Displaying comments 1 to 50 of 157
MeFi post:
Sarah Palin may be a better debater than you think
People seem to predict that she'll either crash and burn, or win with evil genius. My guess is she's a little more savvy than she seems.
I'm expecting to be annoyed, not horrified or entertained.
posted to MetaFilter by gesamtkunstwerk
at 4:14 PM on October 1, 2008
Incidentally, this piece by Matt Taibbi about Sarah Palin is fun.
posted to MetaFilter by Sticherbeast
at 4:21 PM on October 1, 2008
I think there's a lot of underestimating Biden going on as well...
posted to MetaFilter by billyfleetwood
at 6:08 PM on October 1, 2008
"Whenever I hear liberal hand-wringing, I figure the Obama team is either moving ahead or has an even shot"
This.
Obama's campaign has been quite stunning up until this point. It's not that they are smarter than the Republicans, they are smarter than the Democrats too.
posted to MetaFilter by fullerine
at 6:24 PM on October 1, 2008
Sarah Palin's Greatest Hits Reel.
posted to MetaFilter by stavrosthewonderchicken
at 7:36 PM on October 1, 2008
"If Sarah Palin were to become President, it would be nice if she had some idea of how our system of government is supposed to work. In that light, consider the bit about whether there is an inherent right to privacy in the Constitution. Palin says yes, which is odd, since as Couric points out, that right is central to Roe v. Wade........
If there is a right to privacy in the US Constitution, then protecting it is a federal issue. It has to be. You just cannot say... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by poxuppit
at 9:26 PM on October 1, 2008
We don't know that racism is why he won't even look at Obama, true. He may just be a really poor sport.
But google "McCain racist" and you'll come up with some disturbing shit.
A retired Naval officer who says he served with McCain in the Navy says he treated black sailors with disrespect and scorn. McCain refuses to release his detailed military record and some sources say that record includes incidents that include... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by orange swan
at 6:05 AM on October 2, 2008
Palin Says She's Eager To Debate Since Media Has Been 'Censoring' Her
Katie Couric's just been giving her tons of rope and letting her hang herself. She'd be much better off if they had been censoring her.
For example, they could've cut off her weird out-of-the-blue defensive tangent about Alaska not being a foreign country when Couric asked her about newspapers. Couric's been doing a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by kirkaracha
at 8:50 AM on October 2, 2008
In fact, Palin would've come off better if she had farted.
I will write in Sarah Palin for President if she lets one rip in the debates. Especially if she responds to the shocked stares of Biden and Ifill with a total "fuck you" look and a shrug.
I reckon she thought the question was a trap, and hesitated to commit to a certain newspaper.
Indeed. My feeling is that... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Sticherbeast
at 9:01 AM on October 2, 2008
It's official; I despise her. She's the high school cheerleader running for student council who gets up in front of the school and talks about shorter class times, longer lunch periods and more pep rallies but has absolutely no clue of how to provide that.
posted to MetaFilter by Ugh
at 6:40 PM on October 2, 2008
I would have liked for Biden to respond to one of the moderator's questions by saying something like, "Interesting question. I would like to talk about {the conflict in Georgia/minimum wage/the price of tea in China}. Is that okay?" And then let it actually hang in the air. Make the moderator respond.
I would have liked to see him respond to one of Palin's answers -- particularly the one that included her statement that she would not be giving answers to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by flarbuse
at 1:05 AM on October 3, 2008
Well it is obvious now why she took exception to Obama's statement that it is patriotic to pay your taxes.
posted to MetaFilter by Secret Life of Gravy
at 6:46 PM on October 3, 2008
Never mind that, depending on which calculations you believe, Todd n' Sarah pay between a 10 percent and 15% federal tax rate.
How come that pleez?
Plus Alaska actually gives you money back. So she's got a negative state tax burden. She has a fat lot of nerve standing up for supposedly overtaxed Americans. I know my overall tax rate is a lot higher than that.
Hypocrisy is so folksy.
posted to MetaFilter by fourcheesemac
at 6:36 PM on October 3, 2008
But apparently a lot of people find Sarah Palin stimulating to look at. De gustibus etc.
