The Great Liberal Crack-up
Sarah Palin has not even been widely known nationally for a week. We await her speeches, interviews, and grace or lack of it under fire. There will be examination like none other.
Yet in anticipation, the liberal establishment has gone simply haywire this last week. Joe Biden—anyone who has followed his career knows that it is only a matter of time before he makes something up about himself, says something inane, or claims something is true that is not—has announced her “good-looking,” in a way he once dismissed Obama as “clean.” (You see, most others lack Biden’s brilliant intellect, and so only advanced on their looks, which he apparently acknowledges through his own hair transplants as marginally important in politics).
The former head of the Democratic National Committee, Don Fowler announced that Hurricane Gustav was God’s payback to the Republicans—apparently not so unusual a liberal quip since caring Michael Moore hyper-ventilated about the same phenomenon. Their point apparently is fourfold: 1) people who believe in God get ironic payback; 2) it’s nice to see political opponents’ best laid convention plans disrupted by natural disaster and Obama helped; 3) My God!—there is no Obama post-convention bounce!; 4) who cares about what happens to millions in Gustav’s path?
It did not take a vicious Andrew Sullivan and the Daily Kos long, in despicable fashion, to start directing our attention to pictures of the Palins’ sixteen-year-old daughter, with the unhinged suggestion that she was really the mother of Sarah Palin’s recent child—all this from liberal humanists who lecture the nation hourly about Rovian politics. In their world of the self-anointed, the filthy ends of smearing a teen-ager always justify the noble ends: who cares about destroying the reputation of the Palin family if it brings us the Messiah? (Watch the retreat to victimhood when the untruths from these purveyors of slander are exposed as absolutely false; it will be something like: if you allege I’m a smear artist, then you are thereby a smear artist.)
Then terrified feminist columnists, whether at the New York Times or the Huffington Post, wrote furiously that anyone is clearly a sexist who might suggest that a woman out of solidarity would vote for Palin—this after the nation has witnessed 18 months of Hillary’s campaign calling for women of the nation to unite, and Obama has raised the issue of race in ways that ensured 95% of the black vote.
You see there are apparently problems for many “powerful” feminists with Palin: she’s a happy mom of five; she made it in the world by partnering with men on her own terms; she likes real physical challenges whether shooting, fishing, or snowmobiling—or running an entire state. Had Palin announced that she was pro-choice, liberal, the mother of one or two children, a graduate from Harvard—and were she not so attractive—we would be hearing about her stature and seriousness.
The liberal mindset is so funny—and so predictable. A Joe Biden or Barack Obama, both lawyers and senators and residents of mansion-like houses, whose associates are for the most part lobbyists, insiders, and wheeler-dealers, claim that they are men of the people. No matter that they both went to private prep schools, had parents of a rather different sort than steel workers (Obama’s were both PhD candidates, Biden’s dad worked for an oil company and was a business executive), and obviously enjoy the good life (few who work at Wal-Mart get hair-plugs or eat arugula). This disconnect is all accepted by the liberal establishment, and encouraged, since elites are supposed to have a speck under their fingernails—but not much more.
Suddenly Palin comes along with a real middling class upbringing (her parents were out hunting when her nomination was announced), and a husband that is a state snowmobiling champion. We won’t have to worry, in other words, that she will put on spandex and be caught wind-surfing, wearing the obligatory Democratic camouflage and being seen in a duck blind, or fumbling all over herself at the bowling alley. But if the smirks about her looks, family, and inexperience are any indication, liberals find all this a sort of raining on their parade. (You are supposed to occasionally talk or look middle class—but NOT, God forbid, actually be middle class!). Middle-class concern is a sort of tsk, tsk that allows an Al Gore to fly Gulfstream or John Edwards to have that extra 27,000 sq. ft. of housing.
Bottom line: we are supposed to turn our lives over to a particular sort of lawyer, Ivy-League deity, who knows far better than we how we are supposed to live. If one understands that condescension, then all the talk about race, class, and gender is about as serious as communitarianism was to those bloated figures who used to stand on the podium at the Moscow May Parade. They are, again, means to an end, the end being perpetual power.
In short, Sarah Palin in just a few days has proved to be a sort of nightmarish liberal banshee. We heard how impossible it is to balance work and family (remember the old wonder stories about how Hillary raised Chelsea while being a lawyer?)—but we don’t wish to hear about a working mom with five children. That suggests just too much family solidarity and bliss. We praise the distant middle class, but don’t want a rural beauty queen and happy governor of Alaska in Washington. We want to agonize about women’s dramas and abortion, but not someone to deliver a child known in advance to have Down syndrome. We want a superwoman, but that means going to Harvard or Yale, not standing in waders on a boat or carving up a bloody moose.
