Staring Into the Hockey Maw: The Day-After Sarah Palin Review Roundup
From David Weigel:
Let’s be honest about what we saw: a woman who was thrust into the presidential race in a farce worthy of Preston Sturges, reciting a speech written by Matthew Scully, faking as hard as she could fake, and lying as fast as she could lie.
From Josh Marshall:
Starting tomorrow, the Democrats can and must come back hard on this issue of “reform”. McCain/Palin reform is just ... well, there’s nothing. It’s an overused phrase but it is all rhetoric. Not only has their party been in power for 8 years. But every policy pushed by John McCain is the one embraced by George Bush. Economic policy, tax policy, Iraq policy, social issues, Bush style politicking, everything. I’m not sure how many people agree with me. But I think the rhetorical ‘reform’ of McCain/Palin is like a big, imposing and very brittle vase. A few good hits and it’ll break apart in a thousand pieces.
They’ve been in power for eight years. They support all of Bush’s policies. And they say they’re bringing reform? Smack it with ridicule and an undertone of contempt and it will fall right apart.
From TBogg:
No wonder they’re cool with eighty-seven year-old former prisoner of war John McCain as President for the brief fourteen moths he has left on God’s Green Earth before a renegade freckle goes Judas on him and drops him like a fainting goat that will never ever get up. He was, like, the youngest person there, besides that snowbilly family they found wandering around the Mall of America looking for the fried sugar stand.
Sarah Palin was smug, mean-spirited, and small-town nasty which should help shore up the evangelical base. Like Maud Flanders, those trips to Bible camp to learn to be more judgmental have really paid off ....
From Maha:
This may sound sexist, but there’s something about Palin that reminds me of the woman that used to come to our high school home ec class and do product demonstrations.
From Steve Benen:
Judging a speech like this, it’s probably best to consider the goals and the audience. Going into the speech, I expected Palin to try to connect to a mainstream audience, demonstrating competence, credibility, and readiness. She already enjoys the support of the GOP base; Palin has to work on convincing everyone else.
And yet, she (or, more accurately, the McCain campaign aides who wrote her speech) went in a different direction, aiming to shore up the party’s base even more. Instead of seriousness, Palin went for biting and sarcastic partisanship. Instead of presenting herself as a trustworthy leader, Palin proved herself an attack-dog ideologue. Instead of answering questions about readiness, she answered questions about who she hates and how much. Palin not only steered clear of the concerns of swing voters, she practically thumbed her nose at them.
From Attaturk:
As Sarah Palin demonstrated she’s very good at reading other people’s speeches once the proper pronouns are cut and pasted. Now, the Republicans put forth the kind of campaign they will run.
It is, to be fair, one based on an ideal.
That Americans are stupid, base, resentful and bigoted. That if one can scream and bloviate loudly enough you can keep your Party in power even when it is about as popular as chlamydia. How Mavericky!
From ts:
GOP: Is this the hill you want to die on? You do realize, I hope, that a lot of people who saw last night’s speeches, those who aren’t already predisposed to vote for McCain, will hear you slag community organizers and think, “Gosh, what a bunch of fucking assholes.”
From Roy Edroso:
Governor Palin’s address tonight was basically Reba McEntire doing a one-woman show on the life of Phyllis Schlafly. In turning the McCain campaign toward the traditional tactics of Republican politics—that is, fear, contempt, and patriotism—his advisors have also returned the Vice-Presidential role to that of attacker, who does the knife work so the Presidential candidate can remain above it all. But where Dole and Cheney, for example, looked the part, the novelty here was to have it performed by a young woman who dispensed her put-downs with the cheery sangfroid of a particularly vicious sewing-circle lady. She could afford, then, to be casual in dispensing her assaults, not only because the crowd had built up a froth of hatred against her enemies (whom, from the frequency and vigor of their booing, they must imagine to be everyone except themselves), but also because a large part of the audience probably thought it was not vicious, but cute. She’s certainly easier to take than the fist-clenching Giuliani, who may have been so warmly applauded in part for giving the delegates a good demonstration of how right they were not to have chosen him.
From Nate at 538:
I think some of you are underestimating the percentage of voters for whom Sarah Palin lacks the standing to make this critique of Barack Obama. To many voters, she is either entirely unknown, or is known as an US Weekly caricature of a woman who eats mooseburgers and has a pregnant daughter. To change someone’s opinion, you have to do one of two things. Either, you have to be a trusted voice of authority, or you have to persuade them. Palin is not a trusted voice of authority—she’s much too new. But neither was this a persuasive speech. It was staccato, insistent, a little corny. It preached to the proverbial choir. It was also, as one of my commentors astutely noted, a speech written by a man and for a man, but delivered by a woman, which produces a certain amount of cognitive dissonance.
If you see any other good ones, drop a link in the comments (but please use the second button from the right above the comments box to highlight words and make them links). Oh, and TPM uploaded a video of the Ben Stein diss on Palin that we highlighted yesterday. You can view it here.
MORE: Steve M. has posted a great roundup of post-speech reactions from focus groups and everyday folks. The cable news folks may be panting for Palin, but the people who matter don’t seem to be.
IN ADDITION: James Fallows has posted a great analysis of Palin’s speech at The Atlantic. [hat tip icebergwedge]
Posted by Kevin K. on 09/04/08 at 07:56 AM • Permalink
Categories: Politics • Election '08 • St. McSame • Editorials • Nutters • Sarah Palin • Poliblogs • Polisnark •
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