Hillarysworld

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February 16, 2010

A North Star Fades

By Richard Cohen

It's possible that Sarah Palin's best quality is that she has none at all. She exists for both her friends and enemies as a fantasy figure. For the left, she is a harbinger of the hard-right government takeover they fear is coming. And for the right, she is the leader -- all instinct and no sophistication -- that they knew would someday lead America out of its current socialist wilderness. The pity for them both is that in reality, not to mention the polls, she sorely disappoints.

[SNIP]

Alas, for both the right and the left, Palin is not a leader. She neither founded nor leads a movement and, as far as anyone can tell, has no ideas of her own. She's a validator, satisfying her audience's narcissistic urge to be told they are correct in their thinking. They look at her and see themselves. Ah, love.

As for the right, it too refused to see Palin for what she was. A gaggle of neoconservatives, possibly seasick from a cruise up the Alaska coast, disembarked and were struck dumb -- literally -- by Palin's quite evident charisma. For some of them, this was a clear case of what Freud called Shiksa Madness (look it up), while for others it must have something to do with salmon. Whatever, some of them thought they had found the perfect (empty) vessel to regain control of the Republican Party and most of the United States, with the possible exception of the Blue B's -- Boulder, Berkeley and Brooklyn.

Both the right and the left had their ideological prisms for viewing Palin. Meanwhile, to the consternation of her admirers and detractors alike, the American people were continuously assessing Palin and finally last week rendered a judgment: Not ready for prime time. An astounding 71 percent of them told pollsters they did not find Palin qualified for the presidency. It could not have been otherwise.

The lady from Alaska is a phony. She has sold out for money, quitting office so that she could cash in. She asserted her small-town bona fides, her antipathy both to the establishment and the mainstream media -- and then got herself a ghostwriter, a booking agent and a (Fox News) network contract. She is rich, famous for the metaphorical 15 minutes Andy Warhol allotted us all and, elbows swinging, is forging her way to oblivion. She was neither a threat (the left) nor an opportunity (the right), but just a fantasy -- until the American people turned the lights on.

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Full article.
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I have to admit - in reading the book Going Rogue, I knew within first paragraph that it was not her writing.  It was far too well written, it did not have the abrupt finishes her responses to questions have and in fact, I wondered if that was indeed her writing, why is it that her thought process does not come through when she is in front of a camera. Then, after second chapter, I knew quite well that the book was not written by her.

The nation was closely assessing Sarah Palin, and in fact was hopeful for her. Fox news appearances were her first blow. TPN appearance was a huge blow to her as she really failed to become the positive leader that channels energy constructively. 

TPN appearance was indeed her best opportunity.  It was widely known appearance, important (from a nation's democracy viewpoint), visible and complex in that she was speaking not only to the TPN people but also to the nation.  She failed to recognize and address both in a positive way. She failed to do exactly what she was criticizing the President for in many ways - she accused him of far left ideology and served up her far right ideology. The nation watched and concluded.  Now, TPN-ers present may have been happy as it affirmed their angst - but she already had their backing and their assent. She failed to lead those present in person and across the television in her one glorious moment.

So, now, people have delivered their conclusion. Most people who were sitting on the fence about her have made up their mind. I do not think this well-assessed conclusion can be easily changed anymore.

Her opportunities to change course are slim.  As more facts like 'ghost writer' thing becomes prevalently known, people will further shirk away from her.