Sarah Palin is setting herself up for 2012

[bklyncowgirl]

Forget that old fart whats his name. He's about to go under, (well, I hope) but out of the ashes of his campaign a star is being born and her name is Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin is that rare politican who excites the Big Jesus crowd to those huge turnouts that Republicans so badly need, while being thoroughly acceptable to the Big Money Repubicans and the Neocons who really run the party.

Mitt Romney is the darling of Big Money but leaves the fundies cold as does Rudy Guiliani. Mike Huckabee is beloved in the Bible Belt but anathema to Grover Norquist and his ilk--Big Money ain't letting Rev. Mike anywhere near the nomination. Jeb Bush could be in a position to run if the Bush name is somehow reformed in the next couple of years but that is unlikely.

If McCain goes down there's one person ready to pick up the pieces and that's Sarah Palin. Yes, she may ending up scaring the shit out of some swing voters this time but the GOP has plenty of time to shine her up and train her to be the perfect spokeswoman next time out. True blue died in the wool Republicans live in their own reality and that reality will never admit that Sister Sarah helped engineer a loss.

Unless she truly self-destructs over next couple of weeks she will emerge a stronger candidate for the GOP nomination. Of course that could be very good news for the Democrats.

[Frumious B]

1. Sarah Pain 2012 will be much more polished than the 2008 version.

However, her fundamentalist core will be unchanged which is a pretty chilling thought from where I'm sitting.

[bklyncowgirl]

11. I agre, she'll be much more capable of dealing with the media than she is now

It's her core beliefs that scare me. Under the right circumstances she could be formidable.

[Curtland1015]

2. I don't expect all that much out of her.

She will have been on a losing ticket. Hardly ever good for an aspiring candidate.

Also, four years from now she'll be four years older. The older she gets the less excited the hypocritical right will be with her. She's not a politician, she's a show piece.

I expect her to be a talking head on Fox News about two years from now.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. Plus, the lower 40 will start learning about her scandalous tenure as governor of Alaska

There's been a serious plug-up of info on that account.

I agree, she's better suited to work as a TV personality, except for that godawful voice. Put her on Fux.

[bklyncowgirl]

9. I think that her dissent on the Michigan pullout is setting up a way for her to blame McCain

"I wanted to fight on in Michigan. They made the decision to pull out. I was furious, I tell you. I said goshdurnit John those people need to hear from us!"

She'll no doubt have other reasons to put the blame square on poor old John. Also, the wingnuts don't want to hear that their ideas are not embraced by mainstream America--they always argue that the messenger just wasn't pure enough, e.g. GHW Bush or strong enough, Bob Dole.

[livetohike]

3. She will be former Gov. Palin if Alaskans toss her out of office

What if she is out of work in Jan 2009? Where else can she go to stay active in politics? I hope she is recalled and bannished from the political scene forever.

[iceman66]

4. Yes.

She would have to be reelected in order to run for president in 2012. Hopefully the Alaska Democratic Party will put up a strong candidate in 2010.

[secondwind]

let's not forget that the Steve Branchflower report comes out next Friday

[livetohike]

17. I'm looking forward to that and I hope the MSM latches on to

it. That story has taken a back seat due to the financial crisis....

[Marsala]

5. She will have to make it on her own

The American people won't tolerate a Manchurian candidate who refuses to talk with the traditional press. A VP candidate can almost get away with it for a few weeks, but a presidential candidate never would be able to do it. And I doubt that she can fake her way through an entire campaign, especially against other Republican rivals.

[Curtland1015]

7. Oh but wouldn't that be a sight to see!?

I'd love for the people that are putting her up on a pedastal right now just TEARING her apart when they're running against her!

It would be awesome!

[Shanti Mama]

6. Great. She won't be on the Repub ticket so will split the repub vote.

[minnesota_liberal]

10. By 2012, Palin will be the answer to a trivia question

Except in Alaska, her political career will be over in 31 days.

[trailer5533]

14. 2012

will she e witch

[secondwind]

12. If McCranky loses, doesn't Palin go back to AK?? I bet the RNC is scouting for

"good handlers" to bite the bullet and go live in Tundraville for three years, and polish her up.

[bklyncowgirl]

15. That's what I think. nt

[LiberalFighter]

34. Bet all those volunteers are lining up miles away!

[1corona4u]

13. Let her. We'll happily shoot her down in a ball of flames.

[Davis_X_Machina]

16. The supply of Bright Shiny Things...

...to amuse GOP voters with is as infinite and varied as the supply of boy bands.

There'll be someone else that go-round.

Palin's done -- bubbles don't un-pop. She's not that good.

Steve Forbes:money::Palin:religion.

She'll soldier on through a primary or two, with her core group, like Forbes did.

I remember seeing twelve-thirteen frat boys from some party school standing in a parking lot somewhere the night of the 2000 New Hampshire primary chanting 'Freezin' for a reason! Go Forbes!'.

That's where Palin will be in 2012. She's not that good.

[bklyncowgirl]

19. Palin has the devotion of the Fundamentalists--they don't fall out of love that easy. nt

[Davis_X_Machina]

22. But like the flat-taxers...

...that's only one leg of the stool. There's the Four More Wars crowd, and the Greedheads. Culture Warriors are a necessary, but not sufficient, piece of the puzzle.

