Dan Calabrese: Palin in Wasilla: Mastery of governing detail, resistance to insider assimilation

Dan Calabrese has a great piece in northstarnational.com about Governor Palin's "resistance to insider assimilation". Mr. Calabrese examines the second chapter in Governor Palin's book, called "Kitchen Table Politics". This chapter is where you really start to get a feel how Governor Palin applies her conservative principles and does not play the "insider" games when it comes to governing. Mr. Calabrese writes:

You can’t help but notice that just about everyone who is part of the political establishment detests Sarah Palin. And you can’t help but notice that Palin couldn’t care less.

Early in the second chapter of Going Rogue, a chapter titled “Kitchen-Table Politics,” you learn everything you need to know to understand why. This is the way Palin has been wired for a very long time. During her two terms on the Wasilla City Council, followed by two terms as the city’s mayor, she consistently demonstrated a refreshing immunity to the insider mentality that tends to afflict people who serve in government at any level.

Recruited to run for the Council in 1992 by local power broker Nick Carney, Palin was seen as an attractive face who would support the usual way of doing business in Wasilla. She wasn’t.

In one of the first tests of her independence, Palin opposed a proposal touted by Carney, her political patron, to force residents to pay for neighborhood trash pickup rather than hauling their garbage to the dump themselves, as most did, and as Palin says she still does.

Like I said above, this story about her first days on the Wasilla city council really bring to light the way Governor Palin would govern at all levels of elected office in Alaska, all the way up to Governor. Mr. Calabrese continues:

Why was this so important to Carney? Because he owned the local garbage truck company. If you’ve never had much exposure to local politics – and this is largely true anywhere you go – it’s a pretty big deal for a young, inexperienced political (especially a woman) to so blatantly go against the person who recruited you into politics and supported you in your first campaign. You come under tremendous pressure to fall into line. Most cave, right then and there, long before they ever sniff politics at a higher level.

After Governor Palin was elected mayor of Wasilla, her resistance to insider politics was even more prevalent. Mr. Calebrese continues:

It was as Wasilla’s mayor that she encountered the kind of insider resistance to responsive government that would also await her later in Juneau. After she defeated the incumbent mayor, Palin recalls assembling her cabinet for the first time. As they sat with their arms folded, glaring at her, she received little enthusiasm as she talked about reviewing budgets and looking for places to cut in order to redirect money to building roads and sewers.

The chief of police flat-out refused to even look for budget savings, beginning a chilly relationship that ultimately resulted in Palin firing him and – get this – being sued by him for sex discrimination. (It took three years, but Palin was vindicated – another harbinger of things to come.)

What I think is the most important part of the piece Mr. Calabrese's writes:

Among Palin-haters, one of the most popular canards is that she is an airhead, and clearly not capable of dealing with the intricacies of government. As this chapter demonstrates, nothing could be further from the truth.

Palin not only has a keen grasp of the details of governing and budgeting, she also understands the political difficulties inherent in making government responsive. Many of her antagonists at the national level scoffed at the notion that her experience in Wasilla was of any value. Quite the contrary, local government is where a public officials decisions have the most direct impact on the electorate. It’s where you really have to understand the ins and outs of what you’re doing.

I think the above excerpt is the fundamental reason why Governor Palin's book tour and reintroduction to America is so important. Many moderates and independents who have doubts about her qualifications right now will begin to "see the light" and give her strong consideration if she decides to run for President in 2012 or beyond.

Mr. Calabrese concludes:

The more you read about Palin’s experience in governing, the more you understand why the national political establishments of both parties hope to smother her political career in its crib. She knows how to govern – better than most of them do, in fact. She just won’t do it the way they do it, and that scares the crap out of them.

Couldn't have said it any better.

You can read the whole piece here.