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September 02, 2008

Politics

Michael Blowhard writes:

Dear Blowhards --

* Meet the GOP's biggest donor. (Link now updated and functioning.)

* Steve Sailer lifts the lid on the way the game is played in Chicago. Obama makes a few appearances. One especially nice passage:

Contract set-asides for minorities provide a lucrative opening for crooks like [now-jailed Obama backer, Syrian immigrant Tony] Rezko. The demand for "diversity" provides an excuse for a thumb on the scales, a justification for diverting the contract from the lowest bidder to a political ally who employs a minority frontman. Most of America's pundit class hasn't figured this out yet, but Rezko grasped how "diversity" works soon after getting off the plane.

* While most Republicans are standing up for their girl Sarah Polin, rightie Heather Mac Donald writes that McCain's choice was a disgraceful "diversity ploy."

Where's Preston Sturges when you need him?

Best,

Michael

posted by Michael at September 2, 2008

Comments

Oh that all diversity ploys involved good-looking women who wrestle bears.

Posted by: dearieme on September 2, 2008 7:06 AM

I can only imagine what Sailer would have to say if the Obamas had an unmarried pregnant teenage daughter.

Posted by: Steve on September 2, 2008 11:58 AM

dearieme -- Politics can use more eye-candy than it generally has, that's for sure.

Steve -- True. On the other hand, I can't imagine that many people take Sailer as the One True Voice about all this stuff. He's someone who adds something extra to the conversation, he doesn't dictate terms, or try to do so. I like it when conversations get opened up and ventilated, don't you?

Posted by: Michael Blowhard on September 2, 2008 12:20 PM

Steve,

The Obamas have already said that they don't want their daughters "punished" with a baby. What more do you need to know?

Posted by: beloml on September 2, 2008 12:36 PM

The Obama's would have properly trained their kids to off the kid with an abortion. What lovely people the Obamas are. Larry Sinclair seems to like Obama just fine.

I don't understand what the big deal is what with the kid marrying the dad. Big deal. Woman gets pregnant, keeps the kid and marries the dad. Isn't that the plot of a 1950's movie? Pretty tame stuff.

Chicago is one of the most corrupt cities anywhere. Don't be fooled that all of those minority set-asides is a front for white guys. It's mostly for the minorities. That's also why city services are so bad--they are carried out by affirmative action contractors.

Posted by: BIOH on September 2, 2008 12:55 PM

I think Heather got it wrong this time. If selecting a woman was McCain's sole motive, he would have selected a "safe" inside-the-beltway figure with a long political record such as Sen. Hutchinson of Texas.

Posted by: Donald Pittenger on September 2, 2008 1:37 PM

I don't understand what the big deal is what with the kid marrying the dad. Big deal. Woman gets pregnant, keeps the kid and marries the dad.

Luckily, the Palin's are powerful enough to force the boyfriend to marry Bristol, even if he (understandably) doesn't want to. Unfortunately, in most cases, the pregnant teen girl's family doesn't have that kind of leverage.

Posted by: frie on September 2, 2008 1:45 PM

Donald, Heathers point was that McCain obviously did not choose the most qualified person. And he didn't. Whether or not the Gov. of Alaska was the BEST choice within the realm of Identity Politics is a different point.

Posted by: Usually Lurking on September 2, 2008 1:57 PM

Sarah Palin wasn't a diversity play(bobby Jindal would have been) She's a "coloring by numbers" play.

I'd do her , even if I had to drink a pint of whiskey and wrestle a polar bear first...

Posted by: Ramesh on September 2, 2008 3:31 PM

I think everyone's missing the Stealth Strategy used by both campaigns.

Sen Obama is posing as the Black People's Candidate, when he is in fact the Stealth College Kids' Candidate. But the kids' support is the kiss of death-- ask Pres. McCarthy, Pres. McGovern, Pres. Anderson, etc. His blackness is just a distraction to allow the academic élite to sneak their candidate into the Offal Office.

Gov Palin plays the part of the Woman Candidate. But she's really the Stealth White Working Class entry. The Palins, despite their Pythonesque name, are the live-action Simpsons. Sarah is Marge; Todd, Homer; Trig, Maggie, etc. (Well, in their case the girl is the brat.)

My feminist friends won't touch her, but my proletarian in-laws will eat her right up. I was predicting McCain by a squeaker, but now I think he'll wipe the floor with that preppie guy.

Posted by: Reg Cæsar on September 2, 2008 3:55 PM

Boy, that article on the Republicans' biggest donor must have been hot stuff. HuffPo has taken it off their site already.

