Little-Acorn
09-15-2008, 07:03 PM
Conservatives have been happier than at any time in recent memory - a happiness that dates from the announcement by John McCain that Alaska governor Sarah Palin would be his running mate.
Why?
People have speculated that it's because she's young. Or because she's a woman. Or because she's a young, attractive woman. (Would they be as happy over Jennifer Morrison?). Or because she's apparently helpful to McCain's chances of winning in November. Or because she isn't Hillary. Or because she walked the walk - giving birth to a baby she knew had Down's syndrome, instead of aborting it. Or because she's a better shot than Dick Cheney. Or because she's not from Washington DC.
All of those things probably contribute somewhat to the "Palin phenomenon". But they are not the root cause of the joy suffusing the Republican rank & file. So, what is?
Palin is strong, young, charming, humorous, thinks on her feet... and, most importantly, is looking more and more like a genuine conservative.
Genuine conservatives have been becoming more and more rare in the ranks of Republicans. The last three Presidential candidates (four including McCain) have been known chiefly for their willingness to "reach across the aisle", as it's politely known, and compromise with liberals. Or, to describe it more accurately, to give up conservative principles for the sake of getting along.
As a result, conservatives (which still make up the bulk of Repblicans, unlike what you find among Republican leadership) have had to "make do", voting for the least liberal candidate instead of the candidate who supports their values (smaller government, less govt dependency, more responsibility, lower taxes, stronger military, Constitutional adherence, etc.).
But the introduction of Palin (known at first as "Sarah Who?") into a high position in national Republican politics, hit like a bombshell, and is becoming more and more pleasing as info about her comes out. Though not perfect, she is lookig like a genuine conservative - a stance which many thought was a lost art. She supported some pork at first, but ultimately vetoed it. She runs her own life by conservative principles, raising her family with her husband's and friends' help instead of government assistance, exercising her right to keep and bear arms happily, eschewing abortion when many would not. And she has governed much more conservatively than any other Republicans on the national scene, cutting tax rates, closing down government entitlements in her state and city without harming the recipients, selling off extravagant assets, and earning favorable ratings from 80% or more of her constituents.
In short, Sarah Palin represents the resurgence of conservatism in a party that has been increasingly starved for it. And the grassroots response has been tremendous, even if the reponse of some high Republican officials was muted until they began to see how the wind blew.
What's more, Palin shows signs of being able to put conservatism in place in government, if her past performance is anything to go by. She has the charm to woo others, and the bulldog tenacity to get things done where charm fails. She appears to have the steadiness needed to get through the inevitable leftist attacks with a smile and a joke, and stay on course - a conservative course. Conservatives haven't seen the like, since the days of Ronald Reagan, who never lost his charm and humor despite the most vicious attacks of his enemies, in and out of the country's borders.
Much of this is speculation based on only a little eveidence so far. Palin has shined so far in a few interviews, and has come through hasty "investigations" by leftists, with flying colors. But 2 months of a Presidential campaign remains to be fought, and it promises to be nasty. How Palin gets through that, remains to be seen. But preliminary signs look very good.
If Sarah Palin proves to be everything she appears, or even 90% of what she appears so far, she can represent the resurgence of a conservative party in the U.S. A conservatism that many rank-and-file conservatives were beginning to regard as dead and buried, under a flood of compromisers and get-along-ers. Genuine conservatism has been so long absent from Republican leadership, that its unexpected reappearance well nigh takes on the trappings of a renaissance.
That's a pretty tall order, of course, and it will take more than one person to carry it through. But the resurgence must necessarily start with one person.
And so far, Sarah Palin looks like the one.
Why?
People have speculated that it's because she's young. Or because she's a woman. Or because she's a young, attractive woman. (Would they be as happy over Jennifer Morrison?). Or because she's apparently helpful to McCain's chances of winning in November. Or because she isn't Hillary. Or because she walked the walk - giving birth to a baby she knew had Down's syndrome, instead of aborting it. Or because she's a better shot than Dick Cheney. Or because she's not from Washington DC.
All of those things probably contribute somewhat to the "Palin phenomenon". But they are not the root cause of the joy suffusing the Republican rank & file. So, what is?
Palin is strong, young, charming, humorous, thinks on her feet... and, most importantly, is looking more and more like a genuine conservative.
Genuine conservatives have been becoming more and more rare in the ranks of Republicans. The last three Presidential candidates (four including McCain) have been known chiefly for their willingness to "reach across the aisle", as it's politely known, and compromise with liberals. Or, to describe it more accurately, to give up conservative principles for the sake of getting along.
As a result, conservatives (which still make up the bulk of Repblicans, unlike what you find among Republican leadership) have had to "make do", voting for the least liberal candidate instead of the candidate who supports their values (smaller government, less govt dependency, more responsibility, lower taxes, stronger military, Constitutional adherence, etc.).
But the introduction of Palin (known at first as "Sarah Who?") into a high position in national Republican politics, hit like a bombshell, and is becoming more and more pleasing as info about her comes out. Though not perfect, she is lookig like a genuine conservative - a stance which many thought was a lost art. She supported some pork at first, but ultimately vetoed it. She runs her own life by conservative principles, raising her family with her husband's and friends' help instead of government assistance, exercising her right to keep and bear arms happily, eschewing abortion when many would not. And she has governed much more conservatively than any other Republicans on the national scene, cutting tax rates, closing down government entitlements in her state and city without harming the recipients, selling off extravagant assets, and earning favorable ratings from 80% or more of her constituents.
In short, Sarah Palin represents the resurgence of conservatism in a party that has been increasingly starved for it. And the grassroots response has been tremendous, even if the reponse of some high Republican officials was muted until they began to see how the wind blew.
What's more, Palin shows signs of being able to put conservatism in place in government, if her past performance is anything to go by. She has the charm to woo others, and the bulldog tenacity to get things done where charm fails. She appears to have the steadiness needed to get through the inevitable leftist attacks with a smile and a joke, and stay on course - a conservative course. Conservatives haven't seen the like, since the days of Ronald Reagan, who never lost his charm and humor despite the most vicious attacks of his enemies, in and out of the country's borders.
Much of this is speculation based on only a little eveidence so far. Palin has shined so far in a few interviews, and has come through hasty "investigations" by leftists, with flying colors. But 2 months of a Presidential campaign remains to be fought, and it promises to be nasty. How Palin gets through that, remains to be seen. But preliminary signs look very good.
If Sarah Palin proves to be everything she appears, or even 90% of what she appears so far, she can represent the resurgence of a conservative party in the U.S. A conservatism that many rank-and-file conservatives were beginning to regard as dead and buried, under a flood of compromisers and get-along-ers. Genuine conservatism has been so long absent from Republican leadership, that its unexpected reappearance well nigh takes on the trappings of a renaissance.
That's a pretty tall order, of course, and it will take more than one person to carry it through. But the resurgence must necessarily start with one person.
And so far, Sarah Palin looks like the one.