Your Mileage May Vary

Which, of course, is the tag line I add to most of my… ummm… “controversial” posts and/or ideas. I do this out of a sense of politeness, a written recognition that opinions are like noses, everyone has one and no two are exactly alike. (Yeah, I know… the original quote wasn’t about noses at all. But leave us not digress.) So, with the explicit understanding that your mileage may indeed vary, here’s my take on Governor Palin and the media.

I’ve sensed over the last few days that Governor Palin is being cited by a lot of folks as THE reason they won’t vote for a McCain/Palin ticket. As a matter of fact, one of my Blog-Buds is firmly in this particular camp, as demonstrated in his comments here (first comment in the thread). But… here are a couple of items I find noteworthy in this particular space. First, a few excerpts from Brit Hume’s Special Report panel discussion… specifically what Charles Krauthammer has to say (highlighted):

KRAUTHAMMER: What's remarkable about the reaction to Palin is not only the unfavorable. It's the loathing, the absolute hatred that you hear, especially from intellectuals, feminists, sort of east coast, west coast, pointy headed. And this is because —

EASTON: But some conservative women, too.

KRAUTHAMMER: But this had a pedigree. It didn't just start.

In the '80's, you had the Margaret Thatcher and Jeane Kirkpatrick who were considered because they were not liberal, they were conservative.

They were actually — it was said of them as has been said of Sarah Palin, they were not women because you couldn't be. If you were a conservative. You were, by definition, a patriarchal thug. And if you happened to be a woman, it was simply in women's threads.

EASTON: That is not true. There is a lot of respect for Jean Kirkpatrick. There was. There was a lot of respect for her.

KRAUTHAMMER: The viciousness with which she was attacked as a contradiction in terms, a conservative woman.

In Palin's case, I think what adds to it is her decision at her age with four other children to have a down syndrome child. This, too, as Joseph Epstein wrote, in feminist circles if abortion is not about this, what's it about?

And they look at her as sort of a back room — a backwater hick, who, for religious reasons, went ahead and had a child that they would never have.

Underneath it, I think, deep underneath it, I think it's a self-loathing on the part of these feminists, knowing that what she did is virtuous and a generous act that they would have never have undertaken. And her having undertaken it is an affront to them, a silent rebuke.

Keep in mind… Krauthammer is a licensed (although non-practicing) psychiatrist, so he should/would know from whence he speaks, particularly in this space. But Mr. Krauthammer only addresses one small slice of the anti-Palin pie, albeit perhaps the most vocal group in opposition to Governor Palin. But the anti-Palin mob is much deeper and wider than pissed off radical feminists. And how could your average American not be disenchanted with Alaska’s Guv’nor, given all the negative press she’s received? (Assuming, of course, one lives somewhere other than Alaska, where her approval ratings are still high, although they’re lower than they used to be. Dubya would probably kill for her current numbers… just sayin’.)

Enter Newt Gingrich. A lot of EIP readers will have already seen this video, since a lot of you watch Faux News, myself included. But Ol’ Newt is on an absolute tear in this video… ranting about the media’s coverage of Governor Palin. This video is just one of two vids… but the meat is in the first installment, which I’ve chosen to publish here. The video is about nine and a half minutes long…

Part Two is here. I’ve said this elsewhere… but when the history of Campaign 2008 is written, the media campaign against Governor Palin will go down as one of the most successful media campaigns… ever. It doesn’t really matter if it’s the truth or not… it’s whether the media’s campaign succeeded or failed. In this case, and at this point in time, when all the sticks seem to be falling in Obama’s favor… one would HAVE to conclude the campaign is successful beyond The Left’s wildest expectations.

Shame. Shame on them. My contempt for today’s media… teevee AND print… knows no bounds.

The Incredible Lightness of Being... A Dim-o-crat

I’m not the first person to note that some of the more perceptive comment on our presidential election comes from beyond our shores. There’s a lot to be said for a “disinterested” perspective… or as disinterested as one can be about an American presidential election (and no, that’s not ethnocentric hubris. It’s just fact). Case in point… Clive Crook, writing in Sunday’s Financial Times (free registration required):

For Mr McCain to win the election against the odds that faced him pre-Palin – with the economy in the tank and the incumbent Republican president setting records for unpopularity – would be sensational enough. For this to happen because of his vice-presidential pick, a decision that is usually of next to no consequence, beggars belief. The Democrats had to bring all their resources to getting themselves into this fix. They proved equal to the task.

