Sunday Roundup

When it comes to leadership, this week proved we are living in a moment of mediocrities -- a long moment. Sarah Palin, wearing her ignorance like a beauty pageant tiara, was "annoyed" that she was asked actual questions by Katie Couric. George Bush looked the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression square in the eye...and threw up his hands. Congress stepped into the leadership void and promptly created another one. And the less said about Alberto Gonzales' week, the better. Desperate times cry out for exceptional leaders. It's not a matter of stratospheric SAT scores or Mensa-level IQs. What we need is the one thing in short supply: wisdom. It's in our DNA to fear the evil genius. But we still have to be trained to recognize the dangers of the clueless mediocrity.

For those of you in the Pennsylvania area, on Monday I'll be debating Mike Huckabee in Hershey. For more information, click here.

 

 

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Comments

[Juanmanuelsotoarg]

Arianna, give Huckabee a copy of an HL Mencken anthology.

[Takena]

A quick thought on the upcoming debate. McCain will bring up Ayers, and probably Rezko and Wright --maybe all at once, but probably one at a time. At the first mention, it would probably work well to do 3 things: (1) dismiss the relevance; (2) note McCain's associational challenges --Keating, Hagee --but not go into them; and (3) state that the only association for either candidate that is long lasting, ongoing, and absolutely damning is McCain's bear-hugging relationship with Bush. This should shut up all further nonsense about guilt by association. It won't shut it up, of course, but it will create a buzz saw that McPalin will not want to walk into for very long.

Best wishes,
Mark Spence

[dl63]

Succinct and factual... Now how do we get through to the part of the population that likes mediocrity? In fact, some think this mediocrity is intelligent.

[Margot1955]

I am afraid it is far worse than thinking mediocrity is intelligent. To wit, I am surprised that no one ever drew the analogy of George W., lo these past 8 years, to "Chauncey Gardiner" in the Peter Sellers movie, Being There. The only difference is Chauncey was innocent and likeable. By all accounts, considering her familiarity with malapropisms (but NOT what that means), Sarah must have sat mesmerized and starry-eyed as she watched the Disaster who is our sitting president utter profundities like "Putting food on your family," and "I am the decider. " Sarah will carry on the tradition of spewing nonsensical platitudes as long as she can maintain the attention given her by those so easily influenced...the average "Joe." Slandering Obama (yeah, an Ayers sympathizer and supporter at age 8) is all she has left in her trick bag, as her cache of political knowledge has a hole in it the size of America itself, but never had anything of value in it in the first place.

[AndSoItGoes]

Given the behavior of both McCain & Palin in this campaign, especially over the last few weeks, and with the number of public figures who have known McCain for years and have voiced astonishment at the change in his moral/ethical standards from the 2000 campaign, also noting his emotional/erratic decision making .... then there is the extreme difference between the Palin of the two interviews where she was barely lucid at some stages, and followed by the 'Sarah Palin Show' aka. the 'Debate'. Sure some of this is a campaign strategy, but ... have either McCain or Palin submitted their medical records for review? Given the behavior of both candidates, wouldn't it be prudent? When the country is looking for leaders who are stable, morally sound, and of good character and health, we should be looking harder at the Republicans.

[Deidroni]

Arianna,

Please ask Huckabee if his views on teaching creationism in science class in public schools is the same as Gov. Palin's views and if so why they want to violate the First Amendment to our Constitution?

Will C-Span cover your debate?

[Juanmanuelsotoarg]

KEATING 5 and PASTOR MUTHIE!!! please please please can we put together a fund to put a commercial on McCain and the KEATING 5, and palin and Pastor muthie???!! I will contribute...we need to do this...the obama campaign is being too gentlemanly...i am afraid of being swift-boated...why doesnt the left fight back?

imagine these commercials: sarah with pastor muthie, then talking about the newspapers she reads, and a mention that she has a net worth of over a million dollars and only got her passport last year!!, and a voiceover-- "This woman could be your President of the United States..Shouldnt that frighten you?"

Another educating people about McCain's judgement in KEATING 5!

