for governor of New York . Some say the deciding factor was when Koch described life in upstate New York as `` sterile '' and said he dreaded living in the `` small town '' of Albany , if elected . That did n't play well in rural areas . Now comes Colin Powell . During a recent appearance on CNN 's `` Fareed Zakaria GPS , '' Powell attempted an autopsy on the Republican Party 's failed presidential bid . He went after Palin , accusing her of pushing the party so far to the right that it went over a cliff . `` I think -LSB- Palin -RSB- had something of a polarizing effect when she talked about how small-town values are good , '' Powell said . `` Well , most of us do n't live in small towns . And I was raised in the South Bronx , and there 's nothing wrong with my value system from the South Bronx . '' You 'd think the presidential campaign was about conservatives picking on urbanites . It was n't . Sure , some Republicans probably made a mistake by using phrases such as `` real America
Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a nationally syndicated columnist and a member of the editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune . Read his column here Ruben Navarrette says Sarah Palin 's critics challenged her because of prejudices about small-town values . SAN DIEGO , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- During the presidential election , some Democrats demanded to know how I could defend Alaska Gov . Sarah Palin . Simply put , Palin is my people . She 's small-town folk who wound up in the big leagues . Because I grew up in a small town with a population of less than 15,000 people , I was disgusted by the insults and condescension coming from those who think of themselves as the enlightened elite . Meanwhile , in small towns , I detected great affection for Palin . People talked about how she was `` a real person '' who `` reflected their values . '' The most significant divide in America is n't Red State vs. Blue State , it 's rural vs. urban . The country mouse and the city mouse are still slugging it out . In 1982 , New York Mayor Ed Koch ran unsuccessfully