Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Palin is no Dan Quayle
http://www.timesunion.com/ ^ | Monday, May 11, 2009 | By JOAN VENNOCHI

Posted on 05/16/2009 6:00:44 PM PDT by Maelstorm

Everyone is piling on Sarah Palin, even though she will never be president of the United States.

The Alaska governor is everyone's favorite foil, from the left-wing Huffington Post to the ever-posturing Mitt Romney. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee who cynically chose her as his running mate, now snubs her with relish.

They all act like she has a real chance to win the White House, when they all know the truth. When it comes to being taken seriously by the general electorate as a potential president, it's as over for her as it was for Dan Quayle.

Quayle was doomed even after he served as vice president. He was the heartbeat away from the first President Bush, but could never overcome the perception that he lacked gravitas.

Palin only ran for vice president; she never made it from Wasilla to Washington. And her problem is bigger than Quayle's, because it extends to her family.

From the moment Palin appeared on the national scene as a surprise pick for vice president, her family attracted critical attention. Palin had to fight off Internet-spawned rumors that her youngest child, Trig, who was born with Down syndrome, was really her daughter's. Then came the real news. Bristol Palin, her 17-year-old daughter, was unwed and pregnant, despite her mother's abstinence-only platform.

Palin weathered those headlines and others about her snowmobiling husband, Todd. As the campaign moved forward, she was undercut more by her own performance in a series of nationally televised interviews.

She was a major turnoff to the very voters she was supposed to attract — Hillary Rodham Clinton's female supporters.

Palin is still extremely popular with the hard-core conservative base and was recently named to the National Council for a New America, a group aimed at rebranding the GOP. Palin made Time magazine's list of influential people, causing Romney to crack: "But was that the issue on the most beautiful people or the most influential people?"

Romney is smarter and more accomplished than Palin, and just as good-looking. But Palin has something he lacks: a core set of unwavering conservative principles. It gives her an early advantage with Republican primary voters.

Palin faces an ongoing family soap opera that continues to undercut her political message. Bristol Palin broke up with Levi Johnston, the father of their child.

The line Palin walks as a mother of five and new grandmother continues to trip her up as a presidential candidate.

That makes her an easy target for Democrats and Republicans, who enjoy running against her.

Joan Vennochi writes for the Boston Globe. Her e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: for; liberalmedia; mediabias; palin; president
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-87 next last
"Romney is smarter and more accomplished than Palin, and just as good-looking?"

I'll never ever vote for Romney and the GOP have left us in a position where there is absolutely nothing to lose this next election. If Palin runs I'm supporting her because of her honesty, her integrity, and those pesky core conservative principles that people in the Romney camp are uncomfortable with. We've had enough of soft rich Republicans who change their values more ease than they change their underpants.


1 posted on 05/16/2009 6:00:44 PM PDT by Maelstorm
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm
Everyone is piling on Sarah Palin, even though she will never be president of the United States.

You never know.

People said David Axelrod would never be President of The United States, but look.

2 posted on 05/16/2009 6:04:45 PM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all. -- Texas Eagle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm

Palin is a lot smarter than people give her credit. A heck of a lot smarter than the reporters who ridicule her.


3 posted on 05/16/2009 6:05:23 PM PDT by Always Right (Obama: more arrogant than Bill Clinton, more naive than Jimmy Carter, and more liberal than LBJ.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm
Romney is smarter and more accomplished than Palin, and just as good-looking. But Palin has something he lacks: a core set of unwavering conservative principles. It gives her an early advantage with Republican primary voters.

You left out the best part! Sarah is a threat to this woman writer from BOSTON!

4 posted on 05/16/2009 6:05:33 PM PDT by WVKayaker ( God said, 'Cancel Program GENESIS.' The universe ceased to exist.- Arth. C. Clarke's shortest story)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm

Women who are critical of Palin are so petty and undercut their whole attitude of woman are smart...The ONLY reason she’s been maligned and attacked relentlessly is because she is A STRONG CONSERVATIVE who stands for traditional American values. The liberals hate her and even some republicans don’t like her No Nonsense style...What everyone SHOULD be looking at is her record as a solid governor of a hugely prosperous state! Maybe by 2012 America will have grown sick of our leaders being INEPT at spending OUR MONEY and actually VOTE FOR SOMEONE WHO WILL MANAGE IT WELL!!


5 posted on 05/16/2009 6:06:55 PM PDT by princess leah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm

Nice picture, and a great comment. Palin makes Romney look like Huntsman, all ego and no substance. When Palin starts her serious bid in early or mid-2011 then support for her will grow like a sunflower.

As for Mitt?
“Mitt’s Ado About Nothing”


6 posted on 05/16/2009 6:08:01 PM PDT by BlueStateBlues (Blue State business, Red State heart. . . . .Palin 2012----can't come soon enough!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm
Dan Quayle is no Dan Quayle as conveyed by the MSM.

He's much better.

The MSM IS still the MSM however.

7 posted on 05/16/2009 6:08:40 PM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, Question everyone else)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm

...”even though she will never be president of the United States.”

It’s obvious that someone is afraid that she can be.


