Posted on 07/07/2009 6:58:30 AM PDT by Moseley
Forget what the commentators are saying. They’re wrong. On July 3rd, Sarah Palin at a press conference in Wasilia, Alaska began her campaign for President. Even on Fox News, commentators has spent days wondering if Palin’s announcement marks the end of her political career. Hogwash.
Palin announced that she will neither run for re-election, nor will she sit as a lame duck. She will step down July 26. This was a wise – if highly unusual – move.
Palin’s sparkling speech was unmistakably a campaign speech, although soft, indirect, and clever. She did not just announce her resignation. She forcefully listed some of her key achievements as Governor of Alaska. She then took several swipes at Barack Obama’s economic policies. While talking about her decision not to accept the costly and sticky strings attached to Obama’s stimulus package money, Palin savaged (in a ladylike fashion) Obama’s entire economic philosophy. She then emphasized some of the issues she wants to address in the future.
This was not a resignation speech. This was a pre-campaign-launch speech. Furthermore, it was far better speech than even Obama is capable of – and without a teleprompter. Some say that Palin missed the chance to have a celebration of her achievements by “burying” her announcement on the afternoon of an official holiday. However, Palin can do that on July 26, when she officially hands over the reigns to her successor. At the end of July, with her resignation by then very “old news,” she can focus on an upbeat victory lap as she moves on.
Of course, it remains to be seen how well Palin will execute on her strategy. This is a gutsy plan, because it requires near-perfect implementation from now on. She could easily fumble during the next two years. She might not be diligent on dozens of details. It is also gutsy because most people fail to understand what she is doing. It will be months before the chattering class catches up with Palin’s strategy.
So, in the interim, political commentators are drawing the wrong conclusions and speaking critically of the Alaska Governor. However, Palin’s plans could not be more obvious – except, it seems, to 99% of the political experts and gurus who can’t see what it all means.
We have to remember that any candidate who officially announces his or her candidacy is caught in a spider’s web of election laws and FEC regulations. (These laws only apply to Republicans, of course, and can be violated by Barack Obama and the new Senate clown Al Franken.) Therefore, Palin will not come out and say that she is running for President... not for another year at least, and then only as an exploratory committee. We must understand everything Palin is doing in terms of the normal behavior of not making any official announcement - yet.
Also, by putting her Lt. Governor in the Governor’s mansion a year before the 2010 Alaska elections, Palin gets to hand-select the next Governor and set up Lt. Governor Sean Parnell to win the 2010 election for Governor.
Meanwhile, Palin’s family has around $500,000 of legal bills to pay off from the 15 frivolous ethics complaints that suddenly arose when she joined the Republican ticket running for President (not before, though). Palin has demolished all 15 complaints, and come away the winner. But her family has to pay the bills.
Now, as a free agent, Palin will be able to go on the lecture circuit, without any restrictions. She will earn not only the $500,000 in legal bills her family must pay, but millions more. Over the next two years, Palin will amass an enormous war chest of her own personal funds, and raise gigantic sums for other Republican candidates as well. She is poised to become the biggest fundraiser in the country aside from Barack Obama. In fact, if Obamanomics disappoints the country, she could exceed Obama.
Furthermore, to run for President, Palin badly needs to "go to school" on every aspect of every national issue. She will be held to a higher standard than most candidates, certainly a higher standard than totally inexperienced community organizer Barack Obama. Because she is being caricatured, Palin must break the mold. She must come out into the national arena spouting facts and details that demonstrate her overwhelming command of all the issues and the details of government and national affairs.
But Palin could not do that while fighting off frivolous ethics complaints. Palin and her family report that they were spending 80% of their time proving that liberal accusations were false. Now that they have defeated all of the complaints, Palin is cutting it off now – before any more can be fabricated by liberal Democrats. Being out of office, she cannot be attacked by any new complaints. This will leave her time free to prepare for a Presidential run.
The refrain of the chattering class suggests that Palin will lose the platform of being Governor of Alaska. Bunk. The average voter is not so in love with positions as the pundits. Most candidates need a post to become known. Palin is already vastly more famous than the position of Governor warrants. Her personal popularity is already far greater than the Governorship.
