Perhaps Sarah Palin Is Waiting for Michele Bachmann to Drop Out (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | In the aftermath of the GOP presidential debate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., may have been shown the exit door. The Washington Post reports a new poll conducted by the media outlet along with ABC News shows Bachmann at a paltry six percent, about half of what she had just one month ago.

Despite winning the Iowa Straw Poll, all bets are off for Bachmann’s campaign. CBS News reports top staffers resigned and quit for fear the Minnesota Republican will mess up her own campaign. At the same time, Bachmann wants to have her own style while catering to her conservative base.
Bachmann’s staffers may be right. Texas Gov. Rick Perry threw his name into the primary race the same time Bachmann won the straw poll Aug. 13. Since then, it’s been all downhill.
Fox News reports the tea party wild card is going to give a speech countering President Obama’s economic speech in front of a joint session of Congress. Bachmann already slammed the president’s economic policies so far in his administration during a recent debate at the Reagan centennial celebration.
The wild card in all this political posturing is Sarah Palin. The tea party darling made speeches in Iowa and New Hampshire but has still not mentioned if she is running for president. She may be the chess master as she watches the Republican pawns fight it out during each debate. The former governor of Alaska can then use her clout to dethrone any other competitors.
Palin has been unnoticed in recent polls. However, Perry was the same way until he declared he was running for president. All it takes is for Palin to say “yes” and then her name will eclipse Perry’s in an instant. Politico reports Palin still hasn’t said whether or not she is running for president.
The bat signal for Palin will be the next few weeks as candidates decide to drop out of the race. As more dominoes fall in front of her, the easier Palin’s primary fight will be. She hasn’t raised a lot of campaign cash and didn’t participate in the Iowa Straw Poll. Yet her many fans may send chills down the collective spine of mainstream Republicans. Everywhere she goes, supporters urge Palin to run.
Maybe it’s a matter of pride. Perhaps Palin wants to be the only woman on the primary ticket. Maybe she is waiting for other heavyweights to drop out of the race. As it stands now, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is in a virtual tie with Perry. All of the other candidates haven’t made any headway in dethroning their front-running status.
There’s only one person who may be able to dethrone Romney and Perry. Her name is Sarah Palin.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Not only will I vote for Sarah Palin if she is the nominee, I would vote for PIPER Palin against Obama but I am still far from convinced that the WOMEN of this country want a woman in the white house. If American women wanted to elect a woman we would be trying to stop the second reelection of a Clinton right now rather than worrying about Obama. What is even MORE discouraging is that every time I say this to a woman to try to get her to tell me how wrong I am she agrees with me. I even heard a black man saying how he had told everyone to vote for Hillary instead of Obama but I don’t hear women saying they told everyone to vote for Hillary over Obama!

Women are the majority of registered voters and they have a long history of voting for Democrats yet when given a choice between a former first lady and an unknown, unqualified stranger whose origins are still unknown they voted for the tall, dark stranger. Someone tell me what I am overlooking or is the late, great Buck Owens the man who called the turn on this election?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQTqPSVhK30

Those Facebook statistics are very significant as these likely are a direct reflection of people who intend to vote for that candidate. As you pointed out, Palin has TRIPLE the amount of supporters than the nearest candidate.

A lot of people here may have a low opinion of social media but remember that this was a large factor in the Obama victory in 2008. Through Facebook and Twitter, the Obama campaign was able to mobilize millions of voters and get them excited about the campaign. Of all the declared and potential Republican candidates, only Sarah Palin appears to have the ability and/or inclination to communicate with voters through social media on a massive scale.

Palin also periodically write notes on her Facebook page to her supporters. I always share those notes with my Friends list even though I know that many of my friends/family are Democrats. I have yet to get a discouraging word about sharing her notes with them.

As another indicator of the excitement out there for a Palin candidacy, on Labor Day weekend, unannounced candidate Palin gave a speech in Manchester, NH to over a thousand people who chanted "Run, Sarah, Run" over and over. Announced candidate Mitt Romney, and supposed frontrunner, gave a speech there the same weekend and drew less than 100 for a few tepid handclaps (and a little jeering from the Tea Party regulars). And New England is supposed to be Romney's strong area!

Like the one she took when she was sworn in as Governor of Alaska?

Same canard, same PDS...

Governor Palin fulfilled all of her responsibilities to the State of Alaska. She gave up office so as to keep from costing the State millions of dollars to defend unfounded complaints against her. It took her out of their crosshairs in Alaska, but into the likes of folk like you!

Of course you know that!

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Alaska, and that I will faithfully discharge my duties as Governor to the best of my ability."- Sarah Palin, December 4, 2006

Click to learn more about her...

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