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Levi Johnston Calls Palin A Phony
Eric Kleefeld | September 3, 2009, 12:19PM
Former AK Gov. Sarah Palin
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Levi Johnston's new article in Vanity Fair, in which he dishes all manner of dirt against his almost-mother-in-law Sarah Palin, is a real tour de force of family dysfunction, private dirt, and all-around personal contempt.
Much of the article is dedicated to telling people that the real Sarah Palin is not the wholesome, down-home mother that the public has been told about. According to Johnston, she doesn't pay attention to her kids, didn't work hard as governor, has an unhappy marriage with Todd, and rarely attends church. But perhaps the cruelest cut of all for this Republican superstar...she doesn't hunt and fish, either:
People think that Sarah likes hunting, fishing, and camping, but she doesn't. She says she goes hunting and lives off animal meat -- I've never seen it. I've never seen her touch a fishing pole. She had a gun in her bedroom and one day she asked me to show her how to shoot it. I asked her what kind of gun it was, and she said she didn't know, because it was in a box under her bed.
Johnston also says that Palin's own family would laugh at her disastrous interviews on TV -- and even Palin herself privately knew she did a horrible job:
We all knew that she didn't know what to say on TV, and that when she was reading a script she was a phony. I'd be sitting with the family in front of the TV and we'd be disgusted watching her. Her family never said anything terrible, but they shook their heads with disappointment. And there were times where we'd sit there and pretty much laugh at things she said. I laughed every time I saw Tina Fey imitate her. She sounded just like her. I think the kids thought it was funny, too. There were also times when Sarah would be at home and watch herself on the screen and say she did very bad.
Johnston also talks about how Palin was embittered by the national campaign defeat, and immediately began talking about resigning the governorship so she could make more money. But what really got her going, he says, is when she heard about McCain staffers trashing her -- against her own belief that she was the real star of that ticket:
But when she began to hear McCain's people accusing her of being the reason they lost, she decided to retaliate. At home, she would say that she couldn't believe they had backstabbed her. She couldn't believe they were saying she lost the election for McCain. She would say things like "I Brought everything to the table and "The majority people were out there voting because of me!" She definitely thought she was running for president.
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The Old Grouch
September 3, 2009 12:25 PM
In other news, water is rumored to be wet, and a dog bit a man. The weather forecast for tonight is dark.
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Joe Monster
September 3, 2009 3:16 PM in reply to The Old Grouch
Right. Dog bites man.
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Docb
September 3, 2009 3:46 PM in reply to Joe Monster
Duh---18 year olds can be so brutally honest!!!
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JNagarya
September 3, 2009 7:56 PM in reply to Docb
This isn't news -- that Palin is a phony.
Neither is it news that Palin is a Piranha -- even though I'm the first to report it.
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Stroszek
September 3, 2009 12:27 PM
Trailer park drama...
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tortov
September 4, 2009 11:57 AM in reply to Stroszek
"Progressive" snobbery is the worst sort of snobbery. There are a lot of good, hard-working people who live in trailer parks. They're screwed by the system at every turn. They need universal healthcare, jobs that pay a living wage, the right to join unions, good educational opportunities for their children, a clean environment, etc. In short, they, by all rights, should be part of our movement. Yet the Republicans have succeeded in convincing many poor and working class people that progressives are elitists who look down on them - and there's a lot more truth to that accusation than there should be.
I don't mean to come down on you in particular; I've seen this sort of unexamined class prejudice all over the left. Just something to keep in mind.
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prouddem
September 4, 2009 3:09 PM in reply to tortov
To paraphrase Sgt. Hulka: "Lighten up Tortov."
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 4:37 PM in reply to tortov
Tortov:
I grew up with the equivalent of trailer-park residents. Do they need, as central example, education? Yes. Unfortunately, they don't believe so. This is how it works:
1. Children of uneducated parents, which parents constantly bash education, with their children present and listening, from the child's earliest memories, unsurprisingly also come to "hate," mock, and reject education.
2. When they arrive at teenage they "hate" school/eduction -- as their parents have taught them to do -- and can't wait until they are sixteen, the age at which they can legally quit school.
3. They quit school at sixteen, "fall in love" -- exactly as did their parents -- and by eighteen -- if not sooner -- have at least one kid, the uneducated father, if responsible, working a dead-end minimum wage job.
4. From earliest memories, their children hear from them the constant "hatred" for, and mocking and rejection of education; so when their children arrive at teenage, they "hate" education, and can't wait until they are sixteen, the age at which they can legally quit school.
That cycle repeats, generation after generation after generation. And that reality is a result of the class-war engaged in by the haves against the have-nots.
It is not the result of recognizing it for what it is, and recognizing the perpetuation of it, and recognizing how it is perpetuated. And there is nothing "smug" in that recognition, or in that analysis. And the criticisms of that reality are only from "the left" insofar as "leftists" ignorantly jabber about "the masses" as some sort of undifferentiated monolith.
