There is a lot of discussion among political pundits about whether former Alaska Governor and 2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin would maintain much in the way of political relevance since deciding not to run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination yesterday, with some commentators suggesting-certainly not without some evidence-that Palin is not running in order that she might save her political reputation. Her national poll numbers are static, and there is even some indication that Palin would have trouble carrying Alaska-not only her home State, but a normally reliable Republican stronghold. Palin may have made her bed in Alaska politics when she resigned as Governor before her term was out, which raised legitimate questions about whether she was really ready for the top job in the country.
Even with all of those realities, however, a year is an eternity in politics and Sarah Palin had plenty of time to rehabilitate her image, and even her opponents inside the Republican Party wouldn't question Palin's conservative credentials, merely her readiness. A few Palin supporters have said they were "numb" and couldn't believe the former Governor's decision. Many of her major online supporters accepted the decision-with some reservations. There were those people-and these always exist-who said that Palin wasn't running because she was making the big money at Fox News now, and that running for President would be a lot of hassle for a job that would essentially be a pay cut for Palin. The same view was circulated earlier this year when former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee-who is a major talent on Fox-announced that he would not run for the Republican nomination. No one was more disappointed in that announcement than this writer, who can now admit that he would have voted for Governor Huckabee in a New York minute. Huckabee received letters and notes which stated how selfish he was being, and that he was more concerned with making big bucks than with saving our country.
What is most interesting about the people who make such incredibly naive statements is that most of them have never run for political office before in their life. This writer has never run-and unless there is some Hollywood movie plot that comes to life, will not run-for President of the United States, but he has run for office. In 2008, for Alderman in his hometown, and in 2010 for a seat on Tennessee's Republican State Executive Committee. Admittedly, the latter campaign would normally be something that is very low-key and unlike a "regular" election, but we'll simply say that it was not a very ordinary SEC race. In both cases, the writer was defeated, albeit the campaign for Alderman was tightly-packed and the loss was a narrow one. Since that time, several people have approached this writer and asked if he might seek office again in the future-perhaps that may happen, but we really don't know. What people who have never run for office-whether for President or just for a county or municipal post-do not understand is the sheer toll that running for office takes on anyone who is dedicated to having a life outside of politics, let alone the sacrifices family members are often asked to make for the sake of their loved ones who have decided to put themselves forward before the community. This writer would never have been able to put together a credible campaign without his wife, who sacrificed her own time and gave up other things that she wanted or needed to do in order to make public appearances with her husband, who needed her. If he ever were to seek office again, this writer would similarly need to bring wife-in-tow, no matter how humble the office might be.
If running for local office puts a burden on families, multiply that burden a million times in a presidential campaign. Governor Huckabee doubtless had to weigh not only the reality that he is now doing something that he loves to do, but whether he wanted to put his wife Janet through two years of hard knocks and uncertainty. Similarly, Sarah Palin almost certainly remembers what her daughter Bristol went through as a result of her run for Vice President, and she probably decided that she didn't want to put her family through that again.
Speculation about candidates who decide not to run is one thing, but until you've run for office, don't assume that someone's statement about family considerations is just a political smokescreen, because it probably isn't.
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