…could John McCain have selected for his running-mate a mid-40s former small-town mayor and State Governor for 20 months, loudly insist such a person is the best available Republican VP – and avoid gales of laughter and general ridicule?
Why then are so many people falling over themselves to make po-faced remarks that, oh, well, yes, *cough, cough*, of course Steve Sarah is the perfect candidate – that ol’ maverick magic – and anyone who thinks otherwise is obviously being sexist…
If you don’t understand why Republican talking heads are loudly supporting this choice in those terms … well, don’t think I can help you, pal.
And Republican talking heads the only ones who have been doing that.
And it would be “Barack Obama who?” if he was white. What’s your point?
Hey, this Palin stuff is just going to run and run…. it sure beats reading Co$tello beat-ups, guys! (And I don’t care whether it’s the “OO” beating up a story or someone beating Co$tello with a 4 X 2; the eggs have been beaten, the souffle has sunk, the dishes have been washed and dried, the lights are all switched off, the captains and the kings have departed……)
It’s worrying consdering he has more chance that your average nominee to die in office, given his age, history and health. Powell would have been perfect, but he doesn’t want it.
If I was an American, I don’t think I would be getting out of bed for either ticket come election day.
Really Kingsley? Did you hear about a little contest called the “race for the nomination”? It might have been mentioned once or twice in the papers.
Barack Obama won a non-stop eight-month campaign in which something like 40 million registered voters cast a ballot, split fairly evenly between him and the galactic-scale egos of the “inevitable” Clinton campaign. And he beat them.
Sarah Palin was chosen by exactly one guy after a six-week game of musical chairs because…oh, let’s go with…because her proximity to Russia makes her a foreign policy expert?
hey mercurius, so what if is she is a foreign policy ignoramus?
Actually, speaking for myself I would prefer such people to be in or close to, the white house than the ‘experts’. You know, the sage old hands that brought us ‘Operation endooring freedom’, and ‘our torture is better than their torture because it doesn’t hurt as much’ types. Oh well you know the rest. Frankly I think she is quite a good conservative populist choice, and I think there is a good deal of class snobbery directed the way of herself and her family.
Her policy positions so far as one can know them? Pure, conservative hokum and BS. Just like many Democrats actually. Only they are not as attractive as she is, and a lot less honest in trying to live by their professed principles.
I’m wondering what part of the word “selected” Kingsley doesn’t understand.
“Sarah Palin was chosen by exactly one guy after a six-week game of musical chairs”
Actually she was selected by a looney right Christian cabal and thrust on McCain at such short notice that she was only vetted after being chosen.
This really is the election that just keeps on giving.
Mercuris, you didn’t just compare Obama with ‘galactic-scale egos’ elsewhere, did you? You can’t be serious.
BBB
Mercurius, rubbish.
A feminist who was a part of Hillary’s campaign asked the same question in reverse about Obama.
She came to the conclusion that women are worse off than black men in America, because if a woman had stood with as little experience as Obama, there’s no way anyone would wear it, and on the balance of the reaction to Palin, she was right.
Just quickly, Mercurius – I’m at work – feminist bloggers such as the ones at Shakesville, Feministe and Hoyden are principled enough to not use right-wing talking points (gender essentialism, women trying to have it all despite large family and disabled son, teen pregnancy = shameful), just because the woman concerned is on the other side of politics. We (I’m talking left wing bloggers generally) don’t support Palin’s candidacy because her policies actually are anathema to them; also, we’re not about supporting a candidate just because it has breasts. Some women are more antithetical to feminism than many men.
To put it another way, Camille Paglia and Rush Limbaugh are great admirers – ’nuff said!
Bobby Jindal has a similar resume.
This is what Peggy Noonan thought of the pic
“The most qualified? No! I think they went for this — excuse me– political bullshit about narratives”
Read the whole thing – they thought the mikes were off
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/212920.php
Well let’s untangle that one. There are many women who are both socially conservative and fairly ordinary in their capacity to think through positions, in the same way as there many men of that kind. It is only recently though that women of this kind, or any kind at all, have been thought even remotely suitable to be put on the ticket of a politcal party that is the alternative governmnet of a powerful state.
