Bizarrobama
As a child, one of the more amusing and yet disturbingly frightening characters for me in the cartoon pantheon was Superman’s strange doppelganger from the Bizarro world. This image is what finally helped to identify something which has been tugging at the back of my mind for nearly two weeks; I finally remembered where it was that I’d seen Sarah Palin before. It was the 2004 Democratic presidential convention, only at that time she was a tall, lanky black man with a funny-sounding name. If you squint your eyes a bit, reverse party affiliation in your Bizarro mirror, swap out a Y chromosome for an extra X and vacuum out most of the melanin, he becomes Sarah Palin. When looking for political opinion, I rarely turn to the Chicago Sun Times and even less frequently to movie critic Roger Ebert, but he may be on to something today.
Obama first burst onto the scene like an A-List celebrity who strolls in and suddenly ignites the passions of the otherwise listless crowd in a definitely D-List dive. Rational observers looked askance at a political resume which could only charitably be described as “thin” to be sure; community organizer, state legislator and less then one term in the United States Senate. (Substitute PTA, small town mayor and less than one term as state Governor and you should feel the tingle of your first Bizarro moment.) Dual camps of supporters quickly formed, with some saying that such experience was certainly enough to qualify one for the Oval Office and others claiming that experience was overrated anyway.
Most of us who don’t live in or around Chicago had never heard of Obama, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of a quickly massing body of supporters. We are observing the same phenomenon with Palin. There are a small handful of people who continually obsess over political news – not only the news that is happening, but also contemplating what might happen. Those people knew who Sarah Palin was for several months. As to the rest of you, (at least those in the lower 48) let’s just admit that you’d never heard of the woman beyond perhaps knowing she was a governor before the day of John McCain’s announcement. In the ensuing thirteen days you’ve been flooded with information at a rate too fast to process. On the one hand you’ve been deluged with a narrative about Palin’s compelling life story… the small town mother of a rather large brood, toting a hunting rifle and vanquishing the corrupt influences in an entrenched power structure. From the other side you are showered with troubling tidbits. An ongoing investigation into possible abuse of power, a record of “porkbusting” and fiscal responsibility which looks to be anything but and a penchant for personal vendettas executed from positions of high power are only a few.
As in most areas of life, timing seems to be everything. The various questions surrounding Obama weren’t enough to slow down his loyal army of acolytes until he had finished slogging through the primary process. Now, though, after nearly two years of seeing him on the trail, there is a growing sense of an electorate who might be tiring of his unique, compelling story and soaring speeches. We’re still in the white hot blaze of Palin’s unveiling and there are roughly eight weeks to go until the election. Will that initial burst of energy be enough to carry her over the line, or will the flames die down enough for voters to realize that there is sometimes less to the movie than a good trailer might lead you to believe?
Empty suit, meet empty pants suit.
83 Responses to “Bizarrobama”
Oh, by the way…. The facts about someone do not win an election. I've had my say on Palin and I'm ready to move on. I might continue to harp on disagreeable stuff about her, but now it's in the hands of the media and public. Because the media is pointing out some of the deficiencies of Palin there's nothing more (really!) that I can add to the debate. Hence the “post-initial Palin reaction” phase. I didn't post much yesterday because I knew I needed to step back and take stock of the election situation. What's interesting is that Obama is being attacked in some quarters for not taking a stronger stand against Palin, while others say he should disregard her. I dediced to do what Obama has been doing… playing it cool… and see where it got me. I will tell you that it has gotten me a lot of peace. But I think most of that is due to my earlier venting…..
Oh, by the way…. The facts about someone do not win an election. I've had my say on Palin and I'm ready to move on. I might continue to harp on disagreeable stuff about her, but now it's in the hands of the media and public. Because the media is pointing out some of the deficiencies of Palin there's nothing more (really!) that I can add to the debate. Hence the “post-initial Palin reaction” phase. I didn't post much yesterday because I knew I needed to step back and take stock of the election situation. What's interesting is that Obama is being attacked in some quarters for not taking a stronger stand against Palin, while others say he should disregard her. I dediced to do what Obama has been doing… playing it cool… and see where it got me. I will tell you that it has gotten me a lot of peace. But I think most of that is due to my earlier venting…..
Oh, by the way…. The facts about someone do not win an election. I've had my say on Palin and I'm ready to move on. I might continue to harp on disagreeable stuff about her, but now it's in the hands of the media and public. Because the media is pointing out some of the deficiencies of Palin there's nothing more (really!) that I can add to the debate. Hence the “post-initial Palin reaction” phase. I didn't post much yesterday because I knew I needed to step back and take stock of the election situation. What's interesting is that Obama is being attacked in some quarters for not taking a stronger stand against Palin, while others say he should disregard her. I dediced to do what Obama has been doing… playing it cool… and see where it got me. I will tell you that it has gotten me a lot of peace. But I think most of that is due to my earlier venting…..
