Stop Me If You've Heard This One....

“She’s a joke.”

This is quote by David Brooks, token Republican columnist of the New York Times, referring to Sarah Palin. This is what he said on This Week with George Stephanopoulos (Where his is also a token Republican.. He also said that Sarah Palin would not survive the Republican primary. I guess the turnout for her speeches during the campaign were for her smile, eh, Mr. Brooks. I guess her book sales are through the roof to hear he dish on the ex-possible-son-in-law. In Mr. Brook’s world, these are the only explanations for anyone giving Mrs. Palin an ounce of attention. Mr. Brooks once wrote that the Republican Party was capable of being a diverse party, with plenty of room for moderates and conservatives. Unless you’re Mrs. Palin. See, Mr. Brooks also said that John McCain stood a good chance of winning in ’08 too-if conservatives shut up and get out of the way. Think for a moment about the pre-Palin and post-Palin McCain campaigns Mr. Brooks. Where did the energy come from? Moderates? Can a moderate be passionate? What is the moderate platform? I’ll be sure to look it up in “Great Moderates of the Twentieth Century”. Should make for a great read. The truth is that the disdain for Palin is not rooted in her policies or her hostility, of which Brooks accuses her. It is who she is that bothers the elites.

Palin is not an elite, she doesn’t speak like an elite and has no need to impress the elites. She didn’t go to the east coast Ivy League schools. Her blood is not breed from powerful political families. She speaks in a way they can’t comprehend. She talks like she’s sitting across the kitchen table from you, sipping a coffee.(Not a latte, double-whip mocha, half fat crap). And there it is. When you start to see who she is and who is making the most noise against her, the answer is clear. She can communicate to the ‘commoner’, the ‘masses’, the ‘great unwashed’ and it scares the hell out of them because they, the inside the beltway, elite types only know how to talk down. All the years of east coast ivy league law degrees educated the common sense right out of these people and as a result, they are unable to touch the American people and the spirit. Brooks is not alone. He and other beltway Republicans have been soaking neck deep in the Washington sludge and now they are stained and stink from it. And make no mistake, they believe there is plenty of room in the Republican Party, as long as it is the conservatives that sacrifice. Specifically, the social conservatives. Everyone knows there is nothing more radical than wanting to protect the life of the unborn. Mr. Brooks was quick to criticize Rush, Hannity and Beck for there rants against McCain and Huckabee. Yet for the better part of seven years, McCain did not miss a chance to ridicule conservatives over the border, Iraq and campaign finance- to name a few. Again, it’s the conservatives who are being too loud. But the moderate McCain was the salvation of the party. And what a dynamo he was for the party.

Principle equals passion, Mr. Brooks. This is why Mrs. Palin is popular. Her principles give her passion and she talks to you as a peer. Politicians try sincerity, some are quite good at it. Coming across as authentic is a larger task. That’s what Palin has. Like her or not, she comes across as authentic. And with authenticity comes trust. And no nasty, snide or snarky remark on a Sunday show can damage that. You see, Mr. Brooks, Mrs. Palin is like many of us. She has a job. She has a family. She fishes, hunts, cooks and cleans. She is us and we are her. That’s why those who wish to diminish her, speak in a loud, crystal clear voice about their opinions of those of us like her.

We must be a society that is so used to being spat upon, where our only complaint is that we don’t have a towel. Think of the criticism of Sarah Palin of a moment. What has she done that is so outrageous? She’s critical of the President to be sure, but she’s not the first and not the only one. She was being torn apart long before she suggested death panels in the new healthcare bill. So what is it? Is it her talk of less government or energy independence? Is it her pro-life stance? Is because she can’t rattle off the heads of state from around the globe? Is it her belief in a strong private sector without government intrusion? Is it her belief in America and its vast potential? Or is it her vocal criticism of liberal policy? Do these things sound out of the mainstream? Of course they are not. Perhaps the media and leaders of the Democratic Party would like you to believe it is. But truth is out there, sitting in local diners and bars, or at the family barbecues. The people talking outside of the beltway gab pack, talk about the mess DC has caused and the harm they can inflict. Talk to a business owner of any town, big or small, and ask them how government influences their business.
She is one of us on the outside of the Washington power structure. And true she may not have sat on a Senate committee for a decade or received a law degree- but correct me if I’m wrong, but are these not the type of leaders we have had for over 60 years? Look where we are now. Have these over-educated wind bags help this country or hurt it? The same qualified Presidential candidates in the Senate, who have been the keepers of Social Security and Medicare, now believe the federal government is capable of providing health insurance. The people aren't buying it anymore and are looking for a plain-spoken-every-person to shout from the mountain tops, "Enough".

She is who we are. And the majority of us have sat and let these empty suits destroy everything. Yet, Sarah Palin is unqualified and referred to as a joke. People, when you hear these beltway blow-hards tear her down, they are mocking you. They try to make you feel silly for ever latching onto an obvious idiot. Said often enough, the perception becomes reality and pretty soon, you doubt what it was you saw in her. They will keep up the drum beat of cynical slander, hoping it will soon take hold and push her further to fringe. But the fringe is where we are, in there eyes. The fringe is out here in flyover country, where people work, raise their families, go to church and watch the people in Washington squander money they earned by doing nothing more the drafting a bill.

She is America. Living free in the land of opportunity pursing the American dream and the hope the next generation has more to look forward to than we did. But she, like many of us, sees it slipping away. We see our future and we see in her a loud voice prepared to fight. She represents the common people and doesn’t ask to follow her lead, but she offers leadership, saying this is what I believe, this is what made the country great, this is what has worked in the past and this will work to preserve our future and this is what has to be done to fix it.

She is who we are. It’s not about party. She thinks like normal everyday people. She talks with us, no to us. She speaks from her core and lives her life according to her values. This is something that is done everyday in this country, yet there are those with the beltway who would say she’s naive and an amateur. Those who are critical are saturated with the verbiage and charms of the policy wonks. They have the most to lose by the success of a Sarah Palin. She is relatable to our daily lives and those in the political power and high society media elites know the light of truth is shown on them by her presence. And the truth is they look down their noses at the commoners. Remember when to listen how they describe her. Listen to their words very carefully. And ask yourself, if you’re neighbor or a long time friend or family member were talked of that manner they spoke, how would you react? The truth is they are talking about anyone who is outside the political circle. They are talking about you, whether or not you have the same political or personal principles as Sarah Palin. They are criticizing all of us as naive, amateur, and unrefined.

Don’t think for a moment that it is anything less than an indictment on the average American and what we stand for. She is who we are and whether you would vote for her or not, it’s not her policies that are under attack, it’s who she is and what she represents.