Sarah Palin, the 21st Century 'It' Girl

American Thinker ^ | 6-15-09 | Jay Valentine - OP/ED

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June 15, 2009

Sarah Palin, the 21st Century 'It' Girl

By Jay Valentine

The best and the brightest on the left go into politics.  The best on the right run their own businesses.  So it is no surprise that the left is far more adept, even expert at the art of hardball politics.  And they are telling us something profound.

The left is telling us something many feel, many find as a hunch, that Sarah Palin is the most dangerous threat to the Obama administration with no close second.  The left is telling us this by their  "over the top" attacks.  Not just the Letterman assaults, but the constant barrage of grievances filed against her in Alaska.  The attacks every day on Palin for no apparent reason -- except that the left seems to see her quite differently from any Republican candidate.  A difference of kind, not of degree.

They would never do this to Romney, Huckabee or Newt, at least not to this level.  There is a clear reason -- these guys couldn't fill up a high school stadium unless they were giving out free beer.

What is the Sarah difference?  Well, it's not the issues, at least that is not all of it.  It is the charisma factor.  Charisma is not learned, it is innate.  One is born with it and no amount of training can inject it.  Jack Kennedy had it.  So did Reagan.  Now Obama.  Out of the thousands of politicians who have come and gone over the last generation, not one other person has shown "it."

Money is no longer the life blood of politics.  Charisma is.  Charisma can raise money overnight; money far beyond what a tired, inarticulate incumbent can raise from rich donors.

When you have "it," the conventional rules no longer apply.  Reagan was vilified in 1976 and few thought he could ever be president.  No matter how the liberals berated him as a "dumb actor" who made chimp movies and the actor who never got the girl, he just looked the American people in the eye, gave them a dose of common sense and it was over.  Carter went on to build low income houses and a life of obscurity punctuated by mischief.

The street fighting, world class, lifelong political experts of the left see "it" and it makes them crazy.  They went crazy for Obama; they are going crazy for Palin, although in the other direction.

Palin could fill a stadium if she were reciting a cookbook.  But she isn't.  She is delivering common sense to an electorate that is becoming ever more jaded every day with the Obama nonsense.  Miranda rights for terrorists?  $4 trillion deficit? 

Look at the blow she delivered with one phrase about "styrofoam columns" and imagine what she can do with the material Obama has recently given her.

Opposing Palin's values has no payoff for the left.  They oppose those values for any conservative.  They have to destroy her.  And that is her power because they can't destroy her. 

Whenever she chooses, she will take her first trip to Iowa to campaign for some obscure congressional candidate, and when she does, the liberal media cannot ignore the screaming crowds.  And they will not be crowds manufactured by an advance team.  They will be fired up mothers, working people who do not want to pay for deadbeats' mortgages, people who are now going to grass roots tea parties.

The television age gives "it," charisma, more power than ever before.  Charisma is magnified through television.  How else to explain how a 2 year senator few knew could derail Hillary in a few months.  How else to explain how an anti-charisma John McCain, someone television does not flatter or magnify, saw his crowds surge when Palin was next to him.  Palin, an obscure, unknown governor of our most distant and most unknown state, walked onto the national stage and ignited a burst of energy that may well have taken McCain over the top, until his Queeg-like pausing of his campaign to work on a financial crisis and then vote for a bailout.

The landscape is now quite different.  There are tens of millions of people who never voted for Obama, telling their friends "don't blame me."  There is a growing number who did vote for Obama who have lost their jobs at car dealerships, who have not found work yet even after the massive spending, and there are those who just say "...this is not the change I had in mind."

Some thought McCain would be the anti-charisma candidate against the charisma candidate and that would work.  Now we may be lining up for the common sense charisma campaign against the nonsense charisma.

The left is telling us something and they are the experts.  They are telling us not to make Palin the conservative candidate because if we do, it will be humiliating.  I agree with them and I take them at their word. 

It will be the undoing of Obama, and it may be overwhelming.

Jay Valentine blogs at jayvalentine.com.

Page Printed from: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/06/sarah_palin_the_21st_century_i.html at June 15, 2009 - 01:24:27 AM EDT

[ken21]

good article.

[SolidWood]

Palin PING!

Anyone on or off the Palin ping, write me.

...

They have to destroy her. And that is her power because they can't destroy her.

We will win!

[Lilpug15]

And I can’t wait to be part of the fight!

[cherry]

things that make me upset is referring to Governor Sarah Palin as a “girl” and belittleling her exp as a city counsel member and a mayor and as a Governor....she has more exp than barry hands down...

[SolidWood]

ping for recently added freepers

[chiefqc]

American voter are beginning to see the truth about the stupid suit, it was never about what was best for America, it was never about protecting American interests, it was never living up to the promises he made it was always about HIM, first last and always HIM. If there was nothing in it for HIM he would sulk and do nothing or more likely try to destroy the person or item that was a threat to HIM.

[Semper Mark]

“They have to destroy her”

Who else on the right does the left go after with such mouth frothing intensity, other than Sarah Palin?

Perhaps Limbaugh or Hannity?...but neither of them are politicians. Huckabee, McCain, Romney and Newt are all untrustworthy RINO bitches and already belong to the left...but Sarah is a TRUE threat.

You can know more about an individual by who their enemies are than any other indicator. Sarah scares the hell out of 'em, because she's Reagan in a skirt!

[GreyMountainReagan]

Amen.

Sarah, take it to the people directly. Live and unedited and we can take our country back.

[jeltz25]

One thing I agree with is that you can always learn substance, but you can’t learn style.

Gov Palin can read over all the speeches of President Reagan, particularly his 70s CPAC speeches. She can read A Time For Choosing. She can read The Road To Serfdom, Economic in One Lesson, Conscience of a Conservative, talk to John Bolton, etc...

All that can be learned. Intangible things can’t.

In the end, Presidential elections are usually determined by outside events anyway. Either the economy will have recovered and Obama will be reelected, or it won’t and he won’t be. Pretty simple. Some foreign situation like the Iran hostage crisis in 80 or another terror attack could alter the equation.

[bereanway]

He’s right, the left is telegraphing their fear of Sarah. They can’t help themselves as they realize she has the ability to completely circumvent the media with her communication skills so their ability to manipulate and destroy is extremely limited. And the GOP beltway handlers are furious because she’s snubbing their advances as they attempt to hitch a ride on her rising star. She doesn’t need’em.

Letterman is the latest idiot to find out about her appeal but he won’t be the last. The nastiness directed at her will increase coming not only from the libtards but the Vichys as well. But it won’t make any difference she’s way too tough and I think many of them are starting to realize the fact.

[GloriaJane]

"The landscape is now quite different. There are tens of millions of people who never voted for Obama, telling their friends "don't blame me."

We all need bumper stickers that say: Don't blame me! I didn't vote for him!"

[SoCalPol]

Great article on a great American

Have delt with a few loons earlier on FR who
don’t want to see a Conservative like Gov. Palin
win. They are pushing their no win third party loons.
These trolls are the Democrats best friend.

[glorgau]

I’ve still got my ron Paul sticker on my car, but firmly believe that Sarah Palin will be the next President of the United States.

[allmost]

Big old Bump. ;)

[neverdem]

BTTT!

[Nateman]

If she wins but the RATS steal it I hope she does not back down. Make it clear that what is happening in Iran right now is nothing compared to what a well armed , internet informed public will do.

[SoCalPol]

Well I give you credit in the end for seeing reality.

L Ron Paul’s anti war, 9/11 Truther mentality is just over the top for most.

[Roberts]

nice.

[GOP Poet]

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