I suspect so, on both counts. I would purely have loved to have had that guy around for this last election, if for no other reason than to see if Christopher would still have had the stones to endorse Obama.
To continue, as to the Tea Party movement, based on what I’ve read of WFB’s writing, although he might have had concerns about details here and there, I have to think he’d have thought a large popular movement interested in curbing the power and expenditures of the federal government to be generally a splendid idea.
As to Governor Palin...interesting question. Again, he probably would have had some concerns, and certainly would have had advice to offer, but I suspect on balance he would have found a lot to like about her. Enough to want her to be president? Maybe. Definitely enough to take her as a serious possibility.
I also suspect that he would had some choice words about some of the media and political reaction against her. And in Andrew Sullivan’s case, maybe even the knuckle sandwich he offered Gore Vidal.