Category | Op Ed

Throwing Palin overboard

Published on November 17, 2009 by Matthew Cole

If, like me, you spend any amount of time perusing the politics section in Borders, you have no doubt seen “Going Rogue,” the newly released book by Sarah Palin, on display. I guess she gave the book this title because “Maverick” had become overused to the point of absurdity during the presidential campaign. Whatever she chooses to call herself, she has certainly managed to defy all the expectations of a rational society by tapping into a potent electoral base on the far-right.

I guess it’s the maverick appeal that causes so many voters to close their eyes to obvious shortcomings in a candidate. While many Republicans expressed their disappointment that McCain had become their party’s nominee, they seemed quite enthusiastic about Palin. I was intrigued by McCain’s choice for VP as well, at least until she opened her mouth.

I really don’t care whether or not she can describe the “Bush Doctrine,” but it does trouble me that she couldn’t name a single Supreme Court case, other than Roe v. Wade, that she disagrees with. Even if she froze up under stress and couldn’t think of a case name, she could have said something like “that eminent domain case.” When asked which newspapers she reads to keep informed, she replied “all of them.”

Of course, maybe she just cracked under pressure during both the Katie Couric and the Charles Gibson interviews. It happens to many people, but why then do her intellectual fumbles actually inspire more support for her? Many voters on the far-right likely suffer from a persecution complex that leads them to believe that the “elitist” media is out to get Sarah Palin, who supposedly represents the average American.

Nevermind the fact that Larry King’s questions to Paris Hilton were tougher than the ones Palin got in her two interviews; apparently there should be a different standard for Palin. Before the VP debate, there were worries that Joe Biden would be too tough on Palin, which would likely elicit cries of sexism. I guess we should demand that people like Vladimir Putin and Hu Jintao also talk down at her level. I can only imagine the train wreck that would have occurred if she had been interviewed by someone like Fareed Zakaria or Tim Russert.

I guess the maverick appeal can be quite effective. Alaska is a land of mystery and adventure. Her home life resembles that of an average American family, except for the fact that most Americans don’t give their kids names like “Track” or “Trig” (or “Algebra”). Her appeal is in some ways like that of Obama’s. She even has a crazy pastor who persecuted a Kenyan woman because she was a “witch.”

I don’t know whether or not the LA Times story that stated Palin believes dinosaurs existed 4,000 years ago is true, but for the astonishingly large number of Americans who hold similar beliefs, there is the perception that Palin “gets” them. In fact, the conservative publication ”Human Events” named Palin as their 2008 Conservative of the Year.

The campaign has now been over for a year. Why then am I writing about Palin’s campaign? Well, for some odd reason, she is still seen by many Republicans as being a good choice for 2012. If elected to the presidency, I hope she will resign early just like she did as governor.  This continued support for such a flawed candidate demonstrates a troubling trend of anti-intellectualism among conservatives.

This anti-intellectual trend is manifested in the hostility of many conservatives toward higher education. Anyone with a Ph.D becomes a “liberal elitist” to them. I guess the ability to form a coherent thought is somehow a curse to be avoided at all costs. Although many conservative issues such as the second Amendment and free markets can be validated by those elitist scientific studies, many conservatives still tend to avoid any sort of thinking that might challenge other deeply-held beliefs, such as the belief that the earth is only 6,000 years old.

There is a struggle brewing within the Republican party. On one side, you have the Republicans like Newt Gingrich who don’t act like intelligence is a thing to be avoided. On the other side you have the populists like Jesse Helms who despise all forms of modernity and learning. Which way the GOP goes will determine if they will ever again be a successful political force.