December 12, 2017

"I encourage you to take a stand for our core principles and for what is right. These critical times require us to come together..."

"... to reject bigotry, sexism, and intolerance," said Condoleezza Rice, speaking as "a native daughter" who "at heart, remain[s] an Alabaman who loves our state and its devotion to faith, family, and country."

Which side is she on?
It is imperative for Americans to remain focused on our priorities and not give way to side shows and antics. 
Now, she's saying "Americans," not "Alabamans," and she's using the word "imperative." That sounds like an elite outsider, lecturing. And she is an elite outsider, having got out. But she was speaking in Alabama, at the Invest in a Girl Celebration at the Von Braun Center, in Huntsville.

It's hard to tell which direction her abstraction points. It's the anti-Moore forces that have put on the "side show and antics," right? Or is Roy Moore's whole public persona a "side show" with "antics"? (I'm thinking of his 10 Commandments routine and pandering about sexual "perversion.") Maybe Rice means that both sides are distracting voters with side issues. She says "focus[] on priorities." Does that mean focus on what legislation you want Congress to pass? Or does she mean personal morality?

She continues:
I know that Alabamans need an independent voice in Washington. But we must also insist that our representatives are dignified, decent, and respectful of the values we hold dear.
Which candidate is the "independent voice"? And does that "But" mean that the one who's not the independent voice is the one who's "dignified, decent, and respectful of the values we hold dear" or is she just saying we want both things? And what are "the values we hold dear" — not dating and kissing underage girls or not aborting babies? Is Rice trying to be the master of ambiguity?

She switches to the bland value of just voting:
Please exercise your right to vote - a privilege won by the sacrifices of our ancestors. 
There's also a right not to vote. And a privilege not to vote. Many very sensible and good people believe in not voting. Some people have a religious scruple against voting,* some have the comic/distanced attitude expressed in the old line "I don't want to encourage them,"**  and some are  maintaining neutrality so that they can analyze everything better.***

Condi concludes:
Sustain the central ideals and values that make our country a beacon for freedom and justice for the sake of Alabama and for the good of the United States of America.
I think she's trying to say something without saying anything — trying to be appropriate in an elevated setting in the strange, specific state where she grew up (and Denise McNair did not).
____________________

* Wikipedia on "Religious rejection of politics":
Many Taoists have rejected political involvement on the grounds that it is insincere or artificial and a life of contemplation in nature is more preferable, while some ascetic schools of Hinduism or Buddhism also reject political involvement for similar reasons. In Christianity, some groups like Jehovah's Witnesses, the Amish, Hutterites, and the Exclusive Brethren may reject politics on the grounds that they believe Christ's statements about the kingdom not being of the world mean that earthly politics can or should be rejected.

In other religious systems it can relate to a rejection of nationalism or even the concept of nations. In certain schools of Islamic thinking nations are a creation of Western imperialism and ultimately all Muslims should be united religiously in the umma.... Likewise various Christian denominations reject any involvement in national issues considering it to be a kind of idolatry called statolatry. Most Christians who rejected the idea of nations have associated with the Christian Left.
** Some of the best comedians take this position, often with better lines than the old joke I quoted above. For example, George Carlin:
"I have solved this political dilemma in a very direct way: I don't vote. On Election Day, I stay home. I firmly believe that if you vote, you have no right to complain. Now, some people like to twist that around. They say, 'If you don't vote, you have no right to complain,' but where's the logic in that? If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent politicians, and they get into office and screw everything up, you are responsible for what they have done. You voted them in. You caused the problem. You have no right to complain. I, on the other hand, who did not vote -- who did not even leave the house on Election Day -- am in no way responsible for that these politicians have done and have every right to complain about the mess that you created."
I know: the joke there probably is that he does vote, and you're an idiot if you don't.

*** Scott Adams has an April 2016 post on "The Value of Not Voting":
Anderson Cooper of CNN says he probably won’t vote in the coming election. He says voting would bias him when he covers political news. I agree.

