Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:29 pm Post subject: Wither Sarah Palin and the Tea Party?
The Tea Party movement is having a kind of a convention in -- where else? -- Nashville, Tennessee.
The US media never knows how to deal with the Tea Party movement. For a long time, they ignored it. Then, they mischaracterized it. They tried to label it as racist and fringe. The trouble was -- the media itself was caught, focussing on a guns rights activist at an early Tea Party. Aha! they trumpeted ... racist militia types.
But the picture was cropped in such a way that it showed the gun without showing that it was being carried by a black man! It was exposed on the internet. And what you saw, on UTube snips, was niceness all over the place. In fact, black and white were respecting each other, engaged in a common enterprise. And, of course, there were such characters walking around, but they seemed to be engaged in that enterprise, too.
Worst of all, it is growing, as Liberals sputtered. When the Tea Party put hundreds of thousands in front of the Washington Monument, it got no coverage except on the net, and Fox's Glenn Beck began to sniff around. Since then, they have been unable to ignore
That Maddow creature regularly use the name 'Tea Baggers', a bit of homosexual lingo that many of the people who control the news seem to be familiar with. Keith Olbermann began to foam on an hourly basis. The ground was carefully seeded, witht the usual media poison. But this time, people were videoing the media setting up, and included their out-takes.
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In a rich offering of irony, this convention is preparing a do-it-yourself politics. They are going to get active in the nomination process. They will challenge nominations of incumbents, they will try to get righteous people to run, and will get behind them. That's their politics. They don't even have a national leader.
But they have a keynote speaker.
Saran Palin is herself a veteran of media intrusion and vilification. Through it all, she has slugged through, a determined soul who's eye never wavers from a few very simple and old truths about life in America. She outshone her running mate, but never upstaged him. She gives voice to a sentiment that officialdom, in the Democratic Party ascendancy, doesn't want to hear. She is always dismissed, always ridiculed, the mother who hasn't the sense to abort her kid, and who goes to Church ... but she never is responded to.
She, and the Tea Party were made for each other.
Her detractors have one real troubling point. She doesn't seem equipped to be a President. She doesn't have an Ivy League education, and her political career was at the fringes, were the political games are less devious. Does she have the gravitas to handle the Ayatollahs? Putin? The Eurozone? Does she have the savvy to deal with an economic crisis?
Even her supporters pause ... and say "... Er ... well ... nobody can tell ..."
But maybe she has what Truman had, what Reagan had, what other presidents have had ... the values that distinguish Americans, the expectation that people take care of themselves, and the perceptions that government is the problem, not the solution.
The media hang about, waiting to record every mis-step. Palin draws them. They carp at the cost, at the fee that Palin is getting, at the works. They virtually growl with snark. The wonder, amongst themselves, what new inanity Palin will utter, what new claim to see Russia from her back porch ... will she make another 'death panel' accusation?
Sarah Palin comes on the stage briskly, the mane of hair bouncing just like it's supposed to ... she waves, she beams, and she strides to the podium. She looks small. The crowd roars. Everyone is standing. "Thank you, thank you", she says. The roar continues. "Thank you very much..." she repeats ... she looks enthusiastic, as if she's got something to tell you and she can't wait ... and she looks so petite ... "Thank so-oo much ... Thank you ... God bless you ..."
The cheering doesn't stop. The crowd is only a couple of thousand. "I'm so-oo proud to be an American." She says it like she means it. The crowd won't settle down.
Well, gosh, can America be ready for another revolution? Perhaps a Common Sense Revolution?.
Things are on the move in America. The Country and Western crowd are coming on board ... it's a good thing. It's a very good thing. Democracy is coming to the USA.
Yep, good old Sarah Palin. Within the next few years, she just might take over from Oprah as the most well known, and listened to, woman in North America.
The Oprah effect has long since waned, but I remember the heyday. Oprah would mention that she read a book, and sales would go from 20 copies to 30 million over night. Can you imagine that, but with political candidates and causes, and legislation instead?
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 8:33 am Post subject: Re: Wither Sarah Palin and the Tea Party?
Bugs wrote:
Her detractors have one real troubling point. She doesn't seem equipped to be a President. She doesn't have an Ivy League education, and her political career was at the fringes, were the political games are less devious. Does she have the gravitas to handle the Ayatollahs? Putin? The Eurozone? Does she have the savvy to deal with an economic crisis?
