I’ve noticed that George Will and Charles Krauthammer have taken time out of their many TV gigs to trash Sarah Palin. Other prominent conservatives seem to relish dissing the former Alaska governor. David Frum, Joe Scarborough, Peggy Noonan, David Brooks, Chris Christie; don’t forget Kathleen Parker, who parleyed her Palin envy into a CNN talk show that no one watches.
This is not an attack on these conservatives. I read them all and often find a lot of worth in what they opine. I don’t understand why they actively, often unprompted, go out of their way to bash Palin. I don’t recall in the past — unless you count Ronald Reagan — a steady drumbeat of prominent vocalized opposition, and off-the-wall bashing of previous presidential hopefuls — large and small — from within the party (Gary Bauer, Steve Forbes, Richard Lugar, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney …) The rationale is usually that Palin has no chance of winning and that her poll ratings are low. The latter point is conceded but given the regularly savage treatment she receives from the political class and the popular culture, she merits credit for being a survivor rather than a casualty. More classless commentary (favored by Brooks, Noonan, Frum and Parker) is that she’s not smart or sophisticated enough to be taken seriously.
I think a lot of the criticism — from the right — is arrogance disguised as disdain. I doubt Sarah Palin reads Peggy Noonan, David Brooks, Kathleen Parker, George Will or even Charles Krauthammer. Thomas Sowell, Mark Levin, Walter Williams, Victor Davis Hanson, David Limbaugh, Mark Steyn, Cliff May, S.E. Cupp, Star Parker, and other “new conservative” writers I suspect are her guides. It grinds on somebody like a Noonan, or a Brooks, who have reached the traditional heighths of their careers, to be ignored by a ”mere Palin” after they’ve been flattered and courted by so many for so long. That Wasilla mayor is not only not at the parties, she doesn’t even want to be there.
Look, I’m not claiming Palin is perfect, or she will win if she runs in 2012. I think it’s ridiculous to dismiss a potential candidate who worked hard to oppose the big-government assault Democrats launched in 2009 and campaigned hard to help the GOP gain the U.S. House. She is the spirit of the Tea Party movement, even while Mr. Frum grumbles that Republicans are doomed if they listen to her.
Can Sarah Palin win in 2012 if she runs? She’s tough enough to compete and she’ll need to be because she’ll have most of the political class — with many righty snipers – and 99 percent of the cultural class opposed to her. On the other hand, I recall the 2008 debates, and — although it’s moved through the memory hole — Palin was the most impressive of the four candidates.
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I always assumed that it was because she will a) split the GOP in two if she runs (since the party establishment don’t like her, know she can’t win, and will field their own candidate), and b) depress GOP turnout and amplify Dem/Independent turnout, and c) push many, many independents to the Dems.
I, of course, would love to see her run. But I don’t think she will. She doesn’t seem all that interested in governing at any level and the pay cut she would take would be massive.
I’m going to pretend that you didn’t say she was the most impressive candidate, Doug, and just hope that that is the typical American political problem of imputing one’s values onto a candidate and ignoring what that candidate actually says and does.
Doug,
I’m growing to enjoy your commentaries very much.
While I agree with your overall point; I must say, those people you listed as conservatives: David Frum, Joe Scarborough, Peggy Noonan, David Brooks, Chris Christie and Kathleen Parker are NO conservatives…even if one is being chartiable. But I digress.
I think it is very telling that the GOP establishment, RINOs, and Democrats are all going after a woman who hasn’t even announced her canidacy yet! It begs the question: Why?
This is actually a very easy question to answer: all of these said groups fear her! I’m sure many Libs will scoff at this and say: “Come on man…she’s a joke. She’s a hick from Alaska!” They might also say that she’s not smart enough, didn’t go to the best college, talks a little funny…yada…yada.
Can we be honest here? If she really was the joke that the Liberals and RINOs say she is, they wouldn’t be attacking her. This is pure, unadulturated fear that is driving these attacks on Palin…and her kids! The Liberals will always tell us who they fear. Do you see them attacking Huckabee, Romney, Newt, or any other potential GOP presidential nominee? NO! And the reason you don’t see them attacking these other very probable candidates, is because they don’t fear them; the same way they didn’t fear the RINO John McCain.
