Tell me… Why is Sarah Palin not “electable”

Sound off in this open thread. I’ve been thinking about the concept of electability for the past couple of days. I tend to look at policy positions and leadership qualities more than personal backgrounds and style. It’s not that the other stuff is unimportant, rather I tend to look for a conservative leader that can move us in the right direction.

No limit on the comment length for this post, but come up with some good stuff instead of fluff OK? Try to keep your answers to less than a couple of paragraphs and there is no need to restate what someone else said. “I agree with so-and-so and would add…” works just fine.

So again … the question is … Why is Sarah Palin not electable? (Answer in the comments section below)

There are a bunch of possible candidates one could say are unelectable. Think of Newt Gingrich. Many will point to his multiple divorces and marriages and some will point out his few minutes on the beach sitting on that couch with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Fair enough to point out Gingrich’s environment position but failed marriages? Come on now … we eliminate half the US population if we make an issue out of that subject.

How about Herman Cain? I could say he’s unelectable since he has no political experience as a candidate for any office and few “independents” know who he is.

Nobody is perfect and if we’re looking for that perfect candidate, we’re going to be looking for a long time.

Again, this post is specific to Palin and is a direct result of what I’ve seen with the Hot Air polls since the November 2010 election. The post is also the result of comments posted here and others I have read who “cringe” when they think about her running. Few if anyone mentions anything other than Palin “quitting” as Alaska governor “for no good reason” which is total bull in my opinion. What else do you have?

So what say you … why is Sarah Palin unelectable?

Posted in ,

Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

70 Comments

  1. Wayne SW on April 20, 2011 at 11:57 am

    We recently elected an unqualified and unvetted person to be President.? Sarah has been more maligned than any person ever in politics…..If Obama were challenged 10% of the level of Sarah, he would have not have made it out of? the primaries.
    Run Sarah Run!



  2. joe_m on April 20, 2011 at 12:06 pm

    Let’s see, she’s a woman and a Republican. That is all you need to know.

    The left cannot?handle a woman Republican?running. It just flys in the face of all they have been saying about the poor downtrodden liberal woman. They may actually loose a good portion of their base. So, villify Palin. Besides she is not a lefty or a RINO and I, I hope, not willing to compromise her beliefs (aka Lieberman).

    She is one of the qualified candidates and not a bought and paid for politician.



    • Steve M on April 20, 2011 at 12:27 pm

      The left could not handle any conservative running for president, no matter race or gender.



    • Dimsdale on April 20, 2011 at 3:32 pm

      Of course not.? They consider all conservative women to be, well, what they think conservatives think of women.?? Add to that the fact that the Republicans would beat them to the punch on the “first woman in the WH” (which could be used to counter “the first black in the WH”).



    • Suze on April 21, 2011 at 2:13 pm

      I agree with everything you say except the left will NEVER vote for a WOMAN either!? Women will?NOT vote for WOMEN!? Women are jealous of women…. and they don’t like to see them succeed or see them in power!



    • mynoc3 on April 21, 2011 at 2:39 pm

      I agree with Suze, they are jealous and evious of a successful woman.? She started out small, stood on her principles and became successful doing so.? That is why they won’t vote for her and why they have a problem with her.



    • Steve M on April 21, 2011 at 2:59 pm

      @mynoc3 too… OK, we know why the left won’t vote for her … she’s a conservative … so how about the right/conservatives?



    • mynoc3 on April 22, 2011 at 2:26 pm

      @ Steve, being jealous and envious is not limitted to the liberal left.



  3. Murphy on April 20, 2011 at 12:09 pm

    She answers questions truthfully.



    • Steve M on April 20, 2011 at 12:31 pm

      So does that mean we need to find a candidate that answers questions with lies or untruths?



    • phil on April 21, 2011 at 7:54 am

      OF course.? Just look in the Senate, the House, and the Oval Office.



  4. GdavidH on April 20, 2011 at 12:22 pm

    Simple….The media won’t allow it.

    Obama got elected because the media turned him into something he wasn’t and prevented any dissenting voice from being heard. Palin?won’t be elected for the exact same reasons.



    • Steve M on April 20, 2011 at 12:24 pm

      Then there is a bigger problem … do you really think “the media” will stand behind a conservative candidate at all? Don’t be fooled thinking one of the objectives is to get the media to understand conservative principles, let alone report positively about them.



