The vindication of Steve Schmidt continues in earnest. Here he was last year, dealing with the drama queen:
“Secession,” he wrote. “It is their entire reason for existence. A cursory examination of the website shows that the party exists for the purpose of seceding from the union. That is the stated goal on the front page of the web site. Our records indicate that todd was a member for seven years. If this is incorrect then we need to understand the discrepancy. The statement you are suggesting be released would be innaccurate. The innaccuracy would bring greater media attention to this matter and be a distraction. According to your staff there have been no media inquiries into this and you received no questions about it during your interviews. If you are asked about it you should smile and say many alaskans who love their country join the party because it speeks to a tradition of political independence. Todd loves his country.
We will not put out a statement and inflame this and create a situation where john has to adress this.”
This is precisely the kind of ham-handed “get out in front” mentality that is hurting her right now:
Sarah Palin, who’s stayed clear of the MSM since announcing she’d leave office, has kept up her online presence. Her latest Twitter:
Trying to keep up w/getting truth to u, like proof there’s no “FBI scandal”, here’s link http://tinyurl.com/nzlae8 Thanks, AK!
The link goes to this LA Times story, in which an FBI Special Agent Eric Gonzalez says unequivocally, “There is absolutely no truth to those rumors that we’re investigating her or getting ready to indict her.”
Still, most outlets had shied away from the story, which had been making the blog rounds, until her lawyer sent out a letter warning the press in general — and HuffPo, MSNBC, WaPo and the NYT in particular — not to touch the story, which pretty much compelled everyone, including POLITICO, to write about the rumors in the course of reporting on the letter.
Last year, she had the best help and the best strategists the GOP could buy, and other than her recitation of a speech written for someone else at the RNC (before we learned that using teleprompters is bad!), she was an absolute train wreck. Now she has gone rogue, and it is going to get even better and more entertaining, because Meg Stapleton blackberrying from upstate New York is not going to get it done. If you want an idea how bad awesome this is going to get, watch this Anderson Cooper interview of Meg Stapleton:
To fully appreciate the fail parade that is the current Palin insane clown posse, you have to realize that was THE PROFESSIONAL MEDIA HANDLER dealing with Anderson. In fairness to Stapleton, she has been forced to go all in before the flop, and she’s holding 27 offsuit.
JK
I swear that I did not photoshop this picture of Sarah Palin wearing a t-shirt that reads “Proud to be Valley Trash”
http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2009/07/palins-resignation-proud-to-be-trash.html#comments
LD50
Well, if Sarah says that what’s best for Alaska is her not being their governor, I’m inclined to think she’s telling the truth.
KG
oh my gawd, a post over at Sullivan’s just gave me a big smile: what if Palin decides that she wants to keep the job as governor after a couple of days of “further reflection”? This, I suspect, will be the presser called on Tuesday. At least I hope it is, because I haven’t seen this kind of surrealism in politics since the Impeachment Trial.
Armando
I wonder if anyone will leak the e-mail exchange where McCain decided to suspend his campaign to”fix” the financial crisis.
It’s not like Steve Schmidt was exactly a political wizard in that campaign.
Nylund
I love how quickly Cooper dismisses the lame basketball metaphor.
rob!
The Obama White House must have had a particularly festive 4th of July party watching all this unfold.
Nylund
The quitter twitters are the best.
(is kwitter twitter better?)
If she had any sense, she’d just explain honestly why she quit.
Stating that some governors just “milk it” and spend the time traveling does not imply that she must also “milk it” if she stays governor. There is another choice besides just “milking it” and resigning. Its called DOING YOUR JOB.
LD50
@rob!:
I keep wondering what went thru Hillary Clinton’s head when she watched Dame Sarah’s speech.
I can see the big wicked grin on Rahm Emmanuel’s face pretty clearly.
Comrade Stuck
What Sarah doesn’t realize, is that GWB and the GOP in general have used up the dollars worth of Wingnut Truth as self contained political ammunition. Mostly from the absence of WMD in Iraq, but also from the stream of uninterrupted bullshit since about 1994. Her timing is way off for getting traction to become all she coulda been. In 1999, she might have been a contender, but not now. Lies don’t sell like they did before The Decider, and gold plated whoppers tend to boomerang with prejudice. Maybe in a few years when people and press begin to forget and get tired of dems and their particular brand of internecine silliness. But not now.
grumpy realist
It’s surprising that Todd hasn’t been able to point out to her that the more loudly you scream There Isn’t Anything There! the more you convince people that there in fact *is*.
Now of course you’ll have tons of eager newspaper reporters and bloggers wanting to pour over everything…..
Rey
Meg sounds as incoherent as Palin. And she is leaving the Governship to help Alaska? I thought that’s why someone would run for a leadership role like…. Governor. Even Anderson Coop (as empyt-headed as he is) said how is leadership not leading? lol. Maybe the new meme is leadership is leaving!
Laura W
I don’t know who the hoop is, I don’t know who the ball is.
Ha! Love how he scratches the back of his head a bit after 4:00 in utter disbelief. Now there is some non-verbal communication for y’all.
This is one small ray of redemption for AC after marathon nights of sucking MJ’s dead er, never mind. I just made myself sick.
QrazyQat
“What can she do?”
“Everything under the sun that you can possibly think of.”
Remember?
“What newspapers do you read?”
“All of them.”
Yep, that’s her media person.
I love how quickly Cooper dismisses the lame basketball metaphor.
If I were a general manager, and the point guard walked off the floor in the middle of a game and called that “leadership”, I’d fire that point guard.
me
That’s the only part that made perfect sense.
JD Rhoades
“You say she’s leading by not leading”…
OMFG, Sarah Palin is Bruce Lee!
gbear
OT but fits with this post’s title:
Marion Barry arrested for stalking.
Dave C
The best part is this:
That statement is such an Epic Fail in so many ways that, somehow, it comes full circle, becoming an Epic Win. Truly inspired comedy from Meg Stapleton!
Rosali
When I first saw this clip of Meg Stapleton defending Palin, I immediately wondered if she was a state employee because in her statement, she’s clearly putting Palin’s interests above those of AK. After some googling, I found that she works for Palin, not the state. Why does Palin have a personal spokesperson who’s allegiance is to her and not AK? I saw that Alaskans have been asking themselves the same thing.
Charon
@QrazyQat:
Now that you’ve said this something that had been bouncing around in my head for a while has crystallized. Sarah Palin is a point guard. She’s a mirror image of Stephon Marbury during his Knick years.
Think about it. Wildly overhyped? Check. Not even as good as league average? Check. Throws a massive hissy fit and then attempts to take the ball and go home? Check. Continues to be paid millions while not doing anything? Still to be seen, but seems likely.
delk
What’s with using the word “title”? Is that leftover from the beauty pageant days?
Nylund
Her twitter username is still “AKGovSarahPalin”. I guess, technically, its still valid for a couple more weeks, but she’s going to have to choose a new one soon.
