To keep news of Sarah Palin’s resignation from threadjacking other posts or if you want to share today’s July 4th news or yesterday’s July 4th memories, here’s an open thread for both.
Fresh Political Pickins From The Peach State
Archives
Search PeachPundit
Recent Comments
- It's official: You should relax (2)
- John Barrow FINALLY grows a spine and makes it official: he is a firm NO on ObamaCare (9)
- New poll from Rasmussen on gubernatorial race (5)
- State Sen. Hawkins Calls Graves "JOBS Bill" a Sham (4)
- Prescription Drug Monitoring Act clears committee (2)
- Mark all comments as read
Meta
Blogroll
- 2010 Georgia Race Tracker
- AJC’s Political Insider
- Atlanta Unfiltered
- Avenue PR
- Blog for Democracy
- Bludgeon & Skewer
- Buzz’s Site
- Chuck Shiflett
- Cracker Squire
- Drifting Through The Grift
- Dunwoody North
- Fresh Loaf
- Georgia Daily Digest
- Georgia Hwy 120 Politics
- Georgia Legislative Watch
- Georgia News Beat
- Georgia Politics Podcast
- Georgia Politics.net
- Gold Dome Live
- Good Will Hinton
- Jason Pye
- Jeff Emanuel
- Left on Lanier
- Live Apartment Fire
- Lucid Idiocy
- Ms. Underestimated
- New Republicans
- Obi’s Sister
- OmniVore
- Peanut Politics
- Political Vine
- Progressive Peach
- Project Logic Ga
- Ronald Daniels
- Rural Democrat
- Rusty Tanton
- Safe As Houses
- Screams from the Porch
- Shepherd’s Political Pie
- Southern Appeal
- SWGA Politics
- That's Just Peachy
- The Barr Code
- The Other Athens
- Thread of Dreams
- Thunderstruck
- Tondees Tavern
- WMCC News
Contributors
Follow Us
Legislators' Blogs
Copyright © 2010 Tanalach Media, LLC - All rights reserved. Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Copyright
Powered by Web Design Company Plugins
{ 119 comments }
I know they’ll be a ton of rude remarks, under the guise of “funny,” before this thread goes to the archives; so I’ll say my piece and be done.
This whole issue is driving the media and the political know-it-alls crazy, and it’s actually funny to watch. She’s totally deserted the “what’s politically acceptable” paradigm and gone completely off the reservation.
I don’t pretend to know what she’s planning for down the road; but I do know, as a mom and a grandmother, with one Down Syndrome child and two children with autism in the family, there’s only so much you can deal with at any one time. I just believe, for one thing, she felt her family had taken enough abuse; and maybe, just maybe, she’s looking down the road to the time when her children will be older, Trig’s future will be more certain; and, then, she’ll look at the political landscape again. Perhaps she thinks, by then, she won’t have to expose her kids to all the nastiness but that they’ll be old enough to endure. It’s sad her little ones were never accorded the same respect as other politicians’ young children. What an ugly business, politics. For people who truly want to serve, I have the utmost respect.
Hey, on a lighter note, in the meantime she can become a community organizer and then just waltz into the White House whenever…
I guess that’s my rude, but funny, remark…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_re_us/us_palin_resigning
Err… what?!? So politicians who DON’T resign after serving only half their terms are dishonorable, or doing ill to their constituents or something? What does this also say about who Lt. Gov, for whom Palin is throwing an inaugural picnic so he can “milk a paycheck” for the next two years?
This is quite possibly the dumbest political quote I’ve ever heard, and that’s saying a lot.
What it says is that “I didn’t know what I was getting into when I ran for VP, and I accordingly don’t need to fulfill my commitment to the people of Alaska.”
“They kind of milk it.” Given that no one ever had to know that Palin wasn’t going to run for re-election, Palin must not trust herself that she wouldn’t milk it.
Walk a mile in my shoes seems an appropriate response. However, the Gov. that really needs to resign is Sanford.
The Cobb Tea Party organizers have been telling anyone who asked that the Atlanta Tea Party had been canceled and that all should attend the Cobb GOP BBQ on Saturday. Pretty sad…
For the record, the Atlanta Tea Party will be held on July 4th at 4PM at the Georgia State Capitol: http://atlteaparty.com/
If they have invited Oxendine to speak at a supposed protest of pandering politics as usual public officials, the Cobb people are right. It IS cancelled.
I heard Ox did well in Cobb and somewhere between 7K and 9K showed up for the Tea Party. I’m still fairly immobile so I didn’t make it.
So, the Cobb people are right for misdirecting people away from the Capitol Tea Party (4-9pm today), but they are wrong for having him speak at their own even yesterday? I need some more-a-dat book-larnin’.
Yes, Bill…ALL of us “Cobb people” got together on one massive string of conference/3-way calling to plot and plan against you and your event today.
Thank you for playing (AND winning) “No, I’m the biggest a@@hole!”
Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the rock today!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRRlEyplGQ8
Hi Doug,
All politicians and candidates for office are required to take questions from the crowd as a condition for being allowed to speak.
