The Game-Changer-in-Chief
Last night, Governor Palin issued a “call-to-listen” on her ever-influential Facebook page. The statement reads, in part:
Mark my words - tomorrow is the game changer! Tune in to hear common sense solutions that bury the false accusations that conscientious members of Congress have no solutions to meet America’s health care challenges.
After the this note made the initial social media rounds, there was speculation as to what motivated the governor to issue her statement at this time and for this purpose - to listen to a Saturday morning GOP address (CORRECTED: video here).
Some presumed that she was making a deliberate move to show her support for the Republican party and to dampen speculation that she would seek to lead a third-party movement. Others wondered if she was vulnerably opening herself up to be linked to not-so-popular congressional leadership, and a legislative position she did not craft.
Both of these hypotheses are plausible. But, my take on this brief statement?
First, I am all but certain that Governor Palin was aware of exactly what was going to be said in this morning’s address by Representative Boehner. After what she experienced in the Fall of ‘08, I think it’s safe to say she’s had a lifetime’s worth of being blind-sided.
Secondly, I would not be surprised if congressional leadership reached out to her and requested the use of her considerable soapbox - which brings me to the crux of my real theory.
The GOP leadership in Washington has been saying for months that they have been shut out of the debate on healthcare reform. Indeed, the “debate” was more of a monologue crafted by the Democrats and alternately performed by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. The Republicans were like mimes stuck in an imaginary box (CSPAN?) they couldn’t escape.
Enter Governor Palin, stage right.
She’s outside of the D.C. box and she has the eyes and ears of a good portion of the nation at her beck and call. For a beleaguered group of representatives who have been trying to garner attention to the hard work they have been doing these last few months, Governor Palin’s Facebook page may have seemed like the only way they could be heard by more than the few political-diehards who actually know how to find a video on CSPAN.org.
Further, I think this is right in line with the way Governor Palin operates. She’s all about communicating directly with The People, and the Republicans in Congress have been unable to do that on a large-scale these last 10 months.
I think both they, and she, recognized that Governor Palin’s Notes page might just be their last, best attempt to speak up - and stand up - for themselves and for us before the curtain falls on this healthcare bill.
- tdc