Keith
@Dave C:
Damn! I was just going to comment on that. When did the meaning of “literally” change?
Richard Stanczak
This basketball analogy is a classic. I see a nine year old point guard throwing the ball wildly out of bounds then stomping off the court crying about her lousy teammates and biased referee.
Then Daddy [Billy K. ?] comes rushing out of the stands to tell her how great she is and berating the coach and ref as he pats her head.
e.c.
Sarah, I know you think we are all as easily fooled as your sheep-like followers, but just because the FBI may not be investigating you doesn’t mean there aren’t other law enforcement agencies that could be looking into your many questionable activities.
Also, if you don’t want people to speculate that you’ve done something majorly illegal then it’s probably best not to hold hastily called news conferences and jabber on practically in a flop sweat looking guilty of something.
Mike
Since it would be wrong not to speculate…
Maybe the big money boys in the GOP, recognizing a sure loser
in presidential politics, found a way to “persuade” her to get
out of the game. She can still raise money for them and preserve
the teabagger vote while getting rich herself.
Nutella
@Keith
It’s a common and usually funny mistake.
Rabbi Baruch Korff, defending Richard Nixon during Watergate, said “The American press has literally emasculated President Nixon.”
SGEW
@Keith:
“Literally” now means “figuratively,” or “very analogous to.”
Except when Joe Biden says it, then it means “virtually,” or “very very close to” (tho’ that was back in the campaigning days: I’ve noticed that he’s gotten much better about it since).
Ripley
A mucous-coated filter-feeder living in a shell deep within a very cold, dark place. Occasionally, a source of irritation results in a gem.
The oyster is her world! Literally™!
Chuck
You know what’s really great? The SarahPAC ads on the left where Pam Anderson’s skanky bits used to be.
So they’re basically paying you for this. I wonder if any of the advertiser networks have figured out that Balloon Juice isn’t right-wing anymore?
The iconography for SarahPAC is also really interesting. It looks like an Alaska-shaped blot on the lower 48. Or an Alaska-shaped hole. I guess Hawaii is glad to be left out either way.
shelley matheis
Only in months with an ‘R’ in them.
OT, but I think the Michael Jackson hype has finally been amped up to ’11.’ Rev. Al Sharpton calling for a National Day of Mourning.
TF!??!
LD50
My wife claims the National Period of Mourning for Elvis was way more excessive than what we’ve seen for Michael Jackson. That’s not really how I remember it. Any other old farts here who remember the media frenzy when the King died in ’77? Which is/was worse?
Comrade Stuck
Which begs the question. Can Oysters be Skullfucked?
demkat620
I would not be surprised at all if she announces on July 25th that because of all the love and support she’s been receiving through twitter and email that she’s decided to stay on as governor.
This was all a temper tamtrum for attention and we are going to have 3 more years of these stunts.
mcd410x
@Chuck: I think it’s more that they’re spending money in this climate. I’m pretty sure I saw one on Atrios the other day, and he’s never been mistaken for being right wing.
And, yes, there’s an Alaska-sized hole in middle America. Why does Sarah HATE THEM!?!
Bill E Pilgrim
@Ripley: Yes, I think despite all the “for the country” rhetoric, we know the truth. Sarah Palin is, in fact, shellfish.
fisher cat
@Dave C:
Meg’s concept of “the world” probably doesn’t extend much beyond those 25% or so who actually count as legitimate, Hannity-type Americans.
I’m guessing the “oyster” is the sort of revenue FOX News could pass on by systematically jerking-off a pathologically uncritical and captive audience.
beabea
Hey everybody,
I missed the Sunday shows today so I’m just wondering what President McCain said when he was asked about the Wasilla Wingnut’s weekend stunt, and how it shows that his highly dubious decision to pick her without vetting turns out to have been even more insanely risky than they thought at the time?
I’m sure he must have been on all the shows like he usually is, right??
Adolphus
No, but they can be shellfucked.
Little known fact: If you say “shellfuck” real fast it shortens into “shuck.” That’s where the word “shuck” in terms of opening oysters comes from.
On another topic: How many colleges did Palin attend before graduating? 4? 5? 6? I forget. Maybe that”s how many elected offices she thinks she needs to attend before she becomes president.
The woman is a really a congenital quitter.
Comrade Stuck
OT
Looks like we got a Banana Republic live drama taking place in Honduras right now. The exiled presnit is flying around trying to find a place to land, with the local troops driving will nilly in jeeps like Keystone Cops after Buster Keaten. The requisite tires are burning on the street with the local peasants chucking rocks in protest.
Actually I’m just listening to it on CNN from the other room.
Zuzu's Petals
@Bill E Pilgrim:
Ah-baloney.
Comrade Stuck
close enough for guverment work.
SGEW
@Comrade Stuck: Oh my.
Koffski
Isn’t this what going Galt is all about the leaders leaving society to let it rot away on its own?
Maybe now the wingnuts realize how insane the concept really is.
Bill E Pilgrim
@Comrade Stuck: Oh my. Following right on the heels of literally abuse, begs the question abuse!
I realize that they’re both lost causes at this point but some of us will never surrender those time-honored phrases.
Bill E Pilgrim
@Comrade Stuck: Oh my. Following right on the heels of literally abuse, begs the question abuse!
inkadu
@grumpy realist: There is a great moment in the Wag the Dog. The presidents handlers are trying to come up with a cover story about why the President is unavailable to address suspiscions that he felt up a girl scout:
That movie is worth three semesters of Political Science.
beabea
@Adolphus
Fixed.
Uh-oh. I guess they will threaten to sue me now too. I’ll be sure to post their threat letter here when I receive it.
gex
@SGEW: I used to stress this change in the meaning of word “literally” until I realized that the word “really” has already gone through this same transition.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Apparently while I was kicking around in the hills of Maryland, I missed the best 4th of July blowout. Evar.
mai naem
Who is this Meg Stapleton chick? Never heard of her before. Sounds like she picked up Sarah’s word salad habit instead of Sarah picking up some spin skills from Meg. Sarah is an idiot. She can’t even attract the right kind of help anymore because of her history with people who have helped her.
OT, I know this is on the top of everybody’s WTF Sarah list but wasn’t that red outfit she had one, one of the outfits bought for her by the RNC. One of the $150K booty ones???
Stop with the shellfucking. Palin has no shell to speak of. But then maybe the real problem with the world being her oyster is that shellfish is one of the most common food allergies around. See, even I can sound like Palin.
Cat Lady
I have a new theory – the VF article says her election night concession speech was ALREADY LOADED INTO THE TELEPROMPTER. Someone cough*Schmidt*cough made sure it was saved. It’s going to be released, along with the emails that show her to be what we know her to be. She’s going to be shown as a bird of prey, and that’s ugly. Ugly things about McCain, too, and McCain knows it’s coming now too. Her base wants her to be beautiful, first and foremost. She will be exposed as ugly. That’s all it’s going to take, is for her to look ugly. The spell will be broken. Also.
