Sarah Palin Trying To Claim Ronald Reagan’s Legacy

If Sarah Palin isn't running for President, why is she comparing herself to Ronald Reagan ?

In yet another sign that she is moving toward a decision on running for President, Sarah Palin is now starting to compare herself to the President that most conservative Republicans have idolized:

Speaking to a group of well-connected Republicans at a private dinner in Florida this week, Sarah Palin implicitly addressed questions about her own electability by noting that critics also said Ronald Reagan couldn’t win in 1980, three attendees told POLITICO.

Palin, at an event organized by the conservative magazine Newsmax, told the right-wing crowd that those who don’t have the same convictions will always say a true conservative can’t win.

Pointing out that the knock on Reagan was that he was also too far to the right, the former Alaska governor repeatedly invoked the 40th president and conservative icon, at one point citing the quotation he was most fond of: that America is a “shining city on a hill.”

“I think she sees herself as heir to Reagan,” said one attendee.

Her invoking of the Gipper at a closed-door gathering illustrates that Palin is, at the very least, thinking through how she’d make her case if she pursued the presidency. And combined with the recent revelation of an e-mail her husband, Todd, sent to Alaska Senate hopeful Joe Miller excoriating him for not saying Palin was qualified to be president, her private comments make clear that the 2008 vice-presidential candidate wants other Republicans to take her seriously as a White House prospect.

(…)

Even though she didn’t openly discuss her intentions, the possibility of a Palin run was discussed by many in the room.

“I was surprised about how many people in room said ‘yes’ when I asked if they could see themselves supporting her,” said one attendee. “I was expecting to hear what you mostly hear — ‘I hope she doesn’t do it’ or, ‘She’s more effective doing what she’s doing.'”

The gathering, first reported by US News & World Report, was described as a “get-acquainted” session by an attendee and was held in conjunction with a video interview Palin did with Newsmax, set to air next week. The evening began with a reception and dinner and was followed by Palin speaking and taking questions.

High-profile guests included Reed, Michael Reagan, Grover Norquist, Dick Morris, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and such donors as former GOPAC Chair Gay Gaines, businessman Lee Hanley and former Reagan Ambassador to Switzerland Faith Whittlesey.

This isn’t the first time that Palin has tried to tie her name to the legacy of conservative Republicanism’s most visible icon, and it’s unlikely to be the last. One persistent rumor that has been floating around the blogophere since early July, in fact, says that Palin will announce her candidacy for the Presidency on February 6, 2011, the 100th anniversary of President Reagan’s birth, perhaps at his birthplace in Tampico, Illinois. While that seems unlikely — there’s no reason, after all, for Palin to announce that early — the idea that she would try to tie her campaign to Reagan is not at all far-fetched, even though when you actually look at his record in 1980 (or 1976) compared to hers it becomes very clear that Sarah Palin is no Ronald Reagan.

The other significant part of this story is in the last paragraph quoted above. Why would Sarah Palin be meeting with high powered Republican donors unless she was preparing to run for President ?

FILED UNDER: 2010 Election, The Presidency, US Politics, , , , , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. James says:

    “said one attendee.” Doug did you attend the gathering ?

  2. James says:

    Connecting the Dots, Palin Candidate / Morris Manager ? 🙂

    Now there is a winning team. 🙂

  3. ponce says:

    Looks like all those fervent Democratic prayers may pay off.

  4. mike says:

    She probably doesn’t know who Reagan is.

  5. James says:

    Looks like all those fervent Democratic prayers may pay off.

    Recheck your sources, I’m just saying in some would make

    a Federal Case out of “Prayer”.

  6. Davebo says:

    “Recheck your sources, I’m just saying in some would make

    a Federal Case out of “Prayer”.”

    Huh?

    Oh well, keep the dream alive James!

    If the Gamecocks can knock off Bama anything is possible.

  7. tom p says:

    are repubs really that stupid?

  8. wr says:

    tom p — Yes.

  9. anjin-san says:

    > If Sarah Palin isn’t running for President, why is she comparing herself to Ronald Reagan ?

    Egomaniac with low self-esteem?

  10. JKB says:

    Sarah Palin…slowly the Democrats turned…step by step…inch by inch…

    I sure hope she runs. In these hard times, the country needs the serial comedy that the Progressive reaction would be. It’d be worth the price of admission just to see the gymnastics they do to slander her for lack of experience while avoiding the all to painful evidence of Obama’s lack of experience (and he’s been president for two years already).

    Or the hollowing out of the feminist movement as the so called feminist attack a real-live, independent free woman for the audacity of not being part of the hive.

    As an added bonus, Palin for President would cause the Dems to release all their ill-gotten tax dollars back into the country just to combat the possibility. Now that’s stimulus spending I can support.

  11. anjin-san says:

    Sure thing JKB. Remember to be good this year. Santa will be coming down the chimney before you know it…

  12. ponce says:

    “I sure hope she runs. In these hard times, the country needs the serial comedy that the Progressive reaction would be. ”

    Those are tears of joy, JKB.

    Palin needs to start comparing herself to Bob Dole if she’s running.

  13. Pete says:

    JKB, I’m with you. The spectacle would be delicious. I vividly remember the same sentiments being expressed about Reagan. What would be especially rewarding would be the weaseling explanations by anjin-san, tano, michael reynolds, ponce, tomp, and wr about why she won. Gosh, they might even threaten to move to Cuba with Michael Moore.

  14. grampagravy says:

    “…Sarah Palin is no Ronald Reagan.”
    Of course not. Reagan was sane for a conservative.

