Popdose: Elephant Walk: Swamping the GOP | Popdose
eric
· 1 year ago
I will try to ignore the grand old old old old party convention just as I ignored the anointing of the messiah convention (except for reading the speeches -- I read Michelle's and am still trying to get through BO's).
I would only note here that I don't think you can possibly out-snark Christopher Buckley's "Op-Art" piece on the NYTimes website, his "Republican Convention Schedule." What a hoot!
I assumed Buckley (like father William F.) was a Republican, but from this he appears to be more of an independent died-in-the-wool cynic, with which I can be strongly sympathetic. That impression would be reinforced by the black comedy Thank You For Smoking, based on his novel.
I would like to hear more of this "full throated" defense of Creationism. I'm full-throated myself, however, I think even an agnostic can come to a position of derisive doubt about Darwinism. My best friend abandoned religion a decade ago, but still guffaws at the outlandish claims of modern evolutionists. A good example of this line of logical thought is presented here:
However, the campaign is surely not going to hinge on the religious beliefs of materialist Darwinists or Christians about origins. What we all want now is the dirt on Palin's 17-year old daughter being pregnant, right? Yeah, that's the burning issue about which enquiring minds want to know!
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
Buckley's snark is funny, but not all that original. I actually prefer this one, which I received in an e-mail in 2004:
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION SCHEDULE September 2, 2004 6:00 PM Opening Prayer, led by the Rev. Jerry Falwell 6:30 PM Pledge of Allegiance 6:35 PM Burning of Bill of Rights (excluding 2nd amendment) 6:45 PM Salute to the Coalition of the Willing 6:46 PM Seminar #1: Getting Your Kid A Military Deferment" 7:30 PM First Presidential Beer Bong 7:35 PM Serve Freedom Fries 7:40 PM EPA Address #1: "Mercury, It's What's for Dinner" 8:00 PM Vote on which country to invade next 8:10 PM Call EMTs to revive Rush Limbaugh 8:15 PM John Ashcroft Lecture: "The Homos Are After Your Children" 8:30 PM Roundtable discussion on reproductive rights (MEN only) 8:50 PM Seminar #2: "Corporations: The Government of the Future" 9:00 PM Condoleeza Rice sings "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" 9:05 PM Second Presidential Beer Bong 9:10 PM EPA Address #2: "Trees: The Real Cause of Forest Fires" 9:30 PM Break for secret meetings 10:00 PM Second prayer, led by Cal Thomas 10:15 PM Lecture by Karl Rove: "Doublespeak Made Easy" 10:30 PM Rumsfeld demonstration: How to squint and talk macho 10:35 PM Bush demonstration of trademark deer in headlights stare 10:40 PM John Ashcroft demonstrates new mandatory Kevlar chastity belt 10:45 PM Clarence Thomas reads list of Black Republicans 10:46 PM Third Presidential Beer Bong 10:50 PM Seminar #3: "Education: A Drain on Our Nation's Economy" 11:10 PM Hillary Clinton Piñatas 11:20 PM Second John Ashcroft Lecture:"Evolutionists — The Dangerous New Cult" 11:30 PM Call EMTs to revive Rush Limbaugh again 11:35 PM Blame Clinton 11:40 PM Laura serves milk and cookies 11:50 PM Closing Prayer, led by Jesus 12:00 AM Nomination of George W. Bush as Holy Supreme Planetary Overlord
As for Creationism and You...I have nothing to say.
Allen
· 1 year ago
Extremely well written. Just enough snark and insight. Are you planning to update with the news that "Family Values" Palin who preached abstinence can't even get her own daughter to keep her pants on?
Darren
· 1 year ago
Don't forget Troopergate...two scandals and this is just her first week as a candidate. Nicely done, GOP!
Well, now that you mention it...actually, I could hardly say it better than you did, so thanks. The hypocrisy boggles the mind.
I caught an early wind of the other rumor, which was an extraordinarily imaginative story despite its apparent falsehood. What I would like to hear is a truthful, verified account of Trig's birth, which by the accounts I've heard sounds like a miasma of poor decision-making and Brit-like irresponsibility on Palin's part.
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
BTW, the money quote in this fiasco is from Palin's statement: "We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents." Bristol's "DECISION" to have her baby? Dear Sarah, isn't it your stated intention and policy to deprive American women of the right to make any such "decision"? Will anyone in the media or among the Democrats force her to explain this statement?
Darren
· 1 year ago
It's a Jamie Lynn world we live in.
