Stanley Fish: Sarah Palin is Coming to Town
Stanley Fish, of the New York Times, has written a thoughtful review of Going Rogue. Here's an excerpt:
Do I believe any of this? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that [Palin] does, and that her readers feel they are hearing an authentic voice. I find the voice undeniably authentic (yes, I know the book was written “with the help” of Lynn Vincent, but many books, including my most recent one, are put together by an editor). It is the voice of small-town America, with its folk wisdom, regional pride, common sense, distrust of rhetoric (itself a rhetorical trope), love of country and instinctive (not doctrinal) piety. It says, here are some of the great things that have happened to me, but they are not what makes my life great and American. (“An American life is an extraordinary life.”) It says, don’t you agree with me that family, freedom and the beauties of nature are what sustains us? And it also says, vote for me next time. For it is the voice of a politician, of the little girl who thought she could fly, tried it, scraped her knees, dusted herself off and “kept walking.”
In the end, perseverance, the ability to absorb defeat without falling into defeatism, is the key to Palin’s character. It’s what makes her run in both senses of the word and it is no accident that the physical act of running is throughout the book the metaphor for joy and real life. Her handlers in the McCain campaign wouldn’t let her run (a mistake, I think, even at the level of photo-op), no doubt because they feared another opportunity to go “off script,” to “go rogue.”
But run she does (and falls, but so what?), and when it is all over and she has lost the vice presidency and resigned the governorship, she goes on a long run and rehearses in her mind the eventful year she has chronicled. And as she runs, she achieves equilibrium and hope: “We’ve been through amazing days, and really, there wasn’t one thing to complain about. I feel such freedom, such hope, such thankfulness for our country, a place where nothing is hopeless.”
The message is clear. America can’t be stopped. I can’t be stopped. I’ve stumbled and fallen, but I always get up and run again. Her political opponents, especially those who dismissed Ronald Reagan before he was elected, should take note. Wherever you are, you better watch out. Sarah Palin is coming to town.
Read the entire review here.
Update by Mel: NewsBusters talks about the reaction of the NYT's "tolerant and open-minded" readership to Fish's piece here.
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44 comments:
Very interesting!
How much of this is her appearance at the Gridiron Dinner?
Is this a sign that the less rabid members of the media are taking a second look at her? I mean, "The New York Times" no less!
Go Sarah!
"Wherever you are, you better watch out. Sarah Palin is coming to town."
YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Sarah did it with out the help of the liberal media, no one paid for her college, and she will continue to stand regardless of what they (liberals) say and we will stand and fight with her for our country to the end.
He is absolutely right about that!
Hit the link and go read Stanley Fish's entire piece. It is, hands down, the best writing on Palin outside her fandom that I have seen. Fish gets Sarah. True, he doesn't exactly say that she is a natural leader (that's why libtard heads explode), but what he does describe hits his marks very well.
I like also that he takes her book seriously as a book, and is gracious about its narrative without the any hint of the meanness that flows through almost all of the lamestream accounts.
A very good read and yes, amazing that it was allowed in the New York Times. The author does try to keep his bonifides with his liberal readers by saying here and there that maybe he doesn't believe her or agree with her, but I suspect that he may be in the "Palin Closet," not daring to say out loud in his world that she is someone to admire. Yes watch out for her, but he can't endorse her.
Here's what drives me nuts about the liberal dismissal of Sarah. In doing so they withhold from the public at large a look at a differerent way to live and succeed in America. They're so busy promoting and preserving their one path to success: the right schools, the right degrees, the right connections, the right jobs in the right cities, that they deny their readers and viewers an opportunity to see a different experience. Their fear is so palpable. They think if they hide Sarah or misidentify her they can erase her. No such luck babe.
And of course, no one is more craven than the feminists. Here is a woman who expands the definition of success for women. Who is more mainstream and accessible to most women than the man-hating, oftentimes lesbian and/or childless women that they promote. Who identifies with that? A minoirty of women. They should be rejoicing in Sarah, instead they opened the doors to misogyny and let the Olbermanns and other haters run free with their bile. Yes, a great moment in women's history.
At this point Sarah should be a case study in any honest Women's Studies program. But I'm not holding ,my breath, are you?
A thoughtful and interesting review, but he is incorrect on at least one point: She spends more than 1/2 sentence talking about the convention speech. Several paragraphs, in fact, including the failure of the TelePrompTer, the "lipstick" ad-libbed joke, and the introduction of the war hero who was a prisoner with McCain.
I don't think Fish is a secret Palin admirer. He's very liberal. But that makes this review all the more powerful, I believe.
(By the way, conservativemama, it's a small thing, but could I ask you not to lump the childless in with the man-haters and the lesbians? Not all of us are childless by choice, and not all of us who are childless are anti-children. Thanks.)
