Sarah Palin: The face of the GOP?

The North Star Writers Group's Dan Calabrese says that if the Republican Party may be looking for a star that is already shining brightly in its northern sky. He lists the following qualities in a leader the GOP may be seeking:

• They’ve served in public office and have actually governed effectively.
• Rather than just talking about fiscal responsibility, they’ve made it happen under their watch.
• When possible, they’ve made sure the private sector would take the lead in crucial initiatives.
• They’ve taken on corrupt, entrenched interests to make government more responsive to the people it serves, even when those interests were fellow Republicans.
• They pull no punches in criticizing Democrats, but they do so with a positive outlook and a pleasant demeanor.
• They’re not intimidated by the inevitable crap they will catch from the media, celebrities and whomever else.
• They have an enthusiastic following upon which to build.
• Finally, if you’ve got all of the above, it can’t hurt if you also look fantastic

Sarah Palin fits the bill, and Calabrese points out that she has been in the news lately for more than just a "feud" with an over-the-hill talk show host:

The way she governs Alaska represents a principled, serious approach that is missing in the conduct of far too many Republican officeholders. What’s more, the way she talks about the excesses of the Obama Administration shows that she not only sees the problems we are creating for ourselves, but understands the alternatives we should be championing.

Though Creepy Dave's attack on her and her family have increased the already-high demand for Gov. Palin to grant interviews, her recent appearances on Fox News, CNN and NBC's Today show have given her the opportunity, Calabrses says, to talk about more substantive issues such as her natural gas pipeline project, the dangers of runaway federal spending and events on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East. She has handled these subjects with ease:

Palin knows her stuff, backs it up with action and expresses herself with the perfect mix of substance and agreeable style.

Calabrese insists that he'snot one of those who are pushing the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate as the party's next presidential nominee:

Unlike most who write about her, I do not view everything she does through the prism of presidential aspirations she may or may not have. This column is about the importance of prominent Republicans who are serious about good governance and can serve as the face of a party that represents such ideals.

The problem some inside-the-Beltway types have with Alaska's governor is that they don't know the real Sarah palin, he says:

Certain Republicans fear Palin’s prominence because their image of her is based on Tina Fey routines and background turkey slaughters. Others are obsessed with inside baseball like the nonsense concerning her invite/non-invite/acceptance/non-acceptance of a speaking role at a recent GOP fundraising dinner.

If you read substance-challenged media like Politico, you think it’s all about unnamed GOP operatives grumbling about the way her scheduler works, or GOP senators (who refuse to put their names on the record) finding her annoying.

The author explains that the real Sarah palin can be found in her recent statements about policy, the impressive record she is building in Alaska and the political courage she has shown as a fighter for what she believes in:

It’s especially important to listen to Palin’s discussion of policy matters now, as compared with during the presidential campaign, because then she was hamstrung by the need to tout the McCain campaign’s discombobulated message. Now that she is free to craft her own message, and can base it on her own record, she is exponentially more compelling.

Calabrese says the Grand Old Party is not hurting for new stars, and he lists Bobby Jindal? Mark Sanford? Mitch Daniels as shining examples:

But start with Sarah Palin. It’s about her record, her vision, her message and her sincere appeal. They are all top-notch, if you don’t realize that, it’s because you’ve been focused on nonsense instead of what really matters.

When it comes to stars, the author argues, "the Republican Party doesn’t have anyone who comes even close to fitting the bill like she does."

- JP