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See the original image at newsweek.com —

The Palin Problem

newsweek.com — Do we want leaders who are everyday folks, or do we want leaders who understand everyday folks? Therein lies an enormous difference, one that could decide the presidential election and, if McCain and Palin were to win, shape the governance of the nation.

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  • TCP7, on 10/05/2008, -9/+87FTA: "Perhaps Sarah Palin will somehow emerge from the hurly-burly of history as a transformative figure who was underestimated in her time by journalists who could not see, or refused to acknowledge, her virtues. But do I think I am right in saying that Palin's populist view of high office—hey, Vice President Six-Pack, what should we do about Pakistan?—is dangerous? You betcha."
    • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -22/+7Congress, Admin., military advisers etc...
      Presidents are not kings !
      Bush has only presided over 60+ yrs of
      government we've all known all to well.
      Economics has brought that to an end.

      Obama/Biden & dem. congress will advance
      the same problem, MORE GOV. !!
      • funkyloki, on 10/05/2008, -0/+3So WTF do you suggest, anarchy?
      • Equinox2012, on 10/05/2008, -1/+1@Pitofdoom
        How much extra did you line your pockets with, in this free market?
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -2/+1@funkyloki, that's a really good question !

        Dig faster and deeper, practice ducking....

        I think it's the pit of doom for the US,
        we've had a good 20-30 yrs. to fix it.

        We've allowed de-education, made up histories to placate & raved over materialism.

        He with the most toys at the end of the game wins,
        start counting !!

        Seriously the only thing I've been able to come up with is an "Economic Jubilee System".
      • bingostud722, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1You know, I hear all this complaining about big govt..Maybe if big business was able to handle the responsibility of deregulation it would work.

        But instead, we deregulate the mortgage industry and look what happens - greed takes over. "No regulations, so who cares! we are making money."

        Yeah, now we are bailing all these ***** out of THEIR mistakes with OUR tax dollars.

        So with McCain's "plan" we will be deregulating health care, which Palin failed to defend when debating Biden. It's stupid, and having your big point be against big govt is the same.
    • 1longtime, on 10/05/2008, -3/+28Am I the only person who is insulted by the "Joe Six Pack" phrase?

      I thought it originated as something like: "the average Joe will be happy as long as they have their six pack."

      It's up there with "let them eat cake."
      • GiggleStick, on 10/05/2008, -18/+4Lemme guess. You prefer wine.
      • nick1971, on 10/05/2008, -3/+6With respect 1longtime its a lot worse than Marie Antoinette.
        If you want a European take on "the choice Palin" and what it is trying to achieve then I suggest http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/A_Mighty_Wind_bl ...
        In the event of the death of McCain do you really want Dr. of lipstick Palin meeting Dr. of Physics Merkel?
      • Equinox2012, on 10/05/2008, -0/+3@GiggleStick
        Some of us "Joe Six Packs" enjoys a good small batch $12 six pack and don't like to be lumped in with the Busch and Coors crowds.... we are elitists if you haven't heard.
      • nitsua8, on 10/06/2008, -1/+2"let them eat cake" refers to the isolated nature of government in that if the queen was "out of bread" as she was told her people were, she would solve the problem by eating cake-- a substitute for bread as far as she was concerned. I dont see how that relates to joe six pack
    • 80hd, on 10/05/2008, -2/+16ok, so wasn't McCain running ads saying that Obama was 'just a celebrity'?
      Then he goes and picks a former beauty queen runner up as his running mate.

      THAT takes real integrity.
      • b4gk1lz, on 10/05/2008, -13/+3Change = Choosing one of the oldest established politicians (Biden) in Washington to be your running mate.

        THAT takes real integrity...
      • 80hd, on 10/05/2008, -4/+4by your logic, Gandhi never had a chance at at motivating people to change...

        Try again.

      • b4gk1lz, on 10/05/2008, -7/+1@80hd
        Nice Try. Is Gandhi running a campaign based on CHANGE and a promise to shake up the established Washington? Seems like if you really wanted to CHANGE/shakeup Washington, you would choose someone that has not been there for 30 plus years.
      • 80hd, on 10/06/2008, -2/+2Good job missing the point even further. There are so many things wrong with what you just said it's hard to come up with the single best way to tell you that you need to STFU.

        I think what you're trying to tell me though is that Gandhi failed at life and somebody who had a shallow, outsider's understanding of the problems being fought would have done a better job. It's that or you think that putting India next to the U.S. in an analogy is an automatic failure..

        I don't know. But if you're not just out trolling because you're bored stupid, come back when you can think.
      • b4gk1lz, on 10/06/2008, -2/+0I do not have the time or patience to hold your hand through this conversation. Enjoy the Kool-Aid.

        Obama/Biden '08
      • bingostud722, on 10/06/2008, -0/+5@b4gk1lz

        Change should be gradual.. Everybody bitches about Obamas inexperience - well he brought in someone with more than enough experience to help him along the way. Who did McCain choose? A hockey mom. And just to appeal to Hillary voters. Is that the kind of thinking you want in the white house?
    • laserdog, on 10/05/2008, -1/+7It reminds me of the injection of populist entitlement into the areas of science, notably Evolution and Global Warming.

      There used to be a time when people let science be debated by scientists.

      My opinion and your opinion of how a microwave works isn't relevant to anything.
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -1/+2Very good !
      • mirunit, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2Obviously it uses a magnetron.

        I am less worried about evolution and global warning - mostly because it does not matter where you believe humans came from and while global warming could be dangerous, there is increased solar energy at the moment.

        What we NEED to worry about are knee-jerk reactions and grave over-simplification of complex geopolitical issues by the mainstream. I do not at all trust Palin being anywhere close to the most powerful office in America - having the deal with allies and enemies alike. While I do not agree with everything Obama has to offer, including a Heath Care system which WILL go into mass debt and increased taxes on small business (even small companies with ~1m revenue can have alot of trouble with cost) - I do not hate my country enough to vote into office the complete ignorance of Palin and know-nothingness of McCain. We are in an important time, a time of globalization where contact abroad will be vitality important; we do not need a group of people who will discount allies and embolden enemies through the sheer mismanagement of things.
    • mbm1512, on 10/06/2008, -2/+2what a babe
    • CandidateZero, on 10/06/2008, -1/+1http://www.gotwavs.com/0038475992/MP3S/Movies/Idio ...
  • klhammy, on 10/05/2008, -11/+247Didn't we learn this lesson with George "the candidate people want to have a beer with" Bush?
    • jperson, on 10/05/2008, -3/+60About 51.3% of us, yes.
      • macewan, on 10/05/2008, -2/+21@jperson, We knew this before hand. :-) It's the other half that hasn't learned any lessons yet.

        Their children get sent off to fight the rich, white man war.
        Gas is too expensive for their trucks.
        Economy is *****.
        Their money goes to bail the credit industry.
        The continues to hate America.

        Yet they are willing to give McCain a chance. Obviously they are retarded.
      • lajaw, on 10/05/2008, -12/+7"Their money goes to bail the credit industry."

        Which the Democrats passed...............
      • johnnick, on 10/05/2008, -2/+13@lajaw -

        This was a team effort at screwing the taxpayers. It was the bailout the Republican administration asked for and said we desperately needed, and so the Democrats and the Republicans in Congress worked together to not only bail out Wall Street but to include some additional pork because the bill "had to pass."

        After it was, in your words, passed by the Democrats, it was signed by the Republican president.

        They both get the blame on this one.
      • b4gk1lz, on 10/05/2008, -4/+2@macewan

        McCain was sounding alarms regarding the regulation of Freddie/Fannie while Obama was accepting awards from Fannie/Freddie...and not to mention after what has happened with Fannie/Freddie, who does Obama choose for his economic advisor?

        Not to mention that Congress has a lower approval rating than President Bush does currently...affectionately known as the "Do nothing Congress"...
      • fungalboom, on 10/05/2008, -1/+1@b4gk1lz

        Proof of the pudding please?

