The Great White Nope
Here's a shocking display of honesty from the conservative blog Powerline :
We conservatives have had a good time ridiculing the Obama phenomenon, especially its messianic feel -- the willingness of its adherents to pour so much hope and belief into such an empty, or at least incomplete, vessel -- and its elevation of "narrative" over substance.Indeed. The Republicans have been desperate for a conservative savior for a while now. In fact, the desire to find the next Reagan pretty much defines the entire GOP presidential campaign.It turns out that we were dying to have basically the same experience.
In early 2007, the front-runners for the GOP nomination were Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, but those were both deemed non-starters by the Republican base. John McCain is a sanctimonious twit who conservatives can't stand much the same way that Democrats hate Lieberman. Rudy excites the base with his 9/11-tourette's, but he's a serial adulterer who doesn't hate gay people enough to excite the religious wing who still operate under the quaint notion that they're the ones in charge of the Republican party. Faced with that dreadful choice and knowing that the Bush legacy was a surefire loser in 2008, the GOP began their search for the person who would save their party from another humiliating defeat.
First up to the bat was Mitt Romney, who seemed almost as if he was designed to be a Republican politician. A generically handsome governor/billionaire who wears his religion on his sleeve, what's not to like? Well, the fact that he's from Taxachussets and has a history of pandering to liberals, for one. At least, that was enough to help Republicans to justify the real reason for opposing him, which is that he's a Mormon. The religious right is all about religious freedom when it comes to their own religion, but they'll be damned if they give their vote to somebody who wears the magic underwear.
Okay, how about former Senator Fred Thompson of TV's Law and Order? He's an actor, like Reagan! Plus, he's got that condescending southern drawl that voters find irresistible. On paper it seemed perfect, since the only thing Republicans love more than railing against celebrities is voting for them. Unfortunately for them, Thompson couldn't pull off the biggest challenge of his career, acting like he wanted to be president. Huh? You want me to campaign on the weekends too?
Then, out of the Iowa caucuses came a dark horse candidate, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Finally a guy who the Republicans can sink their teeth into. He's funny, he talks about Jesus all the time, and he used to be fat. Unfortunately for the Huckster, when the Republican party bosses started paying attention to his record, they were struck with paralyzing fear. "Oh no, he really means this 'compassion for the poor' crap." Needless to say, when faced with the choice between compassionate conservatism and lower taxes, Republicans always choose the latter.
And so, with the primaries underway, the pendulum of Republican opinion swung back to John McCain by default. Though it seemed like a race for a while between McCain, Romney, and Huckabee, the winner-takes-all nature of the GOP primaries sealed the deal for our nation's least humble POW on Super Tuesday. And with that, Republicans across the country woke up in a cold sweat on the morning of February 6th thinking "Oh shit! We just nominated John McCain."
Though they may be loathe to admit it, that's pretty much been the thought in the backs of the minds of conservatives everywhere for the past seven months. The preferred euphemism is "enthusiasm" gap, but it really sugar coats the fact that Republicans seemed lost and had resigned themselves to the fact that their nominee was somebody they couldn't stand. That is, until John McCain gave them their next conservative messiah, Sarah "Barracuda" Palin.
She's a regular lady, they boast to themselves, not like those minorities and city-dwellers in the DemocRAT party. She eats moose and calls her husband "dude", what wonderful nuggets of authenticity that look great in a campaign ad! Plus, she's so damn religious that we get all of the positives of supporting women without having to change our views in ways that would actually, y'know, support women.
Which is where we are now. The Republicans have found a new crush, "the one" who will save their party and usher in a new era of conservatism. Once the glory of her gloriously sarcastic convention speech has faded, they'll start finding reasons to dislike her just as they have every other conservative standard-bearer. Will her tax-raising ways, Which have drawn comparisons to GOP-bogeyman Hugo Chavez, prompt the oilmen who own the GOP to force her out? Or will the fundies get scared off by her knocked-up kid and the tabloid innuendo that surrounds her? Or will the GOP base start rejecting her when they realize that she's just the more-likable frontwoman for that saddest of sacks, John McCain?
Either way, if recent history is any guide, the honeymoon won't last forever. Hell, I doubt it'll last until election day.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
The interesting difference between someone like Reagan and someone like Palin is that Palin actually believes the religious B.S.
Reagan spent years paying lip service to the crazies but he never actually did anything for them. He would just haul them out around election time to make sure his party got into office and then he would promptly ignore them again. Heck I vaguely remember a story that he wouldn't even be seen at their parades when they were in Washington, he'd just call them up on the phone and tell them how much he supported their cause. Brilliant.
Palin on the other hand is a true believer and she can prove it, just look at her stance on teaching creationism and her attempt to ban books. That'll teach those "elitist" scientists, we'll legislate them back to the dark ages. God wills that we punish those that use his gifts unless those gifts give us bombs and guns with which to smite the infidel and the liberals.
