DISQUS

ThurmanHart · 5 months ago

I think it's hard for people to think clearly about Palin, for some reason - and I'll include myself in that. I had never heard of her before McCain picked her from obscurity, but I quickly found her so distasteful that I simply couldn't bear to hear her speak.

But, from the start, she was attacked from the left for cultural differences. She could field dress a moose, she liked to hunt and fish, etc. Well, I have several cousins who could give her a run for her money in the outdoors stuff - and I'm pretty sure they could take her in a "rasslin'" match. That stuff doesn't matter when it comes to policy stuff, but neither does the fact that Obama lived in Hawaii and Indonesia. So...both sides are guilty of gilding the lilly and then peeing on the other side's gold.

The problem, I think, stems from the fact that Sarah Palin is, I think, a basically good person. The left kind of shrugged that off as immaterial while the right seemed to make it a panacea for all her ills. She was hopelessly unprepared to be on the national stage - she wouldn't have even spoken at the NRC if she hadn't been the running mate - and either no one tried to prepare her or she was singularly untrainable. Which one it is really doesn't matter. It amounts to the same - she wasn't ready.

What are our options now? Well, on the one hand, we can believe that Palin was driven out of public life by people who were someone on a scale that ran from vindictive to simply trying to sell more product (magazines, newspapers, whatever). If that is what happened, then there is a very sad lesson for basically good people who want to have a public life. On the other hand, we can believe that she has made a calculated political move. If that is what happened, then I am wrong and every political analyst on both sides of the divide are simply being duped by Sarah Palin. The truth is probably somewhere between the two. She may have rough-hewn political skills, but she is still a politician and her decision was made with one eye on her future political career.

I think for Sarah Palin to have any sort of political future, she'll have to get up to speed on policy - but she will also have to learn to not be such a good person. She'll have to get a thicker skin and she'll have to no longer care what people say about her or her family. I worry for any system where success is predicated on a person not being "such a good person."

D. E.Rodriguez · 5 months ago

Thurmanhart:

Thank you for a very reasoned and objective commentary.

About the only thing I would dispute a little bit is your comment:

"but she will also have to learn to not be such a good person. She'll have to get a thicker skin and she'll have to no longer care what people say about her or her family."

I think she is morally a good person, but she wasn't very "good" when she vilified and smeared Obama during the campaign---and Democrats. By questioning and attacking Obama's patriotism and his loyalties, his national origin, etc., and by accusing him of "palin' around with terrorists," etc.,she invited and deserved every personal attack she got---except for the ones on her kids.

Thanks

Dorian

D. E.Rodriguez · 5 months ago

Thank you HermesFire. That is a very enlightening reference.

Especially the 2008 video showing Palin saying the following about the criticism heaped on Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign:

“Well, you know, I think, fair or unfair, I do think it’s a more concentrated criticism Hillary gets on many fronts I think that’s unfortunate, but fair or unfair I think she does herself a disservice to even mention it really. You have to plow through that. You have to know what you’re getting into….when I hear a statement like that coming from a woman candidate with any sort of perceived whine about that excess criticism…I think man that doesn’t do us any good.” Sarah Palin

Wow, talk about a comment coming back to bite your...

Dorian

HermesFire · 5 months ago

I found it interesting that FOX News' Liz Trotta commented that much of the "liberal media" had at least some foundation for the criticisms of Palin. She just did a lot of unprofessional and laughable things, not to mention being inarticulate. I know that many politicians do things worth being criticized and they should be, so Palin can't escape the media either, especially after criticizing Hilary for not taking what the media dished out. This video shows both sides of the story but most think Palin stepped down just because of media pressure:
http://www.newsy.com/videos/palin_s_questionabl...

D. E.Rodriguez · 5 months ago

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DaGoat · 5 months ago

ThurmanHart - probably as good of a treatise on Palin as I've ever read.

RevDave · 5 months ago

Poor Russ is now vacationing riverside in Egypt

AustinRoth · 5 months ago

Is there any hope now that the number of Palin-related posts at TMV will drop below an average of 20 per week within say the next 30 days?

lurxst · 5 months ago

And in related news:

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin Still Not Being Investigated by FBI

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087...

DLS · 5 months ago

As I said elsewhere, the following by Nolan Finley here in Detroit metro is a suitable critique of Palin and of the GOP currently.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090705/OPINION...