Comments on: Hello, Governor Palin?

Hello, Governor Palin?

spiderwire — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:46:18 -0800

Governor Palin gets prank called. "Like we say in France, [we could go kill some baby seals]." Governor Palin is mildly amused.

By: rokusan

rokusan — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:49:29 -0800

A post of this was deleted a couple hours ago. Of course, you can't SEE that... ahem....

By: I Foody

I Foody — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:50:42 -0800

I expect this to get deleted but really, this is above average palin filter. She's quite the idiot. I can't imagine that the pranksters expected the call to go past the dick cheney joke.

By: shadow vector

shadow vector — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:53:42 -0800

I would vote that this stay up. Yes, yes, tedious PalinFilter, but this is seriously jaw-dropping.

By: gman

gman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:54:09 -0800

I was going to complain, but then I listened to it.

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:54:48 -0800

Oops. Tried incrementing the post number past the current top post on the FPP but, foolishly, didn't think to decrement.

By: ageispolis

ageispolis — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:58:16 -0800

My favorite part of the call is the last twenty seconds or so where she wants to know the station initials. She could have dealt with the "Punk'd moment" a whole lot worse, but she remained passive aggressive before handing the phone over.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:59:43 -0800

Oh yeah, THIS is what's going to convince people she's unqualified.

By: tylerfulltilt

tylerfulltilt — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:02:59 -0800

Is this real? This can't be real. Is this real? Ror really real? This can't be real

By: cortex

cortex — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:04:25 -0800

It was deleted earlier when it was just a couple posts after another Palin humor post that turned out to have some weird self-linky stuff going on and thus itself got deleted, so, hell, here we are.

By: gman

gman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:05:17 -0800

Vexy,

By: keijo

keijo — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:05:44 -0800

I vote for this to stay as well. Incredible.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:06:00 -0800

Be careful, Canada. She can see you from her house.

By: TheNewWazoo

TheNewWazoo — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:06:37 -0800

I can't stand to listen to that woman's voice, even for the lulz. Does anyone have a transcript?

By: rokusan

rokusan — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:07:26 -0800

I'm as big a fan of piling on Palin and other morons as anyone, but I actually thought she did pretty good there. Her whole "I never answer questions anyway" philosophy makes her pretty immune to stuff like this. I mean, what else could she have done? She was pretty diplomatic, which is a positive, I think.

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:09:24 -0800

I know another post of this was already deleted and we've seen our share of PalinFilter, but this is just so mindbogglingly crazy that I think it should stay up. [Not Palin-ist]

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:10:17 -0800

Transcript link is here.

By: tcv

tcv — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:10:54 -0800

Oy veh. Just echoing what someone else said in the deleted post. Three more days. Three ... more ... 4u2k1ng ... days. Election fatigue has got ahold o' me. ;-)

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:11:49 -0800

Man, the McCain campaign is totally amateur hour. Wow. Can you imagine these idiots running our country? I guess it would be a lot like the last 8 years.

By: hellojed

hellojed — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:12:29 -0800

This actually reveals more about Palin's character than anything the McCain campaign has been putting out.

By: Solon and Thanks

Solon and Thanks — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:13:02 -0800

If you scroll down on the first link, there is a transcript. It makes it look worse than it was, I think. Palin clearly couldn't understand what the guy is saying at a few points, so she just laughs or says "Well, good!"

By: rokusan

rokusan — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:13:05 -0800

I know another post of this was already deleted Can we get the costumes back? I liked the costumes.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:19:50 -0800

I love the call letters. C'est quoi? Mods, please let this one stay? Please?

By: [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST]

[NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:20:57 -0800

Please tell me that the real Sarkozy really called her later on to apologize for the incident, resulting in Palin blowing a whistle into the phone and screaming at him to eat shit.

By: Lemurrhea

Lemurrhea — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:24:06 -0800

I'm not so sure about this one. If I heard "The Prime Minister, Stef..." it's entirely possible my mind would fill in the rest just fine. Or the "PM of Quebec" - prime minister/premier, meh. A lot of the rest is her being somewhat polite, going along with things. Interesting, but only in the sense that everyone does those things. Her incompetence is much deeper than this minor stuff. Also, they've pranked the President of France. These guys know what they're doing.

By: drezdn

drezdn — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:24:10 -0800

Deana is so getting fired.

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:24:20 -0800

rokusan: it would strike most non-Americans as rather odd that she doesn't know, for example, who the Prime Minister of Canada is...

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:25:56 -0800

Jesus fucking Christ, what the fuck is wrong with that campaign? Do they have absolutely nobody of any level of skill at all working there? As others have said, this really must be heard to be believed. Staggeringly incompetent.

By: mannequito

mannequito — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:27:50 -0800

I actually thought she did pretty good there. the Prime Minister of Quebec disagrees

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:27:55 -0800

Please make this stop.

By: gman

gman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:28:06 -0800

30th comment in the 30th Palin tagged post.

By: jayder

jayder — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:28:47 -0800

Before this gets deleted ... I figured that in conversations among high-level politicians and heads of state, they would speak in a more sophisticated, elevated way than when they are addressing the general public. But Palin sounded like a silly buffoon even while talking to someone she thought was a head of state. Bizarre. I like Jack Balkin's prediction that Palin will end up working as an O'Reilly style talk show host. The recording with fake-Sarkozy convinces me that that's probably the best she can aspire to.

By: DU

DU — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:31:51 -0800

Wow. I just. Wow. Surely, SURELY, THIS

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:33:13 -0800

rokusan: "1A post of this was deleted a couple hours ago. Of course, you can't SEE that... ahem...." Just a couple days to go, can't have too little of this. Mods get lax.

By: jeffburdges

jeffburdges — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:33:50 -0800

Do I need to post or just favorite a comment to still see a thread after deletion? Palin might be McCain's revenge for the GOP screwing him over for Bush.

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:33:55 -0800

I can easily see her working as a talk show host, at least until the next Presidential election. I've got the impression here that she knows she's got a snowball's chance in hell of winning this time around, so she's basically said 'screw it' and is working on getting the fundie conservative vote the next time around.

By: DU

DU — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:34:14 -0800

Also, I found this interesting: we're thankful that the polls are showing that the race is tightening They aren't just incompetent, they are in a bubble. (Unless she thought maybe "Sarkozy" was some journalist she needed to fool...)

By: Lesser Shrew

Lesser Shrew — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:34:32 -0800

I am not a political insider. Is it normal for the president of France to call a VP nominee? Don't presidents have an army of assistants and chief of staffs and like that coordinating their phone calls? Sounds like they pranked not just her, but the staff who handles her calls. But this was my favorite part: "Oh, it's not him yet, I always do that. I'll just have people hand it to me right when it's them." It must be new to her to have this power, and she just loves it sooooo much she has to mention it. Petty, you betcha! And I disagree that she handled it well. When someone has made a fool of you, the way to handle it well is to laugh graciously, perhaps make a lighthearted threat of revenge.

By: davidmsc

davidmsc — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:36:48 -0800

None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:37:54 -0800

Hey, would this make a good FPP ?

By: DU

DU — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:38:27 -0800

None of ~~you guys~~the other VP nominees would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me. Really?

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:41:21 -0800

Jesus fucking Christ, what the fuck is wrong with that campaign? I have no idea. Honestly. Even the odious (smarmy, creepy) Bill Kristol admitted that it was a pretty bad campaign. What an interview, by the way... Stewart even questions why he would still be a pundit (if experience is all that matters).

By: sleslie

sleslie — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:42:10 -0800

the Prime Minister of Quebec disagrees If you're talking to a head of state, are you really going to correct their mistakes? And can you respond in a diplomatic way to a query about a porno about yourself in any other way than what she did? She's not a ditz. The one thing I got from this is that she knows she's in over her head. Listen to the nervous laughter when she is asked if she would run for president.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:42:28 -0800

Rafaelloello: No.

By: Solon and Thanks

Solon and Thanks — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:42:28 -0800

None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me. Which is why I'm not running for Vice President.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:44:41 -0800

desjardins: "43Rafaelloello: No." Not even if the link was Obama got pranked?

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:44:59 -0800

None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me. Bollocks. Even I could have caught that they were talking about killing baby seals.

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:49:49 -0800

So a baby seal walks into a club...

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:54:49 -0800

John McCain has also been pranked

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:56:01 -0800

Rafaelloello: Still no. This FPP is funny. Your link is not.

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:57:35 -0800

FNS: I must say, Governor Palin, I love the documentary they made on your life, you know, Hustler's "Nailin Palin." SP: Oh, good, thank you. Yes. Holy fucking hell.

By: you

you — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:58:57 -0800

Is there really no official way to view deleted posts? If not, here's a bookmarklet.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:00:02 -0800

None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me. You know what? No. This doesn't work this time. Maybe it works for some of the other things, like knowing what the fuck Hamas is, or understanding the way a constitutional right to privacy interrelates with abortion rights, or being able to name a single newspaper, or knowing whether or not I'm a feminist, or knowing what the Bush Doctrine is.... things only vice-presidential candidates can truly understand. This, though. This I can absolutely, without a doubt say I would have personally handled better. First, I would have some kind of staff of people who were not gullible morons.

By: jayder

jayder — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:00:11 -0800

But this was my favorite part: "Oh, it's not him yet, I always do that. I'll just have people hand it to me right when it's them." I think her assistant was the one who said "I always do that." Seriously, from the evidence of that call, I don't think Palin and her team could be trusted to organize a sorority rush without screwing it up, much less be next in line for the presidency.

By: fleetmouse

fleetmouse — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:00:42 -0800

Dear America, please don't do this to us. Fearfully Yours, The Other 6,300,000,000

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:02:04 -0800

desjardins, you are wasting your time.

By: popcassady

popcassady — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:02:47 -0800

I was nearly sick with embarrassment. If by some strange twist of fate, this woman became President in January... I shudder.

By: neda

neda — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:03:55 -0800

Man, how lame does a person have to be for her to get below morning zoo type DJs on my shitlist? Is this the latest election thread? Only tangentially related in that it's a youtube post and about the election, but holy crap like I'm gonna add another FPP to the pile: "You Can Vote However You Like" done by the kids at the Ron Clark academy, a send up of TI's "Whatever You Like," a song that was also parodied by Weird Al.

By: Ber

Ber — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:03:55 -0800

What is scary that her folksy shit even extends to something like this. Here she is, supposedly talking to the head of state of America's oldest ally and a major world power, and this idiot is calling herself Sarah and calling him by his first name. No dignity, no sense of what is proper, no sense at all.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:04:34 -0800

I don't think Palin and her team could be trusted to organize a sorority rush without screwing it up I don't think they could organise a piss-up in a brewery. Or an orgy in a bordello.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:04:36 -0800

Dear Virginia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada: Do the right thing. Love, The other 45.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:05:26 -0800

chuckdarwin: you don't know how right you are. I'm a nanowrimo procrastinator.

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:05:58 -0800

In all fairness, this post threatens Governor Palin's First Amendment rights.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:06:06 -0800

I bet that doesn't get 30 000 complaints.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:07:40 -0800

No dignity, no sense of what is proper, no sense at all. Clearly you were voting for her before this came out.

By: I Foody

I Foody — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:08:52 -0800

None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me I don't believe you. Some of the stuff that she missed can be chalked up to just playing nice and not understanding the words through the his accent, still I would have done much better. I would figured out that it was a prank about 2:00 minutes in. The hunting from helicopter/taking an animals life being fun ha ha. I think many people would have been able to figure out this rouse. You're telling me that you would believe that the president of France's wife wrote a song about Joe the plumber and the president is singing it to you over the phone? Really? Not everyone is an idiot. Palin is an idiot. She is dumber than I am. She is dumber than a huge swath of humanity. She is much dumber than I am.

By: cj_

cj_ — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:15:10 -0800

"Do I need to post or just favorite a comment to still see a thread after deletion?"

I usually go here. Get a preview and link back to the thread.

By: Atreides

Atreides — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:20:01 -0800

Funny. Oddly, it was actually nice to hear her talking off script, so to say. She came off as more human (an ignorant one at that), but better than lie-o-mator I see on the tv every day. And while it's sad she didn't know the PM of Canada (very), it's also sad because I doubt a majority of Americans could name him, either.

By: jayder

jayder — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:24:39 -0800

Not everyone is an idiot. Palin is an idiot. She is dumber than I am. She is dumber than a huge swath of humanity. She is much dumber than I am. Amen. What's so astonishing about Palin is how, even by the low standards of middle-American workplace competency, she falls far short. This is someone who, in average workplaces in tens of thousands of office parks across the country, would probably not be a standout employee. By all evidence, she doesn't have the competence or intelligence to excel at the ordinary, unglamorous, everyday jobs that ordinary people do. She couldn't even make it through mediocre colleges without numerous stumbles and retries. And yet she's presented by McCain as the plausible next-in-line to the most powerful job on the planet. Putting forth Palin as a vice presidential pick is American politics degraded to its most absurd.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:37:03 -0800

I Foody: "65 Not everyone is an idiot. Palin is an idiot. She is dumber than I am. She is dumber than a huge swath of humanity. She is much dumber than I am." So you are must be the governor from a "smarter" state, then? Nice to know the politically powerful occasionally visit Metafilter. Or did you apply your intellect to excel in some other field?

