Sorry to mine this again, but Frei’s contribution is possibly the best yet. As far as I can tell, his job is to make Webb look impartial.
As Frei says, it’s impossible to know where to start – so how about with the kids (that’s worked for us so far): “Her five children? Unusual names: Track – apparently named because his mother is a keen runner – Willow, Bristol, Piper and Trig – the Nordic word for strength.” Very dubious.
“Or should we dwell on the fact that the woman who might one day command the most powerful army in the world, run three wars and fix the economic engine of the planet has only been abroad twice in her 44 years of life?”
Hard to say, but we certainly don’t want to miss the cliche that the “US needs to figure out how comfortable it is with Mrs Palin being a heartbeat away from the Oval Office”. Nor forget the American stereotyping: “Then there is the fact that Sarah has been hunting… ever since she could walk. Add the fact that her husband Todd – known in Alaska as the “First Dude” – was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in 1986 and you get the picture… They are real, unvarnished Americans.”
The conclusion is obvious to all: “Once again, the Republicans are asking the world to suspend disbelief. They did it with Ronald Reagan and George W Bush. Why not do it with a 44-year-old governor of America’s second most distant state, a very modern woman with very conservative values? Does America want to go along for the ride? The world is watching, reaching for the Prozac and wondering what other historic surprises are in store for the 2008 election.” Genius.
The interesting thing about Frei of course is that he lives in America, educates his kids in america and, I am sure, when (please God soon) his BBC contract is up, will do everything he can to stay in America.
Martin Lieberman was not McCain’s first pick. His first pick was Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. Governor Jindal declined because he has only just begun work on the corrupt Louisiana establishment and is going to see it through.
Not A Sheep – And I’ve been onto her since early August. In fact, I think everyone was aware of Sarah Palin at least three weeks ago, except the BBC, of course. You can’t expect them to know everything. They’re only wallowing in money and don’t have the resources. Actually, they most assuredly do not have the mental resources. Slim pickings. Matt Frei. Justin Webb. James McNaughtie or whatever his name is.
To those who say Governor Palin will drag Hillary supporters over, this is incorrect in every respect. Hillary supporters loathe everything Sarah Palin stands for and she offers them nothing. On the other hand, just because they wouldn’t vote for her, I don’t see them being hostile to her personally. But you have to drop this idea that Hillary supporters are looking for another woman to support because this is way, way off track.
I think a good number of them will not vote for Obama, feeling he stole their heroine’s rights from her. Possibly, most of them will decline to vote this year, although some will switch to Obama for the Democratic cause. They will not switch to Governor Palin.
Abject apologies for three posts in a row.
Verity, having a look at the venom being spewed at Palin from the Democratic girls on the WHYS blog, I think you’re probably right that they wont swing her way simply because she is a woman:
Do the wind bag republicans have that much to say about God?
and
re: Palin Speech
…can tell us what that victory in Iraq looks like since according to her we’re winning. Whatever that means.
and
@Palin,
Being a Stepford Wife does not qualify her as vice president.
and
You mean ZERO? [Palin’s speech.]Yes, it has ZERO meaningful substance.
and
I was thinking the same thing. Are they trying to have comedy routines?
and
All of you commenting about Palin´s speach are making me cry of laughter!!!
and
@ Palin
Nope, we can’t over look your grossly unqualified resume to be VP, muchness President. LOL, what special interest or Oil, boys club” have you stood up to? Do you mean your husband who works for BP oil?
(Another commenter, a male, at least had the integrity to point out that her husband steppd down from his position.)
and
yeh they totally messed up with insulting community organizers…. UMMM actually arent PTA members community organizers?????
and
The one thing I will say about Sarah Palin is that yes, she is a woman. And women are just as strong, if not stronger than men. Beyond that, she is nothing more than another Republican trying to enforce her brand of Christianity on an entire country and really, she just doesn’t have the qualifications to be VP.
and so on:
http://worldhaveyoursay.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/talking-points-4th-september/
The thing is though, those people who have been posting their rabid messages of hate were never going to vote Republican regardless of who was running.
