Even GOP activists are turning against Sarah Palin

Miami Herald ^ | 2/24/11 | Steve Thomma

[pissant]

ROCK HILL, S.C. — As Sarah Palin wonders whether to run for president, she might want to talk to people in places such as South Carolina.

She'd find her star fading, and her prospects daunting.

Republicans still like her, but now they openly question whether she could or should be nominated for president, let alone elected.

At a recent gathering in South Carolina, the site of a crucial early presidential primary next year, party activists said the former Alaska governor didn't have the experience, the knowledge of issues or the ability to get beyond folksy slang and bumper-sticker generalities that they think is needed to win and govern.

Many are shopping for someone else. They're looking at Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., for example, and seeing what they call a smarter, more experienced candidate who's equally as conservative.

"Sarah Palin with a brain," said Gail Moore, a Republican from Columbia.

[yup2394871293]

Bachmann has been reported as going off the deep end once or twice — IIRC it was about a do it yourself tax rebellion — and Sarah Palin has never gone to such an extent.

Both are learning as they go along. The main difference between Bachmann and Palin is that Bachmann doesn't have to try as hard to reach the audience she needs to reach: taxpayers who are concerned about the course the country is taking. That's because Bachmann's an officeholder and Palin is presently at best a pundit. Sooner or later though all of these figures realize that merely spouting conservative populist zingers for the benefit of the press and an apathetic public can only take them so far and could hurt them in the long run. They need other weapons to fight with. A pretense at "nuance" (Obama in 2008, Mitch Daniels in 2011) has its limits, too. Sooner or later, you have to convince a broad segment of voters and party bigwigs that you have a serious agenda and know what the f*** you're talking about. It also obviously helps if you're not such an obvious target that the MSM isn't out to destroy you from day one.

[yup2394871293]

Speaking about being a target of the MSM, I think the media thought Reagan was a long shot at best for too long. Same thing happened with Dubya. But GHW Bush (Dole, too) was lined up in the media's sights from the moment Reagan got reelected.

That said, I haven't followed Palin much (and all the other headlines might have something to do with that). Palin could make a comeback. But she needs to add to her playbook. From the perspective of conservatives though, it's better not to put all your eggs in one basket.

[jeltz25]

Bachmann won’t be anyone’s VP.

1st, she’d just be portrayed as a repeat of Palin and no nominee would want that.

More importantly, though, she simply doesn’t fit as anyone’s VP. Palin was very lucky that McCain got the nomination as he was the only one who could have picked her as VP.

Normally, a President needs a VP with foreign policy/natl security/miltary/beltway cred. See Biden, Cheney, Gore, Bentsen, Bush41, Mondale, etc... That’s with non-DC nominees like W, Clinton, Reagan, Carter, Dukakis, Obama(DC but no experience at all).

However, sometimes we get a nominee who already has foreign policy/natl security/military/beltway exp and they can pick someone who doesn’t. See Dole, Mondale, Nixon, etc... McCain already had plenty so he could pick Palin. No one else could have. Romney, Huckabee, Giuliani, none of them could have picked her.

There’s no McCain in this field. No one has any foreign policy/natl security experience. Romney and Huckabee the two most probable nominees would never pick Bachmann as they have no natl sec exp and she wouldn’t add any. Also, we have no shot in MN so she adds nothing there. Pawlenty can’t pick Bachmann because they’re from the same state. The long shots like Gingrich, Daniels and Barbour also wouldn’t pick her for the same reasons.

I think Bachmann is positioning herself to run if Palin doesn’t.

[jeltz25]

I don’t get that at all. I mean, if there’s one thing she is, it’s creative. She invented the death panels phrase. The Mama Grizzly theme. The notes on the palm. The pit bull with lipstick joke. The infamous targets map. The PAC videos. Even words like refudiate. Say she’s stupid or doesn’t know the intracies of policy, fine. But don’t say she’s not creative. The fact is everyone repeats what she says.

As for Bachmann, she helped create 10,000+ people to see her in MN that Bachmann would have come nowhere near drawing on her own.

So, they go to SC to an event with Bachmann and find people speaking down on Palin? Wow, what a surprise. Out of 150 they find 5. What about the other 145? Of course at an event for Bachmann they’re going to be a bit down on Palin. Why are they even asking people about her at that event? She has nothing to do with it. I’d be upset if I was there and they asked me about her.

If there’s a criticism I have of her it’s that she hasn’t really done anything in early states like IA, NH and SC. You have to go out and show them, you cant’t just expect to show up and be crowned. People like Pawlenty, Barbour, etc... are getting out there.

