A Word For Sarah Palin

When it comes to Sarah Palin, pretty much everyone out there has a few choice words to say on the subject. True, the offerings from our liberal friends on the left do appear to lean heavily toward the fanciful, the ridiculous, and/or the vitriolic...with very little substance. Sort of like those empty calories the fitness gurus are always complaining about. From the right, verbal descriptions of Alaska's former governor are generally much friendlier and at times even include solid content.

But what about a word, just one word, to exemplify what Sarah means to these United States?

You know. Like California Governor Arnold Shwarzenegger being tagged "The Governator". (Yes, that would technically be two words, but the "the" doesn't count.) More examples? Okay...how about "The Boss" (Springsteen). Heck, the two-word "Rat Pack" covered four guys! Not to mention using Brangelina to mean both Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as one, though according to the tabloids (!), that rodeo seems to have hit a rough patch.

Ah. You're ahead of me? Mrs. Palin already has a word; they call her the Sarahcuda?

True enough. But when you're out there in the sunshine, mindlessly sawing boards and pounding nails all day to turn a collection of lumber into something resembling a roof, you've got more than enough time to think. And as of today, I think I have a word that describes Sarah Palin's function--rather than the lady herself--very, very well:

"THE CATALYST."

Most of us probably learned this word the first time we took a chemistry class in school, but just in case, here are a couple of definitions for "catalyst":

1. A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any change.

2. A stimulus to change: somebody or something that makes a change happen or brings about an event.

People who favor President Obama would (and do) argue that he is one supercalifragilisticexpialidocious catalyst. He's not, though. He definitely has an agenda, pushes that agenda relentlessly, and in some cases reaches his goals. Oh, that may make him a "true number 2" sort of catalyst as defined above, but he'll never qualify as Number One.

Mrs. Palin, on the other hand, is a Number One catalyst all the way. She literally triggers chemical reactions all over the place just by being herself. She's one of the hardest working people on planet Earth, but for magic to happen, she doesn't really have to do anything. She just is....

And change occurs. Chemical change:

1. The fight-or-flight response is triggered in the brains of liberals. Their blood pressure rises. They sputter, fume, and give new meaning to the term "apoplexy".

2. For a number of red blooded males, there's a chemical excitement that has little to do with politics. (These men would do well to make sure their spouses have not made any chemical additions to their morning omelettes.)

3. Those of us favoring limited government and a literal interpretation of the Constitution of the United States as written become energized. Pro-Sarah websites are built. Grassroots organizations, sometimes even in the form of an Army of One, spring up overnight, enthusiastic "weeds" sprouting on the political playing field, weeds so tough and resilient and determined they can't even be killed with Roundup.

4. Those in "flyover country", i.e. middle America, the literal Heartland, perk up, become aware for the first time in decades that the Wind of Change is indeed a-blowin'.

There are other terms which apply with high degrees of accuracy. "Catalyst" is certainly not the only word for the lady from Alaska.

But it is definitely a word for Sarah Palin.