Tag Archives: Sarah Palin

Vintage Queen to Charlie Brown, there’s a tree type for you

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Are you a Charlie Brown? Vintage Queen? Traditional? The type of Christmas tree you choose this holiday season says a lot about you – your values, interests, personality, style.  Luckily, this handy Christmas tree style guide can help you figure out what your tree type is, and from there, well, the possibilites are endless.

A Traditionalist's Nightmare ...

A Traditionalist's Nightmare ...

The Traditionalist:
You look forward to getting a tree in like, July. You make plans to get a tree no later than the end of November. The decorations are on, the lights are strung and you’re happily sipping [insert traditional holiday drink that your mom used to make you as a kid here] by December 1st … 2nd, at the latest. Nothing but a live tree with ornaments passed down through the years and a stocking hung with glee will do for the traditionalist.

The perfectionist:
Ah yes, we all know them. We can see them (and their perfectly groomed trees) from a mile away. The ornaments will be color-coded, hung in perfect alignment with one another, and perfectly straight. The tree may be live … but that gets a little messy. To ensure consistency and, well, perfection, this tree type usually opts for the whole package deal – tree, ornaments and lights all purchased in one go from your friendly, generic holiday retailer.

The Rogue:
Your tree says a lot about you, but at the same time not really much at all … You spend a lot of dough beautifying your tree – because frankly, underneath all the dazzle ‘n glam, it doesn’t have much going for it. On a positive note, some say if you climb to the top of tree, you can almost see Russia …

The Tree Hugger:
Your tree, of course, has been ethically purchased. Maybe it was rented through Evergrow Christmas Trees or Carbonsync Christmas, to be returned to a habitat restoration group for replanting. Perhaps it was purchased with all proceeds going to a local charity, like Aunt Leah’s, with funds going to disadvantaged youth and families throughout the lower mainland. Perhaps you walked 10 km to the nearest tree lot … and back with a tree … so as not to spew toxic fumes into the environment. Whatever the case may be, you can be sure to find recycled-newspaper wrapped gifts under and fair-trade ornaments adorning the tree come Christmas day.

A Festivus for the rest of us!

A Festivus for the rest of us!

The ‘Borrower’ :
Armed with just a saw and a pair of Gumboots, this resourceful fellow/lady seems to be able to  acquire just about anything. ‘Borrowing’ your neighbor’s fourth generation pear tree as your Christmas tree? No problem! Pears make beautiful – and delicious – ornaments. Venturing into  Strathcona Provincial Park to secure your tree? Absolutely! There’s nothing Park Rangers like better than a festive chase through the wilderness on Christmas Eve.

The Philosopher:
The great thing about this type is that you don’t even need a tree. Anything can be the tree! Besides, the Philosopher is too busy asking themselves important questions about said Christmas tree, like what happens when this tree falls in a forest and nobody is there to hear it? Does it make a sound? And will the Borrower be there to swiftly collect it? 

The Festivus:
You don’t have a tree, you have an aluminum pole. And you really, really like Seinfeld episodes. You aren’t afraid to tell people how they’ve disappointed you over the past year, and you enjoy a delicious meal of paella over the holidays.

So there you have it. Do you fit in to a tree type above? Do you see yourself falling into a different category altogether? Or, are you one of those cynical souls who refuses to take part in the fun of Christmas-themed sterotyping? Share your thoughts, praises and gripes with us here at the Daily Gumboot.

The Plight of the Republican Party

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SP back in the house?

SP back in the house?

It can’t be easy being a Republican these days.

Not only did you soundly lose the last presidential election, but you control neither the house nor the senate. Odd feeling for a party that’s previously controlled the legislature for nearly 12 years.

Now, with the recent passing of health care reform, many of the pillars of the right (like  low taxes and many of the ubiquitous “family” oriented values) are increasingly coming under siege.

Often the feeling that your values and core principles are under attack can energize people. That’s where campaigns are born and what nurtures them into movements. And no movement is totally complete without a leader.

These days, American politics increasingly seem like a pitched battle between partisans of both sides. The Democrats have Obama at their helm.

But for Republicans, there is no such icon to rally around. One of the biggest problems is the difficulty of shoring up the party’s support on the one hand, and the general electorate’s support on the other. When the base of the party is composed of voters who hold  similar values, that’s not a problem. But when your base is unaligned with the general sentiment of the times, you end up with someone like Sarah Palin.

Not so big an elephant anymore.

Not so big an elephant anymore.

Palin doesn’t strike most observers as presidential smart (certainly not in the league of people like Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, or even George Bush Sr). She isn’t particularly charming either. But she does possess something many other more qualified candidates do not: name recognition and strong conservative values, which have both given her a growing power within the party’s grassroots.

Is she electable in a battle against the bright and shining hope? Not likely.

So who is? Let’s be honest – plenty of people. The problem is, many of the best candidates are continually being dragged to the right, forced to say radically conservative things and kowtow to the religious power-brokers of the party. This in spite of the fact that most Americans want more help from the government, not less, particularly in tough economic times like these. Afterall, when you lose your job (or are worried about losing your job) do you really want a government that says, “you’re on your own”?

And yet, many hardcore Republican activists refuse to recognize this vulnerability and ignore the fact that the farther right they drift, the farther they move from the average voters’ sentiment. As Globe and Mail writer Konrad Yakabuski writes:

No record of accomplishment is enough to compensate for a perceived failure to adhere to the most rigid conservative values. Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, might be considered a catch for any party. But Republican stalwarts have organized a campaign to thwart her bid to become the party’s Senate candidate in California in 2010.

Popular Florida Governor Charlie Crist has similarly become suspect in the eyes of the Republican base. It was bad enough that he initially supported Mr. Obama’s $787-billion (U.S.) stimulus package and has backed legislation to cap greenhouse-gas emissions. His worst faux pas, however, was hugging the Democratic President.

The photo of that embrace has become Exhibit A in the campaign to paint Mr. Crist as an ideological heretic and prevent him from winning the primary to become the Republican candidate for a Senate seat in next year’s midterm vote.

In the end, the inevitable forces of party politics are doing the Republicans a disservice. Disqualifying some of the best candidates before they even have a chance to run. Unless this is fixed soon, they’ll end up with Sarah Palin (or some right wing carbon copy come 2012. That’s not a winning proposition.