Will Sarah Palin's political career be limited to Alaska?

[Ivan Seeking]

Is her national political career over - a flash in the pan? I think so.

Who's poised to lead the Republican party out of the woods? John McCain seems convinced that one GOP notable is not the person for the job, someone he's quite familiar with - his former running mate.

On Monday's "Tonight Show," Jay Leno asked the Arizona Senator to name the new guiding lights of the Republican party, and McCain was quick to rattle off a list of "young, dynamic" governors around the country.

Palin wasn't one of them...

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/04/14/2009-04-14_john_mccainsarah_palin_rift_grows_wider_as_sen_leaves_former_running_mate_off_li.html

 

[BobG]

Historically, the VP candidate on a losing Republican ticket has faded into obscurity.

Henry Cabot Lodge did serve as Ambassador to Viet Nam after being Nixon's 1960 running mate, but he never held elective office again.

William Miller, Goldwater's '64 VP candidate, never held elective office again and became so obscure even he wasn't sure what happened to him.

Jack Kemp never held elective office again after being Dole's running mate in '96.

The only exception was Bob Dole, who was Ford's running mate in '76. Twenty years later, he was the Republican nominee. So it is possible to come back from being the losing Republican VP candidate. It just takes a long, long time. Palin's still young, so who knows.

Historically, the runner up in a contested Republican primary has been the next Republican Presidential candidate. Reagan was runner up in '76. Bush was runner up in '80. Dole was runner up in '88. McCain was runner up in '00. The only exception was Jack Kemp, who was both runner up and VP candidate in '96.

Romney would be a good bet. Huckabee might be a good bet.

On the other hand, the Republican Party might be at such a low point that the field opens up for first time Presidential candidates. Jindal, Christ, and Pawlenty all seem like reasonable possibilities (but they always do until they get beat by the previous runner up).

 

[LowlyPion]

Is her national political career over - a flash in the pan? I think so.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/04/14/2009-04-14_john_mccainsarah_palin_rift_grows_wider_as_sen_leaves_former_running_mate_off_li.html

He went on to say:

McCain then added, "And I've left out somebody's name, and I'm going to hear about it."

I'd say his failure to mention Palin was intentional. Most of the questions on these late shows are prepared for, so I imagine McCain was quite purposeful in making the signal. It's not like he could have forgotten her, even at his age.

 

[isabelle]

Is this tantamount to McCain admitting poor judgement in selecting Sarah as his running mate? If McCain had been elected, Sarah would be the VP right now, but instead she is unmentionable. This is an unclassy move by McCain!

 

[LowlyPion]

Is this tantamount to McCain admitting poor judgement in selecting Sarah as his running mate? If McCain had been elected, Sarah would be the VP right now, but instead she is unmentionable. This is an unclassy move by McCain!

Does it matter?

Shouldn't we all just be thankful for the fact that they didn't get into power? That we didn't have the VP's sister in law arrested for burglary? The unwed father of the the VP's grandson, on the outside looking in, before there was even a wedding?

I think it is for sure we would see the world in a worse place than it is now after just 8 years of Republican neglect if these people had continued in power.

Besides, I think McCain's right in that Palin is no more the future of the Republican Party than Steven Colbert.

 

[waht]

is it her that thought Africa or Europe is a country?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Is this tantamount to McCain admitting poor judgement in selecting Sarah as his running mate?

Yes, at least that much.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

is it her that thought Africa or Europe is a country?

Yes, she's the one who was not up on current events.

 

[jtbell]

Historically, the VP candidate on a losing Republican ticket has faded into obscurity.

So have some of the actual Republican VPs. Who remembers Dan Quayle for anything besides his "potatoe" gaffe?

 

[BobG]

So have some of the actual Republican VPs. Who remembers Dan Quayle for anything besides his "potatoe" gaffe?

I almost forgot him. Actually he was a VP candidate on a losing ticket, as well (1992).

Of course, he always seemed kind of ... well ... stupid. Stupid probably out trumps any position he might have held - well, except in years that have a leap day in spite of ending in 00.

 

[LowlyPion]

Looks like Sarah Palin is determined to make trouble for herself.

When Kim Elton a Democratic Senator from Alaska took an appointment with the Obama administration, it left a vacancy that Sarah Palin was to appoint. Her problem is that rather than asking for a list of names that the Democrats might find acceptable, since they are the ones that must ratify any appointment since Elton was a Democrat, she apparently submitted her own choice.

Well the Democrats have now rejected 2 of her appointments to the position. So her latest stunt was to take the extra legal move of submitting 3 names, two of which have already been rejected. The Democrats have pointed out that she must appoint one, because of the rather obvious idea that 3 people cannot simultaneously be appointed to serve for one seat in the senate.

Compounding her woe now is that her Attorney General designate, who's appointment is also pending, issued an opinion that she could submit 3 names because she could simply ignore the wording in the Alaska State Constitution. Now his appointment may be in jeopardy, being as he is now on record as counseling the Governor to ignore the State Constitution.

