General Music Chat

Test the nation, Sarah Palin, and run for president

BY LEONARD PITTS JR.
McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS


No, I want you to run because I believe a Palin candidacy would force upon this country a desperately needed moment of truth. It would require us to decide finally what kind of America we want to be.

Hmm.... Interesting that the Obama election didn't DECIDE that for us, isn't it? Why is that? It's interesting that people make what seems to them, a strong point, and somehow miss how that very statement becomes like a mirror, shining back on something they didn't intend originally.

I think the statement has some merit, but the author misses the point, that her candidacy WOULD DECIDE and DEFINE what kind of America we would want.... ONE WITHOUT WASHINGTON ELITIST INSIDER POLITICIANS!

Mrs. Palin, you are an avatar of the shameless hypocrisy and cognitive disconnection that have driven our politics for the last decade, a process of stupidification creeping like kudzu over our national life.

Wrong again. She is an "avatar" of the DISENCHANTMENT and ANGER that regular Americans have with Washington D.C.'s CAREER POLITICIANS!

Even Democratic Senator Bayh retired this week, when polls show him up 20 points against any challengers. He "KNOWS" that his seat will be filled by a Republican, and not only will the Democrats have lost their Filibuster Proof Majority (which they did with Brown's defeat in Massachusetts) but will likely now, also lose their Democratic majority... PERIOD!

He "KNOWS" his retirement will hand the Senate to the Republicans. Why does he do it? Because he is a fiscal conservative, who is UPSET and SHAMED at what the Democrats are doing. Unprecedented debt, and STILL they refuse to sign legislation that had bipartisan support, of NOT RAISING THE DEBT CEILING! The Democrats have increased the national debt beyond comprehension, to historic levels, and this is still NOT ENOUGH for them! They want to raise the limits FURTHER, so they can borrow even MORE!

As Exhibit A, consider your speech at a so-called Tea Party event, wherein you dismissed the president as a "charismatic guy with a TelePrompTer." Bad enough you imply that TelePrompTer use is the mark of an insubstantial man, even though you and every other major politician use them. But what made the comment truly jaw-dropping is that even as you spoke, you had penned on your left palm, clearly visible, a series of crib notes.

They weren't "crib notes". They were merely a few "talking points". I have spoken publicly on many occasions, and when you can speak at length on a given subject, it is VERY easy to dwell too long a certain topic, and then run out of time to get all your topics in.

To compare a list of 3 or 4 "titles" to depending on a teleprompter for every single word of your talk, is shallow, unintelligent and DISHONEST!

The problem people have with Obama's teleprompter, is that HE WILL NOT speak without one. Not even to the class of 6th graders that he spoke to recently. When you need to TRAVEL with a teleprompter, and you need to have a teleprompter to address 6th GRADERS.... It gives the impression, you don't know enough about what you are speaking about, and also that it is not coming from your heart and personal beliefs. When you really know about something, and particular, when you are speaking on things you really believe in... you have a plethora of information. You should be able to speak intelligently and passionately, just as easily, as some here discuss the pros and cons of tube amps.

Every President uses teleprompters... but most of them, use them sparingly... for the most lengthy and important of public addresses. Not for speaking to a group of 6th graders.

See, ultimately what you represent is not conservatism.

What a joke. It is her staunch conservatism that draws the party ideologues to her. She was recently compared to Pat Buchanan, for God's sake! You don't get more conservative than that.

How does someone professing the defense of intellectualism, go on to make such an intellectually FALSE and DISHONEST statement such as that?

Palin certainly doesn't dumb down the Republican party, but she seems to have an uncanny ability to make complete IDIOTS out of the opposition! I hear some of the most incoherent, false and dribbling accusations of her from the liberal Democrats. It's as if the mention of her name alone, mystically performs some type of lobotomy on the brains of otherwise coherent people.