I call it the joiner problem. The minute you take a side, you start acquiring confirmation bias to bolster your sense of rightness. Objectivity is nearly impossible once you commit to a team.

The way confirmation bias works is that you can’t see it when you’re in it. Other people might be able to observe the bias in you, but by definition you can’t see it in yourself. The act of voting causes a sort of psychological blindness.
I would be in this group if I weren't a longtime devotee of the ritual of voting (and maybe if, like Cooper and Adams, I didn't live in a swing state) but I do decline to decide until the time to vote arrives, and I have at least twice picked my presidential candidate as I walked to my polling place.

70 comments:

tim in vermont said...

She did an interview on the Golf Channel that led me to believe she wants to run. Not sure about this time around, but she wants to run. Not sure what to make of this, but hey, there was a certain politician who got elected when his first national speech drew the most applause for the line "and in conclusion..."

Lewis Wetzel said...

This seems to be a little like an article I read tonight about the US intelligence bureacrats who had spoken out against Trump before the election. They were supposed to be non-partisan, but they spoke up anyway. They didn't think that would cause a problem if Trump were elected, because they didn't think Trump had any chance of getting elected.
So why did these non-partisan bother to speak out in the first place if they were certain Trump would lose?
I can only believe that they wanted to ingratiate themselves with the presumptive winner, Hillary Clinton.

rehajm said...

She did an interview on the Golf Channel that led me to believe she wants to run.

Golf or politics. You can play both games but I wish she'd choose one rather than dabbling a little bit in both.

Darkisland said...

Who spoke at the invest in a boy event?

John Henry

David Begley said...

“But we must also insist that our representatives are dignified, decent, and respectful of the values we hold dear.”

Was Condi referring to Bill Clinton or maybe the sainted JFK? I was just reading about the Wheaton College undergrad, Mimi Alford, who JFK was banging during the Cuban missle crisis.

Do you think Mimi and Monica were upset when they got dumped by POTUS? Either one of them could have been First Lady but they were only First Whore for a short time.

Plenty of sex creeps in DC. I wouldn’t vote for Moore in the primary because he is lawless. But we need his vote in a closely divided Senate so that Susan Collins doesn’t become more powerful.

Henry said...

She's appealing the better angels of our nature. The important thing is not who you vote for, but the reasons for your vote.

gspencer said...

Rice is a CFR member,

https://www.cfr.org/membership-roster-q-u

Now you know which side she's on,

David Begley said...

Voting is way more than a ritual. It really works. When I saw the people of Carter Lake, Iowa - who had to cross the Missouri River to vote - count their votes by hand on a high school stage on the night of the caucus, I realized the voting franchise was vital. That night was the beginning of the Trump Revolution. Condi wouldn’t know anything about those people. Few play golf.

Michael K said...

Condi is a Bush family retainer. Maybe she was doing what she was asked to do but avoiding being too obvious about it.

I have no idea how todays's election will turn out but I had no idea that Trump would win.

When I got up that morning after the election, I felt like a great load had been lifted.

Larry J said...

Living in Huntsville, Alabama, my choice today is to vote for Roy Moore or not vote at all. I don't like either of those options. Voting for a Democrat is not an option - ever.

Darrell said...

Roy Moore is the guy not owned by the Globalists.
Doug Jones is Chuck Schumer's butt puppy.

tim in vermont said...

Michael K reminds me that whatever I wake up to tomorrow morning, Hillary Clinton will still not be president, and as many people say in the South, it will be a "blessed day."

tim in vermont said...

If he is elected, liberals can blame the Washington Post, who could have run the story earlier and gotten him off of the ballot.

etbass said...

I believe Senator Roy Moore would vote more in line with my preferences than Senator Doug Jones would so I will vote for the election of Roy Moore. If Roy Moore is later found to be guilty of mis-behavior, I won’t regret my vote, we’ll just cross that bridge when we come ro it.

Sebastian said...

I like Condi, but --

So when W struck a deal with Ted, Condi excoriated him for the indecency of dealing with a known killer and harasser? When public officials denigrated W, Condi spoke up for the need to be dignified and decent, chastising Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and the gang? Or does decency only make an appearance when the GOPe needs to bludgeon deplorables?

donald said...

