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If Palin runs for president: Her strengths won't be a lot of help
The Chicago Tribune ^ | September 12, 2010 | Steve Chapman

Posted on 09/11/2010 1:25:26 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

It turns out Sarah Palin left the governorship of Alaska for a better position. She's become king — King Midas, to be exact. Everything she touches turns to gold.

Her memoir, "Going Rogue," was the best-selling hardcover nonfiction volume of 2009. She's got a TV gig with Fox News that reportedly pays $1 million a year. She commands $100,000 for a speaking appearance.

But it's not all about the money. Palin has also become the fairy godmother of the Republican Party. In the Aug. 31 primaries, all five candidates she tapped with her wand came away victorious — including Joe Miller, who upset incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Those she passed over turned into pumpkins.

"Sarah Palin has special medicine," wrote John Dickerson of the liberal online magazine Slate after the primaries. "The Palin brand now grows ever stronger because other Republicans will want to access that magic."

All that looks like the perfect prelude to something even bigger. After steadfastly refusing invitations for political gatherings in Iowa, site of the first presidential contest in 2012, she's going to Des Moines on Sept. 17 for the Republican Party's annual Reagan Day dinner. To run for president, one local GOP official was quoted saying, "She needs to be here — and she's doing that with a big, high-profile event."

If she enters the race, Palin will have the inside track. A recent Gallup poll found that among Republican voters, she's more popular than Abraham Lincoln, with a 76 percent favorable rating — higher than any other potential GOP presidential candidate listed by Gallup. The nomination is starting to look like it's hers for the asking.

But appearances are deceiving.(continued)

(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2010; 2012; alaska; iowa; iquitarod; joemiller; kingmidas; lisamurkowski; midas; obama; palin; palin2012; polls; romney; romneybigdig; romneycare; romneydirtytricks; romneymarriage; sarahpalin
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To: UriÂ’el-2012

You’re right about one thing.

She WILL sell out to the highest bidder: We The People.


221 posted on 09/11/2010 6:25:56 PM PDT by bigoil
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To: UriÂ’el-2012
I had high hope for Sarah Palin.

No you didn't, or else you wouldn't be critical of her.

She has disappointed me on a number of occasions.

Like what?

Like her lack of leadership in her own family.

Bristol Palin is a grown woman.

The final one was endorsing Juan McShame

You keep throwing this s--t hoping it sticks to the wall but your analysis of her endorsement is completely wrong.

222 posted on 09/11/2010 6:26:04 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Mexico is the U.S. version of Hamas)
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To: Non-Sequitur

With that response, I think I understand why you don’t like Palin. Shaky conservative values and little understanding about politics.

Your views of who is and who isn’t a conservative appear purely subjective, at odds with most conservatives. Moran? Yeah, sure. And I was talking about liberal RINOs - you obviously think Binnie and Campbell are upstanding conservatives?

Your understanding of politics appears quite tenuous - you criticize both Palin and DeMint for being opportunistic? But if O’Donnell wins it is because of their courageous joint support. And maybe it was given late in coordination with O’Donnell’s campaign to take advantage of some momentum? Or possibly to reduce any attempts by RINOs to come in and make endorsements in response for Castle in a timely way.


223 posted on 09/11/2010 6:42:25 PM PDT by militanttoby
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To: presently no screen name

If you look at the spectrum from a logical standpoint, the extreme Left is occupied by Communist, Socialists, National Socialists, Stalinists, Maoists—in short— Totalitarians. The extreme Right is occupied by Anarchists. Where are the Conservatives? In the middle where there are just enough laws to ensure Liberty. And people like Sarah Palin, who practice that thing called Christianity, have a higher Law that helps self regulate their lives. It is the practice of Christianity that our forefathers knew would bring the best chance for Liberty: “Give me Liberty or give me death.”

On second thought, I’m calling it the Liberty Train. Sarah Palin will make sure that train is protected like a momma grisly protects her cubs.


224 posted on 09/11/2010 6:42:55 PM PDT by jonrick46 (We're being water boarded with the sewage of Fabian Socialism.)
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To: onyx

IIRC, Sarah Palin’s glasses are from a Japanese designer.


225 posted on 09/11/2010 6:43:07 PM PDT by bigoil
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To: DaxtonBrown

I am willing to leave the thing to Palin. She has a very good notion of who she is, and will make her move when and if she decides to. And, of course, post- November will tell us A LOT.


226 posted on 09/11/2010 6:50:00 PM PDT by RobbyS (Pray with the suffering souls.)
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To: UriÂ’el-2012

227 posted on 09/11/2010 6:50:56 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: driftdiver

She is so different that the GOP can’t figure her out. Shes eems to have that rare thing call courage. Most politicians are cowards.


228 posted on 09/11/2010 6:52:25 PM PDT by RobbyS (Pray with the suffering souls.)
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To: FreeReign

LOL. Maybe it’s the cyber equivalent to attention demanding tantrum behavior?


