Posted on 05/19/2011 7:15:48 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Jimmy Carter never said “malaise,” Humphrey Bogart never said, “play it again Sam,” and Sarah Palin never said, “I can see Russia from my front porch.” But most people are convinced they did. As Yogi Berra quipped, “I never said most of the things I said.”
The caricaturing of Palin has led many political observers to cavalierly dismiss her chances of entering the 2012 GOP field — and winning. My question is…why?
At least one pundit sees the opportunity. Appearing on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell” show Monday, Time magazine’s Mark Halperin noted that Mike Huckabee’s decision to skip the 2012 GOP primary, “leaves a big hole for Sarah Palin who can come in and take over that space that Huckabee left.”
A new Gallup poll seems to confirm his analysis. As The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza writes,
the field remains decidedly muddled with no clear frontrunner. (Gallup doled out the past support for Huckabee/Trump based on the second place preferences of those voters.) Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney takes 20 percent to 18 percent for former Alaska governor Sarah Palin …
Putting this in context, we now know that: 1). Mike Huckabee, a populist social conservative who won Iowa in 2008, isn’t running, and 2). Gallup has Sarah Palin in second place — just two points behind Mitt Romney. It is frankly stunning that — this late in the game — Palin still has a golden opportunity to win the nomination. (We also know, as the polling implies, the weak GOP field lacks a clear front runner to rally behind.)
And yet…conventional wisdom seems to hold that Palin will not run — and even if she does — she can’t win. The assumption is that Palin isn’t serious enough. Once again, I think she is being underestimated.
These assumptions continue to inform the way news stories about Palin are framed. For example, media observers recently began noticing that Palin wasn’t garnering quite as much press attention as before. This was largely portrayed as a sign that her influence may finally be waning — but was that necessarily the right conclusion?
Controversy often generates attention, and while the media were busy covering Donald Trump’s ridiculous antics this spring, Palin was delivering serious speeches in places like Wisconsin – and visiting vitally important nations like Israel and India. This was under-reported.
Also worth noting is that Palin was recently the “star” guest at Tammy Haddad’s garden brunch (for those outside the Beltway, this is the “who’s who” gathering of political insiders and muckety-mucks, held annually to coincide with the White House Correspondents Dinner). Palin’s attendance was reminiscent of another outsider, Ronald Reagan, who railed against DC elites, but attended dinner parties at Washington Post publisher Kay Graham’s house. The old Palin would probably not have attended this “lamestream” media event – the new Palin did.
Of course, it’s too early to know whether any of this foreshadows a presidential run, but consider this: If Palin were serious about running for president, isn’t buttressing her foreign policy credentials by traveling and building bridges with at least some media elites — precisely what she ought to be doing? Keep in mind, going back to Alaska, she has never run a conventional campaign — she always started late and was the underdog. And the good news for Palin is that she has more room for reinvention and growth than most people might realize.
Her supporters raise a good point when they argue she is “the most known, unknown” figure in politics. What they mean is that, despite how ubiquitous she became, she never really had a chance to craft her own image. (During the campaign, Palin was second to Sen. John McCain and, by necessity, had to adopt his campaign’s policies. And by the time the campaign ended, the media had already created the next iteration of the Palin brand.)
Don’t discount the possibility that Palin may indeed be on the verge of launching her second (or is it third?) act. It is entirely plausible to believe that Palin could seize this opportunity, win Iowa and South Carolina, and then make a real run for it. Don’t be surprised if she runs for president, and if she does, she can win.
What you just said, has bothered me greatly about Bachmann. When she first started talking about running for president, it took me by surprise. I wondered why she would do such a thing, with the odds of her winning being so long, and with Palin being widely considered to be the leading contender in 2012.
She's an automatic spoiler for Sarah, because she will take votes away from her in the primary. They share the same natural constituency. Splitting that vote could easily hand the nomination over to Mitt, or some other lesser candidate.
