printWHAT STRIKES ME again and again about what goes for conservatism these days is the feeble arguments used to make a case—they’re so, well, liberal in their illogic.
Via the Charlotte Observer: “Sarah Palin headlined the NRA convention in uptown Charlotte Friday afternoon, speaking to a crowd of 9,000 gun rights supports at Time Warner Cable Arena.”
MSNBC TV has just reported (falsely, I hope) that Palin went on to call on Hollywood to clean up its violence-glorifying, crime-impacting ways before demanding that law-abiding citizens give up their guns.
First, implicit in this stupid exhortation is the unfounded notion that graphic visuals cause violence. How like Tipper! In their censuring attempts, conservatives like Palin remind me of Democrat Tipper Gore and her comical attempt in the 1980s to censor rock lyrics.
Also following from the Palin premise is that, should Hollywood clean up its act, so to speak, we gun owners will indeed consider giving up the right to protect sacred life and property.
Can’t this woman ask my girl, Michelle Bachmann, to help her formulate a logical thought!
Update I (May 15): Thanks to Jack Slater (Letter of the Week) for putting things into perspective as to Palin. I ask Myron to repeat some of his classic observations about the woman. No one is listening; you have to repeat ad nauseam.
(Incidentally, the only individual on the NRA Invited Speakers list who deserves accolades for his efforts on behalf of liberty is … the Democrat (once Reagan appointee), Jim Webb.)
With few exceptions, no amount of analysis I’ve provided on this blog has moved the Republicans who read it (and yes, that was a pejorative) any closer to the truth. Coulter, Palin; Limbaugh, Hannity—they can rest assured. Their futures and fortunes are guaranteed by a blind following as ignorant as it is loyal. All you puppies want is to wag your tails for your masters or mistresses, and forget their hypocrisy and intellectual corruption over the years. I won’t even advise that you read my Palin archives (avoid it) on the main site and on the blog; I know you are more comfortable with feeling warm and fuzzy than following the facts and the principles.
Palin is wrong on almost everything except on energy. On energy and environmental issues she is indeed an ace. That’s all.
Coulter recently appeared on CNN together with some actress, Aisha Tyler, an avowed Obamaite (Tavis Smiley was excellent compared to… Anderson Cooper). The lefty was better than the conservative Queen Bee who could muster only a few silly, spiteful quips in support of freedom.
If you believe these characters are the republic’s last hope, then you deserve their brand of freedom (although Iraqis don’t). They and the wars they’ve whored for are, by and large, what got us into this financial morass.
Update II (April 16): McCain supports Gov. Brewer. Palin is worse than useless on immigration. Anyone who cares about what Peter Brimelow calls the “National Question” will apprise himself of Palin’s hollow, “we-are-a-nation-of-immigrants” positions. She motivates her support for protecting the border with reference, mainly, to national security—not crime, sovereignty, the transformation of the country’s character.
The other characters for whom everyone goes to bat aim to bring the country back to Bush and Laura’s party (Laura approves of BHO’s Kagan appointment). It’s curious that readers would see this as serving to awaken Boobus Americanus.
“The Democratic and Republican parties each operates as a necessary counterweight in a partnership designed to keep the pendulum of power swinging in perpetuity from the one set of colluding quislings to the other, and back.”
And their supporters play musical chairs along with them.
Palin: “”Those left-wing groups are supposed to be so tolerant of everybody’s lifestyle, but they’re intolerant of our lifestyle,”
That quote encapsulates Palin as the supreme CULTURE WARRIOR she is. Government is not there to secure our rights (Jefferson) but to nudge us to decide “correctly” between Leviticus and Heather Has Two Mommies, between a Gun Collection and Pacifism, between Ayn Rand’s theology and Pope Benedict’s. I do not trust someone who worships big McCainian bailout government and believes that “supporting our troops in Afghanistan” ensures American liberties here. I do not trust someone who would ignore most of the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th (and probably the 10th – e.g. Drug Enforcement Agency vs. Medical Marijuana) Amendments while claiming to uphold the 2nd.
But other than appealing to Born-Again-Make-War-on-Everyone Flagworshippers (e.g. the Limbaugh Hannity Cheney cult), she has the uncanny talent to drive BOTH neocon Parker-Brooksians “moderate conservatives” AND limited government Paulist libertarians bats. She is not the reincarnation of Goldwater or Reagan but rather, as you point out, Bush in a Bra. She is, however, easy on the eyes, and maybe we could trade her and Bristol in for a few Argentinean pin-up girls.
The more I hear from Palin the less I think of her. Michelle Bachmann is intelligent and articulate. I would love to have the opportunity to vote for her for President of the United States but the Republican Party would probably never nominate her.
“Can’t this woman ask my girl, Michelle Bachmann, to help her formulate a logical thought!”
We can wish, can’t we?
As a paid up member of the NRA, I am getting tired of my membership fees going to the Palins and McCains. Neither of them are really helping. Mrs. Palin, four letters ‘RINO’ continues to disappoint. “http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Palin-feminism-SusanBAnthonyList-elections/2010/05/14/id/359071” Maybe there isn’t anything she and her sisters can’t do but she won’t get my vote.
Robert – I will take exception and argue that Ron Paul is actually the RINO. Steele, Bush, Cheney, McCain, Huckabee, Romney, McConnell, Stevens – these are the REAL REPUBLICANS – expanding government since 1861.
