Some of the post-election Sarah Palin stories -- Palin the diva or wacko, Wasillabilly shopping sprees, Palin the clueless during debate prep and the like --generated lots of gleeful snark. They hit the news for their irony, strangeness and humor. Palin responded with staged "outrage" at the press, the blogoshpere and the unnamed McCain campaign sources.
Buried within these stories is a more telling bit: her strange reluctance to go on stage with, or to acknowledge the presence of, New Hampshire's GOP senate and house candidates, while campaigning in New Hampshire. Her intolerance of moderates is a recurring character trait that will serve progressives well if she continues to rise in the GOP.
Newsweek's 2008 campaign history issue includes a number of now well-known slams on Palin (attributed to unnamed McCain aides or otherwise based on "imbedded reporting"), and scenes that are by turns humorous, irritating or disturbing. The scene that sticks in my mind a few days after reading the issue is her unwillingness during the heated New Hampshire campaign to share the stage with, or to acknowledge, key local moderate Republicans because they do not follow her narrow social conservatism or her provincial Alaskan goals:
The day of the third debate, Palin refused to go onstage with New Hampshire GOP Sen. John Sununu and Jeb Bradley, a New Hampshire congressman running for the Senate [sic: Bradley was running to recapture the house seat he lost in '06 to Carol Shea-Porter], because they were pro-choice and because Bradley opposed drilling in Alaska. The McCain campaign ordered her onstage at the next campaign stop, but she refused to acknowledge the two Republican candidates standing behind her.
Way to show maturity and leadership, Sarah. Your intolerance and vindictiveness, which emerged as character traits during your short career in Alaska, continue to define you.
Many on the right seek to anoint Palin as the new leader, and future salvation, of the republican party. We can only hope they continue to do so. She is, of course, likely to be a gift that keeps on giving to late night comedians, NPR game shows, pajama-wearing bloggers and snarky pundits. More seriously, if her intolerance of moderate and center-right politicians who don't toe the line is reconfirmed as the republican credo, the party's time in the wilderness will extend well into the future.
The hard right 'base' of the GOP is trying to reassert its death-grip on the party with her at its head. Well, fine. Let them stay in starry-eyed love with Palin. Her small-minded intolerance will continue to tarnish her star with the diminishing moderate wing of the party, and the independents they need to win, driving them out. The more exclusive the GOP, the better for us.
It is no slam dunk that the GOP stays with her in 2012, of course. At a minimum, her intolerance of Sununu and Bradley will make it interesting for her in the 2012 New Hampshire primary. I doubt that the folks who worked (unsuccessfully) to save Sununu or reinstall Bradley will forget her behavior. New Hampshire republicans tend to be socially moderate though fiscally conservative, and independents are critical there. Good Luck, Sarah, in the snows of 2011-12.
Incidentally, Palin's apparent anger at folks who don't do what Alaska's politicians want them to do for Alaska, sounds a lot like the rants of Ted Stevens and Don Young. I don't know if that's a required strand of Alaska GOP DNA, but it does seem to come with the territory.