Thursday, September 4, 2008

Thoughts On Palin's Speech

She may be underqualified, she may be a banner of books at her local library, she may be a radical evangelical Christian who implores prayers to enable pipelines to provide gas to Alaska citizens. She may be the mother of a daughter who became pregnant, something not important to me, but something that seems unimportant to those who would find it important if it was the child of a Democratic candidate. She may have less executive experience than a two term mayor of my home town of Tooele. But, she makes an effective attack dog. And let's face it, Republicans love attack dogs.

Now admittedly, she fared well given how ineffective those who preceded her had been. The sarcasm level was a bit over the top, but she tried to reinforce the current myth of John McCain as a maverik, when in fact he has appeased the worst authoritarian conservative nationalists in order to gain the nomination. She showed herself to be an effective and articulator of Republican talking points, while also appearing to show a measure of independence. That a John McCain running mate would bad-mouth the same lobbyists who have dominated and financed John McCain's campaign seems a little hypocritical. Is she running against John McCain and his mentor W, or is she just trying to separate McCain from Bush in ways that are rhetorical rather than real. Is she a breath of fresh air, or is she a vacuum for reason?

Notwithstanding, she if an effective spokesperson for the evils of conservative authoritarianism. I doubt John McCain will be as effective at promoting that agenda.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Obama earmark requests in half a senate term = $740MM

McCain earmark requests in 26 years = $0

Remind me again what kind of change you had in mind?

Unknown said...

The "Maverick" myth has to be one of my favorites! He hasn't been a maverick since 2000. Now he is an in-line republican.

I also love that they are claiming Palin has foreign policy experience because she is the Governor of a state that is close to Russia!?! As John Stewart pointed out, she also has an IN with Santa Clause because she is close to the North Pole!

Obi wan liberali said...

Change I have in mind?

Habeus corpus, the Geneva conventions, use of military force based upon real not imagined threats, accountability of federal spending, preservation of the fourth amendment to our Constitution, the ideals of John McCain back in 2000 rather than the pandering yes man of 2008. See, I really am for change.

How about you? Are you in favor of detaining people without recourse? Are you in favor of no-bid contracts on the basis of political connections? Are you in favor of spying on Americans without any effective oversight? Are you in favor of torturing detainees in order to gain information that is likely unreliable? What are the American values that are the base of the paradigm through which you view the world?

Just curious.

Anonymous said...

"She may be underqualified" compared to a half term senator?

"She may be the mother of a daughter who became pregnant, something not important to me, but something that seems unimportant to those who would find it important if it was the child of a Democratic candidate." No we just find it important when someone commits perjury to a grand jury.

"She may have less executive experience than a two term mayor of my home town of Tooele." But more than Obama, Biden and McCain combined.

"let's face it, Republicans love attack dogs." As opposed to all those genteel speakers in Denver.

"The sarcasm level was a bit over the top," I agree, but it was funny.

"She showed herself to be an effective and articulator of Republican talking points," ummm, I think that is her job. Was Biden taking strong positions against the Dem talking points?

"while also appearing to show a measure of independence." Attacking her own party's corruption is more than just a measure. Which corrupt Dems has Obama attacked?

"That a John McCain running mate would bad-mouth the same lobbyists who have dominated and financed John McCain's campaign" unlike the hedge funds and trial lawyers who finance Obama's campaign.

"Is she running against John McCain and his mentor W" Mentor? are you kidding? They weren't even on speaking terms for years. McCain has criticised Bush's spending, boondoggles, Iraq strategy, among others.

"or is she just trying to separate McCain from Bush in ways that are rhetorical rather than real." See above.

"Is she a breath of fresh air" Anyone who names their kid after Van Halen is not part of the Washington cocktail circuit.

Anonymous said...

"Habeus corpus" See FDR.

"the Geneva conventions" is a treaty among states. Al Qaeda is not a state.

"use of military force based upon real not imagined threats," tell that to Iran and Kuwait.

"accountability of federal spending," couldnt agree more.

"preservation of the fourth amendment to our Constitution,"
Obama voted FOR domestic surveilance and immunity for telecom companies.

"the ideals of John McCain back in 2000 rather than the pandering yes man of 2008." I agree and think he would if he was elected.

"How about you? Are you in favor of detaining people without recourse?" See FDR.

"Are you in favor of no-bid contracts on the basis of political connections?" I would point back to both Palin and McCain efforts against pork and corruption.

