The Evil Genius Behind America's Most Dangerous Woman

The moment I heard John McCain had chosen Sarah Palin I thought the decision had Karl Rove written all over it. Then Sidney Blumenthal wrote that Rove, who knows the American psyche like no other operative, wanted Mitt Romney and that Palin was McCain's call. Whoever chose her is an evil genius.

She is the link that unites the rich with the vast pool of small town, working class and rural voters. It's a little like European nobility conscripting the peasants to fight against a rising commercial class--the original middle class. The Democrats are the enemy in the middle today. The fight is for the heartland's electoral votes and with Sarah Palin the Republicans have a formidable edge.

So surreal was the experience that it was a little like watching a Hollywood movie about a presidential campaign rather than the real thing when she strode onto that stage last night.

I couldn't believe the nonsense going into the speech about it being make-or-break. Did anybody think she wrote it herself? It was written by the campaign. The only question was the delivery. If anyone had seen video of her speaking before, which I had, you knew she was going to nail it, which she did. She's a lot more effective speaker than John McCain and much more presentable. That's what makes her so dangerous.

This is narrative and identity politics at its most wicked. She gave her version of her own life story. It's a fairy tale that doesn't square with the facts. But as Joe Klein points out, the McCain camp is at war with the press precisely to keep the Sarah Story from exploding under the weight of scrutiny.

The sick thing about identity politics for me is that it shows millions of Americans think they should be president or vice president. Since they can't the next best thing is someone like them. Someone they think will at least fight for their interests. Palin is poisonous to the body politic because she brilliantly creates the illusion that she is the girl next door running for the White House on behalf of common people. She's one of us. Except that she is now their tool--representing an economic and political elite that spits on average Americans--eroding their civil rights, taking away their social benefits and sending their sons (including hers) and daughters off to unnecessary wars that only enrich that elite.

Sarah Palin is the enemy of small town America and average citizens, dressed up as their princess warrior.

Her record shows that she worked against the interests of small town Wasilla by pushing for construction of a sports complex rather than a needed sewer system. She tried to censor books and fire people who don't agree with her. She thinks God ordered the invasion of Iraq. Her ambition is outdone only by her vindictiveness.

Sarah Palin not only appeals directly to the conservative, religious fantasies of vast numbers of marginalized Americans. She appeals to men because of her beauty. Incredibly, she makes John McCain look hip. Once Barack Obama failed to choose Hillary Clinton as his running mate, the door was open to McCain to look like the progressive and agent of change by choosing a woman.

If Sarah Palin can help deliver the White House to John McCain, and there is every indication now that she can, she will be part of a leadership at war with the interests of America's heartland and very likely at war with Iran and maybe with nuclear-armed Russia.

Only a genius could have invented Sarah Palin, if she didn't already exist.

www.politicalodyssey.com

Comments

[Ave-Gabrielle]

Palin's not evil. She's probably a nice woman and anyone of us could sit and have coffee with her. But Sarah Palin IS against gays, bans books referring to anything gay, does not believe God created the heavens and the earth, she is against gun control, a member of the NRA, strongly wants to destroy the right for a woman to have an abortion, she is against sex education and her daughter ends up pregnant, she ran a smear campaign against her sister's husband during their divorce (abusing her power as Mayor then Governor), she has been a Governor for 20 months, Alaska is not diverse with Latinos, Jews, blacks, Asians, gays, it is smaller than Texas. Palin spoke against the Bridge to Nowhere but accepted Bridge to Nowhere funds (millions of dollars) from the government. Any sane intelligent woman would hear this and say "I'm a woman, but THAT woman is not for ME." If we destroy Roe vs Wade and have women using coat hangers again and in back alley offices again, so many will die from infections. I do not believe in abortions but I also do not believe in telling a woman what she can and cannot do with her body.

[Muzz]

Keep on her record Joe -- the great "swing state of Pa" (i.e. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) is already at it.

[sposton]

Palin may turn off democrats but republicans don't care about that. They slice and dice the electorate into distinct sets of people they can easily manipulate. The traditional calculus of VP's choice helping to deliver a particular state seems to be less important this year then in the past. More significant are the groups of people the VP might appeal to. (Even Biden is not just delivering Delaware but is supposed to appeal to Catholic blue collar workers in states like Pennsylvania.) In addition to the evangelical base, Palin may appeal to many women in swing vote block, small town America's undecided, hunters, etc. Joe is correct in saying she is more dangerous than the first instinct might indicate.

[MarciL]

"If Sarah Palin can help deliver the White House to John McCain, and there is every indication now that she can..."

You're obviously not out there talking to "small town, average Americans".

I am, and our answer is, "Nope, nope."

[Marsangusidaho]

She wants Alaska to secede from the United States?

Why do Sarah Palin and the Republicans hate America and the constitution so much?

[LoyalJane]

The hateful racist minority will not defeat the hopeful majority. Hope is rooted in bravery and strength.
Obama is brave and he has strength especially to stand up to the last fragments of racist America. He has stood up to the establishment of the Clintons. Even with all the good they did, Obama knew we could do better. McCain has not stood up to George Bush. They are bed fellows. The people in the convention hall in Minnesota must not have had any financial hardships must be drillers.

[northcan]

Checking the Blocks for month's....I came across comments from Alaska's bloggers, their entries ....I felt, people under her mayoralship and governorship talking in tidbits, leaving clues. informed many media, congress, senators

Blog entries AK; ."The surface has not even been scratched". "McCain / Palin may be able to mislead the public on her record but it will not be easy". "Ha, she was a pig at the trough just like any other politician in the state, slopping up everything with their insatiable appetite for Federal funds". "Now, she like all the other Pigs are trying to distance themselves from those that fed them all those years".

