I have a confession to make!

I know that the "Smart People" in the world are telling me that I shouldn't affiliate with her:

"She's unpredictable and makes the party look silly..." Garrison Keillhor thinks she's "perky", but not legitimate. Many are not quite as eloquent as the old scout, calling her stupid and a liar -- or a moron. On the View, even her gender counterparts questioned her intelligence.

Still others think that she is a "conspicuously unintelligent right-wing media personality." Yet, I couldn't help myself... and thus my confession: I attended the Sarah Palin event this week in Minneapolis. Wait, there's more: I enjoyed it, my wife came with me, we cheered, and I .... (swallow... long dramatic pause).....like Sarah Palin.

What the Smart People don't get is that the more they jest Palin's pedigree, the clearer it becomes that she is just like the rest of us. Early in her speech, she won over her crowd with one simple truism, "what I like about you folks in Minnesota is that you sound like me." Of course, she meant her accent (which has also been criticized).

Yet, the look in people's eyes told more -- Palin made them fell that a normal person (like them) could make a difference. In one more sentence -- "Washington is addicted to OPM (sounds like opium) Other People's Money" -- she summarized one of the greatest concerns on people's minds. She is likeable, speaks straight and is able to touch people's hearts -- the "Palin Effect" as explained in one recent article.

She also instinctively understood the implications of the huge policy shift Obama recently took (from deterrence to appeasement) on national defense. Obama recently removed nuclear retaliation as an option against countries that use chemical or biological weapons against us. While Obama has not abandoned the American "speak softly and carry a big stick" approach, he has indicated that he feels that we should carry a smaller stick. This is a legitimate policy discussion that we should be having as a country, not some crackpot idea dreamed up by Palin. As explained in the USA today, this was a "major shift in the nation's security policy."

What the Smart People don't like is that Sarah Palin quickly framed this discussion in terms we all understand -- standing up to the play ground bully. I don't have to agree or disagree on every issue, but I do appreciate her ability to initiate and simplify the dialogue.

If you're curious, attached are the video links to the Palin and Obama exchange:

1. Palin in Minneapolis (I was there, but turned down Hannity's request for an interview);

2. Obama response -- notice how he says he is not going to respond and then does respond by saying that the Smart People know better than us simple folk;

3. Palin strikes back questioning his record of success in N. Korea and Iran.

I for one will keep listening to Sarah Palin as she seems a like lot of us here in Minnesota -- just trying to make the world a better place.

Thanks for listening. I feel much better having come clean on this one... although true bloggers would discover that I previously admitted to liking the Palin Label.
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