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Why It Can’t Be Sarah Palin

By Hunter Baker on 11.3.10 @ 9:34PM

Back in 2008, there were plenty of people counting out Sarah Palin. They denigrated her intelligence. They thought she was a lightweight and a joke.

Those people were wrong. At the time, I characterized Sarah Palin as a soon to be transformative figure in American politics. I think that was the right call.

Nevertheless, she cannot and must not be considered a strong candidate for the GOP nomination in 2012. When I say that, I don’t mean it would be impossible for her to be nominated, but rather that it would be a major mistake.

If Sarah Palin wanted to be president, then she needed to stick it out in Alaska and successfully complete her term as governor. It would have been better still for her to complete two full terms or to finish one term and then go to the U.S. Senate to gain exposure to a broader array of national issues.

She hasn’t done that. Instead, she has chosen to become a political celebrity AND one heckuva force in Republican primaries. I think her influence is positive. She deserves a lot of credit for the current focus on our fiscal woes, which is really the issue that drove the GOP to victory overall.

What will be required in 2012 is a conservative deemed to be a serious expert with regard to both the economy and budget reform. This person will have to be seen as an equal to President Obama as an intellectual and superior to him as a political executive. Even if Sarah Palin were to extensively prepare herself and gain razor-edged perfection with the issues, she would still be viewed as someone who gave up on governing Alaska. Bright, fiscally-conservative governors will be the proper prescription for taking back the White House, the Senate, and beginning the arduous work of reforming the entitlement state. Bobby Jindal will be an option. Mitch Daniels will be an option. Perhaps Tim Pawlenty or Jeb Bush. Those are the kinds of names to look for if victory (and real governing success) is the desired outcome.

View all comments (186) | Leave a comment Leave a comment

Matt X| 11.3.10 @ 9:57PM

It's comical at how many conservatives want to run down Sarah Palin the same day or day after we take back the House and pick up seats in the Senate.

Tim Pawlenty is no conservative and he's dull. Jeb Bush would be another disappointment. Bobby Jindal and Mitch Daniels are ok but don't think they have the charisma.

I have to wonder if this author is even a conservative if he views Obama as an intellectual. Is he seen as an intellectual? I think this author has been spending way too much time on David Frum's website. That's the prescription for losing.

budge| 11.3.10 @ 10:22PM

Obama is not an intellectual? Good lord, you may not like the guy, but to say that he isn't an intellectual flies in the face of reality. Were you admitted to Harvard Law School? I'm no great fan of Harvard, and many of the Harvard lawyers I've met are snooty, but you can't say the guy is not an intellectual. Growing up, I hated Roger Stauback because I was an Eagles fan. I'd be willing to believe anything you said about the guy as long as it was negative. But I never would have said that the guy is a lousy athlete.

Matt X| 11.3.10 @ 10:47PM

I'm a mechanical engineer, I went to Clemson University. I think that's far more impressive than Obama going to Harvard. I would not doubt he was given addmision due to affirmative action.

If Obama's an intellectual as you assert, why is he a lousy president? Why his resume so unremarkable? He barely practiced law. Do you think somebody that inspired by a hatemonger jackass like J. Wright is an intellectual? Really, man?

John Carnal| 11.3.10 @ 11:08PM

So, Mr. Baker, Sarah Palin resigned because she couldn't take the heat? Is that it? Your little piece here is just another example of "journalistic analysis" that falls into the category this-can't-be-happening. Take some time off and study what Mrs. Palin accomplished to become Republican governor. Take some time off and review the attempts to wound her political future by the MSM during her run for vice president. She over came those attempts. She connects with those of us who do not think America needs to be redeemed like no one since Regan. You put your credibility at risk by echoing the this-can't-be-happening theme.

Michael L. Hauschild| 11.4.10 @ 8:28AM

John, you nailed it. What Hunter needs to do is simply shut the old pie hole and let the voters decide. (Oh, wait, we just did.) The Tea Party has emerged triumphant, they beat the media, they beat the Republicans, and most significantly they gave a monumental blow to the progressives of the Democratic Party. There is a huge difference between endorsing and choosing. Palin, unlike Rove, knows the difference as to the real process that has evolved and is occurring; the constituents now are aware that they have the power to nominate and elect who they want. Grass roots candidates can, and now will, have a chance; they will choose far more wisely now that they have a choice. The puppet masters with the capital (and capitol) letters or the deemed “architects” are now relegated to “pundit” status on the cable news. We now have in place watchdogs who will not succumb to the wiles and whims of Bohner, McConnell, or Rove. Any pundit, any elected official, or any "mastermind" had better be very careful where he steps; we carry that flag for a reason.

Debra Rybarz| 11.5.10 @ 9:08AM

The fact that Sarah Palin quit has nothing to do with her accomplishments. It is the only excuse people have to use against her and to me laughable, come on surely you can find somthing better.

ADHD| 11.6.10 @ 9:33PM

My understanding was that Mrs. Palin was being hounded regarding records of her spending, background and other things that were close to lawsuits - and in great number!! She apparently quit because the task of governing was nothing in comparison with the need to perpetually defend herself on monetary matters unrelated to the state of Alaska but of her personal finances!

jrs| 11.3.10 @ 11:59PM

Matt,
I love your sense of humor. Listen, like the guy or not, he's definitely no idiot. I'm sure he owes at least a little bit of his success to affirmative action, but that's still much more impressive than a middle of the road engineering degree from a third tier engineering school.

JohnD| 11.4.10 @ 8:07AM

If he is not an idiot, then he must be evil. I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and say his epic failure as President is due to rank stupidity, rather than wanting to intentionally destroy the nation's economy and its people.

gael| 11.4.10 @ 12:05PM

Wow! such denigration of a "real" thinker (an engineer) and lapdog like blind praise for a guy who OBVIOUSLY was AA at Harvard; he graduated at the bottom half of his Columbia class (they will validate that) and was only admitted after a very secretively funded summer trip to Pakistan after an abominably mediocre year at Occidental!!! Even Harvard Law Review acknowledge that his election was the FIRST year of deploying AA elections! Give me a break - Barack Obama is NO INTELLECTUAL!!! He has been elevated on a fraudulent narrative and Every Single Day he lives with the insecurity of that. (Gotta love the Clemson slam, too! "middle of the road?!?)

Bob K.| 11.4.10 @ 9:04AM

Woodrow Wilson was an Intellectual with impeccable credentials. Far more than Obama's and he was a lousy President.

No one has seen Obama's scholastic credentials.

SoCon| 11.5.10 @ 1:17AM

Woodrow Wilson was a cold hearted Progressive bastard. In that regard, he and Obama have a lot in common.

JBB| 11.4.10 @ 11:20AM

Matt, my son is a mechanical engineering student at Cornell right now. You did not do us proud with your comments. I would not expect you to have an informed opinion on politics as your major was engineering, so my thought is please just comment on engineering issues in the future, something you are knowledgeable about. Affirmative action? Really man!

gael| 11.4.10 @ 12:09PM

so your son is an engineering student (hope he makes it thru) and therefore you're qualified to determine the political acumen of engineers (who have actually received degrees) everywhere? Just WOW

The thing about engineers is that we're taught to THINK analytically, objectively. We discern trends easily. We consume and track large amounts of data to find solutions. It's a way of thinking that lends itself well to ..amongst many other things... the political hot air that blows from all corners.

peggy| 11.4.10 @ 1:31PM

who even has proof that obama went to harvard?

Dave| 11.4.10 @ 9:49PM

I'm with you on Obama being an awful president but the guy is one hundred percent an intellectual. He was a lecturer at the U of Chicago (a top 10 school), graduated from Columbia (Ivy), and went to Harvard Law. His ideas are dead wrong but that doesn't mean he's stupid. With all due respect you are delusional if you think that Clemson is even in the same class of any of the institutions Obama went to. Its pure bs to say that going to Clemson, a middling school is "far more impressive" than Harvard and you know it

SoCon| 11.5.10 @ 1:23AM

If Obama was such a brainiac at Harvard why did he pay a law firm over 1 million dollars to hide his school transcripts? He's a narcissist--if he had gotten good grades in college he would have trumpeted them from the rooftops.

His party just got shellacked after just 20 months of Obama rule, too; more evidence that he's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Dave| 11.5.10 @ 12:33PM

Obama's logic is probably that releasing his grades would do no good. If they are mediocre or poor they will be used to make fun of him - if they are excellent they will be used to suggest he's an elitist and out of touch.
He lost the election because his values are not shared by the voting public. The election is not a referendum on his intellect.

An engineer| 11.4.10 @ 11:19PM

Mr. Matt X, maybe a little bit of stats would cool your self-esteem: just to remind you that combined SAT score of the Clemson freshman is 1194, compared to 2080-2370 for the Harvard freshmen. Even if you take that down by 30% subject to affirmative actions, he still beats you to the score.
So, please, don't consider yourself smarter than Obama, OK?

ADHD| 11.6.10 @ 9:28PM

Regardless of how good or how poor universities are, one might well wish to remember in all events that being an intellectual is positively NO guarantee of somebody's character, intrinsic intelligence or actual worth.

Let's not forget what Ljéñin wrote about them, in a letter to his friend Maksjím Górjkiy: "the intelligentsia are not the brains of the nation but the sh-t!" Furthermore, he was happy to think of some of them as "useful idiots!"

[Ljéñin most certainly was a real intellectual (getting a law-degree of 4 years in just 1 year!); yet he, together with his successor Stáljin, was jointly responsible for the death of 40,000,000 people in the USSR outside of the time of World War II!!! Since under Stáljin's time (1924-53) the number is reckoned as 30,000,000 (including between 3 and 10 million in the Ukrainian artificial-famine of 1930-33), we can realise that under Ljéñin's time (1918-24 - even if one remembers the Russian Civil War of 1917-20) the casualty figure of his "making omelettes from broken eggs" was 10,000,000 people!!!]

Dean from Ohio| 11.3.10 @ 11:05PM

An intellectual singles out contradictions and wins people over with incisive reasoning, witty prose and memorable phrases. Moynihan, for example, was right about welfare's involvement the demise of the black family and coined the phrase "defining deviancy down." Neuhaus presciently observed that "Where orthodoxy is optional, it will soon be proscribed." Solzhenitsyn wrote convincingly about the "Big Myth" becoming the "Big Lie" that doomed the Soviet Union.

All President Obama has done, despite his wasted education at Harvard Law School for which no grades have been released, is echo one platitude after another from the captivating screen of TOTUS. Like Tallyrand said of Louis XVIII, he has learned nothing and forgotten nothing. And he has convinced no one of anything except that 2012 cannot come soon enough.

SoCon| 11.5.10 @ 1:32AM

I agree. Talk about arrogance! We're paying 200 million dollars a day for his stupid trip to India while many millions of Americans are losing their jobs and their homes.

King Barack and Queen Michelle Antoinette.

