dagblog - Comments for "What?! Sarah Palin again? But wait...this is a bit different."

While I doubt that she will

Michael Wolraich — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:32:50 +0000

While I doubt that she will pull a Wallace, I suspect that she'll use the threat of an independent run to extract concessions, much as Pat Robertson and Pat Buchanan did before her. But Palin is more popular than either of them, and she'll aim high--probably for a VP slot.

As I believe will become

Orion — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:57:37 +0000

In reply to What?! Sarah Palin again? But wait...this is a bit different.

As I believe will become clearer, the Palin Strategy will involve a political threat to the GOP establishment: Deny her the nomination she’ll run as independent. This will split off much of the white working class and guarantee defeat of the Republican establishment candidate. It will also result in her defeat in 2012, but that’s a small price to pay for gaining the credibility and power to demand the nomination in 2016, or threaten another third-party run in 2020.

This is exactly what George Wallace did when he broke apart from the Democrats and ran as an independent. The Republican Party took advantage by appealing to "negrophobia" via the Southern Strategy. A reverse for the Democrats might not be possible, but there are segments of the GOP and independents that they could absorb if they put their mind to it, such as Cato Institute/Reason style libertarians, civil libertarians (if they're not completely disgusted with both parties), neoconservatives and education reformists.

I think a lot of her appeal

cmaukonen — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:54:17 +0000

In reply to It is sad that the Beltway

I think a lot of her appeal has to do with the message or rather the presentation of it. She takes the concerns of her following and relates to them in a personal way and for those on the right especially it is personal. What's the matter with Kansas is that it's about Kansas and those that live there.

There is an old saying that All politics is local. I would also like to ad that to a great number of people it is also personal. They do not give a wet slap about how some program is going to help blacks in Harlem or Latinos in San Francisco. They want to know how is this going to effect them personally, their families and their communities.

It's the one area that the right knows how to do and the left does not. The left needs to stop professing how this or that will help some vague definition of America or how this policy helps/hurts Palestine or Nigeria. That is all well and good but the message needs to be how is this going to help Fred and his Drug Store or the local small manufacturing concern or the florist etc. Because that is what these people are interested in. And it has to be done in a non-preaching, non condescending manner.

But then again, I could be

cmaukonen — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:22:35 +0000

In reply to I do seriously doubt that

But then again, I could be wrong.

I do seriously doubt that

cmaukonen — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:06:01 +0000

In reply to What?! Sarah Palin again? But wait...this is a bit different.

I do seriously doubt that Palin will be elected to president. That would be very strange indeed. I do believe however that she and her followers will change the face, in not the soul of the republican party for years to come. And that the anger that has been brewing over the last 30 years or so and is now coming to a head, will change the face of American politics for years as well.

This I believe is just the tip of the iceberg.

Of course. The republicans

cmaukonen — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:43:51 +0000

In reply to Palin seems be perfectly

Of course. The republicans are not going to own it. But I feel this will avail them nothing with regards to the Tea Party folks. What the republicans to not realize is that the Tea Party's intention is to attempt to take over the republicans. At least as much as possible.

Thank you Obey.

cmaukonen — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:41:03 +0000

In reply to The best take on the Palin

Thank you Obey.

Well it depends on how it is

cmaukonen — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:39:16 +0000

In reply to I saw that Palin was picking

Well it depends on how it is approached. I got into a good discussion concerning just this very subject in chat. Elenore Roosevelt was very active in similar situations but was very effective because her approach was sympathetic rather than condescending. She genuinely respected she went out to. She listened rather than preached and did not come off as self righteous. She did get brick bats herself, though. Goes with the territory, I guess.

Palin seems be perfectly

Donal — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:51:39 +0000

In reply to What?! Sarah Palin again? But wait...this is a bit different.

Palin seems be perfectly positioned to run as the outsider as it is becoming clearer that government is primarily serving the very rich, but she actually represents people that were doing pretty well themselves until recently. So I wonder how a struggle between former allies will play out. So far, the Reps have laid all the problems of the Tea Party class at the feet of Obama, Democrats, illegal immigrants and the working poor. Palin and the Tea Party are adding in a few shots at Wall Street while Obama is Prez, but will they actually take on the class they aspire to be?

I saw that Palin was picking

artappraiser — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 06:47:17 +0000

In reply to What?! Sarah Palin again? But wait...this is a bit different.

I saw that Palin was picking on Michelle Obama's campaign against childhood obesity the other day. Something along the lines of not liking the government telling us what we should eat and how to raise our kids. It struck me as something that would resound with many white working class and must have been picked out as a talking point by a researcher. It's the "elite liberal telling me how to live" meme and it works pretty damn well with certain demographics and has for a long time, since the 80's if not earlier. (Not just white working class, come to think of it--some working class or poor people of color aren't too fond of having to listen to social workers telling them how they should raise their kids.) It's a pity because something does need to get moving on kids eating healthier, but I wonder now how productive the first lady's approach will be.

(Remember Dukakis and arugula? Even I hadn't tasted arugula back then--it's a fav of mine now, but it was still pretty exotic back in those days. )