November 21, 2010

Here's why I wish Sarah Palin wasn't so damned good at grabbing everyone's attention.

This is the time when we need other Republicans to develop their fan base. For example, look at Chris Christie:



A great communicator. (Via Instapundit and Hot Air.)

I hope Sarah Palin uses her clout to draw attention to other Republicans, to bring them to the fore where they can show their stuff to Americans, who tend not to pay attention to the presidential race until it's too late.

105 comments:

Alex said...

I hope Sarah Palin uses her clout to draw attention to other Republicans, to bring them to the fore where they can show their stuff to Americans, who tend not to pay attention to the presidential race until it's too late.

Ah Althouse declares herself to be a Republican. Will she declares this post to be a campaign contribution?

Fen said...

Good point. Palin can suck all the oxygen from the room.

OTOH, its useful that she draws so much fire from the Left. Keeps leaders like Christie from being subject to an Alinsky Campaign.

Hopefully, she can find a better balance.

Ann Althouse said...

"Ah Althouse declares herself to be a Republican."

How so? I want a good set of candidates to choose from.

Unknown said...

Christie won in NJ because voters had reached the decision that the Dems were not going to stop raping the taxpayer for their own cronies. They have to reach this decision before they vote. I think this happened in Wisconsin with Feingold. Only after this is done can candidates can develop. Remember Christie really didn't show his true fire until after the election.

Ann Althouse said...

"OTOH, its useful that she draws so much fire from the Left."

No, that isn't good. Ultimately, Obama will look like the only decent choice and he will be reelected.

Someone with intellectual strength and solid experience needs to get to the foreground. Let's pay attention to Christie and Mitch Daniels and other characters like that now, when it matters.

Ann Althouse said...

Paying attention to Sarah Palin all the time has got to be exactly what the Obama 2012 campaign wants. It is the perfect strategy to deflect attention from his shortcomings.

Hagar said...

I wish people would stop jabbering about "experience." It is whether you have achieved anything, anything at all, that counts; not "experience."

master cylinder said...

Now you're on to something, I've been saying all year that a Palin run would hand it to Obama....bring it!

Alex said...

Now you're on to something, I've been saying all year that a Palin run would hand it to Obama....bring it!

of course you'd love that. Whatever is worst for the country.

Alex said...

I wish people would stop jabbering about "experience." It is whether you have achieved anything, anything at all, that counts; not "experience."

What are Sarah Palin's grand achievements, other then quitting after 1/2 a term as governor?

Jason (the commenter) said...

We've seen Obama, and we know he doesn't work. The same goes for Palin.

AllenS said...

Paying attention to Sarah Palin all the time has got to be exactly what the Obama 2012 campaign wants.

But, that's all you're going to get from the MSM. If Palin opens her mouth and says anything, not to mention if the uses the internets, she'll be ridiculed. The MSM is the media arm of the Democratic party. Look no further than the character that you interviewed from Bloggingheads TV.

Anonymous said...

Interesting that you ignored the content of the video.

Christie was recounting his experience in dealing with the intransigence and bullying of the teacher's union.

What's to blame here? Tenure?

Teachers and public employees unions in Jersey have completely corrupted the political process. They make huge donations to political campaigns and get paid back with luxurious wages and benefits, at the expense of taxpayers who can no longer afford to pay them.

Teachers and administrators at the college level have employed a somewhat different scam. The availability of student loans has removed all cost controls from colleges. It's a bottomless bucket of taxpayer money. So, teachers and administrators plot constantly on how to expand the services and physical plant of their business, so as to milk that bottomless bucket of student loan money.

And, of course, the leftist hysteria of college campuses is paid for mostly by taxpayer money, and secured with tenure.

You're pretty haughty, professor. You don't hesitate to ridicule people who have to hustle and eat shit for a living (i.e., Marie Osmond). Your admiration for Dylan seems to me to be primarily motivated by the same thing: he's so rich that he's beyond having to answer to anybody.

You're a snob. So, I can see why the content of the video doesn't interest you. The taxpayers are footing the bill to support your haughty disdain for the commoners, and you're beyond reach of any consequences.

The rest of us are not quire so lucky.

Ann Althouse said...

"But, that's all you're going to get from the MSM. If Palin opens her mouth and says anything, not to mention if the uses the internets, she'll be ridiculed. The MSM is the media arm of the Democratic party. Look no further than the character that you interviewed from Bloggingheads TV."

You are exactly right. I'm going to extricate myself from what I can now see is a reelect Obama machine.

Alex said...

You are exactly right. I'm going to extricate myself from what I can now see is a reelect Obama machine.

Why? The man is clearly brilliant the that GOP are bunch of obstructionists of his grand agenda. You can seriously expect the man to undo 8 years of the Bush disaster in just 4?

Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)


If I might make a subsidiary point on the video. Please note the SUPPOSED reaction of the Chief of Staff (Cos). Here’s a MAN, a former legislator, presumably a Republican, AND a Pfizer executive, and he’s SHOCKED at a heated exchange of views?!?! IF, this is a true statement, THEN it makes a sad commentary on Male, Republicans in the Garden State.

In my home state legislators have, reportedly, threatened to break each others arms, if they won’t shut up…on the floor of a chamber! There have been curses leveled, anger displayed…but this is the first time the CoS has seen senior management angry and openly expressing its anger? My G*d what a cosseted, scripted and eunuch-like existence this man must have led, professionally. That seems to be the problem with senior GOP Males, they must be on “script” and “nice” and “non-threatening” or otherwise, they fear, someone will not like them, will accuse them of being “mean-spirited”.

It is, IMO, why WOMYN have been the leaders of the Tea Party Movement, GOP womyn don’t “have to” be nice, or anodyne or non-threatening, they can seem more “real.” And THAT is Christie’s appeal, he seems very “real”-which is NOT to say he isn’t, but none of us can really say they know Christie, Palin, Obama, or any politician, just their public persona. Christie comes across as authentic and principled. Finally, Christie is blessed in that he has the NJEA as a foil.

Alex said...

You're a snob. So, I can see why the content of the video doesn't interest you. The taxpayers are footing the bill to support your haughty disdain for the commoners, and you're beyond reach of any consequences.

Such is rich, white privilege in this country. They are beyond any rules.

master cylinder said...

I think Obama is best for the country silly! I'm not the only one. Sarah Palin has gotten a pass from everyone-that should tell you how liberal our media is. Truthfully, I think she is more interested in making money and the spotlight than actual governing-and she will quit early, like Fred Thompson.

Alex said...

Sarah Palin has gotten a pass from everyone-that should tell you how liberal our media is.

You might want to step out of your alternative universe.

Sarah Palin's Unfavorability Numbers Hit New High, Survey Finds

Idiot.

Anonymous said...

Such is rich, white privilege in this country. They are beyond any rules.

Bullshit.

The black quota class in government and academia is equally beyond any rules.

Michele Obama "worked" in a $350,000 no-show job for a Chicago hospital before her husband was elected president.

And, the purpose of her no-show job was to hand off money and jobs to other quota recipients.

Not that she bothered to show up much.

AllenS said...

You don't have to extricate yourself from anything, Professor, just understand that the constant ridiculing of the woman is not going to stop. Hell, one of her children is on the dancing show and people's heads are exploding in rage over that. I can hardly wait for the book to come out about Palin from the author who rented the house next to hers. Do you think that the book will have anything, anything at all positive about Palin?

Anonymous said...

"I hope Sarah Palin uses her clout to draw attention to other Republicans..."

Isn't that what she just did in the last election cycle? She endorsed what, 50 candidates, regularly talked about them on TV, her FB page an through Twitter.

master cylinder said...

Allen, she is a paid commenter on Fox-how does that square with your...."she will be ridiculed" notion?
People are only allowed to bitch about SP on the blogs etc-the 'lamestream' media has to treat her with kid gloves.

Alex said...

It's interesting to note that Palin's most prominent endorsements all went down in flames a few weeks ago. Bottom line is caribou Barbie is toxic sludge for the GOP. Manna from heaven for the Democrats.

RUN PALIN RUN!!!!!

Alex said...

People are only allowed to bitch about SP on the blogs etc-the 'lamestream' media has to treat her with kid gloves.

Ever watch Keith Olberman? Or is he not part of the lame-stream media?

lemondog said...

I don't get the Palin thing but then I didn't get the Obama thing.

Christie seems quick on his feet, is withstanding the slings and arrows against his politically tough decisions, and is setting a standard of reform for other governors.

Alex said...

I don't get the Palin thing but then I didn't get the Obama thing.

Both represent 2 sides of the same coin - cult of personality that most people buy into. Give me someone of substance!

Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)
People are only allowed to bitch about SP on the blogs etc-the 'lamestream' media has to treat her with kid gloves.

And that’s why:
“Sarah Palin was at the butt end of an insult from former Clinton aide Jami Floyd on Friday, when Floyd called the former Alaska Governor and potential presidential fascination an "extraordinary ass."

Because all those “kid gloves” and of course all the “OMG she said ‘…Party likes it’s 1773’ she’s SOOOO Stoopit.’” Remarks demonstrate those Kid Gloves, too.

Alex said...

Christie seems quick on his feet, is withstanding the slings and arrows against his politically tough decisions, and is setting a standard of reform for other governors.

