Good morning everyone! This will be the only Palin diary you likely see from me. As emotions have cooled and analysis has taken sway it occurs to me that Governor Palin is a gift to Barack Obama, though one wrapped in shigawire (mojo to whomever gets that reference). She presents a golden opportunity to the Left, one that we absolutely cannot miss and if we do we deserve to lose…
Too many “soft” Lefties thought that a McCain administration wouldn’t be too bad. While I personally believe that John McCain would be an improvement over our current leadership, I also think a badger or otter would be an improvement over our current leadership. It’s a pretty low bar.
Too many “soft” Democrats and even moderates have thought that a McCain administration would be more conciliatory, respectful, and moderate than the Bush administration. Let’s assume, for purposes of discussion, that this is somewhat true. Fair enough, I’m skeptical, but whatever. Look at who he picked to be his running mate!
Even if John McCain not only turns out to be everything a moderate might want and EVEN keeps Palin from derailing those impulses (which stretches believability), the man is 72 and a two-time cancer survivor. Even if he serves out his first term well enough, do we really expect him to run a second time?
Please, PLEASE get this message out. The Republicans have picked a fundamentalist Christian who believes that the Rapture will occur during our lives. Yeah, that’s always a great move! Look, I dated a Pentecostal for over two years when I was in undergrad. They’re not evil people, and I wish them well in their ways. Do I think they’ve got a solid grasp of reality? Not on your life!
Sarah Palin galvanized the Republican base. Good for them. I actually pitied them for having a nominee they cared so little for. I obvious enjoyed the prospect of a blowout, but I really don’t care to see swathes of unhappy activists. Lord knows I didn’t much love Kerry. That said, by selecting someone who so obviously appeals to their basest base, well…
Guys, she scares me. Not electorally, either. We can beat these people. We WILL beat these people. What scares me is the idea of her as president. Not because she’s a woman or even because she’s a Republican. She scares me because I have well known people of her ilk. Reality isn’t the point, she see the world through a very different lens than I do. All this is puffery to folks like her.
We got complacent. Palin has brought it home to us just how much this election matters. John McCain at his very best might not wreck the joint (I fully expect he would, but the people we have to convince don’t tend to see it that way), but my God, look at who he has chosen!
There ARE sane moderate Republicans. Some of them are my friends. Several are appalled at Sarah Palin, and how her choice reflects on John McCain. Talk to these people! Reason with them. Remind them of exactly what it means to believe that the Rapture is coming in one’s own lifetime.
We don’t have to bash religion in order to explain that HER views are simply insane. I grew up Jewish in South Carolina. I know enough about fundies to know that while some are the most decent people I’ve ever met, they mostly keep reality at arm’s length. We’ve had eight years of that. Do we really want four more?
The choice of Sarah Palin has scared us into steely-eyed determination to win. The stakes are much higher now, as an Obama loss means so much more damage now than it did before. That helps us. We’ve got skin in this game. The choice of Sarah Palin also gives us an in with “Rockefeller Republicans.” These people still exist and they can help us in a few states. Your more educated and thoughtful Republicans aren’t all happy about this. They want the fundies to vote for ’em, but they don’t want to put them in the White House.
They gave us an opening here. Use it.
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