Sarah Palin Speaks at the Republican National Convention
September 3rd, 2008 by Evil BeetEh, you have to admit, she’s quite likable when she’s talking, and she’s got that whole adorable Tina Fey look going on and that cute little Alaskan accent.
Another observation: between Bristol “Juneau” Palin and her hottie boyfriend, Meghan and Cindy McCain and Sarah Palin’s hot librarian look, this has gotta be one of the most physically attractive Presidential tickets in the history of the United States. I mean, the Obama camp has Michelle, who is admittedly quite beautiful, but can she really hold up all alone against the sheer photogenicism of the McCain/Palin ticket? I can’t help but think that McCain must have taken all this into consideration as he was choosing Palin — the McCain and Palin families standing together, well, they sure do look pretty.
And I have to make yet another observation — I know many (not all!) of you are fond of getting chatty in the comments about how I should stay away from politics because I don’t know anything about it. And I’ll happily admit to the latter. I don’t know much about politics at all. But you know what, motherfuckers? I’m an adult citizen of the United States who has never been convicted of a felony (thanks to my awesome lawyers!!) and my totally uninformed ass can march to the polling center and vote however I damn well want, and it will count every bit as much as Bill Clinton’s or Karl Rove’s or your vote in the general election. And you know what else, motherfuckers? Most people in this country know even less about politics than I do. They have their opinions — either deeply or loosely held — about things like gay marriage and stem cell research and the war in Iraq and Roe v. Wade or whatever, but, when it comes down to it, they understand the short- and long-reaching impact of economic and foreign and domestic policy decisions even less than I do. But you know what’s super duper funny? Their vote counts! Yes! It does! Just as much as yours, Mr. Genius Political Ingenue Who Occasionally Enjoys Leaving Unpleasant Comments on Celebrity Gossip Blogs.
So, frankly, the fact that my understanding of politics — or lack thereof — is representative of the majority of Americans actually makes my opinions more valuable than the opinions of people who know big words and important-sounding phrases and statistics and history and read The Economist and whatnot. Because I’m going to make my decision based entirely on what I see and hear and think on the surface, because I’m not equipped with the economic, historical or international framework to delve a whole lot deeper than that. And that makes me unique among American voters only to the extent that I am willing to admit that publicly. That’s kind of one of the grotesque beauties of politics in a functional democracy: I don’t have to know what I’m talking about for my opinion to matter more than the people who do know what they’re talking about.
I’m just saying.
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Hahahaha. I can’t believe you called Michelle Obama “quite beautiful”. That WAS a joke, right?
JoJo,
Save your political screed for another site. Beet doesn’t need to be educated by you. Her opinion is just as important as yours, based on her experiences and education.
sarah palin is an idiot who couldn’t even manage to run a town of 10,000 people. unlike ms. palin, who gave no concrete examples of anything last night, i will give you some examples: 1) when she was elected mayor of waisila it had zero debt, but when she left it was 22 million dollars in debt with nothing to show for it. 2) she is the subject of an ethics violation investigation. 3)she tried to fire the county librarian because the librarian refused to remove books from public library shelves that palin found “offensive” (the town rallied around the librarian and palin was forced to rehire her) 4) she cut funding for special education 5)she cut funding for teen pregnancy programs. she did speak well, but her “just a hockey mom” routine was downright embarassing. yes her family is good looking, so are the obamas, but when did that become the litmus test for whether or not you should vote for someone? honestly beet, i thought you were smarter than that. i guess not.
Your rant is exactly why you should keep your mouth shut about politics! Your ignorance is quite extraordinary and your opinion can be seen by some as destructive. Regardless of what you want to think politics affects our everyday life. Dont believe me, then ask the people losing there damn homes! Or the families of those who lost there lives 3 years ago due to the f’up that is out government in New Orleans and this continuing war. Your vote only matters when you have put some thought behind it. Not doing so is like I stated earlier…destructive. Ex the last damn 8 years…and that coming from a Republican. But no longer!
p.s. still love the Evil Beet website regardless of your thoughts on politics.
your funny man, haha
yeah, im more in formed than the next guy more likely than not, and I have to say I am voting 3rd party… this election is a joke, so might as well make a stance by voting off the ticket and be one of the point that voices out that none of these people are qualified to actually do the job, and to even suggest this as a real election is insane…
I would say this is as bad at the last pres. election, but it was Bush and Kerry… That was pretty damn bad… the guy that got us in Iraq for personal reasons more than what is best for the US, verses a guy that just wasn’t qualified. At least Al Gore was qualified… but we had Democrats in the office for 8 years already, and it was time to get a little more aggressive. Now we are too aggressive and need to get it calmed down, but not how the Democraps are wanting to do things now…
After talking to many people in the medical field, strictly on the health care for the individuals, the Universal Healthcare idea is broken, doesnt work in other countries, and we need to figure out something else instead, because that massively hurts the average individual even though it pulls up the lower end of the spectrum, and doesnt even effect the rich.