No, you represent the latest iteration of an anti-intellectualism that periodically rises in the American character. There is, historically and persistently, a belief in us that y'all just can't trust nobody who acts too smart or talks too good

Let's insult the entire South while we're at it?

LMAO!

Just hand her the golden ticket now. Dumbasses like this, will ensure a Palin victory, or some other "every man" victory, as President one day very soon. You cannot insult an entire section of the nation itself, basically deriding them as unintelligent hillbillies, and expect you are doing your party any favors. Wasn't Bill Clinton from the South? Jimmy Carter? These are HIGHLY INTELLIGENT men... both Democracts, both from the South, and BOTH with thick accents, who wouldn't think a second thought, about throwing in a "Ya'll" once in a while.

Keep feeding the anger that's out there, Mr. Pitts!

You will insure your party not only loses the Senate and House, but the Presidency as well. And possibly for a good while to come, when the economy turns around under "THEIR" leadership. Cause if things start going well again under THEIR leadership, America will keep them employed as long as is allowed.

Start up a fan club, why don't you, Craig? You're obviously completely taken in by this bimbo. Your praise has gotten tiresome...

You'll not sway a single person in here on the subject, no matter how many words you post.

I need to get me one of those t-shirts you told us about before...LOL

Both you & Palin herself have neglected to tell me what she would DO about anything, Craig. All you can do is swoon over her image, her peronna. WHAT is she good for? WHAT could I expect from her in ANY area? No one knows, as far as I can tell. There sure are a lot of ppl that like her hate, though...well...& her ass...& they are sure impressed with her glasses...

I'm sick to death of hearing about what ppl are AGAINST. Tell me what you are for, what you can do, & I might listen. Otherwise, you're just another Limbaugh, & we have far too many of those in this country.

LOL This man's refusal to allow his name be used clearly shows how even "GOP strategists" hafta worry about what they say about her. She's obviously being groomed for something big, but that doesn't make her any less ridiculous or irrelevent

That's a contradiction.

If she is being groomed for something big, that negates her being "irrelevant". It's like saying that a VOLCANO spewing lava in your home's general direction, is "irrelevant" to you PERSONALLY, and yet, when it consumes your house in flames, it's not irrelevant at all, is it?

Once again, this is the "dumbing down" I am speaking of, which is born of emotional hatred and little more. Emotional hatred, from liberals and Democrats, seems to over-ride any need to be RATIONAL in their statements.

It's rather amusing actually.

Again... Call her opinions and positions "wrong" or "repulsive" or something along those lines. But to stand and watch someone have the kind of impact on the Republican Party that she CLEARLY does, and then call her "irrelevant" is just rhetoric.

I don't like Rush Limbaugh much. He is an entertainer. But you will not hear me call him... "irrelevant". He holds quite a bit of relevance in the Republican Party. I wish this wasn't the case, but I CANNOT deny, that it IS reality.

Authenticity? LMAO!!!! No, they'll take her AUDACITY over her "ideas," cuz these are the same kinds of uneducated ppl who believe pro-wrestling is real, & NASCAR is the greatest sport ever, & Budweiser beer is the greatest beer ever brewed.

I cringed over that same comment. But you should not insult an entire section of the population, any more than the idiot columnist "Mr. Pitts" did. You have taken an ill-conceived comment, and made it a pseudo-reality and thrust it on a huge section of the populace.

That is just WRONG!

Are you gonna drop the "n" word next?

Because there are people who are drawn to someone who is AUTHENTIC, does not mean that they are not also concerned about ISSUES. They aren't going to elect someone that has no plan, or no position. They want someone to represent their issues and positions, and yes, they will choose someone doing so, who is AUTHENTIC, over some Ivy League graduate, with multiple PHDs, because they want to be able to TRUST what some politician is telling them! They haven't been able to do that recently! Some of these very people helped elect Obama President. But they have also, now watched him renege on MANY campaign promises, and they see nothing more than an educated LIAR, who promised hope and change, but delivered more of the status quo.... but... on crack, this time!

