PrintNovember 26, 2010
Holding Sarah Palin to Her Promise
In a recent interview, Sarah Palin said to the interviewer that she will consider running for president if there is no one willing to do the job and take on the problems facing America. I think America is going to have to hold her to that promise.
I can't think of a reason why Palin would want to be president and move to Washington. She clearly loves Alaska and has a wonderful family who also love Alaska as home. Palin clearly has a good thing going with the influence she has on national politics and election cycles. On a personal level, she has been able to amass a small fortune in being who she is. I don't begrudge her the fortune, and I don't blame her for her love of the wild beauty of Alaska.
I can't think of a single reason she would want to move to an urban environment often choked with crime and poverty. I can't think of a good reason why she should want even more scrutiny into her life and her doings with her children and submit to being organized 24 hours a day. I can't think of why she would want to brave the wall of vitriol that would come from the left as well as many Republican establishment types. Make no mistake that if she does run for president, you can expect every rude, misogynistic, and disgusting word in several languages to be thrown her way.
In fact, there is only one reason I can ask Sarah Palin to brave the sewers of a presidential run. The reason is that we need her.
The brutal reality of America is that an aristocracy has developed in Washington against the wishes of the founders of this country. The Republican Party "insiders" are just as deep in the corruption and aristocratic thinking as the liberal elites. If anyone ever needed convincing of the deep disregard in which the aristocracy holds the serfs, the "insiders'" reaction to the Tea Party movement answered that question. In such an atmosphere of aristocratic minds, who else would be able to cut them down to size and remind them that they work for the people of America? Would Romney, with his own aristocratic flair and his own version of Obamacare, be willing to curtail the reach of the aristocrats into our lives? Would politician-turned-talk show host Huckabee be willing to rein in the very people who supported him in his political life? Sarah Palin is one of few politicians who have fearlessly taken on the establishment, both Democrat and Republican, with a consistent message about the enforcement of the constitution and the returning of government to the people.
However, the need to curtail the aristocracy isn't the only issue that drives the need for President Palin. There are other lesser-known politicians who have taken on the establishment, such as Chris Christie. However, only Palin has shown the charisma and powerful speaking skills that can pack an auditorium to a sold-out crowd ten minutes after announcement. Unlike Obama, Palin is an old-style speaker, referring to her notes and adding in her own personal touches. She doesn't usually need a teleprompter because she believes what she says. Most politicians, on the other hand, say what they feel is popular at the time; their speeches are carefully prepared by experts and preened to play to the latest polling data. Palin is a rare person in politics who speaks from the heart.
Mrs. Palin also has a unique trait that comes with few politicians of our time. That is the ability to see that the law is done regardless of her personal beliefs. Personally, I am an agnostic and libertarian, and when I see that she vetoed a law that denied benefits to same-sex couples in Alaska -- not because of her religious beliefs, but because it was unconstitutional according to the Alaskan constitution -- I stand up and cheer. A governor putting her beliefs first would approve the law and take their chances with the court, but Palin chose the novel path of obeying her oath of office. A president is a servant of the people charged with enforcing the constitution and protecting the people from all enemies of the USA. It is not for the president or a governor to "interpret" or otherwise circumvent the law. When asked about the veto, Palin responded that if people wish to change the constitution, then there is a process for that.
While Mrs. Palin is a deeply religious woman, she doesn't try to press that on the rest of us. I can go to see her speak and leave comfortably feeling that my agnostic conservative friends are not being marginalized. This is something I can't say about other major conservative public figures such as Glenn Beck. Although I have many beliefs in common with Beck, when he goes on the religious tangent, I am left feeling very uncomfortable in my agnosticism, as if those of us who are conservative agnostic or perhaps atheists are lacking in morality. On the other hand, Mrs. Palin manages to inject her religious beliefs into her speech without inspiring offense or implying moral superiority over those of other views.
Another trait that sets Mrs. Palin aside from the rest of the pack is her devotion to America. Mrs. Palin speaks with pride and joy about the unique place that is the United States of America. I can't see her cutting down our troops, declaring our culpability for the world's woes, or berating the people of America for being stupid, or throwing a tantrum, as others in the media and politics have done. Palin would be a strong figure in international politics and a tough president to those who would do America harm. Palin is utterly fearless, willing to take on her own party, the other party, the Federal Reserve, and anyone else who needs to be taken on to forward the interest of America.
Finally, Mrs. Palin is an intelligent and savvy person. The liberal media and establishment Republicans have spent two years trying to alternately paint her as stupid or Machiavellian. They can't seem to make up their mind whether she is smart and evil or dumb and incredibly lucky. Neither strategy has worked. As Palin's knowledge of policy, economics, and government has grown, so has the counter-story being put out by the establishment. Thanks to the internet, people can look up Palin's past, listen to her speeches, and examine her record; the need to rely on the "big three" news services has been supplanted by the internet. Furthermore, on those same sites, Palin's foes have been revealed as nasty, misogynistic, and potentially violent people. Through just being Palins, Palin and her family have exposed the hatred of the left,
I won't be a bit surprised if Sarah Palin doesn't particularly want to be president, and I can think of a million reasons why she would not want to run. However, I cant imagine anyone else who would be able to pull us out of the mess we are in, reign in the aristocracy, encourage our allies, intimidate our enemies, and believe what she says while doing it all. President Palin wouldn't merely encourage young women by being the first female president; she would be a great president. Palin is not Reagan, but she could be just as great as Reagan.
I am sorry, Sarah Palin, but we need you to serve -- and for that, we need you to run.
See also: Don't Do It, Sarah, The Palin Factor: Even Republican Elites Don't Get It
See also: Don't Do It, Sarah, The Palin Factor: Even Republican Elites Don't Get It
