Sarah Palin in 2012? Get Ready For It

Sarah Palin is campaigning in areas in which right-wing Republicans are already smitten with right-wing Republicans. She is going out and speaking to the basest part of the base, the part that believes Obama's a terrorist and wants him tried for treason. The McCain campaign continues to show no faith in her intelligence. Her speeches rarely vary at all, no matter the city or the venue; if an audience is old, she talks about health care and Social Security. If the audience is young, she talks about health care and Social Security.

Palin knows that not every audience cares about the issues she's discussing; she just is not comfortable with a slight change in the speech she has been handed.

It's a pretty jarring sight. But even though not every right-wing audience reacts to each part of Palin's script with the same enthusiasm, one thing is clear: the far right really likes Palin. And let there be no doubt about this: in 2012, Sarah Palin does not want to debate VP Joe Biden. She wants to debate President Obama. She wants to be the Republican Party nominee for President.

Now, many of you reading this blog just threw up on the computer screen, so please, take a moment to clean up. You are saying to no one, "That's insane! She's not competent!" I am not here to remark on the sanity of Palin's plans. I'm not saying she will be the nominee in 2012. I am saying that she will run. She may be one of those people who gets two percent of the vote in Iowa, and quits the race. Or, she may fare better. Mike Huckabee won Iowa, let's recall. While recently voted the Funniest Celebrity in Washington, D.C., Mr. Huckabee, a charming guy, is not on the same page as I am in regards to policy and whether or not we roamed the earth with the T-Rex. Sarah Palin is already adored by the religious right; Iowa, here she comes!

Don't believe me. But don't believe that the Bush era is really over, just because President Bush will be leaving office in January. The politics of Bush are not at an end. Sarah Palin is proof positive. She's not a genius. I'm not going to say she's a moron like "Mongo" in "Blazing Saddles," but she's certainly not someone whose brilliance we aspire to. She's not well-traveled, not well-read, not well-versed on the issues. Just like President Bush. So we can sit here and say, no way, she has no chance to be the Republican nominee. But she does have a chance. And it makes me want to throw up on my computer.

Comments

[Tonto2]

I think you are way to pestimistic in being optmistic about the pit bulls chances.

Progressive leaning reality is beginning to catch up with her.

Her popularity in Alaska is tanking, and the scandals are piling up - troopergate, claiming per diem for travel on nights she spent at home, not claiming taxes for travel for her family when they accompanied her. All of these have a reasonable chance of sticking.

In the lower 48 her popularity has fallen through the floor boards. The only people who still support her are hard core conservative republicans - wingnuts. Everyone with a reasonably functioning brain is recognizing that she is an empty suit on the scale of George Bush - even David Brooks. She is rapidly becomming a national joke.

When the election is over this woman's chances of any national elective office are going to be toast and possibly her entire political career.

[popizzy]

Palin would have to talk to the press in order to be successful and you know she's not adept at doing that

[JLee]

She may run, but even her nomination will be a stretch. Four years from now the politics of the culture divide will hold even less water than they do now, with the younger generation of even the evangelicals increasingly turning away from the culture war to focus on issues that need to be resolved. This younger generation is entering the voting age in increasing, and soon to be overwhelming, numbers, and the majority of even the conservative youth won't be impressed by her rhetoric. Her racially-tinged stump speeches won't do a whole lot for the most diverse and race-neutral generation in American history, either.

The "basest of the base" (love it!) on the right is getting riled up for a reason, the same reason that always drives them: They're scared. They know the culture wars are drawing to an end, and they can't stand it that the rest of America is ready to move on from the bitter divisions of the past decades. This realization will drive the far right wing probably to worse extremes and there will probably be casualties before the culture wars become largely irrelevant. But the tide is turning, and the extreme right's views and votes will become increasingly less powerful as time goes on.

[MathIsTruth]

I also recall that as ridiculous as it seemed at the time, Dan Quayle wanted to run for president in 1996 after he and Daddy Bush lost to Clinton/Gore in '92. I'm not sure, but I don't think his bid ever got past the exploratory phase when he couldn't find enough Republican dollars to bankroll him.

But it certainly shows that even if you're not the brightest light in the room, if your ego is big enough, you will take that shot at the White House.

Oh, and I'm billing you for a bottle of computer cleaner.

[EricPrentis]

Sarah Palin is a lightweight Dan Quayle in glasses, you betcha.

