Palin Derangement Syndrome

I wrote recently about the Palinocentrists, who have now made love of Sarah Palin as their new litmus test for who is and isn't a "true" conservative; and now that the election is over, it looks like McCain and his handlers are now off of their Christmas card list. Hot Air's Allahpundit suggests that this is "a sign that Maverick’s headed back to the center." But of course, if McCain was smart, he never would have left there to begin with. And at this point, I'm not sure the center wants him anymore.

Because the wingnuts are still totally in love with Sarah Palin. She reaffirms everything they believe in, and in a world that continues to marginalize these freaks more every day, that must really help. Conservatives never had a majority, but there have been times when reality gave them enough support for Republicans that they could imagine they were finally popular. But they never were.

And the more conservatives insist on taking over the Republican Party, the less popular Republicans will be. It just took awhile for the moderates to realize they weren't wanted anymore.

Getting Redder

And it's sad to see that the nuts are still holding on to some delusion that Palin helped, rather than hurt them. In Michelle Malkin's mind, Palin was a plus because "She energized tens of thousands to come out who would have otherwise stayed home." But what good did that do? What state stayed red because of Sarah Palin? They lost a buttload of red states and were close to losing a few more. Who do they think Palin saved? Alabama? Did they think Mississippi was going to flip without Palin's help? And hey, Obama didn't get Guam, so that's something, isn't it?

And that's the thing, her appeal only worked for the hardcore reddies. But of course, that's who McCain was told to woo, too. That's why he picked her. And that was a horrible, horrible mistake. And I predicted this back when McCain first won the nomination. I knew that McCain would get stuck trying to keep the base in line, and that this would be his downfall. He'd never be able to reach out to the moderates or independents, because he would be too busy throwing red meat to the right. And the more they clamored for meat, the crazier he'd get. And that's exactly what happened.

And now it looks like the red meat being thrown out is McCain's hide, and it's Palin doing the tossing. And I'm all for that. For as much as it was funny watching Carl Cameron dish out the dirt on Palin, it was even funnier to see how he wasn't actually sure which side he should take on this. I mean, Palin is the future of the Republican Party, but that future is a sad one of ever-increasing obscurity.

For as much as they insist that Democrats have become enslaved by the loony left, it's obvious that the Republicans have been captured by the rabid right, and now that they've got their claws in them, they want to drag the party down into the swamp where they live. It will be their creature, their comfort. But that's just because nobody wants the damn thing anymore. They broke it.