Althouse: "I haven't liked a candidate enough to be actually disillusioned by one in . . . "

September 22, 2008

"I haven't liked a candidate enough to be actually disillusioned by one in . . . "

"... well, ever, really."

Ha ha. Me neither. But this is self-flattery, isn't it? We were never illusioned.

135 comments:

George M. Spencer said...: Serenity

The man who wants a quiet life
And traught, commoded days
Should find himself an otic wife
With sipid, centric ways.

-Felicia Lamport; 9/22/08, 9:17 PM
Donn said...: Great line by Glenn:

The good news is that the guy you don't like usually fails to live up to your fears almost as much as the guy you like fails to live up to your hopes. . . .; 9/22/08, 9:19 PM
Issob Morocco said...: Ann, the acorn did not fall far from the tree. Nice and comtemplative explanations from your son as to why he feels the way he does on Obama.

As for Rappaport, I just heard that McCranky is going to put Gov. Sibelius as Agriculture Secretary. And John Kerry as Veteran's Secretary.....yawn!!

GO BADGERS! Destroy the Wolverines!; 9/22/08, 9:26 PM
Crimso said...: But were you ever gruntled?; 9/22/08, 9:36 PM
William said...: I had a whole cult of personality thing going on with Bobby Kennedy. Then, after he was assasinated, he moved from hero to deity. Still later, after all the sleazy stories came out, I felt confused and ambivalent. I regret that neither he nor his brother lived long enough to disillusion me.; 9/22/08, 9:41 PM
Roberto said...: William said..."I felt confused and ambivalent."

Based on what we've seen since the Kennedy bothers, you should be pretty much convinced of their sincerity and goodwill by now.

Regardless of their personal life.; 9/22/08, 9:50 PM
Anonymous said...: the Kennedy bothers?; 9/22/08, 10:08 PM
miller said...: William - I think I understand.

I was greatly moved by Bobby Kennedy. I went to bed the night he won the California primary.

When I woke up, the world had changed.

I couldn't support Humphrey - a nice, pleasant man but who was too deeply in Johnson's shadow. (That evil, evil man.)

I reluctantly went for Nixon.

In 72, Nixon again. Again, another pleasant man in McGovern who was simply not a serious contender.

76, we had Carter - a pious lecturer on how we Americans had to think small and wear sweaters, vs a man who was the accidental president. I had close friends vote for Carter because he was "nice."

80 - the Gipper vs. "My 12-year-old daughter Amy advises me on nuclear weapon strategies"
84 - the Gipper vs. "I will raise your taxes"
88 - Bush Sr. vs. Tankman
92 - Bush Sr. vs. "It's the economy stupid."
96 - Dole "it's my turn now" vs. "Say anything"
00 - Bush Jr vs. Mr. Internet
04 - Bush Jr vs. Mr. & Mrs. Jenjis & Madelyn Kahn

in 96, Clinton was the better executive candidate, even though he was (and is) a moral fool. He's a brilliant politician.

But really, how do these guys make it to the top? Some of them are rank amateurs, some are poltroons.

And now we have Mr. Duty Honor Country and Mr. Community Organizer.

Whom to choose...whom to choose...; 9/22/08, 10:17 PM
Roberto said...: madawaskan: Illiterate?; 9/22/08, 10:18 PM
Roberto said...: Miller: "I reluctantly went for Nixon."

And that says it all for you.

The 2nd most disgraceful President in our nation's history...and you voted for BOTH of them.

Are you proud?; 9/22/08, 10:22 PM
Roberto said...: miller, by the way: The Gipper raised taxes 6 times.

YOU really need to read more.; 9/22/08, 10:23 PM
KCFleming said...: In the otherwise inconsistent movie Instinct, there flashed a few moments of brilliance.

A young psychiatrist is trying to understand the professor (Anthony Hopkins) who abandoned his family and lived among the African gorillas, who killed for them, and is now in prison for murder.

Hopkins suddenly attacks and pins the young doctor, with a pen to his carotid:
[YouTube, at 3:35]

Now, this will be a very simple test. Pass or fail, life or death.
Ready, Juha ? Now, you write on
this paper what l have taken from you.

What have you lost? What did I take from you?

"My illusions", says the psychiatrist.

Yeah.
Congratulations.
You’ve lost nothing but your illusions, and a little bit of skin.

Around that time, I lost my illusions as well. As such I worship no man.

We are offered at best leaders who do not screw things up. And as we are entering some very bad times ahead, to agree to be led back into failed socialist approaches seems far more delusion than illusion.

But that is where we are headed.; 9/22/08, 10:34 PM
Roberto said...: Pogo: "We are offered at best leaders who do not screw things up. And as we are entering some very bad times ahead..."

And keep in mind, numbnut...YOU voted for the idiot who put us in this situation.

It's too late to lay it on anyone else.

YOU got exactly what you supported and voted into office.; 9/22/08, 10:42 PM
Palladian said...: Why, again, are we tolerating this twat "Michael"? Did we decide that it's yet another introllnation of LuckyOldSon, or some new, equally uninteresting piece of toilet paper stuck to this blog's shoe? He's about as insightful as a high-school freshman essay on the meaning of life.; 9/22/08, 10:47 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Based on what we've seen since the Kennedy bothers, you should be pretty much convinced of their sincerity and goodwill by now.

