[Sarah Palin] The dominatrix (How low can they go?)

Salon ^ | September 9, 2008 | Gary Kamiya

[2ndDivisionVet]

Sarah Palin is trying to seduce independent voters. But she comes across like a whip-wielding mistress who wants to discipline a naughty America.

Sarah Palin has thrown a big-time scare into Democrats. The GOP ticket received a huge bounce after the convention, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll, and McCain now leads Obama among registered voters, 50 percent to 46 percent. And it's mostly Palin's doing. The "elite media" that Palin and her fellow Republicans so lovingly excoriated in St. Paul, Minn., is reporting that her entrance into the race may have put crucial states like Ohio in play. The tough-talking, gun-toting "hockey mom" who believes that America's wars are God's will has fired up social conservatives, restarted the culture wars so beloved of Republicans, and shifted the election from being about issues into a personality contest.

Post-convention polls are highly unreliable. But the same Democrats who were crowing with glee a week ago about McCain's off-the-wall choice are suddenly panicking. And you can't blame them. Four years after Americans looked at the first term of the worst president in modern history and decided they liked what they saw well enough to sign up for four more years, it's all too plausible that just when victory is in sight, the most crucial election of our time could be tipped by the 11th-hour appearance of a slick, unqualified, right-wing extremist and religious zealot in designer glasses.

Call it Moose ex Machina.

Republican strategists have made it clear that the GOP's only chance to win is by reframing the election as a battle of images. And right now, Palin is the pinup queen in that war. She's feisty, she's a mom, she's from a frontier state, she guns down wolves from the air, she's a devout Evangelical, she poses as a reformer, and she insults the Washington elites.

And large numbers of Americans think she's hot.

This latter point cannot be underestimated. Iraq may be a quagmire, a new cold war may be looming, the economy may be tanking and the world may be heading toward environmental doom, but the presidential race may be decided by the perceived doability of the governor of Alaska.

Looks have always played a major role in politics. Nixon lost the famous 1960 debate to JFK because he looked sweaty and devious and, well, like Nixon. John Kerry's resemblance to Lurch, the Addams family butler, probably did not help him. And Palin's perceived babaliciousness, as much as her considerable ability to wield a political hatchet, has brought a spark to the moribund Republican ticket.

Never mind that Palin's absurdly ballyhooed speech at the convention was just a recitation of familiar GOP culture-war clichés, with a disgraceful swipe at "community organizers" thrown in. (Odd -- I thought "big government"-hating Republicans believed in altruism, individual initiative and charity. But apparently they believe in nothing except demonizing their opponents.) Never mind that she is grossly unprepared to be president and was obviously brought in to appeal to women who will supposedly vote gender over issues, and to wield a hatchet in the great veep tradition of Spiro Agnew. Never mind that her claim to be a reformer is about as convincing as the GOP's bogus assertion that she stopped the Bridge to Nowhere.

Never mind that on the issues, Palin and McCain are indistinguishable from George W. Bush. Never mind that the GOP's policies have failed and its ideology is incoherent. Never mind that McCain's speech at the convention was pathetically empty, little more than a display of his torture scars and a bombastic promise to "fight" the very practices he has happily supported as a loyal GOP foot soldier.

No, none of that matters. Because Palin's a woman, and even more, a babe, suddenly she and her party have been magically transformed into fresh-faced reformers. Like Kafka's "Metamorphosis" in reverse, the giant, hideous beetle that was the GOP has suddenly been reborn as a vigorous youth -- one that even claims to be a "maverick."

At a conscious level, the Republican duo are masquerading as reformers who will "clean up Washington." But their unconscious appeal may be more important. By choosing Palin, McCain and the GOP have elbowed the Democrats off the dance floor. In a bizarre turnaround, the uptight Republicans are suddenly the party of sex, women, fun. They're all about spontaneity, bucking convention, letting their freak flags fly. If it feels good, do it! Let Mr. Dignified, Obama, drone on about the economy or the resurgence of the Taliban or whatever boring downer of a subject he wants to lecture us on. Let that long-winded Joe Biden carry us back to that Poli Sci 201 class we fell asleep in. Hey, did you check out Palin's rack? It's party time in America!

It's no use complaining that none of this is fair. It's no use pointing out that the buy-in for the honorable title "maverick" has never been so low, that a born-again Christian ROTC trainee and part-time narc wearing a hippie wig deserves the M-word more than McCain or Palin. The GOP is working the id and the gonads. Let the Democrats appeal to reason -- the Grand Old Party is casting its lot with drives located deeper within America's collective reptilian brain.

