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Who Am I?

One of my bosses emailed the following to me this morning. It’s interesting enough I thought I’d share it — running the risk that others may have already posted it here, and I (embarrassingly, as an editor) missed it.

Who Am I?

I am under 45 years old,
I love the outdoors,
I hunt,
I am a Republican reformer,
I have taken on the Republican Party establishment,
I have many children,
I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor’s office.

Did you guess? Answer after the fold.

I am Teddy Roosevelt in 1900.

Now, while I admit to finding this an interesting exercise in contrasting the past and present, I do not believe Sarah Palin is comparable to Teddy Roosevelt. Nor is 1900 America directly relevant to 2008 America. That said, I also think this could be worthy of some discussion among TMV readers and contributors, and I (for one) would be interested in your various reactions.

  • jwest
    Bully!
  • GeorgeSorwell
    Bull!
  • groopaloop
    Interesting, but "I love the outdoors?" While Roosevelt loved ALL the outdoors, and valued wilderness (he oversaw the beginning of the National Parks system!), Sarah Palin is one of these newfangled evangelicals who see the outdoors as something to be exploited, something that exists for our entertainment. She doesn't recognize the same intrinsic value in wilderness, which is how she can be so adamant about aerial hunting of wolves and drilling in ANWR.

    And as for a reformer.......I don't have the time for that one, but let's just say it's quite a stretch.

    Of course, I'm sure you could make similar parallels (with similar mixed accuracy) between Obama and Kennedy or Lincoln, if you really tried, but things like these only serve to further obfuscate an election that apparently is already too complex for those unwilling or unable to dig deeper.
  • elrod
    Oy. Sarah Palin is no Teddy Roosevelt. Not by a longshot.

    Teddy Roosevelt was an intellectually curious man; Sarah Palin is a shallow demagogue.
  • Rudi
    http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/biotr.htm
    Theodore Roosevelt is mostly remembered as the twenty-sixth President of the United States, but this astonishingly multifaceted man was a great many other things as well.

    In addition to holding elective office as a New York State Assemblyman, Governor of New York, Vice President, and President, he was also a deputy sheriff in the Dakota Territory, Police Commissioner of New York City, U.S. Civil Service Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and Colonel of the Rough Riders *, all by the age of 42, at which time he became the youngest man ever to hold the office of President. (1) (2)

    He was one of the original members of the American Institute of Arts and Letters, and he was one of the first fifteen elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was a founder of the Boone and Crocket Club, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the Long Island Bird Club.
    He also established himself as a historian (he was President of the American Historical Association) and as a naturalist (he was considered the world's authority on large American mammals and he led two major scientific expeditions for prominent American Museums, one in South America and one in Africa, each lasting many months). Had he not become President, he would be remembered for his contributions in both of these fields.

    In between these busy enterprises, he found time to ranch in the West, hunt on several continents, raise a family of six rambunctious children, read a remarkable number of books (often one a day), write more than thirty-five himself, and develop an extraordinary network of friends and contacts, which he maintained mostly by mail, writing well over 150,000 letters.

    Palin has a "first dude" and was once a sportscaster, she ain't no stink Teddy Roosevelt...

    While I might enjoy having a beer with her while watching NFL on Sunday, this doesn't make her the "man of letters" like Teddy Roosevelt, more like Debra Norvil.
    http://www.koaa.com/decision_2008_news_stories/...
    Gov. Palin's speech included comments specifically for Coloradans, naming members of the Avalanche and Broncos who were originally from Alaska.
  • Gichin13
    Maybe you should have added:

    "I have thought and commented on issues of national importance"

    That would have told us it was not her.
  • 52novels
    And Kennedy's secretary's last name was Lincoln...
  • SteveK
    I could buy into the idea that Teddy Roosevelt and Sarah Palin have a lot in common EXCEPT, to quote Lewis Black, "I HAVE THOUGHTS!"
  • jwest
    Rudi,

    What is the picture on your profile?
  • pacatrue
    Yeah, as Rudi says, the following is true of TR, not so much of Gov. Palin:

    He was also a deputy sheriff in the Dakota Territory, Police Commissioner of New York City, U.S. Civil Service Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and Colonel of the Rough Riders *, all by the age of 42, at which time he became the youngest man ever to hold the office of President. (1) (2)
  • groopaloop
    jwest, I may be wrong, but it looks like a California condor to me.

    And c'mon, cut Palin a little slack. I mean, was Teddy Roosevelt the point guard of a state champion basketball team? I think not! And I bet he only went to one college, whereas Palin's insatiable curiosity led her to attend SIX different undergraduate institutions! Obviously he pales in comparison.
  • DLS
    J. P. Morgan was one guy who certainly was no fan of Teddy Roosevelt. There were others.

    The Palin-bashing is inexcuseable. Or is it just how some handle anxiety or panic?


    It's not November yet: [and PAY ATTENTION to September]

    http://people-press.org/report/451/palin-opinio...

    And:

    http://people-press.org/report/450/presidential...


    Far worse than whatever can be imagined or concocted about Palin is the nature not only of the e-mail hacker but all the little lefty losers defending such misconduct and frequently making dim-voter remarks typified by, for example, "“I guess we’ll have to blow up the Internet now?" What a P.O.S. at the low tail of the bell curve. [scowl]
  • kritt11
    UH Teddy was a progressive and a sportsman who would never have hunted down animals from helicopters.

    Here's another WHO AM I

    Charismatic, brilliant lawyer
    mother died at a young age
    vocal anti-war figure
    served in the Illinois State legislature
    had sudden rise out of obscurity to rapid popular acclaim
    was accused by opponents of having too little experience for the presidency
  • SteveK
    Abraham Lincoln.
  • SteveK
    double post... sorry
  • kritt11
    ---Steve-K ---Bingo!!

    Obama= Abe :)
  • pacatrue
    What all this shows (Palin = Roosevelt; Obama = Lincoln) that, if you choose just the right set of facts, you can suggest conclusions that aren't real. The key is all in selecting the appropriate facts.
  • kritt11
    Pacatrue-- My point exactly!
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