Even if the woman could speak English, she’d still seem and be a moron. I have to hand it to her, however, she found a good place for herself at FOX.

I actually tuned in and watched a little just to see her speak and I laughed out loud at her pitiful answers. I almost felt embarrassed for her.

The conservative philosopher, Roger Scruton, wrote in A Dictionary of Political Thought that:
Mandation is the relation between an office-holder and an electorate, by virtue of the promises of the former to the latter, under which he is obliged to fulfil those promises.

10 Steps to Mandation –

Healthcare for the Uninsured: Is Mandation the Answer?

Often innovations are introduced into schools through mandation.

Costs too high for wider mandation of ABS.

Perhaps Palin is just better read…

Undoubtedly, Sara N. Italy. Well, I am sure you welcome the arrival of the Idiocracy.

“Well, I am sure you welcome the arrival of the Idiocracy.” – I don’t, that’s why I wish people like you would become better informed.

she was being attacked for using a word that doesn’t exist. The word exists. Look, you learned something today!

A word exists because someone writes down a mishmash of letters and says it means something? My what a woeful ignorance of language formation you show. Linguistics is not a pasta dish, dear. That would be linguini or linguine depending what side of the pond one is on. In some sense, it doesn’t matter. Palin seems to be a novelty whose luster is fading fast, and she no longer is a viable threat to our democracy. I understand that you are in a state of slavish adoration of her. Well, I don’t understand. I accept. I just hate to see someone who is otherwise informed, articulate and intelligent rush to the defense of mediocrity. You know very well Palin never read the book, never saw the term and just pulled it out of her Aqua Net laden hair. You also know such a term never exists. If you had some need to attack me for this Palin goofiness, simply say I am being picayune. Your statement would have some merit. Your defense has none.

Dude, if you ever travel outside of the US, you will learn that there are all kinds of words that exist in other countries, that are not typical in America.

You just keep revealing your own ignorance, in an attempt to attack Palin.

nice find Sara – I have updated accordingly.

Thanks, Colby. :O)

I just read your update, and I don’t think you were entirely correct. I included several examples from the UK and Australia and also from Roger Scruton, an English philosopher, writer, and composer.

Well – I think we’ll have to agree to disagree. I’m not claiming that its not a word, I’m only claiming that there is little evidence that its generally accepted, particularly in her usage. BTW, there is an entry for mandation in the Oxford English Dictionary, but its definition is “the action of committing a sermon to memory.”

Senator O’Biden.

Palin lucked out. Kwyjibo.

Dearest Sarah N. Italy, last year I made 11 business trips and 1 vacation to Continental Europe, 2 business trips to the UK, 2 business trips to the Middle East, 1 business trip and 1 vacation to southern African and 1 business trip to north Africa. Save your sanctimony. It suits you need at all well.

By the way, I am glad you worship and adore Palin. She needs support in her free fall.

The Real Royal King says:
January 28, 2010 at 10:00 am

Dearest royal,
Good for you! Unfortunately, in your travels, you failed to expand your intellect. Did you ever actually leave the Holiday Inn? (I used to travel on business, too.) Perhaps it is you who should cut down on the sanctimony. I pointed out an error, and you continue to insult. This is not about worship and adoration of Palin, this is about fact. You have written paragraph after paragraph, ignoring my facts, and you just continue to insult and deflect.

I’m sorry you have an irrational hatred of Palin but at least you worship and adore Obama. Good for you! Lord knows he needs your support in his free fall.

Sincerely,
Sara in Italy

(not: Sarah N. Italy)

I don’t think there could be a more perfect fit than Fox “News” and Sarah Palin. A match made in heaven.

@sarainitaly – Excellent catch!

@Royal King – Congratulations! You have managed to take a simple correction on the existence of a word and turn it into the now traditional flaming spitballs of hate. I am most assuredly not a fan of Palin’s, but I don’t leap down the throat of anyone that fails to shred her. As to your “mismash of letters” comment – yes, that actually is how a word comes into existence. Please note that “idiocracy,” on the other hand is not a word.