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
Clearly, McCain's vetting process is as thorough and exhaustive as George W.'s.
Ted
· 1 year ago
The Veep selection has really grown in stature due in no small part to the imperial vice presidency of Dick Cheney, so it's no small wonder why the VP selection is a big deal these days.
But it wasn't always so...
I was looking for quotes from U.S. vice presidents about how they view the office (I used to have a bunch collected for an American politics class I used to teach, but I can't seem to locate it). Anyway, found one of the more famous ones on Widipedia by John Garner who said the vice presidency was "not worth a bucket of warm piss."
Well, it seems it is worth a bucket of warm piss these days considering how much face time Palin is getting. Indeed, it's almost like the ticket reads "Palin/McCain" the way the media is covering it.
Dan
· 1 year ago
Most people don't care about what VPs do when they are VPs. Cheney is an aberration (in more ways than one). It is the possibility of the president dying and the VP becoming the P. And with a 73 + year old president, that is a huge possibility.
ozarkmatt
· 1 year ago
Good job, just what I hoped to get from you guys. Keep it up!
jon
· 1 year ago
A couple of things - First, the Hammer/Sickle doesn't make sense as they refer to a Left-Wing Communist, possibly Socialist, system. The Democrats are the Left Wing. If you're going to comment on politics that would be something you'd learn in the intro class.
Another related fact is that the Republican party was much more adamant about the crimes of the Soviet Union and how we should react to them. The Democrats mostly advocated appeasement and the 'moral equivalency' idea - ie 'Our system is just as bad as, if not worse than, theirs.'
Secondly, your criticism of Palin and her not taking care of the child full-time. Aren't you applying sexist attitudes by assuming that the female parent should be home taking care of things? Why couldn't the father help take care of the child? To use a common criticism hurled by some - 'Get out of the 1950's!'
It's your blog and your forum, but getting facts right and being consistent are important. I'm sure you agree.
Darren
· 1 year ago
Um, unless dad wants to breast feed, it isn't so sexist to believe she belongs at home caring for her child. Screw maternity leave, lets run for VP!
jon
· 1 year ago
Hey Darren - Thanks for the reply. I'm no expert, but I believe mothers can now produce & store their milk for later use. Please correct me if I'm wrong. As far as maternity leave - she had the baby in April. Her run for VP didn't start until last month, August. That's approx 4 months, which would put her out of the 'Maternity Leave' limit. Interesting that the sides seem to have switched as far as the roles of mothers, staying home, etc in this debate. At least in some ways.
Kind of like the 2000 election when Democrats cited States Rights and Republicans suddenly got behind Federal Power.
all the best Jon
Darren
· 1 year ago
Hi Jon--
I dunno, man. I think the fact that employers decide the maternity leave limit is beyond wrong and indicative of a country that has severely lost the plot. Why are our kids all idiots these days? Because we put them in daycare where they are exposed to other little devils and come home able to curse in three languages before they've hit kindergarten. Then, of course, we leave them alone all day after school to get into as much trouble as they can without their parents finding out. No accountability and, thus, you have the Juno scenario spreaking like wildfire and parents like Palin afraid to admit they fucked up or that there's a problem.
Palin will do nothing but legitimize something that most parents would be (rightfully) embarrassed about .
It's sad to say it but my generation suck as parents.
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
Ted will have to answer the first part of your comment, concerning the logo. As to the second part, PLEASE don't demand "facts" and consistency when you're sitting there parroting decades-old Republican BS about combating the Soviet Union. What idiot taught you that Democrats advocated "appeasement"? Was it George Kennan, the Democrat who created the idea of containment that dominated our foreign policy (Republican and Democrat) for 40 years? Was it LBJ or MacNamara, who were so hellbent on "appeasement" that they whipped up the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and escalated the Vietnam War? Was it Jimmy Carter, who reacted to the invasion of Afghanistan by boycotting the '80 Olympics? Get your head out of your talking-point ass.
As for Palin, her husband and her Down Syndrome baby, you're launching accusations of sexism and asking "Why couldn't the father help take care of the child?" at someone who abandoned my career twice to take care of my children while my wife pursues her career. HOWEVER, my wife took as much maternity leave as possible with our completely healthy children--longer than four months on each occasion--and then returned to work on a reduced schedule.
I've been out of the '50s for a while. (In fact, I was never in them.) And while I have nothing (much) against Palin having returned to work quickly as governor of Alaska (which I imagine can be handled as a 9-to-5 job when necessary), I question her priorities in the current circumstances.
jon
· 1 year ago
Hey Jon Cummings -
First, I certainly did not know of your taking time off to take care of your children. I greatly admire that and would never criticize your decision to do that. Quite the contrary. You obviously take your parenting seriously and I respect that.
