I doubt whether Harry attempted to inject extreme partisanship and fundamentalist christian ideology into the workings of a previously non partisan town government. Opening a can of pit bull whoop ass on his neighbors and governmental underlings was most likely not his style. Her small town antics sound more like something in China or the former Soviet Union than the US.
Palin pointed to Harry Truman, who had small-town experience growing up in Independence, Missouri. Well, I don't mean to be credentialist, but Harry Truman also served heroically in World War One and was a U.S. Senator and the nationally-known head of the Truman Committee before becoming FDR's running mate. He took a long road from his small town to the vice presidency -- a lot longer than Sarah Palin's.
Sarah Palin has amusingly brought up Harry Truman, a man who succeeded to the White House when the President died in office.
Really, you want to make the comparison Governor? Yikes.