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:39:46 -0800

So you are must... BTW, I admit to being dumber than Palin. Dumb as a post, in fact.

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:40:00 -0800

Dear Virginia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada: Do the right thing. Love, The other 45. Dear 45. We will. Love, Die fünf.

By: nola

nola — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:42:26 -0800

Oh I don't think so, no. I tried I really tried, but it's just so painful. The other day I was listening to NPR and they were doing a spot on people in . . . I wan't to say Missouri. The reporter asked a woman why she was so fired up about Palin, her answer was that she felt she could sit down and have a chat with her without feeling intimidated. For me that was it in a nutshell, if Palin had any real bona fides if she was intimidating to someone unlettered, like myself for example, she would never have struck a cord with many people in this country. Which is unsettling, because I know I how deficient I am by way of what little I do know, but some folks for themselves don't even suspect.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:43:33 -0800

lukemeister: "71Dear Virginia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada: Do the right thing. Love, The other 45. Dear 45. We will. Love, Die fünf." Umlaut. Clever.

By: [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST]

[NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:45:04 -0800

So you are must be the governor from a "smarter" state, then? Dumb people are elected governor all the time. Look at Evan Mecham. Our political system doesn't exactly favor flexible or inquisitive minds. Telling someone they should look into a future in politics is merely a compliment of their orthodontia, parents, and lack of a criminal record.

By: captainsohler

captainsohler — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:47:22 -0800

Oh my....sad

By: jayder

jayder — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:48:22 -0800

Rafaelloello: Do you assume that, because she is a governor, she must be smart? If so, why do you allow your fallacious assumption to trump the actual evidence of her level of intelligence, such as, just off the top of my head, (a) the Charles Gibson interview, (b) the Katie Couric interview, (c) her assertion that we are at war with both Iran and Iraq, (d) her embarrassing college career, (e) the fact that even McCain-supporting leaders such as Lawrence Eagleburger don't think she is qualified, and (f) and her pathetic performance in this phone call?

By: I Foody

I Foody — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:50:33 -0800

Rafaelloello: So you are must be the governor from a "smarter" state, then? Nice to know the politically powerful occasionally visit Metafilter. Or did you apply your intellect to excel in some other field? I guess I should just throw up my hands an concede my anemic intellect because unlike Palin I am not a governor.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:53:43 -0800

Dumb as a post, in fact. ... as evinced by your (ridiculously stupid) comments and (absolutely retarded) link upthread.

By: nola

nola — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:54:30 -0800

I love Mr. Show.

By: mek

mek — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:54:52 -0800

Rafaelloello, you lost the intellectual high ground when you linked to the "Obama Gay Murder Scandal" and asked if it "would make a good FPP." I suggest you retreat before you further embarass yourself, though I suppose that might be difficult.

By: fleetmouse

fleetmouse — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:55:08 -0800

Now children, be gentle with your new toy. You want him to last. He's no fun broken.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:56:02 -0800

[NOT HERMITOSIS-IST]: " Our political system doesn't exactly favor flexible or inquisitive minds." hahahaha *All*(ok, most) of the leaders are *very* flexible. They're politicians, that's what they do. They're practically interchangeable. It's only the voting blocs, special interest groups, and zealots that are lacking in flexibility. About the only difference any presidential candidate makes over their opponent is the Supreme Court appointees they may or may not have the opportunity to recommend.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:03:15 -0800

Ah, the "gay murder scandal". Classy stuff. Only a flexible mind could post such piercing insightfulness.

By: every_one_needs_a_hug_sometimes

every_one_needs_a_hug_sometimes — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:03:23 -0800

Oh no! Now people are going to think that Palin is an idiot!

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:03:30 -0800

mek: "80Rafaelloello, you lost the intellectual high ground when you linked to the "Obama Gay Murder Scandal" and asked if it "would make a good FPP." I suggest you retreat before you further embarass yourself, though I suppose that might be difficult." Aha! Then you concede I had the intellectual high ground. I didn't think I was smart enough to do that, but I did. Better to have loved and lost... You betcha.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:04:51 -0800

jayder - add Fareed Zakaria to your list of people who think she's completely unqualified. The TV channel More4 has little bumpers with famous people before various political shows, and he absolutely lambasts her:

"Sarah Palin truly does not seem to understand the questions that are posed to her. Her answers are literally gibberish. They are utterly incoherent; the way she talks about how Alaska being close to Russia gives her foreign policy experience... it would be like somebody saying that they can solve the financial crisis because they live next to a bank. There's something utterly disconnected and incoherent about it and people don't want to admit it. This is not the kind of regular sense of 'is he qualified/is she qualified/have they punched the right buttons/ have the right resume" ... this is way beyond that. Honestly, this is something we have never seen before in American politics, which is a serious candidate for national office who is literally babbling when asked serious questions about public policy."

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:05:39 -0800

It's only the voting blocs, special interest groups, and zealots that are lacking in flexibility. Yes, clearly our problem is that our politicians are too flexible. If we just elected dumber bureaucrats they wouldn't be able to manipulate the public. In fact, Sarah Palin may be our only hope right now if we ever want to get a President stupid enough to keep up with the American electorate. Why didn't we think of this before? Oh, right.

By: fleetmouse

fleetmouse — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:07:49 -0800

the way she talks about how Alaska being close to Russia gives her foreign policy experience... it would be like somebody saying that they can solve the financial crisis because they live next to a bank. Nice.

By: mek

mek — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:07:54 -0800

Aha! Then you concede I had the intellectual high ground. I don't automatically assume people are stupid, I let them demonstrate that for me - and you have done so convincingly, congratulations.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:11:49 -0800

spiderwirePoster: "87It's only the voting blocs, special interest groups, and zealots that are lacking in flexibility. Yes, clearly our problem is that our politicians are too flexible. If we just elected dumber bureaucrats they wouldn't be able to manipulate the public. In fact, Sarah Palin may be our only hope right now if we ever want to get a President stupid enough to keep up with the American electorate. Why didn't we think of this before? Oh, right." A perfect A+ in Missing the Point 101

By: anthill

anthill — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:12:09 -0800

If you can understand french, the Justiciers Masqués' call to Jacques Chirac, impersonating Steven Harper, is absolutely hilarious.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:14:41 -0800

(Rafaelloello, your quoting script is broken and putting numbers in front of the quotes.)

By: cucumberfresh

cucumberfresh — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:14:53 -0800

The annoying thing about this (aside from her being an idiot) is that it almost makes me feel sorry for her. Then again, I will be feeling a million times sorrier for us if she becomes VP.

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:15:29 -0800

A perfect A+ in Missing the Point 101 Sweet, I call dibs on National Security Advisor. I'll pour toilet water on Russia

By: Sailormom

Sailormom — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:21:16 -0800

I don't know. I was going to vote for Obama but I've been pranked before. Its not very fun. I guess I have a couple of days to think about it. Decisions decisions.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:22:01 -0800

smackfu: "92(Rafaelloello, your quoting script is broken and putting numbers in front of the quotes.)" Bill Ayers set up all my GreaseMonkey scripts when we launched my Metafilter career from his living room. I don't think we should be criticizing now the work he did when I was only 48.

By: zenzizi

zenzizi — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:22:37 -0800

FNS: You know my wife is a popular singer and a former top model and she's so hot in bed. She even wrote a song for you. SP: Oh my goodness! I didn't know that. FNS: Yes, in French, it's called Du rouge à lèvres sur une cochonne Épique.

By: paisley henosis

paisley henosis — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:22:40 -0800

Wow, she just didn't understand a word they said, did she? Damn tricky accents.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:23:09 -0800

Schadenfreude punctuated with flinches, winces and cringes. One big wince was when prankster, Masked Avenger, introduces the phrase at 2:05, "on pourrait tuer des bébés phoques aussi" in the hunting exchange. The thing is the word for seal in French is phoque, pronounced fuck, so it sounds like baby fuck. That she didn't know the name of the Prime Minister of Canada is amazing. Her lack of comprehension of the world, the stream of platitudes as replies, unable to be honest when it came to the *wince, Nailin' Pailin reference, she reminds me of a mid-level speaker at an Amway sales conference. (And I say that having been suckered into an Amway sales pitch in the '80's). Rather than enjoying her unscripted replies it's now utterly transparent how completely inadequate she to be a political leader in any capacity.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:25:54 -0800

Haven't any of these world leaders talked to each other before? "Steven Harper's" French is just painful to listen to.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:29:47 -0800

nickyskye: "99Schadenfreude punctuated with flinches, winces and cringes. One big wince was when prankster, Masked Avenger, introduces the phrase at 2:05, "on pourrait tuer des bébés phoques aussi" in the hunting exchange. The thing is the word for seal in French is phoque, pronounced fuck, so it sounds like baby fuck. That she didn't know the name of the Prime Minister of Canada is amazing. Her lack of comprehension of the world, the stream of platitudes as replies, unable to be honest when it came to the *wince, Nailin' Pailin reference, she reminds me of a mid-level speaker at an Amway sales conference. (And I say that having been suckered into an Amway sales pitch in the '80's). Rather than enjoying her unscripted replies it's now utterly transparent how completely inadequate she to be a political leader in any capacity." "Senator, how are you going to help the American auto worker?" "Hold on one minute sweetie..."

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:36:36 -0800

None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me. Do you presume to know as all that well? Or do you assume that Palin is so smart that none of the rest of us, given we had received a nomination for VP of the US, would have more and better resources to handle this type of thing? Whichever, you must know that you are horribly wrong.

By: notsnot

notsnot — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:38:57 -0800

(actually smackfu, he's using another script that numbers the posts - the quoting mechanism includes the numbers. Not that I like sticking up for the schmuck, but...)

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:41:25 -0800

She's not a ditz. I'm afraid you'll have to offer some proof of that for me to believe it. She certainly has sounded like a ditz every time I've heard her speak without a script.

By: maxwelton

maxwelton — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:49:47 -0800

It's fairly amazing anyone can think for more than a second about Palin and being chosen by McCain as his VP candidate and still cast a vote for him. It would like walking into your bedroom to find your mate in bed with another person, only to have your mate tell you that the other person is just measuring the windows for drapes. Now, you can have whatever reaction you want, from "huh, I guess I don't care" to going and finding an axe, but what you don't do is close the door and think to yourself "that's an odd way to measure drapes, but my mate would never cheat on me, so that's what it must be." But that is exactly what the people who still support McCain seem to be doing.

By: CKmtl

CKmtl — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:50:21 -0800

Rafaelloello: Dude, those comment numbers are really annoying. If they're part of a script, can you change it or get another one? Or if they have something to do with how you read the site, can you try not to c/p them?

By: ericb

ericb — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:52:20 -0800

Rafaelloello: I didn't think I was smart enough to do that, but I did. It's great to hear that you know your own limitations.

By: nola

nola — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:53:22 -0800

Ditz for teh win!

By: greta simone

greta simone — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:54:11 -0800

By: Solon and Thanks

Solon and Thanks — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:55:43 -0800

Rafaelloello, there are some places where non sequiturs work as rebuttals, and distract from the fact that you have made no compelling argument. Metafilter is not one of those places.

By: gman

gman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:56:07 -0800

greta simone.

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:58:36 -0800

she reminds me of a mid-level speaker at an Amway sales conference. Yes, YES! I've been trying to put my finger on it and that's IT. She's like one of these pyramid marketing people who lack any real intelligence but are so willing to take advantage of your niceness and so bloody persistent and willing to do anything to make some money that, by god, they are successful in that little niche. I suspect that's what Alaska politics is like, too. A big "social marketing" game that the Sarah Palins of the world can master.

By: mazola

mazola — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:59:36 -0800

That she didn't know the name of the Prime Minister of Canada is amazing. She can't very well be watching Russia and Canada at the same time. They're in different directions.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:02:32 -0800

greta simone: "109For some reason this actually pisses me off. I hate Palin as much as anyone here, but this was just stupid, irresponsible, and disrespectful. It's like some 14 year old kid pulling a prank on his 6 year old deaf neighbor, or kicking a three legged dog. It just reeks of immaturity and hatefulness." 109 comments in and someone finally gets it.

By: nola

nola — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:02:39 -0800

I hate Palin as much as anyone here, but this was just stupid, irresponsible, and disrespectful. It's like some 14 year old kid pulling a prank on his 6 year old deaf neighbor, or kicking a three legged dog. . . .who could very well be the three legged dog/6 year old with the nuclear codes. *ahem* yes this is in very bad taste

By: Solon and Thanks

Solon and Thanks — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:04:14 -0800

... Rafaelloello, I'm sorry, you do understand that in that metaphor, Palin is the three-legged dog who is so beneath the pranksters (in this case, mentally) that it is literally unsporting of them to tease her? This is not a compliment to the Governor.

