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Can Sarah Palin translate celebrity into real political power?
The Washington Post ^ | February 14, 2010 | Dan Balz

Posted on 02/13/2010 8:31:36 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Sarah Palin has proved that she can draw a crowd. What she has yet to demonstrate is that she can translate the appeal of a phenomenon into a political force that can attract or mobilize sizable numbers of voters.

The former Alaska governor is the Republican Party's biggest celebrity. She has given voice to a grass-roots movement grounded in anger with Washington and President Obama's policies. But her political future remains in question. Is she presidential timber? A force only within the Republican Party? A protest candidate like George Wallace (minus the racial divisiveness) or Ross Perot?

--snip--

"Right now, she is a figure like [George] McGovern or [Barry] Goldwater, two candidates who led the most intense movements in our country's political history, but who couldn't win the middle."

If Palin harbors presidential ambitions, she has a huge mountain to climb. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 71 percent of Americans do not think the politician who was Sen. John McCain's running mate in 2008 is qualified to be president.

Those numbers are so daunting that some Republicans who otherwise admire what she has accomplished doubt that she will run in 2012. Others say that unless she can transform attitudes dramatically, she cannot hope to win a general election. Still, GOP strategist Phil Musser said, "if she ran for president today, she would be the Republican nominee."

Musser's comments are notable because he is an adviser to Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), who is eyeing a 2012 candidacy of his own. Palin's political future remains "very much an open question," Musser said, "but the intensity that she brought to the ticket in 2008 hasn't faded, and one could argue that perhaps it's been enhanced."(continued)

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Issues; Parties; Polls
KEYWORDS: 2010polls; 2012; dnc4romney; msm4romney; mythromney; obama4romney; operationleper; palin; pimpingromney; politics; romney; romney4obama; sarahpalin; schmidtheads; teaparty; teapartyrebellion
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To: ari-freedom

According to CBS News, only 29% of registered voters considered then presidential candidate Barack Obama experienced enough to be President in August of 2007, just six months before the Iowa caucuses. This CBS News poll shows that a plurality of Democrat primary voters considered Obama to lack the experience to serve as President. By a almost a 2-to-1 margin, Independents answered the question negatively.
http://www.conservatives4palin.com/


21 posted on 02/13/2010 9:12:13 PM PST by unseen1
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To: SoConPubbie

You’d do better than to make ad hominem attacks on people you have no knowledge of.


22 posted on 02/13/2010 9:13:05 PM PST by CaptRon
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To: unseen1

Obama had 6 months to convince the people

Palin has 3 years.

enough said


23 posted on 02/13/2010 9:14:24 PM PST by unseen1
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To: CaptRon
Ignorant? I made my living gettying Repulicans elected for 5 years. She is unelectable. What is your experienced. Conecticutt? How many Repubs in office there?

Wow, color me impressed.

There are many people who do what you claim to have done, such as Steve Schmidt that are complete and worthless people and help their candidates to losing records.

Not really concerned about what you have done in the past, or even how successful you may have been.

What I am interested in, is why you think she is unelectable.

Your references to your employment history not withstanding, you've really only posted an unsubstantiated opinion with out any relevant supporting logic or facts.
24 posted on 02/13/2010 9:14:34 PM PST by SoConPubbie
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Still, GOP strategist Phil Musser said, “if she ran for president today, she would be the Republican nominee.”

Mr Musser is a smart fellow.

25 posted on 02/13/2010 9:16:26 PM PST by SmokingJoe
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To: SoConPubbie

My advice is not to post to that guy. He likes the attention. Calling someone who has been on this forum for three years a “new freeper” is ridiculous. I think someone around here is judged by the quality of their posts, not their longevity on the site. By that standard, your posts exceed his by a furlong or two.


26 posted on 02/13/2010 9:16:58 PM PST by Brices Crossroads
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To: CaptRon
I have a reputation for NOT doing that.

Really?

Is that what that first post was?
27 posted on 02/13/2010 9:17:07 PM PST by SoConPubbie
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To: Brices Crossroads
My advice is not to post to that guy. He likes the attention. Calling someone who has been on this forum for three years a “new freeper” is ridiculous. I think someone around here is judged by the quality of their posts, not their longevity on the site. By that standard, your posts exceed his by a furlong or two.

Thanks.
28 posted on 02/13/2010 9:18:08 PM PST by SoConPubbie
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To: SoConPubbie

Well, I’m not a liar. Just another unsubstiated ad hominem attack from you. As I said earlier, you’re just a nasty new FReeper looking for a fight. We all get to give an opinion here. You might be right. I might be. I guess we will both see. In the meantime, lighten up. And get civilized, like we all used to be.


