One of the most overused, misused popular-culture quotes in my lifetime was the Andy Warhol quote about fame.
As true as it is in our media-saturated world, as ridiculous as the quest for fame has turned out to be, Warhol’s quote about the future isn’t in the list of the top 10 most profound things Warhol said.
His profundity isn’t the point of this piece, so if you want to read more, here’s a link.
No, the point of this is to show how ridiculously universal the quote has become … and also how 15 minutes can turn into 15 years in the vast right-wing conspiracy.
It was almost exactly 15 years ago that the Republican Party made Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin its vice presidential nominee on John McCain’s ticket. For much of that autumn, Palin wasn’t just Warhol-famous, she was Britney-famous or Paris Hilton-famous.
Despite a horrible campaign of appearances like an interview with Katie Couric that made her look imbecilic. despite accomplishing almost nothing except losing two elections for Congress, despite being the equivalent of a reality television star, Palin is still around.
She was 44 in 2008. and Republicans were bragging on her as the closest thing in politics to a hottie. Those days are long gone. Palin will be 60 on her next birthday, and as often as not, she looks like she’s been rode hard and put away wet.
But she’s still a Trumpanzee and she’s standing tall with outrage for the sentences being handed out to the January 6th insurrectionists. She spoke about it in an appearance on Newsmax.
Host Eric Bolling said he was “blown away by these sentences. 15, 17, and 18 years for nonviolent crimes,” in reference to the lengthy prison sentences given to the recent Jan. 6 defendants.
Palin responded. “It’s so disheartening, the examples that you’ve given, Eric. It makes the populace lose a lot of faith in our government and that’s an understatement.
“Unfortunately, what this leads to, when we recognize the examples that you just gave, the two-tier different justice systems that apply according to politics, you know it makes the good guy think what’s the use in being a good guy,. We’re gonna be punished, you know, we’re picked on, is what we are under this system. But we can’t feel helpless and hopeless.”
Republicans.
America’s victims.
Good article, Mike.