn Pennsylvania red in 2008 (keep in mind that Kerry won Pennsylvania by less votes than Bush won Ohio).
Can Obama turn Colorado or Virginia or New Mexico or Florida blue and offset a possible loss in Pennsylvania? Perhaps. But a look at the electoral map in previous elections will show how difficult it is to flip a state. I think if Obama had it to do over, he would pick Tim Keane or maybe even Hillary Clinton.
Palin's position on Iraq sounds pretty bad. She told ministry students at her former church that the United States sent troops to fight in the Iraq war on a "task that is from God."
If she believes it, thats scary. If she doesn't, she's pandering.
It seemed to me like Palin's speech was aimed at firing up the Republican base, not to independent voters. The reactions in this thread seem to confirm that.
Another astonishing lie: Palin claims she proved her "reformer" credentials by standing against the "Bridge To Nowhere". In reality she voted and spoke in favor of the bridge. And looking at the larger issue of earmarks in general, she used and supported earmarks a lot.
The more I hear from the religious right, the more they alienate me. They're preaching to the choir. If they want to win over any independents they should just shut up.
But, but, but,
She didn't write her own speech and she used a teleprompter!
I mean, The One writes his own speeches and gives them from memory, doesn't he?
"Her attacks sounded petty. The crowd seemed just mean when they laughed at Obama."
It's about time somebody laughed at him in public. This self-crowned emperor has been running about with no clothes for some time now.
Don't feel sorry for this plastic toothed crocodile.
Her attacks were straight on.
The delivery wasn't that great. I counted four mispronounced words, and the tone sometimes seemed flat. I would love to go hunting and fishing with her family, but her association with Christians United for Israel really worries me. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127445
A female Huey Long.
My brother is an independent who leans Democrat. He saw Sarah Palin's speech and was absolutely bowled over. McCain/Palin has his vote, at least for now.
In the past he's said he's thought he might be a Republican until he talks to me. So I'm not talking to him about politics any further. But that's how her speech played for at least one in-the-middle guy.
The key to this race is that if they make fun of Palin for being a "hick" they are making fun of Main Street America. On the other hand, when Palin makes fun of Obama, she's making fun of the type of person Main Street really hates. It's just that nobody has pointed it out to them.
Palin = biggest joke in this election.
That speech sounded like something from a junior high school student council meeting. Those jabs at Obama were almost all false and juvenile.
But I guess I'm in the minority of people who think this(on isteve).
airtommy,
"war hero John Kerry?"
I can see why you are confused. Many liberals are flummoxed over Kerry's record, including Kerry himself. However, in the interest of all those fans of this "fortunate son" here is how this will now work.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kerry is a war criminal and is repentant and ashamed over his activities in Vietnam because he and his men behaved like Genghis Khan. He even threw his medals away away!
It is on Monday, Wed. and Friday that he is a war hero who spent Xmas in Cambodia on secret CIA missions and killed piles of VC commies and rescused his soldiers form certain death.
Go and ask Dana Delaney. He tried to impress her by showing her his amateur war porn.
Hope this helps!
"Her family was great, photogenic, a "real" family not Yuppie Designer Kids (Obama)."
Very poor form to criticize any child. The Obama girls seemed delightful and Obama the man seems to be an impressive character; he is gracious and patient - two qualities in short supply.
What's all this chatter from the Elite about having Palin's speech written by someone else? ALL politicians have their speeches written by someone else, so whey is only a big deal when Palin does? This is mostly coming from the BIG MEDIA.
From Yahoo Education on the U. of Idaho:
"# Average high school GPA 3.42
# Test scores SAT verbal scores over 500 74%, SAT math scores over 500 74%, ACT scores over 18 89%, SAT verbal scores over 600 32%, SAT math scores over 600 31%, ACT scores over 24 43%, SAT verbal scores over 700 6%, SAT math scores over 700 6%, ACT scores over 30 7%"
People with ACT scores over 30 have can qualify for Mensa, and nearly 10% of U. of Idaho freshmen could, corresponding to an IQ of about 130. It's also worth noting that many ACT scores belonging to FROSH at the Ivies are under 30.
