Palin's political potential

Boston Globe ^ | 11/16/08 | Jeff Jacoby

[MartinaMisc]

THE 2008 presidential campaign may be over, but Sarah Palin's moment in the spotlight has yet to run its course.

In a media marathon last week, the Republican Party's vice presidential nominee sat down for interviews with CNN's Larry King and Wolf Blitzer; had Matt Lauer of the "Today" show up to Wasilla for a family dinner; and told Fox News's Greta Van Susteren about getting the call from John McCain on her cellphone while she was admiring the local produce at the Alaska State Fair. She disdained the Republican "jerks" who spread anonymous rumors painting her as geographically illiterate, and vehemently denied the accusation that she had milked the campaign for a $150,000 wardrobe for herself and her family.

All that was a prelude to her star turn at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami, where she met reporters at a press conference, drew standing ovations from several hundred GOP donors, and humorously updated her fellow governors on what she'd been doing since last year's meeting.

"I had a baby," she told them. "I did some traveling; I very briefly expanded my wardrobe; I made a few speeches; I met a few VIPs, including those who really impact society, like Tina Fey."

Of course she was asked whether she plans to run for president in 2012, and of course she deflected the question. "The future is not that 2012 presidential race; it's next year and our next budgets," she said. But there can't be much doubt that Palin has become the brightest star in the GOP firmament. A whopping 91 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of her, according to a recent Rasmussen poll, and she is the runaway favorite when they are asked to rank possible contenders for the party's 2012 presidential nominee.

[tioga]

She runs her own state with an 80% approval rating, she gets along with her fellow governors, she walks the talk...so what about her isn’t up to YOUR standards? Experience in foreign affairs for any governor is no more or less extensive than hers. She did not run for president for four years...that’s about the only qualification she was lacking. You get too much of your news from the main stream media....I saw not one word in your comments to question the lack of anything in that socialist who got elected.

And, for the record, it’s always a personal ambition thing to run for president, otherwise you wouldn’t run. Duh.

Pettiness is not a Christian value one should seek to attain. Sarah has not shown that trait, she was and is a lady, while being a conservative Christian. A role model for our daughters.

[Diogenesis]

Always amazed when you RomneyBOT go straight for the facts, no not the facts...
but instead you attack .... Gov. Palin's children.
So little do you actually have against this successful woman.

Traitor Mitt Romney's and his minions' knives still have
the coppery smell of Gov.Palin's childrens' blood on them.
And the reason is: Gov. Palin has brains, unlike traitor Myth Romney.

Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney

Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?

Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?

Romney Supporters Trashing Palin

Romney advisors sniping at Palin?

Novak: Fred Thompson drop-out rumors traced to Romney campaign

Said Novak: The rumors were "traced in part to Mitt Romney's campaign,
trying to stir up strife between McCain and Thompson."

**** Let's compare brains of the candidates.
Fascist socialist-"S&cking on the Federal Teat"-Myth Romney
ruined Massachusetts economically even in good times.
Backstabber Romney was rated only a "C" by the CATO Institute.
And that was before he tanked the state through his imposition of socialized medicine.

"As U.S. real output grew 13 percent between 2002 and 2006, Massachusetts trailed at 9 percent.
* Manufacturing employment fell 7 percent nationwide those years, but sank 14 percent under Romney, placing Massachusetts 48th among the states.
* Between fall 2003 and autumn 2006, U.S. job growth averaged 5.4 percent, nearly three times Massachusetts' anemic 1.9 percent pace.
* While 8 million Americans over age 16 found work between 2002 and 2006, the number of employed Massachusetts residents actually declined by 8,500 during those years.
"Massachusetts was the only state to have failed to post any gain in its pool of employed residents," professors Sum and McLaughlin concluded.
In an April 2003 meeting with the Massachusetts congressional delegation in Washington, Romney failed to endorse President Bush's $726 billion tax-cut proposal."
[Cato Institute annual Fiscal Policy Report Card - America's Governors, 2004.]

