Conservative Politicians Will Try To Use President Obama As Weapon

According to an article in POLITICO, Republicans are attempting to use President Obama as a weapon in the upcoming 2010 elections against Democratic rivals.

This strategy is no big secret. In fact, this is merely Republicans being slow to the punch with a strategy Democrats used (successfully) against George W. Bush during the previous eight years. But, this is more than just the politics of President Obama at play. Many of these political haters had already solidified their feelings for Barack Obama before he was even elected president. Make no mistake about it: the racial angle is difficult to ignore. From a pure political standpoint, it is the gift that keeps on giving for the most hardcore of conservatives. This is not about health care, budget deficits or wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (all of which were problems long before Barack Obama was elected president a little less than 14 months ago). Face it, a significant number of were (and still are) quite a bit uncomfortable with a black president. This secret strategy, from far-right conservatives, seeks to exploit that feeling (on top of the usual politics that are to be expected with any president).

This strategy helps fire up that highly conservative base by plastering images of President Obama all across TV sets and print publications.

There are other factors. Included in the other factors is payback. Republicans and conservatives seethed as they felt President Bush was attacked over and over again (he was attacked quite a bit) in the twilight of his presidency. Like a football game, the hardcore Republicans and conservatives were on defense against a juggernaut of an offensive attack strengthened by the momentum of the game. Now, they have the ball and they are on offense. The right wing now has the ball, but it has little game plan (beyond anger and fear).

Anger and fear will not win elections and will not help Republicans as this country increasingly becomes multicultural.

Check out this comment from the POLITICO article:

“For candidates who are running in Republican gubernatorial primaries, it would be a mistake not to contrast their ideology vis-à-vis the president,” said Brad Todd, a GOP ad man who is a veteran of governor’s races. “We are begging for a national election. It will benefit Republicans in every race where that nationalized dynamic is in place.”

Again, this is the old strategy used against the second President Bush. In general, this national strategy will not work as President Obama still enjoys pretty strong ratings. But, in some isolated pockets of the country, such a strategy will work effectively (as it did during the election of 2008). Many pockets of this country still exist where the men and women continue to hate Barack Obama (some even more so) as they did the minute he became the Democrat frontrunner in the primary in 2008.

POLITICO:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31128.html

Sarah Palin Quits As Alaska Governor

Sarah Palin quitting as governor of Alaska is probably not a really big surprise. The timing, however, is a little surprising to me.

Think Progress reads:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) announced this morning from her home in Wasilla that she will not be seeking re-election and that she will be stepping down in a few weeks. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated as Alaska’s governor on July 25.

So, there are some questions we’re left to ponder: 1. Is Sarah Palin gearing up to make a run for the presidency in 2012? 2. Is there some scandal forcing her out? 3. Is she simply tired of politics and the media? Time will answer those questions and others. Indeed, there are probably a lot more questions, but those are some that come to mind at first thought.

Here’s another question: Is Palin a serious candidate for the presidency?

Personally, I just can’t see how she can be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. Republicans would be unbelievably stupid to nominate her for the presidency in 2012 (unless they want to put her up as a sacrificial lamb thinking President Obama could be unbeatable).

This is from Fox News right-wing (I know, it’s kind of redundant)contributor Charles Krauthammer as quoted by POLITICO:

Now, as to Palin, I agree entirely with what Mara said. She is — she has star power without any doubt. She has an extremely devoted following. But she is not a serious candidate for the presidency.

She had to go home and study and spend a lot of time on issues in which she was not adept last year, and she hasn’t. She has to stop speaking in clichés and platitudes. It won’t work.

It could work for eight weeks if you’re the number two candidate, as she was last year. But even so, she got singed a lot in that campaign. You cannot sustain a campaign of platitudes and clichés over a year and a half if you’re running for the presidency.

Palin can’t be taken seriously as a candidate for the presidency. If she was even going to attempt to be taken more seriously she would be better advised to take on a role as a senator or congresswoman. She was severely lacking on the national stage beyond one-dimensional popularity among hardcore right wingers who were pleased to see someone other than an old white guy become popular with the big “R” by their name.

Sarah Palin went out on the Alaskan stage the way she stepped onto (and off of) the national stage: Crying relentlessly about the media (an easy target), singing her own praises (the ones she could muster) and vomiting one-dimensional Republican talking points.

Palin would be best served to go home and chill out since “only dead fish go with the flow.”

It’s better than sleeping with the political fishes in 2012.