        Not to mention that what you say does nothing to contradict macewan.
      • eir574, on 10/05/2008, -1/+8@lawjaw,

        Seriously? Did you not notice that the administration proposed the original bill and that many republicans voted for it only *after* they managed to get some amendments attached to sweeten the deal?
    • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -2/+14The real question, is this a government
      you "trust" not to steel your beer ?
    • kindasure, on 10/05/2008, -2/+9Heh, sort of like how some woman stay in abusive relationships.... "but, this time it will be different" - but without Valerie Bertinelli or the Lifetime Channel.
      • lisaawesome, on 10/05/2008, -1/+4Oh Valerie don't go back to him! It's so true. We're like a dog coming back to eat our own vomit.
    • lajaw, on 10/05/2008, -21/+6So you all want an elitist like Obama huh?
      • kayala, on 10/05/2008, -1/+27You're goddamned right I want a President who's superior to me. If he's just like me, then why should I bother voting for him when I could just run myself?
      • kc0jsf, on 10/05/2008, -1/+20lol elitist?....how many houses does your candidate have?
      • knute5, on 10/05/2008, -1/+18A mixed-race, middle-class kid raised by grandparents, who excelled at Harvard (read no "C" student) and turned down a high six-figure job to serve the community, vs. an Admiral's son who routinely used his name to step over those more deserving, who helped Keating defraud thousands of seniors, who's a consummate Washington insider with enough lobbyists in his campaign to clear out K Street? Yeah, Obama's an "elitist" - you just go on believing whatever makes ya feel good...
      • RoflCoptah, on 10/05/2008, -0/+5to me, all candidates are elitist, if not, why are they running? I want my candidates to think they're the best, if they didnt think they were the most suited for the job, why are they running?
      • lajaw, on 10/06/2008, -8/+1Anyone could do what these folks do. Don't believe the crap they tell you. It's all about learning the system so you can pocket what you will. Very few come out of congress not being millionaires. Do you think either candidate would be willing to drink a beer with you? They wouldn't, but surprisingly, I believe both the VP candidates would.
      • RoflCoptah, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2i dont see you running for office...
      • IllBeBack, on 10/06/2008, -0/+3Yes, I do. I want someone to be president that I know is smarter than I am and is well-equipped to think their way through almost any problem that might arise, as opposed to someone like pretty Sarah that ***** WINKS at me and gives me an erection.

        I know that Obama is smarter than I am, and I will be voting for him.
    • nickymouse, on 10/05/2008, -15/+5I think people rather not have a total douche bag like Kerry or Gore, rather then a partial douche.
      • MagnumX, on 10/06/2008, -0/+7Way to debate the issue there, Socrates!
    • jiggazah, on 10/05/2008, -17/+5Perhaps its my LP affiliation but i would dig a republican long before i put a Marxist at heart into office, and hey before you get your panties lodged up too far your ass to think, he insinuates that in his own books, perhaps turning of your comp screen will do good for your mind and take a few cm off of your glasses.

      Book smarts only take you so far in life if you go beyond the library, kinda like social fascism(or social democracy) eh?
      I vote for the everyday person to be put into office, i dont need some half assed attempt from a peson that only knows how the country thinks in theory ( kinda like hollywood?)
      • Dazer, on 10/05/2008, -1/+11Don't be a tool. The average "everyday person" has absolutely no idea how the world works, or even what goes on in the world.
      • RoflCoptah, on 10/05/2008, -1/+7if we just randomely plucked people of the street and asked them how they would like the run America, i doubt you would get very few substantial results. i want a well informed person to run, obama is more an 'everday person' than McCain. Obama was born with mixed parents and born into an average household. McCain was born with a silver spoon in his mouth
      • ozydingo, on 10/05/2008, -1/+11"I vote for the everyday person to be put into office"
        *SLAP* when *SLAP* will *SLAP* you *SLAP* learn!!???
    • kolobcreek, on 10/05/2008, -3/+5Doesn't matter nothing will change with McCaine or Obama. They stood silent as the $700 Billion bail out bill passed with over $100 Billion of ear marks in it.
      • jiggazah, on 10/05/2008, -0/+5Which makes me cringe but anyone that was envolved before the elections Kraze knew how left leaning Mccain was.
    • barc0001, on 10/05/2008, -2/+5I think it's even worse with Palin. Bush went to Harvard. Bush was governor of Texas for a full term, and from all reports, actually did govern. Put it this way. Imagine you owned a company with 25 employees and you were leaving the country for a year to go to a place where you'd have no communication and you had to put someone in charge of your company in your absence. The only two candidates to choose from were Bush or Palin. Who would you put in charge? I personally don't like Bush or how he's run the US, but based on all the evidence on the table right now of those two, I'd pick GWB in a heartbeat over Palin.
      • doublefelix, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4well sure, if you put it THAT way....
      • BossKey, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2That is the question, even for Republicans. Do you want to elect someone who's actually worse than the man who literally presided over the last eight difficult years of this nation's history?
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1Would you let these guy's
        manage your sock drawer ?
    • TurdZilla, on 10/05/2008, -1/+2Looks like you didn't learn.... Stupidity = Smart and Intellectually smart = unpatriotic.
    • byrdgang, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1This is the exact same thing Republicans say about Jimmy, "The Guy You Want To Have A Bear With," Carter.

    • momoneymoprobs, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4I don't know how people fall for this "Palin is just your typical middle class main st citizen." She made almost two million dollars before she even became governer! Well, I guess according to McCain she's middle class, but not to me.
    • ToddsSpleen, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2George "the candidate people want to do a line with" Bush?

      Fixed it for ya, you betcha.
    • nogami, on 10/06/2008, -0/+5A guy I was working with today said it best...

      "Why is it that Americans will leave no stone unturned when looking for the best doctor to heal them, or the best lawyer to fight for them, but can't be bothered to vote for the best politician to lead them?"
    • Pitofdoom, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1Do you trust this government NOT to steal your beer ?

      Would you let any of these politicians manage your sock drawer ?
  • Bunnybutt, on 10/05/2008, -9/+31" Governing requires knowledge, and mindless populism is just that—mindless." That wink certainly won me over!
    • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -13/+8Individually people are very smart,
      collectively dumber then ***** !

      How much of a disaster will a
      democrat party Congress & Admin be ?
      Magnifying the 850 B. of corruption expediently....
      • jiggazah, on 10/05/2008, -1/+5It is already happening, Bush did no justice to the republican party (not its representative's but the core beliefs to the party). Putting the obama ticket into office while pelosi has reign, is asking for something short of total devastation to everything the fore fathers sought. If it happens the USA might as well become a part of the EU, probably the only way for it to survive such a reign of politicians.
      • avrygoodfrnd, on 10/05/2008, -1/+1"collectively dumber then ***** !" Kind of how they elected Bush in the first place!
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -0/+2@avrygoodfrnd

        Gore before he went global, OK

        Kerry, holly ***** !
        Biden's an even more dangerous wing nut !
    • CVL4317, on 10/05/2008, -0/+9My worst nightmare has invaded my reality... idiocracy...
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -3/+1Not a laughing matter, it's really hear !!
    • Aliwalla, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1She was using complex mind control techniques
  • cheesegypsy, on 10/05/2008, -8/+51This sounds exactly like the description of W's meetings.

    FTA "Larry Persily, a former Anchorage Daily News editorial-page editor, left the newspaper in May 2007 and worked as an associate director in Palin's Washington, D.C., office until June 2008. He says he left on good terms—Palin offered him another job when he resigned—but he believes she is not qualified to be vice president and is speaking out for that reason. He describes Palin as an easily distracted manager. "Her preppings [briefings] were accentuated by the brevity of them. She's not going to pore over briefing books and charts and white papers and reports for hours and hours. She knows how to connect with people, and it's like, 'Give me bullet points and I'll run with it' … I don't think she had trouble focusing. She didn't have an interest in focusing.""

    • Mungo616, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1"Her preppings [briefings] were accentuated by the brevity of them. She's not going to pore over briefing books and charts and white papers and reports for hours and hours."

      Hehe, reminds me of Hitler.
    • cheesegypsy, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1As I mentioned in another post, they will be printing her briefings on the side of Starbucks cups.
      • deathsythe, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1That is kind ironic, the whole starbucks reference that is.

        Yes, starbucks is a huge corporation (+republican)

        but the people who generally use their product are your typical liberal armchair generals who enjoy using their macbooks and blogging about obma (+democrat)

        Just pointing out the interesting irony with the whole starbucks complex...
      • cheesegypsy, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1Let me point out an even better irony. The quote on the Starbucks cup was in reference to women who were victims of rape during war. Considering Palin's far-right stance on women who are raped, I think that's a bit more powerful than your absent-minded argument.

        If your thesis is correct then Palin should not have been drinking Starbucks coffee.

        Why do most conservatives have such trouble understanding irony?
  • digitalagent, on 10/05/2008, -11/+126I think we should start to focus less on Sarah Palin and more on what we as Americans need from those we elect to lead. The McCain camp has done a marvelous job of hiding Palin from the press. But more importantly, they have fooled the very media they portray as biased by hiding away Palin until the time was right. Now every word out her mouth makes front page news and everyone wants to hear more of what she has to say. Her detractors want to hear her stumble. Her supporters want to hear her rail against the elitists. Think about this: What is the easiest way to conquer an army? Divide it. The people running McCain's campaign have been masters at the divide and conquer strategy in every major campaign in this country for the last 28 years. When they have the national stage, they have a national voice. Seems people come out of the woodwork to ditto their every thought. But do we really need to agree with everything our leaders say? Do we really need to identify with them down to the type of house they live in or the model car they drive?

    Honestly, I don't give a rat's ass how much my president is just like me. I really want to hear how our next president will unify this divided land. How long do we have to stare at a country of red and blue states before we realize that our brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers live in those states? Are we a country at war with itself or are we a united country where we put aside our differences for the common good?

    I heard Obama speak very eloquently about unity and change during the primaries. I guess he could risk speaking like that because those who were listening would later become his base. But I want him to say it again. I haven't heard a whisper from the McCain camp about unity. Seems that all I ever hear from McCain and Palin are attacks aimed at Barack Obama. I want them to tell me what their plans are to unify this country as well. Tell me about their plans to create diversity in their party, thereby showing others the path to an enlightened country. Why do united states seem like a political liability?

