Via Bjørn Are, hender det jeg svinger innom The Constructive Curmudgeon, som karakteriserer seg selv som "Christian philosopher, professor, teacher, writer, preacher". Og over morgenkaffen fant jeg for følgende karakteristikk av Barack Obama, i en omtale av Sarah Palins landsmøtetale:She was not afraid to unmask Barack Obama for what he is: a hyperreality. A hyperreality is an image that has no referent, like a cartoon or video game character. Yet, that hyperreality is taken to be the essence of reality, since people stop caring about truth and are content with impressions. No, she did not use that term from media criticism (and often used by Jean Baudrillard); but she told the truth about the man who wasn't there, the man who wrote two memiors, but has authored no significant legislation, the man who looks good, but has accomplished nothing of substance. He is the first hyperreal presidential candidate. Her comments about there being nothing left after you bring back the Styrofoam Greek columns said it all: the Styrofoam candidate.
Denne, fra Palins tale, er det beste stikket i siden til Obama jeg har sett så langt: "The presidency is not supposed to be a journey of personal discovery." (Den er til og med bedre enn P.J. O'Rourkes "For the first time in American history it's more important to be cute than white.")
Mark Steyn om Palin vs Obama:
First, Governor Palin is not merely [...] "all-American", but hyper-American. What other country in the developed world produces beauty queens who hunt caribou and serve up a terrific moose stew? As an immigrant, I'm not saying I came to the United States purely to meet chicks like that, but it was certainly high on my list of priorities. And for the gun-totin' Miss Wasilla then to go on to become Governor while having five kids makes it an even more uniquely American story. Next to her resume, a guy who's done nothing but serve in the phony-baloney job of "community organizer" and write multiple autobiographies looks like just another creepily self-absorbed lifelong member of the full-time political class that infests every advanced democracy.
Jeg blir mer og mer overbevist om at Obama er et hologram, mens Palin ... Vel, jeg er ikke enig med henne i ett og alt. Langt i fra. Men hun er i det minste av denne verden. Og jeg slutter meg til Steyn: "I kinda like the whole naughty librarian vibe."
