John McCain’s VP pick has absolutely knocked me for a loop. I am utterly dismayed at how the Republican noise machine has once again co-opted actual debate about actual issues in America. We continue to be at war, the price of fuel is soaring, the economy is in the crapper, and I am absolutely obsessed with Sarah Palin. Rovian politics work, apparently.
But I am obsessed also because I am waiting for the other shoe to drop—waiting for the big miss-step, for the tide to turn, for the population to wake the fuck up. So I’m surfing, obsessively, looking for signs of hope and humor, and I thought I’d share for those of you with less time and better things to do.
Let’s start with Funny, because we need that in these troubled times, eh?
The SNL Sketch, with my idol, Tina Fey, in case you missed it (surely you didn’t miss it?) I think Amy Poehler also deserves mad props for this sketch—she doesn’t nail her Hillary impression in quite the same way, but I think the portrayal itself is fantastic. Funny, and flattering, in its way. I had to take down the video because I couldn’t get it to stop playing a commercial every time my site came up, but I’m leaving the link if you want to check it out: http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/
My Girl, Samantha Bee, On the Issue That I Will Not, Would Not Ever, Vote Against:
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Scott Bateman: The Palin Interview
I used to be a Salon addict, and Video Dog was where I spent too many happy hours watching clips. Scott Bateman’s work is new to me—but apparently it’s regularly featured there now. His method of stripping away the visual we’re used to seeing, and pairing the naked audio with animation gives the words people are using a greater impact. And his textual asides are, of course, hysterical:
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This isn’t actually about Palin, but it’s really short, and I couldn’t resist it. It’s just so stupid.
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Red State Update (not for the faint of liberal heart). People of America, these guys are out there, make no mistake. I grew up in small-town red state America, and I have met them.
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Alright, moving on from funny to Thought-Provoking. Rebecca Traister, as usual, gives eloquent voice to the things that concern us as citizens and as women. She opens the essay by describing actual nightmares she’s been having since the Palin furor began, and she really touches a nerve for me with this. So many women I know and respect for their intelligence have been absolutely outraged by the way that Palin’s selection has co-opted the debate in this election, and also, we’re a little confused by how strong, and how complex our feelings about Palin are. Traister says, in part,
What troubles me most — aside from the fact that there is suddenly a Republican candidate potent enough to so ensnare my psyche — is my sense that these are dreams in which it matters very much that Palin is a woman.
I have been writing about feminism for more than five years; I have been covering the gender politics of the 2008 presidential election for more than two. And I am absolutely gobsmacked by the intensity of my feelings about Sarah Palin. I am stunned not only by the way in which her candidacy has changed the rules in the gender debate, or how it is twisting and garbling the fight for women’s progress. But I’m also startled by how Palin herself is testing my own beliefs about how I react to women in power.
Read the entire article, “Zombie Feminists of the RNC”.
And Cintra Wilson’s “Pissed About Palin”. If you’re pissed off already (like me), then this will resonate. If you’re not pissed, you should be, and hopefully you will be by the time you finish reading.
Adam McKay, with “We’re Gonna Frickin’ Lose This Thing”, voicing what a lot of us are worried about, what with McCain and Palin lying their asses off, and our corporate media not holding them accountable.
Andy Ostroy, with even more strategy advice for Obama (it’s all over the web), but Ostroy’s suggestion is novel, to say the least: “Why Replacing Biden With Hillary Makes Perfect Sense for Obama”.
Finally, I’ll close with “Keep Hope Alive.” This report on an anti-Palin rally in Anchorage really raised my spirits. Do scroll down to the bottom of the post and check out all the homemade signs. Those signs really warmed my heart. Real people taking the time to turn their concerns into art projects, and waving them around on the street. There’s video, too, and you hear the honking and shouting–makes me really wish I were home, so I could participate in this historic election more fully.
And finally, Tim Fernholz, on all the advice Obama’s getting to get aggressive and give McCain a dose of his own bitter medicine, for all the Chicken Little Democrats shouting that the sky is falling. Hold on, he says, just hold on, “Everybody Calm Down! Obama Is Hitting Back”.
I’m trying.
6 Responses
September 16th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I wish I weren’t so obsessed by her. I feel like such a sucker and I know they’re just trying to take the focus off the Obama camp…
But at the same time, maybe it’s good to keep the attention on her and watch her self-destruct.
September 18th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Good collection of sketches. I’d seen most, but not all. My son commented that if McCain and Palin get in, Tina Fey is going to be able to make a lot of money as a Palin impersonator. My feeling is that the Republicans should hire Fey to do all of Palin’s interviews in the future. She’s bound to do better. At least Fey knows more about the issues.
September 19th, 2008 at 3:10 am
I’m pretty sure I heard the “RSU” conversation at the next table at dinner last night.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Margaret Thatcher got into power in the UK on pretty much the same tide as Palin. She was different. She was nowhere near as pretty as Palin though, and I’m just a bit worried about how shallow the average voters are… and how much racism will affect the vote.
October 19th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
In my house we’re not allowed to say the SP words. In fact, we have to say “McPhalin” which, I and a few friends are hoping, will create a ball of toxic failure energy that will roll right into McP’s goofy attempt at political strategy. I LOVED (and grinned generously throughout) S. Bee’s sketch. So hilarious I had to watch again. hugs to you as you watch the debacle from afar.
November 8th, 2008 at 12:24 am
It’s an easy decision for me. I just think she’s hot. Camoflage overalls? Shotgun? Getting lost in the bushes? Yeah baby!
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