Sarah Palin: Re-igniting the culture wars, Part 1
By Aladdin Elaasar — In his recent column in the Huffington Post, Jay Rosen claimed that republicans will try to spin Palin’s shortcoming into strengths, by revving up the culture wars. “As more emerges about how the McCain camp made the decision, the appointment looks more and reckless, the decision rushed, the vetting inadequate. This leads to advanced jeering from the left, intense criticism in the press, damaging leaks from within the Republican party, fueling calls from within and without for Sarah Palin to remove herself” Rosen said.
“Strategy: stick with “she was fully vetted” no matter what comes out. People who don’t believe it are trying to bring down Palin’s historic candidacy; or they don’t accept that a conservative women can be the one to break the glass ceiling. If some establishment Republicans are skeptical or trying to stop her, that’s good for the crisis narrative, and good for two maverick candidates”.
Sarah Palin outdrawing Obama in the ratings and sending a flood of cash to McCain and the GOP.
“Strategy: bingo, that’s your big break. A wave effect is unleashed by a stunning televised performance. It is shock and awe in the theater of the post-modern presidency….double down on defiance by never letting her answer questions, except from friendly media figures who have joined your narrative; like Cheney with Fox. No meet the press at all. No interviews of Palin with the DC media elite — at all. De-legitimate the ask. Break with all “access” expectations. Use surrogates and spokesman, let them get mauled, then whip up resentment at their mistreatment. Answer questions at town halls and call that adequate enough.”
“Meanwhile, the investigation of her performance in Alaska puts more and more pressure on the Palin appointment as things come out that would ordinarily disqualify a candidate from consideration or cast doubt on her truthfulness in a grave way…
Strategy: Comes from Bush, the younger. When realities uncovered are directly in conflict with prior claims, consider the option of keeping the claims and breaking with
reality. Done the right way, it’s a demonstration of strength. It dismays and weakens the press. And it can be great theater”.
While columnis Laura Flanders of AlterNet and host of GRITtv.org and author of
Bush Women: Tales of a Cynical Species, finds that Palin Pick Is GOP Hypocrisy at its Best. Why is that?
“Will the media test her on substance or let her play “Ms. Congeniality?” It is up to the public to see through the fact-free diet we’re being fed. Despite Campaign Spin, McCain Would Be a Disaster on Women’s Rights, Flanders decried.
But Vanessa Valenti sees as a “The Christian Right’s Slick Campaign to Make Abstinence Seem Trendy”.
Kimberly Gadette finds that Palin Pick is “The Bikini Car Wash: One Sexist Tradition”
Gadette says that “in selecting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain is dusting off an old GOP tool: the estrogen guard. Slap a friendly, female face on a hard core-conservative political platform, and pray that the pundits will only take pot-shots and talk about gender. It worked for George W. Bush and it just may work for Palin”.
“Watching Palin address the RNC, I could have sworn I heard Katherine Harris cheer. Remember Harris, Florida’s Secretary of State in 2001, and co-chair of her state’s Bush/Cheney Committee? No one did more to snag the White House for her man — and no one was laughed and scoffed at more heartily by the media. While the press poo-poo’ed her make-up (”she seems to have applied her makeup with a trowel” wrote the Washington Post) and introduced her to the public as caricature (”Cruella de Ville”), as Florida’s top election-cop, Harris purged enough voter rolls, understaffed enough voting places and ill-equipped the voting system sufficiently to guarantee Election Day chaos. Parodied in the press, she rose to stardom in the GOP. Come Inauguration Day 2001, Florida Republicans threw an enormous bash for the woman they dubbed “our Joan of Arc.” Soon after she was elected to Congress”, Gadette says.
“So it is with Palin. While her record stinks, so does the media coverage. In place of serious discussion of her policies on the environment, on human rights, on taxes, free speech and governance, we’ve had five days of “Veep Pregnant Teen Shock” and there’s more than enough misogyny in the mix to give the McCain camp a stick to beat any truly investigative members of press-corps with”.
“Desperate for female votes (a group the Democrats have taken for granted for years,) John McCain clearly hopes his Palin pick will burnish his appeal among middle-of-the-
road women. It’s a long-shot. Palin believes abortion is a crime even in the case of rape and incest (that was even too draconian for the voters of South Dakota). She supports teaching creationism in schools as strongly as, as Governor, she opposed environmental protections for the Holy planet.”
