Posted on 11/26/2010 4:04:02 PM PST by dselig
US political pundits baffled as former Alaska governor gambles on nationwide book tour and reality TV show
"Sarah Palin has done everything wrong according to the traditional way of campaigning," said Scott Rasmussen, a leading pollster and co-author of a book on the Tea Party. "She gave up her position of power as governor of Alaska, she wrote a book for a lot of money, she has her daughter on Dancing with the Stars, she is on her own reality TV show, she's been incredibly partisan in her politics – this is everything that a presidential candidate is supposed not to do."
And yet in its own baffling way her anarchic strategy appears to be working.
Even her daughter's performance in a talent competition (she came third in the finals on Tuesday night) has a political significance in Palinland. The same could be said of Sarah Palin's Alaska. Its audience fell over the first two episodes from a record-breaking 5 million to 3 million viewers, but that's still a lot of eyes watching a thinly disguised extended political advertisement in which Palin is presented as a straight-talking "real" American. Not to mention the $250,000 reported fee per episode that can go straight into her political fighting fund.
For Mark McKinnon, who has worked directly with Palin having prepped her for her vice-presidential debate in 2008 against Joe Biden, it adds up to a political marvel. "Sarah Palin is completely rewriting the political rulebook," he said. "She's proving anything is possible, including running for president and winning the GOP [Republican] nomination in 2012."
McKinnon doubts that she could go on and win against Obama in the presidential election proper because she is such a polarising figure, but even then "she's got a habit of turning conventional wisdom upside down".
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
“Sarah Palin has done everything wrong according to the traditional way of campaigning,” said Scott Rasmussen, a leading pollster and co-author of a book on the Tea Party. “She gave up her position of power as governor of Alaska, she wrote a book for a lot of money, she has her daughter on Dancing with the Stars, she is on her own reality TV show, she’s been incredibly partisan in her politics – this is everything that a presidential candidate is supposed not to do.”
AND IT’S DRIVING KARL ROVE NUTS!!!!
DURING the 2008 campaign, wasn't it? Yeah, what dumb@ss.
McCain practically campaigned for 0bama instead of justifiably ripping him and his known Commie associations. If that single endorsement from McCain didn't convince anyone that this POS sold out, nothing did.
“I’ll be looking for someone just as conservative who can win...unfortunately that person doesn’t exist..”
Maybe Haley Barbour will hire a personal trainer and lose a hundred pounds.
We need someone very conservative with executive experience who won’t turn colors once in the White House.
That’s Sarah Palin. There is no one else except Haley Barbour or Mark Sanford ... maybe if his ex-wife agrees to be his campaign manager? Can ex-Rat Rick Perry really be trusted?
You got me t-dude. I’m a RINO troll. Karl Rove sent me here to say that.
Not my point.
I was just pointing out how the establishment manipulates the narrative.
If you are waiting for them to admit a conservative could win, you are going to have a long wait.
Sorry you took it so personally, my intent was not to insult you.
I am sick of the RINO parade we’ve had as nominees. I’ve tried to study what happened in 2008, as that one broke my heart and gave us the Obamanation.
I’ve come to the conclusion they keep us in line by flooding the field with conservatives to divide and conquer.
They are terrified of Palin, that’s obvious. I have to support and defend her because their attacks on her are attacks on me.
“Their attacks on her are attacks on me”
I agree completely and feel the same way. When the press tries to humiliate Palin I see it as them humiliating me and my beliefs.
If we want conservative legislation though we need a conservative in office. I believe if Jim Demint chose to run we’d have a better chance of that happening.
Mitt the plastic man must be pissed having spent 50 million of his own money, and having hand held plastic Democrat Meg Whitman through burning 150 million of her money, and now this...this...commoner from...from Wasilla of all places is getting max traction on peanuts!
Have you become the head honcho of the “George Soros Apologist Conservatives for Sarah Palin Fan Club” now?
You probably thought that post adding Mark Sanford in there was funny, didn’t you?
Yes, we elected that saxophone playing philanderer who was disloyal to his family, dragging us through his sordid affairs on TV. THAT was really presidential.
No Sh^^t! A black cryto muslim full out Marxist.
Anyone that says polarizing is an idiot.
Not sure how much of the country agrees though. Even conservative pollsters has Palin trailing Obama.
From what independents tell me, the biggest problem Palin has is that she suddenly quit. She resigned her position as governor before her first term was up.
That decision is going to haunt her. Leaders don’t quit.
[if we’re headed towards a Reid-Angle redux, that is not good]
Angle and Palin have little in common, I ought to know, I ;iterally wrote the book on Reid and was inside to a lot of the Angle mistakes. Angle had foot in mouth disease, Palin does not. Angle hid from reporters, Palin does not. Angle was beholden to the East coast blue bloods for funding, andthat distorted her campaign, Palin doesn’t have that problem. Reid was able to buy the election using his casino cronies, Palin won’t be up against the same crookedness (and yes I know how bad Obama is).
Trust me, the Angle/Palin comparison doesn’t float.
I will give this Brit some credit. At least, he recognizes that a politician of Palin’s caliber doe snot play by the rules written in bygone eras. She makes her own rules and wins with them.
It is difficult to take him seriously when he writes something like this, which shows he is just plain lazy, living in the leftist echo chamber, and parroting what he read in Politico or heard on Bill Maher:
“She will also need to find a way of overcoming the damage caused by her frequent verbal gaffes, most recently her warm words towards that good ally, North Korea.”
He must have written that before her “57 state” facebook post. It makes this journalist look like a fool. He probably wishes he had held his fire.
We need to keep democrats from voting in our primaries.
That gave us McCain, along with the fact that the whole field was pretty sorry.
If conservatives had followed that logic in 1980, Ronald Reagan would never have been nominated. He was down 34 points to Jimmy Carter in January, 1980 right after the Iowa caucuses. He was down 25 points to Carter in March of 1980 when it was beginning to become apparent that he was going to be nominated.
I think I'll choose someone other than you to be in my foxhole in a political fight to the death for our country. No offense, of course...LOL.
“Polarizing” is current “flavor” of the memes.
“That decision is going to haunt her. Leaders don’t quit.”
Nothing will ever haunt Sarah Palin. She’s a happy warrior who isn’t obsessed with becoming President.
Your independent friends may be haunted by their vote(s) for Obama. I sleep well at night knowing I spend my own funds campaigning against him in 2008. It was a lost cause, but it needed to be done.
McKinnon glosses over the fact that Obama is an incredibly polarizing person ~ with or without his teleprompter.
Yes, and of course Palin is the ONLY one who can save this country. I think she’s probably the only true conservative politician left in America. She is our messiah, just as Obama was the left’s messiah...and if you think she’s not a messiah, maybe just a good conservative politician who may not be your first choice, well you are just a RINO, Karl Rove loving troll.
Well, that explains everything. What a wimp.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.