You mean the brothers who commited civil liberties atrocities for the greater good? The brothers who used illegal wire taps and eaves dropping? The brothers who were so blindly rabid that they violated the US Constitution to go after perceived politcal enemies?

The only thing they did not violate was the eleventh commandment; thou shalt not get caught until after you are dead.

Those Kennedy brothers? They make Bush look like a saint.; 9/22/08, 10:50 PM
garage mahal said...: What's wrong with violating the Constitution and eavesropping on citizens? What am I missing?; 9/22/08, 10:52 PM
Roberto said...: Palladian: Quit whining, little girl.

Petey: I'll put the legacy of the "Kennedy brothers" up to George W. Bush's any day of the week, fool.

YOU really need to read more and talk less.; 9/22/08, 10:56 PM
Roberto said...: Palladian is in the "arts."

Let's take a guess: Gay porn?; 9/22/08, 10:57 PM
DaLawGiver said...: ...poltroons.

Nobody talks like that, but I wish they did.

Obama says, "You sir are a poltroon and a gadfly." To which McCain replies, "Blow me you worthless meatstick."; 9/22/08, 10:58 PM
DaLawGiver said...: Michael is not LOS. He's not that smart.; 9/22/08, 10:59 PM
KCFleming said...: Micheal's more of a scrotum, really. An 85 year old unwashed, droopy, weeping, scaly, 6-inch-long-hairs, herniated, bedridden scrotum.

What's wrong with violating the Constitution and eavesropping on citizens? What am I missing?
Ah, the FDR biography.
My favorite bedtime story.; 9/22/08, 11:00 PM
Roberto said...: Lawgiver, I went to high school and was buddies with Dan O'Bannon.

One of the strangest people you will ever meet.; 9/22/08, 11:02 PM
DaLawGiver said...: He's just a fart in the wind.

Or like when you're watching TV and your dog rips one and as you're gagging he's looking at you with those innocent eyes like, "What? I didn't do anything, why don't you scratch my belly." He really craves that belly rub but doesn't really understand how foul he smells.; 9/22/08, 11:03 PM
Roberto said...: Pogo: Once again...Keep in mind, numbnut...YOU voted for the idiot who put us in this situation.; 9/22/08, 11:04 PM
DaLawGiver said...: OK pogo you outgrossed me.; 9/22/08, 11:04 PM
Roberto said...: Lawgiver, Are you and Pogo...dating?; 9/22/08, 11:05 PM
KCFleming said...: but doesn't really understand how foul he smells.
...and rather thinks you enjoy it as much as he.

Ah Michael, stow it. I'm not going to debate your anti-intellectual incontinence, your delusional diarrhea, your refractory retardation.

What's the point?
I'd rather discuss fiber options with an irritable bowel sufferer.; 9/22/08, 11:08 PM
Roberto said...: Pogo: Once again...Keep in mind, numbnut...YOU voted for the idiot who put us in this situation.; 9/22/08, 11:10 PM
KCFleming said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/22/08, 11:16 PM
KCFleming said...: I say it's broccoli and I say the hell with it.; 9/22/08, 11:17 PM
dick said...: I didn't know Pogo voted for Clinton.; 9/22/08, 11:18 PM
Anonymous said...: Michael-

Even if Obama does win-

you will still be miserable.

Brace yourself for that.; 9/22/08, 11:19 PM
KCFleming said...: Yes, I did. What an idiot.; 9/22/08, 11:20 PM
Roberto said...: madawaskan: Based on the incessant whining generated by 99% of the people here, it really takes some balls to insinuate that I'll be miserable if Obama wins.

Other than dealing with the situation Bush has all of us in right now, I'm in pretty good shape and am far from miserable.; 9/22/08, 11:27 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Well, can you imagine Glenn Reynolds ever being a starry eyed idealist? Except about nanotechnology or cookware?; 9/22/08, 11:29 PM
reader_iam said...: Why, again, are we tolerating this twat "Michael"?

Palladian, I can't answer your question precisely since it's not really addressed to me.

I could, however, answer the question as to how much I dislike--and how teeth-grindingly annoying I find--your 'twat'-rants [read, from POV: 'resorts to gleefully using that word with malevolence and without a discriminating regard for fellow readers/commenters'].

I could also answer why I tolerate it.

You're great so much of the time, Palladian. But you, too, need to consider whether you need to get the hell over yourself in certain ways, and in certain contexts.; 9/22/08, 11:31 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: I was disillusioned once. Really really really really badly. It wasn't about a political leader, but it was about a famous person.

It happened on a ski vacation in Aspen. My friends were about ten years my senior and I was staying at a house that one of them owned. At night I flipped through a rather extensive coffee table book on Audubon. I set down the book and joined my friends drinking coffee in the kitchen. I remarked I always admired Audubon. My friends nodded agreement. I continued, "The thing that gets me is his remarkable photographic memory combined with extraordinary artistic ability.
That's an combination that strikes me as unparalleled. I've tried it myself, remembering the details of birds, and failed to draw them accurately."