Oh, by the way…. The facts about someone do not win an election. I've had my say on Palin and I'm ready to move on. I might continue to harp on disagreeable stuff about her, but now it's in the hands of the media and public. Because the media is pointing out some of the deficiencies of Palin there's nothing more (really!) that I can add to the debate. Hence the “post-initial Palin reaction” phase. I didn't post much yesterday because I knew I needed to step back and take stock of the election situation. What's interesting is that Obama is being attacked in some quarters for not taking a stronger stand against Palin, while others say he should disregard her. I dediced to do what Obama has been doing… playing it cool… and see where it got me. I will tell you that it has gotten me a lot of peace. But I think most of that is due to my earlier venting…..
Oh, by the way…. The facts about someone do not win an election. I've had my say on Palin and I'm ready to move on. I might continue to harp on disagreeable stuff about her, but now it's in the hands of the media and public. Because the media is pointing out some of the deficiencies of Palin there's nothing more (really!) that I can add to the debate. Hence the “post-initial Palin reaction” phase. I didn't post much yesterday because I knew I needed to step back and take stock of the election situation. What's interesting is that Obama is being attacked in some quarters for not taking a stronger stand against Palin, while others say he should disregard her. I dediced to do what Obama has been doing… playing it cool… and see where it got me. I will tell you that it has gotten me a lot of peace. But I think most of that is due to my earlier venting…..
I agree 100% with Marlowecan.
Whether or not Palin is ready to be president is not something anyone has a had a chance to vote on yet. And it seems that the McCain camp is perfectly happy to let us make that decision in November with a minimum amount of information.
I agree 100% with Marlowecan.
Whether or not Palin is ready to be president is not something anyone has a had a chance to vote on yet. And it seems that the McCain camp is perfectly happy to let us make that decision in November with a minimum amount of information.
I agree 100% with Marlowecan.
Whether or not Palin is ready to be president is not something anyone has a had a chance to vote on yet. And it seems that the McCain camp is perfectly happy to let us make that decision in November with a minimum amount of information.
I agree 100% with Marlowecan.
Whether or not Palin is ready to be president is not something anyone has a had a chance to vote on yet. And it seems that the McCain camp is perfectly happy to let us make that decision in November with a minimum amount of information.
I agree 100% with Marlowecan.
Whether or not Palin is ready to be president is not something anyone has a had a chance to vote on yet. And it seems that the McCain camp is perfectly happy to let us make that decision in November with a minimum amount of information.
I agree 100% with Marlowecan.
Whether or not Palin is ready to be president is not something anyone has a had a chance to vote on yet. And it seems that the McCain camp is perfectly happy to let us make that decision in November with a minimum amount of information.
Chris – the majority of VP candidates are never voted on by the national general public prior to the Presidential election. Some are, on those occasions when a primary opponent or past Presidential candidate is selected as the running mate.
But if we are going to follow your logic to the end, then Biden is correct – he should not be the Democratic VP candidate. He has been soundly rejected by the party as a Presidential candidate a couple of times, so they have specifically said 'no' to him being ready.
The same is true of any candidate that didn't, at the least, win their party's Presidential nomination in the past, by that same logic (which is of course flawed for that very reason).
We keep comparing Obama and Palin, but the correct comparison is Biden vs. Palin.
Chris – the majority of VP candidates are never voted on by the national general public prior to the Presidential election. Some are, on those occasions when a primary opponent or past Presidential candidate is selected as the running mate.
But if we are going to follow your logic to the end, then Biden is correct – he should not be the Democratic VP candidate. He has been soundly rejected by the party as a Presidential candidate a couple of times, so they have specifically said 'no' to him being ready.
The same is true of any candidate that didn't, at the least, win their party's Presidential nomination in the past, by that same logic (which is of course flawed for that very reason).
We keep comparing Obama and Palin, but the correct comparison is Biden vs. Palin.
Chris – the majority of VP candidates are never voted on by the national general public prior to the Presidential election. Some are, on those occasions when a primary opponent or past Presidential candidate is selected as the running mate.
But if we are going to follow your logic to the end, then Biden is correct – he should not be the Democratic VP candidate. He has been soundly rejected by the party as a Presidential candidate a couple of times, so they have specifically said 'no' to him being ready.
