fair by whose standards?
Posted By: justduckyhere on 2008-09-10
In Reply to: 90% yes, but most of the votes were unanimous, so - it is not a fair argument anyway. nm
Not fair by my standards. Who is making the rules about fair and unfair?
Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old. To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
if it weren't for double standards, liberals wouldn't have any standards at all!
nm
Fair enough....notice especially the word FAIR. nm
nm
fair and balanced . . . fair and
balanced . . . we're looking out for YOU . . . we're looking out for the FOLKs . . . fair and balanced . . .
whats fair is fair
Truth is, what is good for one is good for the other. If Palin puts herself out there, she is a target. But then so is Obama. The problem is that when you say anything about O people go crazy. When someone says something about Palin, its just true.
Double Standards?
Obama interview:
How does it feel to break a glass ceiling? How does it feel to “win”? How does your family feel about your “winning” breaking a glass ceiling? Who will be your VP? Should you choose Hillary Clinton as VP? Will you accept public finance? What issues is your campaign about? Will you visit Iraq? Will you debate McCain at a town hall? What did you think of your competitor’s [Clinton] speech?
Palin interview: Do you have enough qualifications for the job you’re seeking? Specifically have you visited foreign countries and met foreign leaders? Aren’t you conceited to be seeking this high level job? Questions about foreign policy -territorial integrity of Georgia -allowing Georgia and Ukraine to be members of NATO -NATO treaty -Iranian nuclear threat -what to do if Israel attacks Iran -Al Qaeda motivations -the Bush Doctrine -attacking terrorists harbored by Pakistan Is America fighting a holy war? [misquoted Palin]
There’s no doubt the Charles Gibson interviews showed extreme prejudice against Palin and extreme favoritism towards Obama…He constantly questioned her ability to lead but never questioned Obama’s ability to lead, all the more amazing considering that Palin was the only one with executive experience and the presidency is the highest level executive job in politics. There's much more at The Anchoress, so head over there to see the full report.
Again double standards it looks like
Palin was trashed for running for office when she had kids and who will be taking care of the kids, she'll leave them just so she can campaign, blah, blah, blah. But it's okay for Michelle and Obama to leave their kids?
Now that's what I call double standards.
Double standards?...(sm)
Palin is currently paying back her state for misappropriated funds, Sanford is going to have to pay back money for his Argentina trip, and Ensign used pub party money to pay off his mistress et al, and you're worried about a party at the White House?
I think I would much rather pay for an event that not only collects money for charities but also provides a pick-me-up for those invited (congress and the media) than I would for yet another republican sordid affair.
I am seeing double standards flying
all over the place. yes, it bothers me, including on this board. A lot of this stuff is said so viciously it is amazing. I don't think either candidate has a leg to stand on talking about anybody's housing arrangements. Let's face it, none of them know what kind of lives we are living out here. They all sound like they come from everyday people and can identify with us poor slobs. Nobody anymore is going to set down their axe and get on a wagon to washington. Those days are long gone. Drug crimes are ruining this country, we have so lost any attempt at a grip on this, it is unreal; I know - let's go rip somebody for smoking. They probably aren't armed like a 14 year old might be. I wish both sides would tell the whole truth and not just whatever one liners they choose to take out on exhibit. And I think some of the comments safely said incognito are quite brave in their anonymous attacks, right down to picking on someone's clothing or hair. This is totally unnecessary and really juvenile, like a bunch of high school girls beating up on some poor slob nobody likes. No wonder our kids are doing this, they are learning it from their parents. I guess I am just too old now for all this stuff, all I can think is my daddy would have killed me for picking on someone. Too dog pack for me. I can sense you don't like McCain, well I like him better than Obama because I have yet to hear something more substantial than wanting change. Hitler and Castro said exactly the same thing and the people went for it and got what they wanted. And yes, you think it can't possibly happen again, but it can and does. All of American still harping about slavery, but we don't do anything about the slavery still alive and well in Africa and other places, including USA brought over here by other countries who buy kids to do their housework. Obama says charity begins at home, but not apparently for his half-brother who lives in Nairobi on $12 a year. There seem to be new standards in this country and I just can't agree with all of them. He is a perfect candidate for poster child for pro-life. His mother easily could have aborted him and that child would never have grown up to run for President. I used to think I was pro-choice, but after raising children and now enjoying my grandchildren and looking at the partial abortion diagrams, I have had to rethink this. I know some argue life does not begin until later, but every 6th grader is taught life begins with a cells, whether in a plant or animal or human. If a stranger ran up to a pregnant woman and managed to stab her baby in the back of the head with a pair of scissors, he would be arrested, tried and convicted. It is no wonder so many of our youngsters are confused. We are leaving them a huge mess, and I am not happy with anybody running in this election. I may just vote for Paris Hilton, at least she does not pretend to be anything but what she is.