  15. Brummagem Joe says:

    What Republican politician DOESN’T claim to St Ronnie II? Democrats would love her to run because it means a Landon/Goldwater landslide for Obama. Unfortunately, she’s not going to oblige. This is nonsense intended to keep her in the news because apparently her audiences at these paid for rallies are falling precipitately thus necessitating moves to smaller halls. On that point the President still seems to be able to pull a crowd, 25,000 in Madison, 15,000 in MD, and they are expecting quite mob in Philly.

  16. Pete says:

    Oh Poor Old Joe, still in thrall of “The One.” Those crowds are likely the totally indoctrinated, unions, clueless college students, the idle who depend on government for their monthly welfare, and other non producers. Joe, I hope you wake up from your idolatry before you go totally insane.

  17. Brummagem Joe says:

    Pete says:
    “Those crowds are likely the totally indoctrinated, unions, clueless college students, the idle who depend on government for their monthly welfare, and other non producers.”

    Apparently he has many more indoctrinated than she does, and there’s strength in numbers. And I didn’t know Zels attended Obama rallies.

  18. Pete says:

    C’mon Joe, you can do better than that. Maybe the upcoming election will convince you of how popular his policies are. And of course who could question the competence of this merry band of Chicago thugs? Why, they have successfully passed legislation that is immensely popular with the unions and non producers; policies that are bankrupting the country. Now that is what I call hopelessness and depression. Go ahead and denigrate Palin. Denigrate the Tea Party. You and the other Obama lovers seem to be in the wilderness: Obama governs like Bush and conservatism is making a quick comeback. Order your Paxil.

  19. john personna says:

    from A radical pessimist’s guide to the next 10 years:

    35) Stupid people will be in charge, only to be replaced by ever-stupider people. You will live in a world without kings, only princes in whom our faith is shattered

    If you don’t think Sarah is stupid, please post your SAT scores. Sorry, but that’s the way it is.

  20. Pete says:

    Who’s making any claims as to Palin’s intelligence? Is Obama intelligent? I don’t know. He sounds intelligent. I know highly educated people who can’t tie their shoelace. I know barely educated people who are worth millions. I would prefer leaders with experience in decision making; not exalted academic credentials. Academics deal more in the abstract and theoretical; qualities highly desirable in growing societies, but inherently problematic in many common sense decisions.

  21. wr says:

    “Unions and non producers.”

    Nice. So I see you hate hard-working people who have come together to negotiate a fair wage AND those who have been thrown out of work by the economic wreckage wrought by the Bushies.

    And you hate college students. Oh, and the “totally indoctrinated,” which is apparently what you call those who don’t worship every word that Ayn Rand vomited out.

    The Tea Party Patriots — They love America and hate all Americans who aren’t exactly like them.

  22. anjin-san says:

    > I vividly remember the same sentiments being expressed about Reagan. What would be especially rewarding would be the weaseling explanations by anjin-san,

    I voted for Reagan for President twice, and frequently praise him in here. I know you are not the sharpest pencil, but even you can do better.

  23. anjin-san says:

    > I would prefer leaders with experience in decision making;

    What is the biggest decision Palin has made? Oh yea – “Time to betray the people who elected me governor and cash in on my newfound fame”. Yes folks, the girl can make the tough calls.

  24. john personna says:

    Pete, I know I’m dumb a lot of the time, despite pretty good SAT scores. I guess that’s my perspective, how much worse would someone with low scores and accademic accomplishment do?

    Put another way, I did buy the argument that since Reagan did OK as an old codger then GWB should do OK with good advisers. It didn’t turn out that way. We are back to “fool me once …”

  25. Brummagem Joe says:

    Pete says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 10:12
    “C’mon Joe, you can do better than that.”

    Perhaps because I don’t your pronouncements awfully seriously. Viz:

    “Who’s making any claims as to Palin’s intelligence? Is Obama intelligent?I don’t know. ”

    After all the Harvard and Chicago law schools are full of unintelligent people. It’s a mystery how they are ever admitted.

  26. john personna says:

    Yet another way to put it: common sense is good, having a good nature is important, and raw smarts are good. There are a lot of fine people who score on 1 or 2 of those, but we don’t necessarily want them as our doctors, our lawyers, or our leaders.

    I’d really like all three. It’s not like raw smarts make up for common sense or good nature.

    (I worked in programming, where people with raw smarts were sometimes found without common sense or good nature :-/)

  27. Jay Tea says:

    “…Sarah Palin is no Ronald Reagan.”
    Of course not. Reagan was sane for a conservative.

    Oh, please. I never got the chance to vote for Reagan, but I was old enough to remember his two campaigns — and the words of his opponents.

    “Amiable dunce.”

    “Ronnie Ray-gun.”

    He was gonna get us all blowed up in a nucular arma-gettin’ with all his tough talk about the Soviets.

    Washed-up, has-been B-movie actor.

    “My favorite thing about Reagan was the bullet hole.” (Actually heard a friend of mine say that. Tore him a new one.)

    Senile old coot.

    Reagan was denigrated and run down by the “intellectual elite” and “media elite” and the left quite savagely — much like Palin is today. The parallels are unmistakable. And those who deny that Reagan was as “polarizing” as Palin is are being intellectually dishonest.

    J.

  28. anjin-san says:

    > Of course not. Reagan was sane for a conservative.

    Reagan was a bright man, and above all, a pragmatic politician. Aside from his hatred of communism, he was not dogmatic, like most pragmatists, he was interested in finding things that worked. His ability to work with the opposition made him pretty successful at this.

    Palin shows no signs of being bright, and certainly none of being pragmatic. If she has an ability to work with the opposition, it has not evidenced itself yet.

