When will politicians learn…
…that Facebook and Twitter and all that internet stuff constitutes a public record? Tim Horrigan, the second New Hampshire state public figure in the Democratic Party to publicly joke about Sarah Palin dying in a plane crash, has tendered his resignation from the NH State House of Representatives as a result of criticism he received for his posting.
Horrigan’s sentiments actually weren’t so over-the-top, especially as far as Palin-bashing goes (“Just for the record, I don’t wish Sarah Palin dead… but not merely for compassionate reasons. I also want her to live because a living Sarah Palin is less dangerous than a dead one. Her rise to the status of Head Tea Partier had nothing to do with anything she ever said, did or accomplished— but as long as she lives she might be able to say or do things which could serve as a moderating influence. And she also might commit a gaffe bad enough to shock her followers, though that is unlikely. Unless of course she endorses Obama for President in 2012.”)
Compared to the sentiments of his fellow New Hampshire Democrat Keith Halloran on the same subject, who is running for the NH House, Horrigan’s words were mild. Here’s what Halloran had written on his Facebook page after the death of Ted Stevens:
Just wish Sarah and Levy [sic] were on board.
Both Horrigan and Halloran (sounds like a law firm to me) have apologized—but not after Halloran called objections to his remarks “just a tempest in their Tea Pot.”
Har de har har har, as adolescent boys used to say back in my youth. And that’s about the level on which these guys (and so many others these days) are operating.
[NOTE: Until now I was unfamiliar with Tim Horrigan, but shortly after his 2008 campaign he described himself as a graduate of Obama’s alma mater, Columbia, and as a “liberal Democrat…one of those liberal Democrats who believes that the liberalism is the truest form of conservatism.” If you can understand that, more power to you. He also notes that he was elected in September of 2008 to the state House in a very low-turnout election with no Republican opposition. It occurs to me that we all should pay more attention to such local contests.]
That’s all Democrats (and some in the GOP) are…a bunch of frat boys and sorority girls (a la Animal House Omegas). They think they own the place and can say and do whatever they want.
“Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives….”
That’s the problem, they do own the place.
I can count on one hand the number of decent politicians in this country. Even Thaddeus McCotter sold out to the unions.
Rome is burning.
The expression I heard was, “Har har dee har har.” Regional variation?
That reminds me of a tasteless remark of mine. By birth I am a member of Red Sox Nation. A former neighbor of mine, by virtue of being from the Bronx, was a Yankees fan. We agreed to disagree, realizing that the other was not going to change, so our differing viewpoints on major league baseball caused little friction. Example: after he saw me wearing a 2004 World Series polo shirt, he told me that would be the last such shirt I would be wearing. I replied that given the history of the previous 86 years, he could well be right.
Several years ago a Yankees pitcher got killed navigating a small plane around Manhattan Island. When my Yankees fan acquaintance brought up the accident, I said it was too bad he hadn’t taken some of his teammates on the flight.
Which was flippant but tasteless, as my neighbor correctly pointed out, and which I acknowledged.
But I wasn’t a politician or journalist posting on Twitter or JournoList.
I don’t have a lot of sympathy for Democrats put in such situations, because they have been playing Gotcha! with their political opponents for quite some time. Public figures need to remember they are on all the time, for all practical purposes.
Promethea: “Har de har har” was the regional variation that Neo heard in NYC and I heard in NE.
Both Horrigan and Halloran… are arrogant snots.
Nothing further need be said.
–
”Just for the record, I don’t wish Sarah Palin dead… but not merely for compassionate reasons. I also want her to live because a living Sarah Palin is less dangerous than a dead one. Her rise to the status of Head Tea Partier had nothing to do with anything she ever said, did or accomplished– but as long as she lives she might be able to say or do things which could serve as a moderating influence. And she also might commit a gaffe bad enough to shock her followers, though that is unlikely. Unless of course she endorses Obama for President in 2012.”