It's painfully obvious she has a set of standards for herself
Don't waste your breath. People that closed minded are typically beyond enlightenment.
Double standards abound
If someone (i.e. a non-Democrat) said this about Hilary, you guys would be all over it like white on rice. This was just a rude thing to say and he got his digs in. And to think he is an "eloquent" speaker? Surely a Harvard-educated man would have a better choice of words than that? NOT.
It is the party of double standards....
they really should add it to their platform. Be honest. What a concept.
Double standards? Here's what McCain said
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10786968
"The use of campaign funds for items which most Americans would consider to be strictly personal reasons, in my view, erodes public confidence and erodes it significantly," he said on the Senate floor in May 1993.
Her's another:
The 2002 campaign finance law that bears McCain's name specifically barred any funds that "are donated for the purpose of supporting the activities of a federal or state office holder" from being used for personal expenses INCLUDING CLOTHING.
More double standards ...go figure (sm)
*when has government ever solved a problem.*
*They actually believe that is their government's job, to make all their laws and tell them how to live.*
How about remembering that you said this when it comes to abortion and same sex marriage.
Talk about double standards!
There were posters on this very forum who wanted their mortgages to be paid so they could buy a big-screen television for their bedroom or put a new deck on their house? Their mouths were watering dreaming about what they could buy if the government would just pay off their mortgages. Some live on farms that most likely receive government subsidies, yet they complain about the threat of Socialism. Double standards abound!
Double standards is what they live by
The liberal nazi media also fails to mention that Rush actually said he wanted the socialist plans of Obama's to fail. He said if Obama is going to push a socialist/communist economic plan through why in the world would anyone want that to succeed.
But of course they never tell you that they said they wanted Bush to fail. They act quite the innocent routine - luckily the non-kool-aid drinkers know better.
That's what I talk about double standards
They blame 911 on Bush (and he was only in their for 8 months), not the previous administration.
But anything bad happens during this administration they blame the previous administration.
So their future will be anything bad, it was the previous presidents fault, anything good they'll credit the O.
As for the previous president, anything bad it was his fault but anything good that happened was a result of Clinton.
Talk about twisted minds.
I guess he is awesome if your standards are
Personally, I think he is a traitor and I hope he gets fired!
Double standards my friend...that is all
it is. They will crush Depass because he compared Michelle Obama to a gorilla which will have the race card flying high. Not only was Depass a conservative making a joke about a democrat but he was joking about a black democrat. In regards to the Letterman vs. Palin saga....Palin is a conservative white woman and therefore Letterman's comments about Palin being a slutty looking flight attendant didn't upset the masses because she is a conservative white woman. As for the joke about her daughter, regardless of which daughter he claims to have been joking about, it was in poor taste but Letterman will see no punishment for it because he is an outspoken liberal and he was bashing on a white conservative woman. Same reason why no woman's activists have EVER stood up for Palin even when that one guy hung an effigy of Palin for Halloween. If that same man had hung an effigy of Barrack Obama for Halloween......there would have been riots and the race card would have been thrown out. Double standards! Plain and simple.
The old double standards. Libs hate it. sm
no way PR is on the WH staff, but just keep on talking. You just look more foolish all the time. Chavez has been accusing the US of trying to off him for a long time. PR was just echoing that, but who really cares.
Gotta love those double standards, eh?
