Sarah Palin tips her hand

The Daily Caller ^ | February 16, 2012 | Bart Marcois, Romney volunteer & RNC LDS Outreach Liason

[2ndDivisionVet]

Has Sarah Palin just announced her candidacy for president? On Wednesday night she told Fox Business host Eric Bolling that she still has the fire in her belly and is still game to run for office. More telling, however, is what she said about the current GOP nomination battle and the possibility of a brokered convention.

Palin’s comments leading into the South Carolina primary, encouraging people to vote for Newt Gingrich because the party is strengthened by a long primary battle, were bewildering at the time.

“I want to see this thing continue, because iron sharpens iron, steel sharpens steel. If I had to vote in South Carolina to keep this thing going, I’d vote for Newt and I would want this to continue.”

Leaving aside metallurgical analysis comparing honing knife blades to the hammer blows of negative campaign ads, the comments were incomprehensible from a strategic point of view. Gingrich at that time was administering a beating to the entire capitalist system, with his attacks on Romney’s wealth and the investment world. It was not clear how that process would help any eventual Republican nominee run against the class-warfare campaign sure to come from President Obama.

After Newt lost Florida by 15 points, Governor Palin announced that she would vote for him in Nevada, again “to keep this thing going.” Even while admitting that the process “thus far, hasn’t been really attractive to the electorate” and saying about negative ads that “when a bell is rung, it’s really tough to un-ring that bell,” she still wanted it to continue.

Why would she want the process to continue if it is causing permanent harm to the Republican candidates?

On the Fox Business Network Wednesday night, Bolling asked Palin about the possibility of a brokered convention, and whether, if asked, she would consider being drafted to be the nominee. She responded: “We could be looking at a brokered convention. … If months from now, if that’s the case, then all bets are off, as to who it will be, willing to offer themselves up in the name of service to their country. I, uh, I would do whatever I could to help.”

It’s becoming clear why Governor Palin wants the nominating process to continue, even though it’s really tough to un-ring the bell of a process that turns off voters. She has no interest in seeing any candidate gain the support of the majority of the GOP delegates, because she believes she could step into a brokered convention and walk out as the Republican nominee. She shares with Gingrich an ability to fire up the base, to draw admiring shouts and standing ovations from audience members. She also shares with him a disdain for conventional campaigning, which critics call a lack of discipline. Those characteristics are ideally suited to winning an election process that lasts only three days and takes place in a single city, but they are liabilities in a process that takes months and covers 50 states.

Palin just gave the clearest signal yet that she intends to compete for the presidential nomination if there’s a brokered convention in August. What is a Republican voter to do? Whatever it is, the voters in Michigan, Arizona and the Super Tuesday states had better start doing it right away. Because if we don’t, we will miss the only chance we have to stop socialized health care and a host of other evils that would result from a second term for Barack Obama.

****

Bart Marcois, a former principal deputy assistant secretary of energy, is senior vice president at Policy Impact Communication.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Funny how Daily Caller doesn't mention his Romney and Mormon connection, huh? The article reads differently when you know that, though, doesn't it? And wasn't it Willard who brought "socialized medicine" onto the national stage?

[Vigilanteman]

Romney and Newt have pretty much destroyed the other's chances at this point. Other than her gender, I don't see a big difference between Rick Santorum and Sarah Palin. Other than the fact that Rick got in and Sarah didn't.

Seven reasons for Rick Santorum

1. Who has won the most states without the benefit of their own money, last election's organization or a billionaire casino sugar daddy?
   
2. Who is everybody's second choice when he isn't their first?
   
3. Who can get both the Romney people and the Gingrich people, who hate each other, to vote for him?
   
4. Who has the best record on immigration?
   
5. Who has the best plan for repealing ObamaCare? And is the only GOP candidate who didn't help write or approve legislation which helped spawn this fiasco?
   
6. Who has the best plan for expanding the American economy and strengthening American families?
   
7. Who is the closest thing we have to the "generic Republican" which polls show consistently beating Obama and is most likely to make the election about Obama's sorry record rather than about himself?

[Noumenon]

Palin’s my write-in. War is coming.

[KTM rider]

if Palin is doing this it is a genius move . She could steal the stage when the dust starts to settle, avoiding the primary media attacks .

