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She appears to be one a those frontier maverick wimmins
TPM folks considering further opining on the choice of Sarah Palin, ought might also consider sitting down with that latte and boning up:
The Code Of The West: What Barack Obama can learn from Bill Ritter
by Ryan Lizza, The New Yorker, Sept. 1 issue.
P.S. Cutty Snark is obviously excused from reading the article.
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TPM member Caliu is also excused from reading the article, though it might interest him. :-)
August 29, 2008 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
From the section in Lizza's article that refers to a what a Democratic party would like if it took a Western approach:
I'm the first one to jump on the high tech, new economy, energy independent bandwagon. However, I cannot think of a single reason why such an orientation would mean sacrificing universal health care, social justice and labor goals. In fact, I see the former as part of the answers to the problems of the latter.
Why would the New Deal coalition have to end in order for the 'new' New Deal to gain ground? It seems to me that Democrats are smart and energetic enough to form a new coalition that is comprised of all these interests.
Ken Baer needs to get out of the DLC more often.
August 29, 2008 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ooops, forgot to say that article is still a good read for Democrats and to thank you for the tip (again). What are your thoughts?
August 29, 2008 4:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think my neural nets are still aborbing the data presented in it, the only way I can deal with articles like this is to absorb them and then wait and see when things happen if they connect. Does that make sense?
Certainly I saw some of the things in the article in the Palin choice. Also makes me think both campaigns know all this stuff quite well.
The Obama campaign has been going after some of this for quite some time, in going after those Western states which have been switching to maverick Dem governors, except that the Obama campaign thought McCain didn't get it, but surprise, surprise, they do get it.
In general there are also Reagan-ish themes in all of this, which is why I put a link on bslev's thread.
I think the most popular litmus tests for high office are in the process of changing. And though I think the campaigns get it, I don't think the blogosphere gets it at all.
To think that those who think that the Palin choice is about trying to get "Puma's," or "feminists" who are disappointed that Hillary isn't going to president, are clueless. I also think something like the abortion is not the litmus test it once was. I think Obama's team knows this.
The article reminded me of Lou Dobbs'a audience and his popularity. I think more people in the blogosphere should watch Lou Dobbs' show once in a while and see what another very passionate echo chamber looks like. It's not just about illegal immigrants, it's about not liking what either party has been doing, nor on where both parties put their emphasis, every single night. It's also about not liking current liberals nor current conservatives.
August 29, 2008 6:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Lizza article relates,
This may hold true for Colorado, but it does not hold true for New Mexico. We don't have 200-year-old party machines, but we do have 50-year-old party machines. Just ask a New Mexico Republican in the state legislature about party machine politics. Just try and get something done in northern New Mexico without the blessing of the Democratic machine.
August 29, 2008 9:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for that, I for one did take that statement with a grain of salt. Still I do get the sense that the appeal of being Independent of the two parties is more deeply popular in the West. Have no figures to point to, tho....just rings right for many historical and anedotal reasons. I am not even sure if Perot's run and the subsequent interest in creating his 3rd party was more popular in the west...I might check up on that when I get a chance.
Would behoove me to remind myself, and others, that here in NYC, the capital of the right coast, home of a formidable Dem machine that still exists in only slightly diminished form after two terms of Guiliani trying to dismantle it, we now have a mayor who ran as a Republican but recently changed his own registration to Independent. And the electorate still votes the Dem machine for all the other offices, the GOP is a nonentity. :-)
August 29, 2008 11:11 PM | Reply | Permalink