Cults of Personality: Obama vs. Palin
While many in the GOP are engaged in serious discussions of the Party’s path out of the wilderness, others seem to be doubling down on bets which have previously failed to pay off. Eric Kleefeld of Talking Points Memo discusses the curious results of a recent poll in which a majority of Republicans seem to feel that the party needs to be more like Sarah Palin.
A new Rasmussen poll further demonstrates that the GOP could be in for a long stretch in the wilderness: A majority of GOP voters now say that the party should be more like Sarah Palin.
As I’ve previously noted, poll data like this could indicate that the Republican Party is getting ready to relive the classic cycle of ruling parties who get turned out of power in a landslide: With the party base itself shrunk down, the people who are still around are the most hard-line members, and are really the least fit people to fix the situation.
I can’t agree with the author across the board here because there is a definitely valid opinion in GOP circles that the Party has paved its own way into the wilderness precisely because they abandoned their thrifty, fiscal conservative ways. By spending like Democrats during the Bush years, the “hard-line members” Kleefeld describes were widely turned off by their own party. What I find more puzzling in this survey is not the adherence to time tested political philosophies, but the person in whom the base is placing their trust and hopes.
To me, Sarah Palin offers a similar but flawed parallel to the Democrats’ experiment with then candidate Barack Obama. The current president was referred to by skeptical critics – including yours truly – as a bit of an empty suit. His lack of any serious resume entries or legislative accomplishments painted a picture of a hopeful and energetic contender with little proof to be found in his pudding. However, Obama developed a cult of personality among his followers which proved unstoppable because of the high quality of glitz and glam layered over the thin foundation. He was widely (and likely correctly) perceived as a highly intelligent person, and few could doubt his masterful oratory skills. He was also, obviously, a hugely powerful symbol because of his race and upbringing. This combination, along with his native skills as a politician, created a winning formula for the Democrats.
Sarah Palin is, in many ways, a portrait in contrast to Obama layered on top of some striking similarities in their base construction. Like Obama, Palin came to us with precious few professional accomplishments. As I pointed out in a post election wrap-up at Pajamas Media, there were also more questions than compliments arising from her time in office. But unlike Obama, there was no blinding patina of impressive mannerisms to caulk over the flaws and cracks. Every media appearance piled on impressions of a person with suspect intellect and a hot temper combined with questionable judgment. While her aw shucks attitude and platitudes about how, “Gee, isn’t America just swell?” were big sellers with the base, they did little to build an image of someone ready to lead the free world. Likable? No question about it. Ready to face down our nation’s enemies? Not so much.
A cult of personality has surely grown around the Alaska governor rivaling the passion felt by Obama’s supporters. But the key difference they should remember was already articulated by the new Commander in Chief. He won. A key point about Palin’s efforts should be that she … well… didn’t. If I’m to agree with Eric Kleefeld about anything, it is that the GOP may be setting themselves up for a far longer stint in the wilderness unless they can come up with a better cult fixation.
12 Responses to “Cults of Personality: Obama vs. Palin”
Another problem is that the essence of Obama's cultlike status was his notion of “unity” and a “new politics of hope.” Palin, on the other hand, represented pure Nixonland ignorance-as-virtue that the GOP has run to electoral success since 1968. McCain simply did not inspire that ugly base of the GOP but Palin did.
BTW, genuine fiscal conservatives are only a fraction of the voting base of the GOP. Social conservatives – whether Christian conservatives, law-and-order conservatives, racial conservatives or just Nixonish anti-elite cultural conservatives – are far more important to the GOP's winning coalition. Fiscal conservatism only worked as a winning strategy with social conservatives when the beneficiary of governmental largesse could be identified as undeserving poor minorities. There's a reason Karl Rove pushed his big government conservatism agenda. It worked in 2004. What failed the GOP was not the abandonment of fiscal conservatism but sheer incompetence in Iraq and Katrina. As for the actual fiscal conservative voters turned off by Bush, most are social liberals who see no place for themselves in the GOP anymore.
