Akkam’s Razor

Others have stated that the pick of Palin as VP is an overt dog-whistle to the hard-right.  I don’t doubt that at all.

Karl Rove has been oft-mocked in regards to his statements of “the math” during the 2006 Election.  Rove’s thesis was that the American voters were tired of corruption - this being the alleged driving force behind the Siegelman corruption case as well as the US Attorney Scandal.  Rove was right, but he wasn’t necessarily correct.  We know how 2006 turned out.

A quite possible alternative explanation might be the antics of Conservatives, from attacks on the patriotism of others, obstructionism, and most importantly, the Schiavo affair, was finely one step to far.  Many of the groundbreaking political realignments are the cause of “overreach”, where an excess of what was once a virtue suddenly becomes a vice.

The Palin certainly speaks to the frontier-mythology, as well as Conservative values and culture.  Unfortunately for McCain, her nomination likely brings no one new to the party.  He may have finally closed the enthusiasm gap, but what of the perennial electoral darlings - women, independents, and undecideds?  

Women may have several problems with Palin, from her troubling record on choice to her ruthless ambition, essentially foisting her newborn on her now-pregnant teenager while she pursues electoral ambition. Independents, will be reminded of the excesses and tsk-tsking of the Gingrich Revolution, the Clinton Impeachment, and Schiavo, and turn away in disgust.  Lastly, those that are undecided turn away from the front-runner, and with two-thirds breaking for the challenger, well, it just doesn’t look good.

Lastly, there has been a great moderation in American culture since the Nixon-Reagan days.  I have little doubt that the pockets of economic prosperity had much to do with this, but in other important ways, Americans have moved away from the reactionary right.  Although the Culture War has gone cold, it is reasonable to say that it has been won amongst the corporate world and media media.  The hot button issues have similarly grown cold.  Gun politics is balanced against terrorism and crime in big cities.  The ridiculousness of the Creationism debate causes one to question the presence and importance of the separation of church and state.   Censorship and media obscenity have been mitigated by a culture of choice, with many Americans being cable, satellite TV/radio, Netflix, or DVD consumers instead of using ‘the airwaves’.   Privacy has come front and center regarding marketing, data mining, governmental domestic spying, and corporate and governmental data breaches.  The public has been gradually moderating on the issue of Gay Marriage.

What we may be seeing unravelling before us is the death throes of identity politics.  One can only hope once its carcass has been drug of the stage, that we can finally begin to educate the public to evaluate the important policy issues.