229 posted on 09/11/2010 7:19:21 PM PDT by militanttoby
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To: onyx
My apologies to Todd…that is hot!
230 posted on 09/11/2010 7:43:33 PM PDT by GunningForTheBuddha ("RINOs, shoo")
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To: FlingWingFlyer

“Palin is very, very popular and that just scares the heck out of the DemocRATs.”

Palin is very, very popular with Republicans and represents the very essense of gun-totin, pro-life, Christian, individualistic, anti-elitist living that just scares the heck out of the DemocRATs.


231 posted on 09/11/2010 7:56:33 PM PDT by WOSG (OPERATION RESTORE AMERICAN FREEDOM - NOVEMBER, 2010 - DO YOUR PART!)
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To: UriÂ’el-2012

I’m afraid I have to agree with you on that one. I am not optimistic about there ever being another election. I think Glenn Beck has a similar fear. There is something evil afoot in the world that I don’t think we can overcome. There is only One way out and that may be coming.


232 posted on 09/11/2010 8:15:06 PM PDT by WVNan
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To: presently no screen name; Diogenesis; UriÂ’el-2012; onyx; Clyde5445; Virginia Ridgerunner; ...
She doesn't have to explain a thing

She does to anyone outside the Free Republic solipsistic universe. If FR really had the influence you Palinistas think we have, Alan Keyes would be a Senator in Illinois, Fred Thompson would be president, and Barack Obama would be a small historical footnote. Get real.

233 posted on 09/11/2010 8:28:23 PM PDT by EveningStar (Karl Marx is not one of our Founding Fathers.)
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To: onyx

“You betcha she endorsed him for senator. She even went around the whole country telling people to vote for the same man for president!”

LMAO, now THERE’S something to brag about.


234 posted on 09/11/2010 10:08:59 PM PDT by Kimberly GG ("Path to Citizenship" Amnesty candidates will NOT get my vote! DeMint, 2012)
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To: texmexis best

“Had she failed to follow through on her endorsement of McCain, she would have not received endorsements from anyone in the future.”

Yeah, let’s see....”future endorsements for self” vs. endorsement of a slimeball Progressive Rhino. gee. tough choice.


235 posted on 09/11/2010 10:24:40 PM PDT by Kimberly GG ("Path to Citizenship" Amnesty candidates will NOT get my vote! DeMint, 2012)
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To: UriÂ’el-2012

When McCain made her his VP choice, he basically introduced her to the national scene, so I suspect that she probably feels obligated to him.


236 posted on 09/11/2010 10:36:29 PM PDT by Jacob Kell (With "Conservatives" like Daniel Larson, who needs Liberals?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’m about to say something that may get me flamed, but this is an issue I’m truly concerned about, and I want to put it out there for others to ponder.

I don’t have anything against Sarah Palin. She is a true conservative and an interesting person. I think she could get the 2012 GOP nomination with little effort. She might even win and become Pres. Palin, though I think it would be tight.

However, I am concerned that should she win, she would be even more polarizing to our country than Obama has been. The left, plus a large chunk of the middle, is convinced that she’s a know-nothing rube whose fame is some sort of weird coincidence. They hate her with the same passion that many of us hate Obama (though truly, we have a lot more reason to hate Obama, by a long shot!).

But my point is that this country already shows signs of possibly edging toward civil war. We have had a string of polarizing presidents, with Obama being last and worst. Our electorate feels unheard and alienated on both sides of the aisles. We need someone that will truly bring us together, not shove us apart even more. I think it’s a shame that Fred Thompson has medical issues and a definite lack of “fire in the belly,” since he would have been good at that. We need to remember that the next election is not about “getting back at” the Democrats (tempting as that is!) but about doing the best for our country that we can. We need someone to help pull this country all together. Does our country have a person like that available?


237 posted on 09/11/2010 11:23:18 PM PDT by Hetty_Fauxvert (March 2010: Congress shoved Obamacare down our throats. November 2010: We will shove it back!)
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To: Hetty_Fauxvert
I am concerned that should she win, she would be even more polarizing to our country than Obama has been.

The left has been slinging the "P" word at Palin so much there have been photo contests for the most amusing reply. One of my favorites:

Its a variation of the "mean-spirited" charge liberals used to sling under Reagan. Not as loaded as their usual perjoratives--racist, bigot, homophobe--but a word that is part of the liberal lexicon and one which they never, never apply to anyone on the left.

238 posted on 09/11/2010 11:30:44 PM PDT by Brugmansian
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To: Hetty_Fauxvert

“Erring sisters, depart in peace.”


239 posted on 09/11/2010 11:32:46 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I don't need a newspaper to know the world's been shaved by a drunken barber.)
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To: Hetty_Fauxvert
Maybe you should read this first. Click on it for the link.

As long as she is viewed as a significant political figure, the left’s obsession with Palin will never wane because it does not spring from rational roots. She threatens something too deep and too profound in a political subculture built around the belief that a small percentage of human beings have a vastly superior understanding of the world compared to all the rest.

My personal belief is that the occupation elite will not go away peacefully. They are the embodiment of historical evil in the world. If you truly believe in freedom then you know in your heart what must be done.
240 posted on 09/11/2010 11:49:50 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the occupation media. There are Wars and Rumors of War.)
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