The Tragedy of Sarah Palin
Let's just go ahead and call this thing for Barack Obama. If I've done my math correctly, I'm giving him 369 electoral votes. Clinton-esque numbers.
Now, if you have no interest in talking about the "other side" of politics, consider the above your takeaway.
Take it. Go away (but please come back some other time) while I lament the short, could-have-been-brilliant career of Sarah Palin.
Over the past eight years, the Republican Party has imploded. In this election cycle, the conservative intelligentsia has effectively split from the "base," that portion of the party that is seemingly "excited" or "energized" not by issues of war or oil or the economy but by those that forge a social wedge. Add to that the shifting demographics of America and the Republican Party's woeful inability to attract people of color, and there is a very real possibility that for the foreseeable future the Republicans will be reduced to a nonentity within politics.
The Republicans desperately need their Barack Obama.
It could have been Sarah Palin.
Could have been, except for John McCain's gut-check, Hail Mary, game-changing, unvetted decision to take an inexperienced "small town" politician and dump her on the national stage with little more than 60 days to go before votin' time.
Palin instantly struck a chord with the "don't care about nothing except 'values' portion of the party." What Palin brought to the ticket was an ability to blunt the Democrats' message of change -- personified by Obama and Hillary Clinton and even Bill Richardson on a national level -- while being able to speak the language of "values" with the GOP base.
However -- token hire that she was -- Palin 1.0 alienated Republicans who don't support affirmative action that puts the under qualified at the front of the line. (And I give those Republicans credit for at least being consistent on the question of capability.)
And no matter her folksy ways, in those 60 or so days, Palin got stung by some controversies, nontroversies and gaffes. Same as any other politician and, for that matter, anybody who's in the eye of the media storm 1,439 minutes of each day. But when all that happens on your first date with America and is further exacerbated by the Liberal-Elite-Sexist-Gotcha-Not-Pro-America-Part-Of-America media that you mostly refuse to talk to, what chance do you really have?
Truthfully, seriously, can you imagine what it might have been like if -- starting at this year's Republican National Convention, much as with Obama in 2004 -- Palin had been given a slow and thoughtful rollout? You don't have to be a Palin supporter to acknowledge -- tested, vetted and brought up to speed -- she would have been positioned to truly lead her party, as opposed to merely appearing as the illegitimate love child of Dan Quayle and Geraldine Ferraro.
That is not to say Palin couldn't be rehabilitated within the next four years. Hey, if Nixon could make a comeback...
But McCain's missteps, the taint of failure following his loss, and questions that will surely linger about the woman herself give much ammunition to those in her own party who would potentially run against her.
Palin's major hurdle in the next cycle will be explaining her "pallin' around" with the AIP, a radical organization that seeks the breakup of the United States.
That is quite a lot, and I haven't even mentioned having to live down the catchphrase "I can see Russia from my house." However, overcoming all of that -- as Reagan overcame the vapid actor tag -- is only going to make the governor all the stronger. If so, Palin 2.0 will be a force to be reckoned with.
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1) I assumed sarah palin had an abortion before, thats why she's not releasing her medical reports, remember, she had an affair with Todd's business partner. the abortion will go against those pro-life republicans who is supporting her.
Her base are against muslim in high offices, please do not forget that there are American-Muslims now fighting for the Proud American Flag (In Iraq, Aghanistan etc) , those Muslims are also sacrificing their lives for America.
Those muslim extremists do not hate America becuz of freedom, they hate america becuz of american foreign policies against muslims, if they hate freedom, they would had attack amsterdam long time ago.
We need Obama now to cool them down and give that olive branch and make them love America again. An Obama win will be celebrated around the whole, not only in America.
Thank you. The anti-Muslim sentiment thats been tossed around this campaign is sickenning. Both "Muslim" being used as smear from the right, and denial of "muslim" as a defense from the left. Its discriminatory and wrong, as Colin Powell thankfully pointed out.
This notion that Muslim extremists "hate our freedom" is absurd. Do Americans think we have the only free country? Try instead: current American foreign policy - xenophobic and backwards.
I'm not at all sure what your agenda is but your premise is fatally flawed. Palen 1.0 is hardly analogous to Obama 1.0 , Reagan 1.0 or Nixon 1.0 - I'm afraid that bright, charismatic and incurious with a heavy mix of fundamentalism gets you Bush 1.0 - Good Luck
Actually I believe it is more like Harris 1.0 (as in Katherine)
Ahhh, say it ain't so Joe.
"Palin 2.0 will be a force to be reckoned with". Ya reckon? I don't think so. She has more baggage than an airport luggage carousel. She managed to make a complete damn fool of herself in this election cycle without ever getting into : her stance on global warming, her stance on intelligent design, her stance on the endangered species list, her stance on wolf shooting, her abuses of power in Alaska, her penchant for firing all qualified people in administrative positions and filling posts with cronies, her position on book banning, her medieval position on a woman's right to choose, her stance on making rape victims buy their own rape kit, her wacky religious beliefs, who really paid for the extensive renovations to her house, just how involved she and Todd ARE in the AIP,why she claims to be for alternative energy while vetoing every energy project except oil drilling, how she can be FOR abstinence only instead of sex ed in schools since it CLEARLY doesn't work(right, Bristol?), how she can be against 'spreading the wealth' when SHE'S the one who's been passing out $1200.00 checks all over Alaska,and the list goes on and on. So exactly what kind of force do ya reckon she'll be? Just wondering......
"Palin 1.0 alienated Republicans who don't support affirmative action that puts the under qualified at the front of the line".
