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.
Yes, I’m fully aware that the article is out of Canada, but Canadian journalists spend a lot of time in the U.S., and as they write editorials such as this one on an almost daily basis in Canada Free Press, then one might be inclined to believe they get their information from a source, or sources that reflect an attitude in their writing style.
This fellow is reflecting an attitude in his writing style that tells me he spends too much time with RINO’s.
We need to quit worrying about the White House and concentrate on controlling both houses of Congress.
All your assertions about Sarah are really about your subjective reaction to her.
Her popularity, measured objectively, has been steadily increasing.
To do this, she must gradually reduce her exposure and begin to educate herself on the issues.
He’s a writer who can barely write. He’s a thinker with no thoughts worth repeating or considering.
Yet he somehow KNOWS what Sarah Palin “must” do. In his own profession, in his own life, he doesn’t know what to do or how to do it—yet he knows what Sarah Palin should do.
I worked more than 20 years in newsrooms with people like this guy. And the thing is, he’s an idiot. A complete idiot.
[See: that’s how you use a sentence fragement effectively.]
0zer0 won by 52%. That is NOT a landslide.
If Palin hadn’t been the VP candidate, then we’d have seen a landslide.
It was 45.7% to 53%.
Reagan won with only 50.7% in 1980, and it was still a landlside.
Because Carter only got 41%.
When McCain-Palin lost every single state they possibly could have, and a couple more that no one expected like Indiana North Carolina, and part of Nebraska, it is a landslide.
When McCain-Palin lost by more electoral votes than they carried, it is a landslide.
go for it Sarah! we love you! save us from ourselves!
Okay.
Crashing. Not yet burning.
“McCain-Lieberman cap-and-trade?
McCain-Kennedy amnesty for illegals?
McCain-Feingold campaign-finance reform?
Supporting al-Qaeda terrorists in Kosovo and Albania?
Bailing out the big New York banks?
Calling Obama “a decent man”?
Leaving hundreds of U.S. POWs to rot in Vietnam and shutting down efforts to rescue them?
Taking bribes and kickbacks from bankers during the S&L crisis in the ‘80s?”
And yet we pushed him to the forefront and made him our candidate. It’s remarkable to me. Given all that he stood for, how on earth could Sarah Palin have agreed to be on HIS ticket??? Oh well, unless she comes out against a “path to citizenship” she won’t get my vote either. Sadly, far too many are willing to overlook was seems to be few if any differences between them and will attempt to shove her to the front. Surely we can find someone who embodies ALL that we’re looking for....including NO amnesty.
She made no statements on her position BEFORE joining up with McShamesty, inspite of S2611. She made no statement DURING the running that she was in opposition to McShamnesty, but she did make the statement I linked where she stated she supports MCSHAMESTY and she has YET to refute it. Let me know if or when she changes her mind. I may reconsider.
Psh. If you listen to some Freepers, it's not just finding "someone who embodies ALL that we're looking for." It's about finding someone who's that, and has charisma, and is popular, and is "viable" (of course, that last part is very subjective).
Never mind the fact that elections should not be mere popularity contests but should be literally, hiring decisions for capable and competent leaders and managers.
So the idea that Palin couldn't measure up to Obama is ludicrous. She lost because she was shackled to a corpse.
You would have to point out one of those such FReepers.
I don’t know of any Palin supporters who didn’t vote for her.
Anyone who would vote for her 3 years from now also voted for her last year.
You’re serious? You’ve never come across a FReeper who was eligible to vote for McCain-Palin and yet didn’t?
They smugly chime in on every thread where McCain has said something damn-fool-RINO-stupid (so a few times a week then), loudly not understanding that they themselves have stabbed America in the back.
That’s right, at least not one who was a Sarah Palin supporter.
Lol, we are very impressed, thanks for sharing that with us.
New Poll: Palin a GOP Rock Star
Friday, November 7, 2008 10:13 PM
Article Font Size
Despite some news reports suggesting otherwise, a new poll shows that Sarah Palin was a definite asset to John McCain in his run for the White House.
According to a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, 69 percent of Republican voters say the Alaska governor helped McCain’s bid for the presidency. Twenty percent of GOP voters said she hurt the ticket, six percent said she had no effect, and 5 percent were undecided.
Other results of the poll:
91 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of Palin.
65 percent of Republicans have a very favorable view of Palin.
8 percent of Republicans have an unfavorable view of Palin.
3 percent of Republicans have a very unfavorable view of Palin.
64 percent of Republicans say Palin is their top choice for the GOP 2012 presidential nominee.
12 percent of Republicans say Mike Huckabee is their top choice for the GOP 2012 presidential nominee.
11 percent of Republicans say Mitt Romney is their top choice for the GOP 2012 presidential nominee.
The problem with your attack is that Palin is the current front runner for the republican nomination and has been since the 2008 election.
This isn't the usual case of the conservatives trying to push their candidate through the rino blockade in an attempt to break through the anti conservative wall, this time our candidate is already at the top and the rinos are having to push their liberals forward, work that you seem willing to assist them with.
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