That she is a woman, albeit dopey, is something to celebrate. After all, why should the Dan Quayles of the world have all the fun?
As for ‘feminism’-of course there are many men whose positons on matters important to the freedom and equality of women are preferable to many women’s positions on the same matters. But so what?
This has always been the case. I am quite chuffed that a reasonably amiable (from what I can tell) and dopey woman has at last got the chance to prove that women have as much right to be powerful and stupid as men have had since…forever.
You go girl–all the way to losing the election!
Comparing Obama with Palin isn’t comparing like with like.
Obama got 20m Americans to approve of him.
Any VP is some bod picked from a beauty parade. They exist initially to balance tickets. Only after they have fulfilled their factional functions does anyone ask “but what if POTUS carks?”
Palin looks good to the Republicans because they think that they’ll be taken up in The Rapture before McCain fails to fog a mirror.
What’s to ridicule?
I bet Sarah Palin knows how many states the USA has.
The experience debate is a load of crap. I can’t believe disciples of the Messiah think it is even worth going down that avenue. I know I would rather an experienced POTUS backed by an up and coming VP, than have an inexperinced POTUS backed by an old party hack.
If you want to nett out the differences in experience – Mccain and Biden almost cancel each other out. Palin towers above Obama in experience.
If running a Presidential Campaign is enough experience to become POTUS (because lets face it, Obiwan has not actually done anything else )(In fact I’d like someone to name something he has done apart from writing his biography and campaigning – he hasn’t even sponsored a significant piece of legislation.)), then why isn’t running Alaska with a GDP of +$41 billion and State Budget with +$10 Billion turnover enough? Palin has overseen the negotiations for the largest private sector infrastructure deal in US history!
You people hate her because you are scared of her – that is the only logical conclusion I can draw. I really don’t believe you are sexist.
Amusing, guys. Look at Palin and you see someone to give the McCain ticket “balance” and to shore up the right wing as he is too old and too centrist for much of the Republican Party. Look at Biden and you see someone to give the Obama ticket “balance” as he is too young and (can be made to look) too left wing for the majority of voters.
Both selections were almost certainly box ticking exercises, with a serious amount of input from the people who crunch the electoral numbers for a living. To criticise Palin in this way is exactly the same as criticising the choice of Biden.
To me the interesting thing here is that the Republicans have possibly lined up a candidate for President next time (if McCain loses or does not run again after winning) or the time after that.
It would be interesting if the first endorsed female candidate for President was a Republican.
The choice of someone with the relative inexperience of Sarah Palin as VP candidate is not unprecedented. This is not an encouraging example, I know, but Spiro Agnew had very limited experience when Nixon picked him. Given the flaws in Nixon’s character, he obviously found something in Agnew that resonated with him during their very brief pre-nomination acquaintance. Whatever you think of McCain, no-one is suggesting he has a Nixonian streak. But it looks like he had a similar moment when introduced to Sarah Palin.
I don’t think it’s as spontaneous as all that. It’s a political play to get the campaign back on culture wars and “values” turf. It’s worked a treat.
And the only way McCain/Pailin will win, is if they get lots of people to vote for them… what’s your point?
amused, I heard a well-know feminist once say (I can’t remember who it was), that you’d know when feminism had succeeded when a mediocre woman could be as successful as a mediocre man.
All this excitement has made hardly a jot of difference in the betting markets where Obama remains the firm favourite (60% chance of winning).
Here’s a prediction: in a day or two the focus will go back to the two men who actually running for President.
Andrew Reynolds: recent history is not on your side. The last Republican VP candidate to become Presidential candidate straight after was Bush I (1988, 1992). Before him, you have to back to Nixon (1956, 1960).
Bob Dole (Pres candidate 1996) has been a VP candidate, but 20 years earlier.
Just to keep the pot boiling.
You wouldn’t think someone operating out of here could rack up a $20 million budget defict would you?
Obama’s elected history before before aiming to become an Oval One:
Seven years in the Illnois Senate, four years in the US Senate.
