Sarah Palin, Firebagger
by David Atkins ("thereisnospoon")
Sarah Palin's latest critique against career politicians is amusing in its total lack of self-awareness:
But in a 40-minute speech before a Tea Party rally here, which was one of her most expansive addresses since she accepted the Republican vice presidential nomination three years ago, she railed against “crony capitalism” in both parties. She suggested that the “permanent political class” — Republicans, too — needed to be rattled.
That's pretty funny coming from someone who has spent their life in as a permanent politician. Until she quit, of course.
But it's also deeply instructive. Check out the rhetorical assault Palin lays down on the Republican establishment:
“You know that it’s not enough to just change up the uniform,” Ms. Palin said. “If we don’t change the team and the game plan we won’t save our country...”
In her speech, Ms. Palin assailed the Washington establishment, directing most of her criticism at President Obama, but saving plenty for Republicans. The themes carried familiar strains from her time as governor of Alaska, when she was known for an independent streak that aggravated both parties.
“The real challenge is who and what we will replace him with,” Ms. Palin said, referring to her goal of making Mr. Obama a one-term president. She added, “America is at a tipping point. This is a systemic crisis due to failed policies and incompetent leadership.”
Wow. It sounds almost like the sort of commentary one might see from progressive bloggers about the Washington establishment.
Ms. Palin criticized career politicians. She did not mention any candidates by name, but her aides have quietly pushed back against the conventional wisdom that she was considering endorsing Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. She said that it was not enough simply to replace Mr. Obama with an ordinary Republican administration.
“You must vet a candidate’s record,” Ms. Palin said, delivering an admonition to a crowd that traveled here from Iowa and points across the country. “You must know their ability to successfully reform and actually fix problems that they are going to claim that they inherited.”
This is the sort of rhetoric that has inspired the Tea Party and the entire Republican base. It has made mincemeat of John Boehner's and George W. Bush's reputation with the GOP base. But it has also served to significantly strengthen the Republicans' position, leading to the most conservative incoming House freshman crew in the nation's history. Sarah Palin's approach to politics has been wildly successful for the conservative movement, even as it no doubt harmed her personal popularity among moderates and her electability.
She herself will never set foot in the White House. But she has made it far more likely that a hardcore right winger will do so, even at the expense of the GOP establishment and its previously nearest and dearest leaders. By serving in that role, Sarah Palin has done more to help enact conservative policies than half of the Republicans actually elected to public office. Combined.
It's a lesson that Democrats who cringe at the slightest critique of President Obama from the left would do well to remember.
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