I did read your thoughts on Palin remaining home, however, as a startling assertion from someone to the left of center. Perhaps I read it wrong, but that's how I read it.
As far as appeasement, I was thinking of FDR at Yalta, as well, as some instances afterward. I was also thinking of the wholesale takeover of Eastern Europe that went on without a real response from our side (Truman).
LBJ is a good example for your side, but he was an aberration and he lost all support from his party because of it. I wouldn't say that the Democrats were behind the Vietnam War or an agressive stance against Communist gains in Asia.
As for Carter's Olympics Boycott, that was a feeble response. It cost the Soviet Union nothing and only hurt the US athletes who would've competed. It didn't even serve as an effective piece of PR.
A main turning point of the Soviet Union's power and stability - in addition to their faltering economy - was the Afghanistan War. The movers behind that were Reagan and people like Charley Wilson. Wilson was yet another Democrat who acted against the rest of his party, which made his efforts all the more remarkable.
Lastly, before you bring out the Cuban Missile Crisis - it has emerged recently that JFK made a secret deal with Khruschev to take out our missiles from Turkey in exchange for ending their missile installments in Cuba. JFK did not face down the USSR, despite what we were all told for almost 40 years.
Again, I want to state that I meant no disrespect to you personally as a father. It must have been difficult to take time off not only once, but twice. Still, I'm sure you did it knowing it was the right thing to do.
I'm going to stick my head back into my talking-point ass now. ;)
all the best Jon
JonCummings
· 1 year ago
I didn't take the slightest offense to the sexism bit...but the "appeasement" stuff is very offensive. I can't remember the last time anyone held Republicans responsible for the America First movement, though they certainly were isolationist during the late '30s and until 12/7/41.
Roosevelt and Churchill had no leverage over Stalin at Yalta--would you suggest that the US and UK should have fought their way through the Soviet Army that had occupied Eastern Europe by '45? Truman (and Kennan, as I said before) deserve credit for creating the containment policy that Dems and Republicans alike followed throughout the Cold War. JFK's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis has gone into history as his finest moment--and everyone knows by now that those missiles were being taken out of Turkey anyway (didn't you see Thirteen Days?).
As for LBJ and Carter, I didn't say they did the SMART thing or the RIGHT thing, but you can't call them appeasers.
You clearly share the goofy opinion that Reagan's "brilliance" in defense-spending us nearly into oblivion was single-handedly responsible for destroying the Soviet Union, and that Democrats were "weak" for wanting to limit that spending and cool down Reagan's rhetoric. Well, you can hero-worship Reagan all you want, but the Soviets did themselves in far more than anything Reagan accomplished.
As for Palin, I'm the farthest thing from a barefoot-and-pregnant sexist when it comes to these issues, but I still question her judgment in the circumstances in which she's placed herself.
Ted
· 1 year ago
Re: The logo...it's always a bad sign when you have to explain an image. Jon, I would say don't be such a literalist when reading symbols. :--)
DavidMedsker
· 1 year ago
Curiously, my bullet point-spouting Republican friends have been mum about this whole baby business, though one of them said it was another example of Palin sticking to her beliefs...except that this isn't really her decision, it's her daughter's. Not that her daughter really has a choice in the matter, which is what made the pro-life spin in their statement so galling.
Meanwhile, no one speaks of how Palin failed her daughter by not teaching her anything about safe sex. Or no sex. Huh.
As for Troopergate (hadn't heard about that one yet), hey, what's the point in having power if you're not going to use it for personal, petty means? :)
A cute young Obama supporter came by my house the other day, wearing the ugliest dress I've ever seen. They need to do something about that, because they're sending a bad, anti-fashion message by setting these people loose on the streets.
All Comments
I would only note here that I don't think you can possibly out-snark Christopher Buckley's "Op-Art" piece on the NYTimes website, his "Republican Convention Schedule." What a hoot!
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/01/o...
I assumed Buckley (like father William F.) was a Republican, but from this he appears to be more of an independent died-in-the-wool cynic, with which I can be strongly sympathetic. That impression would be reinforced by the black comedy Thank You For Smoking, based on his novel.