,
Carville vs. Limbaugh..more double standards
Flashback: Carville Wanted Bush to Fail
The press never reported that Democratic strategist James Carville said he wanted President Bush to fail before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But a feeding frenzy ensued when radio host Rush Limbaugh recently said he wanted President Obama to fail.
By Bill Sammon
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, just minutes before learning of the terrorist attacks on America, Democratic strategist James Carville was hoping for President Bush to fail, telling a group of Washington reporters: "I certainly hope he doesn’t succeed."
Carville was joined by Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg, who seemed encouraged by a survey he had just completed that revealed public misgivings about the newly minted president.
"We rush into these focus groups with these doubts that people have about him, and I’m wanting them to turn against him," Greenberg admitted.
The pollster added with a chuckle of disbelief: "They don’t want him to fail. I mean, they think it matters if the president of the United States fails."
Minutes later, as news of the terrorist attacks reached the hotel conference room where the Democrats were having breakfast with the reporters, Carville announced: "Disregard everything we just said! This changes everything!"
The press followed Carville’s orders, never reporting his or Greenberg’s desire for Bush to fail. The omission was understandable at first, as reporters were consumed with chronicling the new war on terror. But months and even years later, the mainstream media chose to never resurrect those controversial sentiments, voiced by the Democratic Party’s top strategists, that Bush should fail.
That omission stands in stark contrast to the feeding frenzy that ensued when radio host Rush Limbaugh recently said he wanted President Obama to fail. The press devoted wall-to-wall coverage to the remark, suggesting that Limbaugh and, by extension, conservative Republicans, were unpatriotic.
Agree, JTBB. Dems keep their own standards low
nm
Gotta love the double standards in politics.
Double standards....How about Hillary's pantsuits and Michelle's Valentino's....
Sarah Palin’s Shopping Spree: A Political Double Standard?
The mainstream media and liberals everywhere are aghast at how much the McCain camp spent on an apparent fashion overhaul for Sarah Palin.
The spending on so-called “campaign accessories” included bills totaling roughly $150,000.
An anchor at a prominent network (not FOX News) rudely sniffed that for the amount of money the campaign spent Palin should look better. (For the record I’m fairly certain this anchor does not shop at K-Mart.)
This is not taxpayer money. If the McCain camp wants to blow funds on some designer duds, that’s their prerogative. Might not be the most brilliant idea when you trail in fundraising, but it’s their decision as long as they haven’t violated any election laws.
Women traditionally endure exponentially more scrutiny than men. Hillary has been under the fashion microscope for almost two decades. That’s simply a fact, but it’s hardly fair.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Hillary’s jackets cost about $3,000, her shirts run to $1,350 and her pants hover around the $2,000 mark. Let’s do the math.
That’s over $6,000 a suit. And Hillary owns a lot of pants suits! And she looks great. If she didn’t, she’d be vilified for looking frumpy and lacking style-savvy the way she was in the 1990’s.
There is no question excessive primping and preening by presidential candidates is riddled with risk. John Edwards was lambasted over his $400 hair cuts in 2007 as was John McCain over his $520 Ferragamo shoes. We expect our candidates to look good, but not too good. We like a put together politician but have adverse reaction when we hear the price tag. For a newcomer like Palin, it’s par for the course that she’s stepped up her look. Imagine if she didn’t? She’d be the subject of more ridicule than she is now.
It’s not just Palin who realizes the benefits of being sharp dressed on the stump:
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that friends of Obama say the biggest change in him since his recent success on the national political scene is that he’s dressing better and shopping at the ultra-fashionable Barney’s because, for the first time in his life, he can afford to. Apparently “the fierce urgency of now” includes killer threads.
And how about Michelle Obama? The New York Times Style section published an entire article praising her new, and likely very pricey, sense of style. The purple Maria Pinto sheath she wore at a campaign rally retails for $900, and as the New York Times put it is: “not the kind of garment most working-class voters can reasonably aspire to.”
The current issue of Harper’s Bazaar notes that the Democratic presidential candiate’s wife wears Valentino, among others. Looks like when the Obamas say “spread the wealth around,” they mean at top shelf department stores.
