Sad fact: This woman’s vote counts
The only thing worse than a stupid person is a stupid person who thinks she’s smart. This woman, a crazy-eyed Virginia voter who is basing her vote on whoever “has the most faith in the Lord” (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg), has a smug, self-righteous look on her piggy face that makes me want to slap her.
[UPDATE: The video has been removed from YouTube. It was from a PBS segment, and you can watch it here. This woman comes on at about 8:30, but start at 6:10 to see her husband discuss his own views much more rationally.]
A transcript:
PBS: What’s the most important issue for you in this election?
TRACY KERLEE: The one that has the most faith in the Lord.
PBS: That’s make-or-break for you.
TRACY KERLEE: That should be make-and-break for everybody.
PBS: And when you hear people saying, “Well, we understand your faith, but what if you’re gonna vote against your husband’s interests as an American worker?”
TRACY KERLEE: The Lord will take care of us. That’s the way I look at things.
…
TRACY KERLEE: I can’t imagine having a president of the United States named “President Obama.” I really have a problem with that. And I am not the only one.
PBS: Because that means what to you?
TRACY KERLEE: His background. A mother that was a atheist. Oh! That really gets to me. A father that was a Muslim. That should get to EVERYONE.
PBS: And when Barack Obama and his wife Michelle say, “But we’re faith-based, we’re Christians”?
TRACY KERLEE: The church they were members of? That’s not the Christianity I know. That’s not the Christianity that’s in the Bible.
PBS: And so for you, you are firmly decided.
TRACY KERLEE: Definitely.
PBS: And what do you say to your husband, who is still on the fence?
TRACY KERLEE: I will pray for him. He knows what the right decision is.
October 21st, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I wish I was in the same state as her, so that I could say that my vote for Obama that I cast no more than 5 minutes ago would cancel hers out.
I’ll have to settle for canceling one of your Utah commenter’s votes instead.
Take that! You might as well not even vote now, commenter!
October 21st, 2008 at 2:23 pm
The interviewer does a really good job of controlling herself. Her follow-up questions are asked as if the woman had said something sane.
October 21st, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I want to say a lot of mean things about this person, but I’ll just go with I want to slap the crazy out of her.
October 21st, 2008 at 2:49 pm
she actually seemed kind of acting to me. maybe i just choose to believe that nobody would be that unwittingly brazen and not get knocked down a few pegs throughout life.
October 21st, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Matt, but if they do vote, they cancel you out. Not that I want you to be canceled out, I’m just saying. I still like your sentiment.
October 21st, 2008 at 2:52 pm
This is an extremely silly way to choose who you are voting for. Unfortunately, I suppose that means a great deal of the LDS population is very silly as well, as Mitt Romney was being supported by some specifically because of his faith (I suppose it didn’t hurt that he was running as a Republican as well). I’m not very passionate about any particular politics, but as a Mormon, I remember thinking that it would have been cool to have a fellow Mormon as president. I hope that if the opportunity had presented itself, however, that I would have been able to differentiate between my religious and political beliefs.
I agree that the worst thing about her is her smugness, though. “I will pray for him,” eww.
October 21st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
How did they interview my mother in law??
October 21st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Hopefully my last comment came off as insightful and interesting, rather than misguided and idiotic. I’m not feeling so well today.
October 21st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
CAPSLOCK MODE!!! I’M IN CAPSLOCK MODE RIGHT NOW!!!
October 21st, 2008 at 3:12 pm
I think the general consensus is we all get in a line and take turns slapping her. I’m reminded of that scene from Airplane.
October 21st, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Then you have people voting for candidates based on who offers the biggest handout. I guess that makes a little more sense than this lady, but still.
There are all sorts of people in this great country of ours who, in all honesty, shouldn’t be allowed to vote. People from both sides of the political spectrum. Let’s just invent a basic Voter Competency test and be done with it.
