Oh So Classy
Warning: a political observation (not my own actually) is expressed after the jump. If politics ain’t your thing, skip it.
“Fascist writer Westbrook Pegler, an avowed racist who Sarah Palin approvingly quoted in her acceptance speech for the moral superiority of small town values, expressed his fervent hope about my father, Robert F. Kennedy, as he contemplated his own run for the presidency in 1965, that “some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies.”
It might be worth asking Governor Palin for a tally of the other favorites from her reading list.”
-Robert F. Kennedy, jr.
Sorry, she skeeves me out. From the Huffington Post.
September 17th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Palin is nightmare, she has to be….nothing in reality can be this messed up…..please wake me up…its getting worse by the second.
September 17th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
As I suspected…the Repubs are masters at the art of racism under the radar. All their “codewords”….”state’s rights” is the one that I remember from my childhood in the south. Now they say “community organizer”…which to me is another of their code words.
This makes me absolutely SICK that she would quote that bastard. I absolutely cannot believe how pissed off I’m getting! I’m heading down to the Obama Headquarters this week and beg them to let me do something to help him get elected. This election has gone beyond “just an election” for me. If McCain wins, I don’t know how I’ll be able to stay here. Hey Barry…any room for me in Halifax?
September 17th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Matt Damon had it right….it’s a bad Disney movie coming to fruition.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
McCain 2008! the saviour of America! Palin is a good stong woman who has dominated american politics for over 25 years, combined with McCain they have so much expirience i dont know how any one could vote for Obama
September 17th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I’m sure I could find a room for you somewhere in Halifax. I have friends who own a bed and breakfast. Would that do, Betsy? Breakfast is included.
September 17th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Failin’ with Palin!
Hey, came up with that one
all by myself…although I’m
sure someone has used it
before.
September 17th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Hey Betsy Boo, thats the beauty of this country…you can leave.
It’s funny though, earlier in the race when Obama said his grandmother was “A typical white woman”, nobody said boo. But had a republican said “typical Black woman” they would have been run out on a rail.
Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Avid,
Drop the personal attacks on other commentators. Disagree with Betsy Boo, but don’t insult her. I have little patience for that shit.
As for this:
What alternate universe are you living in? Obama took plenty of heat on that one. Try Googling “Obama typical white woman,” you’ll get a heap of hits. I think Malkin still says Boo about it at least once a week.
And anyway, what’s all that have to do with Mrs. Palin quoting a guy who advocated for the assassination of Robert Kennedy?
September 18th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Please don’t apologize for your feelings about Sarah Palin.
September 18th, 2008 at 3:29 am
Oh man, Palin is not doing McCain any good at alll……I wish that i knew what McCain is thinking about his decesion now.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:52 am
She skeeves me out, too.
I try hard to not be so darn bias. All I can say is that Gov. Palin seems to stand for everything I stand against. I did not get that vibe from McCain…and was truly on the fence. The Republican VP Canidate scares me and now I know which way to vote.
I just received an e mail from my father (a stout Republican – who has always, always-supported my choice to be more-so Dem. than anything and who has told me he admires my “hope” for the little man- whatever that means??) full of cartoons & such on why Palin is so great….Funny, it made me fear her more than anything.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I think it’s hilarious that the people who only speak up to attack on here either aren’t regulars, or won’t let us know who they are….good job putting them in their place, Joe!
oh, and I agree, Palin is a nightmare!!
September 18th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Thanks Joe…I admit I got a little “het up” as we say, but when I read what Palin had said it absolutely infuriated me! How on earth can Palin think so highly of such a horrible person and quote him? She can’t possibly be that ignorant, can she? And it really gets to me that here she is quoting an “avowed racist” who advocated the assassination of a person simply because he believed in civil rights? As I said before, this is one of those under the radar appeals to their racist base. She just gets scarier by the minute. As my brother said to me in a recent email: “She a Hater.”
Thanks to you, too Barry. Halifax sounds like a great place…I’ll let you know after the election!
September 18th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Melissa,
Good point!
September 18th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Migration to Canada starts in Nov is McCain/Palin win.
September 18th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Joe,
I hope you won’t be reticent or apologetic about continuing to generate dialogue and awareness. We come to this site because we are fans excited about your upcoming works but look at how many comments and hits you have on your political topics. It’s a bit anxiety provoking when we are swirling around the bowl and nobody will acknowledge we’re going down.
Does anyone know if it is true that a Bush speech writer wrote that speech?
Has he come out to justify the selection of that quote?
Of all great literary quotes, that was the best he could do to try to make something noble of Alaska’s meth/strip mall capital?
Was there any mention of her leaving her charming small town with a 22 million dollar debt?
