It’s only been a weekend, but already, Sarah Palin’s “One Nation” political fundraising tour/family vacation is getting old. It’s being touted as just another family vacation. The itinerary is kept top secret, but you can’t miss the bus, what with the giant image of the Constitution on the side and “One Nation” spelled out in four-foot lettering.
Palin hasn’t said whether or not she’s running for president, but this sort of investment of time and money would seem to point toward that outcome.
But back to the “getting old” part. Conservatives rightly criticized for Barack Obama (and his “hopey changey” rhetoric) for his lack of substance in the campaign leading up to the last election, but I don’t see much of difference in Sarah Palin.
Sure, her rhetoric and “campaigning” appeals to the sensibilities of those of us on the Right, but where’s the meat?
Palin and her brood have, so far, stopped at the National Archives to see the Constitution, George Washington’s Mount Vernon home, Gettysburg, and a the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally.
Her bus stops have clearly centered around most of the key tenents of an enthusiastic Right, revitalized by the emergence of the Tea Party: the Constitution and the Founding Fathers, along with a battle site known for its role in the re-unification of the nation, and, of course, support for the troops via the Rolling Thunder biker rally.
All good things to be sure, but when they occur within a strategically secret bus tour amid rabid speculation about whether or not Palin will throw her hat into the presidential ring, it comes off as a little hokey. Not to mention Palin’s “aw-shucks, doggone-it” style…but that’s more my personal problem.
All that said, Palin has proven that she can drum up support at will, and it appears that her One Nation tour is no different. And if and when she decides to run for the Republican presidential nomination, she’s sure to garner a lot of support. Further, she somehow has more political relevance than the rest of the gaggle of Republican candidates thus far.
If she does declare her candidacy, she’ll immediately be the front-runner…and that’s what scares me.
It’s one thing to slap an image of the Constitution on your bus; it’s quite another to go about defending it. It’s one thing to visit George Washington’s house; it’s quite another to wade through the various Founders and their various and competing thoughts and ideals. And it’s one thing to don a motorcycle helmet in support of the troops, but it’s quite another to craft and adhere to a real and good national foreign policy.
From everything we’ve seen from Palin over the past few years, it’s not clear that she can go beyond the watch words and the talking points.
Thus far in her political career, Palin strikes me as the Right’s answer to a campaigning President Obama: all style and no substance. If she does run, she’ll likely win the nomination.
Hopefully by that time she’ll be able to back up folksy little quips like, “I want a strong economy, that’s for doggone sure,” with some clearly thought-out plans.
