Tea Partiers Turn on Palin for Backing McCain
Sarah Palin supporters are divided over her commitment to endorse John McCain’s Senate reelection bid. Though some understand and support her decision, many Palin supporters have criticized her for the decision, even comparing her to that most dreaded of creatures: a RINO.
Palin announced her support several weeks ago, before it was clear that conservative former Congressman J.D. Hayworth would challenge McCain. Even at the time, reactions were mixed.
But since Hayworth’s effective (but unofficial) campaign launch last week, criticisms of Palin’s endorsement have sharpened.
Perhaps most notably, Paul Streitz, an early online supporter of a Palin 2012 Presidential bid – who is now independent of his online group “Draft Sarah 2012” -- sent an email to Palin supporters strongly condemning the former Vice Presidential candidate for pledging to support McCain among many other things:
She has now chose to align herself with several bad actors. What should this be called, the Rinoization of Sarah Palin.
At the time of the election, perhaps Sarah Palin could have been forgiven for her ideas on immigration (and lack of knowledge) because she was governor of Alaska, not Arizona. But in the intervening months, she has done little but promote herself as a celebrity, known because her brief time on the national stage..
She is certainly entitled to write a book and make money for her and her family, but other than what has she has done to support Republican and patriotic candidates.
Where was she in VA?
Where was she in NJ?
Where was she in Mass?Guiliani showed up in Mass because he knew what was at stake. Perhaps, Sarah was too busy talking to her agent about her Fox deal. Where the hell was Sarah?
Napoleon once said that he wanted Generals that went to the sound of the cannon. That they instinctively were fighters. He also said he wanted generals that had bon chance, good luck. Well, Sarah has had good luck, but she has not gone to the sound of the cannon, where critical battles were fought in 2009.
The email has received strong condemnation from some Palin supporters. But it has also sparked a serious debate about Palin’s commitment to conservative causes.
The criticism of Palin’s support for McCain is not a surprise. Palin’s core supporters often overlap with Tea Party supporters and immigration hawks; McCain’s positions are at odds with these demographics.
McCain initially supported the Bush and Obama Administration economic policies -- including TARP and several bailouts -- that are wildly unpopular among Tea Party activists. Also, McCain is a leading proponent of “comprehensive immigration reform,” which would give “amnesty” to illegal immigrants in the United States, a policy that angers immigration hawks.
Even on some national security issues, usually considered McCain’s greatest strength, Palin supporters disagree with McCain. Most notably, McCain has denounced some “enhanced interrogation” techniques like waterboarding. Far-right conservatives that support Palin, meanwhile, are mostly in favor of waterboarding.
Many wonder who Palin would support in the Arizona GOP primary if she were not personally indebted to Senator McCain? (McCain the man; not McCain ‘08 the campaign. She is still likely displeased with many of the campaign’s advisors.) Would she support McCain based on ideology alone?
Probably not. But she is not approaching the issue ideologically. Palin is, instead, dealing with the tradeoffs of reality. Ideological purity is often not possible, let alone desirable.
Yet still Palin supporters, Tea Partiers and even GOP leaders clamor for purity.
Far-right activists idolize their leaders, both past and present. (Is there a more supposedly “pure” conservative than the Tea Party’s stilted historical memory of Reagan? Maybe Sarah Palin circa mid-2009?)
But as soon as these ideal leaders adjust their positions to the inconvenience of reality many far-right activists are all-too quick to turn on their own.
To borrow an image from Andrew Sullivan, even Palin is having some trouble riding the tiger of populism.