Palin around with populists on the bridge to nowhere

Right Turn – The myth of Palin’s frontrunner status

For months now the real story on the right has been the search for new presidential contenders. There is far more awareness than many in the media imagine among conservative activists, Tea Partyers included, of Palin’s limited appeal to independent voters. Her backing of questionable candidates in the Senate races, most especially Christine O’Donnell, rekindled concerns about her political judgment in a general election context. Is she admired for her ability to rally the base? Yes. Is she especially talented at throwing the White House off stride? Obviously. Does she give voice to populists’ suspicion about media bias and liberal elites? Better than most anyone on the political scene. But the notion that she is a frontrunner is an eye-roller for most elected GOP officials (Chris Christie tipped his hand a bit on late-night TV) and even for many fans who furiously defended her against what conservatives saw as excessive and unfair criticism during the 2008 race.

Indeed, more Republicans — on the Hill and around the country — are beginning to suspect that she might not run. Why risk her fame and her rock-star status by running and possibly losing?

So political observers should watch the non-candidates and the maybe-candidates.

 

5 comments on “Palin around with populists on the bridge to nowhere

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  1. well, I got as far as here:

    You don’t have to buy into a conspiracy to see that many in the media and on the left are convinced Palin will be the nominee

    when I realized that I wasn’t able to comprehend the assemblage of words.

    I was impressed that the WaPo doesn’t have a photo running with the column.

  2. It is her ability to shape the zeitgeist, to channel the mood, on a whole host of issues, in a fairly calm way, the Czar didn’t like it
    how she lamented the GZ Mosque, but it was better than Newt’s
    hyperinflamatory sputterings comparing Islam to Nazis. Now if you’ve
    actually read a decent account of her career, Mansfield’s latest tome is the most balanced, you’ll see she runs because she wants to do something, not just be someone. In her last post, it was because she felt the previous regime was corrupt and self dealing, that’s why she didn’t ‘play all their reindeer games’, the party chief up there, still has scorchmarjks from when she forced him from the commission, which is probably as big up there as the Port Authority

  3. @ miguel cervantes:It is her ability to shape the zeitgeist, to channel the mood, on a whole host of issues……

    ….that make her well-suited to the entertainment industry, rather than for a position in government that is best served when filled by someone endowed with greater intellectual ability, a more extensive education, and a bit more experience.

  4. As opposed to which one of those savants, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Howard ‘Yearg’ Dean, then there’s Gore, who is profiting directly at our expense, pushing the ‘green energy scam, we had that, 300 hundred years ago, that’s why we went to gas and ultimately oil

  5. You may not care much for Bill Clinton, but you might have an interesting degree of difficulty trying to show that Palin stacks up to him in intellect, education, or experience.

    and yeah, I guess that Kerry, Dean and Gore also might have a bit more of all of the above than she might ever muster.

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