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David Frum: The Palin Fantasy
The Frum Forum (fka The New Majority) ^ | November 7, 2009 | David Frum

Posted on 11/09/2009 7:09:22 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Matthew Continetti has a piece in this weekend’s Weekly Standard hailing Sarah Palin as the ideal leader of a new populist uprising. One obvious objection to his thesis: The populist Sarah is in fact one of the most unpopular figures in American life.

According to Gallup, 63% of Americans say they would never consider voting for her. By a margin of 62%-31% Americans rate Palin “unqualified” to serve as president – by far the worst score for any leading Republican.

In comparison, only 51% of Americans say they would never consider voting for Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee – and a plurality of Americans rate the two as “qualified”: 50-36 say Huckabee is qualified, 49-39 say Romney is qualified.

Palin supporters have constructed an alternative reality in which their heroine is wildly cheered by the American yeomanry, and despised only by a small coterie of sherry-drinking snobs. No contrary evidence, no matter how overwhelming and uncontradicted, can alter this view: not the collapse in Palin’s support in just 5 weeks in 2008, not the statistical studies that show her as the only vice presidential nominee in ticket to have hurt her ticket, not her rampant unpopularity with American women, not her own flinching from a second encounter with the Alaskan electorate.

In this regard, Continentti’s comparison of Palin to William Jennings Bryan begins to look not only apt, but ominous.

Like Palin, Bryan had some good ideas. He was right about free trade, and he was right too about the gold standard. (Even if his alternative would have been unworkable in its own way.) But he made himself so culturally obnoxious to the American majority that he dragged even his good ideas down to defeat with him. Everybody knows Bryan’s famous line about the “cross of gold.” Not so well remembered are the lines that killed his candidacy in 1896:

"Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country."

This was not the way to talk to a rapidly urbanizing nation.

Bryan ran for president three times. He lost every time, and by dwindling margins: 46.7% of the vote in 1896, 45.5% in 1900, and 43% in 1908. Yet not all was lost for him. After four consecutive defeats, the country finally did turn to the Democrats in 1912. Many of the important reforms Bryan had urged over his unsuccessful career were enacted into law. Of course in the interval, Bryan’s party had turned to a new leader: a former president of Princeton University and author of an outstanding work of political science.

The professor won what had eluded the preacher, in part because unlike the preacher, he did not look obviously unequal to the job.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2009polls; 2012; brutusromney; frum; frumantipalin; gop; huckabee; operationleper; palin; palin2012; polls; republicans; romney; romney4obama; romneyantigop; romneyantipalin; romneybot4obama; romneyknobpolisher; vichyrepublican
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Frum is such a pathetic little turd, authoring poorly written articles bearing no original thought and telling us how much smarter he is than we are. He reminds me of a fly buzzing around when you’re trying to eat a meal.


61 posted on 11/10/2009 12:20:20 AM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (It's better to give a Ford to the Kidney Foundation than a kidney to the Ford Foundation.)
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To: Terry Mross

“gold guy” or “old guy”?


62 posted on 11/10/2009 5:00:49 AM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

David Frum, the enema within.


63 posted on 11/10/2009 7:17:29 AM PST by Grunthor (I am a jerk. Proceed with that in mind.)
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To: Brugmansian
If so, it is because it is the religion of people like her Frum belongs to the coastal elites, as does Obama. Condescension drips from them when they talk about southerners, midwesterners. or even people from upstate New York. I found it hilariously that George Bush was actually elected by Jewish widows in Florida who misread a ballot concocted by the local Democrats.
64 posted on 11/10/2009 7:21:50 AM PST by RobbyS (Pray with the suffering souls.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Mark Levin regularly scrapes the Frum off of his shoes.


65 posted on 11/10/2009 7:23:48 AM PST by windsorknot
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To: mitch5501

Oh, but Obama is a graduate of Ivy league schools! Remember how at the end of “The Wizard of Ox” when the wizard gives the scarecrow a diploma to certify that he does have a brain? One of the tragedies if our age is that graduates of Ivy league schools have so colonized our colleges and universities.