Is it true to achieve such fiscal responsibility she pursued policies like having rape victims pay for their own forensic exams?
Why are they keeping her so sequestered right now?
Yes this is speech is disconcerting, but I was listening to Bush this morning and the poor man could barely read was what given to him. And McCain had to have been misreading when he said that the economy is fundamentally strong while Lehman and AIG tank. While Palin is puppeted by corporations and lobbyist of the nature that make you think that you took that trip out of America (God love her or leave her) to some banana republic, she will at least be able to read her script no matter what racist, homophobe, or novel scape goater it is written by. But we probably won’t hear as we contemplate her lipstick and what sorts of things it looks good on.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Hey Joe,
I apologize. it was not my intention to insult her. I was just stating its a free country, you can leave. Don’t threaten to leave, just leave.
As far as Obama taking heat for that comment? C’mon, It’s clearly obvious that the liberal media long ago picked Obama to win. Had a republican made that comment, the media would have never let it go away. Not a chance.
As for what this has to do Palin quoting a racist? Absolutely nothing. I only said it because Betsy claimed the republicans are “under the radar racists” But had they wanted to play the race card they clearly could have after Obama’s comment. But then again, the media would have squashed it. It’s hypocritical.
It just rubs me the wrong way when people, including yourself, rip the President. The Dixie Chicks, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, they need to get off their soapbox and stand behind this wonderful country of ours. I’ll stand behind whomever wins this election, it may be hard to do,but I’m an American and thats what I should do.
Again, I apologize to you & Betsy for ruffling your feathers.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Avid–
There is a difference, a world of difference, a universe of difference, between standing behind your country and blindly backing whoever happens to be President at the moment.
If Obama wins in November, there’s no need to obediently stand behind him, either. Our elected officials are meant to be criticized and analyzed, not bowed down before.
My word, it’s bizarre to see someone so anxious to pass aside their own first amendment rights.
September 19th, 2008 at 2:16 am
Avid-
On top of what Z Cole says, the act of criticizing and analyzing elected officials comes out of standing behind your country. It’s because we love our country that we should state grievances with all elected officials. I’m voting for Obama, but by no means will I blindly follow him, or anyone for that matter.
September 19th, 2008 at 3:36 am
Avid,
Who is the liberal media, and why would they so frequently promulgate that name for themselves? Because I thought all media in this country could be traced back to the Big Ten, and I don’t get the feeling they’re all getting together smoking dubes and eating dolphin safe tuna while listening to the Grateful Dead. But maybe Rupert Murdock is getting together with those nbc owning hippies at GE and in between making the bomb they are figuring out how to create big government and get tofu in the cafeteria.
And why aren’t you mentioning any of the brain trust that comprise Republican pop culture that are prone to offend the gentle ears of our presidents.
And why did you go and have to tell everyone Obama is black? The liberal media would never allude to that and all the daily conjecture of how it could affect the presidency.
And what do you mean it wouldn’t be let go if a Republican made that comment? They didn’t let it go when Obama did, but Republicans can be openly segregationist and stay in the senate for fifty years while fathering black children to disenfranchise. Something’s wrong with the radar if they are under it.
But kudos on your juevos for speaking up on a left leaning post, and we and your representative government need to hear your voice. However insisting on obeisance to leaders feels profoundly un-American.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Apology accepted Avid…though to be honest, my feelings weren’t really hurt by your comment. I’ve heard it before. I just want to state for the record that I really do love this country and I don’t want to leave. My family is here and I’d be awfully lonely if I left. My threat to leave has to do with the fact that I can’t take 4 more years of a government doing things in my name that I not only disagree with, but find reprehensible. I’m upset that the average American voter can’t see what we’re becoming and they believe the lies. That’s the only reason I can think of for the Bush re-election and I’m terrified that it’s going to happen again. My criticism of our government is not because I hate America. Believe it or not, it’s because I love it and I know we can do better. I want us to do the right things for the right reasons.
And lastly, I want to thank Joe for encouraging us to talk about these important issues. I have this ominous feeling in the pit of my stomach that this is going to be the most important election of my lifetime and we need to talk about it. Everybody does…no matter who you’re going to vote for. I want the dialogue to continue. There are still a lot of folks who haven’t made up their minds and the more we talk about it the more information they’ll have to make their decision.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Hi Everyone,
I failed to mention that my statements were made in regards to our country being at war. Standing behind our president while we are at war is the American thing to do. Unlike the dixie chicks etc.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
If we’re always at war (with “terr”) we’ll always be loyal…
September 20th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Chad,
“Dont forget that while these Asian countries are civilized, they are also hostile people with quick tempers, and when their economies collapse soon after ours, what do you think is going happen?
I dont think I’ve ever read anything so blatantly racist in a forum before, thats an unbelieveable statement…Im really lost here. its so sterotypical its almost comical.
September 20th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Nuclear war! Mutual assured destruction. Because only we will push the button.
What a great campaign slogan.
“Don’t forget that while these Asian countries are civilized, they are also hostile people with quick tempers, and when their economies collapse soon after ours, what do you think is going happen?”
Lend us money, devalue their currency, and worst of all send us more crap that we stopped making because basic worker’s rights while keeping safe drinking water is too inconvenient.
September 20th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
And what Brian says. Who do you see any Asian nation bombing? Who is the U.S. bombing? Perhaps you were projecting.
September 21st, 2008 at 12:17 am
Chad..lay off the racist remarks..seriously..
September 21st, 2008 at 12:18 am
If you want to discuss this in more detail..PM me…its demorganakamark..
September 21st, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Chad,
While I welcome a variety of opinions here in the comments threads, I encourage you to keep your racial notions to yourself or find another place to vent ‘em. I nuked your comment, although I’m leaving up the fairly understandable responses to it, for the moment; I’ll probably delete those too, when the conversation has had some time to move on. I would’ve dealt with this sooner, but I’ve been offline most of the weekend.
As for whether I’m encroaching your freedom of speech, note that you’re hanging signs on my digital real estate. I’ll police my little electronic corner of things the way I see fit.
Avid,
You’re a good man to apologize. That said, I think you’re making a pretty wild leap there from my criticism of Sarah Palin to Sean Penn, but I get the general gist. This is that thing Rush/Hannity/O’Reilly are always peddling about liberal entertainers, their guiding theory being that they should shut up and entertain, and not express themselves politically. But I’ve never bought that and I especially don’t see how that applies to writers. Without political opinions you wouldn’t have Steinbeck, Graham Greene, Tom Clancy, or George Orwell. I’m always looking at people, be them the person sitting across from me on the subway, or the presidential candidate on TV, trying to pick them apart psychologically, and wondering how I’d write them. Inevitably, certain political conclusions are going to arise. You don’t have to read my political posts if you don’t like, though; or, hopefully, you do find them of interest, even if you disagree, and want to debate. I like a good row now and then myself.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:51 am
I have never, ever understood why people criticize celebrities for having an opinion. EVERYONE has a right to their opinion and because of the First Amendment they have the right to express it. Why should Avid, or Mark or myself…etc…have that right and not Sean Penn, The Dixie Chicks or Joe Hill? Just because they are well known? That’s ridiculous. We all have the right to express ourselves no matter who we are. If you don’t like what you’re hearing don’t listen. That’s what I do with “Rush/Hannity/O’Reilly”. Good post, Joe.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:17 am
When does being at “war” (and it is not a war in Iraq, it is an occupation) make one subjugate one’s self to a failed administration? This “COUNTRY FIRST” dogma is frightenly close to the nationalism that the Germans were pushing in the 30′s.
Ultimately, I know it is all hollow rhetoric and limp tactical maneuvers to try and suppress real patriotic thought by the Neo-Cons, but it scares me (more than Joe Hill’s stories scares me) to think that so many buy into it.
“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men” – A. Lincoln (a Republican trotted out at this year’s 2008 Convention)
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:17 pm
[...] I’m as swept up in it as anyone, and that’s probably shown in a sudden burst of politically themed posts; this from a guy who has, prior to this year, never shared anything in the way of [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
I normally never take the time to post my feelings about the current state of our union, or my political opinions as they pertain to the upcoming elections, but after reading a few of the posts above, I’ve decided to chime in.
“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men” – A. Lincoln
I’ve quoted this a few times to people who have tried to throw the country first approach to patriotism in my face. I consider myself a true blue, liberal, democrat, but I also have a patriotic streak in me. This streak manifests in the form of me flexing my rights to protest and disagree with my government, when it is clear to the common person, that they have wronged us. The great men, who are responsible for us having these rights, would roll over in their graves at the thought of even one citizen allowing themselves to be blinded by the Pied Piper form of patriotism.
The day we stop questioning our government, and just swallowing what they feed us, is the day we cease to be Americans.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Another thought along that line…”All it takes for great evil to flourish is for a few good men to remain silent”. This refers to Nazi Germany.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Joe,
I agree with you about Hannity/Rush. However, I notice that the majority of the time, not always, but the majority of the time, O’Reilly does a good job of being fair. Take a gander at his comments about the mortgage mess and you’ll see that he definitely isn’t in the pocket of right wingers. On his radio show he spent about ten minutes tearing Bush apart as the worst president in history.
You’re spot on with the rest. But I feel obliged to take up for O’Reilly because he’s about 500% more fair minded than the rest of the right wing pundits.
Kyle