Sarah Palin’s departure from the forefront of American politics is just part and parcel of the continuing kaleidoscope of chaos on the right. In my opinion, her selection as a Vice Presidential candidate was nothing more than a political stunt aimed at capturing the disappointed female supporters of Hilary Clinton. As the current article in Vanity Fair reveals, prominent McCain staffers say that her being picked as a running mate was the single biggest mistake that McCain made in his bid for the presidency. Her selection may have actually led her to think that she had the heft and substance to be a major player on the national scene, but her comments and analytical viewpoints show that she was clearly out of her league and well off of the mark in possessing what it takes to be Vice President of the United States, or Chief Executive. During the 2008 race, Fred Thompson lauded Palin for her prowess as a hunter, saying that: “She could field dress a moose”. That would be a great leadership credential if we were living in the Stone Age, but it is nothing more than an interesting personal anecdote in the twenty first century.
Sarah Palin may well rile up the base of the Republican Party. That could be a liability as the base can actually derail the G.O.P. in upcoming elections. Republican strategist Mike Murphy recently said: “If the Sarah Palin we perceive today wins the nomination in 2012, the G.O.P. will lose. Most Americans don’t think Palin is ready to be President. The base loving you is not enough to get you elected.” Conservative columnist Michael Gerson, speaking on the News Hour said of Palin: ” She was not ready in 2008″ and that,” She really alienated women and the college educated on both coasts and that is not how you rebuild the Republican Party.” The cold, hard reality is that the Republican Party cannot hope to win without the support of independent voters, whom Palin clearly alienates and whose ranks are now at a seventy-year high as a proportion of the electorate. Based on her chronic foot-in-mouth problems, it is not all that far fetched to say that Palin would be more likely to gain votes among independents by posing naked in Playboy than by taking the stage to promulgate her political views.
The real question is if Governor Palin has not just committed political suicide by leaving the political stage at a time when most political observers have suggested that her political future hinged on saying less and studying more so as to get up to speed with regard to the issues and substance that the top job in this country requires. After eight years of George Bush that” aw shucks” approach just doesn’t cut it anymore, unless your only goal is to appeal to the base of the Republican Party.
Steven J. Gulitti
July 3, 2009
New York City
I just watched her press conference from start to finish.
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p>”Suicide” is the right word. If this does, in fact, turn out to be some political “strategy” (as opposed to, for example, a clumsy attempt to duck an imminent scandal), then “Kamikaze” might be even more appropriate.
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p>This is one more leap in what has become a GOP marathon of desperation. It all strikes me as political insanity.
Palin lacks ideas and her party desperately needs them:
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for the 100th monkey effect. As conventional left vs right politics becomes more insane, meaningless trivialities even profanely so, the hope is getting more people on board the Illuminati express.
Did someone say “rambling”? That was polite!
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p>This is all so idiotic, it’s almost not worth commenting on in any serious way, but these Republicans sure are entertaining.
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p>I suppose gay marriage ruined her career, too. đŸ˜‰
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p>See this post on Alternet if you want to play the CNN complete coverage.
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p>And, for a Facebook-sourced rag on Sarah, go here to visit Wonkette.