Don't Run Sarah!

The Daily Beast ^

[roses of sharon]

I spent only a few hours with the former governor, helping to prepare her for the vice presidential debate in October 2008. And during that brief window, I saw Palin at one of her most vulnerable moments, when any result other than a complete train wreck seemed impossible. And yet I also saw a determined woman buckle down, recover her confidence and then storm the national stage where she more than held her own against a seven-term senator.

Did she face some tough slogging to reach her remarkable perch? Sure, you betcha. I admire her tenacity, her verve, her moxie, and her pluck. As she releases what’s sure to be another bestseller, America by Heart, I think it’s phenomenal how Palin has been able to leverage her moment in the spotlight. I marvel at her masterful manipulation of the media, and her ability to redirect the national debate with merely a tweet. Most of all, I like the way she defies conventional wisdom and does things her own way: She doesn’t retreat, she reloads. And without Palin and the Tea Party backing Republican candidates, I doubt the crimson tide would have risen so high Nov. 2.

Palin’s appeal completely befuddles metro-intellectuals. They scoff at her “experience,” holding the one-time city manager, mayor, oil and gas commission chair, governor, and vice presidential nominee to a different standard than candidate Obama. A marathon runner, mother of five, and grandmother to one, she has no qualms about smacking a slimy halibut—or an oil and gas company—upside the head. And don’t be fooled, underneath that “prom hair” is a brilliant populist.

Yet I find myself continually goaded into denigrating her, saying things like “she’s reached her sell-by date,” “her stock is going down,” and “if she’s smart, she won’t run for president.” And I was going to go on TV recently and say, “It’s rare you hear quantitative easing and Sarah Palin in the same sentence,” until I realized that she did a hell of a lot better job explaining the complex concept than I could.

Though she is rightfully suspicious of advice from outside Team Palin, and she certainly doesn't care what I think, it is my strong opinion that she should not run. Not just because I don’t agree with her positions or her politics, but because the coming political fight is about more than the future of Sarah Palin. It’s about the future of the country.

All the fun, the money, the power will only be diminished if she runs. Because I don’t care how you cut it, in the end she will lose.

President Obama’s approval rating is now just 39 percent, and he is statistically tied in a direct matchup with Palin according to a new Zogby poll. And according to Quinnipiac, American voters believe that Obama does not deserve a second term by a margin of 49 to 43 percent. But Palin is viewed unfavorable by 51 percent of voters. And among independents, the key swing voting bloc, her negative is at 54 percent. She is not the right candidate right now.

Framing the presidential contest ahead, Mona Charen put it well: “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.”

If Palin runs, I think the entire Republican primary process will be hijacked. With ardent fans and a rabid media, it will become Palin-palooza. A celebrity fest will follow with even more amplitude than the adulation and adoration that surrounded Barack Obama, who was so revered he was sometimes referred to in biblical proportions as “The One.” An all-consuming super nova, Palin will suck the oxygen out of every room, everywhere she goes. And one of two things will happen. Discerning conservative voters in early primary states will be offended by the circus-like atmosphere and the presumption that they could so easily fall for a “cult of personality.” And they will vote against her. And she will lose. Or, Republican voters will be completely swept up in the mania and nominate her as the GOP standard bearer to go up against President Obama. And she will lose—perhaps the only Republican nominee who could lose in 2012.

But I also think she shouldn’t run for her sake. How could life get any better? She has more power, money, control, and influence than she could have ever possibly imagined. Two bestselling books, almost 2.5 million Facebook fans, a record-breaking cable TV show, and a daughter who made it to the finals on another TV show—not because of her abilities, but because she’s Sarah Palin’s daughter, and by god, the Palinistas out there defiantly come to her rescue week after week.

Palin is having fun. She decided governing Alaska was, well, just a pain. Too much work. A hassle. Whatever. Next. There I go again, denigrating. See, it’s just a reflex. It’s easy to discount her accomplishments, and to ignore the ludicrous opposition Palin faced in the courts and in the press on her return to office from the campaign trail. But my point is, all the fun, the money, the power will only be diminished if she runs. Because, I don’t care how you cut it, in the end she will lose. She is just too polarizing a figure at this point in her career to win a general election. And if the Republicans lose to a weakened President Obama, she will forever be blamed for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

But I know how these things go. First of all, as James Carville said, running for president is like sex. Once you’ve done it, it’s hard to stop. Second, once the drum beat starts, and all your friends and admirers start telling you, “For the sake of the Republic, it’s your duty to run,” it’s awfully hard not to let your ego get filled with a lot of helium. Next thing you know, you’re shivering at a diner in January in Iowa.