So rather than accept that the Conservative philosohpy was found wanting, what with $700 billion bailouts of the wealthy, Republicans, and you, would rather blame the government (affirmative action). And of course, why not spread the blame around? Heck, blame the media too. It's so much better than having to accept that in the arena of ideas (to borrow Rush Bimbo's phrase) the conservative, trickle-down philosophy has been found wanting, thus your comment:
"But when all that happens on your first date with America and is further exacerbated by the Liberal-Elite-Sexist-Gotcha-Not-Pro-America-Part-Of-America media that you mostly refuse to talk to, what chance do you really have?".
Instead of using this forum to discuss the failing merits of the conservative philosophy and how to mend it, blame is assigned to others. Extrapunitive response to frustration.
How about the $283 million Alaska got for the "bridge to nowhere" that wasn't built. That wealth came mostly from the people in the lower 48 states which was kept by Alaska's Gonernor Palin to spread around up there. McCain commented that this was the kind of Washington corruption he
was going clean up and Palin is part of that corruption.
No wonder why Palin was popular up there, getting all that federal money. By the way, what did they do with the money? Did they spend it? I always hear "bridge to nowhere." Did they start to build it but never finish? Or did they never build it and just spend the money somewhere else, or is the money sitting in a bank account? These are very important questions because the answer could make a difference. It certainly could expose the true character of Palin.
I bet he regrets not picking Bobby Jindal. I don't agree with his politics but he is an intelligent who would have had more appeal than Palin. My feeling is that Jindal rejected the offer because he plans to run in 2012.
The base would never allow Bobby Jindal to rise to that level in the GOP. They're too racist. Jindal looks Arabic. They'd have a xenophobic freak-out. Look how McCain handled the Muslim campaign volunteer. He was one of the few class acts in the McCain campaign. he was caught on tape tossing a hate spewing butthead out of a McCain rally for calling Obama a Muslim, and demeaning Muslims in general. The media called this guy a hero. They wanted an interview. McCain muzzled the guy. Why? Nobody knows, but my guess is that McCain was afraid to rile the base by making it known that a (GASP) foreigner might be part of the campaign.
this sounds right.
Palin's nine and a half weeks on the national stage are nearly done. Let her sink back into the morass of the Mat-Su valley, please. The salvation of the GOP doesn't come from the 49th state. Geroge Will would be a better candidate than the Wasilla barracuda. Of all the (female) governors of all the remaining Republican states McCain had to pick this one? Why? None of that soul mate crap, please.
My preemptive apology for the sports analogy.
Not unlike the rookie goaltender or pitcher called up from the minors too quickly because the big club was desperate, we give you Sarah Palin.
Despite some flashes of brilliance, the amateur unreadiness of her situation is quickly revealed.
Confidence ruined for both coach, teammates and fans alike. More times than not, this is not something easily undone.
She will make a great trivia question someday.
I don't think Palin can lead the gop. If she does it wil be because she purged out everybody except for the religous lunatics. She can making a living off right wing TV, lecture, book circuit, but not much more than that.
Sarah, honey, you will not, I repeat NOT ever reside in the White house.
As a country we were more involved in this election than ever before but if you win a GOP nomination in 2012 for POTUS we will vote Democrat in even larger numbers.
Now it's time you go back to Alaska or Russia or where ever and be a mother/grandma.
My grandparents had a saying.... no matter how hard you try, you cannot make a silk purse out of a "sow's ear".
everybody knows that a sow is a pig, right?
hey, it was a common saying back in the dark ages, and I didn't make it up. And I'm not calling anybody anything, so don't go there.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, that no matter how hard you try, or what you do, some people cannot be rehabilitated, unlike my fair lady.... at least she had potential, and that's why it worked.
We just all need to remember that new packaging for the Palin 2.0, doesn't mean that what's inside is any different.
I for one, will be keeping a big, fat file on Sarah Palin, starting with what I already have, and doing follow-up research for the next 4 years. I'LL BE WAITING,SARAH.....BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID!
"Force to be reckoned with"
Nawww, don't think so. Along side that $150,000 wardrobe, there's alot of skeletons in that closet.
According to those in denial, that story was "debunked." And oh yeah, in the same breath, what's wrong with dressing up the candidate with campaign money? Excuse me, but I have never heard of a campaign spending a small fortune dressing up a candidate. Never heard of it, but according to those die-hards, it happens all the time!!! You betcha!!!
anyone who defends sarah palin immediately loses credibility because they have nothing to base this on and the information against her is just too damning. oh my how i do hope that she does becomes the face of the republican party because we sure do need a nail in this coffin.
The only reason Sarah Palin didn't connect with most voters this time is that people were finally jolted awake enough to pay attention. Prediction: Barack Obama and Joe Biden plus their veto-proof majority in congress spend 8 years undoing the Bush messes and restoring the country to prosperity. People go back to sleep. Then the republicans run Palin for Pres in 2016. By then, she will have had time to get a bunch of plastic surgery being careful not to get so much as Cindy McCain, study her mistakes in 2008, and eventually repackage herself as a moderate.
With all the brilliant, nice looking women, that have a proven record, for McCain to choose Palin was a slap in the face to women everywhere. It was as if he was saying that the office bimbo had more smarts than the other women in the office who have been carrying the company and making the boss look good for years. But when it comes to promotions, the new bimbo won out. Why? Because all the other women could make her look good - intelligence wise. But, guess what, the women said no way & spoke loud and clear. So, are you listening Washington? Don't pull this c r a p again!!
oops!
you all know I meant "bridge" to nowhere, didn't you?
Thanks
McCain said Palin "is up-lifting to me" which probably is exactly what it sounds like.
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