Tea Party, Anyone?

February 4, 2010 2:06 PM

The first natonal Tea Party convention began today, although main events start tomorrow, amid some controversy over the price of admission. Sarah Palin is the keynote speaker, reportedly at a price of $100,000. Her speech and other events are to be televised. Two prominent Republican representatives, one of whom is Michele Bachman, have dropped out over their reported concerns about how receipts from the convention will be used. The convention appears to be aimed at establishing a direction for the group. Six hundred "delegates" are attending.
posted by bearwife (230 comments total)

All aboard the Failboat!
posted by Ratio at 2:08 PM on February 4, 2010 [17 favorites]

Are they wearing Indian costumes?
posted by hellx at 2:09 PM on February 4, 2010 [5 favorites]

Nice use of scare quotes.
posted by fixedgear at 2:09 PM on February 4, 2010

Oh I hope they have lots of signs.
posted by zardoz at 2:10 PM on February 4, 2010 [15 favorites]

So Sarah is the Tart of the Tea Bag Party? I like it.
posted by effluvia at 2:10 PM on February 4, 2010

I hope this ends up being laughable and not terrifying.
posted by infinitywaltz at 2:11 PM on February 4, 2010 [30 favorites]

Tea Party
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 2:12 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

When Michele Bachman backs out of your event because it might have a dodgy PR outcome... something something demon sheep.
posted by Babblesort at 2:13 PM on February 4, 2010 [100 favorites]

Maybe she'll be handing out copies of her book. I hear she has a few extra.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:13 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

So did I understand this part right: being a delegate costs $349?
posted by creasy boy at 2:13 PM on February 4, 2010

Looks like they're holding the convention in a Thomas Kinkaid painting. That must be the why the admission fees are so high.
posted by daniel_charms at 2:14 PM on February 4, 2010 [31 favorites]

I was pretty upset when Jeff Martin broke up The Tea Party because even though their last three records were duds they were still one of my favourite bands, and used to put on such a great live show. One I went to at the Palais in St Kilda, halfway through the set there was a bit of audience banter and one chick yelled out "I love you Jeff Martin!" and he sort of grinned and said into the mic "It's reciprocated" and she was all "It's whaaaaaaa?"
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:14 PM on February 4, 2010 [25 favorites]

So the pro-business-at-all-costs folks are essentially getting scammed by an organizer who's just in it for the money. Somehow this seems appropriate.
posted by naju at 2:16 PM on February 4, 2010 [37 favorites]

Sarah Palin carries... the Demon Sheep.

Fear for her!
posted by Joe Beese at 2:16 PM on February 4, 2010

I think maybe part of the reason you're so angry is you keep demanding that you get screwed and then, not surprisingly, you keep getting screwed — A Message for the Teabaggers About Health Insurance Reform

13. I wish I could tell you that this was just a worst-case scenario, that this was only something that might, maybe happen, but that wouldn't be true. Without health care reform, this is what will happen. We know this because this is what is happening now. It has been happening for the past 10 years. In 2008, employers spent on average 25 percent more per employee than they did in 2001, but wages on average did not increase during those years. The price of milk went up. The price of gas went up. But wages did not. All of the money that would have gone to higher wages went to pay the higher and higher and higher cost of health insurance. And unless Congress passes health care reform, that will not change.

Well, it will change in the sense that it will keep getting worse, but it won't get better. Unless the problem gets fixed, the problem won't be fixed. That's kind of what "problem" and "fixed" mean.

14. Sadly for any chance you have of ever seeing a raise again, it looks like Congress may not pass health care reform. It looks like they won't do that because they're scared of angry voters who are demanding that they oppose health care reform, angry voters who demand that Congress not do anything that would keep the cost of health insurance from going up and up and up. Angry voters like you.

15. Do you see the point here? You are angrily, loudly demanding that Congress make sure that you never, ever get another pay raise as long as you live. Because of you and because of your angry demands, you and your family and your kids are going to have to get by with less this year than last year. And next year you're going to have to get by with even less. And if you keep angrily demanding that no one must ever fix this problem, then you're going to have to figure out how to get by on less and less every year for the rest of your life.
posted by netbros at 2:17 PM on February 4, 2010 [109 favorites]

This thread will go well. And can we please insert animated gifs of the demon sheep in this thread? I promise it won't get out of hand, Matt!
posted by mccarty.tim at 2:19 PM on February 4, 2010 [4 favorites]

Are they wearing Indian costumes?
posted by hellx at 5:09 PM

It's a very polarizing subject:
- the Racist delegation want to remind everyone that it is still their "right" to express their hatred through blackface ("or yellow, or red, or purpleface. I think we should make fun of everyone equally...like Jeff Dunham").

- The Batshit Xtian faction wants to remind everyone that since God hates the gays, and the gays love the Village People, and the Village People dress like Indians, that dressing this way might lead to Armaggedon coming early ("We're for anything that speeds up the rapture, jeepers I want my Heaven Speedboat").

- The Alaskan Delegation wants to remind everyone the Indians (not Native Americans or Aboriginal people) hunt and fish and use every part of the animal ("and goddamnit, that's what Congress should be doing!").

- The War Recreationists would argue for, in the interest of preserving the historical reference, unfortunately they are too busy arguing with the Xtian Delegation that they are "Re-creationists", not "Creationists", and shouldn't be banned from the party.
posted by SassHat at 2:19 PM on February 4, 2010 [7 favorites]

naju: "So the pro-business-at-all-costs folks are essentially getting scammed by an organizer who's just in it for the money. Somehow this seems appropriate."

(kicks self for not thinking of it first)
posted by Reverend John at 2:19 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

So did I understand this part right: being a delegate costs $349?
posted by creasy boy at 4:13 PM on February 4

According to the ABC article that would be $549. Either way, it's hundreds of thousands of dollars that won't get spent influencing actual political outcomes so it's all good in my book.
posted by nanojath at 2:19 PM on February 4, 2010 [6 favorites]

Here's what I don't get: Why don't any of the libertarians who are angry at this start their own, competing convention to run on smaller margins? Sure, maybe they wouldn't be able to afford Palin, but they'd offer value, and push the Tea Party Express convention to be better.

Rational self interest, kids!
posted by mccarty.tim at 2:21 PM on February 4, 2010 [9 favorites]

They laughed at the Naz a bunch of kooks in Germany about 75 years ago.

Just Godwinnin' sayin'.
posted by Danf at 2:23 PM on February 4, 2010 [4 favorites]

SassHat: "The Batshit Xtian faction wants to remind everyone that since God hates the gays, and the gays love the Village People, and the Village People dress like Indians, that dressing this way might lead to Armaggedon coming early."

From the FAQ:

How do I get to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel?
posted by Joe Beese at 2:24 PM on February 4, 2010 [3 favorites]

From what I heard on NPR last night the $349 amount is a ticket to Palin only. $549 gets you into the whole shebang.
posted by Babblesort at 2:24 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

Wait, so you pay to be a delegate? Isn't that completely backwards? A delegate is someone chosen to represent someone or something. Does this mean you could potentially pay for it, they take your money, and then they say, "Sorry, bud. You're too liberal. You don't represent our views for the nation."?
posted by mccarty.tim at 2:25 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

I hope they try the rooibos, that'll chill them out a little.
posted by Elmore at 2:32 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Dude, this is totally cool. "Tea" is code for pot.

Right?

No? No? No? Sorry.
posted by twoleftfeet at 2:40 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
posted by anti social order at 2:41 PM on February 4, 2010 [10 favorites]

Come on, guys. This is precision crafted move designed intentionally create a schism to uproot any entrenched power in the Tea Bagging movement. These guys are classic anarchists, and know how to artfully maintain ideological purity even as the outward organization appears fractured.

And now I kind of almost believe that after I sarcastically typed it.
posted by Burhanistan at 2:41 PM on February 4, 2010

How do I get to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel?

Practice!
posted by unSane at 2:43 PM on February 4, 2010 [29 favorites]

Please form a third party. Please form a third party. Please form a third party.
posted by three blind mice at 2:44 PM on February 4, 2010 [62 favorites]

Here's what I don't get: Why don't any of the libertarians who are angry at this start their own, competing convention to run on smaller margins? Sure, maybe they wouldn't be able to afford Palin, but they'd offer value, and push the Tea Party Express convention to be better.

Libertarians are less shouty, and thus less interesting in parties or rallies. Their 2012 presidential frontrunner looks like a clothing dummy. This is not a man to lead a rebellion.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:44 PM on February 4, 2010 [5 favorites]

I never got the whole "tea party" thing. They understand that even though their person didn't win, they still got a vote so they are still represented. the original tea party was about being taxed without a vote. that was taken care of. They should probably go to hell.
posted by djduckie at 2:46 PM on February 4, 2010 [16 favorites]

Okay, so....the way I understand it is all these asshats are going to be in the same place, at the same time, for a pretty LONG time?

Um, why does this scenario suddenly have me dressed up like Brad Pitt as a waiter in Fight Club?
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 2:47 PM on February 4, 2010 [7 favorites]

If they merge with a prominent pro-environment political party, they can be the Green Tea Party.

If they then pick John McCain to be their leader, they can be the Arizona Green Tea Party.

Arizona Green Tea is something I can support. Ideally, with Ginseng and Honey.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:49 PM on February 4, 2010 [29 favorites]

Does this mean you could potentially pay for it, they take your money, and then they say, "Sorry, bud. You're too liberal. You don't represent our views for the nation."?