    • GdavidH on April 20, 2011 at 4:02 pm

      No Steve, I don’t expect the media to even understand conservatives. It doesn’t fit their narrative.?What I have noticed since the annointing of the “One” is that the liberal media is no longer concerned at all with truth or fairness.?Look at how many flip-flop statements this?administration has made, or the “expiration dates” for promises or goals that are?blatently ignored or explained away by the “main stream media”.??The progressive?propaganda machine in this country is in full complicit function. They decide what a large majority of the people in this country are informed about or MISinformed about.?I believe we will see a media propaganda campaign for the left in this election cycle?like we have never seen before.?

      Sadly, I don’t think it’s just about Sarah Palin!



    • GdavidH on April 20, 2011 at 4:07 pm

      By the way…If this makes me a conspiracy theorist, so be it.

      This country has changed since 2008.



    • winnie888 on April 22, 2011 at 7:34 am

      Personally, I think the media will stand behind the Republican candidate whom they think is least likely to kick Obama’s butt.? The media will never give a damn about conservative principles and, whenever possible, will malign them to the best of their ability.



  5. RoBrDona on April 20, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    I like her. Sarah has the resume of real conservative governance and seems to have genuine proto-populist, conservative convictions that she acts on. Her projected persona appears to be accurate and she is serious about fighting. She has spent a great deal of time trying to be out in front of national issues. All of this is good, but the real reason she left the Alaska governor?s office was because she attracted the nutroots (and negative media) to such an extent, that although she had enacted some real reform, she could no longer govern, because she ended up forced to spend all her time defending herself. On top of the liberals and media viscerally disliking her, the far right is convinced she is not conservative enough! She was tarred with the McCain brush and it will not wear off. And this brings up the elephant in the room: she is far and away the most polarizing candidate ? the haters on both sides REALLY hate her. This provides no comfort level for the people who will ultimately call the next election: the Independents. I personally think she has more value as a stalking horse for a Rubio-type perhaps. ?My 2 cents. ??



  6. Jeff S on April 20, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    It still amazes me that Gov Palin is treated as causticly as she is.? The Republican?big wigs don’t like her because she has a?history of going after?her own party, the left hates her because she isn’t a liberal.? Her story would be put her up as a national hero instead of a David Letterman pinata, if she were a “D” instead of an “R”.? She?also gets the job done which, apparently, wouldn’t work in DC, see the natural gas pipeline between Alaska and Chicago that she actually got started.? You have a reporter who moves in next door just to dig up dirt.? If only the media spent half as much time going after the lies that Obama preaches, as it seems, on a daily basis as they continue to do to Palin.? We still don’t know how the?brightest president ever actually did in school but we know what Sarah Palin took in college.? I wondering, if after 4 years of what we have maybe she is electable.? I wonder who is being polled on CNN, NBC Gallup and so on.? Are they mostly Dems, are they people who don’t want anyone to know/think that they support Palin?



  7. Shared Sacrifice on April 20, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    She plays with guns, bludgeons fish, shoots animals, talks plain, she’s not talking about rainbows, unicorns and a socialist utopia, she’s not black, she’s not a socialist, and she’s too damned patriotic.



    • Steve M on April 20, 2011 at 2:48 pm

      Those may be why a liberal/statist/socialist may not vote for her, but a liberal/statist/socialist would not vote for any conservative. Are you saying these “qualities” discourage conservatives associated with the GOP?from voting for her?



  8. Dimsdale on April 20, 2011 at 2:55 pm

    I don’t think she is unelectable.? The election of ?bama effectively removed any argument against her.? His presidency reinforces this.? I still say HE is unelectable, and would have been, if the public had been properly informed about him.
    ?
    She isn’t a socialist, a RINO or any other sort of squishy progressive type.? She can handle herself on stage, proven by her debate with Slow Joe Biden.? She isn’t likely to fall into any Couric style ambushes.? She has a high profile and can draw a crowd.
    ?
    The very fact that she is so reviled by the orthodoxy of both parties makes her a refreshing entry into an otherwise run of the mill field, and highly attractive to TEA party members and independents tired of the same old same old pols and their vacuous promises.? Rejecting her because the left is soooooo afraid of her that they have to attack her in every way possible is not a good reason.? This fear, bordering on hysteria, from the left is proof positive that they fear her on every level.
    ?
    N0w, I would think that she would be better placed as a VP to another promising candidate, like Ryan or Pawlenty, rather than president, but given the current occupier of the WH, she is an obvious and indisputable improvement.
    ?
    Bottom line: given the choice between her and the empty suit socialist currently in the WH, I would choose her.



