I Wish Sarah Palin Were More Qualified So I Could Vote for Her to Spite Vanity Fair
You all know that I don't think Sarah Palin's remotely qualified to be president and I surely don't think she's the next Margaret Thatcher. But this Vanity Fair hit job makes me sympathize fulsomely with those who support her simply out of indignation with the snobbery of her critics. Are we really supposed to take seriously the damning indictment that she signs her books with an Autopen? That she jokes about wearing push-up bras to get what she wants? (Find me a woman who hasn't made that joke.) That she makes the same speech over and over? (It's called a stump speech.) That her teenage kids call her a phony? (Whose don't?)
This part, particularly, is preposterous:
Whenever I heard Palin speak on the road, her remarks were scored with code phrases expressing solidarity with fundamentalist Christians. Her talk of leading with “a servant’s heart” is a dog whistle for the born-again. Her dig at health-care reform as an expression of Democratic ambitions to “build a Utopia” in the United States is practically a trumpet call (because the Kingdom of God is not of this earth, and perfection can be achieved only in the life to come).
"Dog whistle for the born-again?" Not only is this obnoxious, it's ignorant. It is indeed a Christian view that the Kingdom of God is not of this earth and that Utopian political schemes are therefore a heresy. But this is hardly a view confined to a conspiracy of sister-marrying snake-handling sub-arctic Pentecostalists who are summoned by means of dog whistles and secret codes. This was, for example, precisely Margaret Thatcher's (non-conformist Methodist) opinion.
Not that I'm saying she's the new Margaret Thatcher. She's not. There are many legitimate grounds to find her a ludicrous candidate for the presidency. But if she were even remotely qualified, I'd vote for her just to spite Vanity Fair, I really would.
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May '10
Re: I Wish Sarah Palin Were More Qualified So I Could Vote for Her to Spite Vanity Fair
Cas Balicki
Claire Berlinski
A bad case of Fulsome Prison Blues.
And, Kenneth- you said: "In a perfect world, people would be hanging on Claire's every word, while wondering if Palin is wearing a push-up bra."
I guess we can pretty easily infer from this what you think of Claire's appearance? We have a case of the pretty one vs. the smart one? :-O
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I repeat an oft- stated theme. A president needs to be able to articulate and follow a clear set of beliefs, and manage the experts who provide policy advice. She need not be a personal genius or expert on everything, as Carter tried to be and thought he was.
One can make as good a case that Palin's stepping down in Alaska was for the good of Alaskans because of their asinine "ethics" law, as opposed to being a "quitter". Just as DeLay resigned for the good of the party because of a ham sandwich indictment in Texas (DeLay was guilty of every sort of hubris, but not guilty of what he was charged). My concern is the pattern- because she also left the Alaska Oil and Gas position earlier.
Edited on Sep 7, 2010 at 9:31amRe: I Wish Sarah Palin Were More Qualified So I Could Vote for Her to Spite Vanity Fair
Aaron Miller
I agree. Palin, at least in public persona, is the epitome of William F. Buckley's comment about preferring to be governed by the first two thousand names in the phone book. More than anything, Americans want someone straightforward and honest who will bludgeon their way through the corruption without any party pandering. Palin was the first public figure who seemed to fit the profile, so a lot of people are placing their hopes on her.
Except Sarah Palin is about as unlike average, anonymous Joe Phonebook as could be. The fair reading of Buckley is that nobody among those first two thousand names has any star power -- right? In a post-reality television, post internet-celebrity world, what Buckley's dictum might mean for us has changed.
Jun '10
Re: I Wish Sarah Palin Were More Qualified So I Could Vote for Her to Spite Vanity Fair
Kenneth
Mark Lewis: It's fun to watch them get so...what is the phrase again... panties in a bunch? ·
Yes, "panties in a bunch" is the phrase, but I've always reserved it for Barney Frank.
Oh Kenneth - you are so naughty!
May '10
Re: I Wish Sarah Palin Were More Qualified So I Could Vote for Her to Spite Vanity Fair
James Poulos, Ed.
Except Sarah Palin is about as unlike average, anonymous Joe Phonebook as could be. The fair reading of Buckley is that nobody among those first two thousand names has any star power -- right? In a post-reality television, post internet-celebrity world, what Buckley's dictum might mean for us has changed. · Sep 7 at 10:30am
Not that the point is Buckley's opinion, really, but the full quote goes:
It's not about star power. It's about background and beliefs. Despite having served in political office and being a celebrity, Palin seems to reflect common experience and common sense... the result of which is a desire for government to get the hell out of our lives.
Is Palin truly representative of the average American? Maybe not. But that's the image she projects.