I donno, I am just another idiot who hasn’t committed a felony, yet… haha.
Go BEET!!!!!
It’s almost like Beet knows she has to cover the Palin story to compete with other sites but is too ignorant to do so in an intelligent fashion so she just says “Well fuck you, mother fuckers!”
Intelligent argument, indeed.
I’m with you, Beet~~~~~~~~~~~~
rock on……………
On one hand, I want to applaud Beet for her stepping up the the plate and telling whomever is trying to educate her to fuck off. Yes, way to go girl. I know just how annoying it is when others try to tell you to that their political opinions are soooo much better than yours and that they know sooo much more about politics than you do. Cause seriously, in the end, we both get to vote.
But on the other hand, I totally and completely agree with JoJo. It is our responsibility to be aware of all sides and topics. Ignorance in America is actually embarrassing– esspecially when you go abroad, and most often, people sound so uninformed when they go off on their political beliefs. I myself am extremely embarrassed at how little I know about politics, and I consider myself thoroughly educated in Poli Sci. I agree with JoJo, but I also think it is just SO much freakin work to stay on top of this game… and in the end, after we’ve read the Post and the Times and the Economist and BBC and listened to MPR or whatever news, don’t we just come right back to our same instinctive decision that we made before when we were ignorant?
So, wait…having a graduate degree and a tight asshole is a bad thing?
jojo, I doubt we agree much at all on our political positions, but I completely agree with your point about getting educated about politics. It’s infuriating to me that so much of what people will be using as decision-making tools is what is spoon-fed to them. On both sides.
Quirkygirlkitten, I suggest you do some more reading about the $20 million debt and what it was used for. I’d argue that your ‘nothing to show for it’ is incorrect, but I think you should do your own research on it – nothing I say will convince you any differently. While you’re at it, do some research on the Annenberg Challenge and their budget woes. Just so you’re getting both sides of the picture as far as managing finances.
A few observations for the Beet: The first “motherfuckers” was cute, but the second one was overkill. Your opinion and vote don’t count more than anyone else’s, they count just the same; that’s democracy for you. And I don’t think you are as uninformed as you make yourself out to be.
The fact that posts like this get 60-plus responses while some of the celebrity ones get a half-dozen means that you’re on target with your subject matter. And I think you’re funny, AND I take everything you say with a grain of salt.
I’m just worried about people who base their vote on how “likable” someone is on camera, or how cute their family is, etc. and I think your comments are going to be misconstrued by those people as a justification for their lack of involvement.
I guess I have a question for those of you who think we should all “get informed.” Can you please outline how, exactly, the average American voter should go about getting informed? What do you recommend? Reading Newsweek? Watching CNN? Or Fox News? Reading the paper? Reading the candidates’ websites? Reading Wonkette? Daily Kos? Any way you slice it, you’re still being spoonfed someone else’s thoughts and opinions. You’re not coming to these conclusions yourself.
How might I, in the time between now and November, “get informed” about the election without just reading someone else’s opinions on the candidates and their platforms?
anyone ever read the republic? jesus christ.
Are you fucking serious? There are thousands of ways to get informed. If you don’t want to be influenced by others’ opinions, YES go to the candidates websites, YES listen to their speeches, YES know where they stand on the issues, YES research their voting records, and finally YES grow up, contribute intelligently to the political dialog and don’t be a fuckin retard.
One good way to develope an understanding of the political issues that invade our collective consciousness today( If we are at all conscious,that is), is to find two opposing media outlets such as MSNBC and Fox News, or, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and spend a hour each day watching, or, reading from these opposing sources of news and opinion. After doing this for a relatively short period of time, any fair minded person will come to the conclusion that Republicans are, for the most part, neo-fascist shit heads who should never be elected to any office in this country higher than that of dog catcher, and, only, if there is no one else running for that office.
Damn. I love this post. I’m going to hang it on my cube wall, motherfuckers. And by the way, I had the hot librarian look WAY before Palin’s botoxed ass did.
Well, you can get informed….deeply informed if you like, but in the end, it all goes through your filtering system of your own values and experiences and 9 times outta 10 you’re gonna likely come back to the core of what you previously thought.