I don’t know what the ultimate political result will be of the Palin appointment. I do know that as Vice President she would be every bit as qualified and experienced as Obama, who, after all, wishes to be President. But if the first week’s liberal crack-up is any indication, John McCain has just out hoped and changed Barack Obama.
The Hillary voter who saw sexism in the primaries is now examining every word from Obama (“sweetie”) and Biden (“good-looking”). Is McCain still the DC “insider” after Obama nominated the apparatchek Biden, while McCain goes with Palin? The working white class voter is anxiously examining what the Obama hit teams do with a fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, pro-drilling Alaskan mom of five. Is she a clinger? Someone who likes her guns and church? A “typical white person?”
And the hardcore old white guy of the rightwing base, who has been demonized by the hip Obamatti as staid, boring, and predictable, just played his own trump card—and is now crowing that he has a younger and more charismatic face of his own: ‘You really want to play the media ga-ga hand? Ok, I just matched your Obama and raised a Palin!’
The election race for the nth time just started from square one—and in a year like this that only helps the old war horse McCain.
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57 Comments
1. ~Paules:The mainstream media goes berserk over the Palin selection and displays just how out of touch it is with, ummm, the mainstream. We need a new acronym for an institution that is in reality elitist and out of touch. Ironic, too, that the MSM preaches diversity in a field so monolithic by ideology. Well, let them have their say; no one is listening anyway.
Meanwhile, conservatism has a new champion. Yes, it’s early and we hardly know Sarah Palin, but her biography is compelling. Let’s stick to the facts we know:
1. The conservative base is suddenly energized. We were betrayed by corrupt careerists in the Republican Party, but Sarah Palin is a genuine reformer who cleaned house in Alaska. She’s a Cincinnatus arrived from the provinces to put the republic right. Huzzah!
2. In the first 24 hours since her debut, the Republican base has showered the McCain/Palin ticket with 7 million dollars in contributions. More is on the way. We still have a convention ahead.
3. The timing of the announcement was brilliant. Obama was knocked off the front pages a day after his acceptance speech. Polling shows his convention bounce already fading. This is what you get when pros are running the show.
Conservatism is back. The Republicans were put on notice in 2006, hopefully they will remember the lesson. The McCain nomination becomes all of a sudden completely explicable. This election is about change, but not the kind preached by the MSM. Missed it yet again they did. Watch the MSM, as a surrogate for the Democratic Party, in full panic mode following the Republican convention. Watch the McCain/Plain ticket bounce, and bounce again all the way to the White House.
Sep 1, 2008 - 9:30 am 2. R Richard Schweitzer:Now with Palin this campaign can be RUN AGAINST CONGRESS.
All of the other candidates would find this difficult (and two would find it undesirable) to do so.
Palin can re-establish that it is a function of the Presidency to counter-balance (rather than amplify) the excesses of the legislative branch.
O will self-destruct if he attempts to defend Congress, and will have difficulty in differentiating his “philosophy[?]” from the Congressional trends of the past 12 years (and all of Biden’s 36).
Sep 1, 2008 - 9:31 am 3. Olivia:Palin is a dream come true to real feminists. And the contrast to Hillary, Michelle and Nancy Pelosi could not be any more stark.
She is not shrill, mannish, authoritarian, condescending, or stupid. Best of all she has not ridden anyone’s coattails. McCain made it a lot easier for Hillary voters to switch. Many were moderate and conservative Democrats anyway and Palin is probably closer to their values and beliefs than Hillary or McCain.
Palin ‘12
Sep 1, 2008 - 9:51 am 4. IcePilot:VDH,
A quick look at the Kos & HuffPo sites shows the total insanity of the liberal reaction; thus confirming how completely McCain’s pick of Palin has disrupted what they thought would be Obama’s cake walk into the Oval office. Sarah Palin, like Reagan, is the type of self-made, honest and cheerful warrior that America loves, and the left simply can’t comprehend. As the McCain/Palin numbers go up, watch for the Move-on.org nastiness and bile to erupt.
