Neo-conservative former W speechwriter David Frum has been a critic of Sarah Palin since her grand debut last summer. Two days ago, he wrote a blog titled Good Reason to Fear Sarah Palin. Link. I recommend you read it and the attendant comments from the party faithful (and not so faithful), for they are not only entertaining, but revealing. The discussion provides good anecdotal support for this morning's highly revealing front page diary on Palin's approval and disapproval in the Republican party. To wit: a deep fissure is widening between the social conservatives and the other two legs of the party. The figure of Sarah Palin has rapidly become the focal point of this intra-party conflict. To better know the shape and momentum of this conflict kindly follow below the fold.
In reply to his former mentor Bill Kristol's painful-to-read defense of Palin, which concludes " What are they afraid of?", Frum writes
That’s easy to answer: They - we! - are afraid that Palin’s distinctive combination of sex appeal, self-pity, and cultural resentment has a following in today’s GOP. We are afraid that it is not utterly inconceivable that she could win the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, and we are afraid that if she did so she would lead the party to a 1964-style debacle, accompanied by unnecessary losses down the ballot.
Them's fightin' words. Frum goes on:
We are afraid that even if Palin does not win the nomination, that she will still help to brand the Republican party in a very damaging way...My friend and mentor Bill Kristol may think it is cowardly to take counsel of those fears. I think it is irresponsible not to..
Body blow.
Some were supportive:
If only she had the Department of Law to protect her from the scurrilous left leaning press.
Palin is a god send for the democrats. Find a shelf for her as quickly as possible,
Evidently, this poster hails from some part of fake America, where he/she has been warped by them libruls. He/she may even be a librul!
Others were really supportive:
Sara Palin is a laughing stock and has outlived the novel curiosity one has for a hillbilly, yet you cannot deny certain charm as long running series “Green Acres” proved.
That One is definately a librul. He/she was called out on it:
I had/have no particular opinion about Sarah Palin, one way or the other.
However, the comment above, by longtime troll XXXXXXXX', is symptomatic of the sort of classist, sexist hate that characterizes the modern left. Thus, if you didn't attend the Ivy League - you're a `hillbilly' ... If you speak with a particular accent, you're `from Green Acres', and what you do is solely for the `laughter' of sophisticates like Nathan, who believes that `coup' is spelled `koo'.
Fight! Fight! FIght!
Others were pragmatic.
Focus on the House. Baby steps are required to bring balance back to federal politics.
Yes, yes, we need balance. Like when the Congress was controlled by the Republicans, as was the Executive, which had been appointed by the Supreme Court on a 5/4 vote split along partisan lines. Guess who voted for Bush? Now that's what I call balance!
Others were fair and balanced:
She's better than Shrub, and he was elected twice. He was just as stupid and ill-informed, plus he rode his dad's coat tails into politics. At least Sarah tooth and clawed her own way to the top.
I love true grit! Also as much as I love Real Americans distancing themselves from, well, what they wrought. But hey, whatty gonna do?
Then you got the Ron Paulites:
The fact remains that by their vitriolic assaults on her, the hierarchies of both parties have revealed to us that it is their perception that she constitutes a threat to both of them.
And where were you "anti-statist" Libertarians in the lead up to the Iraq War? Oh yeah, skreeching at the top of your lungs for blood. America! Fuck YEah!
A little consistency would be nice... But there's more from this guy. (Yeah, he's gotta be a guy.)
The more that they attack her, the more that they try to diminish her, the greater her stature becomes in the consciousness of the rapidly enlarging mass of "ignorant beer swilling plebians, clutching their bibles and totting their guns" as the elites perceive them...their numbers increasing as the financial/fiscal schemes of the elites go awry, pushing up unemployment and general social distress and unrest
Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of right wing populism in the morning. Especially when fused with right wing pity:
I pity those that hurl hatred at her, yep eight years of frothing at the mouth hate hurled at Bush has the haters addicted to spewing hate.
That's right, dearie. We hate and fear your lunacy. Well, not so much fear your lunacy any more. We hate and mock it.
So what's all this mean? Well, like I started with, the crack between the social cons and the rest of the party is widening. Sarah Palin is the focal point of this fissure. We can see the shape and momentum of this in the polarizing discussion within the Republican Party. The Palinites support her a priori -- nothing will shake their faith in her. And woe to any Republican who goes against her As one poster wrote:
Why not admit your previous posts were pure rubbish Mr Frum? Are you now trying to justify your useless idiotic climb onto the MSM hate Governor Palin bandwagon?
Because, for the Right, the real issue always used to be:
Why this obsession with Palin when it's Obama the Americans have to fear?
But that is a dog that just don't hunt any longer. "Help, Mommy! There's a Liberal Under My Bed" is dead.
And it looks like hatred of Liberals is no longer enough to keep the Party together.
UPDTATE: Rec list? I must admit, I am surprised. Thanks. And please read the comments on Frum's Blog. The comments I did not include and flow of the discussion is good for another few laughs. And, as an added bonus, the increased traffic may help Frum, which in turns helps the Civil War.
Yes, I play chess.