Not my gal: Sarah Palin’s Partisan Political Theater
"Red Meat" is a term political insiders use to describe a speech intended primarily to fire up a party’s already committed supporters. Republican Vice-Presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, served up the "red meat" bloody and in big slabs during her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. She started off straightforward enough:
I accept the call to help our nominee for president to serve and defend America.
I accept the challenge of a tough fight in this election… against confident opponents … at a crucial hour for our country.
And I accept the privilege of serving with a man who has come through much harder missions … and met far graver challenges … and knows how tough fights are won – the next president of the United States, John S. McCain.
But Sarah Palin soon slipped into partisan political theater with attacks on Barack Obama’s integrity, record of achievement, readiness for the position of Commander-in-Chief using divisive zingers written by President Bush’s former speechwriters
This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he’s talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed … when the roar of the crowd fades away … when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot – what exactly is our opponent’s plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet?
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My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of "personal discovery." This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn’t just need an organizer.
Noticeably absent was any specific declaration of Palin’s views on the environment, Palin’s views on healthcare reform or Palin’s views of how exactly we should define and measure victory in Iraq. Not a peep. Read the speech for yourself. You won’t find a word about that.
And it’s funny. I always think of our founding fathers as "community organizers" in the purest, proudest sense of the words. If not for those men, organizing their community, the 13 not yet colonies could not have found their way to stand up and fight against British tyranny.
Republicans can’t have it both ways. Either you value individual citizens getting involved in fixing problems and accelerating positive change or you don’t. Sarah Palin’s divisive speech is exactly why Cindy McCain’s entreaty to "put on our American hats" on Monday night rang so hollow.
I watched for a couple of hours last night, somehow. Gosh, did YOU know that John McCain was a POW? And do you need to be reminded of that 37 times a day? What a shame that we don’t have an official mechanism in place for bestowing sainthood.
Caribou Barbie was quite the humdinger, wasn’t she? Such a vindictive scold, Tracy Flick redux, in more ways than just her grasping ambition.
I thought Palin’s digs against community organizers were disgusting. Your conception of the “founding fathers” as COs is a brilliant counterpunch. FAX it right away to Obama campaign headquarters!
I think it is required of us not just to react as we will to Palin and her speech but to consider how the whole thing strikes all the other voters who watched it.
I’m one of those people who say, “Count the votes, count the votes!” If the votes that are cast turn out to result not in what we wanted, then we really have a problem.
Think about it. Since the administration of President Carter, we have not elected a single Democrat except one who was a “centrist,” one derided as a traitor to many of our best aspirations, i.e., Bill Clinton. It was a good thing he was in there, though, because a number of Supreme Court justices got nominated and approved and a whole lot of positive things got done through executive orders.
That’s why we need to look at Palin and McCain and look beyond our own reactions to how other Americans are reacting. Think how we can persuade them to our way of thinking, so they don’t vote the way they do but vote the way we wish they would.
As I said, “Count the votes.” Bottom Line!
Otherwise, we have the strong chance of not having a Democrat in the White House during this critical two-year period.
I refer to the two-year period. In 2010, we have congressional elections — the potential for a lot of changeover. It the Dems fail to enact reforms during the two-year period in which they have control, then the Republicans will come back with gains in Congressional seats and Senate seats.
Remember: All revenue bills MUST originate in the House, which makes control of the House necessary. In the Senate, to avoid filibusters, you have to be able to have 60 votes, period, the end. That’s how it works. That is reality for us who want reform and decent governance.
I think we need to stop venting and prepare to calculate.
If you watched the whole show last night (the Wednesday night Republican convention), from Huckabee to Guiliani to Palin, you see that the Republicans are serious about staying in business.
We need to be serious too.
Thanks a million! And, remember, COUNT THE VOTES!
Jim
not so fast… we can save money on a secret service detail because
she is probably as good a marksman as any of the agents.
Hey Jim Johnson, welcome to the conversation. I agree with you and will take it one step further: keep your eyes on the electoral votes. Period. I have a goodie bag of posts coming. All with information swing voters should find interesting.
Please stay tuned next week.
fcg#p Now that is the best Palin endorsement I’ve heard!
Hey Macon D. It was quite a spectacle wasn’t it? Detractors will say “we” (whoever “we” is) are just bellyaching because she went after Obama. In my case, that’s just not it. Hullo, we went through a nasty primary. What eats at me is the level of inaccuracy, distortion and lack of self disclosure applauded by our neighbors on the Right.
Rural American values and culture are 180 deg. from urban America.
One sees govt. as a parasite and expounds self reliance, the other sees govt. as a provider to fill all the gaps of sustinance in the interdependant urban environment. Unless you have truly experienced both, you will never come to appreciate the validity of both sides of the argument, or the true difficulties that lie ahead in finding common ground.
FCG#P, your comment contains some assertions that only partly reflect the reality that I’ve seen.
In the years I spent sitting in practically uninhabitable homes with folks in places like Appalachia, Compton, the South Bronx and rural Michigan, I know that many types of people rail against government and many types of people, even those SAME PEOPLE, rely on welfare checks to help feed themselves and their families. Sometimes this dependence passes from generation to generation.
And now, being part of affluent circles of black, white and Latino and Asian people,I see exactly why finding common ground will be an almost insurmountable challenge without a passionate desire, from all sides, to find common ground. If we want America to live up to her promise, we had better find it.
Although differences in perspective and philosophy cut deep and wide, the inescapable need to find a common ground is where we find agreement … thats a start!
she did represent, but u read my post SOUNDS LIKE AIR FRESHNER TO ME
have a gr8 weekend jones
her environmental record is evident in her deeds, a major problem in Alaska is the incessant littering of the tundra with moose poop.
she has worked tirelessly to eliminate this problem one tasty BBQ at a time…
Guiliani had the funnier lines about being a “community Organizer” and nobody seems to remember that. I actually think he had the funnier speech…
What qualifications does a person need to be a “community organizer?”
Is it the same as a community activist? Most of these people like being infront of t.v.
What exactly is a community organizer is resposible for and who are they responsible too?
Does a community organizer have to balance budgets and maintain all government in a city?
If joe Q public has problems with the police or waterworks do they go to a community organizer or city hall lead by a mayor?
Is a community organizer a paid position and/or an elected position?
So can anybody call themselves a community organizer whether they actually do something in the neighborhood or have an unproven track record for success?
I don’t see how this is a big deal. If you are a community organizer then grow up and help the community and get elected into office.
I am a woman, and I consider John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin to be so patronizing. I have no respect for her. She is allowing herself to be used as a glorified cheerleader. John McCain only wants her to try to cheer on a crowd that he lost. Her voice is like chalk on a blackboard. If something happened to McCain, who the h-ll would want her to be President?
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