# Why is Sarah Palin considered the de facto leader of the Republican party? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 13, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525 "2011-01-13T22:19:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/21 "2011-01-14T02:01:25Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > The past republican nominee for President is a current seated Senator from the state where the current tragedy happened. I have heard nary a peep from him this week nor have I seen where the media has sought out his point of view. [Ahem.](http://www.scottsdalearizonanews.com/2011/01/john-mccain-gives-statement-on-giffords.html) > [@](#): > > “I am horrified by the violent attack on Representative Gabrielle Giffords and many other innocent people by a wicked person who has no sense of justice or compassion. I pray for Gabby and the other victims, and for the repose of the souls of the dead and comfort for their families. I beg our loving Creator to spare the lives of those who are still alive, heal them in body and spirit, and return them to their loved ones. > > “Whoever did this; whatever their reason, they are a disgrace to Arizona, this country and the human race, and they deserve and will receive the contempt of all decent people and the strongest punishment of the law.” This statement was issued the day of the shooting, and was reported on the day of the shooting. I heard it on CNN that evening. The difference between this statement and the one accusing the media of a blood libel, I will leave as an exercise for the reader. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/22 "2011-01-14T02:43:15Z")
The Republican party is currently leaderless. Sarah Palin, while clearly not the leader, is loud, marketable, and a pretty face. Nature, and the press, abhors a vacuum. Next question? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/23 "2011-01-14T02:50:55Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The Republican party is currently leaderless. Sarah Palin, while clearly not the leader, is loud, marketable, and a pretty face. Nature, and the press, abhors a vacuum. > > Next question? And she has a nice rack 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/24 "2011-01-14T02:53:32Z")
Republicans? Republicans are weak. They’re divided: leaderless. I was there the day the strength of the GOP failed. I hate Republicans, they smell like Humans. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/25 "2011-01-14T03:08:49Z")
[QUOTE=SteveG1] And she has a nice rack [/QUOTE] Like [this](http://www.chichesterinc.com/DeerAntlerRacks.htm)? -XT ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/26 "2011-01-14T04:14:29Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Like [this](http://www.chichesterinc.com/DeerAntlerRacks.htm)? > > -XT I was thinking more like [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_Torture_Rack.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/27 "2011-01-14T04:43:55Z")
I don’t know. I always assumed for the reasons others have said. She is attractive and said very inflammatory things that people pay attention to (either because they like her or hate her). Lieberman and Edwards were easy to forget. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/28 "2011-01-14T04:49:02Z")
She’s terribly bangable. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/29 "2011-01-14T07:06:52Z")
Palin is attractive. Somehow the Repubs can forgive her for quitting an elected governorship. She panders to the audience that Fox owns. She fires them up . Her gun imagery is perfect for the audience she is working. Her reality show feeds directly into the same people. I read an article by a person who grew up with her and says Palin never hunted or fished before. But like on the campaign trail, she has experts training her. She was unable to pass herself off as a serious contender on the national stage. Many hunters claim she has no familiarity with the guns or fishing equipment . It does not matter to them. Who expects a beauty queen to really know how to shoot? We forgive the pretty ones for all their flaws . She claims to be a queen maker. She says the pols that she backed won, suggesting she has serious political clout. If you believe that her backing made them winners, she would empress you . Fox and the right wing press is happy to push that myth as hard as they can. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/30 "2011-01-14T07:17:15Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Lieberman and Edwards were easy to forget. Who? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/31 "2011-01-14T08:20:19Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > And she has a nice rack 😃 I used to find her somewhat attractive, but she lost points every time she opened her mouth and said something stupid. She is now rapidly approaching negative infinity. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/32 "2011-01-14T09:09:03Z")
This kind of rack? [http://www.bullshootersightingin.com/newoak.jpg](http://www.bullshootersightingin.com/newoak.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/33 "2011-01-14T17:05:58Z")
As well as the other things mentioned, the over-the-top attacks against her by the left have caused Republicans to rise to her defense. Had the left treated her as just another politician and essentially ignored her, she would not be nearly as strong or popular in the Republican party. I can`t count the number of times I`ve heard conservatives say that they didn`t particularly like Palin for President, but they like her because her enemies are so vitriolic. The fact that she gets under liberals`skin as badly as she does, and that they react so poorly to her and show their asses so much is one of her biggest selling points on the right. That said, I think Sarah Palin`s star is starting to fade, for two reasons: One is that the Republicans have more power again, and therefore new leaders are stepping up to the front (I agree that she benefited from a power vacuum on the right). The other is that she`s over-exposed. Her TV show has crashed in the ratings, her last book didn`t sell so well, and her obvious limitations are becoming more apparent even to her ardent supporters. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/34 "2011-01-14T17:12:49Z")
Because John Boehner is boring. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/35 "2011-01-14T17:22:52Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I used to find her somewhat attractive, but she lost points every time she opened her mouth and said something stupid. She is now rapidly approaching negative infinity. Meh, I’d still do her. But I’d also do Michelle Bachmann and Christine O’Donnell. Women that nutty have to be pretty wild in the sack. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/36 "2011-01-14T17:26:29Z")
Apropos of nothing, I’ve often wondered if Palin’s “Mama Grizzly” shtick is somehow related to a misconception of the meaning of _right to bear arms._ ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/37 "2011-01-14T17:32:33Z")
She’s considered the leader for a few of the reasons mentioned. A bit of a power vacuum, plays to the spotlight, and so forth. But the real reason she’s considered the leader of the party right now is this: **Sarah Palin is the presumptive 2012 Republican candidate for President of the United States.** Even if that idea horrifies you she is, right now, better positioned to be the nominee than any other high profile republican. That makes her, to the media, the most interesting person to speak to and report on. Look at the contenders. Gingrich? Romney? Pawlenty? All of them have a certain presence on the scene by they don’t have rock star popularity with the public that Palin does. Will she be the nominee? I doubt it, myself. But right now her odds of being the name on the top on the ticket are higher than any other players. And that places her, in our world of black and white or left and right, as the go-to person for ‘what the right thinks’. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/38 "2011-01-14T17:44:02Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > She’s making piles of money, has a limitless forum to spout every ignorant thought that pops into her head, and can’t be voted out of office. She’s reached the Republican nirvana. So, basically Newt Gingrich with better measurements? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/39 "2011-01-14T17:49:58Z")
Newt Gingrich says a lot of smart things. Palin, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/40 "2011-01-14T17:51:06Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > [Ahem.](http://www.scottsdalearizonanews.com/2011/01/john-mccain-gives-statement-on-giffords.html) > > This statement was issued the day of the shooting, and was reported on the day of the shooting. I heard it on CNN that evening. > > The difference between this statement and the one accusing the media of a blood libel, I will leave as an exercise for the reader. The main take-home message is that one received extensive press coverage, and the other one did not. These days, it’s all about who can ramp up the outrage to higher and higher levels, in order to get national press coverage. Calm, logical and reasoned statements are not “news”. Vitriol, rantings and vague, deniable insults are news. The same is true for talk show hosts of the political variety. They are competing for ratings, so they need to get crazier and crazier in order to get press coverage. I envision a time when media talking heads have ramped the craziness up to a point where they are in Fred Phelps territory, and this will be the new standard of national political discourse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525.md?page=3)