The actual smug criticisms of that reality, and at the same time the perpetuations of that reality, are from the far-right lunatic-fringe, such as the smug, and arrogant, trailer-park denizen Palin, who on one hand rejects education -- and reason itself -- while on the other considers herself better than those who share her origins and ethos.
In short, the real culprits are the far-right lunatic fringers -- many of whom are trailer park residents -- and those left of them but right of center who claim to be conservatives:
They near-universally blame the "Liberals" and the "Left" for the "welfare underclass" -- and yet they are the perpetuators of the conditions which sustain that "welfare underclass". That perpetuation is summed up in their pandering to and perpetuation of:
rejection of reason and education.
Such people don't need defense and coddling: they need to turn off FOX's Fraud-on-America, and other cheap sources of anti-intellectual hate-spew such as AM talk radio, and be given consistent and continuing sit-down reality-based information as to how they are acting self-destructively, against their own interests.
What they DON'T need is more of the same smugly self-satisfied braying right-wing anti-intellectualism teaching them to blame not the right-wing anti-intellectualism, but the "Liberals" and themselves for their never getting out of their trailer parks.
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CT Voter
September 3, 2009 12:34 PM
Um, fascinating as this all might be, is Levi Johnston a credible source?
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brewmn61
September 3, 2009 12:44 PM in reply to CT Voter
"is Levi Johnston a credible source?"
Compared to whom, Sarah Palin?
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CT Voter
September 3, 2009 1:01 PM in reply to brewmn61
Yeah, well, in that context, he probably is.
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JadeZ
September 3, 2009 2:38 PM in reply to CT Voter
no he isnt.
palin is just to full of integrity to doubt anything she says.
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CT Voter
September 3, 2009 2:41 PM in reply to JadeZ
One can question the credibility of Levi Johnston without assuming that Palin is a prefectly credible witness.
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brewmn61
September 3, 2009 3:04 PM in reply to CT Voter
Seriously, I do think he's too unsophisticated to lie convincingly about her. I think the kid's just telling people what he witnessed. It all rings true to me; she's dumber (or, at least, less informed) than almost any forty-something woman I have ever met.
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CT Voter
September 3, 2009 3:51 PM in reply to brewmn61
I didn't mean to imply that I thought he was consciously lying.
He's going to get attention for negative comments about Palin, not positive comments. I vaguely remember him wanting to write a book about this experience. Highlighting the worst, or embellishing the worst, is one way to get attention.
The claims about not knowing anything about guns? Or hunting? Or fishing? Wouldn't people in Alaska have said as much? Not those in the Palinmania camp, but her enemies?
I think he's probably engaging in some exagerration in order to juice up the story.
And note to all: I am not, repeat, not, defending Sarah Palin in any way. One can question the credibility of Levi Johnston and still think Sarah Palin was potentially the worst thing to ever happen to this country.
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ohyeathatsright
September 3, 2009 4:08 PM in reply to CT Voter
I don't think anyone is taking your point out of context. You can and should always question the credibility of your "sources" of information.
In this case, I believe, that based on our knowledge of what Palin has deceived others about already, Levi's story can be seen as credible. I honestly don't think he's bright enough to make it up and make it fit as well if he wanted to.
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JNagarya
September 3, 2009 8:00 PM in reply to ohyeathatsright
It doesn't matter whether he's telling the truth, and or exaggerating. What matters is that she is exposed for the hollow-hearted airhead bimbo trailer trash -- and piranha -- that she so obviously is.
In other words: I have no problem with them eating their own, especially when done so publicly.
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prouddem
September 4, 2009 3:11 PM in reply to CT Voter
During the campaign, I recall Alaskans saying that neither Sarah Palin nor her sister were actual hunters, but that their father had them claim to be so that he could increase his legal kill limit each season.
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slb
September 4, 2009 4:30 PM in reply to prouddem
Aha. I could believe that.
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pixeloony
September 3, 2009 5:49 PM in reply to brewmn61
He's the only one in the Palin close circle that rings true.
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ohyeathatsright
September 3, 2009 3:18 PM in reply to CT Voter
Does Levi have a reason to lie? Sure he's getting exposure from all of this. But he's lost out on on the opportunity to raise his child.
Does Palin have a reason to lie? ABSOLUTELY.
Credibility is established when motivations can be ascertained. I think Levi is just riding it out because he's willing to. He doesn't have anything else to lose when it comes to his relationship with the Palins.
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Richardxx
September 3, 2009 4:00 PM in reply to ohyeathatsright
I think he is also angry. My bet is that he feels used and ignored.
From what I have seen of Palin, that would be her mode of operation, too. She uses people and walks over them on her way to her spotlight. She's a celebrity wannabee, always has been (The Barracuda, remember?) and isn't going to change. She's in the limelight strictly for herself. And she's losing her looks, so this is her last shot at celebrity.
