The Republicans' big night

Almost twenty years ago, a Time magazine cover story described the United States as a nation of crybabies and busybodies.  If memory serves, it was about liberals.  Today, it would be about conservatives.

That is not to say the two are flipsides.

Its good to see Reg has a problem with the far right and the far left lunacy, wait, he didn't say he had a problem with the far left.  I guess lunacy is ok if it is your lunacy.

What is the obsession with Palin?  Cheap shot after cheap shot.  Grow up. This is turning into Sat Night Live.  Get some new writers or material.

I don't have a problem with gays. I have a problem with them wanting to change the definition of marriage.  It's not two people, its a man and a woman. They should come up with their own name for it.  Call it "Union" or "Forever" what ever.  It would have all the same powers/legal ties etc. as a marriage has.

my opinion:

All right, let’s call it an obsession with Palin.  She was within striking distance of being an old man’s heartbeat away from becoming commander in chief and appears to be positioning herself to try again, with too many people thinking that would be just dandy.  The left, in turn, is split between those who think this would be so self-evidently ludicrous as to put the GOP away for the rest of the 21st century, and those who, after W twice, think the stakes are too high to put that much faith in the electorate.

It is, furthermore, increasingly difficult to take seriously anyone who takes her seriously as a leader of that (or any) party.

In the first place, the conservative candidate was endorsed by alot of people in addition to Governor Palin, and although he was defeated I think that he performed well enough to get the attention of Republican moderates and outright RINO's, which is a silver lining, if not for Republicans, surely for conservatives. I think in that particulair district if he had been the Republican candidate all along he would have won easily,(and so would have the endorsed Republican) but that wasn't the point. The party may seem monolithic to outside observers, but the struggle within is between conservatives and moderates.Both walked away without the prize, but conservatives walked away on the ascendency, moderates empty handed, so far as I can see.

As for Governor Palin, she is a populist candidate, and as such she has a stronger relavance than you would prefer but she is hardly so enigmatic in her popularity as to be incomprehensable to you.You have helped to create her, in fact. When your candidate speaks derogatorily of people clinging to their "guns and religion" and an unapologetic candidate appears to counter that claim and speaks openly about her support for these things, she is of course going to be embraced by the population that you sneer at.

I know that you (when I say you I mean collectively) are dismissive of Governor Palin's intellect, but it may surprise you to learn that I, like others who I know, are equally dismissive of VP Biden, also a heartbeat away from the Presidency. Liberals often appear to me to believe that they have the only intellect in the room, and that the mass of buffoons, clinging to their guns and religion, know no better . I rarely hear complaints about what she believes, only that it is she who believes it.

I'm not so sure that Governor Palin is my first choice for the Presidency, I think that a more interesting candidate may come along in the next few years. I am sure, however, that she resonates with alot of voters in a way that you will never fully appreciate, but you see it, and it concerns you.

Do you think that President Obama was not a populist candidate?

Mugsy, I thought the rest of your entry was very well thought out and I agree with most of it, but the this part: "Liberals often appear to me to believe that they have the only intellect in the room, and that the mass of buffoons, clinging to their guns and religion, know no better." sounds like a bit of whining. I have read Titan, KD, Chico, and others call liberals morons, bed-wetters, pansies, feeble-brained, etc. etc. Sometimes it is done with a sense of humor, buy many times not. I think both sides tend to perceive or at least portray the other side as weak minded.

The logic of this is understandable; if you don't agree with me, one of us must be dumb, and it sure ain't me! :)

I don't know what others think, Kevin, but I believe, and I hope that what I have said in the past bears this out, that intelligent people can disagree on these topics, and that intellectuals can be found on both sides of the debate. Perhaps I did only see one side of it.

I think that the point still stands, however. When our president has criticized the people of, as I recall, this state for clinging to their guns and religion, and another candidate comes along who finds nothing wrong with guns and religion, then the people will naturally turn to that candidate in response to somebody who is sympathetic to them and embrace her.When her opponents then criticize her as stupid, and call her daughter what amounts to *** on national tv shows, then the people who she has defended see her as a proxy for them, and they take these criticisms of her as being criticisms of them as well. I think that is a reasonable response, and this is probably why I tend to believe that liberals are scornful of the intellect of conservatives. I really didn't take your perspective into account, however, so you make a good point.

Reg,

I give you a lot of grief on my blog, but this column is something to which I can relate.  Thanks for some perspective.  And for reminding me that political foes can be friends.  

Maine was a devastating blog. Tom Michalow's loss was equally devastating for the gay community.  Clearly, we need to do some more on the ground work.

Sue

Mugsy,I agree with both your points-intelligent folks can disagree without either being stupid, and what Obama said was disdainful and pushed folks toward being more sympathetic to Palin and her ilk.

When you use the word intellectual it kind of hit me funny; despite having plenty of intelligent and educated folks in the fold, there does seem to be an anti-'intellectual' bias amongst many conservatives-not against the denotative definition (basically intelligent)  but the connotative one-intellectuals are often perceived as effete, out of touch, not action oriented, or weak. Much of the conservative criticism of recent Democratic figures uses this type of slant, most effectively against Dukakis, Kerry, and Carter, and if you go back a little further, Stevenson. (The Dems might have been able to use this type of tactic against the elder Bush, but not with Dukakis!)  

"...like Jack and I..."

Jeez, Reg, get a proof-reader already!

little_minx, in that context I like Jack and I better than Jack and me, and I think the punctuation allows for it. Grammarians don't alwasys agree; it is fascinating how certain constructions can get approved or disapproved by percentages in the 50's or 60's when judged by a panel of so called "grammar experts."

Actually, "jack and I is correct in the context used.

"jack and I have always had cordial relations"

"Jack and me have always had cordial relations". " I have" is an active form.  Something only happens to "me".

Sorry--feeling pedantic this morning.  Sorry about Kelly's gall bladder--that can be a bigger problem than people realize.

Regis, it is complicated by the dashes, the like, and the prior compound subject. Kind of like the magician's other hand.

I'm a conservative and I don't think Sarah Palin was/is ready to take on the job of President or VP.  She may get to the point where she is ready, but not now, but to keep pounding her as an idiot, stupid etc etc is rediculous. I'm willing to see if she grows enough to content for the job. time will tell.  My immediate concern is that President Obama will grow into the job.

"...like Jack and I..."

The word "like" is a preposition, so takes the objective case, even when the object is compound.  So the prepositional phrase should read, "...like Jack and me..."  After all, one would not say "...like I..."

Two cents' worth on:  “She and I - like Jack and I - have always had cordial relations.”

There would presumably be no argument with:  “She and I - and Jack and I - have always had cordial relations.”

“Like” is also a conjunction:

dictionary.reference.com/.../like

So, “like” or “and” – same difference.

If that’s wrong somehow, Strunk and White, 4th edition, paperback, page 77-78, distinguish between good grammar and good judgment, noting:  “The question of ear is vital.”

Either way, in this short, close construction:  Jack and I.

Says me.

little_minx, you have to realize what defining a word as a preposition depends on. It depends, not on the word, but where it ends up. If it occurs prior to an object it functions as a preposition, something we all like. But if it occurs somewhere else it doesn't, something many folks don't care for.