[firewmn]

*****

Obama/Bide­n...2008..­.& for sure...2012....!!

[Yermammy]

In this country, optimism is foolish. My, you have a dismally short memory. Barack will be endlessly blamed for the mess we're in from industry controlled media. It will be a flood of propaganda that will make the noise you hear now, pale in comparison. Im pe ach these criminals before they get away.

[care4mypeeps]

Yermammy Optimism is the life blood of a forward looking society, without it we languish in dispair. Let the Far leaning Right Wing Republican Party along with the Media smear as they will, but never let us forget that it was and will continue to be the angry citizens of this great Nation that stood up and said ENOUGH!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!

We will not invite pessimism to be the cause of our failure to maintain unity while we dilengently watch for those things that got us off track inthe first place.

[EbonBear]

Been saying this for weeks. She's the ideal candidate for the modern Republican party: Superficially charming, vaguely attractive physically and with the political views of Jesse Helms. They're relying on her being "aw shucks" enough for the moderates, psycho enough for the base and vague enough for the media. OK, the left loathe her but unlike the Dems, Republicans don't even try compromise. We've seen that over and again: Dems try to compromise, Repubs are only interested in capitulation. Palin is their ideal candidate.

[H2Opolomom]

She is power hungry, and wants the Presidency enough to be plotting for 2012 if she doesn't succeed now. She would love nothing more than to probably come up against Hillary - remember how she praised Clinton?

Help us again, if Palin somehow manages to resurface in 2012. Can't she just stay home and take care of things way up there in the heartland?????

[Marnie21]

I to believe she has plans for herself in 2012 lets just hope Bobby Jindal runs, he was one called the future of the republican party just months ago.

[miocid31]

I'm not entirely sure on Gov. Jindal, his views are wayyyyyyyy to conservative for this country.

[imfedup]

He once wrote about partipating in an EXORCISM. I don't think he's going anywhere . . .

[guillotine]

Thanks, Matt Littman, for your perceptive post.
I think you're right; Palin surely will want to run again in 2012; her ambition is always on display and you can see that she wouldn't mind being ON TOP OF THE TICKET RIGHT NOW!!
That said, you're probably right, too, saying that if she runs 4 years from now, she may not be the Repub nominee. Clearly the McCain camp isn't comfortable just turning her loose. If she's on a tightly scripted rein, it's because she's none too bright, but smug in spite of it, with all the viciousness that combination allows. She's the proverbial loose cannon. Not even the neocons can program her fully, which somewhat unnerves them even as it revs up "the basest of the base." [Great phrase, that!]
One should not forget the cold-bloodedness of the neocons, who are "the hand on the tiller" THIS time. If this election slips away from them, they might look at McCain's comeuppance as payback for his past disloyalties. But I think Mitt is their heir apparent, not Palin. And she won't accept anything next time but the top seat on the float. Maybe she can be Head Know-nothin'-- that's a good fit.

[abigail1]

2012 would be too soon and in 2016 she'll be a lot less cute.
I am not worried.

[SaltySaltillo]

Well, 2012 might be premature, but it is clear that Palin has seen her situation - she is the second name on a losing campaign - and has decided instead to take the opportunity to campaign for herself, not to win in 2008 as VP, but to establish herself and build a credible constituency and following nationwide that will support her in the Republican primaries in years to come.

[WritusMaximus]

I believe Hillary is taking personal the fame (notoriety in some circles) Palin has garnered. Who will be the first woman nominee for prez? Will we have two women as prez nominees in 2012, assuming McCain wins now but doesn't/cannot accept renomination and Hillary wins the dem nod? What male politician will have the nerve to challenge a woman in the primaries in the Year Of The Woman?
How will the female vote break?

[TomTheAlmostUgly]

I seem to recall that another nationally-known woman politician recently thought that _she_ could cakewalk to her party's nomination. Not so. Sarah Palin has less chance of getting the 2012 Republican nomination than John McCain has of getting carded in a bar.

[WritusMaximus]

Of course Palin as repub VP made sense to the neocons. McCain was not their choice, but it doesn't matter 'cuz McCain is old news. She is the perfect candidate, just like Bush was in 2000. She is a female version of Bush in oh so many ways. Cheney the Puppet Master has a new toy!

Palin, the new, kinder, gentler, compassionate face of the Neocons. Scheduled for release nationwide in 2012.