Professor Fish, understands the narrative of movement, of progression, how faith and family and love of country, is integral to her whole personality. Being a deconstructionist lit professor, formerly from Duke, where Roger Kimball first brought him to my attention, he has to try to poke holes in the narrative. But
he gets her better than Matthews, or Carville, or certainly 'Brainy Smurf' David Frum and Brooks
Actually, Stanley Fish is not on the New York Times staff; he is a professor of English literature, a Milton specialist at that. His op eds often appear in the NYT. Though a liberal, he is known to take contrary positions, and it is a sign of the Governor's power that he would weigh in on "Going Rogue." I love the way he began with the reaction of the sales clerk at the Strand bookstore in Manhattan. I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and have not noticed whether "GR" is on the shelves there.
Well, even among the childless, that faction of feminists is the minority. I have no children. My best friend has no children. In fact several of my friends are unmarried and childless. None of them display the sort of visceral hatred of Sarah that the lefty feminists do. Even those who are not fans like I am at least have a healthy dose of respect for her. IMO, those women have done more to betray the notion of equality for women than anything. I feel it's largely generational and almost exclusively drawn on political lines. There are more feminists in this country of Sarah's ilk than there are of the bra-burning variety. Personally I feel like Sarah has been like a beacon to let those women know that, regardless of the choices they've made in their own lives -- married/unmarried, stay-at-home mom/career woman, kids/no kids -- that there is a place for them at the table. Look how many women have decided to run for local and state office because of her. I have said this before but I believe Sarah is blazing a new trail for women, the third wave of feminism. It's a more egalitarian kind of feminism, the kind where a woman isn't expected to fit into one of a limited set of prescribed roles but rather to define her life by the criteria of her own choosing and live it unapologetically.
At first blush, there's not a lot Sarah Palin and I have in common in our everyday lives. She's a lot physically tougher than I am for one thing. I've never held a gun in my life, I don't play sports (I do run tho). I'm not married and I have no kids, and that's entirely by choice. I believe in God and He's important to my life, but I'm not much of a church goer. Her choices have been vastly different from mine, but there have been few women in public life whom I identify with like I do Sarah Palin.
I just perused the comments, and my God these people are so unbelievably hateful. What is wrong with them?
MsLiberty:
Great thoughts. I agree with everything you say and I so value your intellectual honesty. You may not agree on the issues with Palin, but you see the value of her life and her choices and how it expands opportunities for all women. So well said.
I loved your comments!!
the effect of Sarah Palin is to shine a light into the world.
and the more they yell and scream, the more places the light shines.
OMG, I got tears reading the review - - - he gets it and didn't devolve into "fact-checking" childishness, etc.
that is an amazing piece.
Sarah is a success, whether she runs for the Presidency and wins, or retires to Wasilla to run and fish and raise her family. She is a model of how life could be for many Americans, women and men. Not the only model, but one, and a good one. She inspires many to get up from failure, dust themselves off, and keep walking. And she comes at a time when we desperately need new models of success and life.
<span>Book Tour in Colorado Springs, CO</span>
http://www.kktv.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=4367226&flvUri=&partnerclipid=
Fish understood what genre of a book this is. It is a memoir that gives readers an understanding of who the Governor is and what guides her. Most liberals and some elite conservatives seem to search for some ulterior motive in anything that the Governor does and feel that she owes them something. Regardless of what one's political persuasion is one should be able to objectively read the book and see who the Governor for who she is, not for the caricature that the LSM paints her to be. She is a three dimension woman of character with a strong voice, not a two dimensional caricature with no voice. One can disagree with the Governor's politics; that's fine. It's the hatred and unmitigated subjectivity that is applied to her that will prove to be the Left's and the LSM's undoing if it continues as it does.
<span>BILLINGS- Sub zero temperatures hasn't stopped hundreds of Montanans from lining up at Borders Books in Billings for former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's book signing. </span>
http://www.ktvq.com/news/hundreds-going-rogue-in-billings/
he has a better grasp of it, than the evangelical reviewer at First Things, who couldn't stop throwing spitballs at GR
And let's not lump all lesbians together either. I'm friends with a lesbian couple and they're not misandrist psychos. One of them is a flaming lefty, but the other one is middle-of-the-road politically. Also, Tammy Bruce and Cynthia Yockey come to mind.
TELL IT, Mr. Fish.
I read this last night, unbelievably GREAT article! This guy really gets the point of the book, who knew the NYT would print such positivity?!
Fish , like the press at the Gridiron dinner are finally starting to get it. Whether they agree politically with her or not they understand now, if not before ,that she is not ignorant, stupid etc, but is intelligent, thoughtful and has great moral integrity. Whether they agree with her or not at this stage...credibility, admiration,understanding of her is what the book and tour was designed to acheive and as we can tell from Fish's remarks it acheives that- coming from an upper east side liberal elistist his admission of that fact shows the books successeds at its goal
I think the end is nigh: Maureen Dowd also has a review that, while not a ringing endorsement, wasn't really negative either: Rogue American Woman by Maureen Dowd
I disagree about Carville. Carville may act like he doesn't get her. HE DOES and is afraid of her rise. Matthews doesn't have a clue.
He is definitely liberal. In college which for me wasnt too long ago I read him while studying Milton.
