can a tina fay skit be far behind?

Too funny.

They want to believe that a turkey pardon happens in a vaccuum I suppose.

The left and their namby pamby hyperventillating over the dumbest things never ceases to amaze me. Have these folks never been on a farm?

I confess i am one of those people who like the illusion that meat comes automatically neatly packaged in styrofoam and plastic, but I know it is an illusion and I do not express faux outrage at the idea that it doesn't.

Personally I think it would do people some good to get a little more up close and personal with the food they eat-I think modern living has allowed us to morally separate ourselves from what happens when meat is produced for our table.

And if shooting and dressing your own meat doesn't gross you out or disturb you, then I wouldn't expect slaughtered turkeys to nudge up the outrage radar.

These complainers just need to get over themselves.

A clear setup....the cameraman is careful to keep the man in the background framed while Palin moves around. Do you think they would have chose this angle if it were a Pelosi interview?

She could have visited Huffpo and gotten all the turkeys she could possibly need.

While I have no illusions about how meat is ultimatly obtained, and I love Sarah Palin and her core beliefs, this is pretty damn oblivious of her..

I mean, sheesh, she could have asked to be interviewed in front of a pine tree or something.

You ever see how pine nuts are made? gruesome business Ill tell ya

I thought she did that on purpose to freak out the PETA/vegetarian/dirty hippie-types. How can she NOT see and hear what's going on? Doesn't she have some sort of an assistant right there?

The proper way to kill a turkey is to drop it from a helicopter. Anything else is just barbaric.

once again, the controversey has been distorted

pardoning a turkey, and playing to the camera with turkeys dying in the background is quite simply a stupid thing to do

it aint just stupid, its palin stupid!

=]

That she was interviewed in front of turkeys getting whacked and didn't even bat an eyelash should send a message to her opponents, get the hell out of my way or you'll be like the turkeys.

Kim,

Thanks for the interesting post. You are so lucky to have a wild turkey for Thanksgiving. They are the best. Had one that was personally raised by a farmer freind, next best thing to shooting it myself.

additional irony: if there is any animal on the entire planet that palin reminds me of more than any other, it really would have to be the turkey

Ok. There's the thing.

People who don't even know how to poo in the woods have no place commenting on how their nouveau cuisine is produced; they should clamp their siliconed lips together tight and let real humans continue doing the necessary work of providing luxurious comforts for the absolutely fantastic spastic.

syn, i dont think anyone is commenting on how their food is produced, but rather on the complete lack of political poise on her part that this represents

Hey, it's OK, they're only plastic turkeys anyway.

Kim,

What makes me think she knew exactly what she was doing? Her Burberry scarf is just the right touch for the sophisticates that can't handle the sight of a bird getting "bled out" in the background. BTW, is that a Starbucks Latte Grande in her hand? Even better.

Wonder if Field & Stream will put her on the cover?

"If the libs are shocked by how these turkeys met their demise, maybe I shouldn't tell them that my Thanksgiving turkey wasn't slaughtered as Palin's was, but it was shot by a hunter friend up here in the woods of Northern Michigan." -- Kim

Yes, you shouldn't have told me that.

pardoning a turkey, and playing to the camera with turkeys dying in the background is quite simply a stupid thing to do

She's way ahead of you on this peabody.

"my Thanksgiving turkey wasn't slaughtered as Palin's was, but it was shot by a hunter friend up here in the woods of Northern Michigan.

Hey Kim, I hope you're planning on deep frying it. That's the only way to cook a wild Turkey.

peabody3000 said: "additional irony: if there is any animal on the entire planet that palin reminds me of more than any other, it really would have to be the turkey"

Strange additional irony: If there is any creature peabody3k reminds me of more than any other, it really would have to be the liberal troll.

You know what lefties? To some, politics is about more than theatrics and appearance.

Oh, what am I thinking, they're the ones who elected Obama...

Personally I think this video was great, but to the intollerant and easily offended--guess what, you'd never vote for her anyway so why should she care what you think?

And damn those "tingles" up and down my "leg"-- must... think... baseball...

P. Bunyan

I was going to suggest deep frying also. A friend from Louisiana introduced that to me years ago, along with injecting marinade and flavoring.

Recently I've returned to a several days long brine soaking and then the traditional slow cook method for twelve to eighteen hours.

Nothing better than a wild bird...maybe Kim will post photos?

awww KDH dont get upset now... seriously isnt her voice kind of like a turkey's warbeling gobble-gobble? and she has that turkey neck thing starting to happen, and when her hair is worn up its kind of like the crown of a turkey-head..... dont forget those turkey legs... etc etc

also farmers have reported that after heavy rains, they go outside to see many dead turkeys who have drowned, having looked into the sky to see whats falling down upon them, while catching water in their gullets... i do see paralells........

=]

bunyan - do you really think liberals were "offended"? or rather could they just be shaking their heads at yet another awkward lack of political competence displayed by caribou barbie?

Lack of political competence? Apparently Alaskans aren't a bunch of weak-kneed pussies struck dumb by a politician able to speak with the press while the day-to-day business of a small farm is conducted in close proximity. The local media didn't seem too gobstruck by it either.

Not too surprising that people who've only seen turkeys pre-plucked with a pop-up timer in the breast are the only ones losing control of their bowels over this "outrage".

baron - what has people dumbstruck aint the blood, its that palin cant properly stage-manage even the most typical kind of photo-op

"political poise"

Now we are talking an important indicator of great leadership.

Everyone knows the best politicians must have attended the correct Charm School.

"its that palin cant properly stage-manage even the most typical kind of photo-op"

Here's where we differ, I'm not interested in a leader who would spend more time posing for the cover of The Rolling Stone than would spend actually serving the people.

well syn, just picture joe biden ceremoniously pardoning a turkey, and obliviously sharing camera time with the less fortunate turkeys getting hacked up

do you suppose it would seem.. oh, i dunno... kinda dumb?

What was akward about that Pea?

I guess to members of the fabricated reality community, reality seems awkward...

ahh bunyan - im sorry but plastic turkeys, false WMDs, and missions-[not really]-accomplished are all the fabricated reality i will put up with

=]

peabody, you do realize that there was no plastic turkey, right? It was "fake but accurate". In other words, a lie.

nicholas - i dont know that it was a lie.. but i realize that it could be. something to read up on!

