The New Gaffe

November 28, 2011

How the Republican presidential candidates are benefiting from their “gaffes”: They’re not unforgivable, just
imprudent. 

By Christopher Hitchens

“OK, that’s it,” said my guest a few nights ago. “That’s what?” “The Perry campaign: It’s officially over. Look, I’ve found the moment.” Together, in mild stupefaction, we watched as a fellow-creature, accoutred with gorgeous mammalian hair that is fully the equivalent of Mitt Romney’s, and fashioned in the very image of god, failed repeatedly to remember the names of the federal agencies that he had sworn to put out of their misery.
Read more (Slate)

9 comments:

bigjohn756 said...

I love this: "...Sliding down a snake or two..."

Tyler said...

Hitch is spot on when he points out Cain's gross incompetence at handling the sexual harassment allegations.

Eduardo said...

Actually I find all the republican candidate to be incompetent and its just how incompetent the voters are that will determine which one gets picked.

Anonymous said...

There is a certain belles lettre quality to some of Hitchens' writings on politics; and this is one of them.

Of all the things to discuss, he just seems to find the banal and 4th rate worth ruminating over. It's shocking cuz he is so brilliant when he is brilliant; I'm surprised he's even capable of such nonsense.

Maybe it's cuz his target is so vapid that his treatment of it must be too; but then his epistles from the trenches of church-warfare wouldn't be so weighty; so I guess he's just-- at times-- not as grand a thinker/writer as we have come to expect. Shit, even Michael Jordan had off days...

Anonymous said...

I think Herman Cain is the worst liar I have ever seen. His flat denials are hilarious to hear. "No...NO! I did not have a 14 year affair. NO!" It's like a little kid getting caught stealing candy from a run down bodega; you can immediately tell that he is lying.

Anonymous said...

Herman Cain is a choir boy compared to Bubba Clinton and his dragon lady wife. He's never raped anybody.

And as for gaffes, no GOP candidate has claimed to have visited 57 states yet, so guess they're not as bad as Obama--who couldn't order a hamburger without that teleprompter.

Brendan James said...

"57 states" line, which went stale four years ago. Teleprompter line, as if no other politicians use them, also stale.

Brilliant. No need to discuss the latest Slate piece when you can show up and post bitter, humorless, and irrelevant comments because you've got nothing better to offer.

Anonymous said...

OK, let's discuss the article. Will Obama bring up Freddie Mac if Newt wins the nomination? Nope.

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html

As for Obama gaffes, try this-

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/09/obama-gaffe-jobs-act-speech-brent-spence-bridge-ohio.html

Granted, this piece was about the Republican field, but why not mention the donkey in the living room?

Anonymous said...

I don't think even Perry is this bad.

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/barackobama/a/obama-isms.htm

 
 
 

Christopher reads from Hitch-22: A Memoir