If you have a beef with the Ox, come down and step up (to the microphone).
That’s a good idea, conserve.
Bill, you do realize I was joking? Pretty much everything I post is a joke or at least ligh hearted unless it goes on for 18 pages and likely about global warming, energy policy or ethics.
conserve101. I was there, this was a lie. Dumb as An Ox got up and you guys were off to the next speaker without a hitch.
In case anyone is interested, I hand counted the attendence and counted 284 people including organizers.
At one point I was interviewed by the AJC and await my misquoting.
Too any of the speakers were monotone and boring and hit upon minutia instead of getting the crowd into things. I don’t think people go to protests to hear someone defend the obscure points of their doctoral thesis. Some of the speakers were good, however.
I don’t think people go to protests to hear someone defend the obscure points of their doctoral thesis.
LOL! Ummm….I’m guessing this was Bill Greene?
I don’t think people go to protests to hear someone defend the obscure points of their doctoral thesis.
No, that’s what an LP event is for. Sorry I didn’t see you left me a VM till I got home last night.
No problem, you were off helping the economy.
Anyway, they didn’t let us little people ask questions anyway.
Give me a little credit, Bill. I spoke for all of 3 minutes, and my speech was, at the least, rousing. Sure missed you!
Palin. McKinney. Cage match. Pay-per-view.
Pass.
I’ll put my money on the Palestinian Moose.
Yeah, not sure what that meant either.
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for the GOP. Have they all lost it?
If you mean their virginity, then apparently, yes.
Weren’t you excited by Palin Icarus? I seem to remember you thinking she’d be great for the ticket or party, can’t remember.
Just curious, do you still like her?
I was one of her biggest defenders here when she was announced, based on the attacks that were totally without basis being thrown against her.
She had a resume that was equally as good (better, actually) than Obama. She had her moments, and that is probably the biggest understatement that can be said about the campaign.
In the end, the Katie Couric moments outweighed the convention speach moments. She unfortunately proved she wasn’t quite ready for prime time.
If she desires a national political career, she should have gone back to Alaska, turned her back on the national media, and finished the “reform” process underway in Alaska.
Instead, she’s found every national camera she could to say that the national media won’t leave her alone. She way overplayed the David Letterman joke as the most recent example of her trying to appeal to what she perceives as “our base”.
So, I don’t really dis-like her, but she has narrowed the focus of “her brand” to the point that I don’t believe she is nationally viable.
Erick was THE PP groupie all ga-ga over Palin.
She is a beautiful woman and everyone was looking for a reason to be excited about voting b/c McCain sure wasn’t doing it for us.
I would still take her over McCain, but that is saying almost nothing.
He wasn’t the only one. I think Icky hits on some of the same points that have made me dislike Palin as our 2012 nominee. Palin, where intrinsically or due to subsequent events, is damaged goods.
My theory is that Governor Palin woke up one morning, realized that the ass-hat Rove-School consultants have done to her and her family and said “screw this”.
Unlike Erick, I think she is done for good. And I don’t blame her one bit. She worked hard to make sure that her Lt. Governor didn’t some from the Stevens/Young/Murtoski wing of the GOP, and feels comfortable leaving the state in his hands.
I hope she is leaving to leave for good. My fear is that this is some move to prepare to run a three year campaign for President.
Most of the “mainstream” press is hoping she resigned to run for President, just for the entertainment and ratings value. SNL also has their fingers crossed.
Everyone else recognizes this for what it is: yet another self-inflicted wound by a politician who is her own worst enemy.
It was a GREAT event in Cobb but I am not sure about 7,000. Someone standing next to me counted people in the bleacher section and there was 900. I would say about 2,000 – 2,500 in attendance
I was not there….but 7,000 in that horse exhibition facility would be an impossible number of people to hold without extending about 200 yards in every direction from the boundaries. 2,000-2,500 sounds logical. AND…quite a substantial turnout at that.
Palin is alleged to have diverted building materials from the Wasilla Sport Complex for her own home.
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7280
I allege that dash riptide is RomneyGingrich12 . Does that make it so?
I already confessed. Pay attention.
Funny thing…that’s kinda along the lines of what Ted Stevens was accused of…and later acquitted of.
I know Rugby will accuse me of being “paranoid”…but I’m not up for trusting anything coming out of Alaska.
To me, Ms. Palin represents the worst example of the political process responding to polls. More specifically, the GOP’s decison to run Ms. Palin as a VP indicates a reactive and not proactive approach toward Mr. Obama.
The Dems ran the first African Amercan as POTUS. GOP reacts by running a female as Veep. Not a first, but clearly Ms. Palin’s gender, and not specifically her politics, appears to support politics and not issues prevailed in 2008.
What I find remarkable is that other women, with stronger political records, better communication skills, and longer track records, may have made a more credible candidate.
