We cats promised we'd beam in on the Freepers to see how they're coping with the news that their heroine, the famous quitter from Alaska, will not run for President in 2012. It took us all afternoon, but we finally just checked. And goodness gracious, are they upset!
We've only browsed, but the responses appear to range from horrified surprise to hand-wringing predictions of America's certain doom. Interestingly, we've also seen a touch of anger toward their sainted goddess. "I thought she loved America," one commented."I feel sick to my stomach. She owes those of us who bought her books and supported her financially a [sic] explaination [sic] and an apology."
Hm. Somehow we doubt that most Palin worshipers will come to grips with reality quite as quickly. But before we leave the famous quitter in the dust for awhile (because of course, she'll never completely go away), all the Freeper keening and moaning has made us think once again about what life has been like these past three years — before John McCain foisted this Alaskan nightmare upon us.
We've mused before about how McCain's selection of Sarah Palin in 2008 was pretty darn near close to treason. How could an elderly cancer survivor pick a potential Vice President who was so incalculably unqualified for the top job? But with her second, most recent quitting — after having teased her party and the nation for months and months — we realize anew that McCain's irrational and impetuous decision was even more than merely treasonous.
An honorable Presidential candidate selects a running mate who will serve his party and the country well. Jimmy Carter's Vice President was a respected Senator and the Democratic nominee in 1984. Lloyd Bentsen went on to serve in the Clinton Administration. President Gore won the 2000 election and the Nobel Peace Prize seven years later. Cheney, for ill or for good, essentially ran the country for two terms while the smirking man-child cleared brush and rode his mountain bike. Kennedy and Johnson each pulled a Lincoln and elevated a political rival. Reagan's VP went on to be elected in his own right and conducted the first Gulf War reasonably well (up until its end). Even Goldwater, indirectly at least, gave us the legacy of Stephanie Miller.
And then there's John McCain. His running mate's Shermanesque statement last night, as unintelligible and "me-first" as anything she's ever uttered, proves for the millionth time the folly of the Arizona Senator's selection. Palin had an obligation, as a young Vice Presidential nominee, to guide and lead her party in the wake of its defeat. Instead, she chose to quit her job, and prostitute herself and her entire family. Fortunately for us Democrats, she has half-frozen, half-divided her party. Neither action is what you expect from the right kind of Presidential running mate.
In short, a mere three years later, McCain's cynical, craven — and yes, treasonous — decision is still coming home to roost for what remains of the Republican Party.
Will any of the punditry who will slice and dice Palin's non-announcement over the coming days indict McCain — and hold him completely responsible for this horrific political soap opera?
Don't bet on it.
2 comments:
All your posts are trenchant, informed, and, more often than not, witty. This is one of the best. I don't think anyone in the media has so completely and clearly skewered those two nitwits, McCain and Palin. And, of course, seeing Quayle is always good for a laugh and a shudder.
Dear Cranky, You are a misnomer because, of course, you are not cranky but the gentlest of companions. We cats thank you for your kind words and support. It's also good to know that there are other bloggers like you out there who call the Republicans on all their absurdities and reprehensibilities. (Is that a word?)
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