Posted on 12/30/2008 8:07:53 AM PST by IrishMike
What made the Democrats hate Sarah Palin may be the key to future Republican success.
My recent participation in several Conservative on-line networks has led me to some interesting questions regarding the future of American politics, along with what has happened to the Republican Party and why. Of particular interest to some of the people I have contacted has been the question of why the Left hates Sarah Palin so much. Others were more focused on possibilities for the future and were concentrating on organizing within the Party. After some consideration of a number of issues, it occurred to me that several may be linked, and that there might be a solution to more than one question found in examining some of what we can see, post-election. Here then, are some thoughts related to my observations and what they might mean for the future.
When people wanted to know why the political left hated Sarah Palin so profoundly it me to examine carefully who Governor Palin was, or what she did that could lead to such a reaction. I believe that a significant part of the answer lies with a political philosophy known as populism. A reasonable definition of populism is a political movement by a large number of common people against a set of elites (or perhaps elitists) who deprive them of the rights, values and prosperity that they would and should enjoy under the doctrine of popular sovereignty. It has, in general, become identified with any political movement that seeks to overturn a socio/political status quo because that status quo does not serve the best interests of the people and their identification with the nation.
When I first became acquainted with Sarah Palin I was convinced thatshe could be identified as a Conservative Populist; a somewhat new itemon the political scene because populism has been identified for so longas the domain of the political left. Columnist Peggy Noonan apparentlyagrees with my identification but does not like Palin's approach to politics; perhaps because Noonan is out of touch with the Americanmainstream. I have been watching Noonan in the Wall Street Journal,for some time now, and am convinced that she has all but abandoned herconservative roots to surrender to big government as the wave of thefuture, and the good of the nation be damned.
Meanwhile, Mike Huckabee has also been identified as a Conservative Populist in, for example, The Weekly Standard where he was called the only conservative who was speaking to the needs of the lower middle class. While no one should seriously dispute this it should be noted that Huckabee was identified in this role in January 2008, early in the election year.
What Palin and Huckabee faced, was that unfortunate fact that the Democrats had grabbed hold of populism with both hands and weren’t about to let go. Their brand of populism differed from Huckabee and Palin’s because they approached the voters with promises of handouts and guarantees of security in exchange for power. This is a strain of false populism, based on further elevating a group of elites and elitists that differed from the conservative approach which, according to The Weekly Standard sought to promote a middle class that was “industrious and striving, family-oriented, culturally conservative, religious, and patriotic.” It was exactly the opposite of what the Democrats wanted; dependency, little or no regard for the family, for traditional religion or for true patriotism as was defined by men and women who backed the war effort from 1942 through 1945.
Sarah Palin was, at least in part, an antidote to the Democrat stranglehold on populist rhetoric, and Democrat Party operatives recognized that. They had to discredit her and render her ineffective as quickly as possible or she might have stolen the election. In many respects, this anti-Palin campaign manifested in the minds of many of her supporters as “hate,” and given the attitude that many hard left Democrats have demonstrated during the last quarter century; that anyone who does not share their beliefs has no legitimate right to be heard, this belief is reasonable. Also, the fact that Sarah Palin manifested as an antidote to the Democrats’ false populism, as a someone who can capture a significant following leads us to an important conclusion; that there is a market for Conservative Populism in the American Electorate, if it has the right candidate to follow.
What should also be clear is that Sarah Palin has provided Republicans and Conservatives with a roadmap. It is a roadmap that was available previously, but which the party failed to follow. It was a failure of leadership and of statesmanship, wherein the Party moved left, while failing to meaningfully address the genuine needs of the people. Instead of achieving real results they threw money around, and likely created additional problems for the future when the bills for the additional spending eventually come due. Essentially, Republicans allowed the Democrats to define the problem and the method for solving it and ended up acting like Democrat elitists. It was a no-win situation no matter how you looked at it because true conservatives would not accept this kind of behavior.
Conservative populism or true populism requires several things that many politicians are unwilling to do; they must remove unnecessary cabinet positions, deconstruct useless government departments and restore greater control to the individual citizens and to the states. They must stop incessant spending, and come to realize that there must be no such thing as an “entitlement” under the law. All of this could make a tremendous difference, but it takes statesmanship and real leadership to do it. These are qualities that are sadly lacking in most Republican politicians today. Instead of giving the people a real choice, and real differences in policy, they give voters a choice between a real Democrat and a Peggy Noonan Republican who is better defined as a Democrat pretending to be something else.
One of the most important aspects of what makes Sarah Palin different is the fact that she is not part of the traditional Eastern college, big money, Washington insider school of politics. It is likely that after two Bush family members who both fit this mold, along with John McCain who seems more at home on the Left side of the aisle than on the Right, the Republican mainstream is looking for something else. That something else appears to be someone who is from the same background they are; someone who has both feet grounded in the real world, instead of the world of elites, big money and an “inside the beltway” mentality.
In the wake of the 2008 election Conservative commentator Tammy Bruce has credited the poor Republican showing to Conservatives staying home instead of voting for John McCain. This is probably not a baseless claim. Democrats will generally vote for their candidate, regardless of circumstances. Conservatives and many Republicans will not. Despite statements by members of the talk radio crowd that John McCain had genuine conservative credentials, many people I spoke with here in the Houston area as well as those I correspond with around the nation disagreed. One of the many criticisms I heard repeatedly was that McCain was out of touch with the voters he expected to elect him. These same people were frequently of exactly the opposite opinion with respect to Palin. They saw her as someone they could trust, rather than someone likely to double-cross them.
