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Obama surfs through
salon.com ^ | 11/12/08 | Camille Paglia

Posted on 11/12/2008 2:31:54 AM PST by Upstate NY Guy

In the closing weeks of the election, however, I became increasingly disturbed by the mainstream media's avoidance of forthright dealing with several controversies that had been dogging Obama -- even as every flimsy rumor about Sarah Palin was being trumpeted as if it were engraved in stone on Mount Sinai. For example, I had thought for many months that the flap over Obama's birth certificate was a tempest in a teapot. But simple questions about the certificate were never resolved to my satisfaction. Thanks to their own blathering, fanatical overkill, of course, the right-wing challenges to the birth certificate never gained traction.

(Excerpt) Read more at salon.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bho2008; birth; obama; paglia; palin
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To: Upstate NY Guy
Paglia's article is one thing, like it or not.

What interests me most are comments from loyal Salon readers remarking on Paglia and Palin.

These are people who are in their own minds, Gods.

Their capacity for self delusion and projection without cognitive dissonance is a key psychological dynamic of Totalitarianism. They cannot be swayed. They cannot be reasoned with. Their intellectual abilities seem singularly focused on exalting themselves while demeaning and diminishing everyone disinclined to think exactly as they do.

Paglia's mistake in her Salon pieces is in thinking that the “Progressive” left is anything more than an intractable monolith of group think, given life by the visious mangods whose minds resonate on one frequency only.

21 posted on 11/12/2008 4:26:47 AM PST by spodefly (This is my tag line. There are many like it, but this one is mine.)
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To: Upstate NY Guy

From the article:

“I like Sarah Palin, and I’ve heartily enjoyed her arrival on the national stage. As a career classroom teacher, I can see how smart she is — and quite frankly, I think the people who don’t see it are the stupid ones, wrapped in the fuzzy mummy-gauze of their own worn-out partisan dogma. So she doesn’t speak the King’s English — big whoop! There is a powerful clarity of consciousness in her eyes.”

Bravo!


22 posted on 11/12/2008 4:33:00 AM PST by Rennes Templar (The Messiah and the Religion of Fleece)
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To: Upstate NY Guy

Paglia’s beginning to awake from her stupor.


23 posted on 11/12/2008 4:35:10 AM PST by Paul_B
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To: GraceCoolidge

It is typical of a narcisstic sociopath who also happens to be an arrogant Marxist thug.


24 posted on 11/12/2008 4:57:40 AM PST by SVTCobra03 (You can never have enough friends, horsepower or ammunition.)
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To: libertylover

Skim over that and get to her analysis of the Rats v. Sarah Palin and see what you think of that.


25 posted on 11/12/2008 4:59:00 AM PST by fightinJAG (Who needs the Fairness Doctrine? Obama admits the power to tax is the power to destroy.)
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To: Paul_B
Paglia’s beginning to awake from her stupor.

I always enjoy reading Paglia's columns, although she is way to the left - she has an honesty which is refreshing to me. I think she saw these things during the campaign, but did not want to bring them up because she wanted Obama to win no matter what. She may have told herself that Obama would produce his birth certificate at the last minute with a great "I told you so!" Now, she's beginning to wonder why he hasn't.

She has written before about Palin & the irrational hatred of her by the left & she is dead-on correct about it.

It's going to be interesting to read her perceptions of Obama as he governs as president.

26 posted on 11/12/2008 5:00:20 AM PST by alicewonders
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To: Upstate NY Guy
blathering, fanatical overkill

Equal treatment is blathering, fanatical overkill? I appreciate Ms Paglia's thoughts but..

I've had to show my birth certificate several times over the years (and years).

Pro or con vis-a-vis Obama's birth certificate -- why do the little people have to do it and the ruling elite do not? 'Tain't fair, McGee.

Where's the equal treatment?

[S]imple questions about the certificate were never resolved to my satisfaction. I think she and others are starting to wonder the same thing.

27 posted on 11/12/2008 5:02:14 AM PST by WilliamofCarmichael (If modern America's Man on Horseback is out there, Get on the damn horse already!)
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To: Upstate NY Guy
I had never heard of Ayers and couldn't have cared less. I was irritated by Hillary Clinton's aggressive flagging of Ayers in a debate, and I accepted Obama's curt dismissal of the issue.

Given that she's a (rather older) contemporary of Ayers/Dohrn etc., this suggests intentional ignorance and a desire for negative information about Obama to be "dismissed."

A shocking level of irrational emotionalism and at times infantile rage was exposed at the heart of current Democratic ideology -- contradicting Democratic core principles of compassion, tolerance and independent thought.

That's because the party's true core principles are power and death, Camille, as all Communists' are. You're awfully bright to have fallen for the facade.

Good writing, reminds me of Florence King.

28 posted on 11/12/2008 5:22:24 AM PST by Tax-chick (Teenage mutant tortilla chips - only at Wal-mart!)
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To: Upstate NY Guy

Camille Paglia and Peggy Noonan: two ships passing in the night.


29 posted on 11/12/2008 5:28:41 AM PST by littlehouse36 ( "No one can be at the same time be a sincere Catholic and a true socialist." -- Pope Pius XI)
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To: DooDahhhh

Mine has been turned off since last Wednesday. I will not participate in this fest!

I refuse to listen to this for the next 4 years. I see renting alot more DVD’s and trips to the library.