8 posted on 05/16/2009 6:09:22 PM PDT by Semper Mark (I detect a fowl odor emanating from OUR White House...must be chicken feathers.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm
I believe that Sarah Palin will be the next President of the United States. (I'm saying this so that I can always claim to be the first prognosticator to get things right in 2012)
9 posted on 05/16/2009 6:09:38 PM PDT by WorkingClassFilth (Palin/Bachman 2012: Conservative Viagra)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BlueStateBlues

I worry about Mitt only in that he has the money to really screw things up again. He won’t win because he can’t win without us. He is too much of a government insider. He doesn’t offer anything new and parrots the left on everything from global warming to health care. I’m not interested in a parrot for President.


10 posted on 05/16/2009 6:10:15 PM PDT by Maelstorm (Some people hold to intentions dearly because at the end of the day they have nothing else to offer.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm

If Palin runs I am devoting more time and effort and money to help her get elected than I have ever done in my life.

I hope she gets involved in the 2010 race to point out the RINO’s she thinks should lose IN THE PRIMARIES

Folks..GET INVOLVED IN THE PRIMARIES!! (Palin did, and look where she got!)

YOur vote is worth 1000 times more in the primaries, and IS THE ONLY WAY to keep us from having to choose between a donkey and a rino again


11 posted on 05/16/2009 6:10:21 PM PDT by Mr. K (physically unabel to proofreed (<---oops))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm
they fear Palin,no doubt,I think the media is on a seek and destroy mission ,as a dem operative,they will hound anyone who has a chance at unseating obama,her power lies in being a draw for us common folk,whether as V.P. or P.O.T.U.S.she can pull people to her side or her allies’s side.
12 posted on 05/16/2009 6:10:39 PM PDT by coalman (type to slow to be relevant,but I try)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm

13 posted on 05/16/2009 6:11:01 PM PDT by thatdewd (2012 is coming soon...and THEY know it! THEY are afraid.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm

Never? Wanna bet paychecks on that, Joan?

Wait—don’t answer that. You work for the Globe. You might not actually have a paycheck much longer.


14 posted on 05/16/2009 6:14:14 PM PDT by RichInOC (No! BAD Rich! (What'd I say?))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm

I don’t worry about him winning the early primaries. Palin will have the crowds and the support. And the press, for all the wrong reasons, will push Palin. The press will also undermine Romney because they know who he really is, all hat and no horse, but someone who trys to turn his hat into a horse when it serves his purpose.

Romney, history, although he’ll be kicking around a bit. But Palin has the smart people lining up behind her campaign, and this time she will have the power and will surprise the nation when she emerges fully Sarah.


15 posted on 05/16/2009 6:15:53 PM PDT by BlueStateBlues (Blue State business, Red State heart. . . . .Palin 2012----can't come soon enough!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Mr. K

I feel the same way. I’m even more motivated by those who are trying to reinvent the GOP as a more moderate party. The press can attack her and insiders can roll their eyes but Sarah isn’t going away. Sarah represents something that is special, like finding life on Mars.


16 posted on 05/16/2009 6:16:12 PM PDT by Maelstorm (Some people hold to intentions dearly because at the end of the day they have nothing else to offer.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm
Sarah Palin has proven to be sui generis among vice presidential nominees.

How many vice presidential nominees have ever outdrawn the top of the ticket in public interest, media interest, and grassroots support?

How many defeated vice presidential nominees saw their political profile and capital increase following their defeat?

When has a defeated vice presidential candidate attracted more attention than the winning candidate well after the election?

Sarah Palin might not be the next President, but her fate will not be that of the usual defeated running mate: swift exile into political obscurity.

17 posted on 05/16/2009 6:16:50 PM PDT by Loyalist (Don't like slavery? Don't own one!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maelstorm
Dan Quayle was no Dan Quayle.

Quayle was a solid conservative, a smart guy, and good politician. He also was the resume-candidate compared to the current occupant of the White House. He was a multiple term Congressman. He won his Senate seat by knocking off Evan Bayh's father, who no one else in Indiana politics believed could be beaten before 1978. He won reelection by a landslide. Yes, his family had some money, but he wasn't super rich. Quayle never lost an election until 1992, when his running mate decided to renege on a new new taxes pledge and Ross Perot decided to crash the party.

Quayle was victim of character assasination by the press, and was too genuinely decent to respond to the snarky "You're no Jack Kennedy" line with smack-down like "That's true. I'm faithful to my wife." If the press made as big a deal about Obama thinking there were 57 states as they did of Quayle mispelling potato, we wouldn't be stuck with Dear Leader for the next 3 2/3 years.

18 posted on 05/16/2009 6:17:34 PM PDT by CaptainMorgantown
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BlueStateBlues

The people we have to worry about are the same people who lifted up Fred Thompson only to stomp on him. Romney really played a big roll in that. He likes to attack from the peripheral.


19 posted on 05/16/2009 6:17:46 PM PDT by Maelstorm (Some people hold to intentions dearly because at the end of the day they have nothing else to offer.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: EGPWS

Dan is a very smart man. In an age where good looking means your very smart and no one is looking under the hood to see what is there, We get a paint job.

Trouble people - lots of it coming soon


20 posted on 05/16/2009 6:18:25 PM PDT by reefdiver (Freedom - From Govt. - Educators - CNN)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-87 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson