Posted on 11/09/2009 7:09:22 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Matthew Continetti has a piece in this weekend’s Weekly Standard hailing Sarah Palin as the ideal leader of a new populist uprising. One obvious objection to his thesis: The populist Sarah is in fact one of the most unpopular figures in American life.
According to Gallup, 63% of Americans say they would never consider voting for her. By a margin of 62%-31% Americans rate Palin “unqualified” to serve as president – by far the worst score for any leading Republican.
In comparison, only 51% of Americans say they would never consider voting for Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee – and a plurality of Americans rate the two as “qualified”: 50-36 say Huckabee is qualified, 49-39 say Romney is qualified.
Palin supporters have constructed an alternative reality in which their heroine is wildly cheered by the American yeomanry, and despised only by a small coterie of sherry-drinking snobs. No contrary evidence, no matter how overwhelming and uncontradicted, can alter this view: not the collapse in Palin’s support in just 5 weeks in 2008, not the statistical studies that show her as the only vice presidential nominee in ticket to have hurt her ticket, not her rampant unpopularity with American women, not her own flinching from a second encounter with the Alaskan electorate.
In this regard, Continentti’s comparison of Palin to William Jennings Bryan begins to look not only apt, but ominous.
Like Palin, Bryan had some good ideas. He was right about free trade, and he was right too about the gold standard. (Even if his alternative would have been unworkable in its own way.) But he made himself so culturally obnoxious to the American majority that he dragged even his good ideas down to defeat with him. Everybody knows Bryan’s famous line about the “cross of gold.” Not so well remembered are the lines that killed his candidacy in 1896:
"Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country."
This was not the way to talk to a rapidly urbanizing nation.
Bryan ran for president three times. He lost every time, and by dwindling margins: 46.7% of the vote in 1896, 45.5% in 1900, and 43% in 1908. Yet not all was lost for him. After four consecutive defeats, the country finally did turn to the Democrats in 1912. Many of the important reforms Bryan had urged over his unsuccessful career were enacted into law. Of course in the interval, Bryan’s party had turned to a new leader: a former president of Princeton University and author of an outstanding work of political science.
The professor won what had eluded the preacher, in part because unlike the preacher, he did not look obviously unequal to the job.
Frum will never change his mind. He can’t get over the fact that he is so smart and that she is not him, because he couldn’t get elected to a school board.
So how much do you think the Gallup polls misses it.
David Frum suffers from severe head trauma.
Hey Frum, if you are so certain that no one will vote for her, why are you even discussing her you prick
Probably sampled 98% democrats and 2% socialists...
He isn't an American, afterall.
This guy is such a royal doofus. I have no idea if she ever want to run for President or not, but the election is not being held today. By his own standard, Romney and Huck can never be elected either because a majority say they would never vote for them. i guess they are disqualified too.
Sarah didn’t hurt that ticket. It was just a talking point. No one who was a serious potential voter for McCain voted for Obama because of Palin. That is just a carefully constructed narrative to damage her future chances. This is like last week when Hoffman got 46% of the vote. The left talking points point to Palin, but the fact is Hoffman moved out of distant third to almost winning, and the momentum began the second she made that endorsement. Sounds like a real political loser to me. Moved the numbers +23 post endorsement.
Let’s see... today, I’ve seen articles on the electability of Huckabee and inelectability of Palin. I think I’ll go with the “taking flack” rule of leadership...
He’s unhealthily obsessed with her, no?
Regardless of whether he’s right or wrong on Palin’s popularity anyone who thinks that any of those losers (referenced by Frum) who ran for president in 2008 is the answer for the GOP next time around is delusional. Not a one of those fellows had any real interest in shrinking the government and obeying the Constitution... I can’t imagine any of those big-government conservatives getting any traction in the near future.
... oh and by the way... William Jennings Bryan was wrong on the gold standard also.
They can't help themselves...they love dwelling on the propaganda imagine they have created of Palin.
I'm sure Baghdad Bob still has dreams of the US being nowhere close to Baghdad as well.
This turkey has no credibility. imho
Frum is a fag. This article proves it.
Soon we will see how Palin flies in America.
“Consider the source.”
I’ve considered it, and will not waste any time reading his drivel.
Desperate hit piece by Frum, who knows that Palin has several prime-time interviews and is scheduled to go on what will be a widely successful book tour, which will rehabilitate her image to independents.
He acted like a big fat fool on the Glenn Beck show today.
“According to Gallup, 63% of Americans say they would never consider voting for her.”
Most of them Democrats, no doubt.
63% of Americans would never consider voting...for anyone.
Rubbish! Mclame would have lost even bigger if not for Sarah.
I’m not deciding about Palin till Meagan McCain weighs in............just kidding.
Frum should quit wasting his time, and concentrate on instructing Republicans on the virtues of compromising with a left that has gone off the deep end. It seems counter productive for an Obamao voter and admirer to encourage Republicans to support the best candidate. His time could be better spent explaining how far left the Republican Party needs to go now, just to keep up with the Democrats.
Sarah drew nearly 5000 at a Wisconsin right to life event last Fri night. No interest, hah.