Dave| 11.5.10 @ 12:36PM

Its idiots like you that make conservatives look bad. You really will believe and recite every mass email myth that you get. There are so many valid complaints, there is no need to manufacture fraudulent charges.

tonypal| 11.3.10 @ 11:43PM

Budge, you're simply overrating this whole Harvard Law thing. Sure, anyone who goes to a school like Harvard is going to be bright, perhaps even very bright. But that hardly qualifies someone as an intellectual. Neither does having yourself listed as author of two books.

I am a graduate of a top tier law school in the northeast. The qualifications to get into my law school were almost identical in terms of LSAT score and undergrad GPA. We were taught the exact same subjects and covered almost all of the same ground in our core courses. I can assure you that I'm not an intellectual because that requires a bit more than a high IQ or a degree from a top tier law school.

So how exactly then does Barack Obama qualify as an intellectual. One could say he spent many years in deep thought, considering the full range of beliefs on the ideological scale. But that's not really what happened. He was raised by Marxists, was mentored by a Marxist and spent his formative years in the company of Marxists. He didn't intellectualize; he absorbed. He was like a sponge, soaking it all in and making it part of his being.

One could say he's published papers that demonstrate his intellectual prowess. After all he was editor of the Harvard Law Review, in and of itself a grand accomplishment. But unlike most people who are chosen for law review, Obama didn't really write much of anything. And that whole editor of the law review thing; well at Harvard, it's a popularity contest amongst the law review members.

So how exactly is Obama an intellectual? He's a master at putting voice to the words streaming off his teleprompter. Maybe that's it. Or perhaps Obama's intellectualism is of a metaphysical sort. He seems to have the ability to hypnotize on a mass scale.

So make the case for Obama being an intellectual. In my view, he's no more than a snake oil salesman with first rate speechwriters and a certain teleprompter as his travel companions. The very fact that he apparently believes what he says not only disqualifies him as an intellectual, it makes me question how the hell he ever got into Harvard in the first place. Unfortunately we'll never know because he won't tell us.

DJ| 11.4.10 @ 4:04PM

No, he's spending millions of dollars hiding his records so we can not find out !

bookworm| 11.4.10 @ 10:16PM

Very well said. Bravo!

George S| 11.3.10 @ 11:52PM

So he went to Harvard. What were his grades? Do you know? Then how can you make that assertion. Bush graduated Yale... yet the joke is that the Bush Presidential Library only contains coloring books. But for Obama, just saying it makes it so.

Bob Miller| 11.4.10 @ 10:00AM

No one doubts that Obama tries to carry himself as an intellectual. So? He's managed to craft an academic-political career of upward mobility based on no merit. It's kind of funny, yet tragic for us.

J.P. Travis | 11.4.10 @ 11:04AM

"Obama is not an intellectual? Good lord, you may not like the guy, but to say that he isn't an intellectual flies in the face of reality."

If you think Obama is an intellectual, then perhaps you can point to some of his works of scholarship. So far, the man has refused to release anything relating to his matriculations at Occidental College, Columbia, or Harvard. Not his grades, nor anything he wrote or produced. You've swallowed the Myth of Obama and you think everybody else should swallow it too.

Dave| 11.4.10 @ 9:53PM

This is not really an argument thats importnant. Who cares if Obama is an intellectual or not - what we can agree on is that he is a poor president.
By the way he released a small book in 1990s thats a NYT Bestseller and another one in 2007

An engineer| 11.4.10 @ 11:21PM

So, what about G.W. Bush? Did he release his scores?

wodiej| 11.4.10 @ 11:14AM

He won't reveal his college records/transcripts, got his law license taken away and never published one single article while on the law review. He also has NEVER been a professor. He was a GUEST LECTURER. He can't even speak coherently without a teleprompter. Going to an ivy league school especially when a person is the beneficiary of affirmative action is no mark of a great mind.

Fred Klarer| 11.4.10 @ 11:38AM

I am a graduate of both Harvard College ('80) and Harvard Law School ('83), and know them both quite well. Barack Obama is a typical product of the law school (known among Harvard alum simply as "The Law School"); arrogant, condescending, elitist, conforming, un-reflective, entitled, reflexively left-wing, unthoughtful, unable to appreciate views other than those he has been handed, and surprisingly ill-educated. Don't be so impressed; the typical conservatives such as Sarah Palin, whatever you might think of her as a political candidate, are far more thoughtful and original than someone like Barak Obama. He is simply a congeries of what he has been feed from the leftwing midset of the Ruling Class. Angelo Codevilla is spot on here; read him.

bookworm| 11.4.10 @ 10:23PM

It takes a great deal of humility and self-awareness to write what you have.

peggy| 11.4.10 @ 1:30PM

who has proof he went to harvard?

Stan O| 11.4.10 @ 2:37PM

We don't really know Obama's intellectual prowess. He clearly has no grasp of management. He is a bumbler when away from the teleprompter. We have no record at all of his academics.

The media creates these things, look at GWB vs Kerry, why did they make Bush out to be an idiot and Kerry the intellectual? GW had better grades at the same school around the same time. GW is a voracious reader, Kerry ?.

voted against carter| 11.4.10 @ 3:56PM

Sorry budge,

Obama is not an intellectual. Period. His actions prove this completely. Suido intellectual, MAYBE. And as for getting in to "Harvard Law School",
CAN WE SAY "AFFIRMATIVE ACTION"?

Come on. This is easy stuff. This guy is an empty suit.

Why are ALL his records SEALED? He has 3 law firms on retainer at tax payer expense making SURE they STAY that way.

Transparency? Hardly.

So UNLESS you are a progressive leftwingnut dumbocrat, there isn't ANY possible WAY to spin Obama as an intellectual. Oh, and by the way, his books were ALL ghost written by his buddy Bill Arys. So even THAT is SUSPECT.

intellectual,.. Yea, ...ok.

I have this bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you REALLY cheaply,.. You interested? ?? It WON'T be for sale long,.. No??? You Sure?

Well let me know if you CHANGE your mind.

David| 11.4.10 @ 3:02PM

Jindal and Daniels may not have charisma, but they have brains and knowledge, two things Sarah Palin is sorely lacking. She can stay in her role as cheerleader for appropriate candidates, but it's absurd to paint her as the face of the Republican Party. God help us.

Jacobite| 11.5.10 @ 7:54PM

Jeb Bush is DOA on immigration. Mitch Daniels has a personal saga right out of a soap opera that makes the Palins look like Ozzie and Harriet. It's too late for a conservative. Yelling "stop!" after socialized medicine has been enacted is worthless. It all has to be torn down and scrapped. A right-wing government is the only hope. If we don't get that, start buying freeze-dried food, gold, and ammo. You also need to understand that, in addition to the affirmative-action factor, the ability to speak well in public is a skill that is not closely related to intelligence. The Kennedy's were good examples of guys with the gift of gab, but without any noticeable intellect. That goes for Ted-boy (the swimmer and school cheat), JFK (the girl-crazy playboy), as well as RFK, our bathetic dime-store Mussolini. And their damn kids -- none has a brain and some can't even speak well. There is no record of O'bwana having accomplished anything indicating high intelligence. Like the failure to produce a birth certificate, the fact that his school records are more secret than the nuclear launch codes suggests several questions. Barak Hussein, International Man of Mystery, might be a great idea for a movie, but for President?????

bluecollarbytes| 11.3.10 @ 9:58PM

'equal to Obama as an intellectual' ?

This sounds like something out of msnbc

Erling| 11.3.10 @ 9:59PM

The huge GOP/Tea Party Class of 2010 has yet to be sworn in- it's far too early to begin ruling anyone in or out of the '12 race to be President. However, since you brought it up, after the spending spree of Bush 43 and massive growth of the federal government, conservatives cannot entertain the thought of a fourth Bush term (Jeb or Laura or any other Bush) at 1600 PA Avenue.

c. j. acworth| 11.4.10 @ 7:57AM

Wait a minute now, Erling, doesn't W have a dog? Maybe he's available!

Penny Pingleton| 11.3.10 @ 10:01PM

We are living through a very tumultuous period of history. I, for one, think that having the most powerful person on the planet being someone who understands what my everyday life is like is a candidate to whom I would give much money, time and energy. Run, Sarah, run!

budge| 11.3.10 @ 10:28PM

What does your next door neighbor do? I'd imagine that he or she really understands what life is like for you. Is that your ideal candidate? How about you? Who can understand your daily struggles better than you do? Perhaps you'd be the best president. On the other hand, I want someone who has a fierce intellect. I want someone who is intimidatingly competent. Maybe someone like Winston Churchill. I absolutely cannot understand this fascination with the "average" person, or the regular joe. There is nothing wrong with the average joe. My next door neighbor is a pharmacist. He is a great guy, and I'm sure that he is really good at his job. But I don't think that he would make a great president.

PCC| 11.4.10 @ 4:26AM

Dear budge,

To answer your question, the interest in the "average joe" derives from a well-justified and widespread disappointment in the Yale-Harvard crowd (Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama) and their ilk. For a change, some people would like to give a graduate of Eureka College (Reagan) or Southwest Texas State Teachers College (LBJ) or Independence High School (Truman) or West Point (Eisenhower) a chance and see if they can do any better.

Matt X| 11.3.10 @ 10:17PM

Just a reminder, Bush was characterized as stupid, and both Gore and Kerry were characterized as geniuses, and Bush beat them both.

The key to beating Obama will be selecting a nominee with some charisma. When we select dull guys like McCain, Dole, Bush Sr, that's when we tend to lose, especially when those dull guys are also liberal on a lot of domestic issues.

Anybody that argues that JEb Bush or Palewntry are better candidates than Palin is a fool.

Stacy| 11.3.10 @ 10:21PM

I couldn't disagree more...
You obviously are unfamiliar with the reasons she resigned.. Look it up. She made (as a smart executive should) the best decision for the people of Alaska. Obama's goons held Alaska hostage with political antics I had never seen before, while the rest of the GOP just let it happen. They filed suit after suit against her (all unfounded) to bankrupt her and the treasury. They gobbled up her staffs hours and he owned the legislators who once worked with her.
Know the story before you judge.
No other Republican can match her principles or willingness to fight for this country.

She's the one I will be supporting.

Apalled Alaskan| 11.4.10 @ 12:01AM

I am familiar with the resign she resigned...BECAUSE I'm from Alaska. Sarah Palin resigned for a culmination of reasons the biggest of which was that she had lost her interest and her base. Ask any elected official both Republican and Democrat alike and they will tell you (and already have gone on record) they were very puzzled at her inability to focus on the tough task of governing after the election. In fact, Todd sat in on many of the meetings she should have. She was faced with a mountain of ethics complaints, was making erratic decisions in a very uncollbrative nontransparent manner which was causing negative reactions from both Republicans and Democrats and was facing financial troubles. This coupled with the fact that I think she just wanted to get that book written while she had the chance and the election was still fresh in everyone's mind. She has found her nitch now - she no longer needs to be accountable to the Alaska electorate, is raking in tons of money from Fox, speaking gigs, gets to put on new wigs and put on supposed news commentaries with Alaska and her husband Todd on the snow machine in the background. She has become the queen of reality TV and the GOP's cheerleader. Alaska wants no part of her. It is pretty obvious as her senate candidate in Alaska is losing.

