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With anger coursing through rallies for McCain/Palin with increasing intensity, cries of “terrorist” and “kill him” were heard last week from crowds responding to the negative campaigning of the GOP ticket. Veteran of the Civil Rights movement, Congressman John Lewis from Georgia charged McCain with “sowing the seeds of hatred and division,” invoking an earlier era of invective which turned to violence. Was Lewis on target or overstating?
In this context of economic crisis and anxiety, while McCain calls Obama dangerous and Palin suggests an anti-American Obama cavorts with terrorists, is the frustration and anger at the base something for us to really fear? What are the potential consequences of what Newsweek commentator Jonathan Meachem derided as the “mindless populism” of Sarah Palin. While McCain might have tried to tame the rhetoric in the last few days, can you unring a bell which sounds the alarm to racist elements within the conservative base?
STEVE COBBLE, Former Political Director of Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition and blogger and teacher BRIAN JONES discuss the tenuous populism upon which the McCain campaign rests.
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That depends on whether you define populism as the entire populace, or just the folks with eye holes cut out of their pillow cases.
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It’s very difficult. It’s been several decades since the CIvil RIghts Movement, but the inner Nazi in these folks (in everyone, actually) is dormant, waiting to erupt. Economically stressful times are ideal for such an eruption to take place and Palin and McCain have no compunctions trying to tap into this sentiment.
You can subdue the expression of these sentiments, but it will be temporary.
What happens, I think, is that tough times move most to socialist solutions and the fascists appear as a REACTIONARY movement- funded by those who feel most threatened…..Hitler wouldn’t have had a chance except for the communist elements gaining a strong hand in “between wars” Germany for instance.
She’s not a real Populist!
A Populist has Ethical Character based on Rational Sensibility and a Strong Desire to Do the Greatest Good.
Where a Populist has Ethical Character, Palin – like Bush and McCain – has the ’Loyalty Principle’ – which, makes her a Wolf in a Respectable Person’s Clothing.
So, Palin’s ’Populism’ is more a Mirage.
There’s No Character behind the Image.
The Gov Palin populism is in different catagories.
-The men smitten with a skirt.
-The rabid loyal fundamental base of the GOP.
-Those that superficially monitor her politics.
-The miscellanious group.
Can she make the GOP fundamentals hate long and hard enough?
Will people pay attention long enough to her?
The men smitten with a skirt may not vote for her but they like to
fantasize in the meantime.
All else falls in the Misc. group. As the two angry females in America
support her because Hillary isn’t a candidate. Alaskan’s hoping to rid
themselves of her as Governor of their state. The I need a public reason
to vote against the colored guy crowd. Of course, the holier than thou
group combined with the Arian Nation types. You know, the pure and
devout superior race kind of people. The “Miscellanious Group is the
squirlliest and largest group. With no reality based jurisdiction of
facts supporting their decision of support to America”s future.
Frankly, I must say that I don’t understand the Palin/McCain campaign’s tactics with this bunch of loser voters. I mean, these people (violently bigotted hardcore rethugs) are presumably already in the tank for them. They own these people.
The middle-of-the-road indies and moderate rethugs he desperately needs are only repelled by this type of thing, even those who do harbor racist (or just fearful) views about the world. Middle class Americans are aspirational — especially this set. The last thing this group’ll respond to are tactics that conflate them with the type of crudeness they’ve spent a generation trying to distance themselves from.
So why is he pandering to the hellfire and brimstone choir when he needs to reach out to the the occasional churchgoers? If he turns the church into a hellfire party, the occasional churchgoers will just be all the more inclined to stay home.. or better yet, go over the much more welcoming, congenial and middle-classish Obama church across the street. I’m confused.
At what point does a “maverick” become a “rogue?”
Spot on. The Bavarian Junkers, the corporate machine and the Vatican joined hands against socialism. They valued Hitler’s role in suppressing or outright banning union activity.