Right now, on this most notable day, I am joined by many wondering what our GOP will do next. Once a dear friend of mine, suffering a temporary financial setback, mentioned that the beauty of being broke is that it offers clarity. You must eat, live indoors, and be able to obtain gainful employment. Clarity.
America, much like my friend, faces a most grave financial crises, with even deeper implications for future years. Where are those STATESMEN/WOMEN who will capitilize on the benefit our financial situation offers -CLARITY?
In Georgia, clarity dictates rural and urban Legislators ought to coalesce and make DECISIONS on crucial transportation, healthcare , etc. issues.
Poor Sarah the harsh spotlight of National politics overwhelms, not her fault. One statement stands out, we can not afford politics as usual.
America doesn’t realize it’s broke yet. It’s a real eye opener when all the credit cards are declined. We’ve still got China and a few others lending us money, though the terms are nearing sub-prime.
Clarity is a ways off, yet.
Notably, the saddest, most correct statement to make some 233 years after we became an independant Nation. WE will survive, we can feed ourselves and we are armed.
Got a stash of seeds, Balz?
Hey Bill,
Yeah Buddy! I will never get tired of beans and rice, my baby can make some wicked beans.
Thanks to the progression of events, Icarus is coming closer every day to the Austrian school.
The resignation of Sarah Palin, at least in my mind, relates to the Georgia elections.
For me, it is not enough to be consistently conservative on the issues. It requires the testimony of one’s actions that historically illustrate those stances, and it takes a character of honor and virtue.
When Sarah Palin was sworn in as Governor, she was giving her word to serve the full term to the degree she is able. If her resignation was due to some currently undisclosed illness or other unexpected problem, then I applaud her for having the courage to let go of her office.
But, if this is not the case, she has broken her word for her own gain. That is not the choice of a conservative. She can put all the lipstick she wants on that pig of a choice, it is still a dishonorable thing to do. No one expects liberals to honor their word, but we do expect conservatives to “walk the talk”.
The same goes for any of the Georgia gubernatorial candidates who claim to be conservative. I still know how to vote without choosing a candidate for an office.
If John Oxendine is a conservative, and it turns out one of his people did indeed lie on Wikipedia about Karen Handel, then I would expect him to take full responsibility, fire the guy, and make a public apology to Karen Handel. I would also expect that, as a conservative, his character and honor would be understood by campaign staff and they would know the consequences if they chose to do something dishonorable.
If any of Karen Handel’s staff was involved in setting this up, I would expect the same. If she has not been truthful about her education once it has been made an issue, then I wouldn’t see any way for me to support her.
Frankly, the degree of “education” a candidate has means little to me. Some of the best political leaders in American history did not have an advanced college degree. Given how the Ivy League “educated” have been the foundation for Democrat and Rockefeller Republican leadership, have been the ones to run the companies and government entities involved in creating this latest economic mess, I am not real keen on such “educated” people. Most of what passes for “education” is merely indoctrination, and the recipients of such potty training remain the idiots they were when they started. I’ll take an intelligent, experienced, common-sense person of solid character, discernment, and judgment with only a GED over an Ivy league educated scoundrel any day.
To quote that great philosopher, the Wizard of Oz: “…Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have. But they have one thing you haven’t got: a diploma.”
MS, If I were trying to make the case that fancy Ivy League degress don’t necessarily mean much, I’d have to stamp a big “Exhibit A” on the forehead of George W. Bush.
Did you not notice I stated “Rockefeller Republican” along with “Democrat”? Both Bushes were and are Rockefeller Republican’ts/Neo-Whigs. Bush 41, Clinton, Bush43, and Obama all bear the “Exhibit A” on their foreheads. As do the ones who lead corporations and government entities that led us into this fiscal fiasco.
Sorry MS, but your comment did not include your definition of Rockefeller Republican. I’m a political junkie and I read and listen to lots of opinions. I’ve never seen W described as a Rockefeller Republican by anyone but you. Maybe that’s the new GOP revision of recent history.
Do you not blame the den of thieves and idiots who ran the Congress under DeLay and Abramoff et al from 1994 to 2006 for any of the country’s problems? They rubberstamped W on literally everything. So are they all Rockefeller Republicans? BTW, what’s your issue with Rockefeller? Too smart? Too rich? Too compassionate?
We still have not determined whether Handel actually has a diploma from Fredrick Douglas High School [Upper Marlboro] or a Maryland/Washington DC ………..issued Diploma from passing GED Test.
All she will admit to is ” I have a High School Diploma”
‘Finding and interviewing the Prinicipal and Teachers may be a task but we Democrats have unlimited funds, FBI, and kindred souls in most educators.
The 100% most damaging truth will come out at the best time before the Primary.
We still cannot decide who we want to run against, so manipulation of the Primary will have to wait until Spring.’
“She had a resume that was equally as good (better, actually) than Obama. ”
I’m sorry, but college matters. A foundation in most resumes starts with a college degree. Palin transferred every year, which I’ve never heard of doing. Obama graduates from Columbia and Harvard Law while being an editor of the Law Review. Teaching at the University of Chicago Law School may not be executive experience like the Mayor of Wasilla, but it requires some pretty heavy intelectual lifting.