Appalled Alaskan| 11.4.10 @ 12:05AM

Stacy - I challange you to "look it up." Ask Republican Bert Stedman of Alaska - he will tell you about Sarah Palin. Ask Republican John Harris of Alaska - he will tell you about Sarah Palin. Ask former City Administrator of Sitka Alaska - he will tell you about Sarah Palin. In fact ask all Alaskan elected officials and the voters of Alaska - they will tell you. She did not quit FOR US!! She quit for herself!

voted against carter| 11.4.10 @ 4:04PM

Appalled Alaskan,...

Come on Lisa Murkowski, IS THAT YOU??? I bet it IS. Lisa, lisa lisa,.. LET IT GO. you will feel so much better.

Just say'n

Andi From Alaska| 11.4.10 @ 12:02AM

While it served her agenda to resign when she did, she had to do so because she destroyed the co-operative political atmosphere in this state when she ran for vice-president.
No one held us hostage and the least popular man will always be a democratic president.
How much do you actually know about Alaska? Have you ever been here? We're you here when she was Governor? or ran as Vice pres? It certainly sounds like you don't know what your talking about, and probably weren't here, so please stop talking about things you wouldn't understand.
I don't know if your aware of what's going on with our senate race, but Murkowski, whom Palin hates, appears to have won as a write in against the Republican candidate, whom she backed. It all happened for several reasons, but it reflects on how the only state she ever partially governed thinks of her.
She is another political machine she claims to fight.
When she ran for Governor, I voted for Palin, in the primaries and the general election. But the choices she were for her own benefit, her political career, with little regard for this state, or frankly her families.
Palin can get conservative support, that's for sure, but that's not what a National election is about. But we need a Candidate whose accomplished something more then half a term as Governor, and being a celebrity.
And don't you dare quote me Regan. He was a celebrity first, then a political speaker, then a Governor with two full terms in one of the most complicated and populous states.

Appalled Alaskan| 11.4.10 @ 12:14AM

There is one BIG difference between Palin and Regan:
Where the Gipper used his gifts of communication to inspire his audience, Palin unfortunately uses her talents to breed anger and resentment.
You are right "Andi of Alaska" - Palin NEVER worked with collaboration or with transparancy - it was always "my way or the highway" and believe me, many of her followers were thrown off the bus and left trampled on that highway.

jrs| 11.4.10 @ 12:07AM

Let's see, she can't stick it out running a state w/ a population less than the size of the average congressional district that happens to be much more republican than the country as a whole, but you think she'd make a good president. Enough said.

Jim| 11.4.10 @ 1:10AM

Well said and fact based. If anyone doubts it, perhaps they should use Google for something other than locating OFA.

Steve-O| 11.3.10 @ 10:23PM

As much as I love and admire Sarah Palin, her resignation eliminates her in my mind as a serious presidential candidate. When Obama askes her in a debate if she would quit the Presidency under the same circumstances that she resigned as governor of Alaska, the election would be over. Because of her resignation, she is not electable.

larryg| 11.4.10 @ 1:56AM

Sadly, I must agree with Steve-O. I have no doubts as to Palin's better-than-average smarts, skills, and experience but the gubernatorial resignation will taint her electability. A full term as Governor plus a term in the House of Representatives would have made her a much more attractive candidate.

Interested Conservative| 11.3.10 @ 10:29PM

As for Sarah's problem in 2012 the article is mostly spot on but misses the major point. Namely, in 2008, Palin had the most executive experience of all the national candidates. In fact, her brief time as Governer, exceeded McCain, Obama, and Biden combined.

Her problem, thus, in 2012, is that those conditions don't repeat.

The POTUS will have two more years to prove how unintellectual he is, and she'll only gain on him there, but he will have had 4 years of governing, however poorly, but 4 years of arguments vs. her four years of not governing. Something, even done poorly, will likely beat nothing done well.

Many others have observed that in 2024 she'll be younger than Hilary is now, so she has plenty of time to reassume office, either in someone else's cabinet or have another go as a Veep choice. That, or a 2014 senate race is where she should go.

History and circumstances pretty much dictate a sitting GOP governor runs in 2012, and the bench is plenty loaded. Jeb won't win the nomination, but Perry, Daniels and Jindal have been joined by Christie, Kasich, and Corbett, to just start a list.
Even Scott, Haley, Snyder and Lepage could soar given luck.

gael| 11.4.10 @ 12:16PM

Agreed, Her strength is in her ability to connect with people, to confirm, lift up and motivate. A Cabinet position in which she can be America's Voice would be great. SHe'll always be under attack from a (jealous) welloiled machine on the left and some righties. It wouldn 't be worth the division to try to run .. at least until she has shaken out that machine

willegge| 11.3.10 @ 10:35PM

Hunter Baker , you arrogant snot. Not Obama's equal? Sarah Palin Towers above Obama, Bush, Pawlenty, Daniels, and Jindal. Sarah Palin is a big reason November 2nd turned out the way it did. Remember where the republican party was just a few months ago before Sarah Palin and the tea Party put a fire under the butts of so many that are the energy behind these great results. Wake up sir and smell the tea.

Appalled Alaskan| 11.4.10 @ 12:22AM

"Sarah Palin is a big reason November 2nd turned out the way it did" - and that is a good thing? Acutally there are some key Republican races that were lost because she did support extremism. But do Republicans really want to extol ignorance and capitolize on unsubstantive fear mongering rhetorical lies? Granted, she brought high level attention to races, but I have heard from many intellegent Republicans who are in the arena, rolling up their sleeves and working hard for their constituents. Palin is nothing but a cheerleader on the sidelines that you most certainly DO NOT want carrying the ball across the finish line. First and most importantly, the electorate has NO idea that she would not become destracted somewhere along the way and not reach the goal.

Matt X| 11.3.10 @ 10:35PM

I can't see Perry, Christie, or Kasich (he was the Fox News "From the Heartland" dork, right) being our nominee. Christie tends to be overconfrontational at times and he's pretty weak on a lot of issues important to conservatives. I don'thave a major problem with Perry but I don't think he comes across as any smarter than Palin and she has more charisma.

Matt X| 11.3.10 @ 10:37PM

I think Palin's resignation is just a convenient excuse for people already opposed to her to attack her on. It's fair game but stop pretending like you were pro-Palin until she resigned. Just don't buy that. :)

Matt X| 11.3.10 @ 10:38PM

Let's face it, when white pundits say Obama is an intellectual, they are really just saying he's "pretty smart for a black guy". Everybody knows this guy is a fool and way in over his head.

Dave| 11.5.10 @ 12:45PM

Now we see the clemson genius's true colors come out

Ana Hernandez| 11.3.10 @ 10:40PM

I am simply tired of all these Cocktail Party - Rinos saying who can and cannot run. No one has endorsed first a candidate and has been able to change the landscape in this country since Reagan like Gov. Sarah Palin. Last night was the PROOF....Wake up America we pick our candidates not these ignorant rinos! I live in NJ; but no one has bumberstickers w/Christie for Pres, or T-Paw, RomenyCare.v1, etc.; but I have seen many bumberstickers even in liberal towns w/PALIN for PRESIDENT!... WAKE UP AND SMELL THE TEA! EVEN IN MONTCLAIR, BLOOMFIELD, CLIFTON, & NEWARK just to name a few cities PALIN FOR PRESIDENT STICKERS ARE BEEN SEEN!

Matt X| 11.3.10 @ 10:52PM

Why don't we wait and see if she runs for president first? Then American Spectator can start to demonize her. That's what we have come to expect from our precious conservative publications. Teh heh.

Aleck| 11.4.10 @ 7:40AM

Wake up! She's been running! That's why she took the short cut and quit the governorship. That's why she hurried to make herself visible at Tea Party events, you know, to find the parade and get in front of it. And because she takes short cuts, she has neither the coherent political philosophy to give real leadership nor the administrative ability to serve as president. Listen to Reagan's "A Time for Choosing" speech in favor of Goldwater's candidacy . Then consider that, after that, he went on to serve two successful terms as governor of California. He paid his dues and prepared himself well *before* running. Mrs. Palin has done neither. She's a great cheerleader. But even if she could win the presidency, I don't think she could handle it.

gael| 11.4.10 @ 12:22PM

So...explain the successful run of BHO...who took shortcuts (as we'll kindly lable them, for now), never held a real job, was boosted by racist concerns and without merit for his entire life! His own wife said on TV (before she was muzzled for the campaign) when asked if he would run in 2006: "He hasn't done anything yet". He was a nobody, a blank slate, upon which a fraudulent narrative was posed and with which a fantastic marketing team packaged him up for a vapid and eager American public.

Aleck| 11.4.10 @ 1:51PM

Well said. But that's a good illustration of my point, don't you think? Now he's obviously in over his head. It's not that Sarah Palin could not win (although, frankly, I'm dubious about that). It's that "even if she could win the presidency, I don't think she could handle it."

Augustust| 11.3.10 @ 11:15PM

I will give you an explanation as best as I can to explain why she left the governor ship.

I picked this up while reading her book. One of her philosophies in life has always been that if she was doing something she had to go all out.

There are many instances in her life that she has followed this course.

As I see it, around the time she quit her role as governor she already made up her mind that she was going to run for President.

So she chose to star the process early.

That's it. She wasn't betraying Alaska, just pursuing her calling.

Appalled Alaskan| 11.4.10 @ 12:27AM

"She wasn't betrying Alaska?" Excuse me..that is the most unbelievable excuse for pursuing not "her calling" but her own self interests. She had a sacred obligation to fill and she broke that contract with Alaskans. Your analogy would presume that we should bow down and say, of course , put in your two weeks notice, we understand, we are not as important as you are to the country. That is the most pathetic and unfortunately not the first time that I have encountered that reasoning. Read a what Alaskans and Alaskans holding elected office have to say about her resignation!

gael| 11.4.10 @ 12:23PM

In your own words, if she had "lost the ability to govern", lost the cohesion etc....why was it in Alaska's interest for her to continue!?!

John G Boulet| 11.3.10 @ 11:23PM

Listen to Limbaugh: you always know whom the Left fears by watching whom they attack. Palin qualifies for this kudo! She quit the governorship because of frivolous, multiple "ethics" charges that were forcing her to devote her time to defending herself; not to mention the expense to the State. She made a very good executive decision: to make herself a "free agent," free to go around the entire country rallying conservatives to the cause, using her fame to back Tea Party candidates who otherwise wouldn't have been considered. She's done a fantastic job in rallying the troops in 2010. Again: Spectator talks about Limbaugh winning the election for 2010? Well, listen once more to Limbaugh when he points out that the Left will attack those whom they fear. They have feared and attacked Limbaugh mercilessly, ruthlessly -- like wild predators hunting their prey. The Left has done quite a bit of this to Palin, too!! She is quite the kind of fearless person that conservatism needs. Her leadership this year is better evidence of her executive capabilities than another couple of years as Governor of Alaska would have been. I think that she should run for President!

