An editorial by William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, carries the title "Don't Block Up the Hall." It concerns the "control freaks in the political establishment," the donor class, the media, and so on, all of whom want "certainty and easy predictability in their politics." In other words, the Republicans should already have crowned their presidential candidate. Kristol, however, feels differently:
"[A] wide-open primary season will likely prove good for the Republican party, good for the conservative cause, and good for the country."
And then comes the pull quote: "Competition is good, after all. Road testing is useful."
Where oh where have we heard this before? The originator of this sentiment is, of course, Sarah Palin. But does Kristol give her credit for saying that competition in the elector process, as in other aspects of life, is good? You got to be kidding.
What strikes me is how much Sarah Palin is framing the Republican political contest. Everything that she has advocated since the Tea Party broke onto the scene has been taken up by the other Republican candidates (Romney perhaps excepted). Recently it was a liberal publication -- the Baltimore Sun -- who, during her One Nation tour, called her "the most mischievous force in American politics." This was said admiringly. The Baltimore Sun understood her. For some reason, however, the Right refuses to give her credit, even though every supposedly conservative candidate is constantly echoing what she has said. When will the Republican establishment, including Kristol, finally notice that she is dominating the "conversation"? Does the establishment think that if it ignores her, she will go away? Ha!
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