Those people must be watching with the mute button on. She sounds like the mom from Life With Louie.
All of that folksy shit -- the winks, you betcha, dont'cha know, well gosh -- dilutes the perception of her power with that demographic, and when you combine that with the glossy up-do-and-heels package that she presents, you... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing
at 7:19 AM on October 4, 2008
DNC has a new ad, totally nails McCain to the wall. Watch this. (YouTube)
posted to MetaFilter by fourcheesemac
at 2:28 PM on October 5, 2008
[comment removed - please keep this from being a "fuck you, no fuck YOU" thread about the election. If you have issues with a particular poster, MetaTalk or email are your options. If you hate everyone here, you are welcome to not be here.]
posted to MetaFilter by jessamyn
at 9:55 AM on October 6, 2008
I'm holding off any cheering until it becomes apparent how the upcoming shitfest is going to poll.
posted to MetaFilter by Artw
at 10:34 AM on October 6, 2008
Justinian, that's why I brought up the Israel example - because while people were using the harshest, vilest rhetoric possible to attack political opponents, the politicians themselves remained silent. People would come to Netanyahu and Likud rallies and villify Rabin in the most grotesque ways, and Netanyahu never said a word. When the unthinkable happened and Rabin was killed, there was a lot of public hand-wringing and finger-pointing towards those people who were in a position to tone down... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by fingers_of_fire
at 8:13 PM on October 6, 2008
MeFi post:
Sarah Palin's Poujadist Agenda
Things one ought to know if one has Presidential aspirations:
* American and world history - to avoid past mistakes.
*Geography
* Names of current heads of state, VIPs, etc. - having met some in person can't hurt.
* Rhetoric, as in logical reasoning/debating
* Current events
* Economics, particularly comparisons between 20th-century systems.
* Enough science to make informed decisions about the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by AppleSeed
at 7:06 PM on October 4, 2008
Palin isn't stupid. She's not a "soccer mom." She's not "folksy. She is not "cute" or a "sexy librarian." She is Evil.
It is always a mistake to confuse stupidity for evil. It lends an air of menace to what is, in fact, pitiful. It gives more power to those who are unqualified to wield it. And it allows us to hate, which makes us into a mirror image of those we accuse.
posted to MetaFilter by stavrosthewonderchicken
at 5:53 PM on October 5, 2008
MeFi post:
Because there are more important things to do on Friday night
I'm voting for Obama and I think that rescheduling the Obama/McCain debate is an EXCELLENT idea.
Let's switch it to Biden and Palin this Friday night. McCain and Obama can keep the foreign policy debate first and the economy debate last, but move all of their debates til later.
Biden's ready to debate. And it sounds like Sarah "I'm ready for the VP job" Palin must be as well.
Yes?
posted to MetaFilter by jeanmari
at 12:34 PM on September 24, 2008
This is an opportunity for both candidates to prove they care more about the nation than themselves. I personally think both will step up to the plate.
You... show up in these threads just to say ridiculous things, don't you?
posted to MetaFilter by kbanas
at 12:43 PM on September 24, 2008
I will pay someone cash money to have this political thread not be about konolia.
posted to MetaFilter by Bookhouse
at 12:53 PM on September 24, 2008
It makes much more sense for them to be in DC full time this week representing their future potential administrations in this discussion.
This will be the most important piece of legislation from this Congress, and I damn well want my senator there paying attention and taking a role.
But there's nothing for them to DO right now...other than make the phone calls and write the emails that they can do anywhere.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Miko
at 1:52 PM on September 24, 2008
another tactic to keep the actual policies of the McPalin camp out of the media. Maybe he'll show up but only allow the press to be there for 29 seconds.
posted to MetaFilter by noriyori
at 2:11 PM on September 24, 2008
How can we get interviewers over here to do that?
Taxpayer-funded media.
posted to MetaFilter by Combustible Edison Lighthouse
at 7:02 AM on September 25, 2008
Surely she must have some competency somewhere?
