Ruminations

Blog dedicated primarily to randomly selected news items; comments reflecting personal perceptions

Monday, October 27, 2008

Backing Away - From A Loser

What a leg-up in public opinion Senator McCain garnered in early September with his grand introduction of Governor Sarah Palin to the Republican world; up went his ratings, sparking interest all over the place at this expansion of his modest itinerary into territory hitherto denied him. Suddenly John McCain's prospects soared, and Senator Obama's inner circle faced the consternation of the unanticipated.

Until, unfortunately, Sarah Palin fully revealed herself and expectations plummeted among the hopeful. Not that she hasn't got her exuberant following, hanging on her every world, roaring with delight over her plainspoken down-to-earthiness, shrugging off the absurdity of a legal action for political misdemeanors brought against her. Nothing could diminish the brightness of her rising star among God's faithful.

Just think about it, Senator McCain taking not only a gamble with the introduction of an American Wonder Woman, also incidentally able to court the 'right' vote he could not, in the process forsaking his conscience and his moderate Republican credentials but doing it with such liberated gusto, hugging himself in self-congratulation at his cleverness. (It wouldn't have been his way to hesitate to condemn the murder of abortion-providing medics with terrorism.)

Well, you can take a beauty queen, sport star, hunting-camp devotee, hockey mom enthusiast just so far in introducing her to the international and Washington sophisticates, but when push comes to shove - inflicting upon a woman of modest tastes lavishly sumptuous apparel, insisting that she spree herself at the costliest costume salons in the land - shove has pushed too far.

Not her fault designer labels hung so well as to compel attention to the Republican National Committee bottom line. That 'gotcha' moment got her mighty mad, "I'm not taking them with me. I'm back to wearing my own clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska". Who might imagine that this talented beauty was anchored to second-hand purchases, her glamour and presence independent of gloss?

She has spurned Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, and expensive coiffures and make-up; it just isn't the real Sarah Palin, the lovely woman seated in the pew next to you. Those unneeded and undelighted-in "campaign accessories" were not her idea. And now that they're destined to go to charity post-election, she may happen to come across them at her favourite consignment shop, dirt-cheap.

Charity might have preferred the $190,000 forwarded directly rather than the resulting cut-rate donation, but that's the problem with charitable giving, those who need it are loathe to complain when it's disappointingly less than anticipated. Little did Senator McCain and his inside boys quite understand that she was, unalloyed, the only "campaign accessory" they really needed.

Now she's frothing over the caricature of herself as artificial and grand, good and annoyed, and she just won't take any more of those dead-end critiques from campaign headquarters. It's her way or no way. And, come to think of it, she isn't all that enthralled by her leader's agenda, their values just don't seem to mesh, a revelation hitherto hidden from her. And obviously responsible for his lagging in the polls.

But the adulation and the media spotlights and the public acclaim was awfully nice, far more heady on a national scale than what percolates through in a mere northern state where one can see Russia through the mists of a xenophobic haze. He and she began with an approximation of the same agenda, but it's gone sour, and their polarized values have crept through the fog of partnership.

She's the darling of the hard right-wing, anti-abortion, Christ for America evangelical underbelly of the nation, not he. So a hearty hail to the would-be chief, and farewell for the nonce. Although the leading newspaper in her own state has pointed out the riskiness of their state Governor in a position "one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world" as a heart-stopper, she's set to do it on her own ticket.

There'll be another leadership race after this one, and yet another federal election in four years' time, after her country has come to its senses, under the leadership of Barack Obama - my, that sounds so like Osama bin Laden - and she'll be out there, campaigning to beat the band.

Labels: , ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home

 
()() Follow @rheytah Tweet