Some smart observations over at Culture 11's blog, on the cultural aspect of this race.
Conservatives respect McCain, but they don't love him. He makes them take off their hats, but he doesn't make them throw them in the air. For that, they turn to Sarah Palin, whose brief mention drew a louder response than McCain himself. McCain knows that, if he loses, this could be his last big moment on the national stage; he's just trying to send himself off in style. No more balloons for the Mac: This is Palin's race now.
James Poulos, on the lessons of the cultural politics of the present moment:
One of the weirdest but biggest reasons why the Democrats will have trouble keeping people fixated on the economic liberalism is that they're already so captivated by a popular culture that's still working within the context of cool as defined by the cultural radicalism mainstreamed during the '70s and '80s. The great power of Sarah Palin, even though much of her persona is so firmly conservative, is that she makes Obama look less cool. And nobody has really reckoned yet with the way Palin reveals how the culture wars are operated from the bogus premise that this is a 50/50 nation culturally as well as politically. It's a 10/80/10 nation. That should hearten cultural conservatives and cultural liberals, but embarrass and consternate them too.
Poulos's analysis is very savvy (you should read the whole thing).He's pointing out that despite what self-conscious cultural liberals and self-conscious cultural conservatives think, there's actually a huge middle out there that's a big messed-up and inconsistent jumble of impulses, some of them contradictory. It's very hard to predict what people's cultural politics will lead them to do in the voting booth.
Here's what I think James is getting at. Remember that 2005 Pew political typology survey? It showed that the profile of what most people think of when they hear the words "Liberal" and "Conservative" actually represent only about 10 percent of either party. But in both cases, those small minorities play a vastly disproportionate role in determining the policies of their respective parties. Thus, as James notes, both conservative and liberal observers can be misled into thinking that there are lots more people who think and who will act like they do.
Anyway, events over the next days or weeks might prove me wrong, but I think Suderman is right to say this is Palin's race now; McCain is a noble figure, but he looked old and worn out last night. Barack Obama and Sarah Palin both represent the political future. And they're both cool (so was John McCain, once upon a time). Yes, people will choose between Obama and McCain, but deep down, they're really choosing between Obama and Palin, two rival versions of the future.
Interestingly, neither Obama nor Palin is a revolutionary figure, at least not on policy or ideology. Obama's Democratic acceptance speech was blue-party boilerplate. Palin's was red-state red meat. In both cases, it's their personal style and personal biography that sets each apart. Which is where cool comes in.
UPDATE: Ah, who can forget the most famous example of the political importance of being able to project cool in the television era:
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Palin has many positives, but she also has real negatives. I fear "dazzle" is overdoing substance, especially for journalists.
This is not Obama vs Palin and if it becomes that then McCain really has made a terrible mistake for everyone. Because Palin is not going to be President anytime soon. (Sorry, but I just don't believe in the "McCain will fall-over dead in 6 months" theory) She's shown herself to be a good learner in her career, but on a national level she still has things to learn.
This is McCain vs Obama. That McCain is not dynamic I think is a real plus, not a negative. The last 8 years have been very exciting. Do you want more excitement? Well I don't. not really. Granted as a journalist a Palin or Obama Presidency bringing excitement means paydirt, but I think most of us don't make our living as journalists or bloggers.
Im still trying figure out what the Repuplican convention was about. Palin is basicly repeating what ever Mcains camp tells her to say. I intrested to see what her thoughts are and understand what she feels about the countries mortgages crises or what she thinks about the Middle East or out soursing or any number of things that hit home...that's what i want to know not lipstick and hockey mom stuff lets get some information going the country is in bad shape the dollor is as week as it's been since the 50s..we have a groing threat of lack of educationg in this country and not.If this is the best that mcain can do that we are.
Thomas R @ 4:02 AM gets large parts of this right.
Every good campaign strategist above the town-council level knows that elections are won by doing three things: 1) Getting enough money in the coffers to mount a solid TV/media effort; 2) Having a candidate who is at least semi-presentable to potential contributors, and 3) Getting your base out to the polls and (volunteers to the precinct-station tables) in quantities.
The money's there; the bundlers in the corporate crowd have seen to that. Presentability of the candidate isn't a problem; the "War Hero John" meme went viral ages ago. Enthusiasm of the base was McCain's problem. Sarah Palin's selection was all about playing to that base, or at least to that segment of the GOP base known as the "Religious Right".
We should not make the mistake of believing that the McCain campaign (or even McCain himself) is actually going to serve the interests of the commoners in his base. The handlers know that the Senate and House are going to be in "opposition" hands for the likely duration of any McCain Administration, so they know that there isn't going to be any prospect of, say, two more Scalia- or Thomas-style judges on the Supreme Court. Which means Roe stays on the books. They also know that there aren't going to be any serious tax or spending cuts in the offing, courtesy of the Boomer retirements coming up. Translation: bye-bye small-business-owner support.
They know there's nothing in the pipeline of any substance to offer the base; the only tactic remaining is the one to which the RRs and a television-raised working-class base are particularly susceptible: cheap theatricalism, followed by a generous dose, once in office, of "I tried, but those SOBs in Congress were too tough for me". The Palin selection and the convention speeches were cheap theatricalism at its very kitschy best. I doubt Palin would be the No. 2 if she wasn't very easy on the eyes.
The McCain people are hoping to win a probable "squeaker" election on on raw emotionalism and a new face that is attractive to working- and lower-middle-class males (their base). Once in office, things will revert to the State/Corporate deal-making that looks after the interests of the big campaign contributors. (Who will be there to notice, and what will anyone who doesn't like it be able to DO about it ?)
The interests of the American commoner will, of course, be completely ignored. To coin a phrase "If God had not wanted them shorn, he would not have made them sheep." And so it goes, until the whole thing comes tumbling down.
Your servant,
Lord Karth
"In the modern age, cynicism is a necessary and valuable survival skill. It is the eye-opener in the Kingdom of the Blind."
One other thing: Sarah Palin was selected as the candidate for VICE-President, not for the top job. Even if McCain wins, she'll be used in the same way that any other beauty queen is: for traveling to foreign funerals and for cutting the ribbons at local malls.
In terms of actual power, she'll be about as useful as the teats on a boar hog.
Your servant,
Lord Karth
PALIN MAKES OBAMA LOOK LESS COOL?
ONLY TO REPUBLICANS,EVERYONE ELSE FEELS EVEN WORST IT SEEMS ABOUT THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN WITH PALINS EXTREME RIGHT VIEWS.
PALINS POPULARITY IS AMONG HER BASE,WHITE REDNECKS!
OBAMAS IS AMONG A PLETHORA OF DIFFERENT KIND.
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