Sure, why not? That's what the Democrats have been doing with my donations for the last ten years.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 2:49 PM on February 4, 2010 [77 favorites]

>I never got the whole "tea party" thing. They understand that even though their person didn't win, they still got a vote so they are still represented. the original tea party was about being taxed without a vote.

HURF DURF ACORN BIRTH CERTIFICATE
posted by mccarty.tim at 2:52 PM on February 4, 2010 [3 favorites]

The new Tea Party is about being taxed by someone who won the vote.
posted by qvantamon at 2:54 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center

I guess the Munich beer halls were all sold out.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:55 PM on February 4, 2010 [13 favorites]

Michael Steele: "The Republican Party has always been a grassroots party...

"Hey, if we say 'grassroots' enough, perhaps some disillusioned Obama supporters will believe it despite all evidence to the contrary...."

...and we respect the healthy debate that is going on in the states,"

"The Tea Party is scary enough to make the GOP majority look moderate to the masses. It's a win-win for us!"

"Republican principles of lower taxes, smaller government, and less spending....

"We don't actually have to stick to those principles once we get back into power, right?"

...match those of tea party supporters and we will continue to work to make sure that tea party supporters recognize our candidates most closely match what they look for in elected officials."

"Wwe're going to continue our successful policy of kowtowing to our right-wing extremists."
posted by zarq at 2:57 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

According to the "Tea Party Nation" tab at the website,

Tea Party Nation (or TPN) is a user-driven group of like-minded people who desire our God given Individual Freedoms which were written out by the Founding Fathers. We believe in Limited Government, Free Speech, the 2nd Amendment, our Military, Secure Borders and our Country!
posted by bearwife at 2:57 PM on February 4, 2010

This is some of the most successful astroturf ever.

"If you froth at the mouth about it, they will come."
posted by edheil at 2:58 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

So Sarah is the Tart of the Tea Bag Party? I like it.

Missed this before. It is inappropriate to call any woman a "tart." Please don't.

I like that Ms Palin is seen as a leader by these people. I hope she motivates them to "go rogue" and form a third party. She's maybe the one person they can rally behind to do it.

The thing is that almost of the teabaggers know that 3rd party is a form of suicide so they say that they are firmly against this, but with Ms Palin leading the crusade, they just might jump.

Ms Palin obviously needs no encouragement.
posted by three blind mice at 3:01 PM on February 4, 2010 [8 favorites]

my God, do I hope this picks up exactly enough steam to steal half of the Republican voters for 2012.
posted by shmegegge at 3:03 PM on February 4, 2010 [6 favorites]

My impression is that these are a bunch of rich twerps capitalizing on the Tea Party "brand" to make some dough and of Course Sara Palin, dollar hungry as she is decided to show up for the $100k
posted by delmoi at 3:04 PM on February 4, 2010

I don't know that Palin will actually run for president, at least not seriously. She likes raking it in and she didn't actually seem to like being the governor.
posted by delmoi at 3:05 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

If they merge with a prominent pro-environment political party

Then the Year of the Whopper is just around the corner.
posted by synaesthetichaze at 3:05 PM on February 4, 2010 [13 favorites]

If they merge with a prominent pro-environment political party

Then the Year of the Whopper is just around the corner.

"Gentlemen, you're beautiful."
posted by shmegegge at 3:06 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

How do I get to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel?

$549, same as in town.
posted by No-sword at 3:10 PM on February 4, 2010 [8 favorites]

If they merge with a prominent pro-environment political party

Then the Year of the Whopper is just around the corner.

Sarah Palin as president is not so different from a washed up crooner.
posted by Lutoslawski at 3:12 PM on February 4, 2010

I've been to some lovely tea parties.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:14 PM on February 4, 2010

So Sarah is the Tart of the Tea Bag Party? I like it.

Chris Wallace on whether Palin will sit on his lap during their interview: ‘One can only hope.’
posted by ericb at 3:19 PM on February 4, 2010

The notion of teabaggers collaborating in the cloud just sounds too interesting to pass up.
posted by arcticseal at 3:19 PM on February 4, 2010

I suppose it was inevitable...

Retards For Palin
posted by Joe Beese at 3:20 PM on February 4, 2010 [4 favorites]

Do you wanna make tea at the Gaylord Opry
Do you really wanna be a flop?
Career opportunities, etc...
posted by fixedgear at 3:20 PM on February 4, 2010 [3 favorites]

*literally titters in anticipation*
posted by The Whelk at 3:20 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

The American Conservative has reservations about this.
posted by cimbrog at 3:21 PM on February 4, 2010

Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center

Okay, now reality is just fucking with us.
posted by The Whelk at 3:22 PM on February 4, 2010 [23 favorites]

gather for three days at the luxurious Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center

I admit it. I giggle like a little girl every time I see the word "Gaylord." HAHA, your hotel is full of GAYLORDS!"

On topic, sort of: they're upset about the government taking their money via taxes and yet they have no problem with running a political event FOR PROFIT? The mind. It boggles.

Arizona Green Tea is something I can support. Ideally, with Ginseng and Honey.

Oh man, I drink that stuff by the gallon. I think it's really made with ginseng and heroin.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 3:22 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center


I mean ...how can you prove you're NOT living inside an unpublished Robert Anton Wilson novel?
posted by The Whelk at 3:25 PM on February 4, 2010 [22 favorites]

Joe Beese, that link makes me flinch; the first word is a term to eschew.
posted by bearwife at 3:26 PM on February 4, 2010

It is inappropriate to call any woman a "tart." Please don't.

Even this one?
posted by msalt at 3:28 PM on February 4, 2010

bearwife: "Joe Beese, that link makes me flinch; the first word is a term to eschew."

No endorsement of the term is implied. I've flagged it for the mods.
posted by Joe Beese at 3:28 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

This is some of the most successful astroturf ever.
My impression is that these are a bunch of rich twerps capitalizing on the Tea Party "brand"

Alan Stang was angry about how Glen Beck and others were trying to take advantage of the tea parties.

The beauty of enabling the tea party is you can fund an attack and keep the Republicans outta it by saying 'its the tea partiers'.

Please form a third party.

They can form a 3rd party - won't do a whole lotta good. The C4Lers who are 'tea baggers' won't because Dr. Paul has rejected 3rd parties.

Plenty of 3rd parties don't like taxes, think government can't do a whole lot and/or believe in more God in government. The Libertarians and the Constitutional party havn't done squat.
posted by rough ashlar at 3:28 PM on February 4, 2010

I mean ...how can you prove you're NOT living inside an unpublished Robert Anton Wilson novel?

because men with beards are not the be all and end all of sexual attraction in THIS world.
posted by shmegegge at 3:33 PM on February 4, 2010

Liar.
posted by The Whelk at 3:34 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

We need to reintroduce these guys to the phrase "useful idiots." I think I've actually heard it used in at least one context against Obama supporters.
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:44 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

because men with beards are not the be all and end all of sexual attraction in THIS world.

Damned beard-haters. Your little rashes and colognes don't scare us!

Much.
posted by metagnathous at 3:46 PM on February 4, 2010

So Sarah is the Tart of the Tea Bag Party? I like it.

Missed this before. It is inappropriate to call any woman a "tart." Please don't.

Exactly. Tarts are delicious deserts, and Sarah Palin is overly nutty, in a decidedly un-delicious sort of way.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:51 PM on February 4, 2010 [4 favorites]

I think we can all compromise on soul patches.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:54 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

I hope this ends up being laughable and not terrifying.

I suspect it will be both.
posted by Flunkie at 4:05 PM on February 4, 2010

We should start a beard party. I tend to shave (for comfort rather than looks), but I feel like I'm bearded, in spirit, and were I given two to three weeks to grow something good, I might try it. Hopefully the Beard Party won't get mad at WINOs (Whiskered in name only).
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:06 PM on February 4, 2010 [6 favorites]

They understand that even though their person didn't win, they still got a vote so they are still represented.

Why do you think they understand this? I've seen several teabaggers with signs saying, or themselves saying, that they're being taxed without representation because their candidate lost.
posted by Flunkie at 4:10 PM on February 4, 2010

>
This. 1000x this.

The Tea Party has been a real lol-cow of a political movement, but they also managed to derail healthcare and get Scott Brown elected.

Of course, you can argue that's because the democrats fold under any pressure. If the other party consisted of one man with a feather, they'd freak out, and say that they can't end DADT, as they might get tickled if they fail to respect the other party's opinions.

The most we can hope for from them is that they keep being funny, but start running their own candidates in every election, and call every Republican not from in their party "establishment, business as usual RINOs."
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:11 PM on February 4, 2010

>
Then there's the rant "THIS ISN'T THE CHANGE WE VOTED FOR!"

You hear that a lot on Metafilter and Daily Kos, but usually in terms of "We thought Obama would have given us a public option by now!" or "We thought Obama would close Guantanimo!"

From the tea party, it means "HOW DARE OBAMA REFORM HEALTHCARE AND CLOSE GITMO!" As if he didn't campaign on those.

