Posted on 11/09/2010 5:51:12 PM PST by TitansAFC
WASHINGTON -- Republican triumphs in the recent U.S. congressional elections have left the party with an ironic dilemma: The woman who played such a key role in igniting their conservative base is also the woman they fear the most.
Sarah Palin -- either adored or abhorred in the United States, depending on one's political perspective -- is considered one of the biggest winners following last week's mid-term elections.
The former Alaska governor backed some 60 Tea Party candidates, about half of whom won, while targeting 20 Democrats for certain defeat. Eighteen lost.
Yet in the corridors of power on Capitol Hill, there is a determined and focused effort underway among the Republican elite to find a candidate who can handily beat Palin for the nomination. In recent days, the "Blame Palin" strategy has stepped out from the shadows.
Spencer Bachus, a Republican congressman from Alabama, has pointed to Palin and the Tea Party movement for his party's failure to capture the U.S. Senate in addition to the House.
"The Senate would be Republican today except for states (in which Palin endorsed candidates) like Christine O'Donnell in Delaware," Bachus told an Alabama newspaper. "Sarah Palin cost us control of the Senate."
Although Tea Party candidates did well in House races, Bachus added, "they didn't do very well at all" in their attempts to win Senate seats.
Conservative icon Rush Limbaugh, the radio-show host who wields tremendous influence over the party, has been railing against such anti-Palin forces in recent days.
"What's going on here, folks, is very simple," said Limbaugh, who's a big Palin booster.
"They want to establish a lie very firmly in the minds of the public that the Tea Party hurt the Republican party in these elections. They want to use this to stop Sarah Palin. Republican insiders are trying to figure out now how to stop Sarah Palin."
Why the Palin fears? Republicans fret that if she's their presidential candidate in 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama will easily dispose of her. Even George W. Bush, the much-maligned former Republican president, has reportedly told associates that Palin is "unqualified" to be commander-in-chief, and his one-time chief strategist, Karl Rove, says she lacks the "gravitas" for the job.
Palin doesn't appear to be paying any mind. The period after the mid-term elections tend to be when presidential campaigns unofficially begin, and Palin's Twitter stream moved in a new direction Monday. The self-styled hockey mom relies on social media like Facebook and Twitter to communicate with the masses.
"Today: trade speech; tmrw school event 2 start discussing QuantitativeEasing w kids around US so they prepare 4 Feds experiment w their future," Palin tweeted. She usually uses Twitter to make personal comments about political candidates, current events and the media, not to alert followers about her own upcoming policy announcements.
Palin also delivered a hard-hitting speech in Phoenix that assailed Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve Board chairman, by focusing on a primary conservative concern this election cycle: government overspending.
"I'm deeply concerned about the Federal Reserve's plans to buy up anywhere from $600 billion to as much as $1 trillion of government securities," Palin said in prepared remarks. "What's the end game here?... All this pump-priming will come at a serious price."
A recent ABC News-Washington Post poll found only 27 per cent of registered voters believe Palin is qualified to be president. Even those who identify themselves as lifelong Republicans are uneasy about her, including the segment that voted for the party in droves last week -- older white men.
"I think she's a very good lady, but I just don't think we're ready for her," Daniel Phillips, 48, a North Carolina Republican businessman, said in a recent interview.
Phillips said he lost respect for Palin when she resigned as Alaska governor last year before serving her full term.
"When she did that, I think she hurt herself. I think she's a good cheerleader for the conservative party and the Tea Party movement, but as far as being a serious presidential candidate, no. I just don't see it."
Nonetheless, 55 per cent of conservative Republicans like Phillips do believe she's qualified, the same poll suggested. And a whopping 73 per cent of Tea Party supporters believe she's got what it takes to be president.
Those making the case that Palin can emerge victorious on a national level often point to 1966, when Richard Nixon, another figure facing some public antipathy, took to the hustings after losing in a presidential election. Nixon won the presidency in 1968.
"She's too polarizing! But Mitt Romney/Mike Huckabee would be fine choices"
I notice that Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee have been making the rounds and having surrogates talk down Palin as a legitimate candidate while they campaign. Excellent timing, guys! The problem is that now we see that you're scum...........
Screw them,she has as much of a right as the rest of us.
W told Rush on his show today that he never said that about Sarah nor would he.
It’s nice to see that the Lefties in Winnipeg are jumping in to help the Rats.
Will someone please clue me in on what “qualifies” a Presidential candidate? Should we be choosing between a “good ol’ boy, a “community organizer” or a woman reared on old-fashioned horse sense?
FUGOP
I like her(I really do), but I don’t think she stands a chance in hell of winning a presidential election. I believe she’s the ONLY person 0bama CAN win against at this point. The loony left base will crawl over broken glass to vote against her, and I don’t believe ‘independents’ like her all that much.(thank the McCain campaign and media for that)
If she eventually becomes the nominee, God I hope I’m wrong.... We as a nation can’t take another 4 years of BOzo.