October 21st, 2008 at 3:22 pm
As horrifying as this woman’s comments are, I sometimes wonder if all our erudite discussions of foreign relations and taxation aren’t just a thin veneer pasted over our own equally ridiculous, deep-set belief systems. I think our gut reactions have tremendous influence over us, and we build up intelligent-sounding reasons in support of those reactions to the extent that we care about what others think of us.
Maybe that’s just me.
October 21st, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Conservitive Guy,
Sorry, but the Libs would never allow a Voter Competency test to come around. They have been fighting photo registration for voters for years. How would homeless dead felons vote 54 times if they had to prove competency?
October 21st, 2008 at 3:27 pm
That said, good heavens that woman is frightening. Who was it that said that the greatest argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter? Someone smart, that’s who.
October 21st, 2008 at 3:48 pm
whatever happened to studying the candidates and the issues and such?
October 21st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
“This is an extremely silly way to choose who you are voting for.” Of course, if you revile this type of voter, you also have to revile the voters in this Howard Stern “Man on the Street” interview in Harlem who are voting for Obama because he’s Pro-Life, supports leaving the troops in Iraq until the war is won, and think that Obama made the right choice with Sarah Palin as V.P. Surely their support is issues based, and definitely not race.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5p3OB6roAg (Caution: NSFW [It's Howard Stern. Duh!])
October 21st, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Wow, she’s really scary. Eee. Perfect for Halloween.
That said, Savvy Veteran, I don’t think the same LDS people who are all for Mitt Romney would -ever- vote for Harry Reid. I certainly wouldn’t. Sometimes I wonder if someone lied to me when they said he was LDS, but then I look it up and find out it’s true again. That man is questionable.
I still miss Romney. I think he would be able to fix this economic mess we’re in right now. *sigh*
October 21st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Are you sure this isn’t a spoof of some sort? I just can’t believe that someone would actually think like that and say things like that out loud. Blech.
October 21st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
You know, I am from Virginia, and I’m still on the fence about who to vote for. The thing is that I feel like I should vote since Virginia could go either way at this point and might end up a crucial state in this election. This lady almost makes me want to vote Obama just so I won’t be grouped with people like her.
October 21st, 2008 at 4:59 pm
At least she has a good point about the church the Obamas went to. That’s about all she has going for her, though.
October 21st, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I will now go vote for Obama. I was going to vote for McCain, but I want to piss this woman off.
October 21st, 2008 at 6:10 pm
You have to hand it to her, though. Being that annoying is a talent.
October 21st, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Are we sure that this wasn’t a strategy by some crazy 527 or 501(c) to plant a fake interview with a voter who was so irritatingly smug in her beliefs that she would drive undecided voters to vote for Obama just to stick it to her? Because I think it’s working.
October 21st, 2008 at 7:31 pm
I have no problem with voting for someone because he has Christian values, if he’s running against someone who doesn’t. But I do wonder how she can tell which candidate has the most faith in the Lord. Is there some kind of test? So what if Obama’s mother was an atheist? That has nothing to do with his faith, and that kind of comment really makes her look like an idiot.
I’m still a-votin’ for McCain, though. And Eric, if you tried, I’ll bet you could come up with a stupid Democrat video, too.
October 21st, 2008 at 7:53 pm
“I will pray for him. He knows what the right decision is.”
Yes: DIVORCE.
October 21st, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Momma: Yep. Bull Moose posted one. Don’t tell me you’re one of the people who are under the impression I was trying to cover all sides equally!
October 21st, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Whoa, that lady’s like a relative of mine. Except she’s not a Christian, she’s voting for the most pro-Israel candidate. Which is just as dumb.
Youtube and the internet… Why must they bring the most stupid out of the woodwork during political season?
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:12 am
Well, for that reason of faith, people voted for George W. Bush. What a winner he turned out to be. *sarcasm*
I am intrigued, Eric, at how incredibly LEFT your posts seem to be. Not like, “I like Obama for these reasons” as much as “LOOK AT HOW MUCH I HATE THE REPUBLICANS!”
Just sayin’…
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:58 am
It’s really not hard to find videos of crazy, scary Obama supporters considering a good number of his crazy and scary supporters are celebrities.
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:32 am
She has got to be the craziest lady in any of Obama’s 57 states
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:57 am
This woman makes me sad. But, seriously folks, don’t change your vote based on something as irrelevant to the issues as a video showing a retarded McCain supporter. There are some pretty stupid Obama supporters too. You can’t piss everyone off that deserves it.
I also agree with Cameron H. A lot of people make a decision with their (respective) guts and then use their minds to line up all the supporting reasons for it.
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:35 am
“I still miss Romney. I think he would be able to fix this economic mess we’re in right now. *sigh*”
Nothing Romney said in the primaries led me to believe he had any idea how to fix the economy. Many of the problems we face, after all, were created by the too-clever-by-half financial wizards who thought they had all the answers. Most of them were slaves to their ideologies or otherwise blind followers who ended up being caught by forces beyond their control or understanding.
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:39 am
I think we should all vote based on what kind of D and D character someone would make. I see McCain as a level 4 Orc Warrior. Obama would be a half elf mage with level ten charisma. ROLL FOR DAMAGE!!!
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:43 am
Call her crazy if you will, but the point is this is a free country and a democracy and people can vote based on any criteria they want. I’d much rather people like this vote than have to start an initiative saying that people of “too much” faith or too low IQ or of certain racial prejudices can’t. Perhaps you don’t agree with them but this is what a democracy is. If they say people like this can’t vote, well soon people who believe 9/11 was a setup or in the Zionist conspiracy won’t be able to either, and then everyone starts crying about how America has no freedom and opresses people. At least this person cares enough to vote, which cannot be said for most!
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:06 am
When I read your intro, I was prepared to disagree with your obvious liberal slant. After watching the video, I see your point. You definitely have a liberal slant but that woman is self-righteous.
However, I’m glad she gets to vote.
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:05 am
Nelson, I think you’re on to something. Screw the voter’s pamphlet, I’m busting out some D&D.
Oh by the way, Eric, I just want to point out how liberal you are. You LIBERAL.
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
You know, if Obama never went to church, people would complain about that too. I would be curious to know what church this woman does attend; what teachings come out of the studies (no gay marriage, Job walked with Dino’s, earth is only 5 thousand years old). She is allowed to vote, as our forefathers deemed it possible. I just wish she wouldn’t breed, can you imagine those kids? The GOP should have given her $150K for a shopping trip for new clothes
Also, is anyone else annoyed by that “liberal” and “conservative” label? I hate that some people say liberal like they have you on the bottom of their shoe and want to scrape you off most desperately.
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I liked Cameron H and jonnyf’s comments, too.
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Yeesh, that lady is super-crazy. Are those eyes even all the way attached? Of course, it doesn’t look like there’s anything in that piggy head of hers to be attached to. Momma Snider is right about how ridiculous her litmus test is. How would she know? Also, Cameron H is right on. Many of us pick candidate’s based on far simpler reasons than we lead ourselves to believe.
Also, I wasn’t clear. Did she have a problem with Obama and his proposed policies, or just with his name? It sounded like the latter. Wow–bigotry is just so unattractive. And don’t get confused by her hate for Obama. Her bigotry is the same bigotry that hounded Romney during the primaries. She’s the type that believes that anyone who doesn’t see the world in her own twisted and bigoted way is going to hell.
Then again, I would not heap so much praise on the reporter as some here do. As crazy as Miss Piggy is, the reporter clearly had her own agenda. Her first reaction to the crazy was pretty biased and presumptuous. “Well, we understand your faith, but what if you’re gonna vote against your husband’s interests as an American worker?” Really? The interests of the “American worker” can only be looked after by voting for Obama? According to whom? I guess I must have missed Econ class on the day they taught that protectionism, higher taxes, and redistribution of wealth was a good way to get an economy going again. She’s so over-the-top that she becomes more of a straw man than anything else. For every ultraconservative religious bigot there’s a Code Pink–ultraconservatives surely don’t have a monopoly on crazy.
