While the subject of her political passing may be grossly exaggerated, The Washington Post took full advantage of a preemptive moment in this satirical video called Mouthpiece Theater:
http://tinyurl.com/ljjuhr
Memories of Sarah Palin
By the way, Governor Palin needs to know that the New England Patriots are a football team and not a political party. She offended a lot of New England football fans by wearing a team sweatshirt to make a political statement during one of her staged farewell parties in Alaska.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Final chapters on Palin? Well....I Said This in the First Chapter, Didn't I?
A Starter, Not a Finisher By Eugene Robinson:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/06/AR2009070603141.html?wpisrc=newsletter
(Julie's notes, I began Alaksa Women blog as soon as John McCain announced Governor Palin as his incredulous choice to be the Vice Presidential running mate in the 2008 Presidential campaign. My intuition was 100 percent correct - Ms. Palin is not cut from the political cloth which makes a person qualified to be President or Vice President of the United States. One can rationalize about her intentions, her right to be who she is and to say what she wants, that's fine with me. But, she is not qualified to be President of the United States. Period. Following is a column by op-ed writer Eugene Robinson, which underscores my opinion, only, he writes about one year too late...he should have said these things out of gate, when the Republicans endorsed her to run on the Presidential Campaign ticket. Nevertheless, better late..... and, that said, I also disagree with Robinson's ending sentance. Is Palin really "one of us"? Ambition does not impact all people equally. If Palin is one of us, then, please excuse me. She is not like me.)
By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
What can you say about a public official who ridicules those who would take the "quitter's way out" -- as she faces reporters to announce that she's quitting? A governor who claims that "the worthless, easy path" would be to serve out the remaining 18 months of her term? An ambitious politician who says that "life is too short" to worry about, you know, boring things such as responsibility or duty?
You can say that all of us who ever took Sarah Palin seriously -- or pretended to take her seriously -- should be deeply ashamed. And you can say that John McCain should publicly apologize for putting the nation he loves at risk by choosing Palin as his running mate. Imagining Palin within a heartbeat of the presidency should be enough to make even die-hard Republicans shudder.
The reasons she gave for stepping down are not just contrived or implausible but literally nonsensical. She can most effectively serve the people of Alaska by ceasing to exercise the powers of chief executive? She worries that as a lame duck she would somehow be compelled to waste taxpayer money on useless junkets? In her "Don't Cry For Me, Alaska" news conference announcing her departure, the folksy non sequiturs -- "Only dead fish go with the flow" -- were like nuggets of Cartesian logic amid a tub of mush.
But I'm stating the obvious. The thing is, Palin's unsuitability for high public office has been obvious all along. Tina Fey got it right; the rest of us were far too reluctant to state plainly that the emperor, or empress, has no clothes.
There are basically two reasons the political class and the commentariat continue to speak and write about Palin as if she were a substantial figure whose presence on the national stage is anything but a cruel, unfunny joke. The first is fear -- not of Palin and her know-nothing legions, but of being painted as elitist and sexist.
From the beginning, Palin has been a master at maneuvering her critics into this trap. Like most Americans, she didn't go to an Ivy League school; like most women, she deals every day with the challenges of juggling work and family. She highlighted these aspects of her biography, then used them to portray herself as a victim whenever anyone had the temerity to criticize anything she said or did. The most recent illustration is what she posted on her Facebook page last weekend on the reaction to her announced resignation:
"How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country. And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make."
What is she talking about? Who are these "countless others" who supposedly have made the same decision to abandon governorships for no credible reason? The names don't come rushing to mind. Why is any criticism of Poor Little Sarah the result of the "different standard" that mean old "Washington and the media" always apply? Because blaming her favorite alleged persecutors allows her to ignore the bewildered reaction from her constituents in Alaska who are stunned and mystified at her decision to skip out.
The other reason Palin is taken more seriously than she deserves is that she has a constituency. Heaven help us.
Palin has far-right conservative views, and while I disagree with her on almost everything, there's certainly nothing inappropriate or illegitimate about her philosophy. But I feel sorry for conservatives who look to her as a champion because she's going to let them down. Articulating a political vision and inspiring people to believe in it are true accomplishments, and no one can take that away from her. But realizing that vision through legislation or executive action requires discipline, persistence and rigor. To return to stating the obvious, these are attributes that Palin lacks.
Anyone tempted to see her resignation gambit as a masterstroke, positioning her for a presidential run in 2012, is riding for a fall. She will flake out.