Sep 1, 2008 - 10:16 am 5. J.J. Sefton:Just learned that Bristol Palin is actually 5 months pregnant. In a perfect world, it would be nobody’s business but hers and her family’s. However the MSM being who they are, are no doubt pouncing as we speak. Michelle Malkin though raises a good point – the Palins talk the talk and walk the walk. Bristol will have the baby and will have to grow up in a hurry, with the love and support of the family.
Obama on the other hand at least tells the truth in this regard. He said that if either of his daughters were to get pregnant he wouldn’t want them saddled with the burden of an unwanted pregnancy.
Ticklish situation here. Took 2 years to reveal John Edwards’ bastard child to the sound of a collective yawn from the left (until they started blaming Elizabeth for knowing about it in advance).
McCain must have known about it but decided to say nothing, perhaps believing the public would indeed regard this as a private family matter. I mean what was Sarah Palin supposed to do. “Hi I’m Sarah Palin and I am proud to accept the nomination as the vice presidential candidate. Oh, and by the way, my 17 year old daughter is pregnant.”????
Sep 1, 2008 - 10:35 am 6. Master Cranky Hucklebubble:What has long been a suspicion has now become explicitely clear to me: we of the conservative/libertarian bent are genuinely hated, hated, by a discomforting number of our own citizens. I am peace-loving by nature and I do not relish the thought that the day may come when the choice will be forced upon me to either succomb or come to blows.
This treatment of Governor Palin should be a wake-up call for us all.
Sep 1, 2008 - 10:46 am 7. John:Update: Sarah Palin’s 17 y.o. daughter is preggers and is planning a wedding as we write this. The smear will, no doubt, backfire. Besides, it’s none of our business what hanky-panky the daughter is up to, it’s Sarah Palin who must pass muster, not the kid.
Why can’t the lefty loons ever get it right? Because they are scrambling right now to find something,,, anything,,, to use as negative leverage against the right. John McCain has got to be smiling about now.
Personally, I think Sarah Palin is awesome. Great choice for Veep.
Sep 1, 2008 - 11:21 am 8. Kerry:I am a woman. I am a mother of 2. I am an attorney. I am a CPA. I own my own shingle.
I found the treatment of Hillary Clinton by the Obama camp to be sexist. Obama et. al. pushed Hillary out of the race when she was not losing.
I find the Democratic treatment of Sarah Palin as sexist as Hillary. The demo-gods on the news questioned Palin as not being experienced. Palin has more “experience” at running government than Obama. Further, I like her decisions better than Obama.
I say there needs to be equal treatment for equal qualification. Palin is more qualified. My vote is going to the Palin ticket.
Sep 1, 2008 - 11:27 am 9. TG Poll:I will still vote for McCain, but personally I can’t help but think this is a big mistake. My guess, is that the republican party is out to have some fun this year and throwing a hail mary. I have a feeling that some more established vp candidates said no, because they’d like to be the Ronald Reagan to Obama’s Carter in four years.
Sep 1, 2008 - 11:35 am 10. Pops in Vienna:Doc,
You left out one thing about Gov. Palin. Her kid is in the military. Any future talk about a “cowboy administration” sending kids off to fight an ill considered war will have to be tempered by McCain and Palin being willing to put their own kids (not somebody else’s) in harms way.
I like the female “Teddy Roosevelt”. From what I hear, it would be very, very unwise to under estimate the woman. Biden probably will. He just won’t be able to resist. I will enjoy watching her slice him up like a dead moose.
Sep 1, 2008 - 11:58 am 11. Dan:Fascinating piece Professor, —————— as ever.
Sep 1, 2008 - 12:08 pm 12. Ron Kean:Dear Professor,
It’s been 5 days since your last post. I was having withdrawal symptoms.
Again, the world is upside down. With David Geffen and George Soros throwing money around, Republicans still get the ‘rich guy’ rap. Israel is still bad to a lot of people. And a working mom with 5 kids is going to get raked over the coals.
I hope Stanley Kurtz turns up something good but more I hope that if so, somebody carries the news.
What was Palen’s budget as mayor or governor compared to the $100,000,000 of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge?
I have a feeling she’s going to beat Biden. She fought men in her own party and private sector oil men and they didn’t have to put on a show. Biden needs to be seen as being respectful and appealing.
Or does he? Can he?
Sep 1, 2008 - 12:54 pm 13. Jim Ruel:Dr. Hanson,
I’ve enjoyed your foreign policy analysis since I discovered your website shortly after 9/11.
Take a look again at what you’ve just written. Is the subject matter worthy of your time?
