Posted on 11/09/2010 5:51:12 PM PST by TitansAFC
WASHINGTON -- Republican triumphs in the recent U.S. congressional elections have left the party with an ironic dilemma: The woman who played such a key role in igniting their conservative base is also the woman they fear the most.
Sarah Palin -- either adored or abhorred in the United States, depending on one's political perspective -- is considered one of the biggest winners following last week's mid-term elections.
The former Alaska governor backed some 60 Tea Party candidates, about half of whom won, while targeting 20 Democrats for certain defeat. Eighteen lost.
Yet in the corridors of power on Capitol Hill, there is a determined and focused effort underway among the Republican elite to find a candidate who can handily beat Palin for the nomination. In recent days, the "Blame Palin" strategy has stepped out from the shadows.
Spencer Bachus, a Republican congressman from Alabama, has pointed to Palin and the Tea Party movement for his party's failure to capture the U.S. Senate in addition to the House.
"The Senate would be Republican today except for states (in which Palin endorsed candidates) like Christine O'Donnell in Delaware," Bachus told an Alabama newspaper. "Sarah Palin cost us control of the Senate."
Although Tea Party candidates did well in House races, Bachus added, "they didn't do very well at all" in their attempts to win Senate seats.
Conservative icon Rush Limbaugh, the radio-show host who wields tremendous influence over the party, has been railing against such anti-Palin forces in recent days.
"What's going on here, folks, is very simple," said Limbaugh, who's a big Palin booster.
"They want to establish a lie very firmly in the minds of the public that the Tea Party hurt the Republican party in these elections. They want to use this to stop Sarah Palin. Republican insiders are trying to figure out now how to stop Sarah Palin."
Why the Palin fears? Republicans fret that if she's their presidential candidate in 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama will easily dispose of her. Even George W. Bush, the much-maligned former Republican president, has reportedly told associates that Palin is "unqualified" to be commander-in-chief, and his one-time chief strategist, Karl Rove, says she lacks the "gravitas" for the job.
Palin doesn't appear to be paying any mind. The period after the mid-term elections tend to be when presidential campaigns unofficially begin, and Palin's Twitter stream moved in a new direction Monday. The self-styled hockey mom relies on social media like Facebook and Twitter to communicate with the masses.
"Today: trade speech; tmrw school event 2 start discussing QuantitativeEasing w kids around US so they prepare 4 Feds experiment w their future," Palin tweeted. She usually uses Twitter to make personal comments about political candidates, current events and the media, not to alert followers about her own upcoming policy announcements.
Palin also delivered a hard-hitting speech in Phoenix that assailed Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve Board chairman, by focusing on a primary conservative concern this election cycle: government overspending.
"I'm deeply concerned about the Federal Reserve's plans to buy up anywhere from $600 billion to as much as $1 trillion of government securities," Palin said in prepared remarks. "What's the end game here?... All this pump-priming will come at a serious price."
A recent ABC News-Washington Post poll found only 27 per cent of registered voters believe Palin is qualified to be president. Even those who identify themselves as lifelong Republicans are uneasy about her, including the segment that voted for the party in droves last week -- older white men.
"I think she's a very good lady, but I just don't think we're ready for her," Daniel Phillips, 48, a North Carolina Republican businessman, said in a recent interview.
Phillips said he lost respect for Palin when she resigned as Alaska governor last year before serving her full term.
"When she did that, I think she hurt herself. I think she's a good cheerleader for the conservative party and the Tea Party movement, but as far as being a serious presidential candidate, no. I just don't see it."
Nonetheless, 55 per cent of conservative Republicans like Phillips do believe she's qualified, the same poll suggested. And a whopping 73 per cent of Tea Party supporters believe she's got what it takes to be president.
Those making the case that Palin can emerge victorious on a national level often point to 1966, when Richard Nixon, another figure facing some public antipathy, took to the hustings after losing in a presidential election. Nixon won the presidency in 1968.
We heard it from Will Folks, so you know it must be true.