Liberals are all a twitter? No the whole country is laughing it's ass off at this hapless dolt. The funniest part is what she is saying.

If you haven't seen the movie Fargo, the final 10 minutes, you won't understand why this is the most insane 3 minutes on youtube of 2008.

Could anyone be more clueless than Palin?

SNL=Tina Fey and Steve Buscemi

I would LOVE to see a few of the Palin detractors who seem to enjoy running their mouthes about her actually come face to face with the lady. I suspect the volume would go from a roar to a squeak immediately.

Through all the comments condemning Palin, I've yet to hear who's NOT eating turkey or meat for Thanksgiving. There is a realness to Palin that is so lacking in politics today.

10 comments on a post about what the Republicans need to do to get back their political standing. (below) 38 comments on a post about a couple of turkeys. There you go.

If the Repubs continue to salivate and fawn over this comic, clueless pageant queen as their political future, it's going to be a long, long time in the wilderness.

If you haven't seen the movie Fargo, the final 10 minutes, you won't understand why this is the most insane 3 minutes on youtube of 2008.

We can always rely on lava to remind us that pop culture is the basis of his political argument and that provincial stereotyping is the blunt instrument that he presumes is his scalpel.

Much as I don't care for Sarah, anyone who can field dress an elk or moose, has my respect. Most of the lefties think of gun control as no guns. My definition of gun control is hitting what you are aiming at.

Guess Sarah and I agree with gun control, as she has shot and field dressed the game she was after. And what in the hell do some people think turkeys are raised for? Hey stupids, its for food, and yep, they have to be slaughtered also, so you can eat the food. Shee-----------.

groucho

If the Repubs continue to salivate and fawn over this comic, clueless pageant queen as their political future, it's going to be a long, long time in the wilderness.

What amazes me is how stupid liberals are while they claim to be intelligent.

Turkeys drowning from looking upwards? That's chickens, dumbass. Chickens. And also completely untrue. Search Snopes, if you're smart enough to look it up.

Thus peabrain3k dials up an old urban legend to bolster his untenable position. Next we'll see his troll-tastic comments repeated in ALL-CAPS and festooned with exclamation points.

Do you intend to eat a turkey this Thanksgiving, PB3K? I'm sure your fowl will have grown organically from an elm tree. Where do you people live and get your food?

KDH

BTW, peabrain3k, here's a link to the urban legend you referenced:

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen06/gen06611.htm

And when are you going to learn how to place an apostrophe?

It's rather disconcerting to see "im" and "your" (i.e., you're) sprinkled throughout the witty e-droppings of such a fine intellect as your own.

Ya know... If this interview was aired in my home-town with a local politician it would get no reaction at all. None.

Okay... maybe a few rolled eyes at pardoning a turkey, but that's it.

Peabody is all in a twitter because the *point* is all how this is so obviously outrageous?

The point is that it's *not* outrageous at all for a whole heck of a lot of people. The point is, that the people who find it outrageous are pretty dang funny.

I have actually slaughtered chickens and rabbits. The mechanism for chickens is exactly the same as for the turkeys in that video but smaller. You put the bird in the funnel, head first, then grab their head, pull it down and cut if off. The bird bleeds out into the bin below and you remove it when it stops moving, which can be anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or more.

Rabbits are another story. You break their necks by twisting their heads very quickly. If you do it correctly, they don't scream.

Ah, poor Republican losers, this isn't a political or animal rights issue. First, Palin was asked by the cameraman if she was okay with the background and Palin replied "sure". In the video she even looks over her left shoulder at a turkey being slaughtered. Not to mention the noise, etc. So she knew what was in the scene and approved. With that in context, her comments are even weirder.

Second, it's all about presentation. Anyone who's taken an elective course on movies in high school to pass time, or on photography knows about choosing your background. Everything is a choice, a planned, conscious decision. And in politics it's even more controlled and staged - at least by someone who's got half a brain. This was just pure stupidity on her part, unless it was an overt threat to someone. She could have chosen a much more 'attractive' backdrop for the wrap-up of her turkey pardon and happy holiday message.

Finally, turkeys being slaughtered is reality. So is someone taking a shit. And your grandparents taking their last breath. Or a premature baby dying in its parents arms. Do we have to see it to prove we accept it? Reality isn't always pleasant.

Republican losers, shed your tears and self-pity over something that's valid, Palin is an idiot - proven once again by Palin herself.

"Second, it's all about presentation."

You hit the nail on the head. For liberals it's all about appearances. That's why they come off looking like such idiots at times. Remember Mondale in the tank? Or Kerry in the cleanroom suit? Yep, conscious choice to cast themselves as something they are not.

As opposed to Palin who had no problem doing an interview in front of turkeys being slaughtered because, for her, that's normal. Just like it is for most Americans. It's only the idiot liberals who think every moment must be thought through, all the makeup must be perfect and every line has to be eloquent.

Taken in that light, Obama makes perfect sense. It's not about the policies, dummy, it's about the appearance.

I meant Dukakis, not Mondale. Sorry for the confusion.

This is not only one of the funniest things I've seen out of the Press in some time, it is incredibly revealing of the mindset of these imbeciles.

That they call themselves "The Fourth Estate" must give some small comfort to Congresspeople, that at least there are some public servants even dumber and less serious than they are.

Congrats, media, you've really thrown the best turds out there this year! Take a break and get yourselves a turkey breast generated in a petri dish from stem cells, or whatever your "reality" tells you they come from.

Outrage over this and not the illegal intrusion to Joe the Plumber's life?

Yeah, that appearances thing can really trip you up. Like when Biden ran his mouth off during his '88 campaign for President and wholesale appropriated Neil Kinnock's speech AND his biography.

The fact that this pathetic man will be VP actually has me more t'd off than having The One in as President.

The more libs. run their mouths, the more crap comes out. Pose in any background you choose, but the substance is the same: mere crap.

well syn, just picture joe biden ceremoniously pardoning a turkey, and obliviously sharing camera time with the less fortunate turkeys getting hacked up

Yes, and he'd be yammering on about how the Pilgrims ate turkey after they landed at Fraggle Rock back in 1776.

