Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Dark Horse/Stalking Horse



“…and I swear by the Fifty Stars on our flag which stand for the Fifty Miracles of Jebus, and its Thirteen Stripes for the thirteen Apostles of Jebus…”

Which is not an actual quote.

But this is (h/t C&L):

Q: Are you offended by the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?

PALIN: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the Founding Fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.


Sigh.

Like an eggshell pinata rolling through a metal stamping plant, at the slightest tap, all the goodies are starting to come spilling out of the Life and Times of Sarah Connor Sarah Palin...

A seemingly insignificant person whose is now fighting for her political life...

Against Liberal Cyborgs...

Sent back from the Obama Nation of the future...

To prevent her -- or possibly her daughter -- from giving birth to the savior of the Republican Party...

(Possible

father?)

Or something.

Sigh. Again.

So if Governor Palin is the punchline, what's the joke?

Most people probably have a heard of a "dark horse".

It is a term from horseracing to describe:

n.
1. One who achieves unexpected support and success as a political candidate, typically during a party's convention.
2. A little-known, unexpectedly successful entrant, as in a horserace.


The term, when used in politics, almost always applies to presidential candidates who emerge out of a welter of better-known opponents as the Party's choice. Abraham Lincoln -- who offered himself as a compromise alternative to his better known opponents and then beat the formidable former New York Governor William H. Seward as well as Senator Salmon P. Chase, former Representative Edward Bates, and Senator Simon Cameron -- is probably America's most famous dark horse.

It is a people-voting/electoral thing.

But in modern politics, the selection of a running mate is a personal choice, not an electoral one. It is entirely a reflection of the judgment and temperament of one, specific person -- the man or woman at the top of the ticket.

Now governor Palin has never stood before a national audience.

She has not been through interminable debates on the national stage.

She has not had to defend her radical views and Christian comic-book version of history under the glare of cameras in fifty states, Puerto Rico and Guam.

Not a dark horse at all, but in politics, there is also another kind of horse.

The “Stalking Horse”.

This from the Free Dictionary:

stalk·ing-horse (stôkng-hôrs)
n.

1. Something used to cover one's true purpose; a decoy.
2. A sham candidate put forward to conceal the candidacy of another or to divide the opposition.

This from Wikipedia:

A stalking horse is someone or something whose role is to become the focal point for, or the initiator of, a debate or challenge. In reality, however, their leadership role may be an illusion, and the stalking horse is really working to promote a challenge or debate that will benefit a third party whose identity remains a secret.


The phenomenon occurs particularly in politics, where a junior politician acts as the stalking horse to promote the interests of a senior politician who remains unseen in case the actions would damage him or her but nevertheless wants to provoke a debate or challenge to a party colleague. In some cases stalking horses are not working for a particular individual but may wish to provoke a response that leads others to join in.

Not saying this is the case.

Not saying it ain’t.

What I am saying is I would find it hard to believe that, some time last week, as the Democrats were stubbornly refusing to implode, something very close to this speech wasn’t being drafted and redrafted by Tucker Eskew and Team McSame.

My friends, in Sarah Palin, I found a running mate who would honor the enduring, American values of Family, Faith and Freedom for which our Party stands, as well as honoring the historical sacrifices women have made on behalf of our great country.

[TELL THAT PRICK ESKEW TO ROUGH OUT ANOTHER COUPLE OF LINES OF BIBLE STUFF THAT’LL KEEP THE FUNDIES FROM CRAPPING THEIR SACK CLOTH]

But it is clear that the jackals in the national press and trash-talking Liberal Democrats will not allow this good woman to break the glass ceiling, even if it means going after her children and grandchildren.

[WORK IN AWKWARD POW REFERENCE HERE]

This, my friends, is exactly the kind of vicious, negative, personal attack politics that we on the Right have always opposed, but that the Radical Left Liberal Democrats clearly thrive on.

As such, Governor Palin and I have made the difficult decision to spare her family the pain of being dragged any further by the shameless media and the Liberal Democrats through the mud: Sarah Palin is a dedicated public servant with a bright future in public service, and while the difficult decision to spare her family further pain is regrettable, I believe it is the only honorable choice.

[SUCK. ON. THIS. MY FRIENDS.]

With all the important issues facing us in this election, Sarah and I agree that we cannot allow our mission to keep America strong and energy independent to be distracted by the slander and smear tactics of some in the media and Liberal Democrats.

Therefore Sarah and I have jointly reached the decision for her to step aside as my running mate, and I have asked my good friend and a great American -- INSERT NAME OF SOMEONE WHO IS NOT MITT FUCKING ROMNEY HERE -- to step in and help me keep America strong and safe.

Sarah, thank you: you and your family have been a model of strength and courage under extreme pressure all Americans can be proud of.

[WORK IN SECOND AWKWARD POW REFERENCE HERE]

God Bless [YADDA YADDA YADDA]

Just speculation, to be sure, but as we have been reminded one million times, before John McSame was anything in politics, he flew combat aircraft.

And for me it is not much of a stretch at all to imagine that as his campaign slammed into a tactically and strategically superior opponent, and the wingnuts who have his nuts firmly in their grasp began to dictate terms, Senator Tantrum's reflex would have been to start wildly firing off every flare

he could lay his hands on.

6 comments:

Rehctaw said...

"My friends. When it comes to loving Amurica, no sacrifice is too great, no pill too rancid or acrid to swallow.

Governor Palin will now return to Left Overshoe and continue her good works. Skate lacing, mukluk drying, caring for her little bundle of joy and preparing to be a GRAND MOTHER!

As you know, my friends, I was a POW when the Governor's mother conceived, so let us end that speculation right here and now.
>heh-heh<.

So it is with great pride that I welcome Joseph LIEberman to our great endeavor. In Joe, I get a wingman I trust who will help us unite. Democrat and Republican and Independent. WASP and Jew. Old and Young. >Sorry Joe heh-heh<

We know what we're doing NOW and I can't think of a more qualified person to take the all important reins of the Vice-Presidency over from my friend Dick Cheney.

My Friends, Thank you >POW< and God Bless Amurica. "

Anonymous said...

I've been wondering about this same possibility, Drifty. I can't help but think that the fundies won't react very favorably to any "betrayals", though, or that Palin might not appreciate being hung out to dry...particularly if she wasn't in on this little plan to start with.

It wouldn't surpise me in the least if McStain and the Big Money Boyz try and pull a fast one on the religious nuts, only to find the Christopaths refuse to go down quietly. All speculation, of course (as you say), but this sort of plotline could lead in all sorts of directions, not all them good for McMaverick or the GOP...

darkblack said...

I'd work in the first awkward P.O.W. reference right after the 'Radical Left Liberal Commie Bastard Democrats' bit, e.g., "...and that's just the sort of treatment I received when I was a 'guest' of the filthy black-pyjama clad swine, my friends...but 5 years of their FDR-style indoctrination couldn't break me..."

;>)

Anonymous said...

it is so predictable. not vetting her before the announcement? c'mon, this is the big league.

such is politiks in the us of a.

sigh...

as always drifty, you are right on the money ;)

Anonymous said...

I fixed your sentence: "She has not had to defend her radical views and ChristianIST comic-book version of history"

mark hoback said...

Good piece, Drifty. Blue Gal knew that I was alos working on a piece on Sarah Palin's true meaning, and urged me to stop here after I finished it. I found it interesting that we both had to define a term/concept to make our points. Cheers.