Why Conservatives Turned On Sarah Palin: The Inside Story | The New Republic
Ross Douthat
Douthat, who now carries the banner for social conservatism on the New York Times op-ed page, has been a longtime Palin booster. In 2008, he wrote that she truly had the “potential to embody the kind of change the GOP desperately needs.” But now he’s looking for something else, writing that, “[h]er public rhetoric, from ‘death panels’ to ‘blood libel,’ is obviously crafted to maximize coverage and controversy, and generate more heat than light. And her Twitter account reads like a constant plea for the most superficial sort of media attention.”
Jennifer Rubin
Even more opposed is Jennifer Rubin, the former Commentary writer who recently became a blogger for the Washington Post. Back in 2010, she was one of Palin’s most energetic defenders, as evidenced by a 3,860-word piece she wrote called “Why Jews Hate Palin,” in which she wrote that Palin “was on the receiving end of class animosity from elite media and opinion makers who had never before really been asked to accept the notion that someone outside their socio-economic circles could be qualified for the nation’s highest office.” Now Rubin has joined the critics: She told me bluntly that Palin’s choice to become a political pop star and to “play the victim” was hers to make, but she forfeited the right to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. “Aside from people who are devoted fans, I have yet to find a single GOP officeholder or top-flight consultant who thinks that she should be a viable presidential candidate. It was not the same thing six months ago,” Rubin explained. “Some people have potential and don’t come through.”
