Every article I read, every political website I visit, seems to be asking the same question: will Sarah Palin run for the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2012? However absurd it may seem to us on the left that we are even discussing this, it’s still a relevant and important issue. Whether or not Palin runs will change the election significantly. If she chooses not to run, you can bet that the other Republican contenders will immediately engage in a “Mama Grizzly” hunt, in an attempt to co-opt Palin’s sometimes rabid followers, many of whom were not previously involved in politics. This fight could hurt the right by forcing its candidates to waste resources on bruising primaries. If she does run, conservatives will have to make a decision about whether or not to support a woman who is obviously unfit to be president, but also has incredibly high name recognition and a commitment to hard right values.
I’m of the opinion that Palin will run for the presidency. She will mount a strong campaign early, and there will be a great disconnect between the groaning of the GOP leadership and the exuberance of the base. Some people will be excited and vocal, but it will not be enough to actually amount to anything. You heard it here, folks. Things can and will change before this election is done in 22 months (Is this what we’ve come to? Never ending elections?). It seems that the best possible scenario for the Republican Party is for Palin to run but lose badly to a stronger candidate, like Mitch Daniels or Tim Pawlenty. This scenario limits the damage Palin can do, because everyone would see her getting a fair shot and losing it on her own merit. People might then get away from the cult of personality she has created and actually focus on issues.
In order for this to happen, Palin would need to lose graciously, though. She would need to wholeheartedly support the winner, and put her ego aside. But the liberal in me is happy, because Palin losing graciously and fully supporting someone who beat her seems to be just about as likely as pigs flying. Look at her response to the Tucson massacre; she releases a frankly bizarre “defense but not self-defense” video, and then claims righteous anger when people get annoyed that she used a charged phrase like “blood libel.” All she needed to do was say sorry. I may believe she has terrible policy positions, but I don’t think she’s anti-Semitic. She made an unfortunate choice of words and she should just have apologized. I promise you, we would have let it go. It’s fairly obvious that she didn’t mean to imply that she suffered as much as the Jews did. Although, she did say that like the Jews she was being accused of being an accessory to murder. Then again, that probably shows that she doesn’t understand history, because the Jews were not accused of being accessories. They were accused of actually butchering Christian children. It is a pretty important difference. Of course, I should know better than to try to explain anything to her, she seems totally uninterested in anything intellectual. Is this what your conservative movement has come to, William F. Buckley?
Her response to Tucson was egotistical and misguided. And this was in reaction to being called names and losing a few points in polls over a year before the first primary! How do you think she’d react if she actually loses an election? And not as vice president, as an actual presidential candidate? Do you think it’s likely that she will have the grace to support anyone else? The woman can’t even apologize after using religiously offensive terms. If Palin actually wins the Republican nomination, conservatives might as well just vote for Obama, because he will almost certainly beat her head to head. And as much as conservatives like Ross Douthat, who recently wrote that Palin has no chance, don’t want her to run, it’s too early to be sure of anything this election cycle. My warning to you stands, the good-hearted and intellectual conservatives of this country: do not underestimate Palin. Whatever else you can say about her, people for some reason seem to like her. You might want to start coalescing behind another candidate. Otherwise, 2012 will see you hold your nose as you walk into that voting both. America deserves a real, intelligent campaign. If Palin is the Republican nominee, we all know that won’t happen.
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Palin will not only run, she’ll steamroll every other contender, turning them into speedbumps. Then she’ll squash 0bama.
I don’t see it happening. If she doesn’t file in the next month, she won’t have an opportunity to do so.
I’m hoping to see Ron Paul up against Obama in the general election. He’s one of the few truly fiscal conservatives/libertarians with a 30-year voting record that proves it.
I also think that Sarah Palin would endorse Ron Paul if she doesn’t run.
Ron Paul is a really unlikely candidate for the republican party not only because his policies are completely absurd but also because there is too much dirt on him(Sponsoring the publishing of KKK pamphlets.)
Anyways not trying to be a dick just trying to help: This article is really self indulgent and could have been much better if you took the time to self edit. Avoid cliches like pigs flying, and avoid mentioning your own politics as much(once is fine). Also when you try and give Palin a break for the Tucson incident your point is completely perverted when you then go onto say that she’s not interesting in anything intellectual and you sound kind of a like a dick. I realize your a freshman and its great that you’re writing at all but just tone some things down and it’ll really improve your work.
But also Sarah Palin probably won’t run, she just has to have the threat of running to make her relevant and to keep her ratings for her television show up.
Hey Concerned,
Nice of you to note that the author is a freshman . . . let’s see, that would be . . . condescending? Unfortunately, when you write, “your (sic) a freshman,” while being critical, it sort of dumps your credibility in the . . . well, in the dumper. People who live in poorly spelled houses shouldn’t throw stones.
SB
Good to know that the internet has spell checkers like you to keep us all safe at night.
As for the freshman comment, I think the assumption should be that after 51k a year we improve a little bit in our writing from year to year.
Well, yes, one would expect to see an improvement in writing from year to year. SInce you point out Mr. Nigrosh’s freshman standing, can we assume you have moved beyond that point scholastically? If so, according to your own observation, one would expect a higher level of discourse than, for instance, telling someone they “sound like a dick.” Regardless of his academic level, the quality of Mr. Nigrosh’s submission leaves your own writing in the embarrassing dust. You might want to take this up with the bursar’s office—since you make the price of your education an issue, the English department at Conn owes you a refund.
But I’ll be sure to take my argument out of the “dumper” at some point and give it some second thought. thanks
Sarah Palin is a fringe candidate with no real political potential, as illustrated by the recent New Hampshire Republican straw poll. Even within a group that was stacked with Tea Party supporters, she was woefully outpointed by most of her rivals, including a five-to-one thrashing by Mitt Romney. Whoever the Republicans choose to run in 2012, the closest thing to a sure bet is that it won’t be Sarah Palin.