I know there are millions of conservative women and young grizzlettes out there who admire Sarah Palin. She inspires them; she is them. They know that beneath the sequined lapel pin roars the heart of a Mama Grizzly wronged. And they are offended when elites, the media, and smart asses like me dismiss her infectious optimism, her pitch-fork populism, and her love of family, faith and the flag.

In my view, it would have been interesting to see what would have happened to her as a political figure had she not been plucked too soon from obscurity, if she had been allowed to ripen on the vine for a couple of terms as governor of Alaska before emerging on the national scene. Alas, she was thrown onto the rocket sled of celebrity and has ridden to heights never before seen.

And if Palin doesn't run for the top slot, she will very likely be on the short list again for vice president. Or certainly for a cabinet slot if the Republicans win.

Only one thing is for sure. Sarah Palin is going to be around for a very long time. She’s already had a few last laughs, and she’s likely to have a whole lot more before the closing credits roll. ’Cause life as America’s sweetheart—and siren for the left—is “flippin’ fun.”

No matter what happens, whether she runs for president or not, Palin is going to be Pot Stirrer-in-Chief.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Sarah's going to do to the soft Establishment underbelly that she did to that halibut.

I can't wait.

[mc5cents]

But Palin is viewed unfavorable by 51 percent of voters. And among independents, the key swing voting bloc, her negative is at 54 percent. She is not the right candidate right now.

Gee, and I wonder why that is? Any ideas. Could it be the 24/7 trashing she receives in the media and the scoffing she gets even on "conservative" sites such as FR? Could that have something to do with it?
Sheesh!!

[mjp]

she defies conventional wisdom and does things her own way: She doesn’t retreat, she reloads.

Since her basic principles are correct, if she defines them openly and honestly, and continues to stay consistent with them, and doesn't compromise with her opponents, she will win.

[Caipirabob]

She is Obama’s greatest hope.

Of course, as President, being a Christian, President Palin might "pardon" him.

[Windflier]

She is Obama’s greatest hope.

Perhaps that's why his minions in the MSM are attacking her 24/7/365 with everything but the kitchen sink. They really, really want her to run.

Wait....that makes no sense....

[OwatonnaNative]

Mark McKinnon is a democrat but he chose to work with Bush. Now, we are to believe that this democrat just has Sarah’s “best interest” in mind in writing this? When democrats are trying to knock you out of the race early it is a clear indication that you are the candidate that they fear the most. I believe most of the fear on the left that gets directed toward Palin is rooted in her personal integrity. The left doesn’t believe Romney when he says he will cut spending; they do believe Palin when she says it. They don’t believe Huckabee when he says he will devolve power to the sattes; but, they do believe Palin would do everything in her power to do so. As for me, I will vote in the Republican primary for the first time and that vote will be for Palin.

[rob777]

"She is Obama’s greatest hope"


So it would appear.

[Diogenesis]

Mitt Romney: "I am not a GOP backstabber.
[(coward thinks) I just get others to do it for me.]"

---

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Romney Rises Again - Mark McKinnon
After laying low during Palinpalooza, the former governor is back atop the GOP pack for 2012.
He ... established health care reform in Massachusetts"

---

"Rove is pushing Romney so aggressively some folks are beginning to wonder what's going on," grumbled one veteran Republican strategist."

---

"Rove has made no secret of his support for Romney as McCain's VP. "

---

The McCain/Palin ticket was up ++4 to 10 pts. in some polls, days prior to the election.
So rather than helping the GOP, Romney
guided by his business partner, George Soros, had
Parker, Frum, and the rest of TeamROMNEY
attack Gov. Palin to throw Election2008 to the DNC.

---

Late in October, The American Spectator's The Prowler revealed:
"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers…
have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
'Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,'
says one former Romney aide…
'The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney.
"Some former Romney aides were behind the recent leaks to media, including CNN, that Governor Sarah Palin was a 'diva' and was going off message intentionally."

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"Frum was indeed a critic of Palin, calling her nomination a "huge mistake" during an October 13 (2008, weeks before the election) Early Show appearance."

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David Frum: "Two of our most plausible candidates for president in 2012 are leading Mormons: Mitt Romney and Utah governor Jon Huntsman."

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David Frum: "I have a lot of regard for Mitt Romney as a man and politician… I will support him without qualm."