I’m not outraged at this. The pressure of being in the public eye is understandable. What’s disturbing is the double standard. Michelle Obama gets hailed by the fashionistas while Palin gets crucified and mocked by the fashion police.
These same liberals who are now appalled at the Palin shopping spree are the same ones that thought it shallow and superficial to discuss Newsweek’s obvious recent cheap shot cover of Sarah Palin because we have more important fish to fry. Where are these people now to shout that this issue is trivial? And how do they manage to get so fired up about Palin’s appearance all of sudden?
I’m waiting for the left to condemn the insignificance of this story and I’m not holding my breath.
being fair?
What is fair when someone talks about aborting a whole race? What has Maher to do with it? I know for a fact if I had said something like Bennett said, I would not have my job or some friends and my family certainly would not be proud of me. OMG, the thought of killing off a whole race to me is pretty serious and I equate it to Hitler wanting to kill off certain types of people. To even try to defend Bennetts words makes me shake my head..Why would anyone want to defend his vile nasty comments? The guy has proven he is a jerk.
That's not fair...sm
I remember at least twice the topic of the Israel/Lebanon coming up, but I'll give you that it has not been discussed a lot.
See my post about WWIII. I also remember posting that I wanted to wait to see how our government reacts.
Fair enough.
Thank you for responding in a respectful manner.
For the record, I felt Kfir's remarks to me were offensive first, and that's why my remarks became nastier. In fact, the remark about Kfir not being representative of most Israelis was in direct response and in the same tone to Kfir's post to me regarding being representative of liberals.
And I don't believe my take on the end times is a fact. It's nothing more than my personal opinion, based on things I read that lead me to feel that way and raise the questions I raised.
I do agree that these issues are very emotionally charged and respect your decision to not discuss them further. Again, thank you for being respectful.
Fair enough, but we need a more immediate
I would be 100% fine with my taxes being raised 3% if it meant healthcare for all American children. Heck, I would be overjoyed with that! So if that bill ever comes up I guarantee you I will support it, but the fact is the current bill is a solution that could help families right now, and I support it. I would support just about any bill that would help lower health insurance costs to American families, honestly. I just truly think this one is great because it is aimed at covering minors. I also think it is great that Republican and Democratic leaders tried to work together and compromise on it and decided to tax cigarettes instead of raising taxes in other areas.
So yes, I would rather have a hike in taxes and have more affordable healthcare for kids. Is that the best solution for lower health care costs for adult Americans? Maybe not, but for the minors with no choice in what kind of family they are born into I think it is a great choice.
DW...that is not fair...
I SAID Democrats then...and I also said the Democratic Congress, because in that, just as in the Iraq War vote, the Congress is responsible, not the rank and file. The rank and file did not have an opportunity to vote on it. I NEVER said that Democratic Party TODAY was responsible for it (they are only responsible for the denial of it, and again, I mean the DNC, the policy makers, not the rank and file), I certainly NEVER said YOU personally were responsible. Why is it, help me understand, that if someone points out something truthful though not pleasant, that the "party" has done, you take it personally like I am saying it is you personally? This was a post entirely about the "party."
I guess the most startling thing about this whole thing is that if anything is said about the "party" it is taken personally. If I were in the party I would certainly be concerned that the "party" was in a state of denial about it, were actually lying about it on their website (because it is politically inexpedient for everyone to remember the past), I think THAT would offend me just as much. But...that is just me.
Suffice it to say, DW...if you choose to take a post about the Democratic Party, the voting, policy-making COngressional Democratic party at that time, personally, there is nothing I can do about that. It was not meant to be taken personally. However, I repeat...if you are going to be angry, be angry at those who did it and those who continue to lie and deny. Don't blame someone who posted the truth. And please, don't put words in my mouth. I never called Democrats baby killers. I have never called anyone a baby killer. And I certainly have not called anyone here a racist. There are certainly racists in this world, but nothing anyone has said here would make me think they are racist.
All that being said...all politics aside, all party stuff, all that crap...from one American to another...I hope you have a happy, blessed Thanksgiving Day and I hope you have plenty of family and friends around you to enjoy it with you.
Good evening!