    • Dimsdale on April 20, 2011 at 2:57 pm

      Plus: she has already run the media gauntlet.? There is nothing new for them to attack her with, while ?bama is still a cipher, and has many chinks in his media fabricated armor.



    • Dimsdale on April 20, 2011 at 3:35 pm

      I would add that her popularity persists despite the deluge of attacks and rumor mongering.? She is still standing, and ?bama is still failing.?? If the ?bama economy stays tanked, or gets worse because of the increasing oil prices, the door could be wide open.



    • Steve M on April 20, 2011 at 3:03 pm

      As a sidebar, I do like Rep. Paul Ryan. That said, he does not have the executive leadership experience I would be looking for in “my” hypothetical candidate. About 100 percent of his experience since college graduation has been working in, or for Congress.



    • Dimsdale on April 20, 2011 at 3:29 pm

      Okay, you win: let’s go with Palin!? Just so long as she appoints fine men like John Bolton to be SecState, the U.S. could be brought back from the ?bama led, poverty stricken laughingstock it is becoming!



  9. concernedat18 on April 20, 2011 at 3:37 pm

    Let me be clear (uh-oh) I think she would be a great president.? She may be unelectable because the people my age, college aged hate her so much they might get involved and actually vote.? I heard classmates in HS last election call her slut and stuff.? The mindset of the youth today goes like this, “I could never vote for McCain because he doesn’t know how to use a computer.”? Ignoring the basic fact that he has a physical disability that would prevent him from using a computer.? I heard this from conservatives too who didn’t like Obama at all.? Also her speaking style and voice, I find it a little annoying at times.? People looking for the stereotypical? presidential speech would not be satisfied.? Compare how she speaks to Paul Ryan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA4H88lk0Yk) or even Bob McDonnell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-zYpNWmdN0).



    • Steve M on April 20, 2011 at 4:04 pm

      As for her dialect, that’s an opinion that really should not matter. If it does, you should strive to move that back in your priorities. As for the “I hate the slut” crowd, they should be able to explain themselves as to why they hate someone they have almost certainly never met. Then they should be questioned as to what policies or leadership qualities they “hate” if that is what they really mean. Don’t let the “I hate her” crowd get away with that statement without discussion.

      Sidebar on McDonnell … that is someone who would fit “my” hypothetical candidate’s executive and leadership experiences. He’s got military, state legislature, and legal (AG) experience, along with now being a state governor.



    • concernedat18 on April 20, 2011 at 4:29 pm

      I’m not saying i won’t vote for her or even have her be my choice for the Republican nomination.? I’m just saying why others might not vote for her.? I brought the fact that sometimes I find her dialect and tone annoying as nothing more than a somewhat relevant anecdote.



  10. TomL on April 20, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    I’ve stated I’m a PaulRyan supporter, but Sarah Palin going to the belly of the beast and giving the speech she gave in Wisconsin showed me she?has a bigger set of cashews than any of the others. I even got a tingle up and down my leg. She says what she means and means what she says and that’s something I look for in a candidate.



  11. joe_m on April 20, 2011 at 4:50 pm

    The real people no longer listen to the leftist media. We all know that facts just get in the way of the story.

    If Palin runs, it will be voter fraud we will need to watch out for, not media bias.



    • AMP73 on April 20, 2011 at 10:07 pm

      There is one big problem with your comment, one that wholly scares me – though us “real” people don’t listen to the leftist media, there are still SO many that do.? Or, even worse, they don’t bother to listen at all and go and vote for a President like they would bet on a horse in a race – based on their name, color, lane number, or what their buddy tells them is the right pick for a win.? I am so disgusted by how little people who vote know that I wish there was a small test you had to pass in order to vote…. in English only…..