So, who is this peabody idiot? His mom must work all day long for him to have access to the computer so often.

Palin doesn't give doing an interview in front of a turkey slaughterhouse a second thought. Why? Because she would be hypocritical to hide from such an interview given the life she lives. This attitude, this 'realness', is what makes her so damn appealing.

To accuse of lacking "political poise" is to show yourself for the utter buffoon you are.

Your comments in this post made my day. Thanks for the laugh, chuckles.

"Outrage over this and not the illegal intrusion to Joe the Plumber's life?"

Well, yeah, it was the Democrats that held Joe the Plumber up as a shining example of the middle class. Or was that McPalin? Hmmm. And his lies about making more than $250k, wanting to buy out his bosses business, etc, hmmm those should have all been taken at face value, yup. How dare the press reveal what he really is, bastards! And the book deal he's shopping around shows his total outrage with being put in the public eye.

And as for the previous comments about appearances, that obvioulsy doesn't matter to Bible touting, holier than thou Republicans - like Larry Craig picking up men in public bathrooms, the other one that liked sex with 17 year old pages but still doesn't think it's wrong, the recently convicted 7 time felon from Alaska, an alcoholic President that became a spend-a-holic, etc., etc. Appearances are meaningless, say one thing, do another, and condemn Democrats for not being quite as bad! That's why Republicans won the elections this year by such a wide margin, and garnered such a mandate from the majority of America...

Yeah, ok, self-delusion, justification, fear-mongering, hypocritical actions, that's the stuff of TRUE Americans - like the Republcian Party!!!

Have a Nice Day. : )

The sad aspect of the moronic HuffPo piece is that they are the same group of hypocrites that advocate for unrestricted abortions. Where was all their self righteous outrage when Mr. Infanticide voted to deny medical attention to born alive botched abortions?

Compare:

Sarah Palin, turkey farm, MANUFACTURED OUTRAGE

Barack Obama, abortion advocate, silence

It is offensive if you're a vegetarian

The Democrats tolerate so many haters in their ranks. It's sad.

"How dare the press reveal what he really is, bastards!"

Rick in CT has just given his personal permission for any public employee with access to his personal information to look that information up because he has made political statements on the internet.

Yay!

The libs and the MSM are apparently completely out of touch.
http://rightklik.blogspot.com/

You could go either way on this; but still, she's gotta think about what's going on when her interviews are going to be broadcast to millions of people

I am convinced because liberals have no brains, they see things in an abnormal fairytale light. How else do explain the brilliance of the average Obama voter on display all around the country. These people really think of themselves as samrt.

Just remember it is easy to make idiot voters out of ignorant people. Isn't that really what the Obama election proved? Government schools can deliver the ignorants in quantity.

"what has people dumbstruck aint the blood, its that palin cant properly stage-manage even the most typical kind of photo-op"

It "aint the blood"? Well, if it ain't the blood that you see as indicative of her stage-management abilities, then what is it?

Much better that we're all left with that warm and fuzzy feeling when our messiah is framed in glowing light chanting the word "hope".

Reality? That's for losers, aint it?

Science says if you're a vegetarian and do not eat meat then your brain begins to shrink.

Science also says that eldery who drink soy shrinks memory capacity.

I guarantee you if Palin asked the camera and reporter to move, the headline would be "Palin Hides How Turkeys Die". Just like when the left and the MSM see Jesus walk on water, the left will say, "Jesus cannot swim". Funny, but you know it is true. Don't forget, the left and the MSM are saying the Alaskans not only do not know how to vote, but they also have a Governor who is stupid. That is so nice to say about one of the States citizens and leadership. So classLESS. ww

"mmmmmmmmm.....turkey....."

*drooling like Homer Simpson*

Yeah...people really shouldn't be 'outraged' but why did she have to stand there? She must have seen that guy out of the corner of her eye.
No one even listened to her interview. She needs to have a better sense of things around her.

why did she have to stand there?

Because it is showing the Leftcult for the prissy, obnoxious crybabies that they are.

I'm sure she knew exactly what was going on and pretty much this is a "put that in your pipe and smoke it, jack" moment.

I'd want Sarah at my back in a crisis before I'd have any manicured, metrosexual nancyboy at MSNBC who thinks steaks and turkeys grow on styrofoam trays at the supermarket.

ahahaha! clearly its the neocons who are all a'twitter!!

hey, i used an apostrophe!

=]

Dear Kim - I happen NOT to be a liberal and I am 'atwitter' about Palin's choice of backdrops for her interview. She was asked before the interview if she was concerned about the turkey killing site in the background and her response was 'no worries'. Frankly, it is not something I want my 4 and 6 year old to see as they watch the evening news. There is a time and place for that and it was certainly poor judgement on her part. Don't be such a presuming idiot over the association with political persuasion and concern parents have about what their kids see on television.

Thank you, thank you, thank you republicans for giving us Sarah Palin. She is truly the gift that keeps giving.

PALIN '12!

JLT

Why do you allow your 4 or 6 y/o to be watching Broadcast News?

I question your judgement.

Well max

Palin speaks off 'prompter better than The Chosen One AND she doesn't have the visual tic of using her middle finger to scratch her nose when talking about people she's annoyed with.

What with Obama's personnel picks, it looks like Clinton Admin #3.

Wow, some Change.

Reality is just too scary for some. Obama had to be so prepackaged with his books and grooming by the media to become a fairy tale that could be sold like Harry Potter. He is the paper tiger.
Palin's story is completely real. There is nothing prepackaged about her. No fabrications or elaborate backdrops. She is definitely a needed change from the morass of PC bullshit that has become so prevalent in politics. It just scares some people causing them to reveal their shallow minds by attacking her intelligence.

Frankly, it is not something I want my 4 and 6 year old to see as they watch the evening news.

When I was 4 and 6 I was helping my parents butcher chickens, pluck and gut them. Whatever the heck happened to teaching children about the "food chain" and the "circle of life?"

Your kids never watched an animal show with a cheetah catching an impala?

