The Palin Phenomena

[Guinevere]

Nothing makes you more interesting in politics than feeding the prejudices of the stupid.

Not interesting at all. Revolting.

[Gob]

Yep, but surely the "attraction" of Palin is that she has any appeal to anyone at all, so she becomes a "car crash" attraction within the political sphere.

The very fact that she gets this thread indicates that she has the ability to attract attention, even if it's only negative. Sure we're only rubbernecking, but that means she is press worthy.

[Guinevere]

Which is why I'd prefer those of us with brains to completely ignore her, as I said above.

[Andrew D]

The problem is: What do we do about the teeming hordes of the ignorant and the stupid who do not ignore her but take her drivel seriously?

[The Hen]

The Lowest Common Denominators. I hate them from afar.

There is nothing you can do to dissuade LCDs from such a pin up. We had our problems down here with our Pauline hanson and the One Nation party. Bloody ignorant redneck. Luckily her party screwed her befroe she could screw the country.

[Big RR]

Andrew--my guess is the only thing we can do is to come out in full force during elections and make sure she and her fellow idiots don't even get a foothold in the corridors of power. But if W didn't spur that sort of reaction, I doubt Palin will. In the end, we get the government we deserve.

[Sue U]

The rise of the Teabagger Palinites closely parallels the rise of the Know-Nothing (American) Party of the 1850s, particularly in its lack of organizational structure and coherent philosophy and its use of virulent nativism and fearmongering as its principal political tools.

I suspect there will always be -- as there apparently has always been -- some fraction of the population attracted to such movements. The question is whether they are more dangerous as a marginalized collection of wingnuts who are denied a seat at the table of political power, or as a marginalized collection of wingnuts who have some proportional representation in the political system. In many ways, I think they would be less interesting to the media and easier to ignore generally if they became a "real" party and showed themselves to be as ineffectual, inept and ill-considered as they appear.

[Guinevere]

I don't know BigRR, deserve is a strong word in the context. We get the government we elect, but surely the vast majjority of Americans deserve something much much better.

Every time we post about, discuss, or even complain about the teabggers or the Palin-ites we lend them more credibility. I know ignoring them is hard, and realistically impossible, but we have to find a better way to marginalize them then just criticism.

[@meric@nwom@n]

I don't agree with a policy of ignoring her. Whenever my Palin crazed family members bring her into the conversation I point out her shortcomings. Sometimes it makes an impression.

[Andrew D]

I also don't agree with ignoring her. Whether pointing out her abysmal ignorance and nut-job approach to just about everything has any impact on her supporters, I can't say. But from my experience, it does have some impact on "independents" who are unsure about her. If we can successfully marginalize her, we might be able successfully to marginalize the Republican base that supports her. And that's an important message to get across to the electorate as a whole: The Republican party is dominated by loony-fringers, so voting Republican is voting to put the nation in the hands of the deranged.

[Rick]

I don't consider myself a "looney-fringer", I do tend to vote conservative.

Palin is NOT MY mouth piece.

If by some slim chance she should happen to get the Republican nomination this could very well be the 1st election since I have been out of the military that I do not vote (for President).

Depending on who the Independents put up...

[Sue U]

Well, it appears the radical wingnut elements of the GOP are well on their way to taking over the party: insane Rand Paul looks likely to take the Kentucky senate nomination (and to call him insane is something, considering he'd replace certifiable Jim Bunning if elected) and Charlie Crist will probably abdicate the Florida senate nom to whackjob Marco Rubio for lack of party support, opting to run as an independent.

Where's Lord Jim to opine on his party's purges?

[Andrew D]

Has Lord Jim even registered here?

[Rick]

Has Lord Jim even registered here?

No...

[Gob]

Of course it's easy for me to say, being less affected by the whole affair, but having Palin in US politics certainly brings back some of the much missed ; "Look at the funny right wing Americans, my god they actually believe that, how dumb are these people?" which has been in abeyance since Obama has been elected.

[Gob]

[Sue U]

I wonder how that drilly-spilly thing is workin' out for her?

You betcha!

[BoSoxGal]

That oil spill is horrific. The scope of the contamination, with the site of the spill and the nature of the seas there, is causing widespread affect and ever-expanding consequences, yet they are saying weeks still to cap it?

Valdez will be lost to history in the shadow of this spill's impact, once all is said and done. I am deeply saddened and sickened by it.

FUCK BP!!

[Gob]

10 largest oil spills

[loCAtek]

Yikes, most of those spills occurred around the early Nineties, how did the seas survive?