Milwaukee's ridiculous medium wave jackanapes Charlie Sykes notices a Ben Smith item at Politico.com — labeling it "Barry leaves 'em laughing about that uppity broad" — which inspires the following self-righteous admonitions: "YOU STAY CLASSY, BARRY. Why dont [sic] you just come out and call her ... a bitter clinger?"
So, what was Barack Obama's outrageous sin? Why, he paid tribute to John McCain's running soulmate, Sarah Palin, as a "Mother, governor, moose shooter" to reportedly comic effect at a campaign stop.
I wonder where in the world Obama came up with that.
Most likely the Republican Party's own official biographical video, broadcast to several million viewers from its own national convention in St. Paul last week, whose own dramatic narration begins: "Mother, moose hunter, maverick. Mayor, governor, maverick."
It's okay if you're a Republican, as the saying goes.
Meanwhile, it was a Republican congressman from Georgia, Lynn Westmoreland, who really did refer to the Obamas as "uppity."
Needless to say, Charlie Sykes did not see fit to disgorge his signature fatuous bilge in that instance.
Apparently he didn't get cc'd on the hypocrisy memo.
Fine points, iT. (Even if our noble simian cousins are diminished in the process.) Seems to me, though, that it's odd for a presidential nominee to be attacking the other side's VP. Shouldn't the attacks work the other way -- VP upward to Pres? Isn't there a necessary loss of prestige when the attack flows in the other direction? And if that's so, then does Obama's attack carry at least a whiff of desperation? Maybe my premise is wrong, of course ... someone out there must have a thought about whether it's unusual for the presidential to attack the vice-presidential nominee.
ReplyDeleteFair points, and I don't envy Obama's strategists at the moment. On balance, he should probably just ignore her and continue to make his positive case.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it's impossible to ignore her in that nobody knows who she is and the press has been working overtime at trying to find out, a situation that reflects the cleverness of the selection in the first place.
As for the historical perspective, whatever it may have been, it's clearly evolved from "bucket of warm spit" to Dick Cheney.