By: Lesser Shrew

Lesser Shrew — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:04:41 -0800

jayder - I thought it was her with the "Oh, I always do that" line, but perhaps I was squinting with my ears... There's no reason for her to know much about Canadian politics - it's not like Ms. Country First rejected ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil in favor of TransCanada, it's not like she "fought big oil" by cutting off American-based companies and BP (which has a lot of jobs in the US) for a Canadian entity. Except that it she did. And there's no way she could see Canada because there are trees in the way. Why are there no decent movies out? All I have to distract me is that cop movie or that Changeling movie which would be good except that I hate making men watch movies like that and it's not like Clint Eastwood is anything more than adequate as a director. Please let me wake up and it's Wednesday. This is really really horrible, but a little part of me hopes some long-lost Vietnam POW crawls out of a jungle hut and McCain's untidy relationship with MIA and POW families makes a 48 hour news cycle. That would be really awful for him, and his family, and all the implications, so I don't actually hope that. Probably.

By: waitingtoderail

waitingtoderail — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:04:45 -0800

Hmm, my post gets deleted and this one is still up hours later? WTF?

By: waitingtoderail

waitingtoderail — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:05:47 -0800

Isn't there already a "nyuk nyuk" Palin thread today? Eh?

By: jamstigator

jamstigator — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:05:47 -0800

Well, it costs $150,000 for some clothes, and ten grand a week for a makeup artist. What does it cost to hire a competent assistant? Apparently too much. Damn that public financing.

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:05:55 -0800

Hmm, my post gets deleted and this one is still up hours later? WTF? It's got electrolytes?

By: mazola

mazola — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:06:02 -0800

Sarah Palin: WHAT DOES SHE KNOW AND WHEN WILL SHE KNOW IT ?

By: hellbient

hellbient — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:08:02 -0800

Palin is a talk-show host, at best. I'm sure she'd love it. Somebody just give her a show and let's be done with this.

By: nola

nola — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:13:24 -0800

I've probably drunk half a liter of Jack Daniels in the last hour so I say, lets throw some shit off a brigde and vote Don Rickles for Prez.

By: bicyclefish

bicyclefish — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:15:39 -0800

The whole stunt comedian "I'll yell the name of a phoney foreign leader at a politician and mock them when they don't catch it" act kind of grates on me. I believe it was Rick Mercer who pulled the "Prime Minister Poutine" thing on George Bush in a receiving line in 2000. Politicians just smile and nod. But really, what else are they going to do? Get into an argument with some reporter? The risk of correcting their facts (incorrectly) is hugely higher than just playing along. Also, Quebec does have a prime minister; in French they refer to their premier as the PM.

By: cucumberfresh

cucumberfresh — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:16:37 -0800

Also, major lolz on Dick Cheney endorsing McCain. You just know Cheney is hoping to plan a baby seal hunting expedition with Palin, while McCain is all, "Just shoot me now, Dick, shoot me now."

By: spilon

spilon — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:17:07 -0800

Pfft.... this link is sooo 5:30.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:17:12 -0800

Solon and Thanks: "116... Rafaelloello, I'm sorry, you do understand that in that metaphor, Palin is the three-legged dog who is so beneath the pranksters (in this case, mentally) that it is literally unsporting of them to tease her? This is not a compliment to the Governor." "Leh me try boss, I always wanted to work on a trans-mish-ee-own." Yes, I get it. My point is that extrapolating 1 minute of anyone's life, whether in an interview, the company they kept for that minute, the off-hand comment they wish they could take back, the sermon they may have sat silently through, then multiplied by a zillion blog posts and youtube links does not equal the ultimate worth and ability of that person. I would like to think everyone here (Metafilter, not the US) is smart enough to realize that.

By: darth_tedious

darth_tedious — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:17:37 -0800

Cheap laughs, but, still, in context, a perfectly frightening call. Statistically unlikely (and less likelier than I'd thought a couple months ago), but the fact remains: We might wake up sometime next year to find that she can nuke Russia... from her house.

By: gman

gman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:18:31 -0800

Hmm, my post gets deleted and this one is still up hours later? WTF? This post was deleted for the following reason: the new one has Rafaelloello. -- jessamyn

By: gman

gman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:20:11 -0800

the sermon they may have sat silently through... Fawk, you know how I read that?

By: ersatz

ersatz — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:20:24 -0800

Sarah Palin is working hard to steal the jobs of all these hard-working American satirists.

By: Solon and Thanks

Solon and Thanks — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:24:00 -0800

Yes, I get it. My point is that extrapolating 1 minute of anyone's life, whether in an interview, the company they kept for that minute, the off-hand comment they wish they could take back, the sermon they may have sat silently through, then multiplied by a zillion blog posts and youtube links does not equal the ultimate worth and ability of that person. I would like to think everyone here (Metafilter, not the US) is smart enough to realize that. Yes, that's certainly fair. If this were the first disappointing thing we've seen by Palin (and I didn't even think this interview was particularly bad... she didn't have time to respond to practically anything) I'd say the comments here were unfair. If she were normally clearly composed and well-read, it'd be a different story. We're not talking one minute of incompetence, we're talking an entire public life of incompetence.

By: notreally

notreally — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:26:19 -0800

Anyone have Sarah's cell number?

By: Manhasset

Manhasset — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:26:32 -0800

Holy crap, people. Less than 20 seconds into the call the guy claims his American advisor is Johnny Hallyday, aka France's answer to Elvis.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:28:20 -0800

Solon and Thanks: "133Yes, I get it. My point is that extrapolating 1 minute of anyone's life, whether in an interview, the company they kept for that minute, the off-hand comment they wish they could take back, the sermon they may have sat silently through, then multiplied by a zillion blog posts and youtube links does not equal the ultimate worth and ability of that person. I would like to think everyone here (Metafilter, not the US) is smart enough to realize that. Yes, that's certainly fair. If this were the first disappointing thing we've seen by Palin (and I didn't even think this interview was particularly bad... she didn't have time to respond to practically anything) I'd say the comments here were unfair. If she were normally clearly composed and well-read, it'd be a different story. We're not talking one minute of incompetence, we're talking an entire public life of incompetence." But somehow she's moved up to higher and higher elected positions with precious little experience in the prior positions. She must be doing something right or something very wrong. Remind you of anyone?

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:29:01 -0800

the sermon they may have sat silently through No doubt you're referring to all those Reverend Wright sermons that Barack Obama sat through. Look, if you're making shit up, why not just stick with the "murdered gay lover" schtick?

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:30:53 -0800

But somehow she's moved up to higher and higher elected positions with precious little experience in the prior positions. She must be doing something right or something very wrong. Remind you of anyone? W.

By: cj_

cj_ — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:32:07 -0800

Well, I agree it's a little immature, BUT... Should the future President of the United States actually fall for this shit in the first place? Immature prank or not, it shouldn't even be an issue. The dialogue and premise was so ridiculous it never should've gotten through the receptionist, much less completely fool Palin. This tape is so stunningly ridiculous that I almost want to believe it was faked, because I have a hard time swallowing that they are this incompetent and, well, dumb. Seriously, WTF is going on here? I don't understand the GOP ticket this year at all. I'm not really complaining, because it's handing Obama the White House and will likely fracture their party, with any luck sending it back into the fringe from whence it came for at least eight years. But what happened? They went from frighteningly good at the political game -- totally controlling the national dialogue and media -- to this? Did I miss something? I mean, Bush has been a shitty President, but that doesn't explain this train wreck at all. I hope that after this election some insiders spill the beans so I can make sense of this. Because it almost seems like they are deliberately throwing the election.

By: Solon and Thanks

Solon and Thanks — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:32:40 -0800

By: fleetmouse

fleetmouse — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:44:45 -0800

But somehow she's moved up to higher and higher elected positions with precious little experience in the prior positions. She must be doing something right or something very wrong. Remind you of anyone?

earlier:

greta simone: "109For some reason this actually pisses me off. I hate Palin as much as anyone here, but this was just stupid, irresponsible, and disrespectful. It's like some 14 year old kid pulling a prank on his 6 year old deaf neighbor, or kicking a three legged dog. It just reeks of immaturity and hatefulness." 109 comments in and someone finally gets it.

Could you please decide whether she's smart and capable or incapacitated and pitiable?

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:45:31 -0800

spiderwirePoster: "137the sermon they may have sat silently through No doubt you're referring to all those Reverend Wright sermons that Barack Obama sat through. Look, if you're making shit up, why not just stick with the "murdered gay lover" schtick?" I don't think Obama is aligned with Reverend Wright, I think he attended that church to establish roots in a community that he was interested in serving. I don't think Obama is a terrorist bomber because he had some interaction with Bill Ayers. I don't think Obama is a Muslim, but it shouldn't matter a darn bit what his religion is, that's a founding principle of our nation. I don't think Obama is gay, but that shouldn't matter a bit either. I don't think he was complicit in any murders either, but I would have to draw the line there. (I know, "Bush lied, blah, blah, blah, more of the same") Anyway, don't forget to vote.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:47:11 -0800

Thanks for your effort, Rafaelloello. I was leaning towards Obama but now I'll be voting straight-ticket Republican on Tuesday.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:48:29 -0800

PSYCHE! I voted for Obama on October 20.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:52:11 -0800

Burhanistan: "144PSYCHE! I voted for Obama on October 20." I know the first one is free, but how much is ACORN paying you for the rest of your votes? JUST KIDDING!

By: yhbc

yhbc — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:52:17 -0800

You voted for a gay, Muslim, terrorist bomber who is aligned with Reverend Wright? Heck, that's good enough for me. I guess I will, too.

By: gman

gman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:56:16 -0800

you forgot 'black'.

By: naju

naju — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:56:44 -0800

She doesn't really need the talk show gig. The (ghost-written) memoir will land her millions.

By: yhbc

yhbc — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:59:57 -0800

gman, "black" is understood. Heck, they all do that stuff!

By: yhbc

yhbc — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:00:54 -0800

Also, I really like saying "heck". Heck, heck, heck.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:07:08 -0800

Heck is good. So is "shee-it".

By: Fuzzy Monster

Fuzzy Monster — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:11:25 -0800

FNS: I must say, Governor Palin, I love the documentary they made on your life, you know, Hustler's "Nailin Palin." SP: Oh, good, thank you. Yes. FNS: That was really edgy. SP: [Laughs] Well good. Wow. You would think she would've clued in after this. Nope... she never clued in AT ALL. The pranksters had to tell her she was being pranked. FNS: I really love you. And I must say something, so, Governor, you've been pranked. By the Master Avengers. We're two comedians from Montreal. SP: Oohhh have we been pranked? And what radio station is this? Incredible.

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:18:14 -0800

I know the first one is free, but how much is ACORN paying you for the rest of your votes? JUST KIDDING! Oh, man. I can't believe you paid five bucks for this.

By: amuseDetachment

amuseDetachment — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:20:24 -0800

I think it'd be nice if he had to create another account. Have em pay another 5 for making us put up with this shit.

By: gman

gman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:26:09 -0800

Coupons.com had a $5 off voucher on March 11th of this year.

By: ricochet biscuit

ricochet biscuit — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:37:48 -0800

Holy crap, people. Less than 20 seconds into the call the guy claims his American advisor is Johnny Hallyday, aka France's answer to Elvis. Yeah, Manhasset, that would have been my first clue too if I were on the receiving end of the call. It seemed so broad a joke that I am surprised she would miss it; then again, I'm one of those who maybe came from a background of, you know, kids who perhaps graduate college and their parents give them a passport and give them a backpack and say go off and travel the world. No, no, wait, what am I thinking -- I came from a working class background just about identical to Palin's and I still managed to live on three continents by the time I turned 25. And I paid my own way there. And I bought my own backpack.

By: Combustible Edison Lighthouse

Combustible Edison Lighthouse — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:54:47 -0800

Our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is the best future leader for this nation, not Senator Barak Obama. Our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is also would be better at leading our nation in the future after a McCain Presidency than Senator Barak Obama would be in leading our nation in the future starting in January 2009. There are great reasons our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin would be a better future leader than Senator Barak Obama. The greatest reason for our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin's is ideology. Our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is conservative in that she is pro life, marriage, guns, low taxes, low government spending, small government, unintrosive government, traditional and judeo Christian values, Bible reading and prayer in our public schools, and military spending.She is also pro free and private enterprize. Senator Barak Obama is a liberal who is anti every thing that I have described that our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is pro about or for. A small portion of comment #5 attached to this article. I have no idea if the comment is a joke. I have no idea if the article is a joke. At this point, I have no idea if the McCain campaign itself is a joke.

By: bardic

bardic — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:03:20 -0800

The clip is hilarious. When "Sarkozy" starts talking about killing animals and how fun it would be, anyone with a high-school education and a reasonable level of social acuity would know it was a prank. To say "Well, you couldn't do better!" is such an obvious line of horseshit. The woman is dumb. A bag of hammers. A gibberish-spouting moron. But let's put this aside and get to what's the real issue here, IMO: Just who has Sarah Palin decided to hire as her team? I don't think the POTUS or VEEP need to be rocket scientists, but they need to make solid choices in hiring assistants who know what they're doing. For the past eight years, America has suffered under an administration that made critical appointments to people based on party loyalty rather than actual sill or competence (just ask New Orleans). With a Palin/McCain ticket, we'd get more of the same. Utterly callous, mercenary decision-making based on a Stalinist desire for ideological purity rather than what we need right now: adults who know what the fuck they are doing.