"Are you in favor of spying on Americans without any effective oversight?" See above.

"Are you in favor of torturing detainees in order to gain information that is likely unreliable?" Who has been tortured? John McCain was by leftists for 5 1/2 years.

"What are the American values that are the base of the paradigm through which you view the world?" The Consitution, Declaration of Independence, Mayflower Compact, although I'm not crazy about quite a few Supreme Court decisions. (Kelo, etc.)

Obi wan liberali said...

Van Halen? Frankly, I would have had a better appreciation for Palin naming her children "Johan Sebastian" rather than after those drug-infested screamers. But of course, I am an elitist snob.

I don't get the perjury claim. At what point did Obama commit perjury? Or are you projecting?

Executive experience? Let's look at her relatively unexplored record. The best available evidence suggests that she fired people based upon whether she felt they supported her radical agenda. She wanted to ban books that made her evangelical supporters uncomfortable from the local library and sought to fire the librarian. What an executive.

If there is one criticism I would have of Democrats in Denver, is that they didn't attack the Bush Adminstration for their most flagrant violations of the rule of law. I don't see where Obama and Biden have violated that rule (except for Obama's vote on the FISA bill) but of course if you want to criticize Obama for that, I hope you will focus equal rage against a lock-step nazi Republican caucus.

For the record, McCain was for years an apologist for Bush's Iraq strategies. Only when things were going wrong did he speak out and acknowledge that we were facing a insurgency in Iraq and we needed to rethink our strategies.

Anyway, thanks for visiting.

Anonymous said...

I used to be an elitist snob. At some point I started channelling my Cracker roots.

I'm not sure what the correct word is to describe someone who is a snob and also a leftist. A BoBo is close but not quite the same thing.

So in a nutshell, you want to help working class people, you just don't like them.

Yes, one of their kids' name is Trig Paxson Van Palin. The Van Palin is an homage to the band.

I will tell you why the Dems don't raise the executive power issue. Two reasons:

1. They believe they will be in the executive shortly and they want to benefit from that power too. They don't see it as a left/right issue. They see it as whomever is in the executive vs. everyone else issue.

2. Dems and most leftists are basically in their heart of hearts Statists. They believe in a greater role in the state in your life. They believe the state should run your health care, schools, govern your jobs, your retirement savings, your home mortgage. Basically a goverment cradle to grave role in your life. So if you believe in all that then the executive needs more power over you.

If you don't believe me then read the Kelo majority opinion penned by Stevens and concurred by Ginsberg, Souter, Kennedy, Breyer.

Basically in a nutshell their opinion is that a city can condemn private property of working class people and give it to rich people if the city council thinks its a good idea (public purpose). And pretty much anything goes as a public purpose including collecting more property taxes.

So in effect, rich develppers give campaign contributions to city councilmen, city councilmen use the city's power of eminemt domain to seize some row houses. Developer razes row houses and sells condos to hedge fund managers. City collects more taxes on said condos. City builds new police station and is there for the ribbon cutting ceremony and to collect praise and accolades. Former residents of neighborhood (probably listening to Van Halen) end up getting kicked out of their homes. It's a racket and the Dems/leftists/Statists all go along with it. And they need increased executive power to do it.

Who was there to stand up for the rights of the poor? Scalia, Thomas, O'Connor, Rehnquist.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-108.ZS.html

By the way, nowhere in the Constitution does the phrase "public purpose" exist.

As for book banning. My mom taught English Lit in public high school in California for 30 years. She never once had a conservative ask her to not teach a book. Several times various leftists showed up and dragged her all the way the the School Board insisting that she stop teaching Merchant of Venice, Huckelberry Finn, etc. These were Democratic leftists who were worried that these books would damage their 17 year olds' self esteem.

Speaking of trampling all over the Constitution, are you familiar with the once widespread practice on college campuses of "speech codes" which were all imposed by liberals? And you think conservatives are lock-stepped Nazis?

I did not claim Gov Palin had extensive executive experience. What I said is that she has more than Obama, Biden and McCain combined. This is factually true and not some arguable opinion.

The perjury reference:
Bill Clinton not Obama
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E1D81F3AF930A15756C0A9669C8B63

Anonymous said...

I'm Kind of torn Between Mccain and Obama. The Reason is here. http://utahconservativedemocrat.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/what-we-need-to-worry-about-terrorism-and-the-economy/