Posted on 02/21/2010 7:31:41 PM PST by Brices Crossroads
For a number of weeks now, I have noticed here on Free Republic an increase in the number of posters who say that former Governor Sarah Palin is unelectable. he reasons proffered are usually two fold: First, her resignation as Governor of Alaska forever brands her as a quitter, and the American people will never elect a quitter. Second, she has been so damaged by the hostile MainStream Media, and will be further damaged in another campaign that she can never defeat Barack Obama in a general election. Leaving aside the criticisms of her for the moment (inasmuch as they have been addressed and debated in numerous other posts), I maintain that the 2012 election will be a referendum on Barack Obama. If he has succeeded, he will likely be returned to office. If, on the other hand, he has failed, he will be defeated, in effect fired by the American people. The GOP nominee, whoever that is, will in all probability become the 45th President of the United States. In a word, the GOP nomination will be worth having.
Which begs the question, and I address it specifically to those posters among you who have been quick to point out your perception of Palin's flaws, including and especially her alleged "unelectability": name the potential candidate(s) you believe a) would be a better President; and b) have the political skills and appeal to defeat her in a GOP primary. As the saying goes, you cannot beat something with nothing.
Voting against Romney? Are you assuming McCain voters will switch to Palin or Huckabee??
That would be a problem. Actually knowing policy is somehow not as important as preening to a camera.
On the contrary.
If Sarah Palin runs in 2012, those who are not committed to voting for her in the primary will have to learn to talk to the majority of Republican voters who were convinced in 2008 that she should have been our nominee.
You don’t think someone paid to do this is smart, do you?
The presstitutes who bail early on the Dear Leader might have a shred of their reputations salvaged, but most need to follow BO into the dustbin of infamy.
When this happens, honorable people like Sarah who stood up to the enemedia will be highly electable. Those who tried, instead, to curry favor with it will be almost as discredited as the presstitute lap dogs and their royal creations.
Ooohh and she's such a good speaker too. This is exactly the same language that was used regarding Obama in 2008. Not everybody does hero worship, in fact some of us are repulsed by it.
I am interested in serious, principled people who are committed to getting the job done. Given the current circumstances, there should be no shortage of such candidates coming to the forefront in 2012. If Palin decides to run, there will be plenty of debates where the candidates can discuss serious matters; if she can hold her own in such forums, more power to her. But using her two minutes to talk about what a maverick she is and to tell us the country is in trouble (stuff we already know), while the rest of the candidates are making real policy proposals just isn't going to cut it.
EXCELLENT!!!
“For crying out loud. I’m not deriding her.”
Who accused you of that? Not me. I simply asked you who you thought would be better and who you thought would beat her.
I think all the people on FR whom you call “fencesitters” ought to ask yourself who else the GOP has to offer before you repeat the MSM talking points against her.
Many people who are attacking her, and I exclude you becasue I can’t recall your posts, are doing so because they are trying to serve another candidate, likely Romney, (for whatever reason), but they do not wish to admit it.
Any of you who are truly fencesitters, in repeating the same tired MSM talking points, should ask yourself: Unless I have a good faith belief that some other conservative could defeat her for the nomination, does it make sense to attack her as a quitter or damaged goods, etc.
Please name a candidate as conservative as Palin and with any name recognition at all.
It’s going to be Palin or it’s going to be Romney.
The establishment is pushing hard for Romney. The majority of the base rank and file want Palin.
That is the battle as it will develop...no fantasy candidate is going to come out of the blue in the Republican Primary....that’s not how it works.
Watch and learn.
By 2007 Palin was starting to draw real attention from conservatives.
“I would hope that a paid operative could come up with better material.”
That is the best they have, and it won’t be nearly good enough, because someone has to step out of the shadows and take her on. And there is no one who can. If there was, it would be self evident. I can’t pry it out of any of you with a crowbar.
Exactly, I mean, exactly how I feel. Good post.
I'd say so, pollsters and pundits have it anywhere from tossup to leaning R.
There's a special election on May 18th to fill the unexpired term of the expired Murtha.
The regular party primaries to pick the November ballot candidates are also May 18th.
I'll be backing Bill Russell, of course.
For anyone who was paying attention during the 2008 general election, there was a feeling amongst Republican voters that our ticket was upside down. This was so strong, that you could nearly read people's minds at every McCain/Palin rally. It even showed in the photographs, and was certainly starkly apparent to everyone who was actually at any of their events.
Sarah Palin ignited a level of unbridled passion and enthusiasm in the conservative center-right that hasn't been seen since 1980.
Palin is an historic figure. She doesn't fit the profile of the average US politician, but has more in common with the giants in our history. Americans who are watching her now, should count themselves among the lucky few who were graced to observe a once-in-an-era person of such magnitude in real time.
None of what I'm saying about her is hype. I have never been so thoroughly, and honestly bowled over by any politician. I know that I speak for tens of millions of other Republican voters. None of us has ever witnessed anything quite like her before.
To answer your question...not only do I believe that most McCain voters are a lock for Sarah Palin. I believe that she will draw most of the supporters from every other potential Republican running.
Did you read the quotes upthread about what "the experts" had to say during Reagan's primary run? We are headed for another conservative miracle in America, and her name is Sarah Palin.
Huckabee probably isn’t running and of course most of McCain’s votes would go to Palin over Mitt Romney, if anything Romney will be less liked by that portion of the base next time.
“I am interested in serious, principled people who are committed to getting the job done. Given the current circumstances, there should be no shortage of such candidates coming to the forefront in 2012.”
“getting the job done”. Let’s see, “real policy proposals”. That kind of syntactical gobbledegook sounds like it was minted at Romney Central. Is Mitt the man behind the mask, and are you Tonto? Inquiring minds want to know.....
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