I have long had enormous respect for Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham, but that respect is turning south rather rapidly.
First, Ann Coulter not only chooses to headline a talk for sodomites (Republican sodomites, but sodomites nonetheless), she decides to become a member of their board of advisors.
Sad.
Then, Ann and Laura together decide to trash Sarah Palin.
Now, I don't mind that they don't think Palin can win the Presidency against Obama. To be honest, given how badly smeared she's been in the media, I'm not sure Palin should run for President right now. She's got to build trust with a lot of different constituencies that have been frightened off by the bellowing MSM beast.
But the attack A&L launched against Palin seemed quite over the top, and I couldn't figure out why they had gone ballistic.
What I now find is that this joint assault happens just a few days after Palin's Indianola speech.
This is fascinating, especially given A&L's major complaint about Palin.
According to them, Palin "isn't capable of digging deep" on policy.
Hmmm...
What odd timing for such a complaint...
For in her Indianola speech, Palin points out that the current political fight is not between Republicans and Democrats. The current fight is between, on the one hand, entrenched corporate interests and sitting political figures who constitute one incestuous block of power, and on the other, the small-business owners and normal main-street Americans who make up the portion of America that actually does some decent, honest work.
And it's not like there lacks concrete evidence for this contention. One need only look at the NYC 9/11 commemoration, which has banned the attendance of all the "little people" - like priests, ministers, firefighters and policeman - in order to make room for the important people. And why shouldn't they be banned? Slaves aren't welcomed as guests at their master's functions.
For someone who "isn't capable of digging deep" on policy, Palin's assessment of current policy is so accurate that even her mortal enemy, the New York Times, recognized and applauded her for it.
And we won't even mention all the other policy calls Palin has made (first to promulgate the death panels, major proponent of drilling, etc.), every one of which has turned out be dead-on accurate.
Indeed, Sarah Palin appears to be the only member of the political class who not only understands what current policy does, but is also willing to tell main-street Americans the unvarnished truth about it.
Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham seem unhappy about that.
Which makes me wonder why....
10 comments:
Talk about unlikely bedfellows! Ingraham, who prominantly wears a Miraculous Medal, and Coulter, who has kind of an R-rated sense of humor. But they both need to be in with the establishment types that write their paychecks and use them to elect people like G.W. Bush--"pretend-conservatives."
Why did they attack Palin? Because Sarah drew the real line in the sand, instead of the contrived one the establishment wants us to believe. BTW Steve, welcome back! I thought you moved to another country!
Well, I don't like to write just to write.
I wait until I have something to say... :)
I would rather that Sarah Palin run and fail, then wait till the timing is better. And yes, I was disappointed by Laura and Ann's remarks...
I think the problem with their criticism of Palin's speech is for all the "insight" there really wasn't much insight.
She was basically trying to go all William Jennings Bryan "Cross of Gold." Conservatives should know better than to adopt that wild populist rhetoric.
Pointing out these flaws is one thing, advocating something to put in place of it is entirely another. And on that score, Palin's answers fall flatter than can be.
Kevin,
You can't fix a system unless you know what's wrong with it.
Diagnosis is critical.
Palin is excellent at policy diagnosis.
It is true that coming up with a solution to the problem is not the same as diagnosing it. However, everyone else out there refuses to publicly diagnose the problems in any substantive way.
Thus, I would say A&L's critique, "Palin doesn't dig deep on policy", is wrong-headed precisely because neither Ann nor Laura have been as successful as Palin in concisely diagnosing what's wrong.
A&L complain that Palin doesn't present treatments when neither Ann nor Laura can even articulate the problem accurately.
Diagnosis has to be public so that everyone is aware of what the problem is.
Policy, on the other hand, is something that is often done behind close doors in order to protect easily bruised egos.
Since Palin has already demonstrated the ability to solve very serious policy problems in Alaska, I'm not very concerned about her ability in that regard in higher office.
My problem with the "evil corporations" against "the working man" is that it really is limited.
It explains the problem with some things. Yet now we've reached the point where even those big evil corporations loathe the regulation Obama and friends are proposing. (Before, they were fine using them to stifle their weaker competitors.)
This absurd regulation also effects the working man, or even the child who just wanted to run a lemonade stand, until the state government shut it down because the 5 year old ran one without a permit.
And besides, she really can't talk about the problems of government versus the private sector. Right, wrong, or indifferent, she quit her job as governor who was living modestly to become a multimillionaire bombthrower pundit.
One could just as easily say in these tough times, we need someone who actually knows what they are doing. Coulter and Ingrham do talk radio pretty darn well for their niches. (Coulter okay the written word.) Yet I would never consider electing either of them to high office.
One could hang Palin's resignation around her neck, but I see it as just one more sign that she really, really understands how policy is made.
In order to get government done, you have to have political capital to spend. She lost that bank account as a result of the MSM attack on her while in office.
I think she was right. As a result of the attacks, she couldn't accomplish anything else in office even if she wanted to, so she left.
Why do you think she hasn't announced for the Presidency yet? Same reason - she knows she doesn't have the suasion in the bank she needs in order to run a successful campaign. She's staying out and betting she can build the capital. I think she's doing it.
I don't think she's going to declare this year, not because the pundits hate her, but because she's smarter than the pundits. She knows what she can and what she can't. She's a hunter, so she knows how to be patient and wait for the right moment.
Personally, I think it would be disastarous if she declared for 2012. Would kill her "brand." I can see Obama beating both her and Bachmann, but not Perry or Romney.
Only problem is that her chances will look even less favorable in 2016. In 2016 you will have a ton of stars. Chris Christie, marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, maybe even a Scott Walker/ John kasich looking to light the base on fire.
You will have "establishment" guys like Bob McDonnell, who offers conservative solutions in Virginia, and is currently sitting at 62% approval in one of the most crucial states around.
The only plauisble path forward is for Palin to strike an alliance with either Perry or Romney: my endorsment for an important role in your administration.
She keeps her prominence up, and then in 2016 or 2020 (i think a republican victor will be a one-termer) she runs as someone who helped take over the establishment without compromising her principles.
The Republican farm system is deeper than it was in the 1980's. If they have another solid year in 2012, it will be the 1880-1930 era waiting in the wings.
Chris Christie has the same Islam problem Perry has, and it will only get worse as time goes on. I think the bloom is coming off that particular rose.
Bobby Jindal and Marco Rubio have constitutional issues - it's not clear that either one is a natural born citizen.
I've long said Palin is the kingmaker in this election - whoever she endorses will win. She can parlay that into pretty much any office she cares to name, and then Palin's star will be quite, quite different than it is now.
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