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| Is she representing "American values," more so than any other American? |
When Sarah Palin emerged as a public figure two years ago, she was heralded as a new face of the GOP, as a young voice to energize far-right supporters who feared that their party had strayed from their original values. Her appeal was that she could identify with average voters, as a relative outsider to politics. She connected, some say, in a very basic way to middle America. Perhaps she was too unconnected to politics, as her several major slip-ups proved.
In the present day, the Tea Party movement has become of symbol of alienation in modern America. Christina O'Donnell, the new poster girl of the Tea Party has advertised her campaign as representing a "philosophy centered on the core values of the great American tradition." It seems to me that she tries to advertise herself as the most patriotic candidate, the one most connected to America. But in actuality, how can one person claim that they are more connected to America, more so than any other American? I'm confident many Americans could make that claim. When someone wants to "institute the values that made America great," how can they say that they have a better handle on those values than any other active member of American society?
I think that you are right, Leland. Each person is connected to a virtual web of people, and while some, like politicians, try to connect most with the majority, they may end up disconnecting the minority. Or by connecting with certain groups, and choosing to speak directly to a certain sect of Americans, different Americans who disagree with those words get a different idea of who the person is, and therefore may disconnect. Speaking of "the values that made America great", I think it is their own idea of those values that they institute. It is their opinion of the important things. For this reason we must be very careful who we elect so that each individual may be most fairly represented.
ReplyDeleteJust to play the devils advocate, I think she is playing the I am more connected because she might not be so aloof as many politicians are. I have a hard time feeling connected to many politicians, because I have never held so much power, and I've never felt extremely strong on many of the issues plaguing American politics today. I don't know much about Christina O'Donnell, but I think her claim to be more connected could have a valid basis.
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