My friend goes, "What?"

I go, "He went out with his binoculars, bird watching then came back to the studio and painted what he saw. That's an insane talent worthy of admiration."

Incredulous, and eager to straighten me out, my friend goes, "He SHOT them!

My heart sank in that moment. I've never recovered. I resisted feebly, but failed. Now I hate that rotten Autubon's guts, and I'm glad he's dead. I've never really forgiven my friend for ruining my illusion. Wouldn't it have been better to just let me persist in ignorance?; 9/22/08, 11:39 PM
Mrs. Lillian Forkliss said...: I just love it when the two brothers communicate with each other online.

Presumably, they can't simply call each other on the telephone to discuss Matters of State? No, the two Althouse brothers must conduct their political banter online via the comments section of the one brother's fledgling blog !

And what of their communication styles? Christopher refers to his brother, goes ahead and even writes out his brother's name "John," at the beginning of his comments.

However, the other brother, John doesn't readily write out his brother's name when responding.

What can we make of that?

Christopher likes his brother a lot....maybe too much. A little too eager---enthusiastic about writing out the name "John" at the beginning of the comment. Clearly, Christopher isn't shy about writing, saying his brother's name.

John, on the other hand is very ambivalent about Christopher, and has trouble even writing out the name Christopher.

Of course, both brothers will deny they have differing levels of affection for one another, and will pretend they don't know what I'm talking about.

And Mom? Mom is nonplussed by the fact that one brother has far more affection towards his sibling, while the other doesn't reciprocate that same level of affection.

Mom really doesn't like to dig deep, or go dredging up awkward which are readily visible to the whole World Wide Web.; 9/22/08, 11:41 PM
reader_iam said...: Also, "numbnut" was consider passe, [picture the accent], silly and so-fogey back in 1973 (I can't speak for before that).

Sheesh, people.; 9/22/08, 11:44 PM
Palladian said...: and you, dear reader_iam, need to get over yourself sometimes as well. I would never have dreamed of saying as such before, but since you've opened that door, I'll take advantage of the opportunity. Wading through your streams-of-consciousness is, at times, just as soggy and unpleasant an experience as when you are "forced" to slough through one of my ill-tempered anti-troll piss puddles. Should you wish to avoid any future pain caused by my writing, I suggest you scroll past when you see my name. I'll be sure to do the same with you.; 9/22/08, 11:45 PM
Chet said...: So, in other words, what you're saying, Mrs. Forkliss, is that one brother is rather remote, distant and detached.....

--- while the other brother is, at least at this time, eager for affection and connection ????

Fascinating.; 9/22/08, 11:46 PM
Palladian said...: Talk about disillusionment...; 9/22/08, 11:49 PM
Stupe said...: Wow, who knew?

So John's post isn't about ambivalence towards his Presidential Candidate......it's really all about ambivalence towards his brother, and taken with the comments section.....it becomes a treatise on Freudian sibling relationships?; 9/22/08, 11:50 PM
reader_iam said...: Fair enough, of course.; 9/22/08, 11:52 PM
reader_iam said...: I won't have to deal with "twat." And you won't have to deal with my equivalent gay-offensive term ... oh, wait.

But as I said, fair enough.; 9/22/08, 11:55 PM
Maxine Weiss said...: John's rejection of Hillary, is viewed as a rejection of Christopher---who supported Hillary.

And now, John's further reluctance to fully support his brother's political views....can be seen as a hesitancy to support and commit to his brother.

John has abdicated his duties and obligations as a big brother, by not standing with Christopher.

Of course there's more to it then that. With John, there's the issue of brother's lifestyle, acceptable modes of living etc...

John is still very skittish when it comes to that sort of thing, even though he voiciferously denies it.; 9/22/08, 11:57 PM
Palladian said...: "So John's post isn't about ambivalence towards his Presidential Candidate......it's really all about ambivalence towards his brother, and taken with the comments section.....it becomes a treatise on Freudian sibling relationships?"

If you're talking about the comments of "Mrs. Lillian Forkliss", that is an alias for a crazy commenter who goes by the alias "Maxine Weiss" who has an unhealthy and spine-tinglingly creepy fixation on Althouse's sons. When "Maxine's" not busy being an unamusing faux-racist, one of her many aliases is busy dropping pseudo-psychoanalytic bullshit about Althouse and her family. My advice is to ignore it.; 9/22/08, 11:58 PM
Palladian said...: As you can see, "Maxine" will freely use her many aliases to say essentially the same things in the same way in the same thread. Talk about fodder for psychoanalysis...; 9/23/08, 12:02 AM
Trooper York said...: Can't we all just get along?; 9/23/08, 12:09 AM
Trooper York said...: Tolerating each other's little foibles are what makes this conversation fun.; 9/23/08, 12:10 AM
Trooper York said...: Cause I personally have had enough of that fucking Bissage. Funny? He wouldn't know funny if it bit him in the balls.; 9/23/08, 12:11 AM
Trooper York said...: Just kidding dude, you are the real deal.; 9/23/08, 12:11 AM
Zachary Sire said...: Why, again, are we tolerating this twat "Michael"? Did we decide that it's yet another introllnation of LuckyOldSon, or some new, equally uninteresting piece of toilet paper stuck to this blog's shoe? He's about as insightful as a high-school freshman essay on the meaning of life.

