Saturday, March 10, 2007

Unlike in 2000, McCain is NOT Luke Skywalker

From Jonathon Chait at the LA Times, this is a fascinating insight into the conservative mind-set:
THIS IS NOT Luke Skywalker here," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), discussing his friend and Senate colleague John McCain's second run for the presidency. "This is a totally different campaign."

Graham was looking for a way to reassure his fellow conservatives that they no longer had anything to fear from McCain. His choice of metaphor is one of those windows into the fundamental cultural gap that separates hard-core conservatives from the rest of humanity. To most people, who think of Luke Skywalker as a hero battling an evil and immensely powerful empire, Graham's implication would be seen as an unmitigated insult. In the world of the GOP elite, though, it's a form of praise: No, no, don't worry, McCain's with the empire now.
This is an interesting and very revealing metaphor for the McCain Campaign for President. I really feel sorry for the guy. He lost any chance at the Presidency when Rove hit him with the really nasty underground campaign of lies in South Carolina in 2000. He just can't give up hope and accept that his chance at the office was lost back then.

Oh, and the in-sight? The conservatives really view themselves as the Empire, and Luke Skywalker as the rebel. Darth Vader had it right.

[H/T to TPM.]

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