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I dream of a day when the words “liberal,” “Democrat,” “conservative,” and “Republican” are merely descriptions, never to be employed as insults.
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Cameron H. Said: “As horrifying as this woman’s comments are, I sometimes wonder if all our erudite discussions of foreign relations and taxation aren’t just a thin veneer pasted over our own equally ridiculous, deep-set belief systems.”
Ding ding ding ding ding! You oughta get a gift certificate or something out of that. In a world of subjectivity and differing perspectives and experiences, the odds that we really believe what we “believe” are next to nil. The taller candidate with the best hair almost always wins more popular votes – am I expected to believe he/she always had the best politics?
“I dream of a day when the words “liberal,” “Democrat,” “conservative,” and “Republican” are merely descriptions, never to be employed as insults.”
David, good luck. The continued existence of Democrats and Republicans hinges on the idiotic high school rivalry we’ve got going in our nation’s politics and throughout our citizenry. I also like the idea that a liberal can be attacked for having a “liberal bent”, but that being a militaristic, American exceptionalist pighead is unbiased behavior to be celebrated.
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:58 pm
If anybody needs to see crazy folks for Obama, just look up William Ayers or Reverend Jeremiah Wright. The difference is Obama chose these men as his mentors and advisers. If McCain chose this lady as his mentor and came to listen to her preach for 20 years, then I might think something is up with voting for McCain. Strange, liberals don’t apply the same logic to Obama.
To come clean, I’m not voting. I hate both McCain and Obama. I just think the double standard is funny: look, crazy people like McCain. Obama chose, was mentored by, and followed crazy people for years and years. Obviously, we should vote for Obama. McCain doesn’t have enough crazy, I guess.
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
“Nothing Romney said in the primaries led me to believe he had any idea how to fix the economy. Many of the problems we face, after all, were created by the too-clever-by-half financial wizards who thought they had all the answers. Most of them were slaves to their ideologies or otherwise blind followers who ended up being caught by forces beyond their control or understanding.”
@ Bill: I’m not sure how Romney would have turned out if he’d gotten the nomination, but based on the good things he did with health care and the economy in Mass., he has a pretty good record for getting things fixed. If anyone could have fixed the financial mess this country is in (and while Bush was in charge, yes, let’s not forget that it was the Democrats pushing the high-risk mortgages – there’s blame for everyone as far as I’m concerned), I think there’s a good chance Romney could maybe have done it. But we’ll never know now. I just hope whomever is elected doesn’t make things TOO much worse…
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:14 pm
PS – Wow, she’s horrible. What happened to “Love thy neighbor”? Or do people with Muslim/Atheist parents not count as neighbors? I must have missed the part in the scriptures where Jesus said “Love everyone EXCEPT people who are foreign, or have different points of view, or different beliefs, or funny names, or who look at you like you’re crazy…” I’ll have to re-read the New Testament, I guess.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:35 am
The worst part of that video is the way that she is obviously disgusted just by the name. In her mind, all you have to do is say the words “President Obama” to know that he is bad news.
I wish I could round up all the people who are genuinely frightened by Obama’s “otherness,” get them to articulate exactly what they are afraid will happen if Obama is elected president, write it all down, and then read it back to them in four years, just for the laughs.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Man, that’s some tasty crazy right there. Lady, if you want to help, hush up and vote.
Almost as crazy as what comes out of Joe Biden’s mouth these days. The man’s an overclocked Gaffebot, and he makes Sarah Palin look presidential.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I kind of want to watch her say “homosexual” just to see if it causes her to vomit violently.
October 26th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
The greatest argument against democracy is a 5 minute conversation with the average voter.
November 5th, 2008 at 5:08 am
Well, I wonder if she has spontaneously combusted yet? That is something I would like to see.