    Digg is a microcosm of this country. I’ve seen the community jump from the Ron Paul Bandwagon to the Hillary Haters R Us Troop to the Barack is Best Bus. Along the way there is passion, there is enthusiasm, there is outrage, there is emotion. But I hope as this campaign winds down, and more than likely becomes very ugly in the next 30 days, we realize the person we’re digging down and insulting for their beliefs is much more like you and much more like me than either person running for president (or vice president). I hope that we take a step back and try to see the other person’s point of view before we jump in and attack them because they don’t agree with us. I know I am as guilty as the next guy of painting Obama with my hopes as well as painting Palin with my anger. They are both blank slates to us. And I also know that there are millions of Americans who have painted Palin with their dreams and Obama with their outrage. I know that these two candidates are not running for the same office, but in truth we refuse to make a distinction. They are the most popular candidates in the race, and, therefore, probably the most sought after- especially in the next 30 days.

    But keep in mind, fellow diggers, that on November 4th, 2008 as you pull that lever for your candidate of choice there is another American in another booth in this country choosing the exact opposite. And all of us have to share this country on November 5th, 2008. And none of lives in a blue state, and none of us lives in a red state. We all share a country that by its very definition is united, under one flag, with three colors. that no party can claim as its own.
    • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -1/+14Over the last 30 years it's become glaringly obvious that Americans have lost the common bond of history.

      Many have been allowed to invent their own self serving versions !

      The key (I think) is to reaffirm future generations interests !
      The Constitution / Bill of rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
      Neither D/R politician's seem to care to protect "we the people"
    • root1657, on 10/05/2008, -5/+26If you honestly think Digg is a microcosm of the country, you really need to get out more...
    • nycmac247, on 10/05/2008, -9/+4WRONG - Vermont will be the first to attempt to succeed and at the very least we'll all be demanding another Continental Congress within a few years. I have had enough of the low-IQ ***** idiots and I am sure I am not alone. Not every successionist is a Ron Paul type but I would much rather live with them than these ***** ***** who BRAG about being stupid. Palin and Bush are MORONS; _nothing_ they do or believe in is sustainable and after the economy crashes the biosphere will go as well. America #1 but oops we don't even have clean water or air. ***** idiots! Ahhhhh...

      / semi end rant
      • WTFppl, on 10/05/2008, -2/+3I feel the same way, thanks for knowing my thoughts and the thoughts of many others!
      • nycmac247, on 10/05/2008, -2/+3@WTFppl
        thanks - I needed that
        thanks
      • OffPiste, on 10/05/2008, -5/+6I agree with your low IQ remark. It's time to start a eugenics program in the US. It's the only way to ensure that only those with high IQ's are allowed to breed. We certainly can't begin with forced sterilization but we can offer a large sum of money for voluntary sterilization. We also need to institute a voting standard. If you don't have an IQ of at least 110 you shouldn't be allowed to vote. You can be a good citizen and contribute to the society but you shouldn't be allowed to vote or run for office.

        Vote Obama on Nov 4.
        The Change we Need!
      • Hale, on 10/05/2008, -1/+11Speaking of low-IQ ***** idiots ***** ***** who BRAG about being stupid MORONS.. I believe you meant "secede" and "secessionist".
      • theutopian, on 10/05/2008, -0/+11It's secede. Not succeed.
      • Hale, on 10/05/2008, -4/+4@OffPiste

        You know there was another political leader in the past who ran on a platform of "change" and whose followers thought that they were the better breed.. his name was Adolf Hitler. Frankly, from your comments here, I doubt that you're half as intelligent as you think you are.
      • nycmac247, on 10/05/2008, -0/+2@Hale
        secession and secessionist ... and thanks Utopian

        damn spellcheck / dumb brain - so upset that I short circuited!

        "Change!!" -- don't forget Bill Clinton and his MTV saxophone ... right before he signed NAFTA and GATT
      • WTFppl, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1*****, I forgot "/sarc" at the end of my comment!!!!

        No one is going to let me live this one down.
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1@nycmac247

        Don't let the wing nuts we've got in office have a Continental Congress !!
    • macewan, on 10/05/2008, -5/+13The problem with this McCain's health. She's closer than you think to being president and she's as buttphucking stupid as Bush and as easy for the lobbying groups to manipulate.
      • lajaw, on 10/05/2008, -12/+6What of Obama? He smokes. Throat cancer, lung cancer, can't run, can barely carry on a conversation without an air grabbing "uh".
        Get real lefty.
      • jiggazah, on 10/05/2008, -4/+3Funny you compare Palin to Bush when Bush is a wolf in sheep's clothing, in comparison, Bush IS a democrat. The "what if" question over Mccain's life span is just as juvenile as saying Obama is a closet Muslim, Prove it re-re. Lets cover the rest of the election with substance people, Biden could become president to, you want DC to take over completely?? Sure you do, they take care of the country so well (note of sarcasm)
      • rushiku, on 10/05/2008, -1/+2@lajaw: So, McCain drives a car! You can add to that: he goes outside! and, and! you know most accidents happen at home, right? He has, like, eight of them! Who's courting the devil now, huh?

        If the worst you can come with against Obama is "he smokes", it might be time to re-evaluate why you don't like him as a candidate.
    • Ender008, on 10/05/2008, -0/+7Well put. I'm tired of the arguments.
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -1/+1The argument should focus on the next generation,
        we've had our shot and screwed it up seriously !

        Right & Left can piss on each other running around the fiery rings of hell.
        HOW DO WE "AMERICANS" GET
        THE FUTURE OUT OF THIS ***** !

        National Economic Jubilee System, seems to be the only sure fire way !
    • timewarp424, on 10/05/2008, -0/+6Exactly the sort of perspective we need to put this election in. The presidency will not determine which party still exists on Nov 5 or take away the people that voted the other way on Nov 4. Our different views on things will continue, but as always, we'll have to work together to continue America's legacy of greatness. As a Republican, I can gladly affirm this (and just for the record, I disagree with the middle of your post :P ).
    • rubicante, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4Excellent post, however I think this is simply what the human animal begets. I've tried hard to judge candidates and issues critically and without bias, however I'm amazed at how far off base I was with respect to my dislike of Ron Paul and my initial agreement with the bailout.

      When the circumstances surrounding our economic collapse are revealed, I doubt partisanship will be set aside as much as it will be abandoned. There will be good reason to dislike all politicians. We live a world of soft power, and without economic strength Americans are going to have to come to terms with reality. It will be sobering to see who our real friends are.
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1Unfortunately we are not our parents generation, this one has already eaten you alive !
      • NealP, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1Cheers.
    • sauronsmatrix, on 10/05/2008, -5/+2TL;DR
    • mike1945, on 10/21/2008, -0/+1Quote from your post:

      "Are we a country at war with itself or are we a united country where we put aside our differences for the common good?"

      Yes we are a country at war with itself. Democracy stirs passions and free speech allows those passions to be aired. Is it bad yet?? Try 1861 to 1865 for what bad really is.
  • AllanErickson, on 10/05/2008, -41/+13I'll take character, achievement, executive experience and traditional American values over Obama/Ayers/Wright/Davis/Farrakhan/Alinsky everytime, and if you love liberty, you will too. Obama is a master at pulling the wool over the eyes of his sheep. Perhaps one day he will get the flock outta here.
    • Krisgi, on 10/05/2008, -5/+15How come all the right-wing assholes are block users?

      Simple cowardice, perhaps?
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -10/+5Bring it on junior citizen !!
      • FlyingPhotog, on 10/06/2008, -1/+2How come all the left-wing assholes block everything critical of Obama?
    • seantubridy, on 10/05/2008, -1/+26What character? What achievement? What American values, EXACTLY? Be SPECIFIC. Don't just wave your metaphorical American flag around. I want to hear what you mean.

      No, seriously, describe what you mean and tell me how Obama doesn't stand for them. I'm sick of hearing about right wing values and how Democrats don't have them.
      • lajaw, on 10/05/2008, -17/+3Right wing values..................The US Constitution is all we need. Plus, the right wing (aka Conservatives) does have a hold on the moral equation. The left is who wants to eliminate blacks with abortion.
      • kayala, on 10/05/2008, -0/+13lajaw, you're lying again, and you didn't answer the question.
        What are right wing values, and why are they superior to values that really protect our liberty and our rights?
        The Constitution does not set forth "values" by which we should live; it sets forth rules by which the government should act.
        The right wing does not have a hold on the moral equation as long as they would strip a woman of her rights and her dignity in the name of their religion.
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -6/+1THE WORD OF THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY !
        Wisdom, Honor, Truth, Dignity, Integrity.
        The way, the truth, and the life.