The words that she has said that make sense – to the campaign staff and in emails to her “supporters” are all going to come back to choke her. That VF article was the torpedo.
JimPortlandOR
Literally is easier to say and understand than figuratively. Bad money drives out the good.
Nothing about the Palin quitting makes any sense, even re-read many times. The words/phrases are from a random generator, and just don’t fit together.
One thing seems almost for sure: she will have a permanent guest role on cable news (esp. Faux News), perhaps driving out McCain in the process – until she takes up an offer from the Fair and Balanced Network to make even Hannity seem rational.
Final question: why did she really literally quit? Does she even know?
anonymoose
Am I the only one who reads that as “We are not investigating her…anymore…and we are not getting ready to indict her — since she copped to a plea deal early on July 3rd.” ???
LD50
I’ve always been dying to see Sarah’s concession speech, where she no doubt vowed to rain down bloody vengeance on all who mocked her. You better not be getting my hopes up for nothing here.
Incidentally, let’s not tell BOB that Palin uses a teleprompter. I think it’d upset him too much, and give him the vapors or something.
Cat Lady
@LD50:
That’s why I think it’s perfect. It has the benefit of tying every wingnut theme up in a logical Gordian Knot. Wingularity could be nigh.
Skepticat
Not sure it was way more excessive—we’ll have to see how long this hysteria lasts for a true comparison—but it certainly was really over the top for a looooong time. And it was pre-internet, so there were fewer sources of news to ramp up and sustain it.
Jorge
Anderson Cooper is funny – Enough with the sports analogies – I’m a gay political junkie – no comprende.
Demo Woman
From Karen Tumulty at Swampland The Sarah Palin I-Quit-arod
Sarah likes campaigning, not actual governing. Governing is hard work and takes away from her shopping time.
demimondian
@demkat620: I don’t think so. I think she’s planning on divorcing Todd — the first dude having become something of a millstone around her neck — and go find some other Brilliant Comrade to focus her life around.
Zuzu's Petals
Hey, she went to college to learn how to use a teleprompter. Though as someone’s already pointed out, she kept quitting.
Nellcote
@LD50:
Comparison not possible. Imagine this MJ thing without the internet, cell phones or cable teevee. Imagine if Elvis had a large crossover AA fan base.
inkadu
@demimondian: Maybe she got the idea of marrying up from her former running mate.
parksideq
@Nylund:
Sully’s now referring to Palin as Lady GaGa. Although the username is bound to be taken by now, it’s short, sweet, and tells me everything I need to know about the Quitta from Wasilla.
To be fair to the real Lady GaGa, I can read Palin’s poker face from my house.
LD50
@Adolphus: Actually, Sarah spent a big chunk of the mid-80s getting bored easily and going Galt all the hell over the place:
I’d never noticed it, but this really is a microcosm of her whole career.
LD50
Alcoholics Anonymous?
Nellcote
@anonymoose:
FBI Special Agent Eric Gonzalez is the local (Alaska) FBI recruiter.
Nellcote
@LD50
African American
hal
Palin can’t even get the facts straight in her goodbye:
http://www.slate.com/id/2222230/
Palin closed her statement with words she attributed to Gen. Douglas MacArthur: “We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.” Right war, wrong general: The man who said those words was Oliver Smith, who helped his men escape annihilation at the Battle of the “Frozen Chosin” Reservoir in Korea. She should be so lucky. For Sarah Palin, avoiding disaster continues to be a losing battle.
Zuzu's Petals
I posted a link on another thread to her “executive column” at the Governor’s website, where the word “resign” is never used. I notice they did the same thing at the main page of the site, just a different teeny-print subheading:
Palin Announces No Second Term
Lt. Gov. Parnell to be Sworn in July 26, 2009
Whew.
Neddie Jingo
@LD50: Any other old farts here who remember the media frenzy when the King died in ‘77? Which is/was worse?
Remember: Three national TV stations. Local terrestrial radio. A few newsmags. Some tabloids at the checkout counter. Your local daily rag. That’s where your news came from.
It was pretty ridiculous in 1977, no doubt. But Jacko/Elvis is apples and oranges. I was 16 at the time, and Elvis meant less than nothing to me. (Now when Sid Vicious bit it…) The media hype was pretty easy to escape. This one? Not so much.
Nellcote
Anyone else remember this letter that went around at the beginning of the campaign?
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/a-letter-about-sarah-palin-from-anne-kilkenny/
It seems Palin’s latest is fitting the pattern of her past behaviour.
inkadu
Nellcote:
YHTMAAAIYP.
I’m pretty sure I stole that from someone here.
Demo Woman
24/7 did no exist and the internet did not exist so there is no comparison.
inkadu
@Nellcote:
That’s why I thought it was hilarious that her press person said, “If you know Sarah at all, this is not surprising.” What is surprising is how much truth there is to that.
LD50
FWIW, I’m pretty sure Elvis had a *huge* crossover Alcoholics Anonymous fan base.
slip
In case you were wondering about the other two in the 1977 celebrity death threesome…
Elvis Presley. Groucho Marx. Zero Mostel.
Nellcote
@inkadu:
American Automobile Association?
demimondian
@LD50: Not to mention a strong following among the Rush Limbaughs of 1977.
Without the V i a g r a or the C1al1s.
Cat Lady
@Nellcote: that letter is amazing:
I think Sarahcuda’s worlds are just about to collide. Shit storm ahead.
inkadu
@Nellcote: You Have Too Many Acronyms And Abbreviations In Your Paper.
TTWAHTTHYO (thought there was a hyperlink there to help you out).
Wayne T
Pantload today –
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2ZiYzJhNDU5NTNlMDA4OTk4NmYyZjU3MmFhNTk2MDg=
“Palin’s Shabby Treatment [Jonah Goldberg]
……”It certainly is true that nobody in public life in recent memory has been as shabbily treated as she has.”
….. Complaining about Richard Mellon Scaife’s treatment of the Clintons is perfectly fair. But comparing it to the mainstream and “respectable” assaults on Palin is not persuasive”
There were congressmen having hearings on if Vince Foster was murdered by shooting a pumpkin (Hillary killed him, don’t you know!) you freaking asshat…….
I am really starting to believe the Clinton’s have been able to put some kind of voodoo revenge curse on all those idiots of the 90’s. It just seems the entire republican party has boarded a train to crazy town… and it’s a one way trip.
Michael
John: Nice. Poker. Analogy. And really appropriate too. One could almost feel sorry for her.
Also, I love Stapleton’s description of Palin’s having job offers of “everything under the sun.” Mm-hmm. Suuuuure . . .