To me it appears to be a bunch of unimportant nonesense, derived from the Boomer culture wars.
I’m 33, always a registered independent, and I voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004. I’m supporting Obama this time because I believe the GOP must be held accountable for its failures. I also like the fact that Obama is a post-Boomer pol.
I can’t wait for all of you Boomers, right and left, to just go away. All any of you do, apparently, is take up oxygen. I’m suffocating here.
Nonetheless, I’ll keep reading your foreign policy analysis. I enjoy reading your historical references in the context of today’s world. I’d enjoy it more if you left the culture wars out of it.
Best Regards,
Jim Ruel
Sep 1, 2008 - 1:01 pm 14. ic:Obama’s freshness has gone stale, he is so yester-month. The short-attention-spanned voters have moved on.
Sep 1, 2008 - 1:16 pm 15. jimbo:“Urban Liberal Provincials” or, as Karl Rove calls them “Urban Parochials”:
In modern America, these are the people who are hopelessly uninformed and unaware. Most of them probably still think the Surge was a failure. Rev. Wright? Bill Ayers? why would that be a problem for Obama?
If Obama had not won the nomination and were instead being considered for VP, I don’t think he would make it through a serious, professional vetting. But here he is, the enthusiastic choice of the liberal elites.
Sep 1, 2008 - 2:31 pm 16. msnthrop:Gov. Palin appears in part to be a religious zealot who advocates teaching creationism and abstinence education in public schools. Personally I rather like a nice wide gap between church and state and have no interest in allowing right wing religious people dictate that what they believe should be taught in schools, particularly when they seem incapable of instilling their message within their own family. No liberal smearing is required to see this choice for VP is ridiculous.
Sep 1, 2008 - 2:44 pm 17. Palin's Daughter - does this mean Dan Quayle was right? | blogs4God:[...] and Days – 10:13 AM – Palin: too much Hope and Change? It did not take a vicious Andrew Sullivan and the Daily Kos long, in despicable fashion, to start [...]
Sep 1, 2008 - 3:08 pm 18. Minerva:Your finest writing ever. You even anticipated the news about her daughter, but then, as one who knows his history, you see the future more clearly than the rest.
Sep 1, 2008 - 3:28 pm 19. J.J. Sefton:8 hours later and although this has not shrunk to the level of non-story (never will with this MSM) but it really is.
My bottom line is how does the out-of-wedlock pregnancy of a candidate’s daughter affect me, national security, taxes, social security?
The real question is how does a canddate’s racist preacher, terrorist backer and Marxist leanings affect me, national security, taxes, social security?
Sep 1, 2008 - 3:28 pm 20. Willyshake:Well stated. And let’s not forget the cognoscenti at CNN and Columbia School of Journalism. As I’ve stated here, liberals and the media are continually mocking conservatives and Christians for our backward-looking attempts to keep women out of the work-place and at home raising the kids.
Yet now that a conservative woman steps forward to “shatter the glass ceiling” of DC politics, she is told–by an Emmy award-winning “veteran broadcaster”–to do what?
Stay at home where you belong, honey?
The arrogance and contempt of these people should no longer astound anyone. Disgusting.
Sep 1, 2008 - 3:48 pm 21. D.W. Drang:And, predictably enough, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer today published an editorial listing all of the ideological issues they take with her. Fair enough, they don’t want to drill ANWR, they are “pro-choice”, and so forth.
Sep 1, 2008 - 4:36 pm 22. TLM:But they closed with “Palin is not experienced enough to answer the phone at 3 a.m. to deal with a global crisis.” And Obama and Biden are? As governor of Alaska, Palin is the commander of th Alaska National Guard, including the 49th Missile Defense Battalion and the Eskimo Scouts, both 24/7 active duty reserve formations essential to National Security.
If nothing else, it’ll be fun watching the Democrats make hypocrits of themselves running down Sarah Palin. Hope Middle America is watching. The Dems are gonna’ crucify her. Of course that could backfire on them as well. And if she survives, we’ll have a new definition of true grit.
Whatever the outcome, the Middle Class should be happy one of them made it to the big time this year. Maybe it will start a trend.
Sep 1, 2008 - 5:23 pm 23. TurfMonster:This was a brilliant move. I just returned from another board I frequent and one of the KosKids was complaining about just what an insignificant qualification commanding the Alaskan National Guard is. It was simply a joy reminding him that neither Obama nor Biden could lay claim to having commanded anything, including something as “insignificant” as the Alaskan National Guard.
