At first blush Argentina's Eva Perón and Sarah Palin appear as extreme opposites. Evita is synonymous with the welfare state and big labor. She was and continues to be the face of the populist left. Sarah is synonymous with the Tea Party and the evangelical base. She is the face of the populist right. Their ascension to power was, to say the least also very different, the tango rooms of Buenos Aires vs. the city council of Wasilla.
While Peron and Palin's political rise and ideological persuasions are as different as the North and South Poles, their similarities as leaders are striking. Eva Perón had, as Sarah Palin now has a mass appeal like no other female counterpart. Their styles are populist, plain and simple. Masses would gather to hear Eva Perón speak from the balcony of La Casa Rosada, paralyzing the streets of Buenos Aires. Masses gather to hear Sarah Palin from every corner of the United States. Whether the throngs of people are los descamisados ("the shirtless ones", referring to laborers) or Mama Grizzlies there is no difference in the veneration toward their respective Saints -- Santa Evita or Saint Sarah.
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