2008 American Insult
posted by on September 18 at 11:33 AM
From the BBC:
Mr Hagel was a prominent supporter of Mr McCain during his 2000 bid for the US presidency, but has declined to endorse either candidate this year.He was opposed to the Iraq War, and recently joined Mr McCain’s rival Barack Obama on a Middle East trip.
‘Stop the nonsense’
“I think it’s a stretch to, in any way, to say that she’s got the experience to be president of the United States,” Mr Hagel told the Omaha World-Herald newspaper.
And he was dismissive of the fact that Mrs Palin, the governor of Alaska, has made few trips abroad.
“You get a passport for the first time in your life last year? I mean, I don’t know what you can say. You can’t say anything.”
Mr Hagel also criticised the McCain campaign for its suggestion that the proximity of Alaska to Russia gave Mrs Palin foreign policy experience.
“I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, ‘I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia’,” he said.
“That kind of thing is insulting to the American people.”
What Amazes me is that Obama (and not Palin) is considered a snob. What’s the essence of a snob? To look down on those in a lower class or intellectual position. So a comment like “they cling to guns or religion,” is marked as snobbish, even though there is a good amount of truth in it. But for Palin to claim untruthfully that she has foreign policy experience because she runs a state that has an island that’s so close to Russia that it can be seen with human eyes—this is not considered to be snobbish. But it is in essence snobbish because the comment can only be made by a person who believes that the people they are addressing are stupid enough to fall for it. If Palin and her aides did not estimate the general intelligence to be that low (the level of a preschool child), they would not knowingly say that kind of “insulting to the American people.”
Chuck Hagel is a lonely man. I disagree with him on practically everything, but I could have a civil conversation with him about those things, because he's decent and honest and serious -- things that Republicans used to often be, but are no longer. His party has left him behind.
"But it is in essence snobbish because the comment can only be made by a person who believes that the people they are addressing are stupid enough to fall for it."
But it tends to be perceived as aspirational by the people who truly want to believe that the speaker is, in fact, capable and/or better than they are at whatever it is the speaker is talking about. Especially when the speaker is trying to portray herself as an underdog in which case it becomes ennobling.
Hm.
"What’s the essence of a snob? To look down on those in a lower class or intellectual position."
Correct!
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/the_history_of_hee_haw
In wasilla, like any other American town proud of its "redneck heritage", Palin could list her foriegn policy experience as having eaten at Chepo's Fiesta Restaurant, Pataya Sushi Restuarant, Mekong Thai Cuisine, La Fiesta Dos, India Palace, or even Matryoskka European Deli.
It doesn't stretch the imagination much too recognize that Sarah and Todd, on the drive home, had a conversation about why those people didn't have more english on the menu. They also went through the Arby's drivethrough for some "real food".
Offensive discourse against a child is a disgrace, and your exactly on the money dear Charles to remind us of why we should seperate some of the language between adults and "preschoolers".
Take for instance this one small example of truth from my adult perspective.
I, in order to help some friends who were unable to help themselves because of sickness and disability, which they might take offense at having the general public be aware of their private scenario, pawned my guitar
(Taylor Acoustic WMB model)
to get enough cash to bus to their house and help with little chores and small things that friends do to help friends through difficult times.
This State of Washington, knows all about the connected and interconnected stories and legalities between this and the multi-faceted political jewel of litigation vs. state and National election processes,
and has effectively been forced to witness the cut off of my Social Security Disability Pension,
which was awarded to me legally, and this is what I believe the real questions of musical dictatorship and exclusionary rights and preservation of and confiscation of intellectual property rights comes down to when
the FED crashes in on peoples birthrights.
I made very beautiful music on that guitar.
Recorded music and voice in original songs which I later donated to my Doctor friend Bruce Gardener M.D.,
to help with his sherpa guide fund to Tibet.
Years ago I sent Taylor Guitars a letter that now I am sure sounds Quite juvenile in thanks and in response and tone,
because I was amazed at the guitars brilliance and sound.
The exuberance of my gullibility came out sounding I am sure, like a minor child.
Too young to be an adult... surely if I was serious about my gift of music I wouldn't sound so "kiddish".
Well, I believe the hard cold reality of the morgate in lending laws work like this.
I went bankrupt and couldn't pay all my bills, lost my job, couldn't conjugate a verb correctly to keep my e-mail straight and now,
I believe the plot is or was manipulated to confiscate.... get the guitar....
because then "they"
(insert here the pejorative "Evil-doers")
couldn't prove I wrote the songs in the original first place.
Any one individual who tried to prove that hypothosis on his or her own,
would be laughed right out of society....
ostracized and seperated from those who could prove my songs and place in time without any way to pay for defense of...
the only piece of eveidence...
(I have the original respose letter from Taylor stashed away but that doesn't do me any good without cash...)
the pawn ticket in my posession,
to stay the last day of siezure against the forclosure notice for my music...
the very instrument that proves my love to my children and mother and friends and what I have left to them....
and of course by example of being the
"bad dad" ....
no alternative but to claim the Taylor illegally.
I swear to you now without curse words that I believe this to be true,
and yet because of time restaints feel I will surely be penalized by the forcosure on my donation to Bruce's trip and the birthrights to the music because of my hardline stance against all of the politics of drugs and oil.
Obama, in american towns proud of its "redneck heritage", is looked at as a snob because of his absence of deprecation at any noticable cultural differences. Chipotle, Nori, Pho, Nan, Perogis are foods of "foreign others", or maybe they represent something greatly undermining to the "redneck heritage". By not engaging in the depreciation, Obama engages in embracement. And rednecks do not embrace differences.
Well, Chaz, in this instance everybody (aside from the most exceptionally deluded amongst the GOP true-believers) KNOWS "elitist" is a GOP code-word for "uppity".
"... who believes that the people they are addressing are stupid enough to fall for it."
But they are stupid enough to fall for it. Many partisan voters stupidly accept any argument put out there by their candidate, no matter how implausible. And many swing voters stupidly make their choices based entirely on whether they "like" a candidate, regardless of the issues or how false the arguments are. Republicans are not necessarily snobs; they are just much better than Democrats at courting stupid voters. If you feel insulted by Palin's claim then you are not part of her intended audience. But that audience is out there and it represents a lot of votes.
Oh come, insulting the American people is the American thing to do! Every political junkie knows that.
So what you're saying, Phenics, is that Obama is the Embracer Guy?
I wonder what that says about me, much older than Ms. Palin, who has never had a passport. Or the money to go beyond Mexico or Canada, which until recently you didn't need a passport to go to. But then I'm not running for Vice-President on my foreign policy experience of looking at Russia out my front door.
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