By: bardic

bardic — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:05:01 -0800

*sill = skill

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:07:05 -0800

For some reason this actually pisses me off. I hate Palin as much as anyone here, but this was just stupid, irresponsible, and disrespectful. It's like some 14 year old kid pulling a prank on his 6 year old deaf neighbor, or kicking a three legged dog. It just reeks of immaturity and hatefulness. Ya, in a contest of lower life forms, I would be hard pressed to decide who I like least - Palin or pranking shock jocks. I guess Palin would have to win because her potential sphere of influence is wider, so her power to do harm is greater. And I must admit, we are so starved for unscripted moments with this woman that I'll take almost anything I can get. I must say, Governor Palin, I love the documentary they made on your life, you know, Hustler's "Nailin Palin." I would guess she hasn't heard of this so just didn't get it or didn't understand what was said. She has probably been kept in such an insulated bubble since she was catapulted on the world stage ... her handlers probably protect her from a lot of the negativity - she is likely to only see the mainstream media, if that. I am thinking she is going to be in a rude awakening when she goes back to Wasilla and has time to do a little web ego surfing - ouch.

By: porn in the woods

porn in the woods — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:18:17 -0800

We need a Lincoln, not somebody who's winkin'

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:21:29 -0800

he's using another script that numbers the posts - the quoting mechanism includes the numbers Then he should master the arcane art of editing the letters and numbers that appear in the little box, in order to appear less like an utter dipshit who is so completely, helplessly incompetent that he can't work the backspace button. I don't really care very much about what he says, but I would like it to stop being prepended with randomly increasing integers. OTOH: It is by will alone I set my troll in motion. It is by the script of greasemonkey that the troll acquires quotes, the quotes acquire numbers, the numbers become a warning. It is by will alone I set my troll in motion.

By: cashman

cashman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:22:29 -0800

She knows (in general) that she's getting clowned. You know when you give answers that are completely bs. At this point, I just look forward to when she's out of contention for elected national office this year.

By: amuseDetachment

amuseDetachment — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:24:38 -0800

I could barely tell that was Tina Fey in today's SNL.

By: winna

winna — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:43:29 -0800

I loved that call with Chirac. BAWNJOOR MASOOR LUH PRRRRAYZEEEDANT.

By: the cydonian

the cydonian — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:14:59 -0800

And Chirac, IMHO, was a better sport than Palin. Loved his guffaw. :-D Apparently, BBC calls it one of the top 30 moments in radio ever (wiki) Wonder what they'll say about this.

By: vac2003

vac2003 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:36:46 -0800

OK, I don't know which Palin/McCain thread to say this, but I just watched McCain on SNL. My goodness, how embarrassing. Sure, it is great to see politicians making fun of themselves but, geez, do you want this person to be your President? (I know in this echo chamber, the answer is a resounding no). I found it demeaning and sad.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:41:50 -0800

vac2003: yeah, the "Sad Grandpa" strategy was really cringe-worthy. "Obama's young and will have plenty of over chances! Vote for me! It's my turn now!" Ouch.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:42:19 -0800

over = other

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:54:10 -0800

"None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me." Well, given that my refrigerator is broken, I'd probably do better. That and this whole being real thing. I've been pranked a few times. One time at my mom's house someone called saying they were my gay lover. I didn't care, but it was getting my mom upset so I asked them to stop - guys, my mom is getting upset. I know it's funny to you, but you're causing us a lot of grief here. She's an older lady with a heart condition. I'd really appreciate it if you stopped. I just heard "... ok." and they hung up and didn't call back. They were just looking for laughs. I never found out who it was. And thankfully, I didn't have to (something happened to my mom I'd know who they were). But really, I didn't care. I showed them respect and they returned the favor. But Palin isn't real at all. Take the whole thing calling him by his first name. Like she knows the guy? And most of her end of the conversation is empty platitudes. This "marathon" b.s. and proving the pundits wrong, plow through - a couple of times, etc. Sarkozy's wife is a hard worker? And the 'hot in bed' and 'Hustler' stuff... Does she listen to anything someone says to her? I don't know that it's ok for someone to tell me their wife is hot in bed and me not to point out that it's inappropriate conversation in that context. It goes beyond kissing ass into this bizarre world of denial of reality. Ok - it's a prank in poor taste. Fine. But either she got it or she didn't. If she did (and I'd lay you long odds on that), then she should have said something about getting it. If she didn't get it - she should at least listen to what the 'French President' is saying. Have the self respect to be offended. And even barring that in being conciliatory, at least ask for clarification or point out something you might not understand. And do him the courtesy of letting you know you heard him, and clarify for him what is appropriate or not in that kind of conversation. Criticism aside, she's way out of her depth. Just looking at this objectively, I suspect, like many politicians, she's got a gift for organization. But that's about all. It's obvious that she quite literally has nothing to say. About - anything really. She's got no position. No real interest in anything. Can't hold a conversation. I'd attribute it to the exuberance of being at that level where the "president of France" calls you. But I've held long detailed conversations with powerful, wealthy and in some cases famous people and I've actually had something to say. There's not even candor here. I mean she doesn't even question why he called. What is she saying to the President of France here? His wife must be a hard worker? I mean: "Hey, look, while I've got you on the phone - you beat a socialist, right? How'd you do it?" Something - anything - businesslike. Jes politickin'. Anything indicative that she understands the position she's in. Like 'holy crap, I could actually be the V.P. of the U.S.' Nope. Not a word. Just facile campaign rhetoric about pushing through, beating the enemy and how pretty your wife is. You can be dumb as a rock. If you open your ears, odds are you'll pick *something* up. Cousin of mine isn't the sharpest guy. But he'll listen to you. Ask you "she actually blows air on you?" No, man, it's just a phrase. So he picks things up. Reminds me of that overflowing teacup thing. Preconceptions get in the way of understanding, or indeed, paying honest attention to anything. Meh. I'm just taking a break. I gotta get back to measuring drapes.

By: peeedro

peeedro — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:54:15 -0800

I don't think Obama is a terrorist bomber because he had some interaction with Bill Ayers. I don't think William Ayers is a terrorist. Am I crazy for thinking so?

By: billyfleetwood

billyfleetwood — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:22:39 -0800

None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me. to me the shame isn't what she said when she was on the call...it's that she took the call at all. When I was at my last job, if someone had buzzed my desk and said "The CEO of Verizon is on the line" The first thing I would have done is waved off the call until I talked to someone higher up the org chart to figure out what the fuck was going on, what I was supposed to say, and more importantly what I was NOT supposed to say. This is someone who has been blasting Obama endlessly for talking to foreign leaders without preparation or preconditions. Yet nothing in her immediate experience of the past 8 weeks made her think that there was no way in hell she should be getting a phone call from the King of France without some sort of briefing, scheduling or planning. And something like this happening in the week before election day just illuminates the total incompetence of the McCain campaign. It's not even about her anymore. These people are not fit for duty. I thought McCain putting Joe the Plumber front and center 2 weeks before election day was the stupidest thing I'd ever seen, but this is...actually no... That really was the stupidest thing i've ever seen in politics.

By: afu

afu — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:32:07 -0800

I think Palin is as dumb as a bag of rocks, but this was pretty weak and she didn't come off that bad at all. Most of the major gaffes like not knowing the prime minister of Canada came early in the call when she still thought she was talking to Sarkozy, and what is she supposed to do, get into an argument with the prime minister of France about it? Why should a politician know who the hell Johnny Hallyday is, I sure as hell don't. I think she figured something out something was wrong by the time they started talking about hunting, but wasn't sure what to do so she just kept to her talking points. She comes off much worse in the Couric interview. I don't know. I was going to vote for Obama but I've been pranked before. Its not very fun. I guess I have a couple of days to think about it. Decisions decisions. Your going to switch your vote from Obama to McCain because some shock jocks in Quebec pranked Sarah Palin. Wut?

By: i_am_joe's_spleen

i_am_joe's_spleen — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:45:31 -0800

Apropos the three-legged dog sympathisers: look, I don't want to mock a three legged dog either. But this three-legged dog is potentially next in line to be President, and volunteered to be there. If a) shaming them out of it or b) shaming their supporters out of it requires chanting "ha ha three legs" then I will yell myself hoarse.

By: winna

winna — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:17:50 -0800

Compared to Chirac she comes off pretty badly. He was quite clearly a bit nonplussed by the caller, but he was still professional and well-spoken. He sounded like someone accustomed to public speaking, even if he was speaking to someone who was trying to play a prank. He maintained a polished, professional demeanor. Palin couldn't even speak professionally. The fault was entirely on her side. What sort of idiot do you have to be, whatever your position, to call a head of state by his first name without being invited to do so? To babble on about his 'lovely family' when you clearly have no idea about his personal life, particularly embarrassing in light of Sarkozy's tumultuous marital history? She called a man she thought to be a head of state by his first name in their first conversation. Everything else she did in that call pales in light of that gaffe.

By: croutonsupafreak

croutonsupafreak — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:30:23 -0800

Honestly, I thought she handled it fine. They threw a lot of crap at her, and she was very diplomatic the whole way through.

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:49:44 -0800

I just watched the first half of the new SNL, and good lord, just when I think this election can't get more surreal or detached from reality... it does. Did anyone else think that McCain did this partly, and purposely, to humiliate Palin?

By: jaduncan

jaduncan — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:48:09 -0800

Jokeefe: The really scary thing is that with all this - all the goofs, all the race baiting, all the incompetence and obvious lack of understanding (and now, to be honest, obvious imbecility), all the plain old hate...they are still only -6%. The crazification factor is very high now.

By: gfrobe

gfrobe — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:00:05 -0800

This whole thing makes me curious as to how a politician actually goes about screening an unexpected call from a foreign diplomat.

By: amuseDetachment

amuseDetachment — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:21:18 -0800

gfrobe: I would assume they call each others' public switchboards and have the respective calls redirected to the proper staff?

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:27:11 -0800

vac2003 wrote: OK, I don't know which Palin/McCain thread to say this, but I just watched McCain on SNL. My goodness, how embarrassing. Sure, it is great to see politicians making fun of themselves but, geez, do you want this person to be your President? (I know in this echo chamber, the answer is a resounding no). I found it demeaning and sad. That sketch is just amazing. McCain has pretty much given up, then?

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:33:24 -0800

Also, how is the Palin prank playing out in the US media? On the World Service overnight, and on BBC radio today, they've been playing choice clips in every bulletin, and you can practically hear the incredulous raising of eyebrows by the newsreaders. I suppose Fox pundits are suggesting it's time to bomb Canada.

By: Talanvor

Talanvor — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:35:07 -0800

I'm trying to figure out who's trolling who in this thread, it's bizarre. Why does Palin talk like she's a mid-level HR manager at a failing company? She's trying so damned hard to be pleasant that she misses the obvious fucking social cues that THIS ISN'T REAL! Jesus! And I just had to stop after he started singing to her. It was just too painful. I think I'm going to put myself forward as a possible VP choice in 4 years. I mean damn, I live in a state next to another country, why the hell not?

By: malevolent

malevolent — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 03:29:31 -0800

Wow, that SNL sketch made me cringe a little; it comes across as McCain saying "Hey, I know I'm going to lose, and I've done some stupid, distasteful things in this campaign, but please don't hate me too much for it. And look at who I had to put up with alongside me."

By: fourcheesemac

fourcheesemac — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 03:59:45 -0800

People, people. Please don't feed the troll. With election day approaching, it's going to be all over the place trying to bum you out, piss you off, trip up good conversations, and otherwise make a spectacle out of its impending sense of deep alienation. You know I'm right. As for Palin, thanks Sarah for all the entertainment. Anyone who watched McCain (avec Cindy and Tina Fey) on SNL last night knows that the GOP has already conceded this election. Total, abject humiliation.

By: lostburner

lostburner — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 04:18:32 -0800

In 2007, they conned Mr. Sarkozy himself by impersonating Prime Minister Stephen Harper. And their 2006 call to former French president Jacques Chirac [...] In an interview Saturday, Mr. Audette told The Canadian Press it wasn't easy setting up the interview with Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate, and described the accomplishment as the pair's biggest triumph to date. Hope Chirac and Sarkozy, the heads of state, don't get word these guys think pranking them was a lesser triumph than pranking the idiot kid sister from Bumblefuck, AK.

By: miss tea

miss tea — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:04:32 -0800

That SNL sketch was painful.

By: gman

gman — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:41:31 -0800

Honestly, I thought she handled it fine. They threw a lot of crap at her, and she was very diplomatic the whole way through. HOLY CRAP. I felt the same way after the Katie Couric interview.

