http://dangerousintersection.org/2008/10/29/the-other-oreilly/ Human Animals at the Crossroads of Culture, Science, Religion and Media Sun, 21 Mar 2010 08:25:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 http://dangerousintersection.org/2008/10/29/the-other-oreilly/comment-page-1/#comment-28921 grumpypilgrim Sun, 02 Nov 2008 23:01:03 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=3401#comment-28921 One of the telling points of this campaign was the VP debate, in which Sarah Palin spoke substantively about only two subjects: her family and the Alaska state legislature. On all other subjects, Palin answered with sweeping generalities that can best be described as "pageant answers." By contrast, Biden, like Obama, can speak substantively about every major issue currently facing the country. Why is this important? Because Sarah Palin, like John McCain, George W. and many of their supporters, are *reactive* thinkers; whereas Biden, Obama and many of their supporters are *proactive* thinkers. Their academic records reflect this difference: Palin, McCain and Bush were terrible students; Obama & Biden were outstanding students. And what distinguishes "C" students from "A" students? It's not just raw intelligence (though Obama and Biden obviously shine there, too), it's also the ability to anticipate what will be on the test. Good students understand what matters and what doesn't, and they learn what they will need to know; poor students are ignorant of what matters, and learn only what they are told to know. Palin, by not understanding anything outside her immediate world, and McCain, by recognizing his ignorance of economics (for example) but doing nothing to address it, advertise their stupidity and incompetence. (McCain's behavior is classic: tax cuts are the only economic tool he understands, so it naturally becomes his solution for every problem. When the only tool you own is a hammer, your entire world become a nail.) Unfortunately for them, too many of their fellow Republicans apparently share this trait, and so are blind to it. Meanwhile, people like Obama and Biden -- the ones who did well in school -- learned how to distinguish the important from the irrelevant. They learned how to solve problems, which is exactly what a nation in crisis needs. One of the telling points of this campaign was the VP debate, in which Sarah Palin spoke substantively about only two subjects: her family and the Alaska state legislature. On all other subjects, Palin answered with sweeping generalities that can best be described as “pageant answers.” By contrast, Biden, like Obama, can speak substantively about every major issue currently facing the country. Why is this important? Because Sarah Palin, like John McCain, George W. and many of their supporters, are *reactive* thinkers; whereas Biden, Obama and many of their supporters are *proactive* thinkers. Their academic records reflect this difference: Palin, McCain and Bush were terrible students; Obama & Biden were outstanding students. And what distinguishes “C” students from “A” students? It’s not just raw intelligence (though Obama and Biden obviously shine there, too), it’s also the ability to anticipate what will be on the test. Good students understand what matters and what doesn’t, and they learn what they will need to know; poor students are ignorant of what matters, and learn only what they are told to know. Palin, by not understanding anything outside her immediate world, and McCain, by recognizing his ignorance of economics (for example) but doing nothing to address it, advertise their stupidity and incompetence. (McCain’s behavior is classic: tax cuts are the only economic tool he understands, so it naturally becomes his solution for every problem. When the only tool you own is a hammer, your entire world become a nail.) Unfortunately for them, too many of their fellow Republicans apparently share this trait, and so are blind to it. Meanwhile, people like Obama and Biden — the ones who did well in school — learned how to distinguish the important from the irrelevant. They learned how to solve problems, which is exactly what a nation in crisis needs.

]]> http://dangerousintersection.org/2008/10/29/the-other-oreilly/comment-page-1/#comment-28635 Erich Vieth Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:57:52 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=3401#comment-28635 Lisa: this sounds like good stuff. I agree with O'Reilly's concerns and I agree with his assessment about what kind of leader we need. I agree with his implicit concern that even a great leader might not be good enough given the extent of the problems we're facing. Nonetheless, it seems like a no-brainer that we should pick leaders that cause less damage than those who cause more damage. That's why I prefer Barack Obama over John McCain, because I see John McCain as a mistake-prone shortsighted vindictive person who is likely to cause as many problems as he solves. I see Barack Obama as someone who will surround himself with smart people with whom he feels comfortable disagreeing. Too bad we did have more that over the last eight years. Lisa: this sounds like good stuff. I agree with O’Reilly’s concerns and I agree with his assessment about what kind of leader we need. I agree with his implicit concern that even a great leader might not be good enough given the extent of the problems we’re facing. Nonetheless, it seems like a no-brainer that we should pick leaders that cause less damage than those who cause more damage. That’s why I prefer Barack Obama over John McCain, because I see John McCain as a mistake-prone shortsighted vindictive person who is likely to cause as many problems as he solves. I see Barack Obama as someone who will surround himself with smart people with whom he feels comfortable disagreeing. Too bad we did have more that over the last eight years.

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