The Palin Phenomenon

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

LOL!!!!

BTW, I think that quoting PRAVDA, the mouthpiece of the most evil and repressive regime of the 20th century, is not going to sway the opinion of any conservative - and probably not many liberals.  They have, shall we say, some credibility issues.

Well, just from the short (but definitely much longer) list of issues I exemplified in my counter-reply to their criticism of the U.S. it would be ridiculous for anyone to believe anything coming from the Russian media in any form.


"What, you don't like Russian bandstand, comrade?"

(insert sounds of multiple gunshots and the screams of the dying.)

"There, now everybody loves Russian Bandstand!" 

[Flick James]

LOL!!!!

BTW, I think that quoting PRAVDA, the mouthpiece of the most evil and repressive regime of the 20th century, is not going to sway the opinion of any conservative - and probably not many liberals.  They have, shall we say, some credibility issues.

Oh, come on, indy. Is there ANYTHING that would sway tho opinion of a conservative?

I kid. 

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

LOL!!!!

BTW, I think that quoting PRAVDA, the mouthpiece of the most evil and repressive regime of the 20th century, is not going to sway the opinion of any conservative - and probably not many liberals.  They have, shall we say, some credibility issues.

Oh, come on, indy. Is there ANYTHING that would sway tho opinion of a conservative?

I kid. 

It does bring up a good point about the Soviet Union in general: it's the one country that, aside from Germany, has seen the biggest amount of socio\political change in the past 65 post WW2 years.

Communism, then the break in the 80's and 90's under "glasnost" and the subsequent loss of several of their backyard properties to NATO. And now it seems they are back to the old ways under Putin.

So, aside from opinions and their sway upon conservatives and liberals, there is a genuine feeling of "I don't know what to believe anymore" from Eastern Europe. Who knows where it's gonna' go? 

[Killer Bees]

As much as it shocks and horrifies me to say this, I agree with Flick.  Sarah Palin is well on her way to being the next president.

If that happens, I'm going to treat the situation like zombies have taken over the world and I'm moving to the woods to live a self sufficient lifestyle.

I weep for the United States 

[Jim H]

As much as it shocks and horrifies me to say this, I agree with Flick.  Sarah Palin is well on her way to being the next president.

If that happens, I'm going to treat the situation like zombies have taken over the world and I'm moving to the woods to live a self sufficient lifestyle.

I weep for the United States  

Well, there's no signs that the swing voters have changed their opinion of her.  Thus far, they HATE HER.  Predicted outcomes are at a 20+ point loss to Obama.  That's a gigantic margin for US presidential elections.  Opinions on Obama have been coming up in the past month or so too - just like they did with Clinton in a very similar situation.  Don't worry about it just yet.

[Killer Bees]

Alright, now let's talk about the important Palin issue. How the hell did Bristol make it so far on Dancing with the Stars? She was a better dancer than Brandy? Than Florence Henderson even? No way. I just can not take that show seriously anymore. 

I'm surprised you ever took that show seriously.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

Alright, now let's talk about the important Palin issue. How the hell did Bristol make it so far on Dancing with the Stars? She was a better dancer than Brandy? Than Florence Henderson even? No way. I just can not take that show seriously anymore. 

I'm surprised you ever took that show seriously.

Tell me about it...my wife has a spot reserved for it on the DVR. And on top of some of the othe stuff she watches (hello American Idol) I'm starting to wish I didn't get the DVR..

[Mofo Rising]

I don't know, I think Palin as a politically viable candidate is a dead issue. I've always viewed her nomination as a Vice President candidate as a shameless PR stunt, one that had more legs than I would have given it credit for.

Still, as a political force, the push she embodies has been surprisingly robust. However, it isn't one that is unassailable. The Tea Party-backed choice for Senator of Alaska, Joe Miller, was defeated by a write-in. Lisa Murkowski may not be well-liked in Alaska, to say the least, but she was more popular than the Republican's party's pick.

I think Palin will continue to be a political force, but only in the way that Bill O'Reilly is a political force. She seems more at home in the reality of "reality television" than in actual reality. And she seems happier there. A political pundit with a daughter who dances for the stars.