Christie is actually a big liberal on gun rights, AGW, illegal aliens. Paradoxically, he's tough on unions. But a conservative, no.

Alex said...

Joe - all one needs to do to find the Palin-demonization is read any leftie blog, watch MSNBC, listen to NPR, read any mainstream newspaper...

Lisa said...

Great story teller.

Shame people are already putting about that he's "too fat" to run for President.

Who cares how fat he is. Does he know what he's doing? Obama may be thin be he sure as shit don't know his ass from the whole in the ground

ricpic said...

The assumption on Althouse's part is that the MSM are so powerful that they can destroy Palin in most voters' minds. But a huge swath of the public now gets its news from the Net and from Talk Radio (which is no more biased to the right than the MSM is to the left). You'd think that based on this month's election the myth of the MSM's hypnotic power would have waned but apparently not, at least here.

ricpic said...

Really screwed up the grammar in that last post. But it's the thought that counts! ;^)

Drew said...

I have to agree with Fen. Let Palin draw fire while more electable conservatives establish themselves with the proles. We don't want quality candidates peaking early and making themselves a target.

Lisa said...

Luxurious wages? What moron thinks a teachers salary is luxurious?

The average teacher salary in NJ is less than $60K. That's hardly luxurious.

Hell, after taxes and everything, it doesn't pay for good daycare for two kids under five.

Hardly luxurious.

ricpic said...

Christie seems quick on his feet...

I love to watch fat people dance. Amazingly graceful.

Anonymous said...

The average teacher salary in NJ is less than $60K. That's hardly luxurious.

The key word here is "average."

That factors in kids right out of college.

$60k is beginning to look a lot better these days. A whole lot of people would like to be making $60k. For a two paycheck family, that means an income of $120k.

I know that salaries of teachers in my town in Jersey (actually my girlfriends). Most of them are making more like $80k.

That includes luxurious benefits and mucho time off.

Yes, teachers are making a lot of money.

lemondog said...

But a huge swath of the public now gets its news from the Net and from Talk Radio (which is no more biased to the right than the MSM is to the left).

Beware.

Rockefeller Wants Government to Shut Down Fox and MSNBC

Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)


Hey Lisa, what’s the AVERAGE salary in NJ? I’ll bet it is LOWER than 60K. In my state the minimum teacher wage is ABOVE the state’s average wage, meaning that right out of college you make mORE than many folks in this state, and it only goes up from there.

Rachel said...

Chris Christie has been garnering plenty of attention among Republicans. Every time a new video comes out the gang at Hot Air and Ace of Spades goes nuts. And he's already been attacked about his weight by his political opponents, namely ex-governor Jon Corzine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrIwT08tqQA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6puSZnAceU&feature=related

It's early days yet in the run up to 2012.

Lisa said...

Shouting Thomas,

With whom are you comparing salaries? Those individuals making $80K have been teaching for twenty plus years. $80K is not an unreasonable salary for someone with that education (almost certainly a masters at least) and experience given that they work 10 months a year. A comparably educated and experienced individual working 12 months would earn more than $100K... perhaps even way more given the location.

Anonymous said...

Can't support Palin for POTUS. She's a nice Person. But I wouldn't follow her into the breach. She doesn't have that singular quality to inspire me to sacrifice for her.

Christie does.

Alex said...

Lisa - you're really comparing an incompetent public SCREWL teacher with a $100K engineer who actually does amazing things for the economy?

Alex said...

Quayle - Christie is a RINO, just in case you didn't know it.

Lisa said...

Joe,

The average teacher has a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree and many years of experience. 11% of this country has a Master's degree, Doctorate or Professional degree. Almost half of the nation has either only a high school diploma or didn't graduate. So, of course, the average teacher should be making more... far more... than the average worker.

Anonymous said...

Shouting Thomas,

With whom are you comparing salaries? Those individuals making $80K have been teaching for twenty plus years. $80K is not an unreasonable salary for someone with that education (almost certainly a masters at least) and experience given that they work 10 months a year. A comparably educated and experienced individual working 12 months would earn more than $100K... perhaps even way more given the location.

Yeah, but you're comparing apples and oranges.

That private sector person making $80k is going to get fired in his/her early 50s to make way for a cheaper, younger worker. For the next 15 years, that private sector person is going to make somewhere between nothing and $50k.

The private sector person starts with 2 weeks vacation, graduates to 4 and never gets any more. Also, he pays substantially toward a much less generous benefit system.

After a teacher earns a bachelor's degree, the advanced degrees are usually useless, and paid for by the school system. The added on degrees and certificates are not only paid for by the school system... those degrees exist for the sole purpose of artificially driving up the teacher's salary.

Teachers retire after 20 to 25 years at 80% salary. Find that in the public sector.