LOL, and that is just one thing where Gov. Palin towers over her opponents!
Sep 1, 2008 - 5:44 pm 24. George Best:Palin is a nice choice, but McCain did not need to take such a chance to win in November. It was Obama who failed by refusing to take Hilary as VP and McCain let him back in the game with his choice. He shouid have picked Romney. This pregnancy thing wont make conservatives vote for Obama, but it will keep many out of the voting booth.
If McCain knew before picking her, hes even more unaware of the conservative base then I thought.
Sep 1, 2008 - 6:14 pm 25. Joseph Marino:Yet another fine piece by Dr. Hanson (thank you). Precious few commentators examine the base psychology that form opinions like Dr. Hanson. Mark Steyn is one.
I’m a stalwart Republican and quite admire Mr. Obama. It’s nice to see a thoughtful, intelligent and articulate politician. These should be the minimum requirements.
Obamas biggest problem is his supporters. Their excessive zeal is a turn-off to a great many people who are old enough not believe in fairy tales. Most of us know Obama is not going to end poverty, stop global warming, eliminate wars and above all – make us happy. And watching people behave as if he will is just plain creepy.
Sep 1, 2008 - 6:58 pm 26. Doug:This is a joke. Palin’s candidacy is a farce. America is beyond repair.
Sep 1, 2008 - 7:05 pm 27. RJ:Lanny Davis, the lawyer who loves Bill Clinton and spent so much time justifying his behavior with women, looks so thin and gaunt, I’ve noticed the camera angle now has been changed to soften his sickly appearance. Who’s fooling who?
And that’s what is coming from the Democrats to the voting public. Pick your object of attention; they intend to fool you.
Palin will define herself. Biden will show himself. Obama will offer smoke and mirrors. McCain will continue to say “my friends” to all before him.
It boils down to what the voters consider important.
For me, two lawyers high tech ambulance chasing for votes from we victims, versus old warrior and frontier mom telling us we can do it now. Easy pick for me at this point of the game.
I’ll also add the team these two sets of candidates intend to bring with them. Do I really want Ms. Albright, T. Daschle, Dickie Durbin, self loathing Chuck Shumer and historian Michael Moore pulling those levers of central power?
Nope. Not then, not now, not tomorrow!
Sep 1, 2008 - 7:34 pm 28. njcommuter:I would not call the liberal mindset “funny.” I would call it dishonest, disastrous, hubristic, and, yes, sinful (against justice, prudence, and temperence, filled with envy, anger, and pride).
Sep 1, 2008 - 7:58 pm 29. Dave:The truth of the matter is that
Sarah Palin only gets John McCain two
votes.
1) Bubba
2) Cissy
How many Bubbas and Cissys are there anyway?
Sep 1, 2008 - 8:01 pm 30. steve:There you go, getting technical again.
It is amazing that we see these things so clearly and those opposed can not or do not.
Sep 2, 2008 - 1:15 am 31. TLM:In one master stroke McCain turned the election from a referendum on Obama to a multi dimesional race – where I believe McCain – Palin have the advantage.
Picking a running mate with abundant demonstrated common sense, a corageous track record of reform against serious odds, rock solid and admirable values, good communications skills, serious knowledge about energy and untainted by the corrupt beltway……is a welcome and brilliant act.
From peanut farmer to president — and look what that got us.
From Hope Arkansas to president — multi-millionaire schmoozer of Central Asian dictators and petty drunk (if the plethoric facies are diagnostic) unwittingly sabotaging the wife’s campaign. Oh, and 9/11, of course. That’s the legacy.
On the Republican side: Ronald Reagan, John McCain, and the new generation, Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee.
So what Party today knows how to pick a man or woman OF the people. I guess it depends on your definition of “the people”. (And I include McCain here despite his family connections in the Navy — graduating near the bottom of your class and living for five years in a box does not an elitist make).
Note Obama bringing his minions to heel after their overwrought disparaging of Gov Palin. He’s starting to see the downside of that play.
Sep 2, 2008 - 5:58 am 32. Ron Kean:Mr. Ruel,
If I were suffocating, I’d go away. You might apologize to the Professor, not for denigrating his politics, but for your spelling.
Doug,
That’s why many like you are regarded as Defeatocrats.
Sep 2, 2008 - 6:10 am 33. Pops in Vienna:Obama has all the credentials to be Secretary General of the UN. He blew $100,000,000. of project money in Chicago and has nothing to show for it. He’s a glib talker and is the darling of the media and the elites. In short, he’d be the perfect person to head up the useless organization.
I like Palin. She appears to have a lot of experience dealing with energy matters and has an honest streak in her that’s unusual for politicians. I think Alaska is bigger than most of the countries of Europe, so why doesn’t that count for valid experience?
You know, unlike Washington, governors can’t print money when they have budget problems. The same is true with mayors. I think this lady might be our future Margaret Thatcher. I am looking forward to seeing the skins of her adversaries hung on the wall of her VP office.
Sep 2, 2008 - 6:19 am 34. jp:Smashing article. One more of your best of the best.
With John McCain’s brilliant choice of a running-mate, he has let the other side know what ‘change’ really is. Talk about shock-and-awe! O’s team already had ads prepared for the choices they thought it might be, but they never envisioned Gov. Palin. I love it.
McCain said that he would announce his VP pick on his birthday: well he did get a birthday present for sure, but the ones who really got the present is US, and the U.S. So Happy Birthday, Senator McCain, and McCain/Palin.
He also did not slight his opponents. His announcement has no doubt tempered some of Obama’s hubris, and given him instead PTSD; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and probably tension headaches as well.
As my late father-in-law used to say: “We do the undoable, and unscrew the unscrutable”.
Sep 2, 2008 - 7:12 am 35. fynbos:VDH wrote:
“(few who work at Wal-Mart get hair-plugs or eat arugula).
I’m so tired of the smear by the media and the ignorant and the elite. For G-d’s sake, arugula is a freakin’ weed. Plant it once, let it go to seed and you have it forever. Only a fool pays real money for it.
Sep 2, 2008 - 8:58 am 36. David:The election has made a surprize landing in heretofore “flyover” country. The locals have gathered round and, although still a bit dazed by the impact, are rapidly awakening as Sarah Palin waves and they recognize– one of themselves!!
Meantime, I’m happily waiting for Joe Biden to trip over his wagging tongue.
Sep 2, 2008 - 9:07 am 37. John:I’ve been watching as closely as I can,,, (I do have a life outside the blogosphere). However, there has been a trend by the left to try to smear Palin and her family. This, from a party which opened a whole web site to “Fight The Smears”. I actually watched an Obama supporting woman on TV state that there was a case of too much “illegitimacy” in Sarah Palin’s family for her. I silently asked myself, “which party produces the most illegitimate babies?” Why… it’s the Democrats, of course~!
Further, isn’t it the Democrats who constantly tell us that what a woman does with her womb should be kept private? This is the whole premise of “Pro-Choice”. Yet, they openly smear Sarah Palin’s family for doing the very things they hold so dear. Double standards again. It’s one thing for a Democrat to advocate these things, but G-D forbid if a Republican actually practice it. I also noted that initial smear efforts claimed the 5 month old Downs baby was probably the now confirmed pregger daughter’s, despite there were any number of witnesses who saw Sarah Palin go into labor, fly home, and have her baby in Alaska.
Well, that backfired in their face,,, can anyone spell “LIAR”? Why is all this gazing at Sarah Palin’s vigina important anyway, except hypocrisy? Remember, the Democrat position on this is that it supposed to be “private”! When a Democrat says he’s “Pro-Choice”,,, they really mean they are “Pro-Death” for the unborn.
What’s good for a Democrat isn’t necessarily good for a Republican.
Sep 2, 2008 - 9:33 am 38. Kathy:Jim Ruel
Nice try, but no cigar with the bogus profile. Next time do some prep & be more careful to not change ‘voice’ midstream.
Born in 1953, Dr Hanson IS a Boomer, you foolish child.
Sep 2, 2008 - 9:39 am 39. Minerva:If McCain doesn’t prevail, 2012 could be like 1936 when the Republicans nominated Gov. Alf Landon. Governors Palin or Jindal may have more experience and praise by then, but voters might still blame Bush/Republicans for what they will say is the economy and war(s) Obama inherited.
On the other hand, Plato disapproved of theater, didn’t he Doc? Warned about stirring up emotions. Passion is fleeting. Obama’s theatrics provided him a small bounce. His followers are with him now, but as memories and enthusiasms fade, will they be there for him when he tries to govern and make difficult and unpopular but realistic decisions?
Sep 2, 2008 - 9:40 am 40. Cornhead:VDH touched on it. Obama is a man of words. So is Biden. McCain and Palin are people of deeds.
