But don't be fooled either by Mr. McCain's long-ago reputation as a maverick or by Ms. Palin's appealing persona: the Republican Party, now more than ever, is firmly in the hands of the angry right, which has always been much bigger, much more influential and much angrier than its counterpart on the other side.-----------------------
What the G.O.P. is selling, in other words, is the pure politics of resentment; you're supposed to vote Republican to stick it to an elite that thinks it's better than you. Or to put it another way, the G.O.P. is still the party of Nixon.
-----------------------
Can Mr. McCain and Ms. Palin really ride Nixonian resentment into an upset election victory in what should be an overwhelmingly Democratic year? The answer is a definite maybe.
By selecting Barack Obama as their nominee, the Democrats may have given Republicans an opening: the very qualities that inspire many fervent Obama supporters -- the candidate's high-flown eloquence, his coolness factor -- have also laid him open to a Nixonian backlash. Unlike many observers, I wasn't surprised at the effectiveness of the McCain "celebrity" ad. It didn't make much sense intellectually, but it skillfully exploited the resentment some voters feel toward Mr. Obama's star quality.
--------------------
But the Democrats can't afford to be complacent. Resentment, no matter how contrived, is a powerful force, and it's one that Republicans are very, very good at exploiting.
Search this blog
Profile
I am the Online Community Manager at PLoS ONE. My scientific specialty is chronobiology (circadian rhythms and photoperiodism), with additional interests in comparative physiology, animal behavior and evolution. I am not an MD so I cannot diagnose and treat your sleep problems. This is a personal blog and opinions within in no way reflect the policies of PLoS ONE. You can contact me at: Coturnix@gmail.com
Join us at ScienceOnline'09
Buy the 2007 Science Blogging Anthology:
Buy the 2006 Science Blogging Anthology:
Recent Posts
- Five-Fiftysix meme
- Triangle Blogger Meetup
- My picks from ScienceDaily
- Coral disease outbreaks and warming waters
- Clock Quotes
- The Open Laboratory 2008 - all the submissions fit to print
- Today's carnivals
- ScienceOnline'09 on the Radio!
- Plant a Seed in every classroom
- New and Exciting in PLoS this week
Recent Comments
- Dan Howitt on Oooops!
- Coturnix on Today's carnivals
- John Pieret on Today's carnivals
- petey on Doesn't reading about this make you salivate?
- Greg Laden on Five-Fiftysix meme
- Coturnix on Circadian Quackery
- Mara on Circadian Quackery
- Scott Keir on The Open Laboratory 2008 - only half a month remains!
- Karen James on The Open Laboratory 2008 - all the submissions fit to print
- Cormac O' Raifeartaigh on The Open Laboratory 2008 - all the submissions fit to print
Archives
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
Blogroll
Subscribe via Email
Stay abreast of your favorite bloggers' latest and greatest via e-mail, via a daily digest.
My Old Stuff
Make Me Happy
Add Scienceblogs to your Technorati Favorites!
Make Me Solvent
I Support
Bloggie Stuff
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
« Soccer is so effette, elitist and, gasp, French! | Main | Flying Fox Bat fights a Python »
Krugman nails it:
Category: Politics
Posted on: September 6, 2008 8:38 PM, by Coturnix
Find more posts in: 
Politics
Comments
During the hurried promises toward the end of Obama's speech at the DNC, all I was able to hear from him was
"I WILL". It was "I WILL..I WILL...I WILL". Is he going to run everything by himself? He could be less egotistical and at least let Joe Biden and other members of his party receive a little mention by saying "WE WILL". He's really one "puffed up" guy.
No, I'm not voting for him. His platform doesn't even come near to what I want in my President and his wife. Both need to be true Americans who have loved and been proud of their country through thick and thin, not just when they get the "American Dream" - Presidential nomination.
Posted by: Dorothy Cantrell | September 6, 2008 11:06 PM
No candidate in history has been as responsive to people as Obama. Compare that to the super-secretive GOP?!
Saying that Obama is not a "true American" is insult to him and the true Americans. The vicious crowds at the RNC Convention we all saw, wrapping themselves in the flag and chanting "USA! USA!" are scary and probably deserve the title of "true Americans" much less than Obama.
Posted by: Coturnix | September 6, 2008 11:09 PM
Another thing: I'd rather have a candidate repeat "I WILL", than a candidate who keeps repeating "I WAS" with no energy in his voice to even suggest he has any will in him any more.
Posted by: Coturnix | September 6, 2008 11:18 PM