So teacher enjoy job security that most workers never see. Their benefits are outrageous and go with them when they retire. Many get their advanced education paid for by the school system, retire, and more onto administrative positions where they "double dip."

The teacher racket is a gold mine. Why do you think the teacher's unions pay off politicians via campaign contributions?

Anonymous said...

$80K is not an unreasonable salary for someone with that education (almost certainly a masters at least)

A Master's in education, usually. Don't forget to adjust down for that.

Alex said...

st - sure it's a racket, but real professionals have the satisfaction that they're out there in the real world, innovating and bringing great products to mankind. What are the teacher unions doing except indoctrinating kids to be lefties?

Sprezzatura said...

"Christie does."

Not based on this clip. Obviously this one clip is just a glimpse, but this glimpse portrays a self-loving A-hole:

-Knowingly trick the gal to come over (she thinks she's there to talk policy).

-Tell the gal that all business between the state and the union will never proceed an inch until the evil emailer is fired.

-Revel in the way his staff was uncomfortable because they aren't used to bashing gals like this.

-And, best of all, make this private meeting public, which (very likely) was the point all along. So, everybody can see how he bashed this gal.

He's soooooo powerful!!!! The cons are in love w/ Christie (especially Christie).

MPH said...

Sarah Palin = The Republican Obama

Hagar said...

Well, Alex, I do not know you, but I suspect that Ms. Sarah has achieved a great deal more than you have, without starting from any farther ahead.

Big Mike said...

I think you're on to something. Myself, I've upset with Todd Palin's wife ever since she pushed candidates such as Miller, O'Donnell, and Angle in the primary but failed to campaign hard for them in the general election -- too busy with her new reality show.

Alex said...

Hagar - I'm not running for President. I want more out of my candidate then being known as a quitter and a failed parent.

Alex said...

Sarah Palin really does quit on anything she starts....

Gahrie said...

Jindal/Christie in 2012

Lisa said...

Alex,

Do you honestly believe teachers do nothing for the economy?

How the hell do you think that engineer got the training s/he needed to get their engineering degree?

How the hell do you think that engineer parent is able to go to work instead of supervise and educate their kids?

Lisa said...

Oh and ALL of the engineers I know earn more than 100K. Some far more.

TosaGuy said...

"Almost half of the nation has either only a high school diploma or didn't graduate. So, of course, the average teacher should be making more... far more... than the average worker."

Perhaps if teachers did a better job then more people would be better educated. As an ex-teacher with a masters degree.....there are too many teachers who think they should be paid based upon their credentials and by simply showing up...not by the results of their performance.

Alex said...

Lisa - I can guarantee you that any great engineers working today did not get anything useful from elementary school teachers. They were already naturally gifted and public school hindered them more then helped. College is where the real learning is at, and no unions there!

TosaGuy said...

Teaching is important, but it is not hard to be average at the endeavor. If more teachers worried about the mechanics of teaching then thinking they were brilliant simply because they were teachers, then perhaps the whole system would be better.

Unknown said...

Well, PB&J/Alex is trying to get in everyone's face this morning. And lying his ass off in the process.

First, Miss Sarah supported a great many candidates for this election and, guess what?, all the governors and 66% of the Senators won.

Second, she has in fact, been trying to boost other candidates, but the media, through their trolls like PB&J/Alex, wants to push the meme they all went down in flames. Uncle Saul at his best.

Third, of course, accomplishments. Galvanizing the opposition to ZeroCare is a nice starter, with being the foremost thorn in the administration's side an ongoing work. Then there's going from housewife to Governor - which is more than The Zero ever did.

But I think Ann makes a big mistake when she said, "Paying attention to Sarah Palin all the time has got to be exactly what the Obama 2012 campaign wants. It is the perfect strategy to deflect attention from his shortcomings.".

Nothing can deflect attention from the most incompetent administration in American history. The Zero is an embarrassment abroad (latest is brining a gas guzzler to the NATO summit while everyone else rides green) and a disaster at home. We've gone from ZeroCare to handling the BP spill to the TSA and QE2 and that's only this year. A continent of Sarah Palins won't be able to deflect attention from his bumbling.

Anonymous said...

Oh and ALL of the engineers I know earn more than 100K. Some far more.

Measure market value by some realistic criteria:

1. For every opening for a teaching job, literally hundreds of applicants. So many people earn teaching degrees that the majority of them never land a teaching job and have to find a job in the private sector.

Salaries for teachers are, in fact, artificially inflated by the power of the teacher's union. If not for tenure, teachers would be routinely fired after a few years, as their salaries become onerous, and new ones would be hired from an endless pool of cheap replacements.

