George W. Palin
The Republicans have found their new George W. Bush.
Governor Palin, Governor Bush -- what's the difference? They're almost exactly the same. It's as if the Republicans looked at the real Bush and said, "Aw fiddlesticks. We can top it -- drop the Texas, add Alaska and some non-prescription glasses and ta-daaa!"
Like President Bush, the Republicans can feed this vessel -- like a Dutch Harbor crab boat -- with every lie and smear they're able to conjure. They're capable of dumping into the Palin Tank their pots full of veiled racism and knee-jerk sloganeering; their disingenuous trickery and divisive ranting. Their fear-mongering.
Last night, Governor Palin proved herself to be comfortable and capable of repeating her marching orders by rote -- after all, it's well-known that her speech was largely written before she was even selected. Only the proper names, personal pronouns and biographical information were crow-barred in and amongst the far-right rage and exclamatory desperation.
Not unlike President Bush who was often controlled by neocon strategists, the far-right can control Palin's foreign policy views. Put it this way: is there anyone on either side of this who believe that just because Alaska borders Russia that Sarah Palin will assert herself against Dick Cheney's successors? As we speak, she's being schooled by the same failures who both crafted and endorsed eight years the Bush-Cheney approach to war.
Like President Bush, it's very possible, based upon the sermons of her pastor, that she believes God mandated the invasion of Iraq.
Like President Bush and his administration, she's comes pre-packaged with her own syllabus of scandals. Do the list and you'll find that it's a healthy start to her very own "Bushed!" feature on Countdown.
Like President Bush, she's a far-right fundamentalist with out-of-touch social views, and the statements from both her and the McCain campaign prove that she's not afraid to flaunt the contradictions and hypocrisies evident in her public remarks. She's anti-choice and anti-privacy as it pertains to the Fourth Amendment and would work to deny our daughters of their right to choose and to keep private their medical decisions, and yet all week we've been hearing about her choices and her right to privacy.
Ties to Big Oil interests? Check.
Ties to corruption? Check.
Denies that global warming is man-made? Check.
Eight years ago, it was the Bush family name that propelled George W. to the White House, and this year it's the Palin family story that's propelling her -- otherwise lacking substance beyond her familial narrative.
Drop the plainspoken Texas drawl and "armadilla'" pronunciations and replace them with an Edie McClurg-meets-Fargo accent and phrases like "first dude."
Of course, both President Bush and Governor Palin say "nookyooler," and as such, last night's speech required the phonetic spelling "new-clear" on the TelePrompter. And if this video is any indication, so did George W. Bush's 2000 acceptance speech (see timecode 5:02).
I understand that short attention spans and even shorter memories are relatively well-known American character flaws. But, seriously, this is ridiculous. The dark, twisted madness of the last eight years is being entirely ignored in the face of the exact same bogus Republican packaging -- the exact same script. Only this time it's louder, more obnoxious and loaded with the kind of mockery that's more appropriate coming from Malkin's blog commenters than public officials who are seeking to represent our interests and safety on the world stage. I mean, hasn't our national dignity and our moral authority not been damaged enough?
This time, however, I'd like to think that the gimmicks and hackery have become too obvious to suffice as a distraction from the realities of what's really happening. Or perhaps the failures and incompetence of eight years of Republican domination have blunted the agitprop and fist pounding -- revealing the truth beneath the bumper stickers.
Yet based upon the cable news coverage I'm seeing so far today, the usual suspects are falling for it. Again. Collapsing like fainting sheep under the coercion and rage of Republican attacks -- backpedaling as they did for four years until Katrina smacked them out of their collective stupor (more or less).
So the sooner Americans realize that Governor Palin is just the latest floor model representing everything loathsome and menacing about Reaganomics and the failed policies of the Bush administration, the sooner voters will be equipped with the proper evidence to prevent the same disasters from happening all over again.
What's the difference between Sarah L. Palin and George W. Bush?
Lipstick.
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With the McCain / Palin ticket, the republicans are telling America that it doesn't matter who is on the ticket, the republicans will win. Neither is the best choice for office by far. George Bush made it twice with Dick Cheney holding his hand. I rest my case.
Great summary of the retread strategy.
But what about them reusing the "executive experience" argument again? In 2000 they made a big thing about Bush being a governor (of a big state no less!). Plus he had a MBA from Harvard (the CEO president!). What could go wrong?
Add to that Palin as #2 oil woman who helps craft this country's energy program.
I agree with your post completely, but, come on, the democrats share in the blame for this out of control mudslinging.
The democrats have failed miserably to defend the Constitution and the rule of law. The result? The republicans continue to act like the law doesnt apply to them. And you know what? They're right. The law doesn't apply to them. So they can make jokes about torture and gitmo and wiretapping and laugh their collective heads off while the dems just cringe and/or cry foul. wah wah wah
When the democrats took impeachment off the table in 2006 (the only Constitutional means available to reign in a criminal administration) they failed the American people and colluded in the destruction of our nation.
Just think - had the democrats attempted to hold george bush accountable for his crimes would the republicans have had the audacity to joke about torture and civil liberties? If George Bush were forced to stand trial in the senate for crimes like sanctioning torture and lying us into war, would John McCain dare sing - bomb, bomb, bomb Iran or choose a screwball warmongerer like Sarah Palin as his running mate?
If the dems can't stand up to republican bullies who can they stand up to? And if the dems don't stand up for the rule of law, who will?
The Dem's are standing up. You just wasted a lot of energy on nothing.
"The democrats have failed miserably to defend the Constitution and the rule of law"
If they had a filibuster roof majority it would be different. As it is, their hands are tied
Nonsense, nothing prevented Pelosi from bringing Dennis Kucinich's articles of impeachment to the house floor for a vote. That would have been something at least - instead the dems roll over and play dead. Well, guess what, maybe they aren't acting?
Great post.
I am in complete agreement. By doing nothing the Democratic Party has loudly declared that it doesn't care about the Republican criminality. They are always acting above the fray. In the words of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"
My answer is NO WE CAN'T. I don't believe our nation should be led by criminals. I consider that Democrats who do not push to prosecute criminal Republicans are themselves criminals. Defend our Constitution or get out of the way.
I don't want to get along with these people, I want them tried (and if found guilty), convicted and sentenced. No pardons. Any politician that will perform that service will get my vote (Answer: It isn't McCain or Palin). I will quickly turn on Obama and Biden if they don't attempt to prosecute.
Kucinich, Waxman and Conyers (with a few exceptions) have more cojones than the entire Republican Party, and most of the Democratic Party combined.
Yes, and by not putting a halt to the illegal usurpation of power by bush the dems have lost the moral authority to call the repubs out for any of their current conduct.
Republican election tactics pale in comparison with what bush has gotten away with.
With nary a peep (thank you dennis kucinich for your loud, clear voice), the dems have colluded in allowing this criminal administration to eviscerate our civil liberties and commit blatant crimes against humanity.
I ask this - if the opposition party fails time and again to at least attempt to do its duty to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, who will?
Scooter Libby was tried, convicted, sentenced and played the George Bush "get out of jail free" card. Why would any sane person go through the same thing with the same result. Be patient. Pretty soon the dems will say "let the trials begin". Hooray!!!
you miss my point. By ignoring their duty to protect and defend the Constitution, by ignoring their oath of office, the dems have left open the floodgates to 'anything goes' politics. It was important, and still is, for the opposition party to stand up for the rule of law.
I don't care if Bush never set foot in jail (actually I do, but certainly hold out no naive hope that he will). Regardless, the dems needed to put a halt to the ever growing imperial presidency and the bullying of the republicans in Congress. They didn't and venom spewing Palin, et al, is a direct result of their spinelessness. The republicans are emboldened by the dems lack of conviction and lack of will to action.
Ironically, after the McPs are elected and all sorts of ugly rumors are confirmed about Palin's lying and cheating ways, I predict Pelosi will then move to impeach her for lying to the American people in order to get elected, or something utterly farfetched like that. That is how low we have sunk - that neither party has the integrity to stand up and do what is right for rights sake and for the sake of our republic.
