The Volokh Conspiracy
[Orin Kerr, September 12, 2008 at 3:21pm] Trackbacks
Palin Palin:
Palin palin, palin palin Palin Palin. Palin Palin. Palin palin palin palin -- palin. (Palin: Palin)
Arkady:
The Name Game

(If that was the question.)
9.12.2008 4:26pm
J. Aldridge:
Dems: "Destroy Palin, Destroy Palin, Destroy Palin, Destroy Palin, Destroy Palin, Destroy Palin, Destroy Palin..."
9.12.2008 4:27pm
volokh groupie:
Biden biden, biden biden Biden Biden. Biden Biden. Biden biden biden biden biden -- biden. (Biden: Biden)
9.12.2008 4:28pm
Mark Field (mail):
Troublemaker.
9.12.2008 4:28pm
Tracy Johnson (www):
Chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken.
9.12.2008 4:29pm
Parared:
Ya know what strikes me in all this reaction to Palin? This is the first time in my 46 years that I've seen a candidate for POTUS or VPOTUS that actually looks like a real human being. All of the others all had the aura of a veiled aristocracy.

Well ... maybe not Carter ...
9.12.2008 4:29pm
Shame Blame:
This is a disgraceful attack on the character of a hard-working mother of five.
9.12.2008 4:30pm
Badger:
http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/
9.12.2008 4:32pm
josh:
It's not "Bien, Biden, Biden ..."

The correct response is "Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama (Obama, Obama)"

[Fill in blanks for "Muslim," "traitor," "unpatirotic," Effete," "Presumptious," "Aloof," etc]
9.12.2008 4:35pm
Scote (mail):

Parared:
Ya know what strikes me in all this reaction to Palin? This is the first time in my 46 years that I've seen a candidate for POTUS or VPOTUS that actually looks like a real human being. All of the others all had the aura of a veiled aristocracy.


Yeah, wouldn't want someone better than average to run the world's most important country... :-/

Would you say the same about a CEO? Would you say, "thank goodness some ordinary bloke is finally running ADM??" Of course not, you want someone with extraordinary qualifications for extraordinary jobs.
9.12.2008 4:35pm
Arkady:
Palin palin, palin palin Palin Palin. Palin Palin. Palin palin palin palin -- palin. (Palin: Palin)

Maybe not...


Palin, Palin, bo-balin,
Banana-fana fo-falin
Fee-fi-mo-malin
Palin!
9.12.2008 4:35pm
Big E:
Jim Lindgren will you go back to...oh silly Prof. Kerr.
9.12.2008 4:36pm
Jeremy:
Malkovich.
9.12.2008 4:36pm
whoa there:
Of course not, you want someone with extraordinary qualifications for extraordinary jobs.

Then why did the Democrats nominate one of the least experienced candidates in history?
9.12.2008 4:37pm
Kazinski:
I've never seen anything like it. In John McCain's wildest dreams he never thought he'd be able to get this much mileage out of a vice-presidential pick. Maybe if he picked Hillary, but other than that, no.

The Obama campaign needs to reign in and refocus on McCain, it's just a questions of whether the press and the public will let them. It has only been 10 days since her speech and two weeks since she was picked, but time is ticking away leaving 7 weeks until the election. Obama can't afford another two weeks of this.
9.12.2008 4:39pm
Dave N (mail):
After 518 comments (and counting) on two threads, all in less than 24 hours, I guess I'm just Palined out.
9.12.2008 4:40pm
Parared:

Yeah, wouldn't want someone better than average to run the world's most important country... :-/

Would you say the same about a CEO? Would you say, "thank goodness some ordinary bloke is finally running ADM??" Of course not, you want someone with extraordinary qualifications for extraordinary jobs.