    What do Reagan and Palin have in common? Some of their political opponents attack them, and sometimes in a nasty way. That’s it.

  29. john personna says:

    Jay, we now know that what we saw in Reagan’s second term was early evidence of Alzheimer’s. That’s just fact. It is sad that people were mean about those early clues, but it’s kind of pretending to say there was nothing to it, that there was no fire to go with that smoke.

    We have smoke again. Fire?

  30. Jay Tea says:

    “Reagan was sane for a conservative.”

    Interesting back-handed compliment there.

    And if you were familiar with Palin’s record in Alaska, you’d see she was remarkably pragmatic in getting things done. About the only time she took a hard-core stance was on ethics — when she took on the corrupt GOP establishment and beat them. She achieved a hell of a lot in her abbreviated term of office — educational funding reform, the natural gas pipeline, and a host of other things.

    So, anjin, your argument is “yeah, they said a lot of the same things about Reagan, but they were wrong then and they’re right now?”

    Not buying it.

    J.

  31. Jay Tea says:

    john, you said it yourself: 2nd term. The anti-Reagan stuff started before he was elected.

    J.

  32. JKB says:

    Pete, I hope you’re sitting back and enjoying this like I am. Just a little hint of Palin running and those of certain persuasions are falling all over themselves to say she isn’t smart. I particularly like how SAT scores, and not even Palin’s, are suppose to have some impact on intelligence. They do have some predictive value for how someone will fair in an academic environment but are of absolutely no value in the real world.

    Oh, and I love that Obama’s intellectual credentials are that a couple of universities first let him attend then hired him part time. To quote Elle Woods regarding getting into Harvard: “What, like it’s hard?” For many it is but not if you are of the preferred diversity group with the backin of rich, white liberals. Here’s a question: Who paid for Obama’s law school education? In any case, the Obama is smart crowd offer no citation at all to his grades, academic papers, or other scholarship. We do know as head of the law review his contribution was to work at home so as not to bother the students who actually did the work and based on his recent statements, his lectures on Constitutional law may not have exhibited an understanding insight. I will concede that Obama is a gifted manipulator of crowds but there really hasn’t been any evidence of intellect or smarts independent of TOTUS.

    Now we just need the feminists to weigh in.

  33. john personna says:

    JKB, you miss the motivation by a mile. Sometimes people post because they feel they are in a strong postion, not a weak one. Sometime they feel they can knock an idea around for a while, with no downside.

    I will feel sad for America if Teh Stupid Party proves to hold sway though, and I’ll be back to wondering if it is the corn syrup or the Bisphenol A that did us in.

    (If you really think a Harvard Law Review president is possibly not-smart, I’ll feel sorry for you too. You’ll just be showing you can’t even grasp how that world works. I mean, he may have other flaws, but that won’t be one of them. FWIW, here is 1990 coverage written long before he was on political radar. It will answer “who paid.” Though … sometimes conservatives think these things are all planted with time machines, like the birth notices.)

  34. Janis Gore says:

    I’m a feminist with a small-f. Run her. Let her make her case.

  35. john personna says:

    That’s a defense in there being a sharp division, Jay? That what became more obvious in the second term was not there before?

    I liked Ronald Reagan and voted for him. If we had an authentic replacement I might be swayed again. That said, I don’t think the history was as clear cut as you still try to hold.

    I mean heck, the fact that Reagan could play the friendly old guy meant that opponents could play the old card. Back and forth. “I will not hold my opponent’s youth and inexperience against him.” Very good line, but an acknowledgement as well.

  36. Brummagem Joe says:

    JKB says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 13:08

    “Oh, and I love that Obama’s intellectual credentials are that a couple of universities first let him attend then hired him part time. To quote Elle Woods regarding getting into Harvard: “What, like it’s hard?””

    Another expert on the Harvard LS admissions process. Getting in is a cinch, anyone can tell you that. It’s even easier becoming president of law review. They can’t give the job away. Everyone knows Harvard LS is full of dumbos who got in just because they are latinos, black or asian. Common knowledge. This from some guy who would lucky to get a job cleaning the floors at Harvard LS.

  37. Jay Tea says:

    Congrats, Joe. You’ve demonstrated that Obama got in and got out of some very prestigious schools.

    What the hell did he do between those two events? What has he done since then?

    I’ve seen ZERO evidence of accomplishments or intellectual heft on the guy’s part aside from having the right names on his CV. Nothing. Zip. Nothing that says “oh, that’s why Harvard accepted him, and why they gave him his degree.”

    J.

  38. john personna says:

    Jay, there are some things that bring to mind the SNL “seriously?” kits. You could do at least 10 minutes of “seriously?” on your 13:28 post, I think.

    “What has he done since then?”

    Seriously?

    (This is why I tell JKB that there are some threads that have no downside. Go ahead, tell us some more how Palin supporters see no hint of intellect in a Harvard Education, election to congress, or a successful Presidential campaign. Or heck, a couple years of Presidency that we may not agree with, but have no stupidity-gaffes.)

  39. Jay Tea says:

    Whoa, John. I forgot that he WINS ELECTIONS. Damn, that’s incredibly impressive.

    What the hell did he do once he got elected to office? What were his achievements in the Illinois legislature or the US Senate?

    I don’t give a rat’s ass about a “Harvard education.” I care about what someone does with it. And in Obama’s case, it appears to have been a colossal waste.

    But hey, if you’re impressed by bright shiny credentials and impressive certificates on walls, more power to you.

    J.

  40. wr says:

    JKB — I reallize that this is hard for someone of your worldliness to understand, but Legally Blonde is not actually a documentary and Elle Woods is a fictional character.

