Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Hysterical over Palin

McCain picked Sarah Palin, and gets a favorable shift of 20 points among white women. That's substantial. Even if you think it's a cynical ploy, it's an effective one.

Meanwhile, on another planet, Andrew Sullivan writes:
Whatever is to come in the Palin story, the fundamental truth that will remain true is that John McCain made this vital decision in such a reckless, cursory, cynical way that his candidacy really should be over. .... If this race isn't over, it should be.
This is the latest in a series of Sullivan's anti-Palin screeds, which have included two different appeals to investigate Sarah Palin's obstetrician. Tasteful.

Talking Points Memo, meanwhile, writes:
On the stump, not a single word that comes out of her mouth -- or not a single word that the McCain folks put in her mouth -- is anything but a lie.
Not a single word, eh? Within days of Palin's nomination, TPM ran a graphic showing a train derailing with Palin's head photoshopped onto the train.

These two relentlessly trash the other side in ridiculous terms. There's no subtlety any more, there's no acknowledgment of reality, there's just anti-Palin hyperbole. As the polling indicates, though, Palin's been a successful pick for McCain.

It's like we've gone through some bizarre wingnut mirror, and the ridiculousness of the right during the 90s has been appropriated by the left. In the 90's, wingnuts would write about Clinton as if he were Satan incarnate, while the public's approval of the guy showed how out of touch with reality they really are. Reading these two blogs, you'd think that every move an Obama opponent makes is a catastrophic blunder indicative of insanity, racism, or profound incompetence.

It's ridiculous.

4 comments:

Leo said...

In a symptom of the same trend, I have had occasion to debunk multiple Palin chain emails sent to me by coworkers in the last week. I really, really hate to defend that ticket from anything, but the truth matters.

I have to admit, though, that I am pretty damned hysterical over some of this stuff. She does lie an awful lot, and I really cannot picture what our next presidential election will look like if there isn't some modicum of accountability enforced by the media or the electorate.

factory123 said...

With respect to the Bridge to Nowhere, Palin's engaging in some seller's puffery. She flip flopped on the issue. It's not great, but is it a lie?

Incidentally, Biden has said he's not going to argue the point in debates. Why he would avoid attacking her as a flip flopper is beyond me.

Closer to the lie line (and maybe over it) is McCain's sex ed ad, which all but claims that Obama molests children.

Leo said...

Meh, I use a broad definition of lie, which also takes in Obama's "McCain wants to cut taxes on oil companies" as misleading to the point of deceptive.

Under that standard, Obama is an occasional liar, certainly not clean handed. But Palin and McCain are up to the neck in it, and Palin in particular is leaning heavily on the misstatements.

Leo said...

Also, the "I told Congress 'thanks but no thanks'" line is a true lie, in my opinion, because Congress had already de-earmarked the funds when she killed the project.