But logic doesn’t apply to Palin. What might bring down other politicians only seems to make her stronger: the malapropisms and gaffes, the cut-and-run half-term governorship, family scandals, shameless lying and rapacious self-merchandising. In an angry time when America’s experts and elites all seem to have failed, her amateurism and liabilities are badges of honor. She has turned fallibility into a formula for success.
Sad but true. Populism is back and it is stronger than ever. The "elite" (usually the person who is using the term) are the bad guys and being dumb is "in". I really don't understand this line of thinking. When you get your car repaired you go to a mechanic with an excellent reputation - someone who really knows his stuff. People go to a dentist or a physician for health care problems. These are highly educated, highly trained people. You even choose your plumber and electrician based on their reputation for doing a job properly the first time.
But there seems to be something new in the air. Lacking ability, expertise, intellectual curiosity or at least making it seem that way, seems to be the new requirement for being a successful conservative politician. Just look at almost every TEA Party candidate that recently ran for office.
But here is what really scares me and should scare you too. As Rich points out, Palin is not the darling of the Republican party. They are probably more afraid of her than are Democrats.
Palin is the candidate of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and thus the wealthy. The rich got wealthier under the Bush administration and they want to get even wealthier under a Palin administration. Like Rich says, the populist's are angry at the educated "elite", not the wealthy (who are not seen as elitist).
I can only quote Elaine Benis from Seinfield. "What's the matter with all you people? Have you all gone mad?"
2 comments:
"What's the matter with all you people? Have you all gone mad?" No, we have become fat and lazy and defer any hard decision making to the invisible man in the sky and the people who do his speaking for him.
Her opponents portray Palin as stupid. In fact, as Beck also illustrates, one has to be quite clever to manipulate people to extent they are doing and to maintain the Teflon exterior in the process. She isn’t dumb, I suspect, but she panders to dumb. Misunderestimate her at your own peril. We already did that to W. Know-nothingness is a well-established part of US political history. We are back in that cycle, I fear.
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