Obama first came on the national scene with his 2004 DNC keynote. He has written two books and made big money with that. Obama was top of his class at Harvard.
McCain is a fighter pilot. He boxed at the Naval Academy. He was at the bottom of his USNA class, but that apparently was a function of his maverick behavior. McCain is the classic man of deeds.
Obama thinks he can talk to the jihadists. McCain knows better.
Put aside everything else and I think it comes down to: man of words vs. man of deeds.
Sep 2, 2008 - 10:13 am 41. ET:It took all of about ten seconds for the media to start dumping on Sarah Palin, and it’s as predictable as it is distasteful. If Sarah Palin had a “d” next to her name, then we would be hearing endlessly about her meteoric rise, her professionalism, her love for her family, etc., etc. – all the same descriptions that were applied to both Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. Of course, because of that “r”, now we are supposed to question her experience (rather than praise her governance), and pontificate that a down’s syndrome baby needs mom at home, in direct antithesis to the left’s own doctrines of career women.
The hypocrisy of the news media is nothing new, but the shamelessness seems to have reached meteoric new highs.
Sep 2, 2008 - 12:02 pm 42. Doug:i just saw a woman holding a flower at the GOP convention get pepper sprayed at close range. You guys are despicable.
Sep 2, 2008 - 1:48 pm 43. Debbie:It’s almost like the election has changed to Obama vs Palin. This is something that Obama cannot win, because comparing anything about the two, Palin comes out on top every time.
Sep 2, 2008 - 4:43 pm 44. Tom Holsinger:Well said. Palin, by her life and her existence, embodies what is called a “wedge issue” against the Democrats.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge_issue
“A wedge issue is a social or political issue, often of a divisive or otherwise controversial nature, which splits apart or creates a “wedge” in the support base of one political group. Wedge issues can be advertised, publicly aired, and otherwise emphasized by an opposing political group, in an attempt to weaken the unity of the divided group, or to entice voters in the divided group to give their support to the opposing group. The use of wedge issues gives rise to wedge politics.
Political parties are usually fairly diverse groups though they will always try to project a united front. A wedge issue may often be a point of internal dissent within the opposing party, which that party tries to suppress or ignore talking about because it divides “the base.” Such issues are typically a cultural or populist issue, relating to matters such as crime, national security, sexuality (e.g. gay marriage), or race. Another party may exploit this dissent by publicly supporting the issue, and in effect align itself with the dissenting faction of the opposing party. A wedge issue, when wielded against another party, is intended to bring about such things as:
A debate, often vitriolic, within the opposing party, giving the public a perception of disarray.
The defection of supporters of the opposing party’s minority faction to the other party (or independent parties) if they lose the debate.
The legitimising of sentiment which, while perhaps popularly held, is usually considered inappropriate or politically incorrect; criticisms from the opposition then make it appear beholden to special interests or fringe ideology.
In an extreme case, a wedge issue might contribute to the actual fracture of the opposing party as another party spins off, taking voters with it …“
Sep 2, 2008 - 5:25 pm 45. If it Quacks… « Truth, Lies and In Between:[...] Palin: too much Hope and Change? [...]
Sep 2, 2008 - 5:41 pm 46. RuleTopia:It’s hilarious that Obama’s team would attack Palin on the basis of her experience. She’s been an agent of change. Obama has only talked about it.
Sep 2, 2008 - 10:09 pm 47. Ted Snedeker:I hadn’t posted since I had stated my absolute, nothing can change my mind, stance against voting for John (stole the nomination) McCain. It seems, if memory serves, that there was even something in that post about not voting R even if the dims brought Chavez up from Caracas. . .
Sep 3, 2008 - 12:35 am 48. catholic blogger:What is that taste in my mouth, could it be crow? OK, OK, the Palin choice makes a bit of difference. Like, who is that masked lady? Could that have been my check book, whipped out and made payable to McCain for Pres the day of the announcement? Surely not, not me, with all of my reasonable, thought out positions that McLame would ruin the party for the next hundred years, etc. etc. All kidding aside, this does change everything. The barracuda is the future and the dims know it. The O is running against our fighter pilot, but the dim party (and the MSM) is running against storm Sarah because she represents everything they fear, a true citizen government, not rule by elite. Not for the first time VDH was way ahead of the curve. Again, I learn to differ with him at my peril. Best to all.
