The Hatred of Sarah Palin

[makattak]

http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/15616.html

A critique and explanation of Palin hatred.

Ironically, the best explanation of the difference between conservatism and liberalism is found in the comments:

http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/15616.html#comment-338828

However, the key definer of elitism in contemporary America has nothing to do with a person’s economic class, who their parents are or where they went to school. Instead, elitism is about whether the person respects the decision making abilities of ordinary people. In every issue, except those pertaining to sex, leftists advocate moving or keeping the legal decision making authority from individuals and instead investing that in a government agent, preferably one as far removed from direct input from the public as possible. By contrast, non-leftists advocate investing individuals with more legal authority to make decisions about their life.

Leftists believe that ordinary people are to stupid and irresponsible to keep guns. Non-lefitsts think they are. Leftists believe that parents are to stupid to manage their own children’s education and therefore oppose voucher/charter systems for education. Non-leftists think that parents are the best judges of a child’s education. Leftists believe that ordinary people cannot manage saving for their own retirement. Non-leftists believe they can. Leftists believe that ordinary people cannot manage their own medical care. Non-lefitsts believe they can. Pick any non-sex related issue and you will find the same pattern.

Both links contain a great deal more. I must now engage in some confirmation bias by saying that Mr. Love is brilliant. (Although I agree with him, he said it far better than I could have, though.)

[Perd Hapley]

One of the comments expresses my view of Palin.  I kinda like her, but...

In my opinion, Sarah Palin is our Barack Obama, inspiring the the base, anathema to the opposition, but when it comes down to it, not really the sharpest knife in the drawer.... Barack Obama is inspirational (to a narrower audience, I guess, these days), but he just isn’t that savy — whether it is youthful inexperience or just plain lack of mental horsepower. Going with Sarah Palin is making the same mistake.

[TommyGunn]

One of the comments expresses my view of Palin. 

I kinda like her, but...In my opinion, Sarah Palin is our Barack Obama, inspiring the the base, anathema to the opposition, but when it comes down to it, not really the sharpest knife in the drawer.... Barack Obama is inspirational (to a narrower audience, I guess, these days), but he just isn’t that savy — whether it is youthful inexperience or just plain lack of mental horsepower. Going with Sarah Palin is making the same mistake.

Well, I think that pretty much says it.  She has mental horsepower, for sure.  I also think she was poorly prepped for handling the media.  This could be helped by experience but there's no excuse for a presidential campaign to prep their #2 so poorly.   Hear THAT, McCain???   

[makattak]

One of the comments expresses my view of Palin.  I kinda like her, but...

I have to disagree. Any effective conservative politician will be demonized as Palin is.

While I concede she may not be the best choice for president, she isn't a blank slate upon which we can project our hopes and dreams. She clearly states positions which you can then confirm by looking at her record.

Further, the fact that she has a record and experience, is a pretty clear indication she is not "our Obama".

Saying "she's our Obama" is to fall for the liberal demonization and projection of Obama's faults and their mistakes.

But, of course, who would vote for some two-bit actor who starred in "Bedtime for Bonzo" mayor of a tiny town!? Who'd take him her seriously?

[TommyGunn]

.

But, of course, who would vote for some two-bit actor who starred in "Bedtime for Bonzo" mayor of a tiny town!? Who'd take him her seriously?

     Hey ...in today's political climate .... I'd vote for Bonzo anyday .....  

[Monkeyleg]

The article made a lot of good points, but it's not a complete list of reasons for the hatred of Palin. There's the fact that she's a woman, which is a threat to the party that considers itself the standard bearer for women. There's her looks, too, which I think are a threat on so many levels that it would take forever to catalog them all.

She either has a marketing consultant, or is doing a brilliant job on her own. She's become a power broker in the Republican party, and has also managed to make millions for herself in the process.

