I would love for a follow up interviewer to ask this girl if she'd ever actually read the Constitution and where, specifically, it seeks to limit "big government."
Ah well, maybe in a couple of years she'll head off to college and actually read the Federalist papers. Or not.
@Mediahohoho: yeah, i think she's confusing "limited government" as meaning that it was supposed to have a small budget, not as in it was supposed to not infringe on people's liberties. Also a big government can stil be in the hands of the people..
@sheenapunk: Yes, because people who sat placidly by while the government decided it could unilaterally listen in on every phone conversation in America without a warrant are concerned about limiting government now, rather than then.
@Mediahohoho: I don't think I was clear but I was saying that she thinks that when the framers said they wanted a limited government, they meant one with a small budget. But in fact they meant one that wouldn't infringe on civil liberties. And you're saying that Republicans are clearly not concerned with a limited government because they have supported infringements on civil liberties, yes?
She was learned well from the master. See: Nate Silver's comment where he says that Sarah Palin's victim stance is very effective. "She's tough to campaign against. Why? Because any perceived or real slight against Palin is taken by her supporters as an example of sexism, elitism, or media bias; just wait until Huckabee or Romney makes their first impolitic comment about Palin in a debate or an interview and watch the sparks fly."
This "conservatives are victims" meme needs to end. As a liberal, I endured eight years of being told that I was un-American because I wasn't going to church every Sunday, wearing flag sweatshirts and blindling accepting everything my president told me. They are not entitled to scream "victim" when they created the very conditions that have stoked the flames of this culture war. End of story.
Words cannot express how much I hate the phrase "gotcha journalism". Journalism should be revealing, and it should point out when something is factually inaccurate! So yes, unapproved comments below, I can deny that this was "gotcha journalism" because "gotcha journalism" DOESN'T EXIST.
@bluewine: I hate it when anybody complains about "gotcha journalism." What do they think journalists are supposed to be doing? Parroting the government's or candidate's press releases without fact-checking?
Since when does being 17 mean you're unable to form and defend opinions? She apparently has a blog about them, after all. I have the same political beliefs now that I had at 17 (and I, as well as many people, was in college at 17). Yes, she was at a book signing and not a rally, but she was wearing a shirt about her opinion and agreed to be on camera. She has the right to be misinformed but don't blame others for that--own up to the error and then maybe launch into why you DO support Palin, the things you couldn't say on camera. Embrace your 15 minutes of blog attention with dignity.
@boring diatribes: I had very different political views when I was a teenager vs. after I got out of college. It can be hard to break away from "i believe what my parents believe" when you're still living with them. I would think that's true for a lot of people.
@Red-headed bookworm: Aha! I probably would feel different if she were thirteen, but seventeen is definitely old enough to be asked real questions, especially if you choose to attend political events and wear political slogans.
Let me first start out with a couple of base points: first, fuck Grand Rapids. Second, I am in no way endorsing Sarah Pa(l)in or any of her views.
Okay, here goes: I think it's just a little bit unfair to ask hard policy questions of someone who is in a line to have a book signed which doesn't in any way deal with policy issues whatsoever. The book is a fluff piece, and basically an extended lesson in revenge. But it is NOT, nor ever claimed to be, a book outlining Mrs. Pa(l)in's views on any substantive political questions.
The best comparison I can come up with is going to a Martha Stewart cookbook signing, only to be asked about your thoughts on fixing America's overcrowded prision system.
@greeneyedfem: Hm, true. Good point. I'd probably say that if everyone who wrote out T-shirts like this, or held up those stupid tea party posters, were forced to understand what they were writing, the posterboard and Sharpie market would go into a tailspin.
On the issue of the policy question - does it make a difference that the girl is wearing a t-shirt that specifically refers to a policy issue? She's not just getting a book signed, she's making her political views known by wearing that shirt to an event for a political figure. At that point, I think asking about that shirt is completely fair game. To piggyback on your analogy, it's more like attending a Martha Stewart vegetarian cookbook signing wearing a t-shirt about eating meat being murder, and being asked if you knew Martha Stewart supported eating meat.
@RunawayPancake: I've always put it this way whenever I've been asked:
Grand Rapids is a great place to raise your kids. But if you don't have kids, or you ARE a kid yourself, it's shockingly uniform and bland. It's the place you retreat to when the rest of the world doesn't make any sense to you.
For example, in my high school graduating class, I was considered part of the "alternative" crowd because I was friends with the Jewish guy and the black girl. As in, there was only one of each.
The politics are stiflingly right-wing, the residents are nice in a kind of pod-people way, there is only recently a nightlife to speak of at all, and worst of all, it's probably the least diverse place I've ever been.
