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It was a Republican beauty parade, and the winner, of course, was the one with the best hair: Mitt Romney. There were seven would-be presidential candidates at Monday's television debate in New Hampshire, plus two most notable absentees.
Jon Huntsman Jr, President Obama's recent ambassador to China, has not yet got going, while Sarah Palin, the can't-be- bothered former Governor of Alaska, was the elephant who happened not to be in the room.
The received opinion about Palin is that she retains, brilliantly, the ability to attract attention and controversy. But to what end? Her latest stunt was to attempt to spoil Romney's declaration of his intent to run. This she did by dashing around the eastern seaboard in motorcycle togs talking gibberish and grabbing headlines with her spectacular ignorance of American history.
Yes, Romney's press conference was a dull affair. But was Sarah Palin's train wreck an edifying spectacle, or was it - she couldn't remember the point of Paul Revere's ride - simply too stupid for words?
The problem Palin now faces is that there's more than one of her: she has a political avatar called Michele Bachmann, working the hustings and raising money and doing all the things that presidential candidates are supposed to do. Wherever Palin goes she makes clear her contempt not only for Democrats, for liberals, for Obama and all the sections of society she is supposed to have contempt for; but also for the Republican Party, for its establishment but also for its foot-soldiers, its local organisations, its volunteers.
Palin seems to inhabit a fantasy where none of the conventional wisdom applies to her - she doesn't have to wear out the shoe-leather, she doesn't have to have a national organisation, she doesn't have to tickle tummies in Iowa and New Hampshire. All she has to do, if she wants to, is stretch out her hand and the fruit will fall into it. It would be a nasty surprise for her if she stretched out her hand and the fruit fell to Michele Bachmann.
Palin's contempt for the Republican rank and file was noted publicly by Newt Gingrich, another of Monday's candidates, hobbled though he was by the fact that his political team had just resigned en masse rather than put up with his nightmare wife, Callista, any longer.
You may remember that Callista and Newt together ran up a six-figure bill on a revolving (that is, unpaid) account at Tiffany's. It turns out that Newt's campaign cannot get going in the morning until Callista's hair is done - a major operation, it seems, to achieve a peroxide helmet effect.
It will be a shame to lose Gingrich from the contest, as I suppose we soon will. He was the most interesting, least predictable, and one of the least crazy, of the speakers on Monday, when he made two notable humane interventions. One was on scrapping Medicare (the state health insurance programme for the over-65s), in which he said the Republicans, if they had got too far ahead of public opinion, should slow down.
The other was about immigration and the problem of the large illegal work-force. Gingrich deplored an all-or-nothing approach to the problem, which would take a punitive attitude to a large section of the population. He wanted some nuance, some humanity. Perhaps for this reason, but more likely because they can see the wheels coming off his campaign, the public has turned against Gingrich, and his support has dropped in the polls.
One of the striking things for those who associate Republicans with a hawkish stance on foreign policy, was to see Monday night's line-up go quite cold on Afghanistan, and indeed attack President Obama for his numerous military involvements in the Muslim world. Romney, in a remarkable slip of the tongue, called for the Americans to leave Afghanistan. He said: "It's time for us to bring our troops home as soon as we possibly can, consistent with the word that comes to our generals that we can hand the country over to the Taliban military in a way that they're able to defend themselves."
Immediately realising the enormity of his mistake he went on: "Excuse me, the Afghan military to defend themselves from the Taliban. That's an important distinction." He could say that again - but he probably won't until he's seen how well this Carter-like "Come Home America" line goes down with the general public. It may do very well indeed, leaving Obama as the hawk.
Ron Paul, the aged libertarian, made much of the unwisdom of Americans prosecuting foreign wars they could not afford, from Afghanistan to Libya. This is how the empires of the past became overstretched and fell. The strain of political thought represented by Paul tends to strict isolationism. The Paul family - Ron and his son Rand - like to follow a thought through: no money to spare for Muslim adventures, but also - most unusually - no aid for Israel either.
On economic policy the Republicans are a record that got stuck long ago in a groove that said: taxes are too high. Nobody can do anything, it would seem, unless it can be represented as a tax cut, and it matters not at all that the Bush era tax cuts are what led to the present deficit. No taxes can be raised. And if you say: "Very well, let's not raise taxes but let's cut ethanol subsidies" (which are unpopular with several politicians) you are told that cutting this sort of subsidy is tantamount to a tax hike, so you can't do that either.
What you can do, and what Michele Bachmann proposed on Monday, is abolish the Environmental Protection Agency and anything that can be depicted as restraining the freedom of business. And universal health care? That's number one on the list for the chop.
Reader views (13)
And why do people say that the media is trying to derail palin... they haven't had to actually work since 08 when McCain gave them this beautiful golden nugget of retardation. The media loves her because the media doesn't have to work. A four-year-old could name a magazine! And Paul Revere? Seriously, she rambled on that topic for so long eventually she had to reach something historically accurate, all by just talking more. You should re-watch her response and notice how bad she handles making mistakes because everyone there was laughing after a second.
- Gordon, Tallahassee, FL, 18/06/2011 14:50
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Man these comments are just a boxful of stupidity...
- Gordon, Tallahassee, FL, 18/06/2011 14:38
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Sarah Palin will time her entry into the campaign at the optimal juncture. There is no value in jumping into a race that is so unsettled right now.
As for Palin's unfavorables right now. Meaningless. Why? Because the GOP nomination pie is split amongst a dozen or so declared and undeclared candidates. Those with a preferred dog in the fight will naturally not want new challengers in the race who could subtract from their base.