I still think the most damning condemnation of Sarah Palin is that she literally quit her position as the governor of Alaska. I can't imagine that the Republican party is so bereft of leaders that they would nominate somebody who left when the going got tough. Not unless they're dedicated to the idea of losing.

No, Sarah Palin is pretty much bosom buddies with Ann Coulter now. Booster girl for those who are already sold.

[lester1/2jr]

Christine O Donnell's failure to win that seat may be an indication of her lack of viability.

Larry King asked her about alot of this stuff a while back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVfE09y2eD4

[indianasmith]

That was, frankly, rather weird.

[lester1/2jr]

haha it was one of the first things I made on xtranormal. at least I didn't pay for it.

[Leah]

The situation with Christine O'Donnell was, honestly, very immature. Everyone should know there's no such thing as witchcraft, only voodooism. I honestly believe that when she did "I'm You" video, I believe that it was almost a parady on her situation. it is also noted that when trying to dig up dirt on someone, even joking around is a bad thing to do, at least when it comes to politics.

[Flick James]

Wow, just when I thought the thread had died.

I appreciate all the input. Every bit of it. It's something I'm trying to understand from a sociological perspective. I don't get her appeal, but I'm only one person. She is a bit of a spokeperson for America, don't you kid yourself, she most certainly is, and I feel wierd about it. She certainly doesn't represent women in the USA by any means. I'm not entirely sure what she represents.

I know I made the statement that she is the next President, and I hope everybody by now has realized I was trying to be humorous. However, if she decided she wanted to go for it and really got busy at it as a third-party candidate, I have no doubt she would fare better than Ross Perot did. What I am saying, however, is that I am thoroughly convinced she will have a significant effect on the next presidential election, because at the very least she WILL endorse somebody, and she WILL influence a whole lot of people to vote for that person. I guarantee it.

I mean, look at Bristol. Absolutely NOBODY would know who she is if she wasn't the daughter of Sarah Palin. She has no apparent talent in anything, and has absolutely no personality. I mean, have you heard her speak? Maybe she's totally different when the cameras are off but publicly she's about a memorable as Don Kirshner. Who's Don Kirshner? Exactly. Not only did she advance to the final three of a dance competition that is pretty intense (regardless of what you think about the show) and one of the most popular t.v. shows in America, but she did so with having absolutely no personality or dancing skill the entire way. Why? Sarah Palin. Oh, and not to mention that it is suddenly very fashionable to be a teen mom (have you seen the magazine covers at the supermarket recently?). Sarah Palin's (and daughter's) appeal are even more fanatical amongst the ever expanding military crowd in our country.

When Kathy Griffin made a joke at a USO show recently saying that Bristol Palin was the only contestant on Dancing With the Stars that actually gained 15 pounds by doing the show, she got widely booed. I'm not a Kathy Griffin fan, in fact I find her pretty annoying, but that's a funny joke. My point is that if somebody were to make an even more offensive joke about something like, say, Britney Spears' crotch shot, it would have gotten lots of laughs. I'm prior military and I've seen comedy shows delivered to troops, believe me, I know.

My point in all of this is that Sarah Palin, whether one chooses to acknowledge it or not, is a bonafide public phenomenon. I know President Obama gets a lot of criticism for a lot of things. Some his fault and some not. However, I firmly place the Sarah Palin phenomenon squarely on his shoulders. Had he not run for president, Sarah Palin would never have been selected as a running mate to compete for historical weight, and nobody outside of Alaska would even know who she is. Thank you, President Obama. Thank you very much.

[The Burgomaster]

Sarah Palin will never be President.  She sunk herself when she tried to explain how the Russians would attack us via Alaska, so that means she has foreign policy experience.  The reality show didn't help either.  She would get crushed in an election.  Crushed.

[indianasmith]

Never say never.  No, I do not think she could win in 2012.  However, I think that she will have a significant role in determining who DOES win, one way, or another.
Ten years from now?  Her kids will have grown up, she will have had a decade and a half in the public arena, and a chance to grow politically and personally.  Who knows what might happen then?