New Haven Independent

Posted by: jim blunt | July 6, 2009 12:29 PM

"The world is a serious place, and we have serious problems. The last thing the United States needs is another intellectual lightweight running for office who takes complex issues and boils them down to bumper sticker solutions."

Steve-
I completely agree with and share the above sentiment. Hopefully, that sentiment is stronger to you than partisan bias. The Dems have plenty of high power players with the intellectual prowess of Bush and Palin.

Have you ever written an article identifying and ridiculing any Dems in the way you have Palin and Bush? They certainly deserve it, but there are also those of equal intelligence on the left. Also, have you ever identified and honored any Republicans that are intellectual giants making unmatched contributions to solve the complex problems our world faces.

I am not a Republican, and I appreciate much of your perspective. I just don't understand how many very intelligent people, such as yourself, often commit intellectual suicide under the influence of partisan loyalty.

Perhaps I am not giving you a fair assessment... I have certainly not read ALL of your articles. Let's just say that my response is to many of those on the right and the left who do not understand the beauty of a two party system in its fullness... intellectuals and practicioners on the right and the left vigorously debating DIFFERENT philosophies, both keeping one another in check, neither having the monopoly on what is right. When this plays out with humility and respect on each side, our two party system is unmatched by any other government in the world today. Believe it or not, this does actually happen. The media is simply more infatuated with mudslinging.

I often wonder if this idealism breaks down because of staunch partisan loyalty.

Thanks for sharing your perspective, Steve.

Posted by: Wally | July 6, 2009 1:16 PM

Steve, I'm not sure if you intended to, but you just insulted "intellectually challenged" people around the world.

I'm just 'sayin.

Posted by: Bruce | July 6, 2009 1:42 PM

Well said, Mr. Blunt.

Posted by: Bill | July 6, 2009 2:17 PM

Uh, last time I looked there was an intellectual light weight who is vice president. Mr. plagiarizer foot in the mouth Biden.

By the way, who the hell is Steve Kalb?

Posted by: Wicked Lester | July 6, 2009 3:06 PM

Kalb writes: "The last thing the United States needs is another intellectual lightweight running for office who takes complex issues and boils them down to bumper sticker solutions".

That's describes exactly who you elected president.

Posted by: Lexi Mankin | July 6, 2009 3:45 PM

The only thing Joe Biden has on George Bush is a membership to the hair club for men.

Posted by: Walt | July 6, 2009 4:45 PM

Bill

Good question. I asked it before a couple of times, but the Editor apparently prefers not to answer.

I assume now that Kalb is an area liberal blogger who is out of work and gets favored treatment because he is a close friend who needs coverage for his resume' or maybe, is an employee

Stuff written by Staff, or amateurs, using full (somewhat) names or sort of semi/anonymous like us have more validity (whether Lib or other) than Kalb IMHO .

Like you, I'm curious.

Maybe Paul(at some time), will get tired of our questions, and either answer them, or throw us off the site.

[Editor's note: Hi Walt. Steve has been a reporter for several decades in Connecticut. Most of that time he was a news reporter and anchor for WELI. He currently teaches journalism at UConn and is the president of the state's Society of Professional Journalists.]

Posted by: Andrew | July 6, 2009 5:44 PM

I am not a fan of Sarah Palin's. But in my view her lack of intellectual firepower makes her frustrating, rather than dangerous. (E.g., someone like Palin who would outlaw abortion in virtually all cases, rape and incest, and who thinks that Roe v. Wade is bad law, should not also insist that the right to privacy is embedded in the Constitution.)

What makes her dangerous is that she is a deceitful, corrupt bully and hypocrite with a grandiose sense of her own self-worth and more than enough followers to cause further damage to our country.

Intellectual heft has little to do with it.

Posted by: Walt | July 6, 2009 7:04 PM

Paul

Thank you.

Seems that I made a pretty good guess.