66 posted on 11/10/2009 7:28:58 AM PST by RobbyS (Pray with the suffering souls.)
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To: Canadian Outrage

“Uh Sarah Palin is no loser nor is she a person who doesn’t respect the Constitution. The rest of them - absolutely. SHE was the ONLY good thing the right had going for them. McLame was an absolute bomb as usual. CO”

Agree completely. If I implied that Sarah was one of the “losers” that was entirely unintentional as I do not regard her as such. In fact, she’s the only one of the group that I think should even be included in the list of potential candidates. I think it’s too early to anoint her the candidate... but she’s the only one I would even consider voting for in a Republican primary.


67 posted on 11/10/2009 2:44:42 PM PST by beanshirts (Vote Medina for Life, Liberty, and Property in Texas: http://www.medinafortexas.com/)
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To: mitch5501

The only thing that Obama is overqualified for is being a THUG!! Totally evil wicked man. CO


68 posted on 11/10/2009 3:05:23 PM PST by Canadian Outrage (Conservatism is to a country what medicine is to a wound - HEALING!!)
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To: WOSG

While I was disappointed in Newt’s backing of Dede, I am willing to forgive him. He was being a good soldier in supporting the GOP nominee. After Hoffman lost, Newt did apologize to conservatives nationwide on Hannity.

Al least Newt was more honest than Huckabee. The Baptist Preacher did not endorse Hoffman until Dede dropped out. The folks running Huck PAC did some phone banking for Hoffman. After Hoffman’s lost, Huckabee turned around and bashed Palin for doing a purity purge and spoke how the party needs to be open to alternative points of view. What a weasel, the Huckster is.


69 posted on 11/10/2009 3:39:33 PM PST by yongin
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To: WOSG

While I was disappointed in Newt’s backing of Dede, I am willing to forgive him. He was being a good soldier in supporting the GOP nominee. After Hoffman lost, Newt did apologize to conservatives nationwide on Hannity.

Al least Newt was more honest than Huckabee. The Baptist Preacher did not endorse Hoffman until Dede dropped out. The folks running Huck PAC did some phone banking for Hoffman. After Hoffman’s lost, Huckabee turned around and bashed Palin for doing a purity purge and spoke how the party needs to be open to alternative points of view. What a weasel, the Huckster is.


70 posted on 11/10/2009 3:39:46 PM PST by yongin
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To: WOSG

While I was disappointed in Newt’s backing of Dede, I am willing to forgive him. He was being a good soldier in supporting the GOP nominee. After Hoffman lost, Newt did apologize to conservatives nationwide on Hannity.

Al least Newt was more honest than Huckabee. The Baptist Preacher did not endorse Hoffman until Dede dropped out. The folks running Huck PAC did some phone banking for Hoffman. After Hoffman’s lost, Huckabee turned around and bashed Palin for doing a purity purge and spoke how the party needs to be open to alternative points of view. What a weasel, the Huckster is.


71 posted on 11/10/2009 3:39:50 PM PST by yongin
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To: yongin

Newt is DOA after his poor decision of supporting a RINO (lots of info was available BEFORE his endorsement and his joining forces with NAZI Pelosi on Globull Warming scam/fraud. Add to his wilting with bubba xlinton in 90’s...thanks, but a big NO THANKS!


72 posted on 11/10/2009 3:45:42 PM PST by newfreep ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." - P.J. O'Rourke)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

A virtual army of straw mwn.


73 posted on 11/10/2009 3:50:15 PM PST by gogeo (Democrats want to support the troops by accusing them of war crimes.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

A virtual army of straw men.


74 posted on 11/10/2009 3:50:27 PM PST by gogeo (Democrats want to support the troops by accusing them of war crimes.)
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To: beanshirts

I agree with you. I think the GOP’s best bet will be a dark horse TBD. If they choose another wobbler (on immigration, or gay marriage/military or abortion) they’ll lose.


75 posted on 11/12/2009 7:10:01 PM PST by MSF BU (++)
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