---

Now compare with a Conservative winner:

Alaska House OKs Gas Pipeline Plan for North Slope - July 23, 2008
JUNEAU, Alaska -- Alaska's House of Representatives has approved a company's plan
to pursue a natural gas pipeline that could unlock 4.5 billion cubic feet of gas reserves a day.
Lawmakers in Alaska's House voted to support Gov. Sarah Palin's proposal to award TransCanada Corp.
an exclusive license to pursue federal certification for the 1,715-mile North Slope pipeline.

Is not THAT special. The rest talk (or less)
and Gov. Palin actually did something.

[jstolzen]

What are her real accomplishments?

Hmmm..let's see..

- Governor of the largest state in the Nation

- Has 40,000+ employees under her direct management.

- Manages an $11 BILLION+ Dollar budget.

How's that for 'starters'?

Now, in the meantime..what other "great" candidates do we have that even have THIS much of a resume in terms of accomplishments?

The McLame campaign did a HORRIBLE job communicating Sarah's accomplishments and resume to the public. Instead, they got the impression she's this little hockey mom from Wasilla, Alaska, instead of a governor with a ton more accomplishment than Obama (who spent a whole 183 days in the Senate before starting his run for POTUS. And, what has he ever run? The guy hasn't even run a Dairy Queen before, let alone a state or a country).

[varon]

I don’t like this group think mentality that is behind Palin.

Do you approve the group think mentality behind Obama?

Our country could be in some serious trouble, on the left we have Obama and on the right we have people propping up someone unqualified.

On the left we have Obama who is unqualified and was elected.

I don’t want a figure head who manipulates an adoring crowd.

Doesn't matter if you want or not, you've got one.

I want a real leader.

You'll have to wait till next time.

I don’t want to be manipulated. It’s not what made this country great.

You've been and we still are.

Double standards don’t work either.

Yes they do and did!

She needs to take care of that baby and stop being so driven by pure ambition just for the sake of ambition

So very telling about yourself. You have just announced to all Freepers that you can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

[idov]

Women have had the vote going on 90 years and Sarah came closest to the top two positions. She did it without any famous husband paving the way, or a rich family providing the advantages of fancy schools and a famous name, all on her own, a self-made woman. If it was so easy to get that far, where are the rest of women during all these years? She could have easily dragged the ticket into disaster if she had been in over her head. Give her credit for unparalleled spunk. Of course she won’t get 100 per cent of the vote at any level, no one ever does, and if during the campaign, if she runs, someone outshines her, that’s the nature of politics.

[carcraft]

Rodeo Mama, Palin reformed the Republican party in her state, sent seven criminals to jail for abusing their public trust, renegotiated Alaska's deal with the oil companies, cut Federal ear marks, reduced the cost of running the Governor's office and got the gas pipe line in the works that had been sitting dormant. All this was done in about three years. What have you done in the last three years? Palin has the same quality Reagen had in that she can speak directly to the people over the Democratic noise machine we call the press. Palin connects with people. That is the reason the press is trashing her even after the election with the towel story, the Africa cr*p etc. The press wants to tell the lie about her intelligence often enought that it becomes the “truth”. Remember The press called Reagen “the amiable dunce”!

[patriotspride]

” Has 40,000+ employees under her direct management.

- Manages an $11 BILLION+ Dollar budget. “

Similar and ahead of some Fortune 500 corporations.......

Go Sarah

[Ben Reyes]

Oh, now, it’s about the baby! How predictable.

[roamer_1]

Just out of idle curiousity, which is she missing?

Well, to start with, the Christian Right, believe it or not. She prefers the libertarian Pro-life view- Overturning RvW and returning Life to the states. That is out of step with the Pro-Life community, even if it is acceptable to NRL. Her stated position and actions also make her a mild advocate to possible opponent of the Marriage Amendment. That this is purported to be her stronghold makes her less desirable.

As far as fiscal Conservatives go, what little record she has shows more spending when she left than when she arrived. She is good at slashing budgets, but she also likes spending money on big projects.

As to Defense and Foreign Policy, it is her weak suite anyway. Any credibility in this area is going to be a reliance on others, IMHO. That isn't to say it can't be overcome, but military folks would rather have someone with military experience, and would be more likely to back a warhorse in the primaries.