I found the speech by Sarah Palin to be a pedestrian, insipid, color-by-the-numbers, Republican attack diatribe. I heard not one word that would make me want to put her one 72-year-old heartbeat away from leading this country.
I've never donated a dime to a political candidate. Ever.
No desire to line the pockets of those whose pockets will be lined for the extent of their lives and the lives of their cronies.
Last night, I gave $25 to the Obama campaign. I've spoken to others today who did or plan to do the same.
This hypocritical, tabloid, white-trash loon has reinvigorated an already invigorated Democratic party.
I don't want books banned from my library. Or a woman who is raped not to be able to take medicine to prevent a pregnancy from an act of unimaginable violence. Or watching baby seals clubbed to death as she tries to make Alaska the new Texas.
She is vile, nasty and tacky. And, when it comes down to it, America loves to watch white trash, but doesn't want it in their lives, bedrooms and dictating their morality.
this election might be the defining event in 21st century.
If Americans do not vote Republicans out of office, so be it. This is democracy and election results reflect the prevalent mood.
Civilizations do die. Could 2012 end-of-the-world predictions come true?
I'm voting for McCain-Palin because rich people in this country are being picked on and I being a member of the middle class whine too much, I should have my job shipped overseas and have my house foreclosed upon. Plus me and my kids don't really need healthcare. And everyone knows that the elite liberals are the cause of all of America's problems.
Now this is how you do sarcasm. Someone should explain that to the Republicans.
McCain/Palin - Ready to Lie on Day 1
In case you are wondering, the speech has been fact checked
http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/09/04/obama-camp-fact-checks-the-new-thatcher/
1. Great post. My wife has been saying simialr things.
2. don't be too sure this BS doesn't play. On NPR tongiht, the diner crowd in MN pretty much lapped it up. Never underestimate stupidity.
3.Worse: NPR only spent two minutes fact checking Palin and only got to two or three items and they were ever so gentle with their evaluations. They could have spent the whole program - and should have for the good of the country- going through it line by line. Are our candidates going to do it? NPR also reported Obama "Shrugged it off>" Have we learned nothing these past 20 years? You cannot shrug this stuff off. Most people do not pay enough attention, so they here that she spouted the same old memes, and that he didn't call her BS. We look weak, and worse, we look like we are accepting the charges and the constructs and framing or the Republicans with no push back
Push back needs to be HARD and HARDER and HARDEST and NOW!!!
4. Great posting last night. Lot of good laughs and, sadly, sighs!.
Cheers,
She may look like Tina Fey but she has the policies - and personality - of Dolores Umbridge. It's a shame John McCain picked a person better suited for Big Brother (reality show) than the Big Office but with his track record of rash and poor decisions is it really any surprise? Obama had better win or else this country will be headed even further into disaster. Maybe we can start a water-wings fund for polar bears...
lolzzzzz.....Care you honestly back any of this up without resorting to 3rd grade name calling, and the paranonia and exaggeration of a mental health patient? Come on.
This is pure and simple, if the Democrats don’t know how to play hardball, they do not deserve to govern.
Does anyone know where Hillary Clinton has disappeared? Why hasn't she come out with one of her withering attacks? That woman could put Palin and her buddies down in one fell swoop and they wouldn't know what had hit them. Don't despair, fellow thinkers. I have a hunch that this may just re-energize the Dems. Send them some money!! We cannot allow this nonsense to happen again. People have suffered too much in the last 8 years to tolerate a re-run. Remember all the victims of Katrina, the families who have lost loved ones in Iraq, the poor whose programs have been cut.......the list goes on. The GOP/Karl Rove/Rush Limbaugh shall NOT prevail!!!
As someone on another blog wrote this morning...don't Republicans typically cherish community organizers like, oh, maybe....Jesus??
How participating in your community can be spun as a disparaging epithet - and then applauded - defies logic.
HuffPost's Pick
my thoughts exactly.
This column would make a great speech for Barack or Biden to read verbatim.
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