Although I’m sure we all know that her show will be up and running on Fox by September. But that doesn’t really count as a “job” does it?
inkadu
@Cat Lady: That’s one of the reasons this move by Sarah doesn’t make sense. She has to keep climbing to squelch all the little people she’s stepped on. Maybe she has to leave office now because she’s stepped on too many people at her level — or worse, people above her or people whom she has no power over (the McCain campaign). But it’s weird, because she will have less machinery to defend herself and crush dissent under her boot heel as Sarah Palin, citizen…
Damnit. Three whole days now and this STILL doesn’t make sense. It’s like one of those Magic Eye pictures, but it never quite seems to come into focus. My brain hurts.
JK
@beabea:
I was wondering the same thing:
John “Ego First Country Last” McCain reacts to Palin’s resignation announcement
Zuzu's Petals
@Cat Lady:
And bonus points to the writer for correct use of the word “literally” :
(Only a slight deduction for verb/noun disagreement.)
LD50
So Doughy “Hillary Clinton is a Nazi” Pantload has lost all memory of anything before 2008. He hides it fairly rather well.
inkadu
I miss Franken’s Mellon Scaife Theater. In the first episode, Hillary and Bill are burying the body of Vince Foster while doing coke–truly awesome loud-mouthed comedy.
And when I say “awesome,” I mean inspiring awe.
demkat620
@Wayne T: Tell Jonah he and his mom can blow it out their ass.
Don’t you dare Jonah. The only reason you are where you are is because of the bullshit you fed the mainstream press about Clinton.
The stuff they regurgitated just like you told them to.
Fuck. You.
tcolberg
@Chuck: I thought that was just a visual expression of her “putting Alaska before country” — you stay classy Sarah.
call_me_ishmael
Just went to her twitter feed and found this:
Following the link takes you to a document called
GovPalin_Happy4tAK-Letter.pdf
Take another look at that, she’s put a typo in the filename. Mediawise, she’s the very definition of a target rich environment. This might go on a while …
Steeplejack
@LD50:
It’s worse now, not because of any greater depth of emotion for the King of Pop vs. the King but because of all the new media that weren’t around in 1977: cable TV, cable TV 24×7 news networks, the Internet. Even in the print medium, back in 1977 you didn’t have all the infotainment rags you have now. The semi-venerable Entertainment Weekly started in 1990, and the granny of the genre, People was still a spring chicken (founded in 1974).
P.S. for the compulsive nitpickers: Yes, I know there was cable TV in 1977, but a lineup that included your local channels, a couple of HBO channels and WGN doesn’t really compare to what we have today.
And don’t get me started on the whole meta-issue of the celebrification of our society, in which being famous is an end in itself, not a byproduct of something you actually do.
Geezer out!
LD50
This from a man who thought “LIBURALS = NAZI’S” was totally persuasive.
SGEW
I think that no matter what happens, no matter how awful or crazy other right wing commentators get, I will always dislike Jonah “Liberal Fascism” Goldberg the most. His doubletalk is so knowing, so downright spit-in-your-face obnoxiously false, that it consistently takes my breath away. Psychological projection as propaganda, taken to a level I haven’t seen matched by anyone else, yet. Rove would at lest nod at the truth, at objective reality, and would sometimes acknowledge its existence in some way when pressed: Goldberg doesn’t even blink, and just plows away to the illogical extreme end of his massive lie knowing that we know it’s a lie. In fact, that is central to his point.
He’s Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh, without the “it’s just entertainment” mitigation, or the self-referential wink: I suspect Goldberg takes it all deadly seriously.
SiubhanDuinne
As others have noted, there was no 24/7 media, intertubes, etc. in 1977, so coverage of Elvis and MJ is not really comparable.
However, there seems to be an orgyfest every January at the time of Elvis’ birthday and then again in August on his deathday, and this has been going on for almost a third of a century. For a whole helluva lot of people, the mourning and wailing and gnashing of teeth never ends, and however much media coverage there is just isn’t ever quite enough. Is there any reason to think it will EVER be more restrained for MJ–especially in a much more intrusive and ubiquitous media environment? (Asked and answered.)
Steve S.
The Elvis hysteria was as intense as the media of the day could sustain. What I most remember was the barrage of TV commercials for record anthologies that started a few days after his death and continued for months, nay, years.
All of this makes me grateful for the way the deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison were handled. Not only were they artistically more important than the two dead freaks, they died as grounded individuals and were treated (mostly) with dignity after they passed.
Cat Lady
@inkadu:
Agreed – I’ve spent most of the day turning it over in my mind. I think of her like a predator – a barracuda, a rattle snake, a raptor – something that can inflict a wound that keeps the prey disabled. She never needed to rely on her intellectual skills – she relies solely on her predator skills, which includes the lying. It’s been a successful life strategy for her so far, until now. It got her as far as the McCain campaign, where they learned that she didn’t know what she didn’t know, and didn’t care.
Reading Schmidt’s email to her about Todd and the AIP he’s saying to her in between the lines – fuck you in half you lying ignorant diva bitch. I’ve got your lying little ass in a vise with the Todd info, and if you don’t sit down and shut up, you’re not going to get any more clothes, or anything else you want, you stupid craven bitch.
I bet Schmidt knows the whole story about her. He must have had a come to Jesus moment, thinking about how she might actually have a shot at running the country. I theorize that he’s the source of the trouble coming her way. That VF article shook other folks loose, too, surely. She was rattled and spooked.
kommrade reproductive vigor
This is excellent news. For McCain!
Rick Taylor
I keep reminding myself over and over again, this is who the Republican party selected to be second in line to the most powerful position in the world. They selected her and with very few exceptions they defended her as being perfectly competent to be put in a position where she could become President. That says pretty much everything you need to know about them.
IndieTarheel
@LD50: Your wife’s right – it was worse then.
inkadu
@SiubhanDuinne: I think you can make a good argument that Elvis is more IMPORTANT than Michael Jackson. Jackson revivified funk and made some good music, but Elvis ushered in a new generation in a tumultuous time. Jackson represented an incremental evolution in music, but not in culture. He will still have his fans and his music, but will never have the cultural resonance as Elvis or Lennon.
inkadu
@Cat Lady:
And that is why I read this blog.
I don’t buy that the national party would want to cut her off at the knees like this. It makes them all look bad; plus the timing was just atrocious. But, like Sarah Palin is insanely unpredictable, I can imagine Republican operatives can be insanely vindictive, especially in a rough political environment where they can’t polish electoral trophies; maybe Sarah Palin’s head will suffice.
beabea
@ Cat Lady
I think rattlesnake is the most apt of the three you named; the other two also inflict disabling wounds to be sure, but the rattlesnake is the only one that also injects venom.
And injecting venom is exactly what I think Palin does to our political discourse. Her reflexive lying, her seemingly proud and unapologetic displays of ignorance, the whipping up of resentment and the way she presents herself (and even her children) as the innocent victims of the the evil but unspecified “others”–all this is insidiously toxic.
