Ms. Palin, our new celebrity
Whatever you thought of Sarah Palin's speech last night, the reaction to the speech -- fawning adoration by the conservative masses, worthy of the most ardent "Obamabots" -- has fully exposed the complete disingenuousness of virtually the entire McCain argument against Obama, as it's been expressed all summer long.
If it had wanted to, the McCain campaign could have spent the summer trying to brand Obama as OMG The Most Liberal Senator Ever. The Palin Ascendancy would have done nothing to contradict that message. But, presumably sensing that the old liberal-as-a-dirty-word standby might not work so well in 2008, the McCain campaign has pursued this line of attack only secondarily, and has focused primarily on a rather different "branding" strategy.
They have tried, with considerable success, to frame Obama in three basic ways: he's too inexperienced, particularly on foreign policy matters, and thus unready to be president; he's a "celebrity" who draws huge crowds, a fact which somehow demonstrates that he doesn't understand the common man; and he's nothing but eloquent talk, and words aren't enough to make up for his lack of experience.
We already knew the Palin pick contradicted the first line of attack, regarding experience, specifically foreign-policy experience -- a contradiction whose existence remains objectively indisputable, no matter how many times the GOP spinsters make risible claims to the contrary.
But now, after last night's speech, the other two lines of attack are also being contradicted. Suddenly, the Republicans aren't so dismissive of the ability to draw a crowd:
Furthermore, and relatedly, the Republicans have suddenly decided that eloquent words do matter, and indeed, go a long way toward making up for a lack of experience. Needless to say, this is precisely the opposite of what they've been saying all campaign long. Slate's John Dickerson writes:
Gerahty Geraghty (sorry) basically admitted this last night, with admirable candor:
Oh, right. There is no problem. There never was. These lines of attack were always, from the very beginning, completely disingenuous and devoid of substance. They were based on a combination of cynical political calculation and Obama Derangement Syndrome-induced blindness. Now that the GOP has its own "messiah" to rally around, there's no problem at all. Carry on then. Nothing to see here. Pay no attention to the blatant hypocrisy and self-contradiction behind the curtain.
If it had wanted to, the McCain campaign could have spent the summer trying to brand Obama as OMG The Most Liberal Senator Ever. The Palin Ascendancy would have done nothing to contradict that message. But, presumably sensing that the old liberal-as-a-dirty-word standby might not work so well in 2008, the McCain campaign has pursued this line of attack only secondarily, and has focused primarily on a rather different "branding" strategy.
They have tried, with considerable success, to frame Obama in three basic ways: he's too inexperienced, particularly on foreign policy matters, and thus unready to be president; he's a "celebrity" who draws huge crowds, a fact which somehow demonstrates that he doesn't understand the common man; and he's nothing but eloquent talk, and words aren't enough to make up for his lack of experience.
We already knew the Palin pick contradicted the first line of attack, regarding experience, specifically foreign-policy experience -- a contradiction whose existence remains objectively indisputable, no matter how many times the GOP spinsters make risible claims to the contrary.
But now, after last night's speech, the other two lines of attack are also being contradicted. Suddenly, the Republicans aren't so dismissive of the ability to draw a crowd:
Gov. Sarah Palin may well draw larger crowds than Sen. John McCain ever did, and the McCain campaign plans to take advantage: they're filling a calendar that will find her deployed to places where McCain can't go, places where McCain's gone and fallen flat, and places where social conservatives need an enthusiasm boost.I bet those newly enthusiastic conservatives will cheer wildly, wave signs, even chant Palin's name. Does this make Sarah Palin a mindless celebrity? Of course not -- and if anyone dares say that, they'll be branded as "sexist." But what was it, then, when the GOP said the exact same thing about Obama, on the exact same basis?
Furthermore, and relatedly, the Republicans have suddenly decided that eloquent words do matter, and indeed, go a long way toward making up for a lack of experience. Needless to say, this is precisely the opposite of what they've been saying all campaign long. Slate's John Dickerson writes:
For many months, Republicans have been warning us against candidates with thin résumés introducing themselves on the national stage. Ignore Barack Obama's lofty language, they've said. He's just offering words. And definitely don't pay attention to the screaming crowds. They're only proof that he's an empty-suit celebrity.The National Review's Jim
Never mind. On Wednesday night, the Republican Party tried to catapult Sarah Palin past her rocky rollout and into legitimacy in a single speech wrapped in thunderous applause.
Republicans are reacting to Palin the way Democrats do to Obama.
She knocked it out of the park. I don’t think she could have delivered that speech any better. ... [T]he speech hit almost every note just right. (Did the Obama fans feel this way? Is this what their exultation feels like? Wonderful. I’m glad they get to experience it too.)Republicans have endlessly mocked the liberal "Obamabots" for their fervent adoration of "The One," based on nothing but lofty words, eloquent delivery, ideological camaraderie, and of course, identity politics. But now Republicans have their "One," based on the very same factors. So, what was the problem again?
Oh, right. There is no problem. There never was. These lines of attack were always, from the very beginning, completely disingenuous and devoid of substance. They were based on a combination of cynical political calculation and Obama Derangement Syndrome-induced blindness. Now that the GOP has its own "messiah" to rally around, there's no problem at all. Carry on then. Nothing to see here. Pay no attention to the blatant hypocrisy and self-contradiction behind the curtain.
posted by Brendan Loy at
9/04/2008 12:55:00 PM