By: Doktor Zed

Doktor Zed — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:42:19 -0800

I'm glad to see this topic back in play - waitingtoderail wuz robbed. With Palin set to be the first modern vice-presidential candidate to run without ever giving a press conference, this is as newsworthy a glimpse into an unscripted Sarah Palin as we're going to get in the final days before the election. It certainly adds some believability to the early rumor that McCain insiders thought she was "clueless". And when ABC asked the Obama campaign to comment on the prank, an adviser simply responded, "I'm glad we check out our calls before we hand the phone to Barack Obama."

By: Shepherd

Shepherd — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:44:23 -0800

None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me. Heavens to Murgatroyd, you have got to be joking. I knew -- when I was 18 -- that when somebody calls claiming to be from the bank and asks you for your credit card number, call the bank back at their official number and ask to speak to the person who called you. For the love of God, I would at least be smart enough to say "I'm a high-profile political candidate('s assistant) getting a casual call from a G7 head of state, calling to just to chat... maybe I should call the embassy and ask what's going on." So: no. I would have done better. I would have done much better. I would have done much better when I was barely old enough to drive. Good Lord, how long could America survive under a Palin administration once McCain kicks it? "President Palin, this is Joe the IT Technician, calling to check your computer security settings. I need your login and password to all the military mainframes. Oh, and the launch codes. And if you could install PC Anywhere on your laptop with these settings, that would be great." "You betcha!"

By: woodway

woodway — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:54:23 -0800

the cydonian: Apparently, BBC calls it one of the top 30 moments in radio ever... Wonder what they'll say about this Seconding jack_mo. I just heard a clip played on BBC Radio One, and it's the top US political story on the BBC news site just now. I'd say their reaction is a nice mix of WTF? and glee that anyone could be so stupid.

By: micayetoca

micayetoca — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 06:18:36 -0800

This whole thing makes me curious as to how a politician actually goes about screening an unexpected call from a foreign diplomat. posted by gfrobe I think the Chirac recording is a good point of reference. I can't believe that he fell for it, the impersonator is terrible, to me it sounds like he wasn't trying to fool Chirac, but rather to create an overall embarrassing situation. Chirac is all good wishes and positive messages, it sounds like he knew in advance and he is just trying to give a very institutional image. If he didn't know from the start that he was being pranked, he managed it fantastically, completely neutral and setting a good precedent in what could be a conversation with a head of state.

By: Sailormom

Sailormom — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 06:21:43 -0800

Your going to switch your vote from Obama to McCain because some shock jocks in Quebec pranked Sarah Palin. Wut? Sorry. It was a joke. There is no way my daughter would let me vote for anyone but Obama.

By: Meatbomb

Meatbomb — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 06:34:58 -0800

But this was my favorite part: "Oh, it's not him yet, I always do that. I'll just have people hand it to me right when it's them." It must be new to her to have this power, and she just loves it sooooo much she has to mention it. Petty, you betcha! What struck me about this, which nobody has yet mentioned: it seems Palin is miffed she is the person waiting, while Sarkozy is given the phone. Well, doesn't someone have to be the one waiting, getting transferred? So she thinks the President of France should talk to her assistant, and hold, so she can then come on?

By: fourcheesemac

fourcheesemac — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 06:49:19 -0800

With Palin set to be the first modern vice-presidential candidate to run without ever giving a press conference . . . Not to mention releasing her medical records. The campaign promised this for what is now last week. Unless they plan to put them out in between 14 campaign stops on Monday, we'll never see them. So anyone who thinks she's good to go for 2012 either hasn't considered why this would be such a big deal (because it is sure to generate continued rumors after the election) or thinks Palin can get the records doctored and the right people silenced between now and about 2010 or so. But mark my words, something is up there. Campaigns don't "overlook" such things. They have dared the press to notice, and so far, with one or two exceptions, the press has not even peeped about it, let alone the equally egregious limited access we've had to McCain's medical records. We're hiring a man with the power to end the world by fiat. We have a right to know his health (and that of his understudy) in exquisite detail, up to and including (in my view) a thorough and refereed psychiatric evaluation. Airline pilots and cops and soldiers have to give up their medical records for vetting by their employers too, for the same reason. Because on surface evidence alone, McCain seems unfit for duty, and Palin unqualified, and that's a simple argument many conservatives intuitively understand. They are not only losing people like me with this medical cat and mouse game and this avoidance of press conferences. They are losing thinking conservatives. It's really, really stupid unless they have something big to hide that compensates for Teh Stupid. It's of a piece with all their apparent stupidity -- just a blundering, disastrous campaign organization and execution all around. Maybe that's because they were in a desperate situation from the start. Maybe it's because Obama's is so good it just makes everything around it look stupid and amateur. Maybe because of the Bush admin's deep commitment to incompetent and unqualified people and patronage over the quality retail execution of government functions people take for granted until they don't. I don't know. Maybe McCain's effort was so tongue-tied simply because of Obama's difference from any prior model dem nominee. One could make the argument by analogy to the Clinton implosion. Or one could credit Obama and Axelrod and Plouffe with the lion's share of the genius award here, and there are plenty of reasons to see it that way. (In which case, prior credit to Howard Dean/Joe Trippi and his blogging and organizing associates and 50 state strategy vision). No matter how you think about it, though, the Palin pick seems to be a singular failure to execute by McCain. I mean, in hindsight the WTF factor is off the charts. Once she was chosen, it introduced a new and far less competent staff into the organization, caused rifts between existing key staffers (oh, for Nicolle Wallace to write a book, pretty please?) and put a loaded gun on the seat in almost every scene she entered. One of the few leaks out of Obamaworld (another example of flawless execution has been an imperviousness to leaks that makes Bush's supposedly tight shop look like a collander) this summer came when we learned a few details about how thoroughly he was focus grouping and polling his VP choices, and one presumes, vetting them and evaluating their media appearances, etc. Palin was clearly not vetted this way, and even if she had been, she simply did not have a record sufficient to review. Ideology and political sentiment aside, I cannot see how any rational and informed analyst of American politics, including the most intensely conservative sort, could look at the McCain campaign and make any sort of covering excuse for how badly it has been run. And so, finally, even far right republicans with native intelligence -- and there are some, they scare me -- will finally have to blame George Bush and Karl Rove for this, because he broke their Winning Machine but good and McCain tried to take it on a cross-country trip anyway (and he's never had much luck driving things, apparently, like George and Laura Bush, actually). And that means that Bush and Rove will finally leave office with about 5 percent of Americans -- those related to them by no more than 2 degrees of separation and everyone who takes David Horowitz and Daniel Pipes seriously, perhaps, plus the amazingly large number of mentally ill people whose paranoia has fixated on Muslims/Arabs/foreigners in the last few years -- still supporting them. Bush is going for a record here that will never be surpassed. (Obama should benefit just from the contrast during his honeymoon period.) I'll always remember the crazy "He's an Arab" lady fondly. She, or her SNL doppelgänger wandering around the Weekend Update studio and blathering about the internet, is a perfect cipher for the McCain campaign. Clueless, yet hateful anyway. Abject, yet repellent. Stupid, yet squirelly. Aggressive, yet cowardly. Imperious, yet dishonorable. Improvisational, but innovation free. He has a long way to come back after this, and it won't all be accomplished on SNL or the Late Show. He'd better become a bipartisan mediator again -- someone who helps get the Obama agenda through with modest concessions to the rational right -- in the senate or Janet Napolitano will have his seat in 2 years. And then he can shuffle around Sedona saying get off my lawn you asshole kids as much as he wants. He's become a sad figure. Who woulda thunk that coulda happened a year ago? And the worst part is he seems to be realizing it all of a sudden. Ugly to watch.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:13:45 -0800

I could barely tell that was Tina Fey in today's SNL. Whoa... my god.. never has "They aren't laughing with you..." been more true.

By: gman

gman — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:29:05 -0800

Is Katie Couric a Québécois?

By: jayder

jayder — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:49:18 -0800

Anyone who watched McCain (avec Cindy and Tina Fey) on SNL last night knows that the GOP has already conceded this election. Total, abject humiliation. Fourcheesemac -- Yes, that was exactly my thought. The SNL performance was pathetic, absolutely inappropriate for a candidate to do two days away from a presidential election, and almost made me feel sorry for McCain. I couldn't put it into words, but you got it exactly right. As I was watching it, I could not believe my eyes: a candidate hamming it up in comedy skits less than three days before he's asking us to put him in the White House. Unbelievable. Imagine if McCain were ahead and Obama appeared on SNL. The snarling sarcasm from the McCain campaign would have been so thick you could have cut it with a knife: "Senator McCain is happy to know that Senator Obama has the ample free time to perform skit comedy in the two days leading up to the election. As for Senator McCain, he's busy making the case to the American people for why he's the best choice to keep American families safe, so he had to send his regrets to Lorne Michaels."

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:56:32 -0800

I think that most of you have this wrong. This is not some sort of "cruel, mean-spirited, hateful thing." It's a prank. Public figures get pranked all the time. That's a risk you take when you enter public life. However, I also don't think this is evidence of Palin's disturbing lack of competence. Don't get me wrong - the woman disgusts me, and I find her lack of understanding of basic issues to be downright scary. But this? Just a prank. I wouldn't hold it against her, for the most part. However, the one thing that actually does make me think less of her is the fact that she didn't laugh it off in the end. Had she done that, it would have actually raised my opinion of her, albeit slightly. If this prank was a test of anything, it was a test of how well she could take a joke. And, to my mind, it was a test that she failed rather dismally.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:19:24 -0800

I didn't find the SNL sketch particularly painful to watch (no more so than any other standard SNL fare), but yeah, "We want you to pretend you're on QVC because you're flat broke and have to be forced to sell plates and jewelry in order to get airtime"? On the one hand, kudos for agreeing to it and being big about it. On the other hand, I can't help feeling that his desire to get airtime would have trumped any sketch idea that threw at him, no matter how demeaning or belittling.

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:20:53 -0800

I liked the line "I'm the ultimate maverick: a Republican with no money!".

By: pluckysparrow

pluckysparrow — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:29:22 -0800

It sounds like the prank call was received on the set of Petticoat Junction, complete with lots of breathless giggling. Very unprofessional sounding. Are her teenage daughters running the phones for her? I'm guessing that Palin couldn't understand most of what the prank caller was saying because of his thick accent...I know I didn't catch most of the names he rattled off. I've also read that she's been treated rather flirtatiously by some of the male international leaders she's met, so she probably just trying to be nice. The scary part is that Palin cheerfully answered and played along, even when she wasn't sure what she was agreeing to or thanking him for. Rather than asking him to repeat himself or asking for clarification, she just lets him merrily roll along cracking jokes at her expense. Not good.

By: gman

gman — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:34:14 -0800

I've also read that she's been treated rather flirtatiously by some of the male international leaders she's met, so she probably just trying to be nice. Gov. Sarah Palin: They embraced me, Katie! Figuratively and -- a couple of those Pakistani guys -- literally. [ show footage of Palin shaking hands with various foreign leaders ] But they were all so welcoming. Be it from Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan; Jalal Talabani, the President of Iraq; or Bono, the King of Ireland!

By: jayder

jayder — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:00:21 -0800

I didn't think it spoke very well of Palin that, despite being governor of a U.S. state and presumably having some degree of decisiveness and judgment, she had to be instructed to "hang up ... hang up ..." by some unidentified man who was there with her and her assistant. That gives the impression that she is completely clueless about how to handle anything unexpected. Having to be directed by a man to "hang up" makes her sound completely befuddled, totally unable to decide for herself what to do in a difficult situation. It's comical how much the reality of Sarah Palin keeps pace with the satire.

By: Zambrano

Zambrano — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:03:35 -0800

Dear America, please don't do this to us. Fearfully Yours, The Other 6,300,000,000 That's not what you should be worried about. Obama is going to win by a landslide. You should worry about his Republican-filled cabinet.

By: sugarfish

sugarfish — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:04:11 -0800

Did anyone see Cindy McCain's face when she was on stage last night? That woman's going to get her revenge on her husband some day.

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:12:30 -0800

Did anyone see Cindy McCain's face when she was on stage last night? That woman's going to get her revenge on her husband some day. I don't know. She seemed like she was being a good sport. Of course, he has called her a cunt in front of other people, so you may be right.

By: snofoam

snofoam — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:17:53 -0800

I guess I should have put my "This is why you never speak to foreign leaders without preconditions!" joke here instead of wherever I put it.

