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August 29, 2008
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By reports, he wanted to pick Lieberman.
Lieberman was an independent-minded person who McCain felt was
qualified and wanted to work with.
But the forces that have turned the
Republican Party into the party of destruction, which depends on
propaganda to get through America-crumbling policies, told John
McCain, if you want victory, compromise your principles one more
time. You've changed your stance on the tax cuts, you've
changed your stance against the religious right, again and again
putting your desire for the Presidency before what you believe in.
Well, if you choose Lieberman, said Rove and other conservatives,
you'll lose. So, John, sell out what you want and believe one
more time, and we will get you what you want.
People seem shocked and baffled by the
choice of Governor Sarah Palin by John McCain. But not those
who understand how the new Republican core works. In fact,
Iowa Independent reporter Douglas Burns predicted not just Palin but
both Biden and Palin back in June. And in his article, he laid
out perfectly why she would be the choice. (See:
Iowa Independent article)
In his article, he made a lot of points,
but the most important one was, "While some Republicans may worry
that Palin would get knocked around in a vice presidential debate
by, say, U.S. Joe Biden, D-Del., it could actually work to the
ticket’s advantage in the same way Hillary’s tears did in New
Hampshire, not that Sarah would be crying over a botched point on
North Korea. The Democrats would have to be careful about bullying
her."
He also adds, "And the press — with
spectacularly little knowledge of Alaska and life there — would
seize on her family background. Her husband, Todd, is a four-time
winner of the Iron Dog, the world’s longest snow machine race."
As the economy crumbles and national
security begs for help, the GOP goal is to make it about how cool it
is that someone races snow machines.
Pundits and reporters who have reacted
to Palin's selection are ignoring the two most basic goals of
Rove/Limbaugh/Murdoch-brand Republican politics:
1) Destroy any attempt at having
useful, intelligent conversation about policies
2) Appeal to people's lower
natures
By putting up a candidate so
pathetically, obviously unqualified that people will feel sorry for
them, anything that makes them look bad, under-qualified, or
uneducated can be used to attack the other side as "arrogant,"
"aloof," "elitist," and, of course, "unlikable."
As George W. said on Letterman during the 2000 election cycle, "All
I have to do is pass the drool test." He was commenting on the
fact that expectations were so low, that while Al Gore would be held
to a high standard, if his pathetic self showed he could stand for
90 minutes without drooling that would show he was not as bad as
they say.
And if you've ever watched local Fox
News Morning broadcasts, you will notice the incredible similarity
of the McCain-Palin ticket to the makeup of the show. The
show's formula is to have an old, grey-haired man be the lead anchor
and have him side-kicked by two hot, sexily dressed, not-so-sharp,
much younger females. It is a male fantasy that Fox plays on,
especially one that appeals to the old, angry men of the Republican
Party. Palin, to put it plainly, looks like someone pretending
to be the hot librarian type in a porn movie.
What was happening this election was
that, for the first time in a decade, there was forming an actual
adult conversation about policies. Republicans do not win
under such circumstances. In case McCain wasn't aware of it,
the right made that clear.
And so McCain dropped a nuke on any
attempt at useful discourse. He put before America someone so
obviously unqualified to be President that you can't help but
comment on it. BUT, the second you do comment on it, we are
instantly back in the FOX News/Limbaugh-brand discussion about, "Oh
yeah, well she's more qualified than Barack." "No she's not."
"Yes she is." etc.
At the same time, the in-the-gutter GOP
base - that same group that claims to be the "values" group - will
get to have lots of talk on their AM radio and cable news shows
about how cool it is that she's a hot chick who shoots guns and that
her husband races. And what immediately leaves the
conversation is the economy, useful foreign policy discourse, and a
focus on John McCain and his lack of spine, charisma, and
believability.
In addition, Palin's views are so
directly Bush/Limbaughian, that McCain has officially completed his
conversion to embracing the religious/corporate right agenda that
has destroyed America - and which he once railed against.
