Sarah Palin: bat****, or howling-at-the-moon bat****?

[Drake Tungsten]

Being a joke in certain segments of society only increases her political viability; liberals are keeping her relevant. Huckabee's even trying to jump on her coattails...

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/08/28/huckabee_embraces_death_panels_argument.html

[KrazyHorse]

It's not the opinion of liberals that she has to worry about. I'm talking about moderate republicans.

[Drake Tungsten]

Moderate Republicans...

A) Don't decide who wins presidential primaries.

B) Will most likely hold their nose and vote GOP in 2012 no matter who the candidate is if Obama doesn't turn things around.

[Zevico]

What is deplorable about Palin's argument is that it turns this into a simplistic emotional issue and reduces the level of public discourse. The imagery itself leads those who trust Sarah Palin to think in emotional rather than rational terms about this issue.
I don't think anyone is or ever was suggesting that Palin herself believes that a collection of bureaucrats wielding scythes will cut down her Down-syndrome afflicted child any time soon.

[Drake Tungsten]

What is deplorable about Palin's argument is that it turns this into a simplistic emotional issue and reduces the level of public discourse. The imagery itself leads those who trust Sarah Palin to think in emotional rather than rational terms about this issue.

Palin knows what it takes to get people engaged and mobilized.

[Zevico]

Moderate Republicans...

A) Don't decide who wins presidential primaries.

B) Will most likely hold their nose and vote GOP in 2012 no matter who the candidate is if Obama doesn't turn things around.

She plays far too much to an irrational constituency (i.e. people with a screw loose), and many persons that were at first inclined to vote for McCain made it clear that they did not support his candidacy after they discovered this. Supposing she changes her behaviour then this is possible.

If nominated, she would have to try to shift to moderation after playing to her base: the classic tactic.

As for whether moderate republicans will vote for her 'if Obama doesn't turn things around', this is really premature speculation, based upon a speculative premise, i.e. Obama's overall failure or success has not yet been demonstrated. With equal certainty I can say that all cows on the moon will vote for Palin.

[Kuciwalker]

Moderate Republicans...

A) Don't decide who wins presidential primaries.

B) Will most likely hold their nose and vote GOP in 2012 no matter who the candidate is if Obama doesn't turn things around.

It would take something really awful (like, worse than just "holy **** that's a big deficit" awful) to ever get me to vote for Sarah Palin.

[Zevico]

What is deplorable about Palin's argument is that it turns this into a simplistic emotional issue and reduces the level of public discourse. The imagery itself leads those who trust Sarah Palin to think in emotional rather than rational terms about this issue.

Palin knows what it takes to get people engaged and mobilized.

I don't want some government death panel deciding on how many criminals we should catch or fires we should stop. Abolish funding for police and the fire departments immediately!

[Dinner]

The die hard Republicans who make up about 20% of the population love her but most of the remaining 80% really don't like her or think she is a complete joke. I honestly hope the Republicans nominate her because she's road kill waiting to happen.

[Zevico]

Sarah Palin is a radical anarchist.

[Drake Tungsten]

It would take something really awful (like, worse than just "holy **** that's a big deficit" awful) to ever get me to vote for Sarah Palin.

The 2012 election will be decided, like every other Presidential election, by the state of the economy. If the impending recovery is robust, Obama is re-elected. If recovery is sluggish, the identity of the GOP candidate opposing Obama might matter. If, god forbid, this is a W-shaped recession, even Palin beats Obama. It really is that simple.

[Guynemer]

Care to make a bet, Drake?


Sarah Palin will never be President. She went full ******.

You never go full ******, man.

[Drake Tungsten]

You guys seem to think that personalities matter in Presidential elections. They usually don't. Winning the Presidency is all about appealing to your party's base enough to get the nomination and then hoping that the macro factors are running in your favor in the general.

[Guynemer]

This isn't about her personality.

This is about the fact that she makes George W. Bush look like a ****ing intellectual.

[Drake Tungsten]

George W Bush got elected twice; you don't have to be an "intellectual" to be elected President. You don't even have to understand basic economics, as Obama is proving quite clearly...

Anyway, I'm off for my date. No offense, but I hope I won't be around tonight to respond any further on this issue.