Posted on 11/27/2009 7:22:46 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Why do so many people love Sarah Palin? Why do so many hate her? I cannot recall a politician in recent memory that has been both so loved and so reviled for no discernible reason.
When Palin was announced as John McCain’s running mate on the 2008 Republican presidential ticket many conservatives were intrigued, including me. It was reported that the Alaskan governor had been a member of Pat Buchanan’s “Buchanan Brigades” during the commentator’s presidential bids in 1996 and 2000 and that Palin had ties to the secessionist Alaskan Independence Party. An “America First” states rights’ radical on a major political ticket? Palin did not sound like the average Republican.
And yet today, even removed from the constraints of the McCain campaign, Palin sounds fairly conventional. Asks Antiwar.com’s Justin Raimondo: “Where and when has Palin ever articulated a coherent alternative to the orthodox Republican doctrines of supply-side economics and endless war?” Raimondo is right. What, exactly, differentiates Palin from the average Republican bear?
Or should that be “moose?” It seems that Palin– the attractive, outdoors-loving “hockey mom”-is popular solely because of her personality, not any specific policy positions. Notes columnist Steve Chapman “Who needs policy? In her world - and the world of legions of conservatives who revere her - the persona is the policy. Palin is beloved because she’s (supposedly) just like ordinary people, which (supposedly) gives her a profound understanding of their needs.” When dissecting political cults of personality, it would seem that Palin has become the Republicans’ Obama–handsome, charming and a human comfort blanket for partisans.
It is also true that Palin is hated because of her personality. The venom spewed at Palin by the mainstream and liberal media sounds like a bunch of catty women slandering another on a drunken Saturday night. Once again, policy-wise, why should Palin be any more despised than, say, Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner? Where do they differ ideologically? Catty women have never needed a specific reason to trash talk the prettiest girl in the room. Similarly, Palin’s mere existence is all that is needed to earn the continued scorn of the Left.
This is not to say that Palin’s presence has been completely insignificant. A hero to the Tea Party set, Palin has quickly come to represent anti-government, grassroots outrage. But using sporadic, nominally-conservative rhetoric with no ideological platform or voting record to back it up is not exactly a firm foundation for any would-be “conservative champion.”
Raimondo notes the major difference between the personality-driven Palin and more serious, policy-driven leaders like Texas Congressman Ron Paul: “What is especially irksome, however, is that there is indeed a populist champion of the Tea Party grassroots, someone with the knowledge, the organization, the proven fundraising ability, and the principles to lead the GOP out of its ideological and political morass: Ron Paul… ‘Palinism’ is a hairstyle. Paulism is a bona fide movement. The first has no future — no, she won’t be a major contender, come the presidential sweepstakes, as George Will predicted on the Stephanopoulos program. The second IS the future, if the GOP is to have a future.”
When conservatives have been dubbed “Paulite” or “Buchananite” it has always been meant to describe someone with libertarian or traditional conservative leanings. Being a “Goldwaterite” had similar, specific conservative policy implications in the 1960’s, as did “Reaganite” in the 80’s. But what is a “Palinite?” I’m not sure anyone knows. I’m not even sure she knows.
And it’s a problem. As Raimondo notes, when it comes to addressing the grievances of Tea Party conservatives, that Paul’s platform is far more ideologically sound does not change the fact that the Congressman is not exactly Mr. Personality. Even Paul admits this. And yet his brand of libertarian conservatism has found a sizeable audience based purely on the power of his ideas.
Palin has found a sizeable audience based purely on the power of her personality. In fact, Palin’s most rabid fans don’t seem too concerned about her policy positions, if at all. Perhaps the best definition of a “Palinite” is one who emotionally invests himself in Republican identity politics. For Paul’s fans, the man is a philosopher. For Palin fans-she’s Oprah. Whereas Paul represents a political platform in need of more personality, Palin is a personality desperately in need of a political platform. The title of her new book is “Going Rogue,” but where, exactly, has Palin gone off the Republican plantation ideologically? Simply wrapping up the same old Bush Republicanism in a prettier package is not “going rogue”–it’s going wrong.
Only time will tell if Palin will turn out to be just another Bush Republican. But when judging political figures, it is only logical that we first look at their politics. What are Sarah Palin’s? What is Sarah Palin? We may never know.
Same here. A smart man would have realized that mistake and at least try to spin out of the abyss.
He's an Isolationist in a Global threat era.
I am about 2/3 through her book, and what impresses me the most is that Sarah is a very fine writer, she is very witty, and she was one heck of a fine Gov. of Alaska.
She would make a fine President, and I hope she runs.
"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression" as the saying goes.
Oh, about forty points or so in front of anybody The AmConMag is likely to support.
Please don’t tie up FR bandwidth with pictures of your boyfriend.
Wow, excellent response!!! Standing ovation for you!!
