Palin 2012. Hypothetical narrative.
If this is what she runs on — and does it well — then watch the hell out:
I’m Sarah Palin, and I’m running to be Citizen-In-Chief.
I entered politics to change something. I ran to serve my state, the great state of Alaska, and then for the vice-presidency because I care about this country.
I saw first-hand the viciousness and pettiness that have made Americans fed up with politicians, politics as usual, and the destructive personal attacks that also go on far too often. Those sorts of things that public service should never be about.
I thought I could serve my country best by being removed from that environment.
I don’t need a title to bring to Washington the change America really needs: a dose of humility in a federal government that has completely lost touch with its citizens.
So I come to you today as an Alaskan, as a parent of a soldier, and as a mother of five. I am running not as a member of the elite, of the establishment — but of the everyday. I ask to serve you as president because I have shared your experiences and I understand your disgust with the system. What we need today is not a ruler, but a servant. A servant of the people. A servant of America.
I will govern as first among equals, not as your ruler. Not as the Queen of Washington, giving orders that descend from on high. I know firsthand how that culture of selfishness and personal destruction in Washington harms lives. I ask for your support because I share your disgust with the system. And if you will fight with me, if you will put that trust in me to do that — then you can trust me, also, to change it.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Brilliant! Knepper, you just wrote her stump speech! Just watch, this was a politically savvy move.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 pm
If she hits a tone anything like this, I will be the first to volunteer for her.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Dude, she’s done. It’s over. It was over months ago, but now it’s official. In the HIGHLY unlikely event that she’s not running from some kind of investigation, then she just waled out on her job – meaning that she either couldn’t handle it or thought she was too good for it. Neither of these things will help her convince people to let her “serve” them. It doesn’t matter, though, because she IS resigning because of some percolating scandal.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:44 pm
And the retort will be, she Quit on Alaska, and she will quit on you!
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Ditto #1. For a Palin detractor, you sure did come up with a pretty good stump speech for her, Alex.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Alex, you should charge her campaign 25 cents every time she says something like that.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Couldn’t handle it?
How could she speak with this kind of brimming outrage if she’d just come from a stint as governor?
This is citizen outrage on the horizon. Brilliant emotionally. When I read what I just wrote, my gut makes me want to jump on board.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:46 pm
I even threw in a couple of “alsos” for her.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:52 pm
#7
Brimming outrage is Palin’s shtick. She could probably pull it off if she were still around for the 2012 primaries. We’ll get to see the outrage sooner, I think, as she tries (unsuccessfully, laughably) to fend off whatever scandal is hot on her heels right now. See if your gut wants to jump on the bandwagon then.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Let it be known that when Alex lost his head over the Palin selection, I was predicting that he would be supporting her bid for Prez come 2012. After a post like this, I’m suspecting I wasn’t so far off… slowly but surely I think Mr. Knepper is going to transform into a little Palinista!
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:56 pm
PalinistO? Hm…
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Oh my.
Two days ago, a Rombot told me that he sensed that I was warming up to Romney.
Today, a Palinbot tells me that I’m warming up to Palin.
I’ve got you people right where I want you…
I’m really warming up to Huckabee!
…I’m kidding.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:02 pm
#12:
Alex where do us non Romney, non Palin, non Huckabee people go? We need a candidate or else all of us are going to be forced to pick between those three. That would be a disappointment.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
This chapter of her life is over and the narrative ends here! She cannot start any campaign for higher office from where she is now. The final lines of this chapter read “When it really got miserable, when they unmercifully attacked me and my family, I chose to retract into private life. End of chapter.”
If she is to start again, she must start again. She must reestablish herself in elective office, perhaps in the senate, and show that she is ready again and that her life is in order. She will have to start a new narrative upon which the public may lay their hope and trust. That means Sarah will have a decade to prepare herself for a national campaign.
I wish her and her family the best of luck.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Rudy!
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
I am begging to think sites like this one is out of touch with Reality. Sarah Palin had no chance before this, and certainly doesn’t have one now.
It has become Romney’s nomination to lose. I know it’s still early but the only person out there who has a shot of taking Romney down now (and its a long shot), will be Pawlenty.
