Dan

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June 15, 2009

Face of a GOP Serious About Good Policy? How About Sarah Palin?

So, Republicans, you’re looking for people who can serve as faces of a party on the upswing. What qualities would we want to see in such people?

Maybe these:

• They’ve served in public office and have actually governed effectively.
• Rather than just talking about fiscal responsibility, they’ve made it happen under their watch.
• When possible, they’ve made sure the private sector would take the lead in crucial initiatives.
• They’ve taken on corrupt, entrenched interests to make government more responsive to the people it serves, even when those interests were fellow Republicans.
• They pull no punches in criticizing Democrats, but they do so with a positive outlook and a pleasant demeanor.
• They’re not intimidated by the inevitable crap they will catch from the media, celebrities and whomever else.
• They have an enthusiastic following upon which to build.
• Finally, if you’ve got all of the above, it can’t hurt if you also look fantastic.

Republicans, would you like people with some or most of these qualities to be the faces of a resurgent political party? Damn right you would. Guess what. There’s one person who possesses all eight.

Sarah Palin.

The Alaska governor was once again in the news this week for a silly reason – her recent public spat with David Letterman. But she deserves to be in the news for a substantive reason: The way she governs Alaska represents a principled, serious approach that is missing in the conduct of far too many Republican officeholders. What’s more, the way she talks about the excesses of the Obama Administration shows that she not only sees the problems we are creating for ourselves, but understands the alternatives we should be championing.

Once she found herself back in the national spotlight thanks to Letterman’s idiocy, she shined in national broadcast interviews with her discussion of the coming Alaska pipeline project, of the perils of excess federal spending and even of events in the Middle East.

Palin knows her stuff, backs it up with action and expresses herself with the perfect mix of substance and agreeable style.

I am not writing this column to tout Palin as a presidential candidate. Unlike most who write about her, I do not view everything she does through the prism of presidential aspirations she may or may not have. This column is about the importance of prominent Republicans who are serious about good governance and can serve as the face of a party that represents such ideals.

Republicans should embrace everyone they can find whose track record in public office – and in the public eye – demonstrates the best of Republican governance. And no one fits the bill better than Palin.

But do you know about Palin? The real Palin?

Certain Republicans fear Palin’s prominence because their image of her is based on Tina Fey routines and background turkey slaughters. Others are obsessed with inside baseball like the nonsense concerning her invite/non-invite/acceptance/non-acceptance of a speaking role at a recent GOP fundraising dinner.

If you read substance-challenged media like Politico, you think it’s all about unnamed GOP operatives grumbling about the way her scheduler works, or GOP senators (who refuse to put their names on the record) finding her annoying.

Have you ever listened to Palin talk about policy? Have you examined her record in Alaska? Do you know the political courage she has demonstrated achieving crucial goals there?

It’s especially important to listen to Palin’s discussion of policy matters now, as compared with during the presidential campaign, because then she was hamstrung by the need to tout the McCain campaign’s discombobulated message. Now that she is free to craft her own message, and can base it on her own record, she is exponentially more compelling.

Unlike their Washington counterparts, there are Republicans around the country who have done well in state and local positions, and they deserve to be the party’s new stars. Wherever you can find them, put them in the spotlight. No need to take sides. You like Bobby Jindal? Mark Sanford? Mitch Daniels? Awesome. The more, the better.

But start with Sarah Palin. It’s about her record, her vision, her message and her sincere appeal. They are all top-notch, if you don’t realize that, it’s because you’ve been focused on nonsense instead of what really matters.

Make her the nominee for president? I don’t really care, and I’m not sure she cares as much as you think she does. But by all means, make her a star, because the Republican Party doesn’t have anyone who comes even close to fitting the bill like she does.

© 2009 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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