Harsanyi's analysis of Palin's politics isn't bad, though it does feel that he's trying to make her fit into a libertarian mold in a couple places. Most importantly, he misses her very tough position against big-oil in her home state that earned her the nickname the Hugo Chavez of Alaska see http://www.newstrust.net/webx?14@@.10a50a9b

Amid near-uniform negative criticism of Sarah Palin, this is a thoughtful and original way of framing a pro-Palin argument. In a couple places Harsanyi seems to have squared the circle -- her opposition to gay marriage and abortion, for example -- but his assessment seems well-researched. This perspective can only add to the public discourse of the McCain-Palin ticket.

This story attempts to fit Palin into a Libertarian mold not consistent with my readings on her views. It fails to mention her opposition to many methods of birth control, which would not be a popular Libertarian viewpoint. Her attempts to ban books from her small town library where she was mayor are not mentioned (see 9/2/08 PFAW "Friday Note (on Tuesday)", nor was anything said about the extremely conservative Juneau Christian Center, (part of the "Third Wave Movement") she ... More »

This is an interesting piece which goes against the conventional memes I've been reading. See http://www.denverpost.com/harsanyi for an archive of the author's columns at the Denver Post. Hat tip to M. Simon who pointed this article out to me.

Harsanyi has hit the nail on the head. As long as the Republican party can abstain from attacking the media which is always counter productive and Palin shows strong support for her daughter, just think what size of constituency this constitutes. How many families in the USA do not have at least one unmarried mother in their present or past. Not many. Palin has just achieved the common touch so important in getting elcted. I really hoped that Senator Obama would win but the choice of ... More »