From where I see it, it appears that Palin’s run for the White House has made her a few enemies back home in Alaska. I also think that her future in politics, if McCain/Palin lose will be tied to her future in Alaska’s politics. She needs Alaska to send her to Washington so she can build her bona fides as a player in the national arena. Even so, when was the last time a defeated candidate came back and successfully ran again?
Is Sarah Palin destined to become a minor Trivia point, a la Geraldine Ferraro? Or will her abrasive style in this campaign pay off in the long run?
I was thinking about this the other day. In the [likely] event McCain/Palin Lose she will be scurried off back to Alaska. I don’t think we know the ins and outs of why she said yes to running for VP. She may have said no a couple times then yes, the major thing is we know little about her. Something tells me she is not the pitbull she read to the audience at her acceptance speech. I wonder what her ambitions are, she clearly has initiative, however, I wonder if it’s nationally based or statecentric.
Personally, I think she is way out of her league and she can’t wait t get back to alaska.
Walter Mondale lost as Vice President in 1980 and came back to run for President in 1984. Of course, Mondale had his VP experience from 1976-1980 as well as his time in the Senate. I could see Palin going back to Alaska and remaining governor. After that, probably some position with an oil company. If trends continue as they are, I don’t think anyone from the McCain/Palin campaign will have a future in national Republican politics. I’d see 2008 as the GOP’s Dukakis election. They’re going to look for someone brand new in 2012.
Oh, I think she can wait. People in Alaska are turning on her rapidly. She’s going to find a chilly reception waiting for her when she loses this election. The national stage just highlighted her flaws as a person and as a politician.
Interesting question, because I don’t know how she’ll look back on her experience over the last two months, if it’s an encouragement or an embarrassment.
For right now I’ll side with ambition. In politics I think that’s a safe bet. So: she’ll run in 2012 and lose early in the primaries. She does well with the evangelical voters, but they’ll find someone else to love. Religious women will probably stick with her in some numbers because they like her attitude, but the men won’t be so loyal. The majority of the party will conclude she was badly out of her depth and they’ll find someone with more expertise on those issues who can still appeal to the religious voters. So I don’t think Palin’s leaving Alaska. Nationally, the GOP may still be getting its bearings in four years. She’s got some elements of what they might need, especially since she’s strong on energy, but I don’t think they’ll be looking to her in four years. She’ll still be governor of Alaska and that won’t remedy her problems with experience and credibility.
I said “successfully”. That loser stench is pretty hard to wash off.
Any chance she’ll grab her pink carpet bag and hitchhike her way down to another state. Say… New York? I am sure she’ll fit just right in.
I thought about this also. After the debate I heard some people on the radio say that she now has national credibility - but I expect this was from Republican talking points. My bet is that after the election we will hear the real story from unhappy McCain staffers, and the real story will be their frustration in trying to get her up to even a reasonable speed on national and world affairs.
I suppose it is possible that she will get evangelical backing for a national run in 2012, but she’ll get laughed out of the running, doing worse than Fred.
I have no idea about the politics of Alaska, but I bet she will get some high visibility high pay but low power job from some Republican or other.
With her looks and “Joe Six Pack/Hockey Mom” popularity I think not getting elected as VP will be, financially at least, the best thing to happen to her. I see her getting very rich in book deals, speaking engagements, and as the host of a Fox show. And who knows- perhaps in the next few years (if not elected) she can brush up on her politics and be a serious contender.
I wonder more if McCain will retire from politics at the end of his term if he’s not elected. Or at least if he’ll ever be on DAILY SHOW again.
Supposing Palin is not elected in 2 years, I foresee she will have a job offer from FOX News. She doesn’t know much about national politics but she brings in the right-wing viewers, and it would be good on-the-job training. She’d pick up enough news about international and national politics to run again in 2012.
Not until Robert Byrd beats him in a footrace. You know as well as I do what the root word of “Senator” is- those guys hate to leave their posts. In a way, an election loss might be freeing for him politically.
That bridge has probably been shredded, burned, nuked. And then Robert DeNiro pissed on the ashes.
I would love for her to run for National office later just to see how the Republicans attack her. Or maybe she can re-start the Bull Moose Party and run as a Maverick.
Maybe she could do both at once, so that she collect a per diem whenever she’s not in Juneau or Washington? Sweet! That’s the sort of maverick idea that those Washington bureaucrats would never think of!
He had a perfect image before he got in front of the cameras without a script, you mean. But I have a feeling that when we find out what has really been going on, she couldn’t be re-elected as mayor of Wasilla.
She’s still very popular in Alaska, and will likely be able to easily win reelection when her term is up. I see her political future for the next 4-6 years is Governor, with a potential run for the white house after that.
She is very ambitious. This was not her time, but she jumped at a chance for the big stage. She seems to love it. She has brought the neanderthal wing of the repubs together. The religious nuts, black hating ,liberal detesting ,book burning part of the party has their hero. She will go a long way and make a shit load of money. Alaska is too small to hold her.
That’s exactly what I mean. People look at his vital stats and said “hey, he’s a former actor, Southern, Reagan conservative, and folksy (hmmm…), he’s GOT to be a great candidate!”
Then it turned out he didn’t actually seem to want to be running at all and that was pretty much the end of that.
