QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Sarah Palin rejoined Fox News as a contributor earlier this month, indicating that the polarizing former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential candidate remains a powerful voice in the conservative landscape. Is she beneficial to conservatives and the Republican Party, or does she do more harm than good?
Sarah Palin is undeniably useful and important as a face of the conservative movement. She is ineffective and even detrimental as the face of the conservative movement.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she became when John McCain selected her as his running mate in 2008: the face of the GOP and conservatism. It wasn’t by design. It was simply a function of sharing the Republican ticket with one of the least compelling, most ideologically void candidates for president imaginable.
Palin’s presence in the race gave the media — and the nation — a fascinating and captivating presence to discuss and dissect; to celebrate and to use (unfairly) as a punching bag.
The reality was, and still is, that Palin’s particular populist Christian views represent only a small fraction of the people who make up the political right in America. That makes her a poor standard-bearer for the party and the movement. Since, however, those stances reflect the ideology of many engaged Americans, and make great fodder for discussion and debate, she is custom-made for success in the media.