George Will: Sarah Palin 'Cannot Be Elected' President (VIDEO)

There is no way Sarah Palin can be elected president, according to conservative commentator George Will, who argued over the weekend that a primary victory by the former Alaska governor could serve as President Obama's "secret weapon."

"The president's secret weapon may be the Republican nominating electorate, because there is one person, high in the polls, Sarah Palin, who cannot be elected president because she cannot compete where elections are decided -- in the collar counties outside Chicago, Montgomery County outside of Philadelphia -- just can't compete there," Will said on ABC's "This Week."

Will elaborated in a subsequent internet-only interview in "The Green Room," referencing Palin's failed endeavors after losing the presidential race in 2008:

"She had to go back and be a successful governor of Alaska, and she had to do her homework. She's done neither. The hope is that perhaps she's making so much money -- and she's a very astute businesswoman -- that she won't want to take the pay-cut to become a mere presidential candidate."

While Palin has fielded increasing criticism from fellow conservatives on a variety of issues, Will's attack marks the second time in a week the former vice presidential candidate has been cited for her supposedly minimal chances of defeating Obama.

In December, Charles Krauthammer argued Palin had no business in the Republican primary simply because she would be a serious underdog if she were to make her way to the presidential ticket.

"Her negatives are over 50 percent," Krauthammer said. "She has no chance of winning a general election. Why would you want a candidate who is going to lose against a Democrat who is going to be vulnerable and who is also extremely ideologically ambitious?"

A recent CNN poll showed solidifying support for Obama among Democrats, even as Republicans cool to Sarah Palin.

WATCH:

WATCH Will in "The Green Room":

Comments

[willandjansdad]

08:50 AM on 01/06/2011

George Will is obviously not a real American...

[gypsynomad]

07:20 AM on 01/06/2011

Just because Sarah has the audacity to even toying with such notion, tells one how utterlly clueless she is.

[PatA]

11:44 AM on 01/08/2011

There is a saying, gypsynomad, that I think applies to the fair lady from Alaska..

"Ignorance can be fixed, stupid is forever".

I do NOT believe that her ignorance can be fixed. When a VP candidate can't name one Supreme Court decision, other than Roe vs. Wade, that is extreme ignorance.

No one can convince me that she knows she is ignorant and that she needs "schooling" help. Look at her family and it shows that she doesn't believe in education. A Palin wouldn't want to appear to be elitist. :-) Rich, maybe. But not elitist. I wonder if she knows the definition of the word. ::-)

[gypsynomad]

12:30 PM on 01/08/2011

~ A Palin wouldn't want to appear to be elitist. :-) Rich, maybe. But not elitist. I wonder if she knows the definition of the word. ::-)” ~
Can`t help meself, must fan you with pleasure PatA for that priceless quote. I have said it over and over again...~Palin ~ made the word ~Elite~ a bad word .

[susieq2112]

02:23 AM on 01/06/2011

Well, the second video of Will in the green room just made me realize that much more how it is all just political theater. This has cemented for me that telling our children that they can grow up to be anything in this country is an inherent lie. Not that I like Sarah Palin because I do not. However, it has become quite clear to me that there are specific people and groups in this country who are in control of everything and our future and who are future leaders will be has already been decided for us. Who becomes successful is decided, who is a celebrity is decided, so having the thought that you can be anything in this country is obviously a waste of time. Telling this to our children is telling them a lie. Hmm...Freemasonry...

[CAskeptic]

12:52 AM on 01/06/2011

We did not need George for this assessment. I hope he doesn't think he has revealed any great insight.

[SiameseTrainer]

08:09 AM on 01/06/2011

George Will says that anything George Will says is a GREAT insight, and you should be really really thankful for it!

[PatA]

11:46 AM on 01/08/2011

SiameseTrainer, I wholeheartedly agree with you. He slays me.

Love your name. Do you have to herd them to train them? :-)

Fanned and faved.

[Freesia2]

12:18 AM on 01/06/2011

Oh and by the way George....

Even though she "can't be elected" (which she can't - but your Republican friends could steal another election for her and we both know that's true). Anyway, by the way, you do know that she and her "cackle" of tacky dullard sycophants and offspring are off to both Israel (to ignorantly interfere with foreign policy - not for any reason of gravitas but just because "that one" kept her from parking Todd's snow machine in front of the Naval Observatory) and to England to force a meeting with Maggie Thatcher if she has to prop her up for a photo op. In both cases she'll be there to embarrass America - only this time the broad will do it abroad!