Stack her up against the real thing, Duncan Hunter, or one of his caliber, for instance, and she starts looking mighty pale. She is a populist without enough record to tell what she is for sure in any direction. That she came out *for* the bailout, and *for* some sort of amnesty will hurt her immensely.

[Cacique]

Btt

[curth]

Every article published about her is usually followed by a comment section which seems to draw the Sarah haters out in droves. It is probably an organized plan by “them” to attack her no matter where it is. What we can and should do , is go on a pro- Sarah attack by posting favorable comments on these sites to counter the hate comments. Praise the positive articles, fight for her against the negative ones and correct the ones that are full of lies and smears.

I just don’t comprehend why there is so much hatred for what I think is a great woman in the making. What has this woman and her family done to anyone except serve the public? I get that they disagree with her views on abortion, but does this overshadow everything else about her? Is it fear of her? She is so likeable and so easy to identify with, what is there to be afraid of? She has a beautiful outlook on life, a beautiful family and is intelligent and accomplished. What is there to hate? Why isn’t it enough to just disagree with her on some things, why is there such out and out hatred?

[pepsi_junkie]

That photo enrages me? Who does that asshat think he is? That event was billed specifically as a press conference by Sarah Palin, not some multi-governor panel and for him to jump into the middle of her press conference and declare it over is presumptuous in the extreme. Frankly, I think Sarah was put in a tough spot there. Were I her my instincts would have been to slap him down strongly by saying "this isnt your event Rick, so please take a seat. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to take them after I finish with the press" but that would have made national news with her being cast as a "diva". But to let him run roughshod over her is also bad.

One think I do know is that I now percieve both Tim Pawlenty and Rick Perry as arrogant, weak, jealous, and petty. Not because of the star power of Sarah Palin but because of their own words and actions.

[ansel12]

Good call. rodeo-mama is one of the Romney true believers, that is why she even attacked Palin’s christianity.

rodeo-mama
“It’s purely an ambitious thing. Not an admirable trait for someone who claims to be a Christian.”

[mel]

I fear you are right, I am really impressed with Jindal.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

ZOT....

[infidel dog]

What a brave soul you are, rodeo-mamma, to direct a critical (and valid) stick into the fire-ant nest of Palinolatry that is FR these days. I made a light-hearted poke at Little Miss Spotlights godawful choices of nomenclature for her offspring some time ago and her worshippers declared a jihad against me. Kudos to your freedom of thought-a quality sadly lacking in the neanderthals...er, um, true believers who make up the Church of the Manipulator.

[WillRain]

I love Haley a lot but age is catching up with him - if he’s going to run it would have to be in 2012...and I have a feeling that he is going to be too strongly precieved as “old guard” to succeed against the young guns.

Still, I’m sure he’d take a good young VP....i could get behind a Barbour/Sanford ticket in a heartbeat.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Sure, she can talk to her fan club, they are willing to overlook her lack of qualifications.

As opposed to who was just elected, right?

[WillRain]

That seems pre-maturely adamant. I’m not in the “Palin above all” fan club, but she will, in all likely-hood, be an office holder for four more years before the next election. she will, by the nature of her new-found party stature, be much more exposed to national policy discussions and party issue - her horizon, as it has been said, is now expanded.

To declare, in 2008, such a strong conviction that she does not “have the skills” is all but irrelevant to whether or not she WILL have when she runs again, be that 2012 or 2016.

As for the “ambition” point - she was OFFERED the VP by her parties nominee and given the “your country needs you” spiel. How many holders of public office are going to reply to that by saying “Ya know what, I’m really not qualified”

Seems to me that’s asking an unrealistic thing of any politician.

[rodeo-mamma]

I’m replying to you because you just didn’t state an opinion, you just lied. I did not attack Palin’s children. I said Palin should not neglect her baby. That’s it. What you said is a straight out lie. But I am sure Palin’s supporters won’t mind, anything to discredit her critics. Which is another good reason why this country doesn’t need Palin’s help or help from her supporters who would resort to the kind of tactics that you do. I wonder, how many other lies have you told if you can do a bold faced lie to me about me? Get a grip lady.