Matt Damon, STFU!

The BBQ Pit
1

Okay, you’re really good in the Bourne movies and a generally likeable guy. But remember last month when you said to Conde Nast Traveler:

“For a lot of actors, our biggest fear is that we’re going to start talking about things we don’t fully understand and sound like idiots,” he said. “In the long run, I’ll do much more good if, when I open my mouth, I have something worth saying.”

Well, you’re certainly right there, bucko. Too bad you didn’t follow your own advice. Because you did start talking about things you don’t fully understand, and you do sound like an idiot.

In the following video clip, you start out by saying “I don’t know anything about her”, and then you segue straight into boilerplate condemnation: “She’s only a hockey mom; how will she face down Putin; she’s a disaster; it’s absurd…a terrifying possibility; like a bad Disney movie, etc., etc.”

Now, if you don’t know anything about her, how do you know what she is or isn’t capable of? How do you know she’s not up to the job? You might be right, but you just admitted you don’t know anything about her, so how do you know? How do come to be so certain that you’ll go on television practically grit your teeth at the possibility?

I’ll tell you why you think you know what you’re talking about despite the fact that you obviously don’t…you’re a typical Hollywood liberal! :smiley:

Putz!

2

I don’t think you’re allowed to call Damon a putz when you’re the one linking to your secret Democrat girlfriend.

3

Um, when you’re talking about a potential president of the United States, “I don’t know anything about her” is a decided negative point. He wasn’t saying “I’m not an expert on Sarah Palin,” he was saying, “If she’s gonna be a 72-year-old heartbeat away from the presidency, I wish I knew more about her.”

I would think that would be obvious; it was a specific criticism of her as a candidate, not a simple admission of ignorance.

4

Bwahahaha!

Putz indeed.

5

Perxactly, mon movie maven!

I would think that if he wished he knew more about her, he’d wait until he did before he declared her a “disaster”.

6

Did you really not read what I posted? Or was it that badly written? “I don’t know anything about her” is a legitimate item on the list of *why *she’s a disaster.

7

I know that, lissener, but do you honestly think you’re never going to know anymore about her? That it wouldn’t be possible to like, you know, find out things about her? She’s a long-time politician with a great deal on the record.

Cool watch, though. A TAG, I believe. Rich Hollywood libruls who believe that pubbies who feel the 50% plus they pay in taxes (city, state, Fed, FICA, Medicare, various and sundry excises) is plenty are selfish assholes can afford watches like that I suppose. :cool:

8

Good point. Like an arranged marriage. You just convinced me that the best idea ever is to select the president randomly by lottery. We’ll get to know them eventually.

9

where is this video clip you are babbling about?

10

lissener, you asshole!!! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

I wish I could say you’d been Mary-rolled, but honesty prevents. :smack:

Damon video

11

Thanks for the link…Yeah, Matt pretty much nailed it…

12

satisfied?

13

Long-time politician?!?!? Here’s where I have a problem with folks’ defense of Palin’s experience: the only position of significance she has held has been the governorship, for 2 whole years. Sure, previously she had been on the Wisalla AK city council for 4 years, and mayor for 6. Which does not exactly lead to voluminous entries in the public record. Let’s face it, city council member of a town of 9k people hardly constitutes a serious political position, and mayor counts for not much more (at least in my book, when we’re talking a federal executive position).

And while we’re at it, governor of Alaska isn’t exactly a taxing position either - with a nearly self-sufficient economy (to the extent that they don’t have state income or sales taxes) and little state-funded infrastructure to worry about (don’t get me started on a pipeline that will in the end be completely federally subsidized), the primary issues are the long-standing social ills that have plagued the state for years: alcoholism/addiction, domestic/sexual abuse, and suicide. Which really have seen little movement in quite a while.

So any “experience” Sarah Palin can claim is primarily due to simply having been elected. Sorry, but claiming that employment=experience may work on a resume, but it won’t work on the national political stage.

So I agree with Matt Damon when he expresses concern that he knows nothing about her. I’ve made an effort to find out what I can about her, and she’s still an enigma wrapped up in scripture.

What I do know about her does not bode well at all - she’s made questionable seemingly personally biased, firing decisions; in her tenure as Wisalla Mayor she raised both taxes and spending, leaving the city in greater debt than when she came into office; she has misrepresented her past positions on federally funded “earmark” projects (a la the Bridges to Nowhere).

And I also agree with Damon on the farcical nature of the Republican ticket as regards international relations - political leanings aside, a qualified but elderly presidential nominee, combined with a laughably unqualified nominee (who admits she first ventured outside N. America only last year!) is a scary thought.

Overall, I think Damon did have something worth saying, and he said it well enough.

