Well Said: Steve Chapman

“Palin? Her new memoir, ‘Going Rogue,’ fills up 413 pages, but it has less policy heft than a student council speech. Where Reagan dove into the murk of arms control and Goldwater fathomed federal farm programs, Palin skims over the surface of a puddle. Amid all the tales of savoring the aromas at the state fair and having her wardrobe vetted by snotty campaign staffers, she sets aside space to lay out her vision of what it means to be a ‘Commonsense Conservative.’ It takes up all of 11 pages and leans heavily on prefabricated lines like ‘I am a conservative because I deal with the world as it is’ and ‘If you want real job growth, cut capital gains taxes.’ But the priorities of ‘Going Rogue’ are striking poses and attitudes, not making actual arguments about the proper role of government.”

Steve Chapman

In a piece for reason.com, the columnist and editorial writer for the Chicago Tribune — hardly a “liberal elite” — offered this scathing assessment of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her fondness for addressing real, substantive issues with little more than catch phrases.