Sunday, February 14, 2010

Media Dismiss the Divine Regarding Sarah Palin

News analyst posits: Either Sarah Palin is lucky, she's savvy, or she's been blessed by God.

News analyst conclusion: Since it can't be about God, it must be luck.

-- From "Is Sarah Palin Lucky or Savvy?" by Marc Ambinder, CBS News 2/11/10

How is it best to interpret Sarah Palin's re-emergence onto the political scene -- and its implication for the 2012 presidential race?

Palin herself has said she is following the blueprint that God has laid down for her; her political pathway is being lit by lamps supplied by the divine. Interpreting the diety is above my pay grade, so we're left with asking whether Palin is lucky -- in which case she will find herself in a precarious position when the hard campaigning really starts -- or she is savvy, in which case she has a chance to win the Republican nomination.

The case for luck is simple: the tea-party movement happens to the slice of the American electorate that she talks to -- middle-to-lower class white exurbanites over the age of 30. Folks who feel economic dislocation and blame it on intrusion, either by immigrants, diversity or Washington; folks who distrust elite wisdom and are attracted to people who like to spit in the eye of people who condescend to them.

Given how clear Palin's message is – Obama & Washington = bad / your values = good, and given how fascinated the whole country is with her -- anything she says is going to receive significant attention. The flame burns white hot now -- and the argument from luck suggests that Palin is at the apex of her power.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.