Heh Darrell. Whatever else, without a doubt Moore is gonna be the independent person in the senate. I mean there’s a record, not a good record to me, he is after all a cretin, but Doug Jones, pro abortion democrat damned sure won’t be independent of anything.

Gordon Scott said...

Condi forgets, or perhaps forgives, all of the nasty stuff that was said about her by the same folks who want to stop Moore. The thing is, those folks have never apologized. They would do it again tomorrow if she were to run for office.

Tank said...

For Senator, you vote for the guy who will vote the way you would. End of story.

Hagar said...

I think she's trying to say something without saying anything ...

Bingo!!!

And I am disappoinnted in Condoleezza - she ought to do better than that.

Mike Sylwester said...

My core values include:

* Elections should be mostly about policy issues

* The burden of proof is on accusers

* Accused people enjoy a legal presumption of innocence

* Statues of limitation are established for good reason

* Dirty tricks to win elections should be discouraged

* A person who has lived an orderly life has earned credibility

* Lynch mobs acting hysterically should be discouraged

Hagar said...

The adults on a Peanuts Special.

Eleanor said...

When Ted Kennedy was being challenged by Mitt Romney in 1994, I remember having conversations with my dad about whether he should vote for someone whose values he admired, but who would vote against the things he wanted, or should he vote for someone who was morally reprehensible, but would vote for the "right" things? At the time, I suggested maybe he should question whether the things he wanted were the right things to want if the best representation he could get for them was a drunk who left a woman to die and lied about it. Mom stayed home. I cast my first of many votes for a Republican. Dad convinced himself Ted wasn't really the one in the car. It had been one of the younger Kennedy boys, and knowing he could weather the storm, but the kid couldn't, Ted martyred himself for the family. Dad would have done anything for his family so that made Ted admirable instead of reprehensible. Of course, there was never any evidence to back that version of events. The people of Alabama will find a way to mentally support however they decide to vote, or they'll stay home. Condi Rice is displaying her diplomatic skills. Diplomats seldom make good leaders, and good leaders usually suck at being diplomatic.

Michael K said...

If he is elected, liberals can blame the Washington Post, who could have run the story earlier and gotten him off of the ballot.

The whole purpose of the WaPoo story timing was to elect the Democrat. It worked with George Allen.
They didn't want him off the ballot.

Claire McCaskill's campaign funded Ted Akin's campaign to get him on the GOP ballot.

Michael K said...

Dad convinced himself Ted wasn't really the one in the car. It had been one of the younger Kennedy boys, and knowing he could weather the storm, but the kid couldn't, Ted martyred himself for the family.

In fact, Ted tried the reverse strategy and tried to get one of the guys at the post election party to take the rap. They all refused.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

I wonder what Condi would have to say about this tweet.

“Donald J. Trump
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office “begging” for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!
7:03 AM · Dec 12, 2017”

Darrell said...

What do you want us to say, Inga? Yay Trump!
There. Said it. God Bless the man and his family.

FIDO said...

Condi is somewhat popular. She has a 'brand' and a specific...consideration as one of the few high profile African American Republicans. Many of us like her and even more at least value her.

So she is stuck threading a needle. The Republican political winds are quite...variable right now. Are Republicans populist, Conservatives, Trumpians?

So hard to make a choice.

She is attempting to thread a needle here. She, to a point, relies on these speaking fees and without the speeches, she relinquishes her influence, however careful she is to use it.

So as a disinterested party, I forgive her mealy mouthed platitudes. There is no 'win' here for her. If she speaks against Moore, she gives ammo to Liberals who will happily use her words as ammunition in the attack, quite disingenuously since 'Pantless' Bill.

But if she defends Moore...well...many Alabamans aren't comfortable and she can be attacked by the Left (again, disingenuously) for being a party sell out.

mockturtle said...

Michael K adds: Condi is a Bush family retainer. Maybe she was doing what she was asked to do but avoiding being too obvious about it.