A rational political opposition is essential to the health of our democracy. It is to all of our detriment, the way Palin continually injects a spreading, systemic poison into that process.
jcricket
I used to work with this ass-hat of a manager who would say, “we’re literally going to kick their asses” (when referring to our competition). We were a tiny software company.
Oy.
jcricket
You know, it’s funny. I think she’s less unpredictable than people think. She’s dumb. She has a mean streak. She hates to work. She has a martyr complex and a messianic streak. And nearly everything out of her mouth is a lie.
Once you understand those things, all of her actions actually seem like “logical” outcomes of her (flawed) programming.
Sloth
Could be him, it’s sure something.
We have now seen four major republican figures go down in the last few weeks. They were all major liabilities to a rational republican party (let us stipulate that such a thing actually exists out there…somewhere.):
Coleman. Conceded, probably was told he was not getting any more support. Total lost cause, and lots of scandal in any case.
Ensign. Long time affair apparently well known in some circles.
Sanford. Affair also had to be fairly well known in certain circles. The guy was taking spiritual counselors to meet with his mistress. Goes completely off the rails.
Palin. Also completely off the rails even for her. Totally not electable and pulling the party in a dangerous direction.
I would not be at all surprised to find that this is, in fact, a pattern and that Palin is the latest victim of the purge. And I note that the most likely holder of dirt on Palin is the republican party. The dems would have done oppo research, but only to a point – they needed enough to go after her if needed. I bet that point was reached early, then why get more?
The republicans had to prove a negative. They had to find EVERYTHING about Palin to defend her if required. And I bet they found lots and used it to threaten Palin into quitting.
Doubt we’ll ever know the truth about all this, but I’ve been expecting a republican purge and this could be it.
San Antonio Dem
Note the “WTF” look on Anderson Cooper’s face toward the end of that interview. Absolutely priceless.
Cat G
@Cat Lady: The raptor analogy is a great insight. While making decadent hot fudge sauce for the banana splits today, I was turning this over in my head. We keep using words like crazy to describe her. But that isn’t quite apt. It’s more like she’s stuck in adolescence. If you think of her as the teenage, prettiest girl in the class, small high school queen bee…with adolescent narcissism, huge ambition, with a huge chip on her shoulder, then a lot of us knew someone like her. She’s still there…still behaving like she’s 15. So does this work as an analogy?
Oh, and on Elvis v MJ… I used to work at RCA Records, and they made a fortune when Elvis died. I think Sony is MJ’s label…they just made their business plan for the next 3 years…at least.
jl
I know this is small potatoes compared to Palinology and MJ wake planning, serial celebrity adultery in the South, and all.
But Khamanei and the A-man have lost themselves their religious fig-leaf. Looks like behind the scenes, they cut out the clerics, or maybe most of the Iranian clerics are sincere about having at least a small bit of democracy in the government. Or, maybe most clerics are not so bone headed that they realize that if enough of the masses get are steamed enough for long enough, they eventually get their way, and they would prefer to separate themselves from the source of the trouble.
I think this Qom group is the most prestigious religious body in Iran (as opposed to the gummint power-broker mullahs):
Iranian clerical group says vote result “invalid”
TEHRAN (Reuters) – A pro-reform Iranian clerical group said on Sunday the outcome of last month’s presidential vote was “invalid,” even though Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has upheld the result.
In a sign of a deepening rift among Shi’ite clerics, the Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and Researchers also called for the release of Iranians arrested in protests after the hardline president was declared winner of the June 12 vote.
“Other candidates’ complaints and strong evidence of vote-rigging were ignored … peaceful protests by Iranians were violently oppressed … dozens of Iranians were killed and hundreds were illegally arrested,” said a statement published on the Assembly’s website. “The outcome is invalid.”
Qom is Iran’s center of Shi’ite learning, about 80 miles south of Tehran. The assembly has little political influence but its statement is a significant act of defiance since Qom is the power base of the clerical establishment.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090705/wl_nm/us_iran
P.S. I didn’t notice that the article called this group ‘pro-reform’. Juan Cole says that the press is unreliable in identifying ‘reform’ vs. ‘non-reform’ clerics. Juan Cole says everyone who disagrees with Khamanei is getting tagged as ‘pro-reform’ when what it is, is that they just disagree with the way Khamanei has handled this.
kommrade reproductive vigor
@jcricket: Gosh. This reminds me of another well known Republican. Who could it be…? Governor of a really large state…
Damn. His name is right on the tip of my tongue.
SGEW
@jl: Did you read Juan “The Other” Cole’s recent guest piece by Jonathan Lyons about the clerics in Qom? Good background.
arguingwithsignposts
@Charon:
Remember Allen Iverson – “We’re talking about ‘practice!'”
That Meg Stapleton is an epic FAIL as a spokesperson, but a solid wingnut talking machine.
jl
@kommrade reproductive vigor: You mean Arnold? Who knew there was going to be sequel to Terminator II? The sequels always get worse as they go on.
I’ve seen pictures of Arnold putting on his Terminator look for the local press for the cameras. I wonder if he understands this is not a movie part? (I didn’t vote for him, but I didn’t think he would end up trying to out-worse Bush II as an executive.)
Svensker
@LD50:
Elvis.
But it’s kind of a toss up.
Not that I’m an old fart or anything.
mcd410x
Remember when TV stations went “off the air” at night. Ah, the good ol’ days.
I remember watching the funeral procession for Elvis. But then I grew up in Memphis — REALLY big news there. The newspaper did a special commemorative section and people kept trying to break into the building to steal them.
(I can’t remember who made the John and George reference, but solo artists are always going to get more attention — that partly defines why everyone in a group wants to go solo; Lennon and Harrison included).
jl
@SGEW: thanks.
kay
More and more, the leaders of the Republican Party don’t actually hold public office.
It’s an interesting approach to government. Sure, there’s less oversight, and zero accountability, but at some point you have to have actual elected Republicans seen (or heard) working on something government-related, right?
Maybe not. Maybe it works best as pure theory.
beabea
@kommrade reproductive vigor
Yes, quite the resemblance–except for the serial quitting part.
If not for the nightmare scenario of life under the Cheney dictatorship, it might have been nice if Dubya had had a little of that Palin-like love of quitting in him…
“Prezniting sucks. I quit.”
jl
@mcd410x: I dunno -maybe it still goes off. Larry King gives off a kind of test pattern vibe on many nights.
Oscar
Do the players on the basketball team wear their hats differently?
GOP metaphors, where amazing happens. You gotta love it.
jl
@kay: Kos (the Great Orange Satan) said recently that they know that they are all done, and are positioning themselves for talk radio and Fox. Basically going on two year audition tours.
sugarbiscuit
“In fairness to Stapleton, she has been forced to go all in before the flop, and she’s holding 27 offsuit.”
