September 9, 2011
By ANAND GIRIDHARADAS
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS — Let us begin by confessing that, if Sarah Palin surfaced to say something intelligent and wise and fresh about the present American condition, many of us would fail to hear it.
That is not how we’re primed to see Ms. Palin. A pugnacious Tea Partyer? Sure. A woman of the people? Yup. A Mama Grizzly? You betcha.
But something curious happened when Ms. Palin strode onto the stage last weekend at a Tea Party event in Indianola, Iowa. Along with her familiar and predictable swipes at President Barack Obama and the “far left,” she delivered a devastating indictment of the entire U.S. political establishment — left, right and center — and pointed toward a way of transcending the presently unbridgeable political divide.
The next day, the “lamestream” media, as she calls it, played into her fantasy of it by ignoring the ideas she unfurled and dwelling almost entirely on the will-she-won’t-she question of her presidential ambitions.
So here is something I never thought I would write: a column about Sarah Palin’s ideas.
There was plenty of the usual Palin schtick — words that make clear that she is not speaking to everyone but to a particular strain of American: “The working men and women of this country, you got up off your couch, you came down from the deer stand, you came out of the duck blind, you got off the John Deere, and we took to the streets, and we took to the town halls, and we ended up at the ballot box.”
But when her throat was cleared at last, Ms. Palin had something considerably more substantive to say.
She made three interlocking points. First, that the United States is now governed by a “permanent political class,” drawn from both parties, that is increasingly cut off from the concerns of regular people. Second, that these Republicans and Democrats have allied with big business to mutual advantage to create what she called “corporate crony capitalism.” Third, that the real political divide in the United States may no longer be between friends and foes of Big Government, but between friends and foes of vast, remote, unaccountable institutions (both public and private).
In supporting her first point, about the permanent political class, she attacked both parties’ tendency to talk of spending cuts while spending more and more; to stoke public anxiety about a credit downgrade, but take a vacation anyway; to arrive in Washington of modest means and then somehow ride the gravy train to fabulous wealth. She observed that 7 of the 10 wealthiest counties in the United States happen to be suburbs of the nation’s capital.
Her second point, about money in politics, helped to explain the first. The permanent class stays in power because it positions itself between two deep troughs: the money spent by the government and the money spent by big companies to secure decisions from government that help them make more money.
“Do you want to know why nothing ever really gets done?” she said, referring to politicians. “It’s because there’s nothing in it for them. They’ve got a lot of mouths to feed — a lot of corporate lobbyists and a lot of special interests that are counting on them to keep the good times and the money rolling along.”
Because her party has agitated for the wholesale deregulation of money in politics and the unshackling of lobbyists, these will be heard in some quarters as sacrilegious words.
Ms. Palin’s third point was more striking still: in contrast to the sweeping paeans to capitalism and the free market delivered by the Republican presidential candidates whose ranks she has yet to join, she sought to make a distinction between good capitalists and bad ones. The good ones, in her telling, are those small businesses that take risks and sink and swim in the churning market; the bad ones are well-connected megacorporations that live off bailouts, dodge taxes and profit terrifically while creating no jobs.
Strangely, she was saying things that liberals might like, if not for Ms. Palin’s having said them.
“This is not the capitalism of free men and free markets, of innovation and hard work and ethics, of sacrifice and of risk,” she said of the crony variety. She added: “It’s the collusion of big government and big business and big finance to the detriment of all the rest — to the little guys. It’s a slap in the face to our small business owners — the true entrepreneurs, the job creators accounting for 70 percent of the jobs in America.”
Is there a hint of a political breakthrough hiding in there?
The political conversation in the United States is paralyzed by a simplistic division of labor. Democrats protect that portion of human flourishing that is threatened by big money and enhanced by government action. Republicans protect that portion of human flourishing that is threatened by big government and enhanced by the free market.
What is seldom said is that human flourishing is a complex and delicate thing, and that we needn’t choose whether government or the market jeopardizes it more, because both can threaten it at the same time.
Ms. Palin may be hinting at a new political alignment that would pit a vigorous localism against a kind of national-global institutionalism.
