Sarah Palin
The Palin speech really is poetry. Read below. It makes me want to go to Alaska.
And getting up here I say:
It is the best road trip in America.
Soaring through nature’s finest show.
Denali, the great one,
Soaring under the midnight sun.
And then the extremes.In the winter time it’s the frozen road
That is competing with the view
Of ice fogged frigid beauty.
The cold though.
Doesn’t it split the Cheechakos
From the Sourdoughs?And then in the summertime,
Such extreme summertime.
About a hundred and fifty degrees
Hotter than just some months ago,
Than just some months from now,
With fireweed blooming
Along the frost heaves
And merciless rivers that
are rushing
and carving
and reminding us that here, Mother Nature wins.It is as throughout all Alaska
That big wild good life teeming
Along the road that is north
To the future.
I wonder who wrote it? It isn’t crazy-talk. “The cold though, doesn’t it split the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs?” A cheechako is a newcomer to Alaska, while a sourdough is a long-time resident of Alaska. And “north, to the future?” That’s Alaska’s state motto. Denali? That’s the local Athabaskan name and official Alaskan name for Mount McKinley, and it means “The Great One.” It has greater bulk and rise that Everest, so it’s a good name.
Whatever else you might say about Palin, this part of the speech was directed to Alaskans, her constituency, and while people down here in the lower 48 might chuckle at it, it was actually a good political speech. It has nothing to do with the issue at hand — her resignation with a year and a half remaining — but then that is one of the hallmarks of a good political speech.
In short, don’t count Sarah Palin out. She may not get my vote, but if she learns to speak to the rest of America in this way then we can expect quite a bit from her in the coming years. After all, we’re suckers for poetry.
I’m counting palin out. Shes to volatle. Unless she gets a handler a la Rove, she’s done. Stick a fork in her.
[...] August 8, 2009 Pretty picture of Palin posing Posted by doctorcranium under OUHFA | Tags: Caroline Flint, hot women with power, Kitty Ussher, Sarah Palin | Leave a Comment I wonder how how much of Sarah Palin’s appeal allure is based on how utterly inexplicable she and her beliefs are. But maybe that’s just her way of splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdough. [...]
You are as high as she was when she stumbled her way through that incoherent mishmash.
Trip leaves an insightful and well-thought-out rejoinder to something. He doesn’t specify to what, but to something, I am sure. I believe Thomas à Kempis said “We desire to make other men perfect…” The rest of that quotation is left as an exercise for the reader.
Stacy leaves an insightful and well—though–,,..)out reply (I don’t have to seem smart, I just really am). She doesn’t agree what Trip is saying, but she doesnt like, it, I am, sure. I believe Abe Lincoln said “if that bitch sounds crazy as fuck, shoot her in the head and…”. The rest of that quotation is left as a light jog for the reader.
I don’t know to whom you are referring when you say we’re suckers for poetry. Just look at the stuttering and haltingly painful speeches of our previous president, even when he went up against much more eloquent opponents in debates, he still got elected. If you think the way for Palin to win the heart of the country might have anything at all to do with her eloquence and ability to recite a poem at blistering speed, I might remind you of the great war of the cake-bakers;
[Editor's Note: A chapter of La vie de Gargantua et de Pantagruel inserted here has been deleted. Everyone who reads this blog can be assumed to be quite familiar with the works of François Rabelais in the original French. There is no need to post translations here.]
@Brrrandon! Wow. Just… wow. I recommend we all leave Unabomber-style rants.
It’s funny and sad. Afer I posted the “fork” comment, Stacy emailed me a note saying he thought she’d be back as the darling of the tea party. Turns out he was right… she *is* back and spoke at their convention.
This is all to reminiscent of the time Stacy warned me taht Bush was sure to be re-elected. I thought he was crazy then,too. So the point is, don’t count him out… we’re suckers for idiots. Of course Stacy also thought Howard Dean would get the nomination…
Since everybody wants to quote something here, I’ll remind you of the quotation “The price of apathy toward public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” Or women. Or by idiots of either gender. Sometimes if you dismiss your enemy because you’re sooooo much smarter then them, you’re setting yourself up for a nasty surprise. I know Stacy;he thinks these people are idiots, too. That doesn’t mean they aren’t a threat.
Sorry, but you don’t give yourself enough credit.
@Doug, you need to read my FB notes. Last year (Mar 2, 2009):
“The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”
– Plato
Though I see the above quoted often, I personally cannot find that precise quotation. I like the above, and think it may be a more succinct translation (summary) of the following passage from The Republic.
“That is perhaps why to seek office oneself and not await compulsion is thought disgraceful. But the chief penalty is to be governed by someone worse if a man will not himself hold office and rule.”
– Plato, The Republic
OOH! And Palin was on the news again tonight! She’s got herself a nifty new campaign video about “mama grizzlys.” Everyone can bury their heads in the sand, but don’t blame me when she ends up in charge of something.
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There is great information in this post. I like how you put things. I’ve added the feed to my Google Reader RSS subscriptions and will be sure to spread the word to my friends. I did get some errors with how fast this blog entry loaded. Might be a problem to fix.
Just ’cause I spent an hour chasing this:
“The heaviest penalty for declining to rule &is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.” Book 1, 347-C
via:
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Plato