  41. anjin-san says:

    > I forgot that he WINS ELECTIONS. Damn, that’s incredibly impressive.

    A guy comes out of nowhere and gets himself elected President, defeating opponents with almost endless amounts of money and connections.

    If you are too stupid to acknowledge that that is a very impressive accomplishment, regardless of what you think of Obama’s policies or performance in office, then you have marked yourself as a raging idiot unworthy of any further oxygen in here. Palin is absolutely your girl…

  42. Jay Tea says:

    anjin, Obama himself spent more money winning the presidency than any other election (with some from foreign sources, and after pledging to use public money, but I digress).

    What won Obama the election was tons of money and personal charisma — not a record of accomplishments. An image of competence, not actual demonstrated competencies.

    I repeat: aside from winning elections, what has he achieved?

    Winning elections, like getting into a prestigious school or getting a prestigious degree, are not goals. They are tools. They are what you use to achieve actual accomplishments.

    Obama was a do-nothing State Senator. He was a do-nothing US Senator. He was a do-nothing lecturer.

    At each stage of his life, it was clear that his current position was just a stepping-stone towards the next stage. He took each position just to get closer to the next level, never showing any interest in actually doing the job he had at that moment.

    Well, now he’s reached the point where he can’t go any higher. It’s time to see just what the hell he intends to do, with his string of certifications behind him.

    And the answer seems to be “not a hell of a lot.”

    Which is why he’s STILL stuck in perpetual campaign mode. In between rounds of golf, that is.

    J.

  43. John Personna says:

    Do you really think it is easy to survive at the center of a national campaign? An not, say, flunk out of a single tv interview?

    Other that that, congrats on the anger vibe, it really does help you dig deeper.

    I have hunted and fished with people in AK who know Sarah, and based on what they said, I’d give her “good natured” for sure, not mean, and she probably has some common sense. I’d fish with her and Todd for sure. I’d hope i’d be as good company. But, you know, for Presidents I’m more demanding.

  44. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 13:28
    “I’ve seen ZERO evidence of accomplishments or intellectual heft on the guy’s part aside from having the right names on his CV.”

    As I said anyone gets to be president of a Ivy league law review. What you’re betraying is your own abysmal ignorance of what is required to enter such establishments, maintain grades so they don’t chuck you out, make law review let alone president, graduate, pass bar exams etc. I have two kids and a son in law who went to Ivies or equivalents and the standard is very high and the workload punishing. All made their respective reviews all would have killed to be president. You don’t have the faintest idea of what you’re talking about.

    “I don’t give a rat’s ass about a “Harvard education.” I care about what someone does with it. And in Obama’s case, it appears to have been a colossal waste.”

    Obviously not, and he’s only made senator and first black president. Obviously an under achiever. Do you realise how inane you sound.

  45. anjin-san says:

    Let’s not forget that Obama has had success enacting his agenda on a legislative level of historic proportions. You might not like what he has done, but dismissing it is again, the mark of an idiot.

  46. Jay Tea says:

    anjin, he let the House write most of “his” agenda. He’s not a details man; he lets others do that.

    Joe, you’re right. I don’t know the inner workings of Harvard Law. Why don’t you enlghten us? Why don’t you show us just what Obama did while he was there to merit his acceptance and graduation? Cite his grades, his papers, his writings that demonstrate his brilliance and prove conclusively that he didn’t just coast by on charisma and the aspirations of those who wanted to say they helped elect “the first black president” (who, technically, is half white, if you wanna split hairs on racial identity grounds — I’d rather not, but it seems important to you).

    J.

  47. anjin-san says:

    > anjin, he let the House write most of “his” agenda. He’s not a details man; he lets others do that.

    I see you have never worked in an executive capacity. Big surprise, that…

  48. John Personna says:

    Jay, you should imagine you comment read by a random moderate. Will the whole Harvard attack ring true, or will “coast by on charisma” be a clunker?

    Seriously?

  49. Pete says:

    He excelled at Harvard because he supports the statist nonsense so worshipped by academe.

  50. John Personna says:

    At Harvard it is more likely elitist nonsense, but even that is not enough alone.

    BTW, getting back to stupid gaffes, can anyone remember one? Maybe just the bowing. Funny how a African Anti-colonial made that error! (referring to recent “dreams” essay)

  51. Jay Tea says:

    John, I’m not attacking Harvard. I’m just not bowing down and scraping and saying “well, he’s a Harvard man, so he has to be brilliant and right on everything.”

    I’m a proud New Hampshirite, but in this case I’ll put on my Missouri disguise and say “Show Me.”

    On the other hand, George W. Bush possesses a Bachelor’s from Yale and an MBA from Harvard Business School. What does that mean to YOU?

    J.

  52. anjin-san says:

    > George W. Bush possesses a Bachelor’s from Yale and an MBA from Harvard Business School. What does that mean to YOU?

    It means the sons of the powerful, wealthy and well connected can obtain Ivy League degrees without doing a lot of studying, especially in legacy situations. Since Obama lacked any of these advantages, you are going to have to do a little better.

  53. Pete says:

    Can you say, Affirmative Action?

  54. anjin-san says:

    > Can you say, Affirmative Action?

    Of course Pete. Any time someone you don’t like has accomplishments that far eclipse your own, it must have been handed to them. Especially if they are black.

    Stock right wing boilerplate. Try harder.

  55. John Personna says:

    MBA? Seriously?

    (Seriously, good essays have been written about MBA culture being more problem than solution. So no. While GWB’s Harvard is a good attempt, I think the MBA is not too much like law.)

    And of course we DO have the GWB gaffes, “fooled me once” being the applicable favorite.

