Palin Power

Sarah Palin could be the Republican Party’s new leader

By Jordan A. Monge

After Senator John McCain’s loss on November 4, Republicans cleaved into two sects: those who pin the problems of the party on Sarah Palin and those who rally behind her as the GOP’s salvation. Since being plucked from obscurity less than three months ago, Palin has erupted as both a superstar who can attract thousands and a divisive figure who turns key voters away from the party. As the Republican Party seeks to regroup after their electoral defeat, they must look for new leaders, and Palin is now one of the front-runners.

Before the election, a plethora of groups on campus hosted “An Educational Panel Discussion on the Vice Presidential Candidacy of Sarah Palin,” which was supposed to give multiple perspectives on the enigma known as Sarah Palin. The Republicans on the panel included Alex Castellanos, an IOP Fellow and Republican media consultant, and Tammy Mosher, Director of Massachusetts Concerned Women for America. The Democrats comprised of Vicky Steinberg, Co-President of Massachusetts National Organization for Women, and Tim McCarthy, a lecturer at the Kennedy School and a member of Barack Obama’s National LGBT Advisory Council. 

Although the panel covered the more banal topics of experience and abortion, it also addressed the issues of media sexism and gay marriage. As expected, the Democrats quickly lambasted Palin’s folksy appearance and populist appeals. Steinberg even insinuated that Sarah Palin had never read the second article of the constitution. Interestingly enough, it appeared that she needed a constitutional law refresher as well, after Steinberg stated that she feared Palin’s presence in the White House because of her choices for Supreme Court justices and cabinet members, which are both appointments that fall far outside the range of the vice-presidency. 

Of course, this criticism could also be easily made of Joe Biden. In a cheery piece with a fifth-grade reporter, Joe Biden educated the young elementary school student by explaining that as vice-president, his role was to “help the president get elected and help the president run the government.” Apparently Biden believes that he ought to advise the president and “govern together” with him. Neither of these functions was established in the constitution, but they are a reflection of the increased requirements of the vice-president. Perhaps Biden will be more like Dick Cheney than Democrats hope. Still, the panel barely touched on comparisons of Biden and Palin, focusing more on the prospects of Palin as president.

Arguments about the Republican ticket almost inherently seemed to compare Obama to Palin, rather than to McCain. People almost viewed McCain as already deceased, with Palin jumping straight into the Presidency. Palin wasn’t the perfect choice to be President tomorrow, but as Bill Clinton pointed out, “No one can be fully ready for the pressures of the office [of the presidency].” The Democrats on the panel conceded that Palin would be a more viable pick in 2012, but they, as well as the audience, appeared to find Palin’s vice-presidential candidacy ludicrous. Steinberg and McCarthy essentially ignored the points made by Mosher, who emphasized that Palin has a high security clearance and is responsible for Alaska’s national guard, which is more than one can say for Barack Obama. There was no strong rebuttal for Castellanos’ defense that although Palin may lack global experience, Obama’s only foreign policy experience was his whirlwind “summer vacation tour.”

During the panel, Republicans were definitely on the defense, fighting off attacks by the two liberals in the center, whose coalition seemed formed out of the social issues of abortion and gay rights. Castellanos, representing a fiscal conservative, was the more vocal than the socially conservative Mosher. Her relative silence mimicked the muted nature of far right on campus, as her few key declarations made the crowd recoil with the realization that there do exist firm social conservatives, who oppose abortion and question global warming. 

Fortunately, both parties on the panel were able to agree that the media was heavily biased against Palin, displaying their sexism by diminishing her as a candidate through such a heavy emphasis on her clothes, hair, and makeup. This claim was subsequently confirmed after the election, when the Washington Post reported that journalists were much more interested in vetting Palin than Biden. As the polls grew tighter in the last remaining days, the campaign seemed to be losing its cohesion, with leaks about Palin’s expensive spending sprees and claims of tension within the staff. After the election, staffers spread even more rumors, describing Palin as a diva who brought some staffers to tears and barely knew basic geographical facts. Many conservatives have blamed the loss of this election on Palin, whose new face for the Republican party seemed unintelligent and unprepared.

Still, Palin now has the chance to build a new coalition. In the flurry of accusations about her more questionable actions as governor, she failed to play up her fiscally conservative credentials, which would have helped reunite the party. Although people may tease about that bridge to nowhere, Palin took other significant actions including firing the governor’s chauffeur and personal chef. These actions seem to be out of line with her portrayal as a “diva” and “shop-a-holic” by the media elite. Hopefully these superfluous issues will fade away from America’s memory as the Republicans face a tough battle in 2012. 

Conservatives hope that new leaders like Palin will play up important issues like national security and fiscal responsibility. Although during this election, Palin was controlled by Bush advisors, who advocated socially divisive rhetoric, Castellanos reported that Palin initially opposed some of the campaign attempts to link Obama with terrorism. If Palin wants to lead the Republican Party in the future, she must rely on her instincts instead of advice from failed Bush advisors.