Is Palin the Rev. Jackson of the GOP?

[cali]

By JEREMY D. MAYER | 4/20/09 4:18 AM EDT Text Size:


Republicans have a big problem coming up: Sarah Palin.
Photo: AP




Republicans have a big problem coming up: Sarah Palin.

How can a telegenic woman with a fervent following in the party, fundraising skills and a greater ability to fire up a Republican audience than any other GOP politician be such a liability? It’s not just because she’s unelectable as a presidential candidate.

Many leading Republicans and Democrats are, for one reason or another. The problem is, Palin doesn’t know she’s unelectable, and neither do her followers.

If she and her Palinistas have to find out this hard truth on the 2012 primary campaign trail, it will be bad news for the GOP.

It’s precisely what Democrats went through from 1983 to 1992, when the specter of Jesse Jackson hung over the presidential hopes of the party.

Like Palin, Jesse Jackson was the best crowd rouser in his party. No Democrat until Bill Clinton, with the possible exception of Mario Cuomo on his best night, could compete rhetorically with Jackson.

<snip>


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21425.html

[H2O Man]

1. No.

Not at all.

For all of his faults, Jesse moved crowds because he told the truth about America. Palin moves crowds because she lies about America. Jesse showed the ability to bring US hostages home, because he had the ability to communicate with friend and foe alike. Palin shows the ability to offend other nations, including those she can't see from her porch, or identify on a globe. Jesse had the ability to attract support from those who were not in his base, including farmers and union workers. Palin speaks only to her base. Jesse won hard-fought primaries against tough democratic opposition. Palin was selected because she was the least weak of a pathetic group of republicans.

The differences between Jesse and Palin are the same as the differences between sugar and shit.

[cali]

2. i agree with you for the most part

but the point that they're people that inspired the base and had little appeal fot people outside the base is, I think, accurate. Palin has no chance because her appeal is limited.

Content wise, you're correct.

[KharmaTrain]

13. Jackson Polarized Inside The Party As Much As Outside

While I've seen rushpublicans somewhat dismissive of Mooselini or favor another "candidate/leader", I don't see the contempt from within towards her like I saw always directed at Jesse. Be it the Chicago machine to many Jewish Democrats who were offended by the "Hymietown" remarks to those who thought Jesse was a "showboat". I see no comparisons to either the personality or, more important, the person's merits and qualifications. Jesse for all his flaws has more substance in his fingernails than Palin could wish to have.

[malaise]

4. Perfect

What a ridiculous comparison

[MuseRider]

10. Agreed. n/t

[The_Commonist]

9. So really, she's the Bizzarro World Anti-Jackson

Black/White
Male/Female
Liberal/CONservative
Christian Preacher/Christian Nutjob
Articulate/Inarticulate

etc...

However, the one thing they do have in common, is that they are unelectable on the national level.

[endarkenment]

3. I find this offensive and insulting to Rev Jackson.

"the specter of Jesse Jackson hung" - Jackson's specter hung so large over the centrist corporate creeps in charge of our party that they went and rewrote the primary rules to make sure he couldn't mount another successful campaign. Even then, the work that Jackson did in the 80's opened the door through which Obama walked in the 00's.

The remainder of the article is typical of politico's rightwing agenda and consists primarily in a regurgitation of the standard rightwing charges against Jackson.

Jackson's rainbow coalition campaigns were the last competitive progressive primary campaigns our party has seen.

[cali]

5. I knew it would anger many here, and I want to make clear that

I don't agree that as far as content goes, there's any parallel, but the article is correct that, like Jackson who appealed greatly to the base, Palin does not appeal to anyone outside that group.

Amusingly, the freepers are claiming this is evidence of Politico's left wing stance. I think you're closer to the truth.

One thing I do think is worth mentioning though is that Jackson could indeed be divisive and has made unfortunate comments.

[Catshrink]

6. Agreed: Bible Spice is no Jesse Jackson

The "End Times" crowd and some RW sheep love her but that's about it. She plays no role in helping people with less -- Miss Sarah is her only charity. She tries to represent special needs kids while cutting their funding, threatening to refuse the stimulus funds to help them, and carrying her own special needs kid around like a sack of taters, that is, if she isn't letting a 5 year old babysit him.

[Chulanowa]

7. Very offensive

Jackson is a bombast. He grandstands. But the thing is, he means what he says. It's well-thought, well-learned, and sensible He's substance, not image. The trouble is nothing more than his skin color - a white man saying the same things that Rev. Jackson says would be hailed as damn near a saint, but since it's a black man, all it is is an angry negro who stole a microphone as far as a lot of people are concerned.

By contrast, Sarah Palin is a bimbo. Two things got her elected - One, she has nice legs, and two, she's not named Murkowski. Only the first got her a place going into VP.

Further differences are that Jessie Jackson worked his saggy ass off to get where the hell he is. He broke his back trying to make it in his campaigns in the 80's. Palin was carted in, then carted out (with a few hundred grand of taxpayer-bought clothes, no less)

[madrchsod]

8. another hit piece from politico

i`m not sure why i wasted my time reading that right wing trash

[Captain Hilts]

11. I hate to say this, but at least Palin's been elected to something.

In politics, that means a lot.

[bullwinkle428]

12. How many American hostages/captives has Palin managed to help

get released, by negotiating with leaders of various hostile nations?