Well, I hadn't expected to be writing about Sarah Palin again so soon, or even at all, to tell the truth. But with her recent resignation speech, and the pre-resignation speech from a while back, she has thrust herself back into the gaping cultural maw. Fantastic.

So the pundits are now atwitter with Palin's future. Is she positioning for a Presidential bid? Is she gearing up for a huge book deal and tour? Is she getting the radio show, to try and capture Limbaugh-like influence via the blather-sphere? Or is she just going to fade away gracefully, and work on her point-guard skills?

Well, I really don't much care what's she's thinking or planning, and it's a waste of time trying to predict what's going to happen years from now. The mainstream media likes to burn millions of hours of airtime trying to divine what's in people's hearts and heads, instead of just reporting on actual words and deeds, things that really happen. Why do they do that? Because it's cheap and juicy. You don't need to pay to staff an investigative field bureau halfway across the globe when you can just fill your segments with talking heads pondering what's really on some political figure's mind. And pundit blather is just more fun than actual research and reporting. Put Pat Buchanan, Carl Bernstein, and some other dopes in a room, and let them go at it. Great stuff.

Sorry, got a little far afield there. In any case, as I was saying, Palin's future plans don't really concern me. If she runs, we'll deal with it then. Whatever. But what I do want to talk about is the substance of her two speeches, and what they might augur for the political milieu over the next year or so.

As we all know, the enterprise that is the United States of America is faltering badly. We're in the midst of a severe recession (depression?), home ownership is cratering, joblessness is pandemic, and a once-hopeful administration is now floundering, thanks to the cynical belief that bailing out the world of high finance was the best way to spend the tax dollars of future generations. Universal health care is about to be dashed on the rocks of a compromised Congress, who are in the pocket of Big Health Care. Oh yeah, and the planet continues its slow boil beneath our feet, poised to accelerate its warming, thanks to the coming sun activity uptick and the usual El Nino oscillation (see here).

Against this backdrop, I recently printed out Sara Palin's two resignation speeches, one from July 3rd, and one from just last week. First of all, the two are very different. The earlier speech is virtually nonsensical, filled with strange arguments like the assertion that being a lame duck would virtually force her to be a junket-taking free-spender, which she just doesn't want to do, because that's not how she does things. Huh? Why would she be forced to waste money as a lame duck? Who knows? Doesn't wash. At other places in the first address, she intimates that she doesn't want to hang around and be a distraction, wasting money to defend herself against the frivolous ethics allegations of political operatives and playa-haters. Now, that makes more sense -- a little, at least. But she doesn't pound that part home, choosing instead the weird, lame-duck argument. Aside from that, the earlier speech is flat-out pandering (especially if you're a troop-lover) and boohooing over media persecution. Mix in some boilerplate about the greatness of Alaska as an energy source and gateway to the world, and you get an uninspiring mish-mash of Palin pablum, a grim reminder of what we could have had every day from the office of the VP.

Now, her second speech, given on July 26th, when she actually stepped down and handed over the reins, was very different, and is much more interesting. There's still some of the usual pandering, but we're into a much more sophisticated articulation of the conservative persecution complex, and I immediately though of Thomas Frank's What's the Matter with Kansas? Frank, now a contrarian columnist for the Wall Street Journal, released this book in 2004, and in it he traces the phenomenon of regular folks being duped by the culture wars into voting against their own interests (by voting for Republicans). The GOP has been able to build a powerful electoral machine by crafting a persuasive narrative of a liberal elite cabal screwing the honest, god-fearing working man out of his wages, while murdering babies and coddling Sodomites and Lesbos. Frank brilliantly dissects this sad spectacle, showing just how cynical the conservative elite is, forever promising outlawed abortion and school prayer to win elections, before returning to Congress to continue the looting of the countryside. The culture wars rage on, delivering no positive results for anyone, while the Goldman Sachs of the world (see Matt Taibbi's brilliant piece here) continue vacuuming up the value created by the common crowd. "What's the Matter with Kansas?" is about to be released as a documentary film as well: check out the movie home site and Thomas Frank's home page.