2. Engineers are in short supply. They possess hard knowledge and skills that are in great demand. An electrical engineer is never going to be out of work.

TosaGuy said...

"Almost half of the nation has either only a high school diploma or didn't graduate. So, of course, the average teacher should be making more... far more... than the average worker."

Or to be a bit more feisty about it....The people we teach suck but we the teachers have degrees....so pay us more.

Ummm... No. says me the taxpayer who wants some value for his tax dollar. Teach better and I would be happy to pay those in the field who truly are excellent.

Paco Wové said...

I've come to the conclusion that 'Alex' has a piece of cardboard on his desk, with a little cardboard pointer attached via one of those little brass fasteners -- you know, these things -- half the board is labeled "lefty troll" and the other half "righty troll". For any given thread, he spins the spinner and comments accordingly.

bagoh20 said...

There are some incredible Conservatives out there, who I would love to see run and win. Why is it that the lamest RINOs are the ones who get pushed out front? It's like you are not qualified until you suck on the political teat for a while, and learn how not to be a conservative.

Obama proved that you can be far left and still get nominated, but who was the last conservative nominee, Reagan, Goldwater?

Sprezzatura said...

"There are some incredible Conservatives out there"

I think they call them RINOs.

New York said...

Christie is good on leadership, administrative ability, communication, and commitment to small government.

What does he think about amnesty and foreign policy?

He's going to have to dial down a bit the sarcasm as it will turn off the people who don't already agree with him.

Bender said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bender said...

I hope Sarah Palin uses her clout to draw attention to other Republicans, to bring them to the fore where they can show their stuff

If anyone listens and observes, that is EXACTLY what she has been doing and exactly what she has said that she intends to do. Palin has stated multiple times now that she does not necessarily intend to run herself, that she would be happy to help another good candidate run and win. BUT, if there is no one else to do the job that needs to be done, then and only then, will she consider running herself.

She intends to use her clout to draw attention to, not "other Republicans," but to other commonsense conservatives. It is the Republican establishment that is as much as a problem as Obama, Pelosi and the rest of the Leftocrat Party are. Palin intends to use her clout to garner support for other conservatives.

The problem is that, not only is the left attacking her nonstop, but so too is the Republican establishment. And the attacks are personal. Consequently, Palin has to spend more time on herself personally than she might otherwise do.

Moreover, it only appears that she sucks all the oxygen out of the room because too many fellow Republicans spend so much time attacking, not Obama and the Dems, but attacking her (or attacking O'Donnell or Angle or anyone else who is not part of the Republican Club). But, even in doing so, these people are doing a great service by exposing themselves for the POSs that they are (e.g. Karl Rove).

bagoh20 said...

"Almost half of the nation has either only a high school diploma or didn't graduate."

That's me, and I'm F'n rich. I got that way by the successful work of many similar "uneducated" people who work with me. Most of them are more capable, and more successful than the average teacher, who frankly, is a failure at their primary duty: educating graduates. If my people had the average teacher's record of success, we would all be out of a job, embarrassed, and unemployable.

Credentials have become a smoke screen to evaluating people. There was a time when getting credentialed indicated exceptional accomplishment. Now many are credentialed, and it often only proves that you spent enough money to satisfy the institution's budgetary needs. This is not to say a degree makes you dumb, but it no longer proves you are capable, and unlike before, it says absolutely nothing about your wisdom. I think that used to be developed in higher education, but now I think it's actually often delayed by it. Too much unproven theory accepted as fact, has watered down the result. To accommodate a wider market, higher education has coddled many with an extended adolescence. I think all my criticisms here are especially true of the School of Education.

But I'm uneducated, so what do I know about colleges. Nevermind.

jeff said...

""There are some incredible Conservatives out there"

I think they call them RINOs."

No they don't.

Sprezzatura said...

My experiences 100% confirm Bagoh's comment. I have a ChemE degree, and I've done well in corporate American, and owning my own business. Based on my history, I can completely confirm that there are equally brilliant (and equally dopey) folks w or w/o college degrees.


Jeff,

I was using "incredible" the way Brits use it.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

SO what the f is the complaint? If there are uneducated people who become financially successful, then at that point they have the money to find and hire "the best" teachers to teach them what they believe their own teachers failed so miserably at teaching them.

At that point they can find out if it is the teacher that is the problem, or the fact that primary education is just something they were never going to have an easy time with.

The point of education is to give people the skills necessary to be a functioning adult in society. If you end up becoming more successful than most, then what's the problem?

My experience in school is that some kids do well, some kids do poorly. Absent some extremely rare exceptions related to unacceptable behavior, it is a ridiculous conceit to pretend that these disparities have more to do with the teacher than with the student.