@AndPreciousLittleofThat: Wow - that's pretty harsh. I live in downtown GR and agree with very little of what you say. Did you go to EAST Grand Rapids? That's a different story. GRPS is nearly 40% african american. In the core city, the politics are surprisingly moderate. Please don't trash my city!
@lovelyleela: Hey, I'm glad you like Grand Rapids; somebody has to. What I said above is simply my opinion. If it seems overly harsh, you can attribute it to a calcified heart, made so by years of putting up with the exact kind of bullshit which caused me to leave GR.
I'm aware that GRPS is much more diverse than my experience (worse than EGR -- Forest Hills), but that doesn't really change my opinion of the city. It's still extremely segregated, especially outside the GR city limits. My school district: 97% white.
If I'm trashing GR, I do it out of frustration. The city itself is great; it's the people I have trouble with.
Edited by Little Green Frog (Wise Latina) at 11/20/09 3:05 PM
Little Green Frog (Wise Latina) was starred
Little Green Frog (Wise Latina) was unstarred
@AndPreciousLittleofThat: I understand where you are coming from. The CRC, monied establishment still exists. I grew up in rural northern MI, so GR is 50 times more diverse and pockets of liberall-ness do exist. Downtown is actually starting to not suck, either. It may not be quite as bad as you remember these days. There are good people there. I'm one. :)
I'm beginning to think people in this country are so stupid and in awe of the rich that we need to institute a fail-safe, like introducing standardized testing for offices such as President and VP. Something like the SATs - and if you don't pass, you remain a governor or CEO, or whatever you were before - but don't get to run the whole fucking country.
Oh boo-hoo. So, you were caught off-guard because someone used facts that anybody who paid attention during the election would have known. That still doesn't explain why you can't name a single one of Sarah Palin's policies. Is "drill baby, drill!" really that hard to remember?
11/20/09
Ah well, maybe in a couple of years she'll head off to college and actually read the Federalist papers. Or not.
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#tips
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#tips
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"She's tough to campaign against. Why? Because any perceived or real slight against Palin is taken by her supporters as an example of sexism, elitism, or media bias; just wait until Huckabee or Romney makes their first impolitic comment about Palin in a debate or an interview and watch the sparks fly."
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jackie got off easy- she should count her lucky stars this empress of the liberal elite didn't interview her
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[mediamatters.org]
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Okay, here goes: I think it's just a little bit unfair to ask hard policy questions of someone who is in a line to have a book signed which doesn't in any way deal with policy issues whatsoever. The book is a fluff piece, and basically an extended lesson in revenge. But it is NOT, nor ever claimed to be, a book outlining Mrs. Pa(l)in's views on any substantive political questions.
The best comparison I can come up with is going to a Martha Stewart cookbook signing, only to be asked about your thoughts on fixing America's overcrowded prision system.
In conclusion, fuck Grand Rapids.
11/20/09
11/20/09
#tips
11/20/09
On the issue of the policy question - does it make a difference that the girl is wearing a t-shirt that specifically refers to a policy issue? She's not just getting a book signed, she's making her political views known by wearing that shirt to an event for a political figure. At that point, I think asking about that shirt is completely fair game. To piggyback on your analogy, it's more like attending a Martha Stewart vegetarian cookbook signing wearing a t-shirt about eating meat being murder, and being asked if you knew Martha Stewart supported eating meat.
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Why all the Grand Rapids hate? Just curious.
11/20/09
Grand Rapids is a great place to raise your kids. But if you don't have kids, or you ARE a kid yourself, it's shockingly uniform and bland. It's the place you retreat to when the rest of the world doesn't make any sense to you.
For example, in my high school graduating class, I was considered part of the "alternative" crowd because I was friends with the Jewish guy and the black girl. As in, there was only one of each.
The politics are stiflingly right-wing, the residents are nice in a kind of pod-people way, there is only recently a nightlife to speak of at all, and worst of all, it's probably the least diverse place I've ever been.
Hope that helps!
#tips
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I'm aware that GRPS is much more diverse than my experience (worse than EGR -- Forest Hills), but that doesn't really change my opinion of the city. It's still extremely segregated, especially outside the GR city limits. My school district: 97% white.
If I'm trashing GR, I do it out of frustration. The city itself is great; it's the people I have trouble with.
#tips
11/20/09
She VOLUNTEERED TO BE INTERVIEWED BY MSBNC.
If I go to a Martha Stewart book signing, and wear a t-shirt that says "My soufflé is the BEST", and then I volunteer to be interviewed on TV by Alton Brown from the Food Network, and he asks me: "what is your soufflé recipe?", I'd better KNOW the recipe, or say "oh this is just a t-shirt I got a Threadless, I really don't know how to cook".
I should not go then whining and whining and WHINING AND WHINING that Alton Brown made me look bad on TV
In conclusion, fuck uninformed people.
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#tips
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