Romney 2012!!!!!!!!!
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
I believe that Sarah will run and win the nomination in 2012 and although my instincts are usually correct, if she doesn’t run this may be an opening for Fred or Rudy to jump in. I have just seen too much campaign building out of team Sarah to think that she isn’t eyeing the prize in 2012. How refreshing that she was able to accomplish all that she set out to do as Gov. and now is ready for the next challenge.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
A final thought for tonight: if, in some weird twist of history, Palin does snag the Republican nomination for President someday, HER selection of a VP nominee is going to be closely scrutinized as well, and a lot of the excuses (“she’ll learn on the job!”) deployed in Palin’s defense last time around will no longer apply.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
#15:
Why not. I voted for him in 08. If he ran again, after being Governor of New York for 2 years, he should do a lot better than in 08, and out of the current crop, he’s the best choice.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:15 pm
This is brilliant, Knepper. And I think it’s a believable that she could do that. I think the chances are either 0% or 100%.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Yes, this will go over just like McCain suspending his campaign to return to Washington.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:20 pm
I actually think while this does help Romney a lot, it helps Huckabee a lot too… Palin and Huckabee seem to represent the populist/non-establisment wing of the party that would oppose Romney. Now with Palin possibly out (I think 2012 is out of the consideration for her, though her political career is not over IMO… I think she can run in 2016, 2020, 2024 if she wanted to after a few years in the Senate from Alaska… the second part of stillhurting’s analysis I think is what she will do), that gets a lot of voters who wouldve went for Sarah over Huck back to Huck. Though I think Pawlenty may be the biggest beneficiary no one is really talking about, getting more support in the fight for the nomination w/ a much more star of a candidate in Palin possibly out of the running. I think it helps all three men. I dont think it helps Mitt Romney exclusively (though if you listen to the media, thats who they say really benefits).
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Interesting analysis MacisBack08, you make some good points.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:26 pm
#20… I dont think that narrative would work at all in 2012. Maybe in 2016. She needs to run for another office of importance… Senate seats are open in 2010 and 2014 (esp. 2014, as she would face a Dem. incumbent in Begich, rather than having to knock off a GOP Senator in a primary before moving onto a general election). This allows her to gain some experience. I say Senate run in 2014, knock off Begich, be in the Senate til 2018, run for Pres in 2010 but WHILE she is still Senator as Hillary, Obama, McCain did, not quit that job too.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Thank you OJ… I’m getting a little sick of the Romney ppl praising this situation (which could very well be Sarah P. not wanting to put her family through any of the media BS, esp. when shes raising a very young child with DS) to build up their candidate. Mitt, I guarantee, wouldnt be gleefully doing that.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:32 pm
If Palin is really getting out of politics, though, it’s been one crazy week. Bye-bye Sanford, bye-bye Palin.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:32 pm
#25:
That is part of the problem us non-Romney people have with his supporters; their rather, shall we say, tough attitude towards the rest of the field is very off-putting. It hurts their cause more then helps it.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:39 pm
I figured it out…
Palin was never comfortable on the national stage. National politics came home with her to Alaska.
Although she is an intellectual lightweight, she’s not dumb. She knows she has no chance in hell of being elected President in 2012, or really ever.
Now that being Governor sucks too, she is throwing in the towel… collect her pension and live happily ever after with Todd and kids.
But, keep the national speculation alive to drive her book sales. That’s going to send the kids and grandkids to college.
All this jives with the swirling of seemingly contradictory speculation and innuendo from “inside sources”.
And that’s the end of the story.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Perhaps Palin is Running for President?
by Charlie Cook
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/07/03/perhaps_palin_is_running_for_president.html
Sarah’s Straight Talk
By GAIL COLLINS
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/opinion/04collins.html?pagewanted=print
Palin resignation splits GOP
by Jonathan Martin
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24507.html
With Palin Leaving, National Spotlight on Alaska Is Likely to Go, Too
By WILLIAM YARDLEY
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/us/politics/04alaska.html?ref=politics&pagewanted=print
Palin’s Declaration of Independence
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/edcetera/2009417008_palins_declaration_of_independ.html
Sarah Palin resignation: Something’s rotten in the state of Alaska
http://dagblog.com/politics/sarah-palin-resignation-somethings-rotten-state-alaska-783
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Excellent. Our long national nightmare is over.