29 posted on 02/13/2010 9:18:22 PM PST by CaptRon
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To: ari-freedom

Statistics show that 98% of those polled lie to the pollster.


30 posted on 02/13/2010 9:19:56 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (I will raise $2 million for Sarah Palin: What will you do?)
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To: CaptRon

She makes it easy for them to ridicule her, yes. Because they ridicule true conservatives like bats out of hell.

But she makes it very difficult—so far, impossible—for their ridicule to succeed. Politically, this ability to foil the democrats is extremely powerful.


31 posted on 02/13/2010 9:20:01 PM PST by reasonisfaith (Hey you noble leftists. If what you are doing is worth anything, it should be worth saying out loud.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

But the others should be paying close attention, Castellanos said. “Mitt Romney, Pawlenty and every other Republican contender ought to be worried,” he said. “An authentic, populist voice has emerged as the anti-Obama and that voice doesn’t belong to the Republican establishment. It belongs to Sarah Palin.”

Expanded political team


32 posted on 02/13/2010 9:20:06 PM PST by unseen1
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To: CaptRon
Ignorant? I made my living gettying Repulicans elected for 5 years. She is unelectable. What is your experienced. Conecticutt? How many Repubs in office there?

BTW, my use of the word ignorant was to prove a point. You may or may not be ignorant, however, you're first post was mostly a post in the same vein, it was a slander.

How does it feel?

Having someone state something negative about you without any facts or logic to support it?
33 posted on 02/13/2010 9:20:11 PM PST by SoConPubbie
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
She already has. What a ridiculouos dufus! The brain of the author of this inanity operates at about the same speed as the moron who became wealthy for penning a song which started with the line, "I believe our children are the future..."

NO! No you don't. Not really you don't! Really...?

I suppose even the dullest of minds has a genius for belaboring the obvious. Truly impressive.

;-/

34 posted on 02/13/2010 9:22:16 PM PST by Gargantua (DON'T TREAD ON US.)
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To: SoConPubbie

A slander?! How so? You called me ignorant and biased. That was your first post to me. Do you have a legal background? I would guess not.


35 posted on 02/13/2010 9:25:03 PM PST by CaptRon
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To: J Edgar

Well, the “not qualified” c**p has just about gotten on my last nerve. She is more qualified than any president that we have had since Bush I. She has more life experience than any man even contemplating running for president. And beside the one who is currently holding that office, she looks like a giant in experience. Enough already. I’m convinced that the only thing that would ever get the pundits to pronounce her qualified would be for her to have a sex change. The metro-sexuals who pronounce her unfit, hate women and want them to keep their “place”.


36 posted on 02/13/2010 9:25:20 PM PST by WVNan (I hate the liberal news corpse..)
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To: CaptRon
There are many people who do what you claim to have done

Absolutley provable, and to to claim I am lying IS slander. You want to get into it?

37 posted on 02/13/2010 9:27:30 PM PST by CaptRon
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To: WVNan

they will overplay their hand soon and the public will see them for the sexists they are.

Out of their own mouths will the condemn themselves. Charles Kuarthammer has already done so with his “leave the room” comment. Others are suggesting that she bea “cheerleader” for the GOP. the sexists remarks are still building but the GOP elites need to be very careful or they will lose the woman vote like they have lost the black vote for the next 60 years.


38 posted on 02/13/2010 9:28:48 PM PST by unseen1
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Her ability to “draw a crowd” was clear over a year ago. What has happened since that time is more significant, even though the media and Palin-haters will do anything to diminish it’s importance.

She has become the most likely focal point for the unprecedented wave of anti-government populism that is sweeping the nation. Whether you agree with her on every point is immaterial - many people did not agree with every thing Barack Obama said either, but they identified with him as the focal point of their frustration with Bush, and desire for change. The pendulum will have swung far to the right by 2012, as global forces will keep the economy as the central issue. Obama is proving that he is totally ineffective in addressing this overarching problem, and Sarah Palin’s common-sense conservativism will be just what voters will be hungry for.


39 posted on 02/13/2010 9:29:24 PM PST by bigbob
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To: CaptRon

Even better. Diversity of jurisdiction. A federal case. BTW. I’m also a paralegal. What to call me a liar on that?


40 posted on 02/13/2010 9:30:48 PM PST by CaptRon
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