I'll be honest.
When I first heard McCain's VP announcement I though it was a disaster. Nominating a first-term governor from a state no one cares about seemed to undercut his emphasis on being 'ready to govern'. For months St. John (and I) have been criticizing Obama as a community organizer masquerading as a Presidential candidate. Well, that line of reasoning is dead and buried. The Republicans have just added the 2008 version of Dan Quayle to their ticket. People might as well take their chances on Barry.
(I must also point out the press's fascination with the Maverick moniker makes me want to watch Spanish language news. Choosing Lieberman would have been a Maverick move, and resulted in the complete implosion of the GOP campaign. Choosing Palin was simply an acknowledgement that McCain wasn't getting it done.)
It came across as such a desperate, image-conscious decision. After a week of watching the Obama disciples in spread the Good News from Denver, McCain realized he was in big trouble. There no exictement, no energy, no winning issue. I'm sure it was like Governor Pappy O'Daniel sitting on the porch with his brain trust thinking, "Hey, why don't we get ourselves a little midget even smaller than Stokes'?!!"
Which, of course, is what McCain did. He looked past Romney and Pawlenty and Lieberman and many people more qualified, and reached up into the Last Frontier to pull down Sarah Palin.
Two thing have shocked me since that announcement. The way the right has embraced Palin and the way the left has assaulted her.
The fact that conservatives seem overjoyed to have Palin on the ticket is somewhat understandable. After all, there was serious panic within the party that they might end up with Lieberman. This woman is pro-life, a gun-owner, in favor of more drilling, and an unapologetic evangelical. But when Palin's name came up in speculation EVERYONE talked about her as a poor choice, simply because she's so new to the national game. The clamour was all about getting someone like Romney or Pawlenty who would make the Obama candidacy look even riskier.
I also expected the Democracy strategists to simply laugh at Palin's introduction, but instead they've assaulted her like a beach at Normandy. There's a serious contradiction within Obama's approach. Palin could be either completely unknown or completely incompetent, she can't be both. Even as they deride her abilities and qualifications they dig up every rumor and innuendo possible to throw at her. Her daughter's pregnant, the baby isn't hers, she tired to have her ex-bro-in-law fired. There were even tabloids trying to link her romatically with the editor of 301NIB.
It's becoming increasingly obvious that the left has no idea how to deal with this type of Republican candidate. All of a sudden we have the Gloria Steinem crowd is accusing her of jeopardizing her family's well-being by spending too much time on her career. (That's supposed to be OUR line). Is it conceivable that a woman could be successful professionally while embracing marriage and shunning abortion? Acceptance of such an idea would sound the death-knell of liberal feminism.
But the real reason we love Sarah Palin is that she appears to have stepped right out of Frank Capra film. Each of his films (Mr. Deeds goes to Town, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life) celebrated the ability of the idealistic small-town everyman to triumph over the cynicism and snobbery of the urbane elitist. Her campaign speech at the convention was relentless in it criticism of Obama, but managed to do so with such relaxed humor that it avoided the appearance of bitterness. Biden should take note for the VP debate. If he's not careful he'll come across as the cantankerous Henry Potter trying to squash the Bailey building and loan.
In the end I don't think even this appeal to middle American will save the GOP from the electorate's overwhelming desire to punish Republicans for the past eight years. But, it certainly has given conservatives more of a reason to head to the voting booths on a Tuesday night.
7 comments:
You missed the point that the now "left-ist" big emphasis on McCain's dying age is actually working against them since people like me are now excited at the idea of the VP taking over the president's spot :)
"Governor Pappy O'Daniel"? Seriously?.. how does that even enter your brain??
We should have known from the instant reaction of the Dems, McCain scored a Check, lets see if it's a checkmate.
I am beyond Obama/ McCain. They don't even match up. It's this Biden/Palin that is now going to hold the good stuff. This is my favorite video (Around 2:30 it gets good): http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=YUxeLV4cO4I
I am not even sure how Biden can do this interview with a straight face. I'm sure a few of your Democratic readers can give us the talking points, I love Bidens mysterious ways of keeping his Palin playbook close to his chest. "You'll hear is when I answer it". When has Biden ever been short on words?? And shouldn't he answer it when it's asked of him?? twice??? this is gonna be so good!!
Enter one HRC to come and deal with Palin, who would have thought a Republican could unite the great divide: Obama &Clinton ????
To make a more convincing argument,I think you need to distinguish between the different groups that you lump into "the Democrats." Obama has been very gracious in dealing with Palin and Biden has treated her with all the deference in the world. Yes, there are fringe groups who raise unsettling questions, but don't try to lay that at the feet of Obama.
The greatest irony in the post Palin circus is the way the McCain people have been whining about the media (a Republican mainstay). First they announce that her teenage daughter is pregnant and then they complain about the media asking questions about it. Umm, what did you expect would happen when you held a press conference announcing the pregnancy? No one plays the victim like a GOP candidate for public office.
You are right that many on the left struggle with how to react to Palin - its pretty hard to take her seriously. I was really disappointed in her speech. You really think she avoided bitterness when she said that being a mayor was a lot like being a community organizer, except with "actual responsibilities"? Is she really serious about flouting her experience as mayor of Wasilla over Obama's time in south Chicago?? Please. McCain did a much better job in his speech - glimpses of the old centrist McCain.
I really can't understand why Palin, Giuliani and company (including you) would want to criticize Obama for the time he spent just out of college working for an organization of Catholic parishes, as a liason between local government and people who needed job training and housing. Why is this so laughable? Seriously, please help me out here.
Oh, I'll help you out alright...
Barry's community organizer ploy is a classic 'bait and switch' argument.
First the bait:
His Hopefulness gets up on the stump and talks about why he would be a good President, and cites his days as a tirless champion of the lower classes in order to prove it.
Or better yet, he derides Palin's mayoral experience because there were only nine thousand people in her town, and she's governor of a small state.
So Republicans get up at the convention and rightfully blast him for pretending his community organizer responsiblities somehow supercede that of jobs where officials are at least accountable to an electorate.
Then comes the switch...
The Dems howl and wail to the media that "Republicans are attacking his volunteer spirit and community activism because they only love big greedy corporations and hate ordinary people and want to take away our medical care and school lunches and bedtime blankies.
The fact that Barry was takin' it to the streets should be commended. He deserves more respect than Republicans give him. The problem only comes when he uses that experience to pretend he's qualified, which he must do because his resume is so slender.
Obama's romantic narrative of Harvard Law grad toiling away in South-Side obscurity would have a little more credibility if he wasn't using that job to work his way up the ladder of the Chicago political establishment. The candidate of change bears a label that reads, "Another fine product of the Boss Daley machine."
It's just as disengenous coming from The One as it is from McCain, whose "I lead for patriotism, not for profit" dig at Romney made me forswear watching another one of his speeches.
And Palin's speech was a home run. It did the only two things she needed to do. It confirmed she was not only a successful career woman, but also the lovely matriarch of the Alaskan family next door. And that she could take a punch (and even throw one.)
"Republicans are attacking his volunteer spirit and community activism because they only love big greedy corporations and hate ordinary people and want to take away our medical care and school lunches and bedtime blankies."
Well said McCa...McStrate! I couldn't agree more.
What do you mean "a state no one cares about". No room for you when you want to come and visit. Oh yeah you probably won't want to come and visit the home of Sarah and your good old Aunt and Uncle.
We have several politicians now in jail and Uncle Ted (Stevens) is due for trial thanks to Sarah.
And she just approved a deal with a Canadian company for a natural gas pipeline. Everyone else has fought about the pipeline for years with no progress.
Those two undertakings take some skill and savvy.
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