As I argued last week, Mr Obama’s own initial reaction to the Palin nomination was exactly right. All the party had to do was follow his lead. Mr Obama, in effect, would give her enough rope; her inadequacies would reveal themselves in due course; it cost nothing, in the meantime, to be courteous, and to keep pressing on the issues, where the Democrats still enjoy an advantage with most voters. Ms Palin’s first television interview last week, an adequate but far from stellar performance, affirmed the wisdom of that course.

But the Democratic talking-heads had to exult in their disdain for Ms Palin and all she represents – namely, a good part of the electorate whose support Mr Obama needs. In the space of a few days, they irreversibly damaged Mr Obama’s candidacy and transformed this election.

[…]

Certainly, the Democrats can see they are in a hole. Somehow, though, the word has gone out: “Keep digging.” Mr Obama is also urged to be less cool and lose his temper. Voters adore an angry candidate, you see. “Dig faster, and be more angry,” is the advice coming down from the political geniuses who decided it was a fine idea to laugh at Ms Palin in the first place. A recurring television image in the past few days has been the split-screen contrast between a serenely smiling Republican operative and a fulminating red-faced Democrat about to have a stroke.

Mr. Crook puts his finger on something that frankly has amazed me over the past week or ten days. You don’t have to be a frickin’ rocket scientist to realize that dissing Mrs. Palin ain’t exactly… umm… smart. One could possibly cut the Democrats some slack for their initial reactions to Governor Palin… but to keep on keepin’ on like they've been doing? It's absolutely, positively inexplicable to anyone with three inter-connected, fully-functioning synapses.

A quick look at any of the recent polls would tell ya Mrs. Palin is a bona fide phenomenon. The woman struck a chord with the conservative electorate and that chord has yet to quit resonating throughout the Right and the entire nation, actually. And the Democrats seemingly just don’t get it. On the other hand, I think they DO get it. But the fact is they can neither help… nor stop… themselves in expressing their utter contempt for a woman like Sarah Palin and those terribly unsophisticated rubes who identify with her. And that, Gentle Reader, is real hubris at work.

Keep digging, Lefties. It’s oh-so-amusing to watch your slow-motion train wreck in progress. As it will be to watch you rend your garments, don your ritual sackcloth and ashes, and listen to your wails of agony at having lost yet another election, come November. The fact of the matter is Middle America doesn’t much like you or your policies. But we most especially dislike your condescension.

―:☺:―

Related: “The Audacity of Defeat." Excerpt:

It’ll be far more acrimonious this time around if the GOP wins. Already mainstream commentators (on the liberal side) are preparing for the bitterness and reprisals with premature eulogies of Obama’s campaign. On Sept. 14, The Washington Post’s David Ignatius said, by choosing Palin, McCain had sold his soul to the devil to win the election. Richard Cohen, a colleague of Ignatius at the Post, implied that Obama was “too cool” to fight back against Palin’s “jibes, her sarcasm, her smug provincialism, her exploitation of mommyhood” and so on. The Times’ Paul Krugman, incredibly, wrote on Sept. 12 that McCain’s “lies” were worse than those of Karl Rove and Bush. “The Bush campaign’s lies in 2000 were artful—you needed some grasp of arithmetic to realize you were being conned.” Yet, according to Krugman, McCain’s campaign is so dishonest that should he and Palin win the White House, their administration would be “much, much worse” than Bush’s.

And you thought Bush Derangement Syndrome was bad, eh? Just wait. You ain't seen nuthin' yet! Heads are gonna explode, and lots of 'em, too.

(via Real Clear Politics)

―:☺:―

Kinda-sorta related… Didja see this?

It's time to dump Biden and replace him with Sen. Hillary Clinton. I don't care how it's done. Campaign chief David Axelrod can figure that out. And the sooner the better. Because I'm starting to think that if Team-Obama doesn't do something dramatic fast, it's gonna lose this election. There's a worrisome shift in momentum and in the polls. The Palin phenomenon, while truly unfathomable to Democrats (ed: See?), has energized McCain's campaign and allowed him like Houdini to snatch Obama's "change" theme right out from under him. It's time to snatch it back.

