Quick Palin Reaction
Palin seems like a nice, regular person,(those jokes were quite disarming and effective) but that was a fierce, culture war speech. So many lines weren’t anything postive or substantial, but instead just pure avarice towards liberals, the media, large cities and Barack Obama. The only policy substance was on oil drilling, which has become this weird totemic issue for the Republican base.
There was no talk of any social issues like abortion, or any real talk about economic or pocket book issues – with the exception of standard GOP tax griping. No health care, no jobs, no talk of a sluggish economy. And that was probably a plus. She spent most of her time belittling Obama in personal terms and celebrating McCain’s character. There were some scarily Heinleinian moments, talking about how John McCain should be president because he risked his life for his country. The implication, of course, was that Obama was being reflective and busy writing memoirs, while John McCain was receiving “tortorous interrogations” from communists. John McCain loves America and small towns, Barack Obama is a political schemer who only says what he really thinks to elitists in San Francisco.
I’m not the first person to say this, but this is pure Nixonland, pure 1968 style politics. And if the GOP is going to do it, why can’t I? So, Sarah Palin hates people from large cities (especially San Francisco), people who don’t serve in the military, people who don’t talk about “victory” in Iraq, people with elite educations and backgrounds. So why shouldn’t I have the exact same contempt for Sarah Palin? Now, I don’t think I am better than Sarah Palin or people from small towns because of my background and social status, but they sure as fuck aren’t better than me. If the GOP wants a culture war, I’m willing to fight.
*To my credit, I first dropped the Nixonland reference at around 7:40 PST. Just ask Ned.
Ned was liveblogging the speech at NYU local, and apparently I dropped the first Nixonland reference at 7:47 PST.
I should also note that part of what makes GOP resentment sytle politics so effective is that they get coastal elites like myself up in such a lather and say things like “fuck all you bay area hating bitches. Fuck. You.” or “fuck small towns. there, i said it. this shit really makes me sick. seriously, fuck small towns.” So, yeah, I’m probably the worst example of an Obama supporter. (all of that was taken from my live twittering of her speech)
I agree with most of what you’ve said here, but I can’t help but take issue when you say:
“There were some scarily Heinleinian moments”
This meme that McCain-Palin are somehow henleinian candidates has gotten a bit of play, and I really don’t understand it. I think that it comes from those who read Starship Troopers – (or maybe just watched the incompetent drivel of a film that butchered it), and not much else of Heinlein.
One of Heinlein’s most consistent themes throughout his work was a disdain for those who let religion do their thinking for them, and even more pointedly an utter rejection of religion taking a place in politics. Religion seems to me to be the only area where Palin has any actual positions that she can articulate. I don’t think Palin would have been Heinlein’s candidate, and it kinda bothers me to see him tied so often to the republican ticket.
Ian
September 27, 2008 at 7:04 am