Posted on 11/19/2010 6:50:35 AM PST by WebFocus
By telling Barbara Walters that she thinks she can defeat President Obama, Sarah Palin has dimmed hopes cherished by sensible Republicans that she might decide against a run for the White House in 2012. Here are just some of the reasons she should not run.
The Republican nominee should be someone with a vast and impressive record in government and the private sector. Voters chose a novice with plenty of star power in 2008 and will be inclined to swing strongly in the other direction in 2012. Americans will be looking for sober competence, managerial skill, and maturity not sizzle and flash.
After the 2008 campaign revealed her substantive weaknesses, Palin was advised by those who admired her natural gifts to bone up on policy and devote herself to governing Alaska successfully. Instead, she quit her job as governor after two and a half years, published a book (another is due next week), and seemed to chase money and empty celebrity. Now, rather than being able to highlight the accomplishments of Sarah Palins Alaska, we get Sarah Palins Alaska, another cheesy entrant in the reality-show genre. Shed so much rather be out dog sledding than in some dull political office, she tells the audience. File that.
Its true. She is wildly popular with a swath of the Republican electorate. And, as a conservative woman politician told me, political consultants (who get paid the big bucks, win or lose) will doubtless descend upon her with game plans showing how she can win in Iowa and then cruise to the nomination. Maybe. But the general election would be a problem, since 53 percent of independent voters view Palin unfavorably along with 81 percent of Democrats, according to a recent Gallup poll.
There is no denying that Sarah Palin has been harshly, sometimes even brutally, treated by the press and the entertainment gaggle. But any prominent Republican must expect and be able to transcend that. Palin compares herself to Reagan. But Reagan didnt mud-wrestle with the press. Palin seems consumed and obsessed by it, as her rapid Twitter finger attests, and thus she encourages the sniping. She should be presiding over meetings on oil and gas leases in the North Slope, or devising alternatives to Obamacare. Every public spat with Dave Letterman or Politico, or the lamestream media, or (God help us) Levi Johnston, diminishes her.
Speaking of television, have you watched Dancing with the Stars? Calling the show cheesy would be too generous. Perhaps the former governor should not be blamed for the decisions of her adult daughter. Yet there in the audience we see Sarah and Todd Palin, mugging for the camera and cheering on their unwed-mother daughter as she bumps and grinds to the tune of Mamma Told Me Not To Come. Her parents had advised her, the 20-year-old Bristol told an interviewer, that she had to stay in character if she expected to win. Being in character evidently meant descending to the vulgarity that DWTS peddles on a weekly basis. The mama grizzly was apparently unfazed by, or equally disturbingly unaware of, the indignity. And she is supposed to be a conservative culture warrior?
Voters prize judgment, above all, in a presidential candidate. Some of Sarah Palins 2010 endorsements were sound and arguably helpful. Others betrayed flightiness and recklessness. Tom Tancredo, Palins choice for governor of Colorado, has ridden his anti-immigration hobby-horse in a style perfectly suited to alienate Hispanic voters (describing Miami, for example, as a Third World city). Her endorsement of Christine ODonnell was irresponsible and damaging, losing a seat that would otherwise have been a Republican pick-up. Of course, ODonnell received an absurdly disproportionate amount of ink and attention during the race (the liberal press naturally seizes upon any opportunity to make conservatives look kooky), but Palin should have anticipated that. Besides, this one cannot be laid at the feet of the biased media. ODonnell was a thoroughly unqualified candidate.
Palin has many strengths. I admire her fortitude and her principles. Her ability to connect with a crowd is something most politicians can only dream of. I will always remember her 2008 convention speech as a rollicking star turn. She would be terrific as a talk-show host the new Oprah.
But a presidential candidate? Someone to convince critical independent voters that Republicans can govern successfully? Absolutely not.
Mona Charen is a nationally syndicated columnist.
Your concern is noted.
Glad you brought that up.
Romney, Cornyn and the NRSC helped the defeat of the
PEOPLE's candidate, replacing it with vote fraud
(like Romney and his Obama truly love).
Do you support that, too?
Think Romney has a chance?
I love Sarah too.
However, she can not win.
I think she should replace Stelle as RNC chair.
She is GREAT at raising money, attracting a crowd and she makes a GREAT CHEERLEADER(no pun intended).
“If she gets the nomination, we wont want your support. you can just go away and a crow sandwich on election night 12”
No one would be happier than me if you were right. But, you can’t tell fellow conservatives to go away if you want to win a general election. You have to get all the votes of the conservative base. Then you have to convince non-conservatives to vote for Sarah, too. How do you propose to overcome her high negatives among the non-conservative majority?
Perhaps you could address post three on this thread line by line.
We'll be awaiting your brilliant response.
And that would be?