Conventional wisdom says replacing Biden with Clinton can't be done. That it's too late. That it'll make Obama appear indecisive, impulsive and lacking good judgement (sic). Many Democrats believe this would cause irreparable harm to the campaign, ringing Obama's death knell. But this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it'd be a freakin' coup for Obama, and would instantly melt Palin's undeserving outsize political ice cap.

[...]

Obama should do what the Republicans would do in this situation. In fact, he should do exactly what his opponent did. Shake things up. Be unconventional. Roll the dice. Out-McCain McCain. Who cares how it looks.

Oh, YES! Please, please DO!! What a capital idea!

[Pssst! Senator Obama! Over here!

This is really, really GOOD advice…and, trust me… you should take it! Seriously. Yes, I know this sounds strange coming from a McCain supporter, but really… I have your best interests at heart. I want to see you keep this thing close, ya know. We don’t wanna see any McGovern-like blow-outs, now, do we? That would be truly embarrassing and would… for all intents and purposes… end your brilliant political career just as it was beginning. Keep in mind: you’re a young man and 2012 ain’t that far away. Pick up that phone. Go on… call her. You know she wants to hear from you. It’s what’s best for the country the Party you, and Joe won’t mind. At all.]

(Snerk) (Smirf) gag… grwun… snork… Bwah-wah-HA-HA-HA!

Oh shit, Oh Dear.

I can’t even type this with a straight face.

Last Call

I’m gonna go to bed now. But just a couple of thoughts, before I do. First: I’ve scanned a few of the bigger Leftie blogs this evening. Most of the commentariat there had their partisan hats on and were dismissive of Mrs. Palin… if not outright insulting (Hey! That’s their style!)… describing her as shrill, sarcastic, lying, yadda, yadda. But there were those who were more perceptive; those commenters warned against dismissing Mrs. Palin out of hand. Some people… very few, but they were there…dropped positive comments, albeit grudgingly. I’m not providing links as it’s against my principles to link to the fever swamps, even though I sometimes do. But not tonight. You can find all of that your lil heart desires at the memeorandum widget in my sidebar, if you absolutely HAVE to go there.

Second (and this is a lightweight sort of comment): I’ve noticed more than a few hockey metaphors appearing in the press since Mrs. Palin arrived on the scene. One case in point: “Sarah Palin Shoots…She Scores!” That, Gentle Reader, is the greatest hockey cliché, ever. And it’s beloved by ALL hockey fans, YrHmblScrb included. But wait… there’s more (from the link)!

Don’t mess with this hockey mom! Sarah Palin took to the floor of the Republican Convention Wednesday night and delivered a slapshot right to the gut of the Obama campaign. Folks, there’s really only one thing to say…game on!

[…]

If this were the Stanley Cup Finals, she would be skating the cup around the ice tonight in a proud victory lap.

Heh. This is a Great Good Thing. Hockey fans all over America are smiling tonight. I don’t doubt the NHL management is, too.

Oh. Chase that link… there’s more than hockey talk there. Things like this will make it worth your while:

The Democratic Party, especially the Obama campaign has a problem on its hands. Sarah Palin can not be stereotyped as the crazy pro-lifer. They may try that but the problem is that she doesn’t fit neatly into any one box. She can play reformer, independent thinker, energy policy wonk, pro-lifer, attack dog or PTA mom. She’s multi-faceted. She isn’t one dimensional. That’s got to be a concern for the Obama campaign. If I’m Joe Biden, I’m already plotting strategy for that big debate on October 2nd. He’s going to need a lot of time to figure it out.

Do the highlighted bits sound a lil bit familiar? (insert smiley-face thingie here)

And now… to sleep, perchance to dream. About hockey moms.

(I got the image here. Just for grins and giggles… do a google image search on “hockey mom.” It ain’t ALL Sarah, All the Time… but it’s close.)

Politics As (Un)Usual

I learned a new word yesterday*: “Myrmidon.” As in:

1. Classical Mythology. one of the warlike people of ancient Thessaly who accompanied Achilles to the Trojan War.

2. (lowercase) a person who executes without question or scruple a master's commands.

