As part of my late trip to New York I was invited by director Steve Bannon to screen a rough cut of his film on Sarah Palin, The Undefeated. I’ll post my more detailed thoughts on the film later on this week, but for the moment let me just say this: those of you who’ve been convinced to believe in either Palin’s lack of intelligence or her intentional self-aggrandizement are not only wrong, you’re dangerously wrong — mostly because, from what I now know about Palin, she represents exactly what classical liberals and constitutional conservatives desire in a leader, and this makes her a danger not only to the left, but most especially to the GOP establishment, itself willing to place its own ambitions and desire for power and influence over and above the principles that were to be the defining measures of our country.
Beware Republicans / “pragmatic” conservatives carrying sneers. The same people who sold us McCainism have affected, in some cases, a more conservative veneer since their embarrassing 2008 capitulation to what they predicted as an almost inevitable move to social democracy and statism; but this recent re-positioning, a necessary sop to the increasing disillusionment of the perceived base (and a clear indication that they had misread, yet again, the political winds), was effected to retain readership and influence, and to guide the Republican establishment’s narrative just as assuredly as the mainstream press frames its political reporting to adhere to an unspoken stance as the advocacy and propaganda arm of the progressive movement.
So.
Spread the word.
I want to see this film. Stacy has been touting it.
didn’t Sarah a lot make her bones selling the McCainism? They were two peas in a mavericky pod is what I heard her say. And then she campaigned for him for so he could go back to the Senate and
Still if she wants to be useful I think she should run for senate in Arizona.
Hmm, is Mr. Goldstein’s star ascending a bit?
Very cool you were invited to the screening, Jeff.
I’m going to have to take a look at the film. Probably have to wait until it comes out on DVD, though.
The opposite. But on the plus side, I get to keep my integrity. So I’ve got that going for me.
She was on his ticket. To beat Obama. Whom she correctly identified while McCain didn’t.
It’s decidedly sad to me that people like you so hate this woman that nothing can break through that hatred. So to turn around the formulation on you, if you want to be useful and really use your special skills to help out classical liberalism, I think you should campaign heavily for Romney or Huntsman.
And here I thought she made her bones pissing off the Alaksa political establishment in all its incestuous political-(oil)industrial-business interests cronying glory.
I don’t have a candidate yet nobody is terribly interesting so far
But…but…she’s not one of the glittering elite Harvard-Princeton-Yaleists who’ve been properly educated and vetted by our betters, don’t you see? Isn’t there an unwritten rule that lesser sorts who are not from deep-blue leftist Universities can’t be our dearest leaders anymore ?
And, ‘feets hates, hates, hates her. That’s a game changer, right there.
McCain was just smart enough to choose Sarah Palin. Her inclusion on the ticket gave him a ton more support than he deserved, and likely saved him from a loss of Goldwaterish proportions.
I hear Paul Ryan has dreamy eyes.
Yeah, I thought taking down the incumbent in a primary on her way to winning the Governor’s office was kinda splashy.
tarted herself up like the strumpet she is when she done did that Pablo
Taking down an incumbent in the primaries, then defeating an ex-governor in the statewide. Followed by getting passed major reform legislation with unbelievable bi-partisan support, which she garnered by getting the people of Alaska to agree with her, forcing the politicians to vote her way.
Not minor stuff, either. Complicated, fiscally-conservative, pro-free enterprise reforms, at that. Which carried with it an 80% approval rate.
Star ascending or descending, I think it’s pretty cool that the director invited you to a screening.
Cheers.
Btw, a restaurant manager invited me to the grand opening of a local sports bar. It sorta looked like a two for one coupon in the paper but I assume he did it like that because he knows how grounded and humble I am.
Perhaps I misunderstand Palin.
Wouldn’t be the first time I got something like this flat wrong.
“I don’t have a candidate yet…”
That’s okay happy, you can always dream of what could have been.
I’m reading “The Faith and Values of Sarah Palin” by Mansfield and Holland. She really will be the next President. She is a force of nature, and thank G-d she’s on our side.
You’re losing my interest, feets. About Palin I don’t think you have anything.
I don’t think she has a whole lot either Mr. Howard.
The clash with Spooky Dude is concerning. That evil son of a bitch will be an eviler son of a bitch with Palin back in a race for POTUS.
Happy, if Palin does run and wins the GOP nomination, are you going to vote for Palin in the general?
(This is a binary choice question. I’m not interested in any reasoning or ramblings.)
Fortunately Spooky Dude does not have Magneto’s powers…yet. But Palin in the race will make the mutants mad.
you should have stopped at “I don’t think”.
Incidentally, the director, Steve Bannon, is a Harvard guy. So he has a cultural predisposition to dismiss Palin. Problem is — and this seems consistent — the more you actually give her fair hearing, the more impressive she seems to become.
