"She seems as if she is incurious about the mechanism of government"

Nor has she proven particularly attentive to the details of public policy. “She’s not known for burning the midnight oil on in-depth policy issues,” said Larry Persily, a former journalist who was associate director of the governor’s Washington office until the spring.
ad_icon

But those who know her say Palin, 44, is uncommonly deft at something else: sensing the mood of her constituents, shaping her public messages and harnessing a remarkable personal popularity to accomplish what she wants. “She has an incredible pulse on the public will,” said Bruce Botelho, a Democrat who is mayor of Juneau, the state capital.

“She tends to . . . create a situation where legislators are cornered — going against her would be political suicide,” said John Bitney, who grew up with Palin, was her campaign policy director and became her first legislative liaison.