Sarah Palin's Second Chance
For those of you just tuning in, the reinvention of Sarah Palin has already begun.
But that realization isn't hitting yet, because everyone seems to be in shock.
Fred Barnes pronounces Palin DOA for 2012. Others thinking what might have been, because they don't realize what is right now. "She should have said no," is a look back by Ross Douthat.
But in actuality, my wish has been granted. Let the Palin wild wackiness continue. Because really, could things have gotten any worse for Sarah Palin as things were? After Letterman? After the Vanity Fair piece that incited a dog fight between Bill Kristol, Steve Schmidt and Randy Scheunemann? The answer is unequivocally and resoundingly no, they could not. Now Palin is free to roam, pose for foreign policy photo ops (to be translated into experience), tour the Republican candidate landscape in 2010, with that result likely to determine more than any postmortems before Sarah's post-gubernatorial gallivanting has begun.
Palin's tough stance on the swirling rumors is a good place to start. The Palin team makes clear that anyone defaming Sarah Palin is putting themselves in line to hear from Sarah's lawyers. The FBI helped:
"There is absolutely no truth to those rumors that we're investigating her or getting ready to indict her," Special Agent Eric Gonzalez said in a phone interview Saturday. "It's just not true." He added that there was "no wiggle room" in his comments for any kind of inquiry. - Sarah Palin not under FBI investigation, agency spokesman says.
Call off the witch hunt on this one.
Now, I'm not a fan of the governor's policies, an understatement, but good for her. Nobody should have to take wholesale character trashing from any quarters, including public figures.
Not that any of her fans paid any attention to it or that it dampened their enthusiasm for Mrs. Palin.
"Sarah Palin is America's Margaret Thatcher," reads one comment out of dozens and dozens on her Facebook page.
"I am sooooo sorry for the way you have been treated as well as your family. It only has happened because you are a threat to the powers that be!" reads another.
"Run Sarah, Run! We need you now, more than ever. Palin/Romney 2012," another fan encourageds
"Greetings from Baghdad! Go Sarah, GO!"
Plenty of dissenters too: "Quitter-in-Chief of Alaska. You actually believe you can become President of the United States? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha...my stomach hurts from laughing."
Taking a walk through her Facebook fan comments, anyone who thinks her political career is over doesn't get it. They also don't know Sarah Palin, but particularly haven't listened to her fans, the base of which likely doubled this weekend, if not because of her wacky resignation speech and politically weird decision to bail on her governorship, but because of the reaction to it by the media, old and new alike.
On the flip side there is another "1,000,000 strong against Sarah Palin" Facebook group as well.
We know many things right now. But one thing is for certain. With Palin free of her governorship she can travel the country for Republicans in 2010 likely being the hottest ticket in any town, not stopping with trips inside the U.S. She will draw gigantic Obama like crowds wherever she goes and will make huge headlines, even as she refuses national media, picking her conversations and outlets much more carefully than she did the first time around making sure that friendly journalists get the nod first.
We'll see if Palin's presence on the 2010 stump makes a difference for Republicans. If it does, she's done what's needed, because Romney, Huckabee and Newt combined won't be able to do what she can with crowds, which is why she decided to dump the governorship in the first place. It's an albatross looking at 2012.
Oh, and one more thing for all those people who think she's "finished," that she "can't possibly run now," that she's "history." (Andrea Mitchell is likely pulling her hair out about now.) It was hilarious when it was said then, but after what she posted on her Facebook page, I'd say anyone doubting conclusively that she won't be a contender going forward is deluding themselves.
In the 2008 election season, nobody was tougher on Palin than I was and for good reason. She was unprepared, ill-equipped and uninformed on all foreign policy issues, making a mockery of women who know what they're doing but don't have her other gifts, like the "it" political factor, which Palin has in abundance that draws people to a person regardless of it being earned. Sarah's now got another chance. She has to sense the millions of people behind her, because she saw it in action during the '08 election.
Men get second chances all the time and regardless of my polar opposite political views, Sarah Palin deserves equal to what any man would get as long as next time she comes equipped with the knowledge required for the job she seeks. After all, it shouldn't be too hard, George W. Bush did it.
Democrats, put down your mockery and pay attention. A prepared Palin would be formidable, don't kid yourselves.
"I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint. I hope you will join me. Now is the time to rebuild and help our nation achieve greatness! God bless you! And I look forward to making a difference -- with you!" - Sarah Palin (via Facebook page)
Oh yeah, baby, if 2010 goes well for her, 2012 here she comes.
