Posted on 05/18/2011 12:17:51 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
A week ago, we’d have told you that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s presidential aspirations were kaput … and we’d have been correct.
Since then, however, four events have conspired to dramatically reshape the 2012 presidential race in her favor – although it remains to be seen whether Palin possesses the gravitas (or the political acumen) to exploit the opening.
The question is a simple one: Can Palin redefine herself as a credible candidate? Or will she continue down the pandering path of folksy non-specifics and sanctimonious indignation? Before we attempt to answer that question, let’s revisit the four seismic events of the past week that have vaunted Palin back into the forefront of the presidential conversation.
First, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney – the current front-runner for the GOP nomination – tried unsuccessfully last week to draw a distinction between his failed socialized medicine plan and the one pushed through Congress last year by U.S. President Barack Obama. The only problem? There’s not much of a distinction to be drawn …
Next, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee withdrew his name from 2012 consideration … leaving a huge swath of the GOP electorate (particularly social conservatives) without a candidate.
Then, billionaire real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump said he wasn’t going to seek the Republican presidential nomination next year, either … creating another opening for Palin to exploit.
Finally, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich‘s campaign has flat out imploded after he called a middle-of-the-road Republican budget-cutting plan “radical change” and an example of “right-wing social engineering.”
Obviously, we took a dim view of Palin in our initial assessment of the 2012 field, saying that she was “prone to excessive hyperventilation over all sorts of perceived indignities.”
“Our hope is that Palin will be able to transition from a whiny drama queen into a credible candidate,” we wrote at the time.
With Romney’s baggage, Huckabee and Trump’s exits and Gingrich’s implosion – it’s looking like she may get a chance to do just that. In fact, a new Gallup poll shows Palin trailing Romney by just two percentage points – not bad for a candidate who had recently seen her support plummet into single digits.
Obviously we come from the Kathleen Parker school of thought as it relates to Palin’s viability as a presidential candidate – which means we doubt she will be able to resist the whinier angels of her frequently atonal nature.
If she can do that, though … and accompany such a reinvention with specific pro-free market policy positions, we believe Palin could make one helluva candidate yet.
Comments?”
Yeah ... who the hell thought she was “coming back?”
From where? She’s in the news more than Bin Deaden.
I know you do your best to bring us all things Palin, but do we really need garbage like “FITS” on FR?
I think it’s actually a good assessment. Palin has to get more specific in her policy positions. If she does so, she’ll come across far more authoritative, bringing in a renewed look at her.
Correction: MEGA Barf Alert
It would be more newsworthy to see the headline:
“Barack Obama is Back (from the golf course)”!
For people who say Palin is an idiot, doesn’t matter, isn’t a factor, etc they sure seem to pay a lot of attention to every move she makes.
For people who say Palin is an idiot, doesn’t matter, isn’t a factor, etc they sure seem to pay a lot of attention to every move she makes.”
The irony of course, is that when there’s a lack of news, they report the lack of news. Just can’t quit that PDS.
Understand your point of view, but I’ve posted a lot worse trash from nastier sources. I think we need to know what’s out there and who’s saying what about our potential candidates and issues. Don’t believe in just posting “happy talk” threads about different subjects. Sometimes taught a class called “Know Your Enemy” to the troops, NCOs and officers when I was in the Army and I look at this as something similar.
Would you prefer to to see more from Politico, MSNBC, CNN, Huffington Post...?
I hope not. I am sure she is a wonderful person; but again, I hope not. And she is really married to some eye candy. Love it. But no.
Actually, I would. While they're clearly the opposition, they are at least matter because people read/watch them. By comparison, I fail to see what giving FITS more exposure would accomplish.
The Republican voters in the several states will make that choice. We could do MUCH worse, and have in the past. Who do you prefer?
Just curious. Is Will having very special hugs with Sarah in his fantasies like he was with Nikki Haley?
I haven’t decided. I am not sold any onyone yet.
Palin is not running so far.
No one is strong enough for me yet...not even Palin if she were running. (I know you swoon over her.)
I would like to see someone with The Donald’s mouth come forward.
I don’t “swoon” over her, I support her. Unlike some people, I’m not infatuated with her looks, I like her policies and see her charisma. I worked for Presidents Carter and Reagan and know what that position takes and what it’s really like better than most, even though I was just a spear carrier. Mitt Romney is about as much like President Reagan as Mr. Obama is.
I’m a big supporter of hers. I do agree that she can tend to take things too personally or respond to media or other criticism that is probably best ignored.
She can tend to get into feuds with people that do her no good. The stuff with Letterman and others didn’t help her.
If I had a piece of advice it would be to rise above it. I think she has improved lately and hasn’t responded as much. Witness Bill Maher calling her the c-word and she didn’t say anything.