And its these people the Republicans ARENT reaching out to simply because those people are already a lost cause.
The people the Republicans are after are the undecideds. The ones that will look at track records and what candidates have done etc.
BUT what does concern me is what impact a biased, one eyed media will have on the election? The very same media that at every turn points out faults with one side yet glosses over the very real faults of the other side.
That is the true problem here.
Mailman
There is no particular reason why Hillary supporters should vote for Palin. They are not all that important, anyway, and are not the target audience though they think they are. But one would expect these so-called feminists to support a woman who has been attacked viciously for being that and no other reason. Or do they all agree that she should have stayed at home and not worked because she has children? That’s not what they usually say.
mailman,
Agreed.
Helen,
Yes, they don’t have to vote for her but they could at least put in a word for her. Hypocrites.
Bryan | 05.09.08 – 8:35 am |
Having seen those comments, I’m not so worried. None of those people seem to be able to spell or write above a third grade level, so they probably won’t be able to figure out when or how to vote in November.
They sound a lot like so many of the uneducated “artists” I know around New York City. They’re angry as hell, and will be the first to insult me and expound on any conspiracy theories a stolen vote in 2000 or Bush’s role in 9/11, or, lately, Gov. Palin faking a pregnancy in order to fake another pregnancy in order to…er…well, I don’t understand that one either.
But they somehow always fail to vote on the day.
David Preiser (USA),
Well, that’s encouraging. Then I’ll stop posting indignant comments there explaining how they will give America away if they vote Dem.
Bryan,
Don’t let that stop you making comments at them. They deserve to be antagonized. Unfortunately, though, they actually do want to give the US away. They think that’s a good thing.
Steve:
“The interesting thing about Frei of course is that he lives in America, educates his kids in america and, I am sure, when (please God soon) his BBC contract is up, will do everything he can to stay in America.”
He is, of course, German.
David Preiser (USA),
Yeah, actually I’m sort of hooked on it. This is the first time in many years of doing battle on the internet that I’ve actually gone onto a ‘liberal’ blog to try to defend the conservative viewpoint.
WHYS is possibly the most accessible BBC blog around since the moderators also consistently comment and the censorship is generally pretty mild.
The BBC and all the people who respond so positively to mean-spirited, not to say comical, reports on Governor Palin, wanly demonstrate their ignorance with their comments.
Here’s one, taken from Bryan’s quote above: “Beyond that, she is nothing more than another Republican trying to enforce her brand of Christianity on an entire country …”. How, in a democracy, and America is far more a real democracy than Britain, can one “enforce a brand of Chritianity on an entire country”? Are they mad? There are 300m people in the US. Are they going to send out hundreds of thousands – nay, millions – of people with cudgels “enforcing a brand of Christiantity” – or anything else?
The sheer dull-witted, hissing ignorance beggar belief. The sentence continues, “…and really, she just doesn’t have the qualifications to be VP.”
Of course she doesn’t! She’s just the governor of the largest and potentially the richest state in the union and she has no experience as a ‘community organiser’. And she sold a government jet on eBay because she thought it was a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Another bit of a larff is when these same individuals make up out of whole cloth “facts” about what Governor Palin is going to allow, or insist upon in schools, without having a clue about the American legislative process. The Senate is the legislative body. Not the Governor’s office, for God’s sake. It’s the Senate that passes laws. The Governor is not running Alaska from her kitchen. She has to sign whatever bills the senators pass.
she sold a government jet on eBay because she thought it was a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Verity, just a quick heads-up.
What she said was that she put it on EBAY, which she did. The state did eventually sell it through a broker.
Of course, lefty liars are trying to make a thing out of this… but again she never said it was sold it on EBAY.
And it was another brilliant PR coup for Sarah Palin. The Democrats still don’t understand who they are up against.
Until recently the highest value item ever sold on Ebay was the letter Hary Reid send to Rush Limbaugh threatening him.
That went for $2.4 million if I can recall correctly from memory.