Questions for Peggy Noonan: Is the Republican Revolution dead?

While Noonan makes some interesting observations in her recent criticism of the Republican party - far more interesting observations than say Limbaugh, Hannity or O'Reilly (who dominate Republican rightwing "thought" and "discourse"), I think she is still confused about the brand of Republican conservatism that has been sold to the country over the past 25 years. The main point, I think, is that the "Republican Revolution" has failed. Lowering taxes on the rich has not stimulated the economy or "unleashed" the power of the free market or increased government revenues - the dogma of supply-side economics and low taxation policy. Nor has increasing the wealth of the rich resulted in the "trickling down" of wealth to us regular folks. The far-right conservatism on social issues has hurt the country and dumbed it down - far-right conservatives denigrate science, learning, investigation, innovation, experimentation, curiosity as being "elitist" and "liberal". Now our schools, our students, our technology and our industries are falling behind the rest of the world's.

Quote from Noonan:
She (Palin) is not as thoughtful or persuasive as Joe the Plumber, who in an extended cable interview Thursday made a better case for the Republican ticket than the Republican ticket has made. In the past two weeks she has spent her time throwing out tinny lines to crowds she doesn't, really, understand. This is not a leader, this is a follower, and she follows what she imagines is the base, which is in fact a vast and broken-hearted thing whose pain she cannot, actually, imagine. She could reinspire and reinspirit; she chooses merely to excite. She doesn't seem to understand the implications of her own thoughts.
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First, let me deal with Joe the Plumber. He is neither thoughtful, persuasive or even honest. He is another rightwing dittohead parroting the dogma of low taxation. Joe is even unfamiliar with Obama's taxation policy. Joe also sounds like a racist, in addition to his lying (about his income) and his failure to pay his taxes.

Second, and more importantly:

What pain is Noonan referring to? And what is the source of this Republican pain? The pain that I see has been self-inflicted: All the Republican candidates running in the presidential primary turned out to be corrupt (Giuliani) or inept (Huckabee, Romney) and the Republicans ended up with John McCain as their nominee - John McCain who the rightwing base of the party never liked. John McCain, in his first important decision of his campaign, picked Sarah Palin for Vice President with little vetting or thought. A terrible mistake in judgement on McCain's part - in fact, unforgivable. Not only is Palin inexperienced and unqualified, but she is corrupt, scheming, vindictive and someone who will not, even with more experience, have the intellect to manage the government of one of the most powerful nations on earth.

Nonetheless, the rightwing loves Palin - that is what is so frightening about the Republican party.