Kids aren't that difficult. My little darlings almost started to cry when they found a baby turtle shell all picked clean... I just told them that, yeah, it was sad for the turtle, but happy for the seagull. Happy seagull!

I feel sorry for how she has been treated. But then again it couldn't stop me from thinking it was funning and creating a cartoon about it. See it at Bearman Cartoons Blog

That's right Darleen, you keep telling yourself that. Everyone remembers how awful the Clinton years were, with all that peace and prosperity. Yuck.

Whatever you republicans do, keep looking outside for the source of your problems. Blame the media, libruls, whatever makes you feel good. Just don't look inward.

PALIN/HUCKABEE '12!

Sarah was asked by reporters AND the turkey farm if she would like a different setting for the interview. SHE said "no worries" and chose to conduct the interview right there. Also, she was not there to pick out her family's turkey, she was there to PARDON a turkey(stupid practice though it may be), she sent a press release and press invitations to local media ASKING them to come and film the turkey pardon. The local media did not set this one up. Sarah did. It is not about where our food comes from, we should all know that and I for one would much rather go to a turkey farm like this and get a freshly killed bird over one from a grocery store. And yes, I too have cut up moose in my kitchen. What the outrage is(and it is approriate) is that if Sarah really really wants to serve her country and really really wants to run in 2012, than she needs to learn to appeal to more people, or the dream of the White House will be just a dream. Right now, there are not enough people in the US who would vote for her, and coverage like this will not help. I was out in Wasilla last night, visiting friends, diehard Pailin supporters and even they were disgusted by this fiasco, not at the blood but at the idea that she would have not removed herself from that background. One friend said "it seems like she will do anything now to stay in the spotlight".

Yeah it was sooo peaceful. Does Somalia, the USS Cole and Bosnia ring any bells? Heck, there probably wasn't a year Clinton was in office where we didn't play policeman of the world.

"Does Somalia, the USS Cole and Bosnia ring any bells?" - MikeS

If you really want to compare those to Iraq, you go right ahead, Mike. Just remember that if Bill Clinton could run again he'd win in a landslide.

But I really think you should hang your hopes on Sarah Palin. She's soooo maverickey. Keep drumming out the intellectual conservatives. They think they're better than you anyway.

mike - yes, lets compare.... if bu$h had been president when the cole was bombed, by all indications he probably would have invaded some country that wasnt involved

and when clinton went at bosnia, how many americans died? none?? oh.

The Obamillennium: One Thousand Beautiful Republican-free Years

Wow. I love how some Republicans are completely avoiding the real issue here--Palin's judgement--and instead turning this into some faux-animal rights issue that liberals are getting hot and bothered over.

No, I don't agree that politics should be all about "appearance." No, I don't think we should ignore where our food really comes from. I consider myself liberal for the most part and I love to eat meat. I'm not shocked that turkeys are slaughtered. (In fact, I've seen it in person). That's reality.

BUT. Thre is a time and PLACE for everything, especially in the context of this once political candidate bidding for one of the most powerful positions that this country's government has to offer. Taking a shit is reality too. I'd be equally offended if Palin felt completely complacent being interviewed while on the toilet. Again, it's not about avoiding reality--it's really a matter of her judgement(or rather, lack thereof). And sometimes appearances do matter in politics--with all that said, this is who you'd want representing America to the rest of the world?

She lacks class, which has nothing to do with money or where she's from. This has nothing to do with "elitism" either (a tad ironic when I read those comments considering she is touting a Burberry scarf and drinking a latte, but anyways...) Many things are realities, but there is a time and place to broadcast make those things to the rest of the world.

I'm going to steal this comment from another blog because it wraps up my thoughts on this topic so perfectly:

"The reality is that we do NOT NEED our politicians to be experienced in the basics of life: that is the slaughtering of animals to provide food. We also don't need them to have experience cleaning out septic tanks, nor building animal pens.

Politicians don't need to know how to hunt moose, nor how to plow a field. They don't need to know how to plant a garden; nor how to install a muffler on a highway diesel; nor how to turn waste blood and gristle into food.

But they DO NEED to know extensive amounts of information that only years of education can bring. And they need to be excellent communicators; and possessing clear thinking and debating skills.

Are you starting to see a difference?"

Let's see, hanging around with Bill Ayers=Good judgment, pardoning a turkey at a turkey farm=Bad judgment. Got it now liberals. You guys are more then pathetic. How do you live inside your own skin? ww

Dave,

And Joe Biden our vice president elect (Fubama as well, but you guys are in denial about it) represent communication and debating skills??? Fk you too, and have your nice Thanksgiving dinner alone like most liberals do.

Politicians don't need to know how to hunt moose, nor how to plow a field. They don't need to know how to plant a garden; nor how to install a muffler on a highway diesel; nor how to turn waste blood and gristle into food.

But they DO NEED to know extensive amounts of information that only years of education can bring. And they need to be excellent communicators; and possessing clear thinking and debating skills.

Are you starting to see a difference?"

Sarah Palin comes along, the first "politician" in ages to actually think, talk and act like a normal person, and all you can say is, "Gee, I want more of the brilliant bozos who have been destroying this country for decades."

Gezzus you people are idiots.

I was out in Wasilla last night, visiting friends, diehard Pailin supporters and even they were disgusted by this fiasco

Yeah, sure, uh huh. I really believe you. Really. Surely.

Mark Steyn sez it best:

"But in this case Sarah Palin was merely indulging in the wearily obligatory annual leaden cutesiness of issuing a gubernatorial pardon to some designated Thanksgiving bird in order to provide the local news shows with their traditional unfunny "funny story" for the "And finally..." closing item. Viewers owe her a debt of gratitude for choosing to perform this dreary ritual in front of a backdrop that entirely undermined it."

max

do you like arguing with the cartoons in your head? I just said it is Clinton #3. Period, no judgement except this is NOT the holy Changieness and HopeyTude that Obamessiah promised.

Oh... Gorelick/path to 9/11 ... check it out, hmmm?

pea[brain]3000 - "mike - yes, lets compare.... if bu$h had been president when the cole was bombed, by all indications he probably would have invaded some country that wasnt involved and when clinton went at bosnia, how many americans died? none?? oh.