Lincoln’s elected history before before aiming to become an Oval One:
Eight years in the Illinois House of Representatives, two years in the US House of Representatives.
Come on, there is so much material to come out of this choice yet. Anti-abortion VP nominee reveals her 17 year old child to be several months pregnant within a couple of days of being nominated? She can’t have been properly vetted – how much is yet to come out? What if her to-be son in law, the self proclaimed ‘f*cking redneck’ does something a little silly in the next few weeks? I’ve already seen photos of Palin in a bikini by the pool with a rifle in hand, next to some guy chugging beers. This election will deliver much more, people. I can’t wait.
and here’s the video of conservative pundits speaking about Palin while they thought they were off-mike:
http://www.videosift.com/video/Off-Air-or-so-they-thought-Conservatives-on-Palin
“I’ve already seen photos of Palin in a bikini by the pool with a rifle in hand, next to some guy chugging beers.”
That’s a bit of photoshopped fakery. And even if it were true, t’would only boost her with her base.
And I can’t vouch for the validity of this data, but I saw this on blog somewhere:
Obama 1985-1988: Served as the director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland (Roseland, West Pullman, and Riverdale) on Chicago’s far South Side. During his three years as the DCP’s director, its staff grew from 1 to 13 and its annual budget grew from $70,000 to $400,000, with accomplishments including helping set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants’ rights organization in Altgeld Gardens.
Palin 1984-1988:In 1984, Palin won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest (playing the flute), then finished second in the Miss Alaska pageant, at which she won a college scholarship and the “Miss Congeniality” award. Palin attended Hawaii Pacific College — now known as Hawaii Pacific University — in Honolulu for a semester in 1982, majoring in Business Administration. She transferred in 1983 to North Idaho College. In 1987, Palin received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho, where she also minored in political science. In 1988, she worked briefly as a sports reporter for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska. Sarah Palin also helped out in her husband’s family commercial fishing business.
Obama 1988-1996:Attended Harvard Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 1991. During that time he was also the editor of the Harvard Law Review. In his sophomore year he was elected president of the Law Review, supervising a staff of 80 editors. Between 1992 and 1996, he taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.
Palin 1988-1996:1988, she worked briefly as a sports reporter for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska. She also helped out in her husband’s family commercial fishing business. Ran for Wasilla city council in 1992, won and served two terms from 1992 to 1996. Ran for mayor of Wasilla (pop. ~8000) in 1996 and won.
Having it both ways, Andrew Wahl nails it.
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/wahl/108
Palin’s not that amiable, amused. She’s had a bad habit of sacking or pressuring to sack people on personal grounds (e.g, librarians who refuse to jettison books she doesn’t like). She’s got a petty and vindictive streak.
But it could be worse. I find it instructive to compare her with her former counterpart across the Bering Sea. That would be one Roman Abramovich – best know as owner of Chelsea, but also was Governor of Chukotka from 2000 to July this year. He’s got experience aplenty – of governing and of football, but also of blackmail, of bribe-taking and of expropriating state assets like Sibneft at rock-bottom prices. It’s not exactly experience we can believe it. Palin comes off safe (if venal) in comparison.
So to judge by a lot of comments here and elsewhere, just about anyone can be president of the USA … they don’t need experience, or qualifications, and we don’t have to know much about them.
Makes you wonder why they need 18 month election campaigns. It would be much more efficient if they just drew a governor’s name out of the hat every 4 years.
kymbos,
It is interesting you see the need to compare Obama to Palin. Is that because you do not believe Obama is on the same level as McCain? Is he simply beyond comparison?
.
spiros,
Add in the Democrat VPs and you get a slightly better picture. Besides, the VP job seems to be a better stepping stone than most jobs for the move to President. The only job with a better record is Senator – and there are 100 of those. The VP’s odds are a lot better. Palin 2012 anyone?
.
Ken,
I saw a suggestion a few years ago that the best way to form a Parliament would be to randomly choose them from the electoral roll. Given the performance of many of our governments I may be persuaded this is a good idea.
Palin’s speech on YouTube – [link]
Shit, wrong speech…hang on…
[link]
I would have thought being governor was far better than either (and there are only 50 of those). Even fewer senators have moved straight into the White House than VPs in the last half-century: the last to do so was JFK.
