Deep Political Thought of the Day — Updated
Roy Blount, Jr was telling me, before last night’s taping, about talking with President Bill Clinton the night before at the Esquire Magazine 75th Anniversary party in NYC. Clinton, as is wont, was chatting at length on topics political, including Governor Palin, and said to Roy (keeping in mind this is a paraphrase of a paraphrase) “She just popped out of nowhere, and now Barack’s got to deal with her, just like Hillary had to do with Barack…”
Palin = Obama? Nobody on either side would ever agree to that. Not in terms of substance. But in terms of the hostility they inspire? You betcha, as I keep hoping Palin will say.
So, to my liberal readers, if you want to know why your conservative (or Hillary-loving) friends have such disdain for Barack Obama, just consult your own feelings about Governor Palin, which are probably something like: a comically unqualified newcomer to the political scene, embodying the discredited ideas of the past in a prettier package, who’s done nothing of note beyond giving a good speech or two, and who hides behind a shield of political correctness to fend off legitimate criticism while inspiring irrational worship among the faithful who use her as a vessel for their own anger and resentment.
That’s exactly what they all think about your guy. And, conservative readers, (hello?), just consult your own feelings about Barack Obama to understand your liberal friends’ hostility to Governor Palin.
You are all friends, right?
UPDATE: As I expected, some people have made comments along the lines of, “Yes, sure, but actually, they’re quite different because of [EXPLANATION OF SUBSTANTIVE DIFFERENCE.]” Of course, there are differences. In fact, it would be harder to think of two figures in American politics as unalike as Obama and Palin. (G’head, try.) My point is only that the comparison allows you to understand what your political opponents are feeling, which is a useful thing to do.
And: my old pal Andrew makes a fine point in comments: one way in which they are both alike is that they both feel, despite what many many many other people have to say about them, that they are ready to be President, right now. I myself, as I often say, am a monster of ego, but wouldn’t go that far. They both would, and whatever you think about how right they might be, it’s a breathtaking show of… well, I’m sure there’s a Yiddish word for it.
September 12th, 2008 at 7:16 am
Friends?? In the dirty game of politics, can anyone really be friends?? (What do I know? I hang out with a baby and toddler all day… but at least they’re liberal-minded kids…)
September 12th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Wow. you really defined the similarities very well. I can sum up the difference in their qualifications though, in two letters. The letters I and Q.
Barack Obama has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with an emphasis in international relations, and he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law school! He taught a course on Constitutional Law for 12 years, and practiced law for a few as well.
Sarah Heath majored in Journalism, and became a sportscaster! She has to have Nuclear spelled phonetically on her teleprompter, or she gets it wrong!
So yeah, when they say that Obama has no real qualifications for the presidency, it’s the same thing we are saying about her. The difference is.. We are right.
September 12th, 2008 at 8:38 am
If that’s what Bill Clinton meant, it just shows again how brilliant he is.
Otherwise, it shows the kind of Clintonian Brilliance that you (Peter) have.
September 12th, 2008 at 9:28 am
That makes a whole ton of sense and is a brilliant distillation of what has been going on. However, I still thank Frank for pointing out the differences — Con Law prof vs. lipstick wearing pit bull, and … hmmm … Oh, and I can’t think of a Sarah Palin speech that was impressive in any way, shape or form.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:16 am
The other quality they share is a breathtaking amount of self-confidence and self-regard. I mean, these two are both my age, and have no qualms about saying, “sure, I’m qualified to be President. And I’m ready to take on the job tomorrow.” (Palin said that flat-out to Charlie Gibson, when he asked if, in the worst-case scenario, she could assume the post.) I can’t even imagine words like that coming out of my mouth. “President? Aaah, what’s the big deal? I could do it with my eyes closed.”
Actually, that might be the only way I COULD do it.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:33 am
It’s only a matter of time before she snaps and lets slip with the ‘you betcha’ that’s been poised on the tippitiest tip of her tongue for the last couple of weeks. The strain with denying it airplay must be wearing at her soul.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Hello back (from a conservative reader :-)! One of the things I LOVE about your take on things is you’re able to see the hypocrisy and humor in ALL the political stripes - liberal, conservative, etc. So few people are able to see beyond their own biases and try to figure out where the other guy is coming from.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Once significant difference between the Obama and Palin situations is that we’ve had a historically long campaign season to learn about Obama–his foibles and fortes. He has held numerous press conferences, been very available to reporters, even appeared on a notably conservative (and confrontational) “news” show. We have a very short time to learn about Palin. How many press conferences has she held? How available is she to reporters? How likely is it that she will appear, in the next month or so, on, say, Countdown with Keith Obermann, or the Rachel Maddow show?