It was an effective speech, and Gov. Palin is a great speaker. I actually found it entertaining, which is pretty rare for a political speech.
It was short on specifics, but convention speeches almost always are. Nevertheless, I doubt that Palin has many seriously informed, thoughtful opinions on issues that don't have much impact on Alaska. Not to say she can't learn and develop her own ideas, but her rather parochial experience does make her susceptible to believing whatever McCain's policy wonks tell her. Then again, as VP, she's pretty much obliged to agree with him, at least in public, so it doesn't really matter unless she ends up as President.
Finally, as much as I enjoyed the speech, my curmudgeonly, masculinist side was annoyed by Palin's lengthy focus on her family. Sure, we all want to know about a candidate's family. Sure, hers had come in for a lot of adverse publicity - and, when not adverse, the publicity was often akin to visitors at a zoo looking at some exotic species: "Look! A woman with 5 kids! Look! A woman who didn't abort a Down's fetus! Look a teenage girl getting pregnant AND MARRYING THE FATHER!"
All the same, is our society so feminized and so Oprah-fied that being a "hockey mom" with five children - lest we forget, one with "special needs" - is now considered a salient quality for national office? I admire Palin's approach to life and family. I love that her life is a thumb in the eye of the SWPL crowd in a way that they can't publicly fight or even acknowledge. And yet, enough with the touchy-feely crap, already! Let's move on to talking about issues and ideas in a rational way and leave the emotional and family stuff to People magazine.
Yeah, I know ... the battle is already lost. I'm just fighting a rearguard action here against the relentless feminization of society and apparently inevitable triumph of emotion over reason and logic.
Anonymous (ugh, come on--- please people, at least choose Name/URL and go with Anonymous64 or AnonymousTX or something) who mentioned Levi being a good looking kid...
This is true, I do wonder if he really wanted to be at the Convention and paraded as the fiancee. Or perhaps, just as John Edwards had Fred Baron paying his baby mama, some Republican money guy told him--- do the right thing and you'll be taken care of.
Best case scenario, Levi'll get a job in the oil fields and he and his young family live in quiet, happy obscurity.
Worst case scenario, marital trainwreck and he and K-Fed get a reality TV show together.
PS -- Why is there no such equivalent expression to "white trash" for the other races?
Liberal White Supremacy.
The more I hear from the religious right, the more they alienate me. They're preaching to the choir. If they want to win over any independents they should just shut up.
Let me guess: you don't have any children, right?
I did not watch one moment of the DNC because no one speaking held any appeal to me. I did make sure to be home to catch the wondergirl's speech though.
I figured that anyone with that resume who had been selected for VP must me the most charismatic woman on the face of the earth. What a disappointment. If this is any indication of her personality she should be named Sarah Palid. She made many references to her PTA soccer mom background, and do you know why? Because that's exactly what she is. She seemed stiff, monotone and all in all, average. Her jokes seemed childish and I guess we can chalk it up to inexperience, but who knows.
Mrs. Palin seems like a likeable, hardworking and smart woman, but she kind of reminds me of Danny Alamonte. He seemed dominant as a 14 year old blowing 12 year olds away with 40 mph fastballs, but I don't think he would repeat the same success on the mound against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. She makes Obama look like Abe Lincoln (who had roughly the same experience.)
"People with ACT scores over 30 have can qualify for Mensa, and nearly 10% of U. of Idaho freshmen could, corresponding to an IQ of about 130."
So basically there's a 7% chance she's a genius, a 7% chance she's an idiot and an 86% chance she's someone in the middle, thanks for clearing that up.