I would like to hear more of this "full throated" defense of Creationism. I'm full-throated myself, however, I think even an agnostic can come to a position of derisive doubt about Darwinism. My best friend abandoned religion a decade ago, but still guffaws at the outlandish claims of modern evolutionists. A good example of this line of logical thought is presented here:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/reed/reed59.html
However, the campaign is surely not going to hinge on the religious beliefs of materialist Darwinists or Christians about origins. What we all want now is the dirt on Palin's 17-year old daughter being pregnant, right? Yeah, that's the burning issue about which enquiring minds want to know!
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION SCHEDULE
September 2, 2004
6:00 PM Opening Prayer, led by the Rev. Jerry Falwell
6:30 PM Pledge of Allegiance
6:35 PM Burning of Bill of Rights (excluding 2nd amendment)
6:45 PM Salute to the Coalition of the Willing
6:46 PM Seminar #1: Getting Your Kid A Military Deferment"
7:30 PM First Presidential Beer Bong
7:35 PM Serve Freedom Fries
7:40 PM EPA Address #1: "Mercury, It's What's for Dinner"
8:00 PM Vote on which country to invade next
8:10 PM Call EMTs to revive Rush Limbaugh
8:15 PM John Ashcroft Lecture: "The Homos Are After Your Children"
8:30 PM Roundtable discussion on reproductive rights (MEN only)
8:50 PM Seminar #2: "Corporations: The Government of the Future"
9:00 PM Condoleeza Rice sings "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man"
9:05 PM Second Presidential Beer Bong
9:10 PM EPA Address #2: "Trees: The Real Cause of Forest Fires"
9:30 PM Break for secret meetings
10:00 PM Second prayer, led by Cal Thomas
10:15 PM Lecture by Karl Rove: "Doublespeak Made Easy"
10:30 PM Rumsfeld demonstration: How to squint and talk macho
10:35 PM Bush demonstration of trademark deer in headlights stare
10:40 PM John Ashcroft demonstrates new mandatory Kevlar chastity belt
10:45 PM Clarence Thomas reads list of Black Republicans
10:46 PM Third Presidential Beer Bong
10:50 PM Seminar #3: "Education: A Drain on Our Nation's Economy"
11:10 PM Hillary Clinton Piñatas
11:20 PM Second John Ashcroft Lecture:"Evolutionists — The Dangerous New Cult"
11:30 PM Call EMTs to revive Rush Limbaugh again
11:35 PM Blame Clinton
11:40 PM Laura serves milk and cookies
11:50 PM Closing Prayer, led by Jesus
12:00 AM Nomination of George W. Bush as Holy Supreme Planetary Overlord
As for Creationism and You...I have nothing to say.
Are you planning to update with the news that "Family Values" Palin who preached abstinence can't even get her own daughter to keep her pants on?
http://hesawhore.blogspot.com/2008/09/this-pali...
I caught an early wind of the other rumor, which was an extraordinarily imaginative story despite its apparent falsehood. What I would like to hear is a truthful, verified account of Trig's birth, which by the accounts I've heard sounds like a miasma of poor decision-making and Brit-like irresponsibility on Palin's part.
But it wasn't always so...
I was looking for quotes from U.S. vice presidents about how they view the office (I used to have a bunch collected for an American politics class I used to teach, but I can't seem to locate it). Anyway, found one of the more famous ones on Widipedia by John Garner who said the vice presidency was "not worth a bucket of warm piss."
Well, it seems it is worth a bucket of warm piss these days considering how much face time Palin is getting. Indeed, it's almost like the ticket reads "Palin/McCain" the way the media is covering it.
It is the possibility of the president dying and the VP becoming the P. And with a 73 + year old president, that is a huge possibility.
Another related fact is that the Republican party was much more adamant about the crimes of the Soviet Union and how we should react to them. The Democrats mostly advocated appeasement and the 'moral equivalency' idea - ie 'Our system is just as bad as, if not worse than, theirs.'
Secondly, your criticism of Palin and her not taking care of the child full-time. Aren't you applying sexist attitudes by assuming that the female parent should be home taking care of things? Why couldn't the father help take care of the child? To use a common criticism hurled by some - 'Get out of the 1950's!'
It's your blog and your forum, but getting facts right and being consistent are important. I'm sure you agree.
Thanks for the reply. I'm no expert, but I believe mothers can now produce & store their milk for later use. Please correct me if I'm wrong. As far as maternity leave - she had the baby in April. Her run for VP didn't start until last month, August. That's approx 4 months, which would put her out of the 'Maternity Leave' limit. Interesting that the sides seem to have switched as far as the roles of mothers, staying home, etc in this debate. At least in some ways.
