AADD, Twitter and Sarah Palin - What Was That Again?

I'm fully aware of my AADD. Pick up a shiny new toy and all the other ones are left in the dust. It can last from 10 seconds to 10 years. Writing is about the only way I can complete a thought. Try holding a conversation with me --- I do well to blurt out a train of thought and keep it on the same track it started on....

In my own small world, my friends (and even a few enemies) say I'm a good writer. Hell, they will say about anything to con me into doing their dirty work and write their business letters, brochures, resumes, school accreditation reports (brilliant works of total fiction) and even a few papers for a Masters in Business Administration that wasn't even for myself (but I "got" an A....). Even made a living for many years as an "administrative assistant" which meant I wrote it, signed it (forgery is a valuable skill seldom taught in business school) but got none of the credit.

But after reading a few of the millions upon millions of other blogs shouting out in the darkness, I've come to the conclusion that any talent I thought I had was due primarily to the fact that I hang out with a crowd that really hates to write a postcard, much less a thesis..... so naturally I showed my usual mature, reasonable reaction -- take my goddamn ball and go home. Thus the neglect of this Blog.....

The world of Twitter is meant for people like me - I can keep it together for 140 characters (although I think 160 would be ideal). Pop up an idea, bad joke or a link and my job is done. By that time I'm bored with it totally and spend the rest of the day reading everyone's tweets and following link after link after link - I can start with Palin - one of my all time favorite quasi-celebrities to skewer - and keep myself amused all day long. That woman is a goldmine of comedy for years to come and what makes it extra special is that she hasn't a clue (or a sense of humor - or even a sense of irony...)

True - many of us see Palin for what she really is - an aging second-rate beauty queen from an ugly strip mall pustule of a town that'll do anything for fame and fortune. What some of us may not realize is the fact that despite her lack of any real intellect, she is an expert on manipulating America's love of the classic "David and Goliath" tale.... Americans just love to root for the underdog!

"Us versus Them" - the ballsy little guy versus the big, evil, unfeeling _______ (government, religion, corporation - fill in the blank) is a basic underpinning of American popular culture. We absolutely love when the underdog socks it to "the man". It started with the American Revolution - America the Underdog versus Great Britain - those snobby oppressors of us - the "real" little people. It's been an integral part of our culture ever since. The "little guy" that comes out of nowhere and beats the real - or imaginary - giant. One of our favorite movie plots.

In fact we love this story so much that sometimes we root for the underdog even without considering the possibility of that dog having rabies.......Being the underdog doesn't necessarily mean being in the right. Sometimes an underdog is an Obama -- but sometimes it's just a bitch with fleas......

Speaking of bitches w/fleas - Exhibit A - Sarah Palin. Who relishes in telling us - again, again and again - how a pitbull w/lipstick, PTA hockey mom from Nothing Special, Alaska - rose thorough the ranks in a just a decade to become a US Vice-Presidential candidate (oh yeah, there's that Alaska Governor gig she did for a while too...). Sarah Barracuda. Stupid but ruthless. Wink, wink - I shop at Walmart just like y'all, go salmon fishin' in full makeup and you betcha that big government and media are out to get me!


Now she claims to have a higher calling to restore America to Conservative values (which haven't work too well so far). Those afraid of the future cling to the past - and you can twist that nicely to fit the classic "David and Goliath" plot - starring Sarah as the victimized underdog ready to fight against big government, godless liberals, evil abortionists or whatever is the flavor of evil of the week and by god - git 'er done! Against that big wicked world that many don't, can't - or choose to not - understand. Capitalize on some of our primal fears - the fear of the unknown, the fear of change. Lather, rinse, repeat...... soon you too can have your own cult following,,,,,

It's easy to call her a total nut case. She says it's only the dead fish that go with the flow - but her own salmon run didn't quite make it all way upstream. I skewer her on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. She keeps me amused enough to keep from spending what little disposable income I have at eBay on shoes.

There's no danger of Sarah ever being labeled an intellectual. But you don't need intellect or talent in these days of 24/7 celebrity blood lust. You just need to know how to work the crowd - to hone in on what you can manipulate and work it baby. Sarah is using our inclination to root for the underdog for her own shallow crusade of "Love me, I'm Sarah" campaign. It's not the position itself that she desires - it's the stage it offers for her show. The talk show/book/lecture/nat'l political circuit is much bigger stage than being governor of some frozen state of less than 700,000. All you have to do is look at a few tabloids to know that it doesn't take much in either brains or talent to rake in the money and adoration. Hell, all you need is a round of in-vitro fertilization gone horribly wrong.....But the difference between a welfare mom with 6 kids in Minnesota and one with 6 kids on a reality TV show is "star" power. Manipulation - by either calculation, talent or being able to whip a crowd into a frenzy.....Smoke, lights and mirrors -- or using our fears and emotions against us.

It has happened before in America - and it can happen again. Take a few minutes and google "Senator Joseph McCarthy" or "McCarthyism"...... any of this sound familiar? Are "Palinites" that far from "Palinism?"

Sarah, like McCarthy, knows how to play to the darker aspects of human nature and she's milking it for all that she's worth. She knows that by presenting herself as the underdog savior that'll take us back to the "good life" of God, country and Conservative "common sense" she'll attain her megalomanic goals. Besides - as a veteran of the beauty pageant circuit - she knows the power of a Pepsodent smile along with some tits and ass. She's hoping our memories are short and our fears of the unknown are long - in fact she's banking on it. It's worked before - and it'll work again unless we start taking her for much more than a Letterman punchline......