Worldviews don’t change much. Its ingrained. Trying to change someone’s worldview on politics is almost impossible. Which is why we have political parties in the first place.
@MW:
You can know where the candidates SAY they stand, you can know what they SAY in their speeches, and voting records are difficult to parse since so often bills have many different issues clumped together. You don’t know what they’ll do when they’re in office, and, even if they do exactly as they say they will, you don’t know what the far-reaching impacts of those decisions will be, or how they will affect you and your family. Like I said, you’re just navigating based on what you see and hear on the surface. Knowing where the candidates stand is easy — knowing the impacts of those stances is hard. And the impacts, well, that’s what matters, dear. It’s more complicated than you make it out to be. But, like I figured, you’re a surface kind of gal. Don’t be such a fucking retard. ;)
Beet,
Good for you responding to MW.
I believe the term you should use is “fucktard”, instead of “fucking retard”.
I have written before and I feel rather compelled at this moment to reply in defense of Beet. Calling a celebrity blogger – an American citizen, mind you – who has chosen to voice her political beliefs, to whatever scope and extent they may be, “ignorant” because she perhaps does not express a ‘concrete’ argument (I say ‘concrete’ because in the world of academia, one’s argument is concrete if it articulately cites and makes use of sound evidence) does NOT make her ignorant. Firstly, for her to expand the horizons of her blog to include such insight is commendable. Being a female celebrity blogger makes one an easy target for humiliation; “Oh, you couldn’t possibly know about politics! Why don’t you blog about Britney, okay?” THAT kind of thinking is ignorant. That kind of mentality represses individuals from expressing their beliefs, whatever they may be. Isn’t that belittling ideology representative of dictatorships, in reference to what jojo had written? (Though I need not further connote jojo’s history lesson about the rise of fascism in Europe – oh, do you ever discuss European fascism at large? Such as Franco in Spain? Because that is fascinating, having all these different types of Spain engaged in a civil war…but that is a digression to make such references.) If you disagree with whatever Beet may have written, of course you’re entitled to a disagreement. But calling an American citizen who will be participating in November’s election, and who has chosen to follow the Democratic/Republic National Conventions (rather than reply upon getting the lowdown from, say, a newspaper or, god forbid, Fox News), “ignorant” makes the offender, not the active American citizen, ignorant.
You don’t need to hold a degree from an Ivy League college, read The Economist or The New York Times, or even watch CNN to be worthy of discussing American politics; nor does having such a degree or reading or watching these make you not ‘well-informed’ – what makes one “well-informed,” when, as any GOV 100 class will teach you, the media forms our perceptions. In that fashion, the mentality that one must be ‘well-informed’ (and not simply informed) is elitist. Political discourse can take any shape and any language, and from ANY person.
Condemning an American individual as ‘ignorant’ for engaging in political discourse, regardless of its form, is oxymoronic in effect.
As I have said before: YOU GO, B!
Beet,
You could do what Alan said – find some news channels and newspapers with opposing views and read the articles and try to piece together your own view through them. Also, in another post a couple days ago, I commented about finding your own personal philosophy. Really take some time and think deeply about the kind of nation you want to live in. What does it look like? Think about the cause and effect of poverty and wealth, war and peace, literacy and illiteracy, health care or no health care, for example and try to piece together your own “utopia” if you will.
When I was much, much younger and first becoming politically aware I was confused about where I stood on things, too. So I took a class in political economy and really learned a lot about the way the world works and how the marketplace affects daily life. It intrigued me so much that I ended up studying political science and getting a degree in it. I also studied abroad for a year and got to see my own political culture through a different perspective. It’s amazing what that can do for one. I guess studying abroad won’t happen before November, though. :-) Maybe you could try to read or watch news reports from other countries. You can surely find these on the internet.
I know it is work to inform oneself and sometimes it’s even hard work, but it is what we owe our democracy, in my opinion. I hope you aren’t upset with me for stating my opinion on this. As I said above, I enjoy you and your blog. As opposed to other people, including you, I won’t call anyone a “motherfucker” or a “fucktard” or even a “fucking retard.” I will just implore you to make an effort. That’s all.
I just wanted to add that I had a slimfast this morning and am feeling really iffy right about now….
Um, she basically admitted to being ignorant, no? And fine, I’ll use fucktard instead. Better than mother fucker, right? And you can seriously say I am a surface kind of gal and at the same time proclaim you base your opinions on the way candidates look. Really now!