  56. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 14:35

    “On the other hand, George W. Bush possesses a Bachelor’s from Yale and an MBA from Harvard Business School. What does that mean to YOU?”

    “Cite his grades, his papers, his writings”

    Proving yet again your ignorance I fear. 40 years ago Bush would easily have got into Yale’s undergrad program on alumni pref (You don’t get into Yale Law School that easily), and again if you have connections HBS wasn’t that hard (they even let me in so you can see how low the standards were). When it comes the LS at Harvard, Columbia and NYU of which I have some knowledge it’s a different ball game completely as you so clearly don’t begin to understand.

    “(who, technically, is half white, if you wanna split hairs on racial identity grounds — I’d rather not, but it seems important to you).”

    And it wasn’t me but some other person who thinks like you that raised it!

  57. Jay Tea says:

    You want gaffes, John, how about when Obama goes off Prompter? At least Bush knew it and admitted it and even embraced it…

    As far as intellectual acomplishments… Bush mastered flying one of the most dangerous fighter jets ever built, a plane that had a reputation as a real widowmaker. He mastered air navigation and a host of other highly demanding skills, without once crashing.

    You, sir, are confusing “inarticulate” with “stupid,” and “glib” with “intelligent.” They are NOT interchangeable.

    J.

  58. Pete says:

    Oh, poor anjin-san. As usual, you have your typical adolescent answer. “Racism, racism, racism…” Don’t you ever get tired of using that boilerplate lefty excuse for low IQ?

  59. John Personna says:

    You know, for hundreds of years we considered “articulate” and “intelligent” related. For a decade we were asked to think otherwise. I think the old understanding will stand the test of time, and the idea that you can cay dozens of stupid things while being intelligent will fade.

    It’s another of those things conservatives believed, not because they made sense, but because without them the house of cards would fall. See also, Sarah Palin, a fine person, unsuited to high office, who is sitting on the new house of cards.

  60. Jay Tea says:

    John, you’re showing your own lack of intelligence. I didn’t say “articulate” and “intelligence” were unrelated, I said they were not synonymous. I’ve known some remarkably intelligent people who were astonishingly fumble-mouthed. On the other hand, I’ve known several people who were exceptionally well-spoken — but when reviewed, their words were assemblages of boilerplate and platitudes that added up to nothing.

    You want a non-political example? Yogi Berra.

    There are several types of intelligence. Glibness is but one. And, I’d argue, one of the least important.

    I realize that this subtle distinction might escape someone of your obviously fine breeding and superb educational credentials, but it is blindingly obvious to me and my far, far inferior credentials.

    J.

  61. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 15:15

    “Bush mastered flying one of the most dangerous fighter jets ever built, a plane that had a reputation as a real widowmaker. He mastered air navigation and a host of other highly demanding skills, without once crashing. ”

    Ah so now Bush’s claims to high intellectual achievement are being switched from being an undergrad at Yale to his ability to fly a plane. So all these folks flying planes have the same level of intellectual achievement as an outstanding grad of Harvard Law. Again only someone with zero qualitative judgement would make such an absurd comment. I don’t think Bush is a complete doofus by any means, never have, but to suggest he’s in the same league intellectually or in terms of judgement as Obama is preposterous.

  62. John Personna says:

    You tried to spin them as unrelated, definitely.

  63. Bagger_Please says:

    I can’t imagine ANYONE actually thinking Sarah the quitter/gold digger Palin being intelligent enough to know that a continent is NOT a country let alone be intelligent to have a conversation on a global level. We would be the laughing stock of the world. Could you imagine this fake folksy money grubber trying to have a conversation with world leaders? uhuhuhuhh. shudder the thought. You tea baggers are soo delusional. YOUR candidates are such hypocrites. Think Joe Miller I was for unemployment and gubmint healthcare when it applied to me. Same with Sarah Angle, Kooky Christine Odonnel, Crazy Carl Paladino, etc. Wasn’t a tea bagger just revealed as a secret Nazi lover? Give me a break with the whole… when you’re a war reenactor, someone has to be the other side. Or Carl with his run Ni@@a run email? I bet most of the baggers don’t know that their hero Ronald Wilson Reagan aka 666 passed one of the first and harshest anti gun laws in the country. Isn’t the 2nd amendment the most important thing in the world to tea baggers?

  64. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 15:41

    “I realize that this subtle distinction might escape someone of your obviously fine breeding and superb educational credentials, but it is blindingly obvious to me and my far, far inferior credentials.”

    On the other hand you could just be thick and have a totally over inflated view of your ability to make qualitative judgements about matters of education and character. On the prima facie evidence of your non existent knowledge of high level legal education this seems fairly likely.

  65. Jay Tea says:

    Joe, I repeat my earlier assertion: what has Obama DONE to demonstrate his intellectual prowess? When has he been tested, and passed?

    Bill Whittle took on the issue of Bush’s intelligence back in 2006, with his brilliant “Seeing The Unseen” essay. http://pajamasmedia.com/ejectejecteject/2006/11/06/seeing-the-unseen-part-1/

    Bush didn’t just “fly a plane.” He MASTERED the F-102 Delta Dagger, a one-seat supersonic interceptor that was one of the most demanding — physically, intellectually, and psychologically — planes ever accepted into the United States Air Force.

    From Whittle’e essay:

    George W. Bush is not stupid. It’s not possible to be a moron and fly a supersonic jet fighter, and everyone knows it.

    What George W. Bush is, however, is inarticulate. English is his second language. From what I can see he does not have a first language. Abraham Lincoln spoke in simple frontier language in an age of rhetorical flourish. Like Bush, he was considered a bumpkin and an idiot, and like Bush, he realized that there were times when having people misunderestimate you repeatedly was a real advantage. That’s goal-oriented. That’s playing the deep game. That’s cunning.

