Book Review: Going Rogue

Book Review: Going Rogue

Author: Sarah Palin

Date: 2009

Publisher: Harper Collins

ISBN: 978-0-06-193989-1

Length: 403 pages

Illustrations: photo sections

Quote: “The way forward is to stand and fight.”

Fair disclosure: I’m not a real fan of Sarah Palin’s. I do respect her calculated decision to hand her political opponents what I think ought to be the most discrediting thing about her: her position on the use and sale of natural resources.

I will now display my moral superiority to most people who call themselves liberals these days. I admit: I never dug up the facts to debate Palin’s position on the most controversial issue in her campaign. I find her position philosophically reprehensible, and feel emotionally that beating her in a fair debate ought to be doable, but without being paid to do it I didn't try it. But I think the greater shame goes to the Democrats for not even trying to fight Palin clean. If anything could make a “Green” non-Alaskan think that there might be some actual reason for chanting “Drill, baby, drill,” it would be this left-wing pusillanimity. I say forget about her lipstick (if I lived in Alaska I’d pile it on too, and I’m a woman who, living in Virginia, seldom manages to use up an Avon lipstick sample before it melts) and focus on defeating “Drill Baby” in a reasonable, a self-respecting way.

In Going Rogue, Palin reveals more of her strategy for deflecting cheap, mean attacks by making them on herself first,. She claims authorship of some of the cheapest of the shots taken at her, including “Sarahcuda” and “pit bull with lipstick.” She might have learned the trick from observing W Bush, who authorized, if he didn’t compose, some of the cheapest shots about his intelligence.

A large part of Going Rogue analyzes how party headquarters’ attempts to “market” Palin and McCain may have cost them votes. Along the way, Palin also corrects some of the rumors we’ve heard.

During the campaign, Palin was identified as a single mother. In the book, she replies with a wisecrack: “Have they seen Todd?” I turn to the photo section. I think it’s a good thing, actually, that women have never been able to reach a consensus about the relative attractiveness of other people’s husbands.

Going Rogue also gives people who don’t like Palin’s position, or any number of her positions, reasons to like her. Dana Bash is quoted as publicizing one of the best. “McCain sources say Palin has gone off-message several times...she labeled robo-calls—recorded messages often used to attack a candidate’s opponent—‘irritating’ even as the campaign defended their use.” I have to give “the campaign” points for remembering not to call me at home, not ever, unless you (a) are paying for my time, including phone time, or (b) have a “phone appointment,” or (c) are having a personal emergency and need my help. I wasn’t aware that Senator McCain had defended this nuisance; I wasn’t aware that any sane person could. But if the Democrats really couldn’t challenge Palin on facts, which is hard to believe, can’t they at least give us a campaign without “robo-calls”?

Other writers may find their bonding-with-Sarah moment on page 322: “The special needs coordinator also called...to say that we should no longer use the term ‘special needs people’ because special needs families find it offensive.” Maybe we need a special campaign to stamp out p.c. censorship.

The book also explains the names of the Palin children...admit it, you wanted to know. You wanted to read Going Rogue. That’s why it became a bestseller.

On the whole, book sales have probably been good for Palin; in the book she comes across as a likable person. Is this good for the country? Well...somebody should have beaten Obama in 2012, and it wouldn't have been Mitt Romney (who suggested the most un-American and loathsome features of Obamacare). Considering the way the mass media distorted Palin’s image (the “single mother” bit was, according to this book, an outright lie) I think it’s definitely good that people are reading her book. We may not want Drill Baby in the White House but we need a good solid proof of just how unreliable broadcast news stories can be.