I think your comparison has some merit, but ultimately fails to be useful unless the comparison is made to the initial reaction to the unknown Obama.
September 12th, 2008 at 11:37 am
I believe the Yiddish word is “cajones.”
September 12th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
On readiness to be President: there is a saying in my native Russian, which most likely has an equivalent in English (I just couldn’t google it up successfully), and in my awkward translation would sound like: “A Newborn Lamb Does Not Fear A Lion”. The thing which in my eyes puts Obama above the hockey mom is that he at least read about the lions, and probably even had to write a paper or two on them. So there is hope.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Once again, I’m amazed at how some of the best commentary and analysis is coming from humor and satire, whether Wait, Wait… or The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. And most of it is truly fair and balanced, unlike some outlets using that motto.
If nothing else, the Daily Show’s compare-and-contrast segments should be required viewing for anyone planning to vote this year.
I wouldn’t say I get all of my news from these three sources–goodness knows, I wouldn’t get the jokes if I did–but I can say I trust their and your take on the news more than most other media.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I’m with kuz… but they’re made out of brass!
September 12th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
The remarkable thing about Palin is that aside from Alaskans, nobody knows who this person is, including the pundits who have shamelessly support her or unfairly nitpick her. She is the product of a narrative constructed by professional campaign managers who have manufactured a candidate to combat the newness/change strength that Obama brings to his campaign. And people project their own images, positive or negative, onto her. The McCain campaign will do everything to make sure the image they want projected is put out until election day, after which it is not their job to insure that she is actually competent to be VP. That is not to say Palin isn’t a person of substance. But there is no way people can really make an informed decision about whether this individual is competent to be President, if necessary, in 50 plus days with the spin that dominates our elections. At least Obama has had to withstand the scrutiny that comes with campaigning for 2 plus years, including primary season. Does anybody really have to know more about Obama in order to vote for or against him at this point? Can you say the same thing for Palin?
September 12th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Roger:
And aside from her basic record, what we know about her is mostly from people in Alaskan politics, both the liberals she angered, and the conservatives she has, well, also angered. True, she has a lot of friends there, but she has a lot of enemies on both sides. The president of the state senate responded to a question about whether she was qualified to be VP with something along the lines of, “She’s legally old enough, and she’s a US citizen.” (That is not an exact quote, and google is failing me at finding it.) When I mentioned this to friends, they said, “See, even her own party hates her!” But she’s in Alaska, where party politics is corrupt to a degree that can be shocking even down here in the lower 48, where it’s not innocent. She’s angered a lot of powerful people in her own party, there. So though I listen to what people there say about her, I also take it — from both sides — with a grain of salt. I’m not sure how much we can learn about her from them, how polluted the sources are.
September 12th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Peter
As a very long-time listener (attracted here by Adam) I have always been impressed by how much truth is brought to my attention by Roy.
’nuff said (as far as I am concerned).
September 12th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
morninglight mama, I hang out with people’s dogs all day, and now you’ve got me wondering what their political leanings are. . .
Laura, if you appreciate the humor (and idiocy) of people in general, I highly recommend Randy Cassingham’s This is True; I’ve been a subscriber since nearly the beginning of teh IntarWebs.
And thanks to kuz for making me shoot good beer out my nose and onto my keyboard. You owe me
Good brain material, Peter (if I may be so informal) - thank you. I look forward to listening to you this (and every) Sunday. Someday, when I drive Route 66 backwards, I’ll get to see a live show and do other awesome Chicagoland stuff. - g^2
September 12th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
At least Obama spent many months campaigning against Hillary and participated in something like 27 debates with her and the other Democratic candidates. Millions of people were able to watch, listen, and vote in the primaries for the candidate they liked best. Palin’s jump to the national stage was based on one man’s apparently spontaneous decision - So which one really came out of nowhere and are they really two sides of the same coin?
September 15th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Palin is relatively young, has nice legs (always prominently featured, crossed, emerging from a SKIRT). Hillary is middle-aged, has legs like bowling pins (the rare instance when she isn’t wearing PANTS).
PERIOD.
This country is evidently so image-obsessed they prefer a worthless crazy in heels.
Just how many prefer the ghastly Governor over Biden and Obama (a credible candidate at last) will only be known in November.
But if the Republicans win, it will be regarded as folly past the point of no return for this beleaguered country. And I’ll be moving to Paris or Berlin.