Hockey mom, Biker babe...

[Matthew Carberry]

Aside from what you may think of her politics, we have a pretty cool governor.  I guess this airs tonight.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20275559,00.html

Sarah Palin to Appear on American Chopper
By Alicia Dennis

Originally posted Wednesday April 29, 2009 12:55 PM EDT

 

Paul Teutul Sr. and Sarah Palin
 
Turns out the hockey mom is also a motorcycle maven.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin recently welcomed the crew from Orange County Choppers – whose custom motorcycle business is featured on TLC's American Chopper – to Anchorage where show star Paul Teutul Sr. researched building a bike to honor Alaska's 50-year anniversary of being a state.

"It means so much to the state of Alaska that these guys are building this bike that will honor statehood here," Palin says in the episode, airing April 30 at 9 p.m.

Paul Sr. hangs out with the Governor in her office and talks about the Alaskan weather, snowmobiling and fishing in the summer. "I inherit whatever [husband] Todd rejects from the year before," Palin says.

After inviting the OCC crew back for the summer months, she suggests having fun Alaska style, saying, "We'll ride the bike to the fishing hole."

Although initially nervous about the meeting, Paul Sr. says that he felt Palin was "a real down to earth person to talk to."

From Alaska, the OCC crew heads to Finland in an effort to market their bikes overseas.

[French G.]

Maybe while they're in Finland they can look around and see how some really nice clean choppers are built. I kind of like Paul Sr. just because he is a jerk but otherwise that show is a slight against people who are out there unknown applying real mechanical talent and making beautiful bikes. I will say this, I hate the style of bikes they turn out, too much show, not enough go, junked up looking stuff. That said, I looked at some of their bikes in Florida. The guy painting them and the guy welding them has some real talent and I bet you don't see him on the show because it sure is not the close your eyes and tack, then whack something with a whiz-wheel Pauly.

  Cool governor though, especially if you compare him to the sack of rattlesnakes and manure we call a governor.

[T.O.M.]

What I respect about the guys on the American Chopper show is the real gift and skill they have.  They look at a blank piece of paper, envision what they want the bike to look like, and make it happen.  No restrictions based on what they have on the shelves in terms of parts.  Make what they want.  That is a gift, and they also have the skill to make it happen.  Except for Mikey.   

[AJ Dual]

I can't criticize too much, because I do absolutely nothing with metal-fab, or vehicle work or mechanics. However, even I can tell the Tuettels are far from the pinnacle of custom chopper work.

It seems to me they start with a stock-pre-fabbed frame, and then weld up a funny gas-tank, and tack on a bunch of water-jet cutout do-dads... over and over and over. Punctuated with some P.R. theme bike reveal, a few family fights, and some demo-derby in the parking lot.

Meanwhile, I recall watching Jesse James, who kicked off the whole "Custom Chopper Cable Show" phenomena with a few small documentaries, fabbing up a frame from pipe-stock by hand with a blowtorch, a vise, and bending it with his belly while wearing a leather apron and a few asbestos pads using a wooden jig that catches fire to match the curve he wanted.

And even further than that, in brief glimpses you see those chopper and motorcycle conventions, there's guys working out of complete hole in the wall shops that are making completely gonzo bikes up from scratch, with very advanced stuff like Buell-style fuel-in-frame, and design work that looks as finished as anything Harley-Davidson or any of the Japanese makers puts out.

[Werewolf]

Is Palin really a MC maven or is she just playin' typical politico games to appeal to a specific demographic?

Crossed arms, tightly crossed legs. Does one detect tight facial and neck muscles?

Doesn't appear to me she was terribly happy to be where she was.

Just sayin'...

[Balog]

  Cool governor though, especially if you compare him to the sack of rattlesnakes and manure we call a governor.

Say what you will about your governor, I bet he knows Sarah Palin's a girl. 

[AZRedhawk44]

Is Palin really a MC maven or is she just playin' typical politico games to appeal to a specific demographic?

Crossed arms, tightly crossed legs. Does one detect tight facial and neck muscles?

Doesn't appear to me she was terribly happy to be where she was.

Just sayin'...

I noticed that too.  Body language in this one picture doesn't seem to imply comfort.

It is just one picture, though.