It is all so very simple.
The democrats got beat down and they did not change. The only thing they really changed is who gets to frame the debate.
They won cause the GOP screwed the pooch.
Now that the Democrats are in power. They will screw the pooch and in 2-4 years the voters will be begging the GOP back into power. Its simplicy. Democrats are stupid, stupid, stupid politicians. Republicans are stupid, stupid, stupid politicians. Neither one needs to change. They just need for the other group to get into power.
“Democrats are stupid, stupid, stupid politicians. Republicans are stupid, stupid, stupid politicians. Neither one needs to change. They just need for the other group to get into power.“
I think the only thing more depressing than reading that is realizing that it's true. There's no need to get any better if all you have to do is wait a few years for the opponents to screw up. Then you'll get your chance to go back and and screw up in entirely new ways.
*sigh*
How about…there was no intelligence, no broad range of knowledge and not nearly enough competence for the office of VP, much less President? That provided a sharp contrast between her and Obama and yes, many people just saw that contrast and didn't join some cult of personality.
Republicans do have cults besides Palin. There's the Rush Limbaugh Cult. There's the “America is a Christian Nation” Cult. There's the Free Market Cult. There's the Small Government Cult. There's the Tax Cut Cult. There's the “Government Is Evil” Cult. Above all, there is the Reagan Cult. What Republican doesn't belong to a cult, anyway?
It seems fitting that the Republican part would trend to someone like Sarah Palin. If the party is “lost in the wilderness” because they lost an election using a moderate like McCain than aside from joining the liberal party, the only thing it can do is return to the party that brought this country greatness. The last time we had a real Republican in office was Reagan. Bush one raised taxes and Bush two was the most centrist president we've ever had, and look where that got us, 8 years of complete irrelevance. Sure, not a single terrorist attack has happened on American soil, nor sovereign territory (a feat neither Clinton nor Bush one accomplished) since 9/11. I'll give Bush that. Because republicans lost 2 major elections over two years does not mean the end of the party ideas. It does not mean that everyone is going to become a liberal. It means we need to put more responsible, fiscally conservative, socially conservative politicians who advocate minimal government, minus the political corruption, back into the system to repair the party name Bush has so tarnished. Last time I checked Republicans had been in the majority for the past twenty years (before 06), this dem majority will not make it past 2010. People like Pelosi and Reid will bring it down (especially if they continue to push pork laden “stimulus” packages towards Obamas desk). Obama will continue to maintain his status as the face of the new party if he governs down the middle. With a dem majority, Pelosi, and Reid that will prove to be a replay of the last two years, with centrist Bush at the helm. Or, he can play to his left wing nut base, which will only turn the majority of America away. Americans do not like this stimulus package, it is a plethora of pork for lib causes wrapped up in a package that reads “Save the Economy”. America is responding to what will happen if he does not stay in middle. Love or Hate Sarah Palin, with more campaign time she is a candidate that will inevitably end up looking like Obama. New face to the party, minimal experience etc. etc. With time she can sound as rehearsed as Obama did after two years of campaigning. Plus she has the star power. I don't think anyone can win against Obama in 12 with the way it stands right now. 4 years of presidency can move his poll numbers all over and I earnestly believe the only person that could even give him a run for his money is Sarah.
PS – IF a cult is an “instance of great veneration of a person [...] as manifested by a body of admirers” and most would say that in said cult cases most followers are just that, followers who merely follow without any reason, you know, droids, robots, following the herd etc. etc. And when over 68% of Obama supporters/voters cannot name the correct majority party in the house and senate, and when the ruling factor in an election is the minority and youth vote (who a majority of both claim they voted for Obama to say “they were a part of something historical” without actually looking at what Obama has to offer), THEN (Yes, Jim it is time for the “THEN” portion of this “IF, THEN” statement) I would argue that the largest cult in recent history is the, how would you put it Jim? The “Obama is Jesus” cult? Or the “Bill Maher” cult? How about the “Big Government” cult? Or the “Socialist” cult? Or the “Raise taxes” cult. I'm not nearly as clever as you Jim, nor do I prescribe to any liberal cults, so maybe you could help me out with this one.
