Sarah Palin's Slap Shot
Sarah Palin isn't back. She never left. But the publicity surrounding her new book, Going Rogue, suggests that Palin will be the most formidable Republican presidential candidate in 2012. Even Levi Johnston's appearance in Playgirl with a lone hockey stick couldn't be more helpful--the Palin clan has become a permanent reality show with America's viewers glued to the drama. The longer the act goes on, the more publicity Palin wins. So far, it shows no signs of faltering.
If Palin chooses to enter the political ring again--and it would be surprising if she doesn't--then she will be trying not simply to reshape America, but also the GOP. The truth is that Palin's current and most immediate struggle isn't against President Obama or the Democratic party or even liberals. It's against the GOP itself.
In seeking to vindicate her performance, Palin is aiming some serious slap shots at the McCain camp, particularly campaign strategist Steve Schmidt. Her disdain for establishment Republicans is palpable and, of course, it's mutual. Palin wants to portray herself as a maverick, not just in her unabashedly socially conservative views, but also in terms of the Republican party. She's the one that will upend the ancient regime that has brought the GOP to grief. She's represents the vox populi. She'll take the fight to Washington, DC, where, incidentally, she's never served in Congress, leaving her untainted. And so on.
The irony of the Palin crusade is that her most stalwart backers are the neoconservatives based in Washington, DC, who are pushing her to run. Today's Wall Street Journal, for example, features a lively op-ed by Matthew Continetti of the Weekly Standard, who has also just published a book chronicling the efforts of an elitist media supposedly seeking to persecute Palin. But the neocons have, of course, themselves become Washington insiders with their various perches in think-tanks and magazines, not to mention government service in the George W. Bush administration.
But Palin could use some intellectual sparks. Both she and the neocons are intent on attacking what neocon founder Irving Kristol called the "new class" of intellectuals and government bureaucrats who allegedly form a kind of unpatriotic and parasitic elite. It will be interesting to see if she pursues an alliance with her well-wishers. As with so much, it's Sarah's choice.
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She's definitely burning some big bridges with her book. And she's flinging cow patties at people who fling cow patties for a living...that may not be that smart a thing to do. But then, I sensed during the 2008 election (and beyond) that things like geography, history, and common sense are not among Sarah's strong points.
I don't like her politics and I think she's dangerous and weird, but I do admire her chutzpah. And I can't WAIT to see the dysfunctional cow patty fling game start! WAY better than sitting through fantasy football season. *grabbing popcorn*
Sarah Palin 2012 is a train wreck that whistled past Denial Station over a year ago and should collapse in Iowa, but may very well grind to a halt in a Democratic blowout.
"But Palin could use some intellectual sparks."
Boy, THAT'S the understatement of the millenium!!!!!!
What this woman needs is an intellectual five-alarm fire!
Palin isn't particularly bright but at the same time she's very ambitious. You can practically see her frothing at the mouth for that president's chair. Stupid ambitious people are always a threat to our country.
In the morning I heard about the news of Ms. Palin’s coin conspiracy theory, I and my 5 yrs old Kindergartner practiced “Kindergarten Math” using coins, the kind of addition and deduction thingy. And we called the practice as “Penny Conspiracy.”
I wish to see her higher side, not the other way around.
Regarding Mr. Heilbrunn’s (disturbing) statement, “Both she and the neocons are intent on attacking.... "new class" intellectuals... bureaucrats...parasitic elite."
Holly s…….sheep (goat or cow; by the way, God bless Ms. Palin!).
Respecting official, surfacial bipartisanship standpoint of Gop and Dem, I’d respect any presidential candidates from any parties as far as they are qualified for the JOB with sincere mind, political talents, hard work.
If Ms. Palin is serious about running for Presidency, I would expect her to do best to equip, surround herself with qualified advisors, experts, train herself with political knowledge, skills, strategies before the bid !
After the disastrous former presidency, even simple-minded folks, who voted for beer-buddy-looking candidate, declared they don’t want President to act like them, stammer in middle sentences. They declare, they want President who doesn’t look like them and a non-stammer to be able to handle the complicate JOB, wishing not to be pushed into another “RECESSION” !
Even when ordinary folks changed their mind and prefer non-stammering President, Ms. Palin talks talks about Waging a War against "NON-STAMMERING" politicians (in professional terms, are they called “new class” intellectuals?)?
Instead of working hard on training and teaching herself for the BIG JOB, are we expected to see her waste her time on this kind of MISSION? Arn''t there enough, serious domestic, international problems that US is facing now? Instead of solving them, create, add new problem?