Better comparison peabrain... If Bush were president when the failed bombing attempt was made on the U.S.S. The Sullivans (DDG 68) the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole may never have happened.

It was a total failure on Clintons part, The Sullivans entered the same Yeman port a few months before the Cole and a bombing attempt failed due to the zodiac carrying the bomb was overloaded and sank.

Yet, your apparent hero, the dimwitted Clinton, didn't give a rats ass and sent the Cole into the same port nine months later and it cost the lives of 17 innocent sailors.

Maybe you can explain why Clinton did such a miserable and stupid act, care to try pea[brain]3000?

ah marc, i see how your powerless rage eats at you, and i grin

=]

dont forget: im not a democrat, and i wont circle the wagons and defend clinton as if hes some neocon halfwit pardoning a turkey in front of a slaughterhouse ahaha

=]

And Joe Biden our vice president elect (Fubama as well, but you guys are in denial about it) represent communication and debating skills???

The choice was between Palin and Biden (well not really, considering we don't elect VPs but whatever). And out of those two, Biden has demonstrated WAY MORE proficiency than Palin could ever possess in regards to those skills. So, don't assume things or put words in my mouth because I never said that Biden was perfect. No one is.

Even from an objective standpoint you cannot sit there with a straight face and tell me Palin did an even near decent job in the debates--unless, of course, our standards in this country have declined that much (I wouldn't be surprised).

Fk you too,

Uh...

and have your nice Thanksgiving dinner alone like most liberals do

Thanks! I actually plan to have a huge turkey feast with the rest of my family. Now go back to the hateful hole you crawled out of. :)

We're almost $11 trillion in debt, the country is falling apart, Congress caused the collapse of the housing market and the car industry and you want more of the same? And you can't blame either party because both are at fault. Sarah Palin comes along, the first "politician" in ages to actually think, talk and act like a normal person, and all you can say is, "Gee, I want more of the brilliant bozos who have been destroying this country for decades."

So, if the majority of politicians that have screwed up this country, as you aptly described above, all were supposedly very educated and very brilliant individuals (which is an assumption that I don't agree with), you're telling me the solution is to lower our standards, and instead rely on someone that is not very educated, can barely articulate herself in a cogent, understandable manner during interviews seen by the rest of the world, in a state of complete oblivion as to the policies supported/opposed by her running mates as well as the "other one" on her own team, and put her a heartbeat away from the presidency?

Do you realize how little sense your logic makes?

What are the standards for our leaders coming to in this country? Again, this is not implicit support for Biden, Obama, or the Democratic party in general. I'm just confused as to how people are still defending this woman's (utter lack of) qualifications and can't seem to realize she was simply not ready to be a vice-president, and very possibly, a president.

Being able to talk, walk, or think like the other bozo down the street means nothing when I consider the schmorgisborg of real qualifications I'd hope to see in America's leaders.

Well Palin's pardon of the turkey and then hanging around doesn't bother me; but I think it does show a lack of financial savy. The Presidential turkey pardons a photo-op and they're for the kiddies, but they're the real thing. The bird is a gift, is raised and socialized around humans, driven to the White house, pardoned, driven to a petting zoo, and then flown first class to Disney World to live out the rest of its days in comfort. The Presidential bird has never been raised for consumption. (In fact they raise two to be on the safe side.So in financial terms that pardon is worth about $20K. Of course marketing for turkeys and Disney pay for it.) Awful silly considering these birds projected lifespan, but that not relevant to the issue that makes it comical. That is, if you are going to do something, do it well. So Sarah is going to buy a turkey for her family. Instead of pretend pardoning a turkey, that's going to be somebody's dinner anyway, why not give away some turkeys as a gesture of thanksgiving? That classy and many do that. In fact why not have the TV station and the turkey farm give away some turkeys as a condition of being filmed. That's classy and smart because those are the people benefiting from the airtime. That Palin pardon isn't quite the same thing as a real Presidential pardon is it now? Capitalism is all about quid per quod.

Dave

She lacks class, which has nothing to do with money or where she's from. This has nothing to do with "elitism" either (a tad ironic when I read those comments considering she is touting a Burberry scarf and drinking a latte, but anyways...)

You don't get it either. Nor did peabody.

Maybe we can lure Jay back for one more post on liberals and satire/irony.

Here's a clue. Palin knew exactly what she was doing and, in fact, dressed for the "occassion".

As I said way up the thread, this woman knows what she is doing and knows what she is saying. She's way ahead of the liberal ankle biters for the reason that her critics are intellectual and political ankle biters.

Because the ones we've had have done such a fantastic job for us, right? We're almost $11 trillion in debt, the country is falling apart, Congress caused the collapse of the housing market and the car industry and you want more of the same? And you can't blame either party because both are at fault.

Yeah... all those many years of education and suave debating skills have served us so well, haven't they?

Politicians don't need to know how to hunt moose, nor how to plow a field. They don't need to know how to plant a garden; nor how to install a muffler on a highway diesel; nor how to turn waste blood and gristle into food.

And maybe that's the problem. All those years of education at the very best schools and then all those years getting all that experience hanging around with other fellows and gals from the very best schools and not a single one of them could live a week if they had to provide for themselves. They couldn't plan ahead enough to plant a crop. Couldn't fix a pump or other simple mechanism. Couldn't figure out how to make a meal starting with a living creature.

No concept of cause and effect.

No concept of just how much goes into the civilization they take for granted.

No clue about what they don't know.

But still "qualified" to fix our problems for us. "Qualified" to understand the motivation of those squabbling people over there, "qualified" to understand their lives and what they squabble over. "Qualified" to muck with the economy when they have *never* contributed to it.

Sure.

But they DO NEED to know extensive amounts of information that only years of education can bring. And they need to be excellent communicators; and possessing clear thinking and debating skills.

Therein lays the difference: I want a president with a wide range of experience in life. Possessing large amounts of information says nothing of a person's judgment. A person's judgment is informed by their experience, not just knowledge.