Heh, "better than average". We need to discuss your system of measure. I meant 'average' as not having lived a life of perpetual political employment. President isn't supposed to be a job reserved for some kind of ruling elite. Which clique would get to serve that position? General intellectuals? Scientist? Business men? Poly Sci majors?? The idea was that president could be served by a general citizen, chosen from the population by their own criteria. Perhaps, we now see someone who actually fits the people's criteria. For once, we don't find ourselves picking the lesser of two evils, served by the ruling elite.
9.12.2008 4:42pm
eck:
Chicken chicken
9.12.2008 4:43pm
zippypinhead:
At last the VC political posts are finally getting concisce and to the point!





[wouldst thou perhaps be trying to goose VC's ranking in the most popular Google searches, Prof. K?]
9.12.2008 4:43pm
one of many:

It has only been 10 days since her speech and two weeks since she was picked, but time is ticking away leaving 7 weeks until the election. Obama can't afford another two weeks of this.
Are you sure of this? I coulda sworn it's been months of Palin. maybe those people opposed to LHO were right and we're stuck in a time loop. Oh well my sense of political time has been all off since the 2008 presidential campaign hit it's 6th year back in 2006.
9.12.2008 4:44pm
Plastic:
Google bombing Palin? Good luck, you're still behind http://volokh.com/posts/1220097299.shtml
9.12.2008 4:44pm
wuzzagrunt (mail):
Parared:

Ya know what strikes me in all this reaction to Palin? This is the first time in my 46 years that I've seen a candidate for POTUS or VPOTUS that actually looks like a real human being.

What amazes me is how the Democrat party and the MSM (redundancy alert!) have mobilized to run against the Veep nominee.
9.12.2008 4:46pm
Observer:
Palin has more executive experience than Biden, Clinton and Obama combined.
9.12.2008 4:46pm
John (mail):
This post is a pretty accurate analysis of the last week or so.

Well done.
9.12.2008 4:48pm
htom (mail):
Are you riffing on Buffalo buffalo buffalo ...?
9.12.2008 4:50pm
A.W. (mail):
Orin

My respect for you just went down a peg.
9.12.2008 4:50pm
Arkady:
You know, the line does fit into parts of this from Funny or Die
9.12.2008 4:55pm
Malvolio:
In John McCain's wildest dreams he never thought he'd be able to get this much mileage out of a vice-presidential pick.
Supposedly, the one quality Napoleon demanded of his generals was good luck. Either McCain and his advisers are brilliant or mind-bogglingly lucky.
Maybe if he picked Hillary, but other than that, no.
There are rumors floating around about Hillary replacing Biden on the ticket somehow. Hillary and Palin have a lot in common: they're both women, and they both really, really want McCain to win.
9.12.2008 4:57pm
Ajakk:
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE">Spam Palin Spam and Spam</a>
9.12.2008 4:57pm
rbj:
At least it's not Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.
9.12.2008 5:00pm
Joe Hiegel:

Are you riffing on Buffalo buffalo buffalo ...?

That was my thought (as a good Wikipedian, I feel compelled to provide a link to WP's article about the phrase for those who are unfamiliar). Never before, one imagines, has "Palin" appeared so close to "buffalo" without the former's shooting the latter.
9.12.2008 5:04pm
some dude:
I'LL be GLAD when the ELECTION is OVER!
9.12.2008 5:06pm
Bill Joy-less:
"Observer:
Palin has more executive experience than Biden, Clinton and Obama combined."

Wow, it only took about 15 minutes for the automated blog-post nanobots to find this thread!
9.12.2008 5:08pm
Somedude127 (mail):
Beer, beer, beer, beer, beer.

BTW don't I owe you a beer Professor Kerr?
9.12.2008 5:09pm
whoa there:
"Observer:
Palin has more executive experience than Biden, Clinton and Obama combined."

Wow, it only took about 15 minutes for the automated blog-post nanobots to find this thread!

Yes, and it only took 16 minutes for you to write a response that carefully avoids discussing the merits of the "nanobots'" point.
9.12.2008 5:13pm
Joe Hiegel:

...I feel compelled to provide a link to WP's article about the phrase for those who are unfamiliar)...

For reals this time.
9.12.2008 5:13pm
Tucker (mail):
Which just goes to prove Volokh readers will start a comment thread about ANYTHING! ;)
9.12.2008 5:13pm
one of many:

I'LL be GLAD when the ELECTION is OVER!

