As a reader of this blog, you know that I come at things from a conservative point of view. Note that I didn’t claim a Republican point of view, as the GOP has managed to largely divest itself of the Conservative position over the last eight years or so. I long for a leader that will bring back the principled convictions and decisive action of Ronald Reagan. I think I’ve found such a leader. And it has the left positively apoplectic. I’m loathe to quote Al “I invented the Internet, and the Global Warming ScareFest, too!” Gore, but he did say something quite revealing (or at least it’s been attributed to him – you can never really tell with a liberal if it’s a real quote, or just more plagiarism): “When you have the facts on your side, argue the facts. When you have the law on your side, argue the law. When you have neither, holler.” And, boy, the left has been hollering. But why? They claim to have the facts on their side. They claim to have the rule of law. Based on the readouts on the VU Meters in the media, I’d say they realize they don’t. Here’s what I think is really going on…
The biggest nightmare the liberal media’s had in the last 30 years or so was President Ronald Wilson Reagan. If they’d like to characterize Barack Obama as the Second Coming of JFK, they are deathly afraid that Sarah Palin is the Second Coming of Reagan.
They did everything they could to discredit Reagan; first, his candidacy, then his Presidency, and now, his legacy. For those of you with short attention spans (or just weren’t born then, allow me to give you a refresher course. When Reagan first ran for President, he lost, narrowly, to Gerald “I promise I won’t run for President in 76” Ford. What he won, however, was a prominent place in Republican politics, where he laid the groundwork for a landslide victory four years later. During that election, the lefties in the media made great political hay over Reagan’s years as an actor. They brought up such films as “Bedtime for Bonzo” (where his co-star was a chimp), his age, his lack of legal experience (most in government have been career lawyers). They said he was an empty suit, a spokesmodel for things he didn’t understand, much less believe. In short, they did everything they could to keep him away from the Presidency. Once he was there, they did everything they could to marginalize him and make him out to be a joke. It would have worked, too, except for one thing. Reagan was the real deal.
Ronald Reagan was not a perfect man. No man is. He did not pass some imaginary “Conservative’s Purity Test” – he was divorced and remarried, made compromises on some things near and dear to conservative’s hearts, and generally acted like what he was – a human being, with flaws and foibles. However, he was not just a gifted speaker (“The Great Communicator”), but he was a man of principles and strong convictions. That’s what came across when he spoke. He was the wise neighbor next door – a guy who you’d like hanging out with, a pillar of his community. The kind of guy that you’d go to for advice, and you knew – you just knew – that he’d have the right answer. He was everybody’s father figure. Even the guys on the left that opposed him politically could find no fault in him as a person. Everybody liked Reagan – even those that hated him.
Who’d a thunk it, that the second coming of Ronald Reagan would walk onto the world stage in a skirt? The paralells are impressive. WIth backgrounds in communications, they both began their work careers as sportscasters. They are both outdoors types, both life members of the NRA. They both ride, shoot and hunt. They both value values and principals over the politically expedient course. They are both criticized as intellectual lightweights by the left, but manage to speak from the heart, and impress/charm/motivate not only those on the right, but those in the middle as well.
While the left dreams about recreating Camelot, they have awakened to their ultimate nightmare: A return to the Reagan Revolution years. And Sarah Palin is just the one that could do it. Think about it. When in the course of American History have you ever seen or heard so much excitement about the #2 on the ticket? I can’t recall anything like it. Ever. The pundits on the left would have you believe that there is no way Palin will ultimately influence votes. “People vote for President – not Vice President.” Uh huh. Not this time. I can’t speak for the rest of the country, but I’m not voting for McCain – I’m voting for Palin. Prior to Palin’s nomination, I was willing to pull the lever for McCain, but only because I see Obama as naieve and his socialist policies as dangerous for the country. McCain was the lesser of two evils. Palin, however, is a Godsend for us conservatives. But the question remains, why does Palin (and for that matter, why did Reagan) elicit such a violent, negative response from the Left?
I think I know why. Liberals – secular humanists, if you will – believe that there are no moral absolutes. They believe that virtually anything can be justified, and therefore there is no absolute right and wrong. All judgements are ultimately flawed, because they involve opinions. They believe that life is human-centered, and that there is – and should be – no Godly authority, and certainly nobody that ultimately tells us what is right and what is wrong. They shun “traditional values” because traditional values, by default, employ moral absolutes. Murder is wrong. Self-reliance is good. Logic and reason are positives. Selfishness and self-indulgence are not. Secular humanists/progressives (now there’s a word the left has co-opted!)/Liberals are dead-set against all traditional values, especially the ones that require discipline and adherence to rules.
Enter someone like Palin, who is the poster child for Motherhood, big families, self-reliance, and traditional American values. Liberals are frothing at the mouth, like so many demons, eager to pull a saint off a pedestal and destroy their reputations. Now understand – I don’t think Palin’s a saint, any more so that I do Reagan. But there’s a certain logic at work here, from the liberal side, twisted though it may be.
Think of the way kids work. If you have some kid that is talented, say in music or art, the other kids will express jealousy, usually by tearing down what the talent kid does. If you have a bunch of teens that experiment with sex, alcohol and drugs, they will almost inevitably deride a virginal, abstaining classmate. Why? Because, in their heart of hearts, actually know the difference between right and wrong, and want to pull their classmate down to their own, debased level. Just as “in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king,” in the lad of the debauched, a pure and chased citizen is a painful reminder of how the fallen have…well, fallen.
Just as the Left practices the Politics of Envy to foster class warfare, they’re using the same techniques to try and discredit Palin.
Think about how the Left reacted to the twin stories of Palin’s youngest son, and her daughter’s teen pregnancy. First, we were treated to rumors that her son was not hers. Some idiots went so far as to demand (demand, I say!) a DNA test to prove that the child is Palin’s. (As if it’s any of their business.) Then we got the stories about how Palin is “selfish” for bringing a Downs Syndrome baby into the world (presumably instead of doing the ‘right’ thing and terminating the pregnancy). We heard stories derisively claiming that Palin’s right-to-life policy was obviously flawed – after all, she was “forcing her daughter to marry and keep the child.” Then of course, we got the “Just say ‘Ho’ crowd” positively chortling over the ‘irony’ of a right-wing mom dealing with a teen pregnancy.
The left has gone after Palin’s hairstyles, her glasses (!), her outfits (none of which, by the way, have anything to do with her ability to govern). They’ve claimed that her four+ years of executive experience are worthless (while Obama’s <2 years in the Senate, where he voted “present” 44% of the time makes him qualified for the Oval Office). They’ve examined her record for the smallest inconsistencies, and trumpeted any “evidence” they find as if it’s a Scarlet Letter.
The left may be having flashbacks of the Reagan Years, but one thing they’ve forgotten is the Nietzsche aphorism, that which does not kill you, makes you stronger. Palin is tough. She can take it. And every stupid attack and unfair charge simply solidifies her support on the right, and makes those on the fence doubt the “Politics of Change” and the much-vaunted claim that Obama is a different kind of politician.
I’m looking forward to a Palin Vice Presidency, and I dream of (someday) a Palin Presidency. I could care less if she’s a woman or a man. I want another Reagan in the White House, and it looks from where I sit, that Palin is the real deal. The Left might want to remember this…you can’t practice the politics of envy if your target is not worthy to be envied. Palin is worthy. Envy away, boys…envy away.
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