About the Author
Aladdin Elaasar is a syndicated columnist and lecturer. Some of his writings are: “Iraq, the State and Terrorism”; where he predicted the downfall of former Dictator Saddam Hussein. Elaasar also wrote: Silent Victims: The plight of Arabs and Muslims in Post 9/11 America. And “The Last Pharaoh: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the Volatile Mid East” and “Barracuda: The Unauthorized Biography of Sarah Palin: What You Do Not Know and Should Know about America’s Potential Vice President”.Elaasar has been a frequent commentator on Middle Eastern affairs on several local American TV and Radio networks and media and cultural consultant since 1992. Email him at: omaraladin@aol.com
RAY HANANIA writes for The HuffingtonPost.com. He is a political columnist based in Chicago with the Southwest News-Herald Newspaper, and publisher of the National Arab American Times Newspaper. Named Best Ethnic American Columnist for 2007 by the New America Media, Hanania is the host of Radio Chicagoland, a morning talk show (Mon-Fri, 8-9:30 am) on WJJG 1530 AM Radio. He is an internationally acclaimed standup comedian. He authors a Comic Strip called Ray Hanania's World. View his complete Bio?
ANISA MEHDI is an Emmy Award-winning journalist specializing in religion, the arts, and people. For over 20 years she has reported, written, directed and produced television news and documentary programs for major American media outlets, including National Geographic, PBS, ABC News, and CBS. Her commentaries have been heard on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Ms. Mehdi is founder and president of Whetstone Productions, a New Jersey-based production and consulting company. She is adjunct Professor of Communications at Seton Hall University. She writes a twice weekly for the Newark Star-Ledger Newspaper blog. View her complete Bio?
SAFFIYA SHILLO is a peace activist, communications specialist and community editor for the National Arab American Times Newspaper. Ms. Shillo serves as a Board Member of the Palestinian American Women's Society. Her activism is extensive, having served as the former President of the Palestinian American Congress-Chicago Chapter, as a National Board member of the American Task Force on Palestine, and as Director of the Arab American Institute's Chicago office. Active in Jewish/Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, Ms. Shillo gives presentations to national organizations on strategies and methods to achieve peace through dialogue. Ms. Shillo also served as Director of Ethnic Affairs for the State of Illinois' Office of Lieutenant Governor, and worked as a domestic violence/sexual assault counselor serving Chicago's Arab community. She can be reached at smshillo@yahoo.com
ALADDIN ELAASAR is an award winning Arab American journalist and author of several books including Silent Victims: The plight of Arabs and Muslims in Post 9/11 America. Elaasar is also a member of the National Arab American Journalists Association. Email him at omaraladin@aol.com. His latest book is The Last Pharoah: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the MidEast.
CLICK HERE BETWEEN 8 AM & 9:30 AM CST
TO LISTEN TO
"MORNINGS WITH RAY HANANIA"
- LIVE INTERNET STREAMING AUDIO
RAY HANANIA'S NEW BOOK "The Catastrophe" is now available. The book details "how the fanatic secular Arab left and the extremist Islamic right took the disaster brought on by the creation of Israel, and, using rejection and violence, hijacked the just Palestinian cause and prevented statehood. Order the Book? Only $19.95. 224 PAGES.
More than 2.5 million Muslims from across the globe embark on a Hajj and converge on Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to ask pardon for their sins and renew their spiritual commitment though a elaborate series of ancient rites and rituals. And it's not optional - every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able to do so is expected to make the hajj at least once in his or her lifetime. Despite the enormity of this annual pilgrimage, it has seldom been witnessed by outsiders, as Mecca is strictly off-limits to non-Muslims. Now, with unprecedented access to Islam's holiest city, National Geographic takes the spiritual journey of a lifetime, following three Muslims from very different backgrounds - an executive from Malaysia, a radio evangelist from South Africa, and a blond-haired, blue-eyed professor from Texas - as they take part in an epic five-day quest for salvation.
Author and columnist Aladdin Elaasar examines the impact of Sept. 11, 2001 on the Arabs and Muslims in America.
Arabs first settled in Chicagoland in the mid-19th century, when immigrants from all parts of the world were flowing steadily into the U.S. As tensions in the Arab world flared, immigration increased—the first to arrive were Lebanese Christians, followed by Muslim Palestinians. Today, there are more than 250,000 Arabs in the Chicago area, with equal numbers of Christians and Muslims. A part of the fabric of Chicago, Arabs serve in many roles, from business leaders to elected officials to judges, doctors, engineers, journalists, and more. In the wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Arab Americans have come under great scrutiny and have suffered much misunderstanding. Now, this book, which explores their integral role in Chicagoland’s growth, is especially important.
A collection of essays on the experiences growing up Arab and Palestinian living in a Jewish community in America on Chicago's South Side. Includes humor and anecdotal stories along with serious topic discussion. The first book to detail Arab American life first published in the United States in 1996. This 2nd Edition is published in 2007.
The ONLY directory of Arab American ethnic media -- newspapers, radio and TV. Plus organizations and religious institutions and more. Only $35 in PDF Format