Todd's tale fits that narrative quite well.
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prouddem
September 4, 2009 3:13 PM in reply to Richardxx
I agree with most of your post except I don't think she's losing her looks at this point. Her photogenic appeal remains an important facet of her staying power.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 4:50 PM in reply to prouddem
Her "photogenic appeal" is wholly in the eye of the beholder.
She is not that attractive. In fact she's only about average. And her attitude renders her downright ugly. (Come to think of it, she's a perfect match for McSame in the nastiness dept.)
It's a bit like "charisma": in most instances it only exists because one is told it does.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 4:45 PM in reply to ohyeathatsright
"But he's lost out on on the opportunity to raise his child."
"Opportunity"!? I'll bet he's relieved -- not only as concerns that avoided responsibility, but also that he got out of a close-call effort to shanghai him into a shotgun-enforced Sarah-conveniencing political marraige/Hell.
If not relieved, then he's not yet smart enough to realize he should be.
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Libertyluvrz
September 6, 2009 8:02 PM in reply to JadeZ
I believe you meant to use the word 'too' meaning also, instead of the other version 'to'.
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lousgirl84
September 4, 2009 9:59 AM in reply to CT Voter
Actually he probably is very credible. He has nothing to lose for certain. He looks like the kind of kid who would tell the truth and I am sure the Palins didn't do him right so's he going to tell all he knows.
I say more power to him
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Deo
September 4, 2009 1:12 PM in reply to CT Voter
Is Levi a credible source, you ask???
I´d say he is AS credible as the tap dancing vaudeville act of Palin and her other face Palin...who is kinda fancy with the facts.
According to Sarah, he is a fine young man, REMEMBER??????????
I love it....he sounds refreshingly honest. I doubt he needed to make up anything.
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johnmccsf
September 3, 2009 12:46 PM
Levi is so freaking HOT!
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Donald from Hawaii
September 3, 2009 5:40 PM in reply to johnmccsf
Whatever.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 4:53 PM in reply to Donald from Hawaii
Give us a break from the luridly empty tabloid drooling over illiterate celebrities.
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johnmccsf
September 3, 2009 12:52 PM
Why does TPM put Palin's pic in a bit about Levi?
He's so much easier on the eyes
http://cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/461/16/levi-johnston-shirtless-01.0.0.0x0.660x876.jpeg
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CogitatusRex
September 3, 2009 1:30 PM in reply to johnmccsf
Tell me about it, John! If we must read about Palin, at least we could have something nicer to look at than her grimacing into the middle distance.
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jeffgee
September 3, 2009 3:09 PM in reply to CogitatusRex
Looking up at the jawbone of an ass.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:00 PM in reply to jeffgee
Looking up as the jawbone of an ass.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 4:59 PM in reply to CogitatusRex
No one associated with Palin is attracitve.
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liberal historian
September 3, 2009 1:27 PM
Trailer park drama?
Good lord.
You've given me an idea for a comic book series starring Palin that will make me a rich old man. Now all I need to do is get Zina Saunders to illustrate it...
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Tombien
September 3, 2009 6:16 PM in reply to liberal historian
You could call it Pink Flamingos.
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VivaAmerica!
September 3, 2009 1:42 PM
Unlike Collins from the NYT, I still have no pity for this woman. This stuff is just hilarious.
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chimpale
September 3, 2009 1:54 PM
As trivial as it may be, there are a lot of people who still think she's credible. She can get up and say "I told them thanks but no thanks" about the bridge to nowhere and they just lap it up.
I don't know that Levi Johnston has that much of an axe to grind here. His description of her is consistent with the many other things she's been proven to have lied about.
This whole persona she's been trying to project of a bible-thumping, gun-toting supermom is crap. How does her pseudo-Christian piety fit with her proclaimed choice of AC/DC for music to listen to while working out? If she's such a great mom and an advocate for special needs children, where's her special needs kid while she's out on her speaking tours? Who's taking care of him?
I think it's a safe bet to call bullshit on 90% of what comes out of her mouth. Sarah Palin is dedicated to only one thing: Sarah Palin. Little else matters, least of all the truth. I don't know if Levi Johnston is giving the straight scoop, but he's still a lot more believable than she is.
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Nicole473
September 3, 2009 10:14 PM in reply to chimpale
Well said. Can't stand the woman, and still have nightmares about her.
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prouddem
September 4, 2009 3:15 PM in reply to chimpale
As a lefty, I enjoy Levi's information, and he may be 100% accurate. But let's not get too heady here -- he defintely has an ax to grind and, more significantly, he loves the spotlight as much as his almost mother-in-law.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:04 PM in reply to chimpale
I don't know that Levi Johnston has that much of an axe to grind here. His description of her is consistent with the many other things she's been proven to have lied about.
_____
Though one shouldn't expect a hater to tell the truth about those hated, having an axe to grind doesn't necessarily mean one isn't telling the truth.
