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The Blog from Another Dimension » Anatomy of a Bizarre Claim
Anatomy of a Bizarre Claim
July 14th, 2009
Even though many Republicans are now distancing themselves from Palin, she is still a force to be reckoned with on the right wing of American politics. Not that I necessarily disapproveI think shes done wonders for the country, in terms of alienating so many people from Republican politics and highlighting whats wrong with the party and the conservative movement in general. The primary danger is that, under some bizarre set of events, she might actually be elected to some form of national office. That would be scary, and perhaps make the other benefits not worth it.
Lets take a look at one particular claim made about Palin, and then by her: that she has foreign policy experience because Alaska is close to Russia. There is no possible way of parsing this statement so that it makes sense. First, as I have pointed out a week ago, the basic claim itself is absurd. Proximity does not equal experience. Even if Palin lived in Russia for some time, it doesnt mean that she actually learned anything. But Palins proximity to Russia itself is a joke: Wasilla is more than 600 miles from the closest Russian territory. Im closer than that to Korea; trust me, it gives me no insight. Moreover, its not as if the far reaches of Siberia represent the heart of Russian politics; realistically, Palin was more than 4000 miles away from the Russian capitalabout the same distance as Maine from Moscow. Does that make Olympia Snowe a Russian expert?
No one should be taken seriously if they make the claim that their foreign policy credentials are in order because they live in a state which, at its farthest reaches, is within eyesight of the farthest reaches of another country.
Really. It should not be allowed. Think about it. What if you are hiring for a job and someone gave an answer like that in the interview? Say youre hiring a person to be a vice president of an electronics company. You ask, what is your experience in handling import and export business, and the candidate replies, Well, I lived in a place where I could see cargo container vessels pass by, every day!
Trust me, you would smile and then find a way to end the interview as quickly as possible; just that one answer would amply demonstrate that not only is this person unqualified, but they are probably delusional for believing they have a shot at the position in the first place. They are wasting your time. Just as Palin has been wasting ours.
Follow the link for the complete blog
Anatomy of a Bizarre Claim
July 14th, 2009
Even though many Republicans are now distancing themselves from Palin, she is still a force to be reckoned with on the right wing of American politics. Not that I necessarily disapproveI think shes done wonders for the country, in terms of alienating so many people from Republican politics and highlighting whats wrong with the party and the conservative movement in general. The primary danger is that, under some bizarre set of events, she might actually be elected to some form of national office. That would be scary, and perhaps make the other benefits not worth it.
Lets take a look at one particular claim made about Palin, and then by her: that she has foreign policy experience because Alaska is close to Russia. There is no possible way of parsing this statement so that it makes sense. First, as I have pointed out a week ago, the basic claim itself is absurd. Proximity does not equal experience. Even if Palin lived in Russia for some time, it doesnt mean that she actually learned anything. But Palins proximity to Russia itself is a joke: Wasilla is more than 600 miles from the closest Russian territory. Im closer than that to Korea; trust me, it gives me no insight. Moreover, its not as if the far reaches of Siberia represent the heart of Russian politics; realistically, Palin was more than 4000 miles away from the Russian capitalabout the same distance as Maine from Moscow. Does that make Olympia Snowe a Russian expert?
No one should be taken seriously if they make the claim that their foreign policy credentials are in order because they live in a state which, at its farthest reaches, is within eyesight of the farthest reaches of another country.
Really. It should not be allowed. Think about it. What if you are hiring for a job and someone gave an answer like that in the interview? Say youre hiring a person to be a vice president of an electronics company. You ask, what is your experience in handling import and export business, and the candidate replies, Well, I lived in a place where I could see cargo container vessels pass by, every day!
Trust me, you would smile and then find a way to end the interview as quickly as possible; just that one answer would amply demonstrate that not only is this person unqualified, but they are probably delusional for believing they have a shot at the position in the first place. They are wasting your time. Just as Palin has been wasting ours.
Follow the link for the complete blog