Yes, she is totally loyal the the Bush family. Their enemies are her enemies. I always liked Condi and would vote for her but I dislike her preachy attitude. Sounds too much like Obama's "This is not who we are".

Browndog said...

If Moore wins, the State of Alabama will be accused by numerous women of sexual misconduct, and will be suspended from the Union.

Darrell said...

You won with Trump and wanted more. Vote Moore. Moore winning!

Fernandinande said...

"reject bigotry, sexism ..." said Condoleezza Rice, speaking at the Invest in a Girl Celebration at the Von Braun Center, in Huntsville.

Hypocrisy and cluelessness, together at last.

I dunno, maybe self-righteous rather than clueless, but in either case - thanks for the free moral advice, Condi!

In March 2017, Hillary Clinton was named as the "Champion for Girls" by Girls Inc [=Invest in a Girl]. at their 2017 New York Luncheon.

Wince said...

"You're talking a lot, but you're not says by anything. When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed. Say something once, why say it again?"

Rice would probably say she's advocating values withou trying to tell people what to do.

More BushMush.

Darrell said...

The MSM tells us everyday that the Alabamians are a bunch of inbred, beer-swilling, truck-driving, gun-firing morons. If Moore wins, the honeymoon will be over.

Bay Area Guy said...

"Anderson Cooper of CNN says he probably won’t vote in the coming election. He says voting would bias him when he covers political news."

Big mistake. It'd be better to vote and then disclose who you voted for, instead of being naturally biased (almost always towards the Left) and pretending to be a neutral journalist.

MacMacConnell said...

"Anderson Cooper of CNN says he probably won’t vote in the coming election. He says voting would bias him when he covers political news."

Like he doesn't know which party's candidate will win elections in New York or Litchfield, Connecticut.

mockturtle said...

Invest in a Girl Celebration

Would 'invest in a girl' include paying underage prostitutes? Is Menendez involved in this movement?

Curious George said...

"Inga said...
I wonder what Condi would have to say about this tweet."

I wonder what Inga would say about Hillary slut shaming each and every one of Bill's victims. Oh, wait, I already know.

Absolutely nothing.

khematite said...

Dwight Eisenhower cast his first vote (for himself) when he ran for president in 1952. He had never voted while in the military, on the grounds that military officers should not involve themselves in partisan matters. I believe that quite a number of military officers had followed that practice prior to Eisenhower and in the years that have followed.

MadisonMan said...

Rice's statement would be more accurate if 'our core principles' was replaced by 'my and the Bush Family's core principles'

But maybe that would have less impact.

Democrats will be heartened by her words -- until she runs against them.

Henry said...

Odd, but unsurprising how the pro-Moore sentiment has nothing to do with Moore and everything to do with calling out his enemies, real and imagined.

He may be a fool, but he's our fool.
If they think they're better than him they're wrong

Mike Sylwester said...

Eleanor at 7:59 AM

Diplomats seldom make good leaders, and good leaders usually suck at being diplomatic.

That's an astute statement.

wildswan said...

I do decline to decide until ... I have at least twice picked my presidential candidate as I walked to my polling place"

I love that - the checkbook balance principle. But that makes me think of "The Joy of Voting: Happy Picking in Today's Toxic Landfill Politics. How ordinary people learned to love voting in an American election." Chris: "You spread all the candidates' pictures out on the floor and pick the one that gives you a thrill." Louise: Primary season with many contenders. "You throw all the pictures down the stairs and then move your support from one to another, bottom to top, throughout the primary season." Major: "You look at the pictures and write down the dirty story each face suggests. After all the campaign revelations, you vote for the one whose conforms to the dirty story you thought of, as this is an honest man. (If it's the previous incumbent's sex robot, so be it.)" Jock: You throw darts while standing backwards; the one you hit closest to a vital organ, gets your vote. 3Chann Missing: "You add them as characters to World of Warcraft. Last witch standing gets that precious vote"

SeanF said...

Carlin's joke doesn't make sense. It's like saying that if you choose to buy a product, you have no right to complain about the quality of that product. Does that seem right to anyone?