Andrew Reynolds: no, you’re right. No one’s comparing her to Obama. Oh, hang on – everyone’s comparing her to Obama, because she’s been chosen to combat his youth and dynamism, and there’s a serious debate about their relative experience. So perhaps we should compare them, if that’s alright with you.
Talk the talk, walk the walk, this is looking more and more like a fight for the middle. The women that’s come from the North has a all country middle country appeal sure to grab a big slab of the bogon vote.
And she sure is purty…
Clever move by the McCain camp. A story has just been planted that Palin had an affair. Now the Republicans can go into battle mode defending her honour and innoculating against further prying by the media.
Welcome back Karl. We missed you.
Yep, Raisin dag, purty purty even without makeup like others .
Brendon, I’m guessing all the photshopped images were probably also planted.
“A story has just been planted that Palin had an affair.”
If it was true, it could only boost her credentials for office. Governor, mother of five, married to a apparently virile action man, a moose hunter and yet still capable of organising a little something on the side. That’s the kind of energy and time and management skills we need in the Oval Office. Instead of Dubya goofing on vacation all the time or McCain nodding off on Ambien and banging his head on a pointy corner of the Resolute Desk.
Interesting how the word “judgement” has suddenly dropped out of the Republican campaign vocabulary.
Look, I’ve already told you once. For all things Palin go to Mudflats, a blog out of Alaska. Comedy gold and great writing to boot:
http://mudflats.wordpress.com
Also a great photo safarai of Wodzilla:
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/a-photo-safari-of-wasilla-alaska-home-of-sarah-palin/
Go. Go there now!
sandstone@35: “The women that’s come from the North has a all country middle country appeal sure to grab a big slab of the bogon vote.”
Bogons? Are they like Vogons? Or perhaps some version of moth.
This is clearly a new demographic. It’s just so hard to keep up.
What I have learned this week is that if you are a woman of Democratic persuasion aspiring to high office, then you must learn to cope with the criticism and harden up. So sez Sarah Palin.
If you are a woman of Republican persuasion aspiring to high office, criticism is sexism. So sez Sarah Pal…wait a minute. Have conservatives have finally rediscovered empathy?
Palin speech.
(On the stunning NYT interactive transcript and video page.)
If you haven’t seen this speech yet – then you need to. She is good. Very good. No wonder McCain chose her. Those bookies markets will change a little now, Spiros, on the back of this performance.
Like I said, all this is a calculated move. Karl Rove never went away.
Jay Rosen has figured it all out:
http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2008/09/03/mccain_strategy.html
It’s about the most incisive thing written about this I’ve seen today.
“She is good. Very good.”
Oh yes. POTUS Survivor has now been bumped by Presidential Idol and she’s made a spectacular entrance. McCain and Biden should just put their feet up with the rest of us and watch Obama and Sarh go toe to toe in various US Gladiator episodes. “Nothing but air!” vs “Go Oilers!”.
This is without doubt the best plotted US election in decades. The characters are so well defined and the twists and turns just keep coming.
Yep, it was a good speech and an impressive performance. But as someone pointed out on radio today, when she is in the debates and talking to the press, there will be no autocue and Palin need to think on her feet.
No Shaun, it means they’ve recovered the same tired old papyrus scratchings from two crypts dated 2000 and 2004. In a dress.
The speech was mean, sarcastic and designed to energise their dwindling base. They scored.
Tomorrow? Oh, let me see: Kindly old Gramps McCain as the resurrection of Ronald Reagan. Heh, heh.
And you can always count on the NY Times – that most so-called evil of lurbl newspapers – to spin it exactly as they did today. The pure alchemy of shit turned to diamonds:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/us/politics/04repubday.html?bl&ex=1220673600&en=df8812acc5f44a95&ei=5087%0A
God that newspaper has issues, in more ways than one.
This US election campaign is gold. GOLD I TELL YA! Pretending to have her unmarried daughter‘s child. Am I reading this stuff right ？ Its hard to tell whats pure fantasy in the Japanese English language press. Surely reality cant be this much fun??!!