Am I correct in assuming there was meant to be an ampersand between the numbers? Sorry to nitpick, but the poker was the most important topic you touched upon in your post. ;)
Fern
@jl:
I think it would be a mistake to call them reformers – they are scholars and legal experts with responsibilities for (among other things) training clerics and interpreting and applying sacred texts. But they are indeed highly respected.
gnomedad
@beabea:
It strikes me that he never completely had the job and kinda quit gradually over a period of years.
grumpy realist
Maybe the Money-side of the Republican party has decided it’s time to cut the crazies loose and try to saunter at least somewhat back towards the center. I think they realize that if they run many more campaigns with Batsh*t Crazy on the ticket, the Republican party will go the way of the Whigs. Most people with the $$$ aren’t the Batsh*t Right and running on that platform will only get a certain percentage to vote for you–NOT the majority. A few sprinkles of nuttiness, fine. It’s when the lunatics make up most of your party that you’re dead meat. Business doesn’t WANT a theocracy.
They realize that Romney is their best bet so far and he has no chance of being tolerated by the nuts unless they get rid of Sarah and Sarah-likes on the horizon.
If Romney runs, the nuts will either sit this out or grumble and grudgingly vote. Plus a Romney ticket could scoop up a lot of the Independents and anyone else who scampered away from the Republican party the last time.
If Palin runs…..well, they can kiss the Republican Party goodbye. They’ll get the fruitcakes, and everyone else will stampede to whoever the Democrats are running, no matter what. And the longer people end up voting for Democrats because they’re just too scared of the other side, the more they’re likely to continue voting for Democrats.
They might even have gamed it out that even if the party splits over this, with Palin taking her percentage and going for a third party run, chances are pretty good. (Palin third party would Nader the Republican party hard one election, but the next one would have shrunk her down to single digits or less.) Plus, third parties don’t have a very good track record in the US.
Max Peck
@arguingwithsignposts:
You mean this
kommrade reproductive vigor
@beabea: More a serial not trying and waiting for daddy or daddy’s friends bail him out.
The only difference between the Shebilly Who Must be Obeyed and Chimpy McFlightsuit is cash.
Viva BrisVegas
Not a rule, just some advice:
If you are speaking literally, then you only need to use the word literally if your turn of phrase could be mistaken for figurative comment.
If you are speaking figuratively you shouldn’t refer to your phrase as either figurative or literal, doing so renders it banal. If the reader can’t work it out for themselves then you are probably talking to the wrong audience in the wrong way.
slag
How long before someone creates the Twitter tag #sarahpalinsoyster?
grumpy realist
Oh, and with regards to Iran, I think the clerics have enough horse sense to realize the difference between legitimacy and power. If they don’t stay in front of what the people want, then there really *will* be another revolution. There already are too many parallels with the downfall of the Shah and they don’t want to be on the wrong side of the metaphor.
Svensker
@slag:
Please don’t ever use that term again. It’s just not something I want to be thinking about.
Thank you, I remain, yours truly,
The Svensker
anonevent
@parksideq: From the article:
LOL
slag
@Svensker: Hey buddy, Sarah Palin’s kind enough to let you live here on her oyster, the least you could do is show some appreciation…And buy her a drink or two.
And yes, I’m creeped out by it too.
Litlebritdifrnt
@grumpy realist:
What you just said. The Repubs have to accept the fact that the right wing nutjobs of the party are truly repugnant to the majority of the voting populace, I mean you STILL have elected representatives of the party (Bachman anyone?) running around spouting off the most insane and utterly stupid statements about “re-eductation camps” and “Acorn census takers” and others (state reps in MO) signing on to the most ridiculous of birfer lawsuits. At some point the party leadership has to say “okay you guys are out of here” because lets face it they just lost an election, with their guy being a goddamn war hero, “maverick” senator to a black dude, junior senator, with a funny sounding muslim name? I mean really? At some point they have to stand back and ask themselves, “you know maybe our message isn’t all that great, perhaps we should change it”, because unless they get rid of the nutjobs they are going to be a long time out of power. JMHO.
arguingwithsignposts
@Max Peck:
Ooh, good one. That sounds exactly like Palin’s acceptance speech put to a hip hop beat. “Franchise Playa” – yeah!
kay
@jl:
I guess. Pundits are really cloistered though, and they’re wrong a lot. I’m not sure they’re taking the pulse of the nation, or anything.
Which reminds me. Jeb Bush and someone else started a listening tour. They went to one pizzeria. That’s not much of a tour. What happened to that?
Litlebritdifrnt
PS) I can haz open thread KTHKXBI
aarrgghh
in what could become another classic in wingnut damage control, goldberg & beck join forces to decry the “intellectual dishonesty” of the left on the holocaust museum shooting.
and as the usual suspects are forced to race back for deck chair duty in the latest republican flame-out, the wingularity is now visibly puckering and twitching. who knows how little time the leakage we used to call the gop has left before their little window into our universe — the sane one — hopefully clenches shut for good?
steve s
@Steve S.:
Hmm. I commented here for a few months as “steve s” lowercase. Now someone else is commenting as “Steve S” uppercase. If we keep doing that, that’ll be confusing.
What to do, what to do….
jl
@kay: Jeb Bush listening tour? Yeah, I bet it was. You could have probably heard a pin drop during that little bull session.
aarrgghh
litlebritdifrnt @ 131:
actually, that’s precisely their problem. as long as the gop remains convinced that all their problems can be solved by tweaking their message, as if they could sell a turd if they just hit on the right slogan — instead of actually ditching the turd — they are not climbing out of the crapper they jumped in with both feet.
Laura W
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Just for you.
kommrade reproductive vigor
I’m not saying it won’t ever happen, but I don’t see any evidence they’re capable of heading that way.
Even if they hadn’t purged 99.9% of the people who are smart enough to know GOPSOP doesn’t work any more, the hypothetical smart GOP operative would also have to possess the stones to stand up and tell the shrieking brigade to StFu and keep saying it when Rush pitched a fit.
I won’t say it’ll never happen, I just don’t see it happening anytime soon.
Ejoiner
OT but had to pass it along – just got back from seeing “The Hangover” and damn that is one fuuuuny movie.
“I didn’t know they gave out rings for the Holocaust.”
kay
@jl:
I’m reading Toobin’s book on the Supreme Court. It’s a lively read, for a book about the Supreme Court, anyway.
The Republicans on the Court were completely appalled at Schiavo.
I knew most sane people were appalled. I was pleased that the Justices were horrified too.
O’Conner thought it was a politically motivated assault on the legitimacy of the judicial branch, not to mention state law, and of course, she was right. She’s a pol at heart. She knew what the hell was going on.
They watched in horror. Just like us! We have that in common. All is not lost.
Lesley
Shorter Meg Stapleton: She’s quitting her leadership in order to lead.
Steve S.
I’ll change to “john cole”.
grumpy realist
Re: Jonah Goldberg.