Who is Sarah Palin? She’s the one who puts asses in seats whenever she speaks and anti-Democrat voters in the voting booths at election time. She is getting the job done. She’s out there taking it on the chin from nearly everybody, except regular Americans who haven’t seen a spokesperson in ages. MIchele Bachmann? She’s great and I probably would vote for her before I would vote for Sarah but that doesn’t diminish Sarah’s effect on the masses. Does anybody think the Republicans got 55,000,000 votes because people liked John McCain or even liked the Republican party? No, it was Sarah, and as long as we’re talking vote providers let’s not forget Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and their ilk. Maybe they’re not classical conservatives but we’re in a down and dirty war to save the Republic and Sarah and company are leading the charge. Until somebody more deserving wants to get into the fight I’ll support Sarah and Rush and Ann and all the rest of the not so sophisticated yokels who are getting in the fight.
I think it is fair to say that Palin was only trying to exhibit Hollywood hypocrisy on the gun rights issue and not to make some recondite point of logic or policy.
Look, she’s pretty much just a regular person who speaks her mind and heart. There’s nothing wrong or destructive about that. Besides she’s not running for any public office; all this hand wringing on the Right about whether to vote for her or someone else also lacks certain logic. I for one have had my fill of elitists and intellectuals who read to me their carefully calibrated words from the teleprompter. She’s popular; she’s drives the Left insane, and she’s mostly right on the issues.
Myron:
Exception noted, the party of Lincoln has a long history wherein the Likes of Goldwater and Paul are the exception to the norm. However, in my limited capacity to label appropriately, I find a loss of descriptive names for Palin and McCain or Grahams and am unable to make a point without going into the gutter. I still believe that the ‘Republican platform’ is represented by Ron Paul, a lot more than Palin, or McCain or Graham and prefer to call him the true Republican.
I knew Palin was a fraud when she recently said that she wanted to “defer” to border governors on border security.
She was speaking of Texas Governor Rick Perry. He’s an open-borders enthusiast, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. http://www.infowars.com/rick-perrys-cynical-effort-to-exploit-the-tea-party-movement-and-states-rights/
Sarah is a parochial ignoramus and self-aggrandizing buffoon.
Having just viewed the Palin NRA speech, I can proudly claim to have witnessed one of the most vacuous, imbecilic displays of faux patriotism in a long time. People who buy into this crap while rejecting the message of individual liberty, peace, free market economy and non-interventionist foreign policy deserve what comes. The only problem is they are not the only ones to suffer the consequences….
From the NRA site:
Invited speakers to this unique, members-only event include: Governor Mike Huckabee; Governor Mitt Romney; Governor Haley Barbour; Governor Bob McDonnell; Governor Jeb Bush; Governor Mitch Daniels; Governor Bev Perdue; Senator Scott Brown; Senator Richard Burr; Senator Jim DeMint; Senator Jim Webb; Congressman John Tanner; Congressman Heath Shuler; Steve Forbes; Elizabeth Hasselbeck; Chuck Norris; and Michael Reagan.
Myron Pauli: Spot on with the Real Republican Trademark!
Taking a cue from Roger, above: I suspected (but had not concluded) Palin was a fraud when she delivered the “I’m so proud of my daughter” comment. http://itn.co.uk/772c7417fbd95e70091e16bd09e4aa07.html
Although it is very common for young, unmarried women to become pregnant these days, and to give birth out of wedlock, this is not typically considered a source of great pride among American Christians. I believe Bristol has elsewhere stated that telling her mother about her pregnancy was worse than going through labor. So something is amiss (in addition, of course, to the fact that by continuing her support for an unjust war, Mrs. Palin is helping deprive Iraqi kids of their rights to life in rather cruel ways. Ditto for the poor children of the Af-Pak theater.)
Thank you for the update Ilana. I am a former blind follower of these so called conservative leaders. Their hunger for war is horrifying! I do understand their version of “conservatism” because it was mine for many years. Too many people in this country do not understand the constitution, the bill of rights, and limited government. You used the word ignorant in referring to their blind followers and you are correct. Also, they are whores for the wars. I am still learning and I learn from you everyday. I want you to know that I appreciate the work you do here Ilana. Thank you.
[Thanks Greg; sorry to have sounded so exacerbated, but sometimes it seems hopeless.]
I have an update on the happenings with Mrs. Palin, courtesy of my inbox this afternoon. Apparently, she is lending her support to AZ Governor Jan Brewer on the immigration bill.
http://www.securetheborder.org/email/email_1.php?ID=1
While somewhat less than principled, I would not declare the other figures mentioned in your update to be valueless. Polarizing figures do serve to wake people up. This process, which the left correctly visualizes as a step by step radicalization, has to start somewhere.
Hopeless? Never! If others are ignorant as opposed to stupid, then we ought to be there to help them along, not write them off.
I think its a waste of energy to carry on about every single thing
Palin says : she gets the press quotes that others do not on the main stream media and she is out there trying to stem the looni left tide.in that she’s succeeding.
I think its more important at this point in the culture war tofocus hatred and venom on the destructive and suicidal mainstream mediaa and the utterly
Incomprehensible actions (e non actions) of congress as thy try to get cap e trade and amnesty done before november.I also think there could be a war in the persian gulf by end july/august
So its important to focus on the real enemies ofamerica !
EU not looking good either: so I feel that usa has huge amount of violent and oppressive enemieswho are very busy breaking down liberty for usa and world in general: with assistance of united nations ON USA SOIL:
Bizarre that no one is stopping iran getting on human rights council(on american soil!!)
Main issue is to stop the socialistic tide. Then the cultural war can be refined by 2012