Palin's Gibberish

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 9, 2010
All Rights Reserved.                                

                Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin continues to grab the headlines opposing President Barack Obama’s agenda at every turn, whipping up her fans in the Tea Party movement into real frenzy.  When she speaks tonight at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, she’ll establish herself as the Tea Party’s frontrunner for the 2012 presidential sweepstakes.  While most experts believe she doomed former GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) 2008 campaign, she remains popular with the FOXNews crowd, hoping to resurrect the Republican Party after record losses in the 2008 election.  After demonizing Obama’s health plan as “death panels,” Palin now slams the president for his new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, signed with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev April 8 in Prague.  Palin called the new treaty a disaster.

            Palin blasted Obama for giving away the store to Russia at the recent arms control summit.  Handing the former Soviet Union a distinct advantage, despite shrinking nuclear arsenals from 2,200 warheads to 1,500, over a seven-year period.  ”It’s unbelievable.  Unbelievable,” Palin told FOXNews April 7.  “No administration in American history would, I think, ever have considered such a step that we just found out President Obama is supporting today,” referring to new provisions for exempting non-nuclear countries from a U.S. nuclear attack. Like with the health care debate, Palin preaches to her right wing choir, caring little about an honest examination of the facts.  Obama’s recent START treaty has the blessing of many defense and foreign policy experts, including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen. 

            Palin has a real knack at whipping up audiences, much like she did while stumping on the campaign trail as a vice presidential candidate for McCain. “If the secretary of defense and the Join Chiefs of Staff are comfortable with it, I’m probably going to take my advice from them and not from Sarah Palin,” said Barack, responding obliquely to Palin’s criticism.  She won many fans for her scathing indictment of Obama at the Republican National in Minneapolis/St. Paul Sept. 4, 2008.  Winning Senate ratification won’t be easy for Obama, despite assurances from Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).  Obama spent a lot of political capital on pushing his health care overhaul through the House and Senate.  Asking now for GOP support for federal judges or a new arms control pact appears unrealistic.  To get the GOP to sign on, Barack will have to give in on missile defense in Eastern Europe.

            Palin doesn’t quite get the president’s balancing act, trying, on the one hand, to get cooperation from Russia, while, on the other hand, working with Russia on arms control.  As a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, Barack needs Russia to approve the next round of tough sanctions on Tehran.  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmandinejad unveiled today a new more efficient centrifuge with which to enrich uranium, vowing that new U.N. sanctions won’t stop Iran’s nuclear program.   Palin’s hyperbole on health care and the new START treaty wins plaudits from the FOXNews crowd, whose audience is more about defeating Democrats in November and Obama in the 2012 presidential election.  Palin’s criticism prompted Obama’s reaction.  “Because the last time I checked, Sarah Palin’s not much of an expert on nuclear issues,” said the president.

            When Palin takes the podium tonight at the SRLC conference in New Orleans, she’ll make headlines reciting right wing talking points against Barack.  Whether she knows it or not, she continues to polarize the Republican Party, currently scrambling for an identity.  Palin represents the extreme right of the party, priding herself on her Reagan-like credentials but having little appeal to mainstream voters.   While the GOP parades presidential hopefuls, the strong interest in Palin indicates that the GOP has shifted far right of center, pandering to the roughly 25% GOP fringe that listens to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, the rest of the FOXNews crowd.  Putting Sarah in the spotlight presents problems for the GOP, trying, but failing, to find a moderate voice for the Midterm elections.

            Lecturing Obama on evils of his new START treaty with Russia, Palin continues to burnish her credentials as the leading voice of her Party’s extreme right wing.  Her phony hick-like style plays well to Tea Party activists, those passionate followers of right wing radio and TV.  As the GOP shifts attention away from embarrassments of Michael Steele at the Republican National Committee, the Party will have to look seriously after the Midterm elections at viable presidential candidates.  While McCain refuses to admit his biggest mistake, the Party can’t afford another detour on the extreme fringe to alienate moderate and independent voters in the 2012 presidential election.  Palin’s right wing hyperbole—on health care, peace treaties or any other subject—turns off reasonably-minded voters.  Setting her up as a GOP poster-girl spells problems for the Party going forward.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.