Right now, Palin has Democrats quaking in their boots -- and with good reason. But all hope isn't lost. For even if this election turns out to be a referendum on the national libido, Palin may scare off more voters than she attracts.

Because to anyone who isn't a true believer, Palin comes across not as a fantasy pinup, but as a dominatrix. And the S/M demographic isn't going to put the Republicans over the top in the swing states.

For the die-hard Republicans who lusted over Palin at the convention, her whip-wielding persona was a turn-on. You could practically feel the crowd getting a collective woody as Palin bent Obama and the Democrats over, shoved a leather gag in their mouths and flogged them as un-American wimps, appeasers and losers. "Drill, baby, drill!" the chant ecstatically repeated by the GOP faithful during Rudy Giuliani's speech, acquired a distinctly Freudian subtext after Palin spoke. The more Palin drilled the Democrats, the more hotly the base yearned to drill her. (We will leave it to shrinks to determine whether the GOP hardcore has the hots for Palin because she's reaming the Democrats, or because authority-worshippers tend to have secret fantasies of being reamed themselves.)

The problem for the GOP, however, is that for independents, Palin comes across as someone who's going to drill them. Strict biblical literalism, trying to ban books, denying human responsibility for global warming and launching nasty vendettas against foes may put lead in the pencil of unreconstructed Bush supporters, but for those who haven't already signed up for the extreme GOP agenda, they're about as seductive as a great white shark in Victoria's Secret lingerie.

Palin was brought in to appeal to women and to independent, socially conservative voters in small towns. But aside from the crude fact of her gender, she has nothing to offer women who don't share her out-of-the-mainstream cultural values. Palin's opposition to abortion is so extreme that she refuses to even make an exception in cases of rape or incest. She sees nothing wrong with Guantánamo, the Bush administration's Big Brother-esque "Protect America Act" and the gutting of habeas corpus. She praises altruism and selflessness, except when Democrats do it (or it involves helping poor black people). She believes that God is constantly intervening in her daily life. These aren't "traditional values" -- they're radical ones. They worked for George W. Bush, but times have changed -- McCain/Palin can't win just with a base of hardcore Republicans and religious fanatics. They need the independents. And Palin's image as a maverick may pull some independents in, but that image is like a rub-on tattoo -- it won't last long.

[sgtyork]

In a very short time America is going to be sick of hearing the name Palin.

Was sick of hearing Obama months ago. Wretch daily....

[Alouette]

Gary Kamiya is like Mark Morford, without the pink tutu.

[dighton]

There is a limit: $1.30 lower.

[XR7]

Palin's Glasses Bring Sexy Back

When Sarah Palin gave her speech at the Republican National Convention, all eyes were not only on her, but her glasses as well.

By KTRH's Becky Chosed

Monday, September 8, 2008

While most critics called Palin's speech at the RNC a home run, others are saying her glasses stole the show.

"She won the hearts of America with certainly those glasses she had on," Editor in Chief of 20/20, a magazine about glasses, James Spina said. "She certainly made her stance as someone who wears eyewear because it's iconic to her look."

People Who Make Glasses Look Good

The now sought-after Palin frames will cost you around $375, excluding the lenses.

"As you may have noticed they were not invisible on her. She's in the rimless style that has a lot of attention going to the temples, they're jewel-like cut in the lenses, and a pretty dramatic shape," Spina said.

And Palin's not the only one sporting sexy glasses says Spina, "More and more people are treating their glasses like an accessory."

Spina says not only are glasses trendy, but sexy too, "It is sexy, it's a way to strongly identify your own personality. And guys look great in them and women look beautiful in them."

Palin's Spec-tacular Fashion Statement
Veep candidate's rimless glasses are suddenly in high demand
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2077461/posts

[Tanniker Smith]

Call it Moose ex Machina.

Say whatever you will ... but I'm stealing this line!!

[rdax]

I made it this far:

Four years after Americans looked at the first term of the worst president in modern history and decided they liked what they saw well enough to sign up for four more years

Does 1976 count as modern?

How about 1992?

Or does "modern" only mean current century?

[kallisti]

OK, now I’m a racist AND a masochist—seeking—dominatrix??

Methinks he doth type with one hand.

[ovrtaxt]

This writer has a secret crush on the naughty librarian. lol

[dr_who]

Salon is full of perverts.

[Valpal1]

Moose ex Machina LOL!

Yeah, but she's our Moose ex Machina and she's gonna kick the One's can to the curb.

(Moose ex Machina - that's actually funny in a cheesy sort of way)

[Plutarch]

Photoshopped Salon perversion fantasy graphic:

[Beagle8U]

The RATS are in panic mode. McCain is up 10 for likely voters in todays Gallop poll.

