Repub talking heads gush over the Palin choice, news crews hunt down media-seeking anti-feminist Hillary voters, and a new opportunity opens for the Obama campaign. Militant right-to-lifers and the radical right were never going to vote for Obama. They would have shown up at the poll to vote AGAINST Obama. But for those moderate Republicans, for those economic conservative-social liberals/moderates -- the door has fully opened for Obama.
Why? Let's face it, even the most loyal economic conservative hasn't found very much to offer in McCain. He talks the talk, but as he's aged the walk has become a shuffle and his impotence (sic) is showing. What can he accomplish when he can't even pick his own VP?
No honest economic conservative can truly embrace the tax-raising, sports-stadium building that's still draining a small town VP Palin. The Palin who liked the bridge before she didn't. The Palin who has "engaged in a kind of fiscal lunacy designed to discourage private enterprise in favor of state-controlled efforts to launch competing projects." (GOPAlaska.com, August 18). The Palin who arranged deals for her friends at Dairygate. The Palin who grew state government 23%.
And that's just the surface of the issues.
And no social liberal or social moderate can support her radical right-to-life stance, her 'no such thing as global warming,' or her interference in the public safety department for her own family's good. This last one is interesting, because she didn't fire the trooper in question, she fired a respected Police Chief who was following union rules.
Not attack her? Why not? I don't think it would make a lot of difference, her history speaks for itself. The radical-right will vote for her one way or the other, but we were never going to convince them. One would hope her history makes the argument against her to any thoughtful conservative or moderate. It's not an attack to make information available.
The knee-jerk reaction was pretty intense and the cult of the personality is taking main stage. Only ideologues will vote from that perspective. Will this help push the old labor party activists who still long for Gus Hall over to Obama? Will the radical left (which I'm one of) finally embrace him as our best, last chance? Compare the substance of Barack's speech Thursday to the media-frenzied fluff a non-choice by (not)McCain. Compare MoJoe's dedication to working people with her disdain of the police union in Anchorage.
Obama's a beer with friends; McCain's a drunken brawl. Obama supports an open dialogue marked by mutual respect. McCain is leaning on the old culture wars that propelled Bush into office and created use divisions in American culture. We know where that led us. McCain just doesn't get it, he doesn't get that everyone lost in that war.
We do.