More tea, sympathy -- and hostility -- for Sarah Palin

February 15, 2010 - 12:21 PM

As a follow to Sunday's blog entry My date with Sarah Palin:

- Fear Palin, a warrior messiah on a mission - Andrew Sullivan/The Times [of London]
I have to say I fear her. Or, rather, I fear a country that has allowed such a person to come so close to power and to dominate its discourse quite so powerfully. It is a sign that all is not well. And the world needs an America which is more stable and more calm than the one Palin represents.

- Palin’s Cunning Sleight of Hand - Frank Rich/The New York Times
   This G.O.P. populism is all bunk, of course. Republicans in office now, as well as Palin during her furtive public service in Alaska, have feasted on federal pork, catered to special interests, and pursued policies indifferent to recession-battered Americans. And yet they’re getting away with their populist masquerade — not just with a considerable swath of voters but even with certain elements in the “liberal media.”
   Including:
- Sarah Palin displays her pitch-perfect populism - David Broder/The Washington Post
   Her invocation of "conservative principles and common-sense solutions" was perfectly conventional. What stood out in the eyes of TV-watching pols of both parties was the skill with which she drew a self-portrait that fit not just the wishes of the immediate audience but the mood of a significant slice of the broader electorate.
    But not:
- Unafraid of pundit Sarah Palin - Clarence Page/Chicago Tribune/Buffalo News
  Conservative Sarah Palin fans ask me why “the liberal media” are “so afraid” of the former Alaska governor. I, for one, am unafraid. Quite the opposite. As an unrepentant pundit, I am delighted that the former Republican vice presidential candidate refuses to rule out running for the presidency. I am also relieved that, so far, she does not appear to have a ghost’s chance of actually winning.
Or:
- Sarah Palin should beware of exploiting her youngest child - Kathleen Parker/The Washington Post
   Palin's defense of people with special needs is commendable. Her obvious love for -- and pride in -- her Down syndrome child, Trig, is touching. But each time she sallies forth as Mama Bear to America's special-needs citizenry, invoking Trig's name amid demands for her children's privacy, a bit of uneasiness slithers between text and subtext.
    At what point do Palin's noble intentions become Trig's exploitation?