Hasn't the last 8 years taught you that competency is not a prerequisite for executive office?
posted to MetaFilter by Pollomacho
at 11:25 AM on September 25, 2008
snsranch: All I can hope for is that minority Americans come out and vote like they never have before and end this.
My fear? Replay of 2004.
That's an understandable fear to have, especially since McCain's campaign has become eerily familiar over the last couple of months. Some people are clearly getting that sinking feeling they got in 2004 when they realized that "It's just so stupid it just might work" turned out... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by joedan
at 9:54 AM on September 26, 2008
It seems to me that the McCain camp would very much like a do-over on the VP selection, but they know that if they dump Palin now it will definitely be over.
Perhaps, but to be fair, go back in time to the Thursday night of Obama's acceptance speech, which even the likes of Pat Buchanan loved. If McCain had come out the next day with Lieberman or Romney as VP pick, that Obama suge would have steamrolled McCain anyway. Remember the *only* excitement... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Rumple
at 12:45 PM on September 27, 2008
Myron Pitts in the Fayetteville Observer (yes, that Fayetteville) takes Palin down.
The blame for putting up this unqualified VP pick is squarely on John McCain, who put winning an election before his country. His slogan, “Country First,” could not possibly be more empty.
And from the comments, a new nickname ("June Cleavage") and this: "Sarah Palin is as witless and disoriented as a cockroach on a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by fourcheesemac
at 4:33 AM on September 29, 2008
EarBucket, that article reflects my deepest hope, but at the same time, I cringe reading it, seeing it put into print, because I am so completely and irrationally superstitious about this election that I'm deathly afraid of anything tipping the balance back towards McCain.
Put it another way: I feel like I'm in the bottom of the eighth of a no-hitter, and I hear someone behind me starting to say that that, oh look, the other team still hasn't scored and they haven't... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by shiu mai baby
at 8:01 AM on September 29, 2008
Couric v. Palin on the newspapers she supposedly reads.
OK, now I'm convinced Governor Palin doesn't know what the word "specific" means.
posted to MetaFilter by kirkaracha
at 6:45 PM on September 30, 2008
I think the Obama camp should suggest that Ifill be pulled and replaced with Katie Couric.
posted to MetaFilter by EarBucket
at 12:19 PM on October 1, 2008
MeFi post:
It's not the economy, stupid.
McCain's right! What a fucking waste of money. We could fund killing Iraqis for an additional sixteen whole minutes* with this money! Meanwhile, what the hell has science ever done for us?
*: Well, almost sixteen.
posted to MetaFilter by Flunkie
at 5:53 AM on September 29, 2008
MeFi post:
Oh sh*t.
my god - it's like tourette's syndrome with buzzwords
posted to MetaFilter by pyramid termite
at 12:38 AM on September 26, 2008
The average of the not-institutionalized population is probably more like 110 or even 120
That's a comforting belief, but it's not supported by the numbers.
About 40% of the populace has an IQ between 100 and 120. Another 40% is between 80 and 100. You can't shift the peak of the bell curve to anywhere near 120 by disregarding a couple percent of institutionalized dims.
The average IQ of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by flabdablet
at 8:02 AM on September 26, 2008
Why don't they want someone smarter than they in the White House?
One theory? They don't trust people they percieve as smarter than them. I've occasionaly got that feeling when dealing with really smart people, that they're either putting one over on me or snickering behind my back. Maybe somewhere in people's heads, there's this primeval aversion to know-it-alls.
Anecdotally: I'm a lot smarter than my stepmother and her kids.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by grapefruitmoon
at 9:28 AM on September 26, 2008
After watching this video, I was hyperventilating in terror at the idea that this person could actually end up in charge.
Then I had an idea, it was so beautiful that I suddenly feel filled with happy warmth and I'm going to use this forum as an opportunity to suggest it to the Obama administration should they win.
Hire Palin.
Employ her as an adjunct foreign policy consultant. Send her into a country when they are... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by quin
at 11:22 AM on September 26, 2008
I actually feel terribly sorry for Bristol Palin. She's still a child herself, and her mother's willingness to subject her to international scrutiny, combined with the McCain campaign's seeming eagerness to exploit her, is simply stomach-churning.
