Blogs and Stories
Sarah, You Blew It
Anchorage Daily News, MCT / Landov
Conservative blogger Reihan Salam once loudly backed America's hockey mom. But as her botched return to Alaska gets even messier, he's ready for a divorce.
Levi Johnston, a 19-year-old with a perhaps undeserved reputation as a backwoods simpleton, has done what Barack Obama and Joe Biden and sneering liberals and cringing conservatives couldn’t: He has killed off Sarah Palin as a serious contender for the next Republican presidential nomination. And I have to say, this depresses the hell out of me.
By now everyone knows about Johnston’s on-again, off-again romance with Palin’s daughter Bristol. During the campaign, the fact that Bristol was pregnant with Johnston’s child sparked a minor culture war, with pro-lifers rallying to the Palin family’s defense while a coalition of censorious snobs from the left and the right blasted Bristol for her irresponsibility. Back then, the official line from the Palins was that Levi and Bristol were getting married—and indeed, Levi had an elaborate finger tattoo to prove it. At the time, I found the Bristol-Levi story incredibly affecting. Here were two kids who were probably in over their heads, but they were trying to make it work. And here is this big, sprawling, weird, wonderful American family that had their backs during this completely wrenching time. Palin came across as a different kind of Republican, and her slightly messy life seemed to prove it.
Since returning to Alaska, one can’t help but get the impression that Palin is a clownish, vindictive amateur.
But sure enough, like so many young loves, the engagement later dissolved. Instead of just giving his would-be in-laws the stink-eye over Thanksgiving dinner, Levi lashed out at supposedly snobbish Sarah on the Tyra Banks show. Inevitably, the Palins counterattacked, and the whole tawdry episode has given the Republican elite—those mysterious, shadowy pointy-heads who control the purse strings—second and third thoughts about Project Palin.
This is only the latest indignity in the long, slow downward spiral that’s been Palin’s brief career as a national figure, as everything clever and distinctive about her has been replaced by an unrecognizable Reaganite fembot caricature. Months before Palin was selected as McCain’s running mate, I told anyone who’d listen that she’d be the shrewdest pick. When she addressed the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, I was utterly electrified. But during the latter days of the campaign, I started hearing rumors about how top-level McCain backers were shuttling back-and-forth to Alaska to put out various fires, and of course there has been a steady drumbeat of stories about Palin’s low-level abuse of power. Then there is the fact that the national Republican Party has destroyed much of what was great about Sarah Palin, and she let them do it.
For all its virtues, Alaska has a very quirky political culture, one that doesn’t always translate in the lower 48. At first, this was Palin’s strength. She wasn’t a Southern evangelical, a familiar—some would say overfamiliar—figure in Republican politics. Rather, she was a Northern evangelical, with an accent that almost made her sound like a Minnesotan. Despite her meteoric rise as a foot soldier of Wasilla’s Christian right, she also cut a strangely post-partisan figure in her early days as governor. As she told The New Yorker’s Philip Gourevitch long before she was selected as McCain’s running mate, she was actually glad that Barack Obama was polling well in Alaska because it represented a challenge to the status quo. Suffice to say, most rising Republican stars would stick to praising John McCain.
Palin was quirky in another respect: Recognizing that Alaska had to carve out its own path, she broke with Beltway Republicans in supporting a windfall-profits tax on oil companies among other populist measures. But once Palin signed up as McCain’s running mate, she couldn’t talk up the windfall-profits tax, one of her central accomplishments, because the Republicans in Congress bitterly opposed it. Palin also had a gift for communicating policy details in homespun language. Soon after meeting the McCain team, she reportedly pressed for proposals that she could sell to working mothers and small-business owners and other key constituencies. The sad truth is that the McCain platform, a mish-mash that reflected the often-contradictory input of dozens of advisers and donors, didn’t give her much to work with. Sarah Palin thus became red meat for the base—the pitbull with lipstick.
Palin’s campaign antics can be forgiven. What can’t be forgiven is the ham-handed way she’s tried to build her national profile since she returned to Alaska. She’s abandoned the bold right-left populism that won over Alaska voters—and me—in the first place in favor of an increasingly defensive and harsh partisanship. After making her name as a determined enemy of Alaska’s corrupt Republican establishment, she recently called for Democratic Sen. Mark Begich to step down so the hilariously crooked Ted Stevens could get another crack at the seat. She loudly promised to leave federal stimulus money on the table before clawing that promise back with a whimper. One can’t help but get the impression that Palin is a clownish, vindictive amateur.
