[Vision2020] In Sonia v. Sarah, GOP is doomed

[Ted Moffett]

I read one political pundit who claimed former President W. Bush had three
main appeals: religious fundamentalist, anti-intellectual, and macho
cowboy.  Sarah Palin is in some respects a female W. Bush.  Which is no
doubt part of the reason she was nominated for V.P.  And Karl Rove ("Bush's
Brain") is a pure political strategist who will state whatever his
calculations and polling numbers inform him is advantageous for his client
or against his client's opponents.  Sotomayer's intellect in question, Palin
well qualified...The truth can be bended, emotional appeal and image bought
in the media, sound bites repeated till they become fact, given the US
populace does not have a thoroughgoing respect for logic and evidence, or at
least not enough for in depth research into political or scientific issues.

The economic collapse is certainly a major factor in the Republican losses
in 2008, that doomed the Republicans.  And if the US economy does not turn
around by 2012, it may doom the Democrats.  There is a theory that some
Republican strategists, given the collapsing economy, expected to lose the
presidency in 2008 (McCain thus a "token" nomination); and could use this to
advantage to blame the economic problems on the Democrats in 2012, retaking
the White House.

The US populace votes with their wallets, to a great extent.  Many of the
Republican Party's problems might have been overlooked if on election day
2008 Wall Street was booming, unemployment low, wages rising, home ownership
increasing.  We might now have McCain/Palin in the White House.  Would that
be any more amazing than W. Bush in the White House?

A politician can be incompetent and still win office.  Witness former
President W. Bush's second term.  Palin's failings as a politician are in
part because she thinks, like W. Bush did, apparently, that being guided by
God endows a leader with the moral authority to break the rules or laws of
government.  But Palin was/is not backed by one of the most powerful
political families in US history, like W. Bush.  Imagine what father and
former President H. Bush knows that could do damage to others, backed by the
Bush family's huge wealth and political and economic connections?  He was
director of the CIA, and served as former President Reagan's V.P.  W. Bush
got away with (so far) conduct far worse than Palin's ethics violations.

Palin was more truly an "outsider" to the Washington political machine.
Politicians like McCain and W. Bush are not really "mavericks" or
"outsiders," despite their image; they are backed by sophisticated political
propaganda machines controlled by powerful political/economic interests.
Palin was being controlled by powerful interests in her nomination for VP,
but I think she in some respects resented being stage managed for the game
of national political propaganda.  She should have stayed in Alaska as
governor, it seems, and turned down the VP nomination, rather than get in
over her head on the national political stage.

A politician must worry about being labeled a "elitist academic," lacking in
religious faith (of the correct kind, of course, so no Muslim would be
elected president, I'll guarantee, no matter how qualified), and appearing
too conciliatory or diplomatic.  It was painful to witness Obama dumbing
down his brilliant intellect in his speeches and public statements when
campaigning for the presidency, but this was necessary, given the strain of
anti-intellectualism among the US populace, as was his explicit and repeated
insistence he was a devout Christian, to counter the rumors he might have
had a background with Islamic influences.  He played the plain talking tough
guy occasionally regarding military and national defense issues, also a wise
strategy to win election.

As far as the Republican attacks against Sotomayor during the congressional
hearings, some are of course aimed at the politician's constituency to
appeal to their bias.  Republican Senator from Alabama Jeff Sessions is
talking to those in Alabama in the following attacks on Sotomayor, and I
would guess they are cheering, given the political landscape in that state:

http://blog.al.com/sweethome/2009/07/jeff_sessions_confronts_sonia.html
-----------------

Consider Sessions mentality, if this report is correct:

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2009/7/14/sotomayors_fate_partly_in_hands_of.htm


Sessions had reportedly said he was OK with the KKK until he learned some of
the members were "pot smokers."

In addition, during Sessions' confirmation hearing, Justice Department
lawyers testified that he had said that the NAACP and ACLU were
communist-inspired because they tried to "force civil rights down the
throats of people."
-----------------
<http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2009/7/14/sotomayors_fate_partly_in_hands_of.htm>

Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett

On 7/15/09, Kenneth Marcy <kmmos1 at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> >From Toronto, Ontario, Canada at The Globe and Mail, Margaret Wente
> writes:
>
> The Democrats have Sonia Sotomayor. The Republicans have Sarah Palin.
> That's
> all you really need to know. Between them, these two women explain why the
> Republicans are doomed.
>
> Sonia Sotomayor, a Latina who grew up in a Bronx housing project, is a
> shoo-in
> for the Supreme Court. Barack Obama knew exactly what he was doing when he
> picked her. She is a symbol of Hispanic aspirations in a country where
> Hispanics are an increasingly powerful political force. She's known for her
> ferocious drive and work ethic and, despite what you may hear, she appears
> to
> be a moderate. She represents the American dream in action. The Republicans
> hate her.
>
> Sarah Palin was the most scarily incompetent vice-presidential nominee in
> the
> history of the United States. She graduated from the University of Idaho,
> where she majored in communications (still not her strong suit). She
> represents the Peter Principle in action. The Republicans love her.
>
> Guess which one has been attacked by Karl Rove for not having the intellect
> for the job? That's right. Sonia Sotomayor.
>
> The rest of the story is at:
>
>
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/in-sonia-v-sarah-gop-is-doomed/article1216888/
>
> or, the same URL, shortened: http://tinyurl.com/mf5ckv
>
>
> Ken
>
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