Under the Microscope
by Glynn Wilson

A conservative professor of politics at the University of Virginia has written a column in Sunday’s Washington Post asking the question: Why are liberals so condescending?

In the setup, he writes, “Every political community includes some members who insist that their side has all the answers and that their adversaries are idiots. But American liberals, to a degree far surpassing conservatives, appear committed to the proposition that their views are correct, self-evident, and based on fact and reason, while conservative positions are not just wrong but illegitimate, ideological and unworthy of serious consideration. Indeed, all the appeals to bipartisanship notwithstanding, President Obama and other leading liberal voices have joined in a chorus of intellectual condescension.”

Later on, he adds, “This condescension is part of a liberal tradition that for generations has impoverished American debates over the economy, society and the functions of government — and threatens to do so again today, when dialogue would be more valuable than ever.”

Rather than posting a comment on the Post‘s Website to point out how the professor has it so wrong, let’s take his argument apart here.

First of all, he starts out with an obvious bit of false spin, just like the conservative commentators on TV he seems to try to defend.

“…even with Democratic fortunes on the wane, leading liberals insist that they have almost nothing to learn from conservatives.”

On the wane? President Barack Obama’s personal popularity is the same as Ronald Reagan’s after one year in office, and the Democrats still have a majority in both houses of Congress. Just because TV pundits are saying the Democrats may lose a few seats in the mid-term election in 2010 doesn’t mean their fortunes are totally “on the wane.”

In fact, it has been pointed out over and over again that the Republican Party is all but dead, except among white males mostly in the South. Just because one Republican won a Congressional race in Massachusetts doesn’t mean the Republicans are about to take back the country tomorrow. The election is still 10 months away. Anything can happen and probably will.

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This NEW LEFT MEDIA film was produced and edited by Chase Whiteside (interviews) and Erick Stoll (camera).

On November 20, 2009, Sarah Palin visited Columbus, Ohio as part of her book signing tour for Going Rogue. When her supporters were asked broad questions about why they why they thought she should be president, the responses were vague: She’s “real.” She’ll “stick up for America.”

THERE ARE UNINFORMED OBAMA SUPPORTERS, TOO

It has been said in comments that we would find similarly talking point-driven, substance-less supporters at an Obama rally, and we agree. But no politician has emerged on the national stage as undefined and unqualified as Sarah Palin, and her public persona — which is anti-intellectual by definition — discourages substance. Instead, we get winking. One could hardly imagine her giving a complex speech about race in America, or speaking eloquently about our country’s relations with Islam. Not just because she couldn’t write such a speech (Obama has speech-writers, of course) but because she wouldn’t — such necessarily academic discussion is antithetical to the persona she’s created for herself and that her supporters have come to love.

CHERRY-PICKING

As for accusations of cherry picking, which are commonly thrown at interview-based videos, it simply isn’t what we did. We interviewed only a few more people than ended up in the video, not hundreds, and what was cut was done for time purposes. The people were selected at random — some offered to be interviewed — and we were only there for about 90 mins (it gets dark early and fast in Ohio right now). What didn’t make it into the video was just more footage of people talking generically or about taxes/spending, drilling, and abortion, and we constructed blocks in the piece to represent those issues. Of course the piece was edited to be entertaining (this is YouTube, after all, where the currency is cat videos) but we don’t believe we misrepresented the attitudes of the people at that signing in any way.

Democrats hope Republicans are dumb enough to elect Sarah Palin as their nominee for president in 2012…

Why? Because she couldn’t carry a single state — except maybe Alabama. Nah! They don’t vote for women in Alabama.

Former U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, often criticized for her lack of foreign policy experience, emerged in Hong Kong on Wednesday to share her views from “Main Street U.S.A.”

Of course, she banned the press from attending and covering the speech, which shows how much of a true American she is with such a high regard for the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

President Obama says “bring her on…”

Under the Georgia Dome
by Dwayne Hood

Sarah Palin declared her independence from the people of Alaska by quitting her job as governor on our nation’s birthday, the Fourth of July. She claimed to answer a “higher calling” to conservative activism in the private sector so she could fight for “truth and justice” for the American people.

Of course her higher calling has nothing to do with book deals, speaking tours or Fox News talk shows that will make her an instant millionaire and cement her place in history as the first major female voice of the Republican Party.

No, she’s doing it all for us.

Meanwhile, GOP stalwarts wish that South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford would answer a higher calling and resign following his bizarre South America love fest with his Argentine “soul mate.” Although his wife and sons have moved out and state residents from both political parties call for his removal, Sanford pledges to stay in office by comparing himself to the biblical King David who also cheated with another man’s wife.

