Bob Herbert: "Here’s the deal: Palin is the latest G.O.P. distraction."

[kpete]

Here’s the deal: Palin is the latest G.O.P. distraction. She’s meant to shift attention away from the real issue of this campaign — the awful state of the nation after eight years of Republican rule. The Republicans are brilliant at distractions. Willie Horton was a distraction. The chatter about gays, guns and God has been a long-running distraction. And we all remember the Swift-boat campaign.

If you want a real issue, forget all of the above and revisit Monday’s front page of The New York Times. Hundreds of families are being forced out of their homes each month in Louisville, Ky., because of mortgage foreclosures. With record numbers of poor and homeless students, the public schools are struggling.

The crisis has only been made worse by fiscal difficulties facing the schools. Higher energy and other costs, combined with a $43 million cut in state aid, have left the school system in a sorry state.

The reason this should be high on the presidential campaign agendas is that the problems in Louisville are widespread. As Sam Dillon of The Times reported: “As 50 million children return to classes across the nation, crippling increases in the price of fuel and food, coupled with the economic downturn, have left schools from California to Florida to Maine cutting costs.

more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/opinion/02herbert.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

[still_one]

1. Good point, and I have no doubt after the republican hate convention

the focus will turn back to the issues

[Old Codger]

2. BINGO n/t

[bdamomma]

3. definitely.

a big distraction.

[elfin]

4. Absolutely

Herbert said it all - now I hope he turns up on TV saying the same thing. I like that guy.

[Orsino]

5. But it's not a "brilliant" distraction.

I think it only emphasizes the fail.

[glitch]

13. Agreed! nt

[FatDave]

19. Exactly. This is *NOT* the kind of distraction they want.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

6. K&R

[tinrobot]

7. If a trainwreck that takes down the GOP is a distraction...

...then yes, Palin is a distraction. A distraction worth watching.

From the op ed:

The Republicans are brilliant at distractions. Willie Horton was a distraction. The chatter about gays, guns and God has been a long-running distraction. And we all remember the Swift-boat campaign.

When the GOP purposely creates a distraction, it's to attack and smear their opponents. Willie Horton directly attacked Dukakis, the Swiftboat vets directly attacked Kerry. The Rezco ad against Obama is one of these attacks. Palin doesn't fit the pattern of direct attacks.

If the author is suggesting that the selection of Palin is somehow a swiftboat attack against the Democrats, then he's misguided. Exposing your candidates to extreme scorn and ridicule from all sides is a very stupid way to attack a political opponent.

I do think we need to keep our candidates clear of the steaming pile of manure the GOP has created. But when the GOP falls face first in it and media keeps it going - it's way better than watching a trainwreck.

[Matariki]

8. Riiiight. As if they PLANNED this.

:rofl:

[A-Schwarzenegger]

9. The iceberg was a distraction to the brilliant Titanic.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

10. No, this goes to the heart of WHO has the best judgment to FIX the problems

I think it is increasingly clear that Obama has demonstrated better judgment with Biden than McCain with Palin....it was their first decision running for prez.

[featherman]

11. False premise. Elections are not decided by issues but by voter's perception of the candidates

Time to realize that before we end up in 2000 and 2004 again. Negative perceptions of McCain's judgment and Palin's zany, featherweight qualifications are gold in that regard. The media loves this stuff, hates issues. Not the way it should be, just the way it is.

[anigbrowl]

12. Ah, no, distractions are not supposed to highlight your own ineptitude and incompetence.

Sure, it's taken the attention off Obama some. But the GOP convention was going to do that anyway. I do not believe the GOP were planning to saddle themselves with a political pinata. Had McCain nominated Pawlenty or Romney, of course that person would have been critiqued and their pros and cons discussed, but the media wouldn't be awash in 'WTFLOL' commentary as it is right now.

[glitch]

14. Yes but a horrific blowback distraction is what you could expect from the inept and incompetent. nt

[FogerRox]

15. Shiny pretty things, we need to talk about issues

We are being played. The longer the Sara Palin thing plays out, the longer we dont talk about the real issues of our time. If you want to play Roves game and lose, keep it up. After the Palin thing dies down, rove will inject another non issue into the media cycle. Dont write letters to the Editor about Sara Palin, write letters about a rael issue.


The issues of our time are Universal Healthcare, the War in Iraq, the economy, the mortgage crisis, jobs, the oil crisis and energy.


Sara Palin is a pretty shiny thing. Rove needs to inject these non issues into the media cycle to control the national discussion, so Barack cant talk about the issues of our time. This is exactly what the Swiftboaters did to Kerry in 2004. Everyone talked about the Swiftboat issue, and not the war in Iraq. Just what the hell did Vietnam have to do with the war in Iraq in 2004 anyway, Mother Fucker Rove is still on his "A" game. ANd dont you forget it.


Keep your eye on the target, November 4th. Do not let them muddy the waters with swiftboats stories, Pay no attention to the shiney pretty things like the Palin stories, or these acts of violence in St. Paul. Just ask your selves, why, when Neo Cons are involved, they resort to false flag operations. Rumors of terrorist attacks at the Boston Democratic Convention in 2004. The WTO violence of a few years ago.

Dont let your selves or your friends get played, keep your damn eyes on the target.


1) The White House must be won.

2) We need 60+ Senate seats.

3) We need another 30-50 seats in the House.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6874367


right on kpete..... recced.

[intheflow]

16. Absolutely. Palin's also being used as a distraction from

Bush seeking to make War Powers permanent.

[demo dutch]

17. but who has the best judgment to fix the country? Americans will still ask that question

[NashVegas]

18. I Just Posted This Same Column

Happy to kick yours.

[amborin]

20. exactly....it enthuses the gun toting, creationist, deniers, and stokes their emotions and sympathy

and all the while the firmly decide to defend and vote for "one of their own," they forget the real economic and international challenges facing us

this is all so rovian

why don't dems get it?????

[bvar22]

21. Palin has HIGH distraction value for the Jerry Springer mentality.

The Republican strategists believe that the Jerry Springer Mentality includes most Americans including Democrats who consider themselves informed.
Throw some T&A their way, and they will begin obsessively salivating to the exclusion of all that is truly important.

A casual reader of DU over the last couple of days would find that the Republican strategists are correct.