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Monday, October 13, 2008

Are You Ready for Sarah Palin in 2012?

"A liberal is a man or a woman or a child who looks forward to a better day, a more tranquil night, and a bright, infinite future."
--Leonard Bernstein,

"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
--John Kenneth Galbraith
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We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office."
--Aesop

Today, the daddy is feeling this article from The Times of London. In the article, "McCain tussles with Palin over whipping up a mob mentality," journalist Sarah Baxter claims that McCain has fallen out with the self-described "pitbull with lipstick" over the harshness of her attacks against Sen. Obama and the negative feedback it is getting and would prefer he suffer and "honorable defeat" than one as a result of a smear campaign that backfired. On the other hand, Baxter claims that such a smear campaign could very well make her the favorite of the GOP in 2012.
Here's the essence of the article by Baxter:

...Mark Salter, McCain’s long-serving chief of staff, is understood to have told campaign insiders that he would prefer his boss, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, to suffer an “honorable defeat” rather than conduct a campaign that would be out of character – and likely to lose him the election.

Palin, 44, has led the character attacks on Obama in the belief that McCain may be throwing away the election and her chance of becoming vice-president. Her supporters think that if the Republican ticket loses on November 4, she should run for president in 2012.

A leading Republican consultant said: “A lot of conservatives are grumbling about what a poor job McCain is doing. They are rolling their eyes and saying, ‘Yes, a miracle could happen, but at this rate it is all over’.

“Sarah Palin is no fool. She sees the same thing and wants to salvage what she can. She is positioning herself for the future. Her best days could be in front of her. She wants to look as though she was the fighter, the person with the spunk who was out there taking it to the Democrats.”

McCain, 72, has encouraged voters to contrast his character with Obama’s. The campaign launched a tough television commercial last week questioning, “Who is Barack Obama?”

Frank Keating, McCain’s campaign co-chairman, last week called the Democrat a “guy off the street” and said he should admit that he had “used cocaine”.

McCain believes the attacks have spun out of control. At a rally in Lakeville, Minnesota, the Arizona senator became visibly angry when he was booed for calling Obama “a decent person”. He took the microphone from an elderly woman who said she disliked Obama because he was “Arab”, saying, “No ma’am, no ma’am”.

When another questioner demanded that he tell the truth about Obama, he said: “I want everybody to be respectful and let’s be sure we are.”

However, his campaign has stepped up its negative advertising against Obama, accusing him of lying about his relationship with William Ayers, the leader of the Weather Underground group responsible for bombing the Capitol and the Pentagon in the early 1970s, who is now a Chicago professor.

Palin has continued to lead the charge against Obama’s alleged lack of candour. At a rally in Wilmington, Ohio, she mocked him for attending a supporters’ meeting in Ayers’s home when he was seeking to become an Illinois state senator in 1995. “He didn’t know he launched his career in the living room of a domestic terrorist until he did know,” Palin said.

“Some will say, jeez Sarah, it’s getting negative. No it’s not negativity. It’s truthfulness.” The crowd bellowed its appreciation with chants of “Nobama” and “Go Sarah Go!”

John Weaver, a former senior McCain adviser who left the campaign when it almost imploded in the summer of last year, questioned the purpose of the attacks.

“People need to understand, for moral reasons and the protection of our civil society, that the differences with Senator Obama are ideological, based on clear differences on policy and a lack of experience compared with Senator McCain,” he said.

“And from a purely practical political vantage point, please find me a swing voter, an undecided independent, or a torn female voter that finds an angry mob mentality attractive.”

A McCain official confirmed that there was dissension in the campaign. “There is always going to be a debate about the costs and benefits of any strategy,” he said.

“After November 4, the feelings of individuals will come to light. It is only natural and will be expected.”

Palin’s frustration with McCain has led to clashes over strategy. When she learnt he was pulling resources from Michigan, an industrial swing state leaning heavily in Obama’s favour, she fired off an e-mail saying, “Oh come on, do we have to?” and offered to travel there with her husband Todd, four-times winner of the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snow-mobile race.