College only matters when it results in education, not indoctrination. Obama, since you bring him up, is a perfect example of one whose lack of knowledge, character, and wisdom was not placed in jeopardy by his college “education”, and remains intact to this day.
Obama has attained those milestones in his life which are the result and reward of adhering to the religious superstitions of the left. He has never achieved any true accomplishment.
I am so glad I waited to go to college until after I had matured a few years. By then, I understood what it was for, was too old to accept whatever my professors said simply on faith, and got an education instead of an indoctrination.
You are one looney tune, MS. Go look in the mirror and see what looney looks like. You’re IT.
Where did you get your “education”? Toccoa Falls or some such?
BobinBuckhead
I doubt if you coul make it a Toccoa Fall College
Emory B.A, Georgia J.D.
How bout you, Bucky?
Did Mommy and Daddy or family inheritance pay for your Emory and JD education, Bob?
Or John Ensign’s parents?
He has never achieved any true accomplishment.
Ah.. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
The President of the greatest country in the world has never achieved any true accomplishment?
Hello? Alternative reality?
That was a popularity contest. He was never question about his past accomplishments or lack thereof; instead he was given a pass by the media because they thought of him as a celebrity not a politician.
Really? Lack of accomplishments like:
* Two degrees from Ivy League schools (and I have a nephew at one and know how ridiculously hard it was for him to even get in, let alone the work he has to do to get a degree).
* Editor of Harvard Law Review, which means he went to one of the best law degree mills in the country AND was chosen by his peers to the most prestigious position they have for students.
* Constitutional law professor for many years.
* State Senator for many years
* US Senator
* President
Huh. No accomplishments whatsoever in that list? Aren’t you just being a bit reverse elitist by damning someone else’s obvious accomplishments in your impressive role of blog commenter?
And if it’s such a “popularity contest” why haven’t you run?
If you can’t see how the media has turned him into a celebrity, then you’re blind.
He was never questioned about his schooling or how it was paid for. They never asked about his early education in Pakistan or his trip to the Middle East before he went to Harvard. Plus, he never had to explain any of his votes for the State Senate or the few votes he had in the short time he was in the U.S. Senate before he started running for President. Plus, he has never had a long term job in the private sector and no one question his choice of friends. He has gotten a free ride with the media. The only stories they are concerned with are his date nights and sports outings.
The reason I don’t run is I’m not as popular as you, byteme.
He was never questioned about his schooling or how it was paid for.
Why is that an issue?
They never asked about his early education in Pakistan or his trip to the Middle East before he went to Harvard.
He never lived in Pakistan nor could I see how either of those matter. Unless of course you think he is secretly plotting a Muslim invasion.
Plus, he never had to explain any of his votes for the State Senate or the few votes he had in the short time he was in the U.S. Senate before he started running for President.
Guessing you never watched any of the debates.
Plus, he has never had a long term job in the private sector and no one question his choice of friends.
Dude, we worked in the private sector for four years, then went to law school where he worked for various firms, then a few more years before joining Chicago’s law school faculty for more than a decade and beside all that, I still fail to see how working in the private sector offers any sort of magical insight into the world. And you must not have payed any attention to the Bill Ayers or Rev Wright controversy. FFS Kellie, unless you weren’t paying attention (starting to appear that way) he had to give a major speech about Wright. Wait, you think there is some secret cabal he’s in that wants to dear down America. That would explain the first part….
He has gotten a free ride with the media. The only stories they are concerned with are his date nights and sports outings.
Yeah. OK. Just curious, which news sources in particular are you calling out? “The MSM” is a cop out.
I’m sorry, but college matters.
Not after the first 5 years of working.
Oh please… it matters on your resume forever. Before you even get called in for the interview, you have to get past the H.R. drone who screens the resumes looking for minimum requirements such as a degree.
More importantly, the KIND of work you spend that first 5 years doing is driven is large part by having a degree.
Also, Michael Dell had a millionaire stock broker for a father… Bill Gates’ dad was a prominent attorney and his granddad was a bank president. If you have family money to help launch your own business, then perhaps your educational pedigree matters less. If you come from a middle or working-class background, I’d suggest you go to class.
Also, Michael Dell had a millionaire stock broker for a father… Bill Gates’ dad was a prominent attorney and his granddad was a bank president.
Do you know for a fact that these guys’ dads helped them start-up their businesses?
Not all “daddies” fork over all their wealth to their kids’ science projects.
The Wikipedia page for Dell states that the $300,000 in start-up capital came from Michael Dell’s family. Unless you want to accuse Brian Laurens of writing that.
Has Michael Dell affirmed that is correct?
Forget Michael Dell, has anyone checked for any edits by RomneyGingrich12?
Now that it’s been brought up here, RomneyGingrich12 may edit it to reflect a positive light on Ox. Or better yet, he’ll write something about how Karen’s education almost stopped Dell from receiving that loan from his family.