Sarah Palin is by nature more of a firebrand opinion-maker than anything else. I know one when I see one. She can deny it all she wants, but really she's -- gulp -- one of us. eugenerobinson@washpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/06/AR2009070603141.html?wpisrc=newsletter
(Julie's notes, I began Alaksa Women blog as soon as John McCain announced Governor Palin as his incredulous choice to be the Vice Presidential running mate in the 2008 Presidential campaign. My intuition was 100 percent correct - Ms. Palin is not cut from the political cloth which makes a person qualified to be President or Vice President of the United States. One can rationalize about her intentions, her right to be who she is and to say what she wants, that's fine with me. But, she is not qualified to be President of the United States. Period. Following is a column by op-ed writer Eugene Robinson, which underscores my opinion, only, he writes about one year too late...he should have said these things out of gate, when the Republicans endorsed her to run on the Presidential Campaign ticket. Nevertheless, better late..... and, that said, I also disagree with Robinson's ending sentance. Is Palin really "one of us"? Ambition does not impact all people equally. If Palin is one of us, then, please excuse me. She is not like me.)
By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
What can you say about a public official who ridicules those who would take the "quitter's way out" -- as she faces reporters to announce that she's quitting? A governor who claims that "the worthless, easy path" would be to serve out the remaining 18 months of her term? An ambitious politician who says that "life is too short" to worry about, you know, boring things such as responsibility or duty?
You can say that all of us who ever took Sarah Palin seriously -- or pretended to take her seriously -- should be deeply ashamed. And you can say that John McCain should publicly apologize for putting the nation he loves at risk by choosing Palin as his running mate. Imagining Palin within a heartbeat of the presidency should be enough to make even die-hard Republicans shudder.
The reasons she gave for stepping down are not just contrived or implausible but literally nonsensical. She can most effectively serve the people of Alaska by ceasing to exercise the powers of chief executive? She worries that as a lame duck she would somehow be compelled to waste taxpayer money on useless junkets? In her "Don't Cry For Me, Alaska" news conference announcing her departure, the folksy non sequiturs -- "Only dead fish go with the flow" -- were like nuggets of Cartesian logic amid a tub of mush.
But I'm stating the obvious. The thing is, Palin's unsuitability for high public office has been obvious all along. Tina Fey got it right; the rest of us were far too reluctant to state plainly that the emperor, or empress, has no clothes.
There are basically two reasons the political class and the commentariat continue to speak and write about Palin as if she were a substantial figure whose presence on the national stage is anything but a cruel, unfunny joke. The first is fear -- not of Palin and her know-nothing legions, but of being painted as elitist and sexist.
From the beginning, Palin has been a master at maneuvering her critics into this trap. Like most Americans, she didn't go to an Ivy League school; like most women, she deals every day with the challenges of juggling work and family. She highlighted these aspects of her biography, then used them to portray herself as a victim whenever anyone had the temerity to criticize anything she said or did. The most recent illustration is what she posted on her Facebook page last weekend on the reaction to her announced resignation:
"How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country. And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make."
What is she talking about? Who are these "countless others" who supposedly have made the same decision to abandon governorships for no credible reason? The names don't come rushing to mind. Why is any criticism of Poor Little Sarah the result of the "different standard" that mean old "Washington and the media" always apply? Because blaming her favorite alleged persecutors allows her to ignore the bewildered reaction from her constituents in Alaska who are stunned and mystified at her decision to skip out.
The other reason Palin is taken more seriously than she deserves is that she has a constituency. Heaven help us.
Palin has far-right conservative views, and while I disagree with her on almost everything, there's certainly nothing inappropriate or illegitimate about her philosophy. But I feel sorry for conservatives who look to her as a champion because she's going to let them down. Articulating a political vision and inspiring people to believe in it are true accomplishments, and no one can take that away from her. But realizing that vision through legislation or executive action requires discipline, persistence and rigor. To return to stating the obvious, these are attributes that Palin lacks.
Anyone tempted to see her resignation gambit as a masterstroke, positioning her for a presidential run in 2012, is riding for a fall. She will flake out.
Sarah Palin is by nature more of a firebrand opinion-maker than anything else. I know one when I see one. She can deny it all she wants, but really she's -- gulp -- one of us. eugenerobinson@washpost.com
Monday, June 22, 2009
I Agree with Sarah Palin - But Let's Also Support the Golden Rule
Governor Sarah Palin is right to object to David Letterman's comments regarding her children. There is no reason for Mr. Letterman to bring the Governor's children into late night comedy.
At the same time, I want to be clear, if the situation were reversed with a political family other than Governor Palin - would the Golden Rule stand? I hope so.
Meanwhile, I support Governor Palin in this discussion:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20284295,00.html
In the wake of her recent visit to New York, David Letterman had some fun at the expense of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on The Late Show this week – but the governor and her husband, Todd Palin, aren't laughing.
On Tuesday's show, Letterman joked in his opening monologue that the governor visited Yankee Stadium, sitting in "far, far right field" with Rudy Giuliani. "They had a wonderful time," he continued. "The toughest part of her visit was keeping Eliot Spitzer away from her daughter."
