Thursday, October 02, 2008
VP Debate I: Dog Whistles
The Desperate Right's Meme Machine is in full working order.0 comments
Their last hope at this juncture is to turn tonight's vice presidential debate with Sen. Joe Biden into The Special Olympics; to set the bar soooooo low, that Sarah Palin shows true grit and courage merely by showing up—and, by simply avoiding soiling her clothes at all, she's WINS!
That's their main talking point.
What we all need to listen for is that high-pitched tone of bullshit as Rupert Murdoch et al. slip the FOX-based story line into his new Dow Jones properties, and therefore into CNN and the AP and the rest of the MSM coverage.
Here's how it goes:
First, hide in plain sight. Make a ludicrous claim in your lede. Soften/bury your side's nightmare, then set up and keep the focus on a non-existent bar that's immaterial to the event for the other side to hurdle—that your opponent couldn't overcome even if it WERE material.What's clear is that while Republican Palin will seek to bounce back from some recent public gaffes, Democrat Biden is expected to dance around the PR landmines that could make him appear too condescending if he pounces too hard on his opponent.
Perfect. Re-establish "The Right as Victim" idea. Big Bad Joe snarling at Poor Little Plucky Sunshine-y Sarah. So Biden loses by even showing up, or by not sufficiently bowing and scraping to the Republican candidate for vice president (the part Dick Cheney has always enjoyed about the job). Meanwhile, Palin would be free to carve out the entrails of her opponent without being pushed on any relevent topic, as she successfully did in the 2006 Alaska governor's debates by throwing non-existant bullshit on the table, then sitting back and smiling a lot while her opponents sputtered.
Sorry, Rupert, the job of both of these candidates tonight is to rip each other's face off, and to rip the face off of the head of the opposite ticket.
That's the job. Take it or go home.
Palin is no shy flower. This is a serial killer with the nice-lady-next-door smile. We fall for this routine at our peril.
Next, listen/watch for this propaganda approach:
List the correctly stated derision aimed at Palin recently, then use blind (i.e., non-existent) sources to make your right-wing case for you, while you pretend to simply be "reporting." To whit:And Palin has become the butt of late-night jokes, most notably an uncanny impersonation of her by actress Tina Fey on "Saturday Night Live." One recent episode satirized her interview with [Katie] Couric.
Could help?
Oddly enough, pundits on both sides say that kind of sentiment now could actually work in Palin's favor. The bar has been placed so low on expectations for Palin that all she has to do now is simply avoid further missteps and stay within her game.
Most of all, she needs to let viewers see the side of her that charmed the party faithful and others at the Republican National Convention—a populist candidate who relates to middle America through her vernacular and personal experiences.
OK, let's walk through this again—
Who is the pundit who said this, and for which McCain Campaign does he/she work? Name names or get this crap off my page or TV screen. This needs to be jumped on as BULLSHIT, EVERY time it's stated.The bar has been placed so low on expectations for Palin
The only ones placing the bar low on Palin are in the Palin/McCain campaign, which translates as, "Please, please, don't hurt our candidate! We beg of you!"
Then, you can slide in THE TOTAL REFRAMING of the discussion:Most of all, she needs to let viewers see the side of her that charmed the party faithful and others at the Republican National Convention—a populist candidate who relates to middle America through her vernacular and personal experiences.
As opposed to any particular knowledge, education, awareness, ability, or general fitness that any man or woman would need for the job of President of the United States of America (we're still betting that McCain wouldn't see the mid-term elections).
Here's where to keep the entire focus:
So, you don't like George W. Bush?
John McCain IS LIKE George W. Bush.
Sarah Palin IS George W. Bush.
posted by Gotham 11:25 AM
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