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Week of September 28, 2008 - October 4, 2008

If Sarah Palin were black


and from  South-Central LA.

Think about it for a second.

Would that level of incompetence, inadequacy, lack of respect and brazen confidence be even remotely tolerated by the white majority?  Would David numbskull Brooks be crowing about how resplendent she was?

Would there be ooohs and aaaahs of how fresh she was, how "folksy"?  

[Isn't "folksy" just another way of saying "ethnic while white",  politely?  And isn't "ethnic" just what MSM uses to mean "colored" when speaking of a black person?]

Think about the picture of say, a young African-american woman who spent six years in five schools barely getting a journalism degree, who has a husband who belongs to a group that advocates secession, has five kids, with the eldest having a baby out wedlock at seventeen, and the youngest baby suffering from some disability.

Yes, think about a black Sarah Palin, and understand why it is Barak has to have an  excellent ivy league schooling, be the first in his law school class, be the first black to become Harvard's Law Review President, be a brilliant politician, have above average 3-point shooting skills, have sizzling charm and smooth oratory and an ability to infuse people with hope, have superb managerial and organizational skills, and work *twice* as frigging *hard* and then, dimly, distantly, get grudging acknowledgement that he's qualified to be President, after getting ridiculed for being all "elitist" (just another term for the outrageously offensive "uppity").

He just does, because in this country, there are no black Sarah Palins, not even on the remote horizon.

What is on the horizon, however, thankfully, is the first African-American President. The first black President.  I can't say it without getting chills up my spine. 

I cannot imagine the sea-change that this country is about to experience.  What a profound line in the sands of history!  Nothing will ever be the same again.  May the  ghosts of  our brutal past lay to rest.

And let there be tears, tears, tears, ... as so many personal and moving diaries on this site in recent times have provoked.

It's going to be a new day in America, and I can only hope for the best, for a future in which there are no Sarah Palins, black or white, metaphorically speaking.  Let the Baraks of this country prosper....




A picture's worth a thousand words....


So I had previously posted links to Brad De Long's terrific "why Democrats are better..."  graphs.

It's been many years since I saw this.

It's funny and troubling.  I'd be very interested in seeing similar state by state tables sorted on literacy results and other less looked at social statistics.

To amuse and provoke serious thought in those who might not have come across it before:


Ave IQ and 2004 Voting

Another Source


Could someone tell Senator McCain


that continuing to say "I've fought against my party all my life, Senator Obama has never fought against his party leaders" (to paraphrase) does not necessarily put him in good light? What's the virtue of fighting your party position your entire life? To me, that means either: 1. Your party has been consistently wrong 2. You have been consistently wrong 3. You might be in the wrong party 4. You failed to convince your party 5. You failed to convince the other side And, brings up questions like: 1. You see things in black and white. How will you govern? 2. You're unable to compromise. How will you govern? 3. You take pride in putting your principles/ideas/desires first. How will you govern? 4. What experience and successes do you have in resolving conflict? 5. What experience and successes do you have in learning from your own mistakes? 6. How much self-introspection do you engage in? 7. What is your definition of leadership? How will you treat people who disagree with you, when you are the leader? Will you have the same respect for their "maverickness"?
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rationalcauses

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