That last bit, a reference to the disgraced former New York governor who was caught with a prostitute, went over like a ton of bricks in the Palin household. Alaska's first couple took to their Facebook page to post the following messages:
From Todd Palin: "Any 'jokes' about raping my 14-year-old are despicable. Alaskans know it and I believe the rest of the world knows it, too."
'Disgusting'
From Governor Sarah Palin: "Concerning Letterman's comments about my young daughter (and I doubt he'd ever dare make such comments about anyone else's daughter): 'Laughter incited by sexually-perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is not only disgusting, but it reminds us some Hollywood/NY entertainers have a long way to go in understanding what the rest of America understands – that acceptance of inappropriate sexual comments about an underage girl, who could be anyone's daughter, contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others.'"
On Monday, Letterman's "Top Ten Highlights of Sarah Palin's Trip to New York," included the following: "Keyed Tina Fey's car" (No. 7), "Finally met one of those Jewish people Mel Gibson's always talking about" (No. 3), "Bought makeup from Bloomingdale's to update her 'slutty flight attendant' look" (No. 2) and "Especially enjoyed not appearing on Letterman" (No. 1).
A spokesman for The Late Show had no comment, but on Wednesday's show, Letterman admitted he may have gone to far – then he repeated the jokes. He also said they were not at the expense of the Palins' 14-year-old daughter.
from Huffington Post
At the same time, I want to be clear, if the situation were reversed with a political family other than Governor Palin - would the Golden Rule stand? I hope so.
Meanwhile, I support Governor Palin in this discussion:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20284295,00.html
In the wake of her recent visit to New York, David Letterman had some fun at the expense of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on The Late Show this week – but the governor and her husband, Todd Palin, aren't laughing.
On Tuesday's show, Letterman joked in his opening monologue that the governor visited Yankee Stadium, sitting in "far, far right field" with Rudy Giuliani. "They had a wonderful time," he continued. "The toughest part of her visit was keeping Eliot Spitzer away from her daughter."
That last bit, a reference to the disgraced former New York governor who was caught with a prostitute, went over like a ton of bricks in the Palin household. Alaska's first couple took to their Facebook page to post the following messages:
From Todd Palin: "Any 'jokes' about raping my 14-year-old are despicable. Alaskans know it and I believe the rest of the world knows it, too."
'Disgusting'
From Governor Sarah Palin: "Concerning Letterman's comments about my young daughter (and I doubt he'd ever dare make such comments about anyone else's daughter): 'Laughter incited by sexually-perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is not only disgusting, but it reminds us some Hollywood/NY entertainers have a long way to go in understanding what the rest of America understands – that acceptance of inappropriate sexual comments about an underage girl, who could be anyone's daughter, contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others.'"
On Monday, Letterman's "Top Ten Highlights of Sarah Palin's Trip to New York," included the following: "Keyed Tina Fey's car" (No. 7), "Finally met one of those Jewish people Mel Gibson's always talking about" (No. 3), "Bought makeup from Bloomingdale's to update her 'slutty flight attendant' look" (No. 2) and "Especially enjoyed not appearing on Letterman" (No. 1).
A spokesman for The Late Show had no comment, but on Wednesday's show, Letterman admitted he may have gone to far – then he repeated the jokes. He also said they were not at the expense of the Palins' 14-year-old daughter.
from Huffington Post
Monday, November 17, 2008
Dick Cavett Among the Living - Viewing the Back of Sarah Palin
In The New York Times:
I totally agree with Dick Cavett. In my opinion, if Sarah Palin wants to be an international scene political player, then she needs to walk the same runway as Hilary Rodham Clinton. She needs to be as scrutinized, criticized, mocked and maligned, just as Mrs. Clinton has been for most of her professional career, and still show she can smile, be gracious, intelligent and politically nuanced in the English language. And.....not whine. Shame on NBC's Matt Lauer for interviewing her on American Veteran's Day - Armistice Day, rather than highlighting our national heroes. Not once, but twice - two days of Sarah on Today. It was two bad days for Today when Matt pushed his programming agenda over the National interest in Veterans.
By the way, I love Dick Cavett, so glad he's still among the living:
http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/the-wild-wordsmith-of-wasilla/?em
November 14, 2008, 10:00 pm
The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla - By Dick Cavett
Electronic devices dislike me. There is never a day when something isn’t ailing. Three out of these five implements — answering machine, fax machine, printer, phone and electric can-opener — all dropped dead on me in the past few days.
Now something has gone wrong with all three television sets. They will only get Sarah Palin.
I can play a kind of Alaskan roulette. Any random channel clicked on by the remote brings up that eager face, with its continuing assaults on the English Lang.
There she is with Larry and Matt and just about everyone else but Dr. Phil (so far). If she is not yet on “Judge Judy,” I suspect it can’t be for lack of trying.
What have we done to deserve this, this media blitz that the astute Andrea Mitchell has labeled “The Victory Tour”?
