Palin and Joe the Plumber, Tattered Symbols of Rapidly Sinking Party 
One familiar sign, similar to the uncle heading toward oblivion in the attic, is that of denial over what is happening, and what is obvious to others. The McCain Ohio rally yesterday was symbolic with John McCain looking and sounding totally removed from reality as, amid more scheduling chaos, he was unaware that his intended co-star of the day was nowhere to be seen:
"Joe the Plumber, Joe, where are you, Joe?"
When Joe was nowhere to be found a startled McCain adlibbed, "You're all Joe the Plumber!"
The Republican right that America is increasingly relegating to the nation's past can do no more than concoct a symbol of a bald-headed Ohioan with dreams of pushing his 15 minutes to fame to greater glory. He is presumed to represent middle income Americans terrified by "tax and spend" liberal policies.
That old bugaboo has been worn out. Meanwhile, as Republicans sought to scare Americans, under the fiscal house of 20 years of GOP rule, eight under Ronald Reagan and 12 under Bush father and son, economic calamity rained as the debt soared and the citizenry found that it was treading water as people worked more hours for less money.
The cost of living spiraled calamitously amid a glossy display of expensive show toys from the few who succeeded while the majority suffered.
The Republican Convention in St. Paul last summer was the final opportunity for a tired organization refusing to recognize that it was heading for the exits put on a big show as new star Sarah Palin emerged.
Palin was something that Rush Limbaugh could have created with the same design and care as Professor Henry Higgins created Liza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion."
Sarah shot caribou, she delivered rapid fire lines, with half of her representing the soccer mom keeping the home fires burning and the other an enraged female Joe McCarthy delivering a series of distortions warning about the destruction of the America we know and love if the untrustworthy and disloyal Democrats are entrusted with the federal government.
In addition to Palin's carefully crafted acceptance speech, the other moment when the delegates, 97 percent white in composition and reflecting nothing of the broad coalition the nation represents, reacted with unbridled glee when the demagogue Rudy Giuliani ridiculed Barack Obama's service as a community organizer.
The wealthy, fat cat delegates were so far out of touch that they failed to realize that Americans craved the kind of unified effort of restoring communities through cohesive action between the public and private sectors that Obama's effort represented.
The hate and deep ridicule that dripped from their bilious reaction framed them, their party, and their conduct in the hearts and minds of many Americans.
Ah yes, and now Republicans seek to explain away the Palin nomination and other Republican strategy ploys by asserting that their party was ahead until that huge road bump when the economy crashed.
The answer is simple. How long could Republicans expect to operate the economy like one gigantic Las Vegas slot machine awash in deregulation, speculation and outright gambling before the inevitable crack-up occured?
KEYWORDS: Sarah Palin, Joe the Plumber, John McCain and Sagging Republican Party
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