The Libs know that Palin connects with mainstream, conservative America, and she scares the hell out of them.
Oh yes, one more item that many Liberals love to throw around: “She doesn’t have any expereince man!” Sorry, but the most inexperienced Chief Executive to ever hold the presidency is currently residing in the White House. Lets forget how corrupt Obama is. Cabn anybody tell us what experience Barry has to hold the presidency?
We have no idea how this man did in college; nobody has ever seen is transcripts (or birth certificate…but we won’t go there). We were led to believe that this bozo was a constitutional scholar, and that he was a ‘visiting lecturer” on college campuses. Come to find out this was a steaming pile of B.S. When he did lecture at colleges, it was on his speciality; Community Agitating…I mean Organizing.” He was in the Illinois House, then the US House, and then a Senator. This guy has NO executive experieince whatsoever. Heck, he couldn’t even speak to a group of 6th graders without using his teleprompter!
Palin: School Board, City Council, Mayor of Wasila, Governor of Alaska, and Republican VP nominee. This lady has more executive experience than Barry will ever have.
The Liberals tried to destroy Palin, and that didn’t work. All their attacks will do now is make her stronger than ever. They should’ve left well enough along, but no. Again, if Palin wasn’t a threat to the GOP establishment, the RINOs, and the Libs, they wouldn’t be attacking her.
Palin is strangely popular among a lot of people admittedly. Frankly, however, I think the fear level you indicated is a smidgen exaggerated however and for the same three reasons “midwinter” stated: existing Republicans don’t like her, moderates don’t like her and she very well could push things Democrat. -The Tea Party movement is, despite its media coverage, an enormous minority. Most Americans are somewhere in the middle and TP along with Palin are really FAR right wing-.
Ignoring your poke at Obama’s citizenship, his schooling we do know about… he graduated from Harvard Law -who incidentally received his transcript and birth certificate as well. I seem to recall a story in the Standard Examiner about his schooling years ago but heck if I can find it again… oh well. We also do know his history in the Senate… Frankly, I wouldn’t say that a lot of presidents had political experience beyond anything President Obama has achieved. -A little beside the point, I’m really not sure how military service somehow means that one is more suitable a candidate than another. I’ve never understood the correlation there… But like I said, beside the point.-
I for one haven’t cut her out of the game. I would never, ever vote for her -everything she says is confrontational, misinformed, arrogant or a flat out lie and THAT is what frightens me- but she’s a self-feeding media bonfire and somehow that’s kept her afloat thus far. I would like to say that someone so extremely one sided politically could never win. I would like to say that her unmasked and wild demeanor would instantly count her out as a hack. I would like to think that the nation could make a better choice…
However, I have seen eight years of George W. and the somehow successful transferal of his failures to President Obama and I no longer believe in the things I would like to say.
-everything she(you) says(said) is confrontational, misinformed, arrogant or a flat out lie and THAT is what frightens me-
The above sentence that you wrote pretty much covers everything you just said. I can smell your fear through the computer.
I don’t think it has anything to do with arrogance or disdain. It is simply a recognition that there is no “there” there. She has no substance. She says things that are nonsensical and flat out wrong. She plays to stereotypes like the “heart of America” and “patriots” but there is nothing there beyond those catch phrases.
Hi,
Palin did say the birth certificate was fair game so let’s pay due to what the facts are about her. She is a birther.
The time is right now with the Tea Party entering Congress and they have loads of birthers. Ga Gov-Elect Nathan Deal sent a letter to Obama asking for his birth certificate and that Nathan Deal’s no newbie, he has 9 years’ experience in Congress while Obama only had 2.
The funniest thing also happened to Obama: on his victory-day in Illinois, the Lottery drew 666. So heaven spoke through the Lottery.
Announce this good news to the world folks, this is the end of the fraud in the White House.
Check out the video (click this link) of the State Lottery of Illinois’s draw of 666 the exact same day as Obama’s victory. This is without possible mistake, a sign of heaven.