I suppose it will be recorded as among political history’s ironies that Palin was brought in to help John McCain. I can’t blame feminists who might draw amusement from the fact that a woman managed to both cripple the male she was supposed to help while gleaning an almost Elvis-sized following for herself. Mac loses, Sarah wins big-time was the gist of headlines.
I feel a little sorry for John. He aimed low and missed.
What will ambitious politicos learn from this? That frayed syntax, bungled grammar and run-on sentences that ramble on long after thought has given out completely are a candidate’s valuable traits?
And how much more of all that lies in our future if God points her to those open-a-crack doors she refers to? The ones she resolves to splinter and bulldoze her way through upon glimpsing the opportunities, revealed from on high.
What on earth are our underpaid teachers, laboring in the vineyards of education, supposed to tell students about the following sentence, committed by the serial syntax-killer from Wasilla High and gleaned by my colleague Maureen Dowd for preservation for those who ask, “How was it she talked?”
My concern has been the atrocities there in Darfur and the relevance to me with that issue as we spoke about Africa and some of the countries there that were kind of the people succumbing to the dictators and the corruption of some collapsed governments on the continent, the relevance was Alaska’s investment in Darfur with some of our permanent fund dollars.
And, she concluded, “never, ever did I talk about, well, gee, is it a country or a continent, I just don’t know about this issue.”
It’s admittedly a rare gift to produce a paragraph in which whole clumps of words could be removed without noticeably affecting the sense, if any.
(A cynic might wonder if Wasilla High School’s English and geography departments are draped in black.)
(How many contradictory and lying answers about The Empress’s New Clothes have you collected? I’ve got, so far, only four. Your additional ones welcome.)
Matt Lauer asked her about her daughter’s pregnancy and what went into the decision about how to handle it. Her “answer” did not contain the words “daughter,” “pregnancy,” “what to do about it” or, in fact, any two consecutive words related to Lauer’s query.
I saw this as a brief clip, so I don’t know whether Lauer recovered sufficiently to follow up, or could only sit there, covered in disbelief. If it happens again, Matt, I bequeath you what I heard myself say once to an elusive guest who stiffed me that way: “Were you able to hear any part of my question?”
At the risk of offending, well, you, for example, I worry about just what it is her hollering fans see in her that makes her the ideal choice to deal with the world’s problems: collapsed economies, global warming, hostile enemies and our current and far-flung twin battlefronts, either of which may prove to be the world’s second “30 Years’ War.”
Has there been a poll to see if the Sarah-ites are numbered among that baffling 26 percent of our population who, despite everything, still maintain that President George has done a heckuva job?
A woman in one of Palin’s crowds praised her for being “a mom like me … who thinks the way I do” and added, for ill measure, “That’s what I want in the White House.” Fine, but in what capacity?
Do this lady’s like-minded folk wonder how, say, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, et al (add your own favorites) managed so well without being soccer moms? Without being whizzes in the kitchen, whipping up moose soufflés? Without executing and wounding wolves from the air and without promoting that sad, threadbare hoax — sexual abstinence — as the answer to the sizzling loins of the young?
(In passing, has anyone observed that hunting animals with high-powered guns could only be defined as sport if both sides were equally armed?)
I’d love to hear what you think has caused such an alarming number of our fellow Americans to fall into the Sarah Swoon.
Could the willingness to crown one who seems to have no first language have anything to do with the oft-lamented fact that we seem to be alone among nations in having made the word “intellectual” an insult? (And yet…and yet…we did elect Obama. Surely not despite his brains.)
Sorry about all of the foregoing, as if you didn’t get enough of the lady every day in every medium but smoke signals.
I do not wish her ill. But I also don’t wish us ill. I hope she continues to find happiness in Alaska.
May I confess that upon first seeing her, I liked her looks? With the sound off, she presents a not uncomely frontal appearance.
But now, as the Brits say, “I’ll be glad to see the back of her.”
**********
PS: Lagniappe for English mavens: A friend of mine has made you laugh greatly over the years. David Lloyd is a comic genius (I can hear you wince, David) who wrote for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Cheers,” “Taxi,” “Frasier,” Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and me, not necessarily in that order. As a language fan, he has preserved many gems for posterity in his prodigious memory bank. Here comes my favorite:
A Navy lecturer was talking about some directives on the blackboard that he said to do something about, “except for these here ones with the asteroids in back of.”
Even David couldn’t make that up.
I totally agree with Dick Cavett. In my opinion, if Sarah Palin wants to be an international scene political player, then she needs to walk the same runway as Hilary Rodham Clinton. She needs to be as scrutinized, criticized, mocked and maligned, just as Mrs. Clinton has been for most of her professional career, and still show she can smile, be gracious, intelligent and politically nuanced in the English language. And.....not whine. Shame on NBC's Matt Lauer for interviewing her on American Veteran's Day - Armistice Day, rather than highlighting our national heroes. Not once, but twice - two days of Sarah on Today. It was two bad days for Today when Matt pushed his programming agenda over the National interest in Veterans.
