Palin in the Mainstream

The Weekly Standard's Matthew Continetti listened to Sarah Palin give the keynote speech at the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life group, and noted that: 

As I listened to the speech, I was struck by how Palin's positions are widely shared. She opposes the health care law -- so does the public. She's concerned about the federal deficit -- so is the public (see question 10b). She supports the Arizona illegal immigration law -- so does the public. She supports the right to life -- and the public is moving toward her. She supports the Afghanistan surge and the current course in Iraq -- both Obama administration policies.

Yet in the opinion of the talking heads, whe will not make it ot the Presidency.  The reasons: 

Because independents, and many Republicans, do not believe she is qualified to hold high office. (Democratic support for Palin is a lost cause.) Perhaps some cultural elitism is at work as well. But, on the whole, I'd say the resistance to Palin is based on certain unique traits of hers that concern large numbers of people -- her qualifications, her preparedness, her decision to leave the governorship, and her unwillingness to participate in media ritual sacrifice.

Let’s examine these qualifications and see whether they really are the killers that people claim.

Perhaps some cultural elitism is at work as well.

Well, yes. There’s certainly that. Republicans and Conservatives have been tarred as the anti-intellectual party. Ronald Reagan, the most consequential President of the second half of he 20th Century was dismissed by the cognoscenti as an “amiable dunce.” Because the Academy has been taken over by the Left, they define anyone to the Right of Lenin as an anti-intellectual with mush for brains. And the members of the Right, who care about the judgment of the Left, are desperately looking for the next Bill Buckley. I like Bill, but it’s worth asking: how many elections did he win?

But, on the whole, I'd say the resistance to Palin is based on certain unique traits of hers that concern large numbers of people -- her qualifications,

How did those qualifications affect the last election? The country has just elected the most unqualified man in the history of the Republic as President. For some reason, the popular Governor of Alaska, who held a number of increasingly important local and state posts had her qualifications - to be elected to the position of Vice President - continually questioned. And who was asking those questions? The MFM who to this day don’t know the grades he got in college, who his friends were and what is the true personal history of the man who has been sold to us based on nothing but his personal history? The eventual winner of the Presidency actually stated that one of his key qualifications was running for the Presidency. And despite being less qualified in terms of executive experience, this totally unqualified TelePrompTer reader is now the President.

If you want to make the case that you can become President if you are unqualified but are a Democrat that may be a valid point. But lack of qualifications did not affect the last election and the qualification issue is simply a Democrat and MFM talking point when it comes to Palin.

…her preparedness,

This appears to be a subset of the “qualifications” issue, which we have dealt with already. Not to beat a dead horse, but if “preparedness” to be President is an issue, Obama would have lost to McCain.

…her decision to leave the governorship,

This, in my opinion was both gutsy and brilliant. Palin did not leave the governorship out of carelessness. She was being deliberately harassed by political enemies with a barrage of trumped up ethics charges that because of a quirk in Alaska law required her to defend herself with personal funds. She stepped aside because the legal harassment interfered with her ability to govern and threatened to destroy the family finances since the Palins were not wealthy. She left her office in the capable hands of a Republican lieutenant.

However, she did not leave to hide out. She came out swinging, increased her visibility on the national stage, wrote a best-selling book that made her wealthy and gave her a platform that she could not possibly have had as the sitting governor of Alaska. Alaska, for the geographically illiterate, is so far away as to be virtually another country. You cannot be an important actor on the continental US stage and governor of Alaska as the same time. Had she stayed in Alaska, she would be forgotten.

... and her unwillingness to participate in media ritual sacrifice.

The next President of the United States, if he or she is a Republican will be running against both the official Democratic Party and the MFM. Have you noticed the plunge in people subscribing to newspapers, and tuning in to the alphabet networks? People are fleeing the MFM as fast as moderates are leaving Team Obama. Governor Christie of New Jersey is showing how to handle the media. He’s not willing to prostrate himself before the Lilliputians of the press. And the people love it.

I’m not willing to say that Palin will be mu choice for the next President. The Conservative wing of the Republican Party is beginning to show some real talent. But the reasons cited by Continetti for believing she has problems are not those that would keep her from office because they are not reflected in the way people actually vote. I’m not a John McCain fan and voted for him with reluctance, but we can be grateful to him for one thing: he introduced the country to Sarah Palin.