We have Rove and his merry men to thank for all of this conflict. While it was there just under the surface, Rove lit this thing on fire. Rove gave birth to this narrative.
Palin will stay on track. She is stronger than them, she WILL ultimately win.
It is clear now that the establishment Republicans do not have the best interest of our country at the forefront. Their only interest is personal.
Justice is coming, and a good many of those trying to undermine the Tea Party folks are scared to death that......... Justice comes for them.
I understand your concern. Many wish this to be a purely secular exercise. Many conservatives and libertarians on this site prefer to promote values sans religion; they are free, obviously, to do so.
I don’t think you can divorce values from faith, ultimately.
If there is no God, then there is no such thing as right or wrong, only social norms.
I go out on a limb and am willing to face the fire.
And you are helping with statements like this?
“She’s just teasing with the notion in order to generate publicity for her ideas.”
She'd have to take a big pay cut.
She is in a perfect role right now. And the RINO elites will do everything to stop her.
>>> The former Alaska governor backed some 60 Tea Party candidates, about half of whom won, while targeting 20 Democrats for certain defeat. Eighteen lost.
However these numbers mean little until you determine if her intervention made a difference. Would the winners have won anyway, or the losers lost anyway if Palin had stayed home. This was a certain republican year. She can’t be assigned all the credit.
Palin clearly made a difference to the good for South Carolina with Haley. Likewise she screwed up things in Delaware irretrievably by assisting O’Donnell before the primary. Beyond that it’s not a clear picture. I’d be very interested in seeing a more complete analysis of her real impact.
I’m not persuaded she will run for president. But there is nothing wrong with being a kingmaker either.
So what Republicans have gone public against Palin? Steve Schmidt, this Baucus guy I never heard of, Rove, Murkowski. Pretty weak lot.
If there is one person who has been more thoroughly vetted, more scrutinized, more investigated than Sarah Palin and come out so squeaky clean, name that person.
If I was God, and I wanted to confer my ‘grace’ upon someone, she would be in the top %1 .
If Sarah runs, she will tell it like it is. Take no prisonors. She will call out the “bastards” as she sees them. The RINOS will stand around and say nice things to each other, hoping to not offend each other. She is not part of that “elite” crowd, and that is what people like about her. Remember when McCain would not say anything about using Obama’s middle name? That was out of bounds during the election, but afterwards, Obama had no problems using it. He was in!
She’s not afraid to take a stand, is she?
Most of the old guard stands around with their finger in the air before they pronounce.
That’s not leadership, that’s consensus.
But you make it sound like she’s the messiah or something. It sounds like something a democrat would say about Obama.
I know that that’s not what you are really saying but that’s what it sounds like.
Good. I hope she makes the most of being the underdog and really capitalizes on not being the establishment choice. We Americans have come to hate politics as usual and tend to love the underdog!
I find it very difficult to argue with your analysis.
South Carolina and Kentucky are very red states. I’d be surprised if any Republican would lose there. On the other hand, Delaware is very blue. Even the perfect candidate might have lost so it would be too easy to blame her for not getting that seat. Look at CA or MA. Some places are just hopeless.
However, I would be surprised if Palin couldn’t have pulled off a win for Miller in her own state.
I heard that, too. I had given W the benefit of the doubt, when I first heard that he had said such a thoughtless thing. Relieved to have my thoughts vindicated.
So now he has no right to his religious beliefs if it conflicts with your anti-Palin attitude? Sure you’re at the right website? Maybe Zsa Zsa could use you over there...
She’s not Meshiach; neither was Reagan.
By the first part of your screen name I would suspect you are a believer. Ari-el means lion of God. Ari means fierce or brave, hence the lion.
I’ll take another leap. God raised up leaders in the Old Testament to correct Israel from time to time and return them to his path.
Has God forsaken the United States of America, or will he send us another Hezekiah, etc. to steer us back?
Age and Citizenship requirements - US Constitution, Article II, Section 1
No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.
I think she meets these qualifications.
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