Appalled Alaskan| 11.4.10 @ 12:34AM

And you want someone to represent you as their President who is afraid to stand in front of the general public (not screened individuals) and answer their questions? You want someone who only hides behind Facebook and Twitter comments that you are not even sure she wrote? Come on..Americans deserve better. They deserve someone who is not afraid to stand by their convictions and are willing to answer questions and debate the issues in front of ALL the press and the public at large. We have heard from such individuals in this last election. Without this transparency, we might as well be living under a dictatorship. All Sarah Palin is capable of is inciting mass hysteria with her fear mongering that is unsubstantiated. When asked for the facts..she retreats.

ejp| 11.4.10 @ 1:39AM

You have consistently ducked the matter of the barrage of frivolous ethics charges that were levied against Palin. Are you going to say with a straight face there was legitimacy to any of those charges? Because until you address that point, I can see your posts for what they are: the bleatings of a phony (just like Queen Lisa Murkowski, the epitome of a phony Republican as there ever was)

itsonlywords | 11.3.10 @ 11:24PM

Mitch Daniels? Jeb Bush? Is this a parody?

Jason | 11.3.10 @ 11:29PM

I'll put in my suggestion of Paul Ryan. If you want an expert on financial issues, he's it.

Proud Mormon| 11.3.10 @ 11:36PM

Mitt will mop up the floor with this bunch. Romney for President.

tonypal| 11.3.10 @ 11:47PM

I will sum up Mitt Romney's problem thusly: Which Mitt?

Scott | 11.3.10 @ 11:43PM

It isn't that Obama is an intellectual, it's that he's portrayed as an intellectual. Reality doesn't matter (personally, I suspect that his much coo'ed over coolness is the result of his being too thickheaded to realize how much trouble he's in).

The Republicans have to run someone who can't be smeared as an intellectual lightweight, and, I'm sorry to say, that isn't Sarah Palin.

jp| 11.3.10 @ 11:43PM

Rick Perry

kingofthenet| 11.3.10 @ 11:43PM

As a Hardcore Democrat, I truly hope you tea baggers get your wish and Sarah is the nominee.

tonypal| 11.3.10 @ 11:53PM

It's kind of ironic that people like you refer to people like me as a "teabagger." After all, given your undoubted devotion to Obama, it would seem that Obama is the true teabagger and you're just another Obama teabaggee.

Matt X| 11.3.10 @ 11:46PM

The media is going to paint any conservative as stupid, and every liberal as an intellectual. BY your own naive logic, the media is going to influence who we nominate, and obviously that's going to be our worst candidate.

jrs| 11.4.10 @ 12:17AM

Let's first drop this idea that all of the media are flaming liberals. Conservatives now have powerful friends in Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, talk radio, etc.... that aren't balanced themselves. Second, even if they try, some are much easier to paint this way than others. It's much more difficult doing this to Bobby Jindal (Brown, Rhodes Scholar, acceptances to Harvard Med and Yale Law) than it is to a CO or Palin who don't have the credentials, or let's be honest intellectual curiosity.

Scott| 11.4.10 @ 2:43PM

While it's true that many (not all) in the media will try to smear any conservative as stupid, the fact that it is a smear would be more obvious with some candidates than others.

I don't think Palin is stupid; you have to be pretty darn savvy to do what she's done. But like Bush the Younger and Quayle, two other pretty smart cookies who were unfairly maligned she doesn't project smarts. Why that it we can debate, but the point is, she could win the Nobel Prize in Physics and people would still think she's a bit thick. And while that's an advantage once a person gets into office, since others will constantly underestimate them, it's a disadvantage when trying to make the sale to the American people.

gad-fly | 11.3.10 @ 11:48PM

Pawlenty is a an AGW proponent and "My Man Mitch" is supporting all kinds of renewable energy schemes and he is for constructing pipelines throughout Indiana to collect CO2 for burial in southern oil wells.

Jindal got into my favor when he stood up to Obamaramalamadingdong during the oil spill. Chris Christie is King Kong but I fear he will have a heart attack long before he can be elected president.

As for Sarah Palin: “She’s a supernova,” says Mark McKinnon. “The only parallel is Barack Obama. And look what happened to him.”

Matt X| 11.3.10 @ 11:51PM

I scoff at liberals that call us "teabaggerss" when they are constantly harping on gay marrriage and "gay rights".

Your hero is Barney Frank. You may want to get the testicles out of your mouth before you label a conservative a teabagger. :)

tonypal| 11.3.10 @ 11:55PM

See my response above to this subject for an effective way to deal the whole teabagger thing.

David | 11.4.10 @ 3:09PM

I always wonder why certain people like yourself are so obsessed about gays. Why do you think that is, Matt?

Mike W| 11.3.10 @ 11:52PM

To Matt X:

Please don't tell people you are an engineer; it's embarrassing to engineers who usually do careful and methodical work. Your arguments are simple logical fallacies using irrelevant factoids to jump to faulty conclusions. Obama isn't an intellectual but you are? Good lord, you don't have to like him, but give the devil his due.

Claiming to be an engineer from Clemson (which is more impressive than going to Harvard Law School?) and then giving sloppy and prejudicial arguments that wouldn't get past a grammar debating club, let alone Harvard Law, is a real hoot. Boy Clemson must be proud of your genius. slogan- "Clemson, when you haven't a prayer of getting into MIT. The world also needs second raters."

Matt X| 11.4.10 @ 12:07AM

To Mike the Bitter Liberal:

Mike,

If you want to suck up to Obama, that's cool, but don't tell me some guy that was inspired by J. Wright is smarter than me. I don't care where he went to school. You can diss engineers all you want, and you can diss Clemson all you want, but engineering is engineering, and Clemson has some professors. You don't have to go to MIT to be an engineer, guy. You need to spend less time reading college rankings and maybe more time learning something, and one day you'll make more than 20K a year. My Clemson education certainly has not hurt me any, and it cost my parents much less money to send there than it would your precious MIT. You are not even an engineer so I do smirk at some fool lecturing me on what the best engineering schools are. How the hell could you know? You are talking about something that you have no expertise in... :)

George S| 11.4.10 @ 12:08AM

A community organizer slash slacker, gets elected to the US Senate, does not finish his term and winds up in the White House. I fail to follow your Palin: The Great Quitter analysis.

Now, whether she is not electable on other matters is fair game. I think that she has been caricaturized in the minds of many (like Quayle) and that would be a huge negative going into a general election. Harry Reid used that to devastating effect with Angle (extreme, mentally disturbed, social security repealer) and the media painted O'Donnell as a jobless, law suit litigating witch with a tax problem. It's unfair, but the Left knows exactly what they were doing when a dangerous, liberal killer is put in the national spotlight. They'll do everything to never let another Reagan come to the national stage.

David| 11.4.10 @ 3:13PM

It's quite odd to compare Obama's vacating his Senate seat by being elected president to Palin quitting her job halfway through her term. Palin, Angle, and O'Donnell are easily carictured because they make it so easy for their opponents. None o them come even close to Reagan, for god's sake.

bobmontgomery| 11.4.10 @ 12:13AM

Perhaps it's good that all this is airing out now and not eighteen months from now. But, this conversation is like so many others - We must't be seen as mean-spirited; we mustn't be seen s racist; we mustn't be seen as stupid; we must uphold the 'electable' candidate; we want to refom health care, too, just not so much; we can't get rid of th.e department of education = somechild might get left behind; global warming is real, we just think Al Gore causes it; and so on. It was just a few short weeks ago that Codevilla's piece appeared on these pages. We are about as close to living under a tyrannical regime as we want to get right now, and a lot of people who aren't smart enough to be president recognize that fact and are trying to stop it. Then there are a lot of people who play the pc game and wonder why we are where we are.

Bill H| 11.4.10 @ 12:26AM

Palin is the ONLY Republican who can defeat Obama. If the 2012 race is between Obama and a white male Republican (BTW, the above post about Christie is correct-great Gov but very moderate on most issues particularly immigration), the media will cast a vote against Obama as a racist act . And voters do not want to feel they are racists. However, if Sarah is the nominee, then it becomes man v woman race and a vote for her would be historic since we have never had a woman President. Voters love to make history with their vote which is a big reason many voted for Obama in 2008! And they would love their daughters to see the first woman President. She is very intelligent (read her Facebook policy posts) and the left has, like they did with Reagan in 1980, set the bar low by calling her stupid. She can easily overcome that like Reagan did at the debate with Carter. When he did the floodgates opened and Reagan won in a landslide. Sarah Palin is the shrewdest politician of the 21st Century. She will be the 45th President- count on it. And don't forget, if Hillary challenges Obama in 2012 and comes up short again ,which she will since she will have no black support , the female vote will be looking to settle the score with Obama. Run, Sarah,Run! And may I add- I hope the ticket is Palin-Bachmann 2012. Unbeatable and unstoppable!!

Appalled Alaskan| 11.4.10 @ 12:43AM

What proof do you have that she wrote her Facebook postings? We in Alaska do have proof that she may not be up to the task at hand. Even Cindy McCain in a recent interview said she felt she wasn't. In fact, many GOP are distancing themselves. What "fair weather" friends they are..they welcome the attention, then when the race gets close, they distance themselves. Look at Joe Miller in Alaska. The bottom line is Palin quit in Alaska. She always comes up with a good reason for everything..just not the truth. There is a term for pathological liars.

ejp| 11.4.10 @ 2:58AM

What proof do we have you're from Alaska or even a "Republican"? :) (I think the term pathological liar can be reserved for you)

YeloStalyn| 11.4.10 @ 3:17PM

Cindy McCain? That's your go to for proof on Palin's qualifications?

Maybe you are a RINO.

Don't get me wrong... I don't want her nominated because she won't win. At least not right now. I, personally, would have no problem with her as Pres based on the policy stances she's made and the ideology she professes. However, that doesn't mean I think she's politically viable. I mean... my first choice would probably be John Bolton... but I doubt he's got a snowballs chance to get out of the primary, much less the general (although it would be AWESOME).

Matt X| 11.4.10 @ 12:29AM

Anybody that states that Palin lacks "intellectual curiousity" sounds like they are flaming gay. What proof do you have for this assertion? The Katie Couric interview? Is Couric an intelligent person in your view? The lady that thinks the word jocular is spelled jockular and describes males acting like males when women are not around? :)

What's Obama curious about? Command and control economy, race baiting, and his golf game?

Dave| 11.5.10 @ 12:42PM

Why are you equating intelligence with sexual orientation? Palin is not an intellectual. She went to something like four schools to get a degree in Journalism from Idaho. Come on you are an esteemed graduate of the Clemson University, I would expect better arguments.