By the way, I love Dick Cavett, so glad he's still among the living:
http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/the-wild-wordsmith-of-wasilla/?em
November 14, 2008, 10:00 pm
The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla - By Dick Cavett
Electronic devices dislike me. There is never a day when something isn’t ailing. Three out of these five implements — answering machine, fax machine, printer, phone and electric can-opener — all dropped dead on me in the past few days.
Now something has gone wrong with all three television sets. They will only get Sarah Palin.
I can play a kind of Alaskan roulette. Any random channel clicked on by the remote brings up that eager face, with its continuing assaults on the English Lang.
There she is with Larry and Matt and just about everyone else but Dr. Phil (so far). If she is not yet on “Judge Judy,” I suspect it can’t be for lack of trying.
What have we done to deserve this, this media blitz that the astute Andrea Mitchell has labeled “The Victory Tour”?
I suppose it will be recorded as among political history’s ironies that Palin was brought in to help John McCain. I can’t blame feminists who might draw amusement from the fact that a woman managed to both cripple the male she was supposed to help while gleaning an almost Elvis-sized following for herself. Mac loses, Sarah wins big-time was the gist of headlines.
I feel a little sorry for John. He aimed low and missed.
What will ambitious politicos learn from this? That frayed syntax, bungled grammar and run-on sentences that ramble on long after thought has given out completely are a candidate’s valuable traits?
And how much more of all that lies in our future if God points her to those open-a-crack doors she refers to? The ones she resolves to splinter and bulldoze her way through upon glimpsing the opportunities, revealed from on high.
What on earth are our underpaid teachers, laboring in the vineyards of education, supposed to tell students about the following sentence, committed by the serial syntax-killer from Wasilla High and gleaned by my colleague Maureen Dowd for preservation for those who ask, “How was it she talked?”
My concern has been the atrocities there in Darfur and the relevance to me with that issue as we spoke about Africa and some of the countries there that were kind of the people succumbing to the dictators and the corruption of some collapsed governments on the continent, the relevance was Alaska’s investment in Darfur with some of our permanent fund dollars.
And, she concluded, “never, ever did I talk about, well, gee, is it a country or a continent, I just don’t know about this issue.”
It’s admittedly a rare gift to produce a paragraph in which whole clumps of words could be removed without noticeably affecting the sense, if any.
(A cynic might wonder if Wasilla High School’s English and geography departments are draped in black.)
(How many contradictory and lying answers about The Empress’s New Clothes have you collected? I’ve got, so far, only four. Your additional ones welcome.)
Matt Lauer asked her about her daughter’s pregnancy and what went into the decision about how to handle it. Her “answer” did not contain the words “daughter,” “pregnancy,” “what to do about it” or, in fact, any two consecutive words related to Lauer’s query.
I saw this as a brief clip, so I don’t know whether Lauer recovered sufficiently to follow up, or could only sit there, covered in disbelief. If it happens again, Matt, I bequeath you what I heard myself say once to an elusive guest who stiffed me that way: “Were you able to hear any part of my question?”
At the risk of offending, well, you, for example, I worry about just what it is her hollering fans see in her that makes her the ideal choice to deal with the world’s problems: collapsed economies, global warming, hostile enemies and our current and far-flung twin battlefronts, either of which may prove to be the world’s second “30 Years’ War.”
Has there been a poll to see if the Sarah-ites are numbered among that baffling 26 percent of our population who, despite everything, still maintain that President George has done a heckuva job?
A woman in one of Palin’s crowds praised her for being “a mom like me … who thinks the way I do” and added, for ill measure, “That’s what I want in the White House.” Fine, but in what capacity?
Do this lady’s like-minded folk wonder how, say, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, et al (add your own favorites) managed so well without being soccer moms? Without being whizzes in the kitchen, whipping up moose soufflés? Without executing and wounding wolves from the air and without promoting that sad, threadbare hoax — sexual abstinence — as the answer to the sizzling loins of the young?
(In passing, has anyone observed that hunting animals with high-powered guns could only be defined as sport if both sides were equally armed?)
I’d love to hear what you think has caused such an alarming number of our fellow Americans to fall into the Sarah Swoon.
Could the willingness to crown one who seems to have no first language have anything to do with the oft-lamented fact that we seem to be alone among nations in having made the word “intellectual” an insult? (And yet…and yet…we did elect Obama. Surely not despite his brains.)
Sorry about all of the foregoing, as if you didn’t get enough of the lady every day in every medium but smoke signals.
I do not wish her ill. But I also don’t wish us ill. I hope she continues to find happiness in Alaska.
