Comedy | February 20, 2010 | 60 comments

President Palin ?

source: http://www.care2.com/causes/politics/blog/president-palin-part-two-the-darker-angels-of-our-...

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wayseeker
J. Brown is Senior Fellow and Washington Director at the Institute for International Law and Human Rights and the founder of Undiplomatic, a blog on the intersection of foreign policy, politics, and pop culture. You also can follow him on Twitter.

Progressives who fail to take Sarah Palin seriously do so at their peril. In my mind, it's pretty obvious that she already is laying the groundwork for a run in 2012. And given her actions over the past two months, it is a safe bet that she will do anything and everything in her power to win.

The key question is not whether she will challenge Obama, but rather what kind of race she will run. Is Palin merely another ambitious politician willing to say and do anything to get elected, or are we witnessing the emergence of a genuinely anti-democratic populist — a successor to such notorious figures as Charles Coughlin, Huey Long, Senator Joseph McCarthy, and George Wallace?

I believe that Palin could represent a significant threat. She favors demagoguery over democracy. She celebrates her own lack of judgment and experience as her best qualifications for the office she seeks. She slanders Obama and other opponents, suggesting that they are willing to sell out America. She uses her supposedly folksy background to attack the media and elites as out of touch with average Americans. And she plays to the mob, appealing to and encouraging the most reactionary, angry, hateful, and fearful elements of our society.

To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, Palin appeals to the worst angels of our nature. Her supporters are ready, willing, and determined to follow her regardless of what happens between now and Election Day 2012. They will never accept an Obama presidency, even if he were to revive the economy, fix health care, and capture bin Laden. They are counting the days until Palin is able to push him aside and assume power herself.

It would be easy to suggest that Palin is little more than a demagogue, that she would not move the United States away from its democratic traditions. And in fairness, we are still too early in Palin’s career to determine whether she is a genuine threat.

But do we really want to take the chance?

If Palin really does represent a move toward anti-democratic populism, she already is far more dangerous than any earlier demagogue. She’s not merely some nutjob with a radio following (Coughlin), or a regional figure who failed to move onto the national stage (Long). She’s the former Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States, a best-selling author, a canny entertainer, and a political superstar whose public profile resembles that of Angelina Jolie more than, say, Mitt Romney.

No previous populist anti-democratic candidate -- not Strom Thurmond in 1948 or George Wallace in 1968 -- ever had a serious chance of getting elected. Palin does. Change genders, and Palin is a modern day evocation of Senator Berzelius “Buzz” Windrup, the anti-hero of It Can’t Happen Here, Sinclair Lewis’s Depression-era alternate history of America under a dictatorship:
The conspicuous fault of the [Democratic] Party. . . was that it represented integrity and reason, in a year when the electorate hungered for frisky emotions, for the peppery sensations associated, usually, not with monetary systems and taxation rates but with baptism by immersion in the creek, young love under the elms, straight whisky, angelic orchestras heard soaring down from the full moon, fear of death when an automobile teeters above a canyon, thirst in a desert and quenching it with spring water–all the primitive sensations which they thought they found in the screaming of Buzz Windrip.

Sarah Palin is ready. Should things get worse over the next three years, her folksiness and rhetoric may start appealing to more than just the far right.

So I'll say it again: dismiss her at your peril. Because if you do, you'll wake up with a Palin Administration in power. Even though "It Can't Happen Here."
  1. groups:
    Community,   Comedy,   The Tin Foil Mafia
  2. tags:
    2012 election,  Politicians,  Obama Campaign,  Palin as President
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60 comments // President Palin ?

  • manny0409
    • 0
      manny0409  

    • hell to the motherfucking no...I would have totally been ok with Hillary Clinton as President but Palin...oh no...that would be scary...

    • 3 years ago
  • brad62
  • brad62
  • brad62
  • brad62
  • treewolf39
  • wayseeker
    • +2
      wayseeker  

    • Huffington Post reported today that in a straw poll taken at the Rep. Convention concerning the next candidate for President Ron Paul was first with 31% while Palin received only 6% of the votes. If this is a true representation of the Conservative base, and they say it usually is, Palin is probably not going to be their next Presidential candidate unless things change radically between now and the 2012 elections. In reality I think most Republican leaders must realize that she is an arrogant, phony, petty, sniveling, spotlight-stealing bitch and doesn't stand a real chance to be elected. Or maybe we will get to see a Palin/Beck clown performance.

    • 3 years ago
  • saidemily
    • 0
      saidemily  

    • I have faith that the American people would not vote Palin for President. Let's face it-- this has nothing to do with liberals & conservatives, Republicans & Democrats, or her public presence in the media. Palin has at best an elementary knowledge of foreign affairs and the economy, which doesn't cut it for the Presidency. She's just a talking head that only slams the President, but most of the time you really have to wonder if she knows what she's talking about.

      She may be popular and likeable, but who has ever liked a President?

