Noonan Says Palin's Type Of Populism Is Bad For Country

Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, conservative columnist Peggy Noonan said that the "populist" tactics being deployed by Sarah Palin was "not helpful to the country" and painted her candidacy as built on class warfare.

"She is a natural," said Noonan, "But I will tell you, I feel increased concern about... what she thinks of as populism, as her populist approach. There are two ways, you know, her stuff about, 'I'm main street, you are the elite, I'm Joe six-pack.' She actually says 'I'm the Joe six-pack candidate.' This has me thinking, gosh, would Lincoln say 'I represent the backwoods type?' Would FDR say, 'the New York aristocracy deserves another moment in the sun, vote for me?' There's something weird about it. But there is also something, for me, concerning. Populism as a tactic is justified often in politics. 'I need this program, the people want it.' Populism as a strategy, 'we're the good guys, you're the bad guys,' is not good. And if that's the road they are going, that's not a good road to be on. It is not helpful to the country."

Noonan has been skittish about Palin's candidacy from the get-go, though not always publicly demonstrative about her concerns. She was caught, off camera, calling the vice presidential pick as cynical. But she has also, on occasion, praised Palin for energizing the Republican base and for her debate performance.

On Sunday, Noonan expanded on those compliments, arguing that Palin did an effective job on Thursday night but one that amounted to a political infomercial.

"I'll be frank, she convinced the American people -- though they had seen her crater in the interview after interview in the previous few weeks before that debate -- that she was capable of coming forward and simply debating," said the Wall Street Journal columnist. "I think she showed that she is a woman of great and natural competence about the show-business of politics, if you will: the ability to look over the camera, to think that the camera is your friend, all of that stuff. But there are questions about other areas."

Comments

[fredpferr]

Intersting to see HuffPo giving Noonan's words any attention.
I suppose if Ann Coulter went negative on Palin, you'd say,
"See?!?! Ann Coulter said so!!!"

[dutch163]

I agree..she is not good for America. I personally find her "Joe Six pack" characterizations offensive.
she does not play well abroad either
I was reading the newspaper of Spain, El Pais , online where she was characteized as "antiintellectual" and it was suggested she reflects poorly on our schools! (the scientific area)

[norkas]

5 SCHOOLS and someone here thisnk she is stable abd bright. You have to be kidding. I own a business and could not complete hight school because i could not read a book untill i was 21.

In all of my travel all of the worls i have seldom seen someone more unqualified then Sarah Palin in the history of America. I know people that are like her and they are back stabbing and hated by many.

I like Elizabeth Dole and Chrity Tod Whittman alot and other Republican women. I believe the selection of Palin is a slap in the face to Americans and shows what respect Mc Cain has for this country and his party.

I have had dealing with a male Sarah Palin with the same back stabbing qualities and he is also in politics in a big industry. So many people now have seen what he has done that it is hard for anyone to be near him. This is not about male or female it is about a perosn that cannot be trusted.

[b1rd67]

What Palin did can hardly be called "debating"! Parroting might be more accurate, acting maybe. Noonan called it an Infomercial and then said that Palin showed that she was "that she was capable of coming forward and simply debating," An infomercial is hardly a debate.

[mccainmakesberries]

Ayers is better.

http://tinyurl.com/4na3vz

[meltingpot101]

Check this out.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/05/begala-previews-potential_n_132022.html

[JerseyGirl4Obama]

mccainmakesberries is a nitwit

[Americanwhiner]

It is ominous how the McCain campaign uses Palin to inject mean-girl, gossiping smears worthy of "Gossip Girl" with a wink and a smile. Both McCain and Palin show no respect for the serious issues facing Americans: an economy on the brink, a health care system that serves only the few, and a nation facing a tidal wave of unemployment as our recession deepens into, perhaps a depression. I predict that McCain's Town Hall Debate will be used by McCain to sow fear and suspicion. He will try slander and suspicion as a tactic now that he's running out of time. Obama was eight when Ayers and the Weatherman Group conducted militant activity. Ayers now holds the honor of Distinguished Professor at The University of Illinois. Casting aspersions on Obama because they once were on the Woods Fund Board or that they own houses in the same area is like saying that The University of Illinois is Americas largest radical madrassa because Ayers happens to work there. McCain and Palin's dangerous, divisive and scurrilous campaign is a shameful commentary on where the Republican Party wants to lead America...and that is in the direction of unbridled fascism.

[kahalaman]

It's good to see Noonan identifying and rejecting Palin's ugly political partisan tactics, she's actually citing one of Sarah's more benign views! "Country First" is a slogan as empty and vacuous as the campaign itself. For the sake of our country and the rest of the world I pray these "Mavericks" are released back to the wide open plains a month from now and allow someone with intelligence and good judgement to govern for a while!

[CKieffer]

What does not help this country is a failure to realize the parties, as we were raised to know them, no longer exist. The Republican mantra of trickle down economics, free market society, blahblahblah, all worked when the companies hired American workers, made American products and sold them to Americans. The trickle down does not work anymore since 1) we are in a global market place; 2) the only benefit is to the stock holders and even then, the companies stocks are artificially moved up and down by hedge funds, mutual funds and side deals.

