The LuLac Edition #867, July 3rd, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: SARAH PALIN.

PALIN POUNCES

Sarah Palin held a news conference today in Alaska. Once more she has shown that she is no one’s fool. Palin announced that not only will she not run for Governor in 2010 but will also resign her office. Her reasoning is for the greater betterment of her home state Alaska. She said she did not want to be a lame duck Governor picking up a paycheck but instead wanted her Ltn. Governor to put his own stamp on their administration. Palin alluded to ethics charges that were all discharged but added how much they cost the state to adjudicate. Palin said she’s doing it for the people.
Right off the news coverage was predictable. The CBS Evening News pulled out the Katie Couric interviews from the fall campaign. NBC had people on (some GOP strategists) who said Palin was not making a good move because she would be perceived as a quitter. And as we all know, no one loves a quitter, let alone wants them to run for President. CNN’s Candy Crowley said the story is incomplete and hinted there might be more to it. On the surface, taking conventional political wisdom, this is a bad move. But politics changed forever in 2008 when a little known Illinois politician with a half dozen years experience stormed his party and the nation becoming the 44th President. The old rules were shattered by Barack Obama in the Democratic Party. As a party on the rebound, the Republicans have a power vacuum. They also have a rock star gap. Right now the GOP field consists of losers Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is regarded as a part of the past. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush might have played a part in the immediate future of the party but his brother’s disastrous tenure has made his ascendancy problematic at best. So Palin, dumb as a fox knows what she is doing. Here’s why:
1. Palin has a built in right wing constituency that can elevate her to folk hero status. At rallies, she outshone John McCain. It was telling that Palin was not allowed to speak when the duo lost last fall. More telling was that she wanted to talk.
2. Rush Limbaugh who has defended Palin at every turn like a school boy defends his sweetheart will be a big help. You can bet that Limbaugh will be singing her praises as the savior of the Republican Party.
3. While Mark Sanford is lingering, holding on to power in disgrace and confusion, Sarah Palin departs the job “for the people”. She doesn’t need power to make her whole as a woman, wife, mom, leader or party member. She’s leaving it all behind for “the folks” setting on a solitary path without big government of any kind to shield her.
4. Palin does though have an advantage by not being in office. She can accept big money from friendly corporations, build a huge bank account that will provide financial security for her family and be free to dabble in issues of her choice. Richard Nixon did so between 1962 and 1967, Ronald Reagan the same after losing to Gerald Ford in 1976. Being a member of the loyal opposition, unfettered by responsibilities gives her the opportunity to travel the country like Nixon and Reagan did. They met power brokers but also met the County Chairman who sent the delegates to the conventions. These little guys, unseen by the media (who focus on Bertha and Clyde in snowy Iowa getting their opinion as it were the word of God) make a candidate viable in the brutal primary process.
5. Even though she loves Alaska, it is far, far away. Palin can be in the lower 48 and make impromptu appearances like she did at Yankee Stadium with former Mayor Guiliani. Plus, all the better if a comic defames her family because then she can hold a news conference and get more notoriety.
6. Right now Palin has two advantages if she decided to run for President. For better or worse, she’s a known quantity and her gender gives the battered GOP a claim that they can be inclusive.
7. While Barack Obama became the anti-Bush, Palin can be the anti-Obama. Let’s face it, this President is moving fast and restructuring this country. I think it’s great but there are many Americans who are nervous and think he’s moving too fast. Those people would be a natural constituency for Palin. Add to that her conservative base, and you have a formidable coalition. And if some of the policies of Obama fail, then the implications for a Palin run are off the charts.
8. Much has been said of her news conference today. That it was disjointed and rambling. I saw the whole replay of it and while elements of that are true, here’s something else about it. She did it on a Friday afternoon of a 3 day weekend. (Part of me thinks she did it to get the “liberal” commentators off their asses in the Hamptons to come in to work and cover it). NBC’s “Meet the Press” will be preempted this Sunday because of tennis. She took no questions. Palin controlled the message. Her detractors will say quitter, her fans might see a bandwagon. But she is letting the speculation fly at the start of this 4th of July weekend. At every fireworks display, every ceremony honoring America, every cookout, someone will bring her name up. This “wear her life on her sleeve” person now has become to an extent, a woman of mystery. That in and of itself is a PR coup. She led every nightly newscast, every radio cast from 4pm until 10pm. Dumb as a fox.
9. Palin’s stepping down in a strange way can make her more attractive as a candidate. She can reluctantly acquiesce to the will of the people, picking up the burden like Cincinnatus and doing it for her country. “I thought I left this…..but if duty calls……….” Politically priceless!
Sarah Palin is running for President. She might not know how or in what manner but I bet you she knows why. There’s a serious gap in leadership in the Republican Party. No one seems to want to do or saying anything but say “no”. This afternoon, Palin boldly made a move. It was not the type of move a conventional politician would have chosen. As a matter of fact it is vaguely reminiscent of an action taken by a long shot who became President against all expectations. If you asked Governor Palin if she thought this action today would lead to a showdown with that long shot, Mr. Obama in 2012, she’d most likely say, “Now that would be a hoot!” Yes it will.