I like Sarah Palin. I chipped in for her legal fund. She was one of only two reasons I voted for McCain. (1. McCain was not Obama, and 2. Sarah) I don’t think she is an idiot or incompetent.
Neither do I think she is the bright and shining saviorette of the conservative wing of the GOP or the conservative movement at large. I was pleased when she got the Fox News gig, but so far, her commentary has been platitudinous, sounding more like her stump speeches than thoughtful, reactive opinion.
Would I vote for her? In the primaries it would depend on her opponents. In the general election I’d vote for her against just about any Democrat I can think of. If she winds up with the nomination in 2012, ubetcha.
I see her beauty but I am not blinded by it as I think many of her adoring fans are. I see her genuine ability to relate to and inspire the ‘folks’. But I don’t see her as President. At least not now.
Yeah, what you said. :-)
She is connecting with Freepers on a cultural and emotional level, but I agree she does not come off as having an deeply grounded, intellectually conservative world view in the way that Goldwater and Reagan did.
And I hate it that "intellectual" seems to have become an insult on FR these days. I grew up reading the works of conservatives like Russell Kirk, Whittaker Chambers, and Friedrich Hayek. You'll never convince me that the likes of Hannity, Coulter, and Beck can compare.