Palin In Purdah

So, the McCain campaign has decided to make Sarah Palin off limits. Can't talk to her. Can't talk about her. Can't let any audience infer anything about her. You must uphold her honor at all times, or the McCain campaign will rush to her defense and attack and punish you. What does this sound like? It sounds like Islam! It also sounds like something much closer to home called "bullshit".

Dick Cheney's wettest dream is about secrecy. Remember that hazmat suit in his car? That undisclosed location? Cheney is so secretive most of the time that even his creature Bush doesn't know what he was doing or where he is doing it. Secrecy is the fetish of a tyrant, and Cheney has proved tyrannical -- whatever he has gotten away with isn't nearly as much as he hoped to get away with, and now they are doing it again.

People in the public eye get reviewed. Amazon sellers. Novelists. Restaurateurs. Actors and directors. Congresspersons. And sometimes the reviews are bad. I have two favorite bad reviews that I've gotten. One was written -- the reviewer said that one of my early novels, which was fairly harmless as far as I could tell, "epitomized everything that is wrong with modern literature." Not too long ago I was on a call-in show, and a guy called in and said that he had read my novel twice and found it to have "no redeeming features." He read it twice? What sort of masochist was this guy? The thing is, I have gotten used to bad reviews over the years, and I understand it's part of the deal. When I was in graduate school, another student had a sign above her desk. It read, "No one asked you to write that novel."

And gosh, Sarah, running for vice president is voluntary, too. You plan to work for us. We need to give you fifty-seven days of job interviews. We need to know why your husband is a member of a secessionist party. We need to know why you tried to fire that librarian. We need to know why you gave yourself a per diem for living in your own house. We need to know if you knew the cruelty involved in shooting wolves from the air before you offered that $150 bounty for dead monogamous wolf fathers and mothers (we hear you're a cat person, but I think shooting canidae lupi is going too far, even for a cat person). We need to know why you shade the truth on that bridge to nowhere. We need to know your views and plans. Every question we might ask isn't accusatory. Many of them are informational.

But the girl can't take it, that's obvious. She didn't like being challenged as mayor or as governor, and she's made up her mind that she isn't going be challenged as a candidate, that every thing anyone says about her will be termed "sexism" and will be a reason for her to retire into that veil of privacy that the McCain campaign says she requires. Now THAT'S sexism. But more important, it's contempt for the voters, contempt for the citizens, and a prelude to ever more tyranny.

Comments

[simkmer]

The Media and Press are in control but they seem to be just playing along with the McCain-Palin hide-and-seek political game. If Palin can shut the media out, the media should simply turn the tables. With no exposure to her lies and exaggerations, she would be reduced to her natural element-a secretive example of political emptiness.

[Senzasord]

What has heretofore been missing in the discourse about Sarah Palin's annointment as VP candidate by McCain is the real underlying reason why. That is without doubt a clear example of Tokenism.

This bit of window dressing was selected based soley on the fact she is female. She brings nothing else to the table.

The fact that she, herself doesn't recognize tokenism for what it is ought be the real source of outrage, and gives a clear indication of the depth of her intellect.

[amabo1]

Yes, McCain made a decision that revealed many appalling things about him. In the end, his final concern is not national security. No one who cares about national security would pick as vice-president someone who knows nothing about it as his replacement. No one who cares about this country's safety would gamble the security of the world on a total unknown because she polled well with the Christianist base. No person who truly believed that the surge was integral to this country's national security would pick as his veep candidate a woman who, so far as we can tell anything, opposed it at the time.

McCain has demonstrated in the last two months that he does not have the character to be president of the United States. And that is why it is more important than ever to ensure that Barack Obama is the next president. The alternative is now unthinkable. And McCain - no one else - has proved it.

[Rudderman]

Ever had this feeling: you go to bed on earth and wake up in an alternate universe? Me neither.
That is, not until Mr. "America First" spent a good hour sizing up his choice for second in command, Suddenly, I'm no longer on the same planet. I'm sure because Rod Serling recently appeared on my TV, live, "You're about to enter a land where up is down, small is big, lies are truth and logic has gone the way of the Dodo. You've just crossed over into...the Palin Zone."
How else do you explain wild cheers for someone who believes the Flintstones is reality TV; someone so far right, she needs her own time zone; someone who's foreign policy qualifications are a) have 2007 passport and b) live near Russia; someone who asked, "what exactly does a VP do?". Find me another explanation for the millions rushing to her defense while she holes up in an igloo, even though they know zippo about this woman who could easily become President.
Yup, it's another universe. A place where the last eight years never happened. A country where wars are holy and opposing opinions evil. Where global-warming is a joke and vast drilling is considered seriously. A land of people so terrified that, if plunked on board the Titanic, they'd rather hit an iceberg than change course.
Ah, why worry? I'll soon awaken to find myself back on earth. Otherwise, pass me a life jacket.

[BlowHardPatrol]

the thought of palin in the whitehouse is beyond frightening. mccain has spit in the face of everybody with this ridiciulous choice. a desperate attempt to save a sputtering campaign. its a distracton and so far, shockingly, its working. i am shocked at how much i hear about lipstick and pigs and not about the outrage of her inaccessibility. it is unprecedented, grotesque, and amazingly obvious that the is way in over her head. just watch any interview or discussion available. she is being hidden for these reasons alone. but this won't hold up, because eventually she has to speak. and when she does, this will fade into the truth and the country will be saved. if not, i'm moving to canada.

[hopeless277]

Extremely well said. As always, thank you Jane.

