Going Rogue
I spent a good part of yesterday reading Sarah Palin's autobiography, Going Rogue. If you've not read it and want to understand the Palin phenomenon that so many "intellectuals" on the left and right miss, I encourage the read.
I was prepared to be disappointed and surprised. A few weeks ago I saw a Twitter entry from The Wall Street Journal editorialist's John Fund to the effect that he was bored reading the book. I'm not sure what Fund reads regularly, but I would not call the book boring by any stretch. Two-hundred pages in, I have found it to offer great insight into one of the most refreshing figures to burst on to the national politician scene in the last thirty years.
The book offers personal insight into a unique political figure. Palin's upbringing, hard work, athleticism, determination and view of government. Her sense of humor (there is something to wink about with her jokes), her frustration with good old boy politics (ask a female politician about that) and her sense of family all come out very clearly in the book.
Don't take my word for it, enjoy Palin:
Motivation for public office:
"When the Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef, I was a young mother-to-be with a blue-collar husband headed up to the Slope. I hadn't yet envisioned running for elected office. But looking back, I can see that the tragedy planted a seed in me: If I ever had a chance to serve my fellow citizens, I would do so, and I'd work for the ordinary, hardworking people - like everyone who was part of my ordinary, hardworking world."
Humor:
"Not far from home, near the Talkeetna Mountains, I learned to hunt. Traveling on skis and snowshoes, we harvest ptarmigan and big game. I love meat. I eat pork chops, thick bacon burgers, and the seared fatty edges of medium-well-done steak. But I especially love moose and caribou. I always remind people from outside our state that there's plenty of room for all Alaska's animals - right next to the mashed potatoes."
On run-of-the-mill politicians:
"(Governor-elect Frank )Murkowski immediately launched into a soliloquy on how tough it was on a family to serve in the Senate. Although it was a bit of a weird segue, it felt like a fatherly talk, and I remember that he must be a caring parent who had the welfare of his family uppermost in his mind. . .Soon afterward Governor Murkowski made his big announcement. He'd chosen 'the most politically aligned Alaskan to replace him in the U.S. Senate,' he said. He handed what was called the most coveted government job in the state to his daughter, Lisa, a mom with two young kids."
The recurring thought I have while reading the book is about Palin's remarkably fresh approach to politics and government. Her most common enemies in the book are an entrenched, corrupt, Republican party and Big Oil (which is aligned with both parties in Alaska). The political views she holds are pure conservatism - a get-government-out-of-the-way approach to taxes and regulation, combined with strong defense and conservative social instincts. Her political style is grass-roots (which explains her trouble with the media).
Not a boring read and not at all a disappointment. I am certain that there are a few more chapters to be written in this autobiography.
I was prepared to be disappointed and surprised. A few weeks ago I saw a Twitter entry from The Wall Street Journal editorialist's John Fund to the effect that he was bored reading the book. I'm not sure what Fund reads regularly, but I would not call the book boring by any stretch. Two-hundred pages in, I have found it to offer great insight into one of the most refreshing figures to burst on to the national politician scene in the last thirty years.
The book offers personal insight into a unique political figure. Palin's upbringing, hard work, athleticism, determination and view of government. Her sense of humor (there is something to wink about with her jokes), her frustration with good old boy politics (ask a female politician about that) and her sense of family all come out very clearly in the book.
Don't take my word for it, enjoy Palin:
Motivation for public office:
"When the Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef, I was a young mother-to-be with a blue-collar husband headed up to the Slope. I hadn't yet envisioned running for elected office. But looking back, I can see that the tragedy planted a seed in me: If I ever had a chance to serve my fellow citizens, I would do so, and I'd work for the ordinary, hardworking people - like everyone who was part of my ordinary, hardworking world."
Humor:
"Not far from home, near the Talkeetna Mountains, I learned to hunt. Traveling on skis and snowshoes, we harvest ptarmigan and big game. I love meat. I eat pork chops, thick bacon burgers, and the seared fatty edges of medium-well-done steak. But I especially love moose and caribou. I always remind people from outside our state that there's plenty of room for all Alaska's animals - right next to the mashed potatoes."
On run-of-the-mill politicians:
"(Governor-elect Frank )Murkowski immediately launched into a soliloquy on how tough it was on a family to serve in the Senate. Although it was a bit of a weird segue, it felt like a fatherly talk, and I remember that he must be a caring parent who had the welfare of his family uppermost in his mind. . .Soon afterward Governor Murkowski made his big announcement. He'd chosen 'the most politically aligned Alaskan to replace him in the U.S. Senate,' he said. He handed what was called the most coveted government job in the state to his daughter, Lisa, a mom with two young kids."
The recurring thought I have while reading the book is about Palin's remarkably fresh approach to politics and government. Her most common enemies in the book are an entrenched, corrupt, Republican party and Big Oil (which is aligned with both parties in Alaska). The political views she holds are pure conservatism - a get-government-out-of-the-way approach to taxes and regulation, combined with strong defense and conservative social instincts. Her political style is grass-roots (which explains her trouble with the media).
Not a boring read and not at all a disappointment. I am certain that there are a few more chapters to be written in this autobiography.
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