And you and your friends helped make that possible. How you holdin' up?  Ask me if I care.

[fem56]

11:33 PM on 01/05/2011

Switching to Republican and voting for Sarah in the primaries. Not sure I could bring myself to do that even for a good cause but maybe.

[Freesia2]

11:13 PM on 01/05/2011

George, everytime I pass this article on the Politics page I'm reminded again of what hot air Republican pundits/"journalists" like you are and what a train wreck is the GOP.

Sarah Palin doesn't care if she can be elected. Oh she wants to be because she wants to be President (and Empress of the Galaxy and Queen of the Moon. She wants her tiara. And she wants to prove that her basic premise of life and reason for being and excuse for a career is true even if it might destroy civilization as we know it: Being pretty is a qualification, smart people are dumb and being tr@shy is real classy) But ultimately whether it ends the way she wants or not she doesn't much care. She'll make money regardless. If you wanted your words to have meaning you should have been saying them for 2 years now long before she built up that Republican ignoranance army bent on eating the Republican party's lunch.

Though if she does, one of the first things she'd do is make guys like you grovel and tell you to give Ted Koppel back his hair. And then she'd start WWIII. In between photo ops and shopping trips. And she'd be there to do it, George, because you voted for her. And you know you will, Will.  You're full of hot air and fake standards and nobody knows it better than the fake and standardless Sarah Palin. I loathe the reject, but people like you made her possible. Didn't you? Did you vote for her ticket in 2008? I thought so.

[triplettam]

11:27 PM on 01/05/2011

And where have you been, young Missy? Been kind of dead around here. Yeah, they didn't say anything before the elections, allowing her to rile up her base. But now? "Uh-oh!" All of this talk is just gonna make her mad and run out of spite. They don't know how vindictive she really is. Good to see you.

[Freesia2]

01:09 AM on 01/06/2011

Let me see if this goes through......

[PatA]

11:49 AM on 01/08/2011

Here you go again, Freesia2...... Now you are making sense out of George Will!! :-)

fanned and faved.

[amd02148]

11:08 PM on 01/05/2011

George Will has never been so wrong, Sarah Palin is Presidenti­al material, instead of meeting with leaders from other countries she can sit in the Oval Office and Tweet them.

[indy girl]

08:53 AM on 01/06/2011

They can just read her facebook posts like everyone else.

[PatA]

11:51 AM on 01/08/2011

It must be in the water today, amd02148. Everyone is cracking me up!! Don't forget Facebook. She gits to have pitchers there.

Fanned and faved!!

[amd02148]

11:06 PM on 01/05/2011

George Will has never been so wrong, Sarah is Presidential material, instead of meeting with leaders from other countries she can sit in the Oval Office and Tweet them.

[CarlIII]

09:58 PM on 01/05/2011

Everybody thinks George Will is such an expert on politics. The fact is he is wrong as often as he is right. He doesn't want Sarah Palin to get elected so he says she's not electable. Fact is he has no way to know what the political climate will be like in two years. She is electable. I hate it more than he does. But she can wrap up the nomination on "Super Tuesday" in Feb 2012. That's only a year away.

[KWHOO]

07:56 AM on 01/06/2011

Will was talking about her electability in the general election. I for one would love to see her win the republican primary; it would make an easy win for Obama in the general.

[Marysdude]

09:50 PM on 01/05/2011

George knows that Palin was actually born in Russia, and that there will be an immediate cry for her to produce a 'real' birth certificate. She can't be elected President because she isn't a REAL American.

[amd02148]

10:57 PM on 01/05/2011

LMAO @Mary fanned and faved good one!

[indy girl]

08:53 AM on 01/06/2011

A real clueless American, definitely.

[AlekHidell]

09:49 PM on 01/05/2011

Is this only about the horse race..about competition? What about competence? Those media guys should talk about content and not only who is able to win or loose. Sick.

[Marichu]

08:53 PM on 01/05/2011

I’ve never agreed with most of what Wills has said. But on this, I totally agree with his assertion.

[MIKEinNYC]

08:36 PM on 01/05/2011

Why? Has Will seen her birth certificate?

[Laughert9]

07:50 PM on 01/05/2011

Never say never. I didn't believe bush would ever get in again!