 Meet the snides: long-talkin' Rudy, Snarky Sarah and Mean Ole' Mitt
As I digest the RNC's big night last night (and the media's love-fest over it,) it occurs to me that the Republican Party, probably since Pat Buchanan began writing for Dick Nixon, has been married to a strategy of, in Buchanan's words, "dividing the country down the middle and trying to grab the bigger half." Last night's red meat rodeo in the Twin Cities was that kind of politics. Like previous elections, the GOP seems determined to assure that no matter who is elected, half of the country will hate the next president's guts.
 Mission accomplished.
The GOP must believe that hard-right evangelicals and belligerent neo-cold warriors are the bigger half, because the night was so over-the-top negative, nasty and divisive, and so bereft of either uniting themes or policy solutions, and in the end, so petty, that you've got to take McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis at his word that this election is not about issues, it's about personalities. And to me, at least, Mitt, Sarah and especially Rudy's personalities were rankling.
They attacked Barack Obama and derided his public service ...
They attacked Michelle (families off limits? Not so much... though this should put Todd "Alaska Independence Party" Palin squarely "on the table...")
The attacked Democrats for refusing to harp on "Islamic fascists" or whatever the pet name is today...
They attacked the media (to roaring applause) for daring .... and really, how dare they ... to report the news, and not the talking points... (see Roger Simon's "apology," Joe Klein's warning to the Fourth Estate, and the way the MSM, ironically, loved Sarah long time...)
They attacked and attacked and attacked, and attacked until even Sarah looked tired. And they still didn't manage to mention how all the snarkery would make this team any better managers of the country's affairs than the current administration. Nothing on what they would do for the middle class -- hell, they didn't even mention the middle class; nor did anyone on that stage mention how getting the prom queen and the fly boy into the White House would do a damned thing for America, other than make a few old ladies feel good to see a spunky gal make some history instead of that high-falutin ni... (ahem...)
Sorry, but last night wasn't a celebration of America, it was an orgy of snidery, not intended to achieve McCain's stated goal of "reaching across party lines," but a symbolic severing of those lines. It's now officially an "us" versus "them" election. The Palins vs. the Obamas; rural America vs. big city America, small towns vs. "elite" cities, red vs. blue, and yeah, white America versus suspiciously foreign America. Not a formula for governing, but it's the way Republicans have been winning elections since Nixon. Bottom line: to win this election, the GOP is dividing the country, along more partisan (and religious) lines, even than they did in 2000 or 2004.
Otherwise, why on earth would you make long-winded, trash-talking Rudy the warm-up act to Ms. Palin? After several minutes of Rudy's "gut the black kid" rant, I suspect many potential cross-over and swing voters simply turned off the TV. As for Palin, her speech, too, was full of snidery and snarkery (the eBay line was cute,) and so nasal and nasty, it can't possibly attract any but the most hard-core Republicans.
The GOP has, no doubt, solidified and energized their base, particularly evanglicals (and people who hate both the media and Barack Obama...) But the question is, do they represent the bigger half? Let's hope not, otherwise, god help this country.
UPDATE: Making my point:
In two different focus groups of Clinton-supporting Nevada women -- married and unmarried -- conducted immediately after Gov. Sarah Palin's Wednesday night speech to the Republican National Convention, a few common reactions quickly took shape. First, women in both groups were impressed with Palin's speaking ability and poise. But they were hardly convinced that she was qualified to be vice president, or that she truly represented the "change" they were looking for, especially in light of what was deemed an overly harsh "sarcasm" pervading her address. The (mostly) anonymous proceedings were webcast live to reporters, who were told in a press release that the Nevada focus groups would include "some former Hillary Clinton supporters who are now undecided or are weak supporters of Barack Obama or John McCain." No party identification was made available, though the approximately two dozen women were reportedly between 30 and 60 years old. In the "married" group, when one attendee kicked off the discussion by saying "she's a good speaker, and a crowd pleaser," the rest of the room articulated their agreement. "I didn't expect to be as impressed as I was," said another respondent. But then another woman added: "Once she started mudslinging, I thought, it's the same old crap as other politicians. McCain used her to get the women's vote. And she's using McCain." "Thank you," another woman responded. "That really upset me; there was no need for that. It was snippy." The unmarried group also voiced similar objections to the harsh, partisan edge of Palin's remarks. "I'm not impressed with her at all as a person," one said, citing her "finger pointing" and general sarcasm after the group had generally agreed that she was a talented public speaker. ... in both groups, narrow majorities said they held a more negative view of Palin after her speech. "She comes off pretty cutthroat," said one.
What else did the focus groups say? That they wanted to hear ... wait for it ... more policy prescriptions, rather than attacks. The media love-fest over Palin won't tell you that, but if you know any women, you also know that women can't stand "snippy" women. As I've said many times before, Palin reminds me of that supervisor you just hate? You know the one: the one who makes you walk all the way to her office to bring her the stapler on the table near her desk? The one who blames you for her mistakes and rats you out to HER bosses behind your back? Palin may have wowed the red meat eaters, and she clearly has the media smitten, but I suspect that a lot of everyday women will be turned off.
| Labels: 2008 election, GOP convention, Sarah Palin |
