Pirate's Cove

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: for someone who is supposed to be a lightweight, stupid, and has no chance of being president, Palin sure scares the panty shields off of the liberal media and the GOP intelligentsia, and The Politico is there to make sure they tell us once again that Palin is not serious: Sarah Palin’s bus tour leaves GOP cold

As it played out on TV this week, Sarah Palin’s “One Nation” road trip of U.S. historical sites was a masterpiece of political mischief-making – a wild dash up the East Coast that delighted her fans and cornered the market on 2012 coverage for days on end.

That’s not how the bus tour looked to Republicans on the ground, many of whom are more convinced than ever that the former Alaska governor is simply not serious about running for president.

While Palin has reveled in giving an extended one-fingered salute to the national press, refusing to give out details about her travel schedule and forcing reporters to literally chase her vehicle up I-95 in order to cover her, she reached out to precious few activists and party leaders in the states she visited. And the locals have noticed, leaving them scratching their heads and looking for a rationale for a candidacy.

Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Rob Gleason, whose state hosted Palin on visits to Gettysburg and the Liberty Bell, voiced a common exasperation about Palin’s tour: “I don’t think theater wins elections.”

O RLY? How’d Obama Theater work out?

“Running for president is a very serious thing and you need to deal with it as such,” Gleason said. “I’m looking for party builders.”

In other words, he’s looking for, like so many of the GOP insiders and wishy washy Republicans, someone just like him, who plays the same old tired political game. One would think that the rise of the TEA Party and the historic mid-term blowout, which included so many TEA Party supported candidates, would have given the GOP establishment a clue. Apparently not.

Palin hasn’t made it particularly easy for fans to seek her out, interacting with supporters largely at impromptu events that haven’t been announced in advance. That means she’s not just blowing off officials, but also regular voters. While the media can’t quit Palin, there are many more GOP voters and activists who won’t try twice to meet a candidate.

Want to bet? Palin’s doing things in a completely different way, and brings excitement. Whether this leads to a presidential run or not, she’s shaking things up, as she always does. And people will stream out to see her, or to take the chance to see her.

Former New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Fergus Cullen, who noted that “the normal laws of political gravity don’t seem to apply to Sarah Palin,” said the catch-me-if-you-can act has to end sooner or later, all the same.

“At some point the establishment has to be paid its due,” he said. “She gets sort of an initial pass, but at some point the goodwill gets used up.”

Vis a vis the establishment, why? Perhaps they should get off their duffs and climb aboard, and realize that politics can change. How’d doing things the old way work out in 2006 and 2008? Then consider, how’d doing things different work in 2010?

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.