        That which all nations rise with or fall without !
      • kayala, on 10/05/2008, -0/+6THE WORD OF AN IMAGINARY SKY FAIRY!
    • Bolin100, on 10/05/2008, -1/+7And how does Palin fit into your wish list there?? She just doesn't.
    • JoeVet, on 10/05/2008, -0/+5Obama and is spouse never joined an anti-American organization that wants to secede from the union like Palin and her hubby. All you have are vague associations with no substance while Palin is on record as supporting a separatist organization. If anyone is blind it is the one who just repeats talking points without looking critically at their own candidate.
    • mgraham80, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1Rick Davis, is that you?
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/06/2008, -1/+1I don't think he's a marxist communist !
    • bowens44, on 10/06/2008, -1/+2HOw do you respond to this kind of ignorance? You sir have made ignorance into an art form. You have taken it to new heights.
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1So, you want to replace Wisdom, Truth, Honor with what ?
    • dinot, on 10/06/2008, -0/+3"I'll take character, achievement, executive experience and traditional American values over Obama/Ayers/Wright/Davis/Farrakhan/Alinsky everytime, and if you love liberty, you will too."

      Do you know what makes you and your like get buried here? Your comments are PREDICTABLE and STUPID.
  • redcolumbine, on 10/05/2008, -3/+36FTA: "Elitism in this sense is not about educational or class credentials, not about where you went to school or whether you use "summer" as a verb. It is, rather, about the pursuit of excellence no matter where you started out in life. Jackson, Lincoln, Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Clinton were born to ordinary families, but they spent their lives doing extraordinary things, demonstrating an interest in, and a curiosity about, the world around them. This is much less evident in Palin's case."
    • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -3/+2To a greater or lesser extent, I tend to agree with you.

      Given the restricted latitudes of our "modern" day,
      I'm not to sure how much that (in the end) matters.

      America's economic "leaders" are of little value,
      and our military "leaders" are in perplexity,
      as are the American people !

  • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -35/+9Obama, Biden, Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, Frank, Kerry.
    These people truly "believe" THEIR government is the solution, YOU are the problem !
    Your to "stupid" to have endowed liberty, their "intelligence" thru caesar might grant it.
    It's your patriotic duty to give all you are or have to the state, because the state is you !!
    • Garlik, on 10/05/2008, -3/+24"Your to"
      Honestly?
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -6/+1Liberty's clearly at stake while you
        seek gnats on a pile of ***** !
      • ishdawa, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4i believe you just called your comment a pile of *****...
    • rexcrouch, on 10/05/2008, -3/+16When you are calling us "to stupid", you need to spell it "too stupid" so you don't look stupid.
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -6/+1I guess you'll be a spell checker
        at one of the dem's re-edumacation centers !

        Forget the issues,
        your little red pencil's more important !
    • jdibiase, on 10/05/2008, -0/+5"t's your patriotic duty to give all you are or have to the state" ... that's not patriotism, it's socialism, i.e., vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community.
    • Peekman, on 10/05/2008, -0/+8lolol "Your to stupid"...... that's classic
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -8/+1Laugh your way to the concentration camp !
    • hmunkey, on 10/05/2008, -0/+6You made 2 really terrible grammatical errors while calling us stupid. Thanks man.
      • Pitofdoom, on 10/05/2008, -4/+1Grammar / spelling = stupid

        Watching your country die = ?

        Not trying to write a book, just
        a note for thought & discussion.
    • bowens44, on 10/06/2008, -0/+3Yes, YOU are obviously too stupid have an opinion.
  • poprocksandsoda, on 10/05/2008, -21/+7The Dems underestimated GW because of his Texas-talk ... and they're about to make the same mistake with Palin.
    • macewan, on 10/05/2008, -1/+12Agreed. A Palin/Bush like person in that office scares the crap out of me.
    • hierophantus, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2Maybe they underestimated his ability to get elected, but their opinion of his ability to govern turned out, unbelievably, to be generous.
    • dinot, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1I must admit, I DID underestimate GW and his ability to ***** this country up beyond belief.
      • poprocksandsoda, on 10/06/2008, -1/+1You're right. Bush caused all your problems. Thank God the democratic led congress has been fighting hard for you the past couple years to change that around ... just liked they promised you before they were elected. I bet Obama does the same thing ... absolutely jack squat except complain that "he is still facing the problems created 8 years before him". Don't you realize it ... their campaign slogan about not wanting 8 more like the last sets the stage for them blaming their inability to do anything meaningful on Bush for years to come. The Democratic party is a joke. They are clown shoes.
  • atact88, on 10/05/2008, -5/+35Preaching to the choir? There are probably fewer Diggers voting for Palin than fingers on my hand.
    • Eugenitor, on 10/05/2008, -4/+22If you don't count the trolls angling for McCain Points.
    • LetsGoHokies, on 10/06/2008, -1/+2If someone votes for a president because of their vice president, they don't deserve a vote.
  • superfusion, on 10/05/2008, -10/+16Palin is an elitist hack .. only people like Larry the Cable Guy truly understand Joe Six Pack.

    Should she assume the Presidency, he should get the VP nod.

    /s
    • hmunkey, on 10/05/2008, -0/+2No one is saying she's elitist. The point is a leader should not be the average person. That has never happened. If the average person was the leader, what's the point of a leader?

      Shouldn't we want the smartest and best of us leading? Why would we want an unintelligent and barely educated leader?
    • darlingt, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1Hell yeah! Git-R-Dun!

      Oh, wait. You were being sarcastic... :(
  • loganro, on 10/05/2008, -23/+6Obama is neither.
    • superhope, on 10/06/2008, -0/+0Way to not even read the article...

      I guess you're the type to stick your fingers in your ears and say 'na, na, na; I can't hear you!'
  • EugineMW, on 10/05/2008, -36/+15Palin, has more character than Obama will anyday. I'll take Palin over Obama anyday to be President.
    I think being friends with a terrorists until 2005 should automatically disqualify anyone from being President. And before anyone say guilt by association is wrong - The Obama campaign started guilt by association first, by linking McCain to President Bush everytime they made a speech.
    • WTFppl, on 10/05/2008, -2/+13By your logic, we need to go back in history and reappoint about 6 presidents because they tried to work things out with people you may consider our enemy. So you are all about destroying that in which you don't understand...This country should have you as president, see how far it gets!!!
    • cattletracks, on 10/05/2008, -2/+9Palin IS a character. She is an interesting choice for the party of family values, and even more interesting that the Republicans would subject themselves to nominating someone in the midst of an ongoing corruption scandal and another lawsuit for impropriety on the job is beyond me.

      How do you equate someone you serve on a board with as a "friend"? Obama certainly didn't nominate the guy or offer him the position. If you're going to use such a loose connection with Obama and Ayers, best look at McCain and the Keating Five where there's not only smoke, but fire.
      • jdibiase, on 10/05/2008, -3/+2"McCain was cleared by the Senate Ethics Committee of acting improperly or violating any law or Senate rule, but was mildly rebuked for exercising "poor judgment" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_mccain

        The Ayers/Obama connection is more than just "serving on a board with a 'friend'." "Barack Obama's first run for the Illinois State Senate was launched at a 1995 gathering at Mr. Ayers's home.... As CAC chairman, Mr. Obama was lending moral and financial support to Mr. Ayers and his radical circle." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122212856075765367 ...
      • nick1971, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4If you mean 1 teenage daughter who is pregnant and a sister who is divorced then family values in the US is starting to reflect reality.
    • rhodydog, on 10/05/2008, -2/+6An Palin wants secession from the Union, which is worse? Neither of course because both stories are most likely wrong.
      • superfusion, on 10/05/2008, -1/+5exactly. when you cut falsehood out of the campaign, Obama is a youngish Harvard Law scholar, and Palin is a youngish idiot.
      • jdibiase, on 10/05/2008, -2/+1The falsehood here is that Palin has never been a secessionist. http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_pa ...
      • dsnyder7903, on 10/05/2008, -1/+2It is true that Palin has never been a secessionist. But it is also true that Obama is not a terrorist. Palin is married to someone who has been a secessionist. Is this guilt by association because it is the claim you are supporting against Obama. Factcheck has also proven that Obama never had any meaningful associations with Ayers. Being married to a secessionist constitutes a meaningful association in my book. Palin is married to a man who thought it would be a good idea for Alaska to become its own entity out of a distrust of the American government. Not sure why Palin is making this argument about Obama because if anyone held up a mirror to her, they would see she is living in a glass house.
    • BitterJenn, on 10/05/2008, -0/+6Wow, you're just the perfectly molded little result of terrorism fear mongering aren't you? And I'm not at all surprised that your reasoning behind supporting Palin over Obama is that she has "character". Because at the end of the day, as long as someone has character (just throw intelligence out the door) that makes them well qualified to be in a position of power.
  • pitdog, on 10/05/2008, -8/+14GOP strategists are counting on the stupidity of the nation. And they might actually win this gamble I am afraid. It is perilously, unbelievably close, this election. The stupider the society the easier to manipulate it and enslave it. Late George Carlin spoke about it at length.
    • CodeCobalt, on 10/05/2008, -3/+2I'd say Obama is the one manipulating. He certainly has the press and means to do so.
    • timewarp424, on 10/05/2008, -3/+3Stupider =! more stupid
      Stupider = Nonword

      Let's be painfully honest with each other. Obama is charismatic, connects with younger people, but is unexperienced. Palin is charismatic, connects with folksy, normal people, but is just as unexperienced. If one is running for the Presidency and one is running for the Vice Presidency, which one would be relying on the stupidity of the nation to elect said person?
      • akinapb, on 10/06/2008, -1/+2It seems you are implying that young people aren't normal people then? Either way, think of it this way; McCain chose a vice-president which you have acknowledged as inexperienced. This is paramount when considering his judgment, he would rather win a presidency and leave the country with a leader that has only been a governor of Alaska for 19 months. McCain doesn't have a lot of gas left in him, he's going to drop dead sooner or later, and Palin is next up in line for the Presidency if he does.