On one side would be those Americans who believe in the power of vast, well-developed institutions like Goldman Sachs, the Teamsters Union, General Electric, Google and the U.S. Department of Education to make the world better. On the other side would be people who believe that power, whether public or private, becomes corrupt and unresponsive the more remote and more anonymous it becomes; they would press to live in self-contained, self-governing enclaves that bear the burden of their own prosperity.
No one knows yet whether Ms. Palin will actually run for president. But she did just get more interesting.
Let me add my thanks for your thoughtful article and comments on Victory Sessions regarding Governor Palin’s ideas.
I’m wondering whether you were aware of Governor Palin’s trip to India in March 2011 and her speech and Q&A – and whether you have comments on those events.
Here is a video link with transcript:
http://www.palintv.com/2011/03/19/governor-palins-speech-at-the-india-today-conclave/
Q&A video:
http://www.palintv.com/2011/03/19/governor-palin%E2%80%99s-qa-at-the-india-today-conclave/
Yes out here on mainstreet these are the things we talk about everyday.I guess throughout her political carear shes being listening to us.No one else does,perhaps that is why she won in her state and imposed strict ethics reforms.Perhaps thats why she made big oil make their deals with government in public meetings.By doing so,breaking those crony backroom deals.Perhaps thats why the states chequebook went online and transparency was practiced not just preached.If only people knew the real Sarah Palin they never hear about.However out here in the streets without the media,words getting out.
You did a great job with this article. If you somehow make it this far down into the comments, I would suggest that you look into Palin’s biography in order to learn that this has been a consistent message from her throughout her career, and she actually has real accomplishments to back up her rhetoric. She is the real deal: a people’s leader who has what it takes to go to Washington and accomplish the secular equivalent of “evicting the money-changers from the Temple”. Thanks for your honesty, and I look forward to hearing more from you as we move forward.
Sarah Palin is incredibly interesting on multiple levels. She attacked the corruption in her own party in Alaska and was very highly thought of by the people in her state. She negotiated with the large oil companies and won a victory for the people in her state. She has at times seemed brilliant and other times befuddled. She has undergone an amazing attack by many on the left and in the media. She has also been attacked by some on the right who are threatened by her approach that departs from the talking points.
Your article is the beginning I hope of a clearer look at who she is and what she brings. I have no idea if she can be elected, nor do I know if she is capable of being a successful president. What I do know is that she is different, that she is interesting, and that she is got a lot of the establishment scared of her. Based on what she was able to do in Alaska, I believe she is a reformer and truly interested in a better deal for the American people which I think many people in the US would value. If people like you can get past the spin about Ms. Palin and simply report on her ideas I think others may also let go of the emotional contagion that occurs when people start name calling and attacking her, and really start listening to her. The ideas you wrote about are intriguing and no one else is talking about them in the same way.
The comments on this piece date back to September 9 when you wrote it. I encourage you to stay with Ms. Palin and to continue writing about her. You have come to see some of what she is capable of and yet you started with the prejudice that so many others have. I encourage you to look deeper and I look forward to what else you might learn and share.
Warm regards,
Chuck Wolfe
I’m reading with interest, and hadn’t intended on commenting but I can’t leave this statement by user “penalcolony” unanswered:
“”Palin may be hinting at a new political alignment,” but however sensible the parts of her argument may seem, as a whole they greatly resemble the political pitches of several fascists of the past.”
The level of ignorance displayed by this statement is astonishing. Fascism is the ultimate in big cronyism. From a certain perspective, that is precisely what the political theory called Fascism stands for. What SP is advocating is so far from Fascism, or the “political pitches of [any!] fascists of the past” that one has to be perfectly ignorant to conflate them like this.
What IS true is that much of BHO’s rhetoric of the past 5 years or so (and much of his policy over the last 2) hovers dangerously close to that of fascism and its ideological cousin, Marxism. “penalcolony” might benefit from reading Goldberg’s recent book, Liberal Fascism.