    Obama… entered Harvard Law with nary a paper trail, exited same. Bounced from career-boosting position to career-boosting position without ever leaving a mark. (Just what the hell did he accomplish with all the millions he oversaw at the Annenberg Challenge? Besides fund Bill Ayers’ Marxist buddies, that is…) He let his good looks and fine voice and personal charisma carry him, never once demonstrating leadership or vision or ability.

    Which is apparently fine with you. Because apparently image is all that matters; substance is only for ignorant proles like me. We shouldn’t even think of questioning our betters.

    Sorry if I’m getting a bit uppity. Must be that poor breeding and lackluster education.

    J.

  66. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 16:01
    “Joe, I repeat my earlier assertion: what has Obama DONE to demonstrate his intellectual prowess? When has he been tested, and passed?”

    Yes I think you probably are.

  67. Jay Tea says:

    OK, Joe, give back your degree. That last comment made NO sense whatsoever. More incoherent than Bush ever was — at least in his case, one could usually figure out what he meant. Yours is utterly incomprehensible.

    J.

  68. Bagger_Please says:

    Jay Tea Bagger is obviously deflecting because he CAN’T defend Sarah Failin

  69. Jay Tea says:

    Funny, I thought I DID defend Palin rather adequately at the beginning. Guess that missed your notice, dipshit…

    J.

  70. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 16:22
    ” one could usually figure out what he meant. Yours is utterly incomprehensible.”

    Can’t join dots either.

  71. Jay Tea says:

    Non sequitur, Joe. Your response has absolutely no relation to the quote you cited. It is utterly unresponsive. Either you quoted the wrong comment, or missed the relevant portion where your rebuttal would actually make sense.

    Read it again.

    J.

  72. Bagger_Please says:

    Jay Tea Bagger LOL. That was my point. You DIDN’T. That women would have quite before month 6 and blamed it on the liberal media.

  73. Jay Tea says:

    “would have quite before month 6″

    Joe, I think this is one of yours… feel free to clean up after him/her/it.

    Although in this case, I can determine what was meant by context. So this idiot’s a better communicator than you are.

    J.

  74. John Personna says:

    I thought I DID defend Palin rather adequately at the beginning.

    As a note for the future, we should gererally avoid grading our own comments, esp. in caps. It might come off badly.

  75. Bagger_Please says:

    I’m not trying to be the moral leader of TeaBeckistan. Sarah is. I bet I can tell you what I read on a daily basis though. Plus, I’m glad you agree with my statement, if not my spelling.

  76. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 16:34

    “Non sequitur, Joe.”

    I’m used to dealing with people who can follow a narrative. Don’t blame me if you can’t.

  77. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 16:35
    “would have quite before month 6″

    “Although in this case, I can determine what was meant by context. So this idiot’s a better communicator than you are.’

    What a waste of an education.

  78. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 14:11
    “Joe, you’re right. I don’t know the inner workings of Harvard Law.”

    In summary, I Jay Tea don’t have any knowledge of what is required to gain admission to the country’s leading law schools or of the intellectual energy and rigor required to maintain grade averages, win coveted positions on law journals, graduate and pass bar exams. Nor am I familiar with subjects like alumni preference in college admissions. However, this in no way disqualifies me from being able to pontificate on these subjects because I’m endowed with superior natural faculties of quantitative and qualitative judgement which are not available to the better educated. These gifts enable me to rapidly identify the intellectually untalented that fail by, for example, becoming senators or president. I can also without any thought at all google right wing web sites that will rapidly and conveniently provide me with testimonials to the brilliance and all round competence of Republican presidents and particularly their ability to fly planes. I can also boil water (provided my wife shows me where the switch is).

  79. Jay Tea says:

    Man, Joe, that is so full of fail.

    At the end, you give me a non-existent wife. A very generous offer, but I’m going to have to decline — I don’t think Hallmark makes a card for that, and I try to mind my manners.

    But you miss my whole point about the Harvard thing. You are the one insisting on how it gives Obama sterling credentials for being president; I, speaking purely empirically, state that to me (and the vast majority who lack the benefits of an Ivy League education) say that it remains to be proven — and judging by the results of Obama’s administration thus far, may actually be a contraindicator.

    Your argument boils down to one simple phrase: “trust us, your betters.”

    My answer is a variant of “eppur si muove!”

    I ask you for demonstrations of Obama’s abilities and intelligence and gifts outside of “he got into these elite schools, and he got out of them” — proof that he can acctually survive and flourish outside the hothouse of primus inter pares academia. I discount them because they are utterly unsubstantiated by actual achievements, and in a vacuum they are meaningless.

    You see them as a passport to success. I see them as tools. And as tools, they have been placed in utterly idle hands.

    What has Obama done with his degrees? Why, he’s leveraged them into position after position where he can use them as stepping-stones for the next rung on the ladder. At no point has he actually applied them for anything beyond self-elevation.

    And now that he’s reached the summit, we’re finding that all he knows how to do is climb. He doesn’t know when it’s time to stop climbing and actually achieve something. He’s stuck in campaign mode, with no clue how to govern.

    And, apparently, little interest — hence his ongoing vacations and endless rounds of golf. Punctuated by campaign-style pledges to “not rest” until the current crisis is resolved.

    Which many of us predicted over two years ago.

    But hey, he’s got a DEGREE from HARVARD, so I guess us peasants should just shut up and mind our manners and remember that we are in the best of hands with our lords and masters.

    J.

