this was 40 years before Dave Chappelle
Posted on 09/04/2008 10:44:51 PM PDT by goldstategop
“What is wrong with these people?” was the nigh-upon-universal reaction among conservatives at the GOP convention this week. Liberal reporters inquired of conservative journalists, Republican delegates, right-leaning janitors, free-market short-order cooks, even the guys walking around in elephant suits: Will Sarah Palin drop out? What about the Eagleton Option?
For those who don’t know, the Eagleton Option refers to Thomas Eagleton, George McGovern’s first VP pick in 1972, who was forced to withdraw because allegations of mental illness.
A hybrid of myth and deceit peddled by the chattering bandersnatches of the Democratic Party’s backup communications offices at MSNBC and other press-release transmission belts of the Obama campaign, the whole pseudo-story was surely the brightest flare in the bonfire of asininity in St. Paul this week.
Of course, it was hardly the only journalistic will-o’-the-wisp unleashed from the media bog. The claim that Palin was a Buchananite — and hence an acolyte of a “Nazi sympathizer” according to Florida Rep. Robert Wexler — was not true. The claims she cut funding for pregnant teens, that she was a member of the more-goofy-than-scary Alaska Independence Party, that Trig Palin — her special-needs baby — was really her daughter’s: these were all bogus. As for the even more disgusting smears peddled at the Daily Kos and one blogger at The Atlantic — smears that drove much of the prurient investigation into the Palin family’s privacy by more reputable sources — they were as untrue as they were repugnant.
But it was the Eagleton canard that spoke volumes. First, just as a matter of reportorial fact, as opposed to Keith Olbermann clicking his ruby-red slippers and wishing it were so, the idea that the rank and file of the GOP wanted her gone before her speech was distilled nonsense. Now, it’s plain hilarious.
In the wake of Palin’s performance Wednesday night, there’s vastly more support among conservatives for flipping the McCain-Palin ticket to the Palin-McCain ticket. Send McCain to attend the funerals and cut the ribbons! Put the lipsticked pit bull at the lead of the Alaskanized GOP sled!
One good barometer of conservative support: Rush Limbaugh, who is rumored to kick his cat across the room in rage when he hears the name “McCain,” now calls the Arizona senator “John McGenius.”
For good or ill, going forward, Palin is easily the most popular Republican in the country, at least among people inclined to vote for the GOP. That may not last, of course (she has many trials ahead), but the instant decision of Beltway blowhards to push the Palin-as-liability fable says a lot about how little they understand much of the American electorate.
One partial explanation for the feeding frenzy is the bowel-stewing fear among an Obamaphilic press corps that Palin might actually help McCain win.
But another part of the answer is that the press was simply surprised. Cockroaches scatter when shocked by a flipped light switch. Grizzly bears attack when startled. And when caught napping by big news, the press corps floods the zone. Editors scream at underlings who missed the story. Networks fret they’ll be scooped. And all of a sudden, the norms and standards become a blur in the race to be first. In the case of Palin, the press vaulted over every principle and standard they’d established about what is and isn’t fair game, like O.J. Simpson leaping over luggage in the old Hertz commercials. It required the Jaws of Life to pry news of John Edwards’ affair out the mainstream press. But when it came to the personal drama of Palin’s 17-year old daughter, the press clawed for morsels like they were golden tickets from Wonka Bars.
They wouldn’t have done the same thing if Palin were an unknown Democrat, because the press’ reflex is to assume the worst of Republicans.
The Eagleton Option exposed the press’ gut instincts, and the viscera are not pretty. Eagleton dropped out because it was leaked that he’d received shock therapy for ill-defined mental problems. Many of those who expected Palin to withdraw see her values and her choices as proof of a mental problem. “She’s more a conservative man than she is a woman on women’s issues,” quoth a spokeswoman from the predictably shrill National Organization for Women, which always defines womanhood by a woman’s commitment to left-wing feminist dogma. If you’re pro-life, or even just a Republican, you’re not a real woman, you’re suffering from some sort of pernicious gender confusion.
How long before the Palin-haters insist she needs shock therapy, too? For her own good, of course.
I was 14 when Willie came out....a bit old for kid's movies
I was Rin Tin Tin!
and Flicka...my friend that is
and all those Disney/Fred McMurray/Kurt Russell flicks
Jonah, I love ya man, but please stop using this hoary piece of corporate-speak.
And as far as the "Eagleton option," that's the one being bandied about as Obama's solution to his Biden problem. That's why Rudy Giuliani, in the best line of the entire convention, warned Biden to "get it in writing!"
A few months from black balloons. I still feel young though but indoor soccer is not as easy as it used to be.
It feels like my lungs are fighting to exit out my nose.
Probably too much information......
I say let the media keep trashing Palin. The more they do it, they worse it’s going to impact them for having done so.
The lady is essentially bulletproof at this point.
***Well, I agree before I disagree on that item... ;-) Basically, now there are millions of Americans who IDENTIFY with Supernova Sarah, so all this media trashing is going to backfire into a nice payday for the republicans. But, now that we identify with her, we don’t want to see her get beat up on, we want to stand beside her and say “bug off” to the media. Now that the media has stepped over the line, she doesn’t really have to answer a single question, even ones of substance, if she doesn’t want to. I know she wouldn’t do that because she’s a natural at this swordsmanship. This was her “I paid for this microphone” moment. Recall that every debate moderator after that episode in Reagan’s career was more than polite, even when he started wandering off into the weeds. Putting the media in their place, like how Reagan put the debate moderator in his place, will pay dividends for the rest of her (presidential) career. So, “letting” the media keep trashing Palin won’t be acceptable to Americans who identify with her. Hopefully she gets to write the rules of engagement with the press corps, which is a first for someone at this level.