*can’t seriously say
So you don’t have the ability to listen to other peoples opinions on both sides and then make up your own? Politics isn’t an all-or-nothing type of thing which a lot of people think it is. You disagree on some things and you agree on others. No matter what anyone says, no one will ever agree 100% with any one person ever. And it goes the same when you turn it around. It is impossible to disagree 100% of the time with any one person.
How about this….. 3 of the four candidates are from the senate. How about you look up their voting records? I know that will blow some peoples minds but voting records are public info and can be found very, VERY easily. You just have to actually put some effort into it though…. You know reading and retaining the information. That’s where everything usually goes terribly wrong.
I love you, Beet.
it’s funny you asked for ways to get informed yet shot down every single one…. including looking at voting records. Voting records at least show you what a person decided to do. And yes it does mean you have to know what they are voting on…. again more reading and retaining….. And yes it is super lame that we have to go look at the voting records to get through all the bullshit…. but it’s the reality of the situation.
I still have the same opinion, and this over here,
is a blazing debate,
but maybe politicians do not deserve that much.
I still have hope that the USA will emerge at its best.
I am a social democrat,
or maybe I should write
I was one,
before disappointment stroke me
the swearing mode of the blog…well, I don’t care much about that
as I don’t feel affected by it.
It’s just tha kind of things you say in America
but probably don’t like reading
when you consider it to be offensive.
Here’s my decision process. Republican president for 8 years. Did things happen that I liked? No. Okay, this time I will not vote Republican.
THE END.
And that’s how most people are going to vote, no matter how much they read or look up voting records. Or maybe I’m just cynical.
I’m not saying most people are going to vote for Obama, I’m saying most people are going to vote how they’ve always voted.
sorry “struck me”
that’s what happens when you go med all the time
:)
I am so sorry I actually had to get some work done and I couldn’t play in the banter all afternoon. In my earlier post, I said that “They don’t need to be spweing their judgements about because the majority of the people who piss and moan about politics DON’T VOTE. So to all the fucktards out there that don’t even have a voter registration card…. shut the fuck up and let those that do speak.”
It was harsh, but the point that I was really trying to make was that people piss and moan about the final outcome of the election, when they didn’t do anything other than blog about it! It is a free country and freedom of speech is a right that we take for granted. BUT how to expect change to occur when you can’t take the time to vote. I remember the last presidnetial election, we had crappy rainy weather and so many people I spoke to about teh election had the balls to say that tehy didn’t go and vote because it was raining and windy out. Those were the people that complained the most about the outcome. We have freedom of speech because people came together and created a declaration that allows us certain rights. What is the sense of having this power and freedom if we piss away the opportunity to make a decision?
And as far as becoming informed , it’s not a matter of media , it’s a matter of record. Do a little research, find out what these candidates stand for…. not what the media outlets want you to believe. Christ if I relied on what I read in the media as the “truth” we, collectively as a society would be fucked.
No offense to Beet, I love this blog, but people spend more time trying to guess who’s butt crack is pictured on Perez than they do looking into politics. teh only time the majority of people get “into” politics is when there is scandal…. then everyone is on board…. opinions are like assholes!
Yes, Beet, actually if you want to be informed go to the web sites and journals you recommend. Then check them up against some logic and fact. Then evaluate them according to your moral compass.
You’re apathy is boring but also, when you get down to it, murderous. The American military has killed, as a low end estimate, 86,000 Iraqi civilians. This murderous military occupation will continue for the next five to ten years, at least, so expect that body count to mount. Currently, there are 4154 US military casualties, as well over 100, 000 wounded soldiers (who are, because of the attractive McCain family, not actually receiving appropriate medical care — just yesterday another wounded vet beat his 19 year old girlfriend to death!). All for a war that millions of “stupid” informed people knew was unjustified all along (remember those protesters all over the globe? probably not, your corporate media makes sure you don’t see them). That’s blood on your hands and those of other happily ignorant Americans. Good for a laugh, huh? Yuk it up, beet, you’re just lucky you were born white and privileged in America and the bombs and the guns aren’t pointing at you.
http://www.factcheck.org/
check it. The most neutral you can possibly be in today’s society. It’s like Snopes for politics.
BTW….. I’ve never come across a blogger who calls a large portion of their readers mother fuckers several times b/c they disagree. Personally I don’t agree or disagree with your opinions I just think “time and place”. A lot of bloggers reported on both sides but they didn’t go on a page rant calling their readers mother fuckers for having our own opinions all the while ranting on how you can have your own opinion. Poorly, poorly handled Beet and I’m really sad :(
DEMOCRACY IS 4 FAGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m sorry, but I have to agree with Beet on this one.
