Oct. 3, 2008
Palin, The Second Coming Of Reagan
National Review Online: Republicans Sigh In Relief As VP Nominee Embodies Spirit Of Comeback Reagan
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Republican vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks during a vice presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. (AP)
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Timeline Palin's Path A look at Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's life and career
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Photo Essay Sarah Palin Alaska's youngest and first female governor tabbed to be McCain's running mate.
‘The moral elements,” Clausewitz wrote, “are among the most important in war.” He was talking about such things as morale, confidence, and devotion to a cause. With a moral advantage, an outnumbered force may win a surprise victory. Without it, well-equipped legions may go down to defeat.
That’s the significance of Sarah Palin’s debate performance. After all the lousy news of recent weeks, Republicans were starting to get gloomy. Mostly because of financial turmoil, Barack Obama’s lead in the polls edged upward. John McCain’s “suspension” of his campaign failed to have the desired effect, and his position on the Paulson plan put him at odds with many Republicans. Palin herself contributed to the gloom by giving awkward interviews on television.
On the morning of the debate, NBC’s Chuck Todd came close to declaring the race to be over: “All the trend lines are pointing in Obama’s direction. . . . [Pointing to a series of battleground-state polls] This should really scare the McCain campaign. This thing - it’s at a tipping point.” There was speculation that a poor Palin performance could decisively tip the election to Obama. Her supporters held their breath.
A few minutes after she walked onto the stage, they could exhale. They were watching the poised and feisty Palin of the Republican convention, not the hesitant Palin of the Gibson and Couric shows. The election wasn’t over yet.
She bolstered Republican morale in other ways, too. In politics as in war, you have to rally the troops against an opponent. You also have to pick the right target. Focusing her fire on Joe Biden would not have helped much, since most Republicans don’t have strong feelings about him. Instead, she went after the One. During the debate, she nodded to Biden while throwing verbal daggers at Obama:
As she did at the Republican convention, she reminded people at the grassroots that she is one of them. “I think we need a little bit of reality from Wasilla Main Street there, brought to Washington, D.C.” Once again, the liberal elites will sneer at her background as a hockey mom and small-town mayor. The more they sneer, the more they’ll fire up the Republican volunteers.
Nothing in politics touches Republicans as deeply as the memory of Ronald Reagan. A few weeks ago, Michael Reagan made a remarkable comment: “Wednesday night I watched the Republican National Convention on television and there, before my very eyes, I saw my Dad reborn; only this time he’s a she.” By making this comparison, he perhaps said more than he realized. The Gipper did not always shine in debates and press conferences. He made mistakes that worried his aides and political allies. Still, he had a way of coming back and reenergizing the ranks.
In the debate, Palin summoned up the spirit of the comeback Reagan. She invoked his name and even adapted his most famous debate line when she said: “Say it ain’t so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again.”
So Republicans again have something to cheer about. In such a hostile political climate, they will need it.
By John J. Pitney Jr.
Reprinted with permission from National Review Online.
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- Palin, at nightmare just waiting to enter the White House.
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- It is interesting that the McCalin-Palin ticket is trying to smear Barack Obama now. I do recall that it was Senator McCain who came back from being a POW and dumped his crippled wife Carol, who had been a model before her horrible 1969 car accident. While stationed in Florida in 1976 he had extramarital affairs. He met Cindy McCain in April of 1979. He filed for divorce in January of 1980 and married Cindy McCain in May of 1980. Carol and John McCain had been good friends with Nancy and Ronald Reagan, which friendship cooled when they learned about Cindy. Read McCain''''s biography. It is all there on Wikipedia.
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- In their need to find something positive in Palin, the Republicans are making their panic over the campaign obvious. She may well become competent to serve at the national level, but she currently represents a state with the population of an average congressional district and once acted as a mayor of a town of about 7,000. After a few years, perhaps holding offices in the House of Representatives or the Senate, she might then bring competency, gravitas and experience to a Presidential campgain. At this point, however, the nation holds it breath when she faces even superficial questions and she cannot make an effective "attack" that does not include ludicrous and obvious lies. Perhaps that is sufficient to inspire Republicans, but I cannot see how this will pull votes from Independents or even catch any positive interest from a Democrat. How sad.
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- Am I the only one who thinks Palin''s accent is like Frances McDormand''s accent in "Fargo"???? Relax people, in a few weeks this nut job''s mug will just be a distant memory....go back to Alaska and start your re-election campaign. You''re gonna need to start early, because Alaskans know more about how nuts you are now..
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- Like him or not, Reagan had a worldview, a political philosophy. Palin is an empty vessel who regurgitates what she has absorbed in the last five weeks. This is what makes her dangerous as a potential president. A more accurate comparison really is George Bush. Who would Palin''s Cheney be? Who would actually formulate the policy that a Palin administration adopts? Don''t we want to elect the actual decision-makers?
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- By the way Reagan was great in "B CLASS MOVIES" I could see Sarah doing a great job in a spin-off title "MY NAME IS SARAH" A folksy, Joe-6-pack, sitcom.
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- It is funny, but the only thing I can remember about Reagan is that when he was confronted with issues he kept saying "I Don''t Remember". Trooper Gate? Hum? Bridge To No Where? Hum? Names of Newspapers you read? Hum? "THANKS BUT NO THANKS". Following 8 years of standing in it knee deep, you either get use to the smell or clean the House!
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- N = not
R = reality
O = oriented
N = nutjobs
R = requiring
O = obliteration
Toby2957..... I see your 3 and raise you 3 more! ;) - Reply to this comment
- Palin''s right there to drive the last nail in the coffin of Reaganism!
"There you go again" Sarah, still oohing and aahing over "deregulation" when we all know it''s you greedy Repug *** who got us into this mess in the first place!
Nice try, Miss Piggie! - Reply to this comment
- Ronald Reagan - 7 years as president of the Screen Actors'' Guild.
Sarah Palin - President of the Wasilla PTA
Ronald Reagan - 8 years as governor of California, the most populous state in the country, with an economy that''s larger than all but about a half-dozen countries.
Sarah Palin - 6 years as mayor of Wasilla, with fewer people than Smyrna, Delaware; 2 years as governor of Alaska, with about as many people in the whole state as there are in Memphis Tennessee.
Reagan - master communicator
Palin - "I''ll hafta get back to ya"
I can''t claim I knew Ronald Reagan or that he was a friend of mine, but Sarah Palin is no Ronald Reagan. - Reply to this comment
Ex-NBA ref Tim Donaghy 
