Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Republicans Look for Scapegoats on McCain's Palin Problem

It's the dang liberal media! It's those nasty left-wing bloggers! It's sexism! Hell, it's Obama's fault! Of course it is!

Whenever someone on the Right makes a mistake (yes, they DO make mistakes), it always comes down to that famous scene out of Casablanca: Round up the usual suspects.

But no one can blame the media, bloggers, sexism, or Obama for Gov. Palin's inexperience, poor judgment, and political naivete.

It's not their fault that Palin was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it.

It's not their fault that Palin lobbied for $27 million in federal earmarks for Wasilla before she became a anti-earmarks reformer.

It's not their fault that Palin remains a friend and political ally of Sen. Ted Stevens, now under federal indictment for corruption.

It's not their fault that Palin has multiple associations with the Alaska Independence Party, a anti-government group that wants to secede from the United States.

It's not their fault that Palin is being investigated in the Troopergate scandal, accused of using her office to carry out a personal vendetta.

It's not their fault that Palin cut funds for a teen-pregnancy prevention program earlier this year and supports abstinence-only sex education programs that haven't been effective.

No, neither the press nor the bloggers nor sexism nor Sen. Obama had anything to do with Sarah Palin's inconsistent and sometimes petty political record as mayor or governor.

But when the news is bad, the Republicans always know what to do: Shoot the messenger.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

From the horses' mouths. Yahoo News:

Noonan, Murphy trash Palin on hot mic: 'It's over'

After a segment with NBC's Chuck Todd ended today, Republican consultant Mike Murphy and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan were caught on a live mic ridiculing the choice of Sarah Palin.

"It's over," said Noonan, and then responded to a question of whether Palin is the most qualified Republican woman McCain could have chosen.

"The most qualified? No. I think they went for this — excuse me — political bullsh** about narratives," she said. "Every time Republicans do that ... because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at and they blow it."

Murphy chimed in:

"The greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and this is cynical."

Anonymous said...

As expected:

Gallup, 9/3:

"These data show, however, that at least initially, McCain has lost ground among both white independent women and white independent men (and among Democrats of both genders) since the convention and his vice-presidential selection.

"Instead, the data suggest that McCain has in essence fought a rear-guard action of sorts among white women of his own GOP base, building their support to a degree even as he was losing support among independents and Democrats of both genders."

Remember, the GOP strategy was to appeal to independents and moderates, not the hardcore base. Looks like the GOP is stuck with the 2004 strategy, for better or worse.