I gotta agree with Steve here Bill.
I know too many people who have hit brick walls in their career (15-20 years in) because they don’t have a BA or BS degree. One is a 20 yr veteran of my employer who will never be a top level software developer. Another is one who took on exec management rolls during the dot-com boom and now can’t find similar positions due to the lack of an MBA or similar degree. In large companies (IBM, HP, etc) degree still matters. I’m not saying it should, but it does.
Finally, from personal experience, My years at GaTech taught me theory that I use regularly in my job. And I know that the theory taught gives me a leg up over my colleagues who have similar experience. Now, that knowledge would be mine had I gotten my BS at SPSU or not.
Chris, that is true about large companies, but who really wants to work with them anyway. I worked for Proctor and Gamble for a time, and they have a policy to only hire the very top of the class. I saw first hand that college level performance does not neccessarily equate to success in the real world.
The supposedly more average graduates I worked with at Rhone Poulenc worked harder and had less issues with soap opera-esque juvenile politics brought on by a lifetime of being told how smart and deserving they were.
I once saw an P&G MIT phD chemist blame his failed experiements on sabotage by another scienist.
Being exposed to things on a higher intellectual plane at a place like Georgia Tech does give one oportunities, but it does not guarentee them. I have learned more about engineering and later computer science (which is my current field) outside of college than I ever did in college. The real value of a rigorous education comes in training one’s mind to think and solve problems. One can do that without a degree and fail to do that with one, but to the average person it is definitely more difficult.
And, what of Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Frank Gordy, Jr….no college degrees,and they would give people like you the middle finger on your beliefs.
I heard Palin changed Letterman’s wikipedia entry
What about Cagle? What crutch do you guys have for him.
Organizations who put total stock in degrees are denying themselves even greater talent than Harvard MBA’s.
When the history of these times are written, people will marvel at how 2 Ivy League, Phd, Nobel Laureates in economics and a star trader devised the financial structure that caused the Greatest Depression of 2007 to 2020 in Long Term Capital Management. They will marvel at how an Oxford grad POTUS did not halt these practices. They will be astounded at the lunacy of Keynesian and Monetarist policies ginned up by the educated elites.
Perhaps the most stunning contradiction will be that the drop-outs like Dell, Gates, and Jobs and even a HS drop-out Bill Thomas of Wendy’s were financial successes, while the ‘educated’ idiots destroyed the world financial system.
I thrived in the hyper competitive corporate world, despite having nothing more than a BA from UGA, because getting superior results commands attention. It is a matter of finding a niche and exploiting it.
The problem that America faces is the loss of manufacturing jobs that provided high wages for those with more manual dexterity than innovative ability. There is a huge portion of the middle class that reached their status because of the manufacturing sector.
We have lost these crucial jobs due to an idiotic embrace of “free trade” which was anything but free.
The GOP and Dems, with their educated idiots, have brought America to facing the reality that living standards will follow manufacturing jobs to equilibrium with Chinese wages and economic status.
In the words of Andrei Bonovia, First Officer of Soviet Alpha Submarine Konovalov in The Hunt For Red October.
Indy hits it spot on, no surprise.
A Guv needs more than a high school diploma. A GED, that is a pathetic credential, sans some sort of higher education. One cannot be an effective leader without understanding some of the basic quantative/qualitative concepts used in college
I think education matters.
Then lets elect recent college grads and let them run the country, since they know everything already.
You are a fool if you think life experience isn’t 100 times more important to an exectutive than what one did between 18-22.
I think that on my computer, the processor and hard drive are 100 times more important than my $10 keyboard and mouse. However, without the keyboard and mouse there won’t be much input going in to the processor and hard drive.
Likewise, life experience is ultimately more important than academic credentials we gain in our youth (or later in life for some of us). However, having those credentials puts one in a position for richer life experience. If you’ve driven a UPS truck for 20 years, and have never seen a double-entry bookkeeping ledger in your life… you may be wise, but I don’t really want you in charge of the budget. Sorry.
Sheesh, only in Georgia would such a “debate” even occur. Yes, you CAN live a productive life without a degree. No, it’s NOT a particularly good idea if you have the option. So get over the “elitist” thing, and stop voting for retards on the basis that, “I could have a beer with ‘em!”. Our leaders are supposed to be the cream of the crop, not good ol’ boys who we don’t find personally threatening.
Steve,
I know you are trying to be willfully ignorant to make a point, but none of what you describe is accurate in reference to Karen Handel.
She has served in a capacity relevant to the position she seeks (often called exectutive experience) and has, in my opinion shown good judgement, ethics and capability, which is all that really matters.
I know that as a law student enrolled in a mediocre law school, you are endowed with analytical skills that are only matched by what Goldwater Collectivist has obtained through his untold riches. Please excuse us for doubting your Supernova-esque brilliance.
And if you have such a low opinion of Georgia, by all means move to somewhere up to your inflated self image.
I’m not addressing Karen Handel. I’m addressing the support for Handel that has spilled over more broadly into claiming that college education is no big deal… and perhaps even should be viewed with suspicion if not disdain.
