You pays your money and you makes your choice:
Me? I’m like Whittle: I choose real people.
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Watersports29 comments to Watersports |
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Like…wow. The man is right…boy, is he right.
You know, I was supporting and blogging McCain back in 2006, when he first announced his presidential exploratory committee. I stuck with him all the way, and this time last year, his campaign was broke and top advisors were quitting. But something happened on the way to New Hampshire, and after that I got fired up, and was blogging like a madman during the primaries. With the Palin pick, I can say I’m even more excited, but when all is said and done, McCain’s instincts have been right all along, and that’s someone I want in the White House:
See, “John McCain wants to look like the inevitable nominee: so far, so good”:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061112/20mccain.htm
I really love that young woman. She is such a “bright, particular star” born to flash across our skies when we really need her. My husband and I watched a Fox News profile on her tonight — a pretty good job by Greta Van Susteren. What impressed me most was how very much her fellow Alaskans seemed to like and approve of her, how comfortable they were about her, both the men and women. It’s especially unusual because she’s a firebrand reformer.
When the program ended, my husband said quite fiercely, “I hope the Secret Service has their best men protecting her, because there’s already so much hatred from the Left flowing her way, and we still have a month and a half to go before the Election. I worry for her.”
I do too.
Marianne
Wind surfing is cheaper than having an ATV.
Now that’s true to form: “A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
The funny thing is, I’m still trying to decide which one looks more feminine…
Skippy — what is it worth to have an activity that you can share with your kids, creating memories that last for both of your lives? In reality, that’s all you really own — you don’t own your ATV, or your windsurfer – - they are all just “stuff”, that you will lose, at one time or another. Those memories, are things you will never lose — and ergo, are priceless.
You want to tell me again which is more expensive?
“Politics will eventually be replaced by imagery. The politician will be only too happy to abdicate in favor of his image, because the image will be much more powerful than [s]he could ever be.- Marshall McLuhan
Veritas, Skippy-san.
“The medium is [has become, is becoming, will become] the message.”
… while truth mostly labors underneath, slighted and overlooked.
Yeah, whatever. Palin is a plutocrat, Kerry is a “man of the people.” Up is down, black is white, “media theory” has some meaning in the real world.
Geez.
Captain, I’m very happy to hear that you’re reading Whittle. I read last night that he is now at NRO, and began my net reading this morning with tracking down his latest article in mind. I knew that I was too tired last night to be able to fully appreciate his latest contribution.
I still haven’t gotten there, yet, in fact. I came here to alert the Lex community to this article that should be of interest, it is truly fascinating:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTM3ZmE0YTE1MTVmZjQwZjQ3ZmY0NzQ1MDk0YzRjYWU=&w=MA==
The author relates the achievements (and considers the merits) of those who graduate at the bottom rungs of the United States Naval Academy. Some of them seemed to actually have done it intentionally.
(I’m a civilian but) This line made me laugh: ‘There but for the grace of G-d goes a civilian.’
Off Topic: The conclusion to McCain’s acceptance speech, which I watched on C-SPAN on my computer, ranks with Zell Miller and Lincoln. I am stunned, shaken, and stirred.
Best regards, Peter Warner.
Do I see an appeal to authority, an authority of quotes by philosophers and artists and such as opposed to the proles that are obviously being misled down this path of Palin pandering?
Be careful where you go with that, guys. Kerry once famously opined that he couldn’t believe he was losing to that idiot, GWB. GWB who did, in fact, attend both Yale and the Harvard School of Business, with better grades. I understand Bush piloted and instructed in the proper operation of the F-102, an aircraft generally considered quite a handful to keep in the air. Kerry piloted a boat on a slow river once, later graduating to a sail-powered surfboard, and Gore has flown in a number of private jets. GWB was elected to two terms in office. Gore and Kerry? Not so much.
Clearly I’m nitpicking on proof of intelligence, I admit, but I wanted to be fair.
You know, the idiot who beat both Gore and Kerry in a fair fight among the populace might not be quite as dumb as you think. How else can you explain the fact he out-maneuvered both your candidates? And now you’re up against McCain and Palin.
And the unsophisticated, trailer-trash, small-town Palin and that buffoon McCain are up there doing the same darned thing. Again. Appealing to the people.
I guess I’m just not seeing that whole superior intelligence thing going on here. Wouldn’t the superior intelligence do better?
– Max
Skippy: Urinating into the wind is even less expensive than windsurfing and accomplishes the same goal — you’re wet, you’ve done nothing of actual benefit to anybody, and you look silly.
On the other hand, ATV’s have actual productive purposes.