Palin's trip in April she commented "she was at a conference in Texas with Cheney's inner circle and they offered her the Vice presidency". "She gave the speech, then came home to Alaska 8 hours later".

"Governor Palins speech in January 2008, she said she was receiving coaching and telephone calls from V.P. Dick Cheny". "I wonder if he'll be on the phone to her, if she's elected".

My thoughts, Repub's fixed their primary. I think it is plausable Cheney, Rove, Gingrich chose Sarah Palin for two reasons. They were ready to impeach Palin, staff asked her to resign, and Alaska could change parties, oil production of 20% of American oil, they need to keep this state. The Repubs thought Hillary would be on the ticket and they needed a woman also to beat her. But, month's ago they had Sarah Palin picked.

[cruisepuppy7452a]

If Barack and Obamma win, and I suspect they will, Rove and Bush, Cheney will be cell mates. Biden and Barack want jail time for all of them, and the Clintons' have given thier blessing as well. Pretty hard to run a country from a jail cell. Given the levels of corruption committed by all, no amount of money will get them out of or keep them out of federal prison. Yes, the crimes committed are that serious. Rove may have aspirations of getting back into the white house, but he still has yet to testify and will be called as a hostile witnes. He is still under investigation and stands to end up in prison. As a civillian, he has no special privledges, and Bush cannot invoke those for him. I fully have warned the Obamma camp of what Rove is capable of, andput nothing past him. Yes, he is capable of setting Sarah up for indightment, removal from office so he can fill her shoes. The problem is this, Pelosi can't legally allow that. If she does its collusion on her part and she too can share the same cell.

[helpmeunderstand]

Why on day 4 of the RNC has their not been one member of the Armed forces who served with John McCain to support him.

Surely he is a noble hero and deserves to be elected President solely based on such off repeated qualifictions.

Why are we not told about the other five years of his military career. Why are we suppose to overlook that he would not stand by the wife who was severely injured in an automobile accident and waited for him. Why are we not told about when he was commanding officer of the VA-174 squadron (his claim to executive experience) he admitted to have plural extramarital affairs plural. What kind of leadership is that? Why are we not told that he continued to have extramarital affairs after being appointed into the Senate Liaison Office within the Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs he continued to have extramarital affairs including Cindy Hensley McCain. Is this appropriate behavior for leader?

Maybe he is a not the man of honor we think, but the radical Christian extremists will overlook this in a Republican and continue to tell us he puts Country first. And with the hubris of selecting Palin over many obviously more qualified candidates continues to put himself before country. To quote Tom Ridge, "That's John McCain."

[whatt]

Have you ever noticed mcbush can't function without a woman telling him what to do, first you have his wife running the money, now you have a moose hunter to run the country for him, can't repubs, think for themselves does it take a woman? sure seems like it to me.

[DebbieinPhx]

Ok, I read this article over the week end... or one just like it.. But here's the gig, the Trooper Gate thing followed by the new law suit from the Police Union, followed by the Special Investigator for the State of Alaska, the RECALL petition that the kind folks of Alaska are going to have printed in the paper this week end.....

If Rove was that short sighted and THAT stupid that he'd put an UNVETTED, loose canon, Jihadist, blantantly unqualified moose-eating hockey mom on the ticket....
I'm sorry, I just don't see it.

[MsLiz]

Debbie, it wasn't Rove. Rove wanted Mitt Romney. The author suggests it is someone other than Rove who made this decision. I think McCain made the choice. McCain wanted Lieberman or Tom Ridge and couldn't have either because of the party. He promised to name a VP on his birthday, so he got in a pinch. Another name for maverick is loose cannon.

[speechteach]

The Repubs are in love with her. No matter what dirt is uncovered (and a lot of facts already have been), she will be protected by Rove and maybe even by the Bush administration itself. It's a scary time in American politics. We're been driven by reality T.V. mentality rather than looking at the issues to determine who will be best for America in the long run. I hate to imagine what this country will be like if we have 4 more years of Republican leadership.

[Jeepster4]

The history of this country, since 1981, has been the history of the rise in power of the CNP. McCain's compitulation to their choice of VP, means that they will have complete control of the POTUS, if McCain wins and for some reason cannot serve this term in office or does not run for a second term. This is the great right wing conspirecy that Hillary told us about in the '90's.

[dwamikayla]

I've come up with my own "conspiracy theory" about McCain/Palin. Here goes ...

Karl Rove, ever seeking to sink his claws back into the White House, secretly approached McC with this "deal":

"I have this great Veep choice for you: a nobody 1.5-year governor who will get our base's panties in a big ol' bunch, be a great attack dog for you, and practically ensure our taking back the White House. I know you really want Lieberman, but hold on for a sec ... I have insider info that Palin will be indicted on corruption charges, BUT I've tweaked the system so the indictment won't be announced until AFTER the election.

"So, you (and I) can have our cake and eat it too:

"Palin will push you over the electoral edge.

"The indictment will come down a few weeks after you win.

"Sarah will have to resign.

"You get to pick Lieberman after all, and nobody can do a thing about it, especially if you (McC) decide only to serve one term."

"Voila! It's the best win-win situation I've ever dreamed up!"

[HaHaUrBitter]

lol..yeah quit it. dont embarrass our Democratic Party pls

[DebbieinPhx]

Yeah, but the law suits are piling up the Policeman's Union is just the first... more thrills to come according to the Alaskan bloggers I've talked to

[LisaN]

Sarah Palin: She walks the walk, and talks the talk - in tongues!

[wheresthebeef]

N...e...v...e...r g...o...n...n...a h...a...p...p...e...n.