You know the instant fame brought to a woman from Wasilla— Sarah Palin — when John McCain chose her as running mate (Sept. 2008). Since that fateful day, barely a year out, she has penned a standard 413-page memoir (sans index).
After the election she thought that the former running team McCain-Palin would return to business as usual and remain content in elected offices. McCain did return to Washington and the senate. Sarah returned to Wasilla and Anchorage, Alaska. Then on July 3, 2009 she resigned from her job as governor of Alaska at a press conference, to the surprise of the political world.Going Rogue is the fruit of her decision.
Sarah grew up comfortable and middle class in Alaska, her father a science teacher and track coach. Her family sat around a dinner table ala the Kennedy kids discussing science instead of politics. But her dad and siblings are not the source of her luck.
The source of her luck arrives every time she seizes the day and rolls like the perfect opportunist when doors open that she did not open. That is the beauty and the guile of Sarah Palin, who would size up a situation then jump in head first to fix it. However, the script of her book tells another story. Sarah was incredibly lucky. As VP pick she was surrounded with handlers who dubbed her actions and motivations on the stump as “going rogue.” As VP pick she quickly became the talk of the water cooler. Staffers were covertly “irked” about Sarah’s off-script moments. She was always “going rogue,” hence the title of her book.
Some critics have argued that her life was anything but “American” because she spent precious little time living in the lower 48. She was unable to complete college in Hawaii and settled on North Idaho College and a degree in journalism because that state reminded her of home and Hawaii was, well Hawaii and simply too perfect a setting for serious college work.
In Chapter 1: “The Last Frontier” (all about Alaska), Sarah is a life-long jogger who watches her diet and keeps fit by jogging every day. Adoration of all things Alaskan and the great outdoors encouraged running and fishing — a family influence.Todd, raised by a mother who was Yupik Indian, only increased her attraction for him and his multi-cultural and racial heritage.
On the stump his native roots were used by Sarah to bolster her comfortableness with “ethnic diversity” because, well, she has diversity within her own family. Married to a man about one-fourth Yupik Indian despite his blue eyes and Anglo good looks made the Palin’s diverse. If this scenario makes you squirm.
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Article comments
1 - Paul Burke - Author Journey Home
Thoughts on Sarah Palin and the United States of America
Sarah strikes me as an empty headed prop who won a popularity contest at a small high school gymnasium by intimidating the other girls and romancing the administration. It looks like she bites the hand that feeds her as she turned on McCain the first chance she got - which was immediately.
That's the kind of class and dignity we are looking for in a President (?) - Sorry Palin worshipers she may be a sociopath.
The President of the United States is a very serious job. Our spin doctors and campaign managers have turned it into a high school popularity contest, but in reality the stakes are much higher.
You can not govern by slogan. Look at the damage done by deregulating Wall Street. That move was promoted and championed because of two words "free market". Nice concept but in the intricate world of market economies a complete fallacy. You can not govern by cute little slogans. "Trickle Down" has lead to the unconscionable concentration of wealth in 1% of the population through subsidies and give aways of our tax dollars to the corporate insiders who place their people in our government.
Granted its a costly game of brinkmanship, sloganeering and manipulation to get the population to vote one way or the other, but at the end of the day to the extent we relinquish control and fall prey to easy answers big corporate america runs the show.
And corporatist and corporate america are unqualified to govern the country because their focus is too singular on their particular profit margins. Great focus for a successful business but absolutely wrong and a severe lack of vision for guiding this huge country over the realities of our collective landscape.
The fruit of their electioneering of politics has created an us against them mentality among the citizens in our Country. And it has created an artificial out of touch ruling class that cares only for the acquisition of personal wealth. The reality is that we are all in this together. And if we don't make room for one another there will be trouble no matter how right one group thinks they are over another.
That is hardly the Country we all want or aspire to and not the vision of the United States we all desire to see unfold. In short we are better than that.
While Sarah might be a fascinating soap opera of a character, fun to loath or root for she is only qualified for a People Magazine Cover in the same respect of a Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan - what will she do/say next escapade.
All of these new media celebrities are the same version of the same m.o. - say or do something shocking to get the world of rubber neckers gawking just like the well worn metaphor of a car wreck.
Whether Glenn Beck is crying or predicting something ludicrous or Rush is flame throwing and lambasting something even he doesn't believe, or some new media celeb is releasing a sex tape - its all shock value in the mode and method Howard Stern used to get famous and rich.
That may be one way to achieve a personal goal of wealth and fame but that personality trait is absolutely the worst trait to reward in our politicians.
Good governance requires good citizenship an understanding of how our Country works as a Nation of laws, the intricacies of the market place and in getting along with other people who may not share your same views, culture, beliefs and habits. It requires a true patriotism not in name alone but a commitment to actually put the Country and the people first over individual gain, profit and popularity.
Forcing ones self and opinion down another's throat doesn't win you many friends. No matter how right you think you are its counter productive and tone deaf.
Creating a nation and world where we are "free to be" as long as we don't hurt each other and live sustainably side by side is the goal. Jumping up and down screaming my way or the highway leads to bloodshed.
I would put forth that if you aren't living by these two rules of thumb "live and let live" and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" - it is you no matter what bible you are carrying or what uniform you are wearing that is doing the wrong thing.
That's Pollyanna thinking for the Alpha Dogs like Palin but in actuality the alpha dogs are the ones who are clueless when it comes to anything other than their own selfish- self interest.
That kind of self absorbed me first focus might be good for ones bottom line but it's one helluva lousy way to "govern" a Country.
North Korea goes rogue not the President of the United States.
Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home
2 - Ruvy
Heloise,
I haven't read Sarah Palin's memoirs and don't really intend to unless it becomes absolutely necessary (like she's coming to Ma'ale Levona to talk to me - sure, you betcha!), so I can't comment on how well you wrote the review. I can comment on the comment above mine, though.
From what I have learned, Palin didn't govern Alaska by slogan, and it came out later (not in her book) that the continuous lawsuits against her as governor cost her the seat. The comment above by Paul Burke would be better directed against the sitting president - who did turn the 2008 presidential contest into a high school popularity race, and who does govern by slogan. Sometimes reality just doesn't jive with slogans or ideology. And if the American economy does not improve, and it does not look likely that it will soon, this lesson will be driven home to the sitting president of the United States with a sledge-hammer.