        On the other hand, you have Barack Obama, who has more national and foriegn policy experience than Palin, who chose a vice-president who has as much experience as McCain. And don't say Obama doesn't have any executive experience, he is running a respectable and very successful campaign when everyone thought he didn't have a chance. Back to the point, granted Biden wasn't tortured for 4 years, in the end that has little merit when considering we are voting for the president of the United States. I trust Obama's leadership and Joe Bidens judgement by far.

        In the end, your rationalization sucks. Don't throw rocks when you're living in a glass house.
      • birdly, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2Seeing as we're being painfully honest here, let's remember that Obama was the president of the Harvard Law Review and Palin skipped around to five different colleges. Experience isn't the issue; intelligence is.
    • nick1971, on 10/05/2008, -0/+5I like http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/A_Mighty_Wind_bl ... as an comment paper on what the international community think about Palin.
      • birdly, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1This columnist got in trouble with her paper for writing this. The truth hurts!
  • seantubridy, on 10/05/2008, -4/+10Finally! A cover story and not another op-ed piece about this problem.
  • SaperKain, on 10/05/2008, -11/+57Palin just called Obama a terrorist. I guess that makes me and every person who voted for Obama a terrorist too. I’m so sick of those dimwitted rednecks like Palin. It’s time to wash her mouth.
    • WTFppl, on 10/05/2008, -6/+11Wow, that's a pretty laid back response, considering what Palin is shown to be involved in...Pentecostal beliefs & a member of 'Joel's Army'...
      You don't convert, they will kill you!
    • cattletracks, on 10/05/2008, -2/+15If she wants to go that route, she might want to call the Republicans terrorists, too. Tim McVeigh, USA-grown domestic terrorist, was a card carrying registered Republican. Now see how silly you are, Sarah Jane?
    • xman8, on 10/05/2008, -17/+4She did not call Obama a terrorist. She said he "pals around" with terrorist. Good try though.
  • junkwheel, on 10/05/2008, -5/+27"Do we want leaders who are everyday folks, or do we want leaders who understand everyday folks?"

    Palin is neither.
    • jdibiase, on 10/05/2008, -7/+1Neither is Obama, but he's running for president, she's running for VP.
      • why3th, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1He doesn't try to "appeal" to the American people. At least he has the intellect to talk to the public as if we understand and HE DOESN'T WINK.

        He may not be the saving grace everyone makes him out to be, but a country led by Obama will no doubt be a much more beneficial country to the people than under a McCain administration.
      • jdibiase, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1How arrogant of you to be so certain. And to be so bothered by a wink is, no doubt, quite intolerant.
    • Jhiaxuz, on 10/06/2008, -1/+2Either way, I still have an urge to punch her in the face when I see her wink.
  • odkin, on 10/05/2008, -23/+9She didn't call Obama a terrorist, she said he pals around with one, with is INDISPUTABLY TRUE. Bill Ayers is completely unrepentant. It doesn't matter how long ago he committed his criminal acts. What matters is that he is unrepentant, wishes he had done more, and all that is changed is that he is now too cowardly to go to jail for his beliefs by acting on them. Obama finds this to be perfectly acceptable. He funnelled millions of public $s to Ayers foundations, served as Chairman for Ayers on one of his boards, and launched his political career from Ayers house. These are all FACTS. This would be as if Sarah Palin had a long tangled relationship with the Oklahoma City bombers. I imagine your reaction would be somewhat different then.
    • cattletracks, on 10/05/2008, -1/+14"Pals around with"? That's playing pretty loose, there. Obama lives in the same neighborhood. How many child molesters do you have in your neighborhood? Are you an unfit parent for subjecting your children to that potential threat? Obama served on a board with Ayers. He didn't invite Ayers to be on the board. Obama was serving a civic duty. How many folks do you work with that have a criminal background? How many folks in your church have history they're hiding?
      • xman8, on 10/05/2008, -7/+4Ayers had a fundraising event at the "Ayers Mansion" for Obama. I would consider that a "pal".

        Why do you guys keep trying to lie to yourselves. Obama's best friends are terrorists. Period.
      • loganro, on 10/05/2008, -9/+3Only a liberal would say Obama was serving a civic duty for being friends with a known terrorist. I love how you guys spin things.
      • kayala, on 10/05/2008, -1/+8Only an idiot would try to frame liberals in such a ridiculous way, loganro. Go back to church or something; we don't need your intellectual laziness, dishonesty and cowardice here.
      • jdibiase, on 10/05/2008, -1/+2Read more about the Obama/Ayers connection ... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122212856075765367 ...
      • loganro, on 10/05/2008, -3/+2kayala, I don't go to church. Even if I did, why would that matter? I love it how liberals think that everyone that attends church are stupid. How am I being dishonest? Are you saying that Obama and Ayers have no friendship connection?
      • futebollounge, on 10/05/2008, -1/+2well because they believe in invisible ***** my friend. now would that make you not a little mentally insane? good. were on the same page then.
      • kayala, on 10/05/2008, -1/+5I'm saying that you're trolling and you're intellectually lazy, dishonest and cowardly, loganro. There you go again, trying to frame "liberals" in a way that makes sense to your twisted mind. Piss off, troll.
    • garblefung, on 10/05/2008, -1/+6Every time I think of William Ayers, I also think of John McCain, because they are of the same era, and they both believed in the efficacy of violence. According to an article in Friday's New York Times, McCain once said of Ayers, "How can you countenance someone who was engaged in bombings that could have or did kill innocent people?" He had to use that "could have or did" because no one knows if bombs Ayers built actually killed anyone -- let's say that the odds are against it. Likewise, no one knows whether the bombs John McCain dropped on North Vietnam ever killed anyone. According to McCain's biography, "With the outbreak of the Vietnam War, McCain volunteered for combat duty and began flying carrier-based attack planes on low-altitude bombing runs against the North Vietnamese. ...On October 26, 1967, during his 23rd air mission, McCain´s plane was shot down during a bombing run over the North Vietnamese capital of Hanoi." Let's say, given those twenty-three bombing runs, the odds are for McCain having killed some innocents. How can you countenance someone who was engaged in bombings that could have or did kill innocent people, John?

      But, of course, John McCain's defense is that he was performing his patriotic duty, and that's what William Ayers would have said, too. I remember the Vietnam War. It was not a war of self-defense that the U.S. had to wage or had to win. It was a war of aggression, a waste of resources, lives, manpower, global good will, and national spirit. And, many would say, it was a war crime. Those who were against it viewed their protests as essential patriotism, a way of correcting terrible choices and profound injustices.

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-smiley/william- ...
      • loganro, on 10/05/2008, -2/+2You had a pretty good post until you posted Huffington as a source.
  • Cyberdactyl, on 10/05/2008, -29/+17How many 2000+ digg submitted articles do I have to wade through to only find "Palin is too inexperienced" is all that's said.

    Problem is, I NEVER see articles on the front page embellishing the fact that Obama is EVEN MORE INEXPERIENCED.

    • Wartyboskfapped, on 10/05/2008, -4/+21Because that would be factually incorrect. He's way more experienced.
      • ironpirate, on 10/05/2008, -11/+4Really how is that asshat? More experienced with dangerous people aka Rezco and Ayers..
      • akinapb, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2@ironpirate

        Just because I have friends who have been known to do cocaine, doesn't make me stupid, nor does it mean I do cocaine.

        You're a moron. I understand you think just because you are entitled to an opinion that you should express it, and that's ok, it allows society to make a distinction between the idiots out there and the people who are intelligent. You are an idiot.
    • cattletracks, on 10/05/2008, -4/+21It's a fallacy that Palin's experience trumps Obama. People need to do their homework on this one and not buy Fox News and WorldNet talking points.

      Let’s put things in perspective: Population of Wasilla when Palin was Mayor: 5,500. Population of entire state of Alaska: 670,000. Population of the city of Detroit, Michigan: 951,000.

      During Palin's tenure as mayor, she was so "popular", there was a recall effort to get her removed. When she took the position, Wasilla was in the black. She left Wasilla with $20 million in long-term debt. Palin has served 18 short months as governor. Her approval rating is not what it seems. 20,000 of all Alaskan citizens are without running water in their homes or sanitation systems. Many don't have telephones. The people contacted in those poles tended to be the wealthier of the bunch.

      Palin's education? A bachelor's degree in journalism, that took her six years to accomplish, attending five different schools to get that under her belt.

      Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review. He graduated Magna cum Laude. Obama has a first-class intellect and a first-class temperament. Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney before serving in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in January 2003. After a primary victory in March 2004, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He was elected to the Senate in November 2004 with 70% of the vote. As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, he helped create legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. During the 110th Congress, he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel.
      • xman8, on 10/05/2008, -8/+7WOW. A "do nothing" Junior Senator is more experienced to run this country than a "Governor of a state"?

        Presidents "govern", thats what they do.

        Obama said his experience running his campaign makes him qualified to be President. Besides that, he has the experience of his friends that are terrorists, communist and racists.

        You have been scammed by the Obama camp.
      • jdibiase, on 10/05/2008, -5/+3"Population of Wasilla when Palin was Mayor: 5,500. Population of entire state of Alaska: 670,000. Population of the city of Detroit, Michigan: 951,000"

        Population of any city or state in which Obama was the chief executive ... - 0 -

        "When she took the position, Wasilla was in the black. She left Wasilla with $20 million in long-term debt."

        Amount of pork secured by Obama in the Senate ... $930+ million.


      • Peekman, on 10/05/2008, -6/+1he's friends with terrorists, communists racists and is a muslim!!!

        All these things are true and that's why it was so difficult for the Democratic party to pick between him and Hillary.
      • hmunkey, on 10/05/2008, -0/+3What is with the pork argument? If you Republicans want to save so much money, look to something other than saving 1 billion every 6 years in pork barrel projects. End the war and save that much every day...
      • akinapb, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2@xman8

        How can you say Obama did nothing, when wrote legislation for ethics reform in Washington, and legislature which aided in stopping terrorists from attaining nuclear weapons? You didn't even answer anything other than bring up your stupid generalization of who you think Obama is. You're a ***** moron and your opinions are entirely useless because it has no support whatsoever.

        Also, you acknowledge the fact that Obama has experience running a very successful campaign that takes in millions of dollars a month; your attempt at refuting this by saying Obama is friends with terrorists, communists, and racists is laughable. You truly are ignorant as *****. Even if this was the case, McCain is far worse seeing as he is friends with criminals, i.e. Keating Five scandal, and also 7 of his close campaign advisors, are Washington lobbyists. That is a fact. What you said about Obama, that isn't.

        @jdibiase

        John F. Kennedy didn't have any executive experience when he came to office, nor did Lyndon B. Johnson nor did Lincoln, nor did Ford. The experience argument is arbitrary, considering the fact that all political offices in the United States have a large chunk of advisers and aids which follows. Intellect however, is more important. McCain and Palin, both are not the brightest apples in the bunch, far from it. Obama, a Harvard graduate who taught law at an auspicious university, and Biden also a graduate of law from a respectable school, bingo.

        Also, debt is very different from "pork." Most senators secure their earmarks for their states because those earmarks help make roads, schools, or give scholarships. To say that earmarks is the same as debt is ***** stupid. They are two totally different things with totally different functions. Obama securing $930 million dollars for his state means one thing, good for the people of Illinois. Palin securing $20 million dollars of debt for Wachilla means one thing, their tax dollars are going to waste.
      • jdibiase, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2You're correct that earmarks are not the same as debt. Earmarks are taking federal money and applying it to a particular legislator's pet projects, which usually "buy" them the support of a particular block of voters. These legislators have no responsibility to those from whom the money was obtained (i.e., US taxpayers) and apply it to a very narrow project in his/her district or state. Debt is an oft-used tool of municipalities in which the municipality decides for itself (for example through a mayor and city council) to finance a project or projects, much like when someone finances the purchase of a house, which they can't afford to pay cash for.

        The debt Palin presided over was, according to Wikipedia, $14.7 million for a new multi-use sports complex; $5.5 million for street projects; and $3 million for water improvement projects. I'm not sure how this equates to Wasilla tax dollars going to waste.

        Included in the pork requests Obama has made was $1 million for the hospital where his wife worked at the time. Oh yeah, and that was shortly after she received a promotion and her annual salary increased from $121,910 to $316,962.
    • verifex, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4You've had a sampling of some of his choices, and they've been pretty good ones so far. As far as McCain is concerned, he may have experience, but his willingness to kowtow to his own party trumps any significant "hard decisions" he may have to make.

      Honestly, I feel that Obama, as green as he may be by Washington standards, does a good job of it so far. McCain just isn't a reformer or a "maverick" as they like to say. Honestly, of the small sampling of decision making we've seen from both campaigns, I've gotta say I would go with Obama over McCain any day. If McCain hadn't completely sold himself out to his own party he might be more of a "maverick", but it's just the truth.
    • b0rg, on 10/05/2008, -0/+6Call it rampant political correctness. It's much easier to say someone is "inexperienced" - a state that can be corrected with time and resources, than it is to say she lacks the judgement, the intellect, and the maturity this job calls for. In other words, she is stupid and does not understand the consequences of her own actions, does not recognize her own mistakes, and hence cannot learn from them.

      Until Cheney, it was joked that the VP's most important job was to attend funerals of foreign leaders. Dry, boring stuff unworthy of a Fox News "BREAKING NEWS" banner, but important. At those times, our representative has to speak intelligently with other governments to maintain complex relationships. Good times to know the history of our relationship with Jordan and not to accidentally start a civil war.

      Do you really see this twit giving a speech live on international TV and taking questions from a hostile press eager to provoke an incident? When the ***** general secretary of the UN calls on you to broker a truce in Pakistan to keep a nuclear warhead from being taken in the next few hours, you can't change the subject and talk about what a maverick you are.

      I don't really like Biden. I find his voice a little grating and he's not exactly photogenic. But he's smart. He's the kind of guy I want on my side when the ***** hits the fan.
    • flashback99, on 10/05/2008, -1/+21+1 = 2

      Or is that too difficult for you?
    • superliv, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1Palin does not seem like the smartest kid on the block.
      Obama seems to be a fairly intelligent man.

      What takes Palin 2 weeks to learn, it may take Obama 6 days to learn.

      Experience is nothing,
      it's how much you learned from the experience.

      just my opinion,
      your thoughts?
      • jdibiase, on 10/07/2008, -0/+2Intelligence is important, and I don't doubt that Obama is a very intelligent person. But I disagree with some of his fundamental beliefs and philosophies (e.g., his job is to "make government cool again") and many of his judgments (e.g., choice to go to Rev. Wright's church and associate with Bill Ayers).

        I'm not thrilled with McCain/Palin as the only other viable choice, but believe I don't have much of an alternative.
  • michelsonmorley, on 10/05/2008, -4/+17I wouldn't mind leaders who are everyday folks - if everyday folks were intelligent. As it stands now, everyday folks barely care about knowing about the economy or geopolitical issues.
    • cattletracks, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4Agreed. Not is there a lack of understanding of geopolitical issues, folks here don't know even know simple geography. Sad day in America.

  • rexcrouch, on 10/05/2008, -5/+19Our leaders need to be well educated, articulate and eloquent, not allow their religious beliefs to influence the system they govern, balance the issues of domestic and foreign policy, and yes… understand Mary Wine Cooler and the issues she faces and how the decisions rendered will impact those common people.

    Those who support Palin, I encourage you to move to Alaska. As soon as McCain loses the campaign his soul mate will be given the boot. And in reading other news regarding the Alaskan Supreme Court, she could be going to jail soon—we’ll see.

    www.electoral-vote.com
    www.gallup.com
  • odkin, on 10/05/2008, -15/+3Thank God Newsweek exposed the dangers of the unwashed hoi poloi possibily getting power! If only the founders had the foresight to limit government to the upper, or superior, classes of people. Perhaps government service should require some form of approval by a board of University presidents or Editorial writers? Maybe we could devise a system with an "upper" house for the deserving, and a "lower" house representing the common people? Then it could all be presided over by one truly superior person, approved by the inelligensia as a divine right. Yes, I'm sure this is more like what the founders envisioned. Go Obama!
    • iguana99, on 10/05/2008, -0/+8If you actually bothered to read the whole article, you would have realized that the concerns weren't about whether she went to an elite college or came from a well-to-do-background, but rather that one should show good communication skills, intellectual curiosity and have developed a broad knowledge of government, history, and the world.

      Next time you need a doctor, apply your same low standards and see what kind of luck that gets you. There are plenty of people in this world who work hard to be experts at what they do. Our leaders should be experts in national and international affairs.

      This has nothing to do with class warfare, as you seem to think. It has everything to do with smarts and hard work.
      • odkin, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1Yeah, because as an unconnected nobody housewife who rose to become governor of a state, I guess she just doesn't have what it takes to be a LEADER. According to you, becoming Governor requires no knowledge of government, history, intellect, communication, public policy or hard work. Lazy know-nothing bitch. Alaska elects governors via Lotto, right? I mean, how else could she have gotten where she is?
      • RoflCoptah, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1@ odkin its just that we hold the office of Vice/President to a higher standard than governor of Alaska
      • iguana99, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1Some people get to where they are in part through factors unrelated to competence, such as social networking skills, being in the right place at the right time, fitting a certain role other people find useful, etc. In addition, the ignorance of certain voters often overcomes the ignorance of a candidate: people vote for who they "like" based on irrational as well as rational factors.