Imagine!
yes Mr. Blake I would vote for Sarah against Obama
I won’t vote for Romney against Obama though
Mr. Jeff Palin’s record of accomplishment ended when she failed to be elected to the vice presidency. She’s done nothing since but cash in her chips and bibble babble in the bubble.
Well, that, and strengthen the TEA Party’s message and influence while forcing the whole of the GOP establishment to at least pretend to move right.
And that chip cash in, which she’s used to bypass the media and get herself out of the legal debt the progressives tried to saddle her family with, is of course revolting to a staunch capitalist, free market conservative like you. Because you’re staunch and all.
Now, of the two of us, I’m the one who saw the film and have a clearer picture of Palin (who had nothing to do with the making of the film, by the way). So, I guess we are where we are, and people can either believe me, believe you, or decide for themselves — either by relying on mainstream media / establishment GOP portrayals, or by looking at alternative sources.
I think she will wait four or eight more years, depending, before she runs. She will run eventually, and I will vote for her when she does.
I personally have been aware of this for some time. I called for her as McCain’s VP before she was even being talked about by the chattering class based on exposure I got to her because of energy and oil issues.
I personally can’t wait to see the film; even though in my case it’ll be kind of a, “preaching to the choir”, thing.
In all candor, though, I’m still uncertain whether she’s going to run, or simultaneously act as a flak-catcher for the field while serving to drive the debate in the direction it needs to go instead.
Only time will tell, because God only knows, and He ain’t tellin’… :)
Thank you for answering my question, Happy.
I’m quite sure Biden got Ogabe elected.
Hi, Jeff.
You went to NY City, and didn’t call me?
Too bad. I know where ALL the really good stuff is – if you can get past the smell of “I am way too cool”.
Oh well. Bummer.
TLD
PS – As soon as my ex-wife exits, you will be able to buy a motor home. Not the gas, just the vehicle.
I asked several times for anyone who wanted to meet up while I was in NY to email me, TLD.
don’t get me wrong I hope she has the courage to run
You post under the icon of a pikachu and write like an oxygen-starved Japanese schoolgirl. Forgive the world if we care less about your opinion than we care for the crap wedged under our toe nails.
And you’ve accomplished nothing. EVER.
I built a wall of tasty beverages once and then drank it up it was pretty awesome
Jeff,
Yeah, I must have missed that. I would love to meet you – you are apparently my kinda guy and we could probably have a lot of fun until the moment came when I would feel bad, and have to reveal my real identity – Jack Bauer – CTU.
But sometimes I reside in an alternate world – just in case you haven’t noticed.
Isn’t it amazing what “Obama World” (which started with Jimmah Cahta) can do to a human unit? “Gimme your money, flunky boy!”
Thanks again for PW, Jeff. Truly. If I never meet you, you are still way cool! you are a true mover and shaker (at least to us PW inbreds).
Once again, thank you so much. And I do mean it, no matter how nuts I can get.
TLD
OOPS! I forgot.
Last time I visited Boulder, they told me I couldn’t enter unless I had a $3000 bicycle, and a $1000 spandex suit to wear when I rode it.
Go figure…
I try, TLD. I have a group of great commenters, and the everlasting scorn of most of the right-side blogosphere. So I must be doing something right.
Oh, she’s so silly! Haha! Ha.
Political templates are starting to build themselves around us as we move closer to elections and hear more and more from the various candidates. We are still in the “up, down, in, out, round about SHUT UP! category, maneuvering our views around the public sentiment and the candidates’ less than clear viewpoints, flexible and, sometimes (are you listening, Romney?)soaking out of conservative/Classical Liberal principles.
Palin is on my porch writing speeches and stories. Conceptually I see her as a useful device for a new president, preferably Energy Secretary, four years before a presidency might be hers. I’m not being particularly critical of her and happy and I have had pillow fights (OK, occasional rock fights) about this but there are worse areas of political suction cups (Romney, Huckelsby, TRUMP!)
I’ll be interested in watching this film but, while I’m still mulling my way through the slings and arrows of outrageous politicians, Bachman has me a t least a bit intrigued.
Film at 11:00
BJTEX IS IN THE HIZZY!
Mr. BJ Romney we don’t have to ever vote for our whole lives and no one can judge us for that I don’t think.
Hi there, political junkies! What up?
She has the courage to withstand the entire media machine and the brains to make doing that work really well, feets.
I don’t get you wrong, I think.
BJTex, you cantankerous old bastard. Welcome back, bro.
The idea that Palin lacks courage is laughable on its face to those who best know her.
Sarah I need you to be my brave little marine
I’m guessing that none of the left’s candidates overcame leaving high office in order to survive the other side’s entirely false political vendetta and then ran to reenter higher public office four years later. None, I think.
I LOVE Sarah.
If she could only do something about that screeching stuff…
The screeching, such as it is — and Hillary had the same problem, only worse, in my opinion — is a function of higher-pitched females trying to speak loudly over what amounts to often deafening crowd noises. To an extent, this explains the Howard Dean yeaaaaarrrrrggghhh! that put an end to him.