Yet somehow I do not think Kerry was windsurfing because he could not afford an ATV or find a better way to serve his fellow mankind during those brief hours off the coast.
Just not, you know, convinced on the message.
– Max
Max,
True point-but ATV’s also require some maintenance. A blow board is fairly easy to take care of. Plus given a choice-I’ll take the beach over the mud every time.
Lex whine all you want-but you made a connection that deserves some scrutiny -and refutation. Whittle’s central point is not about “just folks” -it was that by picking Palin he showed conservatives that he “gets it”.
John McCain had exactly the same experience before he picked Palin, but conservatives strongly spoke about holding their nose when thinking of him. But now, he picks her, and somehow all is made well. And people call me shallow…………..
So what is the thrust here? That democrats don’t love their children? Or are somehow not as family oriented because they don’t support the Republican ticket? That’s crap and very unfair to all of the folks who raise their families but just don’t happen to vote the way that is advocated here. I think Dems and others should strongly react to assertions to the contrary.
I will acknowledge that it is a subtext of the conservative argument though-that only they understand family values, those who believe differently don’t. But its wrong-and a blatantly unfair comparison.
Not all “values voters” are voting Republican this year.
Hey. Y’all. Save me the trouble.
Please, correct me if’n I’m wrong because I’ve been “in the woods” and about for a couple weeks, but is Skippy dropping McCain because he selected Mrs. Palin as his running mate?
I hate to “shoot” an innocent “man” in the face.
b2
I grew up 4 miles away from the largest public housing project in the state. My town’s per capita income was the lowest in our state. 50,000 “real people” lived in town. Nearest beach was 1.5 hrs away. Plenty of trails and woods to ride nearby, tho.
I knew far more people with windsurf boards than ATVs. And I have many fond childhood memories of sailing with my parents.
Maybe I just ran with the wrong crowd.
I’m not dropping McCain yet-but Palin does not help those prospects.
I still don’t know who I am going to vote for.
I wanted Tom Ridge on the ticket and I think Palin and her supporters are going to bring a “bill” to McCain after the election that deep down he is not going to like.
Hey Skippy? Don’t read too much into my opinions on windsurfing — I’ve nothing against it, personally, and as an occasional angler I’m quite familiar with activities that render me wet, silly-looking, and having accomplished nothing of benefit to anybody.
That said, I’ve a four-wheeler. And a snowmobile. Did I mention the boat?
If word ever leaked out that these were merely recreational items, like the surfboard, and not Manly Modes of Alternate Transportation with Unlimited Practical Uses? And if we didn’t accept this fact as so completely, utterly, true that we felt it in our bones and could state it with a straight face to our better halves?
Why, there are entire industries built upon this simple house of cards that would crumble overnight!
– Max
Skippy,
re “but Palin does not help those prospects.”
I disagree. Although I will acknowledge she is not experienced in the Beltway world she brings a reality of a real outsider appeal to the race. After all it’s still a VP job..I was just checking to make sure you didn’t have an “M” attack.
How much baggage? Who knows. You may ultimately be right but a McCain-Ridge team of two old honkies would have been a sure loser…A good team to be sure, but a surer loser couldn’t be found…
Bottom line- Reality bites. “Salamander called it.
b2
Skippy,
re “but Palin does not help those prospects.”
I disagree. Although I will acknowledge she is not experienced in the Beltway world she brings a reality of a real outsider appeal to the race. After all it’s still a VP job..I was just checking to make sure you didn’t have an “M” attack.
How much baggage? Who knows. You may ultimately be right but a McCain-Ridge team of two old honkies would have been a sure loser…A good team to be sure, but a surer loser couldn’t be found…
Bottom line- Reality bites. ‘Salamander called it early.
b2
Marianne – I had the same thought the night I she delivered her speech at the RNC. I also extend that hope to “First Dude” and her children.
Kris and Skippy San,
First to Kris – I was also thinking this then had an interesting conversation with a friend – Pres. Clinton visited Athens, OH a couple of months ago and my friend was in the crowd and watching how the Secret Service guys (henceforth SSgs) were always, always on the alert. Well, she was speaking with someone beside her who was going on about the President and then who asked one of the SSgs if he would hold her camera – and he told her no and added that she had shown up to two other near by rallies and was the kind of person they thought of as a stalker – and the woman just stopped and said, “yes, your right, this is my 3rd rally” but what really impressed my friend is that this was a big crowd and the woman with whom she was speaking was so nondescript, yet the SSg was able to pick her out and remember her. And how to put this delicately – the Clintons are not known for the respect and affection that they have showered on those who guard them. But saying an extra prayer might be worthwhile too.