Miss Palin poses a truly serious threat because, as Hitler, Mussolini, Franco and many other strong-arm fascists have before her, she has the full support of many powerful corporate entities, media-based included, completely behind her, with more joining her ranks by the day. Check out today's article on her in the London Telegraph - they practically acknowledge her as the future president of this increasingly unlivable country for anyone with two brain-cells to rub together; and with Lou Dobbs probably signing on as her Vice-Presidential running-mate, you can pretty much just about give up on the notion of the US remaining, even to the small degree it can still be considered so, a liberal, law-abiding republic. Obama, whether he has the taste for it or not, had better start making some serious inroads into actually delivering on what he and his fellow neo-liberal cadre no doubt intended as wholly insincere populist cant or he and his whole crew of outlandishly corrupt banksters will have to make way for those who REALLY know how to get in there and properly bilk the voluminous suckers out there in the "heartland"...
The chatter that Sarah Palin has a shot at the Presidency is pure entertainment. Name recognition yes, a positive image no. Appeal across a broad national base,no. The chance of continual bad press, high. The chance of yet another family, legal or financial scandal, high.
Regardless of the conventional wisdom the press has not been overly negative. She has now in her book gone after Republicans who really know how to throw mud.
I sense wisdom on you.
George Bush made it, despite a Palinesque intellect. But he had lots of money, and family connections, and at least a surface good-naturedness. SP is not rich, not nice, and not well-connected. I wouldn't bet on her chances.
When I contemplate Palin being elected President, I think to myself that there aren't enough intellectually challenged people in the country to bring about such a travesty.
Then I look around at all the off-the-wall stuff going on and remind myself that the more people you get in a group, the easier they are to manipulate, and the farther the collective IQ drops. And I get queasy.
The rule about group intelligence goes like this:
The IQ of a group is the IQ of its dumbest member divided by the number of people in a group
Dude, you hit the nail on the head.
I do not see this book as her way in. Not in a general election. Not with just the little that has been leaked. She has blown that.
She is thin skinned, a back stabber and clearly can't take a punch and hold onto it until she can strategically land her own. She can't be trusted. She is proving that with this book. The Republicans will use her. But, they will never turn over their power to her. No way. Especially since she can't pull out a general election.
When they are done with her and they can't get her to understand the role she is playing for them, they will destroy her.
If they were serious about a Palin candidacy as opposed to feeding off any energy she produces, they would reign her in and would have had far more to say about what went into this book. Their hand would be heavy.
But, they know she is a political loser.
She doesn't even know she's a pawn of the neocons, who use uneducated, ignorant people to further their agenda of greed.
Agree.
aka PUPPET....We had one of those for 8 years, look how well that worked out.
Yes, neocons know she can be easily trained just like Bush.
You know, it's strange that social conservatives haven't left the Republican party before now. After 35 years of electing Republicans for the expressed purpose of ending abortion, not one credible piece of abortion-ending legislation has ever been advanced by Republicans. Heck, Barack Obama wasn't president for 3 months before progressives turned on him for not nationalizing the banking industry (which he never even implied he was going to do), and for not instituting single payer health care (which he also never even implied he was going to do), and they've taken every conceivable pot shot at him ever since. Imagine if he'd become president and 35 years later hadn't done a single thing progressives elected him to do. Republicans have been running for 35 years on the horror of abortion and promising to stop it, and they haven't even tried. So now Sarah comes along and wants to split the party? It's about time. You go, girl, split that party right down the middle and make it even less relevant than it is now.
Or perhaps there are a lot of us who are thoroughly sick of all of the insiders.
For real, this time.
So what's the solution? Whoever goes inside is an insider, right? Isn't that like saying you want to ride the bus but you don't trust anyone to drive it if they know HOW to drive it?
You have some great insight.
Fanned.
She's banking on all the media hype and attention and so-called popularity, positive or negative, to propel her to a 2012 run. Of course she's going to run. Don't they all run after publishing their memoirs? But she has yet to prove any kind of political power or clout (NY23 comes to mind). And she won't prove herself with a 400 page petty whine-fest either.
I have to wonder about the Drugster's rambling about this book being such a brilliant book on policy. It seems the only policy she knows is to point her finger at everyone else, even her associates. Maybe she should try to be a country singer with her "poor widdle me, I've been mistreated" meme. Hell, she could sing about beer, trucks, dogs and trains, too, also. You betcha!
FTA: "But Palin could use some intellectual sparks. Both she and the neocons are intent on attacking what neocon founder Irving Kristol called the "new class" of intellectuals and government bureaucrats who allegedly form a kind of unpatriotic and parasitic elite."
Neocons are people who, if they were in power in 1941, would have invaded Mexico because Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
They would have gone for Venezuela's oil first and came back for Mexico when they had them surrounded, like surrounding Iran with Afghanistan and Iraq.
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