She also told Bill Kristol, the conservative New York Times columnist, that she wished the campaign would make more of Obama’s 20-year association with the Rev Jeremiah Wright, his controversial former pastor, who said, “God damn America”.

“To me, that does say something about character,” Palin said. “But you know, I guess that would be a John McCain call on whether he wants to bring it up.”

McCain’s allies responded by suggesting that she had her own pastor problems, such as the African minister who prayed to Jesus to protect her from witchcraft when she was running for governor.

McCain has told his campaign that attacks on religion are out of bounds. He declined Palin’s advice to “take the gloves” off in his debate with Obama last week and did not refer to Ayers. It enabled Obama to rile McCain by asking why he did not have the nerve to attack him to his face.

When McCain finally got round to mentioning the Weatherman at a rally last week, he described him mildly as “an old washed-up terrorist”.

Despite the attacks, Obama, 47, increased his average poll lead last week to eight points over McCain. The assaults on his character have enabled him to criticise McCain for “stoking anger and division” when the economy is collapsing.

McCain’s nosedive in the polls has closely tracked the collapse of Wall Street and the US economy, but he has yet to find a winning economic policy. His proposed emergency $300 billion (£180 billion) buy-out of distressed mortgages has been harshly criticised by Republicans.

Karl Rove, the former White House aide, claimed the housing bailout “came across as both impulsive and badly explained” when McCain suddenly announced it during last week’s debate with Obama.

A spokesman for McCain denied he and Palin had fallen out over her aggressive attacks. “Vice-presidential candidates are typically the tip of the spear and further out in front than the candidate for president. This is pretty standard fare,” he said.

However, Palin is no longer helping to attract women and independent voters to the Republican ticket. A poll for Fox News last week showed that while 47% of voters regard the Alaska governor favourably, 42% now have an unfavorable opinion of her.

Palin remains far more popular than McCain with the Republican party base. He regularly has to endure the spectacle of members of the audience leaving for their cars when it is his turn to speak at joint rallies.

In Wilmington, Palin’s many admirers were in no doubt that she should run for president next time. Nancy Ross, a hairdresser, 45, said if the Republicans lost the election, she would be cheered up by the thought of Palin as the 2012 nominee.

“I would absolutely love her to run in four years’ time. By then most of her kids will be grown,” she said. “I’d like her to run against Hillary [Clinton]. She would squash her. She is a real person and we need people like her in Washington.”

Mary Ann Black, 58, a human resources director, said: “I love her. She’s so authentic.” Although she thought highly of McCain as well, Black added: “Her career is just beginning and his is in the twilight."

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mac, Thanks for sharing this. I watched the flip footage of McCain in Lakeville with disgust and embarassment for Minnesota. People put down the South for its bigotry, but I think there's a unique strain of it in Minnesota. In a way, drawing it out could be positive -- and I was pleasantly surprised McCain put those people in their place. Although some say that that was staged as well.

The people attracted to Palin's "authenticity," are in a way, represent the failure of our educational system. These are, by large, uneducated people who've not been taught about bias, prejudice, racism, and the history of hatred and politics. They are ignorant, and easily misled.

I fear for our future when style and personality trump thoughtfulness and knowledge. State and federal governments spend millions on public health campaigns to fight AIDS -- maybe we need more public education programs to fight racism. Maybe churches need to be required to show that evidence that they are providing anti-racist education in order to maintain tax-free status.

Even if one could never "educate another's heart" and erase the lifelong pattern of hatred they've acquired, sending STRONG messages that this is socially unacceptable could help keep the element in check. Just as we should be sending STRONG messages to PALIN that her HATE INCITING RHETORIC is divisive, and potentially deadly. As someone I heard said, if anything happens to Obama, Palin should have to meet personally with his daughters and apologize for her hate-filled rhetoric.

Thanks again for providing this forum for discussion. Did we ever think there could be a worse team than Bush/Cheney?
Verna

Somebodies Friend said...

