As the old military adage attributed to Omar Bradley goes, "Amateurs talk about strategy and professionals talk about logistics."
The “logistics” of a serious Presidential campaign designed to actually WIN consists of organization and massive fund-raising.
Serious Presidential runs cost tens of millions of dollars. Even with all the donations raked in by the Clinton political machine and even with $11.4 million of her own money that Hillary lent to her own campaign, Hillary's campaign had $9.5 million in unpaid bills at the end of April, 2008.
When Reagan announced in 1979, his professional logistical infrastructure had been in place since his 1976 run and had been enhanced since then.
By contrast, Palin has teased (and teased and teased) about “strategy” but has done absolutely NOTHING about logistics.
Palin fund-raising infrastructure muscle?
Here is a dose of reality:
“The Undefeated” (the 1969 movie) grossed $8 million in theaters. (Equivalent to $47 million in 2010 dollars.)
This year's foreign language film "Sarah's Key" grossed $6.8 million in theaters.
By stark contrast, “The Undefeated” (the Sarah Palin movie) grossed $116,000 in theaters.
If Palin does announce a “run”, without any logistics, all she will be able to offer you will be a Donald Trump-style or Newt Gingrich-style "phony campaign” which requires no spending.
"Phony campaigns” are run, every four years, by Ralph Nader and Ron Paul. The purpose of such a “phony campaign” is not to actually win but to attract the TV cameras. No staff is hired. No advertising is bought. The only expenses are travel expenses to where the TV cameras will be at the next debate or photo-op.
Donald Trump ran an “unannounced phony campaign” earlier this year just as Palin has been doing for months.
Without any logistics preparation, all that a Palin announcement will mean is that she will then be running an “unannounced phony campaign” like Newt Gingrich is running right now.
Nothing so unnerves the enemy as deception and unpredictability. Nothing is more important to victory. Napoleon, Hannibal, Ulysses S. Grant, Norman Schwarzkopf and others used the technique masterfully.
The difference between Napoleon, Hannibal, Grant and Schwarzkopf is that the target of the "unpredictability" was the enemy but, in Palin’s case, the target is YOU and your wallet.
Palin’s supporters are being strung along in order to maintain Palin’s celebrity status as long as possible in order to keep her from being “yesterday’s news” and drying up her celebrity earning potential.
That is the only “strategy” in play and it is working extremely well.
The cost is that the media gleefully focuses on the latest weekly episode of the “Sarah Drama” to boost their own ratings just like they focused on the “Charlie Sheen Drama” to boost their own ratings. That diverts attention from Obama’s failures. This past week, instead of focusing on the Obama/Solyndra scandal, the media attention was focused on the latest episode of the “Sarah Drama”.
The cost is also that Palin’s loyal followers have gotten into a mindset that does nothing but help Obama. As has been posted by Palin followers on FR:
- “If Sarah does not get it, Obama can have it.”
- “No Palin, no peace.” (Post 23 of this thread)
- “If Sarah is not on the ballot in November, I will write in her name.”
uh oh, now you’ve done it.