Sarah Palin: Why I Have A Mixed Opinion

May 19, 2010

By Rev Nev

Beyond first impressions.

: Cover of Going Rogue: An American Life

The reactions surprised me. I didn’t start out taking an informal poll, it just kinda happened. Here’s how: A local radio station, 710 KNUS, is sponsoring an event with Sarah Palin this weekend. I never was able to catch one of Palin’s rallies in Colorado in 2008 so I thought this a good opportunity to see her. This kind of thing is becoming of hobby for me. A few weeks ago I went to a book signing by Karl Rove at a local Barnes & Noble. There was only one protester so I probably did not gain any street cred as a Republican operative.

Back to the informal poll. As the event with Palin gets closer I get more excited and naturally share my weekend plans with friends and coworkers. Their reactions to Sarah Palin amaze me. A few simply love her and think she is leading the right way forward for America. The majority, though, have a very low opinion. They scrunch up their noses like they just sniffed the milk that’s been in the back of the fridge for an extra three weeks. Nearly all wonder if she is smart enough to be president and I’d say at least half mention her ill-fated interview with Katie Couric as the basis for that opinion. (Remember this is a informal poll based as much on my impressions of people’s reactions as what they say. No criticizing me for imprecise numbers in the comments. You know who you are.)

That is what I find so surprising. People base huge portions of their opinions on first impressions or one defining moment and whether through sheer stubbornness or something else remain unwilling to budge. That’s not news. Head & Shoulders based an entire ad campain on the premise. What surprises me is the unwillingness to consider other explanations for just why that interview was so bad. Refusing to at least read the relevant section in her autobiography, Going Rogue, gives entirely too much weight to first impressions and too much power to Katie Couric. Of course, that’s what the former Ms. Perky wanted.

People base huge portions of their opinions on first impressions or one defining moment and whether through sheer stubbornness or something else remain unwilling to budge.

My take on Sarah Palin right now is mixed. When she was announced in 2008, I had the same reaction as everyone else: Sarah who? From where? But her speech that day won me over. You can see the video here (McCain introduces her just before nine minutes in. Just ignore the “next Vice President of the United States” bit). She seemed solidly conservative and made some great points even if she did talk a little funny. Palin’s convention speech was even better. Who can forget that great line about the difference between hockey moms and pitbulls she adlibbed? (Just one example…the focus on energy independence and conservative policies were great too.)

What I’ll never forgive the media elites for is the way they treated Palin. Beyond the Couric and Charlie “the Condescending” Gibson interviews, they declared then Senator Biden to have won the debate. He misquoted the Constitution but Palin’s the dumb one.

The mix in my opinion has two sources. First, she has made some missteps. From my informal poll it is clear that things like the Couric and Gibson interviews really hurt her standing. The decision to step down from the governorship she fought so hard to attain is difficult to understand, too. It makes people wonder if she’s a quitter or afraid of some deep, dark secret. What can she do to overcome such thinking? Perhaps Bill Kristol will prove prophetic on this one. I am, after all, an optimist.

Second, she is controversial on a scale I don’t recall other leaders achieving. (Maybe Regan but I was still a kid when he was president so it’s hard to know.) She is someone people either hate or love. There are few in the middle ground. While I’m rooting for her, it is hard to imagine her helping conservatives to victory in 2012 but maybe 2016 if the unthinkable happens and BO remains POTUS for another term. How is she going to win enough people over to win the electoral college? I could sooner see her as Secretary of the Interior, a job for which she seems perfectly suited.

There is also a nagging sense I have that she is piggy-backing on the conservative swell known as the Tea Party. The thing is, I don’t believe she is disingenuous. She seems entirely committed to conservative principles and put them to practice when given the opportunity in government. That’s more than we can say for some Republican congressmen. It’s the way Palin drops these principles into her life story in Going Rogue that bothers me. It didn’t help her credibility though that, no doubt, was the purpose.

The event is Saturday. I’m interested to see if my opinion changes after seeing Palin live. Two of my favorite radio hosts, Hugh Hewitt and Dennis Prager, will be there too. I’ll write an update sometime next week. Keep an eye on Twitter for thoughts during the event!

In the meantime, what do you think of Sarah Palin? Is she angel or devil? Righteous crusader of the right or the epitome of lunacy in America?