Does that feel like a non-sequiter to anyone else? They seem to love bumper-sticker slogans more than real ideas.
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:13 PM on February 4, 2010

HOW DARE OBAMA REFORM HEALTHCARE

Healthcare != insurance.
posted by rough ashlar at 4:16 PM on February 4, 2010

I've not clicked any of the links in the FPP, but I'm kind of surprised at the degree to which this is openly and explicitly an unofficial Republican mini-convention. LOLRightWingNutjobs aside, presumably the appeal of the whole splinter-thing to some people was its claim to be party-independent or a third-party movement like libertarian Ron Paul or Ross Perot. But since it's obviously (by having Palin the keynote and inviting Bachman, etc) just a thinly-veiled mini-GOP, and not an actual third party in the making, I don't understand why they're even bothering to keep up the appearance of being separate from the GOP. Maybe the thinking is that like the evangelicals they can have some direct influence on the GOP, but the strings look like they're being pulled by the GOP and not the other way around. Surely even these folks can see the contradiction here: I mean how can they claim to be in any way separate from the GOP when most of those attending are probably registered Republicans?

Also, the fact that this convention is going to be partly televised just shows how fake it is. I can guarantee the NRA, AARP, ACLU, NAACP, AFL-CIO all have much, much larger membership numbers than the "tea party," and yet last I checked the conventions of those groups were not televised.
posted by HP LaserJet P10006 at 4:19 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

Joe Beese's inappropriate link is the definition of Poe's Law. I can't tell if it's a crass liberal making fun of Palin, or a right-winger thinking he's somehow "taking back the insult" for people who actually are cognitively impaired.
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:25 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

I am seriously thinking of staying mildly drunk until 2015 or so. That's the only way I can stop weird thoughts like maybe it might be fun to see Palin elected to see how quickly see either quits or has a country-administrator hired to do the president job or some other weasel way to get out of actually doing the job at hand which has been her MO forever.

And of course, she's been a no-show at several events... too much to think about. Must have wine. Did Michelle drop out because she doesn't want to compete with Palin? These thoughts are bad. I need a drink or five.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 4:26 PM on February 4, 2010

That said, I'd like to see the "r-word" go out of use.

But I realize, given the euphemism treadmill, it won't matter in 10 or 20 years. As I was typing this I thought "People who use the r-word sound dumb," then I thought "People who use the r-word sound like idiots." Both of those words, at one point, were politically correct terms for the disabled. Now they're "acceptable" insults.

I think the rule should be, "Be considerate." Banning words is pointless, because new words will be bad.
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:30 PM on February 4, 2010 [5 favorites]

meh-tea filter
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:36 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

mccarty.tim: I would like to join you party and maybe receive your newsletter. Please send me information and membership applications.
posted by hippybear at 4:37 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

That said, I'd like to see the "r-word" go out of use.

I have replaced it in my writing with nitwit.
posted by mikelieman at 4:43 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

I think the rule should be, "Be considerate." Banning words is pointless, because new words will be bad.

Absolutely. Also, I'm a bit confused why anyone thinks "tart" is unacceptable (though it doesn't make much sense for Palin). For one thing, I've only ever heard women use it (in this century, or the last one for that matter.) And half the time it seems to be a positive, teasy description.
posted by msalt at 4:44 PM on February 4, 2010

I've done a lot of work with people with disabilities, mental and other sorts, and the "r" word is considered hugely offensive. Acceptable substitutes are suggested in the Wikipedia link I provided above.

And as a woman, I find the word "tart," which is an old term for a prostitute and currently a word that connotes cheap and slutty, offensive too. As for using offensive words, of course people can do what they want, but other people can then say, as I am right now, whew, that's offensive.
posted by bearwife at 4:52 PM on February 4, 2010 [5 favorites]

Mmmmmm, tart. Pear? Peach? Apple?
posted by fixedgear at 4:56 PM on February 4, 2010

Hey, tim, I'd like to know how you think using an href'd greater-than sign is supposed to help us understand what the hell you're replying to. Surely you can't expect me to click it, as that will just return me upthread, screwing up my ability to read the thread linearly.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:02 PM on February 4, 2010 [3 favorites]

Funny this tart thing should come up, as last night after a lovely dinner of albacore and grilled asparageese, my sweetie and I ate these in bed while watching the 1980 Matt Dillon teen rampage flick Over the Edge.

Advantage: Cardgage
posted by Senor Cardgage at 5:03 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

I may not know much about politics, or life in general, but I know I'm very afraid of Sarah Palin because she is from Alaska, which is not part of the United States, as far as I can remember, at least in recent memory. Also, her name is suspicious: Palin rhymes with Stalin (kind of). I'm starting to think this whole Tea Bag Movement might be a communist conspiracy. Why do they call them "Red" states?

Be afraid. Be very afraid.
posted by twoleftfeet at 5:08 PM on February 4, 2010 [5 favorites]

IMO:

"Retard" is offensive if you're talking about a person with impaired mental acuity. We have clinical words and descriptions that are far more appropriate and are not burdened by the word's history.

"Retard" is perfectly apt when talking about people who should, by all rights, be of normal mental ability, yet choose to be dumber than dogshit. As when talking about tea-partiers, for instance.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:09 PM on February 4, 2010 [16 favorites]

Is fucktard still OK?
posted by zzazazz at 5:16 PM on February 4, 2010 [6 favorites]

> It is inappropriate to call any woman a "tart." Please don't. I like that Ms Palin is seen as a leader by these people.

I posit that Sarah Palin is the cucumber sandwich of the Tea Party: White and seedy.
posted by ardgedee at 5:17 PM on February 4, 2010 [8 favorites]

I've started thinking that Palin never wanted to win. Her entire run as the vice presidential candidate was self destructed purposely because she knew she couldn't handle the pressure of president if McCain ever died. Of course she reads books and newspapers, but had horrible interviews to drive the point home that she is folksy and not like those educated bunch. It was all an attempt to become a celebrity and make some bank, she doesn't really believe anything she says, but is just greedy.

Please tell me that's true.
posted by Allan Gordon at 5:18 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

"Retard" is offensive if you're talking about a person with impaired mental acuity. We have clinical words and descriptions that are far more appropriate and are not burdened by the word's history.

"Retard" is perfectly apt when talking about people who should, by all rights, be of normal mental ability, yet choose to be dumber than dogshit. As when talking about tea-partiers, for instance.

Not to Sarah Palin, at least. She recently called upon the president to "eliminate" Rahm Emanuel, due to Emanuel referring to liberals who were thinking about running ads against moderate democrats as "fucking retarded". Palin said that this was a "slur on all God’s children with cognitive and developmental disabilities – and the people who love them".

Of course, Sarah Palin has also said that some of the people leading the country today are scaring the heck out of her, because they want to turn the United States into a nation where you can't say politically incorrect things.
posted by Flunkie at 5:20 PM on February 4, 2010 [6 favorites]

Osama, if you're out there, now is your time to shine.
posted by Gamien Boffenburg at 5:21 PM on February 4, 2010 [4 favorites]

And as a woman, I find the word "tart," which is an old term for a prostitute and currently a word that connotes cheap and slutty, offensive too.

I have yet to see you write anything which does not make me want to apply that word to Sarah Palin.
posted by hippybear at 5:24 PM on February 4, 2010 [6 favorites]

Wait, so you pay to be a delegate? Isn't that completely backwards?

FWIW, I've been a delegate at a couple state Dem conventions and there's always a fee. It's not $549 by any means, but $60-$100 isn't unheard of.
posted by rollbiz at 5:25 PM on February 4, 2010

As a man-slut, I don't want any good associations with the word slut to be besmirched by their association with Palin. I know tarts, tarts are good friends of mine, I am a bit of a tart, and I can tell you. Ms. Palin is no tart.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:26 PM on February 4, 2010 [8 favorites]

bearwife: "I've done a lot of work with people with disabilities, mental and other sorts, and the "r" word is considered hugely offensive. Acceptable substitutes are suggested in the Wikipedia link I provided above."

So have I, and it seemed that the attitudes toward political correctness varied wildly from institution to institution. Some places barely touched on the subject and staff were often quite irreverent. On the other hand, one place took great pains to indoctrinate staff, requiring attendance in class designed to teach us how to use the correct terminology, and through the class I realized that it's mostly society running from what the term is describing. We were told never to use the term 'Handicapped', and the term 'disabled' was even uncomfortable. Basically in the long run any term used to describe people with disabilities will be used in a derogatory fasion, and when that becomes commonplace then it becomes offensive to use the term even in its neutral context.

This was from the wikipedia article you cited, and says something along the same lines:

Perhaps the negative connotations associated with these numerous terms for mental retardation reflect society's ambivalent attitude about the condition. There are competing desires among elements of society, some of whom seek neutral medical terms, and others who want to use such terms as weapons with which to abuse people.

posted by mullingitover at 5:36 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Re: The retard discussion, we are all clear that Joe Beese stated pretty clearly that he was not endorsing the usage of the term in any way, right? He also didn't make the website either, near as I can tell.
posted by rollbiz at 5:41 PM on February 4, 2010

"Retard" is perfectly apt when talking about people who should, by all rights, be of normal mental ability, yet choose to be dumber than dogshit. As when talking about tea-partiers, for instance.

When did Michael Scott join Metafilter?!
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:42 PM on February 4, 2010

Worst cognitively-deficient derail ever.
posted by HP LaserJet P10006 at 5:47 PM on February 4, 2010 [3 favorites]

Leave it to Sarah Palin to ruin the one genuinely sweet and delectable bit of food to come out of the British Empire.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:54 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

I don't know that Palin will actually run for president, at least not seriously. She likes raking it in and she didn't actually seem to like being the governor.