    • Steve M on April 21, 2011 at 6:59 am

      Fraud may be an issue with any conservative candidate that wins or loses by a close margin.



  12. kateinmaine on April 20, 2011 at 5:55 pm

    i was a strong palin supporter in the last election and have been in this room.? while she is willing to jump into the fray and pop out some great soundbites, she doesn’t seem particularly serious about or interested in pursuing the white house.? the american media provided a perfect road map for her to follow, via the character and personal assassination of the last cycle.? had she accepted the challenge, her position would be irrefutable.? how often does a candidate have the opportunity to leapfrog their opponent–using the opposition’s minions and issues to show them for what they are–complete rubes?? it is rare–often a harbinger of better things to come.
    if this is something she wants, she needs better counsel.? and soon.



  13. Eric on April 20, 2011 at 8:07 pm

    Oh she’s electable alright… and she scares the daylights out of the Left!



  14. Gary J on April 20, 2011 at 8:35 pm

    electable, she loves our country and will make decisions according to the United States Constitution.



  15. ricbee on April 20, 2011 at 10:29 pm

    I personally like everything about the woman. But she is & will be even more vilified by the press as a country bumpkin. She has? the taint of McCain,a poor speaking voice & I don’t think the country is ready for a woman president. We need a real warrior,I’d like perhaps Gen. Petraus,if he is an arch conservative. Does Rick Perry have any military credentials?



    • Steve M on April 21, 2011 at 7:01 am

      As would someone like Haley Barbour or even Rick Perry. Any “arch conservative” – not sure what that is exactly – would be vilified constantly by the press.

      Rick Perry has five years in the Air Force flying C130s.



    • Jeff S on April 21, 2011 at 11:13 am

      Country bumpkin?? Just because she didn’t attend Harvard, Yale or any other Ivy league school?? Well, we have a bunch of?ivy leaguers in Washington now and look what that has given us.??We need someone who isn’t worried about the next election and do the things that will?actually put this country back on the right track.??



  16. mskin on April 20, 2011 at 10:52 pm

    the media will never allow the first woman president be a conservative.



    • Steve M on April 21, 2011 at 7:04 am

      Again with the “media won’t allow it.” Don’t be fooled to think they would be cool with a conservative male candidate for the GOP.



  17. ricbee on April 20, 2011 at 10:54 pm

    A woman I asked said,”she couldn’t deal with other male world leaders”,but I think it may be jealous of her beauty-many women may.”But she may be a decent VP candidate.”



    • Steve M on April 21, 2011 at 7:07 am

      OK, at least that one is something that can be discussed. That said, what are other state leaders who have met her saying? The media told us Bush (43) would be terrible with other leaders. That “country hick” did quite well, and made fast friends with many world leaders.

      Linda Mae has some notes below about Palin’s credentials.



  18. Linda Mae on April 20, 2011 at 11:19 pm

    I spent hours on the Wasilla and State of Alaska websites while she was running.? On July 26, 2008, she met with the wounded soldiers at Landstule, Ger. – Obama didn’t – he worked out at the Ritz Carlton and gave an interview to CNN.? Palin was faced with 18 ethic lawsuits and 150 Freedom of Info requests.? Both caused time and money (the state an her own) to defend.? The group which brought them bragged that they would continue to do so.
    At the state site you could click on to the Budget and see the line items she crossed out and the comments she made about them.? Impressive.
    She’s had experience governing. – balancing a budget, making social changes happen, all with a smile.? She can be tough when needed.? I loved her recent quote to Israel – that they need not apologize for acting like a nation being attacked.? She will support the only democracy in the ME.
    Great video by John Zogby (I think that is his last name) How Palin was smeared and Obama was elected.? Somber and complete analysis of the media’s smearing of her.
    There is a site for the Arctic Parliamentarian Conference held in Aug. 2008 – where she made a keynote and also discussed energy.? The other topics included global warming, diseases of the Arctic Circle, and energy.? It was attended by delegates from @ 20 countries including the USSR, all Arctic Cir. nations, Poland, China, Taiwan, plus others.? That proves to me that she can interact with leaders from other countries.? Obama has hurt our reputation.? She can bring back our honor.
    Do I think she will run this time?? I don’t know.? Do I think she is qualified?? YES!? I keep reminding radio hosts to stop the kvetching about there being NO wonderful Rep. candidates.? It feeds into Alinsky’r Rule # 11 – I think – say what you want to happen as if it is happening.? Ex.? Ted. G today saying the Reps will vote for the new limit.? I suspect it is a lie – but he has set the bar so that Reps. now need to work harder.? Too bad Reps couldn’t start with the same strategies – but then the press rules what is said and the press lies.
    ?
    Oh – Beck is accused of falling numbers but I just read that all 4 networks are falling at the 5 pm time slot – yet Beck still outranks the other 3 COMBINED.? But the press lies.
    If she doesn’t run this time, she can do so later.? I just worry that there won’t be a country for her to save if she waits.? Actually, Mickey Mouse would be a far better candidate than Obama – a fact we need to loudly cry!