I think I'm feeling a little sick and I need to go lay down.
see rob stein's entry "the palin effect." it'll fill in the blanks about the upcoming catastrophe. not like we haven't been here before.
bleak days ahead, my friends, bleak days
I've been reading and watching people's responses to the speeches from Palin's address. I got chills (and not the good kind) when supporters gushed over the her because they felt like she was "just like me" and that she proves that "even I can be President". And I do understand the appeal. But no offense to my fellow neighbors, hockey moms, or myself for that matter (who I can assure, with biased opinion, is an upstanding citizen), I simply don't think "ordinary" is good enough to be President. It's encouraging to see anybody with humbling beginnings reach the heights of success. But when they are at the top, especially for this race, I expect the person to be extraordinary.
I want a leader who is better than me: smarter, with a greater understanding of not only the lives of "regular people" but also the world at large, and the temperament to make decisions and compromise, all for the better for our future. Obama's promotions of change, how he invigorates people to get involved, and yes, his ability to inspire hope, is more appealing to me than someone who may have the same hobbies as I do, who's regular like me. The right has criticized that we liberals put Obama on a pedestal. And maybe we have. But it's not because we want to worship him. It's because we expect the President to be put on a higher standard. The weight and responsibility of the occupation alone places him there.
So the Republicans finally admit that they enjoy mocking Obama and the message of hope that he offers? Great. I assume that sentiment extends to all of us who support him and who believe that message. After their mocking comes their hate.
Their chief hate-monger is, of course Palin. She is more than a charismatic, lipsticked pitbull. She’s Cerberus, the hound of Hades, waiting for us at the gates. I truly fear her, and I want her defeated. Soundly, everlastingly defeated.
Well said, BAVirago. My goodness, it really is this serious, isn't it?
You are all missing the point. People are STUPID. Many have willingly and permenantly subjugated their REASON to their FAITH. It is what allows them to with complete honesty, truly believe that the opinions/l
Spot on, bravo.
kinda rambly, but you hit the nail on the fountainhead. in a society where a group people find strength and a sense of belonging in shared ignorance, and a common cause in the exclusion of "the other," all will suffer. someone said this week, rightly, I think, that the GOP is now essentially a religious party. and, I might add, our society's burden. they are the fatah party on four wheelers, the cancerous result of a "free society."
I was enjoying a fleeting sense of optimism these last 2 weeks, strong speeches at the DNC, an obvious blunder by mc9o% and dissention in the ranks at the RNC. now I feel sick. rove and his destructive machinations will once again cost us all, and he will never be held accountable. and we will have to swallow at least four more years of bush, this time in a skirt. just how bad does it have to get?
I will quibble a bit with the size of the extremes , but the core of the premise is true. We have citizens who don't know enough math to understand, let alone appreciate, the difference between the amount of money involved in "Whitewater" vs. the amount of "reconstruction funding" that has disappeared down the rabbit hole in Iraq.
This is the point of both the multiple Clinton investigations (Whitewater, Travelgate, etc.) and the more recent prosecution of Siegelman: not just to hamstring Democratic administrations, but to use the dominant narrative in the future to completely discredit attempts at using focused Progressive ideals in the formulation of public policy. Thus Travelgate becomes just as damning and far-reaching in the minds of what some of us call low info voters as Iran Contra or the Keating Five.
Trenchant discussion. You hit the nail on the head. Susan Jacoby has written a book documenting this.
You are spot on here. Makes me wonder whether the stupidity has always been such as it now is or if it has grown worse over time due to, as I suspect, the influence of television.
Great piece of truthiness
The gas has been running out of the conservative, right-wingnut train for quite some time. And I really doubt that this moose-shootin' hockey-mom can change that...
Many Republicans will hold their nose and vote for "sad sack" McCain anyway... But the "Yes We Can" express will not be stopped.
Clarence Thomas revisited. Just can't stand it when one goes off the plantation, eh?
Black must be liberal. Woman must be liberal. It is written.
you don't make any sense
Good moniker. Fits. I've seen people banned from posting for less.
Ruthless is not a good quality to have.
Interesting, did you know that for most of his life Obama gave less than 1% to charity?
Excellent, and VERY entertaining Greg, thanks !
Did you catch Jon Stewarts show when Samatha Bee was trying to get the repugs to say choice. It was hysterical. Apparently Palins daughters "decision" to have the baby is a private matter but her decision wasn't a choice. My personal favorite "having freedom of choice is different than being pro-choice
I saw that. I almost fell off the couch laughing. Hypocrites all of them.
I've been tripping up my conservative friends all week with the same questions. It's been a LOT of fun !
I was so glad to see Samantha do globally what I've been trying to do locally.
Not everybody watches The Daily Show so it's up to us to keep the questions alive. I actually had two friends (cons) say they would have to rethink their positions. I don't expect much, but you never know.
That was the most amazing piece of video I've seen in years. It was simply brilliant.
and sam bee is from canuckistan too. i am so proud. what a cutie patootie.
Don't miss the special Friday night edition of The Daily Show ... it was GOLD!!
That was truly funny. Did you see the way their eyes just glassed over? That happens whenever they have to think for themselves. They're nothing but parrots, the lot of them. That video exposed something not only funny but frightening.
