Dems New Mantra: "What Happened to Our Money?"
posted by gdoud 09/06/2008 01:30:20 AM EST
Sarah Palin scares me.
Smug liberal that I am, in this year of Change (© Obama), I was sure that Palin was a joke. After the announcement, and the initial reaction about her past, inexperience, corruption investigations and unwed pregnant teen daughter, I was sure she would be the turd in the Republican punchbowl. I seriously wondered if her nomination for VP would make it past the convention floor.
Then I heard her speak, and watched her on TV.
She is not the frostbitten hillbilly I thought she was. She can, if nothing else, read from a script and string together coherent sentences. All while not looking like a ghoul. This is more than most Republicans these days, including Joe Lieberman, can do.
And what’s worse, for Obama, and any who care about righting the good ship America, is that she actually adds to the McCain ticket in a substantive way.
She solidifies the evangelical base. They love her. They are excited, and ready to donate and work again. We were counting on many of them sitting this one out.
She brings youth, and the Washington outsider mantle to the campaign of a career politician who is older than God. She represents the bold kind of choice that only a “Maverick” would make. Jesus, do you think the press will repeat that a million times, again?
Worse, she brings back the politics of personality. It was looking like Obama, and his old white guy, against two other old white guys. The personality story was with Obama, and he was controlling it pretty well. Now, it is the first black president versus the first woman president (oh wait, I mean vice president). This lets people who want “change” reassess the definition of change. This also lets independent and undecided white voters off the race hook. The Bradley effect on steroids.
People, who are sick of how badly the Republicans have fucked them, and the country, but are uncomfortable with a black candidate, now have a “change” option. Maybe they don’t have to pull the lever for the African American, because they can vote for a chick! After all, didn’t some Democratic chick get screwed on this whole deal anyway? They can assuage race guilt by voting against their sexist tendencies.
So what to do? Obama has been better than Gore or Kerry. He has started to pound on McCain and the Republicans. And the Democrats in general have been unified on the message of tying McCain to Bush. But Palin has the potential of obscuring that tie. Hell, McCain’s acceptance speech finished with the call for “change.”
Democrats have to attack on the point that all Americans, in fact, all people, feel at their core: Money.
Obama, and all Democrats, have to lead America in asking the question: what happened to our money? And they have to guide media and voters to the right answers (and I mean “right” in the political sense – the kicking ass sense).
Bill Clinton left a half-trillion surplus…what happened to our money?
John McCain and the Republicans blew it!
The Iraq War is expensive…what happened to our money?
John McCain and the Republicans let corrupt militia leaders and terrorists steal it (remember the “footballs” of cash handed out from the backs of trucks?)
No, the War is really fucking expensive…what happened to our money?
John McCain and the Republicans gave it to Halliburton in a no-bid contract!
See how it goes?
…what happened to our money?
John McCain and the Republicans let your employer take it to China!
…what happened to our money?
John McCain and the Republicans gave it in tax breaks to your boss!
…what happened to our money?
John McCain and the Republicans gave it to the oil companies!
…what happened to our money?
John McCain and the Republicans gave it to Jack Abramoff, who gave some of it back to them in bribes!
…what happened to our money?
John McCain and the Republicans let mortgage brokers swindle you out of it, and left you homeless!
…what happened to our money?
John McCain and the Republicans took it from you, and gave it to their rich friends. And they are laughing at you, and they plan on taking more!
Can you analyze government spending and refute the above? Sure, but who the fuck, on average, will take the time to do that? Democrats need to force the message out. Make it the mantra – John McCain and the Republicans are taking your money, and they don’t give a shit if you become poor. Americans’ wallets will resonate with this message for the next 60 days. If not, I fear a nail-biter in a year it shouldn’t even be close.