[NewArtz]

Actually one of her best friends said in an interview posted here on Huffington Post, that Sarah doesn't like cats and is afraid of her friend's cat. Maybe she's afraid of wolves, too, and is shooting them in some paranoid act of self defense. She seems to be afraid of attention at this point, afraid of the exposure her life is getting, and afraid of all these Americans who feel they have a right to know who she is and what she stands for. Maybe she has a plan to deal with us later on when she's through with the cats, wolves and moose. Without a lot more info on her, we're just left with speculation.

[JustSpeakingMyPeace]

S@rah P@lin's Hidden Base

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080922/hiddenbase_video

[loax]

She hides behnd her own skirt, because other than a loud nasaly voice, she has nothing of value to offer!

[SantaFeStars]

Palin's policies are what we are interested in. This woman is about as far right as you can get, and that's not for me!! I'm against everything she stands for, including hunting!! I certainly do not want her as my VP or, god forbid, President!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!

[contemporarymom]

Hmmm a party that is so outraged at the others for picking Sarah.

After hearing Biden's comment regarding Hiliary being the better choice for Prez or VP, seems the Dem party should spend more time on the fact that their party screwed up in picking their representatives instead of bashing the Repubs choices.

When your running VP says stuff like that - you got problems.

[bronceye]

Why aren't these horrendous things that she says about Obama considered sexist? Opposite of same thing. Men say things about her-sexist. She reads things about men that she's never met-not sexist? If you can't stand the heat, get back in the kitchen.

[LiberalLo]

There is a wonderful letter written by Anne Kilkenny of Wasilla, all about Sarah, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is on http://www.mcclatchydc.com today. This country can do better. The question is: will we or will we decide we are not worth it and neither are our descendants.

[OB08]

Stop with your lies need issues.

President Obama said in one of the articles - “Enough,” Obama declared yesterday while campaigning in Norfolk, Va. “I don’t care what they say about me. But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and Swift boat politics. Enough is enough.”

“Vote for the man with a Plan.” President Obama 2008.

[gala1]

Why don't we ever see men attacking each other on such a twisted, petty, vilely personal level?

Sarah Palin is going to be part of the next administration. For every one of you snarling and sniping at here, there are dozens who see her in their mirrors.

In times of crisis the stressed skew to the familiar.
Palin is there. Because Hillary isn't.

You created He Who Is Obama-- The Godhead Formerly Known As Junior Senator. You are the ones doing Big Brother rallies where True Believers genuflect. When they aren't on blogs bullying.

Instead Sarah Palin put her family right there with her.
Why? Because all her problems, real-time and grubby , are the SAME problems as the voters listening.

No Southside mansion, no icy remove from some patronage paid-for high-maintenance Jackie Barbie.
I don't agree with Palin, won't vote for her, but I'd very much like to meet her.

I agree with much more of what Obama rhetoricizes about and doesn't follow through, won't vote for him and the best thing about November is he'll be gone.

Palin will win because what you see is what you get.
Obama has proven to be a paint by numbers hologram who has no identity other than his aspirations, affectations and ambition..

Hope is good, but misplaced hope defines folly.
I'm writing in Hillary because I need to vote for someone.
Why squander a vote on the least of two bad ideas? How will that fix anything?

-gala1

[LiberalLo]

I'll take a guess that women's rights don't mean a damn thing to you, if you waste a write-in vote for Hillary.

[gigi09]

So we will inherit a dysfunctional family! What a shame!

[JC1c1]

You failed to answer any of the question put to you by the article.

Here is what you and fellow anti Obama people do when Palin is brought up, praise her, for the small things.

Then someone like me asks but what are her views on the economy, the housing crisis, healthcare, education, the war ( cause it aint God's plan), lost jobs, unbalanced trade?

Then anti Obama people do not answer the question, but just go on and attack Obama. You side step the questions, much like McCain and Palin do.

Atleast I know Obamas, Bidens, and McCains views and what they want to do with these very important issues at such times. These are the issues, this is what matters. Not moose burgers, I could care less that she is a woman, I am a woman, I know I couldnt be president of the United States, that is why I think just any woman wont do. Unlike McCain, bc Palin is just ANY woman.

[McJoke]

Well if you are for fixing something, you will definately achieve that goal by writing in somebody's name who is not on the ticket. Why do you let the image of the candidate stand in the way of the policies and issues that you favor? It's not about Obama, it's about what we need for our future...not another 4 years of Bush/McCain.

[mommamia526]

Well, gala, still sour that Hill did not get the nomination? I voted for Hill as well in the primaries. And, yes, there is something to be said about this article. However, the most important thing is that Obama is not running against Palin, he is running against McCain (who is Cain, and not Abel). And let us listen carefully what Sarah says about putting that jet on eBay, and what Cain says. Sarah says she PUT it on eBay, she does not say that she SOLD it on eBay. But someone said she sold it on eBay, listen carefully, who said that...yeah, Cain (who is not Abel). He says Sarah SOLD that jet on eBay. That is why Mac can not have her interviewed, because she might just speak the truth, or say something else which contradicts Cain, and the race, again, is NOT between Obama and Palin; it is between Obama and Cain. Mac has a human shield. Her name is Palin. The shield can not be interviewed, is not speaking, answers no questions, she is there to protect poor Mac. She is a chess piece that Mac puts in position in the only game he knows: WAR!!! If you write in Hill, gala, you WILL squander your vote. And a hollogram, gala, is not a painting, it is not created by paint, but by light and energy. Lies are not only what is said directly. Lies are also inuendo, deliberately creating misinterpretation; the opposite of truth.