Put a stake in her she’s over. She won’t ever run for President and even if she does she will be laughed out of any race.
There have been rumours for months about big news coming soon that will bring her down. I just wonder what it was going to be? Anyone heard anything? You don’t just resign for no reason. Doesn’t happen.
What a weird story and weird person.
I wish her all the best though for a very long and private retirement.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Exactly, I’m wlling to support Mitt Romney in a 2012 bid. Any Republican is better than the idiot we have in the White House right now. I respect his abilities and I believe he has a lot to offer this country more than he already has with the Olympics work. He would not approve of some of the stuff said by his supporters on this board. I think deep down he respects Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty and yes, Mike Huckabee. But there are other good candidates for the nomination besides Mitt Romney. He is not entitled to the nomination of his party. He will have to fight for it, just as John McCain, GW Bush, and Ronald Reagan did. An aura of inevitability can ruin a candidate (see Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani). And this, to be fair, does not apply to all Romney supporters, many of whom I know who are very nice people and weren’t disparaging of other candidates and would fall in line behind a Huckabee, Pawlenty, etc.(some were in the primary, but I admit I was very much opposed to a Romney nomination, as a McCain and Huckabee supporter then, but they arent as much now).
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:45 pm
#30… To compare Gov. Palin to a man who broke the law as President is wrong. Just proves my point in #25.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 pm
“There have been rumours for months about big news coming soon that will bring her down. I just wonder what it was going to be? Anyone heard anything? You don’t just resign for no reason. Doesn’t happen.”
PPL wishing for a scandal on her is probably the exact reason she resigned… to not have her kids exposed to this BS and to keep her reputation, already hurt, in tact. I dont blame her if she did that. Her first responsibility is as a human being, a mother of five kids and a wife, not the governor. Pretty sad indutment on the bitterness and pettyness of our politics today if thats the case.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 pm
“There have been rumours for months about big news coming soon that will bring her down. I just wonder what it was going to be? Anyone heard anything? You don’t just resign for no reason. Doesn’t happen.”
PPL wishing for a scandal on her is probably the exact reason she resigned… to not have her kids exposed to this BS and to keep her reputation, already hurt, in tact. I dont blame her if she did that. Her first responsibility is as a human being, a mother of five kids and a wife, not the governor. Pretty sad indutment on the bitterness and pettyness of our politics today if thats the case.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:55 pm
She’s actually just histrionic and wanted to see if she could nab the spotlight from Michael Jackson!
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:01 pm
I think she just committed political hari kari! For those that think this was a ‘brilliant’ move for 2012, think again. If she is leaving to be a mom to her children, who need a mother, than she did the right thing. If this is a political gimmic, it won’t go far as she’ll be known as the one who quit when the going got tough.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Jonathan, you mean because we expect Higher Standards out of our political leadership?
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:08 pm
#37
You Romney people have this nasty habit of bashing every other contender out there as an idiot, a bigot, a liberal, a RINO, or all of the above. It makes it rather hard for those of us who aren’t so committed to the former Governor to want to support him if his supporters are trashing the rest of the field.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Okay, first I am a big Romney supporter.
Second, most Romney supporters are taking her at her word and wish her the best.
Third, to say Romney’s supporters are gleeful about this is wrong.
Fourth, Romney has been silent on this and giving her, her due respect.
Finally, Romney nor his supporters should be held responsible for the Talking heads. Palin has her reasons, but I doubt they are political manipulation for 2012.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Isn’t that exactly what you just did, bash Romney and his supporters. How superficial of you!