This is an interesting question to mull over-- she does have a tendency to embrace the glamor while shying away from the actual administrative work. However, given the opportunity to become America's first female President, I feel pretty confident that Palin won't be able to turn down the chance of making history. Her backers will undoubtedly press her by telling her that her cabinet will do all the actual work and all she has to do is stand around and look Presidential. And the money making opportunities afterward will skyrocket. In my wildest fantasies I can imagine her being elected, serving for 2 years and then making some excuse ("I need more time with my youngest child...you know he has special needs") to step down.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:11 PM on February 4, 2010

It is inappropriate to call any woman a "tart." Please don't. I like that Ms Palin is seen as a leader by these people.

Ms. Babylon the Great, Mother of Abominations of the Earth is just so formal.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 6:15 PM on February 4, 2010 [7 favorites]

Palin is a retart.
posted by Hammond Rye at 6:15 PM on February 4, 2010 [11 favorites]

rollbiz: "Re: The retard discussion, we are all clear that Joe Beese stated pretty clearly that he was not endorsing the usage of the term in any way, right? He also didn't make the website either, near as I can tell."

I saw it diaried at the Great Orange Satan - where sensibilities are not always refined.

Just passing along what seemed a related item of interest. On the scale of tastelessness, I didn't place it in the "please don't remind me such things even exist" zone. I apologize if anyone's mileage varied.

I've flagged it. I assume anyone sufficiently upset has flagged it as well. There's nothing more I can do at this point.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:33 PM on February 4, 2010

If it wasn't clear, I was trying to say "This is not worth a derail" to the people doing the derailing. I had no problem with you sharing the link.
posted by rollbiz at 6:42 PM on February 4, 2010

gather for three days at the luxurious Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center

I admit it. I giggle like a little girl every time I see the word "Gaylord." HAHA, your hotel is full of GAYLORDS!"

As someone from Oklahoma City, I can assure you that Gaylord=evil.

The family has controlled the media here for quite sometime.
posted by Quonab at 6:49 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'd love to be there. Surely this kind of concentration of crazy is as rare as a blue solar eclipse?
posted by twirlypen at 6:56 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Our Sponsors include Tea Party Emporium,(For all your Tea Party related needs. Open Tuesdays 'til 7!) Judicial Watch, (We Watch So You Don't Have To! No, really. Stop looking.) Eagle Forum,(Build a nest out of sticks and feed your kids regurgitated fish! You know, like an eagle.) The Leadership Institute,(A leading institute of leadership leading leaders to lead America's leaders since 1979.) Vision America, (See? I told you!) SurgeUSA,(Not just a soft drink, it's a slogan!) Smart Girl Politics (Politics that won't worry your pretty little head) and National Taxpayers Union (No, not THAT kind of union! Sheesh.)
posted by Floydd at 6:59 PM on February 4, 2010 [3 favorites]

Everyone should read that "euphemism treadmill" link, it's quite interesting and very relevant to this retard derail/discussion. The same applies to colored/negro/afro-american/black/person of color/african american. Each successive term is intended to improve the status and situation of the people referred to by these terms, but as the situation doesn't change quickly enough to avoid the new term taking on the negative connotations of the old term, the term is then changed again, ad infinitum. Most interestingly, during the tenure of all of the above terms, white people have been, and continue to be, referred to as white.
I've always thought 'tart' referred to a woman of loose morals, and thus prefer the term "nutjob reactionary" to describe Sarah Palin. Couldn't her brother Michael have gotten her a gig with Monty Python? She would've been awesome.
posted by crazylegs at 7:02 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

The medical term for Down Syndrome is Trisomy-21 or Trisomy-g. It is often shortened in medical slang to Tri-g.

Hmmm, who is calling who a retard now?
posted by Max Power at 7:25 PM on February 4, 2010 [6 favorites]

Wow, um, in related news, Senator Shelby has just placed a "blanket hold" on all of Obama's nominees, meaning that the Senate will hold their nominations in limbo indefinitely, rather than voting to confirm or reject them. At least seventy such nominees currently are awaiting confirmation.

Apparently, he wants a company in his state to get a $40 billion federal government contract to build air-to-air refueling planes, and he also wants a $45 million IED testing lab to be built in his state.

If he gets these things, then apparently he will do his job of confirming or rejecting the president's nominees. Presumably.
posted by Flunkie at 7:29 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

Note that retarded people are now called Consumers in habilitation centers and similar settings, at least in New York.
posted by swift at 7:44 PM on February 4, 2010

Possible soundtrack
posted by gimonca at 7:55 PM on February 4, 2010

I'm offended by the use of the term "crazy" to describe Tea Partiers. I know some crazy people. They didn't decide to be that way. I think the only nonoffensive term would be "people I disagree with." After all, we Democrats don't want to risk offending anyone. That would be mean to others of good will. HAMBURGER
posted by irisclara at 8:22 PM on February 4, 2010 [4 favorites]

Can we please all start referring to "tea party" protests, conventions, etc., as "teabagger" conventions, protests, etc?

That would really make me happy, to see this bit of gay slang used ignorantly, in the public sphere, as a matter-of-fact name for a heterosexist and racist and classist and ant-intellectual movement.

And I think it's about the only thing that might make me laugh as the boat of rationality and fairness and intelligence and critical thinking and education and compassion sinks beneath the waves.
posted by treepour at 8:23 PM on February 4, 2010

Tea party?? OPRYLAND???
I just LOVE tea parties... and Nashville! How did you kno-(reads links)-ohhhh ahhhh..ohhhh; eee, THAT tea party... euuummmmm, yeeeeeahhhh, would love to, but I am dreadfully busy thinking of clever ripostes to various 'delegated' ideas, and generally thinking to myself… {Self...}"we can’t stop here this is Bat (S^$*Insane) country“

Also I will be busy gathering subscriptions (so I can send the links to my local FEMA reps, ObSviously) to liberty minded individuals’ newsletters... generally in the vein of..

Yeah.No.

On the third derail.. I was severely disappointed hearing about Mr. Emanuel's use of the term... yeah, yeah, you didn't mean it 'that' way (no one ever 'does'; when you call them on it anyway.)... but severely disheartening nonetheless, as someone who is supposed to generally be a close adviser to the peoples advocate (yeah, that is what I think the president's role should be more akin to) plus, it created a situation which made me have to partially agree with Sarah Palin... which is just uncomfortable, and embarrassing for all.
People with disabilities were among the first to be dehumanized and ultimately viciously killed in the early Nazi regime... so seeing ANYONE pulling the same ignorant garbage of yesteryear...not havin' it.
Remember that 'even' in America it was not long ago that Eugenics was the '""science"" doo jour'- Please... Democrats, I love you, I do, you are less crazy than the ultracrazy party... I like this, but this does not mean that you can avoid continuing the forward momentum towards progressive ideals, and liberty for We the People...
While everyone is looking at all the bats*^ flying around.. I personally don't believe that the GO to the P isn't sitting around going "HAHA, they think that this is our first string... this is just to distract the people who can REALLY stop us from 'leading' again… "bread and circus" and all that scare quotie stuff. *(but anyone thinking that there isn't some central planning going on over at the GO(superscript P) HQ are letting themselves be misled. This.=not funny. Mostly Scary. And a little bit surreal.
Don't be alarmed, it's just like fighting fire with propane. Safe, fun, and similar to tetris."
(If I seem stupid or ignorant or naive to you, I may not be... I'm just down home and folksy... like an extremely liberal version of Sarah Palin (she's not stupid, I am fairly certain (*IANPR) that no one really is, we all hold the inherent, but often untapped, power to influence others opinions and minds... having spent some of my most treasured moments working with people who faced down various mental 'disabilities'.. I have to say that those moments were some of the brightest time of the life I've been fortunate to know... I know it is not cool to use terms from the euphemism treadmill, but Truly; Differently-Abled... This.Describes.(all).People.)
( I said this on you tube, and the response was someone saying that they had "called a '_____' a '____' and '____' didn't care... so I was wrong." AmIwrong?)

{*IAmNotPeerReviewed}
posted by infinite intimation at 8:26 PM on February 4, 2010

"Consumers" is the word used in BC for people accessing various social and health programs, too.

I'm a little dumbfounded to learn that Palin's baby's name is shorthand for Down's Syndrome. It strikes me as vulgar and perverse. I hope against hope that it's accidental, but I suspect that the Palin family is shallow and sick enough to have done it deliberately. Ugh.
posted by five fresh fish at 8:26 PM on February 4, 2010

Why "consumers"? How did that usage come about?
posted by Flunkie at 8:32 PM on February 4, 2010

I am seriously thinking of staying mildly drunk until 2015 or so.

Yeah, I took this same approach during the Bush years. Things don't necessarily look better on this side of the fence.
posted by treepour at 8:36 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

aka Reform Party 2010, only without the goofy former pro wrestler/actor turned governor of Minnesota.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:55 PM on February 4, 2010

mccarty.tim: "We should start a beard party. I tend to shave (for comfort rather than looks), but I feel like I'm bearded, in spirit, and were I given two to three weeks to grow something good, I might try it. Hopefully the Beard Party won't get mad at WINOs (Whiskered in name only)."