She’ll need to do that. She won’t win this on the cheap. She can’t think she’s like Fred Thompson and just think all she has to do is show up. If she’d gone t oa few events in each of these states already I think she’d be doing much better. Fortunately it’s early and things haven’t really started so it hasn’t hurt her that much but if others start showing up and she just hangs back and thinks some facebook posts and tweets will make up for it, she’s sorely mistaken.

Many people out there are just ill-informed. She has no idea about govt? She’s been on the city council, been mayor, been elected President of the State Conference of Mayors, was appointed chairman of the largest regulatory agency in the state overseeing the key oil and gas sector, was Vice Chair of the NGA energy committee and would have been chair in 2010 if she stayed in office, ran for Lt Gov, was almost appointed to Senate, has been Governor, been nominated for VP. She has experience in Govt at the local, state, and federal level. She has experience in govt from both the legislative and the executive side. She has govt exp and private sector exp. I think she knows how govt works.

She’s actually delivered and signed a balanced budget, something Obama will never do. She’s cut spending.

But unless she gets out there and tells this to people most will remain in the dark and just believe what the media tells them.

One number there should tell you a lot. 150. In rock-red SC, 150 people turn out to see Bachmann. 150? And Bachmann has plenty of charisma. If Palin showed up there they’d have 4 digits minimum. Probably much more. Obama drew 20,000 in SC to see him.

You don’t think TV and the media will love showing Obama at a rally with 25,000+ people and then going to Tim Pawlenty or Romney speaking before a few dozen at some Best Western or Elks Club in Davenport or Manchester Playing up the contrast?

The media desperately wants her to run. You think they relish the thought of covering a 3 way battle between Romney, Pawlenty and Daniels? Talk about excitement. Imagine the huge crowds, the rock star receptions, etc... Imagine the tv ratings, magazine sales, etc...

And if she does run they will do all they can to make sure she gets the nomination for 2 reasons. One, a solid 9 months or so of Obama-Palin will make the media more money than they’ve ever seen before and they know it. And two, they think she’ll be easy to beat. Just like they thought Reagan would be easy to beat. Just like Bush41 and co thought Clinton would be easy to beat.

Candidates who win tend to have something extra about them. Some “it” factor. Obama had it.(McCain didn’t). W had it.(neither Gore or Kerry did). Clinton had it(neither Dole or Bush41 did). Reagan did(neither Carter or Mondale did). Sometimes neither guy has it like in 76 with Ford/Carter or 88 with Bush/Dukakis.

On the GOP side, many don’t have it. Romney doesn’t. Pawlenty doesn’t. Daniels doesn’t. Barbour doesn’t. Gingrich sort of does. Bachmann does. Huckabee has something. But nothing close to her.

Of course Huckabee and Romney and others do better than her vs Obama. They haven’t been attacked non-stop for 3 years. Lets see where they are after the media and the dems unload on them with even 10% of what they’ve unloaded on her. She’s still ahead of where Reagan was vs Carter at this point. Ahead of where Clinton was vs Bush41 at this point.

[anglian]

"had Palin simply said the nonsense Biden has voiced we would think she was lunatic and she should be gone from the race–and that disconnect reminds us again how the media sadly ignores the most unhinged things if only they come from the politically-correct."

Imagine this: "If Sarah should say, as did Biden, that Americans once watched “President” FDR on TV in 1929 rally the public after the Great Panic—Sarah is history. Fact. End of story." - Victor Davis Hanson

[toddausauras]

Um, ok...sure. He has a right to post what he wants.

Palin 2012.

[flat]

“Interviewing four or five people that don’t like her in the SC Party is a joke...”

CORRECT YOU ARE B/T/M

I wonder if these folks ever read BOOKS? For example say....GOING ROGUE...if you research SARAH you find ...that you will:

LEARN A LOT..

about this ACCOMPLISHED

SUPER WOMAN ...TO WIT:

GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN...

THE HISTORY OF AN
ALASKAN HERO:

SARAH PALIN is THE MOST

BELOVED GOV. IN

ALASKAN HISTORY SHE

ACHIEVED A 90%

APPROVAL RATING..THE

HIGHEST OF ANY PUBLIC

OFFICIAL IN THE U.S.

....WHY?

SHE STARTED HER PUBLIC

SERVICE CAREER AS A

LOCAL PTA BOARD

MEMBER....

SARAH WAS DISGUSTED

AT THE RUN DOWN

SCHOOLS HER KIDS HAD

TO ATTEND IN LIGHT OF

THE PRESENCE OF

ALASKAN OIL RICHES.