    • Dimsdale on April 21, 2011 at 10:58 am

      And let us not forget that she is a far better speaker than the “great orator”: case in point, when the teleprompter failed at her acceptance speech, she didn’t miss a beat.? Only the people familiar with the speech noticed that it was a bit off.? Can we say that about ?bama?? I think not, and there are many YouTube videos to prove it.
      ?
      What does this mean?? Well, a commitment to the task for one thing, and an underlying understanding (belief?) in what you are saying, such that the teleprompter is just that: a prompter, not a crutch,? as it is for the young president.?? He simply doesn’t understand and/or care about the topic on which he is orating.? That is a sign of a lightweight, and one that they are desperately trying to cover up.
      ?
      Regardless of how she is belittled by the lefties, an honest comparison between her and ?bama leaves ?bama wanting.? Unfortunately, the likelihood of an honest appraisal of ?bama by the media will leave the rest of us wanting (except on talk radio, of course!).



  19. Lynn on April 21, 2011 at 8:04 am

    Linda Mae, well researched and documented. First, Obama is the worst president ever and anyone would do better. Second, I will vote for any Republican who wins the nomination and I pray no one runs third party ie. Ron Paul to divide the conservative vote. Third, I also read about Wasilla and I love the fact she took on unethical Republicans and threw them out.
    Now, I say she is unelectable because she appeals to a very small group of like minded voters, not to a broad base of Independant voters.? I feel, she did not have enough knowledge of foreign policy, she made several gaffes. You can dismiss the media all you want but they do shape the views of the young, ignorant and uninformed voter, which unfortunately is the majority. She has become such a target of derision they have already dismissed her as a “nutcase”. That is a hole way too deep to dig out of. VP for Barbour, Cain or Mitch Daniels is as high as I go for Sarah.



    • Steve M on April 21, 2011 at 8:52 am

      Lynn, can you provide links to the “several gaffes” you mentioned?

      I agree the media shapes opinion, but look at what happened the last time we let the media choose the GOP candidate.



    • Dimsdale on April 21, 2011 at 10:49 am

      And in this line of thinking, let us not forget that the media flying monkeys do NOT report on ?bama’s gaffes.? Remember the “Army Air CORPSEman”?
      ?
      It is one thing to look good by comparison, but when you have elements of a so called unbiased press emphasizing the faults of one over the other, the difference becomes exaggerated? by design.



    • Lynn on April 21, 2011 at 12:50 pm

      Steve, I love this post, it forces me to research my answer. I’m a technophobe, but I think I can paste my link. I know this is a way liberal link but I have weeded out the gaffes to which I was referring.? The others have a liberal bias and shows their stupidity. The numbered gaffes I believe are true gaffes are #1,4,5,6 and 9.
      http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/sarahpalin/a/palin-top-10.htm
      I don’t know why it’s not blue (direct link). I told you I am a technophobe.



    • Lynn on April 21, 2011 at 1:01 pm

      Steve please see my link below Dimsdale’s? comment. But also wanted to say. We should NOT let the media pick our candidate, because the Left picks someone who they can beat. I believe McCain became the GOP candidate from the old school, good ol’ boy GOP “he deserves it crap”. The GOP is riddled with this syndrome and I say that as a Republican.? We need to pick someone with conservative values but can still appeal to Independent voters. I do believe that is possible.