By: dbiedny

dbiedny — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:36:29 -0800

Folks, consider this: The choice of Palin, the inept handling of the campaign, all seems ridiculous beyond words... If you assume that the Republicans want to win. Let's play a game, and pretend for a moment that this gross farce is being played according to plan. The Right knows that the shitstorm of the collapsing economy is going to be devastating - and they really hoped it would begin sometime next year. Well, reality reared it's ugly head, and the financial implosion began a bit earlier than expected. Paulson and Bernanke then went ahead and raped the Treasury - and look at the mess already happening regarding the dispersal of that money. It's a free-for-all. Back to my point - Obama/Biden wins, and not by accident. The next four years turn the U.S. inside out, a LOT more bank failures, some insurance companies fall down, unemployment hits some truly scary levels, and the Iraq "war" continues to bankrupt us. The ship really starts to list, and who do you think is going to get the blame? The Bush administration? I don't think so. The whole shebang will be blamed on the Democrats. The Right wing peanut gallery will continue to promote extremism, racism, fear, and perhaps stir another 9.11-level episode into the stew. All of this is tagged to the Democratic party and their leaders and followers. The failed policies of the last 8 years have created far too much damage to possibly be fixed in the next four, indeed, the weaknesses of the system created in the last 8 bring everything to a head. Things will be BAD. In 2012, the Right takes the country back and delivers it to the corporate feudalists, lock stock and barrel, and thus spells the end of the American experiment. We end up as a third-world country, a currency devalued to shit, a demoralized populace, a devastated infrastructure, a bankrupt treasury and mountains of debt. The class action lawsuits from Iraqi families suffering from depleted uranium radiation poisoning put is in a financial quagmire from which we will never emerge. How I would love, LOVE to be completely wrong about all this. Seriously. So if you think this McCain/Palin farce is a result of bad decisions, think again.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:58:00 -0800

So if you think this McCain/Palin farce is a result of bad decisions, think again. I've heard this numerous times, and it still just doesn't ring true to me. Suggesting that McCain's campaign managers are deliberately steering the ship into the rocks as a part of some vast right-wing conspiracy to let the Democrats win the White House and pick up more seats in Congress, the plan being to have a really strong victory four years down the road? This makes absolutely no sense and goes against the MO of every political party that has run for office in this country. Now, that said, will the Republicans, as a contingency plan, do whatever they can to trash the country in the event of a Democrat victory? Certainly. But we really need to let go of this idea that the Republicans are immune to failure, and that campaign mismanagement is really a masquerade for some shadowy plan for a triumphant comeback.

By: jayder

jayder — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:01:48 -0800

Yes, dbiedny, your theory of the Republicans "throwing" the election makes the theories I've heard on Alex Jones' Infowars program sound positively statesmanlike and sober by comparison. Come on.

By: dbiedny

dbiedny — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:15:16 -0800

Listen, I realize that this notion is more than a bit out there, but then again, look at the choice of Palin - makes no sense to me, unless everyone over at the McCain campaign is just balls-out insane. So again, I want to be wrong about all this, let's check in four years from now and see what's happened.

By: Optimus Chyme

Optimus Chyme — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:16:29 -0800

None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me. posted by davidmsc at 5:36 PM on November 1 The difference, David, is that I know I'm not qualified to be the vice-president. Christ, you people are a sad shell of your former selves.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:23:15 -0800

So again, I want to be wrong about all this, let's check in four years from now and see what's happened. SPOILER: Republicans may try to launch legal action that the election was "stolen". Over the next four years, the economy's going to hit some serious bumps. We'll have most of our troops out of Iraq within the next year or two, with probably full deployment by 2011. In the meantime, Republicans will try to blame every solitary thing that goes wrong in America on Obama. None of this would support your theory nor disprove it if things went differently. What's particularly baffling is the notion that Republicans are going to try and tank the economy to make Democrats look bad. Yes, pro-business, market-oriented individuals with wealth to defend are going to trash the economy, to get the White House four years down the road.

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:25:50 -0800

Christ, you people are a sad shell of your former selves. "You people"? Which people? Your statement is true in my case, but I don't think it is for most Mefites.

By: paddysat

paddysat — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:36:52 -0800

I don't like Palin at all and frankly believe that she couldn't govern her way out of a paper bag. With that said, although a great premise, that phone prank was not very funny. Didn't lol once.

By: dbiedny

dbiedny — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:39:05 -0800

What's particularly baffling is the notion that Republicans are going to try and tank the economy to make Democrats look bad. Yes, pro-business, market-oriented individuals with wealth to defend are going to trash the economy, to get the White House four years down the road. I never stated nor implied that - the economy is going down the drain, and it's not a partisan thing, it's not as if Republicans are trying to make it happen, and it's not like some single societal class is getting it - the pain is all around. The very wealthy will weather this just fine, it's the middle class that's going to get pounded and destroyed (note that the poor are not even on the political radar anymore). But the fact that the worst of the fallout will be happening during a Democratic administration (assuming Obama wins this Tuesday), will be used by the rightwingnuts to destroy the Democratic party. Look at what they did with Clinton, just because of some blowjobs. But I'm feeling a bit paranoid these days, I'll admit it.

By: dog food sugar

dog food sugar — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:42:41 -0800

Yeah yeah. The REAL question is who won the candy vote!

By: fourcheesemac

fourcheesemac — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:43:38 -0800

No way. If they had really wanted to throw the election at the highest level, they would not have run a campaign that tore the republican party asunder like this. And no matter how bad things get, having power always beats not having power. And on top of that, being out of power means you don't control the justice department and there are a whole lot of Bush admin cronies and functionaries who face a very real possibility of prosecution and jail time under a dem congress and a president Obama. There may well be forces on the right that want Obama to be president for nefarious reasons, but they are not running the McCain campaign. McCain, clearly, wanted to win.

By: Optimus Chyme

Optimus Chyme — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:44:09 -0800

"You people"? Which people? Your statement is true in my case, but I don't think it is for most Mefites. posted by lukemeister at 10:25 AM on November 2 Davismsc and the "intellectual" "conservatives" who still post here to defend even the most ridiculous policies and people of the American far-right.

By: dbiedny

dbiedny — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:44:12 -0800

And regarding the notion that the U.S. will withdraw from Iraq in the next year or two... We're not leaving. Ever. I'll bet everything I own on this statement.

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:45:32 -0800

Politico's Mike Allen in his daily morning cut-and-paste roundup, "Playbook" (capitals his):

WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE CALL, PALIN WAS BASICALLY BEING FRIENDLY AND DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING INCRIMINATING. BUT THIS IS BAFFLING . THESE CALLS GO THROUGH THE STATE DEPARTMENT. NATIONAL POLITICIANS DON'T TALK TO FOREIGN LEADERS WITHOUT STATE BRIEFING THEM ON WHAT THEY WANT AND WHAT WE'RE SAYING.

By: jayder

jayder — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:47:05 -0800

NATIONAL POLITICIANS DON'T TALK TO FOREIGN LEADERS WITHOUT STATE BRIEFING THEM ON WHAT THEY WANT AND WHAT WE'RE SAYING. I'm glad to hear there's a well-established procedure for handling calls from foreign heads of state. Too bad Palin didn't get the memo.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:53:07 -0800

I never stated nor implied that - the economy is going down the drain, and it's not a partisan thing, it's not as if Republicans are trying to make it happen, and it's not like some single societal class is getting it - the pain is all around. Fair enough. I misread you there. And regarding the notion that the U.S. will withdraw from Iraq in the next year or two... We're not leaving. Ever. I'll bet everything I own on this statement. Based on a two-year old link about the embassy? Maybe you didn't hear the more recent news. We're always going to have a presence there, in one form or another, but yeah, December 31st 2011 is pretty much the deal at this point, with troops out of urban areas by June 2009.

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 11:13:52 -0800

The choice of Palin, the inept handling of the campaign, all seems ridiculous beyond words... Nope, stupidity has no limits. If they were anywhere as smart as you propose, they would have let Kerry win in 2004 and blamed him for everything that's gone wrong, be it Iraq or America, and cemented their dominance in 2006 and 2008. If they were even half smart, they would have had a realistic plan for Iraq. Oh wait, there was a realistic plan for invading Iraq, they just ignored it and then continued to ignore all the obvious signs that their plan was failing until reality smacked them up side the head for the umpteethh time. These are not truly smart people. They are bloated, arrogant people who did a circle jerk on the ashes of 9/11 and enough of America joined it for them to implement some very screwed up things. You remember Bill Clinton? His administration balanced the fucking budget, despite other various flaws both personal and political. How much would you like America to have balanced budget right now, or even a reasonably small deficit? You remember the aftermath of Katrina? Mission Accomplished? The DOJ attorney firings? Faith Based Initiatives? Walter Reed Hospital? Valerie Plame? Hanging chad? Terri Schiavo? The Patriot Act? Abu Gharib prison? Waterboarding? The Axix of Evil? Bring'em On? Protecting Marriage for Homosexuals? The list is stunningly long. To say Republicans have some master plan and are smart enough to carry it out is one of the absolutely craziest things I've heard lately, you betcha' . If you want to talk about master plans, talk about the 50 state strategy .

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 11:27:21 -0800

I have a Democratic friend who sometimes expressed hope that McCain would win, so he'd have to deal with the mess. But he wouldn't. McCain would just punt until a Democratic was elected.

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:26:29 -0800

This is the current election thread, yes? I'm not sure that this would go down well as a FPP, but it's a view from overseas that some might find interesting; it's from Der Speigel, and it's basically an indictment not just of Bush's presidency, but the state of America itself. America, Land of Extremes. I'm not saying that it's brilliantly written, or earth-shatteringly insightful, but it probably speaks for the mixed attitudes of many around the world:

America is an extreme country, and no one feels indifferent about it. No matter whether you live in Karachi, Hamburg or Tbilisi -- you are bound to have an opinion about America. The US has friends and enemies all around the globe. America serves as a role model for Western industrialized societies, a model based on the spirit of Protestantism. But it also provides a paragon example of the downsides of this approach: materialism, unbridled consumerism, reckless exploitation of people and natural resources. This country the size of a continent has fascinating strengths and unparalleled weaknesses. It inspires both devoted admiration and aggressive contempt.

By: MarkO

MarkO — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:15:59 -0800

Until the Republican Party commits to enter the media age, the Democrats will continue to grow their massive advantage in future elections. Enter Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Mr. McCain's greatest gift to America may have been his inadvertent discovery of the only person in American politics who can go up against Mr. Obama's star power. Come 2012, it'll be "I Am Legend" vs. "Juno" - the blockbuster vs. the sleeper. Folks, we are not rid of this Palin character yet. I live in Texas, what a star she is over here! In fact, this election is far from over; what if Palin goes on TV tomorrow and cries?

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:24:14 -0800

Come 2012, it'll be "I Am Legend" vs. "Juno" - the blockbuster vs. the ~~sleeper~~ steaming pile of overwrought , vacant, self-indulgent pelican droppings. Sorry, it had to be done. Folks, we are not rid of this Palin character yet. I live in Texas, what a star she is over here! In fact, this election is far from over; what if Palin goes on TV tomorrow and cries? I'm fairly certain she's going to land a deal with FOX. She might even lead a "Republicans concerned about democracy" suit about the elections being stolen.

By: gman

gman — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:27:25 -0800

I'm fairly certain she's going to land a deal with FOX. She might even lead a "Republicans concerned about democracy" suit about the elections being stolen. I wonder if she'll sign a deal with Michael Moore?

By: fourcheesemac

fourcheesemac — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:45:11 -0800

She ain't going anywhere. There's a reason the medical records haven't been released, and it's disqualifying.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:47:05 -0800

There's a reason the medical records haven't been released, and it's disqualifying. That's an intriguing statement. Can you elaborate?

By: graventy

graventy — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:53:49 -0800

Yeah, I'm really curious what you think it is, fourcheesemac. Something related to her pregnancy? Maybe she has polio?

By: Countess Elena

Countess Elena — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:56:37 -0800

He's suggesting Trig's not her baby. I'm going to accept that he is . . . unless and until I hear that her daughter "miscarried." And even then I'm going to pretend I'm too above that kind of rumor to care.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:01:10 -0800

He's suggesting Trig's not her baby. Ooh, that. Yeah, not touching that with a 10-foot caribou antler.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:02:47 -0800

He's suggesting Trig's not her baby. Huh? The most obvious thing to me is even indirect evidence that she'd had an abortion at some point.

By: Countess Elena

Countess Elena — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:07:23 -0800

Oh no, ROU. She could spin that like a record. Evangelical churches are full of women who had abortions and are very sorry that they were allowed to. A right-leaning female pundit or politician who made a public show of repentance of an abortion would be a darling.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:09:04 -0800

Well, I think the most obvious thing is she had her horns and barbed tail removed at birth. Gawd, do we need this speculation? I'd think stonewalling the medical records request is damning enough without the offspring guessing game.

By: Flunkie

Flunkie — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:20:36 -0800

I would like to hesitate to go down this road, but I can't resist: Why would Trig not being her baby be "disqualifying"? The only reason I can think of is something along the lines of "if he were her daughter's baby, the fact that her unwed teenage daughter got pregnant would show the abject failure of her ethos regarding sex ed". But her unwed teenage daughter is pregnant, and she hasn't been "disqualified" because of it. For that matter, I'm having trouble thinking of a medical condition that could be "disqualifying". John McCain is 72 years old and has had multiple recurrences of cancer, including surgery for one such recurrence less than a decade ago. He's not disqualified because of it. I suppose some sort of psychiatric problem might be seen as disqualifying, but we already know that she's batshit insane.

