Posted on 01/11/2009 8:28:05 AM PST by Josh Painter
Everyone is a political consultant, or at least thinks he or she is. Since Sarah Palin was chosen as the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate, there has been no paucity of unsolicited advice offered to her by pundits, bloggers and yes, by actual political consultants. I must confess that I have proposed one particular idea for Alaska's governor in the past, and I'll come back to it shortly.
But the advice for Gov. Palin that's making news this week comes from columnist, satirist and best-selling author Ann Coulter. In her new book Guilty, Ms. Coulter mentions Sarah Palin a number of times, according to Ashley Martella of Newsmax.com. What does the blond bomb thrower think Palin should do?
"If I were Sarah Palin's adviser I would strongly advise her to not run in 2012. She's very young."Far be it for this humble scribe to want to argue with Ann Coulter, but whenever I hear "another Ronald Reagan" talk, I worry. Though even Michael Reagan sees Sarah Palin as the reincarnation of his father, to many conservatives, when it comes to the late, great president, it's not unlike the premise of the cult action fantasy yarn Highlander. "There can only be one." It's perfectly sufficient for the governor to be the apostle of Reagan that she is and be the very best Sarah Palin that she can be.Instead, Palin should spend the next 8 or 12 years reading the Federalist Papers and other important political works, Coulter said.
"Raise your children so none of them turn out like Ron Reagan Junior, and be a good governor, and then I think she could be another Ronald Reagan…"
"She has everything you can’t get from books, you can’t get from experience. She has heart and soul and absolute integrity, and charisma, and holds the crowd rapt."
"Now she needs the wisdom and the experience, and I think she could be another Ronald Reagan."
Thre's a second problem with Ann Coulter's prescription. I don't believe 8 or 12 years are required to read The Federalist Papers. Besides, the governor already has a pretty good handle on the concept of federalism. She "gets" Ronald Reagan on government being the problem and not the solution.
My own unsolicited advice for Sarah Palin is to hire Fred Thompson as her issues consultant. The former Senator has only an upcoming talk radio program (he will replace Bill O'Reilly), his FredPAC political action committee and a single guest appearance on ABC's Life on Mars as his workload. That schedule should allow sufficient time for Fred to share with Gov. Palin some of his expertise on policy issues. A Cliff Notes version of his thinking on various issues can be found in his radio scripts from Thompson's days as an ABC radio commentator here.
On foreign policy, Fred has plenty of knowledge to share. Even before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he was special counsel to two of that chamber's committees, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1980 to 81 and the Senate Intelligence Committee in 1982. After he became a member, he served on the Select Committee on Intelligence. After leaving the Senate, Thompson advised Secretary of State Rice as Chairman of the State Department’s International Security Advisory Board. As a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington D.C. think tank, he studied national security and intelligence issues, with a concentration on China, North Korea and Russia. The former Senator also served for two years on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Thompson's resume on domestic issues is no less impressive. Prior to becoming a Senator, he was co-chief council for the Senate Watergate Committee, and he served as counsel to Tennessee governor Lamar Alexander. As a Senator, he was a strong proponent of streamlining government and eliminating waste. In fact, he wrote the book on it. Titled Government at the Brink, Thompson's Book not only explained the root causes of government waste and mismanagement, but it presented practical solutions for addressing the problem. He was also a supporter of the flat tax and a line-item presidential veto. The Club for Growth evaluated Fred's record on government spending as "generally impressive." He served as chairman of the Committee on Government Affairs and helped to establish the Department of Homeland Security, doing extensive work on the issue of cyberterrorism and dealt with other national security matters. He was also a member of the Finance Committee and Select Committee on Intelligence. After the Senate, President Bush selected Thompson to prepare Chief Justice Roberts for his Senate confirmation hearings and shepherd him through the process.
Gov. Palin could do a lot worse than to have Fred Thompson as her mentor on national and international issues. And she shouldn't have too much of a problem persuading Fred to lend a hand. His wife Jeri Thompson is a member and spokesperson for Team Sarah. What the governor doesn't know about matters beyond her state, she could learn from Thompson. And she would be up to speed well before Ann Coulter's 8 or 12 years have elapsed.
Fred Thompson could also share with Sarah Palin his insight on the pitfalls of being characterized as "the next Reagan." It comes with a set of expectations that no one, not even Ronald Reagan himself in this day and age, could possibly satisfy.
