Althouse: Palinsanity.

September 1, 2008

Palinsanity.

I'm just coining a word. It means the way everyone went nuts after Sarah Palin made her entrance on the national stage. What are the symptoms of this mental disorder? Help me enumerate them. One certainly is the desire to comment on blogs, so have at it. Another is the obsession with the female body. Yes, let's talk politics -- let's talk about wombs and protruding abdomens and lactating breasts.

Palinsanity. You know you have it.

221 comments:

«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 221 of 221

SusanM said...: Can republicans finally officially put the "family values" to rest?

After the past year the republican "family values" should be buried for good.

They or noone have a monopoly on family values.; 9/2/08, 3:01 AM
vbspurs said...: Victoria, I accept that physical attractiveness and brains are not mutually exclusive. However, I'd wager that the ladies of CNN would clean up against the ladies of FOX on Jeopardy.

Fox News would only need to send in one journalist, to the full compliment of CNN reporters.

Gretchen Carlson, ex-Miss America. Ex-Rhodes Scholar.

Cheers,
Victoria; 9/2/08, 3:11 AM
vbspurs said...: They or noone have a monopoly on family values.

Quite right.

We still own "American patriotism" though.; 9/2/08, 3:12 AM
vbspurs said...: As supportive as you are about Palin would be equally supportive if this was Obama?

Of course!

After all, no one wants to be called a racist.

(I can do this all day, Susan); 9/2/08, 3:13 AM
vbspurs said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/2/08, 3:19 AM
vbspurs said...: Paddy O. welcome back!

I have an anecdote about an Obama bumpersticker owner.

I was at the Coke machine of my local supermarket, awaiting the older gentleman ahead of me to finish getting his Coke.

He turned around, I smiled, he smiled back, and started walking away. I automatically check the coin dispenser (I'm OCD about that), and noticed he had forgotten to take out one quarter from his change.

I call him back, "you forgot your quarter!", and he sheepishly smiles in thanks.

As I walk out to my car, I notice he's the proud owner of a beautiful yellow Porsche -- with two Obama stickers on it, in front and in back of this brand-new car.

I get into my own car, but as I pass him by I smile again, very sweetly and say:

"I see I better get used to handing over money if Senator Obama is elected"

With a cheery wave, I speed off.

P.S.: Saw his face on my rear-view mirror. As the Mastercard ad says, priceless)

Cheers,
Victoria; 9/2/08, 3:22 AM
former law student said...: A commenter on another blog referred to the Bree-baby scenario as the Waterbreak scandal.

So I got a smile out of that.; 9/2/08, 3:27 AM
Trooper York said...: I had a sampler plate of four differant kinds of mashed potato today. One was wasabi. Cool.

The waiter didn't know who Sarah Palin was and who was having a baby.

But she did know all the words to Papa Don't Preach. In Japanese. Sweet.; 9/2/08, 3:52 AM
Simon said...: If you think the haters are mad now, wait until McCain comes out of the GOP convention with a ten point lead...; 9/2/08, 4:54 AM
Christy said...: Palinsanity is the Singularity of the Internet, the Althouse Vortex focused to its most powerful state.. It is the point in the blogosphere where sexual identity is most raw.

Perpetual adolescents, ignored irl especially by women, have found a vigorous life in the anonymous Internet. Girls recognize them anyway and continue to ignore the stupid things they say. Guys, kinder perhaps, continue to engage them. Thus the male domination of the blogosphere. Palin comes along and is the epitome of the very desirable girl who has haunted them since they were 14. At last these pimply faced boys have a focus for their pain. On the blank slate that is the unknown Palin they project all their anger. The inner adolescent breaks through on both (all?) sides of the sexual divide. The mean girls bring out their claws. For the first time, everyone is engaged and outraged.; 9/2/08, 5:12 AM
Roger J. said...: lets go back to what Trooper York said on one of the very first threads of a very long weekend of not very civil discourse. Not that I am particularly big on civil discsourse all the time, Trooper was right in the beginning and certainly right now....