Palin's later speech was riddled with this conservative grievance, and to the extent that the economy continues its collapse, it will prove resilient and resonant with voters in the mid-term elections. Here's a typical example: "And first, some straight talk for some, just some in the media because another right protected for all of us is freedom of the press, and you all have such important jobs reporting facts and informing the electorate, and exerting power to influence. You represent what could and should be a respected honest profession that could and should be the cornerstone of our democracy. Democracy depends on you, and that is why, that's why our troops are willing to die for you. So, how 'bout in honor of the American soldier, ya quit makin' things up. And don't underestimate the wisdom of the people, and one other thing for the media, our new governor has a very nice family too, so leave his kids alone."

Utter boo-hoo bullshit, of course. Does she really think the press has singled her out for scrutiny, ridicule, and lies? Does anyone remember the charges of mass murder against Bill and Hillary that were given mainstream media coverage? Do we remember the years-long War Against Gore that put Dubya in the White House, a war where every type of malicious lie and slander was thrown at Gore by the mainstream media? (see www.dailyhowler.com for an exhaustive treatment of this War Against Gore) People with far more political chops than Sarah Palin have been lambasted by a lazy, millionaire, gossip and conflict-loving media. And by sheer statistical probability, famous people are going to get treated very unfairly by someone, somewhere. I mean, for God's sake, Christopher HItchens wrote a book lambasting Mother Theresa (The Missionary Position).

Of course, Palin also covers that other group spawned from Satan's anus, Hollywood. "Let me tell you, Alaskans really need to stick together on this with new leadership in the area especially, encouraging new leadership... got to stiffen your spine to do what's right for Alaska when the pressure mounts, because you're going to see anti-hunting, anti-second amendment circuses from Hollywood, and here's how they do it. They use these delicate, tiny, very talented celebrity starlets, they use Alaska as a fundraising tool for their anti-second amendment causes. Stand strong, and remind them [that] patriots will protect our guaranteed, individual right to bear arms, and by the way, Hollywood needs to know, we eat, therefore we hunt."

..... and then she snapped a live rabbit's neck and took a huge gnosh out of its breast.  Okay, that part didn't happen, sorry.

Easy to make fun, but this persecuted conservative everyman shtick is powerful, and it really does resonate with a disempowered public. As Frank notes, this perpetual sense of grievance has endless fuel if the conditions of the poor and middle class are not shored up. As the American Algorithm continues to unravel, and as Washington becomes more obviously in the pocket of big moneyed interests, whichever party happens to be in power is going to be incredibly vulnerable to scapegoat, persecution narratives. And frankly, the Republicans are just better at it than the Dems. Palin again: "(W)e can resist enslavement to big central government that crushes hope and opportunity. Be wary of accepting government largess. It doesn't come free and often, accepting it takes away everything that is free, melting into Washington's powerful 'care-taking' arms will just suck every incentive to work hard and chart our own course right out of us, and that not only contributes to an unstable economy and dizzying national debt, but it does make us less free.... please let's not start believing that government is the answer. It can't make you happy or healthy or wealthy or wise. What can? It is the wisdom of the people and our families and our small businesses, and industrious individuals, and it is God's grace, helping those who help themselves, and then this allows that very generous voluntary hand up that we're known for, enthusiastically providing [for] those who need it."

Now I don't know about you, but to me that sounds like a good opening salvo for capturing the heart of a desperate America getting pounded by the gales of societal collapse. Scapegoat narratives, especially ones that pander to the vanity of the listeners, are very dangerous, and we liberals better be able to tell a different story, one that better explains the truth of our predicament, and doesn't sugar-coat things in a hazy desire for "progress." I have made an initial stab at a different narrative, here.