THEREFORE SHE HAD THE

GUMPTION TO CAMPAIGN

DOOR TO DOOR WINNING

A PTA SEAT....THEN SHE

RAN DOOR TO DOOR AND

WON THE POST OF

MAYOR OF WASILLA,

ALASKA. AFTER THAT THE

PEOPLE OF ALASKA KNEW

OF HER PROWESS AND THEREFORE

ELECTED HER

GOVERNOR OF the largest

state in the UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA.

AS GOVERNOR ....

HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

ARE LEGION...

1. SARAH BROUGHT THE

GIANT OIL COMPANYS

OPERATING IN ALASKA TO

HEEL .....FORCING THEM

UNDER AN ENLGHTENED

WEALTH SHARING PLAN

TO SHARE THE STATE’S

OIL RICHES. SARAH

INITIATED A BLUEPRINT

CALLED ‘ACES’ ..Alaska’s

Clear and Equitable Share”

(ACES).

Under her aegis; MILLIONS of DOLLARS

WERE THEN PAID OUT IN OIL

TAXES TO ALASKAN

CITIZENS...MONIES WHICH

WERE THEN USED FOR
POWER, LIGHT, SEWERS

AND THOUSANDS OF

ALASKAN

INFRASTRUCTUAL

IMPROVEMENTS.

PROJECTS WHICH VASTLY

IMPROVED THE LIVES OF

COUNTLESS AND THE

POOREST OF ALASKANS;

FOLKS WHO BEFORE HER,

NEVER EVEN HAD

ELECTRIC POWER; ONLY

OIL LANTERNS.

2. SARAH BROUGHT

CORRUPT LEGISLATORS IN

BOTH THE DEMOCRAT AND

REPUBLICAN PARTIES TO

HEEL; SUCCESFULLY

PROSECUTING AND

JAILING CORRUPT

REPUBLICANS AND

DEMOCRATS ALIKE.

3. SAHAH SOLD THE GOV’S

PLANE AND FIRED THE

COOK IN THE GOV’S

RESIDENCE .....PROVIDING

HER OWN

TRANSPORTATION AND

FIXING HER OWN FAMILY

MEALS. A LADY NO

FRIEND TO OUTLANDISH

SPENDING. SHE TURNED

THE PROCEEDS OVER TO

THE PEOPLES PURSE.

SARAH....TRULY THE ‘REAL

DEAL’ BELOVED

AND ACCOMPLISHED

GOVERNOR OF THE

LARGEST STATE IN THE

UNITED STATES OF

AMERICA.

MANY CLUELESS ASK ...

‘IF SHE WAS THE MOST

EFFECTIVE AND BELOVED

GOVERNOR IN ALASKAN

HISTORY? WHY DID SHE

RELINQUISH HER

GOVERNORSHIP...? WHY

DID THIS QUITTER QUIT?”

ANSWER: SHE WAS

HERASSED OUT OF

OFFICE...

BEGINNING IMMEDIATELY

AFTER SHE ANNOUNCED

HER VICE PRESIDENTIAL

CANDIDACY:

1. Sarah’s political enemies

began to harass her. They

were quite effective to....on

2 IMPORTANT fronts...

they succeeded in

# 1. Freezing the

effectivness of Governor’s

office by forcing her office

to answer endless and

baseless ethics charges

AND

#2. Virtually forcing

SARAH’S family into poverty

to the tune of $500,000.

19 (NINETEEN!) ethics

complaints were filed

against her; most begining

just days after she was

named John McCain’s

running mate.

IT COSTS NOTHING TO

FILE SUCH COMPLAINTS IN

ALASKA.

and

UNDER ALASKAN LAW

EVERY ONE OF THEM

HAVE TO BE ANSWERED

AND PAID FOR BY THE

POLITICIAN HIMSELF!

THE LEGAL COSTS TO

GOV. PALIN PERSONALLY

AND TO HER FAMILY OF

COURSE LEFT HER 0NE

HALF OF A MILLION

DOLLARS IN PERSONAL

DEBT. FIVE HUNDRED

THOUSAND DOLLARS !!!!

There was no limit on the

number of ethics complaints

these harassers could file

against the Governor and

SHE had to pay for her own

defense until they broke the

family bank.

Her staff had to direct

vast amounts of time and

attention to defend against

these complaints.

MOST OF THESE

HERASSMENT SUITS HAVE

ALREADY BEEN DISMISSED

!!!!!

INTELLIGENT PERSON

THAT SHE IS: SARAH

understood her being in

office was

#1 CRIPPLING THE ABILITY

OF THE GOVERNOR’S

OFFICE TO GOVERN... AND

#2 BREAKING HER

FINANCIALLY....