Or… as in: “What the myrmidons of conventional wisdom just don't get about Palin.” Excerpt:

These folks lecture the rest of us about how to run the country; they are keepers of the conventional wisdom. And now, as the 2008 campaign enters the stretch run, we are about to see just how very much these folks know that is nonsense.

Take, for instance, the mantra of “change.” Having nominated Barack Obama and Joe Biden, respectively, for president and vice president — both prominent members of the most unpopular Congress in living memory — the Democratic wing of the political class chants incessantly about “change we can believe in.”

But it’s nothing less than a con job because the only change Obama and Biden offer is rhetorical. In terms of concrete policy proposals, what they offer is more government, more taxes, more regulation, more bureaucrats, more of everything that is wrong with Washington.

Peddling old liberal nostrums dressed up in new slogans works in a Democratic primary, but such moldy junk from the Great Society closet will turn off most of the rest of America once it begins to focus seriously on the campaign, as it will now that Labor Day is behind us.

There’s more at the link, and it’s very, very good. I think Mr. Tapscott put his finger on something most of us knew intuitively after doing our homework on young Mrs. Palin. She doesn’t fit the mold. She’s a politician, true, but she’s a politician in the time-honored tradition of the American “backwoods” politician… the kind one used to find in abundance in American political life but not so much these days, except perhaps on the local level. And this is a good thing, to my way of thinking. I firmly believe the rest of America (with the exception of the you-know-whos) will identify with Palin… especially in contrast to the two professional political hacks with non-existent track records nominated by the other guys.

I know people don’t vote for the vice-presidential candidate… they vote for the guy at the top of the ticket. But, in this case the Number Two is generating such positive vibes in the Republican Party… and has such a wonderful story to tell… that she’s burnishing the image of Number One simply by association. And the uncommitted middle can’t help but notice. Hell, it’s been “All Sarah, All the Time” ever since Friday. Only Gustav had the power to knock Mrs. Palin off the front pages and off the cable news channels, and that’s saying something, Gentle Reader.

I believe substance will ultimately transcend form. We… the fortunate few on the Right… seemingly have substance in spades. As opposed to, ya know… Hopeychange. Be Afraid, Democrats. Be VERY afraid.

* Yes, I did read The Iliad. Long ago and far away, however. About 50 years ago, give or take a month or three. Time fades away.

―:☺:―

So… Glen Greenwald has his panties in a twist over this: “Scenes from St. Paul -- Democracy Now's Amy Goodman arrested.” Excerpt:

Following up on this weekend's extreme raids on various homes, at least 50 people were arrested here today in St. Paul, Minnesota. Beginning last night, St. Paul was the most militarized I have ever seen an American city be, even more so than Manhattan in the week of 9/11 -- with troops of federal, state and local law enforcement agents marching around with riot gear, machine guns, and tear gas cannisters, shouting military chants and marching in military formations. Humvees and law enforcement officers with rifles were posted on various buildings and balconies. Numerous protesters and observers were tear gassed and injured. I'll have video of the day's events posted shortly.

Perhaps most extraordinarily, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now -- the radio and TV broadcaster who has been a working journalist for close to 20 years -- was arrested on the street and charged with "conspiracy to riot."

Well, dang. Squads of cops “marching in military formations”… how absolutely Brown-Shirt of them, eh? No word on how they got the Humvees up on those buildings and balconies, however. That would have been news I could use. Nope…it’s all about Ms. Goodman, one of the Left’s absolute darlings. But, Hey! She was arrested!!1!! You don’t suppose that might have had something/anything to do with this, would ya?

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Protesters attacked delegates, smashed windows, punctured car tires and threw bottles Monday, a violent counterpoint to an otherwise peaceful anti-war march at the Republican National Convention. Police wielding pepper spray arrested at least 56 people.

The trouble happened not far from the Xcel Energy Center convention site, and many of those involved in the more violent protest were clad in black and identified themselves to reporters as anarchists. They wrought havoc by damaging property and setting at least one fire. Most of the trouble was in pockets of a neighborhood near downtown, several blocks from where the convention was taking place.

[…]

Members of the Connecticut delegation said they were attacked by protesters when they got off their bus near the Xcel Center, KMSP-TV reported. Delegate Rob Simmons told the station that a group of protesters came toward his delegation and tried to rip the credentials off their necks and sprayed them with a toxic substance that burned their eyes and stained their clothes.

