Sep
26
Brilliant
September 26, 2008 | 4 Comments
Every day my decision not to renew my National Review subscription is affirmed just a bit more. Here’s Kathleen Parker’s sage advice on NRO:
Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.
Do it for your country.
The complete and utter lack of common sense amongst Beltway conservatives – and let’s just overlook the fact for the moment that I live inside the Washington beltway – continues to astound me. They are completely tone deaf, and Parker is oblivious to the fact that the only reason john McCain has a prayer in this election is due to Sarah Palin’s presence on the ticket. Conservatives were completely ho-hum about McCain before he selected Palin, and if she were out of the picture, I think a lot of fence-sitters would be gone – permanently.
Kat-Mo at Ace of Spades also responds to Parker’s concerns over Palin’s supposed lack of qualifications.
Then she totally buys into the Obama campaign’s “heartbeat away from the presidency” crap. Palin’s not ready to be President?
No kidding, Sherlock, that’s why she’s on the ticket as a VP. She’s meant to do what VPs normally do: beat the drum for the president’s policies, help organize the team and, maybe, spearhead some programs. She’s not here to run the world from the VP’s office. If she’s good, she’ll learn the job and come out fighting in 2012. If not, unless she accidentally shoots McCain on a moose hunting trip, this is a non-issue.
I think some folks just got a little too used to Dick Cheney being a power player in the background. That worked out well, huh? And, seriously, Joe Biden…Uncle Joe as VP. He’s out there blundering around like a blind man in a midget porn shop.
“Oh…excuse me. So sorry…pardon me, is that your…aw, Gawd luv ya…stand up! Stand up! What? You are standing? What was I touching?”
I don’t care about Joe’s “Foreign Policy” experience. Does anybody really think Biden is going to be out front of an Obama presidency “representin’”?
I am at loss to figure out how Sarah Palin’s interviews with Couric and the like are supposed to be more disquieting than those of the gaffe-machine with hair plugs.
I had a conversation with one of my advisors about the reaction of a lot of the conservative commentariat, and he was absolutely right. These are elitist snobs who are only remotely conservative. They do not support the cultural conservatism of the GOP base, and they do not want to lose their grasp on power. I don’t think they actively oppose the cultural agenda, but it is not their primary concern. Sarah Palin represents the type of conservatism than they do not care that much about. And so they want her gone.
Well, if she goes, WE GO.
Comments
4 Comments so far
“Well, if she goes, WE GO.”
Damn straight! I’ve already sent an email to Kathryn Lopez telling her I’m done with her “crap publication”. I’ve been reading NR for 25 years – since I was 16 years old. But no more.
Wow, sad.
Part of what attracted me to conservatism was Buckley and his magazine.
“Well, if she goes, WE GO.”
Amen. Heck, a week ago I was thinking Palin should dump McCain after his goofy comments on 60 Minutes about firing Chris Cox and replacing him with Andrew Coumo. Prior to adding Palin, McCain’s only chance was enough people recognizing how extremely far left Obama was leading to people holding their nose and voting for him. Problem is, your opponent’s negatives only carry you so far. You don’t win national elections without enthusiasm. In 1992 we figured enough people would be turned off by Clinton’s various negatives. How’d that turn out again? The novelty of Obama generates a good deal of enthusiasm. Likewise Palin add enthusiasm to the McCain crowds that just wasn’t there previously.
Jay mentioned writing Katheryn Lopez, well she actually has an article today with advise for Gov. Palin. Basically said she needs to be herself. My guess is she did not come off well in the interview because she was over coached and trying to remember McCain’s position on things instead of just answering. VP’s have to be careful to avoid the gotcha crap of “but your running mate said . . . .” Experienced politicians develop the ability to use a lot of words to not answer a question (Biden). She is not an experienced pol which is part of what we like about her.
Regardless I think McCain knows enough not to replace her.
What this election campaign has helped reveal is how many conservative pundits are, in so many ways, merely fake conservatives at best. NR especially has become a hotbed of people who are obviously merely play acting at being conservatives for the money. As for Kathleen Parker I have never been impressed by any of her columns, and this one on Palin was no exception. I do find this column oddly comforting on one level. Virtually all of the media, including so-called conservative media, are completely misreading Palin and the huge impact she is going to have on this election. As demonstrated by her 60,000 solo rally last Sunday in Florida, she connects with voters in a way few politicians do. Come election night virtually all reporters are going to be stunned by the “hidden” McCain votes in state after state. Most of those votes will be there solely because of the hockey mom that faux conservates wish to toss off the ticket.