The rumors that Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and vice presidential candidate is being considered for the post of ambassador to Canada, not so far denied by the Trump White House, as elicited reactions ranging from eye rolling to red faced outrage. The rumors may be typical trolling from the Trump administration or, remarkably, the idea may be serious.
On paper, there is nothing wrong with making Palin an ambassador. She is a politician of some experience and skill, having been successful as a governor until the Obama/media drove her out of office by abusing ethics laws that, ironically, Palin has championed.
Despite media libels to the contrary, the mama grizzly brought what excitement that the John McCain ticket enjoyed in a what was otherwise doomed effort to stop Barack Obama from becoming president. She went on to be a moving force in the Tea Party, helping to elect numerous Republican office holders in the 2010 and 2014 midterms. She was an early supporter of Donald Trump in 2016, which would ordinarily be a great reason for sending her to Ottawa.
On the other hand, the media and the entertainment industry has been relentless in painting her as a psychobimbo, an unfair accusation as anyone who has followed Palin’s career can attest to. Some movement conservatives will never forgive her for supporting Trump, giving him some extra push among social conservatives when he needed it.
Some in the right media have even joined in with the lies about her record.
On another level, Palin has been outspoken on a number of issues, including health care. She invented the term “death panels” to describe one of the effects that Obamacare would have toward senior citizens with chronic diseases. The nightmare (or dream depending on where one is at) is the scenario of Ambassador Palin denouncing the vaunted and dysfunctional Canadian healthcare system.
Of course, if President Trump were motivated to stick one in the eye of Prime Minister justin trudeau, a contemptible little man who has trolled him about immigration, he would nominate Palin as ambassador and order her to point out how government run health care is often a human rights violation. Revenge is a dish best served cold. But will the Senate confirm her?