Oh yeah our current POTUS is a great compromiser and the RINOS compromise us so much that they sell out and become Dem lite. Anytime I hear that a president should compromise it only means that conservatives must bend to liberalism. In an age of atrocities such as Obamacare and the stimulus we don’t need a great compromiser. Sorry, I’ll take a true conservative, “We win, they lose” should be our motto in 2012.
“Looks like the “Stop Sarah” campaign is still in full swing!”
The establishment wants Romney, they think because he has pretty hair he is a safe bet.
Wake up you RINO dweebs. The minute ObamaCare was passed Romney was dead meat.
The reality they can’t accept is that they are projecting...it is Romney who can’t win and Palin who can.
Probably not. Romneycare will be a huge albatross. Although I think he would do better in a general than Sarah.
Don't hold your breath waiting for FR to get behind someone like that. If Cal Coolidge were to reappear among us in the flesh, a sizable number of Freepers would immediately find reasons why he is an unworthy RINO.
“Shes an empty suit.”
BS, you are a Romney RINO.
Hey are you back to pimp Romney?
Talk about people who could not even win in their own state. Romney ran from Massachusetts after one term. He didn’t even need the press to trash him to get him out. He trashed Massachusetts and he knew that no one would vote for him after what he did there.
Now Romney is trying to pretend he isn’t what he is and didn’t do what he did.
Barrister, you should add a full disclosure statement to everyone of your posts about Sarah Palin — Romney pimp, will work pro bono.
She will be a challenger going up against an incumbant with a poor record and probably still a very poor economy. All she has to do is run a good campaign and have a good simple economic message. Inspire people to feel good about their country again. She can do that. She has it in her to do that.
Using probablility, IMHO, you're about 98% correct...leaning strongly toward 99%.
That is easy.
Gov. Palin's negatives are mainly from coward Romney
and his Legion of GOP-Backstabbers.
Has Romney EVER stopped them?
Admonished them?
or paid them off for more?
The Palmetto Scoop reported:
"The sources said nearly 80 percent of Romney's former staff was absorbed by McCain and these individuals were responsible for what amounts to a premeditated, last-minute sabotage of Palin."
that Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016, which made her a threat to another presidential quest by Romney.
"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"
"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"
"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"
"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"
"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"
Poor sport spoiler Romney doing what he does best:
Novak: "Fred Thompson drop-out rumors traced to Romney campaign"
Whether we like it or not, Romney has a problem with his mormon background, and for me, a much bigger one with his past view changes. He's really a serial flip flopper, and will be called on it by the media if he gets the nomination. Kerry could get away with it being a democrat, Romney will not.
I don't yet see anyone else who is better, but will wait to see what happens as the primaries and the campaign come on.
Totally agree and I think overall she'd be in a better position to elect conservatives across the board which is what we need. We're spinning our wheels until we get the RINOs out and conservatives in.
I’ve decided that if Mitt Romney wins the nomination, I will register Independent.
RINOs suck...we might as well just register Dem and try to convert that Party.
I will not vote for RINORomney. If the Establishme pansies want Obama for 4 more years, then they shall have it.
We have the power, we are negotiating from strength. That is why we have the concerted and organized attacks on Palin. We can take our ball an go home. So they are throwing “hail romney’s” in an attempt to massage opinion.
She was a diamond in the rough two years ago. Due to her own work ethic she has been cut and polished. She did this herself. Her individual efforts have been astounding. Not only has she done everything she has on the political scene she has been handling her family that includes a special needs child and now a TV show. Each of these things are difficult on their own but to do so much at the same time? WOW is all I can say. And her most recent TV appearances? She just nails them.
It is almost funny to compare Palin to Obama. He is like someone that reads the news. He stands in front of the teleprompter and just, well, reads. He is an empty suit. There is a reason that the media continues to tell "stories" about how "smart" Obama is. There is a reason that a "major" magazine has Obama on its cover with a bunch of arms referencing god. Implying that he nor any other human could handle the presidency and because of that we need to give him a break for his idiotic and thieving ways. They HAVE to prop him up. Obama would start to rave like the nutcase he is if the media treated him like they do Palin. Obama could not take the heat Palin has.
Right now, today, I just don't see anyone touching her. She can hold her own with anyone. She would take lightweights like Rick Perry apart. No contest. She has become a "natural" in the public eye. Somewhat like Reagan was. But it is not natural. It takes time and grit and effort and blood and guts to get your game to the level she has. I applaud her. She is self-made. She is what America is about. She has done what she has done while all the while rocks have been thrown at her constantly. She is spit on over and over. Whereas Obama is where he is at because of the color of his skin.
Things can indeed change between now and the election. Maybe someone will come forward that knocks our socks off. But I don't see that person. The most exciting person I have seen is not yet ready for the big show but I would love to see this ticket:
PALIN-CHRISTIE 2012
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