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:17 pm
#40:
I made no comment on the former Massachusetts Governor, I was simply pointing out the harsh nature of the attacks leveled by a rather vocal segment of his supporters against the rest of the field.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:20 pm
And its not like Romney hasn’t been hit hard on this site by Huckabee and Palin supporters? He has received more attacks than any other candidate. They are daily. And as a Romney supporter, I am sick and tired of people saying that conservatives don’t support Romney. I am been a Conservative all my life, and I am a big supporters of his.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:20 pm
You should visit some other sites where Gov. Romney’s name brings out the worst vitriol I have ever seen. Some of us are feeling just a bit vindicated when the darlings of the anti-Romney crowd go down in flames. I’ve never heard any Romney supporters use the words RINO to describe any of his critics or competitors. We want to expand the tent not shrink it.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Can we get a front page poll asking the current Palin supporters who their second choice is if Sarah does not rejoin the race? (I mean no disrespect to her supporters, nor do I mean to close the door on her immediate viability.) I would like to get a sense of who her own supporters think is most like her and who they think most of her supporters would be most likely to gravitate towards if she were not to run.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:25 pm
#42:
Well, I’m a conservative and I don’t support Romney. Not all conservatives support Romney, nor are all his opponents liberals.
#43:
The attacks made against some of the other candidates have been just as harsh. Look at what is being said today of Governor Palin. This is not virtue against vice. This is politics.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:31 pm
That’s fine if you are a conservative and don’t support Romney, but I have seen so many post say that conservatives don’t support Romney, and that is plainly wrong. Almost all fiscal conservatives support Romney, but many Social conservatives don’t (mostly religious based, but not all). My point is, Romney has been vilified more than any other candidate on this site. So to attack Romney supporters and claim they are making negative attacks on all other candidates is plainly wrong.
As for Palin, I am willing to give her the room she has asked for, but it is amazing how many her are putting her on such a high pedestal that she has no where to go but down.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Didn’t OBAMA run for the Senate for a 6 year term. After 2 years he was absent most of the time running for President. Then didn’t he win and his seat had to be filled for 2 years by someone else? Let’s see he ran for a 6 year term and served for 2 years.
He didn’t resign because he didn’t know if he would win or what. The hell with the people that elected him. He was serving himself not the people that elected him. Palin is stepping down because she cares about the people that elected her. SEE THE DIFFERENCE??
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:41 pm
I’m a little lot on response, but I just have to address Alex at #12:
I’m not a Palinbot. I’m sort of intrigued by her little stunt, but I can’t say I have strong feelings either of affection or disdain for her. Believe it or not, I was just making a little lighthearted banter because the former Mr. “Sarah-Palin-is-going-to-be-the-death-of-the-GOP” has seemed to warm up to her in about the last 8 hours. I found it ironic, nothing more.
I may have to return to my self-imposed exile from this site. I like most of the bloggers, but Alex Knepper’s incessant self-aggrandizement and constant attacks on commenters is SOOOO petty and smug I could vomit. It pretty much makes me utterly hate ALL of race42008.
Oh well, I usually vote Libertarian anyway…
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Reply to 47: Problem is, she didn’t say she was resigning to run for the Nomination. So if she does, she will not seem genuine. Can we just take her at her word.
July 4th, 2009 at 12:12 am
#49, the problem with “taking her at her word” is that she provided no clear rational for her decision. She was rambling. At one moment she “didn’t want to waste Alaska’s money which for some reason would necessarily result from her lame duck status. Then, she polled each of her kids about taking her effort to a different (i.e., national) stage (not merely stepping down as Governor). If she had actually been thinking about this for a considerable time, it would have been nice to see her articulate a rational. I am dumbfounded by those who believe that this is somehow a good transition for a presidential effort–is this what anyone would want in a president?
July 4th, 2009 at 12:15 am
I’m not a Palinbot. I’m sort of intrigued by her little stunt, but I can’t say I have strong feelings either of affection or disdain for her. Believe it or not, I was just making a little lighthearted banter because the former Mr. “Sarah-Palin-is-going-to-be-the-death-of-the-GOP” has seemed to warm up to her in about the last 8 hours. I found it ironic, nothing more.
I’m not warming up to her.
I just wrote a stump speech that I think she could give.
I didn’t say that I agreed with it, or that I thought it was anything other than silly and superficial.