One 80-year-old member of the delegation had to be treated for injuries, and several other delegates had to rinse their eyes and clothing, the station reported.

So, now. Let me get this straight. An 80 year-old member of the Connecticut RNC delegation was treated for injuries inflicted by a mob of “peaceful protesters” and Amy Goodman was arrested… and released three hours later? Dang. Greenwald is right. What a frickin’ outrage.

Gray, Cool, and Blustery (The Weather... NOT Me)

I feel rather small complaining about our weather, what with Gustav bearing down on the long-suffering Gulf Coast (the link is time-sensitive and may not appear if you’re reading this on some day other than 8/31/2008). But… I will. Our weather on this last long weekend of summer has been something of a bust for P-Ville’s working folks. It doesn’t affect me all that much, coz one day’s pretty much the same as the next. I can take a blustery, gray, occasionally rainy, and relatively cool weekend in stride and defer any outdoor activities until the next sunny day… be it Tuesday, Thursday, or whenever. Not so for the average family. I remember all too well how disappointed we were when our parade got rained on… both literally and metaphorically. Rain, and its accompanying disappointment tends to be tempered by gratitude in these parts, however. Coz we just don’t get that much… so what we DO get is always greeted with Hosannas.

―:☺:―

I was amazed at the torrent of MSM articles and blog posts on Sarah Palin… and the fact that fully half the space on memeorandum’s page was all about Sarah yesterday. And it hasn’t let up all that much today. One of the better things I’ve read this weekend on the subject of Sarah came from Newt Gingrich, by way of Bill Kristol writing in the Weekly Standard’s blog (“Kristol: Gingrich on the Power of Authenticity”). Here’s an excerpt:

In one sudden moment Friday, John McCain fundamentally changed American politics in a manner that transcends issues and details.

The great threat to the Obama-Biden ticket can be captured in one word: authenticity.

There is something unaffected and "unsophisticated" (in the Columbia, Princeton, Harvard and University of Chicago meanings of the word) about Governor Palin. She really was point guard of a state championship basketball team. She really is a competent hunter. She is a hockey mom. She has one son about to go to Iraq.

She has 13 years in elected office

By any practical standard she has done far more in the real world with much more spontaneity and practicality than Barack Obama. And there is something deeply real and courageous about John McCain ignoring most of his advisers and all of the "insider wisdom" to reach out to a younger woman whose greatest characteristic is undaunted courage and a willingness to clean out the corruption in her own party.

This is a moment of stunning authenticity versus a sad collapse on the part of the Obama campaign from " change you can count on" to politics as usual, as marked by Obama's choice of a senator first elected when Palin was 9 years old.

Jennifer Rubin noted that Gingrich’s e-mails are better than most books. And she’s right. Go read Kristol/Gingrich… if you haven’t already.

It’s amazing… no, not really… how the Left is tying itself in knots trying to discredit Palin while mocking McCain’s choice as the act of a desperate pol whose campaign is going down the tubes. They can only wish. Well, Hell. Let’s review, shall we? It’s admittedly biased, but Redstate has a good post (“Tale of the Tape: Sarah Palin vs. Barack Obama”) comparing Palin to The One. Wanna guess who wins and who loses?

―:☺:―

In other news… football season has begun! Yays! And there go my Saturdays from now until the end of November. It was just SO good to lay back yesterday and watch football ALL day. Even the weather cooperated, seeing as how it was better indoors than out. Which helps to mitigate the guilt, ya know. As if there were any…

About yesterday’s games: pretty predictable, except for Big Blue (and ‘Bama, too). As for the Maize and Blue… I’m thinking they should skip the first game of the season and just go directly to the second game on the schedule. Last year it was Appalachian State, this year it was Utah. Not a good beginning for new head coach Rich Rodriguez. But Hey! Everything will be cool if he beats Ohio State, coz that’s pretty much all that counts in Ann Arbor. BIG “if,” that.

As for me… I’m waiting for next week to see how the The Domers fare on their first outing. This year doesn’t look to be as intense as it usually is… what with only two pre-season Top 25 teams on the schedule. But they should do better than last year. (He said, whistling and looking skyward…)