How might Sarah Palin do if we look at her in terms of Reagan? A direct comparison might be unfair right now, few if any pols will ever match up well with Reagan without first having officially accomplished a great deal for America as a whole. But Dan Blatt does see some points worth noting in that regard. I agree.
While the DC Republicans, as with Reagan, are slow to embrace someone like Palin, it isn't as if the same Republican establishment figures wouldn't be called upon to play a role in the mix assuming she ever actually runs and wins high office. Hate to say it, but it does, in this case, take a village to govern effectively. heh!
Like Dan, I believe we need both the elites and the grassroots. In his 1980 general election campagin, Ronald Reagan succeeded in bringing the two together, a success which would come to define his political career. Once in the White house, he tapped smart conservative intellectuals to advise him and serve in his Administration while keeping up his correspondence from a number of people in the heartland, always responding to concerns they raised in their letters.
the greatest mistake Reagan made was in tapping bush for his VP. It ensured that Reagan's legacy would only last as long as he did. Now maybe if Reagan did not get sick and could have been around after his president terms were over things would have been different. However, by giving bush the nod the bush family was able to co-op the Reagan torch and place their Rino stamp on the government. Making many flee to Perot which gave us Clinto in 1992 and then Bush in 2000 (the most liberal spending rep in history).
Palin would be well to tap into the elites money machine etc but not give them a major place at the table like Reagan did to BUSH. I think she has seen the elites actions in AK with the CBC club and how quickly they will turn on her. sure she needs to give them A place at the table, just not a major place at the table.
Posted by: unseen | Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 09:38 AM
Good post. But are current elites remediable? I don't demand Palin or nothing, but at this 'late date' who's going to be in a position to offer an option. Jindahl, Cantor, Bachmann? Running mate more likely.
Posted by: gary gulrud | Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Who are the Republican elites that can be trusted? If our Republican Congressional elites are McCain, Graham, even McConnell, would a Palin, or any other conservative administration, better off than we were under Bush? At best, these are go-slow conservatives. It's hard find true support in Congress for real conservatives like DeMint or Coburn. I don't remember a lot of Republicans stepping up to defend Coburn when Obama equated him to Bill Ayers. Republican elites seem to be more concerned with their elite status than their Republican status.
A bigger problem is identifying the conservative elites. Who are the elite conservative economists that can dependably trusted to bring sanity to our budgeting process? Ditto elite "environmentalists" or whatever we would call the scientists who would bring sanity to our environmental policy, which, as it turns out, is really economics. Military conservatives are not so difficult to fine. If Cheney doesn't run, give him DOD and let him go at it.
The problem of elitism of any type is that a person becomes elite by being anointed by other elites. Being elite requires adopting and following the protocols established for each discipline, to internalize their world view. The elites believe they have the right to dictate to the rest of us who at not elite, and see where that has taken us. Being elite in our society by opposing the view of other elitists just doesn't happen. We have not had an conservative elite economist since Milton Friedman, and I suspect that most of his peers didn't really consider him elite. He ran against the grain.
I, and I suspect many conservatives, don't really want elitists because they can't be trusted. How about we clean the "elitists" out of the State Department? Treasury? HHS? And so on. Get rid of the concept of elitism in each of these departments. Clean them out of Congress first, and then go to work on the bureaucracies.
If there are conservative elites that can be trusted, someone needs to identify them.
Posted by: Scott | Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 11:32 AM
It would appear we might tenatively throw Pence into the option mix, perhaps Coburn.
I have a problem though running to lawyers for executive leadership.
Posted by: gary gulrud | Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Sarah Palin: What Would Reagan Do?
Finish his first term?
Posted by: WPE | Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 01:47 PM
"What Would Reagan Do?
Finish his first term?"
Your man Jefferson(Cold Cash) didn't finish either. I'm seriously doubting Dear Leader will either. Hugo has siezed the Caracas Hilton in preparation.
Posted by: gary gulrud | Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 05:00 PM
"Your man Jefferson(Cold Cash) didn't finish either."
Jefferson didn't quit, he lost his election to Anh Joseph Cao.
Corrupt politicians of either party deserve to go to jail - Jefferson deserved what he got.
But if you want to defend Ms. Palin by citing Jefferson, one of the more corrupt politicians, be my guest.
Posted by: WPE | Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 05:54 PM
"corrupt politicians", i.e., Democrats, Noah has it as 1st. usage.
Posted by: gary gulrud | Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 02:53 AM
As, The wing Nut Land there where only Democrats can be corrupt.
I guess this stuff was a mistake
Richard Nixon resigning
Family Values Senator David Vitter getting caught with prostitutes - repeatedly
Rep. Duke Cunningham - convicted
Republican Lobbyist Jack Abramoff - convicted
The list goes on, and on, and on.
Both parties have plenty of corruption.I want all the corrupt Democrats, like Jefferson, out so we can have a clean party.
Posted by: WPE | Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 11:07 AM