And Skippy-San – this from the NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/business/media/08carr.html?_r=2&ref=business&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
“In the press galleries at the convention, journalists wrinkled their noses in disgust when Piper, Ms. Palin’s youngest daughter, was filmed kitty-licking her baby brother’s hair into place.
But to many Americans — including some I talked to in the convention hall — that looked like family church on Sunday, evidence of good breeding and sibling regard.”
If a significatn portion of the press could have looked at Piper’s gesture and “wrinkled their noses in disgust” it does suggest such people are out of touch with what it is like to have more than a couple of children – sorry but their words not mine about being disgusted with how a little sister treats a baby brother. Sometime dangerous and important things hide in the shallows too – different styles can reveal different substances. Sorry it is not your cup of tea, but if you have a hard time figuring out whether to support a candidate who once opined that invading Pakistan could be a good idea (and who when the Bear charged into Georgia urged both sides to show restraint) vs. Sen. McCain then I wonder what rational argument can help you.
Oh – and the polls have Sen. McCain up by some to by a lot – do you think after watching Tom Ridge’s or Joe Biden’s speeches that they really could have pulled that off?
Cheers,
David
Just remember there was another very experienced Republican nominee who brought in a “reform” governor with two years experience and who had won the governor’s race after holding small town office. That governor also gave speeches that attacked the press.
Spiro Agnew.
That worked out pretty well………….
In my mind the experience arguement still holds water. Only two of the four persons on the respective tickets is qualified to be President-McCain and Biden. That will be in the end why I will probably take the conservative approach and hold my nose while I vote for McCain. Palin and Obama might be qualified someday-neither one is now.
Skippy-san,
Fair enough about the experience issue/though judgement and character matters too. She did buck her party – does even Biden do that, ever, much less the golden child? Also, it seems to me that as an electoral political choice Palin already has been exceedingly good for McCain – if Sen. Obama’s partisans in the press had the opportunity to spin out the inevitability narrative over the last 7-8 days, McCain could be very, very behind today. And seriously, do you think Kay Baily Hutchinson or any of the other veep possibles (did you see Ridge’s speech) would have changed the game? (And sorry, there is a game element here – Obama has almost ridden that to the Presidency – would be nice if we were electing philosopher kings, but that’s democracy. Wish we could elect a new people, but we are kind of stuck.)
Willie Brown wrote an Op-Ed in the SF Chronicle saying the Dems need to be very concerned. He’s no friend of Republicans but his article was pretty accurate in my opinion.
I’d also submit that Palin did not so much buck her party but feel where the prevailing winds were coming from.
It helped her a lot that her predecessor was unpopular-and people only vote Democratic in Alaska when hell freezes over. She’s still very linked with Ted Stevens-and I think there is more there than has been brought to light.
Call it a gut feeling-becuase there is nothing to prove it so far. But its out there……..
Skippy-san,
Submit away, but on what evidence? So people in Alaska could compare her with her experience in Wasilla to what by all accounts was a popular former democratic Governor (hell did freeze over in 1998, and he only lost the Senate race in Alaska in 2004 by 3% points according to the all knowing Wikipedia). So a virtual unknown with not a lot of experience takes on her own party and then a popular, experienced former Gov. and wins, and she’s got the wind at her back? Isn’t your gut a bit desperate here?
Generally, when I realize that my prejudices are engaged against someone, I try to be careful to not attribut to them all kinds of deep failings, because it can be very embarrassing when someone whom you don’t like on a philosophical basis and whom you’ve attacked still turns out to be a mensch. Sort of like when evangelicals conclude that because someone is an atheist they must be a bad person – it can make them look ridiculous, even duplicitous when they start name-calling or floating innuendos based on prejudice.
Let me synopsis this Skip: you say McCain and Biden are qualified only…
I assume that means due to time-in-service US Senate. The American people don’t agree much either..they haven’t elected a Senator since JFK.
Nope. Choosing Mrs. Palin was a bolt of lightening must of hit da Maverick’s white head! She is the first “real” person I’ve ever seen in my lifetime on a national ticket! McCain’s choice was ingenious. What’s not to like about a non-elitist, pill-playing, salmon fishing, moose hunting, beauty queen governor with a bunch o’kids? Nothing.
BTW, she not only has more actual management/fiduciary experience than B.H.O., she can probably whip him one-on-one! I’d bet on her. LOL.
Get off that “M” hobby-horse of yours and cheer the “little woman with a vicious bite”, on!
b2
Thought better of my wise ass comment. Have a nice day!