Now, for example, Palin is raising hackles for naming colorful crackpot Wayne Anthony Ross to be Alaska’s attorney general. It turns out that Palin may have consulted with Ross over a state senate appointment, a move that would have been against state law. As a general matter, state law is something you might want your AG to be on top of.
What I’m wondering is: Has Sarah Palin undergone some kind of secret lobotomy?
Reihan Salam is a fellow at The America Foundation and the co-author of Grand New Party.
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FNYGY1
I believe, frankly, that you fooled yourself into seeing things in Palin that were never there. Everything you describe as "new" is what I saw in the first place. It has nothing to do with partisanship and everything to do with human nature. Denial is a coping mechanism we all use to cope with a disappointing or painful reality. The painful reality of 2008 (for Republicans) was that it simply wasn't your year. Oh well.
From my vantage point (as a committed independent) the GOP has a lot more work to do than they seem to think. I believe the failure was in their modern take on conservatism - which I perceive as a free market/anti tax fetish.
Give me some good NEW ideas about actually governing (rather than anti-government rhetoric) and some interesting people to deliver that message and I'll be all ears.
JohnnyAces
From another "committed independent" .......Alleluia
OHNOTAGAIN
Yes,
Her initial approach turned me off. Talking down to Community Organizers when she started in public office as a PTA President!! After that statement, I really could not hear anything else she had to offer. It should me that she was a divider not someone that would bring the Country together.
possumdearie
Palin began her political career as a PTA mom. She never "talked down" to community organizers. She denounced rent-a-mobs like ACORN and MoveOn.org.
rivenburgh
The Community Organizer crack was just one of many nasty, unpleasant attacks in her convention speech. (Yes, possumdearie, she did make fun of Obama's time as an organizer.) The right wingers ate it up, but many of us were forever turned off after that.
NDeeeZ
Possumdearie--
She RELENTLESSLY lampooned and mocked community organizers! It was red meat to her followers, and she played every card she had, whether they were true or not! "Thanks, but no thanks" ring a bell?
And I agree with others; she didn't have a 'secret lobotomy;' you, Reihan, fell out of love with her and began seeing what the rest of us had seen from almost the first foot she put in her mouth!
communityguy
@possumdearie
"Palin began her political career as a PTA mom."
And I began my career in marketing buy products.
"She never "talked down" to community organizers. She denounced rent-a-mobs like ACORN and MoveOn.org."
Are. You. Kidding?? Watch her convention speech again.
bobmart
Talk about a divider!!!! Mr. Obama has set this country back 50 years. Martin Luther King must be turning over in his grave. In less than 100 days look what he has done. His administration has called a segment of U.S. citizens TERRORIST. Martin Luther King marched against Goverment policy, today Obama would consider him Terrorist Number One!!!!!!!!!
Bigdog
Sandras
To Bobmart who says: "His [Obama's] administration has called a segment of U.S. citizens TERRORIST." Well,Mr. Bobmart: duh, there is a segment of U.S. citizens that are domestic terrorists - they are the right wing extremists that spawned the likes of TImothy McVeigh, and if Obama's administration is working to ensure this never happens again, well, I think that either you are just another partisan obstructionist who spouts idealogy over the well being of his country - or, you are a member of the right wing.
possumdearie
Rivenburgh and Communityguy, I have watched the RNC convention speech several times, and when she makes fun of Obama's stint as a community organizer (in response to several digs about her being the mayor of a small town), she said the difference between being mayor and a community organizer is that one has actual RESPONSIBILITY.
Meaning one is an elected official accountable to their constituents, while the other registers dead people, pets and the Dallas Cowboys to vote in crooked elections.
Sandras, Explain to me why every person on the FBI Most Wanted List is a left-wing exremist but yet, the FBI have none of your so-called "right-wing extremists" even on their watch list?
Four from ELF or ALF, two Black Liberation Army Members and four Communist radicals.
wwwDOTfbiDOTgov/wanted/fugitives/dt/fug_dtDOThtm
This DHS "report" is a farce. You know it. I know it, and everyone else knows it.
orsay54
So True. This author deluded himself into making her what he wanted her to be. Her antics COULD NOT BE FORGIVEN & WERE NOT FORGIVEN!!..We saw what the author REFUSED to see, until she SLAPPED his sensibilities in the face. To me the slap was at the Republican convention speech. For the author to say her antics could be forgiven is quite naive, in this era of partisanship!!
schmoozercp
I am a Liberal Democrat residing in Georgia. One of the few. The many Conservative Republicans who I know and there are plenty to go around here, cannot get over the fact that they had their asses kicked this past November. My answer to them has been. The GOP and the associated voters picked a tired old man with a tired old message as their Presidential candidate, then they picked a Vice Presidential candidate with no message at all.