A comment made by Roy Edroso sometime back about Jonah Goldberg just crystalized it for me:
“[He’s] like a truculent Tasmanian Devil with its head stuck in a pail.”
mcd410x
i’m still scared of her
#sarahpalinsoyster
JGabriel
aarrgghh:
Unfortunately, they’ve sold this turd before (Harding, Reagan, Bush 2, et.al.), and they’ll most likely do it again.
GOPer’s don’t change, they just wait for people to get sick of Democrats. This time around, it’ll probably take about 20 years, because of how bad Bush and the Republican congress were, 1994-2008. I hope it’s at least that long anyway. 40-50 years would be better.
.
LD50
@Steve S.:
This.
steve s
I’ve been thinking about stuff like this, and ‘narrative’, all weekend. The narrative has been that republicans proved to be incompetent, so the public voted them out. But if you look at the demographics, McCain got the same % of the white vote Reagan got 30 years ago. It’s just that the white vote has shrunk and the hispanic vote has gotten much bigger. We’re all thinking about how the GOP is going to have to redeem themselves intellectually and start winning again, but I think the boring reality is that their demographics just turned against them, and they have to reconfigure a new set of constituencies which can conjure large enough coalitions.
steve s
@LD50: Your momma.
steve s
(btw, try to keep track. Steve S is a totally different person than steve s)
Anyway, i’m disappointed about the narrative thing. I’d like to believe that the public came to understand that republicans were crazy tards who shouldn’t be trusted with a sharpened pencil, let alone government, but it looks like mere demographic trends tell the tale. I still have hope, though, that recent generations are more liberal, more tolerant of gays, less religious, etc. , and that the country will get better over time.
gwangung
To the growing demographics of the country, Republicans ARE crazy ‘tards. They’re gonna have to get off their lily white stand on issues and start crafting AND implementing policies that help blacks, Hispanics and Asians or they won’t exist. Period.
SGEW
Cripes, I haven’t the faintest idea which is which now, and it’ll be too difficult to keep track. So we’ll just have to conflate the two of you, and treat you as one person. Fair’s fair.
Comrade Stuck
:
You need a false persona dude, to be your true self.
Internet Tradition # 321.3
jl
So we gotta be case-sensitive on this blog now? This is a demanding venue.
In edit: some one grabbed ‘john cole’ first to clear up the confusion about his/her ID. So I will claim jOhN cOlE, if I need to distinguish myself from now on.
The Moar You Know
@Litlebritdifrnt: It took a substantial portion of my lifetime (42 years) for American auto manufacturers to realize that they couldn’t keep making the same shitty cars that they always had; that indeed, the only thing that was going to save them from being slaughtered by the Japanese was to stop building shitty cars.
For decades I watched as Ford, GM and Chrysler threw billions of dollars at their respective marketing departments, only to watch them lose even more market share the next year. The solution? Spend even more on marketing (and spread the insidious rumor that lazy, overpaid American workers were the root of the problem in a futile and mean-spirited attempt to shore up their failing balance sheets), while the Japanese gained another point or two of market share the next year.
Ford got it in time, it looks like. GM and especially Chrysler did not, and it looks like one or both of them are headed the way of the Whigs. All the marketing genius on the planet couldn’t save Chrysler from engines that leak oil like sieves after 75,000 miles, when their competitors could build an engine, using American labor, that still works just fine after 250,000 miles.
My point is that the GOP is in exactly the same position as American car companies found themselves in 1974, 1979, 1982, 1985 – all the way through the mid 1990s – the GOP hasn’t been capable of providing a working product since the late 1980s, and the only thing that is keeping them going is an ever shrinking group of traditionalists who get more and more deranged as the product keeps losing ground to the newer, better, more well thought-out version of government.
Marketing is not going to save the current incarnation of the GOP. Not any more. Like Chrysler, the time to come up with results has come and gone, and it’s all over but the crying.
There’s going to be a lot of crying for quite a while. Without the moneymen on their side, the GOP is doomed to backbencher status for a long, long time.
steve s
@SGEW:
cheat sheet: steve s is the one who thinks sentences should generally include verbs, because pronouns followed by periods generally don’t make much sense. Steve S is the one who is old enough to remember how the media treated Elvis’s death in the 70’s, when steve s was still in diapers.
grumpy realist
Also sort of hard to attract a rather skeptical audience of “non-standard voters” when you have the Crazy Eddies in the background ranting about Those Damn Immigrants or Those Damn N_____s or Those Damn Broads and you have to keep turning around and hissing “quiet! You’ll scare them away!”
I used to disagree with Republicans, but at least I thought they were in the same universe as I was. When did they turn into the creationist–religious-tub-thumping-insane-idiots?
steve s
Since the Southern Strategy, they’ve been depending on the stupid racist idiot vote, but the GHW Bushes and D Eisenhowers were able to control things and make the GOP at least kinda reasonable. But thanks to talk radio, Sean Hannity, Fox News, Red State, etc, the tards have now taken control of the party. And intelligent people are learning that while they might not like the dems (I don’t), they’re better than the Party of HyperTard.
Indylib
LauraW, if you’re still up please proceed to the previous thread for Punchy’s proposal story. It’s well worth the trip.
Some Random Chick
I keep thinking that if I ponder it enough, the whole Palin thing will make sense. Not so at ALL. There is no figuring this one out.
This is the weirdest public flame-out I’ve ever seen, starting with the press conference. From there it got weirder.
Who sends a message on Facebook – excuse me, what Governor and almost (whew!) VP sends a message on Facebook to respond to the bewildered question of WTF?
And this message is that everyone (except her supporters, of course) is just so stupid! Geez, can’t they see why she’d have to step down for a higher calling??? Only, she and her spokeswoman have both said they don’t know what she’s doing next.
I’ve walked out on jobs in my life, but I never considered walking out on responsibilities without even a vague backup plan a “higher calling”. And, needless to say, none of my jobs had the responsibilities of Governor.
Some Random Chick
And follow-up Tweets? Seriously.
Not to mention that said tweets discuss her attempt to sue the Internet meanies.
But, followers, seriously, she’d doing it for “u”.
I’m starting to believe the whole arrested development at 15-year-old-b*tch-level theory.
Some Random Chick
@ grumpy realist
I saw the Maher rerun with Gore Vidal this week, and he had some pretty valid arguments. Republicans are no longer even a party – just an idealogy based on who/what they don’t like: immigration, welfare, feminists, liberals, black people, and apparently the latest is Acorn.
ETA: and of course, #1 & #2 is TAXES and SOC*LISM
jl
We should start the Balloon-Juice Party. BJP has a ring. Cole can be the figurehead founder/leader/president. Tunch and Lily will run things, and I trust them.
Or we could run Steve S. and steve s. on the ticket. That will confuse the press and keep their pesky ‘reporting’ to a minimum. They will be figureheads too. Tunch and Lily will keep us safe and prosperous.
A dog and a cat will keep things moderate and balanced, a saluatory mutual check on extremist and rigid tendencies.