What I love about your party name is that it offers me the same giggle opportunities that the Tea Party does. They are teabaggers. Your party is all beards.
posted by graventy at 8:55 PM on February 4, 2010

Oh for fuck sake. They would have to go and have their stupid little party in Tennessee.
posted by nola at 9:13 PM on February 4, 2010

The whole retarded thing is not actually retarded because retarded is cool. Just ask any of us who are retarded. Like, embrace your inner retarded. Like, seriously. Either you are retarded or your not, but that's not my fault or our fault.

So actually, the retarded thing is not-retarded because it's not retarded meaning not cool.

Or stupid.

Relax. Anyone who is retarded knows the score. Take my word for it. We do.
posted by humannaire at 9:16 PM on February 4, 2010

The whole retarded thing is not actually retarded because retarded is cool. Just ask any of us who are retarded. Like, embrace your inner retarded. Like, seriously. Either you are retarded or your not, but that's not my fault.

So actually, the retarded thing is not-retarded because it's not retarded meaning not cool.

Or stupid.

Anyone who is retarded knows the score. Take my word for it: We do.

So relax :)
posted by humannaire at 9:22 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

There's no part of the convention's website that even attempts to put forward anything resembling a declaration of beliefs or values. I mean, not too surprising, considering the whole phenomenon is apparently 1) ambitious deployment of sophism, and 2) apologia for plutocracy, but I was expecting something.

On Saturday morning, attendees will hear from one Ana Puig, who wants to say something about "Correlations between the current Administration and Marxist Dictators of Latin America."

G...guh. I feel sad.
posted by clockzero at 9:31 PM on February 4, 2010

Wait, did I just post that twice?

I am so another word for cool!
posted by humannaire at 9:40 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Let's Get Retarded!
posted by hippybear at 9:49 PM on February 4, 2010

Sarah Palin is exactly a tart. I wish the word had occurred to me before.
posted by Gamien Boffenburg at 10:16 PM on February 4, 2010

I am so another word for cool!

starts with an "R"
posted by telstar at 10:18 PM on February 4, 2010

Rad?
posted by Hactar at 12:50 AM on February 5, 2010

Sorry to derail the retart hate and such. Read this a while ago and it really struck me that this sort of shallow ridicule really plays into the hands of those we oppose.
Noam Chomsky on Tea Parties:(Link to Video and full transcript)
Well, the Tea Party thing is a real sign of the failure of the
left. Those people, they’re a mixed group, but many of them, I would
say probably most of them, are the people who ought to be organized by
the left. These are people with real grievances. For the past thirty
years, years of financialization and Neo-liberalism, for the majority,
wages have stagnated. Benefits, which were never very great, have
declined. Working hours have shot way up. They’ve gone way into debt
to try to preserve the consumerist lifestyle that’s rammed down their
throats by the advertising industry. So they’re in bad shape. You
know, not Third World style bad-shape, but bad-shape by the standards
of the way a rich, industrial country ought to be. Those are
grievances. Well, those are the things the left ought to be organizing
them around. Right now, people are very upset, and rightly, about the
giveaway to the banks and the very high unemployment. And if you look
at unemployment figures, which are always understated of course, in
manufacturing industry it’s back to the level of the Great Depression.
And people are not going to get those jobs back with the hollowing out
of manufacturing and increasing financialization. So they have every
right to be mad, but the left is not offering them anything.
posted by psycho-alchemy at 1:27 AM on February 5, 2010 [6 favorites]

The whole retarded thing is not actually retarded because retarded is cool.

The word 'nice' originally meant 'stupid'.

Maybe someday 'retard' will have a similarly positive connotation.
posted by empath at 1:40 AM on February 5, 2010

I have replaced it in my writing with nitwit.

Can I suggest "fuckwit"?
posted by vbfg at 1:40 AM on February 5, 2010

might make me laugh as the boat of rationality and fairness and intelligence and critical thinking and education and compassion sinks beneath the waves.

Don't worry. That will happen because what has been built around us is on the back of WAY cheap energy - and that cheap energy that created excess which could be used for social programs just isn't there anymore.

I would say probably most of them, are the people who ought to be organized by
the left. These are people with real grievances.

If there WAS "a left" in the nation - sure. Hopefully when Noam finds "a left" he'll let us know.
posted by rough ashlar at 5:04 AM on February 5, 2010

Is it still safe to use "to retard" as a verb?
posted by autopilot at 5:10 AM on February 5, 2010

Let's just hope that Ghandi's “first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” quote doesn't apply in this instance.
posted by longdaysjourney at 5:12 AM on February 5, 2010

Being a resident of Nashville, I can say only that I'm darn glad I won't be anywhere near Opryland today and tomorrow, and that those folks won't be anywhere near my commute.

And, to quote the Tennessee Democratic Party, "Anything but tea."
posted by blucevalo at 5:13 AM on February 5, 2010

I think the politically correct term for slowing down the reproduction of a microbe is now "grogiffy." Otherwise, Palin will have no choice but to call microbiology a pseudoscience propped up by elitist eggheads who laugh at the disabled with scorn and derision.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:48 AM on February 5, 2010

Apparently, Trig is named after

his great uncle, a Bristol Bay fisherman, while the name Paxson comes from the well-known snowmachining area.

Of course, it's impossible to prove one way or the other, or if Palin thought she was clever to name him after the condition "Tri-G." But it's ultimately pointless to ponder, and overthinking this plate of beans would make us almost as bad as the people who wonder if Obama is a secret Muslim.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:58 AM on February 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

I see Ghandi's quote, and raise him a Carl Sagan.

They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.

posted by mccarty.tim at 6:09 AM on February 5, 2010 [6 favorites]

If 'tart' means 'slutty', how is it not an insult to a woman, to object to the word tart? Does this not simply reinforce the absurd victorian-era idea of women as not liking sex? Does this not suggest that being 'slutty' is somehow a bad thing?

Do any of you kids ever consider for one minute how this politically correct speech thing drives some of us older folks into fits, and even has been known to cause them to become (gasp) Republicans? Now get the flock of my politically incorrect lawn! (or I'm calling your mama... and I might use some politically incorrect words).
posted by Goofyy at 6:10 AM on February 5, 2010

Alice felt dreadfully puzzled. The Hatter's remark seemed to her to have no sort of meaning in it, and yet it was certainly English.
posted by one more dead town's last parade at 6:13 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

Somehow I feel like I should be making money off of these suckers. If they are going to scream and shriek, the least I could is lighten their wallets.
posted by yeti at 6:20 AM on February 5, 2010

Do any of you kids ever consider for one minute how this politically correct speech thing drives some of us older folks into fits,

Not just older folks. I mean, "tart for the tea party" is just a dumb joke riffing on the idea of a tea party. I might be against the use of the word "tart" in and of itself, but in this context, it's just a silly joke. Should we call her the "watercress sandwich for the tea party" instead? I mean, it's the same general theme, but just... not funny.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 6:42 AM on February 5, 2010

Scanning for maximum offense is the new tard.
posted by Burhanistan at 6:48 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

If 'tart' means 'slutty', how is it not an insult to a woman, to object to the word tart?

It means prostitute, as well. In fact, that definition seems to be more accurate than "slutty."

So let's substitute the word "whore" instead. See the problem?

Do any of you kids ever consider for one minute how this politically correct speech thing drives some of us older folks into fits, and even has been known to cause them to become (gasp) Republicans?

I'm pretty sure calling someone a whore has been an insult for far longer than Republicans existed. :)
posted by zarq at 7:02 AM on February 5, 2010

Libertarians are less shouty, and thus less interesting in parties or rallies. Their 2012 presidential frontrunner looks like a clothing dummy. This is not a man to lead a rebellion.

What a shame he didn't attend. I can see Mr. Root being very popular with the Teabaggers at the Gaylord Hotel.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:08 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

So let's substitute the word "whore" instead. See the problem?

Yes! Were we to say "She's like the whore for the tea party" that wouldn't MAKE ANY SENSE and would be incredibly insulting. But you don't serve whores at tea parties. You serve tarts. It's a dumb joke. Double entendre and all that.

I swear, you all could just suck the fun right out of a barrel of monkeys.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:22 AM on February 5, 2010 [3 favorites]

But you don't serve whores at tea parties.

I've made a huge mistake.
posted by ODiV at 7:39 AM on February 5, 2010 [16 favorites]

Not to Sarah Palin, at least. She recently called upon the president to "eliminate" Rahm Emanuel, due to Emanuel referring to liberals who were thinking about running ads against moderate democrats as "fucking retarded". Palin said that this was a "slur on all God’s children with cognitive and developmental disabilities – and the people who love them".

Of course, Sarah Palin has also said that some of the people leading the country today are scaring the heck out of her, because they want to turn the United States into a nation where you can't say politically incorrect things.

JFC, cognitive dissonance much?
posted by brand-gnu at 7:39 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm just gonna sit here until more video of this convention comes out. This is my Superbowl and it has no commercials - only word-meaning derails.
posted by The Whelk at 7:46 AM on February 5, 2010

I swear, you all could just suck the fun right out of a barrel of monkeys.

You don't suck FUN at a BARREL OF MONKEYS party!
posted by shmegegge at 7:56 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

We should start a beard party. While I was detained for two and a half hours entering the US from Canada and saw that every other male selected for scrutiny was, like me, a beardo, I envisioned BRO, the Bearded Rights Organization. Let's do this.
posted by generalist at 7:59 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

Beards over babies

Our party's mighty logo.
posted by The Whelk at 8:02 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yes! Were we to say "She's like the whore for the tea party" that wouldn't MAKE ANY SENSE and would be incredibly insulting. But you don't serve whores at tea parties. You serve tarts. It's a dumb joke. Double entendre and all that.

