Conservatives Try To Come To Grips With Losing Part I: Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is a problem. It isn't just David Brooks saying so:

[Sarah Palin] represents a fatal cancer to the Republican party. When I first started in journalism, I worked at the National Review for Bill Buckley. And Buckley famously said he'd rather be ruled by the first 2,000 names in the Boston phone book than by the Harvard faculty. But he didn't think those were the only two options. He thought it was important to have people on the conservative side who celebrated ideas, who celebrated learning. And his whole life was based on that, and that was also true for a lot of the other conservatives in the Reagan era. Reagan had an immense faith in the power of ideas. But there has been a counter, more populist tradition, which is not only to scorn liberal ideas but to scorn ideas entirely. And I'm afraid that Sarah Palin has those prejudices. I think President Bush has those prejudices.

As Peggy Noonan summarizes:

But we have seen Mrs. Palin on the national stage for seven weeks now, and there is little sign that she has the tools, the equipment, the knowledge or the philosophical grounding one hopes for, and expects, in a holder of high office. She is a person of great ambition, but the question remains: What is the purpose of the ambition? She wants to rise, but what for? For seven weeks I've listened to her, trying to understand if she is Bushian or Reaganite—a spender, to speak briefly, whose political decisions seem untethered to a political philosophy, and whose foreign policy is shaped by a certain emotionalism, or a conservative whose principles are rooted in philosophy, and whose foreign policy leans more toward what might be called romantic realism, and that is speak truth, know America, be America, move diplomatically, respect public opinion, and move within an awareness and appreciation of reality.

But it's unclear whether she is Bushian or Reaganite. She doesn't think aloud. She just . . . says things.

And now it's Colin Powell, who says that Sarah Palin is not qualified to be President of the United States. BTW, on that same MTP, Andrea Mitchell on the follow-up panel echoes this exact point (i.e., that it costs McCain votes.)

Assigning a category for Palin without including Tail-gunner Joe McCarthy will be difficult for conservatives. Palin on the stump, saying things:

"We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C.," Palin said at a Greensboro, NC fundraiser Thursday. "We believe, we believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard-working, very patriotic, pro-America areas of this great nation.

[Editor's note: For Palin's benefit, here is a map of the pro-American parts of the US. It includes Alaska, at least the parts that aren't Alaska Independent Party. Palin can likely see much of it from her house.]:

And how do conservatives react?K-Lo at NRO may offer a lightweight and empty response, but she is typical of Sarah's fans, who also just "say things".

Palin didn't need Greek columns. People react to her because they believe she represents what the Greeks established.

Sure thing. In the spirit of "small d" democracy, let's note that Palin's fav/unfav ratings, dropping poll numbers and other hard evidence of her poor showing were used by editorial boards around the country to decide who to endorse.

In the first Democratic Presidential endorsement by the Chicago Tribune in 161 years:

McCain failed in his most important executive decision. Give him credit for choosing a female running mate--but he passed up any number of supremely qualified Republican women who could have served. Having called Obama not ready to lead, McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. His campaign has tried to stage-manage Palin's exposure to the public. But it's clear she is not prepared to step in at a moment's notice and serve as president. McCain put his campaign before his country.

In endorsing Obama, here's what the Salt Lake Tribune said:

Then, out of nowhere, and without proper vetting, the impetuous McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. She quickly proved grievously underequipped to step into the presidency should McCain, at 72 and with a history of health problems, die in office. More than any single factor, McCain's bad judgment in choosing the inarticulate, insular and ethically challenged Palin disqualifies him for the presidency.

And here's what the Kansas City Star said, in endorsing Obama:

Despite his age and previous health problems, McCain chose a vice presidential candidate who is so clearly unqualified for high office that the thought of her stepping into the presidency is frightening.

That irresponsible decision casts serious doubt on McCain’s judgment at this point in his political career. And over the past eight years, Americans have come to know, all too well, the high price of carelessness and ineptitude in the White House.

Here's the Tennessean:

Further, Obama demonstrated sound judgment in selecting as his running mate Sen. Joe Biden, whose experience and knowledge of foreign policy prepare him to step in if need be as chief executive. McCain's selection of Gov. Sarah Palin, by comparison, may have shown political savvy, but at the expense of offering a vice president the country could rally around.

Here's the Miami Herald:

A turning point came during the Republican convention, when he chose a long-shot for a running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, out of an apparent need to appease the right wing of the party. For all of her rhetorical skills on the campaign trail -- particularly in the attack mode -- Gov. Palin appears to know little about the issues and simply is not qualified to be commander in chief.

Here's the Oregonian:

Supporting her, McCain has offered the equally jaw-dropping claim that Sarah Palin knows more about energy than anyone else in the United States.

Having Palin a heartbeat from the presidency makes our own heart miss a beat.

The LA Times was scathing:

Indeed, the presidential campaign has rendered McCain nearly unrecognizable. His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was, as a short-term political tactic, brilliant. It was also irresponsible, as Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory. The decision calls into question just what kind of thinking -- if that's the appropriate word -- would drive the White House in a McCain presidency. Fortunately, the public has shown more discernment, and the early enthusiasm for Palin has given way to national ridicule of her candidacy and McCain's judgment.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Consider that while Mr. McCain selected as his running mate Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, a callow and shrill partisan, Mr. Obama selected Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware. Mr. Biden's 35-year Senate career has given him encyclopedic expertise on legislative and judicial issues, as well as foreign affairs.

The Houston Chronicle:

Perhaps the worst mistake McCain made in his campaign for the White House was the choice of the inexperienced and inflammatory Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Had he selected a moderate, experienced Republican lawmaker such as Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison with a strong appeal to independents, the Chronicle's choice for an endorsement would have been far more difficult.

Note how they all feel the need to comment on Palin's inadequacy as a viable candidate in making the choice for Obama. No surprise there; it was a key and obvious McCain error in judgment to pick such a spectacularly unvetted and unqualified individual for VP. She's done so badly, in fact, that her future political career is very much in doubt, no matter how much K-Lo loves her. [As far as K-Lo's judgment goes, Rick Santorum isn't looking too good as either Senate or SCOTUS material these days.]

If conservatives can't come to grips with what a poor choice Palin has turned out to be – anti-intellectual, uncurious, know nothing, unqualified and unserious – they will never understand why they are about to be out of power, let alone how to get back from out of the intellectual wilderness Palin is leading them into.