Posted on 12/02/2010 4:05:00 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
One prominent Republican calls on his party to drum Palin out of the 2012 race. Here's why he'll be disappointed.
"Morning Joe" Scarborough earned a splash of attention within the politerati this week with a Politico column calling on the Republican Party to "man up" and denounce Sarah Palin. His main point is that Palin is poison for the Grand Old Party:
The most-talked-about figure in the GOP is a reality show star who cannot be elected. And yet the same leaders who fret that Sarah Palin could devastate their party in 2012 are too scared to say in public what they all complain about in private.
The GOP-congressman-turned-MSNBC-host urged his party comrades to speak out publicly against the former half-term Alaska governor. Scarborough, though, is likely to end up disappointed, because when it comes to Palin, GOPers have good cause for wimping out.
In his article, Scarborough viciously derided Palin's qualifications: "What man or mouse with a fully functioning human brain and a résumé as thin as Palin's would flirt with a presidential run?" And he challenged GOPers to call her out, noting, "If Republicans want to embrace Palin as a cultural icon whose anti-intellectualism fulfills a base political need, then have at it. I suppose it’s cheaper than therapy." But, he added, if the Republican Party "wants to return to the White House anytime soon, it's time that Republican leaders started standing up and speaking the truth to Palin."
But Scarborough left something out: Who does he expect to go mano-a-mano with Palin within Republican circles? There are no big grizzlies with the strength to knock her out of the presidential contest. And the party structure does not afford a group of insiders the mechanism to bar Palin from the presidential jamboree, if she wants in. Some prominent GOPers have taken swipes at her. Karl Rove dissed her as a reality-TV star. Barbara Bush said she hoped Palin would stay in Alaska.
But all this was the political equivalent of a few mosquitoes buzzing around Palin. She can easily swat away such quips, and these stings don't have much impact. In fact, though Jeb Bush said he had to side with his mother in the Babs-versus-Sarah feud "because she's my mother," he also praised Palin for having "an incredible skill to connect with people" and for possessing "fantastic political instincts." That is, he played nice. Not exactly what Scarborough is looking for.
A few nasty remarks from W.'s mom, Rove, or anyone else won't impede Palin. If she's going to be blocked from snatching the GOP 2012 presidential nomination, it will be by her competitors: Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Mike Pence, Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, and other potential presidential wannabes. Yet none of these pols will take a poke at her at this stage, because Palin, whether she runs or not, could well end up a kingmaker in the race.
In a recent poll, Palin narrowly led the GOP presidential field with 21 percent of the vote. Gingirch had 19 percent; Romney, 18 percent. And she remains popular among many Republicans, whether they are inclined to vote for her in 2012 or not. If Palin chooses not to seek the presidency, surely she will be in a position to influence the race. She could do so by endorsing a candidate—or by issuing a series of tweets and Facebook messages about the contenders. The same could happen if she runs but fails to win early and drops out. Consequently, the other probable 2012 contestants don't want to alienate Palin and her flock. (One-fifth of the GOP voting pool is a large group to tick off.) And any Republican closely associated with any of these candidates also would not want to get on the wrong side of the woman from Wasilla. That could earn Palin's wrath for the candidate he or she supports.
Thus, it was hardly surprising that Romney rode to Palin's rescue, when a Politico story last month cited unnamed GOP players assailing Palin. When Palin's new book came out, Romney kindly tweeted, "Thanks @SarahPalinUSA for the kind words in your new book about the role of faith in public life. Hope it's a bestseller."
It's not in the interest of Romney and the rest of the pack to whack Palin—until it's absolutely necessary. If she does enter the fray and goes on to become the frontrunner, at some point, the other candidates will have no choice but to fire away. Of course, it could be too late then to stop her. But as long as she is merely a presidential tease or a second-tier candidate, it will be a risky (or dumb) move for any of the candidates to slam her and upset her supporters. No doubt, each of the 2012 GOP candidates will be eager to see someone else take the first poke at Palin. But there's a basic dynamic at play: Don't strike the queen, unless you can kill the queen. And it's hard to kill a queen with so many devoted followers.
From his comfortable perch in cable TV-land, Scarborough can try to foment an anti-Palin movement within the Republican Party. But given the political fundamentals—pols tend to be risk averse and refrain from taking bold steps that can hurt their career prospects—he's not going to find too many GOPers manly enough to heed his stop-Sarah call to arms. But his crusade should make for good TV.