I know this is generating thousands of posts and ad revenue is going up, but perhaps its time to set this thing aside for a while. When Simon starts dropping the F bomb it really is time to--ahem--move on. He has always been my bench mark for civility.; 9/2/08, 5:34 AM
Simon said...: Roger J. said...
"When Simon starts dropping the F bomb it really is time to--ahem--move on. He has always been my bench mark for civility."

I appreciate that; at a certain point, the behavior of the other side becomes so despicable, so disingenous, so profoundly unacceptable that the artillery has to come out. I don't understand how those people sleep at night.; 9/2/08, 5:46 AM
Roger J. said...: Simon--agree wholeheartedly that this has been the most dispicable assault by americans on fellow americans in my nearly 67 years on earth. And I have politically aware since the Kennedy administation. Seen a lot of sewage from both sides. As to anger, trust me, I have been known to drop with considerably more alacrity than you.; 9/2/08, 5:56 AM
hdhouse said...: oh golly gosh....we got hoodwinked again. don't you get it...? by making her "kids having kids" an issue it masks the utter naivity of this governor for anything approaching a national office....

Good God. .... if virtue were a substitute for experience and time tested ability to perform, then let's go get a gaggle of Priests to run for office....ooops then again...; 9/2/08, 6:42 AM
reader_iam said...: making her "kids having kids"

Assumes facts not in evidence.
Assumes facts not in evidence.
Assumes facts not in evidence.
Assumes facts not in evidence.
Assumes facts not in evidence.

ARE YOU STUPID OR DISHONEST?

I think I may adopt a new tagline.

And nothing, but nothing, anyone does or writes will deflect this clear-eyed centrist from the actual chain of events this weekend, what the original speculations etc. were, and who and what made them.

So keep trying to change the subject and recast the true scandal. But I will keep saying: ARE YOU STUPID OR DISHONEST?; 9/2/08, 6:52 AM
Paddy O said...: Thanks Victoria!

What a wonderful story. A perfect moment, with a nice bit of wit on your part. Very nice! The good bit of fun is on the Republican side. Let's keep the wit and cheer no matter how crabby everyone else gets.

SusanM, I think you have a very superficial understanding of 'family values' voters, and so will likely spend a good deal of time languishing in outraged confusion.

Family values are goals. Ideals. They are what we should promote in order to a well-functioning and psychologically healthy society.

But they are not laws for which violators are burned at the stake. There are consequences and responses, sure. And we see that here.

We all fall short, that's at the very heart of religious and moral understanding. We all fall short, so what is the response? Therein lies the difference. We all fall short and so we just give up and say there is nothing better. Or we all fall short, admit it, and then keep fighting the good fight.

Thinking it is about making mistakes, making amends, doing the right thing is what it's all about for family values voters. Saying there's no mistake at all, it's just choice and removing all expectation for people to live up to their potentials is what opposes family values.

If you can't see that, you must see hypocrisy everywhere. But it's not hypocrisy at all.

Just nuance in ethics of real life. Not the black and white that you seem to be limited to seeing.

I suspect that's not really the case, but you're more trying to find rhetorical points to score. Which again, is honestly just a little sad. It's hard to be suddenly passe, so I hope you find your way out of the frustration before too long.; 9/2/08, 10:45 AM
vanderleun said...: For that word, I hereby move that Ann be given a standing ovulation.; 9/2/08, 2:19 PM
vanderleun said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/2/08, 3:23 PM
amba said...: Democrats had an appealing young candidate to be in love with, and they can't stand the fact that now Republicans do too.; 9/2/08, 3:29 PM
amba said...: Victoria: the only trouble with that story is that you were giving the man back HIS OWN money.; 9/2/08, 3:33 PM
amba said...: That is: the story doesn't make the point you want it to make.; 9/2/08, 3:33 PM