30 posted on 11/12/2008 5:35:32 AM PST by mouse1 (I will fight for my America.)
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To: spodefly

Spodefly,

One thing is certain - you are very well spoken. I do not have the ability to compliment your thoughts, but I’m afraid your message is telling us WHY this country will not ever be what it once was.
The proofs are quite obvious. The gullable masses follow the fad (zerO), are droned by the brainwashing media, have not an incling to pursue any form of research (how dare you question the fad!), are mezmerized by H’wood glitz despite the coming poverty for themselves and their children.
My gut feelings are that the college age ‘intelligence’ group made the difference for O. Their ‘intelligence’ is the greatest proof of all - that they do not care where this country came from and certainly do not care what they just invited into their own futures. They in general - do not care about religion, or if you have one ‘it’s all good’ including Islam which is not even a religion, but a political idealogy that WILL come knocking on their door at some point. Only then when they are told to “submit” will the lights come on for them.
Hmmmmmm - so what have we as parents failed to teach these intelligent young minds all awash in the Big ZerO fad? We need to take a good hard look at ourselves and the complacency we’ve taught our children....now voting age. The snowball is rolling....
A fraudulent (hiding birth certificate and more) Muslim is about to sit in the Big Chair surrounded by salivating politicians and media.
We, the baby boomers and our children have let it happen.

Your incredible description Spodefly, speaks more of the masses than some of us will want to admit - due to our lack of responsibility for ever having allowed it to get there.
It is highly evident for anyone who can spell the word ‘research’ and has the ability to add simple facts together - that O’s ORIGINAL birth certificate contains information he is not, and cannot now, allow the entire world to see. He is now trapped by a door he volunteered to enter years ago. Further evidence is the university admissions forms that are sealed. They too, prove something O cannot reveal. The Big Lie is just beginning.
Yet if he is allowed to deceive the world from the presidents office, not one signature, or law or treaty or speech will be legitimate.
The ultimate in “surfing through”.
I read all these posts and yet there are only a handful who are voicing any of this beyond these blogs! This is the complacency I’m talking about!
Not Drudge, not Foxnews - NO ONE is speaking up!
Many have already given in and say ‘let it die’. Are we so willing to concede to this great lie?


31 posted on 11/12/2008 5:42:25 AM PST by 2Wheels
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To: StatenIsland

You are not alone - Michigan. http://www.nolanchart.com/article3055.html
During the tour Kruschev remarked to Secretary Benson that communism would eventually consume democracy. Benson replied that Americans would never accept such a drastic change in their form of government as communism. Kruschev then told Benson that it was already beginning to happen. He said that Americans were being fed one small bite of communism at a time, and that over the course of several years, Americans will have accepted so many communistic ideals, including a massive and uncontrollable federal government, that one day we would wake up to discover that we are a democracy only in name - that our policies and methods of government will be communist in nature. Kruschev concluded that it will be the slow injection of socialist/communist principles into America - not nuclear missiles - that would destroy our nation. I believe my great-grandchildren will leave the U.S. for other countries for freedom!


32 posted on 11/12/2008 5:56:29 AM PST by themitten
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To: Upstate NY Guy

Liberal Democrats are going to wake up from their sadomasochistic, anti-Palin orgy with a very big hangover. The evil genie released during this sorry episode will not so easily go back into its bottle. A shocking level of irrational emotionalism and at times infantile rage was exposed at the heart of current Democratic ideology -- contradicting Democratic core principles of compassion, tolerance and independent thought.

Nailed it!

33 posted on 11/12/2008 5:56:41 AM PST by littlehouse36 ( "No one can be at the same time be a sincere Catholic and a true socialist." -- Pope Pius XI)
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To: RegulatorCountry

So true. They should have used the SS code name of Zero for Obama.


34 posted on 11/12/2008 6:44:34 AM PST by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote.)
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To: don-o
Paglia: without a doubt my favorite pro-abortion atheist lesbian.

And the weird thing is, I mean it.

35 posted on 11/12/2008 8:05:29 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o ("We look for things. Things that make us go." Grebnedlog)
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To: Tax-chick
Given that she's a (rather older) contemporary of Ayers/Dohrn etc., this suggests intentional ignorance and a desire for negative information about Obama to be "dismissed."

That's my g g g generation as well, and I never heard of Bill Ayres. There were names we did know - Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seale...

Bill A. never made that A list, at least in my, admittedly limited 60's "radical" experiences.

36 posted on 11/12/2008 8:12:53 AM PST by don-o (My son, Ben - Recruit training at Parris Island from October 20)
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To: Upstate NY Guy
Camille tells the Ozombies to take a reality check!

Sounds like she is sensing something bad, very bad:

"I deeply admire Obama, but as a voter I don't like feeling gamed or played."

37 posted on 11/12/2008 8:40:17 AM PST by TexasCajun
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To: alicewonders

Paglia is always articulate and insightful. She is frank about her beliefs, but I often find them frustratingly “half the way there”. One glaring example is abortion, where she admits the humanity of the embryo but defends the practice. Another would be, if as you suspect, she knew about Obama’s dangers but consciously didn’t make them an issue in order to protect him at this point. It will be interesting to watch her evolvement during the Obama tenure, all the more so for her insightful appreciation of Palin’s importance to the Fem movement.


38 posted on 11/12/2008 9:58:58 AM PST by Paul_B
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To: Upstate NY Guy
Liberal Democrats are going to wake up from their sadomasochistic, anti-Palin orgy with a very big hangover. The evil genie released during this sorry episode will not so easily go back into its bottle. A shocking level of irrational emotionalism and at times infantile rage was exposed at the heart of current Democratic ideology -- contradicting Democratic core principles of compassion, tolerance and independent thought.

Yeah, sure, Camille. One could replace "Palin" with Nixon, Reagan or Bush II and it was no different back in those instances.

39 posted on 11/12/2008 3:29:53 PM PST by SirJohnBarleycorn
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To: Upstate NY Guy

BTT!


40 posted on 11/13/2008 10:15:04 AM PST by AuntB (The right to vote in America: Blacks 1870; Women 1920; Native Americans 1925)
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