The Palin Threat

OK, I’ve spent much of the past two days absorbing as much information as I can about Sarah Palin.  Clearly, her nomination has touched nerves throughout the political spectrum.  Republicans rank-and-file, as judged by smaller bloggers and commenters on larger blogs, are enthusiastic in a way I’ve not seen in the Republican Party since the days of Ronald Reagan.  Big-name bloggers are more cautious, but most of the right-blogs are anywhere from approving to enthusiastic.  There are some who aren’t as impressed, of course.  These tend to be the more inside-the-Beltway types, who obsess obsessively about Palin’s inexperience.  More on that in a bit.

On the left, there’s an odd mix.  The PUMAs are delighted that McCain, through Palin, is stickin’ it to the Man (Obama).  Much of the rest of the left side of the blogosphere is, from what I can see, is in full-blown panic mode.  I think they see the threat that Palin (and, to a much lesser extent, McCain himself) holds for them.

You see, Palin’s entire political career is a Good Government campaign.  She blew a whistle when she was on an Alaska energy commission regarding another commissioner’s ethical lapses, and when she was ignored by the Governor, took on both the Governor and the entire good-old-boy network of the Republican Party in Alaska, and wound up as Governor herself.

Palin is potentially an existential threat to Washington’s good-old-boy network, too.  If I was McCain, I’d tell the country at next week’s GOP convention that Palin’s job #1 after the election would be to do precisely that–go after the rampant corruption, waste, and abuse of government power eminating from that swamp on the Potomac.   Shine the light of exposure on the cesspool that our Federal Government has become–in both the Executive and the Legislative branches.  Expose all of the lobbyist connections.  Call people to account.  Prosecute all you can get the goods on.  Shake up Washington as much as you possibly can.

You know that Biden and Obama won’t do it.  McCain and Palin just might.

And here’s where the attacks on Palin come in.  She’s what Washington fears the most:  the voice of the American People.  She’s the ultimate outsider.  If she can crash the party in Washington, who knows?  Maybe the party will be over.  Or, maybe they’ll just turn the noise down a bit so the rest of us can get on with our own lives.  A guy can hope.