Sarah Palin: Completely bat****

[Elok]

Yes, I know the futility of arguing with Ben, I'm just curious as to how he's going to make KKK membership the cornerstone of anti-intellectualism. It's like a limbo contest, only with facts in place of the human spine.

[Theben]

likely both will suffer

[Ben Kenobi]

Snuh? While the KKK could be called anti-intellectual to some extent, it is not their distinguishing characteristic.

Wasn't that the whole point of the 'know-nothings?' KKK fits right in with their policies. Know-nothings = anti-intellectual. Byrd is hardly your 'ivory tower professor'.

While they do not represent the academic elite of society by any means, their hatred is not directed specifically towards "ivory-tower intellectuals" (see also "Blue-cheese-eating," "arugula salad," "tweed jacketed", etc.), which is the common bogeyman of Republican populists (Democratic populists, of course, are more anti-business).

Ok, that's the answer I expected. Populism is inherently anti-elitist, and that includes the academic elite. What I was unaware is that populism was restricted to the republicans.

[chequita guevara]

Byrd was never a Grand Dragon and hasn't been a member of the clean in almost 60 years. You'll have to do better than that, moron. Also, that was back when Southern Democrats hadn't yet left for the GOP.

Also, while populism is inherently anti-elitist, left-wing populism is directed against economic and political elites, not the intellectual elite, who are, as often as not, populists themselves. Right-wing populism is directed at the intellectual elite (something you'll never be accused of being a member of), while often lapping at the feet of political and economic elites.

[Ben Kenobi]

Accusations of closed-minded groupthink on "my side" while implying the need for it on the part of the GOP is hypocritical at best.

Uh, I don't see why marching lockstep with the democrats is at all a challenging task. At the very least if you are going to march with them, you ought to be a part of their party.

BTW, isn't it the Big O who says that dissent is only patriotic when a Republican is in power?

[Theben]

What I was unaware is that populism was restricted to the republicans.

Did you even bother to read what you quoted?!

Uh, I don't see why marching lockstep with the democrats is at all a challenging task. At the very least if you are going to march with them, you ought to be a part of their party.

BTW, isn't it the Big O who says that dissent is only patriotic when a Republican is in power?

You are an idiot.

[EPW]

Wasn't that the whole point of the 'know-nothings?' KKK fits right in with their policies. Know-nothings = anti-intellectual.

no...they were anti-catholic, not anti-intellectual.

[Theben]

Didn't you leave?

[Ben Kenobi]

Also, while populism is inherently anti-elitist, left-wing populism is directed against economic and political elites, not the intellectual elite, who are, as often as not, populists themselves.

You cannot be a populist and one of the academic elite. You can say you are while sipping your latte and wearing your designer sweaters while you preach Marx to the masses, but that doesn't make you a populist.

Right-wing populism is directed at the intellectual elite (something you'll never be accused of being a member of), while often lapping at the feet of political and economic elites.

Funny, considering how I earned my degree, and you did not. You're getting more populist all the time!

TBH, I don't give a **** bout being one of the 'academic elite'. As for the 'economic' elites, are you talking bout the folks that ride their minis all around town?

[Theben]

You cannot be a populist and one of the academic elite.

So Buchanan can't be a populist? He's political, not academic, but still a member of the elite.

[Dis]

so the Palin thread reaches 7 pages. A female friend at work asked me what's with all the Palin hatred. Basically I said that men feel threatened by her success. And women are jealous of it.

Liberals really can't stop thinking about her. It's hilarious.

[a.kitman]

Basically I said that men feel threatened by her success. And women are jealous of it.

do you really belive that?

[Dis]

do you really belive that?

not in her case. But there are cases in which I do believe this theory. A lot of people don't like women in power. Men and women. But in her case I think it's due to her stupidity. But the girl I was talking to was a conservative (only because her BF is a gun toting conservative), so I tried to be kind to Miss Palin. I know I'm a weenie for not saying the truth. But getting into political arguments is fruitless when dealing with conservatives.

[Guynemer]

Liberals really can't stop thinking about her. It's hilarious.

But in her case I think it's due to her stupidity.

So which is it, Dis? I honestly hadn't given her a moment's thought in weeks until I read about her spilling out that inane death panel bull****.

[KrazyHorse]

She's a media whore. Every time the press seems to be on the road to forgetting she exists she does something ridiculous to make sure people pay attention to her. As time's gone on she's become more and more shrill due to diminishing returns on her retardedness. The last couple of episodes have involved her pimping out her **** son for a few minutes of spotlight. She's a horrible, stupid woman and a terrible mother.