Palladian, why are you always such a fucking bitch? You need to let people be the trolls they were born to be and get over it. You're the nagging hall monitor of Althouse and it's unbecoming.; 9/23/08, 12:12 AM
Trooper York said...: Wait, I get it. This is performance art where we show how disillusioned we are by our fellow commenters. Well done.; 9/23/08, 12:14 AM
Palladian said...: Oh is it pile up on Palladian day here? Amusing! So you prefer to let trolls consistently ruin the conversations here? I rather like talking amongst the commenters at Althouse; therefore I don't like it when someone like "Michael" comes in and takes a repeated steaming dump over every set of comments thereby making it impossible to enjoy a give-and-take between people who comment in good faith. Call that "being a hall monitor" if you will. I call it being defensive of a place that I like.; 9/23/08, 12:18 AM
Palladian said...: Fuck you, Trooper York; 9/23/08, 12:18 AM
Trooper York said...: Thanks you. That's the Palladian I know and love.; 9/23/08, 12:20 AM
Palladian said...: "You need to let people be the trolls they were born to be and get over it."

A wonderful summation of a liberal's definition of foreign policy.; 9/23/08, 12:20 AM
Palladian said...: Where's that bitch Victoria.

Cheers indeed.; 9/23/08, 12:21 AM
Trooper York said...: I was listening to this radio babe who was saying that the combination of the full moon a few days ago and the change in season is making everyone crazy. I am really surprised to see that it is true.; 9/23/08, 12:22 AM
Unknown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/23/08, 12:23 AM
Palladian said...: So if I'm the hall monitor, what is dear, sweet Zachary? Towel boy in the girl's locker room? What's Trooper York? Who's the lunch lady?; 9/23/08, 12:23 AM
Trooper York said...: Yeah where is that limey twist. I really want to know if she does indeed have a strawberry blonde combover on her twat or what.

And reader don't be mad at the word twat. It is short for

That Wonderful Alluring Taint.

A term of endearment if you will.; 9/23/08, 12:24 AM
Palladian said...: I picked up "twat" from Simon.

Err, so to speak.; 9/23/08, 12:25 AM
Trooper York said...: Damn it must of been an elderly twat than. Ruth Gordon? Ruth Buzzi?
Ruth Bader Ginsberg?; 9/23/08, 12:26 AM
Zachary Sire said...: Oh is it pile up on Palladian day here?

Mmmmm...I wish; 9/23/08, 12:30 AM
Trooper York said...: "That Wonderful Alluring Taint."

was the original name of the Wonderfull World of Disney but they changed it when Walt sobered up.; 9/23/08, 12:32 AM
Palladian said...: Where's your hall pass, Zachary? You don't have one? I'm afraid you'll have to come to my office.; 9/23/08, 12:32 AM
Zachary Sire said...: I only mention it Palladian because you have been so hostile to me before, even when I have never done anything to provoke you, and it makes the comments section unnecessarily nasty. You personally attack people and it stirs them up, creating more nastiness. And, I rarely see you attacking the right wing wackos, only the left wing.; 9/23/08, 12:34 AM
Trooper York said...: Hey I was a patrol boy in grammer school. I had a badge and a little white ribbon thing that the MP's wore in WW2. I could give out detention and everything. But I never did.

I took bribes.; 9/23/08, 12:35 AM
Zachary Sire said...: And while I'm at it, I'm a little offended that Trooper York has stopped visiting my blog. No comments, no visits, nothing.; 9/23/08, 12:38 AM
Trooper York said...: Not true Zach, I have just been busy. I just didn't think of anything funny to say.; 9/23/08, 12:39 AM
Zachary Sire said...: And don't get me started on that insufferable and uncontrollable bitch Victoria. She is the most impolite bomb thrower and tornado of hatred and nastiness in the history of blog comments.; 9/23/08, 12:41 AM
Trooper York said...: If Mort were awake he would say we were racist because we didn't mention him.; 9/23/08, 12:43 AM
Anonymous said...: I love you, Palladian.; 9/23/08, 12:46 AM
Zachary Sire said...: Fuck you Seven he is mine.; 9/23/08, 12:48 AM
blogging cockroach said...: hoo boy
sometimes i'd like to be a fly on the wall
'cause you get a better view
but just sitting here on tommy's keyboard
is good enough to get a ringside seat
in this corner zps
his opponent the undefeated palladian
trooper, have you read them the rules
of the ny state athletic commission...

--ding--

yay round one's starting

hey, seven, you got a beer...; 9/23/08, 12:48 AM
Palladian said...: "And, I rarely see you attacking the right wing wackos, only the left wing."

