The Culture War Option For The Palin Convention

John McCain's convention gambit is now a culture war strategy. It depends for its execution on conflict with journalists, and with bloggers (the "angry left," Bush called them last night) along with confusion between and among the press, the blogosphere, and the Democratic party. It revives cultural memory: the resentment narrative after Chicago '68 but with the angry left more distributed. It dispenses with issues and seeks a trial of personalities. It bets big time on backlash.

At the center of the strategy is the flashpoint candidacy of Sarah Palin, a charismatic figure around whom the war can be brought to scale, as it were. In fact the Politico is reporting just that: Palin reignites culture wars.

I have no idea if the ignition system will work; nor do I claim that "this is what they were thinking" when they made the decision to nominate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Other interpretations may turn out to be truer than mine. This post is my look at the bets McCain and company seem to be placing. I am not recommending the strategy. I am not predicting it will succeed. I think it was improvised, like my description here....

The storm around Sarah Pailn overtakes the story of the Republican convention and merges with it, like a smaller but stronger company taking over a larger but troubled enterprise. Behind the storm a "wave narrative" builds as her appointment generates headlines on multiple fronts. The irresistible force of fact-fed controversy meets the immovable enthusiasm for Palin as cultural object: charismatic everywoman straight from the imaginary of conservative America.

* The basic strategy is: don't fight the "crisis" narrative. Rather, do things that bring it on; and in that crisis re-divide the electorate hoping to grab the bigger half.

The evangelical wing, and other social conservatives are strongly moved by her candidacy. More and more of their commitment to McCain is vested in him through her. As Andrew Sullivan writes: "The emotions involved -- especially among the Christianist base who have immediately bonded on purely religious and cultural terms with Palin -- are epic."

* The strategy: sell the epic version of her candidacy. Allow her to become bigger than McCain in narrative terms. And let the two mavericks together overawe the Republican party, a damaged brand.

Continued bad news on the investigation front adds further drama, new fact streams and more protagonists to the Sarah Palin story. As more comes out about the decision to name Sarah Palin to the ticket, it's harder to see how anyone on the inside thought it McCain's best choice for president-in-waiting.

* Strategy: Give no ground, pile on the praise for her performance in Alaska, pump up her governor's experience to death-defying extremes, hope for theatrical confrontation with characters in the mainstream media who can star as the cosmopolitan elites in the sudden politics of resentment the convention has been driven to.

Bloggers and open platforms continue to publish riskier--and risque--material, some of it unfit for family consumption, some of it false, salacious and reckless, some of it true, relevant and damaging, a portion of which is picked up by the traditional press.

* Strategy: confound and collapse all distinctions between closed editorial systems (like the newsroom of the New York Times), open systems (like the blogging community DailyKos.com) and political systems, like the Democratic party and its activist wing. Whenever possible mix these up. Conflate constantly. Attack them all. Jump from one to the other without warning or thread. Sow confusion among streams and let that confusion mix with the resentment in a culture war atmosphere.

As more emerges about how the McCain camp made the decision, the appointment looks more and reckless, the decision rushed, the vetting inadequate. This leads to advanced jeering from the left, intense criticism in the press, damaging leaks from within the Republican party, fueling calls from within and without for Sarah Palin to remove herself.

* Strategy: stick with "she was fully vetted" no matter what comes out. People who don't believe it are trying to bring down Palin's historic candidacy; or they don't accept that a conservative woman can be the one to break the glass ceiling. If some establishment Republicans are skeptical or trying to stop her, that's good for the crisis narrative, and good for two maverick candidates.

Sarah Palin under intense pressure then gives a charismatic performance on Wednesday of convention week and wows much of America, outdrawing Obama in the ratings and sending a flood of cash to McCain and the GOP.

* Strategy: bingo, that's your big break. A wave effect is unleashed by a stunning televised performance. It is shock and awe in the theater of the post-modern presidency.

Journalists watching all this keep saying to themselves: wait until she gets out on the campaign trail. Wait until she sits for those interviews with experienced reporters and faces a real press conference.

* Strategy: double down on defiance by never letting her answer questions, except from friendly media figures who have joined your narrative; like Cheney with Fox. No meet the press at all. No interviews of Palin with the DC media elite-- at all. De-legitimate the ask. Break with all "access" expectations. Use surrogates and spokesman, let them get mauled, then whip up resentment at their mistreatment. Answer questions at town halls and call that adequate enough.

