Ryan and Rubio are too young and inexperienced.
DeMint is a dream who couldn’t get elected.
The rest of the ‘good’ options you list are mush on immigration (okay, maybe T-Paw isn’t mush on immigration specifically, but he’s mush generally, to the same effect)—so they would all be presiding over the last Republican/conservative era.
And I haven’t seen anything that suggests she’s not with any of them intellectually. Have you noticed where she started? What she accomplished at the various levels in AK? How she has set the agenda since taking on the national scene? Stupid she’s not.
Palin is smart.
She could not get to be mayor or governor without being smart.
She is also likable.
But the nation is divided still and I do not think Palin is electable.
Regrettable, yes. Realistic, also yes.