It looks as if at least 90% of Republicans and conservatives are thrilled by Sarah Palin's selection and her fantastic debut on national television. Suddenly, there is energy in Republican ranks that had been lacking. Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard has high confidence in Palin's ability to connect with voters. Kristol thinks Palin is a "natural." She can handle herself and there should be no attempt to put her into a cookie cutter mold.
Palin could become the Democrats' worst nightmare. She is fearless. In becoming Alaska's governor she defeated the incumbent Republican governor in the primary (accusing him of insider politics) and trounced a popular former Democratic governor in the final. Midway through her first term her approval rating in male-dominated Alaska is in the 80s.
Let Palin Be Palin --- Why the left is scared to death of McCain's running mate.by William Kristol
09/08/2008 The Weekly StandardA spectre is haunting the liberal elites of New York and Washington--the spectre of a young, attractive, unapologetic conservatism, rising out of the American countryside, free of the taint (fair or unfair) of the Bush administration and the recent Republican Congress, able to invigorate a McCain administration and to govern beyond it.
That spectre has a name--Sarah Palin, the 44-year-old governor of Alaska chosen by John McCain on Friday to be his running mate. There she is: a working woman who's a proud wife and mother; a traditionalist in important matters who's broken through all kinds of barriers; a reformer who's a Republican; a challenger of a corrupt good-old-boy establishment who's a conservative; a successful woman whose life is unapologetically grounded in religious belief; a lady who's a leader.
So what we will see in the next days and weeks--what we have already seen in the hours after her nomination--is an effort by all the powers of the old liberalism, both in the Democratic party and the mainstream media, to exorcise this spectre. They will ridicule her and patronize her. They will distort her words and caricature her biography. They will appeal, sometimes explicitly, to anti-small town and anti-religious prejudice. All of this will be in the cause of trying to prevent the American people from arriving at their own judgment of Sarah Palin.
That's why Palin's spectacular performance in her introduction in Dayton was so important. Her remarks were cogent and compelling. Her presentation of herself was shrewd and savvy. I heard from many who watched Palin--many of them not predisposed to support her--about how moved they were by her remarks, her composure, and her story. She will have a chance to shine again Wednesday night at the Republican convention.
Finally something or someone for the Republicans to cheer about.