Dan Calabrese: Sarah Palin, never the insider

Dan Calabrese, in an op-ed published in the Marysville, CA Appeal Democrat, says Sarah Palin's approach to governing puts her at odds with the political insiders:

Palin not only has a keen grasp of the details of governing and budgeting, she also understands the political difficulties inherent in making government responsive. Many of her antagonists at the national level scoffed at the notion that her experience in Wasilla was of any value. Quite the contrary, local government is where a public official's decisions have the most direct impact on the electorate. It's where you really have to understand the ins and outs of what you're doing.

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When it comes to the nuts and bolts of governing, Palin is one of the most substantive politicians to arrive on the scene in quite some time. And when it comes to having the intestinal fortitude necessary keep the interests of the people at the top of the agenda, I can't think of a single person anywhere in politics who is Palin's equal.

If you disagree with Palin's philosophy of governing because you are a political liberal, that's fine. But if you're an honest person, stop trying to pretend she's some sort of good-looking moron.

The more you read about Palin's experience in governing, the more you understand why the national political establishments of both parties hope to smother her political career in its crib. She knows how to govern — better than most of them do, in fact. She just won't do it the way they do it, and that scares the crap out of them.

It's often said that municipal and county governing is the most difficult of all levels of public service. If you make an unpopular decision, you won't just hear about it in letters or e-mails. Unhappy constituents will ring your doorbell and give you a piece of their minds right on your own doorstep. Even worse, a constituent who is angry with you may just happen to be one of your kids' teachers or a deacon in your church. You run into the people you serve at the grocery market and the post office. It helps to keep one grounded, as it has kept Sarah Palin grounded.

The sort of attitude many legislators have displayed toward the common folk, especially during town hall meetings and TEA party demonstrations on the Hill, wouldn't get these Congress critters very far in places like Wasilla, Alaska or Bryan, Texas. Our elected representatives inside the Beltway seem to have forgotten who they are supposed to be working for and whose money it is that they are so recklessly spending. And this is what people mean when they say, "Sarah Palin is one of us." They know that she hasn't forgotten where she came from or who she was serving when she was a council member, a mayor and even a governor.

More: Dan Riehl's take is here.

- JP