Our parting shot for the Old Year... Charles Krauthammer on Mrs. Palin:
The occasion was Mr. Krauthammer's usual appearance on the political panel discussion show “Inside Washington” today (12/31/2010). Charles speaks for me and... according to him... two out of every three Republicans. The Palin fanbois will weep. Or gnash their teeth. Or both. That's fun to watch, actually.
Full disclosure: I backdated this post so as not to harsh the New Year's mellow.
Back atcha, bubba.
ReplyDeleteThis year we're gonna be 66. Still here, too.
WV: dropo
ReplyDeleteHis last comment finally summed it up: a half term governor. If you just show-up every day you can be governor in Alaska. Bottom line: no one likes a quitter.
For me she just annoys me. I can't see her, or anyone she knows, leading Congress for four years.
The next President will have to deal with the next real disasters, and that is the collapse of the Euro, and Mexico. Once the Euro collapses, all the Warsaw pact will return to orbit (with all the NATO secrets, thus the collapse of NATO).
I like Palin - just not for President, which seems to be what Krauthammer says.
ReplyDeleteRob: Yep, still here. Who'd a thunk it, eh? ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnon: We're on the same page.
Lou: I like Palin, too. Just not in the Oval Office, thankyaverymuch.
I agree with Mr. Krauthammer. Her 15 minutes are up. I wish she would fade back into the woodwork she came out of. If people just stop talking about her, she will.
ReplyDeleteI have not watched one episode of her reality show (nor will I), but I suspect she is giving her opponents plenty of fodder.
Sarah's a good woman, I'm sure. A REAL woman in most every way, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteAnd, she is a sure bet to lose in a general election. Heck, Biden could beat her. Seriously.
Nyuk! WV: henfoosi
No attachment to the comment, or post...it just made me giggle.
BR: Agreed on all counts. I haven't watched her reality show, either... just not interested in the least.
ReplyDeleteAndy: I was reading a lot of Palin fanboi comments at another blog that posted this video and the rage against Krauthammer for having the nerve to say Palin is unelectable was something to see, and NOT in a good way.
I'm amazed at how emotionally invested her supporters are; they remind me of Islamic fundamentalists who get outraged at the smallest slight. This is NOT a good thing.
If her daughters knew anything about birth control I might be persuaded... Them thighs look better than any pickings at KFC INC... Lots more plump than momma...
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed at how emotionally invested her supporters are...
ReplyDeleteYeah, even us Reagannuts knew how to laugh off the barbs. And I honestly think that Sarah does, too. Oh, she's WAY TOO easily offended for my taste, but she does have her moments where she can laugh "with 'em." (As the Great President did).
Her supporters...not so much. It's kinda spooky in a way. Krauthammer is one of the great minds of our generation. He ain't just talking out of his rear end.
Krauthammer is one of the great minds of our generation. He ain't just talking out of his rear end.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I was disheartened when I saw all the negative, put-down sorts of comments directed at CK from people whose vocabulary is limited to four-letter words. The irony was astounding.
Sad to see that the Palinista's are no better than far left liberal's when it comes to dissent. Lacking the ability to provide mature, logic based argument, they resort to name calling.
ReplyDeleteLacking the ability to provide mature, logic based argument, they resort to name calling.
ReplyDeleteYou know what I noticed about this; the normally astute and erudite Krauthammer was given well over a minute to make his case, and every single syllable of it rested on what somebody else would think, or was going to do. Even the bit about "half-term."
I'm sorry folks, hate to wreck havoc by being the loyal opposition here...but it seems to me there needs to be a more solid argument to be made, if the decision is that definite. Otherwise it's just peer pressure, bandwagon fallacy with a bunch of fancy words.
What do I mean by "solid argument"? Let's use a movie metaphor: In From Russia With Love, "Number One" explains S.P.E.C.T.R.E.'s plan with some fighting fish that tear each other to pieces. The two fighters are the Western states, and the communists. The third fish, who is the most crafty but also the most cowardly, lurks out of sight waiting until the other two are wounded and weak, then lunges in with the killing blow against both. That represented SPECTRE. Maybe purest evil, depending on your point of view, but more to the point pure cowardliness. Just a lowly scavenger with a bit more cunning than the average scavenger. This reflects a real fear that was going on in the cold war era, and it's made to make SPECTRE look less sympathetic, by showing its slithery, cowardly nature.
Whoever this dignified, sophisticated white male is who's going to do what Palin cannot do...however good he looks on teevee...he's that third fish. Which makes him a craven coward. Not the kind of leadership the country needs. Maybe I mean Romney or maybe I mean Newt or maybe I mean Huck -- it doesn't really matter, does it? It's late enough in the game that whoever surfaces now, to say "I'm a better champion than Palin is" would have to be playing the SPECTRE game. Waiting for the opposition to be weakened and worn-down enough that he's got a shot, so long as he's rested & fresh & entering the game late. Pure coward.
We're far enough along that there's been an awful lot of work to get done, and a lot of it's done...there've been damn few workers. Sorry folks, if you're a real conservative, you have to acknowledge that this carries a consequence.
I agree it's way too early to say who's gonna win, and too early to say who's gonna be the nominee. But it isn't too late to say who the contenders are. Whoever hasn't got his hat in the ring by now, isn't serious or might as well not be.
(Word verification: "psankin")
First of all, one doesn't "wreck" havoc, one wreaks havoc. One is wrecking the English language, otherwise.
ReplyDeleteSecond: Mrs. Palin is not qualified for the position, once again, for... oh, I dunno... mebbe the 17th time. See: "half-term governor." Leadership? Heh.
Third: It IS too early to have one's hat in the ring. Fer Crissakes, Morgan, not ALL of us are all politics, all the time... and that includes potential presidential candidates. Which, by extension, means I don't buy your SPECTRE/coward argument. Nice try, tho.
And it's great good fun to watch the gnashing and thrashing going on, including the construction of elaborate analogies. ;-)
First of all, Palin is a half term governor because she perceived the status quo was unprofitable, irrational, counterproductive and silly. So she ignored the public-relations ramifications and reversed course. Know what? That has the makings of a pretty good qualification as our Commander-in-chief against Al Qaeda. I'm hard pressed to think of a better one. What, you'd rather have a CInC who says "I don't care what's happening, I said boots on the ground and they're staying there until this thing turns out the way I want." That's a recipe for Viet Nam.
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, if she's really unqualified because she quit, what does this say about the yellow-bellied dignified dude who needs her to be softened up for two years before he can take her on? Seriously, think of Mitt stepping forward, now, to say "here I am" after that whole business with the midterms is history. How much enthusiasm could he inspire now? Look closely at the way Krauthammer responds to his name. It's a visible cringe. You don't buy the Spectre analogy? Someday you'll have to explain why, I'd be interested in seeing that. But nobody likes a coward. Whoever takes her on, at this point, is one.
Third: Got another metaphor for you -- a kid's book. The little red hen. Nobody else wanted to help bake the bread, so nobody else got any...
And fourth. Krauthammer himself conceded Palin has a very solid base. Here's the relevant question: Who else has one? There's nobody else who even deserves to have one.
Now, if you want to address that last one first, I'm all ears. Meanwhile I'm thinking your argument is not quite cromulent.
But nobody likes a coward. Whoever takes her on, at this point, is one.There's nobody else who even deserves to have one. You really lost me on that one first.
ReplyDeleteDon't even TRY to tell me that there are not dozens (maybe hundreds) of fine men and women that have been in the trenches for decades fighting this fight that deserve to have a base.
Folks with long personal, legislative, and executorial (probably not a word, so don't chastise me, Buck) records that dwarf Sarah's.
Look, I like Sarah just fine. But, what we CAN NOT afford is to replace one rookie with another. And honestly Morgan, she can't even beat him.
It's nothing personal against the lady from Alaska. As I've said, I'm sure she's a fine woman, and a real woman.
While her base is strong, it is just a modest minority of the general public that gets to cast votes.
It's still too early to see who will emerge, but someone will. Someone with a fighting chance against ObozO.
Meanwhile I'm thinking your argument is not quite cromulent.
ReplyDeleteNor I yours. You're entitled to your opinion, to be sure. But the FACT remains: she QUIT. She had other options and we've beaten a trench around this particular rosebush. That's a fatal flaw in my book, but obviously not in yours. I ain't buying your apples/oranges comparison with Romney who I don't care for at ALL.
While we're on the subject of mid-terms... your Girl's endorsements didn't float my boat in at least three cases. Which is just another indication of why I do NOT think the woman has "the right stuff."
Palin does have a base, but it's largely under-educated thought-impaired blue-collar types (including a few serious NUT cases, but we shall mention no names), the sorts of people who are most susceptible to populist rhetoric. Populism is something that makes me inherently suspicious and almost NEVER works out, historically speaking. At the risk of invoking Godwin's Law... Hitler had one helluva base in 1933, too. That worked out really well, didn't it?