May I confess that upon first seeing her, I liked her looks? With the sound off, she presents a not uncomely frontal appearance.
But now, as the Brits say, “I’ll be glad to see the back of her.”
**********
PS: Lagniappe for English mavens: A friend of mine has made you laugh greatly over the years. David Lloyd is a comic genius (I can hear you wince, David) who wrote for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Cheers,” “Taxi,” “Frasier,” Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and me, not necessarily in that order. As a language fan, he has preserved many gems for posterity in his prodigious memory bank. Here comes my favorite:
A Navy lecturer was talking about some directives on the blackboard that he said to do something about, “except for these here ones with the asteroids in back of.”
Even David couldn’t make that up.
Monday, October 20, 2008
BBC: Justin Webb on America - Palin Lost the Contest for McCAin
BBCNews: Justin Webb on America
"She's not funny and she's not clever. And it is time to say clearly that she has probably lost this contest for McCain."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/justinwebb/2008/10/palin_disaster_powell_endorsem.htmlPalin disaster, Powell endorsement
http://tinyurl.com/5uybx6
* Justin Webb
* 20 Oct 08, 03:18 AM GMT
She's not funny and she's not clever. And it is time to say clearly that she has probably lost this contest for McCain.
Sarah Palin is indeed a disaster for the presidential ambitions of John McCain.
This is not opinion: it is fact. During the height of Palin mania - with some in the British press suggesting she was the new Margaret Thatcher - I wrote this piece for The Times suggesting that she was on the ticket "to serve a purpose but not to serve in office" and that social conservatism could not and would not drive the nation this year.
Well, the trouble for McCain is that the nation will not buy the idea that she can - Quayle-like - just serve quietly in the shadows. She might become president. That is what has driven thinking Republicans to despair this season. Now this. If Lieberman were the choice, or even Romney, I wonder if Powell would have stayed quiet?
Anyway it is probably too late now. I notice even in Arizona - McCain's home state - the latest poll suggests a less than double digit lead for the Republican candidate. This Obama strength in the oddest of places is a sign of his power but also a hint of a crisis if McCain were to pull off a win in the electoral college: McCain cannot win the popular vote, can he? Obama can only lose by messing up in Ohio and Florida and Pennsylvania. And that mess-up would be precipitate a full-scale political crisis...
"She's not funny and she's not clever. And it is time to say clearly that she has probably lost this contest for McCain."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/justinwebb/2008/10/palin_disaster_powell_endorsem.htmlPalin disaster, Powell endorsement
http://tinyurl.com/5uybx6
* Justin Webb
* 20 Oct 08, 03:18 AM GMT
She's not funny and she's not clever. And it is time to say clearly that she has probably lost this contest for McCain.
Sarah Palin is indeed a disaster for the presidential ambitions of John McCain.
This is not opinion: it is fact. During the height of Palin mania - with some in the British press suggesting she was the new Margaret Thatcher - I wrote this piece for The Times suggesting that she was on the ticket "to serve a purpose but not to serve in office" and that social conservatism could not and would not drive the nation this year.
Well, the trouble for McCain is that the nation will not buy the idea that she can - Quayle-like - just serve quietly in the shadows. She might become president. That is what has driven thinking Republicans to despair this season. Now this. If Lieberman were the choice, or even Romney, I wonder if Powell would have stayed quiet?
Anyway it is probably too late now. I notice even in Arizona - McCain's home state - the latest poll suggests a less than double digit lead for the Republican candidate. This Obama strength in the oddest of places is a sign of his power but also a hint of a crisis if McCain were to pull off a win in the electoral college: McCain cannot win the popular vote, can he? Obama can only lose by messing up in Ohio and Florida and Pennsylvania. And that mess-up would be precipitate a full-scale political crisis...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Unethical Conduct Finding Against Governor Palin
Palin abused power, probe finds - BBC News October 11, 2008
Newshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7662820.stm
The report said a family grudge was a likely factor in the dismissal
The running mate of US Republican presidential candidate John McCain has been found guilty of an abuse of power, according to a state legislature probe.
Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin was accused of sacking a senior state official over a family feud.
But the McCain-Palin campaign team said that the report showed Mrs Palin acted within "proper and lawful authority".
The report could have an impact on Republican hopes of winning next month's US presidential election.
"I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110 (a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act," investigator Steve Branchflower concluded in the panel's 263-page report.
REPORT'S FINDINGS
Sarah Palin abused her power
Monegan's refusal to fire Wooten was not sole reason for his dismissal, but a contributing factor
Sarah Palin's acted within her rights as Governor of Alaska
Economy could deflect sting
Mrs Palin has always denied any wrongdoing, and her supporters say the charges were motivated by her political opponents.
"This was a partisan-led inquiry run by [Democratic candidate Barack] Obama supporters and the Palins were completely justified in their concern," a McCain campaign spokesperson said.