Jim
It is obvious that you belong to the group who sorta doesnt like the GOP. To put it mildly.
You call the GOP cultist. Yet using your definition the same can be applied to the Democrats. Cults of personality. Obama. Large Government cult. Tax the rich cult. Government is the source of our salvation cult. Gay rights cult, Abortion is good cult, Get rid of them guns cult………..see I totally disagree with your take on it.
But if you choose to call our beliefs cults then back at cha.
You're joking? right?
Since Reagan in 1980, the National Debt has gone up every year. Neither Reagan nor the Bushes presented a single balanced budget in their 20 years in the White House.The only president that even attempted to control the debt was Clinton.
Small government sounds really good when you have a job, the economy is booming and you know that if you are laid off, there is another company right down the street ready to hire you at the same or greater wage. It isn't all that popular when the economy is in a recession, lay-off are happening like there is no tomorrow and the odd of you finding a job at the same wage rate if you are laid off is somewhere between slim and nil.
What's there to like?
Imperialism, Racism, Social Conservatism, Religious Conservatism and support of big business? Sounds a lot like fascism.
greenschemes,
The GOP worked long and hard to get me to feel this way about them. For about the first ten years I voted I was a registered independent. Even after Reagan and his promises to balance the budget, slash taxes and increase defense spending. I knew he couldn't do it and didn't appreciate him claiming he could. Also didn't care for Falwell and his Moral Majority and their ties to the GOP. The further to the right they moved the less I liked them. People like you who can actually write that Democrats think abortion is good as opposed to none of the Republican's business which is what choice is about are definitely part of my problem with the GOP. People who claim to believe in small government while knowing how Jesus wants them to run the country and intrude into people's lives are right up there at the top of my list of reasons for not liking the Republican Party.
treevor, if you think Sarah Palin should be President you're far beyond any ability I might have to help you with anything.
Good luck finding liberals who would avow beliefs in any of those straw men you cited, greenschemes. “Large government” is not a liberal virtue. A byproduct of liberal policies, perhaps, but not an end in itself. Neither is this right-wing notion that 'government is the source of our salvation' or 'abortion is good'. Nobody thinks those things, except imaginary people in fevered rightwing minds.
You see, government is the imperfect executor of the will of the people. It works well to the extent that The People engage in, pay attention to, and hold accountable their elected officials. It doesn't work when people think of Government as some foreign parasite. The rightwing myth of government-as-parasite is the most insidious idea in modern politics, one that is fundamentally anti-democratic. Yes, anti-democratic. If you think government should go away completely, you're signing up to turn the clock back to the 13th century, before us common citizens had any rights, where there was no obstacles to the rich and powerful having their way all the time, and no chance for you to ever join their ranks.
But in practice, I don't think you really believe what you're saying. Neither do liberals really believe the government should control everything. Really, we just want a limiting force to keep the powerful from working against democracy. It's that simple.
As for Palin, conservative values will only be credible again when conservatives pick a leader who exemplifies them and doesn't just parrot them. Palin is the model of an anti-democratic, non-accountable, non-transparent, self-ordained princess. Good luck getting her to take on her own party's corruption (especially within her own administration) – she just fights against those who stand in her way to the top, and takes credit for it.
“Nobody” thinks government is their salvation? Ask Peggy Joseph of Sarasota,FL, who gushed that when Obama was in place, she wouldn't have to worry about putting gas in her car or paying her mortgage.
“Nobody” thinks “Abortion is good”? Ask journalist and bestselling author Joan Ryan, who wrote the following in the San Francisco Chronicle on October 19, 1999:
If the only place where people really think such things are in “fevered rightwing minds,” better check your temperature and your voter registration form, because people DO think such things in your world.