Robert Reich: The economy that Palin '12 depends on

[babylonsister]

Wednesday, Nov 24, 2010 16:50 ET
The economy that Palin '12 depends on
More than anything else, her strategy requires the fear and anger of the white working class
By Robert Reich

snip//

Sarah Palin has special appeal because she wraps the story in an upbeat message. She avoids the bilious rants of Rush, Sean Hannity, and their ilk. But her cheerfulness isn’t sunny; she doesn’t promise Morning in America. She offers pure snark, and promises revenge. Over and over again she tells the same snide, sarcastic, inside joke, but in different words: “They think they can keep screwing us, but (wink, wink), we know something they don’t. We’re gonna take over and screw them.”

The Palin Strategy is to circumvent the Republican establishment, filled as it is with career Republicans, business executives, and Wall Streeters. That’s why her path to the Republican nomination isn’t the usual insider game. It’s a celebrity game – a snark-fest with the nation’s entire white working class. Vote for Bristol and we’ll show the media establishment how powerful we are! Buy my book and we’ll show the know-it-all coastal elites a real book directed at real people! Tune into my cable show and we’ll show the real America – far from the urban centers with immigrants and blacks and fancy city slickers!

As I believe will become clearer, the Palin Strategy will involve a political threat to the GOP establishment: Deny her the nomination she’ll run as independent. This will split off much of the white working class and guarantee defeat of the Republican establishment candidate. It will also result in her defeat in 2012, but that’s a small price to pay for gaining the credibility and power to demand the nomination in 2016, or threaten another third-party run in 2020.

Once nominated, her campaign for the general election will be purely populist. She’ll seek to broaden her base to become the candidate of the people, taking on America’s vested Establishment.

More than anything else, the Palin Strategy depends on the continuing fear and anger of America’s white working class. She’s betting that their economic prospects will not improve by 2012, or even by 2016 and beyond.

more...

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/sarah_palin/index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/11/24/sarah_palin_presidential_strategy

[liberal N proud]

1. That is also what the Republicans won on in 2010

The economy... They did everything they could to slow down or block anything that would help the economy or the unemployed and they will do everything they can to help for 2012.

Keep the economy suppressed and it will keep the wing-nuts fired up against Democrats, that is their agenda.

[ProSense]

2. This is a Republican strategy

as was the teabaggers.

"The Palin Strategy is to circumvent the Republican establishment, filled as it is with career Republicans, business executives, and Wall Streeters."

The primary person propping up Palin is none other than Rupert Murdoch.

Consider this WSJ editorial claim: The former Alaskan Governor showed sound political and economic instincts by inveighing forcefully against the Federal Reserve's latest round of quantitative easing.

It's the GOP strategy, and this moron is the pitch person. She's the face of the Republicans' desire to destroy the country for political gain.

They're playing with fire in the same way they did with the teabaggers, but that's secondary to achieving their political goal.

[southern_belle]

3. you betcha n/t

[RBInMaine]

4. Reich is off base.This is an R civil war tearing them asunder, & the economy will improve enough

to propel Obama to victory in 2012, ESPECIALLY if Palin wins the nomination. This nation will not accept Palin-the-idiot-cartoon-character.

[Hawkowl]

5. Reagan Redux

I couldn't disagree more. The same sort of critic sm was said of the B movie actor Reagan. I believe the economy will be no better off AND Reich's end game for the Rethuglican "civil war" makes sense. Meaning Palin threatens an independent run, and the party establishment knuckles under and makes her the nominee thinking they can control her like W.

We ignore this threat at our own peril. Obama needs to create jobs at all costs. Public sector, private sector, stop off shoring and start throwing some Wall Streeters in jail. If he doesn't go populist someone else will and they will mop the floor with him.

[Diamonique]

6. He's not off base at all.

He's saying that a bad economy is what Palin is counting on, and he's right about that.

He didn't say that he thinks the economy will still be bad in 2012.

[kentuck]

7. America's white working class includes a lot of Democrats also...

If Sarah can reach them, look out!

[AspenRose]

8. Those are the ones who voted for HRC last go-round

Those "hard-working, white voters" she talked about.