“The media is already trying to spin this as evidence that Governor Palin is a hypocrite,” said James C. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family. “But all it really means is that she and her family are human.”Yes, compared to some of the people on "our" side, James-fucking-Dobson sounds like a reasonable man. That is a very sorry, how-low-can-you-go, state of affairs.
I recently posted the following comment at Shakesville; now I am sharing my wealth of insights here. For what its worth, etc.
No doubt the GOP is quivering in anticipation of the moment when Governor Palin can look Joe Biden in the eye and say "As we all know my daughter Bristol is expecting my first grandchild. I've seen my grandson's (granddaughter's) sonogram and listened to his (her) tiny heartbeat. There is no way you can tell me, as a mother and grandmother, that my grandbaby isn't a human life worthy of protection." And watch Biden (or Obama) scramble to try to define late term / "partial birth' abortion etc. Either or both of them will fold like.... well, folding chairs, or something.
And I'm sure they are looking forward to "Troopergate" vs. Rezko. The investigation into Palin's cop former brother-in-law began before Palin started her gubernatorial campaign and was based on legitimate (and legitmated) complaints. Even if its found that Palin did replace Alaska's top public safety guy because she was unhappy that the ex-brother in law was still on the force, given the ex-brother-in-law's record of drunk driving, drinking beer in his patrol car, threatening to kill his father-in-law if his wife hired a divorce lawyer, tasering his 11 year old stepson, and a few other things found to be true by the internal police investigation, Palin's concerns hardly seem outrageous. Nor does this sound all that troubling compared to vouching for and benefitting from Rezko. If I had to pick a scandal for my candidate to have, I'd take "why is this rogue cop still on the force" over "love me, love my slumlord" in a heartbeat, and I'd welcome the comparison. "Troopergate" makes Rezko a relevant topic of conversation again.
And as for experience - same thing. Who can honestly say that a guy who spent eight years pushing the yes, no or present button in a part-time state legislature plus half a term in the U.S. Senate, a man with no foreign policy experience, is a serious pick to be president of the united states? But here we are. If I were McCain's camp, I would welcome every opportunity to bring this up over and over again, even if it knocked down my VP candidate a bit. It's a net plus.
Choosing Palin is an open opportunity for the Dems to expose themselves as elitist, sneering, superficial, anti-family, anti-Christian, anti-ordinary folks, holier-than-thou moralists. The gamble McCain is taking is that this negative impression of the Democrats will be more potent than the hit he takes from the media for the crime of naming a female - and thus superficial and ridiculous - person to the ticket.
McCain is running with the "I'm more like you ordinary voters; you and me, we think alike; I respect and will represent your values; and just who do these highfalutin' Democrats think they are anyway" narrative against the Democrats "we're right on the issues, and we're smarter and better and younger" narrative. And when you're not smarter or better, or right on the issues, that's a very good approach to take.
To wrap it up - Palin makes lack-of-experience, scandal, and liberal snobbery "newsworthy" topics of conversation, since its the Democrats who are raising / walking into these issues.
----
THEN I read this post at Anglachel's Journal :
What Anglachel wrote is really good, much better than what I wrote, and there's more to it than what I pasted here so go read it. You'll be edificationalized, I guarantee it.
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No doubt the GOP is quivering in anticipation of the moment when Governor Palin can look Joe Biden in the eye and say "As we all know my daughter Bristol is expecting my first grandchild. I've seen my grandson's (granddaughter's) sonogram and listened to his (her) tiny heartbeat. There is no way you can tell me, as a mother and grandmother, that my grandbaby isn't a human life worthy of protection." And watch Biden (or Obama) scramble to try to define late term / "partial birth' abortion etc. Either or both of them will fold like.... well, folding chairs, or something.