” I have long since grown weary of Mrs. Palin’s victim schtick as well as the never ending soap opera/reality show aura that surrounds her family.”
You can blame the Drive By Media. THEY’RE the ones keeping the “soap opera/reality show aura” alive.
Good point. But, I do think that Mrs. Palin could do/could have done more to present herself differently. Too late, now.
Yes, but Sarah’s only human. She’s not perfect, she makes mistakes like everyone else. However, she’s still a good person, and she still has my respect and empathy.
Also, think about it. Do you really think that Sarah wants all that negative media attention?
She’s gaining on him. If things keep going the way they are, she’ll probably surpass him.
As I said before, it is pretty pathetic when America's future is determined by, "This unqualified and inexperienced Affirmative Action candidate has higher poll numbers than that unqualified and inexperienced Affirmative Action candidate."
If Obama and Palin had both been white males in 2008, would anybody have ever considered either one of them a serious candidate for the Presidency or the Vice Presidency with their utter lack of experience?
No.
Cute 8th Grade taunt, Larry.
However, that does not change the fact that Levi Johnston has absolutely nothing do with me but is a huge PR millstone wrapped tightly around Sarah Palin's neck.
I did not have the incredibly poor judgement to allow that scumbag son of a drug addict anywhere near my daughter. Sarah Palin did.
I did not have the incredibly poor judgement to allow that scumbag son of a drug addict to get my daughter pregnant at the age of 17. Sarah Palin did.
I did not have the incredibly poor judgement to allow that scumbag son of a drug addict to live in my house. Sarah Palin did.
I did not have the incredibly poor judgement to allow that scumbag son of a drug addict to engage in very public pissing contest with me. Sarah Palin did.
If you, a Sarah Palin fan, cannot stand the sight of Sarah Palin's own mistake, how do you think that the vast majority of voters that do not worship Sarah Palin view him and her soap opera family life?
They view it as a trashy reality show.
The stars of trashy reality shows can make lots of money, like Sarah Palin is making now, they can be wildly popular with their small fan clubs and they can be famous or infamous but they are NOT voted into the White House by the majority of the American electorate.
>The 2008 Presidential/Vice Presidential race and the recent New York Congressional race and that has resulted in two candidates FAR to the Left of what the electorate usually votes for?
First off, let me remind you that McCain was the Presisdental candidate, not Sarah. In other words, the election was his to win or lose, not hers. McCain lost mainly for 3 reasons-the economy went south, the Iraq War became unpopular, and Bush became unpopular and Republicans got tarred with guilt by association.
Second, Hoffman probably lost because he was a Third party candidate, and many people are not comfortable with Third parties, Also, Hoffman wasn’t very far behind Owens.
Third, you may have forgot (or just don’t know) that Sarah also supported Sen. Chambliss and he WON.
>The difference, Joe, is that our families don’t have a “rather gay looking poofter” with a druggie mother knocking up our daughters when they are 17.
>Sarah Palin does not even have the common sense to protect her own 17 year old daughter from the obviosly scumbag son of a mother arrested on drug charges. If Sarah Palin cannot run her own family, how can she run America?
Ah, so that’s it. It seems that you’re indulging in a favorite pastime of liberals-namely blaiming someone for something that someone else did. It was Bristol’s fault that she slept with Levi, not Sarah’s. Teenagers, from what I hear, have a rep for being rebellious and not always following their parents’ advice. Yes, Bristol was foolish, but she wasn’t the first girl to be suckered in by a bad boy, nor the last.
“However, that does not change the fact that Levi Johnston has absolutely nothing do with me but is a huge PR millstone wrapped tightly around Sarah Palin’s neck.”
You can blaime the Drive By Media, Polygrip. THEY’RE the ones keeping him around.
“I did not have the incredibly poor judgement to allow that scumbag son of a drug addict anywhere near my daughter. Sarah Palin did.
I did not have the incredibly poor judgement to allow that scumbag son of a drug addict to get my daughter pregnant at the age of 17. Sarah Palin did.”
Did Sarah really let Levi knock Bristol up? Teenagers don’t always do what their parents say.
“I did not have the incredibly poor judgement to allow that scumbag son of a drug addict to live in my house. Sarah Palin did.”
Did she really?
“I did not have the incredibly poor judgement to allow that scumbag son of a drug addict to engage in very public pissing contest with me. Sarah Palin did.”
You can thank the media and the Left in general for that. They gave Levi a public forum and encouraged him. Do you really think that Sarah wanted that pissing contest.
She is not ‘unqualified’ or ‘inexperienced’. Anybody who has actually done proper research into her record would know that.
But of course, don’t let silly things like facts and research get in the way of your irrational hatred.
So as usual, you’re completely and utterly wrong.
Wrong. For Palin fans-she's Reagan.
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