To all those who accused Palin of getting a new speech writer and thus these ideas, I would direct you to examine her record of governance in Alaska. She lived these ideas her whole career and did not just now discover them.
The biggest game she’s ever hunted was a herd of corrupt Alaska politicians and their cronies. Their heads are mounted and displayed in her home along side the caribou, elk, and moose that she and her husband have shot.
I want to expand on what R. Craigen wrote on the 23rd about “fascism and its ideological cousin, Marxism.” Look at the video link posted below. That will explain why the concept of “left” and “right” is completely incorrect. This misconception about the nature of politics is what leads people like penalcolony to call anyone right of center a fascist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DioQooFIcgE
Just exactly like I’ve always heard – “Never underestimate Sarah!” IF people would pull their heads out of the sand, they might just “get” what she is saying. Her record as AK’s Gov is excellent! If she HAD to, she would stick the knife in, smiling all the while, and push it through the other side! And she would be “one up” FOR America doing it. One would still be wondering “What happened?”. She is the type that would do whatever it takes to make America great again, not caring what folks thought about her action! If she can stick it to the Big Oil companies like she did, and then say to them, “Want a cookie?”, she can certainly fix the mess this country is in. She certainly is NOT getting the credit she absolutely deserves.
Please bring more discussions and analysis about Gov. Palin. I find this lady interesting. I am considering voting her if she chooses running for President.
Surprisingly fair article. Thank you. There were a couple areas where I’m not sure you got her message; but, they were not important enough to mention. There have been many positive and negative comments here about your post and Sarah. Let me say, I have heard them all before. I learned
a long time ago to do my own research. I am darn good at it too. Palin is for real. She is smart, has backbone, loves America, and she epitomizes our American heritage in that she has the kind of spirit that our early settlers had. Looking at her state and its ruggedness and beauty, I can see why.
She is a threat to the communist in control of Congress and she is a threat to the Republicans who have the hands of corporations and special interest groups in their pockets. There are also a few Democrats in this group, too!
She is not afraid to tackle any of them. They know it. However, she does have the unique ability of reaching across party lines when dealing with people who care about America as exhibited by success in Alaska as Governor. If anyone can succeed as President in forcing Congress to work together, cutting back spending, making improvements, and whatever else needs to be done, Palin can.
America gave a chance to our current leader. If we would repeat it with Sarah Palin America has nothing to loose or at least not more that we lost in the past few years. I am willing to try the leadership of a woman.
Given a chance, Gov. Palin can lead this great country into a bright and better future. Hope she will run.
It is amusing to see someone like Anand, who lives in the east-coast liberal bubble and accepts popular stereotypes about conservatives without independant verification, suddenly listen for a change, and wake up and see what a moron he has been and how his fellow denizens of the liberal bubble have been screwing him with falsehoods.
Also, check out No. 2, where another snide liberal named Dan makes a complete fool of himself. LOL!
Funny how “lamestreamers” find something other than hate and vitriol to spew about a non-leftist only after years of slander have rendered that person unthreatening to the marxists who are currently bringing this once-great country into a socialist hell.
I suppose that once the U.S. is a third-world toilet, you’ll find something (sort of) nice about Michele Bachman, or even that traitor to his race Herman Cain.
Too little to late, pal. You’ll always be a lamestreamer to me.
Sarah believes first in God, family and country. She believes that a good government should be good for all people. No matter their color ,race, democrat and Republican. She is able to work with both partiesbut she does not like crony capitalism exactly what just about every politician is Washington is doing. Washington should not be a place where they go to work to make their lives better while regular americans suffer more. It is wrong. If they are not there to help their fellow man they should not be there.They should be the people that americans look up too and admire and our children would want to grow up and be like them. If they can’t fix the problems they need to get out . If Obama is president he needs to act like one not like a dictator. Someone needs to explain to him what his job is suppose to be. Not going on vacation for 3 weeks. He was the one that was running for president all year long. I am suprised Obama and congress and other elected officials are not interested in the voter fraud that went on in ever state. I have not hear any conplain about it. Why. That is no different than stealing. Are you all telling our kids it is okay to do.