The Problem With Palin

American Spectator ^ | April 19th 2010 | Quin Hillyer

[Steelfish]

The Problem With Palin By Quin Hillyer

"I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience." - Patrick Henry, 1775

"I told reporters what I still believe today: government experience doesn't necessarily count for much." -Sarah Palin, Going Rogue, p. 84

Sarah Palin, 55 percent unfavorable poll ratings notwithstanding, is a political phenomenon the likes of which American public life rarely has seen. There's something distinctive, something deeply personal, about the way her legions of strong supporters rush not just to defend her but to counter-attack any and all of her critics.

Palin has a way of establishing a sense of connectedness with her backers -- such a strong, attitudinal sense that she is not just like them but one of them -- that she has created what amounts to a one-woman, conservative "identity politics" writ very, very large.

Yet if conservatives are to continue a political love affair with this admirable and galvanizing woman, we need to insist on more than mere identity. And more than mere attitude.

We know that Sarah Palin shares our conservative values. But is she the leader conservatives need?

[toddausauras]

There is no problem with Sarah. If she runs and you would like to see her win the nomination, vote for her like I will. If you don’t think she would make a good president, don’t vote for her. Simple enough?

[fkabuckeyesrule]

***I am concerned about her screeching voice. It is like chalk on a blackboard.****

I agree with that. Her voice pattern in her convention speech was perfect. When she gives her stump speech it comes off as screeching. If I may make a general criticism of women here it seems that women when they speak fail to realize that the period is their friend.

[Bigtigermike]

Yes TV does matter...but Palin does have looks and she has charisma which oozes out on TV

[Sarah Barracuda]

I think right now, Obama stands ZERO chance at being re-elected in 2012..whoever goes against him will win..and if they win(even if its not Sarah) I think it will be automatic that they put Sarah in the administration..I think she would be a WONDERFUL Secretary Of State..just imagine her talking to foreign leaders..it would be so refreshing seeing someone not bow down to every foreign leader out there..I think whatever she decides to do she will be a huge success. I don’t believe the BS polls showing 55 percent disapproval..17,000+ to come see her and Bachmann in Minnesota..another 30,000+ expected to come see her and Laura Bush in North Carolina..I look at the numbers, numbers don’t lie, polls lie, all the time..I think libs fear her star power more then anything. People listen to what she says, no matter if they agree with her or not..they still listen..she speaks her mind, just like us which is something liberals and progressives can’t stand..a self made woman who doesn’t fit the “Feminist brand” liberals love to paint of what a woman should be doing

[Clock King]

Sure you are, but if you have any suggestions other than the Demo-lite Republicans or Obama-lite Republican candidates who have been pre-selected by the MSM, please tell. As I said, in an ideal world, Sarah isn’t ready yet. But the voting populace didn’t care about that last time and elected a man with no background and a radical Marxist bend; because it was cool.

The Republicans can not continue to be the party of “old white guys”. It won’t win like that.

[The Antiyuppie]

To offer some CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, her ideas are good, but the vocabulary that she uses to express them needs to evolve from that of a substitute grade school teacher. Frankly, I don’t know how to make that happen in a just a few years. She would be going up against someone who can express BAD ideas very eloquently. Guess who wins.

[potlatch]

[GW Bush and Obama puts Obama only up by 2%-5%]

I imagine even many dems are rethinking Bush about now. Today Juan Williams said Bush did good things and the main thing against him was NOT finding WMDs! Lol

[Bigtigermike]

BTW this writer: Hillyer also wrote

- that she was awful against Joe Biden in the debate (and that Joe was great)

- On Joe Biden’s performance at the V-P debate:

“I think Joe Biden just gave the greatest presidential campaign debate performance I have ever seen”, also “He was absolutely commanding and absolutely convincing.”

PLEASE!!!

- on July 3, he wrote an awful article about her resignation

so, there you go. he didn’t like her from the beginning

[highlander_UW]

I think right now, Obama stands ZERO chance at being re-elected in 2012..whoever goes against him will win.

I think Obama's chances at reelection are poor, but I wouldn't say they are zero. Obama's best chances are if the republicans run another pointless RINO. The most effective way to squash the voter base would be for the republicans to run essentially a big government democrat.

[Sarah Barracuda]

Yeah, that’s true..if the Republicans put in another RINO like McCain, then yes, Obama would have a chance of winning..and let’s not forget the 20+ million illegals Obama would love to become registered voters

[highlander_UW]

Biden is one of the best PR tools....for the republicans. That guy is a gaff a minute and flamingly dumb. The only thing Biden did well at the VP debate was lie...and he got away with a few as I recall.

[Darkwolf377]

Thanks for the thoughtful response, but really, almost anyone would be better than Obama, so that's not much of an argument! (I'm with you, of course.)

As for a phony and a fake--I work with a lot of people who live to be fake, and I think most people (myself included) overestimate this ability in themselves. (How many people say "I can't spot a phony"? And how many phonies have you and I met and didn't know it?)

