Posted on 04/03/2016 12:18:24 PM PDT by Brices Crossroads
As I watched Sarah Palin deliver a speech on behalf of Donald Trump the other day before an GOP establishment fundraiser in Wisconsin, I was struck by the enthusiastic response of the crowd. She received a standing ovation at the end. Ted Cruz, who followed her on the dais, received only light and intermittent applause. The contrast in their political skills was stark. Palin was the star who knew how to connect with, and hold, her audience. Cruz, not so much...
Let me say at the outset that I am analyzing this from a purely utilitarian and political point of view. Anyone with a white hot, visceral dislike of Sarah Palin or anyone who has swallowed the MSM narrative that she is a stupid, inarticulate rube is not likely to be voting for Donald Trump anyway. Trump obviously holds Palin in high regard and says so quite often, calling her an "amazing woman" and a "special person." If he did not consider her a genuine asset, why in the world would he have her campaigning with him all over the country?
Putting Palin on the ticket would have obvious advantages and disadvantages. The case for Palin as Trump's running mate boils down to six factors
I. The Trust Factor
First, there is an obvious chemistry between Trump and Palin that would be rare for two national candidates on the same ticket. They obviously like and respect each other immensely. And Trump obviously trusts her, which is so important. He cannot have a running mate who is apologizing for him or damning him with faint praise. Trump values loyalty and Sarah Palin is loyal to a fault, as is the Donald.
II. The Deflection Factor
The second advantage, which I would call the "deflection" factor, centers around the collective star power that a Trump/Palin ticket would embody. Both are media superstars of the first order. Having either one on a national ticket would draw disproportionate media interest and coverage for that ticket. Together, however, they would dominate every news cycle, pushing the Democrat candidates into oblivion. The Main Stream Media and the Establishment smear machine intends to try to destroy Donald Trump in the November Election. However, like Pavlov's dog, it simply cannot resist the urge to savage Sarah Palin. Palin's presence on the ticket would deflect much of the media onslaught away from Trump and would stretch the capacities of the smear machine to the breaking point.
III. The Woman Thing
The Democrat nominee is going to be a woman. Trump needs help with women. So isn't it logical to put a woman on the ticket? It is certainly not absolutely necessary but it would help. Palin brings several things to the ticket that a more conventional female politician would not bring. Let me concede at the outset that the majority of professional women (not all by any means) dislike Palin intensely. The majority of professional women also despise Trump. Most such women are likely not "getable" for Trump, not matter who he picks. However, a much larger swath of married women, evangelical women and working class women--the hair dressers, secretaries, waitresses and factory workers--ARE available, and Palin relates very well to this group. Palin's presence on the ticket can help to persuade, and to turn out, such voters.
Even more important, though, Palin's presence on the ticket would give Trump a unique opportunity to defend her against the inevitable and savage attacks by the elitist Establishment and the MSM. In so doing, Trump would give the lie to the baseless charge that he hates women. His actions in defending his running mate would speak much louder than any platitudes about taking care of women.
IV. The Insurance Policy
In a very important sense, Palin provides an insurance policy for Trump. When he is sworn into office, he will likely face a hostile Congress and Senate, with relatively few allies. Should Congress or the Establishment ever be tempted to impeach, or otherwise to remove, Trump the specter of Sarah Palin as President of the United States would surely represent a massive deterrent to such a scheme. If Trump's removal would yield a John Kasich or even a Ted Cruz, it would embolden the Establishment to try to get rid of Trump before his term ended.
V. The Geographic factor
The next advantage is geographic. Palin is a Westerner, with ties to North Dakota, Alaska and Arizona. Trump's weakest region, according to polls, is the mountain west. Putting her on the ticket would provide geographic balance.The counter-argument is that, in spite of her endorsement, Trump lost Alaska. My reply to that is that Palin has never been beloved by the Alaska GOP Establishment, ever since she took out its darling, Frank Murkowski, in 2006 and stopped the gravy train up there. And Alaska was a closed caucus, where the GOP Establishment would be its most powerful. Her appeal in Arizona and Nevada (and Florida) was quite evident in the Trump landslides there.
VI. The Vetting Factor
Finally, Palin has been vetted to a fare the well. No politician, and few public figures have been so thoroughly scrutinized. Trump does not need to suffer any distractions or surprises coming out this fall about a less thoroughly examined candidate.
Let me just say a word about her resignation as Governor in 2009 and her decision not to seek the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. Many of her supporters were disappointed in her decisions, especially in 2012. But I remember her appealing publicly to the Establishment in 2011 to be open to her candidacy as a vehicle to unseat Obama and repair the damage he had done to the country. I think her appeal fell on deaf ears, and she realized what many of us did not. She could not seize the nomination in the face of united Establishment opposition. Trump's difficulties with the Establishment, in spite of his far greater advantages, shows that she was more than likely right.
Ultimately, any voters Palin would lose for Trump would be more than offset by some of the voters she would take from Hillary Clinton, especially lower to middle income blue collar women and housewives. In essence, though, anyone who is dissuaded from voting for Donald Trump by Sarah Palin's presence on the ticket would likely not be voting for Trump in the first place. As I heard someone say recently, Palin is the female counterpart of Trump. If you really dislike the one, you almost certainly do not like the other.
BTTT
It is upsetting how many people forget the facts, and you are absolutely correct to point it out. No matter what they want to say about governor Palin, she was the victim of an open conspiracy, likely from the exact same elitists orchestrating the smear campaign against today’s outsiders. She was an outstanding, popular governor. Governor Palin was as good as a political martyr in my book. Let someone with an 89% approval rating dispute it or say something contrary and I will give it a listen and a good laugh.
polarizing is nonsense. Stop using the media’s language. If she is polarizing then so is cruz and trump
Well somebody better tell Trump........
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3417131/posts?
snip
He said he would choose “somebody that can walk into the Senate and who’s been friendly
with these guys for 25 years, and people for 25 years and can get things done” in an
extensive interview with The Washington Post published Saturday.
“So I would 95 percent see myself picking a political person, as opposed to
somebody from the outside,” he said.
Maybe she could be the second term VP! ;-)
It’s called sore loser man laws. Because Trump has already run under RNC he is not allowed to switch parties. I will try to find the thread about it and ping you.
Wow what a brilliant response, brilliant I tell you. Did you think that up in the 3rd grade and have been using that ever since?
No. Rightly or wrongly Palin has been so trampled in the media she is not the right choice.
Sara Palin is great, but she will not reassure voters who still have to be won over to Trump. Besides that she doesn’t have DC experience. She’ll be a fantastic Secretary of Energy.
I doubt if Palin would accept the VP slot even if Trump offered it to her. She has only bad experiences to look back on during her run in 2008, as McCain sat idly by and let his campaign stab her in the back repeatedly. The negative feeding frenzy going on around Trump would immediately double or even triple.
Ivanka at the Observatory, and Melania at the White House? Imagine the crowds, DC would be beautiful again.
I think the only way Palin could ever be revived is for her to run for Presidency herself. Show her best with no one controlling her. She should also blitz the media with interviews similar to Trump. Trump’s style keep the media so busy with one outrage to the next, that the media ppl lose touch of which to focus their attack
The wacky times ten factor. A dipstick alongside an unfiltered mouth means that hillary is elected.
Sound great. Where do I not sign up?
So Ivanka is eligible? I think Ivanka will be a good choice.
Should have read ad infinitum..
She could be first term VP
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