And I'm sure they are looking forward to "Troopergate" vs. Rezko. The investigation into Palin's cop former brother-in-law began before Palin started her gubernatorial campaign and was based on legitimate (and legitmated) complaints. Even if its found that Palin did replace Alaska's top public safety guy because she was unhappy that the ex-brother in law was still on the force, given the ex-brother-in-law's record of drunk driving, drinking beer in his patrol car, threatening to kill his father-in-law if his wife hired a divorce lawyer, tasering his 11 year old stepson, and a few other things found to be true by the internal police investigation, Palin's concerns hardly seem outrageous. Nor does this sound all that troubling compared to vouching for and benefitting from Rezko. If I had to pick a scandal for my candidate to have, I'd take "why is this rogue cop still on the force" over "love me, love my slumlord" in a heartbeat, and I'd welcome the comparison. "Troopergate" makes Rezko a relevant topic of conversation again.
And as for experience - same thing. Who can honestly say that a guy who spent eight years pushing the yes, no or present button in a part-time state legislature plus half a term in the U.S. Senate, a man with no foreign policy experience, is a serious pick to be president of the united states? But here we are. If I were McCain's camp, I would welcome every opportunity to bring this up over and over again, even if it knocked down my VP candidate a bit. It's a net plus.
Choosing Palin is an open opportunity for the Dems to expose themselves as elitist, sneering, superficial, anti-family, anti-Christian, anti-ordinary folks, holier-than-thou moralists. The gamble McCain is taking is that this negative impression of the Democrats will be more potent than the hit he takes from the media for the crime of naming a female - and thus superficial and ridiculous - person to the ticket.
McCain is running with the "I'm more like you ordinary voters; you and me, we think alike; I respect and will represent your values; and just who do these highfalutin' Democrats think they are anyway" narrative against the Democrats "we're right on the issues, and we're smarter and better and younger" narrative. And when you're not smarter or better, or right on the issues, that's a very good approach to take.
To wrap it up - Palin makes lack-of-experience, scandal, and liberal snobbery "newsworthy" topics of conversation, since its the Democrats who are raising / walking into these issues.
----
THEN I read this post at Anglachel's Journal :
At this point in the election, there are only two issues that matter. One is the Republican ticket and how that will affect Republican turn out. The other is the disaffection of the Democratic base....McCain correctly identified his electoral weaknesses (loss of image as outsider, growth of image that he is not a mover and shaker, belief that he is not sufficiently conservative) and has located a running mate who helps him shore up issues without detracting from him. He has reasserted the maverick brand, positioned himself as a change agent, and has neutralized most of his hard-right defection threat. What Democrats need to understand is the VP selection was all about McCain and the problems he was having creating the right image and was not about policy, credentials, or filling an office. Our Republican friends are ecstatic about the selection of Palin because it fixes their problems with McCain. They now have a positive reason to vote for their ticket..."About the Democratic base, she writes:
"What too many on the Left see as Palin's weaknesses will not, repeat, NOT be seen that way by her base. For example, there is an article today in the NYT by Kit Seelye about Bristol Palin's pregnancy. The headline screams "Palin’s Teen Daughter Is Pregnant; New G.O.P. Tumult," but the text of the article shows one Republican after another saying some variation on "Stuff like that happens. I wish the family the best." No tumult at all. Kind of like the Pope approving of Madonna's song "Papa Don't Preach." Also, absolutely do not under any circumstances breathe that Gov. Palin should have to produce medical records related to her reproductive history. Quite aside from that being a HIPAA violation, it is what the Republicans want the power to do, so do not damage your own privacy interests.
Attacking Palin on personal integrity grounds, as was done to Hillary, will boomerang into increased conservative support because you are outsiders attacking one of the tribe and they will come to her defense. The experience issue is a non-starter. McCain has already abandoned that as a significant argument and it is now the Democrats who keep the meme alive. No one who intends to vote for Palin cares about the "experience" argument and it allows the Republicans to shoot back "But what about Obama?"
"...The DNC and the Obama campaign denigrated and dismissed the preferred candidate of more than half the party, using misogyny and false accusations of racism and giving the CDS-afflicted media carte blanche to act out its worst impulses. When the candidate refused to be intimidated out of the race, the smears were aimed at her supporters. These smears continue to this day. These two lines of attack, one aimed at the voters, the other attributed to them, have inflicted damage that the Obamacan faction will not take responsibility for, let alone move to fix."I don't know what "CDS-afflicted media" means, but I'm pretty sure its not good. (Constitutional Defiance Syndrome? Consistently Deficient Syndrome? Compulsive Dentistry Syndrome?)
