I read this article with interest, since I lived in Wasilla a few years ago... actually, out on the Palmer-Fishhook Road just north of Trunk Road... so maybe it’s more like Palmer... anyway, I’m familiar with the community some Alaskans have called Stripmallville.
The writer sounds like a visitor steeped in the cynical irony of the Lower 48 who is charmed by what he sees in Wasilla. He doesn’t get it yet that he’s actually seeing the character of the state of Alaska, but I can’t blame him, since through his eyes Wasilla must seem remote and rustic, whereas to those of us living out in the Bush, Wasilla is a crowded little place filled with Wal-Marts and streetlights and fast food and that new Home Depot up on the ridge.
However, read what he’s written closely. He’s charmed by what he sees. That’s because Alaska is what the United States used to be like many decades ago - independent but friendly, moralistic without being intrusive, open-minded but not empty-headed.
That is what Sarah will bring to everyone she sees and everyone she talks to. (And since Alaska is a small place, I have actually talked to and worked with the Palins. It’s not uncommon, since Alaska is actually the world’s biggest small town.) Sarah will charm even those who hate her politics and values. She will show herself to be intelligent and forceful, perhaps even Thatcheresque.
Prepare to be amazed. I like the idea that some are floating of Sarah as Wonder Woman - you know, she does look a lot like Wonder Woman’s secret identity, Diana Prince.
Thanks for sharing those insights. It sounds as if by attaining the high standards she sets for herself she will always exceed the cynics’ expectations.
I have heard Sarah Palin described as a combination of Lady Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
Wonderful! This is one of the best things about FR, getting comments from people who have enjoyed unique and often first-hand vantage points on major events and people. Hope you will keep the Alaska and Wasilla info coming!