What Is It About Sarah Palin?

Sometimes a picture speaks a thousand words.

With her ascension to the forefront of American politics Gov. Sarah Palin has astounded the beltway elites and thrilled the GOP base. Why is that? I could sum that up in one word, authenticity, she has lived a real life in the world outside of elite institutions and made her way on the merits of her own abilities and not her connections or her familial ties. She does not come across as elite or aloof with an air of entitlement or victimology but rather as a well grounded, hard working all American gal or as Mark Steyn put it hyper American.

First, Governor Palin is not merely, as Jay describes her, "all-American", but hyper-American. What other country in the developed world produces beauty queens who hunt caribou and serve up a terrific moose stew? As an immigrant, I'm not saying I came to the United States purely to meet chicks like that, but it was certainly high on my list of priorities. And for the gun-totin' Miss Wasilla then to go on to become Governor while having five kids makes it an even more uniquely American story. Next to her resume, a guy who's done nothing but serve in the phony-baloney job of "community organizer" and write multiple autobiographies looks like just another creepily self-absorbed lifelong member of the full-time political class that infests every advanced democracy.

I was talking to my mom, the best judge of personal character I know and a genuine southern country girl, last night about her and she was very impressed by Sarah's announcement speech. She had not heard of Gov. Palin until then and was struck by how genuine she seemed and wanted to know more about her so I filled her in as well as I could. Mom knows she can't trust the MSM and like me voted for Mitt Romney in the primaries, wasn't real high on McCain but knew Obama is not to be trusted. The thing is Gov. Palin can connect with everyday Joe Sixpack and his wife like ordinary politicians are rarely able to do, she has been there, done that and continues to do it. She is the working mom next door that happens to be a politician not the politician that happens to be a mom. She embodies the heartland values that make America so great not the elitist attitudes of the Ivy League or beltway insiders that think they know best and lost touch with the heartland many moons ago. There is no enigma about who she is or any airs of superiority, nothing fake or put on about her just a straight shooter in more ways than one. All those bitter small town living, gun toting, Bible reading Americans that Obama and his big city gun hating elites look down upon are simply going to fall in love with her.

Sidenote: It looks like McCain hit a real nerve as the fever swamps of the nutroots are hitting new highs for nastiness which will of course turn off more folks that it turns on. They can't stand the fact that those of us on the right are actually smarter than their enlightened pettiness.