Um, have you ever seen my many exchanges with Cedarford? Truth be told, I don't really mind whackos as long as they're reasonably well behaved. The commenters on this site tend to be conservatives of one sort or the other, so when trolls show up, they tend to be lefties (or at least pretend to be lefties) and seem intent on ruining every discussion through the quantity and vitrolic nature of their comments. I consider this sort of behavior "in bad faith" and a deliberate attempt to hijack an otherwise reasonable bunch of comments. Michael has made literally thousands of comments here in the last few weeks and it's quite clear that he's not interested in anything but causing trouble and the sound of his own "voice". The same goes for AlphaLiberal, downtownlad, and others.

Now this doesn't mean that I won't be nasty to other types of commenters as well. You, for instance. I have a rather caustic personality sometimes, and for better or (usually) worse, I vent my petty anger and frustration through the guise of "Palladian". In reality, I'm a very nice person and tend to be a peace maker. But there's a point which it's clear that some people don't want peace, at least online, so I tend to let it fly with both barrels. The online world is a rough-and-tumble place and I do hope people forgive me if I play a little rough at times. However it may seem, I (usually) mean well.

I am sorry I'm mean to you sometimes, Zachary. It's nothing personal. It either means I hate you or I'm really, really turned on by you and made bitter by your unavailability. Or something.; 9/23/08, 12:49 AM
Zachary Sire said...: Well said. I just hate seeing poor liberals like Michael getting trampled on...what can I say it's the liberal in me.; 9/23/08, 12:54 AM
blogging cockroach said...: geez

some fight this is
i want my money back; 9/23/08, 12:55 AM
Zachary Sire said...: That bitch you're kissing has got to go.

Well, then you'll hate this bitch I'm kissing. I already got rid of him though.

(warning everyone it's a gay pic); 9/23/08, 1:01 AM
Anonymous said...: Zach -- This is the difference between you and that bitch Micheal. I disagree with you a lot, and sure I called you insane, but I really do respect your comments.

You can't just defend Michael because he is a lefty. In fact, I argue that it is your responsibility to kick these types in the ass. The heckling and the namecalling is over the top.

I don't defend anti-Semites like Cedarford or that weirdo Pierre who briefly appeared. I call them out. I urge you to do the same.; 9/23/08, 1:01 AM
Palladian said...: Roaches use money?; 9/23/08, 1:01 AM
Palladian said...: "Well, then you'll hate this bitch I'm kissing. I already got rid of him though."

Good thing, too. He looks like he's almost completed his transformation into a youthful Michael Bolton.

I'm more concerned, however, with that mauve railing.; 9/23/08, 1:06 AM
Zachary Sire said...: Yes, Michael shouldn't come in here bitching out Miller or whoever else. You can make your point without going into attack mode. And I'm sorry if I've ever acted like that to any of you in the past. That goes for you too Ann. I really do appreciate this space...it's the only blog I comment on.

I'd expect the same decorum from others. I remember "Host With The Most" going crazy on me for no reason a few weeks ago...thankfully he hasn't been around in a while.; 9/23/08, 1:07 AM
Palladian said...: God, you two pansies are even too much for the bunch of pansies in the background, who seem to be about to release their grip on the mauve railing and plummet to their death on the concrete below.; 9/23/08, 1:09 AM
Zachary Sire said...: That mauve railing was on a patio at a tranny's house on 4th of July. You should see the inside of her place.; 9/23/08, 1:09 AM
Palladian said...: Only a liberal would spend the Fourth of July kissing Michael Bolton at a transvestite party.; 9/23/08, 1:11 AM
Zachary Sire said...: I had already had like 10 beers and 4 jager shots so I wasn't in top form.

Someone did fall down the stairs that night, btw, and they were holding a sparkler when they did. It wasn't pretty.; 9/23/08, 1:12 AM
Palladian said...: "Someone did fall down the stairs that night, btw, and they were holding a sparkler when they did. It wasn't pretty."

That's what the Founders fought and died for: the right of a drunk transvestite to tumble down mauve concrete stairs while holding a sparkler.

And the sparkler's red glare! The tranny tumbling down stairs! Gave proof through the night that the fags were still there.; 9/23/08, 1:17 AM
Zachary Sire said...: As you can see, I had to keep drinking to make it through the night with him.; 9/23/08, 1:17 AM
Zachary Sire said...: Here is my tranny friend in her living room. Note the vertical blinds.; 9/23/08, 1:24 AM
Palladian said...: That you kept your hat on and shielded your face with the visor is telling. I hope he was at least hung and able to make a proper French omelette the next morning.; 9/23/08, 1:24 AM
Zachary Sire said...: No, I went home with someone else later that night. He was just my 5pm-10pm person.; 9/23/08, 1:30 AM
vbspurs said...: What just happened? Did I wander to the set of TransEurope Sexpress?; 9/23/08, 1:37 AM
Anonymous said...: They can't go on like this forever. No one has that kind of stamina.; 9/23/08, 1:37 AM
vbspurs said...: And don't get me started on that insufferable and uncontrollable bitch Victoria. She is the most impolite bomb thrower and tornado of hatred and nastiness in the history of blog comments.