By: MarkO

MarkO — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:32:42 -0800

Google search on "hillary new hampshire": Hillary's New Hampshire Edge - March '07 CNN N.H. Poll: Obama, Clinton tied; Romney remains strong - December '07 Hillary Booed at NH Democratic Party Dinner - January '08 Obama targets Hillary in N.H. - Jan. 4, 2008 Obama Has 91% Odds of New Hampshire Win, Traders Say - Jan. 7, 2008 Hillary advisers fear N.H. loss - Jan. 6, 2008 Barack Obama is expected to win in New Hampshire - Jan. 7, 2008 Hillary Clinton's Emotional Moment - Jan. 7, 2008 Hillary's New Hampshire Closer: She Will Be Ready On Day One - Jan. 7, 2008 Rasmussen Final New Hampshire Poll: Obama 37% Clinton 30% - Jan. 8, 2008 Hillary Clinton's surprise win - Jan. 9. 2008 Four theories to explain Hillary's stunner And who could forget: Obama Concedes New Hampshire Nomination Thinking about this as I googled actually helped me put things in perspective: Hillary tearing up was meaningful to women who reconnected with her, while I think Palin has lost the support of most women and crying would not have the same effect. Then again, I can't profess to know how women think about these things... By the way, I don't mean to be sadistic, conjuring scenarios in which Obama could lose. I sincerely apologize for any distress the imagining of such may have caused.

By: snofoam

snofoam — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:35:53 -0800

This was a nice read. I think the ground game is going to make a big difference. I was phone banking the last couple days in Brooklyn and lots of people were coming out to do it, people of all ages, etc. It also seemed to be mostly people who had never done it before. Raising the money is important, but I think the Obama campaign is also having historic success in getting people to volunteer, which is probably at least as important. And you still have time to make some calls! It's easy and overall it's fun and rewarding.

By: MarkO

MarkO — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:45:43 -0800

Better video of "Yes We Can" speech

By: cybercoitus interruptus

cybercoitus interruptus — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:23:11 -0800

"We had to go through the Secret Service, the people in her entourage."

By: amuseDetachment

amuseDetachment — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:34:25 -0800

snofoam: Yeah, but I think it doesn't provide much details as to why Obama's ground operations is creaming McCain's. Here's what it's like for process/engineering geeks to go door-to-door for Obama (self-link; and you can clearly see why Obama is going to completely dominate on election day). If you haven't done any canvassing yet (why not?), it's dead easy and you should seriously consider it.

By: amuseDetachment

amuseDetachment — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:36:04 -0800

And by "you" i mean everyone else (not snofoam ;-).

By: fourcheesemac

fourcheesemac — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:56:17 -0800

I am not suggesting Trig is not her baby, necessarily. But where are medical records? Maybe it's just the official opinion of the doctor who supervised Trig's eventual delivery at Mat-Su Regional stating for the record that s/he would not be liable for any birth trauma Trig's mom may have induced by the incredibly careless way she delayed treatment and spent hours in the air after her water had broken. You can spin further from that into darker conclusions, too. She's a young healthy woman. What on earth could be in those records. An STD?

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:08:03 -0800

fourcheesemac: "232She ain't going anywhere. There's a reason the medical records haven't been released, and it's disqualifying." He ain't going anywhere. There's a reason the birth certificate hasn't been released, and it's disqualifying.

By: drezdn

drezdn — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:10:58 -0800

By not releasing the records, it allows for speculation that's possible far worse than the information inside. One possible black mark: medication for a psychological issue.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:14:38 -0800

drezdn: "250By not releasing the records, it allows for speculation that's possible far worse than the information inside. One possible black mark: medication for a psychological issue." I hear she's crazy like a Kenyan fox.

By: inigo2

inigo2 — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:18:22 -0800

He ain't going anywhere. There's a reason the birth certificate hasn't been released, and it's disqualifying. I hate hate hate that I'm bothering to reply to you, but in case there are any other ~~intellectually~~ dishonest people out there, the Obama birth certificate crap has been fully addressed and debunked.

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:20:39 -0800

You can spin further from that into darker conclusions, too. Why is the conspiracy theory stuff even necessary? It seems clear that (at a minimum) she flew to Texas despite being eight months pregnant with her fifth child (at 40+ years old no less), waited around to give a speech after her water breaking at 4AM, and then flew back to Alaska in order to give birth there. Isn't the Occam's Razor conclusion just that she's horribly irresponsible? Clearly any PR backlash from keeping her medical records private would be outweighed by the benefits of keeping more evidence of her poor judgment away from media scrutiny. That's arguably one of the biggest issues with her on both sides of the aisle already. So why create a feeding frenzy in the news when no one except Andrew Sullivan is really complaining about this anyway?

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:26:17 -0800

I didn't know we were still playing! I hear she's crazy like a Kenyan fox. Hurf durf, amirite? You should take that shit on the road, brother. GOLD. I've seen political parties polishing deck chairs on sinking ships before, but never like this, prisoners. Monday dawns and brings fresh mania. What's left in the quiver? He's the antichrist? Is that your last card? Your hand is a joke... as is the McCain campaign: one of the most embarrassing examples of a presidential bid in modern history.

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:27:33 -0800

Um. Over the line.

By: Rafaelloello

Rafaelloello — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:29:28 -0800

inigo2: "252He ain't going anywhere. There's a reason the birth certificate hasn't been released, and it's disqualifying. I hate hate hate that I'm bothering to reply to you, but in case there are any other ~~intellectually~~ dishonest people out there, the Obama birth certificate crap has been fully addressed and debunked." No shit, Sherlock. Again, point completely missed. Jeez. Maybe Obama was born a woman, but had a sex change somewhere along the way. Maybe he and Palin crossed paths in the same psyche ward. I haven't seen any published reports of DNA tests affirming that Obama is not XX chromosomed.

By: Floydd

Floydd — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:36:36 -0800

Rafaelloello's voting for Kodos.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:40:08 -0800

He ain't going anywhere. There's a reason the birth certificate hasn't been released, and it's disqualifying. Someone please kick the soapbox out from under this clown, please. For the love of God.

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:40:37 -0800

No shit, Sherlock. Again, point completely missed. Jeez. That's because you're not making a point. You're saying that Obama releasing a record months ago during the primary campaign is equivalent to Palin not releasing a record at all, based solely on the fact that some reasons for requesting records are unreasonable -- the comparison is manifestly nonsensical.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:48:01 -0800

I missed the part where sense crept into his typing.

By: Doublewhiskeycokenoice

Doublewhiskeycokenoice — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:53:42 -0800

I haven't seen any published reports of DNA tests affirming that Obama is not XX chromosomed. That probably woulda shown up in the medical records he released. You will also note that there are no numbers next to the above quote for ease of reading.

By: twirlypen

twirlypen — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:00:10 -0800

I get it now. The whole campaign makes sense now. These supposed gaffes, all the WTF moments... it's all coming together. It's satire! John McCain never expected to gain the nomination, so when it happened he figured 'hey... I'm never going to win. What I am going to do though is the biggest and most ambitious piece of political satire ever. I'm going to make my own campaign a joke.'

By: Eekacat

Eekacat — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:56:22 -0800

twirlypen, you mean John McCain is the real Alfred E. Neuman?

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:20:12 -0800

No shit, Sherlock. Again, point completely missed. Jeez. The one constant in all your "missed points" is you.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:52:32 -0800

Is this real? This can't be real. Is this real? Ror really real? I've been saying this for the last 8 years.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:04:24 -0800

"Because on surface evidence alone, McCain seems unfit for duty, and Palin unqualified," That is a problem. I mean, what if something is very wrong with him physically? It says a lot about him that he so wants to be president that he is willing to possibly die in office and leave the country high and dry. Plus - with her. At 72 that's beyond hubris. It's nearly criminal. Hell, why doesn't he just go ahead and father a child now. Maybe start playing a contact sport. Y'know, Douglas Adams made a great observation in Zaphod Beeblebrox, that the president is just a distraction and the real power lies elsewhere. I think only in some cases that's true. It was mostly true of Bush. It was certainly true of Harding. I think there's a tacit assumption with McCain or Palin that'd be the case. And that's the real difference here. You have people who think she's good enough. Likeable. Strong. Whatever. And maybe she is. But I'd rather have the guy willing to make the sacrifice, willing to take the ball himself and own responsibility for it. What I respect about Obama is that he is willing - demonstrably - to sacrifice what he is for what he could become. Re-reading the transcript - Palin is just as self-absorbed as McCain. Everything points back to her. Maybe she's a really nice, relatable person. But there's not enough 'there' there. The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principles. - Gandhi

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:29:26 -0800

I hate hate hate that I'm bothering to reply to you, but in case there are any other intellectually dishonest people out there, the Obama birth certificate crap has been fully addressed and debunked. Please don't feed the troll.

By: wires

wires — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:12:46 -0800

None of you guys would have done much better in a similar situation, believe me. Which is why I'm not running for Vice President. Imagine them calling Biden.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:10:23 -0800

Imagine them calling Biden. "What? ... Who is this? ... Hang on ... Jill, get my Baretta ... Alright, you listen to me - this is a crank call. I know it, and you know it. When I was growing up in Scranton, I used to make crank calls all the time. Get them, too, mind you, but mostly made 'em. There's one I used to love to make. What you do is, you call the local funeral parlor, and you pretend to be the florists. You tell 'em you got an order for 50 dozen white roses for a funeral but you can't read the name on the ticket. Then, using another phone, you call the florists, pretending to be the funeral parlor, and you- hello? Hello?"

By: asok

asok — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:45:39 -0800

Is Biden still involved in this election? I haven't heard a peep about, or out of him. It seems to be Obama vs. Palin and McCain. Shouldn't Biden be making some headlines by revealing that in his opinion the Republican candidates are unsuitable for office or something else totally *outrageous* like that?

By: oaf

oaf — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:12:17 -0800

And while it's sad she didn't know the PM of Canada (very), it's also sad because I doubt a majority of Americans could name him, either. Oh, I can think of plenty of names for him.

By: Secret Life of Gravy

Secret Life of Gravy — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:48:09 -0800

Joe the ~~Tool~~ Plumber questions Obama's loyalty to his country. What a crappy way to stay my morning-- not because this guy's opinions matter one whit or because his "questions" will damage Obama in any way, simply because I am tired of fighting the stupid and ignorant. I had to spend some time with my fundie-in-laws this weekend and I am drained. Sister-in-Law said that Palin disappointed her, but she hopes Palin will "rise to the occasion." She could not vote for Obama because he allows small babies to have their skulls crushed. Father-in-law saw a picture of Obama and his hand was not placed over his heart while "reciting the pledge of allegiance" (more likely it was while listening to the National Anthem.) Also Obama is Hitler returned to earth. Naturally I tried to reason with them, to use all the knowledge and powers of persuasion that are available to me, but it was as though I spoke in tongues; their church has done an excellent job training them to be deaf to all logic, to ignore all evidence. To go by their feelings and have faith. These are people who can calmly assure me that the Bible was written by God and Jesus is coming soon to whisk them off to heaven. And they smiled when they assured me I was going to hell.

By: shiu mai baby

shiu mai baby — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:23:48 -0800

Gravy, I feel your pain. I've been in a weeks-long e-mail battle with my mother about this stuff, and it's actually causing serious damage to our relationship. On one hand I am so passionate about standing up for what I believe in, fighting the good fight, disproving stupid lies and rumors with the truth, all that good and noble stuff. Then on the other hand I have to constantly remind myself that I am never, ever going to change her mind (nor she mine), and I have to weigh the cost of being right against preserving my relationship with my mom. It's so easy to mock and laugh at and be outraged by the morans who buy into the baby-skull-crushing-socialist-antichrist crap; when you share DNA with these same folks, it's fucking agonizing.

By: snofoam

snofoam — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:50:50 -0800

I understand this frustration. On the other hand, when our parents die there will be a small silver lining in that they won't be able to vote anymore.

By: snofoam

snofoam — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:55:29 -0800

Oh, and also: I'm really glad Obama seems headed for a win this year...otherwise I may have been tempted to kill them.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:58:57 -0800

I gave my (racist) grandmother's email address to the Obama campaign.

By: brain cloud

brain cloud — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:55:30 -0800

One more day, Blessed Handsome One.

By: fingers_of_fire

fingers_of_fire — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:13:31 -0800

Jumpin' Joe Biden, last Saturday. When he's good, he's very good.

By: malocchio

malocchio — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:34:31 -0800

My god, the woman apparently thinks that Sarkozy is just as folksy and dim-witted as she is.

By: shiu mai baby

shiu mai baby — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:52:09 -0800

More LOLPALIN fodder:

And then, speaking of Obama's views on coal, she repeatedly stumbled on the word "bankrupting," calling it "bankruptcing." [...] It was at a San Francisco fundraiser earlier this year that Obama got into trouble, suggesting rural voters "cling to religion and guns" because jobs were being lost. Palin referred to them Monday as "bitter clingers" and "cling-ons." (There goes the Star Trek vote?)

People, I honestly cannot even contemplate listening to this kind of blithering idiocy for any length of time. People knock Obama for being little more than grand rhetoric, but even if I disagreed with every plank of his platform I would still be secretly relieved if he won, just so I didn't have to listen to this brazen abuse of our language. Eight years of moronitude has been plenty for me, thank you.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:02:24 -0800

And they smiled when they assured me I was going to hell. Are you serious? That is a shockingly awful thing to say to someone, not to mention contrary to the entire concept that only God knows who's going where. That is just stunning.

By: chugg

chugg — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:05:22 -0800

Michigan woman limits her Halloween treats to McCain supporters only.

By: chugg

chugg — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:14:50 -0800

I apologize. I don't know why I posted that.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:51:55 -0800

Michigan woman limits her Halloween treats to McCain supporters only. Politicizing a bit of fun for kids that just happens once a year. What a totally worthless human being.

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:57:10 -0800

And they smiled when they assured me I was going to hell. Yes, there is a sizable chunk of rabid "Christians" whose main interest in that religion is schadenfreude, because they misunderstand its tenets completely.

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:04:06 -0800

Politicizing a bit of fun for kids that just happens once a year. My counter-anecdote: While I was walking home on Halloween, some kids were coming out of a house with the parents and I heard one of them yell, "OBAMA!" I don't know if she was just reading the yard sign or what (there's a lot of them in my neighborhood), but boy did she sound happy. Remember: that kid will probably vote in many more elections than the grumpy old lady. Win or lose, we did good this year.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:49:42 -0800

I am tired of fighting the stupid and ignorant. I had to spend some time with my fundie-in-laws this weekend and I am drained. I have fundie parents, and a number of my other family members are fundie as well. They sincerely believe there was an Adam and Eve, though they don't believe the earth is only 6,000 years old or that humans and dinosaurs co-existed. I'm pretty sure they are anti-abortion. So, they'd tend to agree with Palin on a lot of things. I usually try to avoid contention and just concentrate on areas in which we can relate, and perhaps seed a few facts and mild counterpoints in conversations, but the last time I was home I had a moment when I was listening to everyone go on about what a crock global warming supposedly is and I had a moment of total alienation, when I thought to myself, "Who are you people, and how did I wind up being related to you?" When Palin first was nominated and I complained about how unqualified she was to my mother, she said, "Oh you don't know what she can do until she gets a chance." My dad keeps making fun of Barack Obama. I'm afraid to ask why... I suspect it's racially motivated (to be fair, he doesn't like McCain either, but he doesn't make fun of him the way he does about Obama). But then as all the crap about Palin's career surfaced and my parents watched part of the VP debate, they could see perfectly clearly how incredibly unqualified she was and just how disastrous she would be as VP or President. My dad came across some reference to the Tina Fey sketches on SNL in the paper. He didn't know who Tina Fey was, but he likes the political material on SNL. He got my brother to look up the video on the net so he could watch it, and then laughed his head off. My parents are Canadians, so in practical terms it doesn't matter whether they support Obama or McCain. But seeing their reactions to the election campaign coverage gives me hope that there are lots of people out there of all political persuasions who will have no trouble perceiving Palin's complete unfitness as any kind of government official, and who will be horrified at McCain's bad judgment in selecting her. Yes, there are horribly indoctrinated fundies out there, but it's unfair to assume that they're all devoid of any kind of intelligence or reasoning powers. (Not that I'm saying you suggested that, Secret Life of Gravy - I know you were talking about specific people.)

By: mazola

mazola — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:45:04 -0800

Michigan woman limits her Halloween treats to McCain supporters only. Because Obama supporters are already sweet enough!

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:53:40 -0800

These are people who can calmly assure me that the Bible was written by God and Jesus is coming soon to whisk them off to heaven. And they smiled when they assured me I was going to hell. Tell them that you've come to know Jesus on a personal level and that actually, he doesn't care and Hell doesn't exist.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:08:20 -0800

I gave my (racist) grandmother's email address to the Obama campaign. Strangely, I have not gotten any more stupid 'OMG BARACK IS A MUSLIN TERRORIST' fwds since I did this. She already knew how I felt, but I guess this made my point.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:26:47 -0800

I am tired of fighting the stupid and ignorant. I had to spend some time with my fundie-in-laws this weekend and I am drained. I have fundie parents, and a number of my other family members are fundie as well. They sincerely believe there was an Adam and Eve, though they don't believe the earth is only 6,000 years old or that humans and dinosaurs co-existed. I'm pretty sure they are anti-abortion. So, they'd tend to agree with Palin on a lot of things. I usually try to avoid contention and just concentrate on areas in which we can relate, and perhaps seed a few facts and mild counterpoints in conversations, but the last time I was home I had a moment when I was listening to everyone go on about what a crock global warming supposedly is and I had a moment of total alienation, when I thought to myself, "Who are you people, and how did I wind up being related to you?" I have found that 3000 miles and an ocean really takes the sting out of being related to fundies.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:44:30 -0800

Palin effigy to go up in flames

By: shiu mai baby

shiu mai baby — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:51:16 -0800

Ugh, chuckdarwin, that's just sickening and disturbing to no end. Like, I get that it's a light-hearted town tradition, but personally I can't regard it any more acceptable than the odious lynchings of Obama effigies. If ever there were an instance of "please stay off my side, kthxbai," this is it.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:00:29 -0800

They burn effigies here every year... but it is odd to have a US figure on the fire.

By: shiu mai baby

shiu mai baby — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:08:39 -0800

I know, I get it. I think, again, it's just that there's been so much ugliness in this election, mostly from the invertebrates that make up the crazy fringe of McCain supporters, but a few morons on our side as well -- it makes me a bit over-sensitive to fucked-up acts, regardless of how benign they might be to the participants. Also, since election day is tomorrow I'm just obnoxiously wary of anything that might tip the balance in the wrong direction. The last thing I want is for people to feel any sympathy for Palin. I'm rambling here, sorry. I swear I will be more coherent once this crazy-assed election is over. God willing, within 36 hours -- or less.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:30:19 -0800

"Imagine them calling Biden." They did. I don't particularly care for Biden either way. I don't much like his toothy smile. But that's a personal thing, basically irrelevant. But contrast the aplomb with which he carried this off with Palin's sycophantic reaction. I saw some Fox coverage on this and they went after him for dodging the question. Now, I'm no expert, but the "did you stop beating your wife" stuff seems to be out of the bounds of legitimate journalism. Or rather - the "is it true you don't have sex with goats" stuff. Since part of the design in asking such a question is to make them have to deny it. "Palin referred to them Monday as "bitter clingers" and "cling-ons."" nuqjatlh? pujwI' HIvlu'chugh quvbe'lu'!

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:31:30 -0800

(Also - since no one's mentioned it - nice use of the 'brawndo' tag)

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:56:00 -0800

Smedleyman, is that Klingon or the language of R'lyeh?

By: desjardins

desjardins — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:29:50 -0800

I posted this in the Obama Grandmother thread, but it fits here because it unfortunately refutes my previous point: Moments ago, I just received this email from my own grandmother*: "I thought you were smarter than to vote for Barack. He has nothing to offer but a big mouth and you will have to pay more taxes with him. He is a nut. " I could cry. Why do people like Madelyn Dunham have to leave this world and others stay? *This woman still uses the word "nigra" in conversations with complete strangers, and has been sending me fwds for months about how Barack is a terrorist-loving anti-American Muslin [sic].

By: brain cloud

brain cloud — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:36:36 -0800

Palin cleared of ethics charges? "The report says there is no probable cause to believe Palin or any other state official violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act in connection with the firing. The report was prepared by Timothy Petumenos, an independent counsel for the Alaska Personnel Board."

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:03:06 -0800

I regret that I didn't title this thread "PING PONG MATCH! It was a..."

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:26:13 -0800

Klingonese, my friends. Wish I spoke it, my friends. My friends: That's some hardcore nerd cred right there. Sorry, been doing that all day, my friends (Obama's) 'ideology is completely different than what democracy stands for'? Brawndo indeed. Joe the Plumber served where? I don't mean just military service. I mean - served this (U.S.) country in what capacity? Obama is in public service. He is by definition serving his country. McCain as well. Hell, Palin is a serving governor - plenty of things I can criticize about her, but the bare fact of her service? No. What has this schnook done to serve something greater than himself for unselfish reasons? Volunteered for a political campaign? Served in the Peace Corps? Anything? No, he's a fucking plumber. Nothing wrong with that, but this questioning someone's patriotism and commitment to the country is ridiculous, especially coming from someone who's never lifted a finger other than to make himself money. So what's his ideology? Y'know I listen to people blather about this stuff and I want to yell at them: "Fuckhead, you wouldn't cross the street without double time for overtime, what the hell makes you think you're qualified to judge who would sacrifice or die for an abstract idea?" Ideology. *I* have an ideology. A lot of people here have ideologies. Maybe conflicting, but I suspect some of you would die for them and many of you have (taking you at your word) sacrificed time, effort, money, etc. or more, for them. But that's what's lacking. In this dufus and in Palin. What the hell is their motivation beyond selfish gain? Ok, I want to pay less taxes which mean more money in my pocket - yay, I'm a big fucking hero. Meanwhile vets sleep out in the street, and we kiss the ass of the 'French president' because we don't want to rock the boat. Y'know that's what separates those people though. Someone who believes in something - for good or ill - will argue, fight, and maybe even die when they're cornered. People like this make nice, cough up their checkbooks. Hell, I'd rather have an extremist, muslim terrorist in charge (say what you will, at least it's an ethos ...although more seriously - I am thinking of Baudrillard's thinking on nihilism

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:17:58 -0800

I am thinking of Baudrillard's thinking on nihilism That's a very good point. The freeper nonsense about Obama's grandmother struck me as akin to Baudrillard's example about reports of terrorist bombing -- the actual event, even if it's a real, human moment, is consumed by overlapping interpretations of the event: the bombing is an attack by the left, it's a setup by the right, it's a conspiracy by the government -- all at the same time. What actually happened becomes meaningless -- it's all just food for the spin machine. Obama's grandmother dies of cancer and within moments some asshole is speculating whether Obama did it himself; he's named after his father or grows up in Indonesia and that makes him a terrorist Muslim; he believes in progressive taxation and that makes him a socialist sleeper agent. It really doesn't matter what Barack Obama did or didn't do: if he did something positive, it's a trick, and if he didn't, it's a damning omission. Reality confirms the narrative rather than the other way around. That phenomenon isn't confined to the left or the right (see, e.g., claims that Sarah Palin's child is actually her daughters') -- but it is pervasive and it is getting worse.

By: readery

readery — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:25:47 -0800

I hear ya, Smedleyman. All I get from Palin and Joe the Plumber (seriously, WTF - how has he gotten himself as a spokesman for anything?) is shear opportunism. And through them you can see the grasping, needy opportunistic core that is the heart of John McCain. The same Lebowski line occurred to me - I'd rather deal with an idealogue that an opportunist , an opportunist will say or do whatever to achieve their goal - there is no set moral boundary. The end justfies the means. Thank goodness I was raised by a mother who last night was almost in tears about people calling Barack unpatriotic. And who knows if Joe even means it, it probably is just his way of angling for a Fox show of his own . He got a recording contract, didn't he? He's not done yet getting what he thinks is his share of cash and prizes for playing the game.

By: drezdn

drezdn — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:09:35 -0800

So they couldn't get the medical records out until the absolute last day of the campaign?

By: MarkO

MarkO — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:50:37 -0800

but the last time I was home I had a moment when I was listening to everyone go on about what a crock global warming supposedly is and I had a moment of total alienation, when I thought to myself, "Who are you people, and how did I wind up being related to you?" Sorry but I think you're all going to have a good laugh about global warming one day. If solar cycle 24 doesn't get started soon that day may come sooner than you think :)

By: dog food sugar

dog food sugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:22:23 -0800

Evangelical Student for Obama

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:40:51 -0800

So they couldn't get the medical records out until the absolute last day of the campaign? posted by drezdn at 8:09 PM on November 3 [+] [!] Who's records?

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:22:40 -0800

"Who's records?" About 100 million worldwide, including Quadrophenia, but that's not important right now. Palin, apparently, hasn't released her medical records (don't know myself, just what I've gleened from this thread)

By: shiu mai baby

shiu mai baby — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:33:32 -0800

Smedleyman: hee. Also, I don't think she released her records, per se; she just issued a letter from her doctor that basically said "nothing to see here, she's fine!" I believe there was one note about having a lesion on her breast examined in, like, 1992, but it was determined to be benign.

By: Secret Life of Gravy

Secret Life of Gravy — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:34:30 -0800

but the last time I was home I had a moment when I was listening to everyone go on about what a crock global warming supposedly is and I had a moment of total alienation, when I thought to myself, "Who are you people, and how did I wind up being related to you?" Orange Swan, I read your comment out loud to my husband and he laughed bitterly and said, "Only one moment? That doesn't sound so bad."

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:12:09 -0800

Er. Well, I do get very discouraged with my family very often, SLoG. You husband's family does sound much worse though. Mine at least don't tell me I'm going to hell, though I'm sure they are very concerned I will.

By: nel

nel — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 10:19:58 -0800

it's so embarrassing I can barely listen to it.