They are SICK of being lied to.

They would rather have an HONEST person, lacking a PHD, but DELIVERING on what she PROMISES to deliver upon.

But...but...but...what is she FOR, exactly? Is she only for being against anything the current administration is trying to do? That makes her irrelevent to me...as irrelevent as Limbaugh, when it comes to actually contributing to our society.

Yeah, he has impact with those who vote with thier hatreds instead of thier minds, but he is a negative in the advancement of anything POSITIVE in this country, or any other, for that matter.

Palin, too, has had nothing to offer, as far as I have seen. NOTHING BUT HATE-FILLED RHETORIC.

I've had quite enough of that, thank you very much.

Perhaps your right, & "irrelevent" isn't the proper word to use. "Negative influence," "spoiler," "nagger" (there's your n-word, asshole - why don't you go f*ck yourself if you have nothing better to say in an argument, or are you just grasping at straws for things to say to fill out page after page of your sh*t? I didn't deserve that you feminist self-important bogotted prick!), ""ruin of the republic," & "incompetant critic" are all words that come to mind when I think of her, but I can't think of a single positive thing she has had to say about anything at all, as of yet, & she has had no plan to offer as an alternative to what we are doing now. She's merely another negative, & I dearly hope that the country gets a little smarter & doesn't vote for that sh*t again.

She's an "authentic" asshole just like Limbaugh, & hasn't said or done a thing yet to change that status in my mind.

Start up a fan club, why don't you, Craig?

Maybe I will.

You're obviously completely taken in by this bimbo. Your praise has gotten tiresome...

Bimbo, slut, whore, etc... etc... George Lopez, recently called her a "bitch".

Does she really deserve those titles? How has she earned them?

I get tiresome too... especially of men disrespecting a woman, merely because she is capable and intelligent and has risen through the ranks to become a major force in the Republican Party as well as someone who seems to generate more headlines than anyone other than the President.

She's beautiful. So?

She's beautiful and OPINIONATED and can STAND THE HEAT in the kitchen. That's what the real problem is.

Makes you want to hit her, doesn't it?

That is EXACTLY the kind of anger she is victim of.

And why?

What has she done to deserve it?

Is she a terrorist?

An adulterer?

A criminal?

A racist?

A rapist?


Remember William Hung? The American Idol auditioner, who went on to a great deal of fame, and even financial success, when he became famous for singing "She Bang"?

There is an example of someone who was WAY OUT OF HIS LEAGUE, and didn't seem to know it.

What was the reaction to him?

Hatred?

Anger?

Violent and offensive language?

Nope. People just thought it was humorous.

He was never going to make it as a singer. What was there to be angry about?

Why not the same with Palin?

She's "irrelevant" right?

"Stupid"?

"Out of her league"?

"Meaningless"?


If she were truly, all of those things... why the concern? Why the intense hatred? Why not laugh at her, or ignore her?

You possess the capacity for critical thought don't you? Ask yourself, what she has really done, that is so wrong, that you hate her so violently.

You can't give a rational answer to that, because...

There isn't one.

Your reaction, and those like you.... ARE NOT RATIONAL!

You'll not sway a single person in here on the subject, no matter how many words you post.

I could care less.

I am arguing against the irrational claims of others. I'm not trying to campaign for her. But I do know this... She will figure PROMINENTLY in this nation's safety, one day soon. She is on the side of God. He brought her to national prominence. This... I KNOW.

Mock her all you want.

But, you WILL see this happen in the near future.

Both you & Palin herself have neglected to tell me what she would DO about anything, Craig. All you can do is swoon over her image, her peronna. WHAT is she good for? WHAT could I expect from her in ANY area? No one knows, as far as I can tell.

Her positions are not a secret.

Sadly though, you need to wade through all the "Palin is stupid" articles (and this, even from the major media) to get to the MEAT she shares in her speeches and official positions.