Rumor has it that David Frum’s website got its first hits from this screed. Frum should take his wife, and go back to Canada where they are frum.
Is Mitt paying you David?
I guess the idiot had a typo. Plus McCain got the votes he got because of Palin.
Palin is a Populist.
David Frum sees himself as the savior of American conservatism. One obvious objection to his thesis: His proposed solutions are in fact practically indistinguishable from moderate-to-liberal Republicanism.
She got my vote last time and if she runs she’ll get it again. And if there’s no chance she could win why don’t they just stop talking about her and she’ll go away.
Saw a bumper sticker today that said: “Don’t blame me. I voted for the gold guy and the cute chick.”
Conservatives have to put forward like-minded candidates regardless what the faux conservatives (Frum, David Brooks, Gergen) think. Once that is done, then faux conservatives will be forced to vote for what they consider the “lesser of two evils”.
LOL
Buyer's remorse that their guy is now proving how woefully inexperienced he is at governing, as was oft-repeated during the campaign.
Populism: A political philosophy supporting the rights and power of the people in their struggle against the privileged elite.
I contend that Palin is of the old definition of elite, the kind that made this country great. Unlike the socialist indoctrinated, entitlement crowd that's developed over the last two hundred years from the long spent sweat of their ancestors, Palin still understands the genesis of true excellence and wealth.
Oh...so he’s a flippin’ Canadian? That explains EVERYTHING.
Guess who else is Canadian and just LOVES to trash America every chance they get?
Bill Maher and Michael Moore.
I don’t think either Maher or Moore has acquired American Citizenship but if they did then, just the same as with Soros and Cao: Revoke their Citizenship and DEPORT THEM.
WELCOME TO AMERICA...NOW GO HOME!!!
Boy do I love being a natural born citizen of the USA; you can make all the pretenders SQUIRM.
“despised only by a small coterie of sherry-drinking snobs.”
I’ll wait for a confirmation on this view point from someone who’s not in that small coterie of sherry-drinking snobs.
Anyone for some claret and brie?
“He can’t get over the fact that he is so smart and that she is not him,”
This is indeed the inner rage of the elitists.
Most of the people in politics are quite frankly lightweights in the brains department.
The policy wonks cant quite get how their great ideas get snubbed while idiots run the country. Maybe that’s ok because the smart people are needed to do the *real* work, like create inventions and run businesses. But the elitists see it as so *wrong* that they dont get to run things since they are so smart and have all the answers.
The one answer/quality they lack: Humility.
Of course we live in a country where our leaders are chosen by elections and not GRE or SAT tests. Perhaps we should choose the latter method in some form... China did it, and perfected dynasties of bureaucratic marvels. Not good for freedom and prosperity or even innovation, but ... ‘everyone had their place’.
Personal note: My IQ is higher than Palin’s, Obama’s, Biden’s, GWB’s and probably even that smartypants Clinton. There has been more than one time when I just want to throw my shoes at the TV set over the stupidity of some politician. But it is folly to worship intellect - a good tool, but a bad master.
“If Sarah Palin’s soooo unpopular and soooo unelectable... why bother writing an article about her?”
Uh, a divisive figure can still be important.
Frankly, though, the timing is suspicious. The person who nailed the coffin shut on Presidential ambitions in 2012 is Newt Gingrich. I was prepared to support Newt in 2008 due to the paucity of the field. But he blew the NY-23 call SO BADLY and so publicly (which was really unnecessary for him) he’s a totally non-credible candidate.
So why not a column on how Newt will never be President?
As is Romney for 2012, he’s become a Lamar Alexander-level extraneous non-officeholder.
Who does that leave? If not Palin, then Mitch Daniel, Jindhal ... while I like Barbour, he’s another ‘never be President’ just due to accent alone (kind of a GOP version of Kerry, easy for other side to charicature him).
Palin has a ‘gravitas gap’ to overcome, but, gee, so do any other contenders.
“Bryan was more of a Mike Huckabee - a Christian populist nanny-statist. “
They are both fundamentalist preachers from rural areas.
Yup.
David, please explain, how did Palin make herself "culturally obnoxious?"
By not aborting a Down Syndrome baby? By salmon fishing? Hunting? Wearing a red leather jacket? Being better-looking than your wife? By attacking the corrupt power structure in Alaska?
David who?
Correct. He is a Canadian.
Because your friends told them so media boy. Even though she's more qualified than the **cker you ran for President
BTW Frum, WJ Bryan was a commie and he was WRONG about the gold standard. Bryan has "some good ideas" is the David Frum fantasy.
Nov. 2009, - Obama, Pelosi, and Co. are trying to take over the auto-industry, the banks, the entire health care industry, ect... and these leftist idiots like Frumm are spending their time running around attacking Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh.
As someone who has actually worked alongside Sarah Palin, here’s my wild guess - she has set her sights on more important things, and when those thingts are accomplished, her polling numbers right now will seem nostalgic. Palin has a lot of tread on those tires, and there’s more ways to influence the electorate than being president.
Although having seen her up close I’d have to say she’d make a fine executive. The fantasy is that she’s unqualified.
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