Obama and the Palin Effect. Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she outdoes former Vice President Dan Quayle as an unlikely choice, given her negligent parochial expertise in the complex affairs of governing. Her state of Alaska has less than 700,000 residents, which reduces the job of governor to the scale of running one-tenth of New York City. By comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering international figure. Palin’s pluck has been admired, and her forthrightness, but her real appeal goes deeper.
She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion of “the other.” For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those feelings, but they don’t want to express them. He is calling for us to reach for our higher selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory kind. (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of the fact that Sen. Obama is black. The
shadow is a metaphor widely in use before his arrival on the scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of politics is usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a perspective can be helpful here to understand Palin’s message. In her acceptance speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a higher vision.
Look at what she stands for:
–Small town values — a denial of America’s global role, a return to petty, small-minded parochialism.
–Ignorance of world affairs — a repudiation of the need to repair America’s image abroad.
–Family values — a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don’t need to be heeded.
–Rigid stands on guns and abortion — a scornful repudiation that these issues can be negotiated with those who disagree.
–Patriotism — the usual fallback in a failed war.
–”Reform” — an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn’t fit your ideology.
Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that minorities and immigrants, being different from “us” pure American types, can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and globalism is a foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of “I’m all right, Jack,” and “Why change? Everything’s OK as it is.” The irony, of course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same time. She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing forty years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are millions of women who stand on the side of conservatism,
however obviously they are voting against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple national elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection, hostility to change, and narrow-mindedness.
Obama’s call for higher ideals in politics can’t be seen in a vacuum. The shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives possess a shadow
– we all do. So what comes next is a contest between the two forces of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its furtive appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best thing about Gov. Palin is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming debate honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose smiling persona was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have brought us to the demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what we are getting, without disguise.
9/11 Remembered- or Black Dawn, Bright Day!!
Posted in Personal Commentary on September 11, 2008 by americanexileThis morning before the glint of dawn rose above the treetops in my back yard I sat in peaceful silence gazing into the black night soon to dissolve away just as the towers, flight 93 and a portion of the US Pentagon did seven years ago. I am reminded these many years later of how those events galvinized our nation in a union that only Americans can form. We gatherd as a united front in solidarity to defend our nation with every ounce of fortitude and strength we could munster, and provided our leaders an opportunity to spearhead that march to triumph ..and in the days, weeks and months to come we’d use the great talents and gifts of intellect, strength and technology to balance the karmic forces with the creators of this tragedy. I looked to our new president and believed deeply he’d rise to the challenge, that he’d provide the leadership to go forth, heading directly into the wind and tack fluidly to overcome and make our nation even stronger and yes, mightier, not in the style of “the show off, look at me” but rather as a quiet and yet shining example of integrity! Alas, my trust has been greviously misplaced. And today I ponder in the darkness the folly of my feelings and hopes I was so sure of 7 years back.
This morning the blackness of night is like a black hole in the universe. The little man that I looked up to in those dark days after 9/11 has since been led by tyrannical authoritarian religious forces that have thrown our nation into unprecedented turmoil, divisiveness and global vilification. I could rail against the plethora of injustices, headed by the greed, falsehoods and ignorance not only initiated by this man but supported by his administration and about half of all Americans. Instead of a nation more firmly united and tolerant of our differences I find bullies in the pulpit, on national podiums, on nightly television and running for political office. They represent to me the very lowest level of political character to the extent of openly committing crimes against humanity. It is all about winning. Winning, even if in the process we give up our souls for profit. I wish I could believe and say those who so defile our nation’s integrity are evil or even bad people. But they are not! They are my neighbors, many members my client base, some of my longest and dearest friends, and nationally, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Laura Bush, Bill O’Reilly, (a man who I personally detest)!!
I fantasize about the myriad of “politically incorrect” bombs I, the media and Democratic candidates could lob at the Republican side of our leaders, pseudo champions and supporters citing it is okay since they dismiss out of hand any hint of “politcal correctness” as a sham political tactic and infringement on freedom of speech. It should not hurt their feelings!
So as I sit here feeling defeated, already I shift my thoughts to more personal issues and the day ahead. Why did the cat shit on the carpet in our music room? Why is our oldest child in such a crappy mood? Why has our youngest child been so sad lately? What’s in the house to make dinner with tonight? Who is on my schedule today? How is baby Aiden doing? But these thoughts do not linger. Within minutes I am back to the blind stare into the gray light of dawn. Dare I have the audacity to hope we all can be rejoined again? Can we rise above this overpowering adversity of spirit we have inflicted on ourselves? Can we once more have joy in the morning?
The sun rises and the light reveals the trees more distinctly, the deep and verdant hue of robust life fades in. The old Native Indian prophecy comes to mind….. “The second millieum, just before the return of the Quetsal, will arrive as a black dawn followed by a bright day”. Yes! I have the audacity to hope! AmericanExile Sept 11, 2008.
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