So where does this lead us? It should lead us to the conclusion that victory in the future will most likely come by returning to the roots of the party; to middle America, and to what middle Americans want and need, instead of promising them the same things that the opposition does. It should be clear by now what they want; real differences and a real break with the do-nothing past. Senator Obama promised “change” which meant more of the same old liberal policies. Republicans can make real change by doing something different and by promoting candidates who are not insiders. It will take real efforts to do this, and it will require a shake up of the power structure that is doing its best to avoid one. This will not be easy, but it is likely the only way to restore America to what it was and pave the way for what it can and should be.
Yup. I was amazed to find a couple of Republican friends who didn’t vote for McCain because of Palin...they said she wasn’t qualified.
I’m afraid the Mainstream Media affects Republicans as well as the Mindless Middle.
I don't think that phrase means what Laib thinks it means.
John is/was a politician through and through. He was formed by the disciplines of the Army/Navy/AirForce ... armed services. He said he knew how it works in Washington and he knew how to fix it. No real meat as to how he would do it. He does/did not want to listen to the people. After all ... he knows best. Sarah was a brilliant choice. I believe it was inspired by God. There are no accidents. She is an important part of our future.We saw how the press/medias/liberals controlled the news; and still are controlling it.
#1 There are more Democrats than Republicans. Republicans do not unite well. We splinter and conversely ... do ourselves in ... leading to a lost election overall: Congress, Executive, Judicial. This portends bad things coming for America. In Spades.
Students of history can see this happens over and over again. It appears ... we do not learn from History. Perhaps real recent history abit. On second thought no we do not learn ... else how could it be we have essentially the Clinton's and their cohorts all back in office as of January 20,2009?
The Democrats were campaigning for many months before the election. They had thousands of volunteers doing constant legwork, getting their teams up and operating 18 months before the election. Did the Republicans? We are bested ... not by ideas but by long range planning and hard work ... backed by lots of money.
While we listen to Rush, Shaun, Laura, and several others on talk shows; and we feel like that is enough. Ann Coulter writes a book or two;and we agree with her and seem to think that our posting to the inter net to others like us is sufficient.
Does it work that way? You decide.
Governor Palin might not want to run after all the bad, false sh*T that was thrown at her by Demoncraps and Repubs alike!
She is a Jacksonian "populist".
His reason was like lightning and his action like a thunderbolt" Amos Kendall,.
Prominent Jacksonians: Ronald Reagan, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Dick Cheney, Fred Thompson, Oliver North, Pat Buchanan, Zell Miller, Sarah Palin
This guy is a lousy writer. He needs to edit his work. And calling Palin a populist is lowbrow. She’s popular because she’s conservative, and RINOs have a lot of trouble with that.
.
.
.
.
A legend, still in the making.
Hence the liberal MSM’s frenzy to re write history.
Just have a look at google, put in Sarah Palin
and before you select anything the prompter suggests
Sarah Palin 49,200,000 results
Sarah Palin pictures 18,200.00 results
Sarah Palin Photos 24,000,00 results
and the list is long which by itself stands out because of the relatively short period of time since she was picked by Johnny Mc Vain and entered the national spotlight.
The left assaulted Sarah because she represented the wedge issues that fueled the Bush - Rowe victories: God, guns and gays. She was an election winner and had to be destroyed. Obamachev signaled that it was OK to slime her by calling her a pig. We have to admit the campaign against her was successful.
I think McCain made a mistake tapping her with little time to prepare for national exposure. Maybe in 2012, Sarah will be more prepared.
Obama’s position is very vulnerable right now. He has to tread a fine line between becoming a socialist, leftist and the moderate clintonesque rightist. It all takes just one major screw-up. It might be as simple as mishandling Iran (BTW, Iran was the Achilles heel for Carter and very well might be for Obama too). Once, people know there is a viable alternative in Sarah, they will desert him in droves. Then, it will be 1976 all over again
bump
She's has many "conservative bonifides" e.g. supports low taxes for small business, prolife etc. but also took Exxon and Chevron to court in order to get get a piece of their profits sending each Alaskan citizen their cut of $1500 each.
A very "populist" but "unconservative" policy.
The Dems used to own these kinds of "giveaways". That's why the liberal media essentially ignored it.
She is very much in the tradition of the "Reagan Democrats". Hence their fear.
Hmmm. Has a ring of truth to it.
[So where does this lead us?]
It leads us to having Jeb Bush shoved down our throats, that’s where. More Royalty, that will solve everything.
When he was dubbed a warmonger and an idiot, blamed for everything from homelessness to AIDS, when it was asserted that he was engaging in an arms build-up not to draw the Soviets to the negotiating table but to launch nuclear war, when protestors staged “die-ins” dressed as mock coffins outside the White House, Reagan simply ignored them. When they screamed, he never listened.
Such accusations drove other men crazy. One president driven over the edge by the left’s rage was Richard Nixon. “Others may hate you,” said Nixon in his White House farewell, “but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.” Nixon let the hate of his enemies consume him, and then they won.
I sense that Sarah Palin understands these things.
Her virtues are destined to bring out the vices in her opponents. She loves, and they envy how she loves. She chooses life, and they assail her choice.
Her temperance and fortitude tempts their pride. Her faith, hope, and charity, inspires their disbelief, despair, and disdain. Her happiness fuels their anger.
Often, maintaining sanity and surviving means simply ignoring the haters. That’s where Ronald Reagan was before he stepped foot in the White House. And that’s a good place for a conservative Republican like Sarah Palin.
So they had to crush her. Lies, rumors, bogus investigations, ignoring Biden's stupidity, no tactic is out of bounds when the goal is to defang the only real candidate in the field.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.