The Democrats are at a point when they can argue economic theories with the best Republican while also reminding us of what a society should be. The question is... given how deep a hole we are in; whether we, as individual Americans, have the fortitude, patience, motivation and self-restraint to all contribute to the solution.

So, while a politician is a politician... the party is no longer the telling element.

[Mag44]

We struggled thru 8 yrs totally unaware of what was going on in Washington. I feel the pain also. But I also feel there is a light at the end of the tunnel. BO woke this country up. We must never fall asleep again. I feel B & B will get us on the right track. Not over night but they will. We as a country must alway keep our eye on the ball and hold each and every elected official accountable. We can steer how this goes by voting people in office on the local level as well. They both have our back as we have theirs. I also think that the VP is just as important as the president. The fact that O is going to have B totally in the loop is an awesome idea. And if people out their don't trust O ask yourself do you trust B. If your answer is yes then you can be comfortable voting O because I totally trust B will keep him in line and will not allow anything to jeopordize his career. Something else to ponder over.

[santamonica39]

she praised her debate performance? Because she has the "show business" of politics down? Yes, she can look in the camera and make it her friend, but she doesn't have the slightest idea about any issues of national importance. She is clueless about federal policy.

[marinade]

"I'll be frank, she convinced the American people"

Is Noonan insane? Why do I keep hearing that Palin did well in the debate? The woman was a joke and an embarrassment to our country.

I know of no one who was convinced by Palin's bulls**t performance.

Next time these pundits make a statement like that, they ought to back it up with some rationale.

[TUFUCK]

Reality this is what McCain-Palin oftenly avoid,they don't like talking to the press and always
threw lies in our face.my brain was not designed to fall into the liars mouth.
If they can afford to used their arguments by means of fears and smears,then i will say,


NO TO MCcain-Palin they were DANGEROUS to our lives and i cannot afford four more years.

[Kate4Change]

McBrainwash!

[bakingmom]

When anti-intellectualism begins, empires inevitably fall. Though I rarely find myself in agreement with Peggy Noonan, I do agree that this divisive indictment of class and culture by McSame and Pale-in will have terrible consequences. We are already staggering economically and internationally. The last thing our country needs is the type of unraveling that McSame and Pale-in keep chanting.

[gary901]

respect?...peggy noonan?...wall street journal?......the journal is the most schizophrenic of newspapers...while its news and financial reporting are some of the best in the world, the editorial pages read as if they were published in the whitehouse basement, with such luminaries as rove, kristol and noonan doing the heavy propogandizing. as a long time reader i still get a laugh out of noonans first article after bush was first selected....she said george w bush was, "A GIFT TO THE COUNTRY".....you could look it up if you too need a good laugh

[meltingpot101]

I can not defend her support of Bush, but when Peggy says that this type of populist talk, to make it a strategy isn't good for the country, I think she is right.

[ContraEgoiste]

There is going to be a need for the clarification of populism.

If by populism they mean anti-intellectualism and the elevation of mediocricy into governance, then I agree.

But, my concern is that they are trying to reframe "populism" and make it a dirty word as they did with "liberal". The correct definition of populism is governmernt by "we the people". And it is not a strategy but a movement that very much so needs to gain power and momemtum to take the country back, and not something to retreat from.

.

[ContraEgoiste]

Seems there needs to be a definition of "populism".

If by populism you mean the elevation of mediocracy to government then I agree. But the truth is that this is not the correct definition of populist(ism). The real meaning of populism is what this country was meant to be, and that is government by "we the people".

What I see happening here is the old Karl Rove / NeoCon book play of reframing. They are now turning "populism" into a dirty word, the same way the have with "liberal". And the reason is because, due to their malfeasnce, they see a wave moving across the country that can coalese into a movement that can have the unstopable power to unseat the status quo.

In that case I say that 'populism' is not only what is most needed but it is imperative for the survival of what America is supposed to be.

[dozaa]

Good point. Why can't we take these journalists task for their past commentary and assessments?

[pfc1369]

Peggy hates "class warfare" except when it's her class making the war. Which is damn near always!

Yo, Peggy, Boofreaking hoo!

[madhatter123]

Palin is nobody - McCain is still the top of the ticket and that is where the Obama supporters need to focus. The less we say about "Moosetracks", the better for Obama.

Obama/Biden08

[ZellaBee]

I may be stating the obvious, but this is yet another reason why high ranking candidates and leaders need to travel, if only to gain a more global and less geocentric, less myopic viewpoint. Ideally ALL people should travel within their own countries and, most definitely, to other countries, whether they live in a small town or a large city.

[bakingmom]

You are sooooo right! We know that Pale-in's education is really poor (the old 6 colleges in 5 years). But there are other ways to learn about the world and its people. The fact that she is ignorant is b/c she is so constrained in her view outside her window (except for Russia, of course).