Sarah Palin May Be a Pit Bull in Lipstick, but She's No Populist

Posted by Jim Hightower, JimHightower.com at 6:06 PM on September 4, 2008.

"Perfect populist pitch." That's how CBS political pundit Jeff Greenfield described Sarah Palin's VP acceptance speech.


Excuse me, but real populists don't support profiteering schemes of Big Oil or embrace the extension and expansion of tax giveaways to Wall Street speculators and corporate chieftans. Palin might claim to be a pit bull in lipstick, but she's damn sure no populist. As Greenfield must surely know in his less infatuated moments, she is to populism what near beer is to beer -- only not as close. Indeed, she's the candidate of the plutocrats. Mary Ellen Lease -- a real hell-raising populist from the 1880s and 90s -- would be appalled at the media's perversion of this historic and proud term.

Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of "Thieves In High Places: They've Stolen Our Country And It's Time to Take It Back." He publishes the monthly "Hightower Lowdown," co-edited by Phillip Frazer.