Bachmann made a favorable impression in her maiden debate, where she introduced her story and announced her filing for the nomination. How could one not succeed in doing that? Here on out, she will receive the vetting that comes with national office aspirations.
Meanwhile, Sarah Palin watches and waits for the pivotal time to make her entrance. When the herd is thinned to a manageable few.
- Dose of Reality, Brillance USA, 17/06/2011 23:30
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"...the 65% of the American population who disapproves of her..."
Which left leaning, anti-Palin-regardless newspaper did you borrow that from? While she probably would not win an election, her support could well help someone else to do so - even your figures say she has a solid 35% support - that's a lot of clout!
The article? Standard put down by James Fenton of anything and anyone who is not a left Obama aficionado.
- Rogan, Irving, 17/06/2011 23:11
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Bernie Webb, I would suggest you start looking at the internals of the polls that publish them to see how they have been manipulated to lead people like you to
debatable conclusions.
For instance, the most recent CNN poll was trotted out ostensibly to get a gauge on the preferred candidates of republicans and right-leaning conservatives and yet among the 1015 pollled approximately 540 were democrats and 460, republicans.
Think about that for a minute. Perhaps this is why 17% did not know who Mitt Romney was an 44% could only scratch their heads when asked if the name Michelle Bachman rang a bell. Do you think it is conceivable for out of10 conservatives would never have heard of her?
Want to get a guage on republican voting preferences? Ask more democrats how they feel than conservatives. Makes perfect sense.
The CNN poll was only one among several recently with corrupted data.Would you deny your "65% of Americans who disapprove of her" come from such polls?
There are two things that you might want to consider: first among that "65%" you can almost certainly count the 40% who are unswervingly loyal to Obama.That leaves 25% that would "never consider voting for her"--most likely, hard core supporters of Ron Paul, Pawlenty, Michelle Bachman, and a few other minor players.
Do you really believe if the choice came down to Obama and Palin these voters
would swing to Obama or stay home on election day?
Perhaps. How you can, however, strains credibility.
- John Carpenter, New York, New york, 17/06/2011 20:39
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Does Obama know what year it is yet?
- John Smith, London, 17/06/2011 15:59
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Yes, because there could only be one woman in the race. How enlightened of you. I'm not hearing from you that there could only be one Mormon businessman candidate. So I guess there has to be a cap on only female candidates. It's so obvious that the MSM is trying to elevate Michele Bachmann to keep Sarah Palin out of the race. Gov. Palin took out the old boy establishment in AK. Do you think she's going to be intimidated by an unknown columnist in the UK? That's laughable. She plays by her own rules, which obviously galls you in the MSM. She will announce when she feels the time is right. And I'm sure you're all waiting with bated breath. By the way, she was correct about Paul Revere. But why let facts get in the way of a hit piece on Sarah Palin.
- bellagrazi, USA, 17/06/2011 14:44
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It Is All About Me - All the time demands Sarah Dumb as All Getout Palin. Who must be feeling awful after stupid Michele Bachmann flush her 15 minutes of fame down the john.
- Charlo, Paris, Texas, USA, 17/06/2011 13:58
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Apparently, Lola Barnes doesn't live in the USA, and knows little about US politics. Either that, or she marinates herself in Fox "News" every day! The instant Sarah Palin declares her candidacy, the 65% of the American population who disapproves of her will issue a collective groan. She will sink like a stone, and that will be the end of Sarah's Free Ride. Poor Lola won't know what hit her!
- Bernard Webb, Columbus, Ohio, USA, 17/06/2011 13:58
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Apparently, Lola Barnes doesn't live in the USA, and knows little about US politics. Either that, or she marinates herself in Fox "News" every day! The instant Sarah Palin declares her candidacy, the 65% of the American population who disapproves of her will issue a collective groan. She will sink like a stone, and that will be the end of Sarah's Free Ride. Lola won't know what hit her!
- Bernard Webb, Columbus, Ohio, USA, 17/06/2011 13:53
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Ahh the voice of reason from Lola Barnes. That's Irony, Lola.
- Alex C, London, 17/06/2011 13:08
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The current mania about Bachman, here in the states and in the U.K. is hardly surprising.
Attempts by Palin's enemies from Seattle to Fleet Street to take her out with allegations of scandal, corruption, abuses of power, abject stupidity, possessing a singular Midas-like quest for nothing but financial gain, meglomania, accusations of conspiracy, marital discord, whispers of drug use by her son, illiteracy, and perhaps some of the most rigged polling in the history of American politics have all failed miserably (unless you are naieve or uninformed to the degree necessary to believe the bogus polls) to stop Palin.
And now those who detest Palin have convinced themselves that Michelle bachman can do what CBS, NBC, MSNBC, ABC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, David Letterman, Charlie Gibson, Katie Couric, hundreds of investigators, thousands of bloggers, and pundits from Bel Air to Baker's Street have failed to do: derail Palin.
The certainty these people feel that Palin's shelf life is about to expire is almost incomprehensible.
In a 1948 edition of Newsweek, 50 key political journalists were recruited to determine which candidate they thought would win the presidency--the incumbent, HarryTruman, or the challenger, Thomas Dewey. All 50 predicted Dewey would win.
By my count, Michelle Bachman--adding Mr.Fenton to the mix--only needs five or six more pundits to rack up about the same number who are thoroughly
convinced Bachman has Palin's number.
- John Carpenter, New York, New york, 17/06/2011 13:07
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Apparently, James Fenton doesn't live in the USA, and knows little about US politics. The instant Sarah Palin declares her candidcay, all the pretenders, wannabees, & also-rans will collapse like cafeteria napkins.
- Lola Barnes, Atlanta, USA, 17/06/2011 12:45
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