I don't really know what that has to do with the argument, anyway. I dismiss all of that talk, because really, how do you know she's not a phony? I rush to add I am not accusing her of being a phony. I am only saying, how would you know? Because you feel it? And we're right back to my original problem with people who "feel" when they should be thinking.

I am less concerned with polls and feelings than I am about some of these issues brought up in the article:

The first two general-fund budgets for which she was responsible showed spending hikes of 16.4 percent (from fiscal year 2007 to '08) and a mind-boggling 21.8 percent the next year. Total government expenditures (a slightly different measure) grew 38.6 percent in those two years combined.

That's not about her, or her beliefs. That she's a Pentacostal matters not at all to me, and I fear it may blind many people--"She has my religious beliefs, ergo, I support her." (Same thing with Romney's supporters.) That's about her political actions.

She's also a supporter of McCain, and recently said nice things about Romney. Her supporters who call McCain "Juan" and bash Romney incessantly nevertheless look right past these disturbing positions.

Similarly, as has been well documented, Palin's original claims about the "bridge to nowhere" were flat-out false. She campaigned in favor of the funds for the bridge; then even after killing the bridge project once it became infamous, she kept the federal money and used part of it for a "road to nowhere" that leads to where the bridge was meant to begin.

What do her supporters say about that?

And while supply-side conservatives are rightly thrilled at Palin's mayoral record as a tax-cutter, fiscal conservatives again have reason for concern: the town's long-term debt reportedly jumped from $1 million to $25 million.

Isn't that disturbing? What would we say about a democrat with that record?

Thanks again for your civil and intelligent response. I wish it weren't so rare on this topic.

[Sarah Barracuda]

LOL at that fool thinking Biden had a great debate..he was TERRIBLE..Sarah kicked his ass..she made him look like a total buffoon..by the way, I’m still trying to find Katie’s Restaurant..ya know, the one that Biden says that he visits even though it burned down 20 years ago..and how about what he said about America liberating Lebanon or something like that

[Bigtigermike]

A little research will find lots of things about people, mind you not all people in the media, conservative or liberal who may not favor Palin are writing things in a wrong way. But you can question those who nitpick and are lazy in putting articles together. He might be a Mitt guy for all we know....just saying.

[Piers-the-Ploughman]

i think she probably would be given a cabinet spot, and then unfortunately shuttled out of the country a lot, as the President would not want SP upstaging him. The camera and the people love SP

I dont think we ‘ll habe to worry about this scenario however

[Piers-the-Ploughman]

as an SP supporter: if I was in AZ, i would vote JD no doubt. But SP has to do this or she would be seen as a turncoat, cut-throat

[Mr_Moonlight]

She would be going up against someone who can express BAD ideas very eloquently. Guess who wins.

1980 Debates:
-----------------

Carter: blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Reagan: Well, there he goes again ....

Guess who won?

[time4good]

I'll be more blunt this time (but not in a bad way).

Being a preacher's kid, growing up in a Evangelical/Fundamentalist(whatever label suites) denomination, but following God's Word and what He says and the Truth He teaches me, I've come to recognize a lying nature fairly well in comparison (the world at large around me). I don't see her as a liar or a con-artist (comparisons: Bill Clinton, John Edwards, BO, Oprah, Axelrod, etc). It's not a 'feelings' thing, it's a character-trait thing - what is the moral fiber that holds someone together - or the false shell otherwise.

I am not blind to what you have mentioned, but I absolutely have seen the past 2 years with her, just as with George Bush and other good people, the 'fact' pulled out of context and not the complete story to understand what the judgement call was at the time. I well understand the big piece of grissle (McCain) people have a hard time swallowing, regarding her loyalty choice. As others have pointed out with the write of this piece, he's got a dislike from the get-go. I would much more trust someone like Michael Barone or Brit Hume who, in my book are pretty straight shooters, to find out the real facts on these issues.

I do get a little frustrated at the knee-jerk reactions around here.

Regarding her saying nice things abount Romney - what should she have done? say bad things? Wouldn't be prudent [insert Dana Carvey's George HW Bush impersonation on that last one...]

[The Antiyuppie]

“Carter: blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Reagan: Well, there he goes again ....”

Well, with Carter, you could practically hear the unspoken “y’all”. I’d call the sum a wash.

[TigersEye]

She campaigned in favor of the funds for the bridge; then even after killing the bridge project once it became infamous, she kept the federal money and used part of it for a "road to nowhere" that leads to where the bridge was meant to begin.

People who keep bringing this up are tiringly ignorant. The Governor of a state can't "give back" Federal funds allocated to a state by the U.S. Congress. There is no mechanism for that. If she had tried to the U.S. Treasury would have told her "We can't accept those funds back. We distribute money allocated by Congress because we are directed to by law. Only Congress can "take it back.""