In a land of selfish babies who demand that both revenue and debt be simultaneously cut, it's no wonder that we can't accept something so obvious. Our sense of entitlement is so strong that we feel insulted by inconvenient realities.

If you can change reality, change it. If you can't, whine to Chris Christie, I guess.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Oh, and the idea that everyone needs to go to a 4-year college or more? Also bullshit.

Germany and other countries that are weathering this recession much better know that you can't cut out your industrial labor base and succeed economically. A good number of people in any society are better at working with their hands, like manufacturing or repairing products and should be able to make that their primary source of income. But in America we've told those people to fuck off and get back to us once they've learned to become a customer service jockey or picked up a made-up degree at a two-year college.

The service sector represents the feminization of non-white collar work. But we still need blue collar types who don't have a problem with taking pride in getting their hands dirty on a daily basis. Writing them off is one reason our infrastructure sucks.

Obama actually has addressed this by making grade 10 graduation much easier, as long as the graduate goes on to 2-year programs that the administration has worked with community colleges to improve. I took this as a correction to our long-term abandonment of manual labor.

Anonymous said...

Let me know when you make the same comment about Obama or you admit you suffer from PDS.

The post should have been about Christie and the nastiness of the Teacher's Union, yet somehow you thought of Palin.

Peter Hoh said...

I hope Sarah Palin uses her clout to draw attention to other Republicans. . . .

I dunno. Would that be a wise course of action? Or would it detract from the Sarah! brand?

Vanity vs. prudence. It's an old battle. Vanity usually wins in the short term.

Cedarford said...

Lisa said...
Joe,

The average teacher has a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree and many years of experience. 11% of this country has a Master's degree, Doctorate or Professional degree. Almost half of the nation has either only a high school diploma or didn't graduate. So, of course, the average teacher should be making more... far more... than the average worker.


That is the vacuity of the claim of the "credentialled" - as in "it is unfair that someone with a MASTERS in art history makes LESS than a mere college dropout like Lady Gaga let alone some Marine Master SGT who has to be stupid and worthless in comparison because he only has a high school diploma."

Michelle DESERVED 350,000 for a no show job, because when you look on average, 350,000 is HARDLY out of line for a Hahrvuud Law grad who has blessed society with their superior brain for 20 years in the workforce.

Yes, we all know the argument...the credentialled may not be able to teach well, and they may only be put in service of trying to entertain cretins in an inner city HS so they don't drop out...but a MASTERs degree! From an education college diploma mill!

===============
On Palin, a Cult of Personality is at work. She has become a Goddess for older conservative right wing men to worship because she has nice legs and tits and says the right slogans, and for conservative women that bond with her from her "victimhood" from being criticized (all the way to the bank).

The Cult is as big as Jesse Jacksons back in the 80s, almost as big as the "Mega-Genius and Wise Black Messiah" Cult that liberals and Progressive Jews in the Media and in Academia constructed for The One.

The Palin Cult is potent, as seen by the worshippers now rigging the DWTS vote for the Goddess's daughter.

I just think in two years that the vast middle of the country will not go for TWO cult figureheads - The One and the Grizzly Mama of Fox TV. Republicans nominate her despite signals she is no way mentally up to the job - mainstream voters in no way will vote for one fraud to replace the other unfit fraud and Cult figure currently in the Oval Office.

Bender R said...

She has become a Goddess for older conservative right wing men to worship

That overstates it quite a bit. But even if "older conservative right wing men" are supporting Palin, for whatever reason, are you saying that we should instead go along with whoever the Republican effeminate pussies are supporting? We've done that for too many years, and see where it has gotten us.

Freeman Hunt said...

Yes, let's pay attention to Chris Christie.

Be careful not to look directly into his eyes when you pay attention to him. Few have lived to tell that tale.

If you look carefully at his YouTube clips, you can see that Chris Christie has indeed got The Glow.

In 2012, Mike Huckabee challenges Chris Christie to an eating contest. Huckabee eats 87 hotdogs. Christie eats the deficit.

The Crack Emcee said...

Alex,

Both represent 2 sides of the same coin - cult of personality that most people buy into.

The day I buy into a cult of personality, I'll be sure to let you know.

Give me someone of substance!

Now where have I heard that one before? Oh yea:

The last election!

Alex said...

Crack - i held my nose and voted for McCain, because I'd never vote for DaWon. Of course it never mattered in my state, which is deep blue.

Fr Martin Fox said...

1jpb:

Seriously? You are seriously all upset because of how Christie handled the meeting?

He didn't "trick" her--not based on that account.

"Tell the gal that all business between the state and the union will never proceed an inch until the evil emailer is fired."

That's not what he said; he said they wouldn't be dealing with him if the guy--who wished him dead--wasn't fired.

