Two roads diverged in a losing wood.....
Sarah Palin speaks lightly against the robocalls and the McCain position on gay marriage, but, more broadly, is there a point at which her interests and McCain's interests diverge?
I mean, he has no political future to worry about, but, as losing looks more likely, does she have some countervailing interests in the brief time she has left on this national stage?
I mean, he has no political future to worry about, but, as losing looks more likely, does she have some countervailing interests in the brief time she has left on this national stage?
posted by mikevotes at
8:23 AM
8 Comments:
McCain and Palin serve opposite -- and often conflicting -- factions within the GOP. Politically, their only common interest is in winning. They share very little common interest in policy. And until McCain sold out to the Atwater/Rove goons, they had nothing in common with regard to political values.
It seems to me Palin has been running for her won political self-interest for some time.
And people thought an Obama/Clinton ticket would have been fractious! I'd like to be a fly on the wall to hear what McCain really thinks of Palin.
By
-epm, at 8:37 AM
It really all depends on how the Republican Party re-invents itself (or if it does) after its impending smack-down.
If it circles the wagons and doubles down on its base strategy, Palin will have a prominent role in the Party. She is a woman who "knows her place" and is able to keep the evangelicals in line.
However, after losing Congress (and now the WH), the Republicans no longer have much to offer the evangelicals. They have already received precious little from over two decades of association with the GOP, and they are facing a generational split that this association accelerates.
The evangelicals may very well form a third party.
If the Republicans re-invent themselves into a Nativist, Law and Order, Libertarian, or exclusively pro-corporate Party then Palin is not really useful. Many other Republicans may be able to "change their spots", but Palin's markings are "indelible".
By
Todd Dugdale , at 8:37 AM
First let me add this bit from FirstRead this AM, (It does sound like she's starting to take more control.)
"
Beyond her appearance on Saturday Night Live, Palin is being let out of her shell more and more, and seems to be welcoming the opportunity. Last night, she walked right up to cameras on a flatbed truck upon landing in Colorado Springs, and kept taking questions from reporters -- even after aides repeatedly tried to end it.
"
....
EPM, An Obama Clinton ticket would have been fractious.
And, I think it would be as interesting to be that fly one week after the convention, and then again last week.
Remember, it was Steve Schmidt that pushed Palin in.
....
Todd, Right, but does she have a positioning interest for that battle right now? The early signs are that that "battle for the heart of the Republican party" is actually beginning right now, so, you would think, as savvy as she is, and the interests of the people who support her, she'd be, at least thinking about this now.
I'm not saying her faction would win, although it might, what I'm saying is this next battle might start to show up now, before the election.
Because, after election day, Palin will not have the same platform.
Especially if her missteps are in part blamed for the loss.
By
mikevotes, at 8:49 AM
Todd... exactly. "It really all depends on how the Republican Party re-invents itself (or if it does) after its impending smack-down."
----
Oh, no doubt an Obama/Clinton ticket would have been fractious. Indeed, any and every move Obama made after clinching the nomination could have been fractious, but he's seemed to have navigated those waters as successfully as possible.
All media eyes were on Obama and Clinton.... relentlessly teasing the "divided dem" argument. No one expected McCain to be the one with the dysfunctional ticket. Nor the GOP with being the party of internal division. It's that irony I was referring to.
By
-epm, at 9:06 AM
EPM, yeah, I'm not saying a Clinton/Obama ticket would have been fatal at all, but, with the way the media focuses on the Clinton's, it would have been tough to manage the spotlight, plus, they wouldn't have been as conceding on message (what they say.)
And, there was early talk of whether McCain could get "the base" that kinda fell off when he picked Palin. However, in getting that base through Palin, he's now battling on the other side.
It was always going to be tough for McCain because he is most liked in the hawkish section of the Repub party which is politically the weakest. Fundies bring votes, business brings money. Neocons bring....?
By
mikevotes, at 10:54 AM
Mike,
the hawk section is where the Neocons and the Fundies best converge, and it's only politically weak temporarily (because our armies are being beaten by peasants).
Unfortunately, Palin does have a political future, as she is a perfect spokesmodel for "out-stream" right-wing backlash. She can serve as the centerpiece for militant christian fascism, akin to what happened in Yugoslavia.
I'm not saying the country will be torn apart by civil war. Rather that an Obama victory will freak out the cause Palin represents, and it will turn increasingly militant.
By
MarcLord, at 2:09 PM
Oh, I think Palin does have a future, although I think the memories of her early flubs in this campaign will dog her as something she has to later overcome.
She really needed a much more planned rollout, a couple years in Gingrich's GOPAC school, and some real foreign policy setup.
....
Also, to your "frek out" point. I think that's why they're really so angry. They really believed that they were the center of America and people had come around to their way of thinking. Being reminded they're not has dislodged their sense of identity, and thus, they are way overreacting.
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