Replies

Palin Has to write a book Detailing what happened to her on the campaign and in the media. It would be a best seller and clear her name. Plus detail her real positions.

I agree.

She is like a phenomenally gifted but raw young pitcher who has rocketed his way through the minor leagues to the big show. She pitched a shutout at the Convention, but then had a few erratic games. She needs proper seasoning, but when she has it, she'll win 20 games and the Cy.

Her biggest problem is with women, especially single women. I think for now she should lie low, concentrating on Alaska business and building up her approval rating to pre-campaign levels if possible. Not long after the inauguration, she should start going on woman-friendly programs such as Oprah and Regis & Kelly for some girl talk. Her ratings will be sky high and the interviewers will be clamoring for her. It will be refreshing to hear her speak her own words and not the script the McCain chowderheads put in her mouth. She can show the women of the country that she's a smart and levelheaded lady, and a mom like any other. By my calculation, if she can flip 20% of women to supporting her, she'd be at 50% of the electorate.

While she delivers a prepared speech better than any female politician I've ever seen, she is not as good at the extemporaneous stuff. She needs to speak in complete, well-thought-out sentences. That's a skill that can be taught and learned. As it is, she tends to speak in run-on, sometimes repetitive sentences that do not do justice to her intellect. She should spend a few hours a week with speech, rhetoric, and debate experts. Even Churchill did this, to great effect.

Her problems here were also a function of her lack of time to prepare for the whirlwind of the campaign. She needs to sharpen up her fund of knowledge on matters of national importance. As she writes her book, visits foreign countries, and starts to discuss more and more policy in her interviews, she will naturally become more and more familiar with the details of governance. By the time 2012 rolls around, she should be comfortable going on heavy-hitter shows like Meet the Press, O'Reilly, or Charlie Rose every month or two for some serious jawboning.

She'll want to start a PAC or foundation, raise oodles of money for herself and other candidates, and sponsor meetings and symposia where she can bounce ideas off the likes of Thomas Sowell and Newt Gingrich.

If she can do all this, and express the ideals of limited government, free-market capitalism, and individual liberty in clear, crisp language, then her star will shine brightly indeed and she should succeed in knocking Obama off in his run for a second term.

-ccm