Barack Obama was an absentee Senator while running for President, and he was rightly criticized for it. Almost as soon as Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate, he went A.W.O.L. and went campaigning around the nation for the White House. Obama was derelict in his duties, while living off his Senate salary. Once Palin can officially announce she is running, she will explain that the people of Alaska deserve a full-time Governor, not a presidential candidate pulling a salary from Alaska while flying around the Lower 48. Her decision to campaign full-time for President will appear entirely reasonable... and far more ethical than Barack Obama’s campaign. Indeed, challenging Obama while also running Alaska would be very difficult.
Some commentators float the idea that Palin may look as if she is running away from ethics complaints or from the pressure. But none of those accusations are still pending. All of them have been dismissed, and are finished.
After the first few months of Palin criss-crossing the nation, gathering enormous crowds and raising stunning amounts of money, all these criticisms will be completely forgotten. Comparing this to Obama’s 2008 victory, we are in the equivalent of 2005, when few had ever heard of Obama. Remember that McCain was almost out of the race a year before the Republican convention.
If by late 2010 or early 2011, Palin has spent months campaigning all over the country, commanding huge crowds as she did before, raising huge amounts of money, none of the criticisms being thrown by two-dimensional commentators will matter a whit.
Palin’s future is now in Palin’s hands. She must spend every waking moment memorizing the leaders and capitals of foreign countries, economic theories, and every aspect of government. When she speaks in the lower 48, she needs to blow apart the caricature of her which liberals have tried to create for her. She can only overcome the left-wing assault by proving her critics wrong – and very decisively so.
In the face of attacks claiming that Palin has lost momentum and prestige, she would do well to make an appearance in Iowa or Michigan very soon. New Hampshire might be too obvious just yet. But she should keep the speculation alive, and not let the small-minded commentators decide for her what her plans are. Palin must take one or several steps immediately to show that she is moving forward, not losing steam. Perhaps just a semi-private (well-publicized) series of meetings with RNC Chair Michael Steele, Newt Gingrich, and other GOP leaders in Washington, D.C. might keep the electricity flowing.
Well, after being beaten in the California gubernatorial race, Richard Nixon took off from politics before running for president but I just don’t see it in the crystal ball for Sarah. She’s plainly tired of the attacks on her family and wants out.
Go Sarah !
Godspeed to her.
“Forget what the commentators are saying. They’re wrong”
Not only are they wrong, they are dead wrong.
Money talks, B.S. walks?
It would be fun just to watch the left go into an incoherent, spit flying rage.
Just to watch Olbermann’s already insignificant organ, or at least I have heard it was, contract even further due to rage might be reason enough
This article was all good until the mention at the end that she should meet with the RNC. I’d love to see her do something really grass roots and develop a third party. I refuse to send any money to the RNC, but I would support Palin in a second.
This is possibly the best explanation of the Palin announcement that I’ve read.
Is that anywhere near Wasilla?
“It is also gutsy because most people fail to understand what she is doing. It will be months before the chattering class catches up with Palin’s strategy.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the chattering class so wrong before....some just inept, most just wishful thinking.
Palin has totally outclassed and outmaneuvered the political talking heads on this.
I don’t think Sarah’s interested in running for President; rather I think she’s aiming to have an impact on getting conservative Congressional candidates elected in 2010, 2012 and beyond. She sees the rapidly gathering threat from the Left, which is in firm control of two branches of government, and the third just one heart attack or retirement away from falling as well.
She can also have a massive, immediate impact by appearing as the featured speaker at T.E.A. parties throughout the country.
I’d bet money that furtherance of the conservative cause is more vital to her than getting herself elected at the national level, IMHO.
tee hee
Yup
Excellent article and post.
What Sarah said is true and has been true for a long time. They simply aren't listening to her and simply say about her whatever appeals to them.
This is the concubine media's pride before the fall. This is a huge weakness for them as it allows Sarah to have believability and they have none.
This is a huge advantage for Sarah.
Go Sarah!
Lets let the little pervert singer die and go away!!!!!
The RNC as usual FAILED....failed to mentor and protect her, failed to help her financially, politically, and failed to defend her family.
They stood shaking in their boots, afraid and immobilized while the entire family was brutalized for 9 months straight.
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