A parallel story that is not being covered is Pelosi’s ridiculous assertion that she is an expert on Catholic theology and that the question of abortion can be decided by the individual. Many bishops, pastors and every Catholic publication and internet site has covered the story and corrected Pelosi’s mis-statements. Many pastors used this past Sundays’ sermons to also correct her mis-statement. Now with the Palins’ showing how Christian’s should deal with “unplanned” – “imperfect” children Catholic voters are really put to the test. The Catholic vote is supposed to determine the election and Catholics cannot plead ignorance to what is expected of them.
Sep 3, 2008 - 9:05 am 49. Knight of Faith Sarah Palin vs. Knight of Infinity Barack Obama « Pronk Palisades:[...] http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/palin-too-much-hope-and-change/ [...]
Sep 3, 2008 - 9:36 am 50. jimbo:Of Gov. Palin’s many attributes, perhaps my favorite is that she drives the Left absolutely bonkers. (please no cracks about them already being bonkers)
Not only do we see this in the media, but my wife and I have experienced it first hand with our liberal relatives and friends.
Sep 3, 2008 - 10:07 am 51. Ron Kean:Doug,
Sep 3, 2008 - 1:35 pm 52. TurfMonster:I don’t think we’re like the guys in ‘Blazing Saddles’ beating up on the old lady. But I do think that if Obama is like the sheriff, Madelyne Kahn is like the press.
“i just saw a woman holding a flower at the GOP convention get pepper sprayed at close range. You guys are despicable.”
Doug, as someone who is more than familiar with the tactics of the University of Minnesota’s “Progressive” Student Organization and their anarchic allies, that woman is very likely not the innocent that you think she is. The police in both Minneapolis and St. Paul have a great deal of experience in dealing with these thugs and often these anarchists will pull stunts off like this in order to give the appearance of “police brutality”. In fact, without actually seeing what went on here, I would venture a guess that she teamed up with another anarchist (quite possibly more) in order to stage this event, with the other anarchist(s) baiting the police into spraying the pepper spray while she posed as the “innocent victim” for the cameras.
You’re going to have to supply much more information on just what happened here before anyone who has actually lived there, and who has actually seen these thugs up close, will believe your charge.
Sep 3, 2008 - 4:06 pm 53. TLM:A few comments about Governor Palin’s speech:
Biden better lay off the booze. He’s got his work cut out for him. It’s like asymmetric warfare. He has to beat her soundly just to prove he hasn’t been wasting tax-payer money drawing a Senator’s salary these past 35 years. To beat him, all Palin has to do is survive. Good luck Senator.
Sarah Palin is a Trojan Horse for the MSM. America’s gonna’ fall in love with her and her family, and they’re not going to countenance the media continuing to portray them as “trailer trash”. Is she presidential? Don’t know yet. Definitely heart and soul of America, though.
If urban America had a few more families like the Palins, they wouldn’t need community organizers.
Sep 3, 2008 - 9:10 pm 54. TG Poll:When I first heard of the choice, it seemed too calculated. I never saw this lady speak untill last night. She is unlike anybody i’ve seen on the national stage before.
Sep 4, 2008 - 5:27 am 55. Ron Kean:I have read a few left leaning bloggers who suggest that if Obama were to become President, people in the third world would look to America anew. Well imagine what a muslim woman with some large family, who’s capabilities and strengths have been repressed, would see in her?
It seemed to me, that a few of the female pundits were kind of blown away by her presence. They finally have a woman up on stage who hits hard and goes for the jugular but she’s not on their political team.
Sarah Palin was thrilling. The PBS commentators were dour (except for David Brooks).
Sep 4, 2008 - 6:08 am 56. TLM:Kudos to John McCain for picking Sarah Palin. His gut instinct in sizing people up is certainly better than Bush’s. Who owns the Change mantra now? And without “Change” all Obama represents is Hope. That’s not gonna’ fly in flyover country where Obama’s Hope relies on hopeless dissolution, waiting for a government handout to survive. Enter the woman from Mystery Alaska, small town America taking on the NY Rangers and the MSM. True grit writ large, and all that. For many Americans she might just symbolize the way forward, the embodiment of good old fashioned Can-Do-Spirit. Never thought I’d live to see the day when a political party in this country sought to revive the Frontier myth. Where’s my checkbook?
Sep 4, 2008 - 6:10 am 57. Jeff Perren:“He has to beat her soundly just to prove he hasn’t been wasting tax-payer money drawing a Senator’s salary these past 35 years.”
Best her in debate or not, Biden could never prove that, since it’s contrary to the facts.
Sep 4, 2008 - 9:01 am