The barrage of political news of the last several days inevitably brings meteorological metaphors to mind.
On the concluding day of the well organized Democratic National Convention in Denver on August 28, Sen Barack Obama breezed through a powerful speech that party faithfuls believe was a breath of fresh air because it managed to disperse the high pressure system which had built up during the contentious primary season.
The very next day on the third anniversary of hurricane Katrina, Sen John McCain stole Obama’s thunder by announcing his choice of vice presidential running mate. The news that he had picked Sarah Palin (can we call her Praline? she’s so sweet!), the little known governor of Alaska, sent a seismic tremor through the media and the blogosphere. Even Palin’s mother-in-law is flummoxed. The right wing pundits assure us that Palin is a spectacular choice to be just a heartbeat away from a 72 year old presidential candidate with a history of recurring cancer. They are confident that Palin’s cross-over appeal extends to both evangelical Christians and Democratic women voters miffed over Hillary’s loss. After all, among other things, Sarah Palin:
- is pretty – was the runner up in a beauty contest (hottie is their adjective of choice)
- has the sense to wear a skirt and high heels to a public event (unlike the leftist harridans of the pantsuit fame)
- is the mother of five who is fiercely pro-life (also anti-choice in the case of rape and incest)
- favors equal time for creationism and evolution in the class room (but not equal pay for equal work)
- is "deeply religious" [which in Republican speak can only mean Christian] and can also fish and hunt in the wilderness (unlike the effete urbanite Obama whose religious affiliations are dangerously murky and who once whined that some Americans cling to their guns and faith)
- has the necessary executive experience having governed a town [population 5470] and a state [population, 670,000] (by contrast, being elected US senator of a state with a population of over 12 million and getting the nod from more than 18 million voters in a hotly contested presidential primary against a formidable opponent is child’s play)
- doesn’t need foreign policy experience (Alaska being close to Russia, a hostile nation with nuclear capabilities, her hands-on experience comes from living in the shadows of constant peril)
- has an easy, friendly relationship with her husband whom she calls the "First Dude" (no terrorist fist jabs between the Palins)
- attended the University of Idaho and began her professional career as a sports caster (not an elitist lawyer who attended Columbia and Harvard)
- is a wholesome "hockey mom" who can probably beat Obama in basketball (Palin was known as the "barracuda" on the court as a high school player)
- fought corruption in her own party (she’s been governor for barely two years and is already under investigation by the Alaska legislature for the firing of the state police chief for reasons which may amount to a personal grudge)
The GOP and the right wingers fully expected to roar into this week’s Republican Convention in Minneapolis aided by the strong tailwind generated by McCain’s splendid choice of vice-presidential running mate. But mother nature decided to put a brake on the celebrations in the form of Gustav, the hurricane which has entered the US Gulf Coast and whose dance across the ocean is being watched nervously from Alabama to Texas.
It just so happens that Gustav has made its appearance just around the third anniversary of Katrina, the devastating storm that exposed the criminal incompetence of the Bush-Cheney administration to the whole world. On August 29th, 2005, the day Katrina created havoc in Mobile, Biloxi and New Orleans, John McCain and George W. Bush were photographed sharing a cake on McCain’s birthday in hot and dry Arizona. The McCain campaign is acutely aware of the Marie Antoinettish implications of that snap shot. Republicans want to avoid being seen once again partying on dry land while another storm rages across some of the same Katrina ravaged regions in the deep south. So the GOP has decided to curtail most activities on the first day of the Republican National Convention which begins on Monday, September 1. Bush and Cheney have also taken cover and canceled their appearances at the convention. Gustav has come at a convenient time for that dynamic duo. They were expected to get a chilly reception, not because they started an immoral war but because they did not "win" it as McCain promises to. Anyway, the GOP festivities have been pared down by at least one day by the emergence of Gustav. That means that the volume of hot air from the podium too will be somewhat diminished. But still there will be plenty of blather about faith, family, patriotism and "real American" values as defined by fundamentalist right wingers and which often amounts to anti-woman, anti -gay and anti-immigrant hate speech. There will also be bombast about winning wars and defeating evil. We will be reassured that tax cuts are good for us and universal health care may be harmful. Most of all, the convention is meant to remind us that the Republicans have just the right ticket for America. But after the turbulence of the last seven years and eight months, unless Americans choose to be willfully ignorant, they should know that McCain-Palin will create a climate more dangerous than Gustav is likely to do.
Accidental Blogger 
5 responses to “A Stormy Political Climate”
Plainly (almost an acronym!), the choice of Palin was an instance of strategy outwitting pragmatics, and of cynicism routing principle. I gotta vent, though, over the “experience” bullet point. Do we really know what we mean when we measure experience as a criterion of qualification for POTUS? I think not. The position is sui generis, and so we love to extend strained analogies to support our intuitions. I find entirely credible the notion that the governor of Alaska has more relevant “executive experience” than a fledgling senator. But I also believe that in this context “experience” is more often meant to stand for “meaningful connections around the Beltway.” That’s not the same as experience, though. Conversely, were Palin the governor of, say, California, I suspect the pooh-pooh-ers of her level of experience would have a harder time pooh-pooh-ing. And yet, Reagan… (The argument that, despite one’s ideological leanings, Reagan was a successful POTUS, merely elevates form over substance.)
LikeLike
Palin is not so much “inexperienced” as “out of touch” – not just with the beltway but with the real world. It has now been revealed that she was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party (The Daily Kos is all over the story). Obama may not have the hands on experience of running a state or even a town. But for the last two years he has been advised by plenty of experts on how things run in the country and the rest of the world. An intelligent man or woman with an open mind and broad vision will have a pretty good understanding to take from there. As Obama has frequently reminded voters, more important than the “experience” one brings to a job may be a candidate’s “judgement.”
And yes, the governor of California may not have been pooh-poohed. But the size of the state one governs is not at issue – how one runs it, is. The reason Reagan was not a terrible POTUS (although some will disagree) in day to day governance was because he was also a pretty good governor, at least according to a majority of Californians at that time. What kind of a POTUS did we get by electing another bimbo governor from a big state with plenty of experience as we were told? Much more shock than awe as we found out. After watching, reading and listening for the last 36 hours, I am now quite convinced that Palin is a terrible choice made by a reckless man who wanted to please his party’s “base” and inject excitement into his moribund campaign. Again, bad judgement trumped long experience.
LikeLike
This has been nagging me all day about my comment above: “plainly” is plainly not a near acronym of Palin, since acronyms are words formed from the initials of other words. USA PATRIOT Act comes to mind as a hideous example. Nor is it–get this!–a palindrome. What the heck is it? What do we call a meaningful, sometimes ironic or humorous, rearrangement of letters? Dick Cavettt was apparently masterful at them…
LikeLike
Dean, the word you are looking for is “anagram.” But it will be fun to construct a Palin-Palindrome.
By the way, before you start feeling too kindly toward the sweet Praline, see her stance on book banning and also how she once treated the town librarian. The woman is a cronyist and a power abuser right out of Karl Rove’s political play book.
LikeLike
Anagram, yes! Alas, there is no anagram for “bitch.” How dare she toy with the town library’s collection and director! What silly sort of “rhetorical effect” could she possibly hope it would have?
LikeLike