We'd be running against Huckabee right now, elsewise.

[bklyncowgirl]

38. Culture warriors have the votes that the others need to gain power.

Without the Religious Right the rest of the GOP coalition doesn't have the numbers it needs to win national election.

Big Money doesn't particularly care about the Big Jesus crowd's obsessions with abortion and gay rights. They are the wealthy. Abortions can be easily had out of the country if you can affor but they know they have to play up to them in order to keep them reliably voting for Republicans.

McCain's closely aligned with the Neocons and is more or less acceptable to Big Money. The religious right was cool to him until he picked the Wasilla Wonderwoman.

Huckabee was completely unacceptable to Big Money (way too populist) and probably to the neocons as well. He's now got a show on Fox and that's probably as far as he's going to go unless he starts touting that free market religion.

[saracat]

18. I agree one hundred percent and she scares the beejesus out of me!

She could be formidable and she could definately sell a lot of Americans. Four years can do a lot to polish a pol.

[Realityhack]

20. A LOT can happen between now and 2012... IMO it is premature to speculate.

She is in no position within the republican party to contemplate a run for anything past her current job right now.
As for 2012 a ton can happen. She will probably try but I find it unlikely even with major changes.
That said, anything is possible and it is premature to speculate.

[GoesTo11]

21. She can parlay this into fortune and fame

as a RW darling. She can be a Fox superstar for the next 25 years, with ghost written books, fundie revivals, all the money she wants. But I don't think she can make a great run at President. She has burned her bridges in Alaska (ha ha) and I doubt she can accomplish anything else there now.

[Berry Cool]

23. I'd love to believe that.

But I'm sure there were a lot of people in the early sixties who thought Reagan would never really cut it in politics either, and that he'd have to stick to being a second-rate actor because he wasn't that bright and, really, all he had going for him was his rabid political ideology and a folksy populism that struck them as over-rehearsed and fake.

[ibegurpard]

24. The thing is

she's NOT acceptable to the big money republicans. Have you not been reading all of the conservative pundits who've been railing against her?

[Top Cat]

25. never going to happen she's toast

[barack the house]

26. After Thursday's perfromance would they even want to take the risk in 2012, but then it is the GOP>

so who knows.

[mscuedawg]

27. Modus operandi....Alaskan Independence Party... eom

[LiberalAndProud]

28. It's interesting that so many think she has a future in politics.

Personally, I think her political future is quite dim. I predict that he star will fade soon after Obama wins this election. She will return to Alaska and she will never serve in an elected office again.

[Doremus]

29. Pffft. We'll read about her in some "Whatever happened to...." article in future years

After they go down in flames on 11/4, Palin et al will slink back to Alaska and spend the next months fighting for their political lives, a battle that culminates in her impeachment. She will go back home, resume her hockey mom status (much to the chagrin of her children) and live the rest of her days trying to scrape the egg off her face.

Your scenario is flawed in that it assumes that, besides the fundie orthodoxy, she possesses a shred of talent, intelligence or even likeability. In fact, she is devoid of these characteristics and no amount of polish will give them to her.

The religious right is not omnipotent.

[ronnykmarshall]

31. I see an American Express commercial in the future.

Oh hi, do you kids 'member me? I ran for the Vice President doncha know! A lot people don't recognize me. So that's why when I go the Darren's Cafe and Tackle Shop, I carry one of these here American Express cards. TAWD has one too!

[Essene]

30. She's ruined her chances, IMO. She was a real 2012 contender until this last month...

Even with 4 years of heavy work from Alaska, if Mccain loses, she's toast.

[olegramps]

32. I have to disagree

She has build too many Bridges to Nowhere. As more and more is revealed she will be very lucky to be able to win election to anything. Her selection has been an unmitigated disaster for the Republicans. They only thing that it did was booster up the radical religious extremists who were in the depths of depression. The Republican Party is in serious trouble; they are losing voters who are registering as Independents. This is the future of politics in America and may very well pave the way of a third party. A third party of younger voters that can challenge both the Republican's and Democrat's incompetence in leading this nation. Obama is the last hope for winning the support of the young people and turning the situation around. I also believe that there will be a corollary resurgence in workers embracing collective bargaining as workers finally come to their senses and finally realize that they have been duped by Republican wealthy elitists into cooperating with their handlers' determination to destroy the Middle Class. However, it may be too damn late to turn the tide.

[THUNDER HANDS]

33. she'll have to wait till 2016

if she wants to win. Nobody is beating Obama with 4 years to grow into his presidential shoes.

[Terran]

35. Not gunnuh happen

She will fade into obscurity after November 4th; she won't be re-elected in Alaska. Say good bye to your so-called political career, Sarah.

[Ilsa]

36. She's a post turtle. Someome put her where she

is and she doesn't know how to get there on her own. The educated women of the GOP will be done with her. They didn't have a say in it this time arond.

[Democat]

37. Maybe, but 8 years is a long time!

Let's get Obama elected and then get him re-elected!