Comments on Blogslot: Ms. Palin, Meet Mr. Drysdale. And Jethro.

The NY times used "good old boy politics" on the f...

2008-09-15T10:28:00.000-04:00

The NY times used "good old boy politics" on the front page yesterday.

Sigh.

This reminds me of the talk of "drive-by deliverie...

2008-09-04T11:51:00.000-04:00

This reminds me of the talk of "drive-by deliveries" years ago (new mothers being rushed out of the hospital, not gangs of obstetricians cruising past street corners). I would have said "drive-through deliveries."

Not so, Kristen. The good ol' boy network is alive...

2008-09-03T04:35:00.000-04:00

Not so, Kristen. The good ol' boy network is alive and well in the Pacific Northwest, where it runs the semirural and rural counties. Members will point out that the land they own (and they always own land and lots of it) has been in their family for generations (how many probably depends on when white settlement reached the area). In my neck of the woods, it was farmers and timber owners, mainly. When the good old boys ran into conflict with newcomers, the county commissioners would ignore laws if they could, and change laws when necessary, to benefit their fellows. Thus, the network of good old boys. They aren't drinking bourbon in their parlors; they're out fishing behind the dam and drinking beer.

You’ve posted one item on Obama’s “enormity,” yet ...

2008-09-02T21:38:00.000-04:00

You’ve posted one item on Obama’s “enormity,” yet a handful on Palin’s “good ol' boy network,” along with name-calling such as “Typhoid Mary” and references to the Beverly Hillbillies. Fair enough for journalists and their editors, I reckon. Keep up the honest work.

In Alaska, there's a saying that comments on the r...

2008-09-02T18:11:00.000-04:00

In Alaska, there's a saying that comments on the ratio of men to women: "The odds are good, but the goods are odd."
So is it the odd-good-ol'-boy network?

Yes, the widespread confusion of two opposite term...

2008-09-02T17:25:00.000-04:00

Yes, the widespread confusion of two opposite terms was implanted in Americans' brains by aliens who don't like Republicans, and I fell for it. (The anti-Democratic aliens got me several weeks ago with Obama and "enormity," and so I am also operating under the dictates of the Fairness Doctrine.)

Sure, it could be a clever turn of phrase if used ...

2008-09-02T12:37:00.000-04:00

Sure, it could be a clever turn of phrase if used knowingly -- sort of like saying "butt naked" instead of "buck naked." But it's almost always an example of somebody completely misunderstanding the term. (While an old-boy network could be made up of good ol' boys in certain regions, there are good ol' boys and there are good ol' boys. In other words, even if the power structure is made up entirely of hicks, not all hicks get to be part of the power structure.)

Jethro was a good ol' boy, it's true. But Jesse He...

2008-09-02T11:21:00.000-04:00

Jethro was a good ol' boy, it's true. But Jesse Helms was part of the "good ol' boy network." I think the phrase is an apt hybrid.

Of course, it really only applies to Southern politicking, so in a national context, it is probably misplaced.