I unnderstand how tough it is when you and your family are being personally attacked and of course anyone wants to respond. But discretion is the better part of valor sometimes.
I still think if she runs she’s in great shape. Without Huckabee and Trump she’s in a much better position than she was recently, really her best position in quite a while. I see her as having a very high ceiling but also the potential to just flame out. I think she either wins going away or just ends up doing very badly. I don’t see a middle ground.
I think if she runs and is serious about it and performs well and has a positive economic agenda and does well in retail politics and really engaging the folks out there...if she does all that she’ll be fine. No one else brings the exictement she does. No one else brings the interest.
Consider she’s where she is depite having been subject to nonstop attacks for the past 3 years almost, despite the media proclaiming her unelectable for 3 years, despite the media proclaiming her a laughingstock for 3 years, despite leaving office which in my view was the wrong decision and could end up being fatal to any further ambitions, and despite all the other drama. No one in the GOP field has even come close to that level of scrutiny. Lets see where they are once they do. She already a bit of an immuinity built up.
I mean one way of looking at it is that supposed GOP front runner, next in line, business genius, and money bags Mitt Romney who ran for all of 2007/8 and has already been running for over a month is basically tied with a total idiot and joke who quit halfway through her term, has been savaged by the media as well as the conservative and beltway elite, who the media has told everyone isn’t running, and in any event has no chance of beating Obama. Doesn’t really say much for him, does it?
I’m a big supporter of hers. I do agree that she can tend to take things too personally or respond to media or other criticism that is probably best ignored.
She can tend to get into feuds with people that do her no good. The stuff with Letterman and others didn’t help her.
If I had a piece of advice it would be to rise above it. I think she has improved lately and hasn’t responded as much. Witness Bill Maher calling her the c-word and she didn’t say anything.
I unnderstand how tough it is when you and your family are being personally attacked and of course anyone wants to respond. But discretion is the better part of valor sometimes.
I still think if she runs she’s in great shape. Without Huckabee and Trump she’s in a much better position than she was recently, really her best position in quite a while. I see her as having a very high ceiling but also the potential to just flame out. I think she either wins going away or just ends up doing very badly. I don’t see a middle ground.
I think if she runs and is serious about it and performs well and has a positive economic agenda and does well in retail politics and really engaging the folks out there...if she does all that she’ll be fine. No one else brings the exictement she does. No one else brings the interest. I think there are a lot of people that want her to do well, that want to support her but due to past history are skeptical for perfectly legitimate reasons. They’re waiting for her to show them, to convince them. I think she has a great opportunity to do so and if she does, she’ll be in great shape..
Consider she’s where she is depite having been subject to nonstop attacks for the past 3 years almost, despite the media proclaiming her unelectable for 3 years, despite the media proclaiming her a laughingstock for 3 years, despite leaving office which in my view was the wrong decision and could end up being fatal to any further ambitions, and despite all the other drama. No one in the GOP field has even come close to that level of scrutiny. Lets see where they are once they do. She already a bit of an immuinity built up.
I mean one way of looking at it is that supposed GOP front runner, next in line, business genius, and money bags Mitt Romney who ran for all of 2007/8 and has already been running for over a month is basically tied with a total idiot and joke who quit halfway through her term, has been savaged by the media as well as the conservative and beltway elite, who the media has told everyone isn’t running, and in any event has no chance of beating Obama. Doesn’t really say much for him, does it?
Seems like most of the lamestream are now looking to Sarah Palin to run. LOL.
What dummies. All in good time. She's always been 1000 miles ahead of everyone.
BTW! Watch her on Hannity tonight and on Eric Bolling's show right afterward on Fox Business Channel.
1) Right behind Romney is a VERY dangerous place to be...that's where all the statist stuff comes out and it might get on you.
2) Palin is BEHIND Willard the Giant Rat?? Who the hell did they poll? Meth cooks with cognitive difficulties?
There are probably times that's good advice but conservatives are already FAR too far in that direction. Everytime someone accuses them of something they either ignore it or preemptively apologize and they end up on the short end of the stick. EVERY single time. Conservatives are right, so they'll tend to win the battles in public opinion if they fight (which is probably why such an elaborate system has been erected to discourage them from doing so). I personally think Sarah won a lot of those confrontations (not with me but with the public), plus it makes leftists think twice about attacking conservatives if there's a possible downside. In the normal paradigm, the worst that can happen is they end up no worse off and the Pubbie ends up no better off than if the lib hadn't "risked" it. There IS no risk for them. The rules of the game as they've been played till now are broken. We have to reinvent the game, not just keep playing Charlie Brown to the libs football-snatching Lucy.
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.