SARAH LOVED BEING THE

MOST EFFECTIVE AND

BELOVED GOVERNOR IN

ALASKAN HISTORY AND

ITS A SAD LOSS FOR

ALASKA BUT IT IS A

GREAT VICTORY FOR

AMERICA ....SINCE, NOW

SHE CAN DEVOTE ALL HER

TALENTS INTO TAKING

BACK THIS COUNTRY

FROM THE POWER

GRABBERS CURRENTLY

MENACING OUR

DEMOCRACY.....GO YOU

SARAH!

SHE’S PRESIDENTIAL
MATERIAL ALLRIGHT.
ADDING TO HER VAST

ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU

CAN ADD....

HER WILD POPULARITY.

CONSIDER THIS:

HER BOOK SALES NOW

STAND AT ABOUT 2.8

MILLION COPIES.....
SO SHE’S STARTING OUT

WITH 2.7 MILLION VOTES...

AND

SHE CAN AND DOES FILL

40,OOO SEAT VENUES

WHEN EVER SHE DEIGNS

TO MAKE A SPEECH TO

HER ADORING

THRONGS......

HELP AMERICA...

....PLEASE cut and paste

and print up this post and

then memorize these points

so you can realate them to

those who need an

education concerning

hopefully, the next

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED

STATES...

Also, keep these points near

your phone ready to call in

to talk radio shows. THAT

WAY you can easily spread

the word...it amazes me that

conservative talkers never

tick these points off to the

clowns in their audiences

who dump on SARAH.

GO YOU MIGHTY SARAH !

[bert]

Trashing is a sign of intense fear

[flat]

[Vermont Lt]

Your post is yelling at me.

[flat]

What we need is gravitas

..........ALASKAN GRAVITAS

[flat]

"Palin/Bachmann.. Ingraham or Malkin as Sec. of State.. Coulter as Attorney General.." PALIN-BACHMAN OVERDRIVE

[Friendofgeorge]

LOL back, hope you are right, just that I think it will be a woman, and NOT Hillary. They are going to have to do something!

[WOSG]

Yes, let her run, that’s the only way to settle it ... but the real danger is she is popular enough with the base to win the nomination, but unelectable in november thanks to years of media hit jobs.

She may be our party’s Goldwater rather than our Reagan. That’s the real doubt that is lurking in people’s minds, especially the ‘elites’, and is a factor in “PDS” among conservative elites.

[unique]

Palin will not get much more then that at the end of the day.

[mountainfolk]

IMO, pissant is doing this FR board a service by posting hit pieces on Sarah Palin. It gives us an opportunity to say why we think Sarah is a great presidential candidate. We are also being informed of the current GOP and liberal media anti Palin spin. If the GOP will see to it that our primaries are fair and honest, I will seriously consider supporting the winner. Palin supporters are not blocking any other candidate for office so why is she being targeted by the MSM as well as GOP elites? Let them bring forth their own sterling candidate and spend their time, money, and energy wooing the voters. If the GOP wants to defeat Obama in 2012 they can make it happen by supporting the candidate chosen by their base. If that candidate is Palin and they continue to undermine and sabotage her with the result that Obama is reelected, so be it.

[rob777]

"The competition hates Palin, but she got there first, while the rest of the field was silent after the disaster of 2008."


I do not see it that way. While she was supporting the Bush-McCain backed TARP bailout, other conservatives were sticking their neck out opposing it. The GOP House voted against it and activists in the field were unanimously opposed to it. In her book, Sarah threw the GOP House members who voted against it under the bus by claiming that there opposition was responsible for McCain's loss. Bachmann was on the right side of this issue from the beginning. It was Sarah that joined the bandwagon after it got rolling.

[rbmillerjr]

So, you’re saying you don’t have the intelligence to understand that a VP nominee has to take the position of her running mate?

[rob777]

When she took the position of VP I defended her against other conservatives for selling out to McCain by pointing out that she was independent enough to disagree with him on drilling in Alaska. It would not be consistent for me to turn around and claim that she had to match up with him on TARP simply because she was his VP. Besides that, her book was written in 2009 after the campaign. In the book she blames the House GOP's vote against the TARP bill for losing the campaign. Not even McCain has made that claim. There are also numerous positions she took while Governor of Alaska that hardly could be considered conservative.

[Labyrinthos]

Interviewing four or five people that don’t like her in the SC Party is a joke,

These are the same people that elect Lindsey Graham againa and again, Enough said.