14

They point is, she isn’t just some hockey mom pulled in off the streets. She has been in the public eye for some years. She has a considerable record of accomplishment. She is a known entity. It’s not like people can’t find out what she’s like, the makeup of her character and so on. I agree that she doesn’t have big-time executive experience, but neither does Obama.

The main thing I’m pointing out is that although Damon knows nothing about her, he doesn’t maintain the position that to him she’s an unknown entity and so he’ll wait to form his opinion once he’s had a chance to dig into things and find out more about her. No, he immediately launches into the standard Democrat talking points: she’d a hockey mom up against Putin; she’s a disaster; it’s a bad Disney movie; etc. He doesn’t know this to be the case and he has no business publicizing that view if at the same time he he’s gong to admit that he doesn’t know anything about her.

The truth is, he doesn’t know or care whether she’s a substantive candidate or not, she’s a Republican! So he’ll do his best to discredit and marginalize her whether his concerns are valid or not.

Shodan and olivesmarch4th have nailed it recently: people are liberals or conservatives for complex, deep-seated reasons, and having arrived at that point they then cast about for reasons to justify their beliefs on this issue or that particular issue. And if one reason turns out to be invalid, they’ll immediately jump to another. Matt Damon doesn’t know or care (at least not in any substantive sense) whether Palin will do a good job or not, he only knows she’s a Republican, and he therefore opposes her with whatever plausible excuse he can come up with.

We all to that in one way or another. I can’t imagine a scenario in which I wouldn’t be trying to argue against a Democratic candidate for president or vice president myself. But I’d like to think that I argue on the basis of political issues rather than using superficial scare tactics like Damon is throwing around to try to discredit their suitability for office.

And besides, based on what I’ve seen of the two of them, I think Putin would have a much tougher time of it with Palin than he would with Obama, who seems too soft-spoken, too patrician, and frankly, too much of a nice guy.

15

It looked like Damon was only voicing what a lot of people are feeling. He didn’t bash Palin, he just said what he thought of her being VP and possibly president. Its obvious to me that her nomination is a result wasn’t because she’s the best qualified person McCain could pick. Hey, YMMV, but it kind of disgusts me that smoke and mirrors play so much in our elections. The only way it can be seen as “because she’s a republican” is if you think the GOP can do no wrong so it must be a good decision. Which is a mindset I can’t understand seeing how the past few years have turned out.

16

I disagree pretty stongly there. You don’t think being called a “disaster”, a “bad Disney movie”, etc. equates to bashing?

No, it’s because Damon is opposed to Republican ideology in the main. I’m the same where Obama is concerned. I don’t want him in office because I don’t want the things that Democrats champion to prevail. But like I said, I think it’s better to argue the either the superiority of your own ideology or the inferiority of the other guy’s ideology, than it is make vague, unsupported allegations of “disaster”, etc.

You may not be aware of the things that were being said about Reagan prior to the 1980 election. He was only an actor; he was an impulsive, a shoot-from-the-hip guy (much like McCain is coming in for now) who hated communism would very likely get us into war; he wanted to eliminate Social Security; etc., etc. And this in spite of a very sucessful career as president of the Screen Actors Guild and two-time governor of the state of California, a state that as a stand alone country would be the eighth-largest economy in the world. Yet with all the undeniably successful experience he had under his belt, he still came in for the same scurrilous types of scare tactics and false allegations that both Palin and McCain are coming in for now.

17

Its a matter of opinion I guess, but as far as bashing goes, but the potential for “President Palin” being called a disaster isn’t too harsh. I think she was given the nod only to pander to independents and disgruntled Hillary voters, not because she’s the best person for the job. Even in this short article it looks like say one thing do another for McCain and Palin. It doesn’t inspire trust or honesty with me. You don’t agree and thats fine. I don’t want to be in the position to say “I toldja so” in the future. It would be bad for everyone, and I think the entire My side, your side thing in politics is silly at times. Whats best for all should be the concern of people, not “I just want my guy to win, nyah nyah”. But that seems to be how people view things, so folks who want a republican administration won’t find any faults with Palin. (and after the last four years, I have to question their reasons) Yeah, you can say the same thing about Obama, but to me, he seems like a better choice between the him and McCain. I don’t Damon was out of line, he was voicing concerns that many have.

18

Fair enough. How’s about we just agree to disagree then? :slight_smile:

It’s late and I’m outta here. I haven’t read your linked article yet but I’ll try to remember to do so tomorrow.

Have a good night.

19

Even that doesn’t really count, given that Alaska runs on royalties and federal subsidies, and thus doesn’t require any of the tough tax and budget decisions of a normal state (to say nothing of the United States as a whole). It’s like citing experience playing Doom in god mode toward one’s military record.

20

Agreed. I didn’t expect you to change your opinion, I was only sasying why I disagree about Damon bashing Palin.