Posted on 01/30/2015 4:54:59 AM PST by LeoMcNeil
Sarah Palin made headlines last weekend when she said she was interested in running for President. Palin has been an important part of the Tea Party and conservative movements in this country since she came onto the scene in 2008. Nobody on the right throws red meat to a crowd quite like Palin. Her ability to sarcastically tear down liberal sacred cows is second only to Rush Limbaugh. Best of all she drives liberals up a wall. They hate her more than any other conservative in this country, including George W. Bush and Limbaugh. Watching liberals fall to pieces over Palin is always amusing. Palin has also been an important player in the Tea Party political scene. The candidates she campaigned for, particularly in 2014, generally won. She has an excellent track record in that regard.
The question is whether Palin should run for President and perhaps as importantly whether conservatives should support her candidacy. The answer is clear, she should not run and if she does conservatives should not support her. There are any number of reasons why Palin shouldn’t be the Republican nominee beginning with the fact that her experience is limited and at this point remote. Palin was Governor of Alaska for all of two and a half years. She resigned ostensibly to make money in personal appearances. If Palin was serious about running for President, she should have stayed in office and run for re-election. In the alternative, she should have run for a winnable Alaska Senate seat in 2014. Instead, Palin has shown a lack of interest in actual governing. We need to nominate someone with experience and if we look at the slate of candidates out there we can clearly see there are other conservatives who have a lot more experience than Palin. Surely the GOP can find someone with more experience than Obama had in 2008, we can’t set the bar down to his level.
Palin’s ability to attract people other than conservatives is near zero. Fair or not, Palin is a polarizing figure in American politics. On one hand she’s brought it on herself by tearing down liberal sacred cows. On the other hand, the left-wing media has relentlessly attacked her for no other reason than she’s a heretic to the feminist cause. Let’s be honest, Palin has egged the left-wing media on and it’s been amusing to watch her set them up and tear them down. Doing that makes for great giggles for Tea Partiers but it does nothing for Palin’s likability. Because of the media, people actually think Palin said she can see Russia from her house. The media has pushed that narrative, knowing full well that Tina Fey said that on a Saturday Night Live sketch. People other than conservatives think Palin is a crass moron. That is a hurdle she won’t be able to overcome if she runs for President.
Sarah Palin has a place in conservative movement of the Republican Party. She’s an important part of the Tea Party. There’s a difference between being the flame thrower for conservatives and running for President. Palin is great at what she’s doing right now. She’s made a good living for herself and her family by giving speeches and making media appearances. She’s done a terrific job campaigning for conservatives in House and Senate elections. She’s found her calling in politics, it makes no sense for her to give it up to run for President. Conservatives shouldn’t want her to give it up either. Her record was magnificent in 2014. We’re much better off having her back conservative candidates for Congress than we are watching her flame out in a GOP Presidential primary that’s likely to be crowded with too many conservative candidates. If she wants to get involved in the primary, she should act as kingmaker and endorse someone. For her to run though will result in her ultimate defeat, which will likely limit her opportunities to influence politics in the future.
We conservatives need to find someone who has more than the right views. We need to find someone who has experience and can translate that experience to the White House. That person isn’t Sarah Palin. Two and a half years as Governor of a small state isn’t good enough. Eight years as Mayor of a town of less than 8,000 is not good enough experience. Palin is great at what she’s doing now, conservatives should be happy that she’s found something she’s both successful and influential at. The Democrats set the bar low for experience when they nominated Obama. The Republicans need to raise that bar. Scott Walker is just as conservative as Palin and he has a lot more experience. He’s balanced budgets and taken on unions in a blue state no less. Ted Cruz has more experience than Palin between his time as solicitor general in Texas and the US Senate. We need someone who is more skilled than Obama is. We have candidates like that on the right in the GOP. Sarah Palin just isn’t one of them.
Edmund Wright 1 Daily Beast 0
your belief in government experience is not very conservative....
And about Walker...?
then you and I have no disagreement whatsoever......and I stand by my criticism of the article. That is NOT THE SAME as wanting Palin to run for President.
Let me type slowly for you. GEEZ DUDE READ MUCH?
I support Cruz over everybody......what I do NOT support is this stupid absurd notion that you can’t be President or shouldn’t run until you’ve done the “requisite” term in the Senate or in the Governors mansion. Moreover, it is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT EVER EVER EVER EVER CONSERVATIVE to say relinquishing power voluntarily is a bad things.
Hell, you prbably called George WAshington a quitter too. I think he was the last person to take less power than they were offered.
Leo dude....for someone who fancies themselves a writer, you are a reading comprehension RETARD.
You are a liberal for thinking that relinquishing power - voluntarily - when it’s the right thing to do - is a disqualification. That’s frankly so stupid it’s beyond my comprehension. I do not think Palin’s best contribution to the Republic is that of a prez candidate. But she did the right thing, the honorable thing, the CONSERVATIVE thing, by resigning given the circumstances.
Do you even know a damned thing about those circumstances? I didn’t think so......dude, grow up, ask why for a change, and not just “what.”
Well the ticket is not decided until the nomination is won by someone. Normally just before the Convention.
And Palin will not run for VP again. That’s not done. But I would love a Cruz Palin ticket - and a Cruz Palin administration.
It was one of the smartest thing she’s done.
...I think I misunderstood your point about the same supporters.....that’s a consideration. While I would love a Cruz Palin ticket, something like Cruz Walker (or Walker Cruz) would be better - for a number of reasons.
So, no path for Palin to the nomination?
Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.
I don’t think so. I am sick that she was so poorly treated by the liberal media, the McCain campaign, and the establishment media. It was not fair nor deserved. She is far far far from stupid. Almost everything she’s ever said publicly has stood the test of time.
And it’s a shame her voice is just not commanding. And a shame that matters. But it does, to many.
If I’m wrong, I’ll be happily so....
Preach it bros! Amen...and pass the plate.....!
How about Cruz and Palin team up now and go after the GOPE’s. He is the constitutionalist and she has the executive experience and balls to clean up the mess in Washington. This combines both their followers and their strengths.
Agree Sakic. She should have run for Senate. Instead she made a bunch of stupid TV shows and let her family embarrass her. Of course I would vote for her if she somehow got the nod. But there’s no chance. She is viscously hated by too many people in general, and nearly all the media. Just as much as we hate Hillary. Unfortunately, Hillary will have 100% media support though.
You’re right. The truth hurts in this echo chamber. People here like to compare Palin to Reagan. Reagan was governor of California for 8 YEARS!!! An economy VASTLY larger than Alaska. That guy had chops.
If Sarah had any other kind of important experience - senior military officer, CEO of a major company...anything...it would be different. It’s nice that she’s a devout Christian, has lots of kids, and is beautiful. How does that qualify her for president?
I’m happy to have her giving Libs hell on TV. She’s good at it. But, again, I’ll end this by saying of course I would vote for her in the general if she gets the nom.
I’m sure I’ll get attacked here. Been a Freeper for 14 years. But now I’ll be accused of being a huffpo or daily kos plant...
you’ve now outed yourself as a liberal......thinking that being in the Senate is more important and more American than the private sector.
Shame on you for even thinking you’re a conservative. You have a gaping chasm in your cred.
Obama resigned from his position as senator before his term was up and it didn't hurt his political career.
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