November 17, 2008

Just fisking this for the fun of it...

Not important...Silly stuff in fact...

US News and World Report, Sarah Palin for President in 2012? No Way :

...But for all the enthusiasm she generated among the base, Palin has become a caricature for millions of casual political observers. [Uh, EVERY Republican is "a caricature for millions of casual political observers." Comes with the territory. Reagan = B-actor, Bush = cowboy. They managed.] Many people, including crucial swaths of the independent and youth vote, will be unable to distinguish the real Sarah Palin from Tina Fey's Saturday Night Live impression of her. To them, she will always be remembered, fairly or not, as an overmatched vixen in an overpriced wardrobe. [Their tiny brains will soon forget.]

The fundamental question, then, is: Do Republicans at the grass-roots and national levels really want to start the most significant rebuilding the party has faced since Watergate, having to convince a large segment of voters that Palin is qualified to be president, when a majority of Americans recently said otherwise? [You're saying that the election was a referendum on PALIN?? McCain had nothing to do with it? Wow, she's really got you intimidated.]

There is also the inconvenient reality that Palin would have to mastermind a run for president at a distance of nearly 4,000 miles and four time zones from New York City and Washington. The Internet makes many things possible, but changing geography is not yet one of them. [Well it seems to make more and more things possible. And more and more "insiders" redundant.] And who among the savvy D.C. insiders that are essential to building buzz [I bet this guy thinks of himself as a "savvy insider," and is desperately hoping that makes him important. Actually, Sarah seems to generate a ton of buzz with no help from the savvy's.] for potential candidates is willing to hop on a snow machine for regularly scheduled huddles in Wasilla? [If she looks like the next big thing, they will crawl over broken glaciers to bask in her radiance. And so will you, turkey.]

Since Ronald Reagan's election in 1980, there has not been a presidential nominee whose 'day job' kept him more than one time zone from the centers of media and government. George W. Bush had the greatest distance to travel, but his disadvantage was mitigated by three factors, none of which apply to Palin's circumstances. He was the head of a decentralized executive branch in which the lieutenant governor arguably has more day-to-day responsibilities. His father and grandfather had spent decades building the family name and network in Washington, including 12 years in the White House. And this base allowed him to build a sense of inevitability two years out from the presidential race, meaning that advisers and fellow governors were tripping over themselves to come to Austin to meet with him and discuss a run. [Hmmm. "Sense of inevitability." I wonder who could fit that description, among Republicans right now?]

Four more years as governor (assuming she wins re-election in 2010) may add some gravitas for Palin, but it will also complicate her path to the nomination. For example, the gas pipeline deal that she brokered will move from the conceptual stage to implementation, bringing on the attendant complexities. [Complexities! Surely too much for a mere girl to handle.] And she will face a legislature with Democrats, and some Republicans, eager to take the gleam off her credentials as a reformer. [Well, they will try.]

But perhaps the most difficult roadblock to Palin's candidacy is the same thing that has generated so much of her appeal�her status as America's most famous 'hockey mom.' Putting aside the demands of being governor, Palin's domestic plate runneth over. She is a mother of five, including an infant with Down syndrome and a son in Iraq. She is also about to become a grandmother to the child of her 17-year-old daughter, with all the responsibilities that entails. And don't forget her remaining daughters, ages 13 and 7. [RFK had what, ten kids? What sexist nonsense. Also there is the teensy detail, that the Palins are going to have lots of money now. Sarah can probably ask 50k for a lecture fee, and her book will get a multi-million $ advance. So.....they will be able to HIRE HELP, stupid. ]

Finally, her husband's careers in oil production and commercial fishing necessarily mean he is away from home regularly, as does his championship-level snow-machine racing. By all accounts, the Palins have raised a happy family while excelling in their chosen fields. And they appeared to manage their domestic duties seamlessly during the recent campaign. But this was a two-month sprint, not the multiyear marathon required of successful presidential nominees. [Sorry to break it to you, but those marathons are attempts to become known and liked by the Republican base. Guess what Sarah's ALREADY accomplished?]

Sarah Palin will remain a star in the Republican Party for decades, perhaps even ascending to the presidency someday. But to imagine that day is just four years away is to deny the very simple calculus of her current situation." [Dream on, pal. Other Republicans will put up a fight, and maybe a better candidate will come to the fore. But right now Palin's the obvious front-runner, and you "savvy insiders" will be begging for her crumbs...]

Todd, Piper, Willow, Trig on McCain/Palin bus

Photo thanks to Meghan McCain's blog. Which I recommend for its pictures of life on the campaign trail.

Posted by John Weidner at November 17, 2008 5:34 PM
Weblog by John Weidner