Nov 5, 2008
Not Quite Inevitable
As it builds, a win like Barack Obama’s begins to have a feel of inevitability. Looking back, however, I see two pivotal factors.
One was Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama. Whatever his personal reasons, Powell’s support signaled to the middle-ground voter that John McCain wasn’t really a maverick after all. He was still too close to the Bush administration, from which Powell was carefully distancing himself.
The second was Peggy Noonan’s dismissal of Sarah Palin in her Wall Street Journal column memorably titled “Palin’s Failin.’” After seven weeks of watching, Noonan decided that Palin just didn’t have a “philosophical grounding” in ideas that would make her a worthy descendant of great Republican thinkers such as Ronald Reagan (and perhaps Noonan). Noonan may be right about that; but perhaps it said more about her fatigue with the Republican Party than about the energetic, small-town conservative Palin.
The Republican Party certainly did get old and tired over the 28 years since Ronald Reagan was elected. Now it's time for the libertarian rejuvenation of that party, but that's another story that will, we hope, play out while the world scrutinizes Obama to find out his philosophical grounding.
One was Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama. Whatever his personal reasons, Powell’s support signaled to the middle-ground voter that John McCain wasn’t really a maverick after all. He was still too close to the Bush administration, from which Powell was carefully distancing himself.
The second was Peggy Noonan’s dismissal of Sarah Palin in her Wall Street Journal column memorably titled “Palin’s Failin.’” After seven weeks of watching, Noonan decided that Palin just didn’t have a “philosophical grounding” in ideas that would make her a worthy descendant of great Republican thinkers such as Ronald Reagan (and perhaps Noonan). Noonan may be right about that; but perhaps it said more about her fatigue with the Republican Party than about the energetic, small-town conservative Palin.
The Republican Party certainly did get old and tired over the 28 years since Ronald Reagan was elected. Now it's time for the libertarian rejuvenation of that party, but that's another story that will, we hope, play out while the world scrutinizes Obama to find out his philosophical grounding.