The Palin Hypothesis
Was McCain's choice of Palin a mistake, masterstroke, or both? There are compelling arguments to be made for both sides, but they're all just bullshit and conjecture. Therefore, I would like to state the Palin Hypothesis as follows:
Personally, I think the caricaturing of her as some sort of Pat Buchanan in drag was the most brutally effective smear campaign since Lee Atwater discovered Willie Horton*. As governor, Palin did not oppose marijuana legalization, vetoed a bill that would have blocked gay partners of state employees from receiving spousal benefits, and has repeatedly stated--on the record--that she supports teaching about contraception as part of a sex-ed curriculum.
I expect the Obama campaign to elide facts like this, which is why we have an allegedly free-and-independent media to hold it to account. But "Caribou Barbie the Fool" was the preferred narrative, and so it stuck. The press's comeuppance shall arrive in the form of layoffs as 46% of the country continues its ongoing divorce from the DC/NYC/LA media-entertainment axis. Good riddance! The sooner network bosses replace 60 Minutes and NBC Nightly News with imported UK reality shows, the better off we will be as a nation. Just as one-party government leads inevitably to corruption, a lack of ideological diversity in newsrooms leads to stupefaction.
All that being said, if the media landscape is naturally hostile to you, then at some point it becomes disqualifying. It is a bridge too far to blame Palin for more than a minority share in McCain's loss, but she was very clearly a mixed bag. If she can rise above this year's loss and win in the next round or two, then McCain can claim some of a retroactive consolation prize for having launched the career of a future winner. If she does not, though, then what good can she be said to have done?
Was McCain's choice of Palin a mistake, masterstroke, or both? There are compelling arguments to be made for both sides, but they're all just bullshit and conjecture. Therefore, I would like to state the Palin Hypothesis as follows:
Sarah Palin shall be considered a good choice if she is on a winning national ticket in 2012.
Personally, I think the caricaturing of her as some sort of Pat Buchanan in drag was the most brutally effective smear campaign since Lee Atwater discovered Willie Horton*. As governor, Palin did not oppose marijuana legalization, vetoed a bill that would have blocked gay partners of state employees from receiving spousal benefits, and has repeatedly stated--on the record--that she supports teaching about contraception as part of a sex-ed curriculum.
I expect the Obama campaign to elide facts like this, which is why we have an allegedly free-and-independent media to hold it to account. But "Caribou Barbie the Fool" was the preferred narrative, and so it stuck. The press's comeuppance shall arrive in the form of layoffs as 46% of the country continues its ongoing divorce from the DC/NYC/LA media-entertainment axis. Good riddance! The sooner network bosses replace 60 Minutes and NBC Nightly News with imported UK reality shows, the better off we will be as a nation. Just as one-party government leads inevitably to corruption, a lack of ideological diversity in newsrooms leads to stupefaction.
All that being said, if the media landscape is naturally hostile to you, then at some point it becomes disqualifying. It is a bridge too far to blame Palin for more than a minority share in McCain's loss, but she was very clearly a mixed bag. If she can rise above this year's loss and win in the next round or two, then McCain can claim some of a retroactive consolation prize for having launched the career of a future winner. If she does not, though, then what good can she be said to have done?
posted by The Snob at
3:56 PM
1 Comments:
The Obamaifcation of the US closely resembles the dramatic performance (predictable), mass appeal tactics, and numbskulled entertainment value of todays vapid "style over substance" reality shows.
Today, the 53%er's prefer an eloquent speech from a laywer with extreme political ambition to the plain speaking populist (who is probably equally ambitous). Tomorrow, perhaps a good Palin makeover and the 53er's will have the opposite preference.
As with most reality shows, political landscapes can change in a matter realtively short period of time. Given amount of expectation surrounding him, BHO may lose his appeal rather quickly when he has to deliver some bad news.
Also, Palin's shortcommings pale in comparison to the coruption of Slick Barry's political machine. If there is credence to the information Googling "Obama Foreign Contributions" ( O's illegal status aunt fit the bill here), his kids should want a few puppies, namely Great Danes, to dig him out of that hole.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home