Posted on 02/23/2009 9:19:15 PM PST by VinL
If Barack Obama has been the most remarkable phenomenon of the recent political scene, Sarah Palin must be second. The emotional responses to each-- especially by the media and the intelligentsia -- go beyond anything that can be explained by the usual political differences of opinion on issues of the day.
That liberals would be thrilled by another liberal is not surprising. But there are conservative Republicans who voted for Barack Obama, and other conservatives who may not have voted for him, but who are quick to see in various pragmatic moves of his since taking office an indication that he is not an extremist.
Anyone familiar with history knows that Hitler and Stalin were pragmatic. After years of denouncing each other, they signed the Nazi-Soviet pact under which they became allies for a couple of years before going to war against one another.
Pragmatism tells you nothing about extremism.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
Well, I'll admit I'm wrong on one issue. She attended 6 colleges in 6 years. As for "struggled mightily", that certainly is a conclusion that I drew based on evidence. As Gov. Palin didn't release any of her college transcripts, nor did she disclose a cumulative GPA, one cannot help but draw the conclusion that academics were a problem.
Moreover, it appears that not only did she attend multiple universities, but there is no evidence that she was involved in any clubs, organizations or groups that targeted people for their academic excellence.
Lastly, for someone with a journalism degree (incidentally, journalism is by far one of the easier degrees to obtain), her performance during media interviews was remarkably poor. Her vocabulary is stunted and her extemporaneous speaking skills are abysmal. In short, she wasn't ready to be nominated for the Vice Presidency regardless of the "cult-ish" following that she's seemed to generate with a minority of the population.
Then I wasn't wrong, because CLEARLY, Sarah Palin was more qualified to be President than either That One, or Smilin Joe.
John McCain wasn't elected, so she didn't become Veep, but that certainly doesn't preclude her continuing to learn about national politics, and foreign policy, and whatever else she'll need to run, either in 2012, or a future race.
It's simply a measure of conservatives' frustration that they're pushing her for 2012, because they haven't seen anyone else out there who can excite them the way that she did. She may not WANT to run in 2012, and for that, I would respect her, but unless someone else comes along who is more qualified AND more engaging, I can see how she'd get lots of support from conservatives, if not from the leadership of the GOP.
I annoy people here in MA constantly, when I suggest that maybe Hahvahd isn't 'all that'. Of course they immediately dismiss my contention, because I have a very strong Southern accent, which hasn't dimimished much in my 20 years here. Guess I'm just ornery. ;o)
The teleprompter getting off track is a myth, and the only reports of it came from RedState. The McCain campaign said the teleprompter worked properly. There are reports from media who could see the teleprompter and it was at the right speed for her speech, and there’s a video from CSPAN that shows the teleprompter matching her speech, and even pausing for applause.
Save for later
True, she's a little better looking than some of us. (OK she's a LOT better looking than me)
She's a little smarter than some of us.
But she IS one of us.
The elites and the intelligentsia didn't like it that we responded so overwhelmingly to someone that WASN'T one of "them".
“”I don’t necessarily like his policies; I don’t like much that he advocates, but for the first time in my life, history thrusts me to really seriously think about it,” Williams said. “I can honestly say I have no idea who I’m going to pull that lever for in November. And to me, that’s incredible.”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-06-14-black-republicans_N.htm
Yes you must be correct, I can see that it was surely Armstron Williams. Thanks for your help, whew.
I can see now it was most probably Armstrong Williams.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-06-14-black-republicans_N.htm
A lot of self made persons that have succeeded in this world were without degrees in higher learning. Many persons that sat in university seats for years have become lost causes. Does the education one receive guarantee success? No!
As Governor, Sarah Palin has proven by actions, she is a better executive than OBIE. But then who isn’t.
Proof of this is his filling of cabinet posts like picking Biden to be Court Jester.....
No offense meant...
I made a mistake. The suggestion referring me to Armstron Williams is,I believe, correct. It was clearly not Thomas Sowell. Here is a reference per Armstron Williams;
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-06-14-black-republicans_N.htm
And here is one of many memorable quotes I ran across looking for Thomas Sowell’ writings;
“I predict that John will select Senator Joe Lieberman as his running mate. Good choice. I want a Jew whose memory of the Holocaust is still fresh in his mind and who is royally pissed off at all of these towel-headed morons in the Middle East to be the next in line if something should happen to John. Shalom, Vice President Joe. One heartbeat from the Oval Office.”
The source for that one is at bottom.
Thank you one and all for the corrections, even you TChris. I had to go look up some items to respond with accuracy. I now understand AFAIK has to do with as far as...And I know too that RTFA means something like “Response To Friendly American”.
I also want to include another couple paragraphs from the same article I found when looking for Thomas Sowell comments;
“Which leaves us with Senator John McCain.