I assume everyone in the US has now concluded McCain is a dill with high;y suspect judgement? Isnt the inexperience= Obama line now dead, and wasnt that pretty much all he had?
Spot on Kim.
“The basic strategy is: don’t fight the “crisis” narrative. Rather, do things that bring it on; and in that crisis re-divide the electorate hoping to grab the bigger half.”
Icke couldn’t have put it better himself
Exactly. It did the job and played well the the Republican faithful and the media. Never mind it was a rehash, most who watch the news won’t care. They’ll just see this impressive talking woman from Alaska.
When she has to speak on the run will be the interesting times.
Yep.
While everyone’s having a good laff at Palin, the GOP have countered the “inexperience” thing and co-opted the “outsider” thing.
And Palin presents a contemporary face for the “values” voter. And playing on that turf is totally in favour of the Republicans, as I keep saying. The Democrats have fallen into a big trap here.
Go put some money on McCain while you can still get good odds.
Yeah, and when Biden does too. A pompous windbag in love with his own voice and with one foot permanently in his mouth.
Oh my goodness (clutches pearls), it’s John McCain giving lessons in Hitler salutes!:
http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2008/09/03/fiance-is-french-for-knocked-up-my-daughter/
And could the GOP please have the decency to shell out for a decent suit and haircut for that Levi boy before he gets shipped out to Iraq?
The best is yet to come.
OK, I just cant follow all this froｍ here, dammit. What happened to the waterbreak weirdness, and that faux-pregnancy stuff? was that all lies? I saw it briefly on the net two days ago. But it doent seem to feature in reports now. Surely she`ll only sink McCain if they`re true though – `hi Im a bizarre liar`!
This comment at Rosen’s joint gets it right imho:
http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2008/09/03/mccain_strategy.html#comment51906
Polls look real bad for McCain. We`ll see next week whether she bounces him.
Anyway, Cant wait to get back to a regular tubes access and heavily scrutinise all sources!
Lefty E, she’s not going to sink McCain at all. She’ll probably save him.
Rosen’s probably 100% right.
Back to the Karl Rove playbook.
And look LP, go to Mudflats ferchrissakes. It’s fascinating. If nothing else than the liveblogging:
mudflats.wordpress.com
Tomorrow? Blogging McCain from Alaska?
Should be hilarious.
Why is not LP doing liveblogging? Entertainment is fantastic.
Oh. Wonkette:
http://wonkette.com/
Who`s Rosen、Kim? Aww crap,I just cant follow it on 10 minutes for a buck inｔernet, and this crazy keyboard! can someone pls tell me 会うhとr地阿智ヴぇly about the babyswap issue? Maybe it was all nonsense – I guess it must be if people are taking her seriously two days later.
My own guess is Obama will win, but if he doesnt, it will have been becuase the US were never going to elect a black guy – not because of the VP choice of the GOP.
Abso. Check the sustained cheering and mayhem when she goes “the media”. It’s decent small town repubs agin dirty left liberal media blogging fops. I never seen such a big snook cocked.
I am seriously depressed. And as Nabs says – this is better than any WW writers wld ever dare serve up. (But then I’m not Nabs – so remain depressed.)
If she manages to transcends the base – and allows the mainstream white voter to find reason to honour their instincts – then the Dems are done again.
If Obama needed a challenge – he’s got it now. I’d love to think that coming back to the issues is the answer but I reckon this is gonna be all about rhetoric. Voters are uncomplicated folk by and large and economics may as well be string theory.
Jay Rosen, Lefty E. I posted the link earlier. Sorry it’s lost in translation!
And yeah the baby swap thing was complete crap.
Just on the Biden in the debates question, Andrew Stephen makes a good point in the New Statesman:
http://www.newstatesman.com/north-america/2008/09/obama-mccain-palin-vote-usa
(From ck’s mudflats blog).
Yes, a highlight in USA presidential political history. You’d have to say.
Damn – Waterbreak too good to be true!
Look, Im not exactly Mr US politics, but what real role does the VP have in a campaign after theyve been announced and presented? `Not much` is my general recollection.