What Palin needs is a better sound engineer and better monitors. But I think her WI speech was an example of just how good she can be — and that she went at all, and braved the hostility of the protesters, shows just where her principles lie.
Around the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran.
Lucy likes light literature.
Xylophones exist or so existentialists insist.
Yeah. Sarah is quite awesome. I DO think she is about the smartest “man” standing.
But we have to look at how a stupid idiot like Obama was elected. Sarah would be MY president, but, unfortunately, it all comes down to marketing. As amazing as she really is, she is a tough sell. I don’t really care about her voice, but morons like Jon Stewart will have a field day with it – without even mentioning it.
But, she truly is the “New” Reagan.
I do have to look at her through my 11 year old son’s eyes, though.
I threw up in my mouth a little the other day when I heard him telling his friend on the phone that “Hillary” is the dream come true. I didn’t say anything, even though it almost broke my neck not to open my mouth.
Our childrens belong to “Them”.
Fingernails on a chalkboard.
The NEA and John Dewey’s toxic legacy.
Our childrens belong to “Them”.
Bullshit. Children can be guided into watching for their bullshit. Never let bullshit parroted by your child to go unchallenged.
Whereas Joe Biden’s success in that same endeavor makes him much more than a walking advertisement for Poli-Grip, hair plugs and tanning gel? I’m thinking that you need to unpack on this one.
Probably not going to happen, though.
[…] anti-war protesters! I had begun to think you all had fallen asleep after January 20, 2009.Jeff Goldstein saw a rough cut of the Sarah Palin biopic The Undefeated and really liked it. I suppose I had better pay some attention to it now. Normally, I avoid grand biographical movies […]
“write like an oxygen-starved Japanese schoolgirl.” Thanks for that – now half of Ontario think I am drunk or high, I busted out laughing so hard…
Oh, and BJTexs – what is up? Morale, since seeing you back, thanks for asking.
Oh, I see my lovely State of the Land of Lincoln has a second gov on the way to Club Fed – I am so PROUD!
Hi BJ.
What is that LTC, six in twelve years? Most corrupt state evah!
Getting invited to premiers is definitely a step up. Occasionally I get invited to traffic court.
I’ll look forward to your detailed report, Jeff. Glad you got to see the movie. I’m really looking forward to it. I was psyched when I saw the news that they have landed a nice distribution deal.
Yes, if people understood Palin’s accomplishments, they would look at her in a different light. I’m glad the movie has been made, because anti-Palin types don’t seem willing to read her book (Going Rogue). Maybe they will be willing to see the movie, or at least watch some clips on the web.
To me, the strange saga of the war against Palin highlights two important issues.
One is the postmodernist problem, the fact that so many people are entirely uninterested in the truth, and/or don’t believe there is such a thing. (A topic, of course, that Jeff addresses beautifully in these pages.)
I’m still scratching my head about an exchange I had with a leftist shortly after Palin was selected as the VP nominee. This leftist is a bigshot writer, someone whose sensibilities on language and story–in literature, anyway–I really relate to. He is big in narrative nonfiction which is what I write. I’m working on a big story I’m having some trouble with, so I was considering taking this writer’s workshop, which is tailor made for situations like mine.
After we had talked about the money, and the form of the workshop, and the other people who were likely to attend, I brought up politics. I know most journalist types are leftists, so I wanted to make sure to address the issue in advance. The writer was astonished to learn that I am not a leftist. He had trouble getting his head around the idea that I was planning to vote Republican. Since I still, at that time, considered him a thoughtful person, we had a conversation about the election. I explained that national security is a key issue for me, so McCain, despite his faults, was a decent candidate for that reason, and that I had some real enthusiasm for Palin. That really puzzled him, so I explained why. She is a breath of fresh air, she is someone with a real track record, she got into politics the right way, from the ground up, starting by joining the PTA — and I think I made the point that most of us can’t even hack sticking with the PTA — then joined the city council and then became mayor and finally governor because of her good governing. These were the facts I had at the time, so I shared them.
The reply? “That’s the narrative,” he said snidely.
It used to be a sobering insult to tell someone they are entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. Now they have no idea what you are talking about.
Sorry to be long-winded, but the second important issue that I think the War On Palin illustrates is that we have some very different ideas about what it means to be qualified to be President. It seems that a lot of people think it’s terribly important to vote for someone who represents their ego ideal. (That is a technical term in psychology but the meaning is self-evident, I think–someone we look up to and try to emulate, or would if we could.)
Lotta people with weirdass egos these days. (Aside from the fact that that’s a nutty way to vote.)
Not only do they not know what you’re talking about, but everybody’s entitled to their own opinion has become just another platitudinous new-age affirmation.
The earth is flat! FLAT I say! And you’d damn well better not disagree with me to my face, lest you commit the egregious offense of hurting my feelings!
Funny thing about the origins of Psychology . . .