Comments on: Sarah Palin: Conservative of the Year

By: RTM

RTM — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:32:53 +0000

You guys are to hard on Palin. She doesn’t appeal to a wide base, however, she has possesses many great qualities not the least of which she is likable and posses some star qualities and she can communicate. Whether she was casted upon the national scene too soon is another matter. She has a very large and loyal following. I would hate to see the republicans throw her away. She with all of her shortcomings is still the most recognisable republican in the country.

By: Conservatives and Liberals Agree on Significance of Sarah Palin - Liberal Values - Defending Liberty and Enlightened Thought

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:45:50 +0000

[...] Last week I noted that the conservative publication Human Events named Sarah Palin the conservative of the year. Today Crooks & Liars announces that Palin has been chosen as Wingnut of the Year. While one obviously sees the award as going to someone they have a favorable view of, and the other is awarding it based upon an unfavorable opinion, they do agree on Palin’s significance. Like her or dislike her, Sarah Palin deserves both awards. [...]

By: Ron Chusid

Ron Chusid — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:02:13 +0000

It was both a Hail Marry and a way to reduce his loses. Without Palin he risked having conservatives stay home. Putting Palin on the ticket may have both simultaneously reduced the risk of losing by Goldwater margins while also making it unlikely to actually win unless the gamble worked out.

One mistake he made was not vetting her. I doubt they realized how reactionary her views were, how many scandals surrounded her, and most importantly how unprepared she was to run on a national ticket.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:52:47 +0000

Ron – also true. Thinking about it that way, the Palin nomination was just the continuation of McCain’s attempt to appease the “base,” which I think worked quite well, at least in terms of making the election closer than it otherwise would have been(since the fundamentals were such that no Republican had much chance to win this year). Either way, McCain had a real opportunity to try to articulate a new vision of conservatism, possibly losing by Goldwater margins, instead of trying to make it close and “rally the base.” His choices were to guarantee a lasting impact on conservatism, or to throw a political Hail Mary in a desperate attempt to win an unwinnable election. He chose the Hail Mary.

By: Ron Chusid

Ron Chusid — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:35:31 +0000

Mark,

At first the nomination of McCain did appear to be a rejection of the more radical components of the GOP. However instead of running an honorable campaign as he promised, he increasingly pandered to the extremist elements, including choosing Palin as running mate.

It is possible that we might have entirely different issues in 2012 or 2016 and today’s left/right division will be radically different (as it now is compared to the pre-Bush era). Maybe someone we don’t expect will wind up leading the GOP. A lot can change, but for now it looks like the social conservatives and the Limbaugh mentality are dominating the party.

Without pandering to the far right, as with McCain picking Palin, there is far less enthusiasm, including volunteer workers and contributions, behind the Republican candidate. This makes it hard for other forces in the party to take control. However when they do go with someone like Palin they make it extremely unlikely to win a national election.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:51:44 +0000

Ron:
Agreed. And, unfortunately, I don’t have the answer to that question. In the long run, it will definitely happen; in the short run, I have no idea who will win out. But if McCain had chosen someone that was less “Red Meat” than Palin, I don’t think it would be an issue. Yes, the Talk-Radio crowd would have crowed about how the McCain-??’s failures proved them right, but I think it would have been in vain – the party infrastructure would have changed hands and the Talk Radio crowd’s influence would have waned.

By: Ron Chusid

Ron Chusid — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:22:46 +0000

Mark,

I agree that “Palin/Limbaugh/Malkin conservatism is electorally unsustainable.” The question is whether more principled and rational conservatives and moderates will take control of the GOP in the near future or if the religious right and Palin/Limbaugh types will continue to dominate for several years (even if it means losing most national elections).

Perhaps the best thing for the GOP, and the country, would be for Palin to be the 2012 nominee and lose in a landslide. That might shut up those who are claiming the GOP lost because they weren’t conservative enough (in a Palin sense) and bring about a change in control of the party.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:10:03 +0000

One article/post I’m working on right now makes the argument that the Palin pick was a seminal moment in temporarily deterring the death of the Republican establishment (which is sad, because a different pick would have given McCain a chance to articulate a new style of conservatism, albeit in a losing campaign, much as Goldwater did in 1964). In the long run, though, Palin/Limbaugh/Malkin conservatism is electorally unsustainable and will eventually give way to a new, as yet unknown, style of conservatism that has an actual philosophical basis.

By: Ann Coulter names Sarah Palin Conservative of the Year | Political Byline

Ann Coulter names Sarah Palin Conservative of the Year | Political Byline — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:04:02 +0000

[...] Air, Political Machine, Hullabaloo, The Reaction, Balloon Juice, Liberal Values, RADAMISTO, PoliBlog, Salon and The Other [...]

By: DB

DB — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:50:08 +0000

I hope Palin’s fame continues over the next couple of years when the “real” conservatives who want the Republican nomination get to release their own hounds on her. She may have gotten a little roughed up recently getting picked for the VP nod, but how will she hold up when conservatives start gunning for her ignorance?

By: Ron Chusid

Ron Chusid — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:55:08 +0000

Hopefully you are right, but as I’ve discussed in previous posts on this topic I see far too many signs that the right is moving in the Palin direction–at least in terms of who has the influence politically. There are other voices, but they are being marginalized by the GOP establishment.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:40:26 +0000

I have to say, I’m not so sure that this is the way conservatism is headed, at least not in the long run. Out of the ashes of talk-radio conservatism, there are a number of more intellectual conservatives beginning to make a push to retake the reins of conservatism ….how that will turn out, I have no idea. But their voices are definitely there, and growing louder (well as loud as a calm and rational voice can get). I call it the de-Malkinization of the Right.