The Mediocre is the Message
Posted in General on October 2nd, 2008 by Eugene Finerman – Be the first to commentSarah Palin has just defined herself as “Joe Six Pack.” That might mean that she is a transsexual alcoholic. However, I suspect that she is trying to identify herself as a paragon of simplicity: the homespun, ordinary soul who meets the travails of life with a can of beer. This is her rebuttal to those who criticize her ignorance: the ignorant are entitled to representation, and she is their candidate!
While I would never question her inadequacies, I do wonder about the term “Joe Six Pack.” Do those homespun, ordinary folk really aspire to the image of being alcohol-besotted slobs? Is that how they would publicly identify themselves? No, the term is demeaning and reeks of condescension. In fact, I first heard the term used by another Republican governor: Pierre Du Pont IV. At least, the lord of Delaware wasn’t pretending to be one of the folks. On the contrary, the message of his campaign was:Vote for me or I will fire you.
But Sarah Palin is not threatening the serfs; she is claiming to be one. Yes, Governor Palin can empathize with every hand-to-mouth, hardscrabble soul who also happens to have a monomanical vanity, a ruthless desire for power, and a tyrannical personality.
She is an elitist without the encumbrances of etiquette or education. “Joe Six Pack”? No, Debbie Demagogue.