The same is true of any candidate that didn't, at the least, win their party's Presidential nomination in the past, by that same logic (which is of course flawed for that very reason).
We keep comparing Obama and Palin, but the correct comparison is Biden vs. Palin.
Chris – the majority of VP candidates are never voted on by the national general public prior to the Presidential election. Some are, on those occasions when a primary opponent or past Presidential candidate is selected as the running mate.
But if we are going to follow your logic to the end, then Biden is correct – he should not be the Democratic VP candidate. He has been soundly rejected by the party as a Presidential candidate a couple of times, so they have specifically said 'no' to him being ready.
The same is true of any candidate that didn't, at the least, win their party's Presidential nomination in the past, by that same logic (which is of course flawed for that very reason).
We keep comparing Obama and Palin, but the correct comparison is Biden vs. Palin.
Chris – the majority of VP candidates are never voted on by the national general public prior to the Presidential election. Some are, on those occasions when a primary opponent or past Presidential candidate is selected as the running mate.
But if we are going to follow your logic to the end, then Biden is correct – he should not be the Democratic VP candidate. He has been soundly rejected by the party as a Presidential candidate a couple of times, so they have specifically said 'no' to him being ready.
The same is true of any candidate that didn't, at the least, win their party's Presidential nomination in the past, by that same logic (which is of course flawed for that very reason).
We keep comparing Obama and Palin, but the correct comparison is Biden vs. Palin.
Chris – the majority of VP candidates are never voted on by the national general public prior to the Presidential election. Some are, on those occasions when a primary opponent or past Presidential candidate is selected as the running mate.
But if we are going to follow your logic to the end, then Biden is correct – he should not be the Democratic VP candidate. He has been soundly rejected by the party as a Presidential candidate a couple of times, so they have specifically said 'no' to him being ready.
The same is true of any candidate that didn't, at the least, win their party's Presidential nomination in the past, by that same logic (which is of course flawed for that very reason).
We keep comparing Obama and Palin, but the correct comparison is Biden vs. Palin.
Chris – the majority of VP candidates are never voted on by the national general public prior to the Presidential election. Some are, on those occasions when a primary opponent or past Presidential candidate is selected as the running mate.
But if we are going to follow your logic to the end, then Biden is correct – he should not be the Democratic VP candidate. He has been soundly rejected by the party as a Presidential candidate a couple of times, so they have specifically said 'no' to him being ready.
The same is true of any candidate that didn't, at the least, win their party's Presidential nomination in the past, by that same logic (which is of course flawed for that very reason).
We keep comparing Obama and Palin, but the correct comparison is Biden vs. Palin.
I had to let you guys run freestyle for a while, but I do just want to thank those of you who think I'm somehow saying that Sarah Palin is ready to be president. It provides a nice balance to all the responses I got from the 2,149 posts where I crucified her.
I had to let you guys run freestyle for a while, but I do just want to thank those of you who think I'm somehow saying that Sarah Palin is ready to be president. It provides a nice balance to all the responses I got from the 2,149 posts where I crucified her.
I had to let you guys run freestyle for a while, but I do just want to thank those of you who think I'm somehow saying that Sarah Palin is ready to be president. It provides a nice balance to all the responses I got from the 2,149 posts where I crucified her.
I had to let you guys run freestyle for a while, but I do just want to thank those of you who think I'm somehow saying that Sarah Palin is ready to be president. It provides a nice balance to all the responses I got from the 2,149 posts where I crucified her.
I had to let you guys run freestyle for a while, but I do just want to thank those of you who think I'm somehow saying that Sarah Palin is ready to be president. It provides a nice balance to all the responses I got from the 2,149 posts where I crucified her.
I had to let you guys run freestyle for a while, but I do just want to thank those of you who think I'm somehow saying that Sarah Palin is ready to be president. It provides a nice balance to all the responses I got from the 2,149 posts where I crucified her.
I had to let you guys run freestyle for a while, but I do just want to thank those of you who think I'm somehow saying that Sarah Palin is ready to be president. It provides a nice balance to all the responses I got from the 2,149 posts where I crucified her.
AR,
You're right again.
AR,
You're right again.
AR,
You're right again.
AR,
You're right again.
AR,
You're right again.
AR,
You're right again.
AR,
You're right again.
Hmmm. I never see Palin or Obama walking backwards, but I do see their political weasiliness being on complete opposite ends of the weasel spectrum. Well, maybe not. I can see myself believing a disparaging story about either one taking money from a source that they should not have, but I couldn't believe a censorship story about Obama.
And neither one of them says, “Me” instead of “I”. Nope. Not buying it.