Mrs Palin was accused of dismissing Mr Monegan for refusing to sack a state trooper who was in a bitter custody battle with her sister.
The report concluded a family grudge was not the sole reason for the dismissal, but was a likely contributing factor.
However, the report said that the actual sacking of Mr Monegan was not beyond Mrs Palin's legal powers.
Speaking after a bipartisan investigating panel reached its decision on what has become known as Troopergate, Mr Monegan said he felt "vindicated".
"It sounds like they've validated my belief and opinions," he said. "And that tells me I'm not totally out in left field."
Ethical violation
The panel found Mrs Palin in violation of a state ethics law prohibiting public officials from using their office for personal gain.
I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at [the report] with a jaundiced eye
Gary Stevens
Republican state senator
Legislators do not have the power to take formal legal action against the governor; that would be up to Alaska's Personnel Board.
If the Board decides Mrs Palin violated state law, the case will be referred to the president of the state Senate.
Mrs Palin's lawyer said that the report had not been conclusive.
"In order to violate the ethics law, there has to be some personal gain," said Thomas Van Flein.
"Mr Branchflower has failed to identify any financial gain."
And Alaskan state Senator Gary Stevens, a Republican, said there were "some problems" with the finding.
"I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at this with a jaundiced eye," said Senator Stevens, after the report's release was announced.
Several Republican politicians had earlier attempted to have the investigation stopped on the grounds that it was politically motivated.
The investigation into the affair began before Mr McCain selected Mrs Palin as his running mate in August.
The US presidential race has now become so polarised both Republicans and Democrats will likely see the report's findings as vindication for their own trenchant views about Mrs Palin, says the BBC's Richard Lister in Washington.
Alaska's governor will either be seen as the victim of a Democratic party hatchet job, or a hypocrite.
Most voters, for now at least, seem more concerned about who will extract them from the current economic crisis, rather than any questions about political infighting in far-off Alaska, our correspondent adds.
'Budget row'
Mrs Palin maintains she fired Mr Monegan in July over a budgetary dispute.
But Mr Monegan said he was dismissed for resisting pressure from Mrs Palin and her husband, Todd, to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten, Mrs Palin's former brother-in-law.
Mr Monegan said he simply wanted the truth to be made known.
Sarah Palin campaigns in Golden, Colorado, 15 Sept
Sarah Palin has denied any wrongdoing over the affair
"The governor did want me to fire [Mr Wooten], and I chose to not," he told the Associated Press news agency.
"He didn't do anything under my watch to result in termination."
Todd Palin has admitted he did publicise what he called the "injustice of a violent trooper keeping his badge".
But he said his wife, who did not give evidence to the enquiry, then told him to drop the matter.
Newshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7662820.stm
The report said a family grudge was a likely factor in the dismissal
The running mate of US Republican presidential candidate John McCain has been found guilty of an abuse of power, according to a state legislature probe.
Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin was accused of sacking a senior state official over a family feud.
But the McCain-Palin campaign team said that the report showed Mrs Palin acted within "proper and lawful authority".
The report could have an impact on Republican hopes of winning next month's US presidential election.
"I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110 (a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act," investigator Steve Branchflower concluded in the panel's 263-page report.
REPORT'S FINDINGS
Sarah Palin abused her power
Monegan's refusal to fire Wooten was not sole reason for his dismissal, but a contributing factor
Sarah Palin's acted within her rights as Governor of Alaska
Economy could deflect sting
Mrs Palin has always denied any wrongdoing, and her supporters say the charges were motivated by her political opponents.
"This was a partisan-led inquiry run by [Democratic candidate Barack] Obama supporters and the Palins were completely justified in their concern," a McCain campaign spokesperson said.
Mrs Palin was accused of dismissing Mr Monegan for refusing to sack a state trooper who was in a bitter custody battle with her sister.
The report concluded a family grudge was not the sole reason for the dismissal, but was a likely contributing factor.
However, the report said that the actual sacking of Mr Monegan was not beyond Mrs Palin's legal powers.
Speaking after a bipartisan investigating panel reached its decision on what has become known as Troopergate, Mr Monegan said he felt "vindicated".
"It sounds like they've validated my belief and opinions," he said. "And that tells me I'm not totally out in left field."
Ethical violation
The panel found Mrs Palin in violation of a state ethics law prohibiting public officials from using their office for personal gain.
I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at [the report] with a jaundiced eye
Gary Stevens
Republican state senator
Legislators do not have the power to take formal legal action against the governor; that would be up to Alaska's Personnel Board.
If the Board decides Mrs Palin violated state law, the case will be referred to the president of the state Senate.
Mrs Palin's lawyer said that the report had not been conclusive.
"In order to violate the ethics law, there has to be some personal gain," said Thomas Van Flein.
"Mr Branchflower has failed to identify any financial gain."