Walt

Posted by: truthtopower | July 6, 2009 7:15 PM

Why people like Palin, Limbaugh and B. Spears get so much attention is just part of the decline of the military/industrial/media complexes decline.
Why don't we see real thinkers like Ralph Nader, Greg Palast and Noam Chomsky being interviewed for their commentary on the evening news?
No, it's easier to keep us stupid.
How else to explain why people continue to believe the collective delusions about this country? Illness causes bankruptcy, banks raise rates just cause they can, our government is complicit in torture (excuse me: enhanced interrogation) and all our major institutions appear to have been bought off and are silent or part of the problems they're supposed to address.
Palin is simply proof that a mediocre woman has the same opportunities as a mediocre man.
Without Tina Fey, Palin would have been forgotten by now.

Posted by: blue dog dem | July 6, 2009 8:46 PM

Paul,

Point 1 -- Kalb should then stick with his day job.

Point 2 -- Last time I heard, our president thought we had 56 states.

Point 3 -- Palin resigned because she was on the hook for over $500k in personal debt from responding to the ethics complaints and the state down $2 million. Any... in the world, not just Alaskan residents, could bring a complaint against her, whether or not it was because she wore a logo on her jacket. Each complaint, no matter how frivolous, had to be answered.
...

Posted by: Common Sense | July 6, 2009 9:06 PM

I am not a registered Republican like Jim Blunt who I agree with...Take the following info Steve puts in his article.....From the Sept. 10, 2008, Anchorage Daily News:

• July 7-15, 2008: Palin daughters Piper and Bristol flew to Philadelphia with the governor for a National Governors Association meeting. The state lists the purpose of the girls' trip as participating in "governor's youth programs and family activities." The airfare and lodging cost $2,500.

Now lets just look at the stories in every paper and TV news show being reported on right now. Our President Obama and his wife and two children are in Russia as a family on "Government Business". Where else will they travel on the taxpayers dime? Will Steve or the NHI or any paper do a related story on this? I doubt it....Gov. Palin has been hammered unfairly by too many.

Posted by: joey | July 7, 2009 6:52 AM

Its sad that the liberal views of the way left have brought this once great country backwards with.

Posted by: Jim Blunt | July 7, 2009 10:13 AM

Joey,
I'm no liberal, but come on man... I don't think the Neo Con's did us any favors.

Posted by: blue dog dem | July 8, 2009 8:24 AM

Paul,

... Thanks for letting us know that he is a professor at UConn. If any of my children want to learn about Journalism, I'll know where not to send them. If he was a credible journalist, maybe he should research the 15 ethics complaints and how idiotic they actually are, rather than piling on someone whom he has not met nor would probably never get the opportunity. Relaying second- and third-hand information isn't news and if this is his only public forum, well, that should speak for itself.

I'm not a big fan of hers, but if Obama and Biden get away with weekly gaffes, maybe the intelligentsia in the media can cut her a little slack also. No one I know would stick around and keep getting higher and higher legal fees just to govern anything. Imagine having to spend approx. 25% of your net worth (not income, but total assets) having to go to defend against senseless allegations. Why would you bother?

If you are going to keep the "Independent" part of the title, then try to present the "news" without such a bias. Most of us are really tired of getting op-eds rather than facts. If he wants to state his opinions, he should do so like the rest of us and not get a dedicated column.

Posted by: Bruce | July 8, 2009 11:08 AM

Blue Dog, This is an editorial piece. Opinions and bias are completely appropriate. What is great about this forum is that readers get a somewhat more balanced view from commentors with differing opinions.

Posted by: blue dog dem | July 8, 2009 4:17 PM

Bruce,

I never got the memo.

Besides, part of my first (and second) post was censored so my second post was for Paul and not the general public. Should have marked it private or something.

I like reading opposing views as it makes me rethink my own, or if I still feel correct about my ideology, the discussion strengthens it.

Sorry for the confusion.