What is most impressive about Stanley Fish's review is that it's obvious he has read every word in the book and was very thoughtful with his commentary. He read the book with an open mind and with no agenda of his own. I love the way he talked about its "architectonic structure", which is exactly my impression when I read it. But he also pointed out something that other reveiwers have not grasped, not even me, that the phone call from John McCain was not the climax, but an interruption to all the other more important things in her life, namely family... This is a brilliant review, not just about the book itself, but for the insightfulness of the reviewer.
lmg,
He was referring to her roll-out speech when she was introduced as John McCain's running mate. Also, a very powerful speech. It was the speech that won my heart. The convention speech was just gravy. :-)
Not to mention Sarah's high school best friend and college roommate Tllly...
Of any writing outside of C4P, Fish has nailed the real Sarah Palin. I was totally impressed and delighted. Little by little, just through her perseverance and guts, the Gov. is reaching even some traditionally liberal thinkers who needed to be reintroduced to the heartland and rational thought. Outstanding!
I agree. This is a first rate review written in the best old literary style. It treats structure, style and content.
He also gets the most important thing about an autobiography. It's not the facts. You go to biographies for that. It's seeing the world through the eyes of the author. And Going Rogue is not only authentic Palin but gives real insight into who she is at the core.
She is unbelievably transparent--which shows a lot about her self-confidence. Not a self-confidence based on her own abilities, but a self-confidence that God is working in her life and blessing her even through the very tough times.
First Things is Catholic. It's founder, Father Newhouse, died recently. He was a good priest. IMO that review never would have been printed if he were there no matter what his opinion of Sarah was (I think he would have loved her). Opinions of all kinds were allowed, but nothing as gratuitous as that thing. It was a hit piece plain and simple. Disgusting how the Left moves in/takes over as soon as the founder of a good organization dies. They're like vultures. I've canceled my subscription and I'll bet the ranch I'm not the only one.
He reviewed it as literature. I don't know how politically involved or aware he is, but as a memoir he loved it. I'm sure he's a knee jerk lib, but he's honest and was obviously taken by her and impressed with the book. It's a damned fine memoir!
I wonder how Krauthammer and others feel about panning it before it was released, based on an AP review and a few leaked excerpts. You've been out high browed here Chuckie!
Yup.
One other thing. This is a man who has done his homework. He doesn't just know Palin from Going Rogue and news reports. He watched Palin's roll-out speech and remembered how striking it was. And he brought that into his analysis. Very impressive!
It was impressive. Lib though he is, I can see him voting for her...and then moving to New Zealand.
There's a sisterhood moment when she narrates their similarities. I think Dowd is beginning to like Sarah, but can't say that because of the NYT fan based readers she has to pander to.
BTW Dowd's family members are Republicans.
VIVA SARAH !
I'm impressed with the review, and also with the quality of comments above. Well done.
Indeed, a good review of the book. So far I've read the first two chapters (have had to take a break from reading in order to focus on studying my Masters) and I find Sarah Palin's writing style to be both engaging and genuine, but also quite humorous. Her childhood anecdotes about trying to fly and frustrating her teacher as she attempted to redesign the letter 'E' into something better were among several moments when I couldn't help but smile to myself.
It's a shame that the Left so viciously hates her. She's a good person and a worthy role-model for inspiring not just women and girls, but anyone who believes that the sky's the limit to their potential.
O.T
Attorney general changing Alaska ethics rules
by The Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - <span>Alaska Attorney General Dan Sullivan plans to change the state's ethics rules to fix problems brought to light by complaints against former Gov. Sarah Palin.
The changes would allow the state to pay some legal bills of public officials.
They also would establish when a governor's family members can travel on state money. The proposed travel rules were developed as part of a settlement in an ethics complaint that accused Palin of abusing her power by charging the state when her children traveled with her.
</span><span>
"In the wake of that, Gov. (Sean) Parnell asked for a review," McAllister said.
Meanwhile, another ethics complaint has been filed against Palin by </span><span>Anchorage</span><span> resident Andree McLeod, a longtime critic of the former governor. The latest complaint - the seventh for McLeod against Palin or her aides - was filed Monday and targets the fact that the legal defense fund continues to solicit contributions.</span>
Read full Artilice at:
http://newsminer.com/bookmark/5038187
When you read the last Par. Does anyone need to ask Why the governor had to resign?
Newsminer.com
Attorney general changing Alaska ethics rules by The Associated Press
<span></span><span><span></span> <span></span> </span>
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska Attorney General Dan Sullivan plans to change the state's ethics rules to fix problems brought to light by complaints against former Gov. Sarah Palin.The changes would allow the state to pay some legal bills of public officials.They also would establish when a governor's family members can travel on state money. The proposed travel rules were developed as part of a settlement in an ethics complaint that accused Palin of abusing her power by charging the state when her children traveled with her.
Meanwhile, another ethics complaint has been filed against Palin by Anchorage resident Andree McLeod, a longtime critic of the former governor. The latest complaint - the seventh for McLeod against Palin or her aides - was filed Monday and targets the fact that the legal defense fund continues to solicit contributions.
ReadFull Story
http://newsminer.com/bookmark/5038187
That is an old write-up and Maureen Dowd hates Sarah.
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