I can see that she`s interesting talk point right now – but will she still be of much interest in a month? Ultimately its about BO and JM. If the press is still big on her in OCtober I would guess it will probably be because of some negative angle (her past, her stuffups, MCcCain:s judgement). I mean, ultimately she aint running – neither is Biden.
Everyone:
I don’t care much for Palin but, as a potential Vice President of the United States, even if she was a dope-smoking athiest Commie hooker abortionist she would still be streets ahead of Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney.
Lefty E – she mightn’t be running for POTUS – but when did a VP candidate hit the stage like this before? Didjya watch the speech yet – or cain’t you get that keybd working.
Palin fills a big hole for the repubs. The future. She’s a huge back to the future for them. The way they like it.
She’s proving useful at the moment, at any rate, for attack ads claiming she has more experience in an executive role than either Biden or Obama. (Note – she does – 2 years as a Governor compared to Senatorships)… and it allows them to argue that Obama never introduced any substantive legislation (also true) and reinforce the “liberal celeb” angle compared to the “real change agent/outsider” thing – and to run against the meejah.
It’s quite right to say she’s changed the dynamics of this race.
Folks have to remember that US presidential elections are postmodern events – all about symbolism, identification and division and bugger all to do with reality.
Obama and his family are now “lofty” according to news sources.
Nope, havent seen the speech – all these joys will have to await my return!
I can see your concerns, but doesnt Obama just have to refuse to comment on her at all, reminding everyone that John McCain is running for POTUS? I mean, even if a brillinat Rove-style move – isnt it ultimately an admission that McCain is really too boring to win?
And as for symbolism – my guess is the one best a recalling Clinton`s dictum on the economy will open a gap hard by early Nov.
“I mean, ultimately she aint running …”
Oh yes she is now. The final act of this election season will devolve into a clear cut choice between Worldly and Godly America. The first is a city, a street, and a port; places that are dynamic, flexible and uncertain. The second is a church, a farm and a barracks; places that are walled, fenced and consecrated.
Worldly America is about finding civil ways to share crowded space, from a metro-bus to the planet; Godly America is about making over space in its image. One America makes room, the other America muscles in.
It’s the difference between an urbane black male who’s a skillful operator from a globally-connected metropolis and a provincial white woman who’s a gritty battler from a frontier resource-rich state. Like I’ve said before, put this in an movie and everyone would say it could never happen in real life.
Whoever wins, it won’t be the US as it used to be. And when one of them does win, I do hope someone remembers to wake up McCain and let him know what just went down.
And there’s more of the latter than the former, Nabs.
Ever since Jimmy Carter, presidential elections have been won by running against Washington and the political class. That’s the space Obama’s now being painted into.
Erratum.
For “uncertain” substitute “open”.
For “sausage”, substitute “hostage” throughout.
Jane Hamsher, who’s normally on the money:
http://cliffschecter.firedoglake.com/2008/09/03/sarah-palin-red-meat-for-the-masses/
On the other hand Kim, it’s worldly America that brings home the bacon these days and so has got the money. The majority of the US’ exports are now IP based and generated by coastal blue states whhile the red hinterland states are the main suckers on the Government tit as their best and brightest head for the booming blue cities to get corrupted by worldly things.
I’m tipping Obama by a whisker (barring force majeure). Of course he’ll turn out to be a disappointment in office. Everyone does. But at least not the kind of disaster that Godly America has and will continue to deliver for the world’s most unworldy global power.
Nabs, we’ll see. But McCain/Palin is a much stronger ticket than any of the touted alternatives. It’s not as simple as “Blue” and “Red” America. Even in “Blue” America, most folks are a lot more conservative than you know, netroots bloggers and creative class wonks.
