Sarah Palin Is Alive! – UPDATED

Longtime readers know that, while there is much that I admire about Sarah Palin, I am still on the fence about any notion that she should run for president.

My reservations stem in part from some of Palin’s own moves, but it may be her base that really sours me on her; not even mild and constructive criticism, rendered with a dollop of sympathy can be endured by some members of Palin’s over-protective base.

I understand why they are overprotective; no politician in my memory has ever been subjected to the inarguable savaging that Palin endured after her remarkably effective speech at the ’08 GOP convention. As Camille Paglia rightly noted at the time, Palin’s natural abilities were so obvious, and so terrifying to the left, that their phasers were instantly set to “obliterate.” The left still can’t believe she has not been dissolved.

But Palin’s base needs to calm down a little, and realize that when they act like the rightwing version of gaga-eyed Obamabots, they’re not helping their candidate. There is no such thing as a “perfect” person, certainly no such thing as a “perfect” politician, and when I hear someone refer to Palin as “my Sarah,” or I get an email from someone for daring to criticize “our Sarah,” I frankly want to puke. Such emails do not convince me to “love” Sarah Palin, they actually make me distrust her political viability all the more, because I distrust emotionalism in politics.

Having said all of that, it needs to be pointed out once again that Sarah Palin on a stage–straight up and unfiltered–is One. Powerful. Presence.

She may drop her g’s and she may get a little guttural when she is enthusiastic, and yeah, she may even get a little shrill, here and there, but listen to this audio, and that staccato delivery; you cannot ignore the fact that Palin is a feisty roman candle of a woman; in a world full of dead things* flowing with the stream Sarah Palin is alive! She is wide-awake with that peculiar American Genius that has nothing to do with SAT scores and Ivy Leagues. And she dares others to swim against the stream of kneejerk, unilateral moves from the establishment.

Listen to this audio; she crackles with life.

More importantly, Palin is right. Some ideological automaton with a bit of authority has decided to politicize a damn high school b-ball tournament, and keep athletes from competing, because they don’t like another state’s (it must be said) overwhelmingly popular legislation? A stupid and unnecessary move by the school district that makes one wonder about their priorities. Politics has no place on the basketball court or in the baseball diamond.

Also, considering the way China is treating its children, the school would rather send its students there, than Arizona?

Compare the crackle and the passion of Sarah Palin to this audio by the media-crowned “greatest political talent” of our time, who is also purported to be an astounding orator:

H/T)

Palin is on fire, here, completely engaged; Obama is a slightly bored bureaucrat wondering when he can go eat his salad.

There is another difference, of course. Palin actually means every word she has spoken. In the case of Obama, we learn that–once again, as before–whatever he says becomes subject to a later evaluation of the actual meaning of the words that came out of his mouth. In this case, “a firm pledge” actually begins to mean “a vague preference.”

`I don’t know what you mean by “glory”,’ Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. `Of course you don’t — till I tell you. I meant “there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!”‘

`But “glory” doesn’t mean “a nice knock-down argument”,’ Alice objected.

`When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’

`The question is,’ said Alice, `whether you can make words mean so many different things.’

`The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master — that’s all.’

Then again, Humpty Dumpty was never really alive.

*A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.
— G.K. Chesterton

Over at Hot Air, Allahpundit looks at the polls and shakes his head.

Also, the guys at Hillbuzz get loud.

UPDATE: I know the narrative is that Republicans are stoopit, but they do pretty well without a teleprompter!. NJ Governor Chris Christie is also wide-awake:

Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone'

He’s gloriously NY/NJ in attitude and he’s got school vouchers going on, too

When was Obama’s last press conference, again? Was it that one where he had a teleprompter handy?