Fair enough
point well taken. Sorry I offended you, I just get a little upset when people try and link (not that YOU were trying to link, but other posters have) trying to link any candidate running for president to a known criminal and horrible horrible person. I've heard people link Bush and Saddam together and I've been on the defensive about that.
Sorry again I offended you, I just don't like hearing the two being linked to each other.
Let's be fair now
If you repeat a slogan like "Change we can believe in" enough times you will believe him and his socialist beliefs.
If you think that is fair, well okay. I think it is
nm
The only one fit for the job of being fair
was Tim Russert. SOOO missing him now. Rest in peace Tim, although I know you are briefing everyone in Heaven lol.
I don't think that is entirely fair....
I think President Bush did a wonderful job after 9-11. I think he was the President we needed then. I still credit him with holding this country together. I think he has it right on terrorism. I have a lot of problems with things he has done and things he has not done...but on 9-11 and terrorism, I think he was the right man.
why does that seem fair to you?
What reason other than jealousy could make it seem fair to impose a higher tax on someone earning more money? So they worked hard, earned more and now they get punished for it because you didn't earn as much?
fair?
i don't like the usage basis because too many will not get needed care 'trying not to use it too much'. i like the preventative measures and the mccain plan that will drive down costs for polices with the competition across state lines and the money for families to purchase insurance.
fair enough....thanks...nm
nm
Fair enough.
x
LOL...fair enough, but...(sm)
Here's what Alaska has to say about it.
http://www.ktva.com/ci_11255829
You can also find this story on Fox, AOL news, and a number of publications. From what I gather, Palin's spokesperson has said she won't accept the raise or will donate it. That really doesn't sound right to me, espcially since not only did she have a hand in selecting the committee that decided to give out the raises, but the committee was actually formed in order to evaluate whether raises were needed.
Why do I care about this? My guess is that we will see her again, so I think it's important to keep up with what she's doing in the meantime. I don't believe in that *out of sight, out of mind* thing.
Okay, let''s be fair about it s/m
let's "level the playing field." Let's have everyone paid on production at exactly the same rate for exactly the same amount of work. Let's level the playing field for MTs, that is ALL dictation goes in a pool, you get paid X amount for the work you do. You have easy stuff and you're fast.....too much advantage there.....need to level the playing field and bring you down to a level with those struggling with ESLs, mushmouths and the like. AND by all means let's not let any bargaining power in to help us with negotiations for better pay or medical benefits and LAST BUT NOT LEAST we sure don't want to trouble the greedy MTSOs with even contributing to a 401K as we all know that all medical transcriptionists have the desire to fall over dead while pounding the keyboard at a fairly young age. Unfortunately I know many who have done just that before they even reached retirement age. Of course by the time you youngsters reach retirement age there won't be such a thing as an MT and you may well be cleaning toilets.
to be fair...
KBR provides the galley in Iraq that my husband eats at, which he says is probably the best galley he has ever been to, and saves us money because he still receives his BAS. Without KBR, we would really not make much more money for him being away than we make when he is home because losing his BAS would basically eat up most of the hazardous duty pay he receives. I cannot get your link to do anything, so I am really not sure what this is all about, but from a military family, we do not think KBR is the root of all evil.
I may not seem fair as a tax cut, but...(sm)
what it does do is put money in the hands of people who have to spend it. If they were to just give money to the middle class, most of us would simply save it or pay off bills. That doesn't stimulate the economy. The spending deficit is the main problem with the economy, and that's what they are addressing with this. It's the same theory behind food stamps. Statistically, the poorer the people that receive the money, the more likely it will be spent -- and that's the goal -- to get people to spend money.
Really, if you look at the tax cuts that we are supposed to get that come to what, I think someone said about $13 a week, you will see the same concept. When Bush sent out those rebate checks, the idea, again, was to get people spending money. Well, they didn't. They paid bills and saved -- so we know that doesn't work. However, if you are just getting an extra $13 a week, most people will just see that as an extra $13 for something else they will buy. They will be less likely to save that $13 than they would a lump sum like the ones Bush sent out.