- JP
Comments like that are why I'm not a Coulter fan. I like her politics most of the time, but I don't like her arrogance.
Good one AnutB.
As for advisors, I am pretty sure she will seek the guidance of God, who will either give her the go ahead, or not. If her heart is where I think it is, she will accept whatever God has for her. I personally pray for her success, where ever it leads.
At least Hunter had the sense to quit when he was beaten...
Opinions are a dime a dozen on this forum. So my dimes opinion is if Hunter had the sense to quit when beaten then he should have never entered the race. He had no chance, no national organization, very little state organizations, etc in which to even run a national campaign.
If Governor Palin wishes to pursue further national political ambitions there are many knowledgeable individuals whose expertise would benefit her. Fred Thompson is certainly one. So is John Bolton. The late Paul Weyrich would have been another. Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams should not be omitted, either. I could go on and on, of course...
For help in developing a public demeanor of sheer devastating effectiveness in handling the media and other pompous critics, however, she should consider hanging around with Ted Nugent and Dennis Miller... /g
I don’t give a dang what you say.
As a so call conservative, he was going to take my country in the wrong direction.
Worse, his best friend is ex Howard Henry Baker, Jr. Baker gave his vote to gave our Panama Canal away.
Anything else?
Obama is either going to be a success or a disaster. He won't be a caretaker-type president. If he is a success she should stay out of the race until after 2012. If he's a disaster (and we should probably know within a year) then she should gather all of the support (and money) she can get.
Wow! I can see why NordP respects your opinion. I sure hope some Palin people read your post and act on it.
Sarah for President in 2012
Sarah for President in 2012
You answered my question. Thanks.
Waiting for a reply concerning our ex Panama Canal and his involvement.
The next conservative GOP candidate will have to be a great debater-—as sharp as Alan Keyes - but electable.***
Yeah right! He puts people to sleep!! No wonder he keeps loosing.
Because Senators Howard Baker and Fred Thompson are both from Tennessee and Baker voted for President Jimmy Carter’s Panama Canal Treaty, that makes Fred a squish? Hahahahaha!
True cool -- McQueen, Miles Davis, Bogie, Bugs Bunny -- happens. They didn't work at being cool -- it just happened.
At least Ann doesn't try to be Hip, I'll give her that.
Which stupid question?
I live in Panama as an American citizen and a Panamanian citizen. I demonstrated against Noriega in the streets many times. I was shot at and gassed. You have touched more than just a nerve, idiot.
I had to endure the idiocy of President Carter whilst in the Army, especially while working in the White House. Senator Howard Baker may be Senator Fred Thompson’s mentor, but they are not the same person. If you’re mad at Sen. Baker for going along with the Panama Canal Treaty, be mad at him, not me or Sen. Thompson. Mr. Noriega was later, as you know, and I have no idea what demonstrating against him has to do with Fred... As for calling me an idiot, that’s on you. You don’t get into military intelligence as a dolt, and I served there for many years, FRiend.
Ann sees the problem, but I think there is another important portion to the solution.
The MSM succeeded in "Quayle-ing" Gov. Palin all the while pitching softballs to Obama. That is a deep hole to dig out of. Even this morning George Stephanopolous was pitching softballs at Obama. The last question wasn't "What do you think your biggest challenge is going to be?" It was "When are you going to get a dog, and what breed is it going to be?"
Here is my suggestion on De-Quayling the Governor. She needs to pick one or two topics and get out on the talking head shows. What MSM show would turn down Sarah Palin if they were having a Sunday morning discussion on energy policy or fiscal restraint/the buget crisis faced by a lot of states. Let her get out there to put forth the conservative agenda. When the left starts calling her crazy or dangerous she will know she succeeded.
Oh, please. I never did like Thompson. He never did ANYTHING except back McCain on everything. Why would I change now?
I don’t know why some here just won’t get honest enough to admit they don’t LIKE conservatives.
No, I clearly meant that DUNCAN HUNTER stayed in the race for months after he was beaten. Please try to pay attention or go do something else.
Hunter announced his intentions to enter the ‘08 presidential race in November, 2006. He formally entered the contest in January 2008 and exited January, 2008. That’s months... And he never got more than 1% of the vote.
You need a new translator. I never, ever said that she was stupid. I happen to think that she’s very smart. But there’s a difference between intelligence and knowledge. She’s been immersed in state politics, and, like any other politician who has presidential ambitions, needs advisors.
Things really worked out well for you, didn’t they?
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