Okay, I apologize for speculating about her personal motivation, because I have no way to know that. (The “love of learning” comment.) I can only guess what she thinks. I know that she makes comments in public belittling the educated. I know that when someone asked her why she hadn’t traveled to foreign countries she cited (smirkingly) the fact that she hadn’t had a fancy education.
The thing is, you can be very educated and go to a state school just like she did, on loans or work-study or what have you. I know and admire many, many people who have. It’s true that often travel is just a marker of money – I have a lot of beef with “study abroad” programs that are glorified tourism – but I do know people who were so driven to see the world that they saved for years to get there. I find Palin’s attitude dismissive of the efforts of friends of mine who grew up with much less than she had, and yet got an education that she’d dismiss as “elitist.” Education can be elitist, but it isn’t always.
Push:
What does it take to respect science? To learn about it, or to listen to those who have learned about it. To understand the importance of basic research. (That’s my problem with the fruit fly thing – she just didn’t get why people should study biology.) There is no party line. There remain questions about global warming, and there are scientists who are skeptical about IPCC results and recommendations (including Freeman Dyson, which certainly gave me pause.) I’m not trying to push conformism to a party line – quite the opposite. I just want political leaders to consult scientists on scientific issues.
Without being particularly knowledgeable about this, I will admit that it looks like the Tenth Amendment forbids a lot of what government does today. As a practical matter, though, I don’t see how over a hundred years’ worth of expansion can be rolled back without massive disruption. The burden of proof is on those proposing a radical measure, and this would certainly be one, to show that it could be done at all, and that the harm to the U.S. population would not be catastrophic. As a legal matter, it was settled by the Supreme Court early in the twentieth century, as I recall, that Tenth Amendment challenges to acts of Congress would generally not be upheld.
I am aware that I haven’t done a whole lot with my life yet and you are right that Palin has done more. I’m embarrassed that I came across as arrogant. (My folks aren’t rich, by the way.) But my “lack of accomplishment” is is largely a function of age, not that I’m an exceptionally lazy person. Most adults have children and careers, and of course I intend to, and I think there’s no reason for me to believe I won’t. Palin is not the only politician who has owned a business and held office! I think it’s fair to compare her to other politicians, not to people half her age.
DoubleDuce: you can “shop around and get a scientist who says what you want,” and I won’t deny that it’s done, but it’s not honest, and that’s not what I was trying to encourage. (I’m with you on the mammograms and the gun control; the prisons thing is contested.)
HG: that is a fair point. Definitely, education isn’t everything. There’s no way to avoid the fact that Obama didn’t have a particularly strong political resume.
To everyone here: I do apologize for coming on too strong. I don’t like being rude. Talking politics is always tempting, and usually I regret it, but I’m not generally a bitch from hell in person.
[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
“Low hanging fruit of the crib notes” ?
[/quote]
The low hanging fruit not being that crib notes were written on her hand, but that she had to have a reminder to bring up “budget/tax cuts” at a tea party speech.
[quote]pushharder wrote:
But is shor as tootin felt good for awhile to jump on the Bash Palin bandwagon, didn’t it? Little goosebumps of pleasure rippling up and down your skin. Another “Gotcha!” moment for the non-Ivy League pretty mother of five.[/quote]
Kudos, you worked in “gotcha moment” and “liberal-elite” isn’t that like a talking-point triple word score? Isn’t life easier when you just have to mash buttons on your sound-byte machine?
[quote]
After all, “she’s scary” and “needs to be stopped” from “leading the simpletons down the yellow-brick road to Oz” when “we all know she’s not smart enough” and “there are true intellectual geniuses out there who CAN lead the sheeple in the direction they REALLY need to go even if they don’t know it.”
Right?[/quote]
Sarah Palin doesn’t need to be stopped, I would be thrilled if she ran in 2012. Might as well wrap her in a red bow and put her under a tree at the DNC for Obama to unwrap.
[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
“Low hanging fruit of the crib notes” ?
[/quote]
The low hanging fruit not being that crib notes were written on her hand, but that she had to have a reminder to bring up “budget/tax cuts” at a tea party speech.
[/quote]
You mean the same hand on which she wore the “black” bracelet?
(You might want to jot some notes down on your hand…“remember not to talk about Palin for awhile on PWI until my colossal blunder blows over…”)[/quote]
I’d love to know how much money has been spent in terms of cumulative hourly wages, advertising dollars, radio time, and loss of production in the working world reporting/discussing, as if it were actually important, that Sarah F’in Palin wrote some notes on her hand. Jesus H. Christ.
[quote]pushharder wrote:
Then why this thread? Why did you masturbate yourself to multiple orgasms as you “bumbled about” with the original post, giddy with glee that Palin had (allegedly) stumbled?
[/quote]
I understand your confusion, masturbatory frenzy is the MO of the right and what you’re used to.
…What I will claim is that she has no background in scholarship, and, from my impression, no particular love for learning or respect for science… [/quote]
To make a claim like this is…stupid.
No background in scholarship? Explain.
No particular love for learning? Alisa, you show an astounding amount of arrogance with this statement. Arrogance that at your young age you have no right to have.
No respect for science? Because she allegedly had some differences with some fruit fly research? You’re really reaching, arent’ you? What does it take to “respect science,” Alisa? Toe the company line? Accept what YOU happen to believe when it comes to science?
Speaking of science, give me your Princeton educated political “science” ideas about the limits the Constitution places on federal authority.
Use your “love for learning” to explain to me how our present federal government is authorized to expand itself to the limitless horizons it now claims.
With your background in scholarship, please enlighten me on this subject. Start another thread if you will.
Razzle and dazzle me, baby.
If you’re going to denigrate someone like Palin in this regard then step up to the plate and let me see how well you hit the ball.[/quote]
Not that I’m saying this must be the case with this poster, but it’s remarkable how many people whose accomplishments of any significance would require less than half a napkin to write down belittle Sarah Palin as being supposedly a done-nothing.
[/quote]
So she is really good at winning popularity contests, Miss BF Alaskan beauty contests and elections.
I am in awe.
This woman is not qualified to hold a higher office and that is plain to see.
True, so are a lot of other people but that does not make her any more qualified.
I wonder how in-depth your knowledge on this is (as with a number of other things American.)
Does it extend to even another thread right here on this board detailing a number of her remarkable accomplishments?
The percentage of politicians with comparable achievement is quite low, and certainly does not include Obama or Biden or for that matter McCain.
(The recent trend towards considering Senators as prime Presidential candidates is a poor one, as they usually have zero, as their executive experience is usually zero or very little, as with Obama, Biden, and McCain for example. Zero for the first two and very little for the third.)
I will vote for Sarah simply because I am so damnned tired of limosine liberals and lawyers running this country into the ground.
Yes I know Bush was not a lawyer. But he was certainly no conservative.
Many people here disparage Sarah because she doesn’t speak…like a lawyer? That’s GOOD! Enough with the slippery-tongued con artists! Let’s have someone with VALUES!!!
It also helps to have more knowledge on the matter at hand than is typically the case for someone thousands of miles away with a hobby interest in another country.
Anyway, if Orion had the information to judge the matter except as a dilettante from another country, he would have known that Palin is among the last politicians on the national scene to deserve criticism for having too little experience in running anything or accomplishing anything difficult in terms of standing up for what should be the case instead of just going with the lobbyists.
(The above should not be interpreted as meaning that I think she is ideally qualified, would have significant chance of winning, or even has any intention to run in 2012.)
