by frog
Sarah Palin has written a book. Here are some people who enjoyed reading it and who are waiting to have her sign their copies
Interesting, on many levels
Hat tip: undulating ungulate
Published in Environment & Resource Management by frog on Sat, November 28th, 2009
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
...
Dear Lord…
My brother is my sister’s cousin…
Yeehaw..!
Like or Dislike:
2 
3 (-1)
that is very funny..
i have knicked it..
..(and thrown it up on kiwiblog..
as a weapon with which to point and jeer..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
2 
5 (-3)
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Like or Dislike:
8 
22 (-14)
“..One interesting thing is that these people are engaging in politics..”
did you watch the vid..?
these people can barely ‘engage’ with oxygen..
let alone be able to make even any vaguely coherent political ‘engagement’..
whoar..!
dumb as dogshit..!
all of them..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
5 
4 (+1)
Turkeys!
Like or Dislike:
1 
2 (-1)
It is one of the reasons I moved here. Seriously.
BP, the average Kiwi is smarter than the average American. There are plenty of outliers, but this is the unfortunate truth about the USA. However, at least one of them got part of it. The USA is now “just another country” and the sheeple are almost ungovernable…. and maybe there is an unnecessary modifier in that phrase.
As for the party… I don’t think you’re actually describing us when you say “naive middle class”, just your image of us. Some are, some aren’t. How many of us do you know?
BJ
Like or Dislike:
5 
2 (+3)
As soon as I saw this post I knew BP would say that
Like or Dislike:
3 
2 (+1)
Like or Dislike:
5 
0 (+5)
All your old school buddies BJ?
Like or Dislike:
2 
0 (+2)
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Like or Dislike:
5 
25 (-20)
I’ve seen New Zealanders on the news who couldn’t name the leader of the Labour Party. Or the Greens. Or ACT.
Let alone name one foreign policy.
And we have even less excuse, given our size (less media channels, fewer events) And that people in the US appear to take more notice of state affairs as opposed to what goes on in Washington (BJ may be able to confirm).
You should see opportunity, as opposed to jumping to deride. If you can’t talk to people at that level, you will not receive any more votes than you do now. You think you’re superior, but that arrogance costs you.
Like or Dislike:
2 
11 (-9)
Roger Douglas!
Like or Dislike:
6 
2 (+4)
FOX
Like or Dislike:
5 
2 (+3)
I come from this (NZ equivalent) class.
How can you treat them so dismissively? They may be unaware. They may be uneducated. They may not put two and two together so well.
But they have the same needs, the same desires, and the same vote that you and I do.
In NZ, they are Maori, PI and the poor white trash.
If you can’t communicate with them, what does that say about you?
Like or Dislike:
5 
11 (-6)
Isn’t that sad enough? Do you have to spread their ignorance via the tv screen.
Another question is: shouldn’t a minimum of education be mandatory if you want to vote?
Like or Dislike:
2 
3 (-1)
But she’s so real !
Like John Key – connecting with the people because he’s so real .
Like or Dislike:
3 
1 (+2)
I don’t like Palin any more than I like Bradford.
I just find the derision interesting. What if those people were Maori, and you asked them about NZ foreign policy?
Like or Dislike:
4 
9 (-5)
This time I suspect BJ is exaggerating. Isn’t the average level needed to talk to most Americans only about 5th grade?
Trevor.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0 (+2)
@Blue Peter there may be many NZers who take as little interest in politics as these yokels but why then go to a political event or even more stupidly talk to political reporters..?
@blip, I went to the March For Democracy and could talk about NZ’s foreign policy and tax system pretty well thank you…
Like or Dislike:
0 
1 (-1)
“..They may be unaware. They may be uneducated. They may not put two and two together so well..”
yes..?
“..In NZ, they are Maori, PI and the poor white trash. .”
no no..!..the local equivalent are the actites…
surely..?
those lining up to sign a book by douglas/hyde..?
has hyde done a book..?
(suggested title..?..)
‘from trough to trough’..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
3 
1 (+2)
BP
Americans are in general, very insular. Their understanding of FOREIGN policy is limited to (possibly) being able to name the places we are actively at war. Allies, antagonists… you’d get nothing back outside the top 5-10% .
They take a larger interest in the things that the media tells them to be interested in, particularly through paid advertisements.
That means that health-care is important. The report erred in that it asks what Sarah Palin’s policies and views are… most people don’t reason to that level and the information is not presented to them. They assume a lot. However, if he had instead asked what they think we should do about health care, he might have gotten something more useful than “I don’t know”. Noting too that this is a book signing. Chances are the books being signed had not yet been read. These are some of the MORE informed lot… }}:0 !!!
respectfully
BJ
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
‘How can you treat them so dismissively? They may be unaware. They may be uneducated. They may not put two and two together so well.