From what I've heard her say lately, it doesn't seem like she's become a policy wonk by any stretch. That's not necessary if she's not going to run, which is possible, as she's got a good thing going now. Or maybe she's studying away, and will surprise everyone should she decide to run.

[grampster]

The president doesn't need to be a policy wonk.  Presidents are figureheads with a bully pulpit.  Good ones get policy wonks and others critical to domestic governence and national security to rally to his standard.  Better presidents also catch the interest of the rest of the world, for good or ill.  The best portray American exceptionalism.

Obama was the anti good one.  He's a propagandist who rallied the gullible citizen to his standard.  The policy wonks were appointed at an earlier time to do the heavy lifting of the leftist standard.  They are not his accolytes, they are his leaders.  So far we have been treated to a grand play that has exposed liberal leftism for what it is:  emotional claptrap that is the anti freedom.

Americans don't necessarily hate conservatives or like them very much, but they understand at the core, conservatives represent freedom with all its warts and understand that has value in that it works, even if it works ugly sometimes.

Palin is Everyman.  The ones that hate her the most, fear her the most because she is the screen that the liberal left's emotional claptrap is playing in technicolor.

[Monkeyleg]

No, she doesn't need to know every last detail, but she does need to know the subject. I haven't heard her say anything that tells me she's really immersed herself in policy. Come 2012, she's going to be up against some very experienced Republicans in the primary who will carve her up if she can't address the issues with substance and clarity.

[grampster]

And that's the way it should be.  Put yer joo joo out there and go with the last one standing.  I hate the primaries for President, tho.  The opposition can pick your candidate.  On the other hand, with no primary, party nerds pick the candidate.  Sigh.... Look what happened with McCain.  Yeah, some of the other candidates shot themselves in the foot, particularly Guiliani by not engaging till the campaign was nearly over.  Fred Thompson played it like a game.  Mitt Romney is smarmy.  You can't prove it, but I bet Democrats voted for McCain in R primaries that are open.  If they hadn't Hillary might have gotten the nod on the D side.  One more way Democrats screw us, they pick our candidate and we wind up with socialist idiot.

I've said this before...the highly political, highly edumacated Hahvahd and Yalies have managed to bring us to the brink of bancrupty and bad policy and fraud and corruption.  Could we do worse with a populist who simply believes America to be a great country and could be greater?  I'm so sick of American angst and guilt.  We ain't perfect, but there has not been a nation of people so noble in my view, even with our warts.

[Perd Hapley]

I have to disagree. Any effective conservative politician will be demonized as Palin is.

While I concede she may not be the best choice for president, she isn't a blank slate upon which we can project our hopes and dreams. She clearly states positions which you can then confirm by looking at her record.

Further, the fact that she has a record and experience, is a pretty clear indication she is not "our Obama".

Saying "she's our Obama" is to fall for the liberal demonization and projection of Obama's faults and their mistakes.

But, of course, who would vote for some two-bit actor who starred in "Bedtime for Bonzo" mayor of a tiny town!? Who'd take him her seriously?

I only meant to compare them in a fairly limited sense.  Like Obama, she seemed like a great candidate at first blush, and really inspires loyalty in a lot of people, but it turned out she was not really ready for prime time.


Also, I must give the author kudos for re-discovering the word "hatred."  For some reason, most people insist on using the verb form, "hate."

[RoadKingLarry]

I have a theory about those that hate Palin. And I do mean hate. It seems that there is very little middle ground.

The left hate her because she actually embodies a strong independent woman who is self sufficient, something they pay lip service to but don't actually want. That and she is ore of a woman than any on the left will ever be.

The "conservatives" hate her because she actually embodies a strong independent woman who is self sufficient and in the majority of cases is more of a "man" than they are capable of being.

[MicroBalrog]

ny effective conservative politician will be demonized as Palin is.

Any actually conservative politician will be demonized as Palin is.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Palin is someone I don't trust. I don't trust her because she's a dark horse who came out of the stable with John McCain. I don't think she deserves this silly adoration or this ridiculous hate. She deserves to be watched for the next decade, to see how she changes her tune over the years.

Distrust is not the same as dislike. I can't recall all the 2012 hopefuls, but I seem to recall hating several of the party favorites (most notably Mitt Romney, the 'fiscal conservative' who oversaw the introduction of universal healthcare in MA, as well as an AWB).

[Jamisjockey]

Sarah Palin hitched her wagon to McCain's.  That's all I need to know about her.  I don't hate her.  She has very likeable qualities, especially that she isn't just another polished suit feeding us the same manure. But, IMHO, she sold out for a shot at the top by tossing her lot in with McCain. 

[Monkeyleg]

Interesting points. She sold out...what? Continuing obscurity in Alaska? Would she have been the first conservative VP serving with a RINO president?

Also, while there may be some "silly adulation," it's more than that. She connects with people in a way that few politicians (or would-be politicians) do. There aren't media types referring to her as "god" or giving her other slobbering attention al la Obama. If anything, the conservative media has been especially focused on her substance.

As long as she's delivering a good message and getting people to listen, she serves a useful purpose, especially when those listening weren't doing so in the past.

[Harold Tuttle]

I find the HATE and Vitriol she inspires in "liberals" to be quite amusing

[MechAg94]

I've said this before...the highly political, highly edumacated Hahvahd and Yalies have managed to bring us to the brink of bancrupty and bad policy and fraud and corruption.  Could we do worse with a populist who simply believes America to be a great country and could be greater?  I'm so sick of American angst and guilt.  We ain't perfect, but there has not been a nation of people so noble in my view, even with our warts.

I actually think a lot of the "she's not smart" comments are from people who might not say it, but really want an Ivy League elitist to tell them what to do.  They just are not happy with anyone who sounds "normal". 

I don't think she is the perfect candidate or anything, but anyone that inspires leftist to be themselves (hatred, elitism, etc) can't be too bad. 

[Jamisjockey]

If she's an actual conservative, I'd rather have seen her wait to toss her lot in with someone who's equally as conservative.  Or find another way to get her name out there and then stand on her own two feet. 

[MechAg94]

Y'all need to be careful or this hatred of McCain will rise to Bush Derangement Syndrome levels. 

[grampster]

Folks can say what they will.  But I think the record shows that if Gov. Palin had not popped up on our screen when she did, we never would have had the effort that she has put forth in the last couple years that emboldened many of the new conservative R's, who would perhaps never threw hats in the ring, let alone win some primaries.

[Sergeant Bob]

Interesting points. She sold out...what? Continuing obscurity in Alaska? Would she have been the first conservative VP serving with a RINO president?

Also, while there may be some "silly adulation," it's more than that. She connects with people in a way that few politicians (or would-be politicians) do. There aren't media types referring to her as "god" or giving her other slobbering attention al la Obama. If anything, the conservative media has been especially focused on her substance.

As long as she's delivering a good message and getting people to listen, she serves a useful purpose, especially when those listening weren't doing so in the past.

Dittos!

[Perd Hapley]

I agree with the last comments by Monkeyleg and grampster. She needed to leave Alaska to serve her country as a spokesperson, fundraiser, etc.

That said, I don't think 2012's presidential candidate has become obvious just yet.

[AZRedhawk44]

Y'all need to be careful or this hatred of McCain will rise to Bush Derangement Syndrome levels. 

... But McCain is deranged!   

[Tallpine]

The president doesn't need to be a policy wonk.

Not to get elected, at least ... 

[longeyes]

Palin is the soul of the tea party movement; she catalyzed it, gave it a voice and energy. That doesn't mean she's the GOP candidate in 2012.  More a Joan the Baptist than Messiah.

As for the McCain connection, she saw an opportunity and she grabbed it--to the benefit of all of us.  McCain was trying to ride her to victory.  It turned out that she rode him.