What, I love your mauve curtains!

Cheers,
Victoria; 9/23/08, 1:38 AM
Zachary Sire said...: There you are!

;); 9/23/08, 1:40 AM
vbspurs said...: As you can see, "Maxine" will freely use her many aliases to say essentially the same things in the same way in the same thread. Talk about fodder for psychoanalysis...

Twattage, my dear Palladian, twattage.; 9/23/08, 1:41 AM
vbspurs said...: Did I go missing again, ZPS? I'm always doing that.

/extra gay bonus points if you can reference the Greta Garbo film with a similar line; 9/23/08, 1:42 AM
Zachary Sire said...: I have a lot of stamina.

Truth be told, the job I started last week promptly ended, today, because I hated it and left. Whoops. So, I can stay up all night as I don't have to wake up early tomorrow.; 9/23/08, 1:43 AM
vbspurs said...: Truth be told, the job I started last week promptly ended, today, because I hated it and left.

The starving artist routine is getting old, Zach. But make hay when you're still young!; 9/23/08, 1:44 AM
vbspurs said...: TransEurope Sexpress is an actual gay porno film, BTW. I once saw it at an orgy thrown at the Rio Yacht Club. One room had that and the other was showing Dr. Penetration.

Frankly, I don't think I've ever been the same since.; 9/23/08, 1:46 AM
Zachary Sire said...: I once saw it at an orgy thrown at the Rio Yacht Club.

WHOA! I never would have pegged you as an orgy type. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm assuming you just watched? This is exciting news! You learn something new about someone every day...; 9/23/08, 1:48 AM
vbspurs said...: ZPS, yes, just watched. It was a fancy dress party during my first Carnival.

It's funny how protective men are when they find out you're a virgin. One young guy attached himself to me, and acted as protector-escort for the evening. He gave my hand a chaste kiss goodbye later.

Wonder what ever happened to him...(with any luck he reads blogs). Oi, tudo bom, Claudio!; 9/23/08, 1:52 AM
vbspurs said...: Wow, this is spooky. Just read a story about John McCain having had a sailor fling in...Rio!

I had read his autobio, Faith of My Fathers, where he mentioned this Brazilian bombshell, who drove him so crazy during a port of call, that he returned on his own dime to see her later.

Here she is today, 50 years later.

Betcha his tales of orgies are much better than mine, though.

(Eww. Hehe)

Night guys!
Victoria; 9/23/08, 2:02 AM
Zachary Sire said...: Truly gross. But I do remember seeing old pictures of McCain where he looked very handsome, and it made me very uncomfortable.; 9/23/08, 2:14 AM
blake said...: I really wanted to link a PSA from the '70s here about family unity but damned if I couldn't find one.

Um, have you ever seen my many exchanges with Cedarford?

I challenge the notion that Cedarford is right-wing. He's for socialized medicine and rails about corporations.; 9/23/08, 3:59 AM
Zachary Sire said...: If any of you are still here, or if anyone reads this in the morning, do yourself a favor and watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0wpAJMFpJQ

ANN- if you have any integrity as a blogger, you will share this with your readers.; 9/23/08, 5:02 AM
Palladian said...: "I challenge the notion that Cedarford is right-wing. He's for socialized medicine and rails about corporations."

The political spectrum is, much like the universe or the ouroboros if you prefer an animistic talisman, a curve or a circle. If you wander far enough to the right, you end up on the left.; 9/23/08, 6:56 AM
marklewin said...: Ann:

Maybe for you, the occasional insightful or knowledgeable comment and the income and attention you receive from the blog is worth it....but on a scale of 1 to 10 how tedious does it get for you to read wade through this stuff. After this particular thread, I will take my extended break from your blog. What is more disillusioning, the candidates or the comments section of your blog?; 9/23/08, 7:13 AM
michael farris said...: ""Maxine" will freely use her many aliases to say essentially the same things .... Talk about fodder for psychoanalysis..."

Am I the only one who wonders/worries if "she" is gearing up to start writing Althouse slash?; 9/23/08, 7:18 AM
Palladian said...: wow, we gave poor terrence the vapours. Hope you recover soon, my dear.; 9/23/08, 7:29 AM
Beth said...: Should you wish to avoid any future pain caused by my writing, I suggest you scroll past when you see my name.

Palladian, you could do that, too, when you see Michael's name, instead of acting like you get decide who sits at the high school lunch table. I don't know who Michael is, but I'm tired every time someone holds the liberal point of view on things and the usual suspects here scream Troll!; 9/23/08, 8:01 AM
bearbee said...: We were never illusioned

Not clear who the 'we' are but it seems many of O supporters are/were illusioned.

I think many people vote against rather than for. Certainly I do.; 9/23/08, 8:04 AM
Beth said...: Okay, I see that's been covered. Hall monitor is the dominant image, not lunch table bitch, but there you go.

But still. How tiresome.; 9/23/08, 8:06 AM
KCFleming said...: Beth, I hope Michael is not any kind of example of being a "liberal":

"madawaskan: Illiterate?