YES! That's what I think repels me the most about this person. Imagine being a teenage girl who gets pregnant by your boyfriend in a small town in rural America. Your mom decides to run for vice president... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing
at 11:55 AM on September 28, 2008
MeFi post:
Bottoms up
Well, the sourcing on the gorilla joke and the "cunt" comment is shakier than I'd like. Regardless, even if they're true, there's a big step from there to telling a stranger you hate one of your children. The joke is super tasteless, but I could imagine someone thinking it's funny. Calling your wife a cunt is awful, but it's the kind of thing some people do when they lose their temper. Calling one of your children "that black thing" and saying you hate her to some stranger... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by EarBucket
at 7:03 PM on September 27, 2008
MeFi post:
The Wars of John McCain
Yep, he did. Sorry to say that, as I'm definitely more of an Obama fan, but I think McCain did a much better job of tying his talking points up into neat little packages. Sure, they were packages of mischaracterizations and sometimes absolute bullshit, but, as we've seen, many of the American people are far too ready to accept a turd, as long as it's been nicely polished for them. Especially when it's been polished using the American flag.
I do hope that Obama will learn... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by armoir from antproof case
at 7:45 PM on September 26, 2008
MeFi post:
Palin, pancakes, and the straight talk express
But Iran doesn't give a crap about the WTO, economic investments and normal diplomatic relations.
It only cares about wiping Israel off the map.
Also, they wear bones in their noses and call airplanes BIG SILVER SKY BIRD.
posted to MetaFilter by Lentrohamsanin
at 1:39 PM on September 19, 2008
The Bush Legacy: Need $700 Billion For Bailout... Taliban Thriving In Afghanistan... Bailout Cost $1 Trillion... Iraq Over $1 Trillion... Treasury Secretary: "Financial Security Of All Americans Depends On Our Ability To Restore Our Financial Institutions" ... 4161 Soldiers Killed In Iraq...
Four more years! Four more years!!!... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ericb
at 11:29 AM on September 20, 2008
Didn't Sean Hannity interview her this week?
No one said that Palin was refusing to take questions from lapdogs. What she won't talk to is the press.
posted to MetaFilter by scody
at 11:57 AM on September 20, 2008
McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.
Shouldn't they have thought of that, you know, before they PUT HER ON THE FUCKING TICKET?!
posted to MetaFilter by mothershock
at 2:39 PM on September 20, 2008
Marisa, if you spent as much time noticing that some folks feel insulted when told they are stupid for having their opinions (Republicans) as you do insinuating that I'm slagging urbanites, you might understand what it is I am trying to say here.
Okay, I'll come right out and say it. The opinions that Republicans hold? Stupid.
It is unfortunate that abortions occur and you believe them to be murder. But they are not going to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Deathalicious
at 10:33 PM on September 22, 2008
Well, well. George Will expands on his scathing indictment of John McCain's temperament on This Week (ABC, linked above). Now he's got a column in the Washington Post
Money quote:
Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama.
When the GOP loses George Will, all hell is about to break... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by fourcheesemac
at 7:14 AM on September 23, 2008
MeFi post:
Active Army unit to be stationed within US
So .... let me get this straight ...
We're short on National Guard troops here in the States, the folks who are meant to help us in times of disaster, because they're over in the Middle East.
So to address this, we're going to station active Army units in the United States.
Really?
posted to MetaFilter by grabbingsand
at 7:12 AM on September 24, 2008
MeTa post:
Obama and abortion
Apologies for that, jacalata. I guess that The Thread has eaten up so much of my machine's processing power that Son Of The Thread seems absolutely speedy by comparison. Also it seemed a bit tricky quoting him when he was already quoting someone else, etc.
Here's jonp72's comment in full:
* * *
the biggest problem that pro life people have with Obama: the fact that he voted against a law that sought equal... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Rhaomi
at 4:00 AM on September 21, 2008
