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Good time, much better than that of some other "accomplished runner", http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/09/paul-ryan-superman http://www.motherjones.co

Good time, much better than that of some other "accomplished runner", http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/09/paul-ryan-superman http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/09/paul-ryan-supe...

philwelch 14y ago
Please don't post comments like this. It doesn't really add anything to the discussion, and for that matter it doesn't really add anything to any discussion. I'm a fan of making fun of politicians, too, but you don't accomplish anything or convince anyone by doing so.
- DiabloD3 14y ago
  Actually, it makes me wonder. How many politicians have pulled similar tricks to get elected/stay elected? Its sometimes hard to fact check these people, and the media repeatedly gets called on the carpet for not fact checking either. Politicians are often called professional liars, so the line to Kip Litton isn't hard to draw, even if isn't always warranted. HN is largely anti-politics, but I think in this case there has been enough politicians who have been caught telling the "big lie" that it is worth bringing it up for discussion on this.
  - philwelch 14y ago
    I have to admit, it's kind of amusing seeing the lengths people will go to on HN to rationalize a patently off-topic comment or submission as being on-topic.
- nashequilibrium 14y ago
  I am not American so I have no U.S. Political bias, but the comment is on point about someone not being truthful regarding their achievements. If this was not a politician you would have not complained. Its seems like you are more concerned about this being about a politician than someone not being truthful.
  - philwelch 14y ago
    The OP was about a guy who cheats at marathons. The comment was about a verbal gaffe by a recently nominated and controversial Vice-Presidential candidate. I'm not sure about your countrymen, but Americans have an annoying way of derailing every conversation and forum into petty, non-sequitur, assume-bad-faith attacks on politicians of the opposing party in a way that really adds nothing to the discourse. It's not that the comment wouldn't have bothered me if it hadn't been about a politician; it's that the comment wouldn't have even been made if it wasn't about a politician. There's this obsession with proving that politicians of the opposing party are terrible human beings in every possible way (so that we may feel righteous in our cause) instead of actually discussing things that matter. The end result is a sequence of catty remarks that only convince people who already agree with you, which stops any productive dialogue before it starts. It's the single most destructive thing about the American political culture. HN is one of my few remaining refuges from that bullshit. If everyone else is suddenly fine with it, maybe it is time for me to leave.
    - rprasad 14y ago
      Claiming to run a sub-3 hour marathon was not a verbal gaffe; it was a deliberate statement intended to fortify his image as an athletic over-achiever. The candidate claimed it was a "verbal gaffe" only after being confronted with its falsity.
      - philwelch 14y ago
        Maybe that's true. I don't really care; it's beside the point.
        rprasad 14y ago
        The point was that it was cited as an example of similar fraudulent claims of athletic prowress, which is directly relevant to the linked article. Whether the article itself is pertinent to HN is beside the point; emmi_guy's comment was pertinent to the discussion of the article.

Good time, much better than that of some other "accomplished runner", http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/09/paul-ryan-superman http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/09/paul-ryan-supe...

philwelch 14y ago

Please don't post comments like this. It doesn't really add anything to the discussion, and for that matter it doesn't really add anything to any discussion. I'm a fan of making fun of politicians, too, but you don't accomplish anything or convince anyone by doing so.

DiabloD3 14y ago
Actually, it makes me wonder. How many politicians have pulled similar tricks to get elected/stay elected? Its sometimes hard to fact check these people, and the media repeatedly gets called on the carpet for not fact checking either. Politicians are often called professional liars, so the line to Kip Litton isn't hard to draw, even if isn't always warranted. HN is largely anti-politics, but I think in this case there has been enough politicians who have been caught telling the "big lie" that it is worth bringing it up for discussion on this.
- philwelch 14y ago
  I have to admit, it's kind of amusing seeing the lengths people will go to on HN to rationalize a patently off-topic comment or submission as being on-topic.
nashequilibrium 14y ago
I am not American so I have no U.S. Political bias, but the comment is on point about someone not being truthful regarding their achievements. If this was not a politician you would have not complained. Its seems like you are more concerned about this being about a politician than someone not being truthful.
- philwelch 14y ago
  The OP was about a guy who cheats at marathons. The comment was about a verbal gaffe by a recently nominated and controversial Vice-Presidential candidate. I'm not sure about your countrymen, but Americans have an annoying way of derailing every conversation and forum into petty, non-sequitur, assume-bad-faith attacks on politicians of the opposing party in a way that really adds nothing to the discourse. It's not that the comment wouldn't have bothered me if it hadn't been about a politician; it's that the comment wouldn't have even been made if it wasn't about a politician. There's this obsession with proving that politicians of the opposing party are terrible human beings in every possible way (so that we may feel righteous in our cause) instead of actually discussing things that matter. The end result is a sequence of catty remarks that only convince people who already agree with you, which stops any productive dialogue before it starts. It's the single most destructive thing about the American political culture. HN is one of my few remaining refuges from that bullshit. If everyone else is suddenly fine with it, maybe it is time for me to leave.
  - rprasad 14y ago
    Claiming to run a sub-3 hour marathon was not a verbal gaffe; it was a deliberate statement intended to fortify his image as an athletic over-achiever. The candidate claimed it was a "verbal gaffe" only after being confronted with its falsity.
    - philwelch 14y ago
      Maybe that's true. I don't really care; it's beside the point.
      - rprasad 14y ago
        The point was that it was cited as an example of similar fraudulent claims of athletic prowress, which is directly relevant to the linked article. Whether the article itself is pertinent to HN is beside the point; emmi_guy's comment was pertinent to the discussion of the article.