It's a dumb joke. It's a clever little dumb joke. That calling a woman a tart is kind of a shitty, dismissive thing to do in a lot of contexts doesn't make the joke not clever, but that the joke is clever doesn't make calling a woman a tart not a shitty, dismissive thing to do in a lot of contexts.

I'm not sure there's a cleancut resolution here. It's a clever little one-liner in context, but it's hardly being made in an Empowering Women's Sexual Autonomy context here or really in any other context that I can see besides "tart is a pun" and "let's make a joke at the expense of Palin's status as an attractive female in politics". The first part is classically defensible stupid mefi humor funtime, the latter part is kind of problematic no matter how you spin it.

You can think the joke's a bit clever and still be bothered by the fact that it was made.
posted by cortex at 8:12 AM on February 5, 2010 [3 favorites]

Do any of you kids ever consider for one minute how this politically correct speech thing drives some of us older folks into fits, and even has been known to cause them to become (gasp) Republicans?

If someone is going to change political parties and ally themselves with an entirely somewhat different set of policies and values just so they can continue to make fun of certain people, then that person is a fucking asshole.
posted by Saxon Kane at 8:14 AM on February 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

I actually did read it as "She's the whore at the tea party," and it does make sense because of her $100,000 speaking fee. I was really hoping that it wasn't meant that way, though. (As an aside, calling your opponent a prostitute is not unheard of in the political landscape.)

But I get that it was meant more as "she's like a snack at this meal."

Still, these are some lame derails. And they play right into the stereotype of the mamby-pamby overly politically correct liberals progressives. It was a clever wordplay, but otherwise, the words "tart" and "retard" shouldn't be used. There are much better words to describe Palin and the tea partiers, ones that don't insult people who trade sexual favors for money or the handicapped. It's not even so much that it's offensive, as just plain lazy.
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:29 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

I swear, you all could just suck the fun right out of a barrel of monkeys.

Does anybody else remember the barrel of monkeys game? Plastic brown barrel of monkeys, and the object was to reach in there and hook them arm to arm?
posted by fixedgear at 8:32 AM on February 5, 2010

Yeah, I had that barrel of monkeys toy. They were fun. Beat stealing your little sister's stuffed animals and playing tea party.
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:38 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

Is it still safe to use "to retard" as a verb?

Only if you're talking about the timing on your car's engine.
posted by notsnot at 8:41 AM on February 5, 2010

I have to say I agree with her on Rahm, but for different reasons.
posted by graventy at 9:19 AM on February 5, 2010

Someone more clever than me should rewrite the lyrics to TV Party for this occasion.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:23 AM on February 5, 2010

Ah, the Brits have it down with their Tarts & Vicars Parties.
posted by ericb at 9:32 AM on February 5, 2010

OK, so Chomsky says the left has failed, and the teabaggers hate the left as well, and Osama said in his recent tape that he agrees with Chomsky, so does that mean that Osama and the teabaggers are on the same page? I just get more and more confused.
posted by staggering termagant at 9:40 AM on February 5, 2010

Modulo choice of deity.
posted by Flunkie at 9:51 AM on February 5, 2010

It's a clever little one-liner in context, but it's hardly being made in an Empowering Women's Sexual Autonomy context here or really in any other context that I can see besides "tart is a pun" and "let's make a joke at the expense of Palin's status as an attractive female in politics". The first part is classically defensible stupid mefi humor funtime, the latter part is kind of problematic no matter how you spin it.

True, and I'm not disagreeing with plenty of problematic things being said about Palin, and as much as I really want to fight for the cause, the sensitivity on MeFi where any word that could in some context be problematic is automatically assumed to be so is rather exhausting. I'm not even the one who made the joke and it's tiring to read bad faith interpretations of it - that "tart" is always an offensive term, etc. Do we always have to be offended by anything that could be read as offensive?

I feel like in our attempts to be empowering to women, we're collectively edging closer and closer to feminist-lightbulb-that'snotfunny territory. It's true we've made progress in Empowering Women and making MeFi a more lady-friendly site, we've also upped the sensitivity dial to "ZOMG" more and more and I don't think bad-faith interpretations of jokes is helping the cause any more than the jokes themselves are.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 10:04 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm not even the one who made the joke and it's tiring to read bad faith interpretations of it - that "tart" is always an offensive term, etc.

I wonder how bad faith it really is, though. I think part of the joke is that the word is used as a double entendre. one entendre, if you will, is the tart as food thing and the other entendre, if you will, is the tart as slut or prostitute thing. tart's definitely cuter sounding, less hostile. but I think the basic underpinning is there, and that's what people are objecting to.

it sucks when what was probably just an unfortunate word choice gets people all GRAR, obviously, but I still think it was an unfortunate word choice because the word does have sexist connotations and history.

if we're, as a community, guilty of anything it's that when we see someone make a mistake we assume they're bad instead of just making a mistake. conversely, when we've made a mistake we're so concerned about being seen as bad that we don't even want to admit a mistake was made. reminds me of politics, actually. I think we'd be much better off if we could say things like "that's a kinda poor choice of words, actually" and "that WAS a poor choice of words. my bad. sorry about that. didn't mean to disparage anybody."
posted by shmegegge at 10:14 AM on February 5, 2010

Why "consumers"? How did that usage come about?

The previous word used in these settings was "patient," but that was deemed in inappropriate, since it implies some kind of illness, and some kind of cure.

My wife, who worked in one of these centers in Brooklyn, tells me that "consumer" was the term preferred by the consumers themselves. So, to bring this full circle, I have always imagined some kind of Convention of retarded delegates trying to hash this very point out, and then issuing an official proclamation: "Call us Consumers okay?"
posted by swift at 10:17 AM on February 5, 2010

It's true we've made progress in Empowering Women and making MeFi a more lady-friendly site, we've also upped the sensitivity dial to "ZOMG" more and more and I don't think bad-faith interpretations of jokes is helping the cause any more than the jokes themselves are.

If we're talking about the tart/tea party joke, I'm with Cortex on this: You can think the joke's a bit clever and still be bothered by the fact that it was made.

I despise Sarah Palin, and I am also not a Hilary supporter, but I'm not OK with sexist, gender oriented jokes about either one of them. MeFi is full of gifted wordsmiths, and there are plenty of ways to joke about and express serious emotions about women without using terms about them that equate to "whore." As I said initially, people are free to disagree and make all the offensive jokes they want, but I'm still going to call it out when I see it.

As for the "r" joke, I appreciate Joe Beese flagging the link. It is not a reference to nitwits or silly people, it is a purported reference to people with mental disabilities who support Palin. Ergo, the use of the term is offensive, because that context is offensive. Again, feel free to disagree and use all the offensive terms you want, but I'll feel free to criticize to when I read it.

My only real regret is that I didn't take this to MetaTalk where it probably belongs, as opposed to this thread about what the Tea Party folks are up to.
posted by bearwife at 10:20 AM on February 5, 2010

Prostitute may be one of the meanings of tart, but it's certainly not the only one. Has anyone every heard someone say, "She got into drugs and now she's a tart on the street?" No.

In practice I've seen it used much more often as something like, roughly, "sexually active woman of unrefined manners". Somewhere between "saucy" and "strumpet." Less harsh than slut, connoting "teasy, sporty, flirty" as well as "tawdry" and "lower class." Prostitute was a meaning in 1887 (the height of Victorian repression) but check out dictionary.com's entire etymology:

prostitute," 1887, from earlier use as a term of endearment to a girl or woman (1864), sometimes said to be a shortening of sweetheart. But another theory traces it to jam-tart (see tart (n.1)), which was British slang early 19c. for "attractive woman." To tart (something) up is from 1938
posted by msalt at 10:22 AM on February 5, 2010

chomskys correct, the left is offering them nothing but snark. They've nowhere else to go, really.
posted by sgt.serenity at 10:29 AM on February 5, 2010

the sensitivity on MeFi where any word that could in some context be problematic is automatically assumed to be so is rather exhausting.

I would argue this is some sort of counter-sensitivity in action; that characterization seems to be overblown pretty badly itself. It is not any kind of stretch to see calling Palin a tart as problematic, not least because in this case the joke makes no sense without the double entendre. If tart wasn't a jab at Palin's status as a dolled-up-female-spectacle in the current political context, we'd be talking about someone randomly interjecting a discussion of pastries apropos of nothing.

Which, as much as mefi loves pie, would not be unheard of in its own right, but I think it's ridiculous to try and argue that that happened here.

Again, I get the joke and I'm not assuming it was made with any sort of nasty deliberate sexist intent, but it's still an objectively kind of shitty direction to go in discursively, chuckle-worthy or not.
posted by cortex at 10:33 AM on February 5, 2010

chomskys correct, the left is offering them nothing but snark.

I don't know. The left seems to be offering them a sane health care plan, which seems like a big deal to me especially if you're unemployed and/or angry at monolithic corporations screwing you over.
posted by naju at 10:41 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

That would really make me happy, to see this bit of gay slang used ignorantly, in the public sphere, as a matter-of-fact name for a heterosexist and racist and classist and ant-intellectual movement.