I am also not an automatic fan of Obama’s. Every issue, policy and decision gets an objective look. Examples – I am not at all happy with the current health insurance reform bill in either house. I am however in agreement with Obama on the Supreme Court decision. Every issue and every person deserves an objective, honest look. Sadly, that is almost lost in this ever-increasingly partisan atmosphere where even the simplest of matters becomes a topic for raging debate.

This entire thread is what is wrong in American governance today. It is all about anger, hate and the need to denigrate the other side. People treat it like a football game, racking up insults as points on a scoreboard. Well, it is not a game, it is governance. Yet, those in power and those on either side regard it as a game to be played out with zero regard for the people that are the governed. All that matters is the score at the end of the day. The way it is now, no matter who wins what, the people lose.

Both sides do this endlessly. Always tit-for-tat. Republicans are required to despise all things coming out of the White House and Democrats are required to respond in kind with even nastier remarks. That is one of the prime reasons I switched to No Party Affiliation. I have no desire to be counted by either pack of squalling brats.

To close, ask yourself this – which was worse last night? Palin’s poor word choices or Matthew’s endless race references? The blind attacks from the right or the blind agreement from the left?

Keeva says:
January 28, 2010 at 10:54 am

Well said, Keeva. Thank you.

sarainitly I betcha she spent two days reading and studying the dictionary to come up with that word. Well at least she has started to read!

The problem is, Sara N. Italy, you are not correct. If you were, I would admit it at once. “Mandation,” as used by the unfortunate Ms. Palin, is not a recognized English word. It doesn’t even rise to the level of slang. You haven’t presented any evidence of the existence of the word. I realize you think anything in print, on the internet, broadcast or delivered by cable or satellite is Gospel, but, dear, it just isn’t so.

By the way, or as some might write “BTW”, I have not stayed in a Holiday Inn for years and years. I tend toward gathauses, pensiones and Beds and Breakfasts. As a lover of language and an accomplished polyglot, I don’t have to limit myself to American facilities. Of course, I probably should say “Americanized” as Holiday Inn is actually a UK concern.

And, I do not worship and adore President Obama. I have many serious disputes with him and his lurch to the right.

I certainly do understand why you worship and adore Palin, however. You are much brighter than she. I am sure it feels good to a certain mindset.

sorry, bub, you are wrong. You do realize they speak *English* in the UK and Australia, don’t you?

Perhaps it is not in your American english phrase book, but it IS a recognized English word.

This endless *who worships who* argument is ridiculous and childish. (which I tried to demonstrate to you by repeating them.) If you would stop with your silly, childish belief that any time any one says something it is because they love them you might be taken a little more seriously.

You have an enormous desire to present yourself as an highly educated, well travelled intellect, but every time you *open your mouth, so to speak, you come across as a juvenile six year old. You think very highly of yourself, congrats! Good for you! But until you pull your head out of the sand, and grab a seat at the big table, these discussions are futile.

Meow!

I like the distinction between Mandation being a word while not actually being a word at the bottom of the article. Nice. And I like how people are fighting about it. Classy.

Speaking of Meow, last night I felt miserable. Terrible allergies. Terrible weather. Deserted by my wife so that she can attend a Holocaust lecture series. So, I got home, made a surprisingly good apple butter and peanut butter sandwich, opened a bag of Cheetos and a passable California Pinto Noir, flicked on the Anti-Communist Propaganda movie festival on AMC. Although my cat, Pythagoras, ate most of the Cheetos, it was most enjoyable. Then, after all the media mumblings and meanderings ended, I watch the State of the Union Address is peace. All very, very nice.

It’s nice that many have chosen to defend this moron, even giving us the etymology of the word mandation but, like her previous use of the word “uncomfortableness” instead of discomfort, it speaks to a lack of commitment on her part to actually learn instead of memorizing. This was made clear when McCain’s people tried to teach her things and she simply memorized a few key words and rambled around them. So when she went off script with Couric you got to see her in action and it wasn’t pretty. Hannity would never do what Couric did which is why Palin will never have the guts to face Katie ever again. “Fear of the Perky One”. That’s who you’re defending when you try to pretend she isn’t a lightweight. After her resignation speech, which she clearly did write, there was no doubt left for anyone honest enough to admit what they saw.

