She Who Must Not Be Named

[connecticut yankee]

Charles M. Blow in today's New York Times

This is it. This is the last time I’m going to write the name Sarah Palin until she does something truly newsworthy, like declare herself a candidate for the presidency. Until then, I will no longer take part in the left’s obsessive-compulsive fascination with her, which is both unhealthy and counterproductive.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/opinion/04blow.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a212


He refers to her as the Zsa Zsa Gabor of American politics.

[leeroysphitz]

1. word.

[TexasObserver]

2. Ridiculing Reagan in 1978 really worked out.

Reagan won because Carter's presidency ended in shambles. If President Obama's first term ends in shambles, whoever the GOP nominates will win.

Sarah Palin CAN win the GOP nomination.

Be very worried. She is the essence of the GOP base, and McCain has unleashed the fury on party elders.

[Axrendale]

3. I think that the left as a whole seriously needs to allow for the fact that icons of the Right are

NOT all the same.

There is a HUGE world of difference between a Barry Goldwater, a Richard Nixon, a Ronald Reagan, a George W. Bush, and a Sarah Palin. These five figures have just about one thing in common: they are anathema to the Left. But apart from that, far too many people seem to lose sight of the fact that they are about as different from each other as apples and organges.

Some liberals might like to compare Palin to Reagan as a way of blowing her up into a BIG SCARY THREAT - a potential Gipper II. Such liberals betray either a gross underestimation of Reagan or an even more gross overestimation of Palin - probably both.

I find it positively bizarre that so many left-wingers delude themselves about Reagan - dismissing him as having been a senile nutcase who throughout his eight years in the Presidency was nothing more than a puppet for the mysterious "Shadowy Forces of the Military-Industrial Complex". Nothing could be further from the truth: Reagan was a tough, experienced operator with some of the finest political instincts of recent history who was fully in command of his own administration and its agenda, and who knew how to compromise and fight in order to achieve as much of that agenda as possible. That was what made him such a dangerous enemy - one who beat the cr@p out of us on more occaisons than I for one care to remember, and was thus able to implement some truly god-awful policies. It's about time that we acknowledged that and learned from some of the mistakes we made.

All figures ought to be judged for who and what they are, not what we would like to see them as, and She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a great place to start. Sarah Palin is no Ronald Reagan - that is for sure. That is an insult to the 40th President (May his soul burn in Hell).

[Turbineguy]

5. +1

[Xipe Totec]

7. The Real Ronald Reagan, as Portrayed by Phil Hartman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skQuhoG7fFM

[geckosfeet]

8. She is just another in a continous stream of RW corporate stooges.

Their IQ may vary and they may wear different clothes, but they all want to "free us" from government interference and make us slaves to corporate greed.

[KharmaTrain]

10. Raygun Built A Movement...

First...he earned his political chops with two tumultous terms in Sacramento. He suceeded despite his fame. I can still recall all the joke Johnny Carson made about an celebrity as a politician. A big difference than being a politician that's a celebrity.

After he lost the '76 nomination, Raygun built a strong base that one could say is the backbone of the "conservative" movement. He was no empty suit. He did radio and print commentaries not tweets...he worked on behalf of the party not picking fights and by the time the '80 election rolled around he had a solid organization to launch his successful primary and then general election campaigns. Grifterella has none of this. Just a media fascinated with the latest dysfunction.

Just like you, I harbor no fond memories of Raygun and think the comparisons to Mooselini are very knee-jerk as well. But I also don't discount how stuck on stupid this country is. While my political instincts still say her running next year will rip the GOTB apart, I also see a detachment and vaccum out there she could exploit. While Raygun was the ultimate actor/candidate...Palin is the cartoon character candidate.

Cheers...

[ixion]

4. If the Iranian hostages had been released and/or freeed by Carter

then he would most probably have won re-election.

[WhiteTara]

9. Reagan won because of the "October Surprise"

and the fact that the pukes went to Iran and made a deal. It wasn't known as the Iran/Contra Affair for nothing.

Carter was a great president. Actually a statesman. His only real flaw was Zbignew Bresinski (sp?) who started the war in Timor and made the misery in Afghanistan.

[LiberalEsto]

6. At least Zsa Zsa had charm.

This one has all the charm of a backed up toilet.

[lpbk2713]

11. That's a step in the right direction.

I'll never forget ol' whatsername. :eyes: