The Politics of Ressentissement...
From Duncan Black:
Eschaton: Apparently John McCain has started up a weekly "radio" address, aka a bit of recorded audio that he hopes various outlets will excerpt and run as a free campaign commercial every week. CNN obliged this week. I thought this bit was pretty interesting, though I can't tell if someone writing the speech thought that raging narcissism was an attractive quality or if they really believe the appeal of their own dumb campaign spin.
Good morning. I'm John McCain, and this week the presidential contest was a long-distance affair, with my opponent touring various continents and arriving yesterday in Paris. With all the breathless coverage from abroad, and with Senator Obama now addressing his speeches to 'the people of the world,' I'm starting to feel a little left out. Maybe you are too...
A wise correspondent writes in email that this shows low cunning on the part of McCain:
He is putting on the mantle of the candidate of white, nationalist resentment--and he doesn't ever have to mention race because, of course, white, nationalist resentment is, by definition, the default position for the Republican candidate vs. a black, "citizen of the world" Democrat. Envy, spite, insecurity, chauvinism--all there in just two sentences.
This is his shot: to try to get voters to envy and despise the young, gifted, and black. It is a clever frame--evoking xenophobic negativity as well as the populist vibe that you're being left behind while the elites yuck it up...