Another defeatist, I imagine you also insist on some timetable for withdrawal from Election 2008. We as a nation have entered into Election 2008 and have committed our reputation and honor to seeing that it ends in a democratically elected governmental secure in its boarders. To speak of withdrawal now, before there is a clear victory serves only embolden those who oppose the US and is a betrayal of the politicians who have put their trust in us as nation. We must stay the course and and stay steadfast in our determination not to leave Election 2008 until victory has been assured, even though it takes 100 years.
9.12.2008 5:14pm
Somedude127 (mail):
One of many just made milk come out of my nose with that 4:14 post.
9.12.2008 5:17pm
Splunge:
Ha ha!

Good one, Kerr.
9.12.2008 5:19pm
theobromophile (www):
Prof. Kerr,

I just ran a google blog search for Sarah Palin and... did not find the VC on it! Either y'all need to decrease your indexing time, or mention Sarah Palin more often. ;)
9.12.2008 5:20pm
zippypinhead:
Palin, Palin, bo-balin,
Banana-fana fo-falin
Fee-fi-mo-malin
Palin!
Arkady wins the thread!

Oh wait, I'm sorry, never mind... there are a couple hundred more entries still to come. After all, we're talking about PALIN, right?

[although about the only way to get Arkady off the gold medal podium at this point may be to devise an especially clever limerick using "Palin" and "Lindgren" in the same line, preferably without devolving into the too-easy NSFW genre?]
9.12.2008 5:22pm
Philistine (mail):
Actually, I think Orin won this thread in his post. I actually laughed out loud.
9.12.2008 5:27pm
Michael Drake (mail) (www):
Sarah Palin knows more about energy than anyone else in America.

A Sarah Palin-delivered roundhouse kick is the preferred method of execution in 16 states.

Sarah Palin once punched a hole in a cow just to see who was coming up the road.

And so forth...
9.12.2008 5:29pm
Limmie: The First Generation:
the only way to get Arkady off the gold medal podium at this point may be to devise an especially clever limerick using "Palin" and "Lindgren" in the same line, preferably without devolving into the too-easy NSFW genre?

There once was a VP named Palin
Whom Lindgren was real closely tailin'.
Enthused as he was
he devolved into scuz,
and his blog postings really were flailin'.

Judge Simon's Ruling: Weak. Go home.
9.12.2008 5:31pm
paul lukasiak (mail):
And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know

Hey, Ya ought to leave Palin alone,
But ain't no sunshine when she's gone...
9.12.2008 5:32pm
Virginian:


Parared:
Ya know what strikes me in all this reaction to Palin? This is the first time in my 46 years that I've seen a candidate for POTUS or VPOTUS that actually looks like a real human being. All of the others all had the aura of a veiled aristocracy.


Yeah, wouldn't want someone better than average to run the world's most important country... :-/

Would you say the same about a CEO? Would you say, "thank goodness some ordinary bloke is finally running ADM??" Of course not, you want someone with extraordinary qualifications for extraordinary jobs.


Yeah, because "an aura of veiled aristocracy" just screams "better than average" and "extraordinary qualifications".
9.12.2008 5:35pm
LM (mail):
Liar.
9.12.2008 5:37pm
Alan Gunn (mail):
Like many others, I miss the days when the campaigns didn't really start (in public, anyhow) until the conventions (which actually chose candidates), and I am fed up with both parties and intend to vote for neither. Nevertheless, I think both tickets this time around have better people on them than was the case four years ago. The campaigns themselves, however, seem to comprise only "change" vs. "change" with an occasional detour into "my middle-class tax cut vs. yours." There are a few actual differences on policy between the candidates--free trade, for instance--but neither the candidates nor the media seem to want to discuss these. Why do normally sensible people think this is an important election?
9.12.2008 5:40pm
Kant Resist:
Palin's grasp of a doctrine named Bush
needed a kick in the tush.
Her answer was bad,
It made liberals mad,
But the voters hearts turned into mush.
9.12.2008 5:43pm
PLR:
Could you just bring me some spam, spam, spam, spam, Palin and spam? It only has a little Palin in it.
9.12.2008 5:43pm
A. Dawson (mail) (www):
Go O'Mama! The first GILF/VPILF!
9.12.2008 5:55pm
one of many:

Like many others, I miss the days when the campaigns didn't really start (in public, anyhow) until the conventions (which actually chose candidates), and I am fed up with both parties and intend to vote for neither. Nevertheless, I think both tickets this time around have better people on them than was the case four years ago. The campaigns themselves, however, seem to comprise only "change" vs. "change" with an occasional detour into "my middle-class tax cut vs. yours." There are a few actual differences on policy between the candidates--free trade, for instance--but neither the candidates nor the media seem to want to discuss these. Why do normally sensible people think this is an important election?

A serious question on a joke thread, hmmm. I suspect the answer is that the long campaign and echo chamber nature of the internet has created a situation where every minor difference has become exaggerated in the perception of people who have spent the past year or two immersed in this campaign. Also there is a calculation aspect to the campaigns, they are both trying to gain support from the same group at this point, and all the professional research has told them what the "correct" policies to woo this group are, and these policies will be the same regardless of which side of the aisle the candidates come from. I agree that neither will spell the end of the republic if elected and neither is so bad as to justify seeking political refugee status if elected, although it is fun to pretend so.
9.12.2008 5:58pm
OBAMA (mail):
Racists, racists, racists! Racists, racists, racists, racists racists, racists, racists, racists, racists racists, racists...racists.

/Racists.
9.12.2008 5:58pm
A. Dawson (mail) (www):
VPILF, VPILF, VPILF, VPILF, VPILF, VPILF, VPILF, VPILF....
9.12.2008 6:01pm
A. Dawson (mail) (www):
Drill baby *drill!!! Drill baby *drill!!! Drill baby *drill!!! Drill baby *drill!!! Drill baby *drill!!!
9.12.2008 6:01pm
zippypinhead:
The theme song for this election. For both parties:
"A change - would do you good.
A change - would do you good."
[repeat during fade-out to nothingness]
Cheryl Crow, 1997 [and with enough of a chemical assist, you can probably make everything in the verses apply to one ticket or another, sometimes both]

Sigh... I wanna go back to EV's Palin-drome competition.
9.12.2008 6:04pm
thought police:
A serious question on a joke thread, hmmm.
NO! Not allowed! Orin, delete that post!!!

And now back to your regularly-scheduled Palin spam from the All-Palin-All-The-Time Blog!
9.12.2008 6:06pm
Paris Hilton:
I believe it was Stephen Wolfram who said that, just as with his automata, all of the wonderful variegated minutiae of the universe in which we live could be attributable to a single fundamentally simple input.

Could Professor Kerr be trying to demonstrate this principle in a bottle? Are we all just Prof. Kerr's automata?
9.12.2008 6:15pm
Randy R. (mail):
You know, what WOULD be interesting, and actually helpful, is a posting from VC that lists all four candidates and their stated goals and policies if elected Prez and Vice-Prez. Like, the things that actually matter?

Nah,,,that would be substance over image, and in America it simply doesn't go over very well.
9.12.2008 6:26pm
Tinfoil Hatter:
In John McCain's wildest dreams he never thought he'd be able to get this much mileage out of a vice-presidential pick. Maybe if he picked Hillary, but other than that, no.
Oooh, let's leave McCain's dreams out of it. This is business. The Trilateral Commission has a secret scheme to erase the U.S. budget deficit with the house cut of the betting over the still to be scheduled, worldwide televised, wrestling cage match event between Hillary and Palin. Palin be younger and in better shape (and what shape!), but Hillary be a dirty fighter. Classic professional wrestling matchup. Ka-ching!
9.12.2008 6:29pm
A. Dawson (mail) (www):
What would be MORE interesting is a post the itemizes the proposed or enacted infringement on our civil liberties that is associated with each candidate.
9.12.2008 6:29pm
one of many:
Randy, Randy, Randy. Why does anyone need that sort of posting? Everyone already knows all the positions held by the candidates and their real goals (no need to worry about inaccurate stated ones) and the real policies they will enact if elected, it says so right there "Republican" and "Democrat".
9.12.2008 6:30pm
Arkady:

Sigh... I wanna go back to EV's Palin-drome competition


Not me. I was about to spring palindrone in it...
9.12.2008 6:36pm
A. Dawson (mail) (www):
O'mama! O'mama! O'mama! O'mama! O'mama! O'mama! O'mama! O'mama! O'mama! O'mama! O'mama! O'mama!
9.12.2008 6:55pm
Hoosier:
And the Baker said, with a nod of his head
What I tell you [fifteen] times is true.
9.12.2008 6:58pm
Dan Weber (www):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKzqP4-0Z6M
9.12.2008 7:11pm
Hoosier:
Tinfoil Hatter

What kind of Conspiretard are you?!! No Illuminati? No Rockefellers? No Joos?

And NO REPTILIANS?!!!!

What's the fun of that?
9.12.2008 7:27pm
Clastrenster:
TODD ROCKS! TODD ROCKS! TODD ROCKS! TODD ROCKS! TODD ROCKS!
9.12.2008 7:41pm
Clastrenster:
Though I wish she'd have chosen GW as her running mate. That would have been awesome.
9.12.2008 7:44pm
KWC (mail):
Whoa there, Observer:

It's true that Palin has more "executive" experience than any of those people, strictly speaking. What's not true is your underlying point, that that makes her necessarily more qualified than the rest.

Under your analysis, anyone who has been a mayor or even tribe leader of any small village for even one day has more "executive" experience than many of our nation's presidents.

[I'm not ignoring Palin's gubernatorial experience. I'm saying that mayor is an executive role and that under that analysis any one who has more "executive" experience -- i.e., even one day -- will have more than someone whose career wasn't in the executive. It certainly does not make them less qualified for the presidency]
9.12.2008 8:07pm
SMatthewStolte (mail):
Where am I? I thought that repeating Palin's name was supposed to make the crowd go wild with cheers.

Woooooo hooooo!
9.12.2008 8:26pm
Fub:
zippypinhead wrote at 9.12.2008 4:22pm:
[although about the only way to get Arkady off the gold medal podium at this point may be to devise an especially clever limerick using "Palin" and "Lindgren" in the same line, preferably without devolving into the too-easy NSFW genre?]
Conspirator Lindgren was bailin'
From work, blogging Gibson on Palin.
Then Orin conKerred,
Began singing the word.
Now Lindgren and Palin are sailin'!
9.12.2008 8:53pm
Hoosier:
пайлэн


Παιλεν
9.12.2008 9:03pm
Hoosier:
Speaking of which, the first paragraph from the "English" language edition of "Pravda", Sept. 12. (Well, it *looks* like English. But you be the judge.)


Palin – the Devil in disguise

The candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States of America, whose experience in small town politics, mothers´day dos, the local hockey club is her claim to fame, threatened to open the gates of Hell by attacking Russia in the event of another invasion of Georgia in a televised interview on ABC (shown today). One question for this self-opinionated upstart: Do you know what a nuclear holocaust is?

(Above sic.)

mothers' day dos?

self-opinionated?

"In the Truth there is no news. Still."
9.12.2008 9:10pm
Hoosier:
Sorry, but I kept reading, and it's too good to keep to myself:

Sarah Palin, Mrs. Nobody know-it-all shreiking cow from Alaska, the joke of American politics, plied with a couple of vodkas before letting rip in front of incredulous audiences while McCain coos in the background, cuts a ridiculous figure as she strives to be taken seriously.

How can anyone whose husband is a member of the Alaska Independence Party and who is running for the Vice Presidency of the Union be taken seriously? How indeed can the Republican Party be taken seriously for not vetting this female, or have they not yet discovered the skeletons in her closet? We have.