Garden State| 11.4.10 @ 12:42AM

Matt X: Christie's only soft-spot was an acceptance of some of the green nonsense, but that was during the campaign and before Climategate - since then he's defunded some programs and has not really done anything in that regard.

Other than that he's pro-life and as far as I know the only Republican Governor to actually DO anything to move the pro-life ball forward: He de-funded Planned Parenthood in NJ to the horror of the NY Times, the Star Ledger, et al.

And he's proven himself to be VERY effective despite an overwhelming majority of D's in both houses of the state legislature.

Name another politician who has taken on the unions directly (since Ronald Reagan)?

Christie has force of personality necessary to counter "the One" - nobody like Mitch Daniels or Mike Pence is going to have a chance in 2012 - and he very likely can bring along New Jersey which makes victory a lock as long as the rest of the country breaks down as it usually does.

Unfortunately he says he's not interested in running. But if you really think about it he is the only guy out there that it's easy to see beating Obama.

YeloStalyn| 11.4.10 @ 3:21PM

Christie would be good. He's often cast as extreme by the MSM... but what has that solid, steadfast beliefe in his principles gotten him? Near over night stardom. And a lot of admiration from conservatives because he governs like he has a pair. Republicans may not like him so much... but conservatives seem to like him quite well and independants seem to at least respect him because they know what he believes. They can then attempt to understand him... something you can't do with "polished" candidates who, without the D or R next to their name you wouldn't know their party.

Matt X| 11.4.10 @ 12:48AM

I think Christie may come across as a blowhard and unnecessarily contentious at times. It's red meat for us, but I think sometimes he needs to show a little emotional restraint. I think he started to enjoy lashing out a little too much.

He's got more problems than you think, and I think he is pro-amnesty. He is great for NJ but I don't think he's a viable national candidate.

Jim| 11.4.10 @ 1:01AM

I only learned one thing with certainty from reading this article - Hunter Baker is an illogical and shallow thinking knucklehead.

Obama is an intellectual? Based on what facts? His grades? His affirmative action admission to Columbia and Harvard? Hanging out with Bill Ayers and Bernadette Dorne? His admiration for Saul Alinsky? Or maybe just because he was clever enough to have Bill Ayres write his autobiography for him, but retains all the royalties for himself (assuming of course there was no hidden quid pro quo from Mr. Transparency).

If Obama is any kind of intellectual at all, he is an intellectual poser.

The next completely illogical and unsubstantiated opinion offered by this knucklehead is that if Sarah Palin wanted to run for POTUS, she had to serve out her term as Alaska's governor. Says who? If she wants to run and does, it will be the voting public who decides whether she is, and that issue is unlikely to be determinative for most people. Most will understand intuitively, based on her success as an author (two books), Fox News political commentator, TV show host and most importantly, her role as an conservative political activist with clout in the 2010 midterm elections. Stack that up against simply running out 17 months left in her term as governor, during which time she would have spent more than half her time fighting frivolous ethics charges, just to chalk up a notch for "perseverance"? Get real, dude! Sarah Palin has and will find plenty of more substantive opportunities to prove that she can persevere.

This knucklehead becomes wrongheaded, if not mean-spirited, in his closing, where he begins by saying, "Bright, fiscally-conservative governors will be the proper prescription for taking back the White House...", and he goes on to list the usual pack of unexciting Republican wannabees, plus, Jeb Bush !?! (That assertion alone qualifies him for knucklehead status). Given how much Sarah has harped on fiscal conservatism, and he prior governorship experience, Baker is clearly omits Palin solely to imply that she is not "bright".

She's not bright, but in less than two years, she has come from literally nowhere to be the dominant public figure in the Republican Party, has secured her family's financial future by earning millions in royalties, speaking fees and other activities (instead of her former salary of $150,000) and has redefined feminism.

I wonder how Mr. Baker's accomplishments over that same time period measure up? Certainly, he sees himself as her intellectual superior, so it would be very interesting to see him document the results his vaunted intellect has produced in the last two years. And while we are on the subject of intellect and results, Mr. Baker's other favorite intellectual, the Poser President, has REALLY demonstrated his intellectual prowess, leading his party to lose at least 60 House seats, 6 Senate seats, 16 state legislatures and I can't remember how many governorships. Yeah, that is some real intellect at work. The saddest thing is that prodigious intellect/poser still does not "get it".

Not Another Blowhard| 11.4.10 @ 1:35AM

Sorry everyone - Today, Sarah has more power than any other political force - including BHO.
Every shift in the political landscape is much easier to perceive in hindsight. No one but Sarah can come close to generating a movement - we need to see if it lasts.
So far it is dwarfing anything anyone else, including Mr. Baker, Mr. Rove, and Mr. Obama are doing.
I think the American People are ready to have Sarah clean up both sides of the aisle as she did in Alaska...or is that really what you are defending?

JP| 11.4.10 @ 2:15PM

Yes,
A movement that saw Sharon Angle and Christine O'Donnel go down in flames. Heck, she couldn't even get a hand picked Teapartier from her own state to win. Miller got beat by an old RINO who was supposed to be DOA. Some political movement.

Tim*| 11.4.10 @ 1:40AM

We Tea Party Rebels are urging Our Kingmaker Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina to run for The Presidency in 2012.

CalMark| 11.4.10 @ 1:42AM

Another anti-Palin hit piece. So sweet-sounding, but so nasty. Does the writer even realize it?

Funny, how McCain was the Smart People's choice in '08. And that worked out great!

Palin was a very able governor who accomplished more in two years than most governors do in eight, including an oil profit-sharing deal for her citizens and an agreement with Canada for the world's largest natural gas pipeline. Yes, the fact that she didn't study Classics at Harvard takes most of the luster off these accomplisments, but even so.

Next up: Mr. Baker will analyze why an old guy with an economics degree from Eureka College (of all places, for Pete's sake!) who acted in movies could never be a successful President.

BillyG| 11.4.10 @ 1:54AM

As Bush enabled the election of Obama, so will Obama enable Palin. As I prophecied over 2 yrs ago, it is stated in hot air and now on the internet.

Seriously now, we have a genius in office, and Bush had a masters didn't he? So we've tried the overeducated types and look where it gets us. I like the idea of just a Mom running the country for a bit, especially when it's one who could probably take the previous two Presidents 2v1 in a gunfight.

mad libertarian guy | 11.4.10 @ 2:35AM

There is no way that another member of the Bush clan gets elected as president for at least a generation.

Jocon307| 11.4.10 @ 5:11AM

Please let us heed Jesse Jackson and "stay out the Bushes".

I also must agree (as much as I LOVE Sarah Palin) - no more "celebrities"

We need someone who is the exact opposite of Obama, we need some short, old, fat white guy from the real Mid-West, not Chi-town, who DIDN'T go to Harvard, or Yale, who has actually run a lemonade stand, or something, who LOVES America and Americans and who doesn't "think who he is" as we say in NJ.

It would help if he had a nice wife, too.

And how about a cat, instead of a dog. I miss Socks.

Kids, optional, but if he has kids they should either be little or all grown up. Let's face it, teenagers are just a pain!

sasob| 11.4.10 @ 5:25AM

Let people say what they will about it, but a Palin presidential win in 2012 would have at least one seriously redeeming feature: Just imagine the look on Hilliary's face when she learns she is not to be the first woman president of the US. Priceless!

SpicyColdNoodle| 11.4.10 @ 5:26AM

Mr. Hunter Baker
I support Gov. Palin as positive force in conservative movement. Whether she become a candidate or not, I think she will have great future (if not politician then as conservative "Oprah" as Breitbart put it). I don't know whether she would be a good choice as a candidate. So I don't mind hearing fair criticism or reasons why she would be a poor choice. However what I hate is personal attack or sniping her creditability anonymously like recent Politico article.

Although I think many of GOP establishment in DC are snobs, they do have experience and knowledge on this stuff. So I think good approach might be what you did in your last paragraph which is to explain what qualifications you think a candidate should have and allow people to decide for themselves. I think what people ultimately reject is a small group of people in DC make a decision and shove a candidate in people's throat. As long as reasonable arguments about qualifications are presented and allow people to decide a candidate for themselves, I think it will be welcome.

gene| 11.4.10 @ 5:41AM

Interesting comments. Always good to see what others, many like minded, individuals are thinking.
I don't believe Palin is electable or what we need. She has massive value in terms of message, fund raising stoking the fire, etc.
What we need going forward is leadership that shows in an ability to "connect" with with the average voters. Remember "I feel your pain"? Clinton was able to "sell" the truth of that. I don't think it was really true, but he made it work. We need someone who is smart and articulate but not head in the clouds intellectual. Did any of you see the acceptance speech of Rubio? It was brilliant. He had a positive message. It was forward looking, not backward or negative. I'm not saying Rubio is the guy but he is definitely one to watch in the future.
Having said all that it seems that executive leadership, governor, etc. has proven the best indicator of future presidential gravitas. That's not to say that great leadership skills aren't present in the legislature but we've seldom seen it.
I an many others will be watching closely to try and discern if any of those "leadership" skills show themselves in this next year or so.
For my money at this point I've probably seen the most in terms of "guts" and thinking from Paul Ryan.

JayDubIII| 11.4.10 @ 7:17AM

As it respects Obama. All of my friends who are attorneys were telling me in 2007 how intelligent he was. Articulate. Yes. Charismatic. Yes. But intelligent. I don't think so. And he's as arrogant as they come.

As it respects Sarah Palin. I love the lady. Her background is very similar to mine. But do I want her sitting in the Oval Office. No !!! She's doing what she does best now.

SpicyColdNoodle| 11.4.10 @ 8:14AM

JayDubIII
You said: "Articulate. Yes. Charismatic. Yes. But intelligent. I don't think so."
One of the ways we can measure a person's intelligence is by comparing how close the person's words match reality. I would argue that President Obama is a highly intelligent person based on following evidence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=078BGtKNL1o

JayDubIII| 11.4.10 @ 9:26AM

You're kidding of course. If that's an attempt at sarcasm you failed. If that's your attempt to show the superior intellect of BHO it's a weak assed attempt.

SpicyColdNoodle| 11.4.10 @ 8:14AM

bert| 11.4.10 @ 8:00AM

I love the Phony Democrat Troll "Appalled Alaskan" peddling the usual half truths and smears . You fool no on here with your astroturfing .Does Axelrod pay over for post election astroturfing ? Odd ,how you Kool Aid drinking leftists carefully ignore the fact YOUR strategy of placing Palin in mountain ( millions) of legal debt from non stop phony ethics charges cooked up by your so called easy going /cooperative Alaskan DemocRATS party FAILED . I did like that big lie about how sweet and Disneyland like atmosphere in Alaskan politics ( Please). She out smarted you and your filled with hate for her dodging your sadly obvious stratgey of pinning her down with non stop legal battles/bills and keeping her stranded in Alaska.
So "Appalled Alaskan " aka " Obama Astroturfer", I can smell the fear on you regarding Palin's political gifts and her reach.
Go back to your smear merchant bosses Axelrod and Sorso and tell them the Marxist time in the White House is very limited in did and Palin has him in her scope as we post .