It was a fine and entertaining speech. I haven't seen any political oratory, ever, but what she did came pretty close. My Obama-leaning mother-in-law was proclaiming that she'd vote Republican if Palin were at the top of the ticket. I am leaning toward Barr & Root right now, but I would definitely vote Republican if she were at the top.
Dems who live in glasses houses have thrown a few regarding her lack of experience. Apparently they have completely forgotten the legislative nobody (completely lacking in executive and business experience) they just nominated.
The main risk the Republicans face now is that of her overshadowing McCain ... people wondering what happened to the Senator the whole time. I don't think the Republicans have a chance but if they do, it will be because of their VP nominee.
She is connecting to the lower-midde-class more directly than any candidate has in decades. I'll go out on a limb and say, since Reagan.
Poor people of whatever race are not thought of favorably anywhere in the world, but "white trash" has a very specific meaning: white people who act like black people. In the Jim Crow south this meant people like Bob Ewell in "To Kill a Mockingbird". It doesn't really have the same meaning outside of that time and place, but I guess white families people drink, fight, collect welfare and have babies out of wedlock are (statistically) behaving in a manner more typical of blacks than whites
c23: "It's kind of sad to see so many evilcons here falling all over themselves to lick Palin's stilleto boot."
Please share any pictures you have of Gov. Palin wearing stiletto boots.
-Vanilla Thunder
I am worried that she is a stealth Libertarian. She talks a good game with Iraq and all, but I'm not sure that she really has internalized the need for nation-building in the Middle East. A year ago she said she didn't know enough about Iraq. And her husband was a seccssionist until recently. Plus she smoked dope.
So even though she assures us she is a McCain Republican, beware. She is a Libertarian hiding in sheep's cloting.
McCain's ho hum speech tonight made me miss Palin. At least the RNC organizers know enough to have Heart's "Barracuda' piping over the speakers right after it. They know where everyone's interest lies.
Heart, by the way, were two feisty Anglo sisters from the Pacific Northwest, and as such especially appropriate to be used in support of this ticket (even though they are almost surely lefties themselves).
I think that she *is* probably going to end up with neocon foreign policy views, but you know what -- I don't care how many countries we need to invade for Greater Israel so long as the borders are secured. Damn, if the Forward offered a deal like that -- you know, a two state solution with Mexico where the US and Mexico actually remain *two separate states* -- but it meant that I'd have to sign up to bomb Iran, it'd probably be worth it!
LOL!
Right on- right on!
One thing about the "Bridge to Nowhere" in Ketchikan. Opponents characterized it as a big boondoggle, as it was to link Ketchikan with Gravina island, which only has about 100 inhabitants. What they didn't mention is that Gravina island is the location of Ketchican's airport - which makes the desire of people in Ketchican for a bridge a little more understandable.
One point on the Palin selection is that, besides being an oustanding choice for immediate political advantage, it will ensure that the Rovian network (Schmidt, Rove, and whoever) will continue to exercise power in the party. It's never been a better time to be repulican VP, heir apparent to the throne. Romney would have had his own ideas and team; Palin will have about Bush's level of deference to the advisors. 4 years as VP may be thin experience, but she'll be certain to become the consensus Presidential nominee if McCain is elected, with the key insider connection and an ability to turn out regular republicans and democrat leaning women. Unfotunately for the democrats, fine executive minds are not attracted to their values. Can the Rove faction give us 12 more years of Republican presidents (and 15% capital gains taxes!)?
The Palin phenomenon may also excite a female arms race between the parties, but Clinton will not be an effective opponent at 67.
The dems may have to cast about for, ugh, Janet Napolitano or some such.
Also, it simply isn't possible for hundreds of millions of dollars to flow in and out of the Obama campaign without "irregularities", ethical problems, etc. The rogues gallery of players and characters in the party is simply too large.
