The triumph of mediocrity

[Anonymous]

Did anyone see this article in today's Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...AR2008091002573.html)? It's about the most depressing thing I've ever read. I'm just glad my daughter's learning Chinese because she's going to need it even more than I thought...

[Anonymous]

Palin makes me want to just throw my resume out there and apply as an executive using her as an example. I am a mom, a special needs mom no less. I can bite, too. I am very frank. I am very decisive. No college degree though (gasp) but working on it. Anyone want to hire me? I could even give some great speeches. I know nothing about your organization, but I was class president at high school every single year. That counts, right? I learn quickly, too. And I even speak a foreign language fluently.

I find it depressing. If only the corporate world was as embracing of mothers with little experience as the republicans and other working moms seem to be.

[Anonymous]

OP here. So true! Actually, we should ditch Chinese and send DD to learn how to skin a moose instead. Then she will be running Microsoft in no time.

[Anonymous]

I am planning on attending a "working moms" networking luncheon today -- i still have a hard time believing these Palin supporters are out there.... ugh. Should make for an interesting lunch discussion!

[Anonymous]

This excerpt from the end of the article caught my attention:

--- Experience is corrupting. Ignorance is strength?

Next will be "war is peace." Or have we already heard that one? ---

- Ignorance is strength? This comment reminded me of the comments by the African American poster on DCUM. Palin is proud of her ignorance and weakness, something to that effect, and people are buying into it. Matt Damon is right. This is a really bad Disney movie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am planning on attending a "working moms" networking luncheon today -- i still have a hard time believing these Palin supporters are out there.... ugh. Should make for an interesting lunch discussion!

Kind of reminscent of the out of touch remark one journalist made after Nixon was elected -- along the lines - I can't believe Nixon won, no one I know voted for him.

Yesterday's Rasmussen poll showed 56% of people liked Palin, and 41% liked her very much. As passionate as the negative reaction is to her, especially on this site, it is not the prevailing view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am planning on attending a "working moms" networking luncheon today -- i still have a hard time believing these Palin supporters are out there.... ugh. Should make for an interesting lunch discussion!

Kind of reminscent of the out of touch remark one journalist made after Nixon was elected -- along the lines - I can't believe Nixon won, no one I know voted for him.

Yesterday's Rasmussen poll showed 56% of people liked Palin, and 41% liked her very much. As passionate as the negative reaction is to her, especially on this site, it is not the prevailing view.

That's what I'm afraid of. Unfortunately, the demographics of DC & its near suburbs are not representative of the rest of the country in terms of education, travel, and other life experiences.

BTW, what or who is Rasmussen?

[Anonymous]

Rasmussen Reports is an independent polling company that, among other things, does a daily tracking poll for the presidential election, founded by Scott Rasmussen.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/about_us

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

That's what I'm afraid of. Unfortunately, the demographics of DC & its near suburbs are not representative of the rest of the country in terms of education, travel, and other life experiences.

BTW, what or who is Rasmussen?

Yep, it's a shame everyone outside the beltway is so tragically inferior to those of us inside the beltway. Why do we even let those people vote?

For a party that purports to stand up for the little guy, you sure like to put him down, don't you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

That's what I'm afraid of. Unfortunately, the demographics of DC & its near suburbs are not representative of the rest of the country in terms of education, travel, and other life experiences.

BTW, what or who is Rasmussen?

Yep, it's a shame everyone outside the beltway is so tragically inferior to those of us inside the beltway. Why do we even let those people vote?

For a party that purports to stand up for the little guy, you sure like to put him down, don't you?

Saying different does not mean one is better than the other. You're playing the Steve Schimdt "Choose the worst interpretation" stunt!

[Anonymous]

The fact that the women in the article could speak so glowingly about Palin because they relate to her as a working mom and completely dismiss her lack of experience, even after the last eight years and the current state of affairs in our nation, frightens the hell out of me.

[Anonymous]

Exactly! But what has she ever done to improve conditions for working women? She seems to me to have succeeded mostly by trying to be like the guys (eg no maternity leave) rather than by insisting that women's needs are met.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fact that the women in the article could speak so glowingly about Palin because they relate to her as a working mom and completely dismiss her lack of experience, even after the last eight years and the current state of affairs in our nation, frightens the hell out of me.

Although I have not the slightest thought of voting for Palin-McCain, I agree with a lot of what they were saying. Given the amount of experience represented by Cheney and Rumsfeld, I have thought the experience argument against Obama is bogus. So how can we use it against Palin. What I do think is that she makes a hypocrite of McCain for all the times he used it against Obama.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

That's what I'm afraid of. Unfortunately, the demographics of DC & its near suburbs are not representative of the rest of the country in terms of education, travel, and other life experiences.

This comment defines "elitism"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

That's what I'm afraid of. Unfortunately, the demographics of DC & its near suburbs are not representative of the rest of the country in terms of education, travel, and other life experiences.

BTW, what or who is Rasmussen?

Yep, it's a shame everyone outside the beltway is so tragically inferior to those of us inside the beltway. Why do we even let those people vote?

For a party that purports to stand up for the little guy, you sure like to put him down, don't you?

Saying different does not mean one is better than the other. You're playing the Steve Schimdt "Choose the worst interpretation" stunt!

It's not a stunt at all. Let's be honest, here. Saying you're afraid people won't agree with you b/c people outside the beltway are different in terms of their education and travel, when the clear implication is that they are LESS educated and are LESS well traveled, is condescending in the extreme. It also misses/ignores other possible explanations, e.g., your view point is not prevailing because it is not persuasive, compelling, correct. I think when people on either side assume that people disagree with them because they're too basic to understand things the way they do, they prove themselves unwilling to seriously consider alternative views or challenge their own, which is rarely a positive thing in democratic society.