    • 3 years ago
  • Atalanda_Cameron
  • saidemily
    • 0
      saidemily  
    • Atalanda_Cameron:

      Did you forget that McCain was running for President in 2008? And I would hardly call it a "heartbeat" considering Obama got the votes of 28 states, plus DC and NE 2nd congressional district, and 365 electoral votes when McCain only got 173.

      Just stating the facts.

    • 3 years ago
  • InteroAct
  • brit50
    • 0
      brit50  

    • Why are so many liberals afraid of Sarah Palin. Because they know the damage she could do in the next presidential race. Stop scoffing at Palin, look at what Obama is trying to do to this country.

    • 3 years ago
  • Jeanettex
  • manny0409
    • +1
      manny0409  
    • brit50:

      Im not scared of her....Im scared of the horrible decisions that she will make if she does. Obama may not be doing as much as we all wanted him to do, but tell the GOP to stop getting in the way and voting no for everything and maybe something will be done, its their job and their country as well last time I checked...

    • 3 years ago
  • Manuel_Trujillo
    • 0
      Manuel_Trujillo  

    • SARAH PALIN 2012, it has been said since Mccain's failed bid for President. I do also believe she will be running, and it is going to come down to her vs. Barack. I see her as the ONLY republican contender who stands a chance.

      I hope, that Democrats, and the left realize...the WE are the majority in this country. Stick together, even if President Obama doesn't do EVERYTHING that you hoped.

      He is only one man, and you can go against him, just realize the consequences of doing so.

    • 3 years ago
  • iceman1974
    • 0
      iceman1974  

    • On this blog everybody doesn`t like Palin but what I dont understand reading all the post here.Is Bush who is not smart was elected againts Al Gore and a John Carrie who are consider way smarter then Bush.So if some one need to be smart to be elected why a guy like Bush is elected or Palin who look like she as a lot of popular support and could have a chance to be elected. If you take John Carrie for exemple he look cold ,distant and fake .

      I think I have an answer to this. The reason why she is so popular or in the case of Bush got elected twice for president or in the case of Obama(note that Obama is consider smart but not cold and distant) its because they attract popular simpaty by acting more like regular people who count for the majority and they also feel like warm people not cold and distant like a lot of very smart people who thing they are above everybody else.Exemple Obama and is famous beer summit good thing for the regular Joe.

      The key here is she attract the regular Joe and jane.

    • 3 years ago
  • kennymotown
  • brit50
  • kennymotown
  • sUnBeAmBeAuTy
    • +1
      sUnBeAmBeAuTy  
    • kennymotown:

      Exactly. It seems like a lot of people forget the crappy butterfly ballot that made voter's that were voting for Al Gore vote for someone else. Not to mention the thousands of votes that were for Al Gore that were never counted. I just think that its a little risky that a people let those facts slip their mind. It could happen again, let's face it the only way they could get Palin to be the president.

    • 3 years ago
  • GreenerSide
  • PigFarmington
  • AreOh
    • 0
      AreOh  

    • Well, the reality is that there is still a sizable population in our country that will never accept Obama as their president, for whatever reason, and will throw their votes at a shoebox in a dapper suit to see him out of office. Granted, I do not support a few of B.Ob's policies, but there is a confidence I have about speaking about our leader that has been missing since Clinton. And, from a logic standpoint, I prefer to judge him on a full term before I make any rational decisions. However, thanks in large part to many public figures in the guise of conservatism, reason and logic are not prerequisites for making decisions. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

    • 3 years ago
  • sUnBeAmBeAuTy
    • 0
      sUnBeAmBeAuTy  

    • I still can't imagine her a frontrunner for the electon, Plus she wouldn't be anything but a mouth piece and wouldn't do what's best for Americans just what's good for republicans. Kind of like Bush. We dont need another one of those.

    • 3 years ago
  • EdJoyProductions
    • +1
      EdJoyProductions  

    • It would still be too soon after Bush in 2012. I could be wrong but I don't think someone that is as obviously stupid as Palin is has a chance. Now if the owner of Diebold voting machines has as much of a hard on for her as he did for Bush, this could be a whole different ball game.

    • 3 years ago
  • themagslice
    • +1
      themagslice  

    • although i'm sure there will always be a majority of politicians who think sarah palin is an idiot, it does frighten me that there is such a large number of american citizens who find her to be fit for presidential office. I doubt that she would make it into the actual race, but the fact that there is a chance that she could be a candidate for the presidency is extremely unnerving. america, prepare for your remaining intelligent population to emigrate.

    • 3 years ago
  • brit50
  • owlman53
    • 0
      owlman53  

    • Yea I'm sure if she is republican canidate we will have a Democratic President,or some third world party leader!It's not that she isn't interesting,but just not presidential.

    • 3 years ago
  • JonRaymond
  • hunzedog
  • UWAZell
  • nursediesel
  • device80
    • +1
      device80  

    • I think it's a good think... really, because who would vote for her? I think America is alot wiser after what Bush, sorry, Cheney did to this country and see her as mearly a posterchild for big money corperations who want to use her as an agenda pusher, the only reason she can speak is b/c she used to be a sportscaster for a shitty alaskan local news channel, check her out on youtube, she's been reading a teleprompter since high school and unfortunatly that seems to be bigger priority today than actual knowledge about what your reading.... look at tha governator

    • 3 years ago
  • bike10
    • 0
      bike10  

    • Sarah Palin todays version of a Snake Oil Sales Person. Just one quick dose of my elexter will solve all the nations problem.