Taylor Marsh reports from Washington, D.C., with podcasts, "TM-DC".
Follow Taylor Marsh on Twitter: www.twitter.com/taylormarsh
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She is a racist, and violent anti abortion's, a religious nut case, homophobic, all the great things the radical religious right is known for. She is their poster children, their wrong hero and an expert castrator.
She is everything that any sane enlighten person finds abhorrent.
She is from another planet and its not Venus. She is a drug dealer and a liar. The list goes on. I hope she comes after me for sharing my thoughts and insights. He former soon to be son in law, can back it all up.
Conservative Fox News commentator Charles Krauthammer for calling Palin's move "erratic" and "delusional," and to Karl Rove for admitting to being "perplexed" by Palin's unorthodox "no más" move. That wasn't the half of it from the conservative chorus:
"Giving up on an executive job a year and a half early isn't the best way to persuade voters you're ready for the more demanding rigors and scrutiny of the White House. ... Some Alaskans, including many of her admirers, can be forgiven if they conclude she bugged out when the going got rough." [ The Wall Street Journal; 07/07/2009]
"If this is geared for her run for the presidency in 2012, it is one of the most politically tone deaf decisions that we've seen." [GOP consultant Stuart Roy, ABCNews.com; 07/05/2009]
"She dashed her chances of winning the 2012 nomination. ... Forget about Sarah Palin as the Republican presidential candidate in 2012 and probably ever." [Fred Barnes , The Weekly Standard; 07/05/2009]
So it is today: Right-wing media activists are trying to whip up righteous indignation at how nasty and unfair the liberal media are being toward Palin and her decision to step down as governor. Truth is, conservative commentators are the ones unfurling the harshest critiques.
In other words, when it comes to fighting the GOP's bruising Palin civil war, leave the press, and liberals, out of it.
http://mediamatters.org/columns/200907070009
Second chance because she's a woman? This woman has had a second, third, fourth and fifth chance to be a good example of a smart, prepared and savvy woman. She has failed at every opportunity, and is simply an embarrassment as a person and politician, and whether she is a man or a woman.
Palin has shown she is only interested in rising up the ladder of success on the backs of the lowest common denominator of people without doing any of the work that real shining examples of women do everyday. Show me ANY example of what she's done that makes her deserve a place on a pedestal that every woman should be working hard to be like? There is nothing she's done or said that deserves admiration from anyone, woman or man.
Shame on anyone, left or right that tries to make palin anything but what she is.... a poor example of what women strive for, a poor example of good leadership, intelligence, hard work and integrity.
"Democrats, put down your mockery and pay attention. A prepared Palin would be formidable, don't kid yourselves".
Taylor please...........If you know ANYTHING about Palin you would know that there is NOTHING substantive about her. Palin is not able to "prepare".
Obama was kind during the campaign, republicans won't be in a 2012 bid. They go for the throat, just like Palin does and any one of the 2012 contenders will make mincemeat out of this clueless hack.
Palin, the clueless quitter:
Palin: “Department Of Law” Protects The President
Rachel Weiner
Palin said there is a difference between the White House and what she has experienced in Alaska. If she were in the White House the “department of law” would protect her from baseless ethical allegations.
“I think on a national level your department of law there in the White House would look at some of the things that we’ve been charged with and automatically throw them out,” she said.
There is no Department of Law.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/07/palin-department-of-law-p_n_226881.html
For Sarah Palin so loves Alaska that she's sacrificing her valuable TITLE.
See:
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/sarahs-sacrifice/
Taylor Marsh
Not every crime has provision for probation. There are political errors that cannot be redeemed. Political error of the heart has provision for second chance. Commiting a political suicide in the real sense of it does not permit any allowance for second chance. Gov. Palin has commited political suicide that is beyond redemption. How can you explain some of these facts.
If Gov. Palin finds being a governor challenging, what will make being president less challenging. A person who cannot finish average task cannot be seeking complex tasks. How can you convince any neutral observer that a person who quits as a governor cannot quit her responsibility as president. Americans can never vote anybody that seems unstable to be pulse away from neuclear buttons.
When the time comes, Republican establishment power base will cut Palin loose. Palin has only one opportunity. She can only use a popularity to amass wealth. Furthermore, she can position herself as a power broker within the party establishment. To be the flagbearer of the party is not possible and will never happen.
Great article, Ms. Marsh- and I think you are absolutely right. Sarah Palin has a flair that draws a crowd and with a little bit of polish, she will appeal to the masses as evidence that anyone from any walk of life can become President of the United States - even if you don't have a pedigree. I also think that the media and far left may have done more damage by incessantly and viciously going after Palin. She will gain popularity by being a survivor.
It looks like your other readers are very unhappy with your analysis- seems they'd rather hear a good Palin Bashing than the truth. Thanks for being a professional and choosing the latter.
The problem, as I see it, is that anyone from any walk of life CANNOT and SHOULD NOT be able to become President. We don't want uneducated, ignorant, gut-feeling, joe or jane plumbers as presidents. Why? Is it because we are elitists? No, it's because President is a HARD job and a very IMPORTANT job. Only the best and brightest 10% or so of Americans are qualified to become President. We don't elect presidents to show everyone that "you too can do it!" We elect presidents to guide and protect our country. Your sentiment disgusts me because it evinces the cavalier attitude that many have toward intellectual qualifications to hold high office.
Well, so be it, some people are naturally suited to lead, and others to follow, because it is nature that some are unfit to be leaders. What kind of master-slave mentality is this? That is a hallmark of classical oligarchy. Democracy means the people rule, power to the people, and no matter what background you come from, no matter who your ancestors are, you can be the president. Obama is a good example of this democratic principle, unlike Bush, who became president because his father was president.
Didn't we hear those same things from Bush and look where we're at now.
Yea Obama!
oh yeah.. we could have had palin instead. Thankfully there are more intelligent people in the usa than not...
Make that 1,000,001.
I don't agree with you at all -- the sarah palin base is a fixed set -- i don't see people being lured to a new, improved sarah palin at all. the phoenix might rise again just to return to ashes and that might be fun for media sport but i don't enjoy watching sarah get raked across the same coals over and over again even if she does return with a big white toothy smile and kids in tow.
i did get lolz out of mitt romney running as vp -- that isn't a job any old white guy in the republican party is going to take. second billing to a woman? we are talking republicans! maybe samuel wurzelbacher. i don't mean samuel is a more open minded -- i mean he would probably find being dominated by sarah palin kind of hot.
I do thank you for taking the time to reply to the people that comment on your articles. communication goes both ways and i am always glad when posters take the time for us common folk.
Look out! I'm telling you - she will be a contender in 2012 and the media is already helping her along.
Really Taylor? While she may not be under an FBI investigation, she has been and still is under an IRS investigation.
Wishfull thinking!
Good grief, I am a Christian and there is no way I would vote for this fruitcake.
I doubt very much that she will draw crowds like Obama did. She is not nearly the
big thing the media wants her to be. I wish they would give it up with the Palen soap
opera. Their ratings are terrible time to cancel the show!
As much as her feminist supporters hate to admit it, most of Sarah's appeal is in her looks. The old white guys in the Repub base think she's hot. But she's 45 years old now and not getting any younger. She will not have a viable political career when she is in her 60s like Hillary Clinton. It's now or never. Now that she's quit her job, it's more likely to be never.
They all live in Virginia Arlington what does that say?
WHAT feminist supporters? Palin supporters are anti-feminist, just like their dreamgirl.
Wrong, check the facts, Camille Paglia, a lesbian feminist, supported her.
While the social conservative "base" are truly enamored with Ms. Palin, what your article fails to recognise is that she will never gain enough votes outside that base to be a real contender. Democrats simply loath this woman, over 30% of Republicans deem her a hillbilly unworthy of national office, and if she could get more than 50% of the Independent vote I'd be very surprised.
Ms. Palin will lock up the far right wing of the conservative base and run as Mitt Romney's (or whoever) VP. On the bottom of the ticket she brings votes, on the top of the ticket she pushes away the middle.
Despite her horrible performance in '08 the far right has made her the Republican's "made woman" and we all know how the Republican party must cater to these social conservatives.
See Taylor Marsh's Profile
Actually, my article isn't about whether she can win the 2012 election at all. It's about Sarah Palin getting a second chance, provided she wants one, which begins with her work in 2010 and the Republican candidates running.
Besides, look at the other contenders of the GOP. They're not all that, now are they? It will be interesting to watch.
Taylor, your articles and viewpoints are nothing if not predictable. The silliest thing in this largely pointless post is when you applaud Palin for getting her attorney to write a completely baseless and threatening letter to "the media", accusing it (collectively? only the "liberal" parts?) of defamation. I wonder what blogger Shannyn Moore would think about your hearty congratulations on that point. Ever hear of the First Amendment?
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