Strengthening Constitutional Self-Government

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Palin in Debate

Over on the Corner Byron York observes Palin in her debate in the 2006 Republican primary against incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski, noting that she was very good. I saw on C-SPAN her general election debate against Democrat Tony Knowles and thought the same thing: she really knows the details of Alaska’s energy business and spoke fluidly and concisely about the details, many of which I found arcane and hard to follow. I’m sure Biden is watching these videos and realizing that he’s got his hands full. (Someone else noted that she often answered questions so concisely that she used only half her allotted time. Since Biden’s worst enemy is his own mouth, she might well win the debate by allowing Biden to ramble on.)

But this raises a larger point: The left and the media are trying to force Palin into a rigid social-con box, but if you watch her on the stump, in debates, and her record in offce, one thing become clear: she’s much more about bread and butter issues and good government that a frothy social-con agenda. Sure, she has social-con views, but what people don’t recognize is that she exudes Alaska’s very libertarian, live-and-let-live attitude, such that her expressed policy views are much more moderate. The point is, she’s not from Arkansas.

Discussions - 5 Comments

"The point is, she’s not from Arkansas."

Too bad she wasn't - I doubt very much that the Clintons would have been able to deal with Sarah Barracuda. She would have cut off his you know what and delivered them in a jar to Hillary smiling sweetly. She would have done the female population in Arkansas a great deal of service as well as the interns in the White House.

"The point is, she’s not from Arkansas."

Got any other left-wing cliches you want to reinforce? Sheese ... why not just come out and say "she's not an inbred hill-billy"?


Lets face it...We all know Charlie Gibson will be given a list of questions about stupid crap when he interviews her later this week...Inane stuff about how she likes to make mooseburgers & coach horse hockey...What I can't wait to see is her in the debate against Biden! Those glasses of hers are only going to magnify that deer in the headlights look!!! Tell that "pitbull with lipstick" to put her big girl pants on and show the country she's not going to pick up her toys and leave when its RUSSIA "picking on her". Go ahead & try to keep her under wraps RepubliCONs...It just makes us wonder even more what you're hiding ....

Steve: take a look at this very interesting column and note especially the author's take on "Western" conservatism. I think this fits with your comment about Arkansas. Such people advocate social virtues primarily because they are practical. They know virtue is necessary to obtain and, later, to keep success. I'd only add to Baker's column that it's more "Mid-Western/Western" conservatism or, possibly, a kind of pioneer/frontier spirit that appeals about her. But the Midwest (and certainly Ohio) was the first western frontier so perhaps it's all the same thing.

She's conservative, but her conservatism is not that of the intolerant, uncomprehending white male sort that has so hurt the party in recent years.

Speaking as a life-long forty-something Republican conservative, I don't have the foggiest idea what this is supposed to mean. There are many people "on the right" who have this knee-jerk need to bash other people on the right in order to prove to the people they want to impress, that people on the left, how very sophisticated they are.

The people who are intolerant and uncomprehending in the GOP are the same people who have these qualities in the Democratic Party - the liberals. I've met plenty of "extreme right wingers" and to a man and woman, they are the nicest, most decent people you could hope to know.

Oh, and deduct an extra five points for the inane "white male" moronicity.

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