  80. anjin-san says:

    > Oh, poor anjin-san. As usual, you have your typical adolescent answer. “Racism, racism, racism…” Don’t you ever get tired of using that boilerplate lefty excuse for low IQ?

    You brought Affirmative Action into the conversation skippy. You are saying Obama’s educational credentials were gifted to him because he is black. That’s a racist statement. Possibly you make enough of them that you are simply not aware of it. Pretty common in right wing circles.

  81. anjin-san says:

    > He doesn’t know when it’s time to stop climbing and actually achieve something.

    I guess you have forgotten that we were on the brink of a depression under his predecessor , and now the economy is stable, if a tad anemic. Thats ok, the mass amnesia extends to the entire GOP, you are hardly unique…

  82. Janis Gore says:

    I’ll intervene and say that affirmative action applied to women, too. And I’d say in this case, that Ms. Palin is also an affirmative action candidate.

    This wouldn’t be such a spirited discussion if you were discussing a man with the same gifts, education and credentials.

  83. anjin-san says:

    > Obama… entered Harvard Law with nary a paper trail, exited same.

    So he was not the president of the Harvard Law Review?

  84. Jay Tea says:

    Apparently he was, anjin… and as is obvious to anyone, that definitely makes him eminently qualified to be president.

    Man, I wish I was privileged enough to be able to grasp all this intuitively. Sadly, I — like so many other Americans — just have to ask “OK, what has he done with all these amazing gifts he obviously possesses, and the sterling education he obviously received?”

    Three years later, still waiting for an answer.

    J.

  85. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 18:25

    My parodies alas can’t compare with the real Jay Tea who believes that Harvard Law degrees are easily obtained; that their use for career advancement is illegitimate; and that the president only wanted to achieve that office so he could play endless golf. What chance have I got against such inventive powers? You should give the Coen Brothers a call.

  86. Jay Tea says:

    Joe, that last comment is an utter parody. No, that’s not fair; parodies have to have at least a passing resemblance to reality. You are utterly divorced from it.

    I have never said that Harvard degrees are easy. I have merely challenged you to demonstrate how they automatically qualify their recipients for high office, and bypass the need for any other accomplishments or qualifications.

    I never said Obama only ran for office to play golf; I said that he ran with no idea how to actually behave in office, and the endless vacations and golf trips are symptomatic in his indifference to the actual duties of the job.

    You’re the elitist lackwit (educated beyond your ability to process into something productive and sensible) who is miffed that I (and so many others) dare to question you, our betters.

    So you have to constantly rewrite what I say into something easier for your to rebut.

    “Reality-based,” indeed.

    J.

  87. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 18:50

    “You’re the elitist lackwit (educated beyond your ability to process into something productive and sensible)”

    Yeah, you have to wonder how I ended running a company with several thousand employees. No talent I guess, same problem the president suffers from.

  88. Jay Tea says:

    Well, Joe, that makes you a hell of a lot more qualified to be Chief Executive of the United States than the guy who sits there now.

    And you STILL can’t answer what Obama has done away from academia that demonstrates his qualifications to be President of the United States.

    No, that’s not fair. Just because you won’t, doesn’t mean you can’t.

    But that’s how I’m betting.

    J.

  89. anjin-san says:

    > Apparently he was, anjin… and as is obvious to anyone, that definitely makes him eminently qualified to be president.

    You said he left Harvard with no paper trail, which is not only BS but obvious BS. No one mentioned his experience at the law review as a qualifier to be President. Its just a lame bait and switch on your part.

    Perhaps you could explain again how he left Harvard with no paper trail, or man up and admit that argument is a joke.

  90. Janis Gore says:

    Just run her. She’ll either prove herself or not. Hell, I don’t care. The argument bores me.

  91. Jay Tea says:

    so, anjin, what is the paper trail from his tenure? What did he achieve while holding that office? Who worked under him that has attested to what a great editor he was?

    “Editor of Law Review,” with nothing else, is just another fancy certificate for his wall. It says NOTHING about his abilities.

    Much like his career as a lecturer, or his work at the Annenberg Trust, or, his years in the Illinois legislature, or his partial term in the US Senate…

    J.

  92. anjin-san says:

    >so, anjin, what is the paper trail from his tenure? What did he achieve while holding that office? Who worked under him that has attested to what a great editor he was?

    Keep moving the goal posts. You said he had no paper trail at Harvard. Editor of the Law Review is one of the most prestigious accomplishments one can have at Harvard. He does have a Harvard paper trail, and an impressive one at that.

    > just another fancy certificate for his wall

    Ummm. That’s what a paper trail is. You don’t get out much, do you?

  93. Jay Tea says:

    No, a paper trail is what he has said and done. A certificate says nothing about his beliefs, his thought processes, his values, his principles.

    The certificate says “I held this title” or “I got this degree.”

    I guess when you’re as intelligent and well-educated as you are, then you have no real curiosity left. You have so much faith in Obama’s degrees and certificates and don’t need any more.

    J.

  94. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 19:11
    “But that’s how I’m betting.”

    Well I’d stay away from the horses because apparently you don’t have the ten cents worth of perception required to understand that it’s not a matter of luck when someone comes out of nowhere, gains admission to Harvard Law, become president of review, graduates, passes the bar, and goes on to lecture in constitutional law at Chicago LS, become a state senator, senator and president. It requires high intelligence, enormous hard work and huge natural talent.

  95. anjin-san says:

    > then you have no real curiosity left.

    I have boundless curiosity. I am a real information junkie. But I don’t need any curiosity to know why you want to talk about Obama’s record at the Harvard Law Review. You can’t create credible critiques of Obama’s performance as President of the U.S., which is a bit more relevant. When you nonsense critiques are shredded, you try to bait and switch.

