An allegory from Larry Kudlow about politics and ballooning.
A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost.She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The sailor consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude."
She rolled her eyes and yelled down, "You must be a Republican."
"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've been no help to me."
The man smiled and responded, "Then you must be a Democrat."
"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."
The boat has a few holes in it and is sinking.
Wow, I did not see that comment coming from Mark...
.. and I didn't see that reply coming from the Pirate.
and I did not see that comment coming from Mark...
... nor did I see that reply coming from DeoDuce.
This part of it is funny, though: "You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air."
.. as if Republicans have risen to where they are by virtue or something more wholesome. No, they have risen to where they are by winning elections; elections won in the traditional way: distortion of the facts, issues, and people involved.
"You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep"
Pot calling the kettle black, indeed.
I have now heard that joke about consultants, engineers, Microsoft tech support, and now democrats... I think lawyers as well... It seems like a lost and upset baloonist (or helicopter pilot) and a person who gives accurate but useless information can be an analogy for all kinds of incompetence, insensitivity, lack of empathy, and disagreements over ideologies and practices.
(Also true of the "Will you give me one of your sheep if I tell you exactly how many you have" joke, which I have even heard in Brazil adapted to make fun of the graduates of a very good university in Rio, smart and technically minded but out of touch with the real world).
And are there large bodies of water 2316 feet above sea level? I'm gonna have to look that up. Probably lakes inside volcanic craters/calderas.
Ever heard of the Pachydermic Personnel Predictor? It determines your ideal occupation by sending you off to hunt elephants, and then comparing your behavior to that of various occupational groups.
There are, however, some "holes" in the method:
Economists don't hunt elephants. They merely predict that, if paid enough, the elephants would hunt themselves.
Mathematicians don't hunt elepahnts. They merely prove that there exists at least one unique elephant, and leave the actual detection and capture to a graduate student.
Vice-presidents of R&D don't hunt elephants. Their staffs won't let them do anything that dangerous.
And Democrats don't hunt elephants. They merely promise that they' share any elephants YOU catch with whoever will vote for them.
Bernardo: Oh, I didn't realize it was an old joke!
FWP: The economists are the best.
Mark: Geez, why do you always get so defensive at things not even remotely aimed at you? You're not the center of the world, you know.
The coordinates are wrong. Mapquest shows that they indicate a place not far away from San Angelo, TX, and that while there are lakes a few miles away, there is no water below the given position. I didn't check the altitude, but either the Republican is sailing a rubber ducky in his swimming pool, or his information is incorrect.