Palin is McCain's Weapon of Mass Distraction

Sarah Palin's delivery at the convention was impressive and all the Republicans dutifully executed their orders.

But what was most interesting is that the public was exposed to John McCain's new strategy to win the war for the White House. He has opened up a number of new fronts and unleashed a number of diversionary tactics, including his good-looking VP running mate. These diversions are designed to confuse and mislead the enemy.

What McCain's done changed the presidential race from McCain versus Obama or Team Democrat against Team Republican to battling against big media, big government, big elites, big cities, big bureaucracies, big banks, big labor unions, big corporations, big oil and big shots period.

This results in a re-framing of the language involved. Instead of being simply another political pair seeking power, McCain and Co. are engaged in good versus evil and victory versus forfeiture in Iraq. They will try and cast themselves as heroic, populist leaders not ambitious, fawning power brokers.

Frankly, if the American public buys that story -- given McCain's total involvement in all the problems the Bush regime has caused -- then I have a bridge-to-nowhere in Alaska I'd like them to buy.

This new war plan has worked in the past few days. For instance, he went out of his way uncharacteristically to pick fights with media. outlets he used to court heavily. He engaged in surly and nasty answers with two reporters from Time Magazine on the record. Then he stated he was outraged against CNN over a routine interview so much that he canceled his appearance on the most high-profile slot in television which is CNN's Larry King Show).

The beauty of this, from McCain's viewpoint, is that the next day "story" on TV, radio and print becomes the media fight and not George Bush's record, the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, the $30-billion-a-month cost, the failure to provide decent healthcare like other developed nations do, the Wall Street bailouts or McCain's voting record which is 90% in sync with Bush's.

In McCain's new multi-front war, his attractive new running mate -- warts and all -- becomes a target, real or imagined, as well as an offensive weapon. Sarah Palin attacked all of the straw men that the two of them have concocted to do battle against: the lobbyists, Congress, the Senate, Georgetown cocktail parties, those who look down on small towns, the unpatriotic, the "sexists" who rejected Hillary and those awful, evil, liberals who vote Democrat.

The "enemies" she cited included Republicans, to distance themselves further from the political party that finances their election bid. Palin took aim at the fact that government spending has doubled since 1980 in Washington and Republicans were Presidents for all but eight of those years.

McCain's new battle lines also attack Obama's biggest vulnerabilities which are his failure to have made a deal with Hillary and his failure to promise to drill everywhere to optimize America's energy resources.

Sarah Palin did her duty, but it will take 62 more days to figure out whether it's enough to overcome the Republican baggage that, like it or not, McCain must share responsibility for creating.

Read more reactions from HuffPost bloggers on Sarah Palin's speech

Comments

[leftoflennon]

I totally agree, she is a DANGEROUS detraction.

Obama needs to focus like a laser on the economy and John Bush!

[arthur2008]

"I am proud to be an Eisenhower Republican. But my wing of the party, fiscally conservative and socially progressive, is not represented by the Republican party today.

"It has become a socially conservative and fiscally reckless party,"

Susan Eisenhower

[arthur2008]

"I am proud to be an Eisenhower Republican. But my wing of the party, fiscally conservative and socially progressive, is not represented by the Republican party today.

"It has become a socially conservative and fiscally reckless party,"

[SusanK1951]

Well, yes. Everyone is curious about a sideshow. But with Obama still up in the polling, you have to wonder -- so what? Tonight we assume McCain will lay out what he plans to do with America. And Palin is going to have to meet the press at some point.

[yorkie]

THE WRITER IS WAY TOO GENEROUS ON THE MAC OF DISTRACTION. THE MSM MAY BE SLOW,INTIMIDATED BUT NOT US HERE AND MOST VOTERS PERIOD. AND TEAM OBAMA ARE ON TO THIS AND ALL THE TRIED AND TRUE TRICKS OF THE ROVE/BUSH/CHENEY/MAC PLAYBOOKS OF LIES AND DISTRACTIONS,,,,, THE ECON IS TOO ROUGH TOO IGNORE, THE MANY PROBLEMS TODAY ARE TOO GREAT,,,,IN LOOKING AT THE MAP I THINK A ,MAJORITY OF MINDS HAVE BEEN MADE UP, EVEN BEFORE THIS VERY DIVISIVE,TV SHOW IN ST.PAUL . IT CAN'T END SOON ENOUGH...BOYCOTT MSM TV. TUNE IN INDEPENDENT RADIO....