"Revel in the way his staff was uncomfortable because they aren't used to bashing gals like this."

Bashing? I heard no bashing; I heard about a confrontation. You really think the head of the NJ teachers' union has never faced any confrontation?

"And, best of all, make this private meeting public, which (very likely) was the point all along. So, everybody can see how he bashed this gal."

Where did you get the idea that a meeting between the head of a powerful union and the governor, attended by staff, was somehow private? Did anyone promise that? Where did you learn that?

Anonymous said...

C'mon, Althouse, that's what Palin spent the entire 2010 electoral season doing. That's why she endorsed near 100 people, fundraised, campaigned for them, gave them money. Nobody else out there worked as hard as Palin at doing exactly what you think she should be doing. Why should she now, given her own presidential ambitions, turn around and draw attention to a bunch of doofuses who will say stuff or put clips of themselves on uTube (like Christie) so people will say, "ooh! he's so tough!"

If the boys want to sell themselves, let them. None of the boys have done more than Palin to keep the GOP together. None of the boys have the courage of their convictions like she does; Christie pretends that he does. She can't help being the happy warrior that she is.

A lot of people on the Left and the Right don't want Palin cuz she doesn't wear pants, and her answer to "how's it hanging" is not "left" or "right" but "stable in C cups."

Stop expecting the girl to do the housework for the boys, Althouse.

Anonymous said...

Obama is brilliant?!?!?!

Get over that crap! Every frickin' Democrat president is "brilliant" and every blessed GOP president is a "dunce." When are you leftists going to get past that simplistic meme? Never, I guess.

Show me the body of work that attests to Obama's "brilliance" and not his narcissism. It's not there!

Obama couldn't even be bothered to write a paper for the Harvard Law Review, fer cryin' out loud! What has he ever written that is not standard Marxist communist boilerplate? What? Where? Please, spare me the drivel about "his" books.

Freeman Hunt said...

"Almost half of the nation has either only a high school diploma or didn't graduate. So, of course, the average teacher should be making more... far more... than the average worker."

Why? Why would credentials necessarily translate into greater value?

Sprezzatura said...

Fr Fox,

Good for you if you think that it's good for a governor (or any executive) to call in, and then verbally thrash a blindsided adversary gal (or guy) so that the executive can pridefully boast about this thrashing to supporters. Many cons are praising Christie for the way he handled this gal, and these cons love to see him boasting about how he put this gal in her place.

Hopefully, you'll not protest too loudly if I chose to be less supportive of such bully bragging. Different strokes for different folks.

Amy said...

Chris Christie doesn't need Sarah Palin to bring attention to him. He's doing a great job of it himself by the very fact that he is, as you say, a great communicator. And wouldn't you agree that any Republican who NEEDS Sarah Palin's influence to bring attention may not be the right person for the job?? Anyone who's going to lead the Republican party (or, more specifically, run for President) has got to be able to stand on his or her own two feet and deliver their own message. It's something at which Sarah Palin is extremely effective, as is Chris Christie. Frankly, if some other politician can't get anyone to notice him over Palin or Christie, then he doesn't really deserve such attention, does he?

Anonymous said...

Sarah Palin has gotten a pass from everyone-that should tell you how liberal our media is

You mean other than the reporter that moved in next door to her, right?

Anonymous said...

to call in, and then verbally thrash a blindsided adversary gal

He did no such thing.

Anonymous said...

It's interesting to note that Palin's most prominent endorsements all went down in flames a few weeks ago.

Do you mean like Sean Duffy?

Or do you mean the Governor of South Carolina?

Anonymous said...

The average teacher has a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree

No they don't.

I'd love for you to provide evidence for this silly claim.

Anonymous said...

-Knowingly trick the gal to come over (she thinks she's there to talk policy).

You are a liar.

He very clearly says she is there to apologize.

He did not trick her.

You are an imbecile.

Anonymous said...

Almost half of the nation has either only a high school diploma or didn't graduate. So, of course, the average teacher should be making more... far more... than the average worker."

Hysterical.

Let me guess: you either work as a teacher, or in some other government position.

Note that your silly post makes no reference to market demand.

Why do you think that is?

Revenant said...

Christie's got my vote if he decides to run.

john marzan said...

I've said this before and i'll say it again-- The media/MSM is using sarah palin to destroy the GOP (at the same time, Palin is using the media to make money.)

Whether liberals in the media savage her (which will have conservatives automatically rallying around her) or give her and her family so much positive attention (her reality show, Bristol Palin in DWTS), the intention here is to build her up so that she is the only "inevitable" choice for conservatives in the primaries-- while denying other rivals for the presidency (christie, mitch daniels, john thune) the positive coverage they need to viably challenge for the Republican nomination in 2012.