Really, I have had enough of this stupid, vapid lady… GET OFF THE STAGE,SARAH!

I really have enjoyed watching the efforts to turn Couric into some sort of villain for asking a rather simple, non-judgmental question, then persisting in getting an answer. Palin has retreated into metaphorical bunker from which she may not often emerge. FOX is a safe house for her.

Speaking of emerging, I see the crazed Bachmann pulled out the Tea Party convention now. Will Sarah follow? Only on FOX.

DEO says:
January 28, 2010 at 1:09 pm

Really, I have had enough of this stupid, vapid lady… GET OFF THE STAGE,SARAH!

—

Which Sarah? Palin, or Sara(h) N. Italy?

Perhaps it is not in your American english phrase book, but it IS a recognized English word.
_________________
It was the usual Palin word massacre…it happend to be a word down at the footnotes, an accident. Like Palin, an accident. She didn’t KNOW or CARE, on way or the other. She’s never been accused of being a WORDSMITH!
It certainly is not RECOGNIZED, as in THE MOST USED. It is marginally acceptable, again just like Palin herself.

The Real Royal King says:
January 28, 2010 at 1:12 pm

RRK –
I have tried to play nice with you, and joke with you, and have tried civil debate with you. It is useless.
F.O., seriously.
I am sick and f*cking tired of your rude a** insults.
you just continue to wallow in your own hatred.

roxsteady says:
January 28, 2010 at 12:47 pm

Perhaps you should be reported to the secret service, considering you have stated that all stupid people should be *shot in the back of the head*…

ugh…i need a shower now.

Sara(h) N. Italy: Palin doesn’t have Secret Service protection. There is nothing in her resumé nor her current circumstances, failed parent, failed vice-presidential candidate, failed governor, FOX babble queen which would entitle her to Secret Service protection.

You certainly have a vulgar vocabulary. I suppose some men are turned on by that. Not me.

you’re right, after i typed that i realized my error, that as a candidate she no longer has that protection. that said, perhaps the FBI should be warned.

i had no intention of *turning you on*. gross.
and, i don’t speak to *men* in that manner.

This thread was really funny.

The folks on the left (as I’ve said before) wanted to say Palin was/is “stupid,” so they find a reason, and do it. The word they attack her for turns out to be a real word… but instead of saying, “Oops, I guess I was wrong,” they keep on attacking for the SAME reason over and over again. So yes, she used a real word… but they doubt that she meant to use it, and that’s enough to attack, name call, and insult over and over again.

You see… it’s not the word she used… it’s that she said something at all. They knew what they were going to post BEFORE they read the story… the facts are irrelevant, they went into this hating Palin, they’re going to exit it hating Palin.

And then they wonder why people don’t take them seriously.

Ahh, the GOP brainwork!!

POTUS Cites Wrong Founding Document

One would hope the President of the United States would know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But in last night’s State of the Union Address, President Obama said:

We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal….

Um, wrong founding document, Mr. President. It is in our Declaration of Independence that we read:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

As a Facebook friend of mine quipped, “So, does he blame the speechwriter or Bush?”
http://www.modernconservative.com/metablog_single.php?p=4268

It’s so funny, just taking a tour around the blogosphere, checking out all those liberal sites that just LOVE to bash Palin and call her a stupid idiot, none of them seemed to have noticed Obama’s error. Kos kids even saying they analyzed his speech, line by line, and yelled Eureka when he said that passage – because Obama was taking them to Ithaca or something.

sarainitaly says:
January 28, 2010 at 10:37 pm
POTUS Cites Wrong Founding Document

===============================

Either you are being disingenuous or just plain stupid … !