She is a traditional conservative, where government and taxes are concerned. She believes that the less of BOTH, the better! She believes the tax code should be revamped, and streamlined. She is a feminist. But she is a pro-life feminist. As such, she believes in "equality issues" for women. But not where abortion is concerned, which she feels violates the rights of the fetus... because she believes life begins at conception. This makes her against stem-cell research, although new technologies are making stem-cell research unnecessary now anyway.

She believes in capital punishment.

She believes that sex education should be taught ALONG with abstinence education, and that sex education should NOT be explicit (i.e. classes where children are taught to put condoms on fruit, using their mouths) and yes... that really happened in one county. She does believe that education about contraception SHOULD be taught in schools however.

On the environment, she DOES NOT support cap and trade legislation, but she DOES support drilling for oil in some currently protected areas of Alaska, including The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A position in which she disagreed with McCain during the campaign, but promised, that she would try and make him see things her way.

She also supports building Nuclear Power Plants, and has said...

"Every state can consider the possibility of nuclear energy". This includes new model nuclear reactors, such as those developed by Hyperion Power Generation, such as the deployment of a 225MW reactor for Alaska.

She also supports the overhaul of the nuclear regulatory regime in order to allow the ready deployment of new, smaller, nuclear reactors.

She believes in upholding gun rights.

She has had a well documented history in her life of public service. Remember, that she was elected to City Council TWICE, and elected Mayor TWICE, and served as Alaska's Governor, as well as being named Chairperson of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Her positions are in the public domain, for anyone to find.

"nagger" (there's your n-word, asshole - why don't you go f*ck yourself if you have nothing better to say in an argument, or are you just grasping at straws for things to say to fill out page after page of your sh*t? I didn't deserve that you feminist self-important bogotted prick!).

Palin deserves to be called a "bimbo" and I deserve to be called "asshole" and "prick" and Southerners deserve to be called "stupid" and other choice words.

Those are the LABELS that "YOU" dished out, and did so, in only a few responses, but it's "ME" that you accuse of having "nothing better to say in an argument"? And then you get up in arms because I point out, that labeling all Southerners with pejoratives, and labeling women with sexist pejoratives, is not any different than labeling black people with pejoratives?

That's ok.

I've got your number.

You just don't know the area code of your own mentality yourself.

I hoped to point it out to you, and you generously confirmed the facts, by doling out even more of the same.

I was just watching CNN. They had done a poll regarding her perceived ability to be president; 71% of the respondents said she was not capable. Of course this is not a scientific poll, since it would need to be totally random with a large (i.e. several thousand) number of voters, however it is indicative of the mind of most Americans. Most likely it means even those who like Palin don't believe she's capable.

Another story reported that she is not authorizing the media to use her speeches. What could she be afraid of? Hmmm.....

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2010/ ... -speeches/

Craig please just leave jimmy alone, Thats were he wants to be,,, He is just in search of a better govt to bend him over and flock him.
Everyone is tired of all the sh*t I stirred up this weekend.Between the snow ,and the truth some of these folks are pretty darn exhausted. Thats why we are talking about butter now.
On the lighter side Capt Scott is back, I'm not even going to say it.

Oh by the way Craig there seems to be a big change in doctrine coming from the White House , and some of it or most of it Is because of Sarah Palin as she rallies the anger of middle Americans that are not far left or far right.

One of these is finally adressing the energy crises this country has been facing for 50 years. It aint getting better and me putting a few solar arays on my roof aint gonna make it go away.

Lets go back to butter and make Chippy happy.

No need to leave me alone Glen, I'm a big boy and quite capable of defending myself and my beliefs. What you don't get is that Craig and I may disagree but you will never see us calling each other names or getting personal. I respect his opinions and I think we enjoy debating. You need to learn to seperate the man from his philosophy, they are not always one and the same.

I was just watching CNN. They had done a poll regarding her perceived ability to be president; 71% of the respondents said she was not capable. Of course this is not a scientific poll
(...)

