Last things first: I think we may see in this election a subtle distinction between the "Republican hard-core" and the conservative hard core, which are often viewed as identical. Their treatment of the Chickie makes it clear that they are not. The conservative hard core continues to worship at her feet as she makes the rubber-chicken rounds, but the Republican hard core indeed became much more stand-offish after the election, and has done little to engage her in any electioneering that has real content to it (for obvious reasons). I think I got this one basically right.Graybeard wrote:If so, it's not much longer a stretch to see him taking on the Chickie as a running mate in the sense of "taking one for the team." I am reminded of the Mondale-Ferraro ticket of 1984. They didn't have a snowball's chance against a wildly popular Ronald Reagan, but somebody had to be the Democrats' nominee -- and vice-nominee. The groundbreaking step of nominating a woman as Vice Presidential candidate happened at a time when that woman had to know she wasn't going to win. By nominating the Chickie, the Republicans can now say, "hey, we're equal opportunity here" -- even as they throw her under the bus as soon as some conveniently egregious malfeasance comes to the fore. And they'll have saved their real candidates for 2012, when Obama is going to look lousy for not cleaning up 100% of the messes he's been bequeathed.
And no, I don't normally come across as a conspiracy theorist. Just check me out on one thing: watch to see how the Republican hard-core views Sarah Palin over the next two years.
However, I really screwed up on the "real candidates for 2012" part. The prediction about Obama and not cleaning up 100% of the messes is sound, but can anybody honestly describe any of the Republicans who got close to the nomination this year as "real candidates"? They were bloody embarrassments, every last one of 'em. And it isn't because the Republican Party is completely devoid of people with half a brain. Living in the state where Gary Johnson was governor, I will grudgingly concede that he is a surprisingly capable guy who would have met my criteria for being a "real candidate." Of course, his own party actively declined to take him seriously as one. There must be others. Surely there must be. Mustn't there?