Herbert's sentences are indicative of the re-emerging culture wars in the United States. This culture war is essentially about populism versus elitism.Opinion polls already show that the Republicans are gaining ground in swing states thanks to Palin. The fact that the elite American media, newspapers such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, are furious about McCain's choice is exactly what drives the popularity of Palin. The reason is simple. She is engaged, thanks to smart coaching by Republican Party strategists, in the good old game of victimization against the power elite of Washington. She is running as the "hockey mom," the average person that Americans identify with, the hard-working mother of five children against the Washington elite. And her strategy works because the Washington elite are falling into her trap.
The same tactics worked in 2000 when Bush ran as the outsider. He was, like Palin, uninformed and dismissive of mainstream media. And the media reacted the same way. They ridiculed him. Bush thrived under such circumstances because he benefited from low expectations. There was such an impression created about him as the "idiot" that each time he managed to put two sentences together people appeared to be impressed. Nothing benefits politicians as much as low expectations. And nothing is more difficult to surmount than an assured sense of victory and success.
All these dynamics will create major problems for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's camp. It is certainly true that the choice of Palin is irresponsible. Her executive experience consists of less than two years as governor of a sparsely populated state, plus six years as mayor of a city of 9,000 inhabitants (around 5,500 when she was serving as mayor). Except for a semblance of knowledge of the energy and natural resource issues (mainly of Alaska), Palin has barely been heard from in the broader national debates over economic policy. She has absolutely no record on foreign policy and national security. She has no experience and no proven track record of good judgment.
But the Republicans have selected Palin with other criteria in mind. The goal was not to find the most qualified person in the party. Instead it was to energize the party and get the base to vote. Mobilizing the activists was the real objectives. This makes sense from a political point of view because unless the religious right goes to the ballot box with the same enthusiasm they had for George W. Bush, McCain had no chance of winning. Now, with Palin, the Christian right has a reason to vote. The fact that Palin is so clearly anti-abortion and so willing to put her faith first in determining policy means everything to a crucial part of the American electorate. And the fact that The New York Times or The Washington Post are so angry about Palin's selection as the vice presidential candidate only confirms how right she is in the eyes of these "values" voters.
As The New York Times noted, "One of the many bizarre moments in the questioning by ABC News's Charles Gibson of Governor Palin was when Ms. Palin excused her lack of international experience by sneering that Americans don't want 'somebody's big fat résumé maybe that shows decades and decades in that Washington establishment where, yes, they've had opportunities to meet heads of state'." The fact of the matter is that Palin can afford such language. After all McCain represents that big fat résumé, and those who value such experience can get it with the Republican ticket. But they can also get the "values" ticket thanks to her. In a way, it's a two-for-one deal.
Moreover, now that the Christian base is happy, McCain can focus on the more independent voters in order to appeal to the center. The only remaining question is whether the choice of Palin will alienate independents. Only time will tell.