The 2nd most disgraceful President in our nation's history...and you voted for BOTH of them.

YOU really need to read more.

And keep in mind, numbnut...

Palladian: Quit whining, little girl.

Palladian is in the "arts."
Let's take a guess: Gay porn?"

It's trash.; 9/23/08, 8:09 AM
blogging cockroach said...: hey terrance
if you spent enough time here to actually be disillusioned
like some of us occasionally are
--isn't everybody some time--
anyway, you'd know that professor althouse
doesn't like to be called 'ann'
nope
she prefers 'althouse' or 'professor althouse'
her intimates call her 'professor a'
yep
but you would know that if you were anything
but a drive-by commenter who got the idea
to say something negative having read that althouse
is on the left-o-sphere's fecal roster
actually, althouse is on some righty fecal rosters too
--you should hear the squeals when she says she might vote for obama--
which in my book is high praise being a middle of the road kind of cockroach

anyway, i recommend actually reading the damned blog
for a while
before like actually putting up a comment
so, you know, it won't be stupid and all; 9/23/08, 8:18 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: I don't know who Michael is, but I'm tired every time someone holds the liberal point of view on things and the usual suspects here scream Troll!

Well that's probably because he is a troll. You're a liberal and no one calls you a troll because your comments are at least thought out, reasoned and lucid. MadisonMan is liberal and isn't a troll. ZPS is a liberal and isn't a troll and the usual suspects including Keyser Palladian Sose doesn't even call them trolls.

LuckyMichaelOldson on the other hand simply throws his poo all over and then says talk less read more. The same goes for a few others and they know who they are.; 9/23/08, 8:20 AM
Anonymous said...: 60,000.00 people show up for Palin rally in florida. Todays Newsweek headline about the event? "Palin's first Fla. campaign stop a safe one: Palin plays it safe in first campaign venture into battleground Florida"

I'm officially disillusioned... :); 9/23/08, 8:21 AM
MadisonMan said...: Hooray for cynics!; 9/23/08, 8:22 AM
blogging cockroach said...: oh and i would never say anything nasty about palladian

you know, as the former head of the cambridge mass branch of
cockroaches for hillary
my main motivation was the fear that she would squash me
if i said anything nice about obama
--who i actually liked more than sen. clinton
and, frankly who wouldn't--

but if you think i was worried about being squashed
by hillary
just take a look at palladian and tell me
that is not one scary dude

--shudder--

so i just smile and wave and say
hi, palladian

--grin--; 9/23/08, 8:26 AM
KCFleming said...: It's good to have the blogging cockroach back; a well-spoken insect to be sure.

His love for felines remains forever unrequited, but this clouds not his judgement. Except about cats.; 9/23/08, 8:51 AM
KCFleming said...: I apologize myself for responding to Michael. I've had better moments, though off the top of my head, those are difficult to recall.

Maybe I'm always an asshole.
Hmmm.

Nah.
That's always been a part-time gig.
Just for giggles and the occasional free beer.; 9/23/08, 8:53 AM
ricpic said...: Noble Chipper's disappointed; naughty Audubon shot a bird:
Audubon's not pure enough for the anointed;
Compared to Audubon the anointed are merde.; 9/23/08, 9:05 AM
Trooper York said...: Beth you are one of my all time favorite commenters on Althouse even though I think we can agree about hardly anything. Other than the fact that Jeremy Shockey sucks.

But be advised that Michael is the return of Luckyoldson. The constant repetitive postings. The demands that people read a book or periodical. The mocking of other peoples opinions by telling them to check their meds. But most of all by the fact that the worst insult he can come up with is to imply that a commenter is gay. Read some of his comments and I think you find that he is not someone you want to defend. He might be a liberal but I wouldn’t want him on my team.

Palladian is smacking him around because he hates gay people, not just because he is a boring troll.

Just a word to the wise.; 9/23/08, 9:45 AM
Anonymous said...: When "Maxine" was not busy dropping pseudo-psychoanalytic bullshit about Althouse and her family, "she" brilliantly played the supposed mental defective über-troll, Luckyoldson.

That degree in psychology wasn't for nothing. The English gig helps, too. Lucky almost never produced a misplaced or misspelled word, unlike our "Michael."

LOS did a service for the Althouse commentariat, though: He inoculated most of us against ANY insult under ANY circumstance.

So, if "Michael" shows up here thinking to use standard troll tactics of ramified insults to drive away people and change the character of the place, he should know we've had our trial by fire, and his efforts fall pale and nugatory on tiring eyes.

Better trolls than he have been skeletonized around here. This twerp (or twat, as you will) isn't even worth the effort.

I'm beginning to think that our new Insult-a-Tron is actually a student, learning the ropes from the "Maxine" at the UCLA Troll Center.

So far, I'd give him a C-.

Time to drop the course.; 9/23/08, 10:25 AM
Ann Althouse said...: 1. "Twattage." LOL.

2. Terrance. Bleh. Why post in the comments if you don't like the comments? Why stop reading the blog because you don't like the comments? Just stop reading the comments. I detect bullshit (or homophobia).

