American liberals seem to be playing the part of the fox in American politics these days and Sarah Palin the part of the rabbit. The attacks from the Left have only served Palin by bringing her more attention and credibility. They argue how stupid she is yet she has very carefully and artfully exploited her rise to fame for the benefit of her family and her party.
Calling her stupid does not resonate with independent voters. Granted, she is not a graduate from an eastern liberal elite college like President Obama but neither have a lot of voters out there. Unlike Obama however, she actually had a track record and success in managing, governing and working for a living.
The more the likes of Maureen Dowd, Ed Schultz, Keith Olberman and others attack her, the more popular she has become. They keep throwing her in the briar patch and she enjoys it more and more.
After the presidential election she was heavily criticized for resigning her governorship but that has turned out to be a stroke of brilliance. Leaving the job has all but eliminated the nuisance suits against her in Alaska and has freed her to be on any campaign trail she wishes.The financial benefits are obvious. She now commands as much for one speaking engagement as she would have received for a years salary as governor.
Lets compare political fortunes since the election. President Obama has had a substantial drop in the polls politically and limited success legislatively while Palin has gained in stature significantly. They called her a quitter for leaving the Alaska governorship yet she exploited it for the financial benefit of her family and for the political benefit of her party. Her popularity has soared while Obama's has plunged. Her book has sold widely and she is in great demand on the rubber chicken circuit.
The Palin trend has coincided with national politics as well. Virginia and New Jersey governorships have fallen to Republicans and the Kennedy seat is now occupied by a person with views much closer to Palin than to Teddy.
You would think that the Democrats would learn that denigrating an individual is not a strategy that works well for them. Another instance of a beneficial result for the Republicans came this week when Patrick Kennedy suggested that Scott Brown's election was a "joke". Well the joke is likely to be on Patrick because this is about as transparent a partisan comment as can be found.
Kennedy was criticizing Brown for wanting to move up his swearing in. Was Patrick arguing that it was beneficial to maintain an appointee in the post? Were the voter's best interest his main concern? He went on to say "This is where he shows that when they need him, he's in the tank for the Republicans." No kidding Patrick! The voters didn't put him in to become a reliable vote for the Democrats. Patrick's outburst of sour grapes did not help him in his own district in Rhode
Island.
Palin and Brown may not not end up being major players in Washington in the years to come. At the moment they are gaining significant ground by focusing on issues that resonate with the average American. President Obama had better listen to what is being said or the midterms may well be a continuation of Republican success.