Though it's been lots of fun, gotta agree with grumpy (VFR/Auster):
"And for all you Sarah Palin fans out there, who see her as such a wonderful breath of fresh air and great representative of the "real" America, please understand that your gal Palin will be using her formidable political gifts, including her charisma, her striking female good looks, and her self-advertised pit bull aggressiveness, to help her boss legalize all illegal aliens in the U.S. Is that what you really want?"
http://tinyurl.com/6qt3vv
ST. PAUL, Minn. | Sarah Palin displays an Israeli flag in her governor's office in Juneau, even though she has never been to the country, and attends Protestant evangelical churches that consider the preservation of the state of Israel a biblical imperative.
Her faith makes her a favorite with the staunchly pro-Israel neoconservative elements in the Republican Party.
But other Republicans may be concerned that a John McCain-Sarah Palin administration will disregard the caution of former President George H.W. Bush and some of his top advisers and continue the tilt toward Israel.
Most Republicans and conservatives outside Alaska know little about Mrs. Palin's foreign policy views - on Israel or anything else.
But Tucker Eskew, who holds the title of counselor to Mrs. Palin in the McCain-Palin campaign, left no doubt where she stands.
"She would describe herself as a strong supporter of Israel's, with an understanding of Israel's fear of an Iran in possession of nuclear weapons," Mr. Eskew told The Washington Times.
In June, Mrs. Palin told ministry students at her former church that in going to war with Iraq, the United States is "on a task that is from God," the Associated Press reported.
Scott when I looked over those numbers I did a double take because I assumed you were talking about an HBCU or something.
Nah, turns out only about 30% of Idaho U (85% white) students who even TAKE the SAT score around 1200 (College board has only 54% taking the SAT with only the top quartile scoring 1200).
Given that a 1200 SAT corresponds to roughly 80th percentile, thats not even a standard deviation above the mean. I would say the mean of SAT takers is around 105, but since many blacks and hispanics take the test I'm sure L. Vorenus would have some sharp words to say with me if I claimed that. We'll assume 100.
It took Sarah about 5 and half years to graduate with a degree in journalism, I think its pretty safe to say Sarah wasn't in the top third or quarter of students who an IQ of 115 or above.
This is a weird experience. I heard some of Sarah Palin's speech on the radio and read the full transcript. I also heard almost all of Obama's speech. In both cases, their fans were talking about what an amazing, masterful speech it was, while I kind of came away thinking "yeah, it was a politician's speech, nothing all that special."
To the extent that Sarah Palin is mainly able to appeal to the Republican base, McCain/Palin have a hell of a hard path ahead of them, because they're not supposed to be needing to appeal to the base at this point. To the extent that she's able to appeal to swing voters in the few states that are really critical, she could change the election outcome.
I'm pretty doubtful of this, though perhaps that's my own wishful thinking. I suspect that the whole Palin explosion has gotten a lot of attention and enthusiasm, but much of that will die out over the next couple months. She may have been vetted by the McCain campaign (I've heard rather mixed claims about that), but it's quite possible there are landmines nobody found out about yet, and her running for VP makes it likely that people will be digging a lot harder than they ever did when she was running for governor.
halfbreed:
The way I grew up, "white trash" was how my parents indicated that those folks over there were Not Like Us. To a first approximation, this was the starting (rebuttable) assumption for blacks.
As a slight aside (you did say it was an open thread), I was quite surprised to see this from the LA Times blog: Apparently, several delegates attempted to vote for Ron Paul, but those votes were "not heard."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/ron-paul-suppor.html
Anyone heard more about this, or about the apparently pretty scary police-state-looking measures in place for both parties' conventions? (Hey, what says "democracy" more than a line of thousands cops in riot gear barking orders at people? Unless it's pre-emptively arresting a few annoying protesters?)
Outstanding speech, and the teleprompter was on the fritz. Sorry lobotomised Tommy and anonymousies. The lady is genuine in a way that Obama-messiah never will be.
Steve, you have really come across as totally clueless in this one particular situation. You might consider taking a long vacation or something to help with perspective. ;-)
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