Nabakov, you’ve reminded me of a very funny post on red vs. blue from 2004:
“Look at economic output and educational achievement on a state-by-state basis: it’s painfully evident that we Blue’s are immensely more productive and better educated that you Red’s. We have lots more money. We live longer. We eat better. We work less. We fuck more. We do cocaine and smoke fine Canadian buds, not the homebrew crank and cheap Mexican headache reefer you guys are stuck with. We drink French wine and Stoli martinis, not Budweiser. Our children rarely bother us; we’ve got them on Ritalin and Prozac. Our teeth are straighter and whiter, our necks longer, and our fingernails cleaner. And many of us are the Republican elite who have just punked you.”
http://sumomerriment.blogspot.com/2004/11/reach-out-and-sneer.html
BBB
“It’s not as simple as “Blue” and “Red” America.”
Yes, I agree. I was generalising to some extent there as you sometimes have to do with 300 million people.
Even in “Blue” America, most folks are a lot more conservative than you know, netroots bloggers and creative class wonks.”
And equally in “Red” America there are many salt of the earth folks who believe in the nation’s source codes – like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and separation of church and state and so have no time for GOP bullshit religo-political moralising and manipulating hucksterism.
Oh sure. But the thing with Palin, as Hamsher says, is that she might be saleable – along with McCain’s image as a so-called Maverick – to the independents as well as motivating the base.
“she might be saleable”
She’s very saleable. Oprah Guest of the Week salaeble. Her life story and it’s latest twist an turns are perfectly attuned to US MSM narratives.
But the MSM is visibly dwindling before our eyes like Levi Johnston’s campaign changing assets while ballwalking during an Alaskan winter. More people trust Flickr than Fox.
Meanwhile the netroots mobilisation thing Howard Dean initially put in train has been very much developed further by the most disciplined election campaign team I’ve ever seen.
So will the big sloppy hammy unfocused but so juicy juicy narrative win against a perhaps overly focused yet brilliantly distributed and targeted set of messages and actions? Packin’ em in vs packet switching.
In the 21st century, it’s now Godly America’s megaphone vis Worldly America’s data management.
Bingo! Bingo Bango Boingo.
That’s been the coded Republican message for decades.”Why are are the folks in the big rich cities having the fun that should rightful be yours just because they are smarter, more competitive and more productive?” The real politics of envy,
Grahan Bell @ 66 is right: she’d make a much better VP than Cheney.
Her aim is better.
Why don’t they just get this over with and have the winner determined with a team clay pigeon shooting comp?
McCain-Palin would win it, she’d beat McCain in the play-off (he can’t raise his hands above his shoulders), and then she could have a pistol duel with Putin to determine who gets Georgia.
Yeeeeeee-HAAAAH!
To Kim #52
Joe Biden is Prince Phillip, with less control of himself and none of that aristocratic background that makes him apperar quirky instead of a clod.
The vp debate is October 2.
Should be worth watching.
“Obama and his family are now ‘“lofty” according to news sources.”‘
Elitists!
You know, unlike Mittens, Gramps, Jewels, etc etc etc.
“Joe Biden is Prince Phillip.”
And with any luck, Kim, he’ll rip her arms off. Slowly.
Honestly. I cannot understand why any decent parent would sacrifice his/her daughter to tabloid roadkill.
Reasonable politician. Disgusting parents.
The punters are less than impressed by McCain/Palin, as seen in the University of Iowa market.
http://iemweb.biz.uiowa.edu/graphs/graph_Pres08_WTA.cfm
One might reasonably have expected at least a bounce. Nothing there since Palin was wheeled into the spotlight.
Money talks.
Palin is all first act. Yet she has achieved no shock effect upon political expectations. From here on in she is less likely to be a spinnaker than an anchor for the Republican ticket.
Wouldn’t winning the debate do, CK?
That is what he has to do.
Hi Another Kim!
A couple of links on Palin.
At Salon, Jeff Yang says Palin is the new George W. Bush, as channeled by Karl Rove:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/09/05/palin_bush/index.html
And Christy Hardin Smith at Firedoglake thinks that needs emphasising to counter Palin’s appeal:
http://firedoglake.com/2008/09/04/preliminary-musings-on-the-palin-speech/
Palin appeals to the Republican base and little more. Relax and calm down. Her and Romney will help make the 2012 Republican ticket completely unelectable.
I completely agree, Geoff. I think she’s being given far too much credit here. Of course she presents well – she’s a tv sports presenter. She has nothing to add and will be shown up in no time.
