Well it certainly could have gone a lot worse for Gov. Palin. Apart from the few awkwardly evaded questions and the wince-worthy slogans, she acquitted herself well, allaying fears that she would prove an inarticulate ignoramus. She probably hasn’t convinced the crucial swing voters that she’s fully qualified, but she has shown them that they wouldn’t be voting for a potential disaster.
A further comment: It was refreshing to hear Gov. Palin exhort Americans to embrace fiscal prudence. This is a new talking point the McCain campaign should give a lot more air-time. So far, Republicans and Democrats alike have spoken almost exclusively about the blame due to distant, impersonal actors, and opined on what distant, impersonal actors ought to do to fix it. Leaders of free people should encourage them to shake off the feeling of powerless suspense and take as much initiative as they can to secure their own interests.
Speaking of which, a promising young writer named R.J. Neuhaus gives David Blankenhorn’s timely book Thrift: A Cyclopedia an appreciative mention in the While We’re At It section of our October issue. The book seems like a sound investment.
And speaking of sound investments . . .
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
