I feel so comforted:
One knowledgeable source told TIME that Palin plans to deliver a relatively short, plainspoken address in the voice of an ordinary working mom. She’ll talk about challenging old-boy networks — oil companies, Alaska’s corrupt GOP establishment — and learning to lead. Raising five kids while making a career won’t necessarily earn you an invitation to the Council on Foreign Relations, but it does instill organization and discipline. That’s what Palin brings to the table, the source said.
The pre-speech spin is that expectations are so low that there is no way Palin can fail to exceed expectations. That type of spin kind of misses the point. What we’re really wondering is when she is going to drop out of the race and apologize to the nation, John McCain, her daughter, and the people of Alaska for making them all look stupid. Unless she does that in her speech, she will not meet the minimum expectations that people have for her. The selection of Palin is the worst political decision since George McGovern selected Thomas Eagleton. In fact, it’s much worse than the selection of Eagleton, who was better qualified and more mentally stable than Sarah Palin. I don’t think Eagleton was a Creationist.
I see my fellow bloggers are dutifully raising expectations by predicting that Palin’s speech will be well received. That’s just gamesmanship and spin. Nothing this woman does is going to be well-received where it matters…in the ballot box. Even her most ardent supporters will be humiliated because Sarah Palin is going to go down in history as short-hand for Epic Fail. Therefore, any move to appease the religious right will also be perceived as Epic Fail.
The selection of a running mate was literally the last opportunity the Republican Party had to stave off the coming realignment, and they added gasoline to the fire. Sarah Palin is a catalyst for realignment. She cannot even face reporters or do interviews and people expect her speech to be well received? The entire narrative that she is going to send out tonight has been rendered inoperative. And none of it has one thing to do with jobs, the economy, our foreign policy challenges, or anything that people care about.
Matt Stoller asks, What If They Put On a Republican Convention and No One Came? He need not have asked, since that is exactly what is happening in St. Paul as we speak. The GOP convention is shaping up as the least impressive political event of my lifetime, and Sarah Palin is not going to change that by dodging reporters and giving a speech about her experiences as a working mother. The people of this country have never been so pissed off with their government as they are right now. The GOP is offering us reality television and scandal. They are offering an extension of tax cuts to the supremely wealthy and nothing at all for anyone else.
They are out of steam. Their idea of good framing is to put George Allen and Tom DeLay on the television and have them talk-up the Republican Party. The people have already rejected the GOP. They couldn’t even recruit anyone to run for office this year. Even corporations are betting on Democrats. And the GOP thinks they can turn this all around with Mooseburgers?
Boo, I’m getting a little worried about our side getting cocky. What makes you so confident it’ll play out that way?
Also, can anybody fill me in on how everything is playing out on the news channels?
Need I remind you that the media HATES this choice?
I haven’t been watching for fear of vomiting all over my aartment at GOP talking points, so I don’t know the extent of the hatred. Are they asking if he’ll drop her? If so, are they asking it a lot and concern trolling (in a good way for us, of course)?
I would describe the media coverage as ‘strained politeness’. That’s on teevee. In the newspapers it is just savage.
I would caution folks to not underestimate the power of the Rethug noise machine to spin and gin up froth in their neanderthal base in the states that matter. Palin’s pick may have just the desired effect – a rally round their fellow bible thumper by the fundies.
Heard on Ed Schultz today a plane full of lawyers were on their way to Alaska to start strong arming the repubs to get on board-meaning bribe them with cushie jobs, Ambassadors and such. In a day or so all of Alaska will be in love with her.
Need I remind you that the media HATES this choice?
This is great news.
A cogent, fun rant, Booman.
Still, American politics is delusional rather than reality based. We shall see.
Drew’s got a point.
We’re still acting like anyone voting for Palin will do so out of logic. From a logic standpoint, Sarah Palin is indeed Epic Fail. From a frothing GOP fundie nutjob standpoint, Sarah Palin is the only thing standing between America and a Scary Black Man in the White House.
Remember what I’ve said months ago: The GOP is looking for a way to absolve people of the sin of racism for voting against Barack Obama. John McCain wasn’t by himself enough, because the fundies didn’t trust the guy.
Sarah Palin is that absolution. You’re not voting against Obama, you’re voting for a history-making woman.