In the general she would then proceed destroy the little skinny kenyan communist inspite of the constant onslaught and desperate windmill charges from the liberal media attack machine

Sarah save us !

[presently no screen name]

I don't see a big difference between Rick Santorum and Sarah Palin.

LOL!! The difference is night and day! But there's a lot you refuse to see.

[Just mythoughts]

Gingrich at that time was administering a beating to the entire capitalist system, with his attacks on Romney’s wealth and the investment world. It was not clear how that process would help any eventual Republican nominee run against the class-warfare campaign sure to come from President Obama.

One more 'bain-washed' golden bull of the religion of capital-ISM. I 'feel' so secure with the wisdom the wealthy and investment world have produced. What does 'bain' produce? Where can I go buy myself some 'bain'? Capital-ISM is a step sister to Communism, because those that practice it buy and sell politicians to protect their wealth. I mean really now WHO bought and paid for Obama? H E L L O!!!!!!

[duckman]

Newt/West if not, Sarah/West.

[Scythian]

Seen here, Sarah officially tipping her hand ...

[2ndDivisionVet]

As an “8th reason” could you tell us all about Senator Santorum’s executive experience, since you said there's no big difference between him and Governor Palin. And what, exactly, has Sen. Santorum accomplished, besides being beat like a drum by a Democrat in his home state? What major legislation did he get passed?

[OldNavyVet]

From the article ... "Gingrich at that time was administering a beating to the entire capitalist system, with his attacks on Romney’s wealth and the investment world.

Capitalism's success starts from the bottom up ... an entreprenur starting a new business and creating thousands of jobs.

Romney and the investment world are top feeding capitalists ... Capitalist success, and it's beauty, starts from bottom feeders ... those taking risks and starting out.

[dforest]

I am with you. There isn’t going to be a brokered convention.

Newt is done, Romney has no traction and Santorum will hopefully send Mitt packing.

All this other stuff is to keep people from getting on board to beat Obama.

[C. Edmund Wright]

You’re beating your head against a wall. Vingleanteman’s 7 reasons are so full of flaws and misleading contemplations that they are a total insult to anyone with intelligence.

RS is a big government pro lifer who has won 4 tiny caucuses with depressed voter turn out ,- the total populations of which do not equal the state of South Carolina’s total vote which has an increased turn out. RS has yet to win a single primary and yet to show any ability to mobilize large populations. You can’t niche your way to the Presidency with little pockets of homeschoolers.

[biggredd1]

Sarah tipped her hand by saying she has fire in the belly, willing to help her Country, there is a reasonable chance of deadlock, and all bets are off if that happens. Eskimo translation: Game On!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Qwackertoo]

nice hand tip. I hope Sarah stays involved.

Somehow someway.

Until then . . . Go NEWT!

[9YearLurker]

There’s a world of difference between Palin and Santorum. Santorum is a go-along, get-along big-government type, and Palin has a history of actually cutting AK’s state budget, building its economy and state balances, ethics reform, etc..

Also, though Palin is solidly pro-life, she doesn’t have Santorum’s weird penchant for denouncing contraception, suggesting gay sex should be illegal, etc..

One is the leader of the tea party movement, the other is the antithesis of the tea party movement.

[throwback]

as to who it will be, willing to offer themselves up in the name of service to their country. I, uh, I would do whatever I could to help.”

How magnanimous. After a dozen other people have slogged through the trenches for a year fighting the good fight of long days, crowds, lack of sleep, endlessly pleading their case, begging for money, yada, yada, the queen will deign to intervene at the convention to assume the crown when asked. I'd rather vote for someone that worked for it thank you.

[presently no screen name]

Slick Rick has nothing to beat Barry with. His lies against Newt got him where he is right now.

[McGruff]

I’ll write in Palin before I’ll vote for that scumbag Romney. The dirty tricks he’s played on Gingrich are unforgivable in my view.

[presently no screen name]

She already did that and more - three+ years of it. And the most vetted person in the world! Slick Rick hasn’t even been vetted yet!

[ari-freedom]

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face in marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Sorry Palin but it’s either Mitt, Newt or Rick. They may be imperfect candidates but at least they’ve made the effort.