Amrican Political Zen

8Feb/1016

The Zen of Palin [Update by Dan]

The meme being floated by the self-appointed Intelligentsia with regard to Palin is that she is somehow not up to snuff on the issues of the day. That somehow she is ignorant of the issues that face us and lacks the knowledge to lead - offering criticisms rather than potential solutions. I find this a most obnoxious meme.

Alas, these critiques come from the very people Palin (and indeed all who find themselves moved by her speeches) has rightly targeted in her criticisms. And once again, instead of countering her complaints, they seek only to malign.

It is true that Palin has not demonstrated, on a national level, an ability to solve the major problems that face this country. Most obviously because she has not had an opportunity to do so. It is true that her resume does not include elbow-rubbing with the movers and shakers inside the Beltway. It is true she may not even comprehend how the "Game" is played in DC. We can only go on our gut instinct about her and her successes in Alaska... we can only take a sort of leap of faith when it comes to Palin. We can only, those of us who see in her something more than a charismatic pit-bull in chief, imagine what she might accomplish in the Oval Office.

To those that criticize that she lacks the necessary gravitas, I would only chuckle. For Obama, who now sits in the Oval Office, has not demonstrated the ability to solve the major problems that face this country, despite having a year of opportunities to do so. And this man IS the mover and shaker in the Beltway. The man whose elbows every political creature, especially in the early days of his presidency, have been trying to rub. Obama, who stands behind the presidential seal, who was voted into office with the hope that the "Game" Palin is now accused of not understanding would have its rules upended with an Obama victory, was beneficiary of a Giant Leap of Faith. And many who voted him into office realize that he is maybe not the One they anticipated... he is not the Game-Changer they had envisioned when they cast their ballots. Quite the contrary - he is now faced with the realities of DC. And his ability to navigate the political landscape is woeful at best. In some fashion he really seems not to understand the rules at all. And certainly does not comprehend the finer, more delicate politics involved. Never mind his complete detachment from the Will of the People.

It is true the Framers envisioned an apparatus given to the status quo. It is true they fashioned mechanism that had a high propensity to gridlock. And thankfully so. It is true that the vibrancy of our federal government is due to its preference for inaction. And again, thankfully so. So that no man or woman should ever master the mechanism is what all Constitutionalists pray for. That no so-called charismatic executive will ever seduce her entirely... this Lady Liberty... is what we should celebrate when we think of the Genius built into the apparatus.

So, really, at the end of the day, should we desire an executive that seeks to master that which is not to be mastered? Or should we tend toward those who are governed by true and abiding love of principle? Should we prefer an ideologue whose belief-system seeks to upend the apparatus? Or should we prefer one who is guided by principles which are, to the degree possible given Lady Liberty's disagreeable nature, most harmonious with her very essence?

From this perspective, I cannot help to think that Palin, as studied or learned as she may or may not be, is a creature who sings a theme that resonates with the institutional instrument itself. At least to the degree that is possible. I do not think the concept of limited government, limited interference, limited confiscatory taxation, limited oversight of commerce, limited social programming, limited policing of ever decreasing freedoms, and limited governance is trite. Not in the least. Palin herself is governed by these very principles. These, the underlying beliefs she proclaims, are broad but profound. And they are very much in harmony with the machine the Framers constructed. A master craftsman of any medium spends all of his initial energies understanding his medium. And at first (while still a novice) begins by trying to master it. Eventually realizing the folly of artistic masturbation, he then comprehends that there are limitations in the material he at first sought to master. If he is sufficiently dedicated and bright enough, he conforms himself to the least degree possible to the innate limitations of the medium. Then, understanding what can be and what will not be at the macro level, asserts himself within the medium prudently. Artistic Genius is most often affiliated with those who intuitively comprehend that equilibrium is only to be had when the master sublimates the creaturely desire to master the medium, and instead gives himself to achieving harmony with it at the first - and then and only then allowing for his own personal style to express itself.

One must first have two hands to "master" the violin. Drum sticks just won't do it. Ever. No matter who wields them. And no matter what they wear when they try.

Could we call her wise? Or at least, enlightened in a Mr. Magoo sort of way? I think so. And then what about the Golden Boy who approaches the battered violin each and every day with drumsticks? So confident is Obama that today - tomorrow - or the next - HE will eventually find a way to beat a grand opus out of it? And that the violin will become very much not at all what it is or ever will be... what kind of Towering Intellect sees in a violin a drum set?

Jerry Wilson of Goldfish and Clowns, which has a sleek new look, makes complementary points:

Sarah Palin is the mirror in which the wannabes see their insignificance. She doesn’t need the blogger prattlers or the Twitter twits or puffed-up pundits. She blows right past them, communicating directly with the people. The genuine media high fliers, the true high rollers — Limbaugh, Levin, Beck, Hannity — have both the intelligence to give her free reign and the humility to know her star shines far brighter than even theirs, wisely yielding the stage to her whenever possible. They understand the concept of serving the greater good, and act accordingly.

William Jacobson's noticed the misogyny.