Dagsavisen, Norway: Palin The Phenomenon

[Lars77]

http://watchingamerica.com/News/46470/palin-the-phenomenon/

Sarah Palin fascinates both media and ordinary Americans more than ever. Two and a half years before the next election she does not only look like a pet of the right wing, but also a figure of destiny for the Republican party.

Fears run deep in the Republican Party concerning the ruthless ambition and the total lack of self-awareness of the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential nominee. At the same time she is energizing a right wing which was discharged and lifeless after the election of Barack Obama in November 2008.


An op-ed piece translated by yours truly.

[Xipe Totec]

1. Thank you for a great translation!

I particularly loved this quote:

"In Europe, Palin's candidacy would have been considered a joke. It is unthinkable that Germany's skillful but anti-charismatic chancellor Angela Merkel would have any chance in an American campaign, and equally unthinkable that the charismatic, but almost completely ignorant Palin would become chancellor of Germany. Still, in America it is not improbable that Palin in a given situation would be president, but I have my doubts."

[Fridays Child]

2. I'm going to bookmark that site.

Always interested in how we're viewed by our saner cousins across the Atlantic.

[Diclotican]

3. Lars77

Lars77

From our side of the Atlantic Sarah Palin looks like an idiot if you ask me, but for some reason or another many americans look at her as one smart woman who would stand up against "the evil" of mr Barak Obama..

And Im pretty sure that the old gigants of the republican party would turn in their grave if they did know what have going on in their party the last 30 year or so.. And have that woman as a destiny for the republican party. What a shoock for the old gigants.. (Yes at one time the Republicans did had some politicans who was rather sane)

But the right wingers of the republican Party looks in love with this woman, who for them is the salvation, becouse she look as the "real thing". And in their world, she is the only political force, who talk th walk and walk the walk.. Regardness of what she does and what he told the odience..

That she is just a woman full of air, who does as she have been told, it is not her who hold the "Power" in any way if you ask me.. SHe is just a dumb woman (no offene ladies, I know it exist many highly intelectuell and wel educated woman out there) who belive she could be the next president.. And after GWB im not that sure about your guys over there anymore.. Before GWB I would say to got for the best of two candidates.. But after GWB, Im not that sure anymore about US..

Diclotican

[Lars77]

4. Diclotican

She has a lot of the same features that W. had: Religion, charisma, etc. But instead of a "good ole straight shooter", she's a "tough-nosed hockey mom". Same thing though. Anti-intellectual voters trust her gut instincts and religious convctions to guide her more than a secular person with a law degree (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's voters are just the same!).

To be honest with you i'm pretty sure Palin is not electable. The harder the right wing push, the more moderate people with get their asses off the couch to vote against it. You can compare it with France, where neo-nazi Jean Marie LePen was able to get to the second round of elections to face off against Chirac in the final round due to extremely low turnouts. He was trounced in the second round though. So i think there is a safety valve that will be released if she runs in 2012.

However i think the long term future is more troubling. I hope i'm wrong, but the US has pretty much been in an economical decline for a long time already. The real estate bubble just made everyone feel it, including the rich (making the media report it). More immigration, legal or not, combined with more and more poor working whites is a recipe for disaster as the economy continues to decline. Whether it will be like the Weimar Republic i don't know. I actually think it's more probable that the union could start breaking up. Why should Texas, with it's individualistic political culture spend their oil money paying for the decline of the rust belt for example?

I know it seems unprobable and even crazy at this point, but if the decline does not lead to war and conflict on a massive scale, civil or "normal", the US will be an anomaly in history. A functioning democracy does work as a safety valve however, and that's what sets the US apart from previous empires in decline.

Hope i didnt depress you all too much with this analysis :D

[Diclotican]

5. Lars77

Lars77

I agree with you, and I hope Palin is NOT electable as a president. Even tho the right in US, specially the right who are on aftenposten debatt, think she is the great next thing in the right movement and that Mr Barak, with a LAW DEGREE no less is as stupid as the donkys ass... And off course a danger to sivilization becouse they also belive him to be a secred Muslim and that he want to destroy US.... Off course this is just stupidity but... It looks like many americans really see to like her, becouse she look "down to earth" even tho she really is out on the woods big time..

