If Palin doesn't run, not only will her time have passed, but she has no standing. Sure, YOU and others might be interested in what she has to say, but that isn't how politics and our nation works. Who gave a damn what Harold Stassen had to say, for instance, after he ran and ran and ran for president? Who cares what the Huckster has to say now?
I never claimed that Sarah "NEEDS" an elected office, for anyone to care what she has to say; however, if she doesn't run, now, she's a has been; someone who failed to enter the fray, when she could have. It doesn't make her look good.
That's kinda bassackwards, but yeah, exactly. It's not an ego thing, it's a reality thing. She really is somebody in that she draws thousands to hear about politics, and her word sways votes. Why do you think that is? And why on earth do you think it would be as powerful if she didn't run for pres?
Timing is everything.
So yeah, her risk of becoming a "nobody" by not running is a pretty real one, if you ask me, and it's why I have always thought the "we need her to stay in the role she has now" mindset was so inane. The role she has now is a fleeting thing, just like opportunity always is.
No of course it doesn’t.
But a lot of her perceived influence comes from the recognition that she is a possible presidential contender.
One of the reasons the left fears her because they perceive her as a threat.