They are in meltdown over at the DUck pen.

[princess leah]

Wow - where to begin to separate the trash that forms THIS opinion piece? To talk about a political figure in terms of “take a look at her rack?” If they had said that about Hillary they’d have been fired and their whole group taken out by Clintonistas...Just plain old common decency for anyone doesn’t exist amongst these bottom feeders.

[hinckley buzzard]

Post-convention polls are highly unreliable.

Actually they are quite reliable. But they have only limited predictive validity. Not that I expect this randy sixteen year old highschool newspaper writer to know the difference.

[ari-freedom]

I don’t want to smell his keyboard after he wrote that article.

[Texas Eagle]

Sarah Palin has thrown a big-time scare into Democrats.

Heh, heh. Amen, Bro.

Does anyone know how to make one of those Staples' style "Easy buttons" but with the word "Panic" on it?

If so, that would be a perfect logo for the left-wing media.

[Zero Sum]

Sarah Palin has thrown a big-time scare into Democrats.

Including, apparently, the author of this article.

[xDGx]

Consider the source:

Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group (OTCBB: SLNM), often just called Salon, is an online magazine, with content updated each weekday. The politics of the United States is its major focus, but it covers a range of issues. Reviews and articles about music, books and films are also a prominent feature of the site. Salon’s headquarters are located west of downtown San Francisco, California. Its current editor-in-chief is Joan Walsh.

Content and coverage
Salon magazine covers a variety of topics. American politics is a major focus. It has reviews and articles about music, books, and films. It also has articles about “modern life”, including relationships, friendships and sex. It covers technology, with a particular focus on the free software/open source movement.

Salon has always been an interactive site to some degree. The “salon” concept is played out in two discussion board communities open exclusively to online subscribers, Salon Table Talk and The WELL, and since 2005, comments on editorial stories open to all readers.

Responding to the question “how far do you go with the tabloid sensibility to get readers?”, former Salon.com editor-in-chief David Talbot said:

Is Salon more tabloid-like? Yeah, we’ve made no secret of that. I’ve said all along that our formula here is that we’re a smart tabloid. If by tabloid what you mean is you’re trying to reach a popular audience, trying to write topics that are viscerally important to a readership, whether it’s the story about the mother in Houston who drowned her five children or the story on the missing intern in Washington, Chandra Levy.[1]

[edit] Key people
Regular contributors include the political writers Joe Conason and Alex Koppelman; critics Laura Miller, Heather Havrilesky, Stephanie Zacharek and Andrew O’Hehir; aviation columnist Patrick Smith; sports columnist King Kaufman, technology writer Katharine Mieszkowski ; political blogger Glenn Greenwald; and cartoonists Tom Tomorrow, author of This Modern World; Ruben Bolling, author of Tom the Dancing Bug; Keith Knight, author of The K Chronicles; Carol Lay, author of WayLay; and Berkeley Breathed, author of Opus.

Christopher Neimeth is the CEO. Joan Walsh is the editor-in-chief. Norman Blashka is the CFO and VP of Operations . Kerry Lauerman is Salon’s New York editorial director; Walter Shapiro is Salon’s Washington bureau chief. Gail Williams manages the online community and interactive services such as The WELL.

[edit] History
Salon was first published in 1995.

In April 1999, Salon purchased the virtual community, The WELL. On June 22, 1999, Salon.com made an initial public offering on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

On April 25, 2001, Salon launched Salon Premium, a pay-to-view (online) content subscription. Salon Premium signed over 130,000 subscribers and staved off discontinuation of services.

On November 13, 2002, the company announced it had accumulated cash and non-cash losses of $80 million. By February 2003 it was having difficulty paying its rent, and made an appeal for donations to keep the company running.

On October 9, 2003, Michael O’Donnell, the chief executive and president of Salon Media Group, said he was leaving the company after seven years because it was “time for a change.” When he left, Salon.com had accrued $83.6 million in losses since its inception, and its stock traded for 5¢ on the OTC Bulletin Board. David Talbot, Salon’s chairman and editor-in-chief at the time, became the new chief executive. Elizabeth “Betsy” Hambrecht, then Salon’s chief financial officer, became the president.

Their financial history is *interesting*

http://finance.google.com/finance?q=OTC:SLNM

[Rutles4Ever]

First, she’s too much of a Christian prude. Now they’re comparing her to a deviant sex fiend?

Chesterton is laughing his butt off in heaven...

[AlaskaErik]

she guns down wolves from the air

A blatant lie. She supports aerial predator control by the Dept of Fish and Game, as do most Alaskans. Another typical leftist distortion.