BTW, I find the "diversity ploy" objection to Palin impossible to take seriously. That's what VP nominations always are. Ever here of "balancing the ticket"? That's diversity too. It's a different kind of diversity, but it is just as incompatible with nominating the "most qualified."

Posted by: Lester Hunt on September 2, 2008 4:05 PM

I really like that Alaskan lady's bee-hive, but I think she needs some slightly heavier spectacle-frames to perfect the look: maybe some vintage Cazals. The main thing is to make Maureen Dowd and the sisterhood blow their tops even harder.

As to policies, I'd vote for Pazuzu from "The Exorcist" if he put oil- and gas-drilling back on the table.

Posted by: Robert Townshend on September 2, 2008 5:05 PM

Reg Cæsar's got it, IMO. Not only is she the working-class candidate, she's the social-conservative candidate: a political tendency that could only conceivable get onto the national ticket through a "diversity" subterfuge.

Posted by: intellectual pariah on September 2, 2008 5:44 PM

Well, I'm taking a wait and see attitude on all this election stuff....

I don't agree with Heather McDonald. I've been following Palin and Jindal on righty blogs for months now and the excitement about both of them are that they are 'real' conservatives in the Reagan mold. So, I think what is happening is that some conservative pundits who are not familiar with her didn't understand the excitement she caused in some circles where she has been closely followed as an anti-corruption crusader. I have no idea if she lives up the anti-corruption hype (and I'm waiting and seeing, remember?), but, if she is, well, well, well. I like that. I like that a lot! I mean, selling a plane of ebay that used to be the private plane of the governor! Hilarious. Like I said, I don't know if she's all hype, but oh, isn't it nice to have small gov instead of compassionate, big gov conservative hype?

The way some righty pundits has been flat footed by Palin's popularity is hilarious. They haven't been paying attention and now they blame the little people for getting wrong (which maybe they have) because they are not familiar with Palin's record (two year record only, gulp!)

Interesting times, eh?

Posted by: MD on September 2, 2008 6:46 PM

The main thing is to make Maureen Dowd and the sisterhood blow their tops even harder.

They needn't bother - this nomination has shown that conservatives have swallowed feminism hook, line, and sinker. This is a win for the sisterhood. First, by normalizing women in positions of authority among even the most conservative members of our society - more than normalizing actually. Conservatives are actually singling it out as a good thing and a sign of progress.

And there's the spectacle of conservatives lining up to justify a mother with a special needs infant running for VP when previously, they were contemptuous of the "have it all" high-powered career women who run back to work within months of giving birth instead of staying at home with their kids while they're young because that is where a mother's primary responsibilities lie (you know, the standard conservative position for the last, oh, couple thousand years).

Now they praise her for embodying that woman who demands to have young kids and pursue the big deal job - it's a sign of how amazing she is! Nevermind that a little more supervision at home probably wouldn't have hurt. No, feminists should be very happy. Their view of what society should look like is now the common wisdom. Even conservatives are regurgitating their talking points.

Posted by: ty on September 2, 2008 7:14 PM

We should have a talk show of our own!

Fyi, link to GOP's biggest donor is now functioning. Check the dude out.

Posted by: Michael Blowhard on September 2, 2008 7:41 PM

ty, you're actually blogging!

I thought that government forces had you guys pinned down near the Pakistani border.

Posted by: Robert Townshend on September 2, 2008 9:07 PM

Bristol Palin's boyfriend had a mySpace profile that's been taken down. He described himself as a "fucken redneck" and identified himself as "in a relationship" but "doesn't want kids." Oops!

Posted by: Sister Wolf on September 3, 2008 12:34 AM

ty -

You sound like a liberal masquerading as a conservative. "Normalizing women in positions of authority"?

Conservatism doesn't mean women standing barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. I may harbor some distrust about women's decision making and leadership abilities, but I'm definitely open to the rare women who can step up to those challenges. I don't know anyone who's a real conservative who feels otherwise. I know I'd prefer a hard-nosed straight-talking woman who advocates sensible government and social values to a white-male-for-white-male's-sake pick. And even where other VP candidates have the edge up on her, I think her sheer electability quotient demolishes bland choices like Romney and Lieberman.

Posted by: Failsafe on September 3, 2008 1:04 AM

Sarah Palin's looks are tone perfect, including the high cheerleader's pony tail.

Her daughter could use a makeover..

But then I guess candidate kids are well and truly off limits....

Posted by: Ramesh on September 3, 2008 9:02 AM