As proof of that last sentence, watch this:
(VIDEO AT LINK)
Neither side in the political elite camp like her,In fact they are scared of her because she represents a formidable challenge to their power.She is the real deal for middle America.
thanks for the informational replies; not in a sensory deprivation chamber- lots and lots of stuff going on in the world right now other than SP.
Like I said- if the Dems and RINO’s both hate her so much, then there is something to her.
I’m a conservative guy who works as a doc and my business is being taken over by the Feds; I’m in the trenches every day fighting this crap (big government). It’s kind of depressing to come here and ask a question like I did and get flamed by folks from my own side.
we’re not gonna win that way, we’re just going get called small minded and bitter. Because I do not know everything about SP, or the politics of Alaska does not make me an ignoramus. some of us have more time to delve into those things, and I was hoping to gain from their expertise. Thanks again to those who helped- and if I am asking these questions, then many, many more are asking the same. They need to know the truth, not be called names!
Clarence, tell us: what would you have done, if in her position of having to defend against numerous ethics complaints brought on by your political enemies, about the mounting legal bills ($500,000 and climbing) that are threatening to financially ruin your family; the millions of state funds diverted to have staff deal with complying with records needed to answer each and every complaint, not to mention the wasted man hours of state employees diverted from their jobs handling the matter, and with no end in sight?
Oh and the same ethics rules that are being used against you, also effectively tie your hands in your battle.
She was not only responsible for the State of Alaska, but for her family’s well being. She served both by resigning.
Is it the mark of a good leader to allow such a situation to continue to fester, draining more time and money away from the task of governing? Or is the mark of a good leader, one who does truly care about her people and state, to pass the reins of state on to another, not so encumbered by such petty political games?
And in case you havent been paying attention: Sarah has never stopped supporting her state or it’s people, after regrouping and reloading, she’s come out swinging... And not just for Alaska, but for our country.
The gloves are off.
Would you hang onto a job where it cost you twice your salary, in legal bills, to hold? Me neither.
Those that hate her reuse to look at her strengths.
Those that love her ignore any weaknesses.
Really corko?
Questioning Palin's decision to walk away from elected office is now grounds for a mental evaluation?
Quite the opposite, I'd say.
-btw When was the last time you had a checkup?
Ole Joe has a national audience of about one person out of every 1,000 Americans {350,000} and most of those are in NY or DC so not many in fly over country are influenced {or even know about} joe scarface.
Fair enough, Clarence.
You have to understand, that that question you asked, has been brought up so many times around here, by PDS afflicted trolls, that it’s wearing thin
I suppose we should expect more people to ask it again, just as long as it’s not the same person, over and over again. The more shes’ in the press, the more people, who may not follow such things as closely, like a lot here do, will start to take notice and ask.
Hopefully we’ve given you a satisfactory answer.
LOL Yeah, we’re dumb alright. When you know right from wrong, that makes us “unsophisticated”. When you embrace “the ends justify the means” like the COMMUNISTS do, instead of traditional modes of ethics and morality, you are then deemed “first tier sophisticates.”
I suppose I will never escape the scorn of Corn.
Dan, Clarence has been at FR even longer than you.
For an FR vet like that, to ask that question shows that he wasn't "series" because if he was, he's too stupid to comprehend any answer.
A thinking person can't be at FR for over 10 years, and not know the answer to that question, which was intended to do exactly what it has done.
For Clarence to say, he likes EVERYTHING about Sarah, except the fact that she is a quitter is plain bullshit.
She should of pulled a Mitt. Do nothing for two years, then run for office the second two years in offices, abandoning the state to the evil Democrats. ( Oh, and cementing the socialization of medicine in the state ).
As a leader, he abandoned the troops in his command. Not that a Romney male would know anything about loyalty or fight, or troops since no one single one has ever served, in any capacity, not once, in the US military since they came to the country before the Civil War. If there was ever a longer linage of cowardliness and non-Patriotism, I’m not aware of it.
FrankR,
I’m saving your post for future use if you don’t mind...well said and spot on!
Regards,
Horsey
Not exactly.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE4AC7V620081113
(Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama said on Thursday he would resign his U.S. Senate seat effective Sunday, which means he will not participate in next week's post-election session that could address the ailing economy and struggling auto industry.
I merely think these are reasonable questions for our side to ask prior to the primary so we ensure that the strongest, most conservative, most electable candidate to counter Obama is picked.
Others would rather squelch the debate and accuse others of being RINOs, ignorant (”over your head”), or insane.
I just want our side to defeat Obama in 2012, and this is part of the process.
I recognoze "RAT talking points when I see them. You may view them as "legitimate" if you like.
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.