The President’s WHOLE quote was:

” We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we’re all created equal; that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it; if you adhere to our common values you should be treated no different than anyone else. ”

There is no citation of the Declaration UNLESS you concede that the whole quotation is also meant to be from the Declaration …

IF you are good with analysis you can deduce that the Constitution REALLY affords Americans ( and everybody living in America ) who abides by the LAW, equal protection and treatment …

THAT is the context he was encapsulating the Constitution in …

Not a single phrase which when NOT taken according to the context of the whole quote does NOT even seem to make sense with regards to what he was saying in the speech …

I was unfamiliar with the word “mandation” but quickly found hundreds if not thousands uses in official and semi-official documents online. So it is a real word and it appears that Ms Palin used it correctly.

On the other hand, President Obama made a number of errors regarding constitutional law and legal history, especially his claim that the recent Supreme Court decision overturned more than a century of jurisprudence; actually it overturned a law passed in 2002, which the SC originally decided was okay in 2003. So they overturned nearly 7 years of legal history.

He was also wrong about the decision allowing corporations and especially foreign corporations to contribute to candidates for federal office. That was just totally incorrect.

So what is worse? Using an unusual word correctly, or making deliberately false statements in a SOTU address?

mandation: “another form of involuntary servitude”
1 : a condition in which one lacks liberty especially to determine one’s course of action or way of life
2 : a right by which something (as a piece of land) owned by one person is
subject to a specified use or enjoyment by another”
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_mandation

What Palin scares me the most is not her lacking of experience, but rather her extreme ignorance that drives her to do anything, no matter right or wrong, simply just to fulfill her own purpose.
villas bali

Kim Sung says:
January 28, 2010 at 11:45 pm

As typical – lead with an insult.

Per Ed at Hot Air:

Yesterday’s big takeaway from Barack Obama’s State of the Union was having a Constitutional law professor scold the Supreme Court for a recent decision — and getting the particulars wrong on national television. Could it possibly get worse than that? HA reader Marvin K and Patriot Post notice that the Con-Law prof seems a little confused about what’s actually in the Constitution:

We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it; that if you adhere to our common values you should be treated no different than anyone else.

Is “the notion that we are all created equal” actually enshrined in our Constitution? Er, no. The closest one can get is the 14th Amendment, which guarantees that people cannot be denied “equal protection of the laws.” There is only one use of any form of the word create, in Article I Section 6, barring former members of Congress from receiving emoluments from offices created or pay increased while serving as a member. The “notion”, actually a principle, that we are all created equal is found in the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Even apart from that, Obama gets the idea of equal protection wrong. Quite clearly, equal protection must apply regardless of whether one complies with the law. Constitutional protections are not granted only “if you abide by the law”; they’re inherent and not conditional. Some specifically protect Americans from the power of government after being accused of not abiding by the law. The notion that they only apply if one adheres to our “common values” is a complete misreading of the Constitution and its purpose of limiting government, not the people.

Colby Hall was correct, at least partially; here is the word “mandation” – which, after all, is what this thread is supposedly about – as defined by one of the leading authorities on the English language and usage:

MANDATION
Sc. Obs. rare.

The action of committing a speech, etc., to memory.

1867 J. MACFARLANE Mem. T. Archer i. 15 Some of the most acceptable ministers of the Gospel have been known to regard ‘mandation’ as a process of slow murder.

Now that we’ve established that the word, obscure and antiquated as it is, is a genuine word, let’s substitute the only genuine definition we have into Palin’s statement:

“Yeah, bingo, exactly that. Ever since about August, uh, more and more Americans have payed more ATTENTION to what is in this health care bill, and more Americans are becoming more and more concerned about what we see in there. So it hasn’t been a matter of HE not being able to explain his policy with government takeover and the action of committing a speech to memory of health care, but Americans understanding what’s in there, not liking it, and sending him that message via the three recent Republican sweeps in Virginia. . . ”

Yes, we know what she meant to say; nevertheless, she used an obscure word incorrectly.

I should have noted that the source is the Oxford Unabridged Dictionary.

