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Friday, June 10, 2011

Bernard Goldberg's column on Sarah Palin & Newt Gingrich in the news

Bernard Goldberg is one of those Republicans along the lines of George F. Will that I actually agree with some of the time.  One of those times of agreement can be found in his latest column about Sarah Palin. You can read it for yourself HERE.

I particularly like his point about compromise.  I've actually heard Limbaugh talk about how Republicans should never compromise with Democrats, that somehow it always has to be "my way or the highway" and that anyone who tries to gain consensus via compromise is somehow "selling out".  Well, in the real world, sometimes getting PART of what you want is far better than getting NONE of what you want, which I think is part of Mr Goldberg's argument.

Another point from Mr Goldberg's piece that I found insightful:

"The hard-right (like all true believers) lives in a bubble. They don’t care much what people on the outside say. Listen to conservative talk radio for 10 minutes and you’ll “learn” that the only reason Palin isn’t doing well in the polls is because the mainstream media have convinced the American people that she’s a dolt. And since conservatives can’t let the liberal media call the shots, that’s another reason they want her to run."

I'd add that his point about "true believers" is equally true for the hard-left as well.

In other news Republican, Newt Gingrich's senior staff has left his campaign, en-mass.  Story link HERE.  I'm actually NOT glad to see this, chiefly for two reasons:

  • When Newt sticks to intellectual arguments (as opposed to social issue bomb-throwing), he's actually a pretty reasonable and thoughtful guy. His possible departure from the race is a loss for the GOP.
  • This apparently creates an opening for current Texas governor Rick Perry, who, among other things, hinted that secession could be considered in this day and age by individual states.  Don't believe me?  Check THIS out.  Anything that creates an opening for someone like Gov. Perry isn't a a good thing.

When last time I checked, the previous time states tried to do this there as a war.  Maybe Gov. Perry learned history the Sarah Palin way and forgot this small point.

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