It's hard for me to believe that Michele doesn't see and understand these dynamics. I have strong doubts that she would beat Mitt in a head-to-head match up for the nomination, so the question becomes, why is she in the race?
Will she stay in the race knowing all this, and risk handing the nomination to Mitt?
Indy, Michele rolled right over for a leftstream media Obot on live television, without so much as a whimper. That one incident showed a startling lack of spine and presidential-grade savvy on her part.
Even if she thought the document was genuine, she should have realized that you don't concede an issue so huge to your chief opponent on live television.
The proper response to seeing Obama's COLB should have been, "That's very interesting, George, but neither of us is qualified to determine whether it's authentic or not. I'm afraid I can't comment on it until I've seen the opinion of expert examiners."
She got caught off guard, and flunked the constant alertness test. Didn't she know that she was sitting in the lion's den of the enemy camp? Didn't she know that Stephanopolis would try to undermine her credibility in some way, before she even went on the show?
Obviously not, which is a huge and glaring indicator that she is far from ready for the office she seeks.
Yet, some people still fail to see the many parallels between these two great patriots, and their respective journeys to greatness.
None of us has ever claimed that RWR and SLP are the "same", but we'd have to be wired stupid not to see the obvious similarities between them.
Bingo. Her detractors would do well to examine that part of her history before they make the mistake of underestimating her.
Like so many others I guess, they look at themselves in the mirror and see a President??
I believe MB is all about MB. But my main point is that she is being pushed by MSM simply because MSM wants anybody to over take Sarah Palin. This includes push polling and all the MSM tricks.
Yes MB has some real support, but without the ANTI Palin MSM pushing her, it`s very little, but yes enough to be a spoiler.
It would be like Someone challenging Reagan in his 2nd term.
And Bachmann is misreading that as an indicator of her strength as a candidate. As you said, she does have some honest support from the right, but I don't perceive it to be anywhere what's going to be required for her to get all the way to the White House.
Her real positioning and strength isn't anywhere near as solid or as strong as Palin's is. I can't help but wonder if simple good-heartedness and naivete isn't what's propelling her forward.
I don't want to accept the alternative, which is, she fully understands that she's drawing votes away from the clear front-runner, and endangering a Republican win in 2012.
Mitt already HAS the GOP nomination.
If you plan to stay a Republican, you'd better be getting those Romney-Daniels signs ready.
I hope you're just being a wisenheimer.
She flunked nothing. She is focusing on attacking Obama on the economy and not getting caught up on the birther issue.
Obviously not
You've already proven yourself to be a disingeneous liar, Windflier. Now you're claiming she doesn't even realize which side of the fence the MSM is on?
The gray matter of anyone who calls Cong. LtC(r) Allen West the “Magic Negro de jour” must be as inert as a fence post. Which was already patently obvious from debating skills that consist entirely of pointing out grammar, syntax and spelling errors. Of course the grade-school name calling that is ubiquitous in your posting isn’t exactly a sign of intelligence either. Frankly I would expect the driver of the short bus to reject your boarding pass on the grounds that the other passengers would tease you unmercifully.
More to the point, you must have an exceptionally low opinion of Col. West's honesty and integrity. He has said repeatedly that he will not run for the office. Hence the "Magic Negro" reference. You'd need magic to elect someone who refuses to run.
Unless you just assume he's lying about that. Either way, your post makes about as much sense as you pretending to be able to assess my intlligence based upon my insistence on proper English and my proclivity for contentious verbal sparring.
Fortis fortuit brava, booger-blood.
8^\
I talk politics all day long every day with everyone I know. I have yet to speak with even one person who would even consider voting for Myth Romneycare.
Not one. Romney is done before he starts. The only people who like Romney are the same ones who foisted Bobdole and Johnnie McLame on us. Not going to happen.
Romney/Daniels???!!!!! LMAO!!!! BWAAAaaahhh-hahahahahahaha!