The likelihood that Sarah Palin used the Oxford English Dictionary before going live on Fox News to check if “mandation” existed, is unlikely. She said a word, which we do not use in the States, so it is fair to say it was made up on the spot. It happens. She flubbed. End of story.

Agreed. If J Baustian’s claim that the word is used in “hundreds if not thousands [of] uses in official and semi-official documents online” is true (no evidence provided), then they are more than likely using the word incorrectly as well. I’ve googled the word myself, and nearly every reference in the first 100 results refers to the present “controversy.”

Perhaps it is a sign of chutzpah (real word, by the way :) ) on her part to have coined a word on the spot that most people can sort of figure out the intended meaning of fairly clearly; on the other hand, it’s a bit reckless as well, something one would not expect from one with such a wealth of executive experience.

Or maybe she just doesn’t know what she’s doing.

Grigori says:
January 29, 2010 at 4:09 pm

There is ample evidence posted above… just because Google is sorting by date, doesn’t mean it’s not a real word. Try a dictionary… or scrolling up. Yeesh… the level of dishonesty needed to attack Palin says a lot about how effective she really is.

Hey, INB: if you check my first post – which would require, um, “scrolling up” – I DID consult a dictionary. The Oxford Unabridged English Dictionary is available at many university libraries and online with an account (hope that isn’t too “elitisit” for you). I posted the entirety of the entry for “mandation”, and did so without any attacks on Palin, at least in my original post; would that you had used the same sort of courtesy.

Jeesh, the reality distortion field you Palin worshipers build up around yourselves says a lot about your lack of education and inherent feelings of inferiority.

And, really: effective at WHAT, exactly? Besides making a name for herself.

Besides which, her statement was BS. Let’s parse it out, shall we?

“Yeah, bingo, exactly that.” This was her response to Sean Hannity, indicating that she’s walking in lockstep with the conservative propaganda line. Additionally, it was his cue to her to agree with and reiterate everything he had just said himself; she added nothing of substance to his original claim.

“Ever since about August, uh, more and more Americans have payed more ATTENTION to what is in this health care bill. . . ” Nonsense. Though I have no hard data on this, I’m certain that far less than 1% of the conservatives opposing the health bills have bothered to read them. I’ve downloaded and read about 200 pages so far. . . and, so far, so good; certainly nothing like Palin et al are railing against.

Like to do so yourself? Here ya’ go: http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf

The rest pretty much follows on what she’d already agreed with:

“. . . and more Americans are becoming more and more concerned about what we see in there.” Again, balderdash. They haven’t SEEN anything because they haven’t read it (and, for the record, many members of Congress of both parties have read it, so don’t play that card, OK?) So, what HAVE they seen? Well, they’ve seen the like of Hannity, Coulter, O’Reilly, Malkin, Savage, the conservative blogosphere, et al telling them what’s wrong with it instead of finding out for themselves. That is the definition of towing the party line. Understandable, of course: reading is HARD. Oh, and Sarah hasn’t read it either; it’s sitting on top of that pile of newspapers she doesn’t read either (darn leftist media elites!)

“So it hasn’t been a matter of HE not being able to explain his policy with government takeover and mandation [sic] of health care, but Americans understanding what’s in there, not liking it, and sending him that message via the three recent Republican sweeps in Virginia. . . ”

But why be concerned? Meaningful health care reform in this country is dead, as is American world primacy. Instead of taking the progressive stance of looking ahead to the future, America has been gripped by fear of the present by way of the conservative propaganda. America became great through progressive movements – abolition of slavery, women suffrage, civil rights for ALL, the space race, the rise of tech and Silicon Valley – yet is being made impotent by the brand of conservatism espoused by the likes of Palin. You’ll probably get her as your president in 2012, and whatever America was will be dead.

One final observation I hadn’t noticed until now: when I type “mandation” in this comment box it indicates it NOT a word. . . funny. Hysterical, actually.

I just pissed myself laughing at Sarahinitaly’s defense of Palin.