Navarrette: Dissing Palin isn't working for Dems

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Syndicated columnist and CNN contributor Ruben Navarrette Jr. has a warning for Democrats and others who try to take down Sarah Palin with vicious attacks on her -- they do so at their own peril:

Palin's critics can be oversensitive, dismissive and condescending, but they're also a blessing.

Every time they attack her, mock her or belittle her, she only gets more popular. Her fans get defensive and want to fight. And folks who weren't fans before get intrigued and want to find out what these powerful people in the media and the Democratic Party (if you'll forgive the redundancy) are so afraid of?

In turn, Palin has translated her notoriety into monster sales of her memoir, six-figure speaking engagements, a slew of requests to stump for Republican across the country, a paid-contributor deal as a cable television commentator and countless other opportunities. Since bursting onto the national stage as Sen. John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential election, Palin has acquired influence, wealth and a thick skin. All three are useful to those who run for president.

Navarrette explains that when they attack Gov. Palin, her detractors are also attacking a significant block of voters:

These people aren't part of the elite establishment. They may have not have gone to Ivy League schools. They're just everyday folks who go to work and support families. They go to church. They love their country. They're the kind of people the Democratic Party used to represent. And, at the moment, they're enjoying a breath of fresh air blowing in from Alaska.

That's some good advice.

Too bad for the anti-Palin forces that they will refuse to heed it. They almost can't help themselves. It's as if they have somehow been transported into M. C. Escher's  lithograph Ascending and Descending and have doomed themselves, like the characters depicted in his creation, to forever ascend and descend the artist's impossible stairs at the top of the structure in some kind of nightmarish infinite loop from hell. And they'll be the first to deny their fate. After all, it's impossible... isn't it?

- JP