Palin Resigns: Defeat or Strategy?*

Most pundits on both sides of the political divide seem to agree that the Alaska governor has capitulated. Being somewhat contrarian by nature I'm not ready to call for taps signaling the end of Gov. Palin's political career. But prediction is shaky enough when one knows the salient facts, so I won't hazard one.
What bothers me is the fact that I see her as the proxy (Joe-the-plumber writ large) for conservatism. Anyone who rises to prominence as a symbol of the right can expect the potentially ruinous assaults by the media and the largely corrupt legal system, themselves now proxies of the left. Political intimidation is meant to induce fear. That fear, I believe is very real, and I think it does much to explain the growing timidity of the Republican party. In today's America political correctness is more about cowardice than comity or principle.

So if Sarah Palin is, indeed, out of the picture, who will replace her? Is there a farm team for new conservative leadership?

Which, perhaps ironically, brings us to the tea parties. These widespread public assemblies have two advantages: they are large and amorphous, meaning they are not clearly defined groups with formal structure that can be individually identified and singled out for Alinsky-style destruction or “reform”, and they are numerically large, which weakens the credibility of ridicule. Join them, support them. Too many proud nails may be too much for the liberal hammer. They may contain the seeds of new leadership.

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This posting began as a comment to: http://rightwingnuthouse.com/archives/2009/07/03/palin-retreats/ (hostile territory)