Romney has her beat in money and organization.
Romney doesn’t have thousands of volunteers willing to work for his election as Palin does. Her organization is coming from the bottom up while Romney’s is made up of paid political operatives. Romney will follow a game plan drafted by media consultants and political advisers. Palin will run her own campaign based on her knowledge of voters and a successful track record of winning elections. She will hire consultants only when needed and she will make the decisions.
Palin’s not running her own campaign. That would be stupid. She’s sharp and she’s been working hard to rehabilitate herself. Voters in primaries want winners that support their values. At the end of the summer there will be a big shake-out.
A candidate will need a billion dollars to defeat Obama. A vibrant and enthusiastic support network is just a small part of that. GOTV will be critical and she’ll be held to a very high standard. Any gaffes will be broadly reported per usual on her.
We’ll see if she can break out of the pack. It’s difficult for her to be seen as Presidential right now because the media’s defined her a significant part of that definition is true. Can she mold that into pluses and positives?
That’s the question. I honestly don’t think she’ll run for President.