Who’s inexperienced?

I enjoyed Lee Judge’s political cartoon Monday (9/8, Opinion). The purpose of the cartoon is to mock and belittle the experience of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. The GOP elephant is saying, “Why worry about Sarah Palin? She’s got executive experience!” The GOP elephant is standing in front of a Taco Bell fast food counter, and the manager behind the counter is saying, “So do I.”

I guess we are supposed to compare the experience of managing a fast food restaurant with managing a state and believe that the experiences are equivalent. Well, the joke is on Judge. Because while Palin has managed a state and city, candidate Barack Obama does not even have the experience of having managed a Taco Bell.

Mike Hilboldt
Kansas City

I try hard to understand my Republican brothers and sisters. I really do. But are these Republicans who are fawning all over Vice President Barbie really the same ones who derided Barack Obama as an inexperienced “celebrity?” Are any of them seriously comfortable having her a heartbeat away from the presidency behind a 72-year-old former cancer patient?

Do they really want us to believe that their party, after digging us into an ever deepening and widening hole for the past eight years, is the right choice to get us out?

Dan Regan
Kansas City

Comments

[jack]

Wish I would have started this email:

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* If you grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, you're a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack, you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* If you name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* If you graduate from Harvard Law School, you are unstable.
* If you attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system, while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

[tomw]

And Obama has no understanding of the economy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_International_Corporation

Obama's first job.

[tomw]

Let's see...Obama has lived in Honolulu, LA, New York City, Boston, Chicago and Washington DC. Why would he know anything about the United States?

[tomw]

No, it's you that doesn't understand. In grade school we learned things like the states' names and the dates when when wars start and end. That information is meaningless in the real world without greater understanding of issues and people's attitudes. Do really believe that people of Kentucky don't relate to Arkansas? Who is more your neighbor, the guy next door that you don't really know or the guy that lives two doors down and shares your values and experiences?
Morass of Chicago? Have you ever been? I find nothing confusing about Chicago.

Let's see how many errors McCain can make in under 10 minutes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/11/mccain-interview-on-palin_n_125743.html

[Engineer]

tomw
"I have no idea what you mean. Please explain" In this case it's like Armstrong said about jazz: "if you have to ask what it is you never really get to know". It goes along with us peasants bitterly clinging to our guns and things. As to the "neighbors" remark, it does show a lack of understanding of US geography. But after all he was raised in Hawaii, then was immersed in Ivy League schools and after that went into the morass of Chicago. Why would he have any reason or chance to know anything overall about America? Obviously he understands nothing about the role or importance of the private sector of the economy. He seems to believe the government can do everything. He never does or says anything indicating the slightest understanding that the Government can do nothing until it first takes the means with which to so it from the private sector.

[tomw]

Engineer-since that is not an accurate quote, you can't provide it. The following is what Obama actually said.

"What it says is that I'm not very well known in that part of the country," Obama said. "Sen. Clinton, I think, is much better known, coming from a nearby state of Arkansas."

Yes indeed, Illinois and KY share a short border. Illinois is really two worlds...Chicago and then the rest of the state. Let's see...pick the two southern states from this list.

Illinois
Arkansas
Kentucky

[THAT was my foot]

yeah jungle, that is a great one... kind of like; "bush doctrine??? in what aspect do ya mean charlie???"

sounds like vp material to me!!!

[tomw]

"His statement was "because they border on Arkansas"."

Obama never said that. Feel free to show me the quote.

"So Chicago is Illinois? That probably correctly tallies with Obama's thinking and depth of understanding of the American scene."

I have no idea what you mean. Please explain.

"As to Sunni and Shia, I have a great deal more trust in McCain when it comes to military matters than I do in Obama, in whom I have none at all."

It's not a case of "military matters". It's a case of understanding a complex history of how the middle east became such a DISASTER.

[Engineer]

tomw
So Chicago is Illinois? That probably correctly tallies with Obama's thinking and depth of understanding of the American scene. His statement was "because they border on Arkansas". Illinois does border on Kentucky but just how long is the border between Kentucky and Arkansas? As to Sunni and Shia, I have a great deal more trust in McCain when it comes to military matters than I do in Obama, in whom I have none at all. I didn't indicate that I would hold you accountable for Pub 17's posts. in the case of some of them it may n0t even be fair to hold him accountable. I was commenting that with his great ability to make mountains out of molehills I was in awe of what it seems likely he could do with such rich material. .

[tomw]

"explaining FDR's disastrous economic policies'

Which resulted in what economic disasters?