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Schmed- ley
September 3, 2009 2:01 PM
BTW, Levi? Your 15 minutes are over. Now, STFU and go away.
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greylox
September 3, 2009 2:40 PM in reply to Schmed- ley
**Nuh uh. Dude's hot. If Palin's still around, then I want this guy still around.
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Schmed- ley
September 3, 2009 3:07 PM in reply to greylox
AFAIAC, the whole Monty Palin Freakin' Circus, including Levi, Bristol, Tripp, Pip, Track, Squeeky, DouchNozzle, and Doc, can GTFOOH.
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Minne sconsin
September 3, 2009 5:29 PM in reply to Schmed- ley
Agreed. But as long as Sarah still has an eye on the public life, I want the whole circus in the picture.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:06 PM in reply to greylox
Take that crap to a thread where that crap is the topic.
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tonigo
September 3, 2009 2:15 PM
When did TPM become HuffPo?
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LimoLiberal
September 3, 2009 2:21 PM
As I posted on another thread, this "story" like all Palin stories should be ignored. The woman isn't worth further attention. I value this bit of infotainment in the same manner I value The Jerry Springer Show, with utter comtempt, loathing and grief for a dying culture. No surprises here folks, just follow the $$$. The Palin Family - empty vessels of superficial greed.
The REAL VF story that we should be discussing, as well as comparing to our current political climate, is the one on the Kennedy assassination book written in the early 60's.
Tsk. Tsk.
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greylox
September 3, 2009 2:41 PM in reply to LimoLiberal
**How kind of you to decide what should amuse each of us. You rock!
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henk
September 3, 2009 3:53 PM in reply to greylox
You're so right. Toniqo, obviously saw this story as a waste of time, but then took the time to read, an assumption I know, and after wasting that time, wasted more time commenting on a story that he thought was a waste of time. I know very few people who would waste that amount of time, trying to keep me from wasting my time. TPM has the most thoughtful commenters.
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LimoLiberal
September 4, 2009 12:31 PM in reply to greylox
Just another casualty of reality TV, I see. Glad to be of service.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:14 PM in reply to greylox
Off topic.
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psyopswatcher
September 4, 2009 7:40 AM in reply to LimoLiberal
Good Limo. You buy VF for the Kennedy story and let the sheeple buy it for Levi's. These people are struggling to sell magazines just like the rest of us are struggling to pay mortgages, health care bills, food. Every purchase counts.
The GOP is willing to milk this cow, turnabout's fair play. Capitalism at it's finest.
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LimoLiberal
September 4, 2009 12:51 PM in reply to psyopswatcher
Perhaps I should have been more specific about the article:
" . . . Manchester also discovered that Dallas “had become the Mecca for medicine-show evangelists … the Minutemen, the John Birch and Patrick Henry Societies, and the headquarters of [ultra-conservative oil billionaire] H. L. Hunt and his activities.”
“In that third year of the Kennedy presidency,” Manchester wrote, “a kind of fever lay over Dallas country. Mad things happened. Huge billboards screamed, ‘Impeach Earl Warren.’ Jewish stores were smeared with crude swastikas.…Radical Right polemics were distributed in public schools; Kennedy’s name was booed in classrooms; corporate junior executives were required to attend radical seminars.” A retired major general ran the American flag upside down, deriding it as “the Democrat flag.” A wanted poster with J.F.K.’s face on it was circulated, announcing “this man is Wanted” for—among other things—“turning the sovereignty of the US over to the Communist controlled United Nations” and appointing “anti-Christians … aliens and known Communists” to federal offices. And a full-page advertisement had appeared the day of the assassination in The Dallas Morning News accusing Kennedy of making a secret deal with the Communist Party; when it was shown to the president, he was appalled. He turned to Jacqueline, who was visibly upset, and said, “Oh, you know, we’re heading into nut country today.”
Manchester discovered that in a wealthy Dallas suburb, when told that President Kennedy had been murdered in their city, the students in a fourth-grade class burst into applause. For Manchester, who revered Kennedy, such responses, encountered throughout Dallas, were deeply offensive and would influence the book he was about to write."
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slb
September 4, 2009 4:41 PM in reply to LimoLiberal
Students in a fourth grade class are too young to be held accountable for that. I was in fourth grade in 1963, too. My parents were moderate Republicans who had been very clear that they did not care for JFK, or any of the Kennedy clan. I remember being very puzzled when I got home from school to find they were not glad he was dead.
At that age, you see the world only in terms of good and bad, and in the stories and the TV, at least in that day, the bad guys are the ones who get killed, and everyone is happy they are gone. It's not until you get a little older that you begin to realize that the world is a much more complicated place than that.
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LimoLiberal
September 4, 2009 7:44 PM in reply to slb
So true, they are not accountable, but bigotry breeds bigotry, which is why the Klan was/is generational. It is perhaps the rare individual who questions his belief system later in life.
