Attacked by who if she hadn't of run as VP? National libs didn't pay any attention to her before McCain, and never would have without the VP run. Alaska libs loved her right up until McCain picked her, when they dropped her like a hot potato in the name of liberal solidarity. Gov. Palin was not VP candidate Palin or ex-Gov. Palin. Gov. Palin was a populist moderate squish, not a conservative.
Saying Alaska Libs ever loved her is a gross misstatement. The animal rights people hated her for the wolf hunting business. The good ol boy club hated her for messing with their cronyism, and that jails from the left, even when the GOP is doing it. There’s never been any serious doubt she’s on the wrong side of social issues, if you’re a lefty. Abortion is absolutely central to the left’s agenda. It grants ultimate power over life and death to the state. Her fiscal policies, right or wrong, were designed to promote private sector growth through free enterprise, not your typical lefty posture.
And what the heck is wrong with an appeal to “the people” as the true sovereign authority in a government ground in “We the People?” Surely you recognize a difference between that and mere pandering, which is where populism got its current tarnished reputation. Reagan was a populist, but not a panderer. He had his core values and remained true to them, and yes they revolved around the “people.” Palin shares in that legacy. May their tribe increase.