Electable experience outside the institutions of Washington and academia is a highly sought after political commodity. I believe a great many voters see in governor Palin a person with experience formed from perseverance, skill, knowledge and intellect. Her experience in the furnace of the 2008 election will make her a better candidate in 20012 in the same way that Reagan was made a better candidate from his experience in 1976.

No clue about what they don't know.

Good point synova.

I've had a good time with this turkey thread and how it has pricked the comfortable bubble so many of the PC Foie Gras loving liberals inhabit.

You make an excellent point about what they don't know and your prior comments about the farm make this son a meatpacker feel proud that there are some out there that know what the real work is that brings food to the table.

And you know, Hugh... it doesn't even need to be her.

And I wonder how much of the resistance to admitting that Palin is more qualified for an executive post than Obama (though admittedly, her experience is thin - his is thinner) is that not having all those years of education is an excuse in people's lives. If they admit that she knows what she's doing, then they don't have an excuse anymore over why they don't have everything under control in their own lives.

Some people looked at Palin and thought, Hey, I could be president... or anything else I want to be. Others look at her and think, I could never be president, why doesn't she know her place like I do?

So, if the majority of politicians that have screwed up this country, as you aptly described above, all were supposedly very educated and very brilliant individuals (which is an assumption that I don't agree with), you're telling me the solution is to lower our standards, and instead rely on someone that is not very educated, can barely articulate herself in a cogent, understandable manner during interviews seen by the rest of the world, in a state of complete oblivion as to the policies supported/opposed by her running mates as well as the "other one" on her own team, and put her a heartbeat away from the presidency?

What you have in this country now are far too many "leaders" who have never worked a job, never met a payroll, never had to fight to keep their house or feed their family. They have ZERO concept of what it's like to be an average American. They've never experience worrying about paying a hospital bill or wondered if they could afford gas for their car any more (hell, they don't even drive!). They don't worry about mortages or interest rates or even retirement.

They're busy devising "solutions" for problems they've never had nor had to deal with and know absolutely nothing about except the dry statistics that bean counters give them and the biased "facts" that they get from lobbyists.

Yet you want more of that?

Do you realize how little sense your logic makes?

But ask yourself this question. When's the last time you agreed with anything that Congress passed? When's the last time you didn't say to yourself, "I wish they would...." or "Why the hell did they do that?"

What are the standards for our leaders coming to in this country? Again, this is not implicit support for Biden, Obama, or the Democratic party in general. I'm just confused as to how people are still defending this woman's (utter lack of) qualifications and can't seem to realize she was simply not ready to be a vice-president, and very possibly, a president.

Bill Gates is a college dropout. So are the founders of Waffle House. How does your career compare to those? Winston Churchhill never went to college. Neville Chamberlain was a college grad.

There's a lesson in there if you have the will to learn.

Palin has done a fine job as the governor of a state that has unusually difficult problems to deal with, much more so than many of the lower 48. More to the point, though, she showed the courage to take on the corrupt people in her own party. Can you name anyone presently serving in our government who can make that claim? That alone qualifies her to be President, because she clearly puts the country above party.

She was and is more qualified to be President than any of the other three running.

What does Biden have? A lifetime in the Senate. This is the body that has screwed up our country so bad. That makes him qualified? What has Obama done? Distributed funds to organizations he favored and won one lawsuit, illegally raised funds for his Presidential campaign and manipulated the caucuses to defeat Hillary Clinton. That makes him qualified? What has McCain done? He flew airplanes, displayed courage in captivity and then spent a lifetime in Congress screwing up our country.

For God's sake. These are the people who thought that the Campaign Finance Reform act was not a violation of the First Amendment! Even some of the most highly educated men and women in the country, our Supreme Court, didn't see a problem with it! Now they want to implement the wryly named "Fairness Doctrine" because they don't like what some people are saying about them. (And that includes some Republicans, so it's not just Democrats.)

The First Amendment was written for one purpose and on purpose alone - to protect political speech! Yet the bozos we have now, in all three branches of government not only don't know that but are actively working to suppress political speech.

If that doesn't wake you up to the fact that erudition isn't the answer to our country's problems, then nothing will.

Your freedoms are disappearing daily, and you don't even notice, much less complain. Can you smoke where you want to? Drive without a seat belt? Ride a motorcyle without a helmet? Own property where the government wants to exercise eminent domain? Park a disabled car in your own driveway? Put any kind of shingles you want on your own home? (And yes, I'm well aware of all the arguments for these.) Soon you won't even be able to choose your own doctors.

How many freedoms will you give up without a fight before you say enough is enough?

Here's a clue. Palin knew exactly what she was doing and, in fact, dressed for the "occassion".

Uh, and I think you're making her seem a lot smarter than she really is.

this woman knows what she is doing and knows what she is saying

If she did, then why has she not managed to express herself in a coherent way without coming off as a total asshat? The fact that the McCain campaign made such a concerted effort to keep her out of the public eye after her numerous and embarrassing speaking/interview fumbles shows that she clearly did NOT know what she is doing or saying. I don't see how it could be any different a few weeks later.

I agree there is a huge difference between being simply book-smart and being overall well-rounded. Ideally, our leaders should be well-rounded, and incorporate both an intellectual understanding of the world with (as you say) "a wide range of experience in life." And if someone lacks a little in one area, I'd hope make up for it in another.

With that said, Sarah Palin clearly isn't a very intellectual woman. Ok, whatever. But what substantive experience(s) could she have brought to the White House? Or, what tangible skills does she have that make us stop and go, "wow!"? Sarah Palin couldn't even hink on her two feet during an interview or a presidential debate, skill that is indubitably so vital for someone in that position of high office. Now, God forbid we were in some other crisis or war, we'd need a leader than can both think and act swiftly, but also analytically, clearly, and lucidly. After having seen and heard her numerous times speaking to the public, can you honestly type with a straight face and tell me Palin could live up to that commitment?

So no, it's not simply a matter of "possessing large amounts of information." The point I was trying to make is that, typically, having more education can provide you with the skill set to think more analytically, clearly, and lucidly in those situations. And, if you lack that background academically, you'd have some experience on your belt to compensate. Can Palin say the same? No.

