.america, the hypocritical. September 17, 2008

…can also be found on Wordy Laundry!

.authored by something.of.substance.

.Celebrities dig Obama.

Have I entered an alternate dimension? I could have sworn that, just a couple of weeks ago, the Republican agenda for President was working militantly to dismiss Barack Obama as the wrong choice because of his, and I quote, “celebrity”. Wasn’t he repeatedly denounced for being so popular? Weren’t multiple ads about the legitimacy of his politics created to attack his well-liked persona? And, yet, I don’t hear anyone in the Republican Party denouncing their own Governor Sarah Palin for her recent surge in notoriety. Ironic, isn’t it, that the Republican should benefit from their own hypocrisy! Why, you ask? Because in our celebrity culture, Americans have forgotten that politics is simply a smoke-and-mirrors act on a national stage and we’re the ones being fooled.

I started writing about Governor Palin and the McCain/Palin ticket the hour it was announced she would run with Senator McCain. I was angry and insulted and frustrated that Republicans believed that, simply because I had a vagina and sometimes wore lipstick, I would relate to this woman. I acknowledged the brilliance of adding her to McCain’s lackluster campaign. But, I also kept the faith that America would see right through this slight-of-hand and get back to the business of voting on the issues rather than the celebrity. I mean, once again, wasn’t that a chief point against Senator Obama?!

.McCain digs Bush.

Rather than dissipating, Palin’s popularity continues to surge ahead. For example, my blog has received no less than 500 hits from “Sarah Palin” searches in the last week. This would not be such a point of contention for me should they be researching her policies or her positions; I can certainly understand and support anyone attempting to learn more about the person one bout of melanoma away from running our country. Instead, the search terms look something like this: “Sarah Palin Vogue”, “Palin Beauty Pic”, “Sarah Palin Bathing Suit”, “Palin Miss Alaska Swimsuit”, “Palin in college bed” (really?!), “Sarah Palin Fashion” (is she debuting a collection at Bryant Park?), and, my personal favorite, “Sarah Palin condom”.

The difference in notoriety between these two candidates (aside from the fact that they are not running for the same office) is very simple: Obama’s “celebrity” stemmed from his “radical” message of hope and change; Palin’s “celebrity” from the shock factor generated by her left-field (or should I say “right-field”) nomination. In fact, the introduction of Sarah Palin was the oldest trick in the political book: a distraction. No longer are we focusing, as a country, on the issues that permeate our day-to-day lives. Instead, we are swept up, as a nation, in a soap opera constructed to keep us from recognizing the legitimate politics of this election.

The question no one is asking, however, is why either party would want us to ignore the politics in this political process. Why would the Republican camp introduce someone wholly unqualified for the job who embodies most of the negative spins they originally reserved for their opponent- inexperienced, famous, charismatic? The answer is because this same bait-and-switch tactic has worked so well in the previous two elections that George W. Bush, the president with the lowest approval rating in the history of democracy, got elected (and then re-elected) on the strength of his party’s dog and pony show. Essentially, because America voted based on knee-jerk social reactions in the past, the Republican Party and McCain campaign hope you are dumb enough to do it again.

Yes. That’s right. The Republican Party in America assumes you are too ignorant to know that they are tricking you.

Rather than have a plan that addresses the swiftly crumbling economy (the stock market fell over 10% this week alone), perpetual large-scale job cuts (we’ve passed a 6.1% unemployment rate nationwide and aren’t expected to stop there!), the outrageous federal deceit (how are we going to make up $500 billion plus the additional billions the Federal Reserve Board miraculously located to bail out some bankrupt lenders), or the fact that millions of mortgages are at risk, we are caught up by the candidates novelty. Rather than investigate the claims made by either party (Obama’s camp charges that McCain can’t use technology while McCain’s people are telling us he invented the Blackberry; McCain’s campaign claims Obama will raise taxes while Obama has repeatedly assured us he will cut taxes), people believe everything they hear. In short, people are taken in by the show.

Politics can be best equated to a slight-of-hand trick performed by a magician: the real issues plaguing our country are switched and replaced by something flashier. And, rather than figure out where the focus on the legitimate concerns went, we stay mesmerized by the flashy new concept thrown in front of us with such incredible splash that we can’t help but be taken in by it.

Maybe I have something of an inferiority complex, but I refuse to be told by politicians that I am ill-informed. I’m bright enough to spot a bait-and-switch when I see one. And, substituting Sarah Palin’s popularity for Barack Obama’s only makes me believe the Republican Party is as hypocritical as they are devious. I won’t pander to their over-night obsession any longer. This is the last you’ll see me contribute to the Sarah Palin Smoke-and-Mirrors Switcheroo.

And, now, back to our crumbling country…