[Mark Robertson]

My point on the Great Depression is that the reaction to the economic downturn, the stock market crash of Oct 1929, is what caused the depression. As mentioned, there was a similar downturn in the early 20s near the end of Woodrow Wilson's adm. He had recently had a stroke and did nothing. Harding soon came in and also did nothing to deal with the downturn. The free market soon made the correction and with the eventual help of Harding tax cuts the economy was soon strong. Coolidge would have four more major tax cuts that furthered the roaring 20s.
After the 29 crash, Hoover ushered in vast government intervention, including raising the top tax rate from 25 to around 55%, disastrous wage and price controls, and the Smoot Hawley Tariff.
My point is that if Hoover had done nothing the depression could have been avoided. The market would have corrected on its own.
Then FDR came along and vastly expanded the govt. as a way to deal with the depression. It seemed every time the economy was starting to recover, FDR would slap another round of big government onto the U.S. The book FDR's Folly, by Jim Powell does a great job in explaining FDR's disastrous economic policies. Thankyou.

Mark Robertson
Independence

[tomw]

"You know, 56+1=57."

My mistake. I didn't read your post carefully. However, That was a very minor point (really wasn't ANY point) of my comments. Most of which you have conveniently ignored.

I am very familiar with the Obama comments concerning Kentucky of which you refer. Let's see. Do most residents of KY relate more to Arkansas or Chicago? I'm stumped.

If you won't hold me accountable to the comments of Pub 17, I won't hold you to the comments of Rogue. Fair enough?

[Engineer]

tomw
If you are going to twit me about numbers, according to the higher math I learned, If you are in a state and are wondering about which of the other 56 abut your state, then you think there are 57 states. You know, 56+1=57. As to "neighboring states”, Obama is apparently unaware that Illinois borders on Kentucky. In explaining why Kentucky supported HRC he said it was because Kentucky was a neighboring state to Arkansas. Obviously his boners don't get all that much exposure. On the other hand, your take on the matter is probably the correct one, but can you visualize Pub 17's posts if Palin were caught in such gaffs?

[tomw]

"While you are correct in hat Smoot Hawley was enacted after the start of the depression all authorities that I have read regarding it, including the link you post, consider that it probably helped prolong the depression."

Without a doubt. However, Mark referred to it as a cause. Interesting that Mark found FDR to be so horrible. Afterall, the man had a wealth of experience. State Senator, Asst. Sec. of the Navy and Governor of what at the time was the most populous state in the country.

Actually, it was 57 states, Engineer. Which happens to be the number primaries and caucuses in which Obama campaigned. Pretty harmless slip of the tongue. Especially when compared to confusing Shia and Sunni...repeatedly. Let's see...which would have an impact on national security?

Please explain your take on "neighboring states.

[JUNGLEJACK]

"By the way, WTF is a "sexaphobe"?"

Someone who shows obvious and irrational fear and loathing of a member of the opposite sex.

This affliction of choice often reveals itself by the use of sexist terms (Barbie) or by the arbitrary application of guidelines that someone of another gender must possess in order to unfairly prove their worth. These guidelines are summarily dismissed when given the chance for application to a member of their own gender (Obama).

[Pub 17]

Then that's a comment on you and your poor judgment as to what constitutes qualification for the second-in-command of the most powerful nation on earth: you want a robot who can repeat "pro-life" and "second amendment" without slurring either, and the capability of "energizing the base." All that time the rest of the actual conservatives have spent learning their business pales besides Palin's ability to repeat the mantra.

By the way, WTF is a "sexaphobe"?

[JUNGLEJACK]

"How do we end up with Caribou Barbie, and not Orrin Hatch, Mitt Romney, Sam Brownback,..."

Personally, I prefer her to any of the above. So I am glad we "ended up" with her. BTW - do you have a sexaphobe nickname for Hillary Clinton too?

[Engineer]

tomw
While you are correct in hat Smoot Hawley was enacted after the start of the depression all authorities that I have read regarding it, including the link you post, consider that it probably helped prolong the depression.

[Engineer]

At least Sara knows Alaska borders Canada and is close to Russia. Obama, on the other hand, has so little geographical knowledge he doesn’t know which of the other 56 (his count) states border the state of which he is a senator. Of course, in his defense, he hasn't paid a lit attention to that job.

[tomw]

Mark-a comment from yesterday begs for a response.

"Hoover's wage and price controls, Smoot Hawley Tariff, and huge tax increases in the face of the 1929 economic turndown brought on the Great Depression, but FDR's control policies continued the nightmare."

Smoot Hawley came after the onset of the depression.

"The act was passed in June of 1930 and increased tariffs to a tax of 50 percent on goods imported into the United States. Since this occurred after the onset of the Depression, it's hard to see how it could have caused it."
http://www.amatecon.com/gd/gdcandc.html