John R. Houk
© October 7, 2011
Judson Phillips writing for the Tea Party Nation believes Sarah Palin will nearly become irrelevant as a mover and shaker in Conservative politics after her announcement that she is not seeking the GOP nomination for President. Phillips believes her “superstar” value began to depreciate from the moment of her announcement.
I know I am a diehard supporter of Palin so I want to disagree with Phillips’ analysis of Palin’s political prospects. I believe on a grassroots level that a push on whoever wins the GOP nomination should be pressured to select Sarah Palin as the VP nominee.
Phillips is willing to believe that Palin might reinvent herself in a later election much as Richard Nixon did after losing to John F Kennedy in 1960. Personally I believe President Reagan’s journey is a better axiom to follow. After all Reagan went from movie star power, Conservative Governor of California, losing a couple of GOP nominations for President, then winning the GOP nomination and then winning the 1980 election for President.
Phillips uses statistics to show that Palin is no longer electable in Alaska citing lower popularity than should exist in her home State; however I am not convinced that is entirely the case as much as the good old boy Republican establishment of Alaska despises Sarah Palin. (Can you say Senator Lisa Murkowski?)
Phillips looks to a Palin rising star to possibly occur in Arizona to tackle a GOP nomination to replace retiring Senator Kyl. Nothing is impossible in politics but Palin has gone to great lengths to place her home as the State of Alaska. She loves the State that her primary growing up years had occurred.
Pointing to the recent death of Steve Jobs Phillips also used his life as an analogy of how Palin might come back. For instance Jobs was fired from the Apple Company he had founded only to return to save Apple’s butt when hard times had happened twelve years later. That is a good analogy.
JRH 10/7/11
I'm sorry to say it, but unless Sarah wins a house or senate seat, or is chosen for a cabinet post (increasingly unlikely) she will be irrelevant. The media narrative, for better or worse, is begining to leave her behind. It's really hard to see how she keeps herself in the conversation at this point. The nearly year long will she, won't she run for president tease has alienated much of her support at this point, and I suspect that her contract with Fox won't be renewed.
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