What Anglachel wrote is really good, much better than what I wrote, and there's more to it than what I pasted here so go read it. You'll be edificationalized, I guarantee it.
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10 comments:
There are literally dozens of women in the Republican Party more qualified for the vice-presidency, and better suited to it, than Sarah Palin. As Carville noted, Olympia Snowe is one. Kay Bailey Hutchison is another. Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell is a third.
Why not pick any of these women, if you've decided you have to pick a woman? Well, in the case of these three, it's pretty clear why they're out in the cold.
Each of them supports abortion rights. Now, actually picking one of these women as the Republican vice-presidential nominee in spite of those views would, of course, have been the move of a true maverick, and the move of a man serious about placing the people best prepared for the job in stewardship of our nation.
No wonder John McCain didn't do it.
You know what's sexist? Assuming that the only reason Palin was chosen is because she's a women, and treating all female Republican office holders as interchangeable. I am sick of hearing seeing people say this crap.
Olympia Snowe (and Susan Collins, you forgot about her) have next to nothing in common with the Republican base vote. Kay Bailey Hutchinson has more experience - as a Senator, not a Governor. I'd bet that being from Texas, she has the wrong kind of relationship to energy companies. And who knows what skeletons she has; I'd guess quite a few. Others throw Christie Todd Whitman into the mix, as if she wouldn't clash with the Republican base, and as if she wasn't utterly disgraced from her handling of environmental issues related to 9/11.
But sure, any one of them would have been a better pick. Hey, they're all women, what's the difference?
Jeez.
Not only does Sarah Palin have the perfect profile for the GOP base, but the GOP is going to show up the Democrats by condemning sexist and misogynist attacks on her. Its more than Dean, Reid and Pelosi would do for one of their own.
CDS= Clinton Derangement Syndrome, referring to people who hate the Clintons so much they become deranged whenever the Clintons are mentioned. At one time it was thought to only affect right wingers and pundits, this primary exposed many on lefty blogosphere who suffer from severe CDS.
DC Blogger
Thanks - that makes a lot more sense than Compulsive Dentistry Syndrome!
What an embarrassment.
This year, we witnessed history. A woman ran for president and received 18 million votes from a citizenry that made clear it is indeed ready to consider serious women candidates seriously.
And you, Governor Palin, are making a mockery of that message.
As has been noted by many -- from activists to members of Congress -- you, Governor Palin, are no Hillary Clinton.
But, worse than that, you are a disgrace to the culmination of 200 years of women's struggle that Hillary Clinton represents.
You did not work at the Children's Defense Fund, fighting to secure rights for children.
Instead, you used your line-item veto to strike funding for programs that assist teenage mothers.
You did not revamp the education system of an entire state -- though you are governor of a state in which the illiteracy rate is astronomically high.
Instead, your claim to reformer fame is your activities at the PTA.
You have not traveled overseas to speak in dozens of countries about the rights of women.
You did not stand on a stage among half a dozen men and make the case to the America people for why you are qualified to lead this nation.
You did not receive 18 million votes of confidence. In fact, you were nearly recalled as mayor of your tiny Alaskan town.
You have not stood up for reproductive freedom or even reproductive education.
Instead, you have championed ignorance.
And the proof of your failure lives under your very own roof.
You have agreed to accept a nomination for which you are wholly, indisputably unqualified. And in so doing, you have allowed yourself to become the punchline to a very bad joke.
Except that this isn't a joke, Governor Palin. This is our country's future. And while we have certainly found amusement in the disaster that appears to have been your "vetting process," it's really not funny.
The American people continue to learn new and alarming facts about you, but you already knew these facts when you accepted this position:
• You already knew that you were under investigation for ethical violations.
• You already knew that you turned your town's budget surplus into a deficit before you moved on.