PS: just an aside - please stop labeling me as a "liberal." Moreover, the references to "liberals" (which I assume implicates me as well) that don't know what "real work" and struggle is like really irks the shit out of me. I was raised by parents that fled a war-torn country (Afghanistan) in the middle of a literal bloodbath about 30 years ago, who created a living in this country for an entire family from nothing and without handouts, and probably have worked 20 times harder and seen more struggle than most average and "conservative" Americans posting here. I myself work very hard, pay my own rent in one of the most expensive cities (if not THE most) in this country, and "contribute" about 35% of my paycheck to taxes (again probably more than most people reading this). So please, spare me the bullshit and stick to what the issues are. Thanks!! :)

What you have in this country now are far too many "leaders" who have never worked a job, never met a payroll, never had to fight to keep their house or feed their family. They have ZERO concept of what it's like to be an average American. They've never experience worrying about paying a hospital bill or wondered if they could afford gas for their car any more (hell, they don't even drive!). They don't worry about mortages or interest rates or even retirement.

And you're still making zero progress in convincing me that Palin, by virtue of her LACK of education, or by virtue of her being able to "relate" to an average "Joe 6-pack," necessarily means she would be any better as a political leader.

Leadership is not for everyone. It requires a very specific skill set and level of expertise. I'm still baffled at America's (well, specifically only certain parts of America's) obsession with finding the person that can "relate" to them and calling it a day. Personally, I'd like someone that can do the best job in the most efficient, effective, and ethical manner possible--I honestly don't give two shits about whether they were raised on a farm with goats in Minnesota, or in a 6-story penthouse with 20 maids on the Upper East. I'd much rather the person raised in an aura of privilege as a leader if he/she can think and act on their feet, rather than the less privileged person and vice versa.

"When's the last time you didn't say to yourself, "I wish they would...." or "Why the hell did they do that?""

No government is perfect. I'm not debating whether members of Congress are downright dumb. I'm not necessarily disagreeing.

...

I'm not even going to address the comparison between Palin and the likes of Bill Gates. Gates dropped out of Harvard to start his own business enterprise, and the man was insanely smart to begin with, formal education aside. The other dropouts you reference are similarly motivated people that are driven, calculated and still overall SMART individuals despite not being formally educated. As extremely successful business leaders they've not only demonstrated that they can think and act on their feet but also demonstrate that to the public. Are you seriously going to tell me that Palin can do the same?

Palin has done a fine job as the governor of a state that has unusually difficult problems to deal with, much more so than many of the lower 48.

Are you shitting me? The great state of Alaska--yeah, I'm sorry but give me a fucking break. I think it's safe to say that managing a city like New York or Los Angeles is MANY times more complicated than a state like Alaska. And managing an entire COUNTRY is much more different than managing a state with one of the smallest and rural populations. Again, not a requirement, but you're the one bringing it up as an example of her qualifications.

I cannot even imagine if she tried using small town Wasilla-esque politics (a city whose entire population contains as many people as did my college dormitory) to act in the best interests of 300+ million Americans. MANY of the lower 48 states have had just as many, or much more complex, problems to deal with. Stop deluding yourself, please.

Dave

This is informative:

Sarah Palin couldn't even hink on her two feet during an interview or a presidential debate, skill that is indubitably so vital for someone in that position of high office. Now, God forbid we were in some other crisis or war, we'd need a leader than can both think and act swiftly, but also analytically, clearly, and lucidly. After having seen and heard her numerous times speaking to the public, can you honestly type with a straight face and tell me Palin could live up to that commitment?

Consider the obverse of that point. For example, an erudite, thinking on his feet, outstanding debater that performed well in news interviews and on television. These skills, which you claim are "so vital for someone in that position of high office", are the very description of John F Kennedy, a president that led our country on near catastrophic missions and foreign policy failures.

Then consider the Palin "type" that you so abhor (BTW, your comment about "class" at 4:52 says a lot about you, given your 9:33 comment. I don't think you know what "class" is in the conventional American Middle Class sense). That might be Andrew Jackson or the earlier form of a political neophyte like Ronald Reagan.

On the matter of crisis and war, how many terrorist attacks are necessary to reach the threshold of your requirement "to think and act swiftly, but also analytically, clearly, and lucidly"??? Give us an example of a president who acted in this manner. And why should we believe Obama is going to govern this way?

Dave, sport, your boy Biden has demonstrated extremely poor judgment thoughout his tenure in the Senate, on almost every major issue he's been wrong--communism in latin america, against missiles in europe that helped win the cold war, against missile defense, against, Iraq I, but not II, for partition of Iraq, and the list goes on and on. The turd met with Ortega in Nicaragua which really cheeses me off; asshole! It's all for the romantic socialist leader, huh? I guess that fits him.

And to top it off, he had to pull out of the Pres. race in '88 because the ass plagiarized a Niel Kinnock speech and the man's biography, for crapin' out loud.

If this is what you liberal idiots think is "demonstrat[ing] WAY MORE proficiency," then you really are a sad f#ck. And not at all well-read or even aware of modern history.

Leadership is not for everyone. It requires a very specific skill set and level of expertise. I'm still baffled at America's (well, specifically only certain parts of America's) obsession with finding the person that can "relate" to them and calling it a day.

What do you know about leadership?

I haven't seen a thing about Palin that makes me think she isn't a good leader. Nothing to prove that she is, necessarily, but I don't think that *smoothness* is leadership. Nor is telling everyone what they want to hear, leadership. Right now there is NO ONE who is displaying any particular level of leadership, most certainly not Obama.

Leadership is not soemthing learned in a school. It's not the result of classes at an Ivy league school. Leadership is displaying confidence and inspiring confidence. Obama, with all his education, is warning us how bad it will be. Leadership is getting people to follow you. Palin *has* to do this in her job. She, as you've no doubt been told many times, was the only one running on a presidential ticket this time who actually *has* experience doing this. She actually has experience wrangling a legislature into getting things done. She actually has experience finding compromises that enough people can live with that she can get things done. She *had* an 80% approval rate in Alaska. She's up there now, making sure gas pipelines get built the way they are supposed to and making sure that her state responds sensibly to the financial hit they will take due to oil prices dropping.

