Jeffrey Kuhner of the conservative Washington Times opines that Palin as pundit “sounds the death knell of her political career.”
If Mrs. Palin’s goal is to provide a lavish income for her large family, perhaps she has made the right move. However, if the former Alaska governor is considering a credible run for the 2012 presidential election, she has made a fatal mistake. She has chosen personal enrichment instead of principles and party
Mrs. Palin’s appeal lies in her populism. She represents the cultural values of Middle America. She is a pro-life social conservative who champions gun rights and limited government. She is unabashedly patriotic and strongly supports the military.
She is a hockey mom with five children – someone who rose from humble origins. She possesses a bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho (known as Potato U.). Mrs. Palin climbed to the top based on self-reliance and traditional frontier individualism. She is not a Bush or a Kennedy; her success does not depend on wealth or power.
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She is a product of our narcissistic celebrity culture. Instead of doing the heavy (and unglamorous) political lifting required of a national leader, she is embracing the luxurious life of a TV talking head. She has abandoned the very basis of her populist legitimacy: her outsider status.
She’s not “going rogue” says Kuhner, she’s going “establishment”. But doesn’t Palin have the right to make that choice?
