Don't laugh, it's true.
I just wanted to offer my unsolicited assessment of the GOP 2012 primary field thus far. The only Republican left in the field that has any appeal whatsoever to the tea party fanatics and lunatics, who control the GOP primary process as they showed in the 2010 senate primaries where they single handedly guaranteed us retention of the senate, is Sarah Palin, (R)-hillbilly from Alaska.
My analysis is not going to be of a university essay style quality. I just wrote totally from the gut here. I apologize if anyone is offended in advance.
The GOP LOVES her. She is a mama grizzly "sexy babe" fighting for good old 'murkin' values. Remember her rallies in 2008? She electrified the crazies like I've never seen before in my life. Even George W. Bush didn't have that much adoration. The 2000 race was pretty much 'eh, I want to have a beer with the guy so I'll vote for George.' There was no love for him, except right after 9/11. The GOP base went bezerk on him almost as soon as he entered his 2nd term. Remember the disaster that was Harriet Miers anyone? I wanted her on the SCOTUS. She would have been so much more moderate than Alito or Roberts. She was the best of the bad choices that Bush was bound to torture us with.
ANYWAY, the GOP has not fallen in love with a figure the way it's fallen in love with Sarah Palin in a long long time. Maybe Reagan? But I think a better comparison would be Goldwater. But Goldwater and Reagan were both far classier than Palin can ever hope to be and that's not saying much. lol.
She raises millions at the drop of a hat. Her followers hang on every word she spews. She is Greta Van Susteren's favorite GOPer, and by extension, Fox, and the media is attracted to her like catnip.
All she has to do is study just a bit and not come across as a total idiot during the GOP primary debates and she will take off and win the nomination rather easily. Who's going to defeat her? Romney? The base would look at him as a flip flopping "gay loving" health care mandate supporting liberal from Mass. Romney has zero chance. Pawlenty? Even Mccain thought Pawlenty was too boring? Huntsman? Who's that? And oh yeah he's a mormon. Christie? Good god. Even New Jersey hates him. Plus he's not a social conservative. Bachmann? The base loves her but knows she's a crazy loon who has no chance.
Huckabee was the only one that had any chance to defeat her. With him out, his supporters, all 22% or so, will flock to Palin's 12%. Bam, Palin has 34% support right there and breaks the field wide open. Plus Nikki Haley owes the SC governorship to her. She will endorse Sarah Palin, thus propelling her to a S.C. primary win. It should be noted that the GOP S.C. primary winner ALWAYS wins the nomination. S.C.'s is Sarah's now. As is Iowa, at the caucus level.
The GOP establishment can put forward no one who is as beloved as Sarah Palin. She has like 70% favorability among the party. And the GOP can't stop Palin. They've been taken over and assimilated like borg by the tea party.
Now, so many think Palin won't run. Not true. See this for starters:
Palin Insists She Has "Fire in the Belly"
Sarah Palin was asked on Fox News why she hasn't made a decision about a presidential bid and whether she has the necessary drive to run.
Said Palin: "Oh, that's a great question. I think my problem is that I do have the fire in my belly. I am so adamantly supportive of the good, traditional things about America and our free enterprise system, and I want to make sure that America is put back on the right track, and we only do that by defeating Obama in 2012. I have that fire in my belly."
"It's a matter for me of some kind of practical, pragmatic decisions that have to be made. One is, with a large family, understanding the huge amount of scrutiny and the sacrifices that have to be made on my children's part in order to see their mama run for president. But yes, the fire in the belly? It's there!"
http://politicalwire.com/....
And this:
Sarah Palin has remained relatively quiet about the 2012 race, but she confirmed Wednesday that a presidential campaign may still be in her future.
I'm "still seriously considering it," the former Alaska governor told Fox News host Sean Hannity Wednesday night. "And praying about it. And talking about it with family--because of course, it's a monumental leap for a family to put themselves out there again in the limelight and be ready for the scrutiny that ensues in a campaign."
Palin's children and husband faced intense scrutiny during her 2008 vice presidential bid and have remained the subject of conversation--and tabloid coverage--ever since. (Though Palin's daughter Bristol has since used her celebrity for a "Dancing with the Stars" gig and other ventures.)
http://news.yahoo.com/....
Plus her comments about "I will run if no one else good does." Well no one else "good" is. Also, she's not in this for money. She is a narcissitic borderline personality disorder entitled bloke who can't stand the fact that for the first time in her life, something she felt entitled to was taken away from her, especially ESPECIALLY by an African-American.
To those of you convinced she can't win, Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell anyone? Also, there is no one with the breadth of support left in the GOP or the money that can even remotely take Palin on.
Speaking of those 2, that's how I see Palin V. Obama turning out. With the economy being so bad, I expect the President to trail Palin during much of the race but then defeat her soundly by 5 points or more the way Reid did Angle. Angle V. Reid is exactly how I think Palin V. Obama will turn out.
I don't care about her negatives. A couple good performances in the GOP primary field debate will erase her negatives among the GOP and then the Tampa convention and GOP media spin doctors will rehabilitate her enough in 2012 to make her slightly competitive against President Obama.
I would love to think that our president would win 60-40 but the sucky economy won't allow it. It'll be close but he'll definitely win 2012 by as much as Reid won his senate seat by in 2010.