The Lonely Goatherd Blog And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats - Matthew 25:32
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November 13, 2008
Sarah Palin vs "Elite" Republicans Syndicated conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, of whom I have sometimes been a fan, made waves in the 2008 election by her vigorous distaste for Sarah Palin. She went so far as to call on her to drop off the ticket because she was supposedly so ill-qualified.
She's milked the controversy and negative responses that she's gotten for several columns, including a new one just today. Writing her a response, it got big enough that I figured to just make it an open public letter. So here goes:
Miss Kathleen- I don't want you to be able to easily dismiss my criticism, so I'll try to be nice. I'm not angry anyway, but I have to admit to being a bit contemptuous of some of the Beltway type anti-Palin Republicans. Leaving you specifically out of it, Peggy Noonan and even the usually totaly righteous George Will lost some points with me over Palin.
You all gave in to some really petty idea of elitism here. Now, I'm all in favor of an aristocracy of merit, a kind of elitism. But that's not where Palin fell short.
She's perfectly intelligent and obviously highly competent in her work. She's run things, and Lord knows that she's a multi-tasker. She knows a lot about a lot of things. Ask her about energy policy or wildlife management issues or child rearing or commercial fishing. Plus, she has a temperment that translates to actually getting stuff done - and the character to take on bad actors even in her own party.
She's quite legitimately elite in her knowledge, experience and character. That's how a schoolteacher's kid from the boondocks got where she is. But she got bitten by "conservative" so-called elites largely over stupid prejudice. She didn't go to Harvard. She's got that Marge Gundersson accent. Heck, she even really actually believes in Jesus - as opposed to a mere sophisticated elitist nod to our founders' Christian traditions.
She probably doesn't know much about French symbolist poets or whatever crapola like that it is that is an arbitrary standard of intelligence and sophistication - but would probably have about squat to do with running the country - or anything else useful or meaningful. Christopher Buckley just couldn't imagine such a barbarian as a guest at one of Dad's famous dinner parties. This reasoning itself does not represent truly an elite judgment, but a petty and low-level childish emotionalism based on superficialities.
I've never been one to shoot the messenger. Also, all the columnists in the country collectively wouldn't have the power to have changed the election. But you anti-Palin Republican messengers were WRONG. Completely, 100% off base. This business of yours about how she should have quit the ticket was just complete foolishness that at least LOOKS like a cheap ploy for attention. But maybe that's just my jaundiced perspective.
In any case, Palin certainly did NOT cost McCain the election. People hardly ever vote for the veep candidate anyway. McCain was a weak candidate to start with, and the Palin pick was THE high point of his campaign. Indeed, that pushed him up enough that he was actually edging ahead in polls after her pick - until the unprecedented market meltdown just washed him away. There was no human way that even the sharpest veep candidate could have saved that for him.
I have here on my website images of aspects of the Palin history and personnae. I reference this for you specifically to direct you to the "Wal-Mart Moms" image. During the campaign, she was traveling with Trig and stopped off (in her cheap comfortable traveling clothes obviously not bought by the RNC) at a local Wal-Mart for some diapers. Here she is just standing in the aisle with baby over the shoulder chatting it up with another customer.
This isn't even an example of a politician having "the common touch." There's not a sense of skillfully manipulating or carefully relating to the lower class, but just a couple of normal gals chatting it up in the aisle as equals.
This image and the working class identity implied seems to me to encapsulate a lot of what conservative (and other) elite types really object to. And that is utterly bogus. Plus, it's one of the reasons that she's going to be president someday.
May the ghost of WFB have mercy, Palin might invite the likes of this Wal-Mart mom into the White House. Fortunately, we elected another Harvard and Princeton team, so we'll be expecting a decent minimum of education and erudition among White House guests in the Lincoln Bedroom. I just hope Bill Ayers doesn't decide to blow it up while he's there.
