# The Beast's 50 most loathesome people of 2007! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 25, 2007, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171 "2007-12-25T02:17:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/61 "2007-12-29T20:17:31Z")
I’m from California. Everyone’s a “dude”, man. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/62 "2007-12-29T22:13:08Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] Far out. BTW, that’s Dudette. Only my son calls me “dude”. [/QUOTE] If you read the “Charges,” you can usually figure out who they are. That’s what I did with Sherri Sheppard. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/63 "2007-12-29T23:29:29Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m from California Heh. I remember, I lived in Valencia for two years one time. You know, Magic Mountain? [QUOTE=saoirse] If you read the “Charges,” you can usually figure out who they are. That’s what I did with Sherri Sheppard. [/QUOTE] I saw that, but I was answering the question “who hadn’t you heard of”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/64 "2007-12-30T15:09:00Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] I’ve not heard of (from your list): John Boehner Tim Russert Dana Perino William Kristol Mormon Jesus (is this different from Regular Jesus [sup]TM[/sup]?) David Vitter Chris Matthews Also, some of the other names I’ve heard of, but have no idea who they are or why they are in the news: Mitt Romney Bill O’Reilly Michael Chertoff And I’ve lived in the U.S. all of my 47 years. [/QUOTE] Umm … so basically you have never heard of several people who have a pretty big influence on running the country you’ve been living in for 47 years. I’d be willing to offer a pass on the media talking heads, although they are pretty important. But, I’m sorry, but there’s no excuse for an adult American to be unfamiliar with the name of a U.S. senator (Vitter). There’s only 100 of them, and they’re pretty damn important. … Or the top Republican in the House (Boehner) … Or the key opinion leader of the neocon movement (Kristol) … Or the president’s spokeswoman (Perino) … Or one of the three top contenders for the Republican presidential nomination and a former state governor and “saviour” of the Salt Lake City Olympics (Romney) (He’s also the reason that “Mormon Jesus” is in the news). ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/65 "2007-12-30T16:50:23Z")
Gimme a break. The Prez’ spokespeople come and go so quickly, who can keep up? And I don’t necessarily need to have memorized _all_ the Senator’s names - the important ones for me are those who represent me. Top contenders for Presidential nominations? I have to vote in Mississippi - it’s evident to me that the rest of the country gets to pick the nominees, not us. The field of candidates is whittled down before we ever get a chance to vote - it’s not time for me to be paying attention to that, yet. I dunno about you, but I’m trying to run a life here - I’ve got a business to run, kids to get through university, a marriage to nurture - my personal life just doesn’t afford me time to get all knowledged up about national politics. I prefer to dole out my sparse time and attention for such matters on local politics, a place where my vote might actually count. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/66 "2007-12-30T19:19:04Z")
> [@](#): > > I dunno about you, but I’m trying to run a life here - I’ve got a business to run, kids to get through university, a marriage to nurture - my personal life just doesn’t afford me time to get all knowledged up about national politics. I prefer to dole out my sparse time and attention for such matters on local politics, a place where my vote might actually count. That’s a really tired excuse. We’ve all got lives. You’d almost have to purposely isolate yourself from current events in order to never have heard some of these names. > [@](#): > > Gimme a break. The Prez’ spokespeople come and go so quickly, who can keep up? In the seven years he’s been president, George Bush has had only four press secretaries. That’s not too many never to have _heard_ the current one’s name. If the names Fleischer, McClellan, Snow, and Perino don’t ring any bells, then maybe there’s just nothing in there to ring. [QUOTE=NinetyWt] And I don’t necessarily need to have memorized _all_ the Senator’s names - the important ones for me are those who represent me. [/quote] Bull freaking shit. Every one of those 100 guys runs your life. Mississippi isn’t the personal domain of two guys named Lott and Cochran. David Vitter was recently exposed as a customer of the D.C. Madame and several New Orleans brothels. You live in Mississippi? And haven’t heard the name of one of Louisiana’s two U.S. senators? > [@](#): > > Top contenders for Presidential nominations? I have to vote in Mississippi - it’s evident to me that the rest of the country gets to pick the nominees, not us. This is one of those times that makes me think that democracy is futile. These excuses are 100 times worse than the bare fact that you don’t recognize these names. I would at least have the decency to be embarrassed for myself. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/67 "2007-12-30T21:09:58Z")
The attacks on Tim Russert are ridiculous. No one is more in-your-face than he, no matter what the guest’s party affiliation or agenda. By the time he has pulled a guest through the ringer, everything they’ve ever said that is contradictory or controversial has been plastered on the screen and read aloud. His rule is that he presses twice: after a first dodge, he ropes you back in, reminding you of the question. But as he says, anything beyond that is badgering and a waste of time because if you’ve dodged twice, you’ve established the fact that it was intentional. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/68 "2007-12-30T21:20:24Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I’d be willing to offer a pass on the media talking heads, although they are pretty important. But, I’m sorry, but there’s no excuse for an adult American to be unfamiliar with the name of a U.S. senator (Vitter). There’s only 100 of them, and they’re pretty damn important. … Or the top Republican in the House (Boehner) … Or the key opinion leader of the neocon movement (Kristol) … Or the president’s spokeswoman (Perino) :dubious: I’ve never heard of those four people, and I’m one of the most politically active people I know. Who the hell cares about who the president’s spokesperson-of-the-month is? More than likely they’re all mouthpieces of the same writer, who do nothing but spout a bunch of evasive pap that doesn’t mean a damn thing. What the hell does the junior senator from Louisiana matter to me? I have no influence whatsoever on his office and he’s apparently not very newsworthy, even if the Beast hates him for some reason. Same for a representative from Ohio, except this one has a special title which enables him to tow a party line and fellate Bush regularly without ever putting forth his own opinion. Wowee, stop the presses. > [@acsenray](#): > > That’s a really tired excuse. We’ve all got lives. You’d almost have to purposely isolate yourself from current events in order to never have heard some of these names. That’s certainly true for Mitt Romney. As for the rest of your list, no. > [@acsenray](#): > > These excuses are 100 times worse than the bare fact that you don’t recognize these names. I would at least have the decency to be embarrassed for myself. _Embarrassed_? Embarrassed for not being up on the exploits of the President’s verbal diarrhea filter plus some jackoff from Louisiana and the Morally Bankrupt Republican/Congressman Of The Week? Not in a million years. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/69 "2007-12-30T21:47:49Z")
I’m pretty politically active, and I couldn’t name more than 40 senators on my best day. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/70 "2007-12-30T22:03:50Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] The attacks on Tim Russert are ridiculous. No one is more in-your-face than he, no matter what the guest’s party affiliation or agenda. By the time he has pulled a guest through the ringer, everything they’ve ever said that is contradictory or controversial has been plastered on the screen and read aloud. His rule is that he presses twice: after a first dodge, he ropes you back in, reminding you of the question. But as he says, anything beyond that is badgering and a waste of time because if you’ve dodged twice, you’ve established the fact that it was intentional. [/QUOTE] It’s the fact that the question that Russert is asking or the point he is making that is so superficial that is often the problem. It often looks like something has happened, when, really, nothing has. And from now on Russert should receive an electrical shock to the testicles every time he asks someone “Are you running for president?” as if that’s always the most important thing, ever. He freaking asks everybody that. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/71 "2007-12-30T22:12:17Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] I’m pretty politically active, and I couldn’t name more than 40 senators on my best day. [/QUOTE] It’s not about naming them cold. It’s about recognizing that you’ve _ever heard_ their names before. I probably couldn’t name all 100 U.S. senators and all the members of the cabinet (Chertoff’s one, by the way) cold, but I’d at least recognize their names as ones I’ve heard before. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/72 "2007-12-30T22:59:13Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] I’m pretty politically active, and I couldn’t name more than 40 senators on my best day. [/QUOTE] Bless you for saying that. I will take it a step further and admit that there are several that I wouldn’t recognize upon hearing the name. I’m not proud of it, but I would never have thought it a reason for _embarrassment_. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/73 "2007-12-30T23:27:54Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] It’s the fact that the question that Russert is asking or the point he is making that is so superficial that is often the problem. It often looks like something has happened, when, really, nothing has. And from now on Russert should receive an electrical shock to the testicles every time he asks someone “Are you running for president?” as if that’s always the most important thing, ever. He freaking asks everybody that. [/QUOTE] I disagree. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/74 "2007-12-31T04:50:25Z")
Sorry, **ascenray** , not gonna be embarrassed, not gonna do it, no. > [@](#): > > You’d almost have to purposely isolate yourself from current events Evidently all you have to do is leave the TV turned off. > [@](#): > > This is one of those times that makes me think that democracy is futile. This is actually a good point. If some folks are disillusioned enough about the process to make a remark such as mine, then the system isn’t working properly. Don’t you think? > [@](#): > > Every one of those 100 guys runs your life. And me knowing their names is going to help me how? Hasn’t it been your experience that, at certain times in your life you are more “up” on things than at other times? For instance, when your kids are little you are interested in toy safety and the finer points of breastfeeding. When they are in college you don’t think about that, so much. I have faith that a sufficient number of U.S. citizens _are_ paying attention at any given time - maybe not always the same ones - so that the political process doesn’t go to the dogs. Right now I’m not into it. I’m sure that, at some other point in my life, I will be again. I don’t understand why you’re fussing about it so, but apparently we don’t see eye-to-eye on this. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2007, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171/75 "2007-12-31T05:48:22Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] Evidently all you have to do is leave the TV turned off. [/QUOTE] I don’t have a television. Apart from the fact that many of the people are politicians outside my jurisdiction, perhaps that’s partly why I don’t recognize many of the names. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beasts-50-most-loathesome-people-of-2007/431171.md?page=3)