[dnels14]

EARMARKS

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million.

In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation, although she has cut, by more than half, the amount the state sought from Washington this year. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to Gravina Island, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

[grendl]

Did anyone point out to this maverick muckraker, that the establishment she plans to take on in Washinton are not the donkeys, but the elephants.

They're the ones who've run this country into the ground, gotten us into a war without definition, a war that we the taxpayers are footing the bill for in money and lives.

And she talks about being on the brink of victory in Iraq. What does she mean by that. Delivering democracy? Finding wmd? Killing its dictator?

There's no one to surrender in Iraq, or the middle east. Are all muslims supposed to raise their hands, wave the white flag and come out of their homes and spider holes? No. We're not at war with Muslims.

Who are we fighting? The Germans could surrender in both world wars, they were the aggressors ( as well as a few others ) who started those conflicts. The British surrendered during the Revolution and the South surrendered at the end of the Civil War, but who is supposed to surrender in this current conflict? Evil doers everywhere?

Its empty rhetoric. They don't have answers, and don't even bother learning to decipher between rival religious sects. A lack of intellectual curiosity is a deadly thing in a war. Palin doesn't really care, she treats war as she treats one of her kids hockey games. Beat the pants of them, or turbans. If they're not wearing the stars and stripes they're the enemy. Let Allah sort them out.

[dnels14]

mcpalin uses her kids as a politicle toy.. 5 kids so what-after 1 week and a pound of lipstick qualifies her to be vp. bullshit! who cares about hockey- that sport has Collapsed to the bridge of no where -just like your no where foreign policy skills, and your no where economy plan...

[Tobiasism]

True, he ahs managed to turn the discussion to culture wars with teen pregnancy, abortion and the like covering up for the dismissal of the constitution, the drowning of the economy and the other important issues which we face.

[dnels14]

great artilce.. all women have the right to choose/ i dont see nobody telling a man what to do with his sperm cells..no way , no how, no jack & jill in the house

[maggy]

SARAH PALIN SLASHED SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION BY 62%

Gov. Sarah Palin, it is worth noting, oversees the budget for the Department of
Education and Early Development Special Schools in Alaska.

These funds provide supplementary educational services to students
with severe disabling conditions and the Alaska Challenge Youth
Academy. The resident school where the child would normally be placed
does not have the resources to provide an adequate educational
program. Without the supplementary services the child's needs would
not be met by the local school district in most cases.
The following programs are included within this component:
Special Education Service Agency (SESA)

The Annual budget for 2007, which preceded Gov. Palin was $8,265,300.

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/07_OMB/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf

The Annual budget for 2008, enacted by Gov. Palin is $3,156,000.

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/08_OMB/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf

The Annual budget for 2009, enacted by Gov. Palin is $3,156,000.

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/09_omb/budget/EED/comp2735.pdf

This is a cut in special needs services to children in Alaska of
5,109,300 , or 62%.

Did 62% of all of the special needs children in Alaska stop having
needs once Gov. Palin took office?
If you ask me, a 62% cut in these funds, which we all know are so
desperately scarce, and for which we all have to fight tooth and nail
for our children, is a disgrace.

Just a thought...

[pacodog]

It is obvious that the Republican party cannot win on the issues or their record, so they will do the usual...run a hateful divisive attack that has nothing to do with reality. Luckily, less people than ever are registered Repubs, so if he is solely trying to excite his base, he will still not have enough votes to win. Obama supporters need to make sure to remind other bloggers & MSM that Bush/McCain policies of the last 8 years have hurt this country badly. The fact that so many of the middle class are getting squeezed should cut through the rhetoric. Did you see that there was higher than expected unemployment reported just today. Dow down 235 points today...gee, I thought giving corporations free reign led to job growth. I guess that is just more rhetoric.

[peterg76]

McCain is his own greatest liability, and he has (so far) successfully shifted the focus.