Jonathan Chait: “Donald Trump appeared on the national political stage almost eight years ago. Only then he was called ‘Sarah Palin.’ The circumstances of Palin’s ascent came very differently. While Trump nurtured his fame for decades in the New York media spotlight and won the Republican nomination after a protracted nationwide campaign, Palin was plucked in her political youth from the most remote state in the union and presented to the party as a fait accompli. Having no chance to consider or debate her selection, Republicans defended her unreservedly. What critics saw as dangerous ignorance buttressed by anti-intellectual resentment, conservatives defended as populist authenticity, a noble victim of venal coastal elites.”
“The actual Palin, transparent to her handlers behind the scenes, was even more horrifyingly buffoonish than the public version.”
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