    • 3 years ago
  • observer2121
    • +1
      observer2121  

    • The media loves to plaster this woman all over the place, if she looked like a female version of Kucinich we would not even know her name.

    • 3 years ago
  • Bushido
  • irtehjoe
  • makuaj
    • 0
      makuaj  

    • No, she'll just quit half way just like being the governess of Alaska...Visa needs to make a commercial with her cause her stupidity is PRICELESS.

    • 3 years ago
  • PigFarmington
    • +3
      PigFarmington  

    • I am sick and tired of hearing about Palin. We get it, she's a hypocritical moron with a legion of uneducated selfish Americans following her. The more attention she gets (positive or negative) the more money she makes. The fact that as people continue to watch this train wreck and scratch their heads asking "why", in a round-a-bout way, she gains validity.
      Validity as a threat, validity as someone conservatives can endorse because she gains popularity she's easily manipulated. A perfect candidate. She's a popular puppet. Perfect.
      So, stop the vicious cycle of paying attention to her. Only you can do it. If people stop caring about her, she will go away. If "liberals" stop making fun of her, conservatives will see that she lost her powers.
      I idea of "president Palin" in news articles has been done about 1,000,000 times since November 5th of 2008. It's getting fucking old. Story #1? That's bullshit.

    • 3 years ago
  • PigFarmington
  • kennymotown
  • owlman53
  • PigFarmington
    • 0
      PigFarmington  
    • owlman53:

      Dems want an easy opponent, so they address her.
      Reps want a marketable candidate (like Obama) so they endorse her.
      The media loves talking about her, becasue she's king of the idiots, she's the train wreck we can't look away from. She sells airtime. Meanwhile, ignorant greedy Americans actually believe she's a leader and an intelligent, adequate politician... but then again who is? I guess Nader is.
      Anyway, Rachel Madow talks about her to get people to watch her show. O'Riley talks about her to get people to watch his show. Logical people watch in disbelief that a person this dumb... this hypocritical is considered a serious candidate, a leader. Meanwhile, morons believe in her for 1 of 2 reasons, she panders to an individuals "rights" to be as greedy and selfish as possible (not to mention to be proud of it) or they're just sheep agreeing with anyone critical of democrats. "Democrats hate her, so we hate her.
      Do you think these flag waving TeaBagged numbnuts would embrace Palin if she still had the same ideals she has now, but labeled herself as a dem? Fuck no. They would say she's unamerican, a turn-coat. A corrupt elitist politician who exploits her office. They would spout-off that her husband is a separatist (which he is!) and tell her to "love it or leave it". Meanwhile in reality, they're pissed Michelle Obama wears sleeveless shirts!
      I'm not letting "liberals" off the hook. If Palin was a dem, but just as dumb they would still love her.
      Bottom line, she makes people money. Pure and simple... but in a scary way.

    • 3 years ago
  • jimmydaperv
    • +3
      jimmydaperv  

    • Why is Palin news! Why is this story #1! why am i responding, im so sick of Palin being news worthy. It solidifies the theory that all politics is fake like wrestling. It is just a big show put on for the people and the winner has already been decided by the powers that be. Palin is the extreme a-hole that you love to hate.

    • 3 years ago
  • kennymotown
  • irie_ojo
  • Kallico75
  • Cynic2
  • KSirys
    • 0
      KSirys  

    • We just have to make sure we don't give her the attention she wants. The more attention she gets, the more dumb people in our country, will think she's a viable option.

    • 3 years ago
  • wayseeker
    • 0
      wayseeker  

    • Like democracy, the idea of a demagogue has its roots in the ambiguous Greek word demos meaning ‘the people’, but in the sense of either ‘the population’ or ‘the mob’. Thus a demagogue was, even in classical times, the leader of the mob, but also the leader of a popular state in which sovereignty was vested in the whole adult male citizenry. But the modern significance of the idea of a demagogue lies in its pejorative sense, as the leader of a mob, with the implication that those who rouse the rabble lack elevation of mind and quality of purpose.

    • 3 years ago
  • remanns
  • wayseeker
  • ignignokt
  • kennymotown
  • peterzylstramoore
    • 0
      peterzylstramoore  
    • kennymotown:

      I agree. I think she'll only split the Republican party which is a good thing, and I think she'll have no chance of getting elected. Hopefully this will allow democrats to stop catering slow closely to the center and start supporting progressive policies.

    • 3 years ago
  • kennymotown
    • 0
      kennymotown  
    • peterzylstramoore:

      There are way too many Republicans in power that like her at all, too let it happen. She will only be a tool for the Republicans to roll out when they want to give the blind followers a little fat too chew on and keep them inactive.

    • 3 years ago
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