Screenshots are made of the Lottery official website’s past winning numbers.
http://www.youtube.com/user/KalachakraandOBeast#p/u/5/NDIcvoIaoG8
“Heaven spoke through the lottery”?
The odds of 666 appears are no greater or no less than any other number appearing. It will happen, on average, once every 999 drawings or so.
Why do so many feel they can speak for god?
I’m curious, Doug. You wrote: “More classless commentary (favored by Brooks, Noonan, Frum and Parker) is that she’s not smart… enough to be taken seriously.”
If the columnists you mention have concluded that she’s not intelligent enough to be taken seriously by conservatives as a presidential candidate, why exactly is their saying that “classless”?
She did seem during the campaign, woefully uninformed about much a presidential candidate ought to be informed about. That’s correctable though and she was free once the election was over to begin to educate herself and become an informed candidate for higher office who could speak intelligently from a right-perspective about the economy and foreign affairs, etc. Instead, she quit as governor of Alaska and decided instead to do a reality TV show. That she seems still uninterested in becoming informed about matters even conservative commentators think presidential candidates ought to be informed about might reasonably suggest that she’s “not smart enough to be taken seriously” as a presidential candidate.
Still can’t see why you think that particular criticism is “classless.”
It must warm Doug’s heart knowing that Sven agrees with him.
We’ve reached a tipping point in our culture, and the political rules are being rewritten. Democrats are being outflanked by something they can’t understand, and Conservatives who can’t conceive that the paradigm has shifted continue to analyze Sarah based on rules a decade out of date. I certainly hope Sarah is reading “Thomas Sowell, Mark Levin, Walter Williams, Victor Davis Hanson, David Limbaugh, Mark Steyn, Cliff May, S.E. Cupp, Star Parker, and other ‘new conservative’ writers”, because they actually understand the tea parties, and are outside the stream of conventional politics. I saw both sides at CPAC last year, and the old-timers were grossly out of sync. For instance, at the Reagan dinner the audience endured a patronizing speech from a fellow who said that the tea party should look to the Republican Party as “A big brother”. Later that evening, the faint applause awarded to this man was explained as about 30% of the audience stood to receive the Reagan honor-all of us tea party patriots.
Nobody is going out of their way to trash Palin.
She puts herself in the news, so naturally people talk about her. Big deal. She is in politics. Rush Limbaugh throws a lot of bombs. So guess what? He gets a lot of criticism in return.
Palin makes headlines when she gets snarky with Barbara Bush, Michelle Obama and Charles Krauthammer. And nobody is supposed to respond?
Palin supporters are the most sensitive people in politics.
How will candidate Sarah Palin and her supporters react to REAL criticism from conservatives of all stripes should she decide to run?
Is Sarah Palin going to throw smarteleck jabs at everyone? Then expect nobody to respond?
btw, can we define “elite”? Does that simply mean anybody that is smarter than Sarah Palin?
Palin: School Board, City Council, Mayor of Wasila, Governor of Alaska, and Republican VP nominee. This lady has more executive experience than Barry will ever have.
Presidential executive experience, from the school board? From City Council?
Do you know that she was elected mayor by a vote of 641 to 440? That is the size vote for Student Body President at a small high school.
As mayor, she was the \executive\ over dozens of employees. In comparison, a Wal Mart manager oversees HUNDREDS.
The White House staff alone is in the thousands. Her Wasilla staff is closer to the size of the staff of the First Lady.
By your reasoning, Laura Bush has eight years of \executive experience\ since she oversaw dozens of employees during her time at the White House.
Palin’s first job of any presidential significance ended after two years- because she quit!
I think a lot of people speak out against Palin simply because they believe she’s dangerous. They don’t want her to have any chance of gaining the presidency because they fear what would happen to the country if she did.
I guess I’m left wondering why Brooks, Noonen, Parker et al are suddenly “elites.”
As you know, Doug, “elite” is a term of disparagement in the GOP and Tea Party lexicon, even by those who make $100,000 speaking fees, demand private jets, and still expect people like me to think they are not “elite.”
