Sarah Palin is one of the headliners at CPAC this year, with a big speech scheduled for Saturday. But, does she have a future in politics, or has she become, as Politico puts it, another Kardashian type figure, famous for being famous?
In January 2009, Sarah Palin had the world on a string. A potential Republican presidential field-clearer for the presidency, every sentence she uttered was news. A Fox News contract awaited her. So did book deals.
Four years later, Palin is without a clear option for elected office – or a clear sense she has an interest in any position of real public influence. She never took an active, leadership role in the tea party movement, beyond showing up at a scattered handful of events and talking it up on television. For many Americans, her name is now primarily a punchline and if she is envisioning a comeback, it may simply be too late.
You probably know by now that I am not a big fan of Sarah anymore, after being a huge supporter even before she was picked to be John McCain’s running mate (it was more like “mccain-PALIN”). That said, that part about her showing up at scattered events and having no leadership is rather disingenuous, as she was a huge force behind the historic 2010 midterms beat down of the Democrats. After that, though, it was flirting with running for president, then saying nope, then really not doing a whole lot to help the Republican candidates win in 2012, especially Romney.
Is it too late for a comeback? Reagan did it. Heck, Joe Biden did it. Others have. How many times did Lincoln run and lose? Of course, there’s the problem: she doesn’t run, and she needs to.
But as a force within the party, Palin has gone from sixty to zero within the span of a single presidential cycle.
“There was a ton of potential there, and it’s conceivable that there could be a second act, but it’s a little hard to see it now,†said Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, who championed Sarah from Alaska as a potential VP pick in 2008 for Sen. John McCain.
“She didn’t run, obviously, in 2012, and she hasn’t really made herself a leader on any particular issue,†added Kristol, arguing that one either needs to hold office or make themselves relevant on an issues front . “Usually you have to do one of those things…otherwise you’re just another pundit.â€
She can get out there and excite the base with a speech. Her Facebook posts tend to trend. But there’s nothing sustained anymore. What are her positions? I hate to put it this way, but she’s much like Michael Moore and Al Gore. Once a huge force for Liberals, Moore and Gore now are mostly invisible, popping up every once in a while. Then fading out again.
Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer argued she has as much of a chance of a second act as Joe Biden managed after being “laughed out of the race†in 1988 amid a plagiarism scandal.
However, he added, “Her act as a celebrity is done. Her act as a political figure is possible – if she applies herself.â€
Others in the article discuss the celebrity factor. Palin has to decide what she wants to do. Be an occasional pundit, or be a force. To be a force, she needs to run, and win, a federally elected position. I maintain she should have run for the Senate. She still could. And should. But, is it too late?
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.
Palin’s “base” is small and shrinking. She is a known quitter who could never get elected even in Alaska. She is an embarrassment to the GOP but loved by the wacko Tea Partiers. She was told to stay away from the Republican Presidential Convention. She is as disliked as Bush still is.Palin was allowed more time than anyone else at CPAC Run for the senate? where ? they hate her in AK. she quit her job as governor and then moved off to sunny AZ. It will be the Democrats that try and keep her in the spotlight, not Republicans
You do understand that she was elected governor of Alaska, right? Vis a vis your 2nd sentence
Just for fun, I’d love to see her go carpetbagger and drop into some state to run for Senator unexpectedly. Hey, it works for dems (HRC, RFK, etc.). My guess is that she will stay on the fringes, not interested in public office, but enjoying life.