Or how about if you're part of a group of people deciding what restaurant to get a meal from. One person says, "I don't care - you guys choose." What would your response be if [b]that[/b] person felt especially privileged to complain about the food?

Cooper's comment doesn't work either. Voting for a particular candidate is the [b]result[/b] of making a choice, not the [b]cause[/b] of it. "I really, really, really, want the Democrats to win, but if I don't actually cast votes for them, I won't be biased." Baloney.

Darrell said...

Cooper counts the imaginary voters in his mind that he believes he has turned to the Democratic candidate. The problem is having partisan hacks in the media in the first place.

Carol said...

Carlin's joke doesn't make sense.

That's because it's chickenshit nonsense. It means if you don't vote, you're above all that *BS* and are free criticize disinterestedly. Like someone in another country.

But that's wrong because really we're all in this together and each need to get our hands "dirty" in the political process. That way you have some responsibility, which is exactly what hipsters like him rejected. All responsibility. He says as much himself.

It's the POV of a small child. Though I believe I had a better attitude than that as a kid.

Carol said...

...but Carlin meant it ironically, amirite?

Kevin said...

and respectful of the values we hold dear.

You mean like due process and the presumption of innocence?

I remember when those were dearly-held values. That was before someone pointed out they were written by white people and therefore could be dismissed on racial grounds.

n.n said...

She's probably referring to civil rights, specifically due process, which implies a presumption of innocence. Americans do not do witch trials. We do not do lynchings. We do not do bullhorn prosecutions. Wed do not do baby trials. We do not do elective abortions. We are not Pro-Choice.

Howard said...

Condi is very short. Much shorter than you think. I saw her outside Sundance Prime Rib on the El Camino in Palo Alto, right across from Stanford. Good Steak, I had the Prime NY Strip (medium rare) with whiskey peppercorn sauce. She is too short to be president, plus she sports an unfortunate haircut, not that there is anything wrong with that.

tim in vermont said...

Dad convinced himself Ted wasn't really the one in the car. It had been one of the younger Kennedy boys, and knowing he could weather the storm, but the kid couldn't, Ted martyred himself for the family.

Sounds like Inga and Bill Clinton. "Louis CK. is worse!"

Howard said...

Blogger Kevin said... "and respectful of the values we hold dear." You mean like due process and the presumption of innocence?
Gosh Kevin, you are starting to sound like one of those commie BLM kneelers.

tim in vermont said...

plus she sports an unfortunate haircut

Whoah! Now that is fucking racist. If she does run, I hope somebody of importance says something like that, because black men will just step back, cringing, and black women.. well

tim in vermont said...

Gosh Kevin, you are starting to sound like one of those commie BLM kneelers.

Except the part about it applying to cops too, amIright?

Unknown said...

n.n said...
Americans do not do witch trials. We do not do lynchings.
12/12/17, 10:58 AM


i’ve got some bad news for you....

Darrell said...

i’ve got some bad news for you....

Read n.n.'s comment again. Here's a clue. . .We do not do elective abortions.

Unknown said...

Darrell said...
i’ve got some bad news for you....

Read n.n.'s comment again. Here's a clue. . .We do not do elective abortions.
12/12/17, 11:34 AM


don’t tell me what to do you little bitch.

Chuck said...

First, I sort of hate to agree with Althouse's post, but I am forced to. She's right, in each and every one of her particulars.

Second, I know what I took away from the Rice statement. What I took away from it was that (a) you know, she's from Alabama, and she's an African-American; (b) she's also a Republican, and interested in the future of her Party; (c) she thinks that RoyMooreSteveBannon are reprehensible figures; (d) the special election could hinge on turnout, so to everyone in Alabama who considers Condi to be a figure of importance and worth listening to -- be sure to vote. It's a voter turnout message, so simply saying, "Be sure to exercise your right to vote" may be enough to say.