John, you are a flawed man. You are a bit old, a bit looney, and you have a notoriously bad temper. This perfectly qualifies you, in my humble opinion, to lead us for the next eight years. I WANT your trembling hand on the nuclear button.
Think about it.
We have Kim Jong IL, Chavez and Ahmadenijad all running around like lunatics, threatening America and threatening to plunge the world into nuclear Armageddon. We have Putin and the Chinese blustering and rattling their sabers at us. I want John McCain in the Oval Office and I want him to be really pissed off at all these other nut jobs around the planet.
John, once you are elected, I want you to go into the Oval Office and throw one of your perfect FITS. Jump up and down and throw something through a plate glass window. Rip the drapes down and foam at the mouth a bit. And I want the whole thing on camera so that Ahmadinejad can see it. I want ALL of these “world leaders” to lay awake at night and to break out in a cold sweat every time they think of messing with the United States of America .
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dubiousquotes/a/thomas_sowell_2.htm
Thanks for your post and links, we all make mistakes.
“And here is one of many memorable quotes I ran across looking for Thomas Sowell’ writings;
“I predict that John will select Senator Joe Lieberman as his running mate. Good choice. I want a Jew whose memory of the Holocaust is still fresh in his mind and who is royally pissed off at all of these towel-headed morons in the Middle East to be the next in line if something should happen to John. Shalom, Vice President Joe. One heartbeat from the Oval Office.”
The source for that one is at bottom.”
That was a paraphrased compendium of multiple Dr. Thomas Sowell articles by some anonymous articles assembler. Dr. Sowell would not, did not use such wording. Dr. Sowell addressed that email abuse of his writings in an article at one time.
Primary sourcing is a good thing in the internet age. Widdle, go to Dr Sowell’s own site to see what he has written, not paraphrases (otherwise known as distortions).
Dr. Sowell is an intellectual of the highest caliber. He can express himself in very clear, very rational English without resorting to ‘the bottom.’
I’m under the huge ASSumption you went to a prestigous institution of highe learning yourself. Your posts bear out a definite high regard for Academia as it pertains to ones political resume. Truman as I understand it never attended a higher institution among other outstanding leaders. What’s your thoughts on Truman? He had a Missouri twang.
Lincoln, I’ve read, mumbled thru his speeches. W certainly did. Bill Clinton had a horrible drawl with theatrics and all. And we won’t even trouble ourselves with Jimmy “Kotta”.
Obama thinks there’s 57 states. And mouthed Axelrod on his Pakistan/Afghanistan confusion plus he’s a habitual liar.
So please tell me what presidential attributes do these all including Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Hillary Clinton, Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman, Mike Sanford, Eric Cantor, etc have that Sarah Palin doesn’t.
Just because Biden isn't either doesn't give her a pass in a party primary.
It's a common error and working with candidates, I get it all the time. According to them, EVERYONE THEY TALK TO loves their message and they always get a good crowd and good press - so there is no reason to change. And then the same candidate registers single digits in the primary.
Sarah is 40+. She isn't growing anymore and nothing she's done suggests she's interested in learning anything.
Look really carefully at Jindal or Sanford. Those are some bright guys who would to well against Mr. Charisma in 2012.
Great Googly Horny Toads, I LOVE THOMAS SOWELL.
I used to vote Republican Pragmatist. It got me Arnold. In the years since I've figured that out, I have changed my political thinking because of it; it is SO GRATIFYING to see my hard-learned new opinion verified by a great mind like that of Thomas Sowell.
I'll do no more voting for big government Republicans out of pragmatism; if it means the Democrat wins, it will be because the GOP let ME down, not the reverse. Pragmatism in voting conservative, Arnold taught me, is the political equivalent of pissing in the GOP well and fouling the water; it means big governmnent liberalism wins no matter which party is in office.
Deanna, understand that Thomas Sowell, the writer, is saying that those “quick to see in various pragmatic moves of his since taking office an indication that [Obama] is not an extremist” are wrong. Sowell goes on to point out that Hitler and Stalin were pragmatists, too, and that pragmatism doesn’t tell one anything about extremism. In other words, the writer isn’t saying that Obama is not an extremist — he’s saying that people who think that because Obama is a pragmatist that he’s therefore not an extremist, are very much mistaken.
That is PRICELESS!
Judging Palin unfit because of how she answered "What do you read?" -- not by providing a carefully honed list, as the NYT asked and accepted of Obama, but by stating impromptu verbally off-the-cuff while cameras are running --using that as a means to judge Palin's value is elitist and very naively stupid. If you think that answer would tell you anything more than how good that person is ala Eddie Haskell at schmoozing easily-impressed saps, then you ain't been out much and you've probably been bamboozled by con artists a lot more than you know.
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