Kind of like the 2000 election when Democrats cited States Rights and Republicans suddenly got behind Federal Power.
all the best
Jon
I dunno, man. I think the fact that employers decide the maternity leave limit is beyond wrong and indicative of a country that has severely lost the plot. Why are our kids all idiots these days? Because we put them in daycare where they are exposed to other little devils and come home able to curse in three languages before they've hit kindergarten. Then, of course, we leave them alone all day after school to get into as much trouble as they can without their parents finding out. No accountability and, thus, you have the Juno scenario spreaking like wildfire and parents like Palin afraid to admit they fucked up or that there's a problem.
Palin will do nothing but legitimize something that most parents would be (rightfully) embarrassed about .
It's sad to say it but my generation suck as parents.
As for Palin, her husband and her Down Syndrome baby, you're launching accusations of sexism and asking "Why couldn't the father help take care of the child?" at someone who abandoned my career twice to take care of my children while my wife pursues her career. HOWEVER, my wife took as much maternity leave as possible with our completely healthy children--longer than four months on each occasion--and then returned to work on a reduced schedule.
I've been out of the '50s for a while. (In fact, I was never in them.) And while I have nothing (much) against Palin having returned to work quickly as governor of Alaska (which I imagine can be handled as a 9-to-5 job when necessary), I question her priorities in the current circumstances.
First, I certainly did not know of your taking time off to take care of your children. I greatly admire that and would never criticize your decision to do that. Quite the contrary. You obviously take your parenting seriously and I respect that.
I did read your thoughts on Palin remaining home, however, as a startling assertion from someone to the left of center. Perhaps I read it wrong, but that's how I read it.
As far as appeasement, I was thinking of FDR at Yalta, as well, as some instances afterward. I was also thinking of the wholesale takeover of Eastern Europe that went on without a real response from our side (Truman).
LBJ is a good example for your side, but he was an aberration and he lost all support from his party because of it. I wouldn't say that the Democrats were behind the Vietnam War or an agressive stance against Communist gains in Asia.
As for Carter's Olympics Boycott, that was a feeble response. It cost the Soviet Union nothing and only hurt the US athletes who would've competed. It didn't even serve as an effective piece of PR.
A main turning point of the Soviet Union's power and stability - in addition to their faltering economy - was the Afghanistan War. The movers behind that were Reagan and people like Charley Wilson. Wilson was yet another Democrat who acted against the rest of his party, which made his efforts all the more remarkable.
Lastly, before you bring out the Cuban Missile Crisis - it has emerged recently that JFK made a secret deal with Khruschev to take out our missiles from Turkey in exchange for ending their missile installments in Cuba. JFK did not face down the USSR, despite what we were all told for almost 40 years.
Again, I want to state that I meant no disrespect to you personally as a father. It must have been difficult to take time off not only once, but twice. Still, I'm sure you did it knowing it was the right thing to do.
I'm going to stick my head back into my talking-point ass now. ;)
all the best
Jon
Roosevelt and Churchill had no leverage over Stalin at Yalta--would you suggest that the US and UK should have fought their way through the Soviet Army that had occupied Eastern Europe by '45? Truman (and Kennan, as I said before) deserve credit for creating the containment policy that Dems and Republicans alike followed throughout the Cold War. JFK's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis has gone into history as his finest moment--and everyone knows by now that those missiles were being taken out of Turkey anyway (didn't you see Thirteen Days?).
As for LBJ and Carter, I didn't say they did the SMART thing or the RIGHT thing, but you can't call them appeasers.
You clearly share the goofy opinion that Reagan's "brilliance" in defense-spending us nearly into oblivion was single-handedly responsible for destroying the Soviet Union, and that Democrats were "weak" for wanting to limit that spending and cool down Reagan's rhetoric. Well, you can hero-worship Reagan all you want, but the Soviets did themselves in far more than anything Reagan accomplished.
As for Palin, I'm the farthest thing from a barefoot-and-pregnant sexist when it comes to these issues, but I still question her judgment in the circumstances in which she's placed herself.
Meanwhile, no one speaks of how Palin failed her daughter by not teaching her anything about safe sex. Or no sex. Huh.
As for Troopergate (hadn't heard about that one yet), hey, what's the point in having power if you're not going to use it for personal, petty means? :)
A cute young Obama supporter came by my house the other day, wearing the ugliest dress I've ever seen. They need to do something about that, because they're sending a bad, anti-fashion message by setting these people loose on the streets.