If she says that she’s ignorant and dumb as a post, then SHE IS DAMN IT!
How dare you argue with her?
Don’t worry BEET I got your back.
Beet: try watching “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart or “The Colbert Report” LOL
Honestly, Jon Stewart is pretty good for people who don’t have the attention span to read WSJournal and NYTimes and the WAPost every day.
@Anonymous: yeah…that seems so harsh the way you put it but I agree with your sentiment, which was basically the same thing I was trying to illustrate in my original post and my reference to Nazi Germany. I mean, didn’t we Americans feel outraged that no one stood up to Hitler?
And YES! Amen! We are so damn lucky to have been born privileged and our life here in this country IS A PRIVILEGE NOT a right! We have the OBLIGATION to keep it functioning well. Yeah, What I’ve been saying the whole time.
rock on Beet……oh , and rock on Liz Lemon too :)
Go ahead girlfriend, give em a piece of your mind. Besides, I feel that most people vote based on other peoples knowledge. And with you saying that you have no knowledge (of politics) you aren’t swaying those who are really just going to scribble something in come election day.
oh beet, you engaged the wild animals. never make eye contact! just keep on doing your thing with no apologies or defenses.
seriously people, beet has a first amendment right to express herself. we have the option to not read her opinions, if we don’t like them.
you also have the ability to start your own site and express yourselves.
i can only hope that people will be kinder to you than you have been to beet.
that said i think many americans have just as much distrust in the media as we do in both political parties. it is very easy to become overwhelmed by the feelings that everyone has an agenda; that they will cover only what supports their arguments and that covering lies or rumors: obama’s dad was a muslim terrorist (fox) or palin’s daughter gave birth to her “brother” (cnn) is acceptable.
i am tired of knowing a newperson’s political affiliation and having my news filtered through their “perspective.” can anyone tell me to what political party either kronkite or murrow belonged while they were reporting? no, because they were professional and impartial. they reported the news; they didn’t become the story.
so, i have to agree with beet in that it is very difficult to find an objective, factual based source of information in order to make an “informed” opinion. that said i agree with alan. i listen to two opposing organizations and schlep through the muck. but it would be so refreshing if someone would just give me who, what, where, when and how every once in a while.
Sorry, but taking the time to become at least somewhat informed doesn’t take much effort. There are many places to find information on potential candidates, and you should really do so before voting. I’m only 19 and a full time student, and I find the time to do this much.
I love your site, but shouldn’t someone who spends most of their time researching celebrities be able to apply this same concept to something that actually matters…?
Oh, and I agree that the “motherfuckers” was a little excessive. Also, this is a gossip site…not a personal blog. Maybe you should focus on practically the only reason most people visit this site: Celebrity Gossip.
Palin read a prepared speech that someone else wrote. There are however a few glimpses of her real personality during the speech. The woman definitely comes across as a ditzy soccer mom who’s political career really would have peaked as a PTA leader except for the fact that she was pretty.
The woman has a whiny voice and sounds like she comes from Wisconsin.
I would be scared as shit to have that moron as next president (since McCain has zero chance of living long enough to finish his term…the old coot has his foot half in the grave already).
…and as for people telling Beet to shut up about politics I bet you would not be talking if she supported McCain.
Not surprised Republicans are fighting someone’s right to free speech.
beet, a good way to read between the lines is to look at the money. see who is funding the campaigns(this is supposed to be public record), and who supports yes on this, no on that, etc.
you have to do some thinking for yourself to determine what it means, but it is pretty easy to figure out what someone is really up to when you see who is paying for it. i used to make a chart to make it more clear, but now i am a felon so i don’t have to worry about it anymore.
(so in order to still get my opinion to count, i have to find someone who wasn’t going to vote, then convince them to go and vote my choices. i would probably pay $5 for an obama!)
Well said, Beet. Now I know why the United States will probably be non-existent by the year 2050: Because nobody gives a shit about the real issues anymore and doesn’t take any action. Ah, the continuous dumbing down of America…you have to love it.
the only way to assess a political tendency
is looking for results,
I am aware of the multiple factors
that can give you a hard time,
trying to figure that out through a country’s History,but…
…expectations and outcomes are good assessment methods,
and if that works for medicine
which is not an exact science,
it could be used for politics as well,
albeit in a different fashion.
Palin talking about Iraq:
“Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God,” she exhorted the congregants. “That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html
Donkey…
I hope you don’t think that I am a McCain/Palin supporter…
I am just saying.