And Alaskan state Senator Gary Stevens, a Republican, said there were "some problems" with the finding.
"I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at this with a jaundiced eye," said Senator Stevens, after the report's release was announced.
Several Republican politicians had earlier attempted to have the investigation stopped on the grounds that it was politically motivated.
The investigation into the affair began before Mr McCain selected Mrs Palin as his running mate in August.
The US presidential race has now become so polarised both Republicans and Democrats will likely see the report's findings as vindication for their own trenchant views about Mrs Palin, says the BBC's Richard Lister in Washington.
Alaska's governor will either be seen as the victim of a Democratic party hatchet job, or a hypocrite.
Most voters, for now at least, seem more concerned about who will extract them from the current economic crisis, rather than any questions about political infighting in far-off Alaska, our correspondent adds.
'Budget row'
Mrs Palin maintains she fired Mr Monegan in July over a budgetary dispute.
But Mr Monegan said he was dismissed for resisting pressure from Mrs Palin and her husband, Todd, to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten, Mrs Palin's former brother-in-law.
Mr Monegan said he simply wanted the truth to be made known.
Sarah Palin campaigns in Golden, Colorado, 15 Sept
Sarah Palin has denied any wrongdoing over the affair
"The governor did want me to fire [Mr Wooten], and I chose to not," he told the Associated Press news agency.
"He didn't do anything under my watch to result in termination."
Todd Palin has admitted he did publicise what he called the "injustice of a violent trooper keeping his badge".
But he said his wife, who did not give evidence to the enquiry, then told him to drop the matter.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Alaska - A Group of Average Women Decided to Hold A Small Rally blog by frsbdg diary
"Alaska Women Reject Palin" Rally
Please scroll down to see photographs of the rally.
"...by most accounts the largest protest rally in the history of Alaska."
by frsbdg
Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 07:30:42 AM PDT
We begin in Anchorage, Alaska, where a group of average women decided to hold a small rally to let it be known that their Governor, Sarah Palin, does not represent their views on many of the issues that are important in their lives.
They put together a press release and sent it to the Anchorage media outlets. A local right-wing talk show host broadcast the names and phone numbers of the two organizers over the air. They began receiving a series of harassing phone calls for the remainder of that afternoon. The leading TV station picked up the story on Thursday. Alaska Public Radio Network put up some audio.
An anonymous caller contacted the local media on Friday afternoon and told them they were one of the organizers, and the rally had been cancelled. Someone even faxed forged a document saying the Secret Service had cancelled the permit for the rally, even though no permit is required. Some people were putting an awful lot of effort in to making sure no dissent would be heard from Alaska.
Well, it didn't work. Despite overcast skies and a forecast for rain, there was a rally here today. Oh man, was there! In fact, it was by most accounts the largest protest rally in the history of Alaska. The Anchorage Daily News wrote that the rally drew an "estimated" 1500 people. Let me be clear: the organizers used a hand-clicker and counted at least 1,483 Alaskans, mostly women, who showed up to say that Sarah Palin does not speak for them. They also counted 93 McCain/Palin supporters. The national media loves to say that Sarah Palin enjoys an "80% popularity rating" in Alaska. Do the math on today's rally, and you'd need a faith-based calculator to get 80%. This was grassroots activism at its best....
Please scroll down to see photographs of the rally.
"...by most accounts the largest protest rally in the history of Alaska."
by frsbdg
Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 07:30:42 AM PDT
We begin in Anchorage, Alaska, where a group of average women decided to hold a small rally to let it be known that their Governor, Sarah Palin, does not represent their views on many of the issues that are important in their lives.
They put together a press release and sent it to the Anchorage media outlets. A local right-wing talk show host broadcast the names and phone numbers of the two organizers over the air. They began receiving a series of harassing phone calls for the remainder of that afternoon. The leading TV station picked up the story on Thursday. Alaska Public Radio Network put up some audio.
An anonymous caller contacted the local media on Friday afternoon and told them they were one of the organizers, and the rally had been cancelled. Someone even faxed forged a document saying the Secret Service had cancelled the permit for the rally, even though no permit is required. Some people were putting an awful lot of effort in to making sure no dissent would be heard from Alaska.
Well, it didn't work. Despite overcast skies and a forecast for rain, there was a rally here today. Oh man, was there! In fact, it was by most accounts the largest protest rally in the history of Alaska. The Anchorage Daily News wrote that the rally drew an "estimated" 1500 people. Let me be clear: the organizers used a hand-clicker and counted at least 1,483 Alaskans, mostly women, who showed up to say that Sarah Palin does not speak for them. They also counted 93 McCain/Palin supporters. The national media loves to say that Sarah Palin enjoys an "80% popularity rating" in Alaska. Do the math on today's rally, and you'd need a faith-based calculator to get 80%. This was grassroots activism at its best....
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