So Long Sarah Palin
I have no desire to get into the gossip and name-calling that seems to have developed between the McCain and Palin camps, but I did want to say one thing about Governor Palin as the election recedes into the background. I sincerely hope that she does not represent the future of the Republican party. I don't say this to be nasty or mean to impinge her intelligence. I say this because if the Republican party is going to be a political force again it needs a leader to articulate a coherent idealogical message and that's not the sort of politician Sarah Palin is. She's probably a good governor and she certainly has a future in the political world, but she's not the leader of a movement. McCain wasn't either and neither was George W. Bush.
When I say Sarah Palin isn't intellectual I don't mean to say she's stupid, just that, like plenty of other politicians, she doesn't have a clear philosophy off governance. You could point to Iraq as the reason George Bush became so incredably unpopular, but I think uncontrolled spending, cronyism, and unchecked executive branch power were even more important in the demise of the Republican majority. Like McCain, Palin attempted to portray herself as a reformer, but the truth is, that's not enough. If Republicans are to re-emerge as a political force they need principles, not promises.
When I say Sarah Palin isn't intellectual I don't mean to say she's stupid, just that, like plenty of other politicians, she doesn't have a clear philosophy off governance. You could point to Iraq as the reason George Bush became so incredably unpopular, but I think uncontrolled spending, cronyism, and unchecked executive branch power were even more important in the demise of the Republican majority. Like McCain, Palin attempted to portray herself as a reformer, but the truth is, that's not enough. If Republicans are to re-emerge as a political force they need principles, not promises.
posted by lonely libertarian at 3:52 PM
2 Comments:
I don't disagree with what you're saying about Palin. But I would like to point out that it is possible there's more to her than showed. We only got to know her as McCain's VP and obviously VPs in large part need to stick to a script. Biden after all, has always been a clown, but if you didn't know Biden before the last few months, you might actually think he's mentally impaired. I dunno, I just think its tough trying to stay on someone else's theme.
That said, I can't understand how anyone could be excited about Palin with what we've seen so far. Reagan's become almost a cliche, but we do need someone like that who can re-articulate the republican philsophy and stop letting it be branded as "trickle down" rich get richer economics. Of the guys I've heard, Romney does that best.
Possibly a big opportunity lost by not picking Romney in retrospect. It would've been one of the most prepared duos in a long time, with McCain's acknowledged expertise in foreign policy and Romney's credibility on the economy.
Oh well.
Post a Comment
<< Home