John Podhoretz wrote an interesting post about Palin that I'm still thinking about. He said that her Achilles heel was her image of family instability.
whirlwinds and dust storms. These are not all of Andrew Sullivan’s
making. One reason to be oddly grateful for the loss of John McCain in
November is the question of what it would have been like to have Levi
Johnston and Bristol Palin get married, and then have the Vice
President’s machetenesteh (the great Yiddish word for “my child’s mother in law”) busted for
For Palin to have a serious future in national politics, she will
have to achieve an image of stability in her private life that it does
not now possess. It may take a decade for that to happen, as her kids
grow up and make their way themselves.
Palin's problems were deeper than Levi Johnston, but Podhoretz brings up interesting questions. Does family chaos nullify you for political life in America? Does family chaos stick to women politicians more it does to men? Bill Clinton's family life was hanging by a thread while he was in office, yet he remained in office.
During the campaign, Palin's camp spun the unwed teenage mother and the baby with Down Syndrome issues as making her a typical American. Which family doesn't have some drama in it? But Americans may not have been convinced.
I think that the reality of family chaos, rather the image of family chaos, helps to explain her exit from the political stage. Her own family surely pressured her to get out of politics, as they grew tired of being the punchline of jokes and tired of juggling responsibilities.
Palin also struck me as being someone who was completely over her head. Someone who was chosen by pollsters and pundits, because they thought she would appeal to key demographics and was telegenic, but hadn't yet earned that spot. She couldn't even handle Katie Couric. It must be terrifying to be thrown in the deep end when you are used to water-wings in the shallow end.
And there were surely money issues, as well.
Regardless of your political affiliation, it is worrisome that women with young families are discounted from public life. Yet, I think Palin's problems were bigger than Levi Johnston. If Palin had earned her spot in the deep end of the pool, the family chaos wouldn't have drowned her.
UPDATE: Peggy Noonan gives a honest account of Palin's failings and, amusingly, uses the same pool metaphor.
Apt. 11d 