Posted by
Billy on Thursday, November 26, 2009 11:38:58 AM
I'm sure I would like Sarah Palin if I got the chance to meet her. We share many
things in common. She is still married to her first spouse, as am I. She has a
Down syndrome son. I have a brother with Down syndrome. We share the same faith
and we both like the outdoors. She is conservative on economic and social
issues, and so am I.
In her new book, "Going Rogue," Palin complains about her running mate's
handlers, whom she says kept her from being herself. I have similar complaints.
Those handlers also kept me from interviewing her. The handlers are long gone,
of course, but still I cannot get close to her.
I could either play the victim, or move on. I choose to move on. But before I
do, the Palin phenomenon -- for that is what it is because her celebrity flows
singularly from John McCain's choice of her as a running mate -- offers an
opportunity for conservatives to choose their path to the future. Will it be a
path of the angry and disenfranchised outsider, or will it be something of
substance that produces triumphs in both politics and policy?
(The above is part of a column Cal Thomas wrote awhile back. Read more of the column below.)
The victim thing is getting old. Conservatives have a significant presence in
virtually every venue they like to denounce. That includes government (though
not this one) and especially the media. Talk radio rules and the rulers are
conservatives. Fox News Channel dominates the ratings. The conservative presence
in academia lags, but there are universities that do not revise American history
and mock religious values. Movies? There are some with solid conservative
principles, such as Sandra Bullock's latest film, "The Blind Side." Will
conservatives go see it, or are they more comfortable denouncing "Hollywood"?
How about reinforcements for those conservatives already "making it" in the
mainstream media?
( I find it funny and too bad that Sarah Palin will talk to people like Oprah Winfrey and Katie Couric but not to Cal Thomas who would for sure be more fair than those two ladies. Cal is also right that instead of always playing the victim we need to support those on the right who are making an impact. Too many on the right are yelling so and so is not fair instead of supporting those who are. It is true Palin was not treated right at times by the media but we need to move on. Do read the whole Cal Thomas column Sarah
Palin and the Future of Conservatism.)