So Sarah Palin, Mrs. Hockey Mom housewife-cum-small-town gossip merchant and cheap little guttersnipe, suppose you shut up and allowed real politicians and diplomats to do their work? Threatening Russia with a war is perhaps the most irresponsible thing anyone could do at this moment in time. Have you any idea what a nuclear holocaust is? Have you any notion of the power of Russia’s armed forces? Did you know that Russia has enough missiles to destroy any target anywhere on Earth in seconds?

And have you not forgotten, you pith-headed little bimbo from the back of beyond, that small detail about the slaughter of Russian citizens by Georgians, which started the whole debacle? So next time suppose you keep your mouth shut and while you’re at it, make sure the members of your family keep their legs shut too. Your country has enough failed mothers as it is.


The author's name suggests he may be a Brit--Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY. The lousy English comes, I am assuming, from a translation into English of the article this fellow originally wrote in Russian.

Either that, or he is an idiot. But I'm not sure we have, you know, enough evidence to say that with certainty.

"before letting rip in front of incredulous audiences"? She farted?

"Have you any notion of the power of Russia’s armed forces? Did you know that Russia has enough missiles to destroy any target anywhere on Earth in seconds?" (Mr. Tyzik: I'm crushing your head. I'm crushing your head!)
9.12.2008 9:18pm
CrazyTrain (mail):
Bentsen.
9.12.2008 9:43pm
CrazyTrain (mail):
Stockdale. Kemp. Lieberman. Edwards. Now, Palin.
9.12.2008 9:45pm
TyWebb:
Who?
9.12.2008 9:50pm
Thales (mail) (www):
A Hollywood actor has more sensible things to say on Palin than all of the commentary I have read (from any source, left or right) since her nomination:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anxkrm9uEJk
9.12.2008 11:02pm
theobromophile (www):
пайлэн


Παιλεν

Hoosier, why would you but the iota in the transliteration of Palin's name?
9.12.2008 11:09pm
LM (mail):
I'm not going to try to articulate what the analog to Godwin's Law would be for this type of thread. I'll just say that whatever it is, Observer proved it.
9.12.2008 11:14pm
Hoosier:
theobromophile

One of my favorite words in the english language is "diphthong." And now you've given me another chance to say "diphthong."

Diphthong, diphthong, diphthong--Palin palin palin.

(Actually, just plain "thong" is pretty good too. Palin-thong. Yow!)

LM

"I'm not going to try to articulate what the analog to Godwin's Law would be for this type of thread. "

Hilter hitler hitler hitler hitler hitler hitler (Hitler: Hitler) Hitler? Hitler!

I mean, DUH!
9.12.2008 11:57pm
Zywicki (mail):
zippypinhead called it too soon--I'm going with TyWebb as winning the thread. Hard to beat his simple elegance.
9.13.2008 12:09am
LM (mail):
CrazyTrain:

Bentsen.

Spinoffs suck.
9.13.2008 1:58am
SMatthewStolte (mail):

How can anyone whose husband is a member of the Alaska Independence Party and who is running for the Vice Presidency of the Union be taken seriously?

Indeed, she speaks to members of the Alaska Independence Party without pre-conditions.
9.13.2008 2:21am
Jon Roland (mail) (www):
Okay, guys. Where is the expectable post on the ABC segment on the Palin interview of Sep. 12? You're falling down on the job.

Having gotten know me a bit, is anyone prepared to recommend me as a full member with blogging privileges?
9.13.2008 2:35am
zippypinhead:
Fub wrote:

Conspirator Lindgren was bailin'
From work, blogging Gibson on Palin.
Then Orin conKerred,
Began singing the word.
Now Lindgren and Palin are sailin'!

Volokh listeners, stay tuned for this important news flash from our PNN (Palin News Network) correspondent standing by live on at scene of the wreckage of the former Volokh Conspiracy blog:

Ladies and germs, we've just gotten word that Florida Secretary of State Harris has just announced the official results of her recount. Fub has won the thread!

Stay tuned for more breaking updates from the courthouse steps, as well as our regularly scheduled news at 11:00.
9.13.2008 6:59am

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