Sarah Palin is now the woman of the hour, with her new book available for sale, her interviews all over television and radio, and her book tour, which began with a large crowd today in Grand Rapids. Michigan.
Millions of Americans seem to be connected to Sarah, but there are many disturbing elements to this adulation.
Sarah Palin is a very attractive woman, in many ways the male Dan Quayle. Quayle was picked over much more qualified candidates for Vice President by the first President Bush, partially because of his good looks which could attract female voters. He proved to be an embarrassing Vice President, and made one pray for President Bush’s health. One time, when Bush was ill, it created a bit of a crisis over the idea that Quayle might become President.
John McCain picked Sarah, despite her thin resume and very mediocre intellect, because her good looks could attract many men and also could appeal to so called “average” Americans who could relate to Sarah as being just like them.
The problem is we should not want “ordinary” Americans in high office! They should be brighter than most of us, as they are our leaders and need to be highly capable. This adulation of Sarah is not based on her substance, but on her being anti intellectual and anti Establishment. Such a person considering running for President is a dangerous moment for our democracy.
However, Palin also resembles Richard Nixon in one important way. They are both exceptional liars, Nixon through so many events in his life but highlighted by Watergate, and Palin, who shows no appreciation for John McCain putting her on the map, as she now spreads myths and lies about the McCain staff, so much so that even McCain, in a very delicate manner, has contradicted her account of the problems in the campaign. Also, both Nixon and Palin love to attack the “liberal elites” and the news media and to see themselves as “victims”. Of course, a tremendous difference would be that Nixon had substance, intellectual brilliance, experience and knowledge, none of which Sarah Palin possesses.
McCain is too much of a gentleman and a decent human being to ever express regret about setting Sarah Palin on the road to stardom, but in the dark of night, somehow, one has to believe he has secret regrets!