Like many conservatives, I think Sarah Palin represents my views much more closely than any Democrat and certainly more than this President. But just because I agree with her on many issues, does not mean I can pretend that I would feel confident with her as the conservative movement’s standard-bearer.
It is not enough to just be right, you have to be able to articulate WHY you are right. Wise people understand their weaknesses and they work hard to overcome them and explain them. When questioned about her credentials, too often Gov. Palin has chosen to attack the credibility of others in an odd effort to boost herself. George HW Bush is not some childish “blue blood” and Ronald Reagan is not just an “actor”. Both are men of substance with long histories of accomplishments (no, being a state senator or a half-term governor doesn’t count).
This brings us to Joe Scarborough’s column today in Politico. http://politi.co/fDwDvF Many conservatives are going to attack it as “tearing down another conservative” by a “RINO”. But let’s be honest. Everyone knows Gov Palin can’t win a general election. Her disapproval numbers are too high and she isn’t making any credible attempt to lower them. Scarborough is likely to spend most of the day getting savaged on talk radio and twitter for saying what we all know to be true.
I’ve seen her show on TLC and I think it’s oddly captivating. Fishing with her children and her family life qualifies her to be a commentator that represents a point of view I basically agree with. But, if there is anything President Obama has solidified, it is that experience matters. For conservatives that want to use the argument that Obama didn’t have experience, I would remind them that the country has seen where that has taken us. It’s an argument that looks to the past and not to the future. More conservatives need to take the practical viewpoint that Scarborough does and look to the future without arguing the 2008 election disaster.
Pretending that Gov Palin is presidential material is just delusional and we need more conservatives like Scarborough speaking candidly. Nobody is challenging her right or the value of her contributions as a pundit, but can we stop with the Sean Hannity love affair with the idea of a Palin presidency? Conservatives need to take back the executive branch in 2012 and make the hard decisions necessary to restore this country’s financial order. If we are going to do that, we need a little more Scarborough and a little less Palin.
In the upcoming election-cycle, are conservatives really going to make the argument that Obama is an amateur in over his head so the country should vote for Palin? It’s not personal. I like her. But it is about winning.
Victoria Coates
Daniel Horowitz
Oh good lord, another "I like Palin, but" handwringer.
Tbone (Diary) Tuesday, November 30th at 11:48AM EST (link)Don’t you guys EVER get tired or embarrassed about how hypocritical this crap sounds?
What, do strong women scare you? You sure sound like it while trying to hide behind your “concerns about her getting elected or being able to govern”. Pure pathetic.
You interested in a dose of reality? Palin will steamroll any of the other current crop of hopefuls in the primaries. She has the name recognition, built up the political favors at the grassroots level and can raise all the money she needs while commanding national media ink and air time every time she speaks.
How she does in the general will depend on how many handwringers there really are. It will be interesting to see.
BTW, describing Scarborough as a conservative is laughably delusional.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
Unfortunately....
joejharvey (Diary) Tuesday, November 30th at 3:22PM EST (link)Only people like you and I agree with her politics. Most independents don’t care for her. You tell me where Scarborough isn’t conservative on a substantive point.
P.S. Strong women don’t scare me at all. I like women like Kristi Noem and Nikki Haley. About 100x more than Christine O’Donnell and Sharron Angle….
Hint: Electability matters.
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facebook.com/joejharvey
Hint: O'Donnell and Angle are both way past
Tbone (Diary) Tuesday, November 30th at 4:00PM EST (link)your best.
If Joe tingles your leg, that’s you problem not mine. The guy is a first class putz.
Now, get back to shining his shoes.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
I apologize, I just looked at your history and you're a Scarborough shill.
Tbone (Diary) Tuesday, November 30th at 11:53AM EST (link)Never mind my post, you are a nothing.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
Your premise is rejected
traversecityconservative (Diary) Tuesday, November 30th at 1:36PM EST (link)People like you have no idea what’s going on in the country and who the candidates and principles are that Conservatives support. You have no idea what we’re out here doing as precinct delegates, taking over our local parties and working on the state parties. We’re in 912 groups and tea parties and we’re running for office. Sorry to inform you that Palin WILL win the nomination unless Jim Demint or Herman Cain overtake her popularity. That’s just how it is. Conservatism is conservatism and we’re tired of sell-outs i.e. there will be NO Newt, NO Romney, NO Huckabee, etc. Those of you who are whining about Palin being our nominee had better just get used to it. It’s not a long shot, it’s just about an absolute certainty. Let’s live in reality here. My evidence that she will win the general is the fact that I have yet to run into anyone who voted for McCain. Everyone I talked to voted for Palin when they ran together. There will be far less people in 2012 who will sit out because Palin is the nominee than there were when McCain was the nominee. Why don’t you take a look around you to see who has the balls to stand up for us? It’s a short list.
you are getting too emotional
kyle8 (Diary) Tuesday, November 30th at 3:37PM EST (link)You shouldn’t be sold on Palin right now, so early on, anymore than someone should be against her. We don’t know who else will run, but there are EQUALLY conservative, and more effective governors out there.