I remember my Grandmother absolutely being beside herself that another Catholic was running for president in '68. Mind you, I was Catholic, but this had no bearing on her fear and hatred for them, the fear that the Pope was going to have control over the lives of Americans through the Kennedys. Insane.
The point that I was making by posting this particular excerpt was the similarity in political climate in 1963 and today, that's all. It is disconcerting that guns are permitted anywhere near an Obama event, with the racist and violent history of this country.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:12 PM in reply to LimoLiberal
None of that was new: it was a continuation of the McCarthyism of the 1950s, which was no less hateful and viciously violent.
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LimoLiberal
September 4, 2009 7:38 PM in reply to JNagarya
Interesting that you mention that, I just watched the Trumbo documentary on PBS the other night.
My only point on bringing up the racism in Texas (and elsewhere) prior to the Kennedy murder is that the same climate exists today with regard to President Obama.
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JNagarya
September 5, 2009 7:29 PM in reply to LimoLiberal
Agreed. And I'm not certain their being given media platforms from which to attempt to mainstream their poison is all that different than then, though it does have a larger echo chamber because of the ploiferation of media.
During FDR/WW II, Father Coughlin, who was pro-Hitler, was wholly public about it, and his views were given as much exposure, if not more, as anyone else during that period.
Same with McCarthy: he was a US Senator, after all, theefore "credible" and autmoatically sought out by media for his "opinions".
It is the exact same atmosphere; the only question is whether it is worse for the simple reason that President Obama is (only) half white. I doubt armed loons would have got away with showing up at VOLATILE political events. Then again, gun-nutism hadn't yet been "invented".
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Moose49
September 3, 2009 2:28 PM
Comic relief and schadenfreude are each very nice, especially all at once.
Still, all of this begs the question -- why does anyone take John McCain seriously as a politician anymore? Why is he still invited on the talk shows more than anyone else? Why isn't the fact that he wanted this crazy woman to be a heartbeat away from the presidency treated as a scandal?
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NobleCommentDecider
September 3, 2009 3:29 PM in reply to Moose49
George Stephanopoulos respects McCain, has him on monthly at least, and also rafted with him recently at the Grand Canyon (Stepho. Tweets) GS Tweet: "Heading home from Grand Canyon Magnificent McCain in good form Son Jimmy too. Can't wait to show my girls the condors and raft down river"
Terrorists like Colonel Qadhaffi take McCain seriously enough to put the 'don't talk with terrorists' former GOP POTUS nominee up for the night at his crib in Libya in mid-August.
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Richardxx
September 3, 2009 4:11 PM in reply to Moose49
McCain did what he had to do to avoid losing in a major blowout. He had to include the Christian Republicans and get them to the polls. That's what Palin did for him.
He was going to lose anyway, but he kept the party from crashing as bad as it would have without Palin and her Christianists.
McCain is no worse than any of the rest of the Republicans - which is not any compliment. But he is also not competition for the nomination again, yet he's been there. He's also got loose lips with the media, which they love. Who else do they have? Huckabee? Ron Paul? Giuliani? Romney is looking at another shot in 2012, so he is quiet now.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:19 PM in reply to Richardxx
McSame and Mitch McConnell are still flogging the "Death Panel" lie.
He is no less despicable than he ever was. And he is wholly despicable.
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runfastandwin
September 3, 2009 4:50 PM in reply to Moose49
Exactly. McCain if anything is worse, for choosing her in the first place.
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JEP07
September 4, 2009 9:25 AM in reply to runfastandwin
McCain didn't choose her, he wanted Tom (The Waffler) Ridge.
Goes to show, even the most well-connected Republican politicians have their strings pulled by wingnuts hiding in the shadows.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:23 PM in reply to JEP07
Yet another Republican't manly-man deciderator marinated in his own greedy ambition.
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Deo
September 4, 2009 1:20 PM in reply to Moose49
Because McCain IS a politician, he has the years and experience to prove it. I can´t stand the old coot, BUT he has more experience then Palin. Who isn´t even a politician anymore, she is paid speaker...I KNOW, the irony...
I dont know why some people are clinging to her PREZNITCY. How would she pull THAT off, by TEAM SARAH DECREE????
Sarah has left the building to the tune of KA-CHING!!!
Levi may as well get some, ON HER!!
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happily independent
September 3, 2009 2:30 PM
why oh why can't i stop rubber-necking at the Palin trainwreck?!
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LowlyWorm
September 3, 2009 2:59 PM in reply to happily independent
Same reason we watched The Osbornes.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:25 PM in reply to LowlyWorm
Like watching the Donny and Marie Osmond Show.
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GTFOOH
September 3, 2009 2:32 PM
I just can't figure out why Todd is such a wuss. You don't hear him speak to any of this stuff. Unless, he knows it's all true!
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LFC
September 3, 2009 4:19 PM in reply to GTFOOH
Because he knows if he opens his mouth, the first question will be why he belonged to an Alaskan secessionist party? And the second will be, "why do you hate America?"
