I consider myself an "Independent", not willing to be tied down by one party's ideology. Throughout the entire election cycle, I have been hesitating in getting swept up by "Obamamania" and have been critical of media outlets like NBC of being so "in the tank" of the Illinois Senator. As such an Even-Steven, I convinced myself Wednesday night that since I paid passive heed to the Democrats last week, I should probably endow the GOP with the same lukewarm involvement last week, political junkie that I am.
You won't hear me say this much, but I was wrong in my decision. After about seven minutes of Rudy Giuliani's chest-thumping, I got too angry to take any more. His rant was juvenile and, more so, it was mean-spirited, insulting, and, quite frankly, sounded angry and insecure.
So, was I surprised to read in WaPo yesterday morning that Sarah Palin gave an equally, if not more, vitriolic diatribe Wednesday night? Sadly, no. She has been under a media siege since being announced as McCain's running mate. I understand that she would want to use her pulpit Wednesday night to hit back and level the onslaught.
But her harsh, negative acceptance speech was part of a broader campaign strategy unfurled this week by Steve Schmidt and the rest of them at McCain HQ. This "strategy" smacked of the Rovian "alienation" politics that have defined President CooCooBananaHead's Administration. Basically, you paint anyone who criticizes you (or, better yet, questions you) as attacking you. But, there is something more fundamentally at play here.
Rank-and-file Republicans know deep down that Sarah Palin was a disastrous pick for a running mate. No one knows who the heck she is and, as of this past weekend, the skeletons haven't stopped falling out of her closet. They know it shows bad judgment on McCain's part and they are lamenting this decision. But, something more fundamentally is at play here
The Kübler-Ross Model "describes, in five discrete stages, a process by which people allegedly deal with grief and tragedy".
1. Denial: Witness last weekend Republicans' defending of this "brilliant choice" by McCain, someone who's going to stick it to Obama/Biden. Then her daughter turns out being knocked up out of wedlock and it's a "beautiful example of choosing life".
2. Anger: There is no doubt the acrimonious mouth-farting going on in St. Paul this past week was testament of the Republicans' fury with this situation.
At this point, the rest is all projection, but let's just have a little fun.
3. Bargaining: You can expect to hear Republicans saying there can't be any more scandals; that everything has come to light that will. You've already been hearing them cite her "executive experience".
4. Depression: After the debates, reality will set in and fundraising will sag, commercials for McCain/Palin will drop off and a general feeling of "What-can-you-do?" will fall over your Republican friends.
5. Acceptance: They admit to themselves that Palin was a miserable pick and stay home on Election Day. My brother (who considers himself on a first-name basis with Rush Limbaugh. Rush does not know this, however.) has already skipped straight to Step 5 and is going to write-in vote for Ron Paul. He provides a good litmus test because he is the type of conservative who has been wary of McCain from the get-go. He grinned and beared it, however, until the Palin pick acted as the straw that broke the camel's back. If his behavior is an accurate example of the broader behavioral patterns of true-blue conservative, McCain is in for a world of hurt.
Who knows? Maybe Palin will prove an amazing asset. But the odds of that are very unrealistic. Coming into the homestretch, McCain may have made a disastrous decision.
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