[davidpeace]

We have settled for mediocrity for a long time. We currently have a person proud of his mediocrity, his C average. I for one would welcome a genius, a person who is in Mensa. Unfortunately such people are instantly marginalized and the way this country seems to denigrate intelligence, which I have been seeing since I was in high school, such a person would have no chance. I don't know if Dennis Kucinich is a genius, but he certainly sees things clearly and calls it as such. Most of the rest are so intent on trying to pull the wool over our eyes that they have long forgotten, or even cared, that they are supposed to be working for We the People, not the few, the proud, the millionaires, multi-millionaires and billionaires... But because Dennis Kucinich was calling the corporate elite to account they wouldn't give him any decent press, the only press he got was a marginalizing piece about him seeing a UFO. Such people with such visual clarity are a rarity in politics, but not so in everyday life. Unfortunately, the majority of people are content to be sheep blindly leading each other down the path to destruction.

[Deidroni]

America is a nation of sheep,
ruled by pigs
and owned by wolves.

[thirdmillennium]

Everyone should read the Mark Crispin Miller article about Why They Chose Palin. There is a link somewhere in this blog.

The way I understand it, when they rig the voting machines as he says they did in Ohio in 2000 and 2004, and McCain wins (echhh! I hate to even write that), they say that the Christian Fundamentalists suddenly came out from under their rocks in droves and swung the state for you-know-who.

This is very worrisome and the poster who says there should be a minute by minute tally available on the web, is a genius.

ARIANA - PLEASE HELP!!

[DimariS]

I want my country back. The one where we elect representatives not "leaders" (Rep. Mohan), where there is accountability for one's action (Mr. Rove), where an elected/appointed official has no option BUT to participate in an investigation (Mr. Cheney), where proven lies to the citizenry is construed and acted upon as an IMPEACHABLE offense (Sen. Pelosi), where sufficient and lucid information is easily gleaned from media (Mr. McCain), where sound bites and stereotyping does not pose as comedy (Mr. Maher), and where expedience in no way trumps truth (GOP).

If that makes me naive, so be it. As a member of "We, the people...", I deplore a government which has made us the laughing stock of the planet, the perceived enemy of so many peoples, and feared by our own downtrodden. Frankly, all theological argument aside, we do not deserve to print "In God We Trust" on our currency until we can again prove, through our individuals charged with representative governance, that civility and statesmanship prosper here.

I support Obama/Biden in '08.

[leftLibertarian]

But O/B both voted for the bailout of Wall Street, so why would you vote for them?

[oldfart1]

When you debate him, try to find what if he is a "moderate", and if so, does he think Bush, Cheney, McCain, and Palin are moderates?

[mtredstar7]

We need wisdom and statesmanship, too.

[taniacaa]

The attraction to Obama and Palin is that they both do not represent the "same old, same old". The Obama campaign needs to emphasize this as much as possible over the next 30 days.
Eg.
Obama is not a Washington insider, he comes from being a community organizer, who worked his way to become a Senator. After being the Senate for a few years he realized that Washington was broken, and the only way to fix it and our country, was to unite the wealth of ideas from both Democrats and Republicans. He set out to do this on this campaign, and when he becomes president he will do this.

[Fremon]

There was a movie that maybe under or about 10 years old called (if I remember correctly) "Idiotcracy". The basic premise is that a very average guy, played by Luke Wilson, is accidently transported 100 years or so into the future. He arrives to find a delapated and decaying America. Through a series of events, he is sought by the police of the time and because he has no identity card, etc. he is imprisoned and is made to take a test. It is an IQ test which he scores a 100 IQ. But it is the highest score in the nation and he is made head of government. Very funny but it portrays the writer's concept that we have been dumbing down as a society so much the 100 IQ represents genius in that future society. With Bush 2/McCain/Palin and those that support them blindly are we not on the path to that future? Just a couple of more generations and the picture could be prologue.

REPUBLICANS SAY THAT THE TRUTH IS WHAT YOU CAN MAKE THEM BELIEVE

[JiminNC]

The bridge between intelligence and wisdom is critical thinking.

[guillotine]

Amen!!

Yet this bridge seems tougher to put together than any number of bridges to nowhere.

[jamesdaddio]

Secession: I would like to know why those in Alaska wish to wihdrawl from the United States talk about unamerican do they want to join Canada or Russia or to start their own country. It has been rumered that Sara Palin was a member of this movement can we please find out the dog gone truth abouth that because she is running for vice president of the US.
This is a serious concept that we americans would like to know about.
They the Alaskans keep shifting the membership to Todd but I have rread that Sara was a member as well. If you want to secceed from the US don't run for office here.
you know where to find me, I am an american.

[Alaskan99577]

Relax, there are about 6 people in that organization and if Palin was a member, she would have been the smartest.