I agree with the statements made by FNYGY1, Palin is an empty suit.
Is now and always has been.
The Democratic party ran a flawless campaign, President Obama never lost his cool, he was able to stay on message, the timing was perfect, considering the Bush years, the dismal approval rating, etc., etc., etc.
Just what did the GOP expect? They received what they asked for. Now Palin is crying about the defeat and how she was treated. Pull up your Big Girl Pants Sarah and go home. It is my hope that she does run for national office again then we will have another look at a truly inept person. The GOP is leaderless now, they rolled out Bobby Jindal not long ago with the luke warm speech. What a weak transparent effort. Is that the best of the GOP? Well I guess it is.
It is my hope that all the Republicans stay miserable for at least the next 8 years.
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whatchutalkinbout
A secret lobotomy?? No - she's the same old reckless, feckless, entitled and arrogant dumb dumb she's ever been. You just woke up and smelled the coffee! Good Morning!
zanbyrd
Yes, "Reaganite fembot caricature" is so perfect!
drkaza12
she's more like a joseph mccarthyite fembot. but the question is why does the right wing hate America?
blackdog2
You are absolutely right! She was dumb from day one. Some people were in major denial. It's not like we can't say "told you so!"
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VenusMuse
dumb? who's calling Palin dumb?
wake up! Palin is quite an accomplished and successful woman, not to mention she can run rings with her speechs (no teleprompter needed) around Obama.
TheRamblingExpatriate
@ whatchutalkinbout - Exactly right.... some are finally waking as the "kool-aid" fumes of the last years finally evaporate. Through a foggy stupor some are realizing... Hmmm if it walk, talks and acts like an egotistical and selfish idiot, perhaps it is one.
.... come to the light, it's safe in the light.
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persimmonmuse
It always has been painful for me to see Sara Palin as a public official. From the moment she opened her mouth I saw and felt her as one of the most immature and unwise women in the public eye.
For her own sake she should not be given any type of power...as she is not intelligent or experienced in life to deal with it constructively. Given any type of power she becomes vindictive and a tyrant. She has little to no discrimination.
And one of the tests of maturity is to take personal criticism...something this woman has not a clue how to do.
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carolr51
I never did get why anyone ever took her seriously. I had never heard of her, but her speech at the Repulican Convention told me what I needed to know.
connie47
Speaking as an independent, I never did see what others saw in her. The ability to deliver a red meat partisan speech with great passion does not interest me in a candidate for higher office, but to give Mrs. Palin her due, she certainly did that with flair and style. Then she opened her mouth without a script and I completely lost interest in and respect for her, and I was equally disappointed in the Republican Party because of their choice.
blackdog2
"Flair and style?" We weren't watching the same person obviously. All those tacky, immature comments about being a community organizer? Flair and style...I think not!
inexpugnable0199
Flair and Style is doublespeak for "hot as hell"
DeeAmbro
That is the problem in a nutshell. We (voters) have let them (the power brokers) give us personalities instead of substance. Yes, Sarah was a very good actress...just like Ronnie and Arnold. But actors don't make good leaders. When will we learn? Maybe we have. The greatest sexual political come-on failed!
leslie1
You have to have a brain to perform a lobotomy.
MoeJoe
Bummer... you beat me to the punch, but it is as simple as that!
muddog
Reihan.
Even a cursory look when she was running for President, err I mean Vice President one could surely tell she was totally out of her league. But the G.O.P. had to "prop" up a Woman to compete with Hillary who they thought early on would take the nomination ( not so much ), then they "propped" up an African American Michael Steel to show how "Diverse" they are. Simply inserting a candidate ( fill in the blank ) to instantly transform your party is cheap and frankly stupid.
The Hypocrisy is so blatant, can you imagine if the Obama's had 5 kids and one was pregnant out of wedlock by some black thug???? But if you are white, a little slow and hunt, then you are forgiven, heck you are CELEBRATED!!.
Sarah Palin has not had some secret lobotomy, she is as stupid now as she was 6 months ago.
Her campaign "Antics" cannot be forgiven, it shows that the G.O.P. still thinks this is 1994, sorry but the world has changed and your age is showing. The G.O.P. has to rid itself of the wingnut base, or @ least minimize it's whacky tendencies in order to survive, as a life long Democrat I hope the G.O.P. comes back a stronger, smarter and more enlightened party, but with Palin, Limbaugh, Coulter, Fox New, Michelle Malkin etc etc etc one wonders.........
Enjoy the wilderness...