And thus this election is now a referendum on a white woman from Alaska promising an even more extreme version of the same, and not a black man from Hawaii promising a change to something new and different.
Sarah Palin is America’s excuse to be a racist bastard by pretending to play the sexism card.
Enjoy. Because it’s working.
how is it working?
I pray that holds up, man. I do.
But I’m not going to stop worrying until November 5th.
I share your worries, Drew.
We can’t afford cocky.
I was sitting on the bus today, listening to a woman tell me why she didn’t like McCain, why she didn’t like Obama, why she liked Lieberman, and why she liked Sarah Palin, essentially telling me why she was going to vote with her lukewarm enthusiam for McCain.
I listened to her irrational wandering with interest, trying to find a thread of logic in it. And there was one, not that it was based on reality. But it was solidly based on right-wing rhetoric. She believed in small government. Never mind that Republicans always say that but don’t give us that. Facts are not the point here.
People don’t vote based on facts. They vote based on what they’ve heard over and over.
It’s scary, but it’s very real. No matter who unqualified and dictatorial and crazy Palin is, it won’t matter if the Republican hammer a narrative of their own in the media over and over. This woman was already repeating “she took on her own party” – “she was a whistleblower”. I knew it wasn’t true, and also knew she was incapable of being persuaded otherwise.
THAT is what we’re up against. And its formidable!!!
I was listening to a very centrist talk radio show this morning, and one of the callers was an articulate, educated-sounding lesbian who said she was not voting for Obama, and would vote for McCain because Palin “stands for something”, and she liked a politician that “at least stands for something”, and none of the others know what they stand for – huh?! So, what they stand for can be completely odious as long as they stand for SOMETHING?!!!!!!!!
Another talk show host last night – a former Libertarian who re registered as Democrat, and really likes Obama – cautioned against getting too smug and comfortable. He believes that Palin is just the type that Middle America will really go for.
That, BooMan, is the kind of mentality we are dealing with in the USA. You are far more astute than I in matters of U.S. domestic politics, but I think you are making a big mistake if you assume that Palin cannot be a huge threat.
You are absolutely correct. And the loathing for this selection which is obvious on the left, with many mainstream Republicans and among the posters on this blog is based on very real and tangible concerns. But as you point out, we are not dealing in a 100% rational world here. As ridiculous and outlandish as picking Sarah Palin was, there is potentially a very dangerous flip side in this matter which many people refuse to consider. The narrative is not yet set in stone. But there seems to be many who are blinded to the possibility that not everyone in the hinterlands of the country have settled on their final and decisive perception of how this is received. Your experience on the bus mirrors my experience here in Ohio. I have been on the local blogs and message boards here in the Cincinnati area the last couple of days and there are literally hundreds of people just like your bus lady. Granted, this is a very Republican area, but the talking points are being honed and delivered.
To me all these declarations about her stepping down or being pulled are extremely premature. To assume that the negative momentum of the GOP is irreversible at this point is a dangerous presumption. We are going to need more time and we are definitely going to need more corporate media exposure of Palin before the die is cast on this. As long as she is allowed to remain in this cone of silence, the GOP can keep working like hell to paint any questioning of her as sexist, anti-woman and anti-family.
We can’t underestimate the potential culpability of the corporate media to consistently pick up the Republican football and run like hell with it. They have done it consistently for years. What makes people think they won’t do it again?
Because John McCain made the epic decision to turn on the one really big ally he had in this race: the press.
His own base hates him. His Senate colleagues hate him. The Bushies hate him. Reality hates him. The Issues hate him. But the press loved him. And now they can stand him and they absolutely HATE the choice of Palin, as does the entire world except for a few flat-earth abortion opponents.
I agree that they probably think less of him, but who does the press serve? It’s corporate owners, who would prefer to remain with Republicans. So they’re all going to be told to stifle their own sentiments and get with the program. I think McCain will still be the darling of the press, if perhaps a bit less fawningly so.
What about Spiro Agnew? He must rank at the bottom or close to it.
Spiro Agnew was a pit bull for Nixon. While Nixon tried his best to look Presidential Agnew was the prototypical Veep that’s developed since then: attack the opposition on social issues, be the “bully at the bar” who formulates “common sense” responses to anything the opposition offers. Agnew’s only job was to attack.
The problem with Palin is that her socially reactive positions get complicated by a lot of personal issues. If she’s supposed to make a campaign speech against abortion her life shows how complicated the issue is. Anyway attack against social welfare opens up how her family is protected against the wrath of Republican Darwinism.
Simplicity is sometimes stupidity, and when you can’t address issues without your personal family issues intruding simplicity is not going to work.
Off-topic: Booman, I am having trouble linking to boomantribune.com on all my computers. Something happening?
something is running slow on the load, but the server seems fine.
l guess all the tutoring and coaching hasn’t borne fruit:
palin’s about to replace the hail mary pass… pulling a palin will become synonymous with catastrophic failure.
I agree with you Booman 100 percent. This awkward reality show will be the match that burns down the GOP. Everyone is always so scared from past electoral beatings and confidence is seemed as cockiness.
It is September and Obama is up 10 points, competing in states Dems never dreamed of 4 years ago. The images from the Democrats convention compared to the GOP wake last night are comical. If I did not personally know how the GOP operates and their disgusting form of governing, I would actually feel sad for them.
Democrats finally have the better candidate and ground game to go along with their usually more popular favored policies. There is more energy/money on their side and the party ID numbers back it up. Plus, the electorate is pissed and ready to throw the bums out.
People can pick apart that Obama should be up 20 points but a win is still a win.
A dull room full of pasty white old people cheering every Palin applause line and the TV bobbleheads gushing over how well she delivered is not going to change all of those factors.
Plus, Obama does not credit for being a street fighter and McCain is a ticking time bomb.
I’ll be confident when it’s over.
I’ll work my butt off until then.
I hope others will do the same.
Remember – they’re going to try to steal the election. It’s the only play they have left. So Obama has to more than win. He has to win in a landslide that is undeniable. Anything else leaves us very vulnerable.
“they’re going to try to steal the election. It’s the only play they have left“
I would caution against underestimating Palin and the effect she might have over time. Heaven knows I hope you are right, I hope BooMan is right, but I will not relax until we have a new President, and if it is the wrong guy, I will get as far away from the United States as I can as soon as I can arrange my affairs.
I saw pic of that mostly empty convention center on the primetime nights. Meanwhile, I’m reading that Ron Paul’s counter-convention hat 10K – 12K attendees. I’m assuming that tonight and tomorrow xcel center will fill up more, but that’s just guesswork.
I’ll forever have the image of Paul’s supporters chanting “End The Fed!” on primary night in New Hampshire.
What an odd movement.
What bothers me is how could McCain make such a catastrophic mistake as selecting a veep candidate without proper vetting. Is he so desperate that he threw the hail Mary pass even before his own nomination was formalized? If this is an example of his judgment and his luck, good riddance John McCain. Neither the nation nor the planet needs your incredible blindness and inability to reason.
Perhaps, now, the electorate will see the utter moral and intellectual bankruptcy of the Republican Party. All the GOP can do is protect the rich and well born. God grant us deliverance from such a band of selfish incompetents.
you are right about this being like reality tv…..which i describe as like watching a toilet overflow…..fascinating, yet horrifying.
i would feel more comforted if i thought all the dumbass americans werent going to vote for the republicans anyway….they dont have to get more votes…just get enough to steal the election.
Just when I think Obama is a shoo-in, I hear people I know saying stupid stuff like, “Well, Palin is getting a lot of unfair treatment by the press. I really like her. She’s a good mother and she in pro-life…blah blah blah.” I want to shake these nimrods right out of their shoes. But I know that even if I spelled out all of the evidence against her, they’ll just “go with their heart” and vote for her, with McCain as a spare wheel.
That’s what has me concerned.
o the great liberal media, which the GOP always likes to blame.
when the media has been telling us we know nothing about Obama (even tho we have watched him for 2 years as opposed to the 2 days we have seen Palin in public) that’s ok with the GOP; but when they point out that Palin has been less-than-2-years in the governor’s mansion, and is unknown outside Alaska, that is somehow unfair.
when the media vilifies Obama’s former pastor for one sermon, that is okay; but when they point out the weird (anti-semitic) beliefs of Palin’s church, that is somehow out of bounds.
when the media notes that Obama serves on a community service board with a man who was a terrorist 40 years ago, the GOP likes that, but if the media mentions that Sarah Palin currently has ties to a separatist group in Alaska that has called for the overthrow of the US government, that is somehow “biased” and unfair. (her husband has been a member of the group and she has addressed their state convention in the past year)
Palin will not get many votes from rational people, but she will ATTRACT people who look at her and see a fellow believer.
