What the naysayers don’t understand is that Palin is not one of Pavlovs dogs. She cannot be bought nor ordered about. She will do what is right in HER judgment. And isn’t THAT the very reason that people trust her? She will work in a way that is the most effective and right now that is being free of any constraints and speaking the truth while owing no one in politics anything. She is free to speak the message and wield the club.
THE AGE OF PALIN HAS BEGUN
Like most Sarah Palin supporters hearing the news that she will not be a candidate for president in 2012 I was shocked, saddened and angry.
Shocked because I truly believed she was playing a waiting game to allow the field to clear before going in. That the summer bus tour and her appearance on FOX when she said she had the fire in her belly was code for us in the ranks to remain steadfast and ready for her call to action.
Saddened because I believed she was the one person who could galvanize and polarize the nation against Barack Obama. That she was the true heir to Reagan. A conservative who wasn’t afraid to write her principles in bold colors. No muted pastels for her.
And angry because I felt she let me down personally. More than angry, really. I was incensed. I felt like a fool. A sucker. The political equivalent of a teen age boy d**k teased by the prom queen.
And I wasn’t alone. From Conservatives4palin web site to Free Republic and a thousand Face Book postings you could read the condemnations and “I told you so’s” from her enemies and supporters alike. Never in my lifetime of observing politics have I seen such a display of emotion about a political figure. Never in my lifetime of caring about politics have I experienced myself such emotion about a political figure. What does it all mean?
I think it means that when someone can emotionally touch millions of Americans like she has for merely deciding not to run for president, that for better or worse, in victory or defeat, she is the center and heart of the modern conservative movement in America.
Much the same way that Barry Goldwater in the 1950’s and 1960’s became the center and heart of the conservative movement. He was loved by conservatives even when he lost and disappointed them in the losing campaign he ran in 1964. The campaign incidentally that had the slogan “In your heart you know he’s right”.
Much the same way that Ronald Reagan became the center and heart of the conservative movement in his run and defeat in 1976 against President Ford. Much was made then that this failed actor had shot his wad and needed to step aside for a younger man. But conservative’s love for Reagan kept him in the game.
I don’t know what the future holds for Sarah Palin. But I have come to terms with my disappointment and anger. My head has conquered my heart.
This event and the reaction of all of us proves to me she has become the center and heart of the conservative movement.
Whomever gets the nomination his year will need her support. As will the Republicans who run for the US House and Senate in 2012 if they want any chance of winning.
Contrary to being diminished by her decision not to run, I now see that it is just another step in a long journey to restore America. She doesn’t need to please me. She just needs to stay true to God’s plan for her as she can best interpret those plans.
Given the level of emotion unleashed by this woman - it can only mean she is a true transforming force in American politics. The die is cast for this woman. And this event and our reaction is the proof.
Sarah Palin, like Goldwater before her, will define the coming age of conservatism.
Sarah Palin, like Reagan before her, will define the coming age of American politics.
And like both Goldwater and Reagan, it rises from the ashes of defeat. Self inflicted or not. Our Lord works in strange ways.