Daniel Larison, a columnist/blogger for the fascinatingly unpredictable American Conservative, in a column sharply points out (here) that the McCain-Palin ticket represents not reform, but a all-out continuation of "Bushism."
In the warped universe of Bush Republicanism, McCain/Palin was the relatively moderate alternative to the extreme [Joe] Lieberman option. In truth, by choosing Palin McCain made more of a statement of continuity with the last eight years than if he had chosen any of the other people frequently named as possibilities. Naturally, given the Bushist habit of abusing language, this is being presented as a clean break and a fresh start. Rhetorically, McCain and Palin have aligned themselves as the enemies of the status quo, while Obama and Biden are setting themselves up as the steady preservers of establishment interests. In reality, however, McCain and Palin are reformers every bit as much as the invasion of Iraq was a war of self-defense.
Wow. Can't think of any liberal commentator who has been more critical of the McCain-Palin ticket for what it proposes (as opposed to criticizing lies, etc.).
Unfortunately, the typical "low-information voter" pays little attention to reality, as The Los Angeles Times reveals at the end of a story today:
The Republican ticket was intent on introducing Palin in the best possible terms, even if they occasionally skated past reality. McCain and Palin have repeatedly claimed that Palin opposed the infamous "bridge to nowhere"; actually, she backed it while running for governor but later, when it was under fire, killed it off.
Both have cited her as a foe of earmarks, though she actively sought such budgetary benefits for Alaska.
On Friday, McCain exaggerated Palin's actions regarding the state airplane. In her speeches, she has said she put the plane up for sale on EBay, carefully omitting that it didn’t sell there and was sold, at a loss, through a plane broker. McCain's version was that "she took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor and sold it on EBay. And made a profit!"
The details did not matter to many of the voters Friday who streamed to see Palin. Julie Ness, a 47-year-old mother of three from West Bend, Wis., said she hadn't tuned in to the race until McCain selected Palin.
She said she loved the oft-repeated lines about the bridge and the plane because the comments made Palin "believable."
"She sounds like she's actually for the people, not for the position or the money or whatever other status reason they do it for," Ness said.
Great. "A Face in the Crowd" for the 21st century.