That's right, McCains career is in the twilight. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

The smear tactics have failed miserably, and will probably be he one thing Mccain will pay the most for in the polls.

As for the "smear" Obama used cocaine, well for one, bring on the proof. If there was hard evidence it would have surfaced by now. And as long as we are on this subject, Bush II has all but admitted he filled his nose on a regular basis in college, and Clinton smoked Marijuana.

Recreational drug use isn't the campaign killer that it once was.

Anonymous said...

Hi, MacDaddy....did you read this most recent quote from McCain?
"I AM GOING TO WHIP OBAMA'S YOU KNOW WHAT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT....BUT I RESPECT THE MAN AND I WILL DO IT RESPECTFULLY." !!!!! Can you believe that this man wuould open his mouth and insert his foot at this stage of the game!!!?????

rainywalker said...

I believe John McCain is caught in a time trap that many men and women get into. They see their sons and daughters outdoing them with their youth and get selfish and sometimes resent them. He's like a washed up boxer, who just can't stop, there has to be one more fight. I may not like many of the things he has done, but I have to look in the mirror, I feel a small amount of sorrow for him.

Anonymous said...

Gee,I'd like to know who would be voting for this trash in 2012 besides rednecks and sellouts?
I'm voting for Obama this election, and I don't really care if cookie monster is running for president,as long as he/she is NOT a rethuglikkkan. I'm a relatively young man (34) and my entire future, and the futures of my wife and children ride on this election for so many reasons. Enough is enough, and I am really thankful for those (black,white,all races) who choose not to buy into the racist propaganda mccain and others like him try to forcibly inject into the public. I am a black man,and whoever doesn't like me for that reason is fine with me as long as they respect me.(trust me it goes both ways) Hey, I can live with that. This election is detrimental to ALL americans, black, white or otherwise. We cannot afford another rethuglikkkan regime. Not physically,mentally,economically,or enviromentally. They are irresponsible,racist,reckless individuals who I wouldn't trust with my light bill money, far less,my country. Get out and vote people. Our future depends on it.
Peace, Shabazz.

Anonymous said...

Btw- if anyone out there still wants to question Mr. Obama's past should check out http://thatone08.com/ and read his biography. In my opinion, he has more human qualites and accomplishments that make me proud to vote for this gentleman than ANY of his opponents.
Peace, Shabazz.

♥ CG ♥ said...

Hadn't really thought about this lately but there's no doubt that the plan is to position her for 2012. This is the most disturbing yet hopeful election of my lifetime. Whew, I think the revolution IS being televised right before our eyes. Another good piece, MacDaddy :).

Anonymous said...

Hey, check this out http://www.truthout.org/100508A

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

shabazz: Welcome. I hear you. To you and me, she might be trash. But to the GOP, she's gold, a symbol of the false connection with the American voter. Through Palin, the GOP can claim it is connected to the white working class and their values. In return, that class can say, "She's one of us. I know, it's stupid, but there you have it.
somebodiesfriend: You speak truth. It was smart of Obama to pull a pre-emptive strike and admit that he used drugs. So it's not really an issue.
curvygurl: You're right. They're positioning her for 2012. Look what we have to look forward to (smile).

Anonymous said...

If I was ready for her in 2008, what makes you think i'll be ready for that skank in 2012?

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

anon: I think I got it: You're not especially impressed with Gov. Palin as a Vice-Presidential candidate. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Can't stand her. But I love the photos on your sidebar. Educational too.

Europe said...

You must be behind on that photo of Palin, is fake here is the original photo.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorcasino/208036176/

bloggers stop using that photo two months ago.

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

europe: Thanks. I'll use a different photo. Come again.

Lenoxave said...

Neither one of them gives a damn about America. That's the long and short of it. What they care about is personal power and ambition. Whomever they need to con, manipulate, trash or threaten, they will do it.

They are a cancer to this country

Anonymous said...

If Palin runs for President in 2012, at least she has name recognition going for her... but, at this point, that may not work in her favor