Conservatives have mastered the art of using God and religion to get or keep what they want.

But little piety is now on display in town hall meetings nationwide as hordes of angry screamers shout down questions or debate on health care reform. These are the white, middle class self professed Christians and culture warriors who stoke rage and hysteria to prevent universal health care. It shows a raw ugliness in a struggle between the haves and the have nots. Those with health care want no change that may provide the same care for others.

More than 40 million people, 15 percent of our population, have no access to health care and skyrocketing costs are eroding our economy and driving millions of jobs overseas. For the past 50 years, Americans have griped, whined, complained and worried over health care costs and availability. Now, we have a president who wants to confront the problem and he’s vilified by the GOP.

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Sarah Palin for President and the early release of Eric Rudolph?

Under the Microscope
by Glynn Wilson

I’ve said it before and I will say it again here today. Sometimes I am profoundly embarrassed to be from Alabama. Today is one of those times.

Why? Because the staff of my hometown newspaper continues to stick its head in the sand and ignore the facts, the truth, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why it is in their fiduciary interests to do so.

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Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

This is too funny. Alaska Governor and potential Republican presidential candidate in 2012 Sarah Palin can’t even come up with her own BS now. She has to steal from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who you will recall had to resign in disgrace from that post back in the 1990s. Now he’s on the GOP short list for prez too?

I never thought I would live to see the day when the Republicans turned to people even dumber and more compromised than George W. Bush for their presidential candidates.

Hey Karl. Care to make a Yuengling bet on which party will dominate American politics for a generation? I don’t think it will be the GOP, boy. And they still want you on TV as a talking head? You ain’t such a brain after all : )

While I had vowed not to write any more about John McCain’s VP pick Sarah Palin, thinking it would be better for everyone if she would just disappear from the national stage, I couldn’t resist passing this one on…

Solidifying her reputation for assaulting endangered species on behalf of Big Oil, this Wednesday Alaska Governor Sarah announced that her state intends to sue the federal government over recent protections granted to the Cook Inlet beluga whale. After petitions and litigation by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies — and over strong objections from Governor Palin — last October the National Marine Fisheries Service dubbed the whale officially endangered under the Endangered Species Act, giving the critically imperiled cetacean much-needed protection in the face of proposed offshore oil and gas development in its Cook Inlet habitat, Alaska’s most populated and fastest-growing watershed.

Alaska’s pending lawsuit over the beluga’s protection represents the second time in recent months that Governor Palin’s administration has launched a legal attack against a species imminently threatened by oil and gas development — the first attack, of course, being Alaska’s suit to overturn federal protections for the polar bear.

“The Center is already in court to block Palin’s anti-polar bear actions, and we’ll do whatever it takes to rescue the beluga from her clutches as well,” Executive Director Kierán Suckling said in a press release.

AP: Alaska plans to sue over beluga whale protection

Check out this Raffi-inspired ditty about the beluga’s plight written by a Center supporter.

Sarah Palin Never Sang ‘Baby Beluga’ to Her Children

Today brings us yet another sorry tale
of Sarah Palin, and the Beluga Whale
no “Baby Beluga in a deep blue sea”
Not for Sarah, no siree

In Alaska and Cook Inlet they earned protection
But Sarah’s now got Alaska filing suit for their rejection
Ms. Palin wants ‘em off that Endangered Species list
Cause if they’re all dead, they won’t be missed.

“Alaska needs bridges, Alaska needs oil
Some stupid white whale shouldn’t get to spoil
The oil industry’s drive for profits and ready cash,
who cares there’s been a species crash?”

Those pesky whales, wolves, and polar bears
All of ‘em had better say their prayers
They’ll be nice cooked, or up on the wall
Who cares if it’s their curtain call?

Katie Gray

The Palin smirk

While the traditional news media is reporting that the “stakes” are “sky-high” for John McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin in Thursday night’s debate with falling poll numbers and growing voter skepticism, the stakes are also high for Obama’s running mate Joe Biden — not to mention the future of the country.

The Republican governor of Alaska prepares to face off against the Democratic senator from Delaware in the most-anticipated vice-presidential debate ever as surveys showed Barack Obama and Biden in a strengthening position for the Nov. 4 election.

AP: Stakes Are Sky-High for Palin-Biden Debate

Feel free to join the discussion on the debate below…

Maybe we should take a short break and revisit this. It’s Black Monday on Wall Street and in D.C.