If she IS the nominee and wins, please come back to this thread and ridicule me in 11.2012. I’ll happily take it.
There sure seems to be scant few willing to go on record to “stop Palin”. Who came up with this noise?
A leader is just that- one who leads.
A wise leader will surround themselves with counsel that is up to the task.
God imparts wisdom.
Man imparts knowledge.
God chooses leaders. Sarah Palin has His annointing.
I’ll be the one to run out on a rail if I’m wrong.
I don’t think she will run. She’s just teasing with the notion in order to generate publicity for her ideas.
“God chooses leaders. Sarah Palin has His annointing.”
You’re really not helping her when you say stuff like that.
If Palin is not a viable candidate she will lose in the primaries, especially with so much of the old boy GOP against her. And its not like the MSM is going to choose her to be the pub candidate like they did McCain, even if they did think she would certainly lose to the dem. They cannot stand to say anything nice about her even if the ultimate goal is to destroy her.
So why are all the anti palin folk up in a tizzy over this and so worried about her running for prez?
We need someone who will draw a line in the sand and I think she is the one. If she is polarizing, so be it. All other candidates are so soft on basic issues that I would consider them in the same category as McCain. Until, and if, a better, stronger candidate emerges, my vote is for her.
Those trying pre-empot a Palin candidacy need to be exposed, and NOT because I say that to take sides on whether or not Sarah Palin should be GOP POTUS candidate.
How is it that they need to be exposed.
The GOP grass roots should say to each of them.
As follows:
O.K., we can look at the public record and see how many GOP candidates running for office did Palin personally endorse, personally campaign for or with, personally help raise funds for - not as a good-ole-boy collective - just herself; and how much did she personally help raise for those candidates. (most of whom won).
So, for each of these political class GOPers trying to pre-empt a Palin run - what did THEY personally do to help secure the majority we just obtained - THEM PERSONALLY, ALL ON THEIR OWN; each of them. How many candidates, how many fundraisers (for others) how much money raised - for others.
In terms of energy into the GOP, Palin far outweighs most of them.
FULL DISCLOSURE - (1) I have not yet made a 2012 POTUS choice. (2)I don’t like McPain, Romney or the Huckster, but I’m keeping my powder dry for, not those three but???? (3) But if a major body of the GOP elite thinks it’s going to pick the POTUS candidate all on their own, and don’t want the scruffy Tea Partiers or anyone else getting in their way, then my guess is that whether or not a Palin run is absolutely the very best thing, THEY’RE actions will drive the GOP grass roots support to Palin, and maybe even mine.
TO ALL GOP POLITICIANS - IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT SOMEONE, DO SO; OTHERWISE SPEAK NO EVIL, DO NO EVIL AGAINST OTHER GOP CHOICES. LEAVE THE BACKROOM DEALS TO THOSE WHO ARE MUCH BETTER AT IT - THE DIMS.
I am not a Palin supporter. That’s the unvarnished truth. But if the Republican elite think they can trash the Tea Party and Sarah Palin so they can hold more sway over the party’s future direction, do they have another think coming!
It goes without saying how bad Obama is. We will replace him in 2012. What we replace him with is crucial.
Do we replace him with a Republican elite RINO? Do we replace him with a very popular but not as well informed person related to ‘the McCain Problem’, globalism, and international relations? Or do we replace him with a person that has a firm grasp of globalism, the George Soros problem, the threat McCain and company represents, and a firm grasp about all things Conservative?
We have to be very very careful who we select as our nominee in 2012. The last chance we had like this was in 1980. Thankfully we got Ronald Reagan.
We mustn’t chose friends or people we like, just because we do. We must very carefully vet our next nominee. If we don’t, it will probably be around 2044 before we get another chance.
With big opportunities come big responsibilities. Are we up to it? For our kids and grand-kids sakes, I pray so.
Republican elite, Sarah Palin may not be my cup of tea, but she’s worth a lot more than you morons.
You were thrilled with McCain as the nominee in 2008. Then you spit on the idea of O’Donnell winning in Deleware. Nuff said.
Or do you remember the Charles Gibson interview where she was asked "Do you pray that God is on our side?" and she quoted Lincoln "We should pray that we are on God's side"
Oh, *that's* right! It was the interview where he lied through his foul teeth about quoting her (she asked / hinted that his line to her wasn't quite what she had said, and he replied, "Exact quote.")
Now with her Grizzy-slapping the dipsh*t Wall Street Journal reporter over not reading articles on inflation in his *own* newspaper...
I think she's ready to eat the press alive.
And when she does that, the independents will go for her.
Everyone BUT the moonbats hate the press.
Cheers!
It won't help her.
Why? Because no matter how much they yell “she's the easiest one to beat,” not a one of the Liberals will have the courage to back that up by crossing-over to vote for her in the GOP Primary and “ensure” Obama’s re-election.
Because in their hearts, they know they are liars with a loud bullhorn.
She can win, and Romney cannot. Huckabee can probably win on sheer charm and disaffection with Obama, but he's no guarantee, either. Plus, what have we really won?
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