Even her supporters pause ... and say "... Er ... well ... nobody can tell ..."
But maybe she has what Truman had, what Reagan had, what other presidents have had ... the values that distinguish Americans, the expectation that people take care of themselves, and the perceptions that government is the problem, not the solution.
?
She does have what Reagan had - tons of charisma. She, like Reagan is the great communicator. Unlike Reagan, she does not take advice and does not understand what she is communicating.
The leader of a party is almost never the sharpest mind in the party - they are the best communicator. The sharpest minds are behind the scenes planing the strategy. Reagan had his advisers, Bush had Karl Rove. Sarah Palin seems to take advice from talking monkeys. The amount of bizzare judgement calls and statements this lady has made is mind boggling.
First of all, the media everywhere don't like people who run against the narrative that the media is trying to sell. And that's Palin, in spades.
Hers is the path not taken for most feminists. They hate her with the white hot hatred of sisterhood in the same way they hate Clarence Thomas. Blind, instantaneous, glandular hatred because a woman can't be a Republican, and claim to speak for women.
Here she's done the minimum of school, married a stud, had a family, refused to abort her Downes Syndrome kid, and now she's the woman closest to being the first female President of the United States of America. How a about that? The Hillary Clinton path ... groom yourself and marry a winner ... hasn't paid off.
So, there's a big part of the media that wants to trap her. They avoid covering what she says, and concentrate on her foibles. I think this is half the reason she is characterized as strange. She has stayed out of reach. The media won't let her get her message out.
Now she has a podium at Fox. Now, let's see.
Her great strength is her ability to capture and express, in exactly the authentic language of small town America, how they feel in their hearts ... and what they think should be done about it.
But she can't 'do' it. It's obvious. She can't be President of the United States. She would need staff that can do what she can't.
Like every other candidate.
The trouble is ... this means she can be influenced by her staff. Like every other candidate.
You see where I am going here?
So what? She's going to be an important figure over the next three years. The race for nomination hasn't even started. For now, she's forming a base in the Tea Party movement, and she will bring that into the Republican Party.
Can you think of anything that's going to be more important than that, now that we know Obama's stimulus has failed?
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:53 pm Post subject:
I know the Fems and some men don't like her because she hasn't shrilled her way to the top, made use of any sort of quotas, nor has she slept her way or hung on someone "man's" coat tails. What a useless woman.
I'm not saying she is ready to be President, nor am I saying she will EVER be ready to be President, we don't know yet do we? But I am constantly amused by folks who hate her and try to bimboize her in an effort to discount what a genuine threat she really is.
Maybe people within the tea party movement are not asking the news media, Republican Party or even the bloggers whom they should support.
Palin seems to have struck a big chord with these people and they don't care whether she has the approval of the MSM, Republicans or bloggers.
The more that opininated, self appointed "experts" attack her the more her popularity grows because, I suspect, many people are developing an attitude of resentment for constantly having some one tell them who to respect, who to vote for and who to listen to.
? But I am constantly amused by folks who hate her and try to bimboize her in an effort to discount what a genuine threat she really is.
People keep saying this, but I don't see it, at least as far as "liberals" go. I don't think any Democrat thinks she is a threat to them. They have been extremely nice to her. Their attack machine ate Dan Quayle, why they seem to be following the "don't hit a girl" routine with Palin.
I think her real threat is to the Republicans - where some of the nastiest criticism has come from. She is a candidate that is loved by the small group of people that actually vote for the leader, but hated by everyone else. That creates a recipe for disaster.
She is also a threat to the urban, educated, traditional wing of the Republican party. They are undergoing a similar thing to the Reform/PC fight here.
Are they giving her coverage? Or are they refuting her? They actually go to the extent to recruit a haughty fruit fly expert on to refute her. Why can't people see how funny this is?
The fact is, that I, as a Canadian can't support Palin in any real way. But the more she is bashed by the lefties and elitist conservatives the more I feel a kinship toward her.
I expect there are many Americans who CAN support Palin in a real way who feel the same as I do. It's for that reason that I expect she will be around for a while.
The more the "ruling class" of the conservatism bashes Palin the more they will lose the support of her supporters.