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/140562

Here's the Senate Legal Counsel's Opinion about the extraordinary (extra-legal) process Palin is pursuing:
http://media.adn.com/smedia/2009/04/15/11/opinion_re_senate_vacancy.source.prod_affiliate.7.pdf

McCain is apparently right about her.

 

[LowlyPion]

This just in:

The guy that was the third name submitted on the list with the 2 other rejected names, has withdrawn his name now.

Curiouser and curiouser.

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/140598

So now there are 2.

And both have been rejected in the last several weeks.

Egads think what a mess she would have made with the Federal Budget, if she can't think her way out of this simple appointment.

It's a good thing we have a community organizer in the Oval Office, that can handle complex decisions.

 

[LowlyPion]

And now the ax fell on Ross too it seems as a result of his poor lawyerly advice about ignoring the State Constitution. (Of course he also was carrying other baggage, which apparently was the kind of baggage Palin's fundamentalist beliefs prefer.)

The nomination of Ross, an outspoken gun-rights advocate, proved controversial on multiple fronts. Alaska Natives criticized his past opposition to tribal sovereignty and subsistence hunting and fishing rights for rural residents. He drew fire for past characterization of gays as "immoral" and "degenerate."

...He said Democrats should fill the seat without arguing about whether the process was legal or illegal.

http://www.adn.com/news/politics/story/762037.html
Sounds like the kind of advice that Bush squeezed out of his attorneys for justifying torture and spying on Americans.

 

[drankin]

*waves goodbye to Sarah Palin* *Sarah looks bewildered and waves back*

I don't believe she is leaving office or anything. Is this just another Sarah bashing thread?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

*waves goodbye to Sarah Palin* *Sarah looks bewildered and waves back*

I don't believe she is leaving office or anything. Is this just another Sarah bashing thread?

I think the point of the thread was pretty clear. Is her national political career over; esp given that McCain is signalling as much?

 

[Redbelly98]

The unwed father of the the VP's grandson, on the outside looking in, before there was even a wedding?

Did that wedding ever actually happen?

 

[rootX]

I think she has a bright future in Hollywood.

 

[LowlyPion]

Did that wedding ever actually happen?

Nope.

Levi is single and available.

Now if he ever graduates from high school he might be quite a catch.

 

[Redbelly98]

did that wedding ever actually happen?

nope.

fyi:

i wonder if palin's daughter will "change her mind" about getting married, after the election is over.

EDIT: Weird, my post got autoconverted to all lowercase?

 

[LowlyPion]

During a news conference before the dinner, Steele was asked if the GOP was looking to Palin to be one of its leaders in 2012.

"I don't know about 2012. I think she is a standard bearer right now. She and Mitt Romney and Governor Pawlenty, Governor Sanford, Rudy Giuliani, Eric Cantor, Mike Pence. We have a significant number of men and women in our party who are in a very good position right now to carry forward the standard of the GOP," Steele said.

http://www.adn.com/palin/story/762243.html

Getting recognition from Michael Steele?

Yeah, that and $3.75 will get you a Frappuccino at Starbucks.

 

[asdfggfdsa]

I think the point of the thread was pretty clear. Is her national political career over; esp given that McCain is signalling as much?

No. She has a base that doesn't care how badly she messes things up, McCain doesn't.

 

[LowlyPion]

No. She has a base that doesn't care how badly she messes things up, McCain doesn't.

This of course is a problem for the rest of the Nation that chooses thoughtful solutions over cutie-bug winks.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

No. She has a base that doesn't care how badly she messes things up, McCain doesn't.

How big is her base?

..The person Republicans think most able to retake the White House? Sarah Palin. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin polled 29% of the Republicans surveyed...

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1520033/is_governor_sarah_palin_still_the_frontrunner.html

That is from February.

 

[Redbelly98]

How big is her base?

I don't know the answer to that, but remember it matters little what people in 49 of the states think if you want to be a U.S. senator.

We can laugh her off all we want as a right-wing wacko. What do the majority of Alaskans think of her?

 

[turbo]

We can laugh her off all we want as a right-wing wacko. What do the majority of Alaskans think of her?

If you follow the Anchorage Daily News, you'll see that Palin has managed to tick off many, many Alaskans, and not only Democrats. People in her own party see her as a grandstander with national ambitions.

She tries to force her will in Alaska and does not seek bipartisanship on crucial issues. She appointed an attorney general that many Alaskans just can't support, and failed to stick around and try to lobby to get him approved, choosing instead to travel to Indiana for an anti-abortion rally. Ross also ticked off law-makers by giving Palin what they considered unconstitutional advice regarding the Palin's effort to appoint her favored candidates to an open Senate seat representing Juneau. I think Palin would have an uphill battle to get elected to the US Senate.

http://www.adn.com/news/politics/story/762037.html