–she may know nothing about foreign policy, but she opposes abortion and has a pregnant child to prove it.
–she may not understand the economy outside of oil-dominated Alaska, but she goes to a church they would attend if they lived in Juneau or Wasilla.
–she may not have any significant leadership experience, but she is a mom of a patriarchal household.
thus, in the minds of such “faithful” she is well qualified.
And that is EXACTLY why she was picked. And that is EXACTLY why this situation is such a potential problem for the Democratic Party.
The GOP understands this and knows how to exploit it….expertly.
She is exactly the type of foil that George Bush was for the neocon heavyweights. And that is what makes her dangerous for the Democrats.
Some of the cockiness that I hear in the blogosphere scares me.
“Palin will not get many votes from rational people“
What percentage of the voting-eligible population would you say are rational people?
touche
I just heard Palin described on ABC News as “the party’s new star”.
Beware, people, please beware.
Booman,
You couldn’t be more wrong. Sarah Palin is your worst nightmare. The young leftists of my generation were completely stymied by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Your dreams will be defeated by Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal.
The left’s insane and unhinged attacks against her are this year’s version of the ’68 Chicago riots. You are hurting your own cause.
I’m an atheist Harvard magna cum laude; an admitted Northeastern elitist. I report this because I know quite a few of the “elitists” of my generation, so I can directly compare them to “ordinary” people. Here’s the newsflash: the elites are not that talented but they sure are arrogant. The “ordinary” people are often quite talented and usually much more modest. I’m sure that the psychologists and plaintiff’s lawyers on my block are 90% for Obama. It’s the culture that I live in the midst of. They’re for Obama and they think that they are better than other people. It’s OK to be for Obama, but these folks, from my neighbors to the “opinion shaping elites”, are NOT better than other people.
In fact, I’m an Obama supporter, as is my wife, and as are my three young adult children. So, we will be delivering 5 Obama votes in Pennsylvania.
However, I’m an outlier in many respects. I support Obama because I believe he is a moderate at heart. If he wins and the left wing blogosphere is happy in two years then I will know that I made a mistake. I’m hoping that you will feel very “disappointed” with him by then.
With regard to Palin, I hate the behavior of the left toward her. It is deranged and desperate, with plenty of despicable and hypocritical sexism thrown in. I can smell the fear and flop sweat. The counter-productive insanity is astounding. You, Booman, been fairly crazy yourself, but the worst fools have been Andrew Sullivan and Josh Marshall in the blogosphere and Bill Keller and Pinch Sulzberger at the Times. They are all hurting their careers. [Aside: Keller and Little Pinch will both be gone within two years.]
I think that Obama might be a wonderful President, and very good for the country.
I have a great deal of respect for Sarah Palin’s courageous and successful battles against corruption in her own party in Alaska. Imagine if Obama had taken on the corruption in the Chicago Democratic machine.
I have never liked McCain, but my opinion of him has improved because of this choice. It is hilarious that the juvenile and ridiculous behavior of the left in both the derangosphere and the left dominated media will probably lead to his victory.
On the other hand, we might get lucky. Obama followed by Palin followed by Jindal. I like it.
As a member of the activist left, I resent your arrogant and unwarranted attacks upon people who call out Sarah Palin for her shortcomings as a vice-presidential candidate.
I think Booman is correct in his assessments of Mrs. Palin and what she brings to the Republican ticket.
As to your claims to be an Obama supporter, a graduate of Harvard, a northeastern elitist; perhaps, yes, perhaps, no. As to your opinion of your neighbors, you know the psychologists and plaintiff lawyers, just what makes you such an expert of their talent and character? Based on your assessment of the new John McCain compared to the old, maverick John McCain, I suspect that you are a republican troll in democratic clothing. Otherwise, you would realize that Senator McCain is in the midst of rethinking old beliefs; immigration, tax reform, influence of the evangelical right.
Hence, the warning evaluation.