The problem is that the Republicans are rallying blindly... and know it. I have no doubt they can close their eyes and cover their ears for 60 days.
No more sarcasm guys. We've got to be sober, levelheaded, and serious in our discourse. Constant diligence guys.
Fortunately, there's more of 'us' than there are of 'them'.
They're rallying behind her like crazy, but that's only about 25% of the total electorate. The other 75% are as mad as a wet hen about this.
here's hoping!
America the land of the slave.
LOL. That's what John McCain's doing right now. He's pulled the wool over Karl Rove's eyes. That republican unity at the convention is a mask for the fear running through the veins of Rove and his cronies including Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et. al. Here's what McCain is thinking:
"Baracuda baby you done good. Lined 'em all up for a good whacking. Look at how they cheered when I came out and told them that they will all be removed from power when I get into the oval office. Y'all made me sell my soul so that I could get into position, well I want what's left of my soul back."
So what if Palin isn't prepared. She won't have any say in any policy decisions, domestic or foreign.
And Palin will do her job as lady in waiting because she's betting he will kick the bucket while in office. If she doesn't tow the line all those skeletons in her closet will come rattling out and Joe Lieberman is waiting in the wings.
What can Rove and his cronies do? Oust Palin and seal the deal for Obama. Not without a promise of executive pardon that they won't get.
This election is truly in the hands of the moms in the middle. I think they'll vote as their children do, And the children it seems, are backing Obama.
McCain is not in charge. He may think he is, but he is just being hung out to dry. The Republican machine has thrown in the towel for this election. by Nov. 5, McCain/Palin will be a bad memory and the machine can get on with setting its sights on 2012....
I agree with this.. There are not enough base supporters in the rt places and ind,swing, moderates are overwhelmingly going O.....It;s very close in VA,ND,FLA,
She's officially the first presidential golddigger! Those republicans sure do know how to make history.
Very true. But, unfortunately, the Republican conservative base will never admit their choice was wrong. They will lie, wriggle and rationalize that she is the "real thing." She brags about saying "No thanks" to the Bridge to Nowhere, but factually was for it until Congress said "No"; and then she kept the money and spent it on the access road to said Bridge. She brags about putting the governor's jet on ebay, when factually it never sold and was later bought by a contributor at a LOSS. Now John McCain is bragging that she SOLD it on ebay for a Profit. Now, surrogates are back-pedaling saying that she at least tried to save the state money. Either way, these are lies. Too bad the press is so afraid of not getting to ask questions of her that they won't call them lies, they call it hyperbole.
Palin/McCain will win in November and the country be dam*ed. Too bad.
You should have seen Rachel Maddow on Countdown tonight you would have been proud. She went out on a limb and actually called them lies. She even called the repeating of them - LYING. She is going to be fun to have around.
Bravo, Rachel! I love a journalist who enjoys promoting the truth and challenges liars.
Like it or not, Ms. Maddow's primary role is entertainment. She's been hired to preach to the choir. However, under the surface of that role is a very intelligent woman with whom I would not wish to engage in verbal conflict. Absent her apparent political leanings (with which I agree), she'd be the perfect interviewer of Ms. Palin. Only in my dreams...
Agreed. I was very proud of her. This is why she needs her own show. Speak truth to power and don't back down in the face of the rovian hooligans who have made it abundantly clear that they in fact care more about winning elections and possessing power than they do about the truth or this country.
Go Rachel!
I love Rachel, she's one of the few journalists whose opinion I trust.
I've long been a Rachel Maddow fan. She has all the bite of Olbermann without the O'Reilly tangents. I enjoyed her Countdown appearance and am looking forward to her new TV show.
The lies are already being revealed. It just depends now whether Americans want to take a chance on this ticket. I can't help but think Palin could get away with stuff in Alaska that wouldn't fly in the lower 48 states. Maybe the remoteness of Alaska or the history of shenanigans up there has made it seem okay to abuse power, as has been reported. The media has every right, in fact a responsibility, to research this unknown person.
Imagine how Hillary could have taken Palin apart. I'm just sayin.
Imagine how Hillary WILL take Palin apart. I'm just predictin.
You're going to get your wish. For all the amping up of the Obama-Clinton drama, from all accounts she's pissed at McCain's move and she'll be shadowing Palin on the campaign trail.
Oh it's comin' ... don't you worry about THAT!!! And she's going to do it with great finesse.
She still can. Go Hillary, go!
If they stick with Palin and the Republican ticket wins despite EVERYTHING -- the sameness of the McCain platform and the hypocrisy of Palin -- we will be the laughingstock of the world. Those folk like to say "we're Amurrican. We don't care what the world thinks" but we need our allies more than ever. Of course, I'm not really sure that all those individuals speaking leading up to McCain were on the same page as he was. Owning up to mistakes and all. They must have been cringing bigtime.
OMG. The only comment I wanna leave is that this piece is awesome.
LondonTownNY, you took the words right out of my mouth. Article was truly awesomely on point and an excellent analysis.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
