In Response to Heather MacDonald

Gettin' all Mavericky, in City Journal, by Heather MacDonald.

I called into the Laura Ingraham Show this morning because I disagreed with the trajectory of this article.  On re-reading it, I find much to agree with.  But, I bow to a political reality, and that is that John McCain's own weaknesses drove this choice, and it was a good one for this political season.  I think that Sarah Palin has demonstrated executive acumen in a way that no one else on either ticket has.  I think that she is unripe for the national stage, however.  As for her family circumstances, especially her daughter's pregnancy, perhaps it is caving to embrace that as wholeheartedly as the operatives have, but I can tell you from personal experience, my own reaction when a girl takes the baby to term: Thank God.  Then: so, why isn't she married already?

And I think that's the reality "on the ground," as they say.  We are willing to swallow a lot because we see a glimpse of potential, a home-grown conservative,  one not schooled in the academic "principles" but one who simply embodies many of our cherished ideals through her life: hard work, determination, and a record of making her government more "of the people."  And she is self-made, and very liberated for all that.

She's leaning heavily on a certain populism, possibly to deflect attention from her scant background in finance and the economy, for example.  But I look at those other three also running for office, and with all their years, they are more culpable for the current mess, and equally clueless about how to fix it.  That is, clueless about how to fix it while preserving the liberties of the free market, capitalism, and property rights.

It is a part of a great intellectual and political heritage that we can express opposition even within our own party, (and our subset: conservatives.) But it's painful to have someone like you, logical, knowledgeable, and thoughtful, take your shots when The Daily Kos is urging its acolytes to "crush" us and "break our backs."

In the end, that may be Sarah Palin's most winning way: she is indomitable.  A rare commodity among conservatives these days.