Some people actually try to analyze, rather than cheerlead…
July 4th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Alex Knepper’s incessant self-aggrandizement and constant attacks on commenters is SOOOO petty and smug I could vomit.
Goodness, wouldn’t want to engage the commenters like I would anyone else!
I like to think of Race as a community.
July 4th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Didn’t OBAMA run for the Senate for a 6 year term. After 2 years he was absent most of the time running for President. Then didn’t he win and his seat had to be filled for 2 years by someone else? Let’s see he ran for a 6 year term and served for 2 years.
He didn’t resign because he didn’t know if he would win or what. The hell with the people that elected him. He was serving himself not the people that elected him. Palin is stepping down because she cares about the people that elected her. SEE THE DIFFERENCE??
I’m not quite sure that I buy Palin’s explanation. I think she was just looking for an out to run for the presidency.
July 4th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Having now seen her speech I can honestly say I’ve never seen a more bizarre or terrible speech. She makes Sanford look sane.
Republicans need to take a good hard look at themselves that they EVER considered that Palin would have national ambitions. Her supporters on here really should do the honorable thing and either resign or at least apologise.
July 4th, 2009 at 12:25 am
By the way resigning because she didn’t want to be a lame duck?????????
WTF???????????
In that case run for re-election. Why run for gov in the first place? Don’t some states like Virginia have one consecutive term limits? I didn’t see Mark Warner or Tim Kaine resign because they were considered lame ducks.
The whole thing is a joke like her.
CAN WE PLEASE NOW JUST MOVE ON ALREADY AND PUT THIS FREAK SHOW BEHIND US?
July 4th, 2009 at 12:43 am
“He (Romney) has received more attacks than any other candidate. They are daily.” Haha. Believe me, Huckabee has gotten far worse treatment on this site over the past year.
“Republicans need to take a good hard look at themselves that they EVER considered that Palin would have national ambitions. Her supporters on here really should do the honorable thing and either resign or at least apologise.”
We should resign? Apologize? Wow.
“Second, most Romney supporters are taking her at her word and wish her the best.”
Again if you read what I said, I said that “To be fair, does not apply to all Romney supporters, many of whom I know who are very nice people and weren’t disparaging of other candidates and would fall in line behind a Huckabee, Pawlenty, etc.(some were in the primary, but I admit I was very much opposed to a Romney nomination, as a McCain and Huckabee supporter then, but they arent as much now).”
July 4th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Mitt v Mike is fast looking like Clinton v Barry with Mitt being the establishment candidiate like Clinton.
Luckily our race doesn’t adopt the same rules but Mitt would be best to assume a fight that goes at least till Super Tuesday. Mitt should be looking at states like Florida, California, New York and yes even Texas, right now.
I feel like the preliminaries are almost over now with Ensign, Sanford and The Diva out, so we can actually start seriously debating who we should go for.
July 4th, 2009 at 4:01 am
Mitt Romney is a highly devoted and smart man. He’s loaded with executive talent, the sort a President needs in his team to direct his team. He’d make a great VP for Pawlenty.
As for Romney supporters, many are sane and highly sincere, like our own IllinoisGuy. The rest of them are something like the Borg from Star Trek. They have only one programmed objective.
It’s probably the most alienating behavior possible.
July 4th, 2009 at 7:34 am
The fact that Palin supporters support Palin tells you all you need to know about them.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Remember George Patton’s( George Scott ) opening monologue. “American’s can’t stand a loser” ” Can’t abide a quitter.” How on earth do you guys remotely believe that Sarah can quit the only substantial job she has ever had, in the smallest state in the country, flee to the lower 48, creep into libraries on weekends to cram and then travel the country as “Citizen in Chief” running for the highest office in the country? Unless you are saying that, as we are dumb as voters, she can be our Champion….the Queen of the Uninformed.
That rambling, disconnected travelogue of homilies she gave yesterday was truly Sarah. But she didn’t finish her narrative because, as a ” Point Guard”, Sarah Barracuda didn’t pass the ball……she threw it away
July 24th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
[...] Will Sarah Palin run for the presidency? Yes, on the “citizen’s revolt” platform I described in a previous piece. [...]