What's your point here? Do you think for even a freakin' millisecond that you're capable of changing my mind? You're delusional, if so. If not, then why go on? And on. And on.
You'll vote for the woman in the primary and I won't. We'll see in about 15 months time who wins and who loses.
Excellent points, Andy. We were commenting together but separately! ;-)
ReplyDeleteBuck, earlier you stated "I'm amazed at how emotionally invested her supporters are; they remind me of Islamic fundamentalists who get outraged at the smallest slight. This is NOT a good thing. "
ReplyDeleteSeems like your point is being supplied with some proof.
BR: Heh. There was absolutely NO doubt in my military mind that Morgan would barge into the room, guns a blazin'. It was just a matter of time. ;-)
ReplyDeletePalin does have a base, but it's largely under-educated thought-impaired blue-collar types...
ReplyDeleteWell, to each their own. It's the anti-Palin people who are acting rather "libertarian" on this issue...and I mean that as a pejorative. As in, criticizing much; finding alternatives, little or none at all. My challenge goes unanswered. There is nobody else...and whether you are willing to admit it or not, gentlemen, it is time to produce somebody. Thus far, all I'm hearing is mantras. "Quit," "unqualified." The logical arguments are all coming from the supposedly sub-logical pro-Palin side of the aisle. Ditto the solid plans, the what-we-can-do's, the visions. You anti-'s, not wanting to wound anybody too deeply, but all you seem to have going is a bunch of catchphrases and wish lists. We need more than that.
I note, further, that I am perfectly "qualified" to make this assessment. I made a perfect pour of Chimay blue-label, into a *frozen* glass. Agree with me or not, m'friend, wish you were here to hash it out personally.
...whether you are willing to admit it or not, gentlemen, it is time to produce somebody.
ReplyDeleteNo. No, it's NOT. The first primary is still 13 months away, THAT'S the point in time when we begin to "produce somebody." At least that's the way it USED to work; things may have changed on Planet Morgan.
And you've been spending waaay too much time on Palin's Facebook page, Morgan, if you think she's the only one who's been producing "logical arguments." Google Newt, or better yet, just go visit his web page. There's more cogent policy positions there than Palin can dream about. As a matter of fact, what has Palin done lately, other than assault the First Lady's Fat-Boy program for kids? There's a frickin' winner, if I ever saw one. (heavy sarcasm, in case ya missed it)
I made a perfect pour of Chimay blue-label, into a *frozen* glass.
Beer IS the great equalizer. But the monks, they weep... specifically at the "frozen glass" thing. Heresy!
But I'll have a Chimay or two with ya, anytime. Just DON'T be freezin' MY glass, please. ;-)
One more thing: the woman isn't even RUNNING! Not yet, not officially. So she hasn't even produced herself, has she?
ReplyDeleteActually among my acquaintances, I know of pilots, engineers, financial
ReplyDeleteanalysts, attorneys, former congressional staff who think very
highly of her chances. Now, Krauthammer has been wise on many things, but misgauging the tea party's impact and downplaying the
'death panels' has not been one of them.
There are always outliers, narcisco. Your average Obama supporter could make the same claim you make, especially in the tonier parts of the country. But there's this. A brief quote:
ReplyDeleteA Quinnipiac poll, likewise, finds Ms. Palin with the support of 22 percent of Republicans who have not graduated from college, but of 10 percent of those who have. A CNN poll, meanwhile — using a slightly different criterion that focuses on whether voters attended college, whether or not they graduated from it — finds Ms. Palin drawing 20 percent of Republican voters who haven’t attended college, but only 9 percent of those who have.
RTWT.
Paul Ryan, Mike Pence, Thad McCotter, Michelle Bachmann, Chris Christie... (There are dozens of others, especially in The House).
ReplyDeleteAny of these "somebody elses" have more true governmental experience, equally rock-ribbed conservative views, are better spokespersons for conservative values, and are much more electable than Mrs. Palin.
In fact, Christie has good news this morning (but I still believe he'll have to be dragged in to the race). http://www.thestatecolumn.com/blog/2011/01/gov-chris-christie-leads-presidential-poll/
I don't think Christie's gonna be in it, Andy. The man has great good sense and I like him a LOT, but I also take him at his word. Your other points are good, as well, but I don't think Morgan's gonna be back around to acknowledge them.
ReplyDelete