Limbaugh, FOX, Rove and friends are
happy as a clam. They now have the propaganda meat they
needed. They can do what they have managed to do for years -
make the media conversation and the election personal. By
putting such an obvious defect front and center, that was the goal
of the Palin pick.
Unfortunately, many Democrats fell right
into the trap, along with the media. They immediately pointed
out the obvious, that she is absurdly unqualified to be President,
and by doing so, they invited the planned response by the
FOX/Limbaugh right that, no, she has executive experience, which is
more than Obama has, and so have allowed them to shift the
conversation back to Obama's qualifications and away from policy
discussions - which are what actually affect the economy, national
security, and the world we live on.
However, the Obama/Biden camp showed
right away - as they have throughout this campaign - that they
actually have a new brand of politics that nullifies these Rovian
tactics. While their spokesperson made the mistake of
attacking her "zero" useful experience, the official statement from
the campaign was:
We send our congratulations to Governor
Sarah Palin and her family on her designation as the republican
nominee for vice president. It is yet another encouraging sign that
old barriers are falling in our politics. While we obviously have
differences over how best to lead this country forward, Governor
Palin is an admirable person and will add a compelling new voice to
this campaign.
There are two things that should stop
this choice from succeeding.
First, McCain's age. While the
pick of Dan Quayle was largely ignored by the electorate, McCain's
age and four previous bouts with cancer make Palin's absurdity
something that can't be stomached by anyone who has kids or likes to
exist.
Secondly, with her just being the vice
presidential pick and not at the top of the ticket, Obama and Biden
can simply ignore her as much as possible. They shouldn't say
a single word about her lack of experience, nor allow any Democrat
to. It is so blatant it speaks for itself clearly, while
addressing it gives more distraction and attention to non-policy
issues. And on top of that, she is just the VP pick, and so
will only be in one debate and will get second shrift to McCain -
though she will get a ton more attention than other VP picks would
because the right-wing propaganda machine will use her sexy,
intentionally conversation destroying existence to interfere with
useful discussion as much as possible.
In the end, this was indeed a Hail Mary
by a desperate McCain, and just the latest embrace of what he knows
is wrong for the sake of gaining the presidency by a man The
Moderate Independent once held as one of our favorites. There
is not much we at M/I have been wrong about over the years; indeed,
we have almost without exception been prophetic. But there is
at least one thing now M/I can not avoid admitting it was dead wrong
about: our previous belief that McCain was man of character
who America could trust.
UPDATE: Just confirming
that the initial reaction by the Obama spokesperson was an
aberration and the the Obama campaign is smart enough to handle this
properly so as to nullify the effect, here is Barack's personal
reaction today from
CNN's blog:
“I'm sure that she will help make
the case for the Republicans,” said Obama to reporters
accompanying him on the tour. “Unfortunately, the case is more
of the same. And so ultimately John McCain is at top of the
ticket.”
“As I indicated in my speech last
night, I think that he wants to take the country in the wrong
direction,” he added. “I'm assuming Governor Palin agrees with
him in his policies.”
Obama called Palin “a compelling
person” with a terrific personal story and said that her
nomination next week is one more indicator that the country is
moving forward.
“I think [it] is one more hit
against that glass ceiling and I congratulate her and look
forward to a vigorous debate,” said Obama. “I'm pleased with my
choice for vice president Joe Biden. I think he's the man who
can help me guide this country in a better direction and help
working families.”
Biden, the man who is expected to be
the ticket’s attack dog, stayed relatively mum.
“I'm looking forward to meeting
her,” said the Delaware senator.
Asked about the initial comment by their
spokesperson saying Palin was, “the former mayor of a town of 9,000
with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the
presidency,” Obama said, as reported by the CNN blog:
“You know, campaigns start getting
these hair triggers and the statement that Joe and I put out
reflects our sentiments,” said Obama.
Don't worry America, you are safe in
Obama's hands.
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