The defacto leader of the GOP according to the MSM used to be Rush Limbaugh. Now, they have someone better: Sarah Palin

The Dems/MSM want to see Palin win the nomination so they can crush her ala Christine o'Donnell and Sharon Angle in the general elections.

ken in tx said...

My two year degree in Aircraft Maintenance Technology from Greenville Tech (SC) was much more rigorous and difficult than my MBA in Aviation Business from another school. It seems, the higher you go the easier it gets. There is too much non-sense in higher degrees. I have an ABD in Technology Education.

Sprezzatura said...

Jay,

You can believe that this gal knowingly walked into the tongue lashing of a bully where the bully's huffing and puffing would later be retold to build up the bully's credentials w/ potential devotees.

IMHO, she didn't know what Christie was planning when she went to this meeting, i.e. she was blindsided.

BTW, even Christie's own staff was blindsided, why do you find it impossible to believe that this gal was also blindsided?

Penny said...

"It seems, the higher you go the easier it gets."

That's just ONE helluva good reason to go "higher".

And for some of us, it's a damned good reason at that.

Fr Martin Fox said...

1jpb:

Haha...

You have a nice debating technique...

"Good for you if you think that it's good for a governor (or any executive) to call in, and then verbally thrash a blindsided adversary gal (or guy) so that the executive can pridefully boast about this thrashing to supporters."

But that is not what I think--and you know that perfectly well, based on what I think; rather, that's what you think. You are entitled to think it; but not to assert that it's what I think.

What do I think? I'm working from the same video you are (if you have some other information, please share it); and I don't buy the union head was blindsided. So without that premise, your huffing and puffing deflates.

"Many cons are praising Christie for the way he handled this gal, and these cons love to see him boasting about how he put this gal in her place."

Well, could be, but what does that have to do with me?

reader_iam said...

I'm a Chris Christie fan (and I have been since, I'd bet serious money, way before most people ever heard of him).

He is a great communicator. And I confess that I smiled as I watched this video, as I generally do when I watch him in video.

That said, I'm not impressed by the story itself. I thought it was rather cheap and beneath him, and certainly not one of his better efforts. I don't agree that the woman was ambushed. I do think his enjoyment in the way he recounts this particular anecdote is a miscalculation. I recognize that and why others disagree.

I believe that Chris has the potential to a.) be president of the United States [despite some significant issues which I think might reduce the odds of that happening--very unfortunately, IMO] and b.) be a very good POTUS. I do not support his running in 2012. I DO support him in his own statements that he's not ready just yet. I'd like to see how things work out with him in New Jersey.

In short: Go, Chris, go!

(But not for POTUS, just yet.)

reader_iam said...

Also, for what it's worth, I totally do NOT buy the idea that Chris enjoys putting "a gal" in her place, *if* that was the implication of a previous comment.

If Chris Christie has magically turned into a cheap-shot sexist over the past decades, I'd be profoundly surprised. I'd consider that way out of fundamental character and a really weird metamorphosis--not that such things don't *ever* happen, but it's very hard for me to believe that such is the case with regard to Chris.

Anonymous said...

Jay,

You can believe that this gal knowingly walked into the tongue lashing of a bully


Um, this isn't what happened.


I mean, you can grasp the fact that after the idiot teacher's union rep got stand offish, the discussion changed in nature & tone, right?

You can understand such a basic fact, correct?


she didn't know what Christie was planning when she went to this meeting, i.e. she was blindsided.

You mean except for the fact that he told her that she could apologize in person and she came to do so, right?

mrs whatsit said...

Almost half of the nation has either only a high school diploma or didn't graduate. So, of course, the average teacher should be making more... far more... than the average worker."


Perhaps Lisa learned economics from an average teacher. Lisa, the problem is not what teachers "should" earn. The problem is that -- unlike engineers, many or most of whom earn their salaries in the private sector -- teachers are paid by the public (and their graduate degrees are usually paid for by the public, too, since most teachers get them during summers and evenings within the first few years after they start teaching with a BA). The question is what the public can afford. And when a teacher makes "far more" than the average worker, the average worker can't afford the taxes to support the teacher.

If the teacher thinks he "should" be earning more, he can find a private school that pays more (good luck! In private schools, where the market rather than the unions control the salaries, pay is generally a good deal lower) or move to a different line of work. With all that brilliance and valuable graduate education, it ought to be easy to find an engineering job instead!

jr565 said...

How about Chris Christie Sarah Palin ticket? Yes she would still be vice president, but at least she would be in the oval office.

furious_a said...

The average teacher salary in NJ is less than $60K.

...for nine-months' work. Annualized that's $80K. Plus civil-service and union seniority job-protections. Not bad coin for an Ed. degree...furious