Most likely it means even those who like Palin don't believe she's capable.

I don't doubt that polling.

I am quite sure that many Palin admirers have serious doubts about her capability to run the country. From a purely critical standpoint, I have doubts as well. Particularly about her letting religion slip into her decision making. But that said, I have researched this, and what I find, time and time again, is that while she does occasionally pursue agendas that are clearly attached to her religious beliefs, she seems to have a REALLY GOOD track record, of obeying the law and her constituents. In other words, whenever her personal beliefs have conflicted with State Law, or referendums that get passed, etc... she ALWAYS obeys the letter of the law. What this means, is that if Alaska, for example, had legalized same-sex marriage (which she opposes) she WOULD pursue charges against a judge that REFUSED to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples. That is reassuring to me. She also accepts that she is the representative of the PEOPLE, and that she is there to serve her constituency.

She has stated before, that she feels it is her obligation to be honest and forthcoming about her personal religious beliefs, or her own positions on controversial issues, but that she would never let her religious beliefs prevent her from carrying out the law.

An example of this, is when she would interview prospective candidates for judicial appointments. She asked them questions about their work history and basic judicial philosophies, but NEVER once asked them their positions on abortion, or on specific cases.

I think that is very good.

She has proven that she has the HEART to want certain things, but always respects that her role is to serve ALL the people, and carry out the law as it is, whether she agrees personally with it or not.

I am not worried about polls showing confidence, or the lack of it. Very often public opinion reverses after only a few key events. A few significant things could occur, that could change many minds about her, in virtually an instant.

Some may find this hard to believe, but I have witnessed this throughout my lifetime on many occasions.

A person previously thought to be weak, can change public opinion, with a single heroic act, and suddenly have people in their corner.

Another story reported that she is not authorizing the media to use her speeches. What could she be afraid of? Hmmm.....

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2010/ ... -speeches/

Yeah, this is not a big deal at all. These are her own events, like book signings or where she is giving a speech to a certain group. She is there to fulfill a specific purpose, and she doesn't want the distraction, of people trying to corner her during the events, only to ask her harassing questions in the form of offensive statements, and turn the events into a circus.

I don't see any problem with that.

She is not banning reporters, only requesting that they not bring audio or video recording equipment.

Think of Bill O'Reileys "The Factor" on Fox, where there is some judge that let someone out of prison early, or with basically a slap on the wrist, for child molestation or something similar, and Bill sends out cub reporters to go to these judge's houses or to places where they shop, and they basically corner the guy, in a public setting and sabotage them with statement/questions, like "Judge Smith... Why did you let a child molester out of prison, only to rape another child again?" "Do you want to apologize to the family of the victim for that?" "Judge Smith, do you regret enabling this crime through your release of this prisoner?"

The questions are more accusation, than impartial questioning, in those circumstances. The judge or whoever else, may even be in their flip flops while being cornered, and they are unprepared for the onslaught, and embarrassed that it is occurring in their neighborhood market or gas station, etc... It makes for great shock TV, but it is not really fair. And then it gets chopped up into sound bites, making it look even more damning. I don't always mind it however, in cases where the party being questioned has refused interviews, and even refused to make statements on their position, issued by their office.

But one can hardly blame her, for not desiring guerrilla-warfare type, "journalism" at speeches she gives for a specific purpose, and especially so, when she is being paid by some group to give them.

She is being paid to do a job, or she is there to express her position on relevant issues. She doesn't want it becoming a circus, designed only to harass or humiliate her. Look at what happened with Couric, where she was set up, and HOURS of discussion, was reduced to 2 minutes of her few faux pas.

I don't blame her for wanting to keep a civil handle on these appearances.

