Why Sarah Palin is the Obama of the right

By Grace Vuoto

America has degenerated into a nation that no longer appreciates—or even creates—quality leaders. The meteoric ascendancy of former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin is a case in point: What accounts for the streaming crowds who eagerly await Mrs. Palin as she tours the nation to promote her memoir, Going Rogue? Has Mrs. Palin earned her credentials as a leading Republican—possibly a presidential candidate in 2012?

At any other time in our history, even in the early 1990s, the answer to this question would have been a resounding “NO!” Mrs. Palin has been a mayor, a state governor for two years and a vice-presidential candidate for slightly more than two months. At any other time in our history, no sane man, woman or child would dare suggest that this is a resume for the highest office in the land.

Yet, today this is being discussed as possible. What advantages does Mrs. Palin have over other previous contenders for the Republican nomination such as Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee? She does not exceed these men in experience or knowledge. But she has one element they do not have: She is a star, a luminary. In other words, Mrs. Palin is a celebrity.

Mrs. Palin has legions of admirers because she embodies Super Woman. She is the everywoman fantasy: A really good-looking, fit, former beauty queen who has a husband, a family and a thriving career. For decades, women have been debating whether they can “have it all.” In the early stages of the feminist movement in the 1960s and 1970s, ambitious women were willing to sacrifice having a marriage and children in order to fulfill their professional ambitions. But this left too many bitter and alone. Career was not enough.

In the late 1980s, women gradually returned to idealize the family, but only if they could have this in tandem with their careers. Yet this left too many stretched thin—stressed, tired and angry, and with dwindling or paltry sex lives even within marriage. By the 1990s many women grudgingly concluded that one has to choose between motherhood and career. Silently, there was a return to motherhood, as many females decided that this was a step in their lives they did not want to forsake.

However, in contemporary America, many highly educated women who choose to rear children find they are too bored, too isolated when they make this pledge. And those women who remain devoted to career long for motherhood. Women have found a dead end at every turn in trying to square this circle. Finally, the prevailing consensus is that women “can have it all—but not at the same time.” That is, women can enjoy their careers, take some time off to bear and rear children and then return to the workplace.

Mrs. Palin, however, stands for the woman who can marry, bear five children, keep fit and have a high-profile career all at the same time. In addition, she can take on a special-needs child. She is the feminine ideal: The ultimate juggler of multiple roles while not losing an ounce of her youthful vitality and sex appeal. For many, she embodies a sheer miracle.

In addition, Mrs. Palin is exceedingly charming. She can withstand media scrutiny and retain her dignity. She is feisty, combative and earthy. She has a populist touch: She is able to speak about complex issues in a simple, down-home manner that gives the audience a warm and comfy feeling.

Indeed, Mrs. Palin is exemplary in many ways. Yet does this mean she is qualified to be the future president of the United States?

The last time the nation experienced a similar phenomenon was in 2007-2008. Then, the luminary was a highly-educated, fit and good-looking black man who had a dazzling smile, an endearing family and outstanding skills as an orator. He had been a community organizer, a state senator and a U.S. Senator for several years—another thin resume. Yet Barack Obama represented the Ideal Black Man—the black man who appeared to be as comfortable in white circles as he was among blacks; the black man who could heal the nation’s racial wounds. He too made his audience feel warm and fuzzy—especially when he promised we would be one, united nation, indivisible and harmonious. Many Americans fell in love—both with Mr. Obama and with his projections of a post-racial, post-partisan America. He peddled a delicious fantasy.

Mrs. Palin is now the right-wing freshman crush. She is the Obama of the right.

Both Mrs. Palin and Mr. Obama could only thrive in a television age, with a population that is poorly or not educated and has a short attention span. Both Mrs. Palin and Mr. Obama could only flourish in an era in which the enthusiasm of the moment is chosen over the judgment of the ages.

When Abraham Lincoln coined the phrase “government of the people, by the people and for the people,” surely he could not have imagined the likes of Mr. Obama and Mrs. Palin. It is not only they who disappoint with their thin skill sets—but also the people who exalt them to their elevated status. It may be rude to say it so boldly and frankly, but America is becoming a nation with a government of idiots, by idiots and for idiots.

The politics of the nation should not resemble another reality television program. When the bombs explode abroad—as in Afghanistan or Iraq—real people die. When bullets are sprayed at home—as at Fort Hood—real people die. When prosperity is squandered—as in our soaring debt and economic decline—real people suffer. The nation’s ills and needs are real. Yet, we are more interested in the bright colors of the circus.

 -Grace Vuoto is the executive director of the Edmund Burke Institute for American Renewal.