.
.
Here’s how I’ve been bumping Palin/Obama threads.
Sung to the tune of “Oh! Susanna, don’t you cry for me.”
“Oh, no Bama, please don’t lie to me... for I’m off to Free Republic with a laptop on my knee.”
I come from Minnesota with my laptop on my knee;
I’m goin’ to Free Republic my true love for to see.
It rained all night the day I left,
the weather it was dry;
The sun so hot I froze to death,
Obama don’t you lie.
Oh! No Bama, don’t you lie to me;
I come from Minnesota,
with my laptop on my knee.
I had a dream the other night,
When everything was still;
I thought I saw Obama dear,
A-coming for The Hill.
The smearing lie was in Duluth,
The tear was in his eye,
Said I, I’m coming for the truth
Obama don’t you lie.
Oh! No Bama, don’t you lie to me;
I’m off to Free Republic,
with my laptop on my knee.
I fight in my pajamas,
It’s plain for all to see.
I aim to be the next Buckhead;
The media all hate me.
I fell in love with Sarah
When my sister bit a moose.
The Guvnor’s family ate it up
And then they set it loose.
Oh! No Bama, don’t you lie to me;
I’m off to Free Republic,
with my laptop on my knee.
She loves her sons, she likes her guns,
and Trigonometry.
The media will jump the shark
When Juan makes history.
Well, JimRob knows she’ll pave the trolls
So controversially,
And Berg will knock Obama down
With friends of Hillary.
Oh! No Bama, don’t you lie to me;
I’m off to Free Republic with a laptop on my knee.
I soon will be in Hawaii,
And then I’ll look all ‘round,
And when I find his birth record,
I’ll fall upon the ground.
But if I do not find it,
This Freeper’ll surely die,
And when I’m dead and buried,
Obama don’t you lie.
Oh! No Bama, don’t you cry for me;
I’m off to Free Republic with a laptop on my knee
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2073903/posts?page=6#6
“When I was watching Greta tonight with Newt, they were laughing at a bunch of folks who were booing at Dick Gregory from MSNBC. I love it!”
That was Rove’s doing. He encouraged them to do it. It was very funny to everyone else, but I wonder how NBC took it. Rove looked like the cat who swallowed the canary.
Everyone else thought it was funny too.
“altho I don’t know what a Wonka bar is.”
And here I was just thinking how deeply this had embedded our culture so most everyone would get this. ;)
Time to go off and find out what an Oompa Loompa is, too. :) Go watch the old “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.” Not the new-fangled one with Johnny Depp. Go for the original.
"norms and standards . . .principle and standard"
Standards, principles!! He's talking about the employees of our MSM? Where? Who?
No, no, no. It's much simpler.
It's mau-mauing. "To attack or denounce vociferously, especially so as to intimidate." A 1960s method to disable and destroy opposition.
Only now it's a practice employed by the MSM. Flood the media with vociferant "reporting" of any and all things no matter how minimally connected to truth -- Hey! Who in their "profession" is gonna say stop it?
Well, I think they tried to mau-mau the wrong person. Sarah is a tough cookie.
this was 40 years before Dave Chappelle
Karl Rove on Fox last night suggested that Senator Joe Biden might “resign due to health reasons” clearing the way for Hillary as Obama’s VP.
I swear. I don’t know why I even posted that. I got David Gregory and Karl Rove wrong. At least you guys knew what I was talking about!!! Stoopid, stoopid, stoopid me. My mind is mush tonight. Why am I still awake? Oy.
I heard it that way too.
When my wife revived me, she said that I hadn’t misheard Rush.
5 months ago I was a “never McCain” guy and I turned that around because anyone can see what Barry will do to this country. Now I’m kind of excited to get out there and support the “ancient mariner”.
“Standards, principles!! He’s talking about the employees of our MSM?”
But they do have standards! Palin brought this on herself by wanting to have it both ways. She trots out her family to garner sympathy, but she only wants for us to notice the good parts. Well, you’ve gotta take the good with the bad.
Besides, other politicians don’t exploit their families for political gain, do they? This is unprecedented, Palin throwing her children in our faces! (sarcasm)
Rebutting the Democrats’ Fearful and Intolerant Attacks on Sarah Palin
With the pregnant daughter story it was bizarre. For liberals, actually carrying a pregnancy to term is such a rare experience they treat it like a UFO encounter or Bigfoot sighting when someone decides to have a child.
Looking at the five children and pregnant daughter, liberal journalists became unhinged because most of them have had abortions. And it would be natural for them to abort a child conceived outside of marriage. That explains some of the liberal hysteria over the Palin candidacy. They are outraged by the living example of a pro-life family.
A fit, healthy, happy working mother with five children flies in the face of all of the propaganda liberal feminists have pushed - that having children is a terrible burden, that they would never want a girl "punished with a child" (to quote Obama).
At one point in Palin's speech, when she was making fun of the elite media, the crowd began chanting "NBC! NBC! NBC!"
Thanks for the comments Kevmo. I agree with them. I like your song too. It was great.
From ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
Her lips were red, her looks were free,
Her locks were yellow as gold:
Her skin was white as leprosy,
The Nightmare Life-in-Death was she,
Who thicks man’s blood with cold.
Wonder if that’s how UhUhbumUhUhUh sees her?.....:)
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