Sarah Palin baffles me.
Family members will recall that I was not in favor initially of John McCain selecting her as his VP candidate. Her selection was largely due to her gender. To me, that made her a weak selection. But the thing is, I really liked what she said (On hindsight, perhaps she didn’t say a whole lot, however.). McCain lost not because of her but rather because of his inane policies.
With the election over, Palin returned to Alaska with lots of newfound prying eyes. Then she quit her job.
Well now, that was an odd move. I will say she presented the issue well. Well enough I kind of gave her a pass on it. Certainly initially, I was more supportive of the move than I am now. Palin claimed that the frivolous lawsuits were mounting and that while governor, was not financially able to mount challenges. Okay, I can believe that. Shoot, we would not be able to do so from our paychecks either.
The newly unemployed Palin did what all politicians seem to do; she wrote a book. I had no desire to read the book, and from what I gleaned, it wasn’t much of one. But I suppose it put the money in her pocket that she needed for the lawsuits and provide for her family for a bit.
But Palin has continued to perplex me. She now is employed by Fox News. I understand why Fox News would want her as an employee, but what does working for the news network do for her? Her credibility has taken a huge hit. She is now a pundit for hire. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but those folks are not political leaders. She is now in the raft with the likes of Dick Morris.
Some may point to Mike Huckabee as a similar politican-turned-pundit. Most assume Huckabee will run again for president in 2012. But what can Huckabee point to having done during the his two runs? He hosts a vapid television show on the weekends. That is a huge mark against him should he decide to run. And if he doesn’t run, what will he have to offer the news network at that point?
If Palin wants to escape that comparison, she needs to differentiate herself from another seeming contender. She isn’t doing that.
Free of playing second fiddle on a ticket and representing a state, this is the time for Palin to show her stuff, as it were. She had a rousing speech at a tea party convention a couple weeks ago. Yet, there was no meat to the speech at all.
What does she do to follow that up? She is now the warm-up act to Glenn Beck’s tour. Perhaps her speech was full of specifics that the reviewer neglected to report.
Palin says expanded government and growth in federal spending will hurt the country.
She says Washington is disconnected from the rest of America, arguing that Congress is ignoring the demands of the people to stop expanding government programs.
Palin told the audience that Americans should remember that the government works for them and not the other way around.
It’s a message that resonated with her fans.
It’s not that I disagree with those sentiments; I have the same thoughts myself. The issue is what does Palin suggest we do? The answer to that needs to rise above the discourse that I would write here. Shoot, I’ve called for pruning the federal Education Department. Has Palin even taken that small step?
When does the country learn of Palin’s policies? Certainly if she has any expectations of running for office she will need to present some. Right now she is seen as a quitter with a folksy delivery. And if Palin does not want to run for office, just what does she have to offer? As insidious as Dick Morris is, he does offer some policies . . . they just happen to be wrong most of the time.
Granted Palin is making money now that I am not. If that is her goal, then she can disregard me. If she wants more than money whether it be public office or a place at the table, she needs credibility. Hers is quite suspect right now. From where I sit, she isn’t making the correct moves to lend legitimacy to her point of view.