I know about L Pen who was the far rights "great hope" in the 1990s, but who was beaten repetly by Chirac who was far more tastefull than Le-Pen had being have he been elected by the far right. But it was a close call anyway, and it was more becouse of pure luck, than smart political moves of mr Chirac, that Le Pen was not the president of the French Republic... As you pointed out, mostly becouse of the extreme low turnouts in the final round..

If she really want to run for Office in 2012 Im are not that opptimistic anymore.. The US have been sick for a long time, specially after the 8 year with GWB the US got from a chill, to a really ugly illness who can be terminal. And I hope that US dosen't go termial becouse US, after all have a lot to offer the rest of the world - if they just start acting reasonable again. The 8 year with mr Bush jr was a nightmare for most, specially me.. And if Palin was to be elected President I might have to build that chelter I promised (becouse I was sure US could not posible elect GWB jr twice) I would build if he was elected... And iff course he was elected, but I never builded that chelter... I might have to revise that, and to plan for the imposible after all...

US have been in decline for many, many year now.. A friend of me, who have a fair better grasp of the economy side of history have pointed out that US was more or less broke in the early 1980s, and have survived mostly becouse of credit from all over the place. Sooner or later some of the debitors want their money back, and then US really wil hit rock bottom... In all means of the word..

If US got enough poor, who are desperate enough, it wil not be a nice place to be.. If history show us anything is that when enough is enough the poor tend to fight back... Think about the french revolution in a 21 century setting... Ugly in other words...

The end of the real estate is just one of the "cracks" who show how overpriced, and more to the point, that US is in real problem.. I have the feeling that the estate bust in 2007-08 was not just a correction, it was a telling to everyone that the economical sytem in US is in deep need of repair, a far deeper need of rapair than most peopole want to know.. When most of a country's wealth is in the 1 percent richest in the country you know something is going bad.. The "middle class" as sutch have been killed slowly over the years, and it have been written a lot of it lately here on DU that the econimical elite of US want to get rid of the middle class, becouse it is far more easy to rule when you have a elite who have everything, and working poors hwo have non. What they forget, is that it could verry easy end up in revolution where the elite is killed off.. As it did when the french got rid of their old elite... Who in the end got a new one, who was little more carefull than the old one...

It is defently a risk that US in the end can be teared up by different interest, where states who thing they dosent need to be in the union with the rest wil try to get out of it all.. Texas is one of the bigger player in this game and have a lot to earn by seede from the union.. But other parts of US is also if the econical system wil go down wil also be temped to seede from the union I guess.. California is still one of the greatest states in a economical sence of it all...

Wel, a democracy can be a safty valve that is true, but it is a guess if US have a valve that is big enough to survive a collapse in economical sense.. US are in deep problems now, and I am not sure that the decline that they have discovered the last couple of decades can be stoped, or at least be slowed down to a standstill and then posible a recovery.. I fear that the decline is there, and that US as the rest of great empires wil slowly go the same way.. But compared to many others, the US is still a democracy - of sorts, and can use that as tool to open the steam to elect the best leaders.. But I am afraid that US dosen't want to elect the "best leaders" they want to elect a leader they can get a beer with - or at least belive they could got a beer with.. And GWB was a "nice fellow" who many americans liked greatly.. Even tho he was really not into going to others for a beer.. He, and the fellow he was with hate the common man, and even that mr Bush could go as a likeable man, he was not to keen to be with the common man.. But he liked to be SHOWN as a man who liked to be with the common man.. My instict told me that he was an asshole, and the next 8 year was not proven wrong..

Wel, it is interesting to se that others can make a sensible analysis even tho it is depressing to read.. I hope for some miracle for US, that they can turn around and do what others have not beeing doing.. Even tho i doubt they can or wil do the turnaround nessesary to surive the nest 50 year.. I could be wrong, but I fear tne next 50 year wil be really bumpy for US..
And that is sad becouse many americans is great pepole, and I also have a few who I consider friends of mine...

Diclotican

[katty]

7. yes, we've been in an econ decline...late stage capitalism-now

we're on faux$ life support

[katty]

6. (dick)Cheney is out crowing again-dick and sarah 2-step....

he's been dying of the same heart attack for decades...now he's perkier than ever - she is just riding her wave...hopefully to nowhere.