    You don’t appear to have any idea of what an executives role is. You don’t seem to know much about what is required to put together the educational credentials Obama has. Like I said, you don’t seem to get out much. You are a perfect mark for someone like Sarah Palin. I suggest you send her some money at once. Then the fleecing of the sheep will be complete.

  96. anjin-san says:

    > Well I’d stay away from the horses because apparently you don’t have the ten cents worth of perception

    Amen. And the inability to give credit where credit is due is a serious character flaw J. Even if you think Obama is a terrible President, you should give him credit the remarkable fact that he got there. Everything else aside, becoming the first black President is a historic accomplishment that will be remembered as long as America endures.

    Everyone here knows I can’t stand Dick Cheney. But it does not mean I do not have respect for him. He is a tough, smart, and generally formidable man who has accomplished a lot, even if I do not care for his accomplishments.

    Likewise, I do not hesitate to credit Bush for a good late game course correction in Iraq with the surge. Or taking necessary steps to stabilize the economy such as TARP, which was a success.

  97. Jay Tea says:

    Again, the incredibly impressive laundry list. I keep forgetting — HAVING a position is all that matters, not what one does in it.

    He oversaw and disbursed millions at the Annenberg Challenge, and achieved exactly nothing. (Except cement his relationship with Bill Ayers, of course.)

    He lectured for years on Constitutional law, but never published a single article or had a former student talk about how inspiring he was.

    He was an Illinois senator whose office records vanished, and his most notable achievement was pushing for a bill allowing hospitals who had a fetus that survived an abortion to shut it in a closet until it got the hint and died.

    He was a United States Senator who vowed to serve his full term, then started running for president almost immediately and couldn’t be bothered to actually do much of the work of being a senator.

    Now he’s a president stuck in permanent campaign mode, taking vacations when he’s not whining about wanting more time off.

    But hey, he’s a graduate of Harvard Law School, editor of Law Review, and a Constitutional Law, so sooner or later those sterling qualities will shine through and he’ll start acting like a president.

    He has to. anjin and Joe say so.

    J.

  98. Brummagem Joe says:

    Jay Tea says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 21:27
    “He lectured for years on Constitutional law, but never published a single article or had a former student talk about how inspiring he was.’

    I’m afraid your lies become awfully boring

    http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/701490,CST-NWS-obamaprof18.article

  99. Jay Tea says:

    My apologies. He did have some students who remembered and liked him. That does change everything. He really is ideally suited for his current job.

    Just when will he start acting like it?

    J.

  100. anjin-san says:

    > Now he’s a president stuck in permanent campaign mode, taking vacations when he’s not whining about wanting more time off.

    That is a Fox News talking point, not a coherent critique of Obama’s performance as President.

    I concur with Joe, you are simply becoming boring. Go to a tea party rally J. Everyone will talk a lot about how much Obama sucks, and you will all feel good afterwards.

  101. Janis Gore says:

    Obama is not an interesting man. Nobody on the entire slate of Democrats was interesting in 2008. They were 3-4 percent more interesting than the Republicans.

    I never cared for the bellicose foreign policy of the Republicans. Missy isn’t changing that for me.

  102. Brummagem Joe says:

    Janis Gore says:
    Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 23:30
    “Obama is not an interesting man.”

    Not sure I agree with this, I’d love to have dinner with him. In fact if you compile a list of 20th century presidents the Dems easily win out as dining companions. TR, Taft, Reagan, Bush senior would be convivial but the rest headed by Coolidge would be hard work. But Wilson, FDR, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton, Obama. All different of course but interesting.

  103. Janis Gore says:

    His speech in 2004 was an inspiring note. I think he could have benefited from hanging back for a season, which he didn’t. Could be the whole class was vulnerable. Our favorite southern snotwad, John Edwards, chose to run the same year.

  104. Brummagem Joe says:

    “Our favorite southern snotwad, John Edwards, chose to run the same year.”

    I wouldn’t be particularly interested in having dinner with Edwards.

  105. jwest says:

    All Sarah Palin ever accomplished after working her way through admittedly undistinguished schools was running a small business, being elected mayor of a small town then governor of a state.

    Barack Obama attended Harvard and won a Nobel Prize. Hardly a fair comparison.

    Of course, Mr. Obama’s accomplishments would be a bit more impressive had he achieved the grades necessary to be accepted at Harvard and if he done something to deserve a Nobel Prize, but that would be nit-picking.

  106. Brummagem Joe says:

    jwest says:
    Monday, October 11, 2010 at 16:10
    “Of course, Mr. Obama’s accomplishments would be a bit more impressive had he achieved the grades necessary to be accepted at Harvard ”

    Of course they’re letting people into Harvard without the necessary qualifications all the time, then they make them president of the law review, let them falsify the grades required to graduate, let them slip by the bar exam, and teach constitutional law at Chicago. Scandal really, should be investigated by highly intelligent and totally objective people like Jwest.

  107. anjin-san says:

    > Mr. Obama’s accomplishments would be a bit more impressive had he achieved the grades necessary to be accepted at Harvard

    Perhaps you could show some evidence that Obama did not have the necessary grades and was somehow given a pass…

  108. sam says:

    “All Sarah Palin ever accomplished after working her way through admittedly undistinguished schools was running a small business, being elected mayor of a small town then governor of a state.”

    Of course, she wasn’t half as successful at that last as her supporters claim.

  109. G.A.Phillips says:

    ***”I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” Biden said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”***ANJIN this dude is vice president!!!!!!

    Racists statements indeed……….

    ****Yeah, you have to wonder how I ended running a company with several thousand employees.****lol, Obamarartor inc.?