Lets just change that around a bit and see if it makes more sense:
”Just for the record, I don’t wish Barack Obama dead… but not merely for compassionate reasons. I also want him to live because a living Barack Obama is less dangerous than a dead one. His rise to the status of President had nothing to do with anything he ever said, did or accomplished– but as long as he lives he might be able to say or do things which could serve as a moderating influence. And he also might commit a gaffe bad enough to shock his followers, though that is unlikely. Unless of course he endorses Palin for President in 2012.”
Considering Obama’s thin resume, this makes more sense.
Being a Dhim and all, I’m surprised Horrigan resigned.
Sarah represents common sense that must be derided by devout liberals. Otherwise she stands as a legitimate viewpoint that requires reasoned debate. A debate liberals know they can’t win on reason. They think they can win it on the childlike emotion of name calling.
I believe Ralph Kramden (sp) from the Honeymooners said “har de har har! on many occassions.
They’ll never learn – too stupid.
Kramden was also the Lead Engineer on the first moon launch. Pow – Zoom!
Like Godwin’s law everyone speaking in public would be well served to at least hold their tongue regarding the passing or potential passing of any of their ideological adversaries. It’s just a lose, lose, lose situation.
The rude and vulgar, indeed stupid, comments made by the NH aitches are part of what I’m calling the Letterman Syndrome. If one is on a platform, even as low as that of obscure state politico, one amuses the audience with one’s tasteless, brainless witticisms and the self-selected audience will eat it up.
Ah that old jealously again, Ms. Local Yokel with all the wrong credentials shrewdly manipulates herself into a leadership of the great unwashed, without the help of Madison Avenue or party organization. The amateur (aka the bum) has the knack they lack (I made a poem!) and the pros hate her because she is doing what they want but cannot. Hate is still the highest form of respect.
On a serious note, their humor relieved a wish someone may try to act on.
It appears that Palin Derangement Syndrome is fast replacing Bush derangement syndrome. It’s all about class as many have noted. She went to junior college and a state university in flyover country. Plus, she is good looking which enrages many
of the feminists. It’s amazing how the lefties who claim to love the masses in the abstract have no interest in them in the flesh.
In high school terms, you have to be a liberal to be in the popular group.
“[I’m a] liberal Democrat…one of those liberal Democrats who believes that the liberalism is the truest form of conservatism.”
Uh huh. And up is down, and darkness is light… didn’t that sort of nonsense go out with 1984?
He also notes that he was elected in September of 2008 to the state House in a very low-turnout election with no Republican opposition.
Personally, I wouldn’t think of that as something to brag about. With no Republican opposition, he (presumably) could have gotten votes just from his mother and his dog and still won. (Heck, maybe he did.)
As a matter of principle, I don’t vote in uncontested races; such candidates don’t need my support. (Although I did go to the polls a few years ago, and saw Barney Frank was running uncontested. So I voted… for my wife, as a write-in.)
respectfully,
Daniel in Brookline
You know, all of a sudden, “Silent” Calvin Coolidge is looking pretty good…
Democ.rats are snobs.
Daniel in Brookline Says:
August 13th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Same here. It’s too close to a Soviet-style election. I would make an exception for someone I strongly supported or opposed, as you did.
they dont learn because they are following a plan which was the solution for a world without those things!!!!!
that is, they were luddites who thought the pinnical of society was a slave class, a sexually free ruling class…
all of this was designed and cant change at all.
so, its not that they dont liern, they never learned. they are just following a play book last updated prior to wwII
and this playbook calls for a world war.. and has no knowlege of the prior attempts
this is why no matter what happens they keep going. this is laid out in kennans long telegram, which i have linked to many times
i have laid out the key parts that a person who was taking a course would have to read to ahve a real discussion.
so far no one seems to be commenting that their thoughts (like mine) mean nothing in this dialectic
actually quite the opposite… that all our thouhts are critical… when to them all we are is a mass herd without even faces.
palins a progressve…
so your hopes of tempering and all that are meaningless in this context.
but we refuse to let go and understand how people with no beleifs pretending beliefs work on our beliefs.