You, Primary Kim, read wide and see much.
Is it your special super power?
Everyone:
Some might imagine that being a “hockey mom” who was lucky enough to became Governor of Alaska, she couldn’t possibly know anything at all about military and strategic matters.
Yeah?
Unlike Australia and most other countries where the armed forces are a national government responsibility, some states of the United States have their own armed forces – National Guard – as well as federal government armed forces; Imperial Germany had something similar with some armed forces being the responsibility of the various constituent kingdoms of the Reich.
The Alaska Air Guard took part in Exercise Tandem Thrust at Shoalwater Bay in Queensland not long ago …. and they have been very busy elsewhere lately!
If Sarah Palin became Vice-President, she wouldn’t need too many elementary lessons about the military.
AK – going on what those who know her say, I gather teh hawtness pips erudition at the post in a photo finish.
Yes, in fact all 50 states (and some territories) have both an Army National Guard and an Air National Guard. But as governor, Palin will never have been called upon to make any actual military decisions:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fact_check
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/07/22/micro-fiction-competition/
A low sweep of admiration.
What do we do with brains, beauty, and all that?
Shall we conquer the world?
Got the northern hemisphere covered.
I’ll look after the Antipodes – the purple places therein at any rate!
“Wouldn’t winning the debate do, CK?”
Metaphor AK. But OTTness acknowledged.
Possum doesnt seem impressed by the Palin factor – quite the opposite.
Which could be right: If swingers think she stinks, there`s a chance of a net negative for McCain. My guess is hard core GOPers were going to default his way in any case. Maybe Palin has just burned off the contested middle ground, all Obamas way.
We`ll see…
Just two points, Lefty E.
(1) The national polls aren’t all that important except as a really gross indicator, because of the turnout factor and likely to vote sampling and then secondly because it’s not a national election, but 50 state elections of various importance because of both their number of electoral votes and how contested that vote is.
(2) There’s no “contested middle ground” in the same sense as there is the outer suburban swing vote in Australia. Local factors and state differences are much more important. So Palin is supposed to appeal to the “Reagan Democrats” who deserted the GOP in 06 and returned home. She’s not there to appeal to the upper middle class suburban crew and the college kids who are “independents”. The former are the more important demographic, and they’re the ones who Hillary had.
Brett [93]:
Ah yes but where does ‘involvement” end and “authority” begin?
Whilst Governors in the United States are similar to Premiers in Australia, there are important differences. The nearest a state premier in Australia gets to anything military is to take the salute on the ANZAC Day March. Governors in the United States have a lot more to do with things military than do either state premiers or state governors in Australia.
In general, “presidential experience” is much overrrated.
No president has more experience in foreign policy than the State department.
Most of the US foreign policy fiascos of the last fifty years have arisen when the president has listened harder to his White House advisers, or to his direct telephone line to God, rather than to the contradictory advice of the state Department.
It therefore seems clear that as far as foreign poliy is concerned, the most important experience a president can have is sufficient knowledge of history to persuade him to listen to career professionals who generally know what they are talking about.
Rubbish. The black vote in the United States is not that significant. Neither I’d wager is the percentage of people who’ll vote for affirmative action reasons. Obama has many impressive attributes. If he was white (and he is white as much as he’s black maybe more so) then he’d still be well known.
.
In the days when Obama was the prez of the Harvard Law Review the Harvard Law Revue sent him up thus:
Palin was chosen for many reasons. Being a woman may be one of them but it wouldn’t be the entire story. She’s a gun-totin’ God fearin’ advocate for the little guy – or at least that’s how she presents. McCain and Palin can be sold as people quite apart from the nefarious Bush bollocks but in policy terms they’re pretty much the same sans the nepotistic collusion and technocratic fascist tendencies.
Anyone seeing shades of Pauline Hanson in this Sarah Palin ballyhoo? Remember her? The red-head that set the bush on fire for a while then burned itself out. I wonder whether there’s a lot of dry tinder around in America at the moment, or is eight years of conservatives and the economy going to be too big a dead cat to ignore. This is going to be an electrifying couple of months.