        I think it's probably true that Palin had a decent amount of knowledge about Alaskan affairs, and is very politically savvy (although evidence would indicate she was a poor mayor - she was encouraged to hire a "manager" to actually run day-to-day affairs).

        However, if you actually listen to what she has said so far in interviews on national and international topics, it's clear she has trouble thinking on her feet and has little actual information to provide the interviewer. I hope your biases aren't so strong that this simple truth is difficult to accept. If you think the "answers" she provided, to Gibson, Couric, or in the debate, are actually adequate, then, again, I hope you expect more of your doctor, or car mechanic, or children's teachers, etc...

    • kayala, on 10/05/2008, -0/+2Not jealous or anything, are we?
  • TwoKill, on 10/05/2008, -9/+3This reads like it was written by Biden. It had a very, "Well I love Palin and would take a god damn bullet for her, but the USA will be hell on earth if she is elected into office!"
  • chadell, on 10/05/2008, -6/+9I do not think a VP has that much effect on elections. If that was the case the VP should be running for presidency instead. The attack on Palin is excessive bordering on inhumane. This is how elections are lost. Keep your eye on the ultimate goal, the presidency. Don't waste time and effort on the second fiddle.
    • cattletracks, on 10/05/2008, -0/+10After eight years of the constitution being defecated upon by our Vice President, people do understand the gravity of the Vice Presidential nominee in this election, particularly given McCain's age and questionable mental stability. Even during the debate, Palin spoke admiringly of Dick Cheney's style of governance and liked the idea of expanding the powers of the VP. The woman is DANGEROUS.
    • juneau, on 10/05/2008, -1/+6Based on actuary tables alone, she practically is running for president.
      Inhumane? She is actually getting cut slack since she is a woman because it somehow comes off 'mean' calling her out for being incompetent... which is almost what you implied there.
      Second fiddle? Yes, Dick Cheney was harmless, huh?
    • chadell, on 10/05/2008, -0/+2Palin is a folksonomy trailblazer. She has the benefit of the network effect and the power curve because so many people are talking about her or involved in her activities. Demonising her is not the solution, just don't vote for McCain.
    • tcaincross, on 10/06/2008, -0/+0Right on!
      McCain is OLD...if he dies, PALIN will be our next president!
      That is absolutely Frightening!
  • az2zej, on 10/05/2008, -18/+12its amazing how one sided digg has become. You see any negative press about McCain or Pailn and its on the front page. Anything negative about Obama, such as paying back all the investors with trillions of dollars in tax payers money, it gets buried. Digg is as one sided as Fox.




    ......and here it comes ill get dugg down for not following the collective
    • kristov, on 10/05/2008, -1/+9I think you get dugg down for being ignorant.
    • JoeVet, on 10/05/2008, -1/+2So you are suggesting that the bailout was Obama's doing when in actuality McCain dropped his campaign to make sure it passed? If that isn't hypocritical, nothing is. This is why McCain's lies are not making as much news as Obama's truths.
  • epadafunk, on 10/05/2008, -15/+8Oh good, another political article with lots of fluff and no substance, just what I was looking for!
    • lulzitsadigg, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1I heard foxnews.com has alot of substance

      /s
  • amightywind, on 10/05/2008, -13/+7I'll give you mindless:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBk32JsV9l8
    The only thing that compares would be a Nazi torch parade! This is downright creepy.
    • WTFppl, on 10/05/2008, -2/+5I believe beyond a doubt that Obama would be a much better president than McCain/Palin could ever be[EVER BE], but this song praising Obama is lame to say the least.

      "It's not our America, IT'S OUR UNITED STATES, get this ***** straight people!!!"
      The more you call yourselves "American", the further you take yourself from the history of this great experiment called the United States. You insult your history by using the term American.
      Just ask a Brazilian!!!

      I am a Statesman and I will die as one!
    • Wartyboskfapped, on 10/05/2008, -3/+4Nazi reference: your credibility is nil.
    • smiller919, on 10/05/2008, -1/+2than what is the adj? United Statians?
  • Cosmo96, on 10/05/2008, -20/+10Wow, if this doesn’t stink of blue-blood, limousine liberal elitism.


    • hayzeus, on 10/05/2008, -2/+11Just a few more nitwit cliches and your post will be perfect..
      • rexcrouch, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4Forgot: neocons, liberal *****, ***** tards, and other similar words used by good Christians. I've never been in a limo, I drive a pickup truck.
    • kayala, on 10/05/2008, -0/+3You forgot to mention the lattes - because no conservative EVER drinks coffee.
  • NoCommies, on 10/05/2008, -16/+4In the waning days of the Weimar Republic, a great statesman arose to power promising unity and change.

    100 million people died as a result.

    Do not let the same mistake happen again.
    • garblefung, on 10/05/2008, -1/+5McCain at the Republican National Convention: "Change is coming"

      Transcript, he says "change" 10 times:
      http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/04/mccain.tran ...
      Are you saying that McCain is a Nazi? I guess a vote for Obama is a vote against facism, thanks for the heads up!
      • jiggazah, on 10/05/2008, -2/+1Its a strategy called burn fire with fire (wink wink, nudge nudge) You realize that fascism, okay more specifically social fascism IS social democracy, right? You might want to look it up, you seem to have enough time on your hands this fine sunday. Go ahead, google : social fascism
    • Peekman, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1ya wtf... they both say they want change.......
      • RDinSB, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1Only the ultimate fool would hear the incumbent party of 8 years say "Vote for us, we are the party of change" and believe it.
  • macewan, on 10/05/2008, -8/+13Only the rich or the stupid like her.
  • WTFppl, on 10/05/2008, -4/+7Is PALIN an acronym for something???
    • OfNumbers, on 10/05/2008, -2/+7Prototype
      Assimilator
      Landbased
      Incognito
      Neurodroid
    • Mr.Gone, on 10/05/2008, -4/+14Pathetic
      Attempt
      Languishing
      In
      Narcissism
    • flashback99, on 10/05/2008, -1/+12Pansy
      Ass
      Loser
      Idiot
      Neocon

      Pick
      America's
      Lobotomised
      Ignoramus
      Now
    • jiggazah, on 10/05/2008, -1/+6People of
      America
      Like
      Independence
      Not Ideology
      • wizardcombat, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1PALINI???
      • WTFppl, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1Three ??? would have been better than "Ideology"!

        You get a B+
  • kcmo08, on 10/05/2008, -8/+65As an American, I find Sarah Palin to be extremely embarrassing.
    • badnewshotel, on 10/05/2008, -15/+3I find you, the Kansas City Chiefs, and most of Lees Summit embarrassing. Grow up.
    • xman8, on 10/05/2008, -9/+2As an American, I find the smearing and childish attacks from the Liberals and the Liberal media extremely embarrassing.
      • Chestnutridge, on 10/05/2008, -1/+10Could you explain what "smearing" you are refering to? Questioning her unresponsiveness to questions in debate and lack of knowledge displayed in interviews is hardly smearing.

        On the other hand, claiming Obama is "palling around with terrorists" is a smear and Palin is the one doing it.

      • xman8, on 10/05/2008, -8/+2You are kidding right?

        Attacking Palins kids with outright lies. Is a smear.

        Obama "palling around with terrorists" is a fact.

        See the difference?
      • kayala, on 10/05/2008, -0/+7As an educated person, I find it annoying that you continue to whine about the "liberals" as if they're a group that exists somewhere outside your petty little mind. The second you start moaning about the librul elitists, I know that you're an intellectually lazy coward with nothing to add to the conversation.
      • Peekman, on 10/05/2008, -0/+3That was soooo last month....
      • WTFppl, on 10/05/2008, -0/+3As a Statesman, I find arguing about party line issues to be ***** insane. Lets just make some ***** up and "beat the dead horse" for a decade or two!!!

        Democracy died with a thunderous golf clap!!
      • xman8, on 10/05/2008, -5/+1@Kayala

        Sorry, I meant "lazy democrat". That might fit you better.
      • kayala, on 10/05/2008, -0/+5So now you know me personally, and therefore you're justified in calling me names? Grow the ***** up. If you can't act like an adult, then you can return to daycare.
    • yodacallmesome, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2I too find her embarrassing. Its not like there were not other very capable women who would have made a competent VP (if McCain needed a female VP). It shows McCain's lack of sense and poor judgment.
      McCain picking Palin is like Jimmy Carter picking Billy "Beer" Carter for VP (which he did not).
  • deleo, on 10/05/2008, -2/+25I don't want anyone like me to be VP or President. I want someone who knows the issues top to bottom, can stay calm in a national emergency, and who has the intellectual capacity to know how their decisions will affect the nation on all different levels. I don't have those capabilities, most people don't, and Sarah Palin sure doesn't. It's ok to pick people who may be smarter than us to be our leaders. Clinton was a Rhodes Scholar, Bush was an idiot. Just compare those two Presidencies. Obama wants to help the country. We need someone with his intellectual capacity to do it. If only most Americans had the intellectual capacity to realize that. Maybe they do, the polls are looking good.
    • badnewshotel, on 10/05/2008, -10/+2Well, using your logic, you can't honestly vote for Obama, who obviously doesn't have the knowledge you claim is necessary. Being an elitist ass doesn't actually make you smarter than everyone else. Woodrow Wilson was supposedly smart and he royally messed up this country.

