Sarah Palin: Barack Obama’s Nemesis

The press alternately calls Sarah Palin stupid or irrelevant. However, both in political instinct and policy substance, it’s clear that she is neither.

Today, her Op-Ed appears in the Wall Street Journal. It’s good. Cogent, clear, and well-written. She’s got a ghost-writer, say lib operatives. Let’s hope! Does Barack Obama write all his own stuff? Surely, libs jest. His college thesis can’t even be found. Why would anyone quibble that Sarah Palin would have a ghost writer? Probably because she makes sense:

Instead of poll-driven “solutions,” let’s talk about real health-care reform: market-oriented, patient-centered, and result-driven. As the Cato Institute’s Michael Cannon and others have argued, such policies include giving all individuals the same tax benefits received by those who get coverage through their employers; providing Medicare recipients with vouchers that allow them to purchase their own coverage; reforming tort laws to potentially save billions each year in wasteful spending; and changing costly state regulations to allow people to buy insurance across state lines. Rather than another top-down government plan, let’s give Americans control over their own health care.

Democrats have never seriously considered such ideas, instead rushing through their own controversial proposals. After all, they don’t need Republicans to sign on: Democrats control the House, the Senate and the presidency. But if passed, the Democrats’ proposals will significantly alter a large sector of our economy. They will not improve our health care. They will not save us money. And, despite what the president says, they will not “provide more stability and security to every American.”

Liberals also object to the timing of the piece. Geoffery Dunn in Huffington Post says today, “Yes, the latter continues her unyielding obsession with Barack Obama by trying to upstage his healthcare address to the nation today…”

In politics, timing is everything. Sarah Palin knows good timing. The President gives his big address today. And the press is not likely to pay attention to the Republican rebuttal. And Republicans still seem loath to take the fight to the president en masse lest they appear to be “obstructionist”. Even trying to work across the aisle, Republican are labeled such, anyway. And it’s no matter, their votes won’t affect the outcome one way or another–super majorities and all that. But Sarah Palin can help fight rhetorically and the best time to fight is when the opposition is on the battlefield. Today, everyone is paying attention. Today is a good time to fight. Liberals just hate being out-maneuvered.

And then, there’s the actual substance of Palin’s opinion piece. She makes sense. She continues to give voice to the “sick and elderly” and their very real concerns with government run health care. She is not backing down. She continues to point out the obvious: it will increase the debt.

The real problem Democrats have with Sarah Palin is that she accepts the President’s challenges where others cower. She isn’t going away. And when she does argue the points, she times her arguments for impact.

Sarah Palin is Barack Obama’s nemesis. He needs one.

Posted in Body • Political Animals
Tags: Government • Health care • Law • Obama • Sarah Palin