We've seen it all before
Mr Q. Z. Diablo
Disclosure: I do not believe that the author can claim to be
particularly knowledgeable about US politics but he has had an
interesting thought. The column is a bit of a grab bag of ideas with no
real coherence - you have been warned.
The most interesting thing about the article is his throw-away line
paralleling Palin with Australia's Pauline Hanson. Hanson was an
extreme right wing politician who came into prominence in the mid to
late 1990s and who, at her peak, managed to see her party secure 22
percent of the vote in Queensland. The party, One Nation, never managed
to poll much better than about 10 percent nationally despite Hanson's
iconic status.
I believe that there are some parallels between Hanson and Palin
inasmuch as both appeal or appealed to a certain demographic and both
have been influential in a major party's veering to the right (John
Howard co-opted many of Hanson's ideas for the Liberal Party during her
15 minutes of fame). The main difference is that Palin remains
affiliated (at least in a de facto fashion) with a major party and, in
that respect, may be more successful.
Anyway, read it. It's interesting even if not necessarily well
informed.
--
The Professor: Ha! A Dolphin! Well I'll be buggered.
Satan: Never say that in Hell, Prof.
- Andy Hamilton, Old Harry's Game