Another Conservative Throws Palin Overboard
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Conservatism, Palin, Republicans
Daniel Larison tears his fellow conservatives a new one over Palin, but ultimately it’s for their own good…
I … implore conservatives to stop ignoring reality just because they happen to like a candidate’s personality and biography. Besides being bad for the quality of conservative thought, it embraces the caricature that conservatives are indifferent to knowledge and have no use for expertise, which has become an all too legitimate critique of how conservatives have responded to the misrule of the Bush administration.That was not always the case, but if conservatives insist on making elaborate arguments that understanding and knowledge are not significant criteria when choosing our top elected officials they will lose whatever credibility they may still have.
More than that, they will be crippled by their embrace of cheerful ignorance when it comes time to oppose the policies of the Democratic administration that is surely about to be elected.
Listen, if Obama had picked somebody like Palin, the right-wing would be shouting “Treason!” and I think many beltway conservatives know that. Which is why they’re running so quickly from the Governor…because they’ve had it with being loyal just for loyalty’s sake.
Because while winning is important, folks like Larison realize that they need to reassert the seriousness of the conservative ideology or face the demise of its viability on the national political stage.
So then…who will be that messenger in 2012?
This entry was posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Conservatism, Palin, Republicans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Obama didn’t have to pick a Palin. Obama is the Democratic version of Palin with just a bit more practice.
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Obama didn’t have to pick a Palin. Obama is the Democratic version of Palin with just a bit more practice.
And he’s the TOP of the ticket.
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:48 pm
It’s hard to begin with how hilarious that statement is. Palin can’t even approach Obama in terms of policy knowledge.
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:10 pm
What level of self-delusion is required for the remaining conservatives that support Palin’s nomination? Rich Lowry is practically masturbating over her creepy winking from last night.
The reality is that if a Democrat with Palin’s experience and dysfunctional family was put on the national ticket, the media would have never given that candidate the multiple benefits of the doubt that the media gives Palin. They would have ripped her to shreds. Anyone with a brain can see that those conservatives jumping ship are doing so to maintain some small shred of credibility.
Having said that, I look for a wave of conservatives to publish articles on the “inevitability” of Obama’s election over the next couple of weeks. It’s a reverse psychology effort to enrage the base and get them to GOTV and make Dems feel complacent. The only problem is that Dems are not going to let up until Nov. 5th.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:33 pm
For many conservatives to admit that Palin is not right for job goes against what has been the GOP position for decades. Regular people and common sense are good enough to do the job. “Experts” are not needed and should be looked down upon. What does it matter who is in government if government is useless? If we dont need it for anything then Palin is a fine candidate.
October 4th, 2008 at 7:34 am
This ‘experience’ line for Obama was accepted into American discourse a long time ago, but it still amazes me (looking from outside).
The man was a senator for 10 years between state and federal levels, and before that was a lecturer in constitutional law for 12 years. Why Americans elect people based on perceived “character” instead continues to amaze me.
October 4th, 2008 at 10:20 am
It’s not like this kind of contempt for knowledge and expertise are novelties in american electoral politics. See the Know Nothings in the late 1800s, for just one example. (Well, they get points for more truth in advertising, I suppose. But still….)