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Minne sconsin
September 3, 2009 5:31 PM in reply to GTFOOH
Todd's keeping his mouth shut 'cuz he's busy planning Levi's hunting accident.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:27 PM in reply to Minne sconsin
Todd doesn't dare speak because old-fashioned: p*ssy whipped.
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fkaZk0sm0
September 4, 2009 6:47 PM in reply to JNagarya
no, todd knows who drives his gravy train.
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JNagarya
September 5, 2009 7:21 PM in reply to fkaZk0sm0
Thus he knows which lines not to cross, and always to bite his tongue,so he won't lose the gravy train.
He is, therefore, "p*ssy whipped".
And a gigolo.
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GreenLaker
September 3, 2009 2:49 PM
He kinda sorta had me up until he suggested Palin doesn't know anything about guns. I'm no Palinite, but Palin has been taped shooting a gun, and looking like she knows what she is doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn7UzxXv8p4
Just sayin'. I think the "15 minutes" remarks might well be the best summary of Levi's input at this point.
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Thumper
September 3, 2009 3:46 PM in reply to GreenLaker
I'm no Palinite, but Palin has been taped shooting a gun, and looking like she knows what she is doing.
Are you serious? If the guy helping her hadn't pulled the butt of that rifle down to her shoulder she'd have knocked her teeth down her own throat when she pulled the trigger.
She's a fake, a phony, every word that comes from her mouth is a lie. In other words, she's a Republican.
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henk
September 3, 2009 3:58 PM in reply to Thumper
My thoughts exactly. She still had the stock pretty high on her shoulder. I'd be willing to bet she was a bit sore the next day.
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oskieoskie
September 3, 2009 4:02 PM in reply to GreenLaker
Yeah, and George W. looked like he knew how to use a chainsaw.
Duh, if it's on YouTube, it must be true.
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LFC
September 3, 2009 4:22 PM in reply to GreenLaker
I thought it looked a bit like "Shooting 101" myself.
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pirx
September 3, 2009 7:06 PM in reply to GreenLaker
Sorry to dissapoint, but that was not a rifle in the cideo. It was an AR15/M16 simulator, essentially a laser pointer attached to compressed air tank the give the "shooter" a jolt every time the trigger is pulled to simulate recoil. I am wondering if the 'gun' in the box was the 50 cal AR 15 she got from the NRA?
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jeffgee
September 3, 2009 3:06 PM
I guess Levi won't be invited for Thanksgiving this year.
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Schmed- ley
September 3, 2009 3:10 PM in reply to jeffgee
Not unless he's field-dressed and stuffed with a cornbread & sage stuffing....
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CT Voter
September 3, 2009 3:13 PM in reply to Schmed- ley
Ding ding ding!
Best comment on the thread, as far as I'm concerned.
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Schmed- ley
September 3, 2009 6:58 PM in reply to CT Voter
Could look something like this.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:33 PM in reply to Schmed- ley
Have to leave the sage out: there's no wisdom in the bird, and spice is no substitute.
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traitorjoe
September 3, 2009 3:08 PM
Keep these stories coming! After Palin led her followers in cheers of "traitor" and "Muslim" at her rallies to deride Obama, nothing is too good for her. Let's stamp out this virus before she runs for office and fools the Right Wing dummies again.
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AbqMike
September 3, 2009 3:31 PM in reply to traitorjoe
You're right TJ! The only question I have is whether the vituperative, make-up-any-lie, angry, and violence intimating approach that has clearly taken over the Republican Right was inspired by Ms. Palin, or long-planned (e.g., a major reason for selecting her as the VP nominee).
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Richardxx
September 3, 2009 4:18 PM in reply to AbqMike
This is a REAL reality show. And it beats the heck out of policy articles. It's entertainment like you don't get on non-cable TV any more.
Plus it is a festering wound in the Republican Party that needs to be built on. It exposes what that party is all about. I mean, they worked HARD to put that woman a heartbeat away from the Oval Office, and McCain's heartbeat may not be all that reliable at his age with the battering he has taken in prison.
I'm getting a kick out of it.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:36 PM in reply to Richardxx
The wound doesn't need to be built upon. It needs to be exposed, propped open with stents, and subjected to a constant flow of salt.
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jeffgee
September 3, 2009 3:16 PM
Imagine if the teabaggers had gotten their way and McCain/Palin was elected.
Shudder.
Then put it in context of what she's done since the election. By now, she'd be looking for a way to quit or a pillow to snuff John.
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GTFOOH
September 3, 2009 3:58 PM in reply to jeffgee
Wow, if she had gotten elected, all that money we used to bail out banks would be going to her new wardrobe and Cindy McCain would continue to dress like she just stepped off a shoot of Sex in the City, trying to out-do her!
