Courting The Neanderthal Vote

From Palin's Rising Star? by Josh Marshall:

As I think Noam Scheiber said a week or two ago, Palin is the first Republican presidential or vice-presidential since Richard Nixon to so genuinely appeal to the politics of resentment. Sure, the Bushes and McCain have played to it. But either economically or socially or both, these men were all to-the-manor-born -- elites who've lived their whole lives on greased rails.

To use a different analogy I think Palin (and perhaps Joe the Plumber too) appeal to the brainstem of conservatism, where the most primitive and persistent impulses are registered, even as the areas of higher reasoning and cognition (frontal lobes and all that) are flat-lining or tracking into oblivion.

Joe The Plumber

From Is It Over? Debate Reveals That Dynamic Of Race Is Fixed In Obama's Favor by Greg Sargent:

And consider McCain's frequent evocation of Joe The Plumber. This attack from McCain was clearly labored over heavily by his aides. But it fell flat for a very simple reason: It didn't change the basic underlying policy disagreements between the two men. It didn't change the fact that people agree with Obama's solutions to our economic crisis, and reject McCain's ideas. In the face of that overwhelming reality, the constant evocation of Joe The Plumber just came across like a stunt.

Did They Say Things?

Last night seemed rather surreal.

Presidential debates. Talking is out. Droning on and on incessantly, saying things you’ve said before, is in.

Barack Obam wore a flag pin, once again McCain did not. Bob Schieffer also wasn’t wearing one. This is important information. Is it not? At the very least it is important because it once was the Republican’s reason for existence. Now it appears that it no longer is. Symbolically they have given up. Except for Sarah Palin and her monstrous pin. Perhaps she and her monstrous pin will lead us to the promised land. Hallelujah!

John McCain’s eyes looked weird, like he was on some kind of stimulant to keep himself awake.

David Brooks looked like he was wearing way too much makeup. What a girlie man!

This guy is probably very happy today.

With all of this information, I’m ready to get out there and vote. Are you?