8^D
The eligibility (Birther) issue has been raging since before Obama was elected. Bachmann needn't be "up on the issue" to know that millions of Americans have been openly wondering about the precise details of his birth and citizenship during the whole of his presidency.
As a potential political opponent to a sitting president, she ought to already have an above average knowledge of all of his weaknesses. The fact that she knows so little about this enormous defect on his part, speaks volumes about her unpreparedness for the huge task she's embarked upon.
That aside, simple political instinct should have prevented her from giving a single concession to Obama, no matter how small. She could have sidestepped Stephanopoulis' booby trap in any number of smooth ways, but she allowed herself to be tricked into easy submission.
That's not presidential. Neither is being a sitting Congresswoman, and not realizing that a president who's father was a foreign national, presents at least a potential conflict with Article II, Section I of the Constitution.
I say again -- Bachmann flunked the constant alertness test in that interview.
Yes, you have proved that in spades.
More to the point, you must have an exceptionally low opinion of Col. West's honesty and integrity. He has said repeatedly that he will not run for the office. Hence the "Magic Negro" reference. You'd need magic to elect someone who refuses to run. Unless you just assume he's lying about that.
Nice dodge. Your assumptions about what I think aren't a particularly well-crafted straw man but I'm sure you're doing all you can with your potential saddled with the inertia of your self-aggrandizing narcissism.
You tell me.
Why'd she submit to Stephanopoulis like that? Why did go into that interview without her guard up? Why did she capitulate to Stephy so easily?
I like Michele Bachmann as a House Rep. I don't like her as a candidate for president. Cut and dry.
Nothing else, huh? Wow!
As to "I.Q.", it stands for "Intelligence Quotient," yet another pretty-much meaningless and self-serving attempt on the part of mankind to pigeonhole and categorize that of which he has no real understanding; a self-stroking gesture intended to provide temporal if manufactured succor to his fragile, insecure and easily-bruised ego. It refers to a "potential for" intelligence, but renders no opinion as to whether that "potential" is active or inert: hence but a throwaway term lacking all substance used to fool his more simply-gulled contemporaries.
Worse-still, given the unassailable logic of the prior, to want to know what your "I.Q." is is to basically ask what someone else (who can't possibly know the answer) what your intelligence level may or may not be—quite obviously, an urge borne of a blatant insecurity level demonstrably counterproductive in any environment or application.
That said, Mensa's tests are exhaustive, and clearly represent the state-of-the-art of man's penchant for superimposing his lack of knowledge in a futile attempt to define wisdom down to a human level which ignores the inevitable primacy of the one true Wisdom, which is that of God alone.
"To fear the Lord your God is the beginning of Wisdom."
Sine qua non.
Suffice to say, your ability to comprehend what you're looking at and assimilate its import is as deficient as is your decision to select a "candidate" who insists he isn't running. Can you say, "I just don't have a frigging clue"?
I knew you could.
8^D
Zer0!
LMAO!!! Nice try... talk much? I made no assumptions, rather I asked what yours were. Try to follow, read slowly, and if it helps, "mouth" the words as you read. Should help with retention. Unless you're already doing that.
Mind you, not that there's anything wrong with that! Lots of people are slow like you.
8^D
Not one. Romney is done before he starts.
Romney was doomed a year ago, when he completely failed to connect with the Tea Party. I think that he and his advisers believed that the Tea Party would be seen as 'fringe', and that it would be short-lived.
Their prediction turned out to be 180 degrees out of sync with a rapidly evolving political reality of historic magnitude. Now Romney is disconnected and un-liked by the core base of the New Right.
No Republican can win the nomination, or be elected to the presidency without the solid support of the Tea Party, so yes, Romney may as well pack it in now.
Lie much?
More to the point, you must have an exceptionally low opinion of Col. West's honesty and integrity.
You assume.
You'd need magic to elect someone who refuses to run.
You assume in spite of his statement that he will "leave it to God's will." I suppose that went over your pin-sized head. LOL
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