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Richardxx
September 3, 2009 4:23 PM in reply to GTFOOH
I'll bet that Florida's Katherine Harris would have gotten a position in the cabinet, too. Can you imagine the shopping trips the two of them could take together?
That's if they didn't take an instant hate towards each other because they were both trying to be the sexiest one on TV. Which would be even more entertaining. We would have needed the bright spot in the horror of a continuation of the incompetent Bush administration.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:40 PM in reply to Richardxx
Two things would be guaranteed:
On the plus side, were Katharine Harris in that situation, investing in makeup manufacturers would make one a millionaire within days of the appointment.
On the negative side, there would be a massive tax increase to repair White House carpets and lawns after the hourly cat fights.
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Cy Guy
September 3, 2009 3:20 PM
Eric,
shouldn't the picture caption be "Former GOP Vice Presidential Candidate" rather than "Former AK Governor" ?
I know they are both accurate, but would TPM really be running a column on Sarah Palin simply because she was the former Governor of AK? I haven't seen any Wally Hickel stories here recently.
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NobleCommentDecider
September 3, 2009 3:33 PM in reply to Cy Guy
Good point Cy guy, she will always and forever represent the incompetence, intolerance, hypocrisy and lemming like ignorance of the GOP.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:42 PM in reply to Cy Guy
Why not keep it current?
"Quitter Sarah Palin . . . ."
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Seeryer
September 3, 2009 3:21 PM
The question I want answered is did Levi ever contemplate making a pass at the Governor. I mean, he could have slipped her something he got from his mom and then he really would have a story.
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skyreader7
September 3, 2009 3:30 PM in reply to Seeryer
I think it might have been the other way around.
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tgh86
September 3, 2009 3:47 PM in reply to skyreader7
After reading the first excerpt, I think you may be right.
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henk
September 3, 2009 4:02 PM in reply to tgh86
She did lure him to her bedroom under the guise of teaching her to shoot her own gun. Where was Toddly?
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vallor
September 3, 2009 5:04 PM in reply to henk
Hell, if you're going to hunt with those dogs...
Who is Trigve's father?
And if you're really into that sort of thing...who is Trigve's mother?
Seriously, the story of how Palin went from Texas to Alaska, with a layover, and to then drive over half an hour to have "her" baby in some out of the way clinic where her daughter was...I'm tellin' ya, the whole thing smells like yesterday's diapers.
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JimmyBobby
September 3, 2009 4:00 PM
Gail Collins' take on this in today's NYTimes is pretty amusing. Check it out.
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JimmyBobby
September 3, 2009 4:02 PM
A phony what? She's an empty vessel. In fact, she's quite genuinely what she is, which is pretty much nothing and which anyone who isn't deluded can pretty easily see.
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napolean_dynamite
September 3, 2009 4:06 PM
The real story here:
"She had a gun in her bedroom and one day she asked me to show her how to shoot it. I asked her what kind of gun it was, and she said she didn't know, because it was in a box under her bed."
If this isn't a Mrs. Robinson moment ....
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azpaull
September 3, 2009 4:34 PM in reply to napolean_dynamite
Or, a new SNL skit. With Andy Samberg, Justin Timberlake, and Tina Fey.
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azpaull
September 3, 2009 4:35 PM in reply to napolean_dynamite
Or, a new SNL skit. With Andy Samberg, Justin Timberlake, and Tina Fey.
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kunda311
September 3, 2009 5:24 PM in reply to napolean_dynamite
That's freaking hilarious. Sarah Palin is the right-wing gift that keeps on giving.
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spamonwry
September 3, 2009 5:28 PM in reply to napolean_dynamite
Yeah.... She would show him her gun, and then she wanted to play with his. After all, shouldn't a mother & daughter share?
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Minne sconsin
September 3, 2009 5:34 PM in reply to napolean_dynamite
EEEEEWWWWWW. do you know how much I'm going to have to drink tonight to get that image out of my head?
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Doofus
September 3, 2009 4:07 PM
Palin/Steele 2012
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runfastandwin
September 3, 2009 4:54 PM in reply to Doofus
Seconded and passed.
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yesiwantfrieswiththat
September 3, 2009 4:25 PM
I have a hard time with a teens' mom calling that teen's boyfriend into the adult bedroom. There just aren't a lot of ways to rationalize that other than the mom was horny and wondering what would happen. Adult women and teen boys are not on the same level - women KNOW what they are doing. Boys are just boys.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:46 PM in reply to yesiwantfrieswiththat
You left out the word RAPE. But I guess that's beside the point when the rapist is an adult female.
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blairza
September 3, 2009 4:27 PM
Ouch!
Hate to say it, but as long as she polls as high as she does with conservatives, this remains a story. Every time I read someone wring their tight little hands over Obama's chances of reelection I just close my eyes and think about the likely GOP field in 2012. Mitt vs. Sarah: gutless versus clueless.
Why won't Sarah Palin show us her fishin' license?