• You already knew of your close involvement with indicted Senator Ted Stevens.
• You already knew the carwash business of which you and your husband were part owners was shut down by the government for failure to comply with regulations.
• You already knew that your husband was a member of a radical political party that advocates secession from the United States.
• You already knew that your teenage daughter was pregnant.
And you damn well know, Governor Palin, that as governor, you have not made any decisions whatsoever regarding the overseas deployment and activities of the Alaska National Guard.
And you damn well know, Governor Palin, that despite your geographical proximity to Russia, you have never been involved in foreign relations with Russia.
You know that, Governor Palin.
And you damn well know that despite your cynical attempt to link your name to the success of Hillary Clinton, you also said that you would not vote for her.
The fight for women's equality is a long and continuous struggle. And you, Governor Palin, are clearly on the wrong side of history. While we fight to prove that we deserve to be taken seriously, your willingness to be on this presidential ticket at this time makes a mockery of that struggle.
And now, although you chastised Hillary Clinton for "whining" about unfair and sexist treatment by the media, because Senator McCain's campaign -- your campaign -- cannot answer the myriad legitimate questions surrounding your vetting process and qualifications, it has instead accused the media, the Democrats, and Obama's campaign of sexism.
And you damn well know, Governor Palin, that just isn't true.
Your own party adamantly opposes affirmative action, and yet, tonight you will stand on a stage and accept the nomination for vice president of your party, a nomination for which you are unprepared and unqualified and which you did not earn and do not deserve.
This is not why Hillary Clinton ran for president, and it is certainly not why 18 million of us voted for her. We were not drawn to her because she won a beauty pageant; we were drawn to her because we believed that decades of work and service and education gave her the wisdom and experience to be able to lead our country out of its current darkness.
That, Governor Palin, was why we stood with Hillary Clinton.
Your candidacy makes a mockery of Hillary Clinton's campaign. It makes a mockery of those who supported her. It makes a mockery of decades and centuries of women who were beaten and jailed, who fought with all their might for a day when there would be no more glass ceilings.
You, Governor Palin, are not a continuation of that legacy. You are an insult to that legacy.
Shame on you, Governor Palin. Shame on you.
CDS: Clinton Derangement Syndrome. A disease that highly paid media types have to prove they have before allowed air or print time, and sign a contract to pledge that they will continue not to medicate said disease until Chelsea Clinton's last great grandchild is born, at which time, the contact will be renewed.
"Anonymous" Your points are well taken, but may I gently remind you that Governor Palin is, afterall, a REPUBLICAN running on on a REPUBLICAN ticket. The Republicans will rally around her, which our leaders failed to do for Senator Clinton. Because of the DNC's complete lack of decency and fairness the Republicans are now in the enviable position of showing the country how civilized human beings behave - who would have thunk it!
I prefer to direct my rage at the DNC - but that's just me.
Anonymous, is that an Olbermann rant you posted? It sounds like Olbermann to me.
Let's get a few things straight:
Governor Palin cannot be compared to Senator Clinton because Obama failed to offer the VP slot to Clinton. So all your comparison tells me is that its easier for a woman to make her way to the top in the Republican party than in the Democratic party. The GOP put Governor Palin on the ticket, but the far more qualified and experienced Senator Clinton was denied a place on ours. This reflects poorly on the Democrats.
Also - Governor Palin is not a "joke." She is a Governor. She is a serious candidate. Treating her candidacy as "laughable" reflects poorly on you, not her.
Last, if this Olbermann's stuff, he is being a disingenuous jackass. Obama supporters who previously demonized Senator Clinton coming out of the woodwork with good things to say about Hillary now that she's dropped out sound like hypocrites. This reflects a lack of integrity.
You are making the assumption that because Governor Palin and Senator Clinton are both women, one must be a direct rebuttal to the other. In fact, the proper "flip side" of Senator Clinton is Senator McCain. He is anti-choice, anti-equal pay, anti-everything. By making the comparison between Governor Palin and Senator Clinton, it is you who is being insulting.
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