Now I agree, if it is between Palin and some half baked retread like Huck or Romney, then she win’s hands down. But those guys have no chance anyway.
But if you and a lot of other people are dead set on following Palin, no matter what, then just be prepared for a probable defeat to Obama.
Independents decide elections, and they will probably decide to go with devided government and a lame duck president over a person that all polls show they don’t like very much.
“Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty”
Kyle
Agreed
joejharvey (Diary) Tuesday, November 30th at 4:31PM EST (link)It’s not that Palin COULDN’T win so much as she needs to go through the process and prove it. When people are hyperventilating over it, it’s clear that they may not be thinking logically.
If you live in an area that voted for Palin and not McCain….you may be deluding yourself as to what independents are thinking.
Traverse “knows” she will be the nominee? Might be a bit pre-mature there…
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Its fairly simple
SirGladiator (Diary) Tuesday, November 30th at 5:50PM EST (link)I would certainly agree that Governor Palin, the same as any candidate, does have an obligation to ‘prove’ that she is as awesome a candidate as she seems to be, by going out there and earning the nomination on the stump and in debates. But to say that folks ‘shouldnt be sold on Palin right now’ because its so early, as an earlier comment said, is just rediculous. Folks who haven’t been paying much attention the last few years no doubt wonder why folks would support someone like Sarah Palin, because all they know is what the liberal media has said about her. However for those of us who have, its pretty easy to see she’s the best candidate out there. And for those who haven’t paid much attention, they’re the ones who are going to swing back into her camp once the campaign gets underway in earnest, and they start paying attention and seeing how awesome she is her speeche and in the debates.
To be perfectly honest I do occasionally listen to a bit of Joe Scarborough’s TV show in the mornings, as I used to be a big fan of his a long time ago, back when he was getting 100% Conservative ratings when he was in Congress, he was pretty awesome way back then. But that was like a decade ago, and since then he went to MSNBC where he has to go along to get along, and now he does things like support gay marriage, the ground zero mosque, and attack Sarah Palin, because he knows thats what his viewers, and more importantly his bosses, want to hear. Maybe he’s also jealous that Sarah Palin is about to become the Conservative nominee that he used to dream of being, before he sold out. Whatever his reasons though, he may or may not secretly still be a conservative, but he certainly doesn’t play one on TV. But ultimately its not about Joe or his selling out, its about Sarah being the best candidate for President. She’s proven that over and over again, of course most folks haven’t been paying attention so she will have to prove it yet again during the campaign, but thats fine because it comes so easily for her. She almost single-handedly saved the McCain campaign, probably would have if he hadn’t gone nuts with that whole socialist-bailout support and all, and without that poor campaign dragging her down she looks to be pretty close to unbeatable in 2012!
she is the "best candidate out there"
kyle8 (Diary) Tuesday, November 30th at 5:59PM EST (link)because right now she is the only one. Like I said, if you guys are sold on her no matter what, well then she probably will get the nomination if there are so many close minded people.
but that doesn’t mean she will be able to beat Obama. You have to convince a majority of the independents to do that.
She has shown no ability so far to reach out in a meaningful way to those people. In fact all the polls how her with big unfavorables with independents. They will be faced with a choice of a lame duck Obama with a divided congress and might just think that is a better bet than a conservative that they view as “extreme”.
“Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty”
Kyle
Nobody will save us from ourselves
Common_Cents (Diary) Tuesday, November 30th at 6:02PM EST (link)If we keep looking for a savior we’ll keep heading for trouble.
Leaders don’t create movements, movements create leaders.
Obama=Golfer in Chief, Leading from,
behind, the Back Nine.Leaders don’t create movements. Movements create leaders. Get involved. Your future depends on it.
Govt “invests” YOUR tax money for POLITICAL return rather than economic return.