She’s charismatic. She’s attractive. She plays by her own set of rules and has a massive following. Will she cash that in on a serious run for the White House? Of course not.
Anyone who thinks Sarah Palin is setting the stage to challenge President Obama in 2012 isn’t paying attention. Governors, two years into their first term, don’t resign if they plan to run for higher office three years later. Sarah Palin didn’t leave office to run for president, she left office for a career change.
Palin is the next Oprah Winfrey, not the next Hillary Clinton. She’s a beauty queen turned hockey mom with a tremendously sharp tongue. In other words, she’ll be perfect on television.
Her recent decision to sign on as a contributor for Fox News has spurred all kinds of debate about her future. The speculation is coming from all directions including Republicans who want her to run, Republicans begging her not to, Democrats who are licking their lips at another chance to throw mud at the former governor and a hungry group of journalists looking to discuss her family history or her meteoric rise to fame.
Unfortunately for most of those people, Sarah Palin doesn’t want the presidency. Why would she? She spent about two years governing Alaska and running for vice president and then about six months writing a memoir, signing books, and talking to anyone who would listen. Which of those roles do you think was easier on her family? Which of those careers is more fun? More profitable? Heck, which of those roles is she better at?
Consider this. Palin has struck a chord with millions of people across the country and you can’t go anywhere without seeing a copy of “Going Rogue.” If you were a major network, wouldn’t you want to fill your Oprah void with Sarah in two years? Think of the audience, all of Palin’s loyal followers and everyone who feels the need to challenge every word that comes out of her mouth.
“The Palin Book Club?” “Sarah Magazine?” She could command a media empire without the stress of the being the leader of the free world. The Republican Party has dozens of more qualified candidates to run against President Obama in 2012, but none more suited to take the fight to the airwaves every afternoon.
If Governor Palin had her sights set on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., her actions since the 2008 election would have been very different. She would have gone back to Alaska and gained experience. She would have run for reelection and entered the national game every election season to stump for worthy candidates in tight races. She would have won the 2012 Republican primary in a landslide.
But Governor Palin took a different course because she didn’t want the job. She got a taste of Washington and didn’t like it. Lawsuits, backstabbing, and gamesmanship weren’t her idea of the American Dream.
She saw a chance to capitalize on her stint on the national scene and took it. Instead of brushing up on policies, she brushed up on snappy one-liners.
Would an Obama versus Palin campaign be exciting? Absolutely. Does Palin really want the job? No way. But, is she here to stay? You betcha.
