Palin is It in 2016

I will limit myself to one post on Palin and her retirement. In doing so I will cite Jonah Goldberg. Key quotes………

“President Bush had the same problem you do, which is why there’s a hunger for Republicans who can effectively articulate and sell our policies and philosophy. That’s why the wonks have the upper hand. Mitt Romney, Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, and other hands-on types are what the party wants and, frankly, needs.

Here’s the good news: You have time. Here’s the better news: You have something no one else in the party has — charisma. And I don’t mean you have the most charisma like it’s a consolation prize for not being elected prom queen. If money could buy what you have, Romney would have bought it all by now. Good politicians can learn how to win over audiences, but the great ones are born with the ability. Reagan had it. Clinton had it. Obama has it. You have it. You are the “It Girl” of the GOP.

What you lack, you can learn. If knowing how to describe the situation in Pakistan or explain the “doughnut hole” in health-care coverage was all you needed to get elected, an intern with a subscription to The Economist could be president.

So here’s my advice. Stay home and do your job and your homework. You’ll still be a national figure come the primaries. But if you can’t surprise your detractors with your grasp of policy when you re-emerge on the national stage, you won’t win the nomination. More important, you won’t deserve to.”

My first thought was that Goldberg must have had this ghost written. He has been more snarky cheerleader and attack dog than thoughtful, positive contributor to the greater cause. This time though, he nails it pretty well. Palin had the resume and the presence to be a viable national candidate. What she lacked was any depth of understanding of our major national issues. Given her youth and the relative isolation of Alaska, that is not surprising. However, she could have readily developed the deeper knowledge she needed.

Ronald Reagan is the current Republican Party icon. He was an actor, not exactly the background to develop one’s foreign policy chops. Reagan, to his credit, did the necessary reading. He wrote his own speeches and traveled around the country to give them. He debated many times before becoming president. In other words, he prepared himself on national issues to become a national candidate. Let us presume Palin knows Alaskan politics well. It is a small (population) state which depends heavily on oil revenues. Not exactly the national model. When she came on the national stage, it was painfully obvious to those not already committed to her team, that she could not speak convincingly on national issues. There was no knowledge base.

The left overreacted, of course. The best thing they could have done is to keep quiet and try to get her into as many interviews as possible. It still boggles the mind that her supporters think she was beat up on by Katie Couric. Couric is no towering intellect. She is a cream puff on interviews. Can one imagine how it would have gone with a Murrow? At any rate, Goldberg is correct. Americans have a short memory and a tendency to forgive. If Palin spends a few years learning the issues, she will be a formidable candidate. Romney wants her charisma. Palin should want Romney’s level of knowledge.