GOP Needs To Man Up & Confront Sarah Palin

[Appaholic]

Republicans have a problem. The most-talked-about figure in the GOP is a reality show star who cannot be elected. And yet the same leaders who fret that Sarah Palin could devastate their party in 2012 are too scared to say in public what they all complain about in private.

What man or mouse with a fully functioning human brain and a résumé as thin as Palin’s would flirt with a presidential run? It makes the political biography of Barack Obama look more like Winston Churchill’s, despite the fact that the 44th president breezed into the Oval Office as little more than a glorified state senator.....

Palin was perturbed that a former president and his wife would dare to answer a question about whom they preferred for president in 2012. Perhaps her anger was understandable. After all, these disconnected “blue bloods” had nothing in their backgrounds that could ever make them understand “real America” like a former governor from Alaska who quit in the middle of her first term and then got rich.

Maybe Richards and Palin were right. Maybe poor George Herbert Walker Bush was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Indeed, he was so pampered growing up that on his 18th birthday, the young high school graduate enlisted in the armed forces. This spoiled teenager somehow managed to be the youngest pilot in the Navy when he received his wings, flying 58 combat missions over the Pacific during World War II. On Sept. 2, 1944, “Blue Blood” Bush almost lost his life after being shot down by Japanese anti-aircraft fire.

I suppose Palin’s harsh dismissal of this great man is more understandable after one reads her biography and realizes that, like Bush, she accomplished a great deal in her early 20s. Who wouldn’t agree that finishing third in the Miss Alaska beauty contest is every bit as treacherous as risking your life in military combat? Maybe the beauty contestant who would one day be a reality star and former governor didn’t win the Distinguished Flying Cross, but the half-termer was selected as Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/11 ... Page2.html

[ASUG8]

[Ivytalk]

In my view, Palin has no shot at getting the nomination, let alone winning the Presidency. However, she could guarantee a bloody 2012 GOP convention and hand the newly-triangulating Barry Sortero a second term on a silver platter. Palin forgets that the "blue bloods" she derides are still pretty effective fundraisers. She's a calculating self-promoter and, the problem is, now that she's run for the Veep slot, it's hard to see her satisfied with less than the top of the ticket. No Court of St. James or substantive Cabinet post for her.

In fact, I worry less about losing the White House again than about Palin's screwing up another opportunity for the GOP to make big legislative gains in 2012. She's Christine O'Donnell writ large: she'd be poison to GOP candidates up and down the ticket.

Keep the White Trash out of the White House.

Other than that, I have no opinion about her.

[Appaholic]

In my view, Palin has no shot at getting the nomination, let alone winning the Presidency. However, she could guarantee a bloody 2012 GOP convention and hand the newly-triangulating Barry Sortero a second term on a silver platter. Palin forgets that the "blue bloods" she derides are still pretty effective fundraisers. She's a calculating self-promoter and, the problem is, now that she's run for the Veep slot, it's hard to see her satisfied with less than the top of the ticket. No Court of St. James or substantive Cabinet post for her.

In fact, I worry less about losing the White House again than about Palin's screwing up another opportunity for the GOP to make big legislative gains in 2012. She's Christine O'Donnell writ large: she'd be poison to GOP candidates up and down the ticket.

Keep the White Trash out of the White House.

Other than that, I have no opinion about her.

+1

[TwinTownBisonFan]

In my view, Palin has no shot at getting the nomination, let alone winning the Presidency. However, she could guarantee a bloody 2012 GOP convention and hand the newly-triangulating Barry Sortero a second term on a silver platter. Palin forgets that the "blue bloods" she derides are still pretty effective fundraisers. She's a calculating self-promoter and, the problem is, now that she's run for the Veep slot, it's hard to see her satisfied with less than the top of the ticket. No Court of St. James or substantive Cabinet post for her.

In fact, I worry less about losing the White House again than about Palin's screwing up another opportunity for the GOP to make big legislative gains in 2012. She's Christine O'Donnell writ large: she'd be poison to GOP candidates up and down the ticket.

Keep the White Trash out of the White House.

Other than that, I have no opinion about her.

all fine and well - who in the gop cupboard can beat her?

while the big money base doesn't love her - they love Mitt Romney (equally unelectable) - she can raise shitloads of small donor money, owing to her popularity in the base.

she doesn't need a ground game like Pawlenty is trying to build - she's a celebrity - and while it might help him in Iowa and New Hampshire where they expect to be catered to... it won't help in the rest of the country.

trouble for the gop is similar to what the Dems faced in 04... while the party is united in it's opposition to Obama, it hasn't got a candidate who can survive the bases litmus test and still win over the general public. (similar to how the dems base loved the unelectable howard dean, but opted for milquetoast john kerry instead)

I'm just not seeing a candidate among them who can do it. Palin, while popular with parts of the base (most polling shows an inverse relationship between her support and the education level of the respondent) - she is also far too polarizing for the average voter.

