Don't Count Saint Sarah Palin Out for President in 2012!

Don't write off Saint Sarah all you political pundits, press smartypants, and Washington insiders. You're out of touch with the men and women who love Sarah Palin--always have been and clearly will be. In your mind--Mr. Rove, Mr. Steele, and Mr. Huckabee--Sarah Palin has thrown away her chance to take the White House by handing in her resignation as governor. That's not what presidential candidates are supposed to do. They're supposed to toil away for years--decades, even--as senators or governors--before announcing their candidacy on the long haul to The Big White House.

Well guess what, boys--election rules are now made to be broken. Didn't you all just watch Barack Obama steal the White House right out from under the feet of the establishment-anointed Hillary Clinton? And he did it by forging a new path to the presidency based on an enormous grass roots movement that got its momentum from regular folks.

Oh yeah. Sounds familiar. Well Sarah Palin, despite her Katie Couric missteps, is no dumb bunny. The lady from Wasilla didn't leapfrog from nowheresville to Alaska governor by accident. She is a canny operator in her own right, with the ability to understand and embody the opinions of her audience. And they already like her better than before!

A new nationwide USA TODAY/Gallup Poll has found that two-thirds of Republicans want Palin to be "a major national political figure" in the future. In fact a whopping 71% of Republicans say they'd likely vote for her if she ran for president in 2012. And this poll was done after her resignation!

In fact, announcing her resignation on the eve of Independence Day wasn't done so the deed could slide under the radar of a long holiday weekend.

No way. She did it BECAUSE it WAS Independence Day and she wasn't really announcing a resignation. No, she was actually proclaiming "my independence...no more politics as usual."

When Sarah Palin shared the presidential campaign trail with Mr. Maverick himself, John McCain, she quickly learned that The Maverick is still a path with enormous appeal to the conservative small government crowd. That crowd still gets teary-eyed over the belief that every man or woman can make it for him or herself with just spit, vinegar and hard work. No need for government intervention. And don't forget, Obama won the presidency because he was the Maverick Democrat.

Now, the Lipstick Pitbull is banking on the fact that over the next 3.5 years there will be a behemoth of a backlash against Big Government, Big Spending, and Big Big Deficits--all the things that she and her supporters abhor.

And you know what--she's probably right. No matter how successful Obama's policies for routing a recession, there will be a swing back to the ideal that less government is more. America is just like that--cycles happen.

In the meantime, Saint Sarah can spend her time advancing her "higher calling" out of office. She made it very clear in her resignation speech that she has a mission and a missionary's fervor.

In her own words, she is done with conventional "politics as usual." Big Government spending is "amoral." She needs to "BUILD UP" and "FIGHT" for our country. She will support others who "seek to serve for the RIGHT reasons."

Sarah sees herself as the Joan of Arc for hardworking "average Americans." And like saints and missionaries of the past, when you have a calling that necessitates taking a bigger, more important road than regular roads, then you can't be bothered by accusations of "frivolous ethics violations," or by the typical "blood sport of the national political process."

I don't agree with critics that claim Sarah was speaking gobeldy gook when she was announcing her resignation. No, she was saying exactly what she wants to do. And it's clever.

No more time wasted on unproductive opposition that she would face in office. Instead, she'll take her message successfully on the road. And whether she's a new fox at Fox or reads speeches in front of sold-out auditoriums, Sarah Palin does know how to speak in a way that emotionally connects with her audience.

So beware to all Republicans and Democrats who count her out of the 2012 presidential race. These are unprecedented times, and unprecedented approaches that are not politics as usual will work. Saint Sarah has years now to go grassroots and spread her gospel. And guess what? It could work!

Photos: AP

For more on Sarah Palin, follow Bonnie on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bonniefuller.

 

Follow Bonnie Fuller on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bonniefuller

Comments

[AnalyzeIT]

You say don't count her out?

What is she doing fishing?

Her job ends in two/three weeks and she has takes off fishing. One would think that stepping down would actually make this month more stressful and busier than it would have been otherwise.

And you think she is presidential material?
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[PersimmonNJ]

So...71% of the folks who identify as Repubs (most current number that do so is 21%)...so that's under 15%...gee, I'm terrified.

[MsCuda]

People who speak to our collective fears will always find a platform, no matter how nutty they sound. Her message will give the already paranoid license to fear, and fear is cousin to hate. If she gets anywhere close to the White House, this country is going to be in more trouble then we can imagine.

[k6007]

So 70% of the 25% of americans who admit to being republicans are going to vote for her. And, the rest of the country will forget/overlook her absolute inability to govern, on any scale....

Hmmm, I can see it happening.

[Archivist1000]

She appeals to people who are afraid of Science (remember the put down of research with fruit-flies??? Anyone who has JrHigh Science knows this is important) .. she appeals to people who can't speak properly (neither can they, so they understand her ramblings) ..... she appeals to people who think the future of the country lies in repealing Roe V Wade .... she plays the Patriotic card over and over again ( remember the Real America line?) .....

Not sure how the Xtians can 'overlook' her witch doctor exorcism ... but religious people seem to be able to 'overlook' whatever doesn't jive with their fantasy ....

I don't dismiss her 'potential' at all ... not because she is a good candidate, but because I don't trust the intelligence of the voters.

[Victoria-nola]

Palin says, "I don't need a title" to be effective. Note that it's not, "I don't need a government position" but "title"...­. it's all about Titles for her, never about a job or a responsibility, forever the Beauty Queen.

[troika]

Perhaps she should be a contestant on the MRS. USA pageant show to vie for title.

[4 Real]

I've counted her out....she will never be a candidate for the WH, the GOP male establishment won't let it happen. They will just use her to get donations since she still has s ex appeal.

[ladyearth]

"71% of Republicans say they'd likely vote for her if she ran for president in 2012" AND only 25% of Americans admit to being Republicans.

[mlmn08]

Mrs. Palin will never become President because she is a quitter and she just simply is not intelligent enough....­..that would be different if her last name was Bush. Notice Jeb starting to come out of the woodwork, anyone????

[troika]

Anyone with the last name BUSH even though not connected to the Bush family should think a million times before throwing his/her name in the presidential ring. We do not need anymore disasters from the Bush family.

[BlackDemfromNH]

Palin might be able to dupe her own party into giving her the nomination, but there is no way in hell she is going gain the support of the independents. That's the group she needs to win over to win in a general election because the Repubs are so badly outnumbered. And she is not clever, not even by half.

[tomasedison]

We all luv Sister Sarah !

[1murillo]

Fuller,
Yikes! Perhaps you're right, maybe Palin will get the Alaska, Idaho, Utah, southern votes and then be President. (sarcasm)
It's possible - almost anything is - for her to win in 2012. But, saying things like, "I'm not a quitter!" and calling herself a "pitbull with lipstick" don't make these things so.

[blimie]

After 6 months of Obama, she doesn't look so awful anymore.

[peacegurl48]

Is this a JOKE? The day that America elects her is the day I look for another country to live in. This is a satire, right?

[AERO]

Sarah Palin will probably be the Republican nominee for President in 2012.

If Obama is still fairly popular going into the 2012 election cycle, a lot of serious Republican candidates will be willing to let that one go, because it's unlikely to get nominated to be the party's candidate twice, so why waste your chance. There's a lot of nutty people in the Republican party who adore SP. The saner ones may be willing to let her sail to the nomination to get thumped by Obama and then she'll really be finished politically. The hard core religious right will never warm up completely to Romney. I think somebody new and fresh is going to have to appear to lead them out of their funk. Fortunately for the country, I don't forsee that happening for quite some time to come.