I think the situation for Peggy is a bit more than simple jealousy. She sees the end of the Reagan Legacy coming. Let me explain that a bit.
Ronald Reagan has been the inspiration for our party for many decades, but Ronald Reagan was a man of his times. The perfect man, as it turned out. He accomplished more than most Presidents can even begin to contemplate. Sarah Palin has been called “The New Ronald Reagan’ but I think that may be wrong.
Sarah is something new. I think she resembles Teddy Roosevelt in many ways. The “can do” attitude....not just “can do” but “H3ll yes! let’s go do it, we’re American!”.
Sarah’s charisma is overwhelming and it is less due to her beauty than most of the elites would like to admit. This is a woman who typifies the best of America in the 21st century. She is the same type of American who starts and runs high tech companies, who runs a trucking firm with her husband, the same type of American that many of us would like to be when we grow up. The type of American who could be Vice President and who could lead the country well and enthusiastically, accomplishing much in very short timeframes.
I typified her as somewhat like Teddy Roosevelt which may lead some to think of her as being a creature of the past. But that is not my intent. She resembles him in her grasp of what makes America truly great. The high energy, the firm grasp on the difference between right and wrong (an American signature attribute) and the unwillingness to back up when challenged in her beliefs, the willingness to follow through on her beliefs, the love for the family, the willingness to use our own resources for the good of the people of America as well as others around the world, these are the hallmark of a true American.
The second time I listened to her speak, this phrase (about America) kept running through my mind:
“The future’s so bright, we gotta wear shades.”
Sarah is the future of America.
So let’s put on our shades and go vote for McCain/Palin. Let’s speak gently with our friends and tell them about our country’s bright future. It may turn some heads and some votes.
I think Peggy is also suffering from an unfounded fear that Palin is another Bush. As I noted in my post above, Palin is no Bush. Palin governed as a strict fiscal conservative. Bush did not. Palin's populism is based on the American tradition of self reliance and local autonomy. Bush's populism was grounded in what he called "compassionate conservatism" -- which translated into big government spending programs which were really only a more efficient variation of LBJ's Great Society. Palin doesn't promise goodies and programs. She simply promises to put government back on the side of the people by reining in spending and making sure taxes are low. Peggy feels betrayed by W. and so she has a "never again" mentality, which has sadly made her blind to Palin's virtues.