Zippy| 11.4.10 @ 8:14AM

I would have liked her to finish her term as Governor....DO NO UNDERESTIMATE SARAH. Some of you are reading all the hit pieces by the "journolists" and listening to the corrupt alphabet news media and coming to the exact conclusion they want you to come to. Shame on you.........

nina| 11.4.10 @ 8:18AM

Nice try. Sarah Palin has the wind on her back and the people love her. It's nice to know that you think her influence is positive . You on the other hand is -.

Marcia| 11.4.10 @ 8:22AM

I think Sarah knows a heck of a lot more about the budget and foreign policy than Obama ever knew. Her book reveals just that. What a ridiculous article...she made it clear why she had to leave the office of Governor. The libs would not leave her alone and they made it impossible for her to to her job as Governor. People like Hunter Baker will never understand that.

Aleck| 11.4.10 @ 10:23AM

In my opinion, this is wishful thinking, not wise thinking. First, is it not the case that Sarah Palin's book was actually written, not by her, but by a ghostwriter, Lynn Vincent? If so, then the book does not prove that Mrs. Palin understands anything about economics or foreign policy. If she did, would a lightweight like Katie Couric really have been able to make her seem so uninformed and unintelligent? Second, do not the liberals pester any conservative office-bearer? If Sarah Palin were elected President, do you really think the liberals would leave her alone? If they didn't--and they surely wouldn't--would she then quit partway through her term?

Ghostwriter| 11.4.10 @ 2:44PM

Oh my God are you saying a politician did not write their own book?

The last time a politician wrote their own book was U.S. Grant's autobiography.

Idiot.

(You, not Grant.)

George| 11.4.10 @ 8:24AM

This is the same kind of thinking that gave us John McCain, Bob Dole, and Bush Sr. as candidates.

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 11.4.10 @ 9:57AM

This article is indicative of cancerous thinking inside the beltway.

Because Sarah Palin gave up power in government the view of the ruling class is that she is somehow no longer special.

In fact, that could be her biggest asset, i.e., "I can take it or leave it."

In the midst of all the power seekers who are phony power grabbers, she is a breath of fresh air more concerned about the country then her political ambitions.

This is just another under estimation of her real power, the power to walk away from power and grow ever more powerful.

The ruling class will never understand that and this election cycle has proven it.

Sarah Palin is more politically astute then the entire ruling class put together.

Bob Miller| 11.4.10 @ 10:04AM

I'm not so keen on Palin as President but very eager to see her organize and campaign for worthy candidates in 2012.

Ken (Old Texican)| 11.4.10 @ 10:39AM

I just can't seem to refrain from commenting concerning Sarah. (smile)

Hunter Baker is a dunce.

He quit his paper route. His mom whipped his arse a lot, with good cause as he has so ably demonstrated above.

He is so stupid to put the words "intellectual and Obama" in the same sentence.

Both DeMint and Sarah have used almost identical words regarding a run: I will do so if no one else will.
I have begun calling both of them..."The reluctant candidate".
President is going to be a very tough job come 2012, and both of them are "serious" enough to understand that.
Hunter, dry behind your ears.

diane | 11.4.10 @ 10:40AM

Appalled Alaskan, you are one of those of those deranged women filing false ethics charges, always a hater and envious beyond belief.

J.P. Travis | 11.4.10 @ 10:54AM

Get real, Mr. Baker. Your assumption that it takes a career in political office to learn how to have a career in political office is the same old regurgitated argument we hear from Washington insiders 24/7/365. What we need in Washington is FEWER professional politicians and more people with actual principles and the courage to stand up for those principles. You want somebody with lots of experience in office? Then I guess Lindsey Graham is your choice for president. Blech.

Randy| 11.4.10 @ 11:09AM

The good news is, I get the same number of votes you do Mr. Baker.... ONE!

senecasd| 11.4.10 @ 11:21AM

This is what the primary season is for. Give me a pro life fiscal conservative with solid administrative experience. If Christie is pro life, he gets my vote. I think he is smart enough to tone down his confrontational attitude. EVERYONE would watch the debates, and he would eat Obama's lunch. There is no perfect candidate, but if he could bring along New Jersey and possibly Pennsylvania, he would probably win.

Eric Cartman| 11.4.10 @ 11:28AM

The Republicans could run Einstein's clone and the Democrats will say he is stupid . They ALWAYS say the Republican is stupid. The Founding Father were evil AND stupid, according to the Leftists. So saying that about Palin is par. And since our last few presidents were all Ivy Leaguers, I'm not real impressed with that credential. Look where they have lead us.

But she did quit, and the Lefties will have a field day with that. I think she knows this and will elect not to run, so the article is a waste of electrons, IMHO. But if she did and got the nomination, what am I supposed to do - go with the intellect befouling the Oval Office now? Eeesh.

As for another Bush, I just can't do that. I respect HW as a person, but he threw Reaganism under the bus and gave us Lusty Bill. As for W, he simply let us down too many times (still better that The One, though). Can't take another chance with the Jebster. Sorry.

Margie| 11.4.10 @ 10:42PM

Eric,

Yeah but ya gotta admit, the Jebster still looks far better than the Obambster.

Doghouse Riley| 11.4.10 @ 11:34AM

"Perhaps ... Jeb Bush. Those are the kinds of names to look for"

Dear. Sweet. God. Preserve us!!

The only Bushes I ever again want to see at 1600 Penn in my lifetime are those planted in the Rose Garden.

Sonny| 11.4.10 @ 11:40AM

I'm not sure any of us are helping ourselves by running down potential candidates. We, as Republican or Conservatives, should provide positive support for our personal candidates but lets not be negative about potential Republican candidates per Reagan's Rule. Then, whoever wins the nomintion through the primary process, we wholeheartdly support. Just don't let the media "choose" our candidate for us.

Phil W | 11.4.10 @ 11:45AM

I think the comparison of a future candidate with the intellect and executive skill of Mr. Obama is a changing comparison every day. Mr. Obama looks increasingly incompetent, and if he wins another nomination without much competition (which I don't think is guaranteed), he may look pretty weak compared to the GOP candidate. I don't think the big argument at that time will that only one person could be the president. I hope the tide of this election continues through 2012, so that more liberal incumbents are thrown out and more conservative noise is made. May the elites in Washington tremble.

wodiej| 11.4.10 @ 11:49AM

Read "The Faith and Values of Sarah Palin" if you want to know how qualified she is. "Going Rogue" is another example as well as her upcoming book "America by Heart."
Also tune in to the Learning Channel for her upcoming documentary called Sarah Palin's Alaska beginning November 14th.

She is #16 on Forbes 100 most powerful women of 2010. She was a driving force in energizing and revitalizing conservative voters who formed the Tea Party revolution this year and was the primary reason the GOP took control of the House in Congress. The Tea Party is viewed positively by 70% of Americans. She traveled all over the United States in support of real conservative candidates.

This article lacks substance because it leaves out one of the most important traits the American people are hungry for in a candidate and that is character. She had a 73% approval rating when she left the Governor's office. With the integrity that she has I doubt this was an easy decision to make. She has always been a loyal and honorable public servant, even resigning from the gas and energy commission because of ethics violations by members and she was unable to talk about it while being on the board. In fact, the reason she stepped aside as Governor of Alaska was due to that age old, rare trait called integrity. The mindless, baseless ethics violation charges not only was a waste of Alaska tax dollars but wasting the time of her and her staff when they were elected to work for the Alaskan people.

I have seen men who have engaged in corrupt, unethical and immoral behavior given more credit than this woman. Her credentials speak for themselves. If that is not good enough for President, than no one is.

When you have someone who takes the oxygen out of the room from her energy and who rubs the liberals raw just at the mention of her name, you know you have a winner. Let's not screw this up.

JayDubIII| 11.4.10 @ 11:59AM

The thing I love about Sarah is at the mere mention of her name moonbats and other assorted liberals start foaming at the mouth.

JP| 11.4.10 @ 1:09PM

The problem with many conservatives is thier lust for "leadership". They need to have some booster in which to pin thier hopes and dreams. This kind of boosterism is dangerous. Didn't the conservatives learn anything vis-a-vis Sharon Angle or Christine O'Donnel? The sad reality is that Palin cannot win outside of the Deep South. Her appeal is akin to the appeal of Howard Dean with the Dems. Dean is great at fundraising and boosterism, but he would get waxed in a Presidential race. Palin just turns off too many voters.

Margie| 11.4.10 @ 9:45PM

woodiej:

That was one fabulous post in defense of Sarah!
Excellent!

JayDubIII| 11.4.10 @ 11:56AM

I'm befuddled by Alaskan politics. How can a governor have 70+ approval ratings and then lose a lot of support after a failed national run as VP. Unrequited love perhaps.

And how does one explain the loss in the 2010 primary of an incumbent and then have that same person get a 41% write-in vote in the general election.

Something just isn't kosher up there in Alaska.

simon templar| 11.4.10 @ 1:57PM

Yeah, I am beffudled too by how an electorate can elect a socialist community organizer with known affiliations with communist, radicals, and terrorist and two years later elect an historic landslide of the opposition party repudiating everything he has done. Something just isn't kosher up there in the USA. Ya think?

JayDubIII| 11.4.10 @ 4:09PM

But that doesn't explain the flip flop on the senate write in vote.

scythe| 11.4.10 @ 12:22PM

Unfortunately in politics, PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING. It is what it is. We all love Sarah but it would be a tactical mistake if she were to be the top of the ticket in 2012. Don't shoot the messenger. He did not create the situation, he is merely articulating REALITY. Mike Pence would be a fantastic candidate and he has not been mercilessly smeared and denigrated for over two years. We have to deal with the truth on the ground and not some pie-in-the sky wish full thinking. Sarah made a tactical error when she gave up the governorship. She traded in an image of a committed administrator for the chance to become a political star. Her influence has been enormous and her approval translated into the revival of the right. Try to pivot now and become something you have not been for a long time. It won't work. Many of us thought her abandonment of her duties in Alaska was a serious misstep and it still is. If she is the nominee, the entire campaign will be spent DEFENDING HER. It will be a disaster.

Simon Templar| 11.4.10 @ 1:38PM

Yeah, and who defines these perceptions and why do you have to buy into them and lay down to them? Whoever runs will get the same onslaught of lies, distortion, smear, etc., and you will find yourself defending that person. When the hell will conservatives stop listening to and giving crediblity to a corrupt media and begin controlling the PERCEPTION machine to which you refer and controlling their own message. Pence was not in the target zone and not a threat. When he becomes as influential as Palin he will be smeared with the same vigor...why do you not get this? She did not abandon her duties. If you do not like her stands on abortion or her faith then just be honest and say so..but please spare us this crap..If I want to hear this I can go to the Huffington Post...