DevilsLawyer
I lean left of center, and I hope the GOP can get itself to fighting trim, too. It's not the conservative party, it's now the party of nuts. There's been an exodus of non-nutty conservatives to the Democratic Party, resulting in that party's lack of policy coherence. That's why the real policy debates are taking place between Democrats, and not between Democrats and Republicans.
ladybastet
"The Hypocrisy is so blatant, can you imagine if the Obama's had 5 kids and one was pregnant out of wedlock by some black thug???? But if you are white, a little slow and hunt, then you are forgiven, heck you are CELEBRATED!!."
AMEN to that! As a lifelong Dem myself, I have to say that is the most accurate assessment there has been since the election itself. It amazes me how many evangelical right-wing nutcases forget that "the truth will set you free."
As for the article itself, I tried to read it from the perspective of a republican, which I am not so it doesn't come so easy. =/ At any rate, I respect what seemed to me to be a fairly open and honest expression of your view of Gov. Palin. That gives me further hope that there are people on the right that don't continually remain blinded by partisan agenda - something both sides can be guilty of, but it does seem that we Dems are more readily able to admit when someone in our party is wrong (Rod Blagojevich, Joe Lieberman, et al.).
I can honestly say that I was never very impressed with Palin at all. No, not because I'm a Democrat - I have respect for many Repubs like Olympia Snowe even if I don't agree with their views. In fact I was totally confused why everyone seemed to be so impressed by her first speech. It was harsh, polarizing, divisive, and sarcastic. It left me with nothing more than a look of disgust on my face. She didn't even deliver it well! She was overly stiff and came across as insincere. It was obvious she wasn't the author of the speech. (I know politicians rarely are but they usually can deliver a speech in such a way as to cause one to overlook this.) Compared to the speeches she gave on the campaign trail I found her convention speech to be shameful, but to be fair as she got her feet wet campaigning she came across with more of the lively passion that seems to be one of her stronger abilities.
Now after the campaign is over she still fumes about the Katie Couric interviews and SNL. It's funny how she didn't seem to mind going on snl so much and kept talking to the press dispite claiming there was a "media filter," or at least talked to the press as much as the McCain campaign seemed to let her - their reluctance raised many eyebrows.
Simply put: she was a disaster and if the GOP does want to have a headstone with RIP on it they're going to have to find someone that can do more than "fire up the base."
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maryyooch
You just nailed it!
The speech Painlin gave at the RNC was a total turnoff. I am so sick and tired of divisive politics. Why can't they respectfully run on real issues instead of social opinions? The GOP wants smaller goverment, but at the same time they want to regulate our bodies and sex lives. How about regulating the crooks on Wall St and the souless bastards that tried to authorize torture!?!
whatchutalkinbout
Undergone a secret lobotomy?? No...she's the same old reckless, feckless, arrogant, entitled dumb dumb she's always been....you just woke up and smelled the coffee! Good Morning Reihan!
AndreainNY
Palin spoke to a certain group of Americans. That group has been consistently ridiculed, which is unfortunate.
Maybe Palin supporters simply do not appreciate being spoken down to and were happy to have someone who finally understood them and respected their values.
I wasn't a Palin supporter once I had some time to evaluate her, but I always sympathized with her supporters. They were, and still are, trashed on a regular basis.
bluehawaii
They haven't been trashed remotely as much as they deserve to be.
The right-wingers will loudly tell you that there's no such thing as a free lunch, but then they assert that the brainless are automatically entitled to respect.
AndreainNY
They don't deserve to be trashed. You should examine your need to trash them. Would this be the same need to judge and denigrate that you despise in her supporters?
Many of the people criticizing Palin are rather nasty and not quite as intelligent-sounding as they might think they are.
namedujour
Do you really think Sarah Palin didn't "speak down" to her supporters? Everything she said was in the tone and cadence of a mother serving peanut butter and jelly to a six-year-old. Listen to clips of her talking to and about the "good American people." Listen to her tone when she talks about that bad man, Barack Obama, and those bad people, the Democrats. It would have been jaw-droppingly condescending, had Sarah been consciously simpering to Republicans, instead of just moving her roll of "mom" to the national stage.
And Republicans ate it up. All that comfort food.
Then Dad (John McCain) came up and made speeches, and answered questions as if he were reading Republicans a bedtime story. Listen to the clips and the sing-song in his voice. I'm serious. Replace all his talk about national security with The Three Bears and see if his tones aren't appropriate for a fairy tale. (And that creepy smile...consider having that corpse grin looking down at you as you get ready for sleep...)
This parental concern you picked up from them was all on a subconscious level, mind you. Unless you snapped yourself out of "Make it better, Mommy and Daddy," and listened to them with your intellect, as an adult, you could get sucked into it, as so many were.
