Much has been said in the last couple of days about a recent Gallup poll that showed that 71% of Republicans would likely vote for Sarah Palin if she ran for president in 2012. While that has cheered some of Sarah Palin's fans, it doesn't really mean much. Only 21% of Americans identify themselves as Republicans. 71% of that 21% of the population comes out to around 15%.
The Gallup poll showed that overall, only 19% of American voters say they would be very likely to vote for Sarah Palin if she decided to run in 2012.
Sarah Palin has left her fans, supporters, and detractors alike puzzled over why she quit the governorship of Alaska. Palin claimed that the "frivolous" lawsuits against her were costing the state of Alaska "millions" of dollars but the figure is much closer to $300,000. According to the Anchorage Daily News, the "bulk of the expenses -- $187,797 -- appear to stem from Troopergate, the messy case involving Palin's former brother-in-law, a state trooper, who got on the wrong side with Palin and her family."
Since Palin's announcement she was quitting as governor of Alaska, there has been rampant speculation as to her motive.
Though the reigning theory by both Republican and Democratic pundits suggest that she is quitting to focus on running for president in 2012, Sarah Palin has a number of problems that will continue to plague her should she decide to run for political office in the future.
First, she often exaggerates facts. An example is the one above where she claimed the ethics investigations against her were costing the state of Alaska "millions" of dollars.
Second, she complains frequently that the media is hard on her. But Sarah Palin continues to put herself in the spotlight, like a moth drawn to the flame.
Quitting in the middle of her term as governor of Alaska won't help her pursue a future political career. When considering whether or not to vote for her as president or in any other elected capacity, voters will ask themselves how reliable she would be, and wonder if she would walk out on the job if she got fed up with media attention.
Unfortunately, Palin is a blatant hypocrite. Watch here as Sarah Palin criticizes Hillary Clinton last year for being sensitive to media criticism.
But perhaps the biggest barrier to a presidential run by Sarah Palin is her lack of knowledge of American history and about current issues. After she and John McCain lost the Novemeber election, a number of Republican strategists recommended that she go back to Alaska, fulfill her duties as governor and study American history and the U.S. Constitution. She might have been a formidable opponent to President Obama in 2012 had she chosen to follow such advice but Palin likes her self-appointed role as 'maverick' and chose to ignore a 'learning' strategy.
Palin has worked hard to align herself with the 'Joe the Plumbers' and 'Joe Six-Packs' of the world but as we now know, those Joe Six-Packs and Joe Plumbers aren't always what they appear to be. Palin has culled an image for herself, that she is one of the every day guys and gals and to some extent it has worked. The Carhartt work clothes-wearing Joe the Plumbers she has reached out to don't see the irony of Palin wearing Prada one day and inviting the media she loathes to interview her wearing fishing waders the next.
Lawrence O'Donnell spoke with Republican strategist Ron Christie and Salon editor, Joan Walsh yesterday about Sarah Palin and discussed the reasons Palin might have for quitting as governor of Alaska.
Ron Christie said that Palin made a balanced decision to quit as governor with altruism as a motive (to better serve Alaska) but Palin gave several reasons for quitting. In her announcement that she was quitting as governor of Alaska, she said she had a "higher calling." One can only speculate what she means by a higher calling. A higher calling is a term usually used by those who are considering giving their lives over to the church.
When only 19% of Americans are likely to vote for Palin for president in 2012, it seems unlikely that Palin will run for president at any future date. The problems that plagued her as governor of Alaska will follow her in any political setting. Palin would be much more successful in the private sector. She could do well financially by going on the speaking circuit. She is able to energize crowds and should be an asset in GOP fundraisers, especially in Southern and other very conservative states.
Comments
So sorry but you can crunch all the baloney stats and predictions you want, but Palin remains a viable candidate as an independent or republican in 2012.
IMPEACH OBAMA
So sorry Mr. Bulls**t but you can show all the false bravado and foolish loyalty you want, but Palin remains a mental midget who has no chance at national office in 2012 or any other year.
Oh, you mean 21% of the respondents to the WASHINGTON POST poll. Right. She's such a no hoper you just had to write a whole article about it and then use this information to try an assert only 19% of the population would vote for her. DESPERATE!
Obama's numbers were not good news for you so you move on to someone who is not even running?
Pathetic.
Re: "Higher calling"---I always suspected Palin was hearing voices.
lol Karen, you are such a joke....i'm dyin' here i can't stop laughing at your 19% approval ahahaha. So how's this Change and Hope goin' for ya? lmao! ahahahahahah
"The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 30% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –8. The President’s Approval Index rating has fallen six points since release of a disappointing jobs report last week (see trends). "
People are realizing that this Emperor has no clothes!
But keep Palin in the news, you are doing her bidding for her.
Hows this policy from one of your favorite sitting Supreme Court Justices?
If this was said by Chief Justice Roberts, what would happen to him?
“Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of.”
I am grateful to Sarah Palin because at least she gets to be the progressive's favorite target once in awhile instead of Rush Limbaugh all the time.
Its pretty predictable when any Republican gets into a controversy that hese "progressive examiners" get all orgasmic.
I got a 3-letter word to describe Sarah Palin, it's S-E-X-Y.
Since this blogger posted an article yesterday about Obama's numbers going down, I'm surprised that there's so much vitriol from Sarah Palin fans here.
BullZone: I hope that Palin runs in 2012 because I'm a Democrat.
Karen, you keep on writing about Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh despite the critics here. Both of them keep criticize the media and anyone who doesn't agree with them so we have to have some good liberals to fight back.
Take a look at 5 probable candidates for 2012;
obama = he'll be another Jimmy Carter by then
Romney = bwah-haha, but seriously
Huckabee = you got to be kidding
Gingrich = has a chance, but he's nothing more than a double speaking beltway lifer, move on
Palin = Oh Yeah
Aunt Esther: You have it all wrong. President Obama will definitely be re-elected. I'm glad to see that you think Sarah Palin is the best Republican candidate to go up against him in 2012. Awesome news for the Democrats.
BS Zone: It is widely believed that the continued descent of violent crime in this country that began some 20 years after Roe v. Wade is directly attributable to that. Unwanted children are often neglected and abused and grow up to make up a substantial part of the criminal population. If Justice Roberts had said that, I would have been impressed that he knew sociological history of this country.
Max, please provide us with some sort of proof that violent crime has decreased, thanx.
"Max says: Unwanted children are often neglected and abused and grow up to make up a substantial part of the criminal population."
Well Max. I am now as far in life I can go. For I have met THE LORD GOD. His name is MAX!
My whole life I thought only the Creator by whatever name you may use, could make the decision to bring on or snuff out life.
You must think very much of yourself to feel comfortable deciding which little fetuses are worthy of the death penalty.
Educate us MAX! What are your parameters? Number of parents in the home? Sex of the fetus. We all know boys are more likely to be the "populations that we don’t want to have too many of" in our neighborhoods right?
How does MAX judge that?
Income? Race? Like Sanger did?
Shameful!
At the HAND OF MAX!
ANY ...ANY support of what Justice Ginsberg said is incomprehensible.
Dept. of Justice: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict.htm
While I am not comfortable with the whole idea, the reigning sociological theory as to why violent crime has gone down over time came out of the University of Chicago and posits that violent crime has gone down as a direct result of Roe v. Wade. It used to be thought that violent crime statistics had more to do with the economy than anything else but that theory was tested and proved to be false. So far, no one has been able to prove the Roe v. Wade theory of reduction in violent crime is wrong. Personally I hope that someone does prove it wrong. The idea is depressing.
BS Zone: You need to take your medicine, dude. You're losing it.
We should all judge women based solely on how they look. So Sarah palin will make a great president since the men here think she's "hot." The men commenting on this site are obviously shallow and who can't make a thoughtful decision on political issues because they're too busy drooling and panting. Losers!
Max thinks the same way Hitler did. He had groups he thought were not worthy of life either.
The same 19% are no doubt all waiting in breathless anticipation for the announcement of the Repudiated Republican Party of No 2012 Presidential Ticket:
Palin/Bachmann
Say what you want Caryl but them some S-E-X-Y BABES!
It sure beats Michelle & Nancy, ewwww!!
Caryl S. Foster, if you didn't notice, Palin, in her resignation speech, in front of their float plane, did not once say the word REPUBLICAN. In her statements for the next few days she never said the word REPUBLICAN.
Just wanted to give you a hint.
Lemme tell ya somethin' brother, Sexy Sarah & Sweeet Michelle B. can party with the Nature Boy anytime, WOOOOO!!
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