It might even fool Broder into thinking it is bipartisan, centrist and polite. Then it will be a snap.
Some Random Chick
@ jl
Wouldn’t it just really chap their hides to lose to the BLOGGER party?
Will
@SGEW:
And don’t get me started on “irregardless” or “could care less”.
jl
I have a delicate question which I will pose carefully in order to avoid lawsuits over specualtion about a public figure.
Is it possible some one or a group applied private informal persuasion to a certain governor of a big state to scram? (not saying ‘big’ in any particular way here -there are several big states and every state is big in its own wonderful unique way) Certain governors of certain parties (perhaps but not definitely ‘political parties’), as a group mind you, not singling anyone out, are not popular at all with their own party (not saying which one). And even if vestigations of the ‘in’ and ‘formal’ variety do not exist, if some persons or groups had what are commonly known as ‘goods’ (not saying what kind of ‘goods’, mind you) -why not use them to advantage?
In other words, did the AK GOP just tell her to go and did they have a persuasive argument? (not saying what kind of argument, maybe it was a modus ponens, and perfectly innocent type of very rational argument, having nothing to do with any kind of possible scandal at all),
PS in edit: I read in the news that the biggest scandal speculators are GOP political consultants. Is Palin going to sue them?
Some Random Chick
Personally, I think it would be said GOP consultants that actually have the goods on said unnamed Governor with hypothetical goods to be had. Doubting he/she would sue them.
Joe Lisboa
Hey Indylib, thanks for the heads-up on the open thread. I would’ve missed it without your reference. Hell, I even chimed in about my own impending proposal (don’t tell my girlfriend!) but it was sweet to read Punchy’s story. Thanks.
steve s
@jl:
Nope. I can’t run for anything. Too many irate husbands, tailors, and chefs would be coming out of the woodwork.
trollhattan
It’s too bad Cooper doesn’t know him some hoops, because he could have pointed out to the publicist trixie that point guard Palin just passed the ball to a teammate and ran right into the fucking locker room.
Go, Team Alaska!
I spend a regrettable part of the 4th talking to a wingnut father of an acquaintance who held forth on a vast array of topics, each of which was tailored from the finest Limbaugh seersucker, Seriously, I’d read every one of his revelations on some blog, to the word. I’m convinced that that mindset,—so facile are they in adopting random events to their pre-forged world view—considers Sarah’s latest step merely another scripted chapter in her Amazing Amazing march to the White House. I’m certain he drove home and wrote sarahpac a big fat check.
steve s
…not to mention people who have a hard time with grammar…
Dennis-SGMM
I’m convinced that Palin’s resignation speech was just an elaborate publicity stunt for the release of a new Firesign Theater CD.
jl
Are sarahpacs the seraphims’ evil twin? Never heard of a sarapac before. Sounds like something out of Ezekial. Probably pretty scary.
grumpy realist
Well, we can look on the bright side. If the SarahSupporters are writing huge checks to her (to pay her legal bills bringing lawsuits against bloggers, all of which get laughed out of court), then they’re not sending $$$ to the more electable types.
I can’t help feel that even if the top Republicans feel Sarah is a vote-puller, there would be a way they set up for her to crash and burn. I don’t think loosey-goosey-fruitcake is what the Business side of the Republican party is looking for. Use her to pull in dollars and votes from the rubes, sure. But I think she’s shown she’s too much of a loose cannon for them to let her anywhere *near* the actual levers of power.
(I read the comments on the wingnut sites about Palin and her Bold March Towards POTUS and can only think of the Children’s Crusade.)
TenguPhule
Typical, I try to ignore the political world for one lousy weekend and when I get back I’m totally lost in the layers upon layers of complete GOP insanity that took place in that time.
Some Random Chick
@ TenguPhule
I know, right? My husband keeps bitching about the fact that I cannot leave my computer. I tell him, “You just don’t understand! They keep doing stupid shit! Each one more insane than the last.”
It’s better than soaps. There are more unbelievable story-lines and bad-acting.
Indylib
@Joe Lisboa: No problem, I thought his proposal was really sweet – even the flying lettuce. All the wimmun folk ( and a few of the guys) around these parts gave him a thread full of advice about the ring, so I’m happy to have found out how it ended up. Now we’ll be bugging you and cashman about your ring choices and proposal scenarios.
William
My theory on how “literally” went to hell: For people who don’t know what it means, it sounds like a general intensifier, one that people react strongly to. The rubes then imitate that, losing the sense: “What a great show. That singer was literally on fire!”
b-psycho
This made me chuckle:
That was just a warm-up though. The true humor was a pro-Palin commenter underneath declaring Newt-fucking-Gingrich a hippie OneWorlder…
Screamin' Demon
Not even close. No CNN, MSNBC back then to flog this bullshit 24-7. I was 14 in 1977. I don’t recall seeing Elvis’ body being flown by helicopter to the coroner, I didn’t hear the 911 call, I didn’t see any prominent white ministers calling for a national “Day of Mourning.” And certainly no tickets to a memorial service given away via lottery.
Only ABC, NBC and CBS back then for most people. On the NBC Nightly News, David Brinkley reported Elvis’ death with the same clipped, patented nonchalance that characterized his entire career: “Elvis Presley…died today. He was 42. Apparently it was a heart attack. He was found at his home in Memphis not breathing. A road manager tried to revive him. He failed. A hospital tried to revive him. It failed. His doctor pronounced him dead at three o’clock this afternoon.”
MikeJ
http://xkcd.com/386/
Sloth
This.
And their demos are getting worse, even without Obama mousetrapping them. It will take years for the republicans to recover from their reaction to Sotomayor, and that’s assuming that they manage to purge the absolutely egregious nut jobs from their rolls.
Zuzu's Petals
And from The Mudflats:
Oyster Round-Up. Literally.
bago
@inkadu: You Hope That My Analogies Are As Important, You Prick?
Napoleon
I scanned through the comments and did not see anyone mention this, but Meg Stapleton is referred to several times in the VF piece that came out last week in a very unfavorable way. Basically that her she gives horrible advice and is a communications nightmare, in so many words.
RememberNovember
I encourage everyone to watch Mike Judge’s Idiocracy, it is a mirror of our redonkulous times. Speaks to the incurious self- aggrandizing copy of copy mentality that is rampant in the GOP.
Svensker
If we could only get Steve S. to post “This.” frequently in order to enrage steve s., then we could get an internet fight between Steve S. and steve s. and the victorious survivor could be dubbed Steve s. Or steve S. That would solve everything.
Steeplejack
@Svensker:
“The One Steve.”
Charity
I-Quit-arod. Bwa ha ha ha!
Bruce (formerly Steve S.)
All commenters shall henceforth be called Bruce, just to keep things clear. Bruce will do Clown Shoes, Bruce will do Burkean Bells, Bruce will do Sheila Palin, and Bruce will be in charge of the sheep dip.
Bruce
G’day, Bruce!