Yikes. I'm so glad Palin is taking a political dive. She was some scary stuff. Finally Republicans are shaking loose of that "feel good" trance and listening to the words.
DeaconDrJones
Listen to Bush's yellow cake speech. Same bedtime story! I think you nailed it.
possumdearie
"Yes, We Can!" isn't patronizing? It's lighter than The Little Engine Who Could. It wasn't even original; Obama lifted that from Cesar Chavez.
rivenburgh
And let's not forget Jindal's Mr. Rogers speech. Apparently the right-wing base just wants to be told it's going to be okay, there there.... We'll get those nasty liberals and terrorists and scientists.
possumdearie
Listening to Jindal speak makes watching paint dry an adrenaline rush by comparison. That being said, he's been pretty easy on Obama, he is a frightfully smart man, and he's a good Governor in Louisiana.
vi-lontano
I think think what you are actually seeing is a back lash.
The radical right, which is Palin's base, have been trashing the rest of America for years....
if we are not evangelical Christians who believe George Bush is/was the prophet of God and have the Audacity to exercise our first amendment right (they only seem to acknowledge the sanctity of the second amendment, and a distorted interpretation at that) to political speech we were/are:
Godless
immoral
anti-American
traitors
treasonous
emboldening our enemies
communists (read Democrats)
socialists (read Democrats)
terrorists (read Democrats...
yada yada yada
with that said I agree
the way to "defeat" this rigid, isolated portion of American society is to treat them better then they treat us...
....yes they are very rigidly conservative but mostly they are scared that diversity means their "way of life" will be marginalized...
and they fear this because they are clearly a minority in the American landscape
But they still need jobs, health care, safety and education for their children
all areas of common political ground
and I think most Americans do believe that respecting our differences is what makes us great....and that we disagree with them but that does not believe we need to wipe them off the face of the earth (which is of course what they seem to want to do to us : )
inexpugnable0199
You are a very nice person.
redshoes
And the far left has only had nice things to say.
inexpugnable0199
The fact that she speaks stupidese should not be a political qualification.
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Twisted
This author is a delusional simpleton, Sarah and first dude Todd Palin embody all the traits of trailerpark culture and intelligence. Refusal to adhere to the rule of law and blatant racism aren't the traits i look for in a leader. Ms palin's lack of education and culture should have been a dead give away for anybody. Don't admit you supported her you make yourself sound very stupid.
Hawnzz
This author is actually a very smart man. Perhaps he wanted to see things that weren't there, but don't we all do that? I'd seen this author speak and have been impressed. (And I'm not impressed easily... )
cbeenthere
You might want to see the New America Foundation site. Rachel Maddow had someone on last night from there, and I was impressed with him.
yweston
You're right this author is smart. I've seen him on several programs. It amazes me that "smart people" could not see through Palin. That woman is driven by ambition. She was in no way ready for Prime Time. She never paid attention to "foreign" affairs until August 26. She came in swinging about Obama associates and look at the criminals in her family.
DeaconDrJones
Even smart people can delude themselves. I wonder, am I one of his sneering liberals? (twirls mustache)
toad46
In some ways, maybe. But a really smart man would at least consider the possibility that his earlier admiration for Palin was misguided.
Instead, he focuses entirely on what he sees as changes in Palin. Maybe Palin hasn't changed, and is as ridiculous as she ever was, but Salam can't bring himself to even mention the possibility that he was wrong. That's not the mark of a reflective, intelligent, individual.
jaguarxjs
Well, this is what happens when you support a vacuous idiot. Live and learn, live and learn.
museweaver
And folks this is why we must so careful about what we read & who we believe...This yahoo blogger is now disappointed in Sarah---boo hoo--Get this, 'he's a fellow at The America Foundation'...sounds impressive, yes...I bet it did when/if you ever read any of his bloggings before Sarah's idiot non-son-in- law disillusioned him...poor fellow....taken in by Sarah's bullshit and now he's sad cuz a 19 year twit kid revealed something about this wacked out family that this blogger now thinks will keep Sarah out of the White House---remember this, fellow, the next time you get seduced by a woman....I bet this very informed fellow from the american foundation gets worked by women all the time...anything for a little attention, eh fellow?
cbeenthere
Rachel Maddow had Steve Clemons on last night from the New America Foundation. I was impressed with him. I had never heard of this foundation before, and am always cautious about so named "groups". I am going to follow Rachel's lead, but will be sure to check this author out. Not impressed with his reasoning so far, but will check it out.
Redhead5050
This woman is too stupid to know that she is making a fool of herself. Give it up, sarah and go hunting. You seem to think you are good at that too....
GeorgeB
I like her because she gives hunting a bad name.
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