While this site has been running amok over McCain's selection of a running mate, the right wing has been in a state of euphoria over the fact that "one of our own", i.e., anti-abortion and pro-gun, was given the number two spot on the ticket. Politico reports that the conservative base has been "electrified" by the decision. They claim that McCain has "ignited a wave of elation and emotion that has led some grass-roots activists to weep with joy". And you thought these people had no heart. Apparently they have a soft spot in their hearts, and perhaps their heads, for their modern day Annie Oakley.
What we sometimes fail to realize here is that many people connect to candidates on a gut level that has very lttle to do with qualification for office or leadership skills. They want someone who they feel is "one of their own", someone they can feel comfortable having a beer with. How else do we explain eight years of Bush and the perception that not being fond of beer is a political liability as Steve Kroft hinted at in his interview with Obama and Biden on 60 Minutes. Kroft also made this observation about what Palin brings to the table.
She's a life-long member of the NRA. She's a hunter. Her husband's a member of the United Steel Worker Union. Blue collar guy. Got a son on the way to Iraq. It seems like just the kind of person who would appeal to voters in states that you absolutely have to win. And they have to win.
When did we start believing that real Americans are gun-toting, beer-drinking, Bible-thumping, flag-waving, hard-working stiffs, who revel in their ignorance and prejudices and have no use for what they would term "elitists", meaning anyone who is educated, well-spoken, and knows what aragula is? We seem to have come to a point wherein this lifestyle is not only admirable, but politicians feel the need to emulate it in order to connect to the masses. So we have Hillary downing shots in rural Pennsylvania and Mitt Romney claiming to be a lifelong hunter despite only having been hunting twice. Larry the Cable Guy doesn't take his character seriously, but the politicians and pundits do.
Unfortunately, though, this is where politics is at today. Consider this reaction to Palin's candidacy described in the Politico article despite the concerns that "serious questions remain about McCain’s pick — exactly how much he knows about her and her positions, past and present, on key issues".
Republicans say the primary source for the passion can be found in Palin’s example and authenticity.
Not only is the 44-year-old governor opposed to abortion rights — but she carried and gave birth to a child with Down syndrome earlier this year, a profound and powerful motivating force to both opponents of abortion rights and the parents and relatives of special needs children.
And not only is she a supporter of the right to bear arms — but she’s a lifetime member of the NRA and an avid hunter and fisherman whose gubernatorial office couch is adorned with a massive grizzly bear pelt.
The article goes on to say that media elitists (there's that word again) and some GOP elite have all but "mocked" Palin's inexperience while missing the "cultural resonance" she brings to the conservative base. Cultural resonance? Isn't this just a euphemism for her appeal to the narrow interests of her base? There's hardly anything cultural about it.
The scary part of this is just how little is expected of the second highest office in the land. My God, that's a massive grizzly bear pelt you got in your office. I bet you'd be a good VP. And she hunts and fishes too. What am I missing here? This might qualify her for a feature article in Outdoor Life, but how does it even qualify her to vote for Vice President, much less hold the office?
Surely her opposition to abortion rights and her giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome must qualify her for higher office. Call me crazy, but I thought we had higher standards for the office of President and Vice President. Jon Stewart can't be the only person who wants a President who is smarter and more capable than he is.
The unfortunate lesson here is that even though we may dismiss Palin as an idiotic choice, there are plenty of idiots who don't see it that way. It's difficult to believe that anyone is gushing over the possibility that Palin might be Vice President, but then again I thought that no one in their right mind could have voted for Bush. So unless there is such a thing as temporary mass insanity, we probably should not "misunderestimate" Sarah Palin either. The bar for President and Vice President has been set so low by the current occupants of those offices that the election of McCain and Palin is a terrifying possibility. If that happens, we'll all be downing shots with the yokels, trying to make the pain go away.