The new Palin movie is terrific

First, it reminds you why you fell in love with Sarah Palin the first time. A lot of conservatives were tremendously excited when she was selected as John McCain’s running mate — and were even more smitten after her rousing GOP convention speech in Minneapolis. Over time, however, some conservatives fell off the bandwagon — partly because of the McCain campaign’s mishandling, partially because of the media’s portrayals, and partly for good reason. This film captures the emotional response — the hope and excitement — many Americans felt when she was selected. Don’t be surprised if some folks even tear up during the convention speech scene.

Putting emotion aside, the second thing this film does well is make the logical case for Palin to be taken seriously. Viewers who have never read “Sarah from Alaska” or “Going Rogue” may learn for the first time just how good she was as governor. Her short tenure as Governor of Alaska was remarkably strong (as the film points out, her approval rating was well over 80 percent when she was placed on the national ticket). Bannon spends a lot of time telling the story of Palin’s accomplishments as governor, and the truth is that few governors — even two-term governors — have ever had a better or more productive eighteen months than Palin had before her selection as McCain’s running mate.