      Oh, and by the way, Clinton quit the Rhodes Scholar program and Bush graduated from Yale and Harvard. Just in case you think school actually matters.
  • juneau, on 10/05/2008, -4/+14This isn't managing the graveyard shift at Walmart -- this is running an entire country! All the winks and prepared answers in the world can't make you a leader or competent decision maker.
  • ScoobyG, on 10/05/2008, -8/+5Anyone else thought the pictures were Tina Fey's?

    Wink wink!
    • kirualeorio, on 10/05/2008, -0/+7Tina Fey is 10x better looking than Palin.
      • ScoobyG, on 10/05/2008, -0/+2I agree, but her impersonation is dead on. I really thought it was her. Just me I guess :-)
      • BossKey, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1It helps that Tina Fey is on the other side of 40 from Palin.

        Still, what's lost in all the talk about the "hotness" of Palin is what she REALLY looks like. I'd like to see a pic with no makeup, no glasses (which tend to make eyes look bigger while obscuring the face), and hair in a simple ponytail away from her face.

        What you will probably find are the typical appearance issues that any 44-year-old woman faces.
  • charlietuna, on 10/05/2008, -2/+6Perfect quote:
    "Palin sometimes seems an odd combination of Chauncey Gardiner from 'Being There' and Marge from 'Fargo.' "
  • TurdZilla, on 10/05/2008, -2/+7I think the real problem is that by not calling out Palin on her incompetence we are telling our son and daughters that it is ok to be stupid and unaware of current affairs and the world around us.
    • Kzoo, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1I think that damage is already done, what with news stations that care more about what some celebrity was wearing, who's in rehab, blah blah blah etc., than what's happening in the real world, like in all those countries that exist besides ours.
  • kcmo08, on 10/05/2008, -3/+6It's sad how this election is reduced to pettiness. Instead of having an honest debate about issues, we have a VP candidate (Palin) putting on an orchestrated show and trying to look "average" by winking, making stupid faces, and talking like someone from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour.
    • tcaincross, on 10/06/2008, -0/+0Thank You!
      And to think, the whole world and other countries were watching...
      What a joke!
  • Aleman360, on 10/05/2008, -2/+7If I didn't answer questions in a regular job interview I guarantee I wouldn't get the job. Someone running for the No. 2 spot in the government of the most powerful country in the world should not be allowed to get away with that. I hope the press keeps this up because we need answers.
  • Duckie502, on 10/05/2008, -2/+3Voting for myself come November! I'll have at-least one vote!
    • tcaincross, on 10/06/2008, -0/+0HA!!!!! I'm with you!
      One thing "Palin" has taught me...is:
      This is America, where ALL things are POSSIBLE.
      If it wasn't so, she would have never been allowed to run for office!
      Next year, I'm running for office too!!!
  • seventhc, on 10/05/2008, -3/+8If USA wants joe six pack..then I guess I'd be a good candidate, hell, I'll give 'em a 12 pack and throw in a couple of kegs.
  • NoCommies, on 10/05/2008, -17/+4Do you guys want a president or a dictator. It sounds like you all want a dictator who can make all the decisions by himself.

    A President is an administrator or executor of laws, not a GOD who will solve all of America's problems A President will surround themselves with highly qualified people to assist them.

    A true leader is a person who can delegate. Obama is a meglomaniac who cannot delegate and his adminsitration will be a disaster.
    • MrTarot, on 10/05/2008, -0/+5Ok, so since I know Obama posts just about every plan he has for making changes to law on his website, I was wondering if you could link his PDF that tells how he's going to take over the world and enslave the population.

      Meanwhile, I'll watch the current administration do it's nation building and try to pretend that's not what it is.
      • NoCommies, on 10/05/2008, -3/+1The Presidents job is not to make changes to the law, the Presidents job is to execute the laws.

        Furthermore, if he wished to make changes to the law, why didn't he do that when he was a Senator and when it was his job to do so.

    • hierophantus, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2Well, that seals it. You have my vote for Stupidest Poster on Digg. Congratulations and godspeed.
      • NoCommies, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1Because in your world, the President makes the laws, Congress interprets them and the Supreme Court enforces them.



  • ironpirate, on 10/05/2008, -9/+3Ok, you guys want change and something different.. so you pick an inexperienced candidate from the senate and now bitch about a different inexperienced Gov. YOU CANT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS.
    • Peekman, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4There is such thing as wrong change......
      • WTFppl, on 10/05/2008, -0/+1Like when the cashier at Burger King tries to tell me I didn't give him a $20 for $4.90 of food and tries to hand me only $5.10 back, but the CCTv that watched him shows different! Yeah, that's wrong change!!!
    • Buzzpatrol, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1Yeah, Sarah Palin and Obama.. Same experience? Dude, you must be the dumbest person alive. Please, just end your life..
  • JoeLosFeliz, on 10/05/2008, -2/+23Everyday folks? First of all, she's a millionaire. Secondly, she belongs to a wacky Pentecostal church apparently led by a pastor who conducts anti witchcraft rituals and everyone speaks in tongues. How we are even having conversations in which this individual and her beliefs are treated as normal is beyond me.

    What I think she represents is the culmination of Republican anti-intellectualism. That is "feeling" and "belief" trump knowledge and education. Knowledge and education are the domain of the elite.

    Makes the uneducated, regular folk a lot easier to manipulate.

    Never mind the fact that the last 8 years have been a massive giveaway to the wealthy classes and corporations. Never mind the fact that the rich have gotten hugely richer and everyone else has been completely screwed over.
  • jimbo92107, on 10/05/2008, -2/+12Sarah Palin's $1.2 million-dollar net worth would buy an awful lot of six-packs.

    How many of the Moose Lady's eager minions know she's a millionaire?
    • nickymouse, on 10/05/2008, -3/+41.2 million for a 40 something is pretty common. She owns a house that is paid off, a business, and she and her husband has been working for quite some time. Also take in the fact that this includes her stock, retirement, and other such funds.
      Do you know how much Obama makes or his net worth? Do you know how well he did under the Bush years?
      • BossKey, on 10/06/2008, -0/+2There's no chance that I'm voting for Palin but you are correct, a net worth of $1 million is not that hard to come by these days. I'm not there, but you can get halfway there just by owning a decent single-family home in some cities, not even counting the contents or one's retirement accounts.
    • Buzzpatrol, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1$1.2 million still won't buy her ass out of hell though. And that bitch is gonna burn like a torch!
  • Nausicaa, on 10/05/2008, -1/+8http://en.sevenload.com/videos/saBEfaN-Sarahpalins ... is this real?
  • gfryesc, on 10/05/2008, -5/+4newsweek was the one that ran the fake story about gitmo prisoners flushing korans. that flared up violence and cost people their lives. no apology from them over it. so you'll excuse me if I just bury this outright. much like their subscriber base has become.
    • manlyandy, on 10/06/2008, -0/+0im going to assume youre republican and post this in response: bush lied about WMDs in iraq. it may have contributed a bit to the ongoing violence there. dont think he has apologized for it. but go ahead and say you never supported it or whatever lie you tell yourself

      also your last sentence is a fragment.
  • Caseyshuffle, on 10/05/2008, -2/+8This is Bush all over again. People voted in Bush because they viewed him as "a guy you could grab a beer with". Kerry got the short end of the stick as being branded as a stuck up ultra liberal intellectual...ironic huh...you'd think the repubs would try a new approach...Obama is going to blow mccain out of the water.

    this is a great obama video...beat this mccain...

    http://www.internetisfun.com/item.php?ownerid=15&p ...
  • nickymouse, on 10/05/2008, -5/+5The nice thing about Palin is the I know for a fact that she hasn't had anything to do with this credit crisis.
    • yodacallmesome, on 10/06/2008, -1/+3Nor does she even seem to understand it. When asked about it she talked about job creation and tax cuts.
    • Buzzpatrol, on 10/06/2008, -1/+1Probably not. Would still be nice if she could get run over though..
  • ashwinmudigonda, on 10/05/2008, -2/+7"Elitism in this sense is not about educational or class credentials, not about where you went to school or whether you use "summer" as a verb. It is, rather, about the pursuit of excellence no matter where you started out in life. Jackson, Lincoln, Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Clinton were born to ordinary families, but they spent their lives doing extraordinary things, demonstrating an interest in, and a curiosity about, the world around them. This is much less evident in Palin's case."

    Dugg for that.

    Also, for the longest time I thought she was referring to someone like me (on the quest for a 6pack abs) when she mentioned Joe Six Pack. Now I get it and hate her even more. Bitch.
    • teebird, on 10/06/2008, -0/+1If you want to read a good book about how and why Americans gave up on the idea if excellence and intellectual rigor and learned to dismiss them as "elitism," read "The Age of American Unreason" by Susan Jacoby. Read her critique of recent political campaigns in this country and Sarah Palin's emergence in national politics makes Jacoby seem like a prophet.
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