3. Michael. Who cares? I wouldn't have even noticed this guy. I only notice people getting mad at him. What's that about? Ignore him.

4. I know who Luckyoldson is. I've exchanged email with him. He's a specific person, and I don't think he's in range of the Maxine Weiss act. Maxine was once a great commenter. I thought she was the best commenter! But then she got creepy. That was a real shame. Luckyoldson was just a boring liberal trying to hold up the liberal point of view in a tiresome way.; 9/23/08, 11:00 AM
Beth said...: Trooper, you're right - we agree on little other than that we enjoy each other's company here.

And that Shockey sucks -- though how I can tell, I don't know. He's out again, injured for six weeks.

I'll think on why the "troll" thing bothers me -- my impression is that it's pulled out too readily. I'll believe you that Palladian is fighting the good fight against even gay trolling. Palladian -- another person I disagree with 90% of the time but adore. So there you go.

But I like the advice to ignore - it works better than launching a troll fight.; 9/23/08, 11:15 AM
Trooper York said...: The troll thing is interesting. Some people might call me a troll because I constantly change the subject. But I want to make it fun. Otherwise it gets too tedious and boring. I totally respect people like you Beth and Madison Man and Montana Urban Legend for having firmly held opinions that you will defend with wit and enthusiam. Even the most hard core conservatives respect you guys. But some things are just to be skipped over.

And that reader_iam. Sheeesh. When she comes out we have to call the national guard to be ready to stop the con-vo-looting. Hee hee.; 9/23/08, 11:41 AM
DaLawGiver said...: Cowboys cruise again! Giants ooze to an embarrassing win. Saints are still aint. I can't wait for the big giants/cowboy showdown. But first we have to dismantle those loathsome deadskins; 9/23/08, 11:53 AM
Trooper York said...: Hey to be politically incorrect we are going to bitch slap those Romosexuals. A win is a win baby.

3 and 0 and counting. The Eagles scored more on those boy's than if they gave Lindsey Lohan a bottle of Grey Goose and an eightball.; 9/23/08, 11:56 AM
Donn said...: As a long time reader of Althouse, but seldom commenter until recently, I can say I enjoy most of the "characters" that inhabit this place on a regular basis.

When I describe Althouse to friends, I describe it has being similar to a college class where the prof asks (mostly) interesting questions, and the (mostly) intelligent students discuss what the prof has introduced. I don't think there is another blog on the internet that has the quality of comments that this site does, and it's the reason I hang-out here.

Of course, blogs etc. have a tendency to bring out the worst in people, and I think that if ever there was a convention of Althouse commenters, even people like Michael and Alpha would be decent and likeable enough. Then again, I could be wrong on this last point!; 9/23/08, 12:21 PM
vbspurs said...: I don't know who Michael is, but I'm tired every time someone holds the liberal point of view on things and the usual suspects here scream Troll!

So, Beth, why do people talk to you, engage you, and legitimise your viewpoints because of them?

Could it be because you're a normal, logical, sentient being rather than an inflammatory epithet-flinger?

There are plenty of right-wing trolls here who many of us do not even engage or challenge. I know I do.

Cheers,
Victoria; 9/23/08, 1:02 PM
Anonymous said...: 1. LOL also re "twattage."

2. Agree w/cockroach and Althouse re Terrance.

3. Basically agree re. Michael. Ignore the dope. However, people have gotten angry because he looks like Lucky. I say he's broccoli, and the hell with him.

4. Speaking of vegetables, I, too, know who Luckyoldson is. When he first started being obnoxious, anyone with a computer and 10 minutes with Google could find out more about him than they might know about themselves. I do hope he's since done something about his online footprint, because it's hard to believe anyone could be THAT stupid. The relative psychological sophistication of his trolling and the doofus behind it have never added up to me, and remain one of those little mysteries along the lines of what ever happened to that other blue sock.

A theory I've had, suggested by at least one other commenter, is that Lucky is somehow tangled up with Maxine. I've had various ideas of just how, but it's not worth the mental energy to dwell on it. But I still think, from both Sitemeter and internal evidence, that Lucky is not quite the schlub nor the Lone Ranger he seems, and that he is somehow mixed up with the trolling efforts of Maxine.

Maxine, on the other hand, despite, or perhaps because of having been one of the best commenters, is a classic troll. I've seen this before in the Usenet days, as well as when I was a chat room host on AOL in the mid-90's. Someone comes into a thread and ingratiates themselves. They work their way up the food chain, until they become one of the valued members. Then, like boiling a lobster, they turn the heat up, and begin by degrees to disrupt the conversation until the group comes apart.

At least that was the M.O. and goal in the days of yore. I may be paranoid, but this was part of our AOL anti-troll (or snert) training. Blogs, and this blog, in particular, are rather more robust and proof against this sort of thing. But anyone with a knowledge of trolling would immediately recognize both the pattern and content of Maxine's work.

You'd think that Maxine would finally get that people are on to her, and that the act is both ineffective and no longer amusing. I guess she doesn't have much else in her dreary little life than to be a blog troll.; 9/23/08, 1:08 PM