  20. Anne-EH on April 21, 2011 at 8:32 am

    I sense the reason why the left both “fear” and “dispise” Sarah Palin is for a few reasons: 1. she is a woman of conservative Christian faith and values, 2. she decided to have her last child, Trig, a child with a “challenge” instead of aborting him, 3. she is NOT to tell it just like it is, and with the MSM, the want to always live in denialville, and 4. she is a COMMON SENSE person in which the present White House leadership LACKS.

    Overall, we NEED a person who has conserservative principles RIGHT NOW to lead a country that is mostly CENTER/RIGHT.



  21. Marilyn on April 21, 2011 at 8:42 am

    WOW, LOTS OF COMMENTS.? I love Sarah Palin and believe if McCain had won, she would be a bright future presidental star.? Conservatives love her because she is true to her belief’s.? The left loaths her for the same reason and a women at that.? A presidental election will never be won from the left or the right, you must have the independent.? Conclusion, sadly,? Governor Palin is unelectable

    Whoever gets the nomination would be wise to choose Marco Rubio as their running mate.? Game Over!



    • Steve M on April 21, 2011 at 8:53 am

      OK – why is she unelectable?

      Understand this is somewhat of an intellectual exercise if you have not already figured out my motives for this post. Trying to get people to think and discuss a bit.



    • Dimsdale on April 21, 2011 at 11:41 am

      I don’t think anyone here really believes that she is, in fact, unelectable.? But the Goering like practices of the left, i.e. repeating a lie until it becomes the “truth”, can make her unelectable.
      ?
      The bottom line is that SHE is not unelectable, but there are forces in the country that are working very hard to make people BELIEVE that she is unelectable.? If belief is enough to get the current occupier in office, then belief can be enough to keep another candidate out.



  22. Anne-EH on April 21, 2011 at 9:13 am

    But the sad reality is that, a third party will never win Presidential elections. It is either Democratic or Republican.?

    But with more people starting to wake up and realizing that they by electing President Barak Obama was a BIG MISTAKE, they will be a demand for a person who shows LEADERSHIP to tackle the challenges.



    • Jeff S on April 21, 2011 at 11:22 am

      Just remember, third party candidate Ross Perot in 92 succeeded in giving us 8 years of the Bill & Hillary show.? Had he not gone in and took votes from? Bush 41, he might have won his second term.



  23. maz on April 21, 2011 at 12:11 pm

    I think she is, but she will not get elected because she isn’t a Washington insider. I agree with Jim, the media picks who we are going to elect. and there is nothing that bothers me more than that.



  24. PatRiot on April 21, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    The media, the Dems and even the REPUBS will make her un – electable.?
    They all like their power and will not give it up, even at the expense of the rest of us Americans.??
    This?is about their power – real or perceived.
    Sarah threatens that – even proved it while Governor.



  25. Anne-EH on April 21, 2011 at 1:36 pm

    Steve, here is the Free Republic posted version of your RVO blog entry, and it GOT A LOT of postings. Here is the URL:

    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2708393/posts

    Enjoy Steve! :)=^..^=



  26. djt on April 21, 2011 at 4:36 pm

    she is unelectable for reasons that are, and are not, her fault.
    Not her fault: Losing VP candidates rarely have a future in presidential politics. I can’t think of one (though I may easily be missing one) since at least JFK, in fact, the losing candidate usually fades into obscurity after they lost (like sadly, the late Jack Kemp, a personal favorite). She has not faded because of the other reason not her fault,the media, and also Saturday night Live. I think its unfair, but unavoidable. That caricature of her by Tina Fey is a lasting image. How many people don’t know Palin NEVER said ” I can see Russia from my house.”? ?
    What is her fault is how she has handled herself since the election. Quitting on Alaska with 18 months left in her term, to do what seems like mostly fundraising speeches and a reality show won’t sit well with most of the electorate and can easily be expoited by an opponent. It certainly wasn’t leadership. And lastly, I have no problem with her folksy dialect, I would hope we are past that as a society, but a lot of what she has said has not been very presidential, all this “mama grizzly” and “hopey changey” nonsense is not what I’m looking for in a president. From the Couric interview to the Biden debate to the present, she has not established, beyond sounding like someone who lives next door, presidential qualities. I don’t want as a president someone who sounds like everyone, I want someone who sounds better, smarter, more informed, ready to handle anything that comes his/her way. Palin has had plenty of chances to do that, and has not proven herself.
    Great thread Steve, thanks for posting it.



