Liberals pride themselves on a creed of progressivism, multiculturalism and social egalitarianism. They flock to the alleged have-nots of society and present themselves as the true, albeit self-anointed, defenders of the disenfranchised and underrepresented. Indeed, feminism, diversity and protection of middle-class Americans from the profit-hungry machinations of big business have long been the causes of the liberal elite. Paramount in this election cycle, however, is the centrality of change to the Democratic platform. After years of Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush, liberals are determined to create an America of which we can all be proud, an America that even Michelle Obama can applaud.
However, in its relentless attacks on Alaskan Governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the left-wing has unwittingly let the country in on its little secret: The liberal mantras of acceptance, inclusion, choice and change only apply to other liberals.
Since her nomination, the woman who ascended Alaska's political ladder not by virtue of her connections but rather as a result of her commitment to honest public service has been labeled inexperienced, a gimmick, a political featherweight, provincial, uneducated, radically religious, anti-woman, the second coming of Dick Cheney and mother to a family in disarray. Where being a Washington outsider rendered Sen. Barack Obama an exciting break from "politics as usual," liberals now attack America's most popular governor as unfit for command because her achievements lie outside the Beltway.
It is in these accusations that the perverse hypocrisy of the left resides. By refusing to embrace an ideology of victimization and anti-establishment self-pity, Sarah Palin fails the liberal litmus test of approval. She neither conforms to nor believes in the liberal model of what an "enlightened" woman ought to be. In fact, she fundamentally rejects it.
Self-empowered; unapologetically devoted to a clear set of beliefs; unembarrassed by American exceptionalism; and uninterested in the endorsement of Washington elites, The New York Times, or the intellectuals tucked safely away in their ivory towers, Palin represents that which liberals loathe. She is at once the anti-Obama and the anti-Hillary: warm, family-oriented, hard-nosed, deeply in touch with ordinary Americans and unabashedly conservative.
In these ways, the Governor threatens to reveal the ugly truth about liberal America. She threatens to unmask its quiet disdain for the "bitter" men and women who hold dear their Christian values, embrace the Second Amendment and choose to raise their children in small towns away from the 1960s culture of self-entitlement that still pervades our big cities and college towns.
Her successful journey from the PTA to Juneau challenges the self-righteous feminism that portrays the Sarah Palins of the world as facilitators of white-man patriarchy. The decision to give birth to and raise a son with special needs reveals the left's shock that a modern ambitious woman would selflessly devote herself to a child while pursuing her career goals. Palin's determined and successful campaign against corruption in Alaska, which saw both Democratic and Republican heads roll, undermines the myth that Democrats are uniquely able to reform Washington. And finally, the Governor's genuine connection to the Americans who "grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars" emphasizes the difference between the liberal elites who talk about America's middle class and the hockey moms, fishermen and soldiers who make up our middle class.
Though skewered by the mainstream media and liberal attack machine from day one, Governor Palin has not flinched. Speaking at the Republican National Convention, Palin showed America a woman with a natural flair for leadership and a reassuring indifference to intense scrutiny. She has revitalized the McCain campaign and reaffirmed the Senator's good judgment and maverick image. Furthermore, she brings a much-needed dose of executive experience to a presidential election rich in rhetoric yet lacking in prescriptions for future action.
Most importantly, however, Palin embodies a new era of conservatism. Neither stodgy nor beholden to the entrenched Republican establishment, Sarah Palin's brand is refreshing, exciting and compelling. At her core, the Governor embodies what is right with America. It is no wonder, therefore, that the response most frequently elicited by Palin's speech at the RNC was a chanting chorus of "USA! USA! USA!" — a stark contrast to the indulgent cheers of "Obama! Obama! Obama!" that echoed throughout the night at the Democrats' rock-concert convention.
Matthew Ladner is a senior majoring in political science.
