Attacking Sarah Palin: A familiar ring

The anonymous attacks on Gov. Sarah Palin have a familiar ring to me.

I was thinking about this after hearing Carl Cameron’s report on Fox, and after reading several other kneecap-recaps as reported in the blogosphere. I have no way of verifying my suspicions, so I haven’t commented on it. But, since the stealth attackers probably won’t be identified any time soon, I might as well go ahead and put forth my thoughts. If proven wrong, I’ll admit it — unlike those faceless cowards who started this.

I started noticing the similarities after reading and re-reading M.O.R.’s post-election rant. Following one of his links led me to the adjective “odious” which was used to describe religious conservatives. I couldn’t help but wonder about that, as I am one of those very same “odious” voters (who, incidentally supply about 40% of the Republican turnout). I wasn’t too terribly surprised by the animosity: it is really nothing new. Tolerating religious conservatives as a necessary part of the voting coalition is something that other conservatives have learned to become accustomed to, if not become altogether comfortable with, since Mr. Reagan cobbled together a winning strategy in 1980.

Neither are we altogether comfortable with them. But, there are enough interests in common to remain a viable political coalition.

A great example came in the last round of primaries, when moneyed interests within the Republican party decided to inject themselves into primary politics, not that there’s anything wrong with supporting one’s self interest. There isn’t. But, their tactics were, to use M.O.R.’s description, odious. Their preemtive and innuendo-laced attack destroyed the candidacy of the only religious conservative in the fold. It seems that this group would much prefer to continue to occupy a position of influence within a significantly smaller Republican coalition rather than have a religious conservative at the helm.

Interestingly enough, these people were completely silent in the general election; their money and advertising budgets unused. They did not get their candidate in the primaries, so they sat out the general election, only to emerge in the aftermath to attempt the same innuendo-based attacks on the next promising religious conservative. The preemptive attack on Sarah Palin is of the same tenor, tenacity, and calumny.

Sources in the McCain campaign? Bah, this smells like The Club for Growth.

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