Meanwhile, the investigation of her performance in Alaska puts more and more pressure on the Palin appointment as things come out that would ordinarily disqualify a candidate from consideration or cast doubt on her truthfulness in a grave way.

* Strategy: Comes from Bush, the younger. When realities uncovered are directly in conflict with prior claims, consider the option of keeping the claims and breaking with reality. Done the right way, it's a demonstration of strength. It dismays and weakens the press. And it can be great theatre.

Follow Jay Rosen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jayrosen_nyu

Comments

[SShaw490]

HuffPost's Pick

While I'm not refuting any of those possible strategies, I wonder:

Is this what democracy in the information age comes to? Two parties that rally their troops not only to disagree with the others, but to actually hate them. They are not just wrong, they're bad, evil, so stupid they're barely human. So 50% of Americans hate the other 50%, and they both just try to get to 53% for one election at a time.

In the information age, when Rush Limbaugh and a dozen others can get on the radio and spew hatred for 6 hours a day, how else would this turn out? In some ways, I wish there was a liberal parallel to Limbaugh, but there's not. There's no liberal parallel to him, or Newt Gingrich, or Ken Starr, or Tom Delay or George W. Bush, or Dick Cheney. There's just not one out there - at least not one that anyone listens to.

I'm so over it all that I'll go down and vote for Obama and hope he's a success as a president, but I no longer believe in America.

[maab76]

Welcome to the highly polarized nation formerly known as the United States of America. Hate, insults and character assassination have become the norm. Greed is the national obsession. The worship of the failures of the past continue to plague us. Why else should we "be afraid, be very afraid.?" Can we apply liberal doses of truth to this disaster to remove its power and sting? Since responsibility and memory are so lacking in this election pair, can more and more of us research the truth and display it prominently at all times? We can do this: Yes, We Can!

[doug108]

My hope is that more Americans than it currently appears are also tired of mind-f*ck politics. That they want a restoration of real debate on real issues of substance. This could be the Republicans' last gasp. It's typical for a dying ideology to lash out and revert to fundamentalism when it's threatened with extinction. Maybe that's all that's going on here, and in November the Republican way of doing business will finally be over.

[doug108]

My hope is that more Americans than it currently appears are also tired of mind-f*ck politics. That they want a restoration of real debate on real issues of substance. This could be the Republicans' last gasp. It's typical for a dying ideology to lash out and revert to fundamentalism when it's threatened with extinction. Maybe that's all that's going on here,and in November the Republican way of doing business will finally be over.

[doug108]

My hope is that more Americans than it currently appears are also tired of mind-f*** politics. That they want a restoration of real debate on real issues of substance. This could be the Republicans' last gasp. It's typical for a dying ideology to lash out and revert to fundamentalism when it's threatened with extinction. Maybe that's all that's going on here, and in November the Republican way of doing business will finally be over.

[arthur2008]

Well, I am convinced: John McCain is ready on Day One -- to be George W. Bush.

[Nancyann]

How Correct you are !!!!!!

[Gotcha54]

What a shame that Huckaby talks about race and Obama - and then I watch the TV for 10 more minutes and I don't see one person of color anywhere. What a shame!

[pwg357]

If John McCain's only hope for winning the presidency relies on this long and complicated plan of playing on public backlash while always playing the victim role then he may as well throw in the towel now. Because the only "backlash" support he is going to get from the sharp cricitism and outright ridicule of his VP pick will come from those who are feigning it, just like they are now feigning support for his choice of Sarah Palin.

[Heru1]

You give them way too much credit. Republicans may seem cunning but they are ignorant.

[kekoa]

Too many things surrounding the life of VP pick Palin, she isn't the Presidential candidate, she's the next in line. What is important is what McCain is going to do for America. How he would deal with the economy, the war, taxes, the new culture of these times. I don't care what Bush thinks about blogging. It is how the world is changing and the president must be on top of things. Obama already knows this and his campaign is widespread on the internet and text messages all over the U.S. I got it every morning on my email. It is a delicate matter regarding Mrs. Palin's daughter, it happens in many families but this one is very distracting because she is being looked at under a microscope. Her home life is nothing private anymore because she is in the spotlight. I hope she can hold up under all that. I will be watching to see what the Republican party has to say tonight at the convention.