While you were gasping at the affront of turkey murder, she was telling *her constituents* that someone was paying attention to the nuts and bolts of the economy in Alaska and would be taking care of business.

That *is* leadership. It's prioritizing. It's taking action. It's encouraging the people in her state to have confidence, knowing she's doing her job and they can rely on her.

What do you think leadership is? A pretty speech?

I think, Dave, that you're clearly of the opinion that people in less populated areas are *different*. Not as smart. Not as well informed about the world.

That, sir, is bigotry.

Dave needs a trip around America.

I would suggest starting with a chronological tour of American history and a year in the original Thirteen Colonies. End it at Colonial Williamsburg.

Then hike the Appalachian Trail, North to South(treasure the Cumberland Gap, Dave...it was to our forefathers what I hope America was to your parents). After that, follow the path of Lewis and Clark through the great American expansion west. There are many tours that offer this experience, as well as the App Trail .

Avoid every city with a population of 500,000+, Dave. Eat in the small diners. Stay in the small motels. Visit the Parks and Memorials.

As a first generation American citizen you will enjoy this experience if you treasure the history of this country. My parents did this for me and it was a great experience even for someone whose people arrived here four hundred years ago.

Are you shitting me? The great state of Alaska--yeah, I'm sorry but give me a fucking break. I think it's safe to say that managing a city like New York or Los Angeles is MANY times more complicated than a state like Alaska. And managing an entire COUNTRY is much more different than managing a state with one of the smallest and rural populations. Again, not a requirement, but you're the one bringing it up as an example of her qualifications.

Size: Alaska is big enough to fill up Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas, most of Oklahoma and half of North and South Dakota. It's actual shape stretches the same length as the entire US continent. Whether you like it or not, that's a lot of geography to cover, a lot of infrastructure to maintain and a lot to manage for any government.

Economy: Alaska produces 25% of the nation's domestic oil supply. Alaska is the number one state in the union for commercial fishing. Alaska is 47th in population but 7th in GSP, trailing only 5 other states. (Number one is Washington, DC, because that's where all our money goes.)

State budget: Alaska's state budget is larger than Chicago's and LA's but trails NY City because their budget is outrageously huge (which explains why their taxes are so astronomically high).

You might be disgusted by my constant reference to liberals, but believe me, I am completely disgusted by the liberal's arrogance toward people without Ivy League degrees, people who don't live in big cities and people who think that government should stay the hell out of our lives.

If the damn liberals are so all-fired intelligent, then why is every city and state in America that the liberals run suffering from rot and bloat and overtaxation and poor roads and lousy schools and gangs?

If liberals are so damn smart then why can't they figure out that government is the problem, not the solution?

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Merry Christmas!!!

Heh... Palin and the dying turkeys made the big time.

G-Force television!

LOL.

The real story here is Palin not being able to control her story.

Either she wanted to show a pardon; or she F'd up showing a pardon and then showing turkeys being killed.

I can remember back to 2003 or 06 when people still supported W's job in Iraq.

I hate to think about another 6-8 year learning curve for the right. I don't think the country will survive.

The real story here is Palin not being able to control her story.

Either she wanted to show a pardon; or she F'd up showing a pardon and then showing turkeys being killed.

I can remember back to 2003 or 06 when people still supported W's job in Iraq.

I hate to think about another 6-8 year learning curve for the right. I don't think the country will survive.

The geniuses from Harvard, Yale and Columbia that the idiots in this country think are leaders fit for office are totally convinced that socialism is the right answer for America. This despite the fact that a cursory study of history would tell a half-awake person that it's not.

Meanwhile, half the population appears to be convinced that giving up their freedoms and living under a totalitarian state where the government tells you what doctors you can see, how you are supposed to raise your children, what you can do inside your own house and car and a host of other things that you can and can't do is the right answer for America's problems.

And they think that Palin is the problem!

For me the most revolting part is the live turkeys just inches away from that guillotine.

And I'm not 'a hypocrite'; I've been a vegetarian since I was 14, and ironically it was the sight of a picked clean turkey carcass in our fridge that prompted it. Talk about renewing your faith!

I'm honestly not picking on you Missy, but...

Did you notice that the live turkeys just inches away from the butchering didn't notice and didn't care?

Empathy is nice and all, and I think it's important that we not be cruel to the animals that we keep for food, but it really is important to understand that what distresses an animal isn't what distresses us. (And what distresses a herd or flock animal isn't what distresses a loner species, etc.)

As an example, I read a heart-rending account in a Humane Society magazine about baby chicks "never knowing a mother's love". Baby chicks do not care. They can't be *alone* because chickens need to be with a flock, emotionally, but they do not suffer from never knowing a mother's love. They just don't. (And frankly, I'm disgusted by a magazine that is accepted as an authority on animals, proving that they are simply bald faced emotionally manipulative liars. No one should trust them.)

The turkeys are not harmed emotionally or otherwise by having the butchering happening next to their pen. They aren't crowding away from the horror. They don't even register it. So how is the proximity revolting? How is it callus?

It's just not.

I think she brought the McCain ticket crashing down with her antics, however, I have to admit to my Thanksgivings as a kid... My job (and a few cousins) was to kill the turkey.

We'd cut off the head and let it run around until it dropped a few minutes later... it used to give lil brother nightmares for days!

sorry - PETA

The obviously sheltered folks at Huffington Post are just outraged at Palin's cavalier attitude as turkeys are slaughtered in the background. The liberals' dismay is quite funny actually but not as funny as their oblivousness as many of them will share in a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner themselves.

Palin said God would choose who He wanted to lead America on Nov 4th. He choose.

Palin is doing a wonderful job of splitting the GOP into right winged wachjobs and thinking fiscal conservatives. divide, baby divide.

Baggi, that's not the point. She was at a turkey pardoning, get it?

Shut up and eat your turkey.

Anybody that thinks this Palin episode is funny or ironic is a liberal? Let me get this straight: so if Obama had done a photo op at a meat packing plant and he pardoned a cow, while finishing the interview in the slaughter line, with cows being beheaded and hung on meat hooks, that would not be funny or ironic, but a liberal gotcha media event? I think I want to be a liberal.