Jim| 11.4.10 @ 12:26PM

I should have known...Hunter Baker is an assistant professor of political science at Houston Baptist University. No wonder he thinks Obama is so smart - they are both "professors"!

Gene Carr| 11.4.10 @ 12:32PM

For what it is worth, I possess a Ph.d in economics. That probably makes me an "intellectual" of sorts. But having examined her all to brief record on economic and fiscal policies as Governor, I would trust the fate of the US to Sarah Palin rather than any current alternative--especially Barrack Obama, who clearly does not even begin to understand economics.

wodiej| 11.4.10 @ 1:01PM

Palin also had a very successful two terms as a Mayor.

Bruce Berger| 11.4.10 @ 12:43PM

I would never Support SP as presidential candidate, but she does serve a very useful purpose. The extreme reaction she generates from the left illuminates the illiberal nature of that population.

The left starts foaming at the mouth at the very mention of her name, which opens the eyes of independents to the left's true nature.

simon templar| 11.4.10 @ 1:51PM

Yeah, we need another RINO like McCain..hey maybe we can nominate his daughter..she is acceptable and very liked by the communist media..they love her over at MSNBC..she could bring in the youth vote, all the establishment elite, the confused, the left leaning moderates, etc.

fundamentalist| 11.4.10 @ 12:46PM

Hayek wrote that intellect is highly overrated, especially by intellectuals (Fatal Conceit). Wisdom is very different from intellect but far more important. Many people with lesser intellects have great wisdom. It comes from humility and a good moral compass. Anyone can hire smart people to do special jobs in their expertise. What the country needs is someone with the wisdom to coordinate the efforts of those very intelligent in specific areas. After all, no one is a genius at everything.

Obama has a law degree. That's it. It means he has a good memory and knows the law. That's it. He doesn't know math and he clearly knows nothing about economics. He relies on mainstream, mostly socialist, Harvard economists to tell him what to do.

Purple Lips| 11.4.10 @ 1:05PM

Sarah Palin will not win for the same reasons Alan Keyes, B1 Bob Dornan, and Pat Buchanen cannot win -she's too polarizing a figure. She is great at fundraising, but she does not know how to hold her own when in enemy territory (her MSM interviews are embarrassing). Palin will never attract the independents or moderates in the way that Reagan or Bush43 did. And without them kiss Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Florida good-bye. And without those 4 states, no GOP candidate can win the WH.

simon templar| 11.4.10 @ 1:46PM

Yeah, her counterpart, Joe Biden, unlike her has a fantastic and impressive record as a speaker and debator..and boy those speeches and interviews! Wow, so articulate, smart, accurate, and just not so embarrasing! Those independents that voted in droves for the candidates that she supported must have been high and forgot who she was..maybe they thought she was some hot chick actress or something in all those photos with the candidates!

JP| 11.4.10 @ 1:55PM

Listen,
I personally have nothing against Palin. And if push comes to shove I would pick her over Newt, Mitt, the Huckster, and Pawlenty. But, she is a big turn off to everyone outside of her core of cheerleaders. Yes, she got a bad rap. But, so did Reagan. The facts are too hard for some people to recognize. But, unless she can break out and attract non-hardcore GOP partisans she will not beat Obama. And yes, it is all personal. She turns off a huge portion of the electorate, despite her stand on issues. What endears her to Teapartiers irritates everyone else. Can you flippin understand that? You betchya!

Simon Templar| 11.4.10 @ 2:06PM

I do. BTW, Reagan won. Two terms. And did beat the rap because the public stopped listening to the media lies. Remember those Reagan democrats? The fake country club Rino's can take a leap..we do not need them..they can go the way of Crist..they are the reason conservatism has been weakened and has lost in the past. The old game is over..it a new game...time for TEA and meet the wife.

Margie| 11.4.10 @ 10:03PM

JP you are such a loser.
Haughtiness has gotten you nowhere.
Sarah on the other hand... she's a winner.

Good going, Simon Templar. You've got it right.
Reagan won because he was a genuine conservative and was fearless in defending his principles, just like Sarah is. He ignored the nay sayers and dooms dayers all around him and regular Americans loved him because he stood for them. The haughty intellectuals always think they know better but they don't. They just think they do.

Regular Americans know the real deal when they see it. Heh, my Liberal sister who cannot STAND conservatives, says she loves Sarah Palin! And she's not the only Liberal I know who feels the same way.
Sarah appeals to regular Americans, but not to the holier than thou types. They'll probably still be voting for Obama.. or their brother-in-law.

JayDubIII| 11.4.10 @ 4:14PM

But Biden continually gets a get out of jail card from the MSM.

If BHO had been vetted by the MSM with the same fervor that they laid on Palin he'd be working in a car wash up in Chi Town.

Simon Templar| 11.4.10 @ 1:28PM

Yeah, right, she should have stayed and continued to deal with the false accusations and court cases spending both her family and the state into bankruptcy defending herself and paying legal fees to the tune of millions. She could have made it a full-time job and ignored her responsibilities as a Governor just too save her political carreer and personal ambitions. Then you would have been happy and I am absolutely confident that you be backing her and writing another article not slamming her. Hey, that way she would have not been involved as a major figure in the Tea Party and unable to have helped 18 citizens from winning in the last election. Yeah, what we need is another carreer oriented politician who thinks only of themselves and considers principle and common sense in the last resort and when it only suits them to do so. What you need to be doing is educating the public about the real Palin not the constructed Progressive Media Lie. WE the people will decide who gets nominated..not the media elite nor some confused and intellectual dishonest so-called conservative blog writer.

Purple Lips| 11.4.10 @ 2:02PM

My sister can't stand Palin because she put her career first and her children second. Some of the disdain for Palin does not come from the Left. Some conservatives think she is a self serving hypocrite.

simon templar| 11.4.10 @ 2:18PM

Yeah, well that's got to be one of the most sexist things I have heard from a female in some time. Did she have a problem with all the males running and putting their children second? How about single parent Biden? Well, I guess according to that logic women should not run for office nor work out of the home for that matter. A self serving hypocrite would have used state money to defend herself and her job at the expense of taxpayers without any regard to fullfilling her duties nor the millions of tax dollars spent. This is not the real issue.is it? These lame, strange, and illogical criticism just do not fly. Lets get a little more honest about why you and your sister do not like her. If you need help..I could help you.

Margie| 11.4.10 @ 10:37PM

Purple Lips:
Heh.
THAT depends on your definition of conservative.

manonthestreet| 11.4.10 @ 2:07PM

Are you kidding me!GO TO HELL! We will decide who gets nominated and not the like's of a "use the bathroom too close to the house" blog hit piece.SHOVE IT,SIDEWAY'S!

HappyOhioVoter| 11.4.10 @ 2:25PM

We, the poor working class, LOVE Sarah Palin, and John McCain got more votes from her than not. The Republican Party in Washington had better wake up. Sarah represents what most of us had at the time, a special needs son, a pregnant teenager and a love of country. What is more American?
And you can not legislate common sense. Sarah has common sense and she is a real contender. It might have been a man's world up to this point, but if she is the nominee, I would vote for her in a minute.
It comes down to power and control. But there are a lot of single parent households headed by women who will work their buts off, and VOTE for Sarah Palin.
Wake up guys!

AxeMan| 11.4.10 @ 2:26PM

Having watched the drama in Alaska that surrounded Sarah when she was governor of Alaska, I have to agree that Mark X is probably a shill for the DNC. Palin's main detractors in Alaska were two individuals that one, didn't get a position in AK govt. after working with Palin and the other was the man removed from office when Palin had investigations of corruption in AK oil business. The bringing of ethics charges was so easy in Alaska was so easy that you could file charges if Palin took a pencil home from the office. The State was spending millions on these baseless charges with Palin spending $500k in her own money to defend herself against these charges. When Palin resigned, she left Shawn Parnell (re-elected nov. 2) in place as Governor, and after chere departure, the process for filing ethics charges were tightened up to prevent what had happened to Palin, although too late to help her remain in office. Since then, it has been a game of "gotcha" by the media, the DNC and the republican elite to try and get Palin to just go away. No one seems to remember that McCain's campaign was dying until he got Palin to be his running mate. Now look what the "dumb girl" has accomplished in two years! Don't tell me that her participation in the Tea Party and her support of new candidates was just a fluke. I could go on and on, but the point I want to make is that Sarah Palin is not an airhead. Harry Truman had no college education, but he became VP during a world war, had to decide to drop the bomb on Japan, then deal with Stalin and the Korean War, but today, do you think he could get elected as President? That's why presidents have advisors with expertise in different fields. That's why the Joint Chiefs of Staff advise on military matters. If Palin continues, don't look for 2012, look for 2016.

John Lofton | 11.4.10 @ 2:30PM

Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy said that Communism failed because it tried to found a religion, a church, on bread alone. I thought of that statement when I read Hunter Baker’s confident, unqualified assertion, re: a Presidential candidate: “What will be required in 2012 is a conservative deemed to be a serious expert with regard to both the economy and budget reform.”

Really? That’s it? What about Godliness? Why do no conservatives -- in the political realm, speak about God, the God of the Bible, the Christ, the God upon Whose Word our country was founded in the early 1600s? Does God say nothing about the qualifications for those who hold His civil government offices? He does. He says they must be God-fearing, God-obeying men. Why do no conservative leaders or organizations have as their first goal the restoration of Godly government, government within the limits set by God (Romans 13)?

And this silence re: God is, in my judgment, why the “conservative movement” is a failure and should be a failure. Your typical “conservative” today is a “bread-alone” person who, de facto, operationally, is an atheist, a secular humanist, but on the Right. This is particularly strange since most “conservatives” consider themselves some kind of “Christian.” But, alas, their faith has nothing to do with their “politics.”

Psalm 9:17 assures us: “The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all nations that forget God.” Amen!

John Lofton, Editor, TheAmericanView.com
Communications Director, Institute On The Constitution
Recovering Republican
JLof@aol.com

WL| 11.4.10 @ 3:31PM

Dear Sir...I love the Lord just as much as anybody...but the Good BOOK you quoted also has another scripture that says..."be wise as a serpant, and harmless as a...(dove, I believe)."

PREACHING AT EVERYBODY AINT BEING WISE!!!!

WL| 11.4.10 @ 3:24PM

Ladies and Gentlemen...

Both sides have a point here...I am actually torn inside of myself as to whether I and Mrs. Palin to be the nominee or not. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both sides...

First, she is brilliantly electrifying the base, (PEOPLE LIKE ME), while gaining more and more power. If you think that she or the Tea Party hurt us in a few seats...Then you are a FOOL...THEY WERE BOTH THE REASON FOR THIS ELECTIONS SUCCESS A-T A-L-L. What part of your people FAILED and got us into this MODERATE MADE MESS don't these brainless pundits GET???? (not here..but others elsewhere)

However...she has been extremely damaged with the relentless attack from the liberal media...NOW NOW...that doesn't mean that their attacks justify not going with a candidate....It's just that she didn't handle them well at first, and the initial impression of her by the population at large was NOT GOOD. Correct or incorrect...it is what it is.