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Kathleen Parker: "[I]t is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem." "Parker ... says something publicly that many of us have thought privately
but lacked the courage to say out loud - Palin should step down:"

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"Kathleen Parker: After Interviews, Palin Should Bow Out"

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Kathleen Parker: "Romney would bring more than squeaky clean qualifications
and youthful good looks to the ticket.
Romney would seem a logical choice."

---

"Parker: Romney raised bar on freedoms"
Kathleen Parker: "If Kennedy's speech was an important landmark in American political history,
Romney's was surpassing. With heartfelt humility and poetic eloquence,
he tracked the nation's struggle with and for freedom."

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Staggering bigotry of Kathleen Parker - UPDATED"

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Who benefits most from Sanford meltdown? Californian (that's right) Mitt 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?"

---

[jazminerose]

I trust the common sense of Sarah Palin. If she believes a run would be in the best interest of the country she loves, she’ll do it.

[mommyq]

For the millionth time, Sarah was forced out of her position as governor because Obama’s blogger losers kept filing expensive lawsuits against her, i.e., she wore the wrong jacket to the dog sledding competition.

[RichInOC]

Mark, when you write a column entitled “Don’t Run, Sarah!”, and a good chunk of it sounds like points in favor of her running...your cognition isn’t so much dissonant as echoing around your head like a drunken bat.

[Vendome]

I want her to run now. It will be a foundational experience for her next run.

I want her for President and I want it with majorities in the Senate and Congress.

I don’t care if she loses this time, there will be another and she will hone her skills and sharpen her message.

Go Sarah!

[Vendome]

I want her to run now. It will be a foundational experience for her next run.

I want her for President and I want it with majorities in the Senate and Congress.

I don’t care if she loses this time, there will be another and she will hone her skills and sharpen her message.

Go Sarah!

[LS]

This column is so disjointed as to be devoid of all logic. I'm NOT sold on Palin as the pres candidate in 2012. I think she has made important strides in setting herself up, and again, if she is the candidate against whomever the Dems run, she of course will have my support and hard work. But I prefer to keep options open.

That said, this guy's so-called analysis is trash. OF COURSE the Republicans will support her, and so will some indies. The question is how many she will get, but I'm betting that with each passing Obama day, she'll secure more and more former Obama voters.

If the choice is Palin or Obama, Palin wins. But so does almost any other Republican, including Romney. Many on FR hate Romney so much that they have lost touch as much as Mackinnon has with Palin, namely there are a LOT of people who really, really like him if for no other reason than his perceived business sense.

I think Huckabee is probably one of the few Republicans who could not win.

But if I could wave a wand today and put anyone in the presidency, it would be Jim DeMint. He has both an instinctual (which Palin has) grasp of conservatism and an intellectual basis (which I don't think she really has). He knows why a given issue or position right and also has the logic and reasoned arguments to know what people have said in the past and where they have been right and where they have been wrong. That is critical when it comes to explaining necessarily painful policies to the public. Without it, you're left with Obama-isms: it's right because dammit I say it's right.

Anyway, I see Palin making great strides to become more attractive to "middle America," but I still don't yet see her becoming the kind of Reagan thinker that I expect we'll need.

[blarney]

The article was very well written and it makes a lot of sense once you get past the basic jabs(which he even called himself on). I cannot say he was wrong in the basic premise of the article which was she is just too polarizing.

Though it’s not her fault she is so polarizing(I think the left did it when they needed to take her down when running)and it just kind of stuck. Now no matter how you see it there are probably enough people who don’t like her that she could be damage if running for the highest office.

In some ways she almost seems like the rights version of Obama in the fact that she embodies so much of what we want that we overlook other things that limit her abilities.

It just seems like the writer is very accurate in a lot of parts when he isn’t sniping at her and just being objective.

[Al B.]

Groan...this article is right up the alley of the Establishment concern trolls around here.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

But wait a minute. If she has no chance of winning anyway, then why be concerned if she's going to run or not?

I say let her run and fall flat on her face, right?

[MindBender26]

Sarah Palin has much better things to do than run for office and expose herself to the slings and arrows....

“It’s much better to the the King-maker than the King.”

[Erik Latranyi]

They missed her most important qualification... She’s a community organizer.

I imagine Sarah giving her announcement speech and taking on the issue of "qualifications".

She can compare herself to the current President and cite the jobs she has performed, but just so those who voted for Obama can have a reason to vote for her, she spent the last two years as a community organizer for the Tea Party.

[rob777]

"They really, really want her to run.

Wait....that makes no sense.... "


It makes perfect sense. They need to put a single face on the conservative revolt who is easy to demonize. I do not think it is fear of her that causes them to pay so much attention to her.