[AJ Dual]

I noticed that too.  Body language in this one picture doesn't seem to imply comfort.

It is just one picture, though.

It could also just be cold. Paul Sr. is wearing a coat.

[Balog]

It's also possible to like motorcycles but not that dude.

[Monkeyleg]

I think you folks are reading too much into the body language.

I'm not a big fan of radical customized bikes. There's a fine line between tasteful and gaudy, and too often that line is crossed, especially on that show.

There was a custom bike around the Milwaukee area that was very nicely done. Raked, but not too much. The motif was southwestern. The tank was black and had a very nicely done airbrush job of a western scene. On the sissy bar were some indian beads and a feather. The welds were ground down so that the joints on the frame looked seamless.

[Dannyboy]

I actually happened to catch the part with Gov. Palin last night.  She seemed quite comfortable.

As for OCC and what they build, AJ hit the nail on the head.  The only real fabrication they do is the tank and an occasional fender or someother little piece.  Most of the stuff, including the frames, is off the shelf aftermarket stuff.  If anyone is interested, they also just became a Ducati dealership and to mark the event, they "customized" a Monster 1100.  It was less than impressive.  They made another Spiderman bike and it looked pretty bad, and not in a good way.

http://picasaweb.google.com/slocumjon/OCCDucati?feat=directlink#

[RoadKingLarry]

It's also possible to like motorcycles but not that dude.

You can count me into that circle. Those wanna-bes are a disgrace. Most of the dolts discovery channels shows are ridiculous, Billy Lane's "bikes" mostly wouldn't run or if they did they caught fire, and then he killed another biker in a DUI accident. Jessie James isn't too bad but he is a jerk. Russel Mitchell/Exile Cycles is pretty good as was Indian Larry. But the Teutul's are a bad joke.

[Matthew Carberry]

Is Palin really a MC maven or is she just playin' typical politico games to appeal to a specific demographic?

Crossed arms, tightly crossed legs. Does one detect tight facial and neck muscles?

Doesn't appear to me she was terribly happy to be where she was.

Just sayin'...

I don't think she rides bikes but she snowmachines so she has no fear of high-speed 2-cycle engines.  And forgive me if this is too bluntly stated, but what part of a state politician, participating in an event designed around the statehood anniversary of their state, constitutes "pandering" to any audience.

For G-d's sake, not everything political is a damn conspiracy or has an ulterior motive.

[Hawkmoon]

Is Palin really a MC maven or is she just playin' typical politico games to appeal to a specific demographic?

Crossed arms, tightly crossed legs. Does one detect tight facial and neck muscles?

Doesn't appear to me she was terribly happy to be where she was.

Just sayin'...

You need to study body language more/better.

Which leg is crossed over which is crucial. Ms. Palin's legs are crossed toward the dude. That's an indication of inclusion. If her right leg had been crossed over the left, that would have been a signal of rejection and a hint that she wanted out of the conversation.

[Werewolf]

...For G-d's sake, not everything political is a damn conspiracy or has an ulterior motive.

I disagree.

Everything political does have an ulterior motive. That is so freaking true it should be engraved in stone somewhere. It is a fundamental theorem of politics 101. It is how politicians live, eat, breathe. It is an internalized concept for any politician who has been one for more than - say - a year.

Successful politicians have a motive for everything they do, say, even what they wear, and hell - the schools they send their kids to.

Ulterior motive = politician.

[seeker_two]

Everything political does have an ulterior motive. That is so freaking true it should be engraved in stone somewhere. It is a fundamental theorem of politics 101. It is how politicians live, eat, breathe. It is an internalized concept for any politician who has been one for more than - say - a year.

Successful politicians have a motive for everything they do, say, even what they wear, and hell - the schools they send their kids to.

Ulterior motive = politician.

!!!QFT!!!

[agricola]

I disagree.

Everything political does have an ulterior motive. That is so freaking true it should be engraved in stone somewhere. It is a fundamental theorem of politics 101. It is how politicians live, eat, breathe. It is an internalized concept for any politician who has been one for more than - say - a year.

Successful politicians have a motive for everything they do, say, even what they wear, and hell - the schools they send their kids to.

Ulterior motive = politician.