It may not seem fair as a tax cut, but...(sm)
what it does do is put money in the hands of people who have to spend it. If they were to just give money to the middle class, most of us would simply save it or pay off bills. That doesn't stimulate the economy. The spending deficit is the main problem with the economy, and that's what they are addressing with this. It's the same theory behind food stamps. Statistically, the poorer the people that receive the money, the more likely it will be spent -- and that's the goal -- to get people to spend money.
Really, if you look at the tax cuts that the middle class are supposed to get, they come to what, I think someone said about $13 a week, you will see the same concept. When Bush sent out those rebate checks, the idea, again, was to get people spending money. Well, they didn't. They paid bills and saved -- so we know that doesn't work. However, if you are just getting an extra $13 a week, most people will just see that as an extra $13 for something else they will buy. They will be less likely to save that $13 than they would a lump sum like the ones Bush sent out. That means the likelihood of the money being spent is greater.
It may not seem fair as a tax cut, but...(sm)
what it does do is put money in the hands of people who have to spend it. If they were to just give money to the middle class, most of us would simply save it or pay off bills. That doesn't stimulate the economy. The spending deficit is the main problem with the economy, and that's what they are addressing with this. It's the same theory behind food stamps. Statistically, the poorer the people that receive the money, the more likely it will be spent -- and that's the goal -- to get people to spend money.
Really, if you look at the tax cuts that the middle class are supposed to get, they come to what, I think someone said about $13 a week, you will see the same concept. When Bush sent out those rebate checks, the idea, again, was to get people spending money. Well, they didn't. They paid bills and saved -- so we know that doesn't work. However, if you are just getting an extra $13 a week, most people will just see that as an extra $13 for something else they will buy. They will be less likely to save that $13 than they would a lump sum like the ones Bush sent out. That means the likelihood of the money being spent is greater.
I don't think that is fair.
The subject of abortion is just going way too far left here. If someone doesn't approve of abortions, they should not be forced to do them. If a mother has the right to abort her baby, a doctor should have a right to refuse to perform such a thing. That mother will just have to go to someone else. But to take the rights away from either the mother or the doctor......that isn't right. If you want the government to stay out of your uterus, then don't take free will away from someone who doesn't believe in it by making them perform such an act. Think about it. When you look at it from both sides, the extreme left and the extreme right are both wanting unfair things.
I really don't think that is fair.
I mean....there are the major kool-aid drinkers who refuse to see anything bad about obama no matter what the man does, but that really goes on both sides. Some pubs are just as bad about that. I think that Obama ran a great campaign with promises that people really wanted to believe. However, now some of those Obama supporters are sweating it too. It is now only the democratic kool-aid drinkers that continue to praise him.
Fair enough....with one qualification...
The last line of the post...was in response to a poster saying that conservatives saying "I am a nice person and I know I am right so don't feel the need to defend..." yada yada. I am not trying to pick a fight. As to knowing what I am talking about and you don't...if that is the impression you take, I am sorry for that. I think most of the posts directed at me...to call them condescending would be mild. And yet again...you MISUNDERSTAND no matter how many times I have said it. I am not against S-CHIP. I was fine with it as it was. I was against expanding it to higher income levels. So, if you are going to lecture me, at least get it RIGHT. Again...not against SCHIP. I said, very clearly in my post, that I was all for taking care of low income families who could not afford to insure their children. You chose to ignore that and yet again accuse me of being against S-CHIP. So, thank you for respecting my opinion, however, please get my respect the correct opinion.
And..so sorry for trying to extend an olive branch. Obviously the wrong thing to do.
I am a Fox fan, because I believe they are fair and they are balanced...
and I think they really did the right thing in this case. I hope nobody airs it. It will get ugly enough without that kind of thing floating around.
to be fair and ba;anced here
They don't need to run that ad. Sean Hannity repeats his mantra of Rev. Wright and Ayers every evening. He does not seem to have much respect for his viewers. He just repeats those 2 things over and over like the viewers are dumb stumps.
My Fair Veep
Subject: Maureen Dowd - NY Times - Sept 10/08
My Fair Veep
WASILLA, Alaska
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the Arctic plain ...