As someone who frequently trumpets your B.S. in Chemistry as evidence of your unparalleled expertise on global warming, I’m surprised that you of all people are on the other side of the fence here.
If you do not know the difference between a chemistry degree and a chemical engineering degree, you are not as educated on science as you think. The fact that computer science has the word “science” in its title and people who write programs call themselves “engineers”, demonstrates how little people know about science or engineering.
Whether one is a self professed expert in climate science is irrelevant to understanding the laws of physics and the scientific method to know when people are not following them.
As for Karen Handel, it is just her example as to what I am talking about. Students from substandard universities may not know what a “straw man” is, but it is precisely the type of argument you set up. No one is saying that experience driving a truck gives you knowledge into brain surgery. It was your substandard education that led you down that alley.
In case you are wondering, I am being over the top in picking on you to make a point. It is not because I think you are an unintelligent boob from a backwater university getting uppity because he was able to get into a low rent law school. It is a lousy thing to do, and I thought a taste of your own medicine might make the point with you.
Apparently, that is too much to expect from a graduate of a fourth tier.
I’m not sure what exactly your “point” is. I simply mentioned an irony. You belittle college education in comparison to life experience (a point on which I didn’t exactly disagree)… yet are the first person on Peach Pundit to cite your degree as an “argument ending” trump card when it suits you.
You responded with a string of insults about the pedigree of Georgia State. By the way, the law school there is ranked 67 out of 200+… which puts it two tiers higher than your estimation. Not that I’m trying to be sensitive about it (in law, you’re either top-15 or you’re not). I’m just pointing out that you are talking out your a–.
I am using hyperbole, Steve. I am dismissing your college credentials the same way you are so willing to dismiss people’s professional experience as a replacement to your holy grail of qualifications, a college degree. I, on the other hand, really do not think that it matters. If you had to struggle to get into a bargain basement university (see it is hard to stop doing that once you start), that is your business. It does not mean the things you say when you are right are any less right.
I have mentioned my qualifications because elitists like you have challenged what I have said on global warming, not on the content, but by saying I am being anti-science. This is ridiculous. The basic concepts of climate science are straight out of the course catalog for Chemical Engineering (and it is not the part relevant to Chemistry).
You do make some very good points here on PP on other issues, but have really missed the boat on this one. The value of a person is not in the way one has obtained worthwhile traits, but in the fact they possess them in the first place.
Indy Injun is right. It took a whole mess of Ivy League trained MBA’s and PhD’s to mess up Wall Street. Perhaps they could have used advice from one lone graduate from Georgia State telling them their ideas did not make sound economic sense.
Let’s take a step back for a moment from whatever strawman you’re feuding with in your mind. I was a first-generation college grad… my dad being in the railroad, his dad being a steelworker. I put myself through school working two jobs, and most of my friends/family are from rural parts of the state. If I am an “elitist”, it’s only to the extent that I think many people act like morons and don’t argue very rationally… it’s not on the basis of any holes in their resume.
On the law side, there would be a pretty big difference between me saying, (1) “You don’t have to go to Harvard or Yale to be a skilled attorney”, vs. (2) “People who go to Harvard or Yale are poopy-heads”. I tend toward the former position. I don’t believe that Harvard or Yale grads are “better people” than Georgia State grads… but neither do I cook up jealous sour grape arguments about how Georgia State is actually superior.
Likewise, there’s a difference between saying, “You don’t need a college degree to be governor”… and saying, “You’re better off as governor not having a degree”. I respect the former position. I find the latter position to be jealous sour grapes. Many people have taken their defense of Handel a couple steps too far into populist silliness, and that is what I criticize.
But I do not hold those positions Steve. Maybe you mean someone else, and if so, then my apologies.
I dispute the claim that someone MUST have a college degree to be governor. If a lifetime of professional experience shows them to be a competent manager with decent ethics they are qualified in my book. They may not win my vote, because that comes down to a lot more than basic qualifications, but they would merit consideration.
If we can agree on that, then we agree. If not, you’re wrong
There are plenty of college grads that never make much of their degrees.
They end up in dead end jobs because they don’t have the ambition to become the best at anything or they go into a field unrelated to their degree.
But hey, they have a degree, right? So what if they make minimum wage.
Then there are people who make the most of what they have without a degree and they become business owners or work their way up in a business. They work 16 hours days to survive. They have a drive that is rare and it pushes them to become a success.
Do you get my point?
Sometimes it’s better to judge the individual instead of dumping everyone into one group or another.
Kellie, you are not qualified to comment on this discussions since you are missing something the two of us have.
No need to be pornographic now, Doug.
Watch out Doug. I can make my own people, something neither of you can do.
Of course I meant her college degree
(Not really).
Right, Kellie. Then there are people who spend a few years working ill-defined “corporate jobs” (rumored to be executive assistant positions), catch on with a political campaign, and then successfully leverage their political connections from there. Working your way into the good ol’ boy circle isn’t exactly the same as “working your way up”.