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:49 PM in reply to blairza
Becasuse she knows that then you'll demand she produce the long form of her birth certificate. And she ain't about to go there, having lied about her age.
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dustbunny44
September 3, 2009 5:23 PM
Casting call for the Rikki Lake show:
If your former pregnant girlfriend's parent is or was a governor, senator, or congresscritter, give us a call!!
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Donald from Hawaii
September 3, 2009 5:49 PM
I swear to God, these people are straight out of central casting for David Lynch's next film.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:50 PM in reply to Donald from Hawaii
Coen brothers.
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CVille Dem
September 3, 2009 5:57 PM
I actually agree with Palin that she brought in voters. McCain was in the doldrums, and I think most republicans would have stayed home if he had picked, say, Romney. Tom Ridge might have brought him a few votes from the law & order part of the party.
Palin brought out the red-necks, the haters and the bigots who wouldn't have bothered to go out and vote for McCain, but by doing that she also fatally limited the vote (Thank God!). So I think she brought in votes from people who would have otherwise stayed home , but she also doomed McCain from getting votes from people who actually feared having a geezer and an undereducated bimbo at the helm.
Levi is bitter, but no moreso than Sarah. I believe him over her in a heartbeat.
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des
September 3, 2009 6:39 PM
Hello Freud! That picture on the main blog immediately brought to mind the scene in the original "Manchurian Candidate" where Angela Lansbury is getting ready to kiss her son, Laurence Harvey. The expression on Palin's face is, strange.
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slb
September 4, 2009 5:16 PM in reply to des
Yeah, I thought the same thing. She actually looks like she wants to give him a slap. And the look he is giving her is saying, "I'm not fooled by you one bit, lady."
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3star2nr
September 3, 2009 6:46 PM
No one can tell me Levi never slept with sarah palin.
its getting way too personal now, they are bonning
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ohyeathatsright
September 3, 2009 8:01 PM in reply to 3star2nr
This is the most credible rumor I've heard yet.
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AhTrini1
September 3, 2009 7:45 PM
The only people fooled by Palin the Pathological L-I-A-R are delusional hypocrites.
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Leftflank
September 3, 2009 9:10 PM
Give an Alaskan governess a gun & she'll shoot moose from a helicopter, give that same lady a "gun" in a "box" under her bed & a young boy & she'll go all rogue & get very vindictive.
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pirx
September 3, 2009 9:19 PM in reply to Leftflank
Did he put her box in a box?
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Leftflank
September 3, 2009 11:22 PM in reply to pirx
They have very long nights in Alaska & fishing is fun for only so long. Inbreeding appears to be more to Sarah's liking.
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JNagarya
September 4, 2009 5:54 PM in reply to Leftflank
"lady"!?
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SteveMD2
September 4, 2009 12:21 AM
Palin - who thinks her diplomatic experience qualifies her for being President.
Wasn't she the person who said - "I can see Russia from Alaska"? True - From little diomede Island (US) you can see big Diomede Island (Russian) in the Aleutions.
Do you think she is even qualified to empty the trash cans at the White House - yes - if McCain, who selected her, was stuffed in one of them.
Go back to Acting, Ms. Palin. You'd be a hit for a middle age beauty contest, or a porn show. You'd prob be getting rid of your sins by reading the bible during the action. As if you think you can fool God also.
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SteveMD2
September 4, 2009 12:23 AM
Oh yes - the wonderful Christian Ms Palin. Her situation really talks to the issue of Abstinence, which her daughter did so well. She abstained from birth control.
But most likely had a hell of a good time with that hunk.
Should we call out the EPA to check the fish around there for Mercury poisoning? has to be an explanation somewhere.
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JEP07
September 4, 2009 9:16 AM
Levi has all the tools to be a future politician. Boyish charm, Kennedy looks, Maybe he's just eyeing a run for the Alaska Governor's cabin?
Actually this reminds me of a TV movie I saw once, "What the deaf boy heard."
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rmiller
September 8, 2009 2:35 AM
I'm no fan either of Palin or of the Right, but I think Levi's story has problems. If you carefully examine Levi's statements, the model they depict doesn't have real-world cred. Most obvious example: from a psych and sociological standpoint it's not very likely that a family would laugh an their mom's interview. Moreover, given his mom's situation vis a vis the Oxycontin problem, he has a serious incentive to grab as much money as possible before Palin fades into irrelevance.
From what we know about Levi and his handlers (one of whom is his mom's lawyer) it's reasonable to assume that he's just the nozzle of the money Hoover coasting on the ill-will that Palin has generated among just about everyone. The one guiding the vacuum isn't Levi; it's his mom's lawyers. Need further proof? The article was published in That Great Paragon of Responsible Journalism, Vanity Fair.
It may be as tasty as Marionberry Pie to the Palin-haters, but his story has all the credibility of an Abramoff alibi. Anyone who believes Levi is the final word on Palin is simply a chump for a pair of very smart lawyers.
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