Conservative Political Report | Mike Casey
The creation of the Conservative Political Report was started to serve as an aggregator for electoral news on candidates, campaigns, and issues on a local and national level. We felt, and feel, it is our job to provide information, good or bad, on pertinent issues which shape the outcome of this particular political movement. Its movers and shakers, its vile and villainous, and its victims. Once in awhile,though, we like to weigh in with our thoughts on matters concerning the politico.
With that being said, for many the resignation of Sarah Palin reveals the inner most feelings and workings of those from many political stripes. The grassroots conservative and their zealot like worship of Palin as a folksy heroine and the left leaning liberal or progressive and their macabre and disturbingly ghoulish obsession with her political and personal fate.
Nevertheless, in the maelstrom of dissappointment and the more disturbing insane hounding, a few ideas about Palin have been overlooked.
First, going back to August of 2008 when she made her debut on the national scene Palin took the Left and Right like gangbusters. Attractive and energizing, a new face for the GOP from which to move away from the “politics as usual.” From that point she was marked for political termination by the Left. She represented all that they abhor, a religioist, a rugged individualist fighting against their strengthened collectivist agenda, and most of all an ardent female conservative bathed in smarmy Americana. She was alien to their delicate and easily incapacitated world, not only geographically, but culturally as well. Palin had to go, so the hounds were released.
For the Right she was the antithesis of all things Obama. A seemingly level headed and common sense driven Mom whose only want in the world was for everyone to have a balanced check book, some apple pie, and a little bit of God in their lives. A reformer who could bring those back to fold that had felt for eight odd years that their Party had gone awry with Democratic lite policies, abandoned them in a time of great international peril, and reneged on its promises made during two campaigns. In other words someone they could relate to.
Because of the destructive and protective zealotry which has led to propaganda coming from both camps, Palin never had a chance. Her record was never scrutinized honestly, situations in her life were either exaggerated to extremes or never explored, and she was mishandled and pushed in a direction which did not suit her political talents.
Now we stand in the aftermath of her resignation from politics and we see some of the far-right circling the wagons for Palin’s Alamo and the the hordes on the Left gathering to play the role of Santa Anna.
None of this is to say that Palin was not victimized or that she didn’t even have a hand in keeping the feeding frenzy alive. It is just a reminder of what “identity politics” yields you. For further proof of the inadequacies this particular political mindset please feel free to explore the brief history of our present administration. It should be an eye opening education.
Nevertheless, whatever Palin’s motivation is whether it be fatigue, indictment, or furthering her political career, it is anyone’s guess at this juncture. What I am sure about is, regardless of her motivation, this move has ended her active political career, forever. If you think this observation is wrong, then I suggest you Google the election of 1992 and Ross Perot.
Update: William Jacobson of Legal Insurrection has an interesting take on some of the psychology behind the PDS (Palin Derangement Syndrome) that many on the far-Left suffer. I personally feel his explanation doesn’t encompass the whole field but it is definitely part of the picture.
Mike, I think you addressed just about everything involved with Gov. Palin, our politics and culture as well and professionally possible. Awesome analysis.
Your comparison of Sarah to Ross Perot is idiotic. Ross was IN the race and doing well when he quit and then tried to rejoin. Sarah has done nothing of the sort. In two years if she wants to run this will have nothing to do with it.
Dude,
Thanks for stopping by. I believe the Perot comparison is a real issue. Whether it is relevant or even true doesn’t matter. The perception is what matters and if you can’t already see the 30 sec campaign commercials drawing out “erratic,” “unreliable” and “questionable commitment” you need to tune in to more attack ads.
The comparison will be an issue.
Well Jason you beat me to it. But exactly, the fact that we are not officially in campaign season for the POTUS is a semantic. Truthfully due to the polarization created by Obama’s election the campaign started on November 6th, 2008 and the GOP nomination, by most accounts, was Palin’s to either win or lose.
Secondly if the economic downturn continues to worsen, Dude, do you honestly think that the perception Palin is generating right now will help quell the fears that most Americans will have? Hell no it won’t. They will need someone whom they can think of as a dependable leader not someone who they fear will quit in the middle of office.