I hope John McCain doesn’t throw his slippers at Sarah Palin’s head or get as acerbic as Henry Higgins did with Eliza Doolittle when she did not learn quickly enough. McCain’s Pygmalion has to be careful, because his Galatea might be armed with more than a sharp tongue.
For the first time in American history, we have a “My Fair Lady” moment, as teams of experts bustle around the most famous woman in politics, intensely coaching her for her big moment at the ball — her first unscripted interview here this week with ABC News’s Charlie Gibson.
Eliza, by George, got it and brought off the coup of passing herself off as a Hungarian princess rather than a Covent Garden flower seller. Sarah’s challenge is far tougher, and that’s why she’s pulling the political equivalent of an all-nighter. She doesn’t have to pass herself off as a different class or change her voice or be more highfalutin. The McCain campaign is reveling in its anti-intellectual tenor.
Sarah, who is now so renowned that she is known merely by one name and has a name ID of 90 percent, has to be a Kmart mom who appeals to Kmart moms and dads. She’s already shown that she can shoot the pig, put lipstick on it, bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan. Now all she has to do is also prove that she can be the leader of the free world on a moment’s notice, and field dress Putin as adeptly as she can a moose.
After devilishly mocking Obama — and successfully getting into his head — with ads about how he was just a frothy celebrity, like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, it turns out all the McCain camp wanted was an Obama of its own. Now that they have the electric Palin, they’ve stopped arguing that celebrity is bad. All they do is worship at her cult of celebrity. As Rick Davis, a top McCain adviser, said: “This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates.”
Wasilla will be crawling with four groups — ABC staffers, frantically getting ready for the big showdown; McCain staffers, frantically tutoring Palin for the big showdown; McCain vetters, who are belatedly doing their job checking to see if Palin is a qualified White House contender and doing their best to shut down Troopergate and assembling a “truth squad” posse of Palinistas to rebut any criticism and push back any prying reporters; and journalists — from Sydney to Washington — who are here to draw back the curtain on the shiny reformer image that the McCain camp has conjured for their political ingénue and see what’s behind it.
Gibson has his work cut out for him. His problem isn’t coming up with a list of questions, but finding time to drill deeply enough into all the unknown territory of her life. It’s a task that dwarfs the drilling job the oil companies are doing on Alaska’s North Slope.
In the end, none of it may matter, since Palin has rocketed in the polls, drawing women and men with her vapid — if vivacious and visceral — scripted cheerleading. But if you’re reading this, Charlie, we want to know everything, including:
What kind of budget-cutter makes a show of getting rid of the state plane, then turns around and bills taxpayers for the travel of her husband and kids between Juneau and Wasilla and sticks the state with a per-diem tab to stay in her own home?
Why was Sarah for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against the Bridge to Nowhere, and why was she for earmarks before she was against them? And doesn’t all this make her just as big a flip-flopper as John Kerry?
What kind of fiscal conservative raises taxes and increases budgets in both her jobs — as mayor and as governor?
When the phone rings at 3 a.m., will she call the Wasilla Assembly of God congregation and ask them to pray on a response, as she asked them to pray for a natural gas pipeline?
Does she really think Adam, Eve, Satan and the dinosaurs mingled on the earth 5,000 years ago?
Why put out a press release about her teenage daughter’s pregnancy and then spend the next few days attacking the press for covering that press release?
As Troopergate unfolds here — an inquiry into whether Palin inappropriately fired the commissioner of public safety for refusing to fire her ex-brother-in-law — it raises this question: Who else is on her enemies list and what might she do with the F.B.I.?
Does she want a federal ban on trans fat in restaurants and a ban on abortion and Harry Potter? And which books exactly would have landed on the literature bonfire if she had had her way with that Wasilla librarian?
Just how is it that Fannie and Freddie have cost taxpayers money (since they haven’t yet)?
Does she talk in tongues or just eat caribou tongues? What does she have against polar bears?
Yes fair and balanced. sm
I disagree - it is well known that they are extremely right-slanted. Fair and balanced. What a joke. Why do you think people in the know refer to them as Faux or Fixed news - just a coincidence?
Chris Wallace's vicious sucker-punch attack on Bill Clinton (wherin Wallace got his rear end handed to him on a platter).
|