I suspect these “elites” are critical of Ms. Palin because they see her as a media creation, an opportunist who is using her sudden notoriaty to make a lot of money. They worry that she is swaying the conversation away from dealing with substantive issues because, lacking any real substance herself, her followers/acolites imbue her with theirs and see her as fulfulling all their desires, even if those desires make no fiscal sense.
If she were to get elected, I suspect they worry that she would be a tool of the real elites — the rich corporations and media channels that fund her and support her.
Why do the elites attack Palin?
Same reason this very same bunch, and those like them, attacked Ronald Reagan. Sarah is a movement Conservative and a COMPETENT LEADER.
Remember, the Republican establishment called Reagan an “amiable dunce.” (and that was the nicest thing they said!)
Hell, even after they forced George H.W. Bush on him for his running mate, the elites STILL ran John Anderson as a third party candidate!
Many of the people who are trashing Palin and claiming to be “Conservatives” voted for Obama!
The establishment Republicans saw what she did in Alaska when she uncovered massive corruption while she was the Chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, one of the most powerful jobs in the state.
She sent corrupt Republicans to PRISON and even went after the corrupt state Republican Party chairman.
She continued to weed out corrupt Republicans as Governor.
The GOP knows that a President Palin would finish what Reagan started, and clean house. Their little game would be up.
For you people that don’t think Sarah Palin has the balls to do what needs to be done, as well as the experience, I suggest you go do some research and stop believing the crap you are spoon fed by morons with an agenda.
Palin has a 20 year record of success, most of it at the Executive level, and most of THAT as a Chief Executive. She has more real world experience, SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE, than ANYONE being considered for President.
People try and downplay her two successful terms as Mayor, not having the first clue about her record, or the fact that she was also the City Manager, a tough job.
The fact is, most small and medium size cities HIRE a City Manager to actually run the day to day business of government, because of the complexity of it all, and all of the laws and regulations you must know. It’s a professional position all of it’s own.
Hell, Even Dallas, Texas, one of the 10 largest cities in the nation has a City Manager form of government.
As a City Manager you are responsible for absolutely every last detail in running the city. You can’t be dumb and do the job.
Of course, the job has a two term limit in Wasilla, so after that she was appointed by the Governor, Frank Murkowski as the Chairman of the Alaska Oil,and gas Conservation Commission. This is one of the most powerful jobs in the State of Alaska.
Palin had to become an expert on everything energy related. She had to know everything the oil people know, as it was her job as the state’s chief oil and gas regulator to make sure Big Oil was following the rules.
As Governor, Palin was also the Chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multi-state agency that develops regulations and best practices for the exploration and exploitation of our natural resources.
Not exactly a job for a dummy either.
She was also the Chairman of the National Governors Association’s Natural Resources Committee. Her fellow Governors acknowledged her expertise in the field of energy.
As Governor she had a 90% approval rating right up until she was chosen to be McCain’s running mate, and the hard left and Republican elites started trashing her.
She had this high approval, the highest of any Governor in the nation, because she was damned good at what she does. She’s a no nonsense leader who got things done for the people of Alaska, and did not put up with corruption, even from people in her own party, which of course is why the establish does NOT want her to be President.
She will come to Washington and shake things up in a way that will end careers. Careers that should have ended long ago.
THAT is why the Republican establishment goes out of their way to trash her. Plain and simple.
Elites try to demean Palin because they know she will make them obsolete. She doesn’t do things in the usual elite fashion. She doesn’t bow to the tradition of “waiting your turn” to be elected. She is a unique politician who does things her way. She is going straight to the people now and not through the usually political channels and she will be successful. She will sweep through the primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina and become the GOP nominee and the elites will have nothing to say about it and nothing to do but whine and whimper. I can’t wait.
Wow, if there is now a chasm between conservatives and “conservative elites,” conservatism is in trouble. Cannibalism is not the road to victory.
They attack Palin like they attacked Reagan, and for the same reasons.
Commentators here show their ignorance in how they attack her.
