Posted on 07/02/2009 9:30:03 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Sounds far-fetched and, to some, totally implausible. But the Republicans are losing potential candidates at a pace that is downright alarming if you believe in a healthy two-party system. The demise of John Ensign’s political career a few weeks ago and the surreal downfall of Mark Sanford last week is enough to send chills through the even the most optimistic Republican strategist. We know that of the 2008 crop, only Mitt Romney seems likely to stay on as a contender. The old stalwarts like Newt Gingrich may get a lot of press, but it is unlikely they can mount a real challenge to Obama in 2012. Yet, the presidential election of 2012 will be more than a simple coronation of Barack Obama if the economy stalls and there is no progress in two important areas: national security and healthcare.
Ballooning deficits and a sluggish economy could alter the mood of America by the time the 2010 mid-terms come up, giving hope to the GOP for the next presidential primary season. This is why Sarah Palin is maintaining a persistent media presence, whether it is debating David Letterman or being the biggest Republican draw on the lecture circuit. She clearly has her eyes set on the presidency.
The latest edition of Vanity Fair brings this possibility forward, though not in a favourable light. Journalist Todd Purdhom paints a picture of a woman with a narcissistic personality, who’s short on knowledge, disinterested in policy discussion, and not ready for primetime. In the end, the story says more about John McCain’s competence and character than it does about Palin, simply because he flubbed his most important decision as a presidential candidate. That said, Palin brought much needed energy to an otherwise lackluster campaign and, to this day, she energizes the base as no other candidate can. Could it be possible she may someday be a candidate for the presidency?
My experience tells me that no one should be written off in a hypothetical context. Barack Obama is proof positive of this. I still maintain that, without Bush, there is no Obama nomination. Palin is a street smart politician who has benefited from being underestimated most of her career. McCain’s disastrous choice may have been fatal to his electoral chances, but it brought Palin to the forefront of national attention. Since then, she has become a celebrity that transcends her party. However, if she is to be taken seriously and considered a viable contender, she needs to change the negative perceptions of her and develop a political profile that appeals to those outside her narrow base.
To do this, she must gradually reduce her exposure and begin to educate herself on the issues. She will not be ready for 2012 by remaining governor of Alaska and playing the celebrity. The GOP has too proud a tradition to have a re-run of the 2008 vice-presidential candidate. Also, the base Palin relies on for support no longer holds the sway it once did. Social conservatism is losing steam as a political movement thanks to the dubious habits of people like Gingrich, Ensign and Sanford, and the election of an African-American president as well as the increased attention paid to gay rights issues shows that Americans have begun to cast their old divisions aside. The future for the GOP lies with fiscal conservatism and strong national security policy—not with turning back the clock. Palin must embrace the values that created the Republican party in the first place—a belief in the individual, a belief in a limited role for the state, and a commitment to equality. The party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and (the pragmatic version of) Reagan is the path to a Republican resurgence. Palin is nowhere on that radar. She is all about celebrity status and controversy.
In the lead-up to July 4, Americans usually reflect on their great democracy. Overall, it is healthy and has shown resilience through the decades. But the Republicans have to become a viable alternative for this democracy to remain vibrant. So is Palin a real possibility for 2012 or 2016? Will she someday be a formal candidate for the presidency? Most definitely. But can she ever win? Based on what we have observed so far, I would say definitely not, though politics has been known to produce some strange developments.
I was impressed with Governor Palin’s debate with Joe Biden and by the end I gave her the win.
oh pu-leaaassseee....
People had to opportunity to choose her over 0bama, and they passed by the millions.
__________________________________________
And many millions more passed when offered your boy RINO Romney...
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Mitty is damaged goods...
Better not run him again...
He should have stayed a ballerina
That was one son, not 5
I worked for Reagan when he first ran for Gov.
I saw him many times in person, met and talked with him.
and as Pres.
That my friend is the big issue...but when the lazy mouth-breathing bottom-feeders don't get their free car and house from the magic Negro...the tide will turn....
No the San Diego Zoo is about 7 blocks from me
How do you know this? She hasn't done it on her own yet; she was under the aegis the McCain campaign in 2008, Why not give her a chance rather than dissing her right off the bat?
Right, all 58,343,671 votes were for Palin.
And they were about 10 million short.
So why do we want to revisit that again?
Everyone knows it was really a Palin vs. 0bama election.
We said it back then. Everyone said it back then.
So why do we want a rematch after already losing that race once before?
I disagree. Obama was elected because so many people thought he spoke well. (So did Hitler but people don’t remember that). They didn’t even know anything about his policies and they believed his lies about people not being taxed extra if they made less than 250,000 dollars a year. They were fools but then America is FILLED with fools today, unfortunately, and most of them vote Democrat because they want government to give them handouts and keep them comfy.
We need to fight fire with fire and come up with a professional looking, young, handsome candidate with a clean family life and solid conservative values. That’s someone like John Thune.
http://thune.senate.gov/public/_images/thune-hires.jpg
Can you provide some proof that Sarah Palin supports a “path to citizenship” for illegal aliens?
And, please don’t post McCain’s platform. I want to see something more directly tied to her than that.
Oh...
Never mind...
Gov. Palin was’t on the top of the ticket and wasn’t the one running the campaign.
Get a clue
THERE IS NO 2012 ELECTION!
Just as the Soviets took control of Russia, the Nazis took control of Germany, and Castro took control of Cuba, there are no longer any fair elections, here, so long as we live.
Do you honestly think that the Marxist/Fascists will pick up their marbles and go home after something so insignificant as a mere election?
Once again, I hope I am wrong.
But history bears me out.
Actually it was the proxiamtely of 10 miles and Romney’s new SD home ...
:)
Uh yeah...there's that too....would be nice to see her not dragging a tired old RHINO behind her...(no disrespect meant for McCain as a war vet and POW survivor...)
Yet you just signed up for your new FR account, conservatives despise McCain and have for more than a decade. Did you skip the entire election cycle, have you just missed all of the anti McCain venom thrown out over the years, do you read anything here at FR?
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