The Quayled Lady: Why You Should Forget Sarah Palin

American Thinker ^ | January 17, 2010 | Selwyn Duke

[St. Louis Conservative]

Really, there's precious little fairness in the world. People tend to be slaves to emotion, and prejudices often reign supreme, even (in fact, especially) in those who rail against prejudice. This is why we'll see millions of Americans reflexively dismiss a politician simply because of the letter following his name. It is why people will often oppose a position they would otherwise support simply because it's being advocated by someone they dislike. Ah, that troublesome human nature.

This brings us to Sarah Palin, the Wasilla woman often billed as the best hope of the GOP. She certainly isn't one of those plain vanilla characters who inspire blasé reactions, that's for sure. It's just so often the case that people either love her or hate her, believe she is the cat's meow or the pig with lipstick, a political sensation or a puerile simpleton. I'm in neither camp.

Scrape away the emotionalism, and one realizes that Palin isn't at either extreme. Underestimated by the left and overestimated by the right, the truth about her lies somewhere in between. Where, exactly? That is secondary, because there is a more important point here relating to Palin's political future.

She doesn't have one.

I know this will raise the hackles of many, but you can forget Sarah Palin. I say this not because of her defects in ideology or lack of competency, but for a very simple reason: She has been Quayled.

Many of you know that I'm referring to what ensued after former Vice President Dan Quayle gave a public appearance at a school spelling bee in Trenton, New Jersey in 1992.

[wagglebee]

In this day and age, you don’t need to be a nationally known public figure to be successful or raise money.

Actually, you do.

Look at Scott Brown.....hell, for that matter, look at Barry Obama.

Brown is raising money because it is one race and the outcome has consequences. Obama was set up as a media darling, his money raising ability had NOTHING to do with him.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

...but that is not a reason to want them to be national political candidates..

Like I said on an earlier thread, it's appalling that supposed Conservative Republicans like YOU not only want to leave the GOP's prized filly behind at the farm during the Kentucky Derby, so that nags and plow horses can run instead, but also to shoot her so that she can never run in anything again.

These expressed attitudes are simply astounding, especially on this forum!

[SmokingJoe]

” In this day and age, you don’t need to be a nationally known public figure to be successful or raise money”

Yeah?
Tell me.. how much money did Huckabee raise in 2008?
Come to think of it, how much money did even Romney raise(outside putting a huge chunk of his own private wealth into his campaign)?

“Look at Scott Brown.....hell, for that matter, look at Barry Obama.”

Umm.. Scott Brown's money that he has raised, will last him exact;y 1 day in a presidential election campaign.
0bozo raised nearly one billion dollars.
0bbozo? He achieved national notoriety when he delivered that speech at the Democratic Party convention in 2004. He was very, very well known to the public.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

The same thing has happened with Palin.

No it hasn't.

She has accomplished far more after her resignation than before it.

Did Quayle do that?

[Candor7]

Anyone with those qualities will be destroyed in the media. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

That used to matter. Now it no longer does.America distrusts or detests its own MSM.The liberal rags are on the verge of bankruptcy because of thier steadfast Obama propaganda.

January 2009:

January 2010:

By 2012 they will be posthumus unless they again breath the air of liberty, instead of that Utopian neo fascist pap that thing in the White House has been spouting.

Case in point. Brown in MA. The MSM denigrated him all to hell, and the people rallied to him. The MSM negativity actually helped Brown.The days of MSM image political creation or destruction are over.

[Arthur McGowan]

EEYORE ALERT.

I have a friend who says this about Sarah all the time.

My response: I’m not going to let them do that again. I’m not feeding a good person into the Borking Machine ever again.

[SmokingJoe]

A really stupid article if ever I saw one.
Analysis?
Don’t make me laugh.

[muleskinner]

Do you think in a general election that Sarah will get 48% of the vote? Hillary gets the same total and she also has 6% of Republican admiration.

This chart is pointless.

[excopconservative]

For someone who is such a non-factor, the left can’t seem to stop talking about Palin. - - - - -

These characters that expect someone to be perfect in every appearance, speech, photo op, and posting should remember that even the great Babe Ruth, capable of hitting the ball out of the park with frequency, occasionally struck out.

Quayle was Quayled and then he went away and no one was interested in him. Palin is not going away. Throw some more at her, and she comes back again and people are definitely interested in her. When she speaks at the Tea Party Convention and at SRLC let’s she if she gets attention. You bet she will. Who wrote this stuff anyway?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

If Sarah isn't damaged goods yet, she will be soon enough.

She has endured perhaps the most scrutinized lifestyle of any major politician in American history and yet she is still standing stronger than ever.

And she has been bringing people over to her side, per the book tour and interviews after she resigned. I think people will give her the benefit of the doubt or will support her if she chooses to run for President.

[missnry]

An even bigger difference is that there was no internet/alternate media twenty years ago.

True. The media is still effective in branding. Take for instance "Barack Obama is a great orator." Every national Republican repeats that lie. The man is an idiot without a teleprompter. The only reason they keep repeating it is because that is what all the talking heads on TV keep repeating.

[SmokingJoe]

“Do you think in a general election that Sarah will get 48% of the vote?”

Are you for real?
Sarah Palin already polled close to 50% amongst independents in the Fox/Opinion Dynamics poll, and is doing better amongst independents than 0bama is right now.
What planet are you living on?

“This chart is pointless.”

Naaaah.
YOU are pointless.

[Irenic]

The problem I have with Sarah, isn’t Sarah... it’s how people act towards her, it reminds me of the way the left acted towards Obama. It just makes me step back a little.

[SmokingJoe]

“The media is still effective in branding”

Not as effective as the internet, Facebook, conservative Talk Radio, Fox, Glenn Beck, best seling conservative books etc.

” Take for instance “Barack Obama is a great orator.” Every national Republican repeats that lie”

Barak 0bama won because of the financial collapse in September 2008, under a Republican administration. Any Democratic Party candidate woud have won, even if he couldn't deliver a good speech.

[SmokingJoe]

There is no problem with Sarah Palin or her supporters.
Don't project your own problems onto her.

[muleskinner]

I don’t think becoming a commentator on FOX is the proper springboard for a national political office.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I don’t want a DC insider politician either.

LOL. Dude, Sarah is so far from D.C. that you would need a GPS to locate her.

[J Edgar]

ROFLOL - Can anyone imagine that Selwyn Duke actually surveyed fact, applied concise logic, and came up with this view?

Only if you are Alice's Wonderland, say I.

[sodpoodle]

Neville Chamberlain syndrome.

This is precisely the mentality we should reject....pre-emptive surrender.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

What’s in play is, people are starting to learn about the tactics of Saul Alinsky, which were used so successfully by the left on Speaker Gingrich, Robert Bork, Senator Lott and now are being trained with laser precision on Sarah Palin.

People are starting to learn this is how liberals work - and pushing back.

A lot of conservatives have inadvertently helped the left destroy our own side.

More and more, people however see what’s happening, and are pushing back.

THAT is the energy you see. It is not something to fear.

It is something you should at very least, not be interfering with.

Pick a lane please.

The left is h*ll bent on destroying America. The process is well along.

Don’t help them.