She takes down Obamacare with a Facebook post.
She spearheads the conservative cause for two years.
She even adds words to our dictionary.
Then, they were wrong about Reagan.
Now, they are wrong about Palin.
We’ll all find out soon enough.
Unlike Palin Reagan didn’t hate science and funded it to the max. The Palin supporters who think that any science that doesn’t agree with they Young Earth interpretation of the Bible are doing her a great disservice. But you have to wonder why she doesn’t express her support for science as it is a somewhat glaring difference than Reagan.
Sarah Palin is not dumb….She doesn’t play the D.C. game..She sees a problem and solves it. This doesn’t go over well with the likes of Will and Krauthammer. She has written editorials on all the major issues facing this country this last year…more than you can say about the other so-called republican contenders. She has spoken on energy, taxes, Q.E. 2, ObamaCare, North Korea, Middle East, and the two wars…Yet Krauthammer told her to leave the room and study up on the issues…he wouldn’t hear her if she was sitting next to him…these belt-way types are all the same..if you dont go to the cocktail parties, you are nobody. Sarah is going directly to the people…over 2.5 million on facebook along…350,000 on twitter. Her message is getting out to the voters and this is what is scaring the pants off these cocktail republicans….
this article is great, and also i agree with sven’s comment and a few others.
but some of the other comments on here…. some of you just love to repeat those old tired memes: “palin isnt smart enough.” “palin lacks substance.” “palin quit.” “palin has no experience.” “palin is too extreme/polarizing…” heard them all before and they dont matter so there’s no sense believing them.
here’s why they don’t matter (and links, if you’re interested):
-palin IS smart, the people who say she isn’t are the ones who havent studied her much, they know little about her. she has smart ideas and policies, great substance. she knows what she’s doing. she is not to be underestimated. (even biden said that.) just because she didn’t go to certain schools doesn’t mean she isn’t smart. besides, it’s not like obama is super smart either… that’s just a perception. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/4/presidents-incomplete-report-card/?page=1
-palin has done a variety of things that give her executive experience. i have her book going rogue and if you read it, it details the things she does. she is the type of person who takes action and gets things done and fights corruption too. exactly what we need in a president. palin 2012!! hey at least she wasn’t just a “community organizer” (oh wow what an amazing position that is!!!) and a senator who spent lots of time voting “present.”
-obama is the one who is polarizing and extreme. he’s a strong leftist and he got elected even though he is polarizing… and palin, she believes in smaller gov’t, being responsible about debt and budget, strengthening america, etc. really, those aren’t very “extreme” positions at all. most americans would agree with her on those things.
-the “OMG PALIN QUIT!!!111″ catchphrase is really getting old. people either don’t understand, or completely ignore, the reasons why she resigned. here are two great articles to read if you don’t get it: http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2010/11/when-quitting-saves-republic.html
http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2010/12/why-governor-palin-resigned.html
we need to get behind palin instead of attacking, doubting, criticizing. that isn’t helping anyone. it’s obvious she’s running, she’s just waiting for the best time to say it. so since she’s running i’m going to support her. i hope you all decide to as well. if you only read one article i link to, read this one: http://conservatives4palin.com/2011/01/when-good-people-allow-the-media-and-the-establishment-to-win.html
Except for ‘death panels’ exemplified by words and actions of Ezekiel Emmanuel, and Donald Berwick, QE 2, that has spiked the price of everything by devaluing the dollar, supporting our soldiers in Afghanistan and not undercutting the regime there, speaking out against
the START treaty, which has been validated by the comments o the Duma, being the leading voice against the drilling moratorium, and one
of the few supporters of Ryan’s “roadmap”, no there is little of substance, please don’t let me repeat Dean Wurmer’s admonition.
Why are the private insures who have death panels every talked about?
Perhaps they do not wish to associate with someone who hangs around with religious leaders who think that witches exist. Or perhaps they do not wish to hang around someone who jumps in front of every money making opportunity she see even quieting her elected position early to do so?
Others may not like the fact that she can’t raise her kids to act like mature young ladies.