Heckofajob, Paly?

In assessing the VP debate in their usual group-think manner, the TV commentators today are talking about how Sarah Palin was "folksy". And how she managed to get over the bar they set so so low.

They also agree with each other that Joe Biden delivered content, addressed the questions and issues, didn't talk down to Palin, and that she avoided almost every question. Nevertheless, he apparently lost because he didn't out working class folkify her.

In an amazing feat of restrain, Biden did not role his eyes or groan or smirk (ala Al Gore and John Kerry vs. George Bush) because he certainly would have been labeled a sexist elitist by the opposition, expertly exploiting the echo chamber of the "mainstream media filter" that they love to loath).

In the same week that Reaganomic deregulation brought the US economy to a screatching near collapse, Palin directly quoted Reagan at least three times in a pale effort to become a great communicator herself. But you have to have a vision or positive message to communicate, not just attacking or using someone else's 30-year-old line.

Is any of this sounding familiar? Yes, you've seen this debate before! Palin is Bush 2000 Redux.

As far as we know, she didn't have to hide her blueblood heritage and White House teenagehood. Bush had to leave New England behind to transform himself into a Texas cowboy-oilman. So perhaps her folksiness is somewhat more authentic.

Eight years ago, I was fortunate enough to be in the audience at the 1st Presidential Debate between Gore and Bush at the University of Massachusetts. Full disclosure: as a lifelong Democratic voter, I was biased toward candidate Gore's success. When we applauded at the close of the debate, it was clear that Gore had succeeded. In fact, it seemed to me that Bush had been rhetorically slaughtered. He lacked substance but was full of folksiness.

When I got to a TV screen, I found that Gore had "lost" because he looked too orange or too pale (I can't remember). Oh, and he sighed heavily at Bush's rhetoric. *Sigh*

Palin even used the phrase "heckofa" at some point in the debate. I forget the complete sentence it was part of, but it sharply reminded me of Bush's infamous "heckuva job, Brownie" approval of FEMA's abismal, disasterous lack of response to Hurrican Katrina.

On a "barbershop" discussion segment of an NPR show today, one discussant made the point that Palin's language of "folksiness" -- use of terms like working class, even soccer mom and Joe Sixpack -- were "coded". I enterpret this coded language as targeting the white Reagen-Democrat Republican base. Palin's downhome Whiteness and overt appeal to the White working class is a not-so-subtle strategy to highlight Barack Obama's Blackness and "otherness".

Since when does NPR have its own barbershop, anyway? They, too, are working on a form of virtual urban folksiness! Only in this case it is an effort reach out beyond their base (or what the Roving Rovian attack dogs of the Right would call their arugala-eating, latte-drinking Northeastern liberal establishment.)

McCain has his Palin. Obama has his Amtrak-traveling, Scranton-raised Biden, NPR has their Barbership, MSNBC has their Joe Scarborough, CNN has their Lou Dobbs, and of course Fox News has Bill O'Reilly. Everybody has their folksiness. As Biden's Mother might say, God love 'em.

But let's not reward these folks again with endless power because we could drink a six pack with 'em.