As I have been watching the right-wing reaction to Sarah Palin, I have been trying to put myself in their shoes. What left-leaning politician would be the equivalent of Sarah Palin? What left-leaning politician would fire up the elected delegates but leave the Establishment of the party in a panic?
I’ve come to the conclusion that there isn’t any perfect parallel. Russ Feingold would fire up the base and take a lot of heat for being too liberal, but he really isn’t that radical or terrifying to the powers-that-be. To scare the Establishment the way Palin in scaring the Establishment, we would have to nominate Dennis Kucinich or Cynthia McKinney. But neither of those candidates would fire up more than a tiny fraction of our elected delegates. Most Democrats would see their nomination as an act of irresponsible political suicide. In other words, our party delegates are a lot more practical.
McKinney is probably the best parallel. She is a 9/11 Truther which puts her somewhat on a par with people than sincerely believe in Creationism and deny global warming. In the Democratic Party, being a 9/11 Truther is disqualifying, while the same is not true for Exxon/Mobil-funded politicians like Jim Inhofe and Sarah Palin who deny global warming. McKinney also espouses opinions on Israel that are taboo in any major party in the United States but which accord, at least modestly, with the majority opinion of elected delegates. McKinney is a real fringe Democrat that has twice lost her seat in Congress and who is now running as the Green Party candidate for president. She is the rough equivalent of Sarah Palin for the Republican Party.
But it is okay to be a fringe right-winger as long as you support the war.
If Barack Obama or any conceivable Democratic nominee had selected McKinney as their running mate, they’d be instantly marginalized and lose any hope of winning the election. McCain is flirting with that fate right now with his selection of the secessionist Sarah Palin. But she is not quite nutty enough to assure that McCain will be crushed for picking her.
Why is that?
If McKinney had a corps of crackpot plutocrats behind her, she’d probably be acceptable too.
Overton window.
Is one guess…the fact that the left has no problem throwing one of their own to the wolves, while the GOP takes care of their fallen…Seriously, have you read any of the bigoted comments on liberal blogs about McKinney? In Palin, the GOP base sees a glimmer of what got them elected in 2000.
No comment about McKinney could do more against her than what she has done to herself. She is a walking disaster.
Exactly. In the nuttiness sweepstakes, Palin = Reagan. The movers of the GOP could fill an insane asylum in a rational country. Creationism, forced pregnancy, gay hating, personal voice messages from God the Micromanager, cognitive dissonance that amounts to schizophrenia, climate change denial, forced prayer in public schools and the rest of the theocrat agenda — for the Republican Party and way too many Dems and Indies, nuts is the new “center”.
In a reason-based society, McKinney wouldn’t even be the same species as Palin. It’s only because the left has turned into a mass of smiley-face “moderate” blobs of jello that anybody could make that claim. The equivalent to Palin in the real world would be a hard-line unreconstructed Stalinist. We don’t have anything like that anymore. Which is the answer to Boo’s question.
1-Palin supports the status quo. McKinney challenges it.
2-Palin is white. McKinney is black.
3-McKinney speaks for…among other demographics…the angriest black people in this country. Justifiably angry and madder than hell. The white power structure absolutely dreads another series of urban riots. McKinney as VP? Their worst sort of nightmare. She kicks ass if she wins; her supporters kick ass if she loses.
UH oh!!!
Head her off at the pass!!!
Head ANY leftist off at the pass. Especially a black woman who literally fought back…physically…when dissed because of her race.
Can you imagine!!!???
McKinney in a VP debate?
Lord have mercy!!!
The leftiness people and the right wing nutjobs would have a fucking fit.
Right wingers: “She’s a disgrace to her race!!! She’s a Communist!!! A revolutionary!!! Why…she’s nothing but a goddamned TERRORIST!!!
Leftinesses:”She’s just not very nice!!!” (Splutter, fume…) “Not very…polite, is she?”
Palin?
Just another nicey-nice soccer mom with a nasty, vindictive streak a mile wide. I met a bunch of them in my son’s PTA years.
She is a product of the glorification of mediocrity that enables most of the popular culture.
Cynthia McKinney?
Pure fire.
Can’t have THAT shit on TV.
People might just wake the fuck up.
Why is that?
C’mon…
AG
Thanks, AG for calling out nonsense. All anyone has to do is check out her stands on all liberal issues and see her ratings on those issues and they will see that she best represents what it is that progressives claim to want.
My pleasure.
AG
I don’t know about VP, but I’d much rather have McKinney back in Congress around fighting then Blue Dogs and colluders like Steny Hoyer lying supine on FISA and torture and allowing the GOP to skate free.
Gallup Poll
But CBS did some actual reporting on Sarah Palin…taking special note of her lie right out of the gate about the Bridge to Nowhere. I’m in shock (h/t Chris)…
I forgot what reporting looked like. I guess news that the National Enquirer’s “Edwards Team” was in Alaska scared them into doing some actual journalistic research.
It’s a little surreal, isn’t it?
Speaking of the NE Edwards’ team being in Alaska: Link
“Pre-emptive strike” – yeah, that always works – like police raiding so-called hippie houses to prevent potential crimes.
I just don’t see the Eagleton parallels playing out as we hope, Boo. You watch: Palin will give a not-completely-pathetic speech, and the press will fall madly in love with her.
I don’t know…watch that video I linked above. They aren’t doing their usual fawning routine over her.
That was CBS. And, granted, CBS is either second-worst or worst normally. But NBC apparently didn’t cover her, and I haven’t heard anything big from the ABC broadcast.
The Us Magazine cover is good news for our side, but there’s so much out there that I’m amazed the networks aren’t crushing Palin.
Or maybe I’m just not seeing it, since I don’t want the news anymore, but usually the blogs cover it if the networks do something like that. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, though.
and everyone going through the checkout line to buy stuff for their kids’ lunches is going to see that Us cover, and now this:
I think People is going to do a fluff job on her, but most people aren’t going to be impressed. They spent 4 hours schooling the Alaskan delegates on how to say “It’s a private family matter”, so don’t expect any sort of realistic response from the bozos attending their convention. Four hours to learn one sentence?
I don’t know about where you live, but most folks around here have something to say about a pregnant 17 year old and a shotgun wedding, and it isn’t “How wonderful for you!” or “Congratulations!”
I don’t know about where you live, but most folks around here have something to say about a pregnant 17 year old and a shotgun wedding, and it isn’t “How wonderful for you!” or “Congratulations!”
Yeah – among the family here in Ohio it’s usually something along the line of “that’s a damn shame – he/she had such a bright future” or “damn – has he found a job yet” or “I thought she was going to college”.
I live in NoVa. Everybody’s a Dem here, so nobody cares.
No offense, but you’ve obviously never been unmarried and pregnant. 🙂
If you had been, it would change your perspective on “no one cares” in a hurry.
I think the best analogy from a Republican standpoint would be Sara as Katharine Harris.The same goofy fundamentalist believer willing to wage Jihad on non believers,both in a religious and economic sense.The same attitude of willing to go the distance in breaking laws.The same willingness to lie at the drop of a hat so long as the main goal is realized,the main goal being acquisition and retention of power in the “Right(read White)” hands.
She is going to be McCain’s attack dog on all matters.That will make it possible for Mccain to play the high,exalted poohbah role.
Doing God’s work…..his war, building natural gas pipelines etc. Good Grief I’m getting a headache.
Today both Freidman and Dowd take on Sarah the Magnificent.
Dowd is apparently going to do all Sarah all the time. Finally, a candidate worthy of Dowd’s talents.
Dowd alread did, 3 days ago…