Roger Ebert: Put Up or Shut Up

[Darth Yan]

Ugggggghhhhh, I do not want President Palin. And I doubt Beck would be accepted by the party after how badly things turned out for palin in 08.

[bobalot]

About Palin winning in 2012, I don't know, it would go along with 2012 predictions. I mean, the world was suppose to end in 2000 and Bush got elected.

Who said that? Lots of people said his presidency would be a disaster....which it was. Quagmire in Iraq, massive deficits, foreign prestige at an all time low, etc.

[Alphawolf55]

Who said what, the world would end in 2000 or that Bush got elected?

[bobalot]

Who said what, the world would end in 2000 or that Bush got elected?

Ah, my apologies. I think I have I misinterpreted your post.

[bobalot]

Seriously, is this another thread that :

1) Chocula has waded into and posted some stupid bullshit.
2) Gets called out on his bullshit.
3) Runs away.

I have been waiting a few days for him to respond to kouchpotato, but I suspect that won't happen.

[Shroom Man 777]

Am I the only one who thinks that it would be wonderful if Sarah Palin became the President of the USA? Wonderful, but not for America, I mean.

Seriously, it would be hellarious. I'd love to see what would happen if America became a rightwing libertarian wonderland. It would be so horrific, yet so funny at the same time, man.

[bobalot]

Am I the only one who thinks that it would be wonderful if Sarah Palin became the President of the USA? Wonderful, but not for America, I mean.

Seriously, it would be hellarious. I'd love to see what would happen if America became a rightwing libertarian wonderland. It would be so horrific, yet so funny at the same time, man.

Upside: After a term a two, I imagine it would cripple the right-wing brand far worse than George Bush could accomplish with his monumental idiocy.
Downside: Increased possibility of a nuclear holocaust.

[DPDarkPrimus]

Am I the only one who thinks that it would be wonderful if Sarah Palin became the President of the USA?

Yes. At least George W. Bush had a background in politics and understood how large organizations worked. Palin is a child playing with forces beyond her comprehension.

[Kanastrous]

I really, really hope Palin will run. Because it will provide the Democrats with an easy victory.

I can't express how much I wish that I shared your conviction that it would be such an easy victory, or even a victory at all. I'm not drawing a direct comparison but I'm mostly reminded of the whole let HAMAS run against the Palestinian Authority so we can all watch 'em get defeated. Look how well *that* worked out...

[Samuel]

I really, really hope Palin will run. Because it will provide the Democrats with an easy victory.

I can't express how much I wish that I shared your conviction that it would be such an easy victory, or even a victory at all. I'm not drawing a direct comparison but I'm mostly reminded of the whole let HAMAS run against the Palestinian Authority so we can all watch 'em get defeated. Look how well *that* worked out...

Hamas is actually competent. They spend most of their funds on public service, they work hard to stamp out corruption and they take care of you. It just happens they use the other 10% of their funds to wage war against Israel. Basically their foreign policy is crappy while their domestic policy beats Fatah.

The situation would be comparable if the Republicans planned to liberate Iran but were capable of running the country unlike what we have now.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

I really, really hope Palin will run. Because it will provide the Democrats with an easy victory.

I can't express how much I wish that I shared your conviction that it would be such an easy victory, or even a victory at all. I'm not drawing a direct comparison but I'm mostly reminded of the whole let HAMAS run against the Palestinian Authority so we can all watch 'em get defeated. Look how well *that* worked out...

Sarah Palin has about as much hope of becoming the next POTUS as, say, Lady Gaga. Hamas could, at least, point out that they were building infrastructure improvements like hospitals and shit, providing essential public services, and would probably govern at least as effectively as anyone else in that region of the world.

Sarah Palin's glaring weakness in the political knowledge category of "Things a 5th Grader Should Know" was made clear when she was John McCain's running mate, in spite of the campaign's attempts to contain her and minimize her opportunities for sucking on her own foot. A Palin Presidential candidacy, would be a disaster on roughly the same order-of-magnitude as, say, the Zombie Apocalypse. You could run John "I'm such a dick that I banged my secretary while my wife had cancer" Edwards against Palin, and he'd win. That assumes she wins the GOP primary, which is by no means assured. If the Republicans see even a small fraction of the gains the talking heads seem to think they'll see in Congress this November . . . every person with a faint glimmer of aspiration to the job of President with a "(R)" after his or her name could be throwing their hat into the ring, and the resulting primary fight will be ugly.

[General Zod]

That assumes she wins the GOP primary, which is by no means assured.

Unless she runs as a third party teabagger candidate. The expectations for hilarity in that instance should be high.

[Kanastrous]

Am I taking the enthusiastic response to Palin more seriously than I should? She seems to be popular because she doesn't know shit from shinola - it makes her relatable to people who don't know the difference themselves and she and they appear quite proud to advertise it (though of course not in so many words). And she plays very nicely to what they *do* know - that Jesus is coming and this land had better Christian up fast, or else...and she's a *family* woman, don't you know, and she's got *values*, you see...

...perhaps I have become overly cynical but I think she's got a big constituency and the only question is is it big enough?

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Am I taking the enthusiastic response to Palin more seriously than I should? She seems to be popular because she doesn't know shit from shinola - it makes her relatable to people who don't know the difference themselves and she and they appear quite proud to advertise it (though of course not in so many words). And she plays very nicely to what they *do* know - that Jesus is coming and this land had better Christian up fast, or else...and she's a *family* woman, don't you know, and she's got *values*, you see...