Now all of this is not what a Trumpster would do. And while Trump may have a knack for being blunt, Trump also has a knack for saying a whole lot of nothing. This sort of detailed line-by-line analysis of a statement for rhetorical accuracy and effectiveness is really the kind of thing Althouse has almost never done with a Trump speech or statement. When Althouse has done so with Trump, it is all about the amazing way that Trump is persuasive (a la Scott Adams) without regard to the fact that Trump's language is laughably vague, sloppy and/or rationally meaningless.

Howard said...

Tim and Darrell are in estrogen dominance this morning.

Darrell said...

don’t tell me what to do you little bitch.

How about just once--KYA.

I see we have more sockpuppets. Ritmo got off the fryer at McDonalds early?

Darrell said...

Howard the Fuck stopped fellating himself, long enough to comment.

Jupiter said...

"I have at least twice picked my presidential candidate as I walked to my polling place."

Oh. My. God. The 19th Amendment was an even bigger mistake than I had realized.

I can understand being a stinking Communist and hating America, and I can understand being an American and loving your country. I sure don't understand mulling it over every four years. Are you serious?

Jupiter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stephen_Robbins said...

Baloney!

Many decades ago, I believe my mother succinctly answered that question about voting, or not voting, or casting a protest vote, in what would (and did) become a close contest.

At the time (in '68), my parents owned a home in a small community called Edgemoor Terrace, a suburb of Wilmington, Delaware. That was where I had grown up and, though temporarily living away at school at the time, their home was where I was still domiciled, and, therefore, where I was registered to vote. Thus, the Nixon/Humphrey square-off would be my first opportunity to cast a ballot in a Presidential Election year, and I didn't like either one of them ... not at all!

One had to be twenty-one years old to vote in Delaware at the time. I was in my very early twenties, and was about to be drafted and likely compelled to risk my life in Lyndon and Hubert's failed venture in Viet-Nam. So, one can imagine how I felt about Hubert Humphrey -- especially after the Chicago Convention. He seemed like a gutless weasel. And, Nixon was completely untrustworthy in my mind.

Anyway, Mom asked me that Monday evening if I'd given any consideration as to whom I intended to cast my very first Presidential vote. "Yes!" I said emphatically, and I promptly announced to her that I was going to write in Eugene McCarthy's name.

"Oh, that's nice," Mom said. And then she added, "Of course, someone is going to win."

I spent the rest of that evening trying, in a very frustrated way (and to no avail), to figure a way around my mother's logic. I only realized later that she had succeeded in talking me out of throwing away my first Presidential vote, for which I have ever since been very grateful. I didn't do what I had told her what I was going to do.

In my opinion, any Alabaman who sits out this Senate 'special' election, is throwing their vote away, and allowing others to make that decision for them.

To me, that is very bad advice. You may not like either one of them. But as between the two of them, somebody is going to win. Pick whoever you think will be the best of the two -- just don't let someone else pick the winner for you.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Okay now I'm getting a little annoyed...two dozen people on this blog have said that it's spelled Alabamian, but apparently Condoleezza Rice is being quoted by Althouse as saying Alabaman. Who is right?

Joe Veenstra said...

Poppycock. Voting does not mean you agree the candidate can be crooked or that you are countenancing it. It means you were given some choices and you tried to pick the best representative you could given the limited information you have and the values you have. NOT voting is allowing others, even if in the most minute percentages, remove that choice from you and let them make that choice. Granted it is often a choice between a bunch of crappy candidates who make it difficult to choose.

Jupiter said...

After further thought, I suppose that American politics is a very finely balanced matter of trying to gain 1.01 voters for every 0.99 that you lose. I am just astonished to discover that Althouse is the fulcrum on which this lever turns.

Darrell said...

People in Alabama say Alabamian. That alone makes it right.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Twirling, twirling towards freedom!

Jim at said...

A post about Condi Rice and Chuck turns it - again - into something about Trump.

It is beyond tedious.
It's unhinged.

Big Mike said...

Okay now I'm getting a little annoyed...two dozen people on this blog have said that it's spelled Alabamian, but apparently Condoleezza Rice is being quoted by Althouse as saying Alabaman. Who is right?

The Post spells it h - i - c - k