Sucks to be them. They have nothing to gain by attacking her and everything to lose.
They have a choice. They can change their outlook and accept her as an equal or they can continue to ridicule her and lose the next election.
They have a choice. They can change their outlook and accept her as an equal or they can continue to ridicule her and lose the next election.
How about a third option. How about go with somebody like Marco Rubio. He shares her views, but is full of ideas and has much better judgement He has not made an ass of himself, and has not served as a chew toy for talk show hosts.
Let Palin get her own show on Fox - I am sure it would do great. Her charisma would come though without having people judging her on how she would do as president. She could influence the debate in a positive way without pulling her party down.
You may think that everyone opposes Palin because they are "elitist" or liberal, or something else, but there are lots of non-political types who just won't vote for her because of her lapses in judgement and her lack of knowledge/interest in the world around her.
How about a third option. How about go with somebody like Marco Rubio. He shares her views, but is full of ideas and has much better judgement He has not made an ass of himself, and has not served as a chew toy for talk show hosts.
Let Palin get her own show on Fox - I am sure it would do great. Her charisma would come though without having people judging her on how she would do as president. She could influence the debate in a positive way without pulling her party down.
You may think that everyone opposes Palin because they are "elitist" or liberal, or something else, but there are lots of non-political types who just won't vote for her because of her lapses in judgement and her lack of knowledge/interest in the world around her.
I think this whole discussion of her adequacy as a President is more than a tad premature. Wait until the field is forming, and then we can see how they measure up, side-by-side.
Maybe her role is different. Maybe she's to be a kind of Joan of Arc figure, to inspire people, to keep their eye on the goal. It's hard to know, from Canada, but I think people underestimate her savvy. Look how she gets these great sound bites -- Madison Avenue used to pay that kind of talent big bucks. The media talking heads go over the top, trying to trash her, but they can't leave anything she says alone. The talking heads go nuts over her 'death panels' remarks, but the people in Indiana want to know. Seen from the point of view of political hardball, she raised the whole issue nobody wants to talk about, and kept the Congressional leadership in a tizzy for four or five days.
Maybe she's a bomb-thrower. It doesn't matter, it isn't up to us. She is a major figure on another country's political stage. She has the best base in politics. She articulates their feelings better than any leader in the country. People would do well to listen to what she says. Particularly when the crowd cheers.
There is no one else in politics that has her drawing power, other than Obama, and soon he won't be able to go out in public for fear of his safety.
The fact is, that I, as a Canadian can't support Palin in any real way. But the more she is bashed by the lefties and elitist conservatives the more I feel a kinship toward her.
I expect there are many Americans who CAN support Palin in a real way who feel the same as I do. It's for that reason that I expect she will be around for a while.
The more the "ruling class" of the conservatism bashes Palin the more they will lose the support of her supporters.
Sucks to be them. They have nothing to gain by attacking her and everything to lose.
They have a choice. They can change their outlook and accept her as an equal or they can continue to ridicule her and lose the next election.
I am beginning to think that she has a different plan than running for president. I am think that maybe, she is done with electoral politics; I don't think she liked it when she was a VP candidate, it was too nasty, but more importantly too constraining. I think that she is becoming the new Oprah instead, a king maker. The way her influence and popularity are growing, could be in a few months or a year, an offhand comment from her means a million vote swing. I think she is looking for a way to be able to always say exactly what she wants to say, without anyone having any sort of gag power over her.
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 4:45 pm Post subject: Re: Wither Sarah Palin and the Tea Party?
Bugs wrote:
She, and the Tea Party were made for each other.
No, I think not. The only person who was made for this is Ron Paul and unfortunately age may prevent him from filling this role. She is a neocon Republican and the Tea Party movement is Libertarian leaning. The social conservative baggage she brings is not what the Tea Partiers are about.
Freedom is for both categories, economic and social, yet social conservatives like her barge into the room yet again telling everyone what to do with their lives while claiming to be standing up for personal rights and sounding like morons, of course ruining everything for the economic conservatives.
This prepackaged, top-down, synthetic convention had very little to with the movement but they are trying to make it appear that way. Many in the Tea Party movement are economic conservatives that aren't socially conservative and are anti war. Not for the typical bleeding heart left wing reasons either... for reasons that many here would agree with.
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