Posted on 08/30/2008 7:52:51 AM PDT by lowbuck
A spectre is haunting the liberal elites of New York and Washington--the spectre of a young, attractive, unapologetic conservatism, rising out of the American countryside, free of the taint (fair or unfair) of the Bush administration and the recent Republican Congress, able to invigorate a McCain administration and to govern beyond it.
That spectre has a name--Sarah Palin, the 44-year-old governor of Alaska chosen by John McCain on Friday to be his running mate. There she is: a working woman who's a proud wife and mother; a traditionalist in important matters who's broken through all kinds of barriers; a reformer who's a Republican; a challenger of a corrupt good-old-boy establishment who's a conservative; a successful woman whose life is unapologetically grounded in religious belief; a lady who's a leader.
So what we will see in the next days and weeks--what we have already seen in the hours after her nomination--is an effort by all the powers of the old liberalism, both in the Democratic party and the mainstream media, to exorcise this spectre. They will ridicule her and patronize her. They will distort her words and caricature her biography. They will appeal, sometimes explicitly, to anti-small town and anti-religious prejudice. All of this will be in the cause of trying to prevent the American people from arriving at their own judgment of Sarah Palin.
That's why Palin's spectacular performance in her introduction in Dayton was so important. Her remarks were cogent and compelling. Her presentation of herself was shrewd and savvy. I heard from many who watched Palin--many of them not predisposed to support her--about how moved they were by her remarks, her composure, and her story. She will have a chance to shine again Wednesday night at the Republican convention.
But before and after that, she'll be swimming in political waters infested with sharks. Her nickname when she was the starting point guard on an Alaska high school championship basketball team was "Sarah Barracuda." I suspect she'll take care of herself better than many expect.
But the McCain campaign can help. The choice of Palin was McCain's own. Many of his staff expected, and favored, other more conventional candidates. The campaign may be tempted to overreact when one rash sentence or foolish comment by Palin from 10 or 15 years ago is dragged up by Democratic opposition research and magnified by a credulous and complicit media.
The McCain campaign will have to keep its cool. It will have to provide facts and context, and to hit back where appropriate. But it cannot become obsessed with playing defense. It should allow Palin to deal with the charges directly and resist the temptation to try to shield her from the media. Palin is potentially a huge asset to McCain. He took the gamble--wisely, we think--of putting her on the ticket. McCain's choice of Palin was McCain being McCain. Now his campaign will have to let Palin be Palin.
There will be rocky moments. But they will fade if the McCain campaign lets Palin's journey take its natural course over the next two months. Millions of Americans--mostly but not only women, mostly but not only Republicans and conservatives--seemed to get a sense of energy and enjoyment and pride, not just from her nomination, but especially from her smashing opening performance. Palin will be a compelling and mold-breaking example for lots of Americans who are told every day that to be even a bit conservative or Christian or old-fashioned is bad form. In this respect, Palin can become an inspirational figure and powerful symbol. The left senses this, which is why they want to discredit her quickly.
A key moment for Palin will be the vice presidential debate, to be held at Washington University in St. Louis on October 2. One liberal commentator--a former U.S. ambassador and not normally an unabashed vulgarian--licked his chops Friday afternoon: "To steal an old adage of former Secretary of State James Baker . . . putting Sarah Palin into a debate with Joe Biden is going to be like throwing Howdy Doody into a knife fight!"
Charming. And if Palin holds her own against Biden, as she is fully capable of doing? McCain will then have succeeded in combining with his own huge advantage in experience and judgment, a politician of great promise in his vice presidential slot who will make Joe Biden look like a tiresome relic. McCain's willingness to take a chance on Palin could turn what looked, after Obama's impressive speech Thursday night in Denver, like a long two months for Republicans and conservatives, into a campaign of excitement and--dare we say it?--hope, which will culminate on November 4 in victory.
“Howdy” Biden may well need that knife. The MSM will not defend Palin, as it did Hillary, from the evil assault of a MALE animal, but I very much doubt that it would be necessary anyhow. The lady seems to speak well and even the underhanded assistance of the straight-arrow, non-biased “questioner” will probably not throw her off. In anything resembling a fair fight, Palin will show quite well. And Biden will be sorely tempted to show his smarmy, nasty, arrogant side. Should be a fun evening.
Bring it on, you snarling old weasel. She'll tie you in a knot and you can cry in your microphone again.
No! Why would she crucify him when she’s perfectly capable of getting it from him and then skinning gutting and cutting him into steaks and filets with the knife?
Who said anything about HER doing it ;o)
Personally, I can't wait to start slandering the hell out of liberals for their "faux feminism!"
The more I think about it, the more I don’t think the Clintons will be as displeased as many think. Yeah, they are still livid about their loss to The One, but you just know they will be “working harder than they have ever had to work” to make damned sure BHO doesn’t make it to the White House. The selection of Gov. Palin has just made their task a great deal easier. Now, instead of a full press covert insurrection, they can sit back and engage BHO much more precisely - almost becoming snipers....acting quietly and carefully to do the most damage possible. Expect them to, in a public face, support BHO but also fully expect the Carville’s of their orbit to gradually and with careful effect slowly weaken The One’s whole campaign effort.
McCain obviously put a great deal of thought into who his VP would be, and after the DNC convention and the drama surrounding it....Palin must have looked like a tailor-made VP candidate to him....young, aggressive, smart, conservative, strong integrity, able to appeal to a wide block of women voters, executive experience in government AND the private sector, she reall doesn’t have very many weaknesses.
That's understandable, a close comparison of their hairlines would leave most of us confused...
Good line of reasoning, I can buy that. If there is anything the Clinton’s are, it’s vindictive.
It’s not slander when one is telling the truth.
Sarah will bring her gun to Plugs knife, shades of Indian Jones.
Well said. It's interesting that lots of us who were reluctant about McCain are finding something to like in Sarah Palin.
Agreed. Biden will revert to his nasty, slimy teeth-baring, hearing room interrogation mode. Palin will hold her own, with humor and Biden will be revealed as the disgusting lizard that he is.
It is absolutely hilarious watching the dems and their MSM minions go into overdrive trash mode. They did this to Paula Jones, Linda Tripp, Katherine Harris. They’re flinging around the cheap shots like the “Sex in the City” gals after too many cosmopolitans and it just make them look ugly.
Amen to that.
Biden. 36 years as a Washington lawyer with 1/2 the poll numbers to prove the country's disgust for DC lawyers
Biden. 36 years as a Washington lawyer with 1/2 the poll numbers to prove the country's disgust for DC lawyers
Think about this.
The Born Alive legislation was all about a Downs Syndrome baby left to die in the soiled linens room. A nurse held that baby following the botched abortion for 45 min. till he died.
Compare that to Sarah Palin. Tell me don’t cry for the first baby that was left to die.
Obama voted AGAINST giving medical attention to babies born alive following abortion.
Biden’s wonderful foreign policy experience includes the partitioning of Iraq into ethnic enclaves.
The Iraqi’s were furious then and they are furious now that he’s Obama’s veep choice.
That's why I didn't think McCain would be able to pull her into the race - she has to give up her job and ex-governors don't have a huge job market to work with.
I was hoping to see her lead off the 2012 ticket & hoping Jendal would develop into a viable VP candidate; this can work for the first hope and the second remains on the table. But the risk on on Ms. Palin.
On the other hand, someone on FOX likened her to Joan of Arc this morning, that's something we need to avoid for many reasons.
Go McCain/Palin!
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