On the degree front, though, we’re talking in circles. It sounds like there is consensus that a college degree is not strictly necessary to be governor. Beyond that little stretch of common ground, it’s just a bunch of folks on either side of a line… both sides believing that the other is looking down on them.
That’s probably a fair assessment.
In the case of the governor’s race the choice seems to be between:
a high school grad or GED holder who has done a competent job for her county and, more recently, state as Secretary of State.
a Congressman with a degree, but who abandoned the stated principles of his party on a consistent basis, leaving us all with a debt bomb that will probably take the US to third world status
a social conservative with a history of reckless behavior, an immediate campaign finance blow-up, and questionable campaign tactics.
a little known state legislator, who might be the best choice of all.
and a champion of the St. Andrews cross flag.
Count me among those willing to give benefit of doubt to the lady with the GED or to the rookie.
Count me so totally opposed to the impostor and the blue light special that I will vote Dem if either gets the GOP nomination.
Our leaders are supposed to be the cream of the crop, not good ol’ boys who we don’t find personally threatening.
Or someone with a twangy voice, big ears, and a CLUE that this was coming down upon the USA back in 1992.
See’r? Prophet?
No.
Ross Perot, Buchanan, and old Indy.
Much if not most of the theory spawned by the elites flies in the face of common sense. Keynesianism is the best example. What we are witnessing is its death and the cult surrounding it came from the best schools and hold an iron grip on economic policy.
However, the ECONOMY is a giant force that is paying no heed to their lunatic theory and is about to crush them into historical oddity and infinite ridicule.
The Harvard Phd’s and MBA’s will probably starve first.
As for really intelligent people being in politics – that won’t happen. 1776 was an anomaly.
As for really intelligent people being in politics – that won’t happen. 1776 was an anomaly.
Those folks were warriors, not politicians.
They were sufficiently P.O.ed achievers who had had enough.
This is a sentiment soon to reappear – one already prevalent among the economic bloggers chronicling the biggest theft in the history of mankind at the hands of later day robber barons.
When the working class awakens from its slumber to find its future stolen and its progeny headed for enslavement, the reaction will be something to behold.
The pessimist in me says they continue to sleep until it is too late. The red-blooded American says that the perps have overestimated their power and underestimated the wrath of the people.
I thought the forces in play would remain in abeyance until I was in my 80’s but they have accelerated. Yeah, the pessimist has had the outcome predicted for 30 years, but there is the faintest of hope.
There will be one last spark.
Who amongst us will set it off and who will sustain it?
A long shot.
Our only shot.
I’m guessing the people who get stuck with the bill will set it off. I’m just hoping that they’ll take the time to read the Archives of Peach Pundit so they know which of us were warning about all the unjust debt multiplying, and those of us who fueled it with reckless abandon.
The bills should come due soon, though. That’s all I have to look foward to, ironically.
Even if it’s true that Palin’s resumé is better than Obama’s (arguable), we don’t elect resumés, and that’s why we have campaigns. McCain tried to deprive us of a campaign that included Palin by naming her so late. It would have been different if she were a known quantity, but she wasn’t. Nevertheless, it became quickly clear that she did not have appropriate experience, regardless of what her resumé looked like or what her educational experience was.
Secondly, how did Palin “work hard” to make sure Lt. Gov. Parnell was from the correct wing of the Party? In Alaska, like here, they run separate campaigns. She had nothing to do with it.
Third, the current financial crisis has nothing to do with the educational level of the people involved. It has to do with them being greedy, manipulative bastards.
Since everyone is still talking about Palin, I’ll address the 4th of July part of this thread starter…
Update from the Tom Graves for Congress Campaign:
The 4th of July weekend was a busy one for the campaign. Tom hit events in 5 counties and had representatives with a campaign presence in nearly every other county within the district. The highlight of the weekend was probably the Parade in Cumming (Forsyth County) where Tom and over 40 supporters walked in the parade with the GOP Float, Congressman Nathan Deal, and Representative Mark Hamilton’s parade cars. Over 3000 lapel stickers were distributed and the reception from the crowd was overwhelmingly positive. To all the volunteers who walked with us, entered Graves for Congress floats in your parades, distributed lapel stickers, and spread the word about Tom, thank you so much! This truly is a grassroots campaign and our momentum is building by the day.
For photos, news stories and more feedback from the weekend, visit – http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Tom-Graves/95980429129
For more information about the campaign, and to join our team, visit – http://www.GravesforCongress.org
Now – Back to Sarah Palin
(the wink is appropriate)
The leftist reaction to Palin’s announcement has been predicable to the point of being boredom. They’ve declared she can’t handle the heat, speculated that she’s sick and accused her of being a ‘quitter’. Some of her more aggressive detractors tried to start rumors that she was facing a federal indictment on embezzlement charges. That has backfired and blown-up in their collective faces.