Romney - say what you like - the corporate types love him, but they don't exist in the numbers needed to win - moreover, as a Mormon, massive blocs of evangelical voters will sit on their hands...

Pawlenty - too much of an unknown - may run up the middle as a 'consensus candidate' like Kerry in 04, but... that rarely works out too well...

[Appaholic]

In my view, Palin has no shot at getting the nomination, let alone winning the Presidency. However, she could guarantee a bloody 2012 GOP convention and hand the newly-triangulating Barry Sortero a second term on a silver platter. Palin forgets that the "blue bloods" she derides are still pretty effective fundraisers. She's a calculating self-promoter and, the problem is, now that she's run for the Veep slot, it's hard to see her satisfied with less than the top of the ticket. No Court of St. James or substantive Cabinet post for her.

In fact, I worry less about losing the White House again than about Palin's screwing up another opportunity for the GOP to make big legislative gains in 2012. She's Christine O'Donnell writ large: she'd be poison to GOP candidates up and down the ticket.

Keep the White Trash out of the White House.

Other than that, I have no opinion about her.

all fine and well - who in the gop cupboard can beat her?

while the big money base doesn't love her - they love Mitt Romney (equally unelectable) - she can raise shitloads of small donor money, owing to her popularity in the base.

she doesn't need a ground game like Pawlenty is trying to build - she's a celebrity - and while it might help him in Iowa and New Hampshire where they expect to be catered to... it won't help in the rest of the country.

trouble for the gop is similar to what the Dems faced in 04... while the party is united in it's opposition to Obama, it hasn't got a candidate who can survive the bases litmus test and still win over the general public. (similar to how the dems base loved the unelectable howard dean, but opted for milquetoast john kerry instead)

I'm just not seeing a candidate among them who can do it. Palin, while popular with parts of the base (most polling shows an inverse relationship between her support and the education level of the respondent) - she is also far too polarizing for the average voter.

Romney - say what you like - the corporate types love him, but they don't exist in the numbers needed to win - moreover, as a Mormon, massive blocs of evangelical voters will sit on their hands...

Pawlenty - too much of an unknown - may run up the middle as a 'consensus candidate' like Kerry in 04, but... that rarely works out too well...

What about Rick Perry of TX? I could see him making a run similar to Bush...has street cred with Tea Partiers, brings TX electoral votes, evangelicals will get behind, just smarmy enough to appeal to broad base....

[TwinTownBisonFan]

all fine and well - who in the gop cupboard can beat her?

while the big money base doesn't love her - they love Mitt Romney (equally unelectable) - she can raise shitloads of small donor money, owing to her popularity in the base.

she doesn't need a ground game like Pawlenty is trying to build - she's a celebrity - and while it might help him in Iowa and New Hampshire where they expect to be catered to... it won't help in the rest of the country.

trouble for the gop is similar to what the Dems faced in 04... while the party is united in it's opposition to Obama, it hasn't got a candidate who can survive the bases litmus test and still win over the general public. (similar to how the dems base loved the unelectable howard dean, but opted for milquetoast john kerry instead)

I'm just not seeing a candidate among them who can do it. Palin, while popular with parts of the base (most polling shows an inverse relationship between her support and the education level of the respondent) - she is also far too polarizing for the average voter.

Romney - say what you like - the corporate types love him, but they don't exist in the numbers needed to win - moreover, as a Mormon, massive blocs of evangelical voters will sit on their hands...

Pawlenty - too much of an unknown - may run up the middle as a 'consensus candidate' like Kerry in 04, but... that rarely works out too well...

What about Rick Perry of TX? I could see him making a run similar to Bush...has street cred with Tea Partiers, brings TX electoral votes, evangelicals will get behind, just smarmy enough to appeal to broad base....

two things:
1. if TX isn't in the GOP's hip pocket it's over before it starts... they'll go GOP no matter what
2. Perry has enough skeletons they're running around eating leftovers out of his fridge...
3. smarmy doesn't work with a GOP base weened on Bush/McCain/Palin/Rand Paul... too slick and they hate you (see Coleman, Norm)

[Rob Iola]

Christie...

[Appaholic]

What about Rick Perry of TX? I could see him making a run similar to Bush...has street cred with Tea Partiers, brings TX electoral votes, evangelicals will get behind, just smarmy enough to appeal to broad base....

two things:
1. if TX isn't in the GOP's hip pocket it's over before it starts... they'll go GOP no matter what
2. Perry has enough skeletons they're running around eating leftovers out of his fridge...
3. smarmy doesn't work with a GOP base weened on Bush/McCain/Palin/Rand Paul... too slick and they hate you (see Coleman, Norm)

Just wondering....know he came out with a book deal earlier in the year & that's usually a pre-cursor to running for national office....

[AZGrizFan]

two things:
1. if TX isn't in the GOP's hip pocket it's over before it starts... they'll go GOP no matter what
2. Perry has enough skeletons they're running around eating leftovers out of his fridge...
3. smarmy doesn't work with a GOP base weened on Bush/McCain/Palin/Rand Paul... too slick and they hate you (see Coleman, Norm)

Oh, good LORD. The dumb 54% of Americans elected an acknowledged drug user with questionable US citizenship, questionable religious background and ties to a terrorist simply because he's a great speech-reader. What skeletons can Perry possibly have that top THAT?

[AZGrizFan]

Christie...

+1

[Appaholic]

two things:
1. if TX isn't in the GOP's hip pocket it's over before it starts... they'll go GOP no matter what
2. Perry has enough skeletons they're running around eating leftovers out of his fridge...
3. smarmy doesn't work with a GOP base weened on Bush/McCain/Palin/Rand Paul... too slick and they hate you (see Coleman, Norm)

Oh, good LORD. The dumb 54% of Americans elected an acknowledged drug user with questionable US citizenship, questionable religious background and ties to a terrorist simply because he's a great speech-reader. What skeletons can Perry possibly have that top THAT?

What was wrong with W's citizenship? I didn't hear anything about that....

[AZGrizFan]

Oh, good LORD. The dumb 54% of Americans elected an acknowledged drug user with questionable US citizenship, questionable religious background and ties to a terrorist simply because he's a great speech-reader. What skeletons can Perry possibly have that top THAT?

What was wrong with W's citizenship? I didn't hear anything about that....

He never got 54% of the vote.

Although, the rest of the list DOES fit him....guess we're 2/2.

[mainejeff]

I wanna see a bitch smackdown in 2012.......Hillary vs. Palin for all the marbles!

[HI54UNI]

I have no love for Palin but I do think it is funny that she gets the political class so worked up. She's like Al Czervik to the blue bloods like Judge Smails. Don't want any white trash at the country club.

[FargoBison]

Christie/Ryan in 2012!

[ASUG8]

Palin will lose by 8+ points to either Hillary or BHO. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Hillary might be the best alternative since the GOP likely won't be able to cultivate a real candidate in the next 6 months and Hillary certainly has larger cojones than BO.

[Appaholic]

Palin will lose by 8+ points to either Hillary or BHO. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Hillary might be the best alternative since the GOP likely won't be able to cultivate a real candidate in the next 6 months and Hillary certainly has larger cojones than BO.

Thank god you said it before me...been thinking that for tha past 24hrs...

[Ivytalk]

Palin will lose by 15+ points to either Hillary or BHO. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Hillary might be the best alternative since the GOP likely won't be able to cultivate a real candidate in the next 6 months and Hillary certainly has larger cojones than BO.

FIFY.

And I still like Mitch Daniels.

[bluehenbillk]

I like Christie too, for personal reasons too as i struck up a conversation with him last week at the UD/Lehigh game (he's attended almost every UD game this year).

Palin can't win, but if she really gets behind the Republican nominee & the whole party can unify, including the Tea Partiers, then Obama looks very very beatable right now.

[ASUG8]

I like Christie too, for personal reasons too as i struck up a conversation with him last week at the UD/Lehigh game (he's attended almost every UD game this year).

Palin can't win, but if she really gets behind the Republican nominee & the whole party can unify, including the Tea Partiers, then Obama looks very very beatable right now.

I bolded the problem with your statement....if you think with all the autobiographies, reality series, and other self aggrandizing actions she's taken will lead her to sit on the sidelines in '12 I think you're mistaken IMHO. She pretty effectively played the role of king/queen maker in November, but I don't look for her to endorse anyone else unless she loses the primary.

[kalm]

I have no love for Palin but I do think it is funny that she gets the political class so worked up. She's like Al Czervik to the blue bloods like Judge Smails. Don't want any white trash at the country club.

And Barak Obama's in the background polishing some FootJoys.

[Ivytalk]

I have no love for Palin but I do think it is funny that she gets the political class so worked up. She's like Al Czervik to the blue bloods like Judge Smails. Don't want any white trash at the country club.

I'd rather have Granny Clampett in the WH than Sarah Palin.

[SuperHornet]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maslo ... _Needs.svg

Your OPINION of what the GOP OUGHT to do does NOT line up with the definition of "need."

[OSBF]

I have no love for Palin but I do think it is funny that she gets the political class so worked up. She's like Al Czervik to the blue bloods like Judge Smails. Don't want any white trash at the country club.

I'd rather do Granny Clampett in the butt than Sarah Palin.