After all, she is not being paid for THAT. She is being paid to give a rousing speech on her beliefs and positions. She still grants interviews, and she has not "banned" the reporters themselves. This would seem to PROVE that she has nothing to hide, since the reporters will report what they see and hear. It merely eliminates the chance to film an attack on her, for sloppy tabloid style sound bites, that make for entertaining tabloid TV, but detracts from her actual message, given in the speech.

Oh by the way Craig there seems to be a big change in doctrine coming from the White House , and some of it or most of it Is because of Sarah Palin as she rallies the anger of middle Americans that are not far left or far right.

Well, Obama has his own Press Secretary mocking her in front of the White House press corp, during OFFICIAL press conferences, as if she were a cadidate for the presidency NOW.

They want to subdue her, or humiliate her, for the very reason you mentioned.

She "IS" having an effect, and they fear it growing.

Phil may find her "irrelevant" but President Obama certainly doesn't!

Yes, I think Palin's a political bimbo. She's pretty & caters to the basest among us with messages designed to merely inflame an uninformed & frustrated public. She's obviously not very well informed or well prepared when she speaks, so to my eyes, she looks rather stupid.

Her pandering to the ppl who are on the verge of uprising is doing nothing whatsoever that is positive. Nothing she does could possibly be construed as "positive."

If she could lead, she would have prepared a clear & concise plan of action, & would be making her message clear.

You, Craig, have continually told us time & again what you think she's trying to say, but hasn't the wherewithall to actually say, herself. That in itself is worrisome. I don't trust your translations any more than I trust her.

Every piece of news coverage shows her merely blasting at the present administration over the pettiest things, like the use of the teleprompter, or our pres' unfortunate name, or his place of birth (long after it was established, btw), or some other nonsense. Her "message" would appear to me to be nothing more than the typical rabble-rising that's become so popular (again) lately, in American politics, & her tactics can be seen in a more mature setting on any elementary school playground.

Why bother to give the ppl anything of substance when you can just blast away at stupid petty crap that the lesser intelligent can actually understand? After all, they can't grasp such things as higher finance, or world politics, or our crumbling infrastructure, or any of the other big issues, cuz they have chosen to stay uninformed of it all. And the ppl that I see, for the most part, bowing to her BS, are exactly that - the uninformed flag-wavers who can't understand the most basic problems we face. As long as she keeps condescending to them, as long as she keeps feeding the fires in thier bellies, & as long as she doesn't talk about any of the real issues while keeping them distracted with her nasty little comments about nothing important, these ppl will love her dearly & follow her to thier ruin like lemmings off a cliff.

She's just another cog in the political status quo machine, Craig. Until she gives me anything of substance to follow, anything at all worthy of my consideration, I'll continue to berate her as the lowly political cock-tease she seems to be, with her gun-toting photos & her hate-filled messages & her petty nagging over unimportant crapola while she drapes herself in the flag to appeal to the least among us. She offends me to the core.
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Btw - where did I mention anything about anyone from the south, Craig? Seems like your bigotry is showing again. I mentioned a type of person I consider to be uneducated & unwilling to rectify that situation, & yes, they live everywhere in this country. Why would you apply that to any particular group or area of the country? See, once again you apply your views onto what others say. It's typical behavior for you, & shows how wrong you are more often than not. As long as you continue to twist the things I say into meanings that only serve your purposes, I can't take you seriously, because you mostly listen to only the voices in your head, & reality has a hard time filtering in. You won't change ppl's minds that way. Try reading what I say, instead of reading into it. You aren't nearly so insightful as you believe yourself to be.

OK PHIL,, what are the basic problems Americans are facing? What are your solutions?
Jimmy you hate debating Craig cause he keeps slapping you in the face with truth and fact.

Yeah Glen, I really hate debating Craig, that's why you'll find hundreds of examples on this site.

A reply on a website, especially one light on references, is hardly a slap in the face.

In comparison, your misinformed, misspelled, poor-grammar attempts at an intelligent response are like a light breeze on my face. Please go get an education or read a book other than "Monster Truck Weekly".