...perhaps I have become overly cynical but I think she's got a big constituency and the only question is is it big enough?

Her core "constituency" consists of the most vocal fraction of the quarter of the voting public who'd only vote Democrat if Christ Himself were running with a (D) after his name. Only 1 in 4 Americans feel she'd be qualified to be President.

[Kanastrous]

I appreciate the reality check.

Although 1 in 4 still seems distressingly high (as a reflection upon the country). Particularly if that 1/4 is highly motivated to get out and vote.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

I appreciate the reality check.

Although 1 in 4 still seems distressingly high (as a reflection upon the country). Particularly if that 1/4 is highly motivated to get out and vote.

Among conservatives and Republicans in general, their assessment of her competence is split right down the middle. While the teabaggers would give her a huge boost, she'd have the Devil's own time proving to the rest of the Republicans that she can develop enough Mindless Middle appeal that she'd lure disaffected centrists into voting for her instead of either staying home, or holding their noses and re-voting Obama.

[Zaune]

Although 1 in 4 still seems distressingly high (as a reflection upon the country). Particularly if that 1/4 is highly motivated to get out and vote.

Indeed. What happens if 51% of the remaining 75% is totally unmotivated to vote, as would seem extremely likely now that Obama has failed to live up to his hype? Not that any mere mortal could have.

Although the development of the Tea Party, terminally misguided and/or wilfully amoral as they undeniably are, is actually a positive sign of sorts. I realise that your parties are much less monolithic than ours, but how the hell can just two parties begin to reflect the whole spectrum of opinion of a nation of what, about two hundred million people? More?

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Although 1 in 4 still seems distressingly high (as a reflection upon the country). Particularly if that 1/4 is highly motivated to get out and vote.

Indeed. What happens if 51% of the remaining 75% is totally unmotivated to vote, as would seem extremely likely now that Obama has failed to live up to his hype? Not that any mere mortal could have.

Just because the Grand Obstructionist Party has done it's best to make the Obama Administration a failure doesn't mean that Democrats and other less-right-wing interests will be totally unmotivated to vote. There are the midterms to get through, and the next two years after that.

A lot could happen. The GOP's obsession with fluffing the teabaggers could hilariously backfire and the "GOP tsunami" (as I've heard it described by the empty talking heads on the radio) threatening to overtake Congress won't materialize. Obama could be made a lame duck by a coup in party ranks that eliminates him during primary season; meaning someone other than Obama will go up against the GOP in the 2012 Presidential campaign. The Great Depression 2.0 Recession could see some good years, and enough of a recovery could ensue for Obama to take credit for it. If the GOP does put forth as hilariously incompetent a candidate as Sarah Palin, that could energize the Democratic to vote in the Presidential election. Not so much for Obama as against Palin.

[Zaune]

I really, really hope you're right, Terwynn. I can't afford that fortified bunker in the Canadian wilderness yet.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Am I the only one who thinks that it would be wonderful if Sarah Palin became the President of the USA? Wonderful, but not for America, I mean.

Seriously, it would be hellarious. I'd love to see what would happen if America became a rightwing libertarian wonderland. It would be so horrific, yet so funny at the same time, man.

It would be a highly guilty funny though. It would be like watching a car full of drunks careening wildly down the road, laughing, vomiting, yelling at other drivers, then wrapping themselves around a lightpole in perfect poetic justice... but tinged with the guilt of knowing there was one person in the car who was sober, innocent, and asleep in the backseat until a bunch of drunks hijacked his ride. I'm really stretching this metaphor.

[Alyeska]

Am I the only one who thinks that it would be wonderful if Sarah Palin became the President of the USA? Wonderful, but not for America, I mean.

Seriously, it would be hellarious. I'd love to see what would happen if America became a rightwing libertarian wonderland. It would be so horrific, yet so funny at the same time, man.

It would be a highly guilty funny though. It would be like watching a car full of drunks careening wildly down the road, laughing, vomiting, yelling at other drivers, then wrapping themselves around a lightpole in perfect poetic justice... but tinged with the guilt of knowing there was one person in the car who was sober, innocent, and asleep in the backseat until a bunch of drunks hijacked his ride. I'm really stretching this metaphor.

More like a drunk driver who plowed into a car full of children.

[Phantasee]

No, I think Oni's metaphor is better. Maybe the car full of children can be a metaphor for their foreign policy? They'd have to be brown kids, though.

[Temujin]

Make it a school bus with Palin behind the wheel; bonus points if anyone can Photoshop that.

And on the subject of Palin as president.

Take a good look around, click on shit (multiple times), and keep an eye on what's going on outside.

[Alyeska]

No, I think Oni's metaphor is better. Maybe the car full of children can be a metaphor for their foreign policy? They'd have to be brown kids, though.

The vast majority of this country does not support Palin. So the analogy would have to include references to more than a handful of US citizens that would suffer. The car full of children represents all victims regardless of country.

[Kanastrous]

Okay, the drunk loses control of the car, flips over the median into an oncoming fuel truck and the resulting fireball vaporizes everyone on the surrounding half-mile stretch of freeway. Since we're having fun with analogies.