Broder Praises Palin

David Broder of The Washington Post is drinking Sarah Palin's kool-aid in praising her high-priced address to the last weekend's Tea Party Convention in today's column.

Blessed with an enthusiastic audience of conservative activists, Palin used the Tea Party gathering and coverage on the cable networks to display the full repertoire she possesses, touching on national security, economics, fiscal and social policy, and every other area where she could draw a contrast with Barack Obama and point up what Republicans see as vulnerabilities in Washington.

Her invocation of "conservative principles and common-sense solutions" was perfectly conventional. What stood out in the eyes of TV-watching pols of both parties was the skill with which she drew a self-portrait that fit not just the wishes of the immediate audience but the mood of a significant slice of the broader electorate.

What hooey. Palin is a shameless demagogue--one who appeals to popular prejudices, fears and ignorance in a simplistic, melodramatic way to advance her own power. Fortunately, the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll suggests that most respondents are onto her act as 71% said she was not qualified to serve as President. Non-partisan website Politifact.com fact-checked three statements from the speech and rated two of them "False" and one "Half True." A quick perusal of her other statements on that site shows her record of stretching the facts is among the worst of any modern political figure.

UPDATE: Factcheck.org reaches a similar conclusion regarding Palin taking liberties with the facts in the Tea Party speech.

--Ballard Burgher