[Mojane]

Great analysis. Neverending search for the MSM to come clean. I was pleasantly shocked, however, when CNN's Campbell Brown took on the McCain surrogate. Then came the backbite that you referred to. Just incredible. The right is getting more radical (rabid) with every passing day. They scare me BIG.

[Butcher]

you need to fear the Left wing Democrats that believe women voter are nieve and only good for supporting the men folk not being equal to them.
You also need to fear the News Media that gives you a biased interpretation of what is said and what is actially meant by it.
Be afraid Mojane, for your worse fears are about to come true if Obama/Biden are elected.

[Moralfiberseeker]

Excellent listing, bluevoice and gardener!!

But, you forgot to mention:

That we're angry at their use of the Constitution as toilet paper while they violated law after law.

And we're angry how they have effectively depleted our armed forces while waging their illegal and corrupt war that served only to enrich war profiteers and innumerable con men.

We're also angry that they had to be shamed into caring for wounded and mentally affected combat veterans while accusing anybody that questioned the lies leading to their corrupt war as unpatriotic
liberals that didn't support the troops. Oh by the way, how many times has McSame voted against increased finding for veterans?

[boogygran]

Great post.

[democritus]

two words: FREE PUBLICITY

[Sheridan1]

You and me both, Joansie
"To think that the Christian far right may determine the next president has me checking out the Atlas to see where I'd like to spend the remainder of my life."

[profoundimagery]

I Love You Huffington Post!! I Love You Huff Post Bloggers!! You GET IT!! I just wish I saw these types of responses in areas that the right is taking over on the net: You Tube, My Space, Face Book etc. In my short time surfing (5 months) I find myself alone in posting responses to obvious lies about our purposes and our candidates. The only reason that I see for our current rise is that mass media outlets realize, that they are loosing the faith of the public, by way of their overt attacks on our party and despicable refusal to broadcast POSITIVE, FACTUAL, MULTIFACETED 'TRUTH' of Senator Obama's and Biden's positions, education, service, accuracy and truth. Not to mention Barak's 'experience density' regarding 'Righteous' causes as compared to McCain's lack thereof.

I totally agree with Mr. Rosen's summation. it is worthy of copying and memorizing to properly frame public addresses. I submit that the BOOM should be contained in a concise detailed soliloquy containing minute technical details of senator Obama's economic, foreign affairs, Global warming and health care solution proposals.

[Rondo]

Its all well and good for Karl Rove that the media is obsessing on baked alaska but where in all this noise is McCain's message being delivered?

[WaltFrench]

Since you're on a roll here, let me ask... is there ANY alternative to this Shock and Awe scenario when it comes to HOW they were going to let on that the prospective Veep's unmarried daughter was with child?

Introduce it as part of Palin's speech to the convention?

Assume nobody would notice before November 4th?

Hardly likely, huh? So I'm stuck: this had to be part of the plan -- maybe, "OK, we can run with that" -- but still, this sure looks like it was baked into the Palin nomination from the Get-go.

Or Palin is even more incredibly dishonest and untrustworthy and did NOT let on because McCain never asked.

[boogygran]

A different take on "don't ask don't tell"

[rshrink]

I think it is important to keep the focus on the acts of manipulation, directed at the right and left. The right is about to be suckered into thinking it is voting morals AGAIN! It is not about morals. It is about oil and big banks and the military industrial complex. Keep your eyes on the prize voters. It has long been known that you cannot legislate morality. If you want to be moral, go to church or to your source of moral inspiration. Do not look to the government to supply that for you or anyone else. They have proven a failure on such things. On the other hand, the government can help us rebuild our infrastructure, create new and better paying jobs, improve education and healthcare. That also has been proven. We need the right people and the right focus to make strides in this country. If we address the latter mentioned areas, then morality is also very likely to improve. If we don't address these important issues, we will have a decline in morals and more people in prison and in the streets and life will be more precarious, desperate and unsafe. Know what you are choosing, the manipulators or the people with the real and helpful goals of improving our country and the environment.

[Valere65]

I understand that the kids are off limits , but can you imagine what would have happened if Chelsea Clinton would have gotten pregnant at 17 ....