    • Dimsdale on April 23, 2011 at 11:27 am

      I agree with most of your points, but the bottom line is: if it is Palin vs. ?bama, who would be the better president?



    • djt on April 24, 2011 at 9:30 pm

      the prospect of being given that awful choice is incredibly depressing. One man who had a chance to lead and whiffed, versus a woman that had a chance to lead and chose to make it a half a chance and do something else…as you can see, I cut her no slack for leaving alaska, I read steve’s posts and others not so sympathetic (George Will, David Brooks and more), and don’t give her anywhere near the benefit of the doubt Steve does.?
      anyway, I think Palin is one of the few candidates Obama would definitely beat. She is so polarizing, she alone would cure any apathy on the left that obama had created. They would come out in droves to vote against her, moreso than maybe any other repub candidate including Gingrich.



  27. Lynn on April 21, 2011 at 5:37 pm

    djt, You absolutely said everything that I would have said only much more eloquently.? Also, your comment on the thread by Steve. This was the best ever. Fun for us to truly think and answer your question. Also, personally I loved the feed back from you. Sometimes you work so hard to write an answer and it’s crickets. I know you can’t spend the time to do it this way too often. But, when you can it sure catches my attention and makes me appreciate RVO more. Thanks



  28. Don Lombardo on April 22, 2011 at 9:52 am

    The Libs will?always tell you who they are afraid of. The person that gets the most attacks – on themselves and their family – is the one they fear. The thin skinned Obama could never stand up to the media trashing that Palin has endured.



  29. RoBrDona on April 22, 2011 at 11:50 am

    I have finally figured out part of this puzzle – the better known the candidate, the less likely they will get elected. Obama is a case in point – there are whole parts of his life we still know nothing about. He has no convictions (other than socialist orthodoxy). He was and is smoke and mirrors – all designed to get elected. This favors the unknowns in the GOP .. we will see.



  30. brianh on April 22, 2011 at 2:21 pm

    Wow…she does elicit a countless number of strong opinions! And the majority, many?shaped by progressive mouthpieces, are negative & make Sarah Palin unelectable.
    Furthermore?she’s not the best candidate. Often she’s justified?with favorable?comparison to President Obama. While true, that comparison is?not enough for some of us to elect her as the GOP nominee. There are more qualified candidates who are better experienced and right on most issues, too.
    And Steve…I must say that while Sarah Palin’s decision to resign as Alaska gov may have been rationale, it leaves her with less governing experience. And…what would she do when faced with more of the same as President?



    • mynoc3 on April 22, 2011 at 2:31 pm

      I agree the risgnation leaves her with less experience, but it is still more than our current president had before he was elected.? Furthermore, I don’t think their is a “best” canidate out there.? In the end it will come down to are they better than the other guy on the ticket.? I don’t think anyone agrees with any canidate 100% of the time, but I would say there are a lot out there who think she is right on more issues than not.



    • Steve M on April 22, 2011 at 3:57 pm

      We’ll never, ever see the “best” candidate. We’ll be able to choose the best from what is presented to us … and approved by the media 😉



    • Steve M on April 22, 2011 at 3:56 pm

      The situation in Alaska – being forced to defend all of those stupid lawsuits because of the way the state law was written – would not happen for POTUS. As an example, Obama would be forced into defending all sorts of lawsuits right now and required to use government and personal funds to defend against the nuisance suits.

      If the federal law was written in a way that 75% of the president’s work day was spent not running the country, rather defending nuisance suits, we’d have a serious issue. That’s what Palin was dealing with.

      Not to mention the couple hundred thousand in personal legal bills in less than two years when the governor’s salary was $125k .



    • Dimsdale on April 23, 2011 at 11:32 am

      Isn’t it telling how our so called “unbiased” press never seems to feel the need to report that in their screed?? The sin of omission is just as great as the sin of commission.? It is how all great criminal accomplices are made, and what the media is allowed to do is a crime.



  31. gadsdenII on April 25, 2011 at 7:49 pm

    I am one of those male chauvinist pigs from the 70?s, I would vote for her in a nanosecond. The problem with many women voters is you can only have one bee?queen in the hive.



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