And finally, if you even think that the Left wouldn’t have a field day with this in two short years then you have have obviously been living under a rock the past 8 months. Look at what they have already done to her by lying and exaggeration. It’s called character assassination and they just perfected the art.
She has a lot of opportunities to take her career in directions we might not even expect. An interesting discussion of her resignation is on Pandalous. It’s here http://www.pandalous.com/nodes/sarah_palin_idiot_or
Carly,
I see her either doing fund raising, becoming a political activist, or even as a stretch forming a third party. I don’t think she can be considered a serious 2012 Presidential candidate. She has made herself cannon fodder for the Left.
“made herself cannon fodder for the Left.” Really? I’ve got news for you, Mike. Anyone who represents positions the Left abhors will be savaged mercilessly. Being one of those sainted “Centrists” will also not preserve a candidate from Leftist condemnation. It’s totally naive and suicidal for supposedly right-wing voters to assume that a conservative who is savaged by political opponents is to blame for this opposition. Anyone who attempts to stand between the Left and total power will inevitably come under the same fire. So what is YOUR solution? Seems to me that George Bush came as close as any Republican to making himself unobjectionable, and look where it got him, and look where it got the Republican party. I’m not a huge fan of Sarah Palin, but there is nothing wrong with her that isn’t more wrong with Barney Frank. We live in a double standard world. But, as a conservative, I try to keep an objective head, and refuse to borrow my eyeglasses from the enemy.
As long as the Right continues to devour it’s own, it will remain an obscure minority party. Is this what you want?
Further thoughts on Sarah Palin and Ross Perot. Perot ran as a 3rd party, probably deliberately to knock out George Bush, Sr. Palin ran as a VP candidate for the GOP. Where’s the parallel?
As far as her political future, why is everyone pretending they can predict the future? Americans have incredibly short memories, especially those who vote on the Left. I think most of them have forgotten the horror of 9/11, and people under the age of 20 probably don’t know anything about it, our superior public school systems being what they are. If they do, they doubtless think it was a plot by the Bush-Cheney administration!
Another example: the fact that Dennis Kucinich had even a handful of supporters for his Presidential candidacy shows that no one seems to know or care that he was basically driven out of office as Cleveland’s mayor, having bankrupted the city. Here’s an egomaniacal nutjob with a PROVEN track record of incompetency, and he is rewarded with what will probably be a life-long seat in Congress for his efforts.
Howdy Vivian,
Thank you for your thoughts on former Governor Palin. Let me first start off with your assertion that this is about a “centrist” thing. It is not at least from my perspective. I have nothing against Palin’s position, in fact, I agree with about 99% of them. This is about her delivery mechanisms and political strategies to get elected to higher office. I don’t remember asserting anywhere in this post that the centrist path was the one she should walk.
What is my solution? Glad you asked. If Palin has political aspirations for a White House run in 2012 or even 2016 she needs to do EXACTLY what Ronald Reagan did in the years after he lost the GOP primaries. Get with the most noted conservative thinkers and philosophers and study. He engrossed himself in understanding conservatism and how to apply the philosophy to every policy challenge he might face. That is why he and his ideas were so damn successful.
On the parallel between Perot and Palin there is a lot of coincidence. Perot was not just in the race to “knock” off George Bush. Up until he left the Presidential campaign he had a serious enough chance to actually win. That is what frightened both Democrats and Republicans alike. When he dropped out and then returned he had lost to much credibility to be taken seriously. So, this has nothing to do with what Palin did while running for Veep, it has everything to do with what she is doing right now.
I don’t see how anyone is devouring their own by making assertions that Palin’s moves may not be the smartest thing for her political future. I would love nothing more than to see her become a member of Senate and then move on from there. Mrs. Smith would have gone to Washington and she could have caucused with other true conservatives on the Hill, greatly expanding their media coverage.
Whether you, or I, or anyone else likes it political strategy and tactics are part of the game right now. Conservatives need to play hardball with the Left, get entrenched, and go after abhorrent progressive policies from the inside. Roaming the countryside like a band of political insurgents works only so well. Eventually you have to take Leftist strongholds, territory, and finally their headquarters if you want to win. That is what Palin seems to be forgetting.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments.