Is America really going to do this?

[Michael Tee]

<<You don't get elected to city council and mayor twice as well as beating an incumbent governor in the primaries by being a dumbass.>>

I see you're not acquainted with the former mayor of the City of Toronto, Mel "Bad Boy" Lastman.

[BT]

You'd think after 8 years of Bush you would have learned something.

What I have learned is that anyone one who doesn't think smell dress and act like your ilk is a dumbass.

You guys don't handle intellectual diversity very well.

If Palin showed any kind of intellectual prowess other than being able to spew sarcasm, I'd be inclined to agree with you.

Matt Damon described the possibility of her being the president as "a bad Disney movie" but he didn't really think it through.  In those types of bad Disney movies that he's talking about, a "normal" person would, through some kind of weird set of circumstances be made the president of a company or the US and would spend the second act failing to rise to the occasion till that "normal" person would then call on some inner strength or downhome wisdom that would then allow them to take command of the situation and bring us all in for that expected, exultant landing before the credits role.  (We'd then laugh at the actors as they danced to some early 90's dance hit and goofed for the cameras.)

The Sarah Palin version would go a totally different way.  Much like that guy that got sent to Viet Nam accidentally in place of his buddy, Palin would fail completely and all her supporters would abandon her and in a fit of righteous rage, she would make choices that would result in America being wiped off the map in slow motion images of mushroom clouds reflected in Palin's oh so smart glasses which allow those shallow, "blank-stare" eyes to be seen filling with tears as Mozart's Requiem Mass shatters blasts out over the audience.

Palin has no inner wisdom.  Palin has no folksy smarts.  Palin is lacking in intellect and wisdom that she has actually made McCain, a reasonable man, more stupid.

Matt Damon?

And this is the fount of your intellectual political discourse. The guy is an actor. Much like Obama.

[richpo64]

Brass wrote:
>>Matt Damon described ... <<

Matt Damon huh?

He's not an expert, he just plays one on TV?

 

[MissusDe]

So, now you're understanding those of us on the left way back in 2000 and then very much so in 2004.

No.  To understand that, I'd need to be possessed of the kind of mindset that would believe the only possible explanation for an Obama win is that the election was stolen. However, my mind doesn't work along those lines.  

If McCain loses, it will be because his campaign was poorly managed.  And I'll be very surprised if McCain attempts to shift the blame on anyone except himself.

[BT]

I see you're not acquainted with the former mayor of the City of Toronto, Mel "Bad Boy" Lastman.

Looks like Lastman did well for himself. Why would you think him dumb?

[Xavier_Onassis]

Palin is a bad Disney movie come to life at least up to her nomination.

The conclusion would be for her to become president, possibly in some way connected to a sled dog race.

But this won't happen unless we are truly cursed.

[Michael Tee]

Lastman was a smart businessman, and a great Mayor of the City of North York, but as Mayor of the City of Toronto, he's remembered for some pretty dumb remarks.  The general consensus is that he was way out of his depth.

When he was put on a team to drum up international support for Toronto as an Olympic Games site, he gave a press conference about his upcoming trip to Africa and told the press that he had visions of himself and his wife Marilyn being cooked in a big pot of boiling water while a bunch of "cannibals" danced around them.  In another part of the same interview, he said that he wasn't really sure about going to Africa because Marilyn was afraid of snakes.

During the SARS epidemic in Toronto, Lastman went on U.S. national TV to reassure American tourists.  When asked by his interviewer about the actual number of SARS victims in Toronto, he said didn't know, but that it was very, very small.  When asked about the WHO (World Health Organization) travel advisory on Toronto, he asked, apparently baffled, who these people (WHO) were and claimed he had never heard of them.  There were other huge gaffes that only Torontonians would recognize.

Once, in a screaming tirade at the man who ultimately succeeded him as Mayor, he told him, "You'll never be Mayor of Toronto, and you know why?  Because you say dumb and stupid things."  The next day, someone on the Toronto Star wrote that he thought that was a job requirement.  Another time he tried to call out the Army to clear the snow off Toronto streets.  And yet another time, he seriously proposed that Toronto secede from the Province of Ontario over a tax-distribution disagreement with the Province.

Lastman is actually a great example of a man who excelled in business and as a small suburban mayor (he was winning his later terms by acclamation) but was a total, embarrassing failure in the larger role.  I was just kidding when I called him "dumb," he's not "dumb" and probably, neither is Palin, but the point is you can be smart in a minor role and still be a real dummy in a major role. 

[Plane]

Is woman smart really the same as man smart?

[BT]

What's dumb about calling out the Army to help clear the streets of Toronto?

Looks like he had a good run in politics. He was the first mayor of Megapolis Toronto beating the favorite by putting together a coalition of suburban voters.

I don't think him dumb. I think he just was a bigger target on a bigger stage.

[Michael Tee]

<<What's dumb about calling out the Army to help clear the streets of Toronto?>>

It's ridiculous.  Toronto's always been able to clear the snow off its streets.  That's not what the Army is for.

<<Looks like he had a good run in politics. He was the first mayor of Megapolis Toronto beating the favorite by putting together a coalition of suburban voters.>>

By that stage of his life, he'd been in politics too long.  He was getting old and really stupid.  The stuff I quoted was abysmally dumb.  Maybe he just didn't care any more.

<<I don't think him dumb. I think he just was a bigger target on a bigger stage.>>

That "cannibal" shit wasn't dumb?  The guy was going to Africa to line up support for Toronto as an Olympic site.  Not one African country voted in favour of Toronto.  He was supposed to be a goodwill ambassador.

[Plane]

<<What's dumb about calling out the Army to help clear the streets of Toronto?>>

It's ridiculous.  Toronto's always been able to clear the snow off its streets.  That's not what the Army is for.

<<Looks like he had a good run in politics. He was the first mayor of Megapolis Toronto beating the favorite by putting together a coalition of suburban voters.>>

By that stage of his life, he'd been in politics too long.  He was getting old and really stupid.  The stuff I quoted was abysmally dumb.  Maybe he just didn't care any more.

<<I don't think him dumb. I think he just was a bigger target on a bigger stage.>>

That "cannibal" shit wasn't dumb?  The guy was going to Africa to line up support for Toronto as an Olympic site.  Not one African country voted in favour of Toronto.  He was supposed to be a goodwill ambassador.

He seriously saved Toronto a headache didn't he?

[BT]

That "cannibal" shit wasn't dumb?  The guy was going to Africa to line up support for Toronto as an Olympic site.  Not one African country voted in favour of Toronto.  He was supposed to be a goodwill ambassador.

According to Wiki, the remark didn't cost Toronto one vote.

I am heartened to hear Toronto is so self sufficient. Perhaps they could train the folks in New Orleans.

[_JS]

I would say that any, and I mean ANY, member of 3DHS would be head and shoulders above Sarah Palin as qualified intellectually to be president of the US.

Believe your own garbage.

You don't get elected to city council and mayor twice as well as beating an incumbent governor in the primaries by being a dumbass.

I'm not sure if this is written in anger or not Bt, but a cursory look at the past shows it to be false.

Mayor Berry of Washington DC was by no means a brilliant man. True, he was not a governor, but his city was as big as Alaska in population. Governor Gilmore was easily one of the worst governors Virginia has EVER had in its very long history. The guy is a complete idiot and witness how many Republicans are going to vote for Mark Warner in the Senatorial election this year. Regardless of party affiliation, Gilmore is a genuine dumbass and Berry is right there with him.

It isn't that difficult to see how one could rise to that level. There are various paths to take: populism, personal charm, bullying, family name, patronage, etc. Boss Tweed, for example, was by no means an Oxford graduate, but he knew all about running a political machine. The Borgia's were by no means a pious and holy family, but they bullied and bought their way to a papacy.

I don't think Sarah Palin is any closer to a "real person" than anyone else. I think she is a lightweight, but I say that in a political sense. What I mean by that is I don't think GOP voters will elect her to a nationwide office (the Couric interview is evidence of a lightweight). I don't like her because I think she's willing to throw herself to the lowest common denominator.

[Amianthus]

Mayor Berry of Washington DC was by no means a brilliant man. True, he was not a governor, but his city was as big as Alaska in population.

There were other things going on with Barry and DC politics. After all, he was elected again AFTER SERVING TIME FOR A FELONY. There is a hard core Democratic constituency that would elect ANYONE who the Democrats proposed, and background did not matter.

[_JS]

But that is exactly my point Ami. The premise of democracy is not that the most intelligent candidates are elected to office. It is a choice for voters. Therefore the notion that being elected to city council, mayor, and governor automatically requires keen intellect is clearly not true. The only thing it requires with certainty is a plurality of votes (at least in most American systems). There are a host of other variables involved which vary depending upon political, economic, social, and other factors.