Sarah Palin:
Impressions from the Land Down Under
Recently returned from Australia, a DBKP writer had the opportunity to gauge the feelings of the Aussies towards Governor Palin’s selection as McCain’s Vice-President. The impressions–and that is what they are–were extraordinary.
For context, a little background is necessary. While Australia has the persona of a wilderness00in fact, the vast majority of people are urban–much more so than America.
Nevertheless, they are extremely proud, as well they should be, of their humble, rough-and-tumble beginnings. This continent made the early American and Canadian wilderness look hospitable. The Aussies have carved for themselves a wonderful and worthy nation in spite of those beginnings.
But they are Unionists and Socialists for the most part. The Aussies dislike America, despise Bush and Cheney, and the museums hang art ridiculing Reagan and Nixon as if they were still presidents. In fact 30% of Australians under 30 recently selected America as the most dangerous country in the world…to Australians.(huh?)
This bizarre belief is a reflection of academia, Labour politicians and the Aussie MainStream Media, where being anti-American is taken as a sign of intelligence. These challenged souls are convinced the film On The Beach actually happened.
But Aussies have no problem with individual Americans. American companies, or culture, are everywhere. In fact it appears that Americans are emulated–far more than Brits, for example. TV is replete with American shows and (good) copycat shows. Americans are welcomed wherever they go. It is not hard for an American to make friends with the Aussies.
So. How was Palin received?
Incredibly.
At first, the major newspapers were curious. A few stories on how Americans chose someone from the American “outback”. The subtext was that Palin “really was not of the political class” and lacked “polish”. Then she gave her speech at the RNC, and a few editorialists opined that they were intrigued. But it did not end there. These were in widely read papers. And the population seemed to mull over her selection. And a sort of consensus was reached–primarily, over the attacks on her family and kids.
It was a “hmmmmm” moment. Then it was apparent.
The women liked her. A lot.
Editorials in The Sydney Telegraph (a gossip sheet), The Australian (the NYT of Aussie land), The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, started speaking favorably.
They liked her. They really liked her. They voiced the liberal criticism and ridiculed it. Sort of on the order of: ‘When was Obama mayor of a ’small’ town? And BTW, can Obama make a campfire?, Shoot a Moose? Cook?’
Continue reading: Australians on Sarah Palin: A Hit Down Under
by Mondoreb/pat
Source: Australians on Sarah Palin: A Hit Down Under
Mondoreb blogs at Death By 1000 Papercuts. Interested readers can e-mail him at
mondoreb@gmail.com. All DBKP stories are filed under Mondoreb at BNN. This story was by pat.
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2 users commented in " Australians on Sarah Palin: Palin’s a Hit Down Under "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackAriana Huffington said it best in her recent column;
“As predicted, the fact that she didn’t know anything wasn’t a bug, it was a feature. She’s perfect for the neocons: likeable on the outside, a blank slate on the inside. To borrow from an old cliché, if Sarah Palin didn’t exist, the neocons would have had to invent her.
In fact, this is how one former White House aide describes her: “She’s bright and she’s a blank page. She’s going places and it’s worth going there with her.”
Of course, the place her neocon mentors hope she’s going is the White House. Given their dismal track record, they’re smart enough to figure that the American public wouldn’t be too keen on letting them in the front door again, so they are trying to sneak in hidden behind Palin’s skirt. The Trojan Moose approaches.”
The fact that she can shoot a bull moose, cut it up, and put it in the fridge is not much of a resume builder for a VP position.
It seems the McCain Campaign can make a connection with the voters on rugged Palin. A different twist then Reagan, and Joe sixpack, Nascar Bush branding.
I hope they (voters) are not dupped again, otherwise if they enjoy the last years of Bush they should expect the same ol same ol with McCain Palin.
It is true that there is a dumbing down element in Oz society that resents anything cerebral. It is true that there is a dumbing down element in Oz society that resents anything cerebral. So there are perceived virtues in action over thought and effort over style. But this is not a brush with which all of Australia should be tarred. The posting ignores the fact that Australia is a pluralistic society these days – multi-ethnic and diverse. Aussies hate a phoney, and whilst the novelty of Mrs Palin might indeed appeal to the Melbourne housewives for a while it won’t appeal to all Australians by any means. It will be a seven day wonder and once it is over Aussies will move on. And come the election you can expect that the real electoral analysts in the better parts of the Australian media will long have rumbled the artificial appeal of Sarah Palin – and rejected it.
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