Many of the Republican operatives in Washington have been walking around with confused looks on their faces. They say its an odd move, they think its risky, they wonder what she’s getting ready to do. It is apparently as unsettling for them as it is for their democratic peers. Sarah Palin unleashed from the confines of representing the people of one state IS risky for those who are comfortable numb in their current positions of power as part of the political establishment.
The conservative reaction to Sarah Palin advancing in another direction is not that hard to describe. Elation. Energizing. Hopeful. You see, Palin is the type of person that Middle Americans can relate to, understand and rally around. Its not a ‘worship’ of her as a person, but the excitement of having a person who represents US, the people of this great nation. She’s someone who isn’t a Washington insider in any way, shape or form. She’s someone who shares our values, beliefs and life experiences and an American. Best of all, she doesn’t want to force her beliefs on anyone else. She believes in freedom as do most Americans. She’s not business as usual and that is what we want.
She has hinted as to her future plans on her facebook and twitter accounts, but she’s not said anything definite. However, there are many of us in Middle America that are hoping she’ll take the job of leading us in pulling this country out of the headlong nose dive we have fallen into.
After making her announcement, batting back some rather nasty attacks and letting some dust settled, she has hinted that she is looking beyond Alaska to the national stage and a ‘higher calling’. Ann Coulter was on target when she wrote that Palin has gotten too big for Alaska … to big for any one state. She has become a national leader, draws huge crowds and wild enthusiastic support. She seems to understand that she has been put in a position through which she has the power to implement real change for the better of our country. The method through which she plans to do that is still up for speculation.
We live in interesting times, dangerous times. We need strong, principled leadership. Many feel that Palin embodies the qualities that we need in our national leadership right now.
The conservative reaction to Sarah Palin ‘advancing in another direction’ is an unequivocal, ‘come on with it, we are behind you.’
Check out the video below. Crazies for Sarah Palin Hey Hey!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTnnKuNXUNE&feature=player_embedded
GAWD!! She, and you, are nuts. Period. Yours is the most depressing post I’ve ever read anywhere.
A more intriguing video of Sarah:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Z98xLQaC0&feature=related
Gidget has taken good care of herself. I’ll give her that.
Austin Scott for Governor. Is that he rookie, Indy? If so, I agree.
“Best of all, she doesn’t want to force her beliefs on anyone else. ”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Lance Cpl. Seth Sharp, 20, of Adairsville, was killed in Afghanistan
he was barely 20 years old….
FYI
Fox News Contributor Rips Into Palin: “The Woman Is Inarticulate, Undereducated”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvj-Xr0irhE&feature=player_embedded
Without watching, I’m guessing it wasn’t Bill Kristol.
LOL
FYI
FYI
Five questions for Sarah Palin
1. If you’re leaving your elected position with more than a year to go because you can’t handle negative publicity, personal attacks and GOP back-biting, how could you possibly handle the rigors of running for president — much less being President?
2. How can you say you didn’t take a “quitters way out” when you just quit?
3. Hillary Clinton, Liddy Dole and Gerry Ferraro had a secondary goal in their political strivings: tailoring their actions and statements to destroy the notion women couldn’t compete against men in the political arena. Palin suggested that was her goal too in ‘08 — and her defenders never hesitated to cry sexism when she was attacked — so what does quitting say about her commitment to furthering the image of women in American politics?
4. Is Alaska really ready for a “Mission Accomplished” declaration? The recently announced gas pipeline deal, for instance, is expected to have a major impact on the state. But it’s still largely a work in progress with many key details yet to be concluded.
5. How hard would it be to raise the estimated $500,000 you say you’ll need to pay for the defense of nuisance ethics complaints when you are the biggest fundraising draw in the Republican party?
http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0709/Five_questions_for_Sarah_Palin.html
Sarah Palin is a girl?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/opinion/08dowd.html?_r=1
Didn’t want you guys to miss this. Absolutely perfect.
As somebody who called Palin “Gidget” just today, let me be the one to cry foul. I would never purport to speak for her. Celebrating words that liberals only wish would come out of Palin’s mouth is fricking lame. Seriously.
Considering the source, I accept the compliment. Thanks, Dash. You’ve got it all figured out.
As a liberal, I’ll celebrate whatever the hell I want to. You can go celebrate W and all he and his crowd did for America.
Truly you have a dizzying intellect.
And you, Sweetie, have no concept of or appreciation for satire.
Furthermore, the point is that Sarah Palin is “fricking lame.”
I can’t help but notice that you keep attacking me personally based on facts not in evidence just because I attacked Dowd’s words in this one instance. Do you have any idea how that makes you look?
Aw shucks, Dash, I sure am sorry.
I’m offering you an opportunity for introspection and you’re twisting it into an appeal for an apology? Clever.
That’s his fine Emory schooling coming through, Dash. He was a clueless boob going in and he’s a clueless intellectual boob now. Reminds me of John Kerry a whole lot.
What can I say to that? Just my dizzying intellect, I guess, Dash.
Thanks, Bill. You sound like a fine gentleman, too.
Comments on this entry are closed.