No offence, but that only really applies to the newer "political class" kind of politicians - the Obamas, Blairs, Clintons of this world, for whom everything is done in order to maintain an image.  They are in the dominant position at the moment, but they do not exclusively represent politicians.  Older political figures just tended to conceal their faults.

Whatever one thinks of her, it should be fairly obvious that Palin is not a member of that class, hence their sneering, belittling contempt for the Alaska Governor.   

[Werewolf]

...Whatever one thinks of her, it should be fairly obvious that Palin is not a member of that class, hence their sneering, belittling contempt for the Alaska Governor.   

I have as much respect for Palin and her views as anyone here. If she ran for President I'd vote for her without a 2nd thought (hmmm... that didn't sound right).

But let's not kid ourselves. Palin is a politician. Maybe even an honest one. As an Alaskan she may not have to play the image game to the same extent as some do in COTUS but she will have to start or at the National level she will not, cannot be successful. And once she starts - just like with some drugs - she won't be able to stop.

[agricola]

I have as much respect for Palin and her views as anyone here. If she ran for President I'd vote for her without a 2nd thought (hmmm... that didn't sound right).

But let's not kid ourselves. Palin is a politician. Maybe even an honest one but if she's going to be successful in the grander scheme of US politics at the national level she will have to play the game or she will lose it.

Perhaps, though one might point out that rules of the game change from electoral cycle to electoral cycle - what worked for Obama now will almost certainly not work in 2012.  The type of politician that Obama and Blair represent - all smart suits, "moderate views", being a lawyer, being well-spoken and with photogenic families (and which your description is spot on for) are markedly different to the likes of Palin. 

It could well be that by then, enough people in enough of the states are disgusted with the machine politics, the spin, the nanny-statism, the out-of-control spending and the incompetence of the Obama administration, and end up looking for a normal, human, political figure.  She probably wont have to play the 2008 game, since she will be far better off playing the 2012 one.

[Matthew Carberry]

Motorcycle riders are already her constituents. 

There's no reason to pretend to support motorsports or cycling in this state, she already has our votes.

Maybe, just maybe, since the bike is to honor the 50th Anniversary of statehood, AND as Governor she represents the state, AND any publicity for the state is good publicity, she did it strictly out of a sense of duty to the state.

Because that's what we elect out politicians to be, cheerleaders for the state regardless of whether they, in this case, ride motorcycles or not.

None of that involves any ulterior or "political" motivation, just an honest doing of one's job.

To cynically insist that politicians can't just do things because they are the right thing to do in their position is part of the current decline in American politics.

We decide we're going to be all clever and hip-cynical because that makes us "better" or "smarter" somehow and thus we consider simple honorable behavior impossible and prefer to think of ourselves as "too smart / slick" to get one over on.

In my opinion cynicism should be a reasoned response, reserved for particular circumstances only after careful investigation.  For it to be an automatic reflex reduces it to an affectation of hipness.   

[roo_ster]

We decide we're going to be all clever and hip-cynical because that makes us "better" or "smarter" somehow and thus we consider simple honorable behavior impossible and prefer to think of ourselves as "too smart / slick" to get one over on.

In my opinion cynicism should be a reasoned response, reserved for particular circumstances only after careful investigation.  For it to be an automatic reflex reduces it to an affectation of hipness.   

Preach it, Brother!

[geronimotwo]

maybe she went on the show hoping to get the bike.

[Werewolf]

Two Russians soldiers, a General and a Private are walking down a dirt road together when they spy a pile of some unknown substance.

They both stop and ponder the substance and after a few moments the General tells the private, "pick up".

The private picks up the unknown substance and the General asks, "What feel like?" and the private replies, "Feel like *expletive deleted*it".

The General says to the private, "smellll..." and the private smells the unknown substance.

The General asks, "What smell like?".
"Smell like *expletive deleted*it!", the private replies.

The General orders the private, "Taaaaste!". The private tastes the unknown substance, grimaces and gags.

"What taste like?", the General asks.

Risking his future well being the Private yells, "TASTES LIKE *expletive deleted*it".

Well - the general considers the private's responses carefully for a bit and then matter of factly states:

"Feels like *expletive deleted*it; smells like *expletive deleted*it; tastes like *expletive deleted*it. Hmmmmm... Must be *expletive deleted*it".

Palin is a politician. Cynical or not there's no denying that.