We have ONE CHANCE to whip Obama in 2012...I THINK RUBIO is the ONLY ONE out there who can do it. NONE of our current possibilities can...I just don't see it. Sorry...that's gut feeling...but I believe it. Newt the Poot, Mitt, Brother Huckabee, Deer in headlights Jindal (usually sharp but that ONE SPEECH damaged him)...

Who knows...
But one thing is for sure...PALIN is right on the issues...she's got the spark....

BUT IF SHE DOESN"T GET RID OF THE YOKEL HEAD YOU BETCHA GOLD DARN GONNA DO IT HILLBILLY WINKING TWANG....and gets the nomination....

PREPARE TO SEE THE UPTURNED HEAD OF THE ONE HAUNTING FOUR MORE YEARS FOR ALL OF US...talk about HELL!!!!

HappyOhio Voter| 11.4.10 @ 4:02PM

WL - I think the current president is very beatable and Sarah Palin can beat him. I am a widow, working two jobs, making less than 20k a year. I have no insurance and write a check when one of the kids goes to the doctor. What me, and the rest of the educated poor are hearing coming from the politicians tells us they are so far removed from those of us who struggle, they are clueless. But we have one thing, the power to vote them out of office. And we need leaders who are in touch and have their finger on the pulse of America. Politicians who fly in for $200 hair cuts have no idea how hard of a choice it is to but bread or medicine. I want to add that I do not receive any type of public assistance and pay 100% of my way and the way of my children.

I heard a local politican bemoaning the fact someone sent him a $10 doantion. Talk about out of touch, there are days when $1 makes a difference. I am telling you, I am "out among them" the silent poor majority, and they have had it with Obama and they have had it with a lot of the politicians. It seems the big money has the power and the middle class is fast disipating from existance. Soon you will either be rich or a poorman working for the rich.

I laughted outloud at a NY times article giving the credit for the comback of the RNC to a few suits from the hill. Get real, the American Public have had it and the ones remainging better get with the program or they will be voted out. You can only kick a dog so many times before the dog bites back.

Instead of trying to figure out how to stop Sarah Palin, one ought to be thinking of a way to capitalize on her momentum and really makes some changes in this country. We started cleaning up Ohio, Washington is next.

Margie| 11.4.10 @ 10:31PM

HappyOhioVoter:

Amen to your post!
YOU represent one of the millions upon millions of lights that make up the Shining City on the Hill that Ronald Reagan talked about.
YOU got it right.
Everyone should listen to what you've said.
God bless you and your little ones.

Margie| 11.4.10 @ 10:35PM

P.S. They said it couldn't happen in NJ. Then we elected Chris Christie who the whole country recognizes by now.
They said it couldn't happen in Ohio. Then we got John Kasich.
They said it couldn't happen but it did.
New York is next.
Maybe even California, but we won't hold our breaths. It's gonna be a bumpy ride for the next four years and we may end up paying all their bills but one can always hope. :^)

Without comment| 11.4.10 @ 9:07PM

Just another quote from a Washington insider:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/....._joke.html

At the Roll Call/CQ election analysis session at the Ronald Reagan Building this morning, Roll Call Executive Editor and Fox News contributor Mort Kondracke blamed Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint for Republicans' failure to capture the Senate.

“The people who got slapped the hardest in this election — besides Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama — are Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin,” he said. “Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin are responsible for the fact that the Senate did not go Republican. They’re the ones who are responsible for Christine O’Donnell. They’re the ones who are responsible for Joe Miller in Alaska. They’re the ones who are responsible for Ken Buck in Colorado. They’re the ones who are responsible for Sharron Angle in Nevada.”

Then Kondracke discussed whether Palin could be the 2012 nominee: "She's a joke even within her own party," Kondracke said. "The idea that she would be the presidential nominee is unthinkable."

Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, then said: "Think of Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint as the new faces of the Republican Party. It's a nightmare for the party, but I think the adults will have a hard time talking about them with anything but complete and utter respect."

C-SPAN’s got the video.

He must have been quoted "out of context"

Willey| 11.5.10 @ 1:47AM

Kondrake is a whiny, useless ass.

Palin and DeMint are responsible for 63 Republican seats in the House, 19 Republican State legislatures and 10 Republican Governors.
How many Republicans did Kondrake get elected?

The Republican party was dead in 2009--the Tea Parties brought them back to life.

I wish Kondrake would shut up and go away.

Dave| 11.4.10 @ 9:46PM

Palin is the only viable option in my opinion. Look at the other candidates like Romney, Jindal, Gingrich, Huckabee, and the slew of career Washington politicians. Romney has flip flopped so much and his mormonism isn't going to run well in a primary, let alone a general. Jindal may not even be able to run because of citizenship issues. Gingrich comes with his assortment of baggage and is too DC to win. The other politicains don't connect with everyday voters where as Sarah is generally liked by most republicans and is a bold choice. Its not even that hard for Palin to win in 2012, all she has to do is carry the Bush 04' states which is probably a lock; the only hard ones to hold would be Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. Of those I think Florida and Colorado and Nevada could be kept with some work. New Mexico is a bit of tough situation but it might be replaceable with a New Hampshire or Iowa.

Joe Ryan | 11.5.10 @ 12:37AM

As I recall when I was checking out law schools, the average LSAT score of people admitted to Harvard was 167. Whoopity doo.

Harvard is a brainwashing factory, the longer you stay there the more out of touch you become. That's the whole problem. It seems like 2/3 of his top level appointments were educated at Harvard and/or The University of Chicago. Everything and everybody who has come out of those schools for the last 40 years is an amoral, smug, entitled idiot. They think they're intellectuals.

I have to laugh at the pinheads who think you get into Harvard Law because your a budding genius. You get in to Harvard by being having a slightly above average IQ, and by showing that you're 100% willing to be a tool-for-life.

Dave| 11.13.10 @ 2:23AM

A 167 on the LSAT is an incredible score my friend. Whoopity doo is such an ill informed response to that fact. Look up some facts prior to commenting

Willey| 11.5.10 @ 1:38AM

Keep swilling that beltway Kool-Aide, Baker; you're just as irrelevent as your other RINO buddies.

If Sarah decides to run I'm going to work my tail off for her. She's the only Republican with any balls.

PALIN 2012!!

Patricia| 11.5.10 @ 2:05AM

I love Sarah. She needed to resign as gov, as the left-media would not let up on her. $500 grand to cover bogus accusations - while we elect an an unvetted anti-American for pres. She has shown that she has done the better thing by going 'rouge', and accomplished much in endorsements and motivating the Tea Party Conservatives. But, sadly, too many people out there who were brain-washed by her media critics. She obviously can think on her feet - and is not an idiot like Obama - who cannot speak with out reading - and is a bad actor even when he reads. Many video proofs of that on him. But if Sarah writes 5 words on her hand for a speech, she is derided. This idiot puppet Obama needs tele-prompter to speak to 6th graders.
It is too early to be picking candidates. Let them step up to the plate themselves. The leftists want Sarah to run - so they can win.

Ginger| 11.5.10 @ 12:30PM

Amen Patricia! Sarah Palin is way smarter than Ocommie. Why does he refuse to hand over his school records? And a whole lot of other things about himself? Because he's the biggest PHONY to ever desecrate the White House. He absolutely is nothing but a puppet. And a lousy one at that. Unless he's angry he shows about as much emotion as a pile of doggy doo.

Les Coomer| 11.5.10 @ 5:01PM

Not MitchDaniels for president. He has done a good job for we Hoosiers as governor, but he has said we need to have a truce on social issues. Many of our economic issues are family issues. We cannot sit still and let marriage be redefined and bring down western civilization. What is so American as the right ot life , as noted in the Declaration of Independence, our founding document? The "wise" of any age always say we have to be financially realistic. Idealists are seen as fools. But a century later the pragmatists are seen as blind and the idealists as visionaries. Take for example, Illinois Senator Stephan Douglas, verses black abolitionist Fredrick Douglas in the 1850s.

derekcrane | 11.6.10 @ 7:41AM

The print edition of the Spectator, a few months ago, presented a good analysis of Palin's problems -- everyone should read it before they jump on the bandwagon. The most prominent issue to me was her poor management of the budget during her two years: Spending increased 20% in each year. Not a good record. Palin has much appeal but her negatives will quickly doom her to the ranks of Dole, McCain and Bush I of presidential candidates -- loser! Chris Christie has the necessary skills to lead this country after the destruction by the Obama bunch and should be considered leading in the race, at least among fiscal conservatives.

EMT1| 11.7.10 @ 5:53PM

We don't need any more neo-cons...Mitt for brains Romney, Palin, Huckaphony, et al.
Let's nominate a true Jeffersonian conservative. Ron Paul! Or, I even like a Christ Christie-Jan Brewer ticket.

Sharon| 11.8.10 @ 4:36PM

This thread, and comboxes all over the conservative blogosphere are exactly why Sarah Palin cannot win the 2012 presidential election. The nomination, yes, but she can't win the election because she is ultimately divisive. Her base loves her, but Independents and moderate Dems are wary of her at best. Without them, she's toast in 2012.

She generates a lot of energy wherever she goes, but that energy has more to do with the cult of personality than it does any real confidence in her as presidential material. Also, it's based in negativity. It's about who she isn't, not who she is. It's about who she's against, not who she's for.

She continues to define herself as the victim of the mainstream media while avoiding them at all possible costs, yet she will have to engage with them if she hopes to run a successful campaign. You can't vilify the MSM for self-serving purposes when it comes to building your celebrity status and then seek their objective attention when it comes to running your campaign.

She's exhausting. By 2012, all but the most rabid of her fanbase will have grown tired of her. She's one-note. Lots of homespun rhetoric, but very little substance. It's already wearing thin. If she chooses to morph into the more serious minded candidate she needs to be by 2012, her fanbase will turn on her, accusing her of selling out. If she doesn't, she'll be the punch line to a bunch of old jokes. Too much exposure based on so very little does not make for a long term career.

Finally, her supporters turn people off. Anyone who voices the mildest criticism, even constructive criticism, is ripped to pieces by her supporters. Not the way to win the hearts and minds of the Independents and the moderate Dems.

Sarah Palin cannot win a 2012 presidential election, and I'm not sure this country, in general, will tolerate her up through 2016. Americans have been through too much since 9/11 to want to continue down this road of us v. them, of in-fighting and screaming back-and-forths on the part of the extremists at either end of the political spectrum. We're ready to settle down and get some serious work done, and we want someone with a proven track record, new ideas, and a reasoned, stable demeanor and family life.

Demosthenes| 2.10.11 @ 5:55AM

No, she didn't have to stay as governor. She already has executive experience as a mayor. 8 years of it. Add 2 years of Governor experience, as well as sitting on numbers of commissions, and you've got someone who has more practical experience than Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels, AND Herman Cain.

Sorry, I'm sticking with Palin. She's the only one who has actually proven she can hang with the big boys.

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