Hey! Hey now. Ants are actually possess a very sophisticated social structure, and I think you're really being unfair to them by comparing their intellect to that of the Teabaggers.
posted by Caduceus at 10:49 AM on February 5, 2010

The previous word used in these settings was "patient," but that was deemed in inappropriate, since it implies some kind of illness, and some kind of cure.

My wife, who worked in one of these centers in Brooklyn, tells me that "consumer" was the term preferred by the consumers themselves. So, to bring this full circle, I have always imagined some kind of Convention of retarded delegates trying to hash this very point out, and then issuing an official proclamation: "Call us Consumers okay?"

Wait. That "consumers" thing wasn't a joke?

I...

I don't even know how to respond to that.
posted by Caduceus at 10:54 AM on February 5, 2010

If 'tart' means 'slutty', how is it not an insult to a woman, to object to the word tart?

Enter the proper terms into the internet search engines and one can find claims that Levi and Sarah had a go of it with cameras a rolling.
posted by rough ashlar at 11:32 AM on February 5, 2010

Flunkie: "If he gets these things, then apparently he will do his job of confirming or rejecting the president's nominees. Presumably."

This is potentially a gigantic blessing in disguise--it basically sets the narrative that the GOP has already excercised a form of the Nuclear Option (completely shutting down the nominee pipeline, for pork). Seems like a valid reason to take the filibuster away, since they're clearly interested in doing nothing but obstructing government business now.
posted by mullingitover at 11:48 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

grapefruitmoon, I get what you are saying (and don't mean to single you out, but you seem to get what I am thinking, but are saying it differently maybe), I think I see where you seem to be coming from, but I think that sometimes it is hard to respond solely "someone" on the internet making a 'joke', when you know that it's not just on the internet, but that there are a bunch of people in real life who use the same phrases (without thinking anymore than... "it's a word, stop word policing me")... I don't think anyone wants a word police, but calling out some usage of some derogatoryism is NOT the same as being a word police officer, seriously, and since it is as common as h2o to hear people using those words to mean "stupid"/something one dislikes or hates which can reasonably be seen to be a thinly hidden remembrance of "the good ol' days" when people (white) could "say what we wanted"; I mean, if someone started using the N word, I am fairly certain that it would be a thread calling it out as... um, just wrong. But calling out, does not equal saying "I am word police, Now be silent and read only words from this here approved list of thought material". (which is a nice cognitive dissonance, that people who like to be crappy to other people who happen to fit into some box of "type" of person use to gain the upper hand in an interaction with someone questioning a words usage). See, for example the people in the world saying, you liberals are too weak, you're a bunch of wimps who would cry if a feather fell into some mud, all the way to people saying that progressive liberals are oppressive word-police who are stealing their ability to make their 'favorite' holocaust 'joke'.
No, not so. We all have different paths to get to the point of realizing that words simply DO hold the power to make someone else FEEL crappy about how they ARE.

People can want to point out that some particular phrase, or word DOES actually impact the ability of a fellow person of our society to live safely, securely, and knowing that they aren't being excluded or marginalized from having a chance to participate in our society... and this is simply not a "weak" position, or ruinous to discourse... why feed that particular talking point (that one must be either a 'demo-wordnazi' or a 'weaklilliberal' if you dare to raise up your voice, or express that you give a carp how words and attitudes of public can have impact on the quality of life for our fellow human beings. {not being more empathetic than thou! We all have things to learn about how various things impact various people, Myself always included.})
See, this is why we can't have nice things Sarah Palin threads... There really are things to think about with social movements such as the one she is latched onto... but we have now spent 2 days eating our own tails, and all we have to show for it is the understanding that---

Chomsky sees a failure on the Left, Tea Partiers see evil in the "Left", Osama says he agrees with Chomsky... But we also see that the left doesn't really exist... at the same time as the 'right' is suggesting that ""left"" is running an all powerful uber-intelectual'leetist-fascistasocialistic neodymium battery brigade of all powerful democracy stealing... All of which means... well, I frankly don't know what to make of it, but the theory seems like it has potential to be expanded on... but all anyone can be left with... is a bad taste, and a headache.
_________________________________
One possible question is why the Left, center, center-left, independents and assorted non-affiliated individuals are not forming 'bizarro tea parties' (or Tea Parties, but more like tea parties were back when tea parties were invented) of their own (within a democratic structure, and in support of Mr. Obama, our advocate, who is ready willing and able, and simply needs us to show that we are willing to mobilize in support of the progressive action plan... ) y'know, getting large crowds of progressive supporters on tv (I know it sucks, but this is how, where and why change happens in Reality.), by getting into town halls and getting across that the "teaparty" is not a movement rising up and shrugging off some vile oppressor... but that in fact the "teapartiers" have BEEN IN POWER for the last decade. Or are we afraid that when this little moment is over that it will all go back to being fair and legitimate to call "libruls" and "wimpydemocrats" crazy again...So we better stay quiet, and not say anything at all... because that has basically been how it went for 30 years before this historical anomaly, where the media is for the first time daring to call the far right crazy. The ideas of the Progressive movement in the United States today ARE NOT CRAZY. They are desperately needed.
I see tea party this and that all over everywhere, tv, papers, radio, netwebs.. but almost nothing is coming out on the progressive side, nothing in terms of Marches on Washington to help EFFECT the change we voted for... I said it before, and will say it again, when did the battle for the values of progression of civil rights and liberties forget that the battle is not over the morning after the election. That is when the battle started. If We the People can't be arsed to mobilize... why should the major parties bother to listen to random individuals and pontificators, and opinionators explaining to us why we need some Public Health Care and insurance reform... There are probably about a thousand articles from thenewrepublic to harpers, to newspapers, about 12.2 trillion blogs, and beyond... each explaining clearly and concisely why the ideas that Mr. Obama came to Washington with were clearly VALUABLE, and deserved reasoned discussion, and swift implementation... yet because we are all a thousand different groups, each wanting to point out how annoying the other one is... we are failing to enact legislation that will save human peoples lives.

tl;dr. please, feel free to use any words, in any combination you like, but don't get mad if someone calls it out as not cool. (see, it's exactly the same in reverse... "I just want to say my ideas, but someone is telling me that my opposition to some word is "oppressive"... see... you want to control my words")... We are all the word police:)
The 'left' (dunno that this is an easily applicable term anymore) certainly IS offering a LOT more than just snark.
posted by infinite intimation at 12:22 PM on February 5, 2010

infinite intimation, dude, I'm sure you mean well, but your comments are freaking impossible for me to read. You need to use about half the words and write sentences of about half the length of most of those. Understand, this is coming from one of the wordiest motherfuckers on this site, at least when I'm trying to make a serious point. Also, more paragraph breaks and fewer randomly bolded words, please.
posted by Caduceus at 12:41 PM on February 5, 2010 [3 favorites]

I was listening to a piece about this on the radio and for the life of me couldn't remember what they were about, just that they never made a whole lot of sense and were being exploited by others. Seems like I remembered right
posted by Large Marge at 12:56 PM on February 5, 2010

Aw, come on guys, my comment above is comedy gold. I'm taking a cheap shot at the Tea Party, pointing out a typo, and sending up the derail about offensive terms all at the same time. It's a trifecta of MeFi snark trolling. I should be rolling in favorites by now.

Philistines.
posted by Caduceus at 1:25 PM on February 5, 2010

Cortex: You can think the joke's a bit clever and still be bothered by the fact that it was made.

That's pretty much how I felt about it.

grapefruitmoon, of course I understood what made the joke amusing. At the same time I see nothing wrong with answering someone who asks "what's the big deal?" when someone's been called a whore.

I swear, you all could just suck the fun right out of a barrel of monkeys.

*shrug* Humor that demeans others bugs me.
posted by zarq at 2:22 PM on February 5, 2010

The Tea Party opens on a note even more head-clutching than you might have expected.
posted by ardgedee at 2:39 PM on February 5, 2010 [6 favorites]

oh wow. HA hahahahahaha. oh shit. that's incredible.
posted by shmegegge at 2:46 PM on February 5, 2010

No, that's Tancredoble^TM.
posted by cortex at 3:18 PM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

The Tea Party opens on a note even more head-clutching than you might have expected.

THANK YOU for posting this. I sent that article link to a few reporter friends at the various national news networks, as well as a few producers I don't know personally at Olberman, Maddow and various CNN shows. I also sent it to NPR, the Daily Show and Colbert.

I'd honestly be thrilled if any of them covered it. Someone should show the nation just what the teabaggers are espousing.
posted by zarq at 3:47 PM on February 5, 2010 [3 favorites]

Oh boy. Rush Limbaugh's trollin' Palin.

Granted, Glenn Beck also tried that to no avail, so I guess an epic fight is too much to hope for. Although it does make Palin look like a hypocritical partisan idiot nincompoop.
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:48 PM on February 5, 2010

Wait. That "consumers" thing wasn't a joke?

No. But it's comedy gold!
posted by swift at 7:17 PM on February 5, 2010

Tangentially related, "Trust me, after taxes, a million dollars is not a lot of money," Steele said.

My theory: Republicans are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.

Re: "consumers" — it's a great term, because it's not going to be hijacked as an insult. The hullabaloo about "retarded" will not happen with "consumer" fifty years down the line.
posted by five fresh fish at 7:20 PM on February 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

it's a great term, because it's not going to be hijacked as an insult.

