Patterico's Pontifications

9/21/2010

Conservatives at L.A. Times Insult Unemployed

Filed under: Dog Trainer,General — Patterico @ 11:29 pm



L.A. Times, September 21, 2010:

Jobless workers dispute claim that unemployment benefits foster complacency

The idea that extended benefits discourage people from seeking work is an insult, unemployed workers say. ‘Let ’em walk a mile in our shoes,’ one jobless woman says of unemployment critics.

It’s an old theory that’s gaining new political currency: By cushioning the blow of unemployment for nearly two years, jobless benefits discourage recipients from looking for work.

The claim, most frequently advanced by conservative pundits and politicians aligned with the conservative “tea party” movement, is seen as a fresh insult by the nation’s suffering unemployed workers.

Those damn conservatives and their damn insulting conservative claims.

L.A. Times, June 4, 2009:

For the ‘funemployed,’ unemployment’s welcomed

These jobless folks, usually singles in their 20s and 30s, find that life without work agrees with them. They’re not sending out resumes, but instead lazing at the beach and taking long trips abroad.

Michael Van Gorkom was laid off by Yahoo in late April. He didn’t panic. He didn’t rush off to a therapist. Instead, the 33-year-old Santa Monica resident discovered that being jobless “kind of settled nicely.”

Week one: “I thought, ‘OK . . . I need to send out resumes, send some e-mails, need to do networking.”

Week two: “A little less.”

Every week since: “I’m going to go to the beach and enjoy some margaritas.”

What most people would call unemployment, Van Gorkom embraced as “funemployment.”

While millions of Americans struggle to find work as they face foreclosures and bankruptcy, others have found a silver lining in the economic meltdown. These happily jobless tend to be single and in their 20s and 30s. Some were laid off. Some quit voluntarily, lured by generous buyouts.

Buoyed by severance, savings, unemployment checks or their parents, the funemployed do not spend their days poring over job listings. They travel on the cheap for weeks. They head back to school or volunteer at the neighborhood soup kitchen. And at least till the bank account dries up, they’re content living for today.

Damn conservatives!

Sarah Palin Running for President?

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 8:20 pm



Allahpundit says this video is a strong indication Sarah Palin is running in 2012:

I’ve enjoyed our amiable discussions about the Christine O’Donnell race, and I think the conservative blogosphere will be just that much more fun if Sarah Palin runs!

So I’m looking forward to it.

This may be a good time for a poll:

If Sarah Palin ran against Obama in 2012, would she win?
Yes
No
  
pollcode.com free polls

P.S. In other news, Christine O’Donnell is down 15 points. Ed Morrissey:

While there are six weeks to go before the general election, the prospect of movement does not look good from the internals. Thirteen percent of O’Donnell’s voters are not certain about their support, as opposed to only 8% of Coons voters. That seems to indicate a rather firm situation in polling. Also, 60% believe that O’Donnell is not qualified to be a Senator, while only 27% said the same about Coons.

Told you so!

Bill O’Reilly: Hey, Maher, I Can Blackmail O’Donnell Too

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 12:27 am



Bill O’Reilly:

“I’m trying to be fair to Christine O’Donnell. She’s been on the program a couple of times, and we have some kind of crazy stuff that she said. We’re not going to play it yet. I don’t think it’s relevant– yet. We still like Ms. O’Donnell to come on the Factor. I’m not in the business of injuring her. I’d like to see if she’s the better candidate.”

At least Maher had the decency to be forthright about his extortion.

The way to deal with blackmail threats is to expose what the blackmailer knows. This releases his power over you.

I think O’Reilly is talking about this. I’m told it’s a minor gaffe anyway. So, we might as well get it behind us now.*

The money quote is around 4:00. This video provides you with the full context that you can use to explain that the quote is no big deal, if you’re so inclined.

You’re welcome.**

UPDATE: Let me focus the discussion. I think it’s a fair assumption that O’Donnell was thinking of studies in which scientists injected rodent embryos with human embyronic stem cells to create mice that had “about 0.1 percent of human cells in each of their heads.” O’Donnell garbled that into the quote you see here.

Delaware voters will decide whether that means anything to them. It will mean nothing to ardent O’Donnell supporters, I predict. (Is there any revelation that would?) But as a thought experiment, imagine if you read that Joe Biden had said what O’Donnell says in this clip: “American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully-functioning human brains.” Would you be inclined to mock that statement if Biden had said it? Be honest!

If the answer is yes, then it will be used by her opponent, and she is going to get asked about it.

We know that campaigns must address their weaknesses early and honestly. If O’Donnell hasn’t thought about what she’s going to say, then she should start thinking about it now.


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