But they have the same needs, the same desires, and the same vote that you and I do.’
Oh my,Blue Peter, and they turned up at a book selling to support someone who is against the Democratic incumbent, and they can’t articulate a sausage about the ideas or values they espouse? C’mon Blue Peter, this is no more a demonstration of ‘democracy’ than was the latter day demagoguery that afflicted ancient Athens. Manufactured by the same glib sloganeering in the medium of the day.
And, in the meantime, small town America is being tormented by unemployment, mortgage foreclosures and resetting, increasing taxation by bankrupt state legislatures…profiteering by utilities like the AIG water thieves, and factory shutdowns etc etc etc.
These poor folk need a big break, but their only solution seems to be to do more of what broke their dreams……
Like or Dislike:
1 
1 (0)
‘she’s such a feminist role-model’ … WTF, ROTFL!
I remember a (female) pol-sci student saying that to me, when the discussion was Clinton vs Palin, early 2008, on VUW campus.
I just about wet myself laughing, as I don’t consider either of them to be ‘feminist’, both of them facilitate sexual abusers.
But perhaps my insistance on using a Political Dictionary definition of ‘feminist’ was where I went wrong, as the young women talking to me were quick to point out.
They were using a contemporary newspaper-journalist definition, and said my understanding was ‘outdated’. The discussion then went on to how many contemporary feminist writings they had read recently to base that opinion upon….
Given that a high proportion of feminist texts originate in Women’s Colleges in the USA, you’d think that some kind of standard understanding of the word might exist, but just like Ben & Jerry’s icecream, ‘feminism’ is defined in as many flavours as you like, just pick the one that suits you best.
So I guess the young woman standing gushing in the queue was only working from her best understanding of ‘feminism’ as it relates to her own life circumstances; but I did feel sorry for her, that her experience of ‘feminism’ had given her such a limited view of the possibilities this political philosophy has to offer.
Like or Dislike:
2 
1 (+1)
If there were people in the line who gave sensible answers to the interviewer’s questions, they wouldn’t have made it into the final video. It’s more funny that way.
Not to be taken too seriously…
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
Very true Rimu, that’s how some of the video bits Leno used to make were made. I should have mentioned it. However, the 6th grade reference? That’s real.
…and they are a field ready for harvest by anyone with a powerful oratorical style and a message of return to the former greatness of the country. Someone who can identify their enemies and give them focus. All that is needed is to choose the color of the shirts.
It isn’t actually funny at all.
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
I guess the problem is you don’t see the people who could articulate a position. They don’t make the final cut.
My point is you can produce that exact same result no matter which party followers you interview.
Here’s one on Obama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm1KOBMg1Y8
…and that if you can’t connect with that group – they exist here, too, in large numbers – then a small percentage of the vote you’ll always have.
Like or Dislike:
4 
2 (+2)
It is an unfortunate fact of life that half the people eligible to vote will have an IQ of 100 or less. So to get the vote of these people, you do have to make it easy for them to read and understand your message. Pitching at 0-10 year olds may be about right, as these children may be able to carry the message to their voting parents. It isn’t just your polocies you need to convey – it is also the reasons behind those policies, such as the arguments for believing in AGW and not believing the denialist industry.
The Green Party web-site needs to be designed for non-Green Party visitors and made easy for them to understand the issues and then the policies for addressing those issues, all in a way that a Year-6 student can navigate.
Trevor.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0 (+2)
Trevor
That is a !very.good.point!
BP – Rimu already noted that and I agreed. One of the reasons I am pleased to see that you are back.
BTW, did you ever tell us where you actually went? …and did you have a good time there? Just out of curiousity.
respectfully
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
BP states “I come from this (NZ equivalent) class.”
enough said!!!
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
The video could equally have depicted incoherent Obama groupies. So what’s the point?
I’ve seen New Zealanders on the news who couldn’t name the leader of the Labour Party. Or the Greens. Or ACT.
etc
Indeed Bill Maher did similar canvassing on his TV show/podcast to McCain, Palin and Obama supporters – ‘chaaaange’! ‘honesty!’ ‘one of us’…’oh, policies!? um..!?’
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
Katie wrote: “I just about wet myself laughing, as I don’t consider either of them to be ‘feminist’, both of them facilitate sexual abusers.”
can you elaborate, Katie?
I don’t know anything about either of them that relates to the issue of sexual abuse.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
And there, in that last part, you have touched on the problem.
If only the solution was as easy.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Oops – missed. That should have read “Pitching at 9-10 year olds…”
Trevor
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
VRWC mischief
Like or Dislike:
0 
4 (-4)