The Palin Trap

By Libby

I haven't been blogging much here for a few reasons. One, I'm job hunting. Two, I'm blogging up a storm at The Detroit News on the premise that I'm reaching the most McCain supporters there. Three, I've been arguing for days with libertarians. And four, I've been doing a lot of research on Sarah Palin, trying to figure out the GOP strategy beyond the obvious ploy of keeping her away from the media in any sort of unscripted format in order to avoid a Fred Thompsonesque crash. I've come to the conclusion that we've walked into an incredibly intricate, Rovian trap that is breathtaking in the scope of its long range planning.

The current, carefully built narrative speaks of a hasty and rash pick, plucking a fragile and shallow neophyte, unprepared to battle with the big guns of the Village out of the wilds of Alaska, who nonetheless is showing her mettle and proving her critics wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth. For one thing, she's been in politics for a long time and from her tiny fiefdom in Wasilla to the statehouse in Juneau, she has demonstrated a strong ability to practice the ruthless politics of personal destruction. She forms alliances of convenience and does not hestitate to stab her allies in the back to further her own goals.

As McCain might say, she's learned her dirty tricks at the feet of some the most corrupt politicians in the USA. She was cozy with the Murkowskis, bowing out in one state Senate race and working to elect his daughter, ultimately being rewarded for her 'team spirit' with a patronage position as head of Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which by the way pays a six figure annual income. Two years later, having gathered her oppo, she quit the commission, charged her enemies, now including Murkowski, with corruption and developed the 'ethical maverick,' corruption buster storyline that ultimately carried her into the governor's office.

Then there's her long association with with the king of corruption, Ted Stevens, including as a founding member of his 527 PAC. She had plenty of national press experience in the long course of Stevens' indictment. Blue NC uncovered a joint press conference she gave with him that appears to have been with local media. But if you watch the whole thing, where they address their ongoing association despite Sarah's public criticism of him, it speaks volumes on how practiced she really is in spinning. She's clearly learned much from him, though you can tell from her body language she doesn't like him a bit. He's just another convenient ally, but he's too big to take down -- yet.

But beyond all that, the GOP has had their eye on her for a very long time. Back in July of 07, Fred Barnes did a gushing profile piece on her, where he was already building the hockey mom meme. The piece reveals, among the endless flattery, that she is no stranger to the politics of personality. Her whole career has been built on it and a key element is avoiding too much exposure to the public and the press.

Her campaign for governor was bumpy. She missed enough campaign appearances to be tagged "No Show Sarah" by her opponents. She was criticized for being vague on issues. But she sold voters on the one product that mattered: herself.

In other words, (forgive me feminist readers for saying this) she traded on her looks and her personalilty to get what she wanted. She's not so much an achiever, as I've seen posited elsewhere, as she is a master manipulator. In December of 07, Fred Barnes had this to say about her.

"What helps her obviously is that she's a woman, she's attractive, she's a conservative, she has a strong record of integrity, she's a spending-cutter, she's not a tax-raiser, and those things obviously would help," Barnes said. "I'm not sure she's ready to be vice president, yet, however."

Notice the continued building of the current narrative. But, two days ago, Fred had this to say.

Palin shouldn't be shackled by her conservatism. True, she's a committed social conservative strongly opposed to abortion. But the portrait of her as a right-wing zealot painted by the mainstream media isn't accurate. In her short career, Palin has raised taxes, bailed out a failing state-run milk enterprise, and worked to keep federal money flowing to Alaska. She's conservative, but not that conservative. [...]

So how in the world could this 44-year-old woman with no national political experience handle the whole thing with poise and composure and seeming effortlessness? Simple. She's a natural, gifted with the ability to connect with people in a way that few politicians can and to perform under extreme pressure. She has star quality.

It looks to me like the strategy is to paint her as 'true' bi-partisan, willing to embrace Democratic strategies to get the job done, when they finally unveil her to the media. And Leftopia and the media just spent the last week and a half building that narrative for them. Sure smells like a trap from where I sit and we walked right into it. [graphic via Alaskan Abroad]

Comments

[JWF]

JWF, you were warned that content-free trolling just to insult was going to earn you a ban. Regards, C

[mufler]

It's funny how winning is more important than what you won. I am invested in Euros and non-us investments. It's a shame that the power to win trumps the power to do what is right.

[ChenZhen]

The risk of ignoring her bait, of course, is the appearance of weakness and/or giving the shots credibility.

The more I read about her tenure as Mayor, I can see that she seems to have the same loyalty-over-competence style of governing as Bush. This is probably the narrative that should be pursued as an affective counter that doesn't engage in that style of politics.

Re: JWF. Toodles!

[Libby]

Mufler - wise choice and you're right, it is a shame that we've been taken over by power crazed madmen.

Chenzhen - How to deal with her is a puzzle. The more I study her, the more I realize just how dangerous an opponent she really is. She's an articulate Bush with a fresh and attractive face. She'll go far in the GOP. She makes the McCain ticket infinitely more dangerous.

[tao9]

This post sounds like an American Spectator blast from 1992 smearing candidate Bill Clinton. Same tone, same baseless conjecture, same innuendo, same fear; of an American governor, for God's sake.

[geoff]

I suspect you might be right Libby and hope that the Obama team is considering how to deal with the modern GOP methods raising its head again. As an outsider though it is difficult to image that US citizens would again decide to choose the GOP for the WH and I don't think I'd be the only foreigner to simply want my gov't to take a stand-offish attitude towards the US if it happens. Not that this latter action would be actually done by my gov't what ever it may end up being.

If McCain does win, and even if Congress is strongly Democrat, I suspect some of your key institutions will continue to decay with a GOPer in the WH. For example: how do you clean the Justice Department up with a, likely obstructionist POTUS and VP; how do you make even an attempt to hold anyone accountable for the pass 8 years - you pick the area - and try to gain back some creditability with allies and even potential enemies; how do you stop the erosion of a rational science based approach to life with individuals who are "off with the fairies" running the executive branch; ... .

My fingers are crossed more for you guys than for us North of most of you with our election writ having been just dropped today. As a funny note the conservative - Harper - party are running ads here, no policy or attacks just yet, showing our PM as a nice friendly person who plays cards with his kids and isn't what we've all come to know from his performances in the House of Commons over the last 2 years as a bitter, nasty authoritarian that actually hates Canadians and our institutions.

Sorry to read about the job problems. Hope you get some breaks soon.

[Libby]

Geoff - I'm trying to remember that it's all cyclical and anything can happen. It's very concerning to see this brazen ploy working. But then I look at the numbers of newly registered Dems and the diminishing GOP registrants and wonder where the hell the poll numbers are coming from. I'm still hoping for an unprecedented turnout that will negate the GOPs voter suppression plans. The Diebolds on the other hand are a bit more concerning but there's only so much skewing they could do before people would realize it's a fix and they are being dumped in some districts so that will help some.

All we can do is hope at this point. Once the celebrity wears off, I'm hoping the Palin effect will diminish.