Mindless consumers?

This list of links don't portray consumers well. (I'm not going to make 'em links because, well, there are people marketing an anti-consumer message for consumption and if things get bad enough the term consumer will become a negative.)
www.philipgraves.net/To-Sell-More-Think-'Sheep'.html ? techliberation.com/2010/01/01/are-consumers-mindless-sheep/ ? smashgods.com/.../spreading-christmas-cheer-with-rev-billys-church-of-stop- shopping/
What Would Jesus Buy?
posted by rough ashlar at 6:53 AM on February 6, 2010

But the term "consumer" as a negative will apply to everyone, not just those who use social and health services. None of us is not a consumer, and it would take a radical change in our language to turn it into a pejorative against disadvantaged social/health services users.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:16 AM on February 6, 2010

I wonder about the timing of having the convention during Super Bowl weekend. It's like they didn't want full media scrutiny making it look like some sort of... What's the word I'm looking for? The thing with the easily impressed rubes, elephant shit and clowns. Oh yeah, circus.
posted by zinc saucier at 9:39 AM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Obama was elected because "we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country."

Is this the opposite of a dog-whistle? I would expect it only to register with people somewhat well-versed in civil rights history, i.e. the left. Did he only say this to piss off the left, or does it register with his audience just as well?
posted by creasy boy at 11:42 AM on February 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

So have the open crazy racists turned on the closeted crazy racists yet?
posted by Artw at 12:54 PM on February 6, 2010

Are these delegates real Americans if they're passing up the Superbowl to mope about an elected president, who won by both the popular vote and electoral college?

I understand that not everyone likes football, but to skip America's biggest sporting event, even on TV, strikes me as a stark desire to not assimilate with the native culture. If they don't respect the legitimacy/authority of the Commander in Chief, pay taxes, respect our holidays, and/or watch our football, how can we be expected to consider them citizens? I say we deport them to somewhere without government, and then name that country Reaganshire. That way, everyone wins.

BIZZAROLOUDOBBSBURGER

That said, these "patriots" really do strike me as the p-zombies of patriots. They've got all the demographic signs of being a stereotypical patriotic American (center-to-far right politics, Christian, wave the flag a lot), and yet they hate so much of what makes America a great nation (a birth certificate is more important than democracy? and what's with all the racism?).
posted by mccarty.tim at 1:18 PM on February 6, 2010

Oh boy. Birtherism on CSPAN. Keep it classy, tea party.
posted by mccarty.tim at 1:51 PM on February 6, 2010

Artw: Yep. I might just have to ask Comcast to hook the cable back up and hold an emergency "I don't get football, let's watch these Teabaggers instead" meetup party tomorrow. This is polititainment of the highest degree!
posted by mccarty.tim at 2:04 PM on February 6, 2010

clearly, there are a lot of mentally ill people... and (gak!) they vote enough to affect the outcome of elections.
posted by five fresh fish at 2:42 PM on February 6, 2010

And here we go, Palin starts...
posted by JoeXIII007 at 6:06 PM on February 6, 2010

....and?
posted by The Whelk at 6:43 PM on February 6, 2010

...ends. Nothing newsworthy of her speech tonight (IMHO). Same crap, different event.
posted by JoeXIII007 at 6:58 PM on February 6, 2010

Let's all pat each other on the back for not blowing $350 on it. I dare not say we're elites, but aren't we so much smarter than those who spent over half a grand to hear Birthers and Palin? We can now spend that money on something useful that will create jobs, like toilet paper or condoms. Much better than letting it sit in the tea party elites' bank accounts!
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:03 PM on February 6, 2010

Seems to me the teabaggers are engaged in magical thinking. Which is becoming a greater problem all the time. Homeopathics: magic. Antivac: magic. No taxes: magic. No gays: magic. Prosperity religion: magic.

Too many people want solutions that won't cost them, won't require personal effort and responsibility, won't require knowledge, thinking, foresight.

No wonder they're easy pickings for the crooked and power-seeking.
posted by five fresh fish at 7:44 PM on February 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

I saw this going around the blogs but until now I simply didn't believe it. Sarah Palin's crib notes. How embarrassing.
posted by scalefree at 9:18 AM on February 7, 2010 [2 favorites]

She should have done what Dusty Springfield did and cover her hands with the lyrics and disguise them via elaborate, expressive gestures.
posted by The Whelk at 9:19 AM on February 7, 2010

Oh Palin, you realize that you're allowed to bring note cards to an oral report, right?

I'm disappointed in you. See me after class.
posted by mccarty.tim at 9:30 AM on February 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

And in her speech she criticized Obama for using teleprompters.
posted by ericb at 9:36 AM on February 7, 2010

That's totally different! She's cleary ad-libbing off of her notes!
posted by Artw at 9:40 AM on February 7, 2010

Sarah Palin's crib notes.

She's having another baby on stage?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:27 AM on February 7, 2010

OK, even if she didn't write on her hand for a supposedly impromptu Q&A, how is using a teleprompter so different from using note cards, which she clearly had during her speech?
posted by zerbinetta at 11:31 AM on February 7, 2010

Can you imagine the wacky hijinx and hand puppetry if she did Question Time? Just sayin'
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:32 AM on February 7, 2010

Rahm Emanuel apologizes to Sarah Palin.
posted by homunculus at 12:44 PM on February 7, 2010

Can you imagine the wacky hijinx and hand puppetry if she did Question Time? Just sayin'

Palin: [sits on the floor of the stage, pulls off her shoe and holding her foot in her hands studies the sole for several moments then looks up at the audience] Seven, Alaska and 1989.
posted by scalefree at 12:55 PM on February 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

Note that she does not sweat.
posted by Artw at 2:09 PM on February 7, 2010

Blinking and breathing is easy enough to loop through the mechanics but the little things will give them away every time.

Ready the airlock.
posted by The Whelk at 2:17 PM on February 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

Note that she does not sweat.

Of course not, she glistens.
posted by drezdn at 6:19 PM on February 7, 2010

Ready the airlock.

Yes, Madame!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:48 PM on February 7, 2010

Yes, Madame!

*paces room, removes glasses, clicks tongue against teeth, breaks a pencil, burns one off*
posted by The Whelk at 8:02 PM on February 7, 2010

>>"retarded" and political correctness

The Justice Department's current job posting for Civil Rights lawyers specifically encourages mentally retarded applicants. And they didn't even use a politically sensitive term.

"The Civil Rights Division encourages qualified applicants with targeted disabilities to apply. Targeted disabilities are deafness, blindness, missing extremities, partial or complete paralysis, convulsive disorder, mental retardation, mental illness, severe distortion of limbs and/or spine."
posted by msalt at 11:14 AM on February 8, 2010

Jon Stewart did a nice job on all of this last night.
posted by bearwife at 10:31 AM on February 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Stewart was good but Colbert was nothing short of epic.
posted by scalefree at 12:50 PM on February 9, 2010

Man, notes on her hand? She makes a lot more sense if you realize that she's developmentally a 6th grader.
posted by Burhanistan at 12:57 PM on February 9, 2010

White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs Mocks Palin, Reads Grocery List Off His Hand.
posted by ericb at 3:05 PM on February 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

ingredients...to "make pancakes" for his son.
:D
But um, yeah, it kind of seems that Mr. Gibbs has been going for the position of Jokes-man in Chief lately... I don't think the spokesperson of our President, who is trying to get serious change moving along, and is clearly explaining things to the public... A President whose main goal (which he is doing very well with) is to "Firstly, change the tone of politics in Washington"; Mr. Gibbs is funny, don't get me wrong, no disagreement here... but America really needs him to be clear, concise, on point right now. Our President is speaking to Palin's "real-america" with respect, and dignity, and is trying to win people over... Mr. Spokesman, please be more serious... "Undecideds" and "Independents" do not find it funny... and judging by the misinformation that is rampant... it seems that the vital importance of the messages of the President is not getting through either.

(Recently saw another joke at the expense of someone else by him; this is not productive for such a position. Besides, what will Stewart have left in terms of material if Mr. Gibbs keeps using all the good ones first.)
posted by infinite intimation at 9:56 PM on February 9, 2010

Ron Paul: ‘Neocon influence’ is infiltrating tea parties
posted by homunculus at 8:34 AM on February 10, 2010

None of us is not a consumer

A double negative? Plenty of people have rejected the 'consumer culture' - Adbusters, the 'new' DYI push places like Make, the various back to the landers.

I'd have included you local anarchist group - cept the local one is being mocked for tyring to become a 501c3. Why? So they could throw better beer bashes, of course.

From a strict sense every thing that is "alive" is a consumer - be it photons and O2 if you are a plant, to plants to animals.

The 1st time I ever heard 'tea party' was in the forwarded stuff from the Ron Paul campaign for liberty ppl. And now - Paul's merry little band feels Ron was 'pushed out'.

Like many protests on, say labor issues attract 'free mumbi' - the tea parties have their group of crazies. If the tea parties didn['t exist a number of said creazies would be hanging onto the GOP...the ones who don't think that the GOP/Democrats are part of the problem.
posted by rough ashlar at 7:12 AM on February 11, 2010

Why Sarah Palin Is a Goddess
posted by homunculus at 8:36 AM on February 17, 2010

Real Time New Rules: The Tea Party Isn't a Movement, It's a Cult
posted by homunculus at 2:46 PM on February 20, 2010