# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/81 "2011-01-15T06:39:00Z")
Clicks. That explains the internet media focus on Palin, anyway. Take a look at the Political Ticker headline on [Cnn.com](http://Cnn.com). Every single day it’s about Palin, usually with some misleading language implying that something interesting happened. Why? Clicks. I expect the same is true of newspaper and television journalism. She sells. When she doesn’t, she’ll fade away. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/82 "2011-01-15T10:36:43Z")
The answer is simple… because Democrats and their “willing accomplices in the media” want her to be. I’m happy that she’s not really a viable candidate anymore… how about you all? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/83 "2011-01-15T11:38:05Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > and their “willing accomplices in the media” The Jews?! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/84 "2011-01-15T12:05:18Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > As for Christie, Sam, though **I’ve** certainly heard about him his name recognition in his own state is only 38% according to the The State Column in NJ. I’m not saying he could do it but he’d better get on the stick. Headlining the upcoming fundraiser will help. And he’s clearly being established as an ‘establishment’ guy against Palin’s outsider status. At least a lot of people have heard of Christie. I mean, Gary Johnson? Now, Gary Johnson was my governor, but that was almost 10 years ago. I was stunned a few weeks ago when I saw Johnson on The Daily Show. And he was the governor of New Mexico, which does not normally get you a lot of attention (I’m half-convinced that half the country as a whole and all of the teabaggers don’t think that New Mexico is actually a state.) I don’t know how serious he is with some of his other policies, but I don’t really think that his stance on drugs is really going to get him a lot of teabagger votes. People who voted Ron Paul in 2008, maybe, but not over the teabagger hurdle in the primaries. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/85 "2011-01-15T12:13:51Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Romney’s biggest advantage is that he still may be able to trade on his history as a rather successful businessman and the guy who turned around the Salt Lake City Olympics and saved it from disaster. If he can convince people that he’s still the brilliant fix-it man with a keen eye for efficiency and a strong managerial streak, he could win. Somewhat of a hijack, but I was curious about a conservative perspective on this: what do you think of the comparisons some make between “RomneyCare” and the current health care reform legislation? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/86 "2011-01-15T12:46:28Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > 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. Quote key (') broken? (I can’t type back-quote (`) easily in some foreign-language configurations where some wise-guy preempted that “rarely needed” symbol for language mode; looks like you have opposite problem. Friend replaced laptop recently because of one defective key! He knows how to remap keys … but it was a key he needed during boot!) Oops, sorry for hijack. To answer OP: It’s because her thinking and demeanor epitomize the modern Republican Party so very well. She’s a true American hero, up there with Thomas Jefferson, Benj Franklin and Moe Howard. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/87 "2011-01-15T16:23:25Z")
Actually Palin does not piss off the liberals. She is such a joke that we think "what kind of dumb shit will she say next’. It is more like having a strange relative that embarrasses the family. Reading these threads, shows no anger. Just wry amusement. She is comedy relief. The meme that she angers Libs is wrong. We just wonder why the righties don’t ignore her. We pretty much do. There is just no national Republican leader now. Everybody with any recognition is mostly local. She speaks for the national campaigns by default. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/88 "2011-01-15T17:04:49Z")
As others have said, the Republicans are desperately looking for a leader and she sort of wins by default. Remember Bobby Jindal? They tried to prop him up until he looked like he wet himself in the State of the Union response, and now you never hear from him. There is no Reagan of 1980-1992. No Gingrich from 94-96 or Bush II from 99-2003. Nobody speaks with articulation and rallies the Republican base around core principles. Every single possible leader is flawed in some dramatic respect that makes him or her not acceptable for the position. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/89 "2011-01-15T18:00:44Z")
Well there is some center and left of center trepidation, not about her per se, but about the fact that a sizable fraction of America thinks that someone like her in any way deserves to be listened to, let alone considered as leader of our country. The fact that so many in America are that dumb just scares us so much that we can’t help but pay attention to that segment’s major representative. I know that comes off as just a snarky insult, but it is meant seriously. As one of my friends put it: “I know I am not that smart, so it is frightening to me to realize that compared to much of this country I’m intellectual elite.” ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/90 "2011-01-17T11:23:42Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > The Jews?! Cmon…lets be civil. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/91 "2011-01-17T13:51:27Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > Sarah Palin is manna from heaven for media of all varieties. Ask her a question about anything and she’ll give you an off the cuff, out-there answer that will roil up people on all sides of any issue, and thus drive people to your tv station/website/radio show, etc in order to respond. If she didn’t exist they’d have to make her and her wacko family up. Not really. You can’t ask her a question. Like bin Laden, she’ll release a video from her bunker from time to time. Interviews with real journalists who might ask gotcha questions like what paper she reads, no way. She’s on television because she’s good for ratings. Want to sell magazines? Find an excuse to put Lady Diana on the cover. Want ratings for your talking head show? Have the talking heads talk about Sarah. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/92 "2011-01-17T18:35:36Z")
If I put on my Machiavellian shoes and think about what I would do were I Sarah Palin, I think I’d say I was running, make a start at running, then announce that because of threats and hostility and the lamestream media I was going to have to drop out of the race for the sake of my family and the country so that the country wouldn’t have to pay so very much to protect me from the threats. Then something about dead fish. In other words, I’d do a redux of her resignation speech. It probably isn’t even a lie to say that she gets threats. I’m sure she does. 2012 is her last chance. She’s not getting any younger, and so much of her appeal is how different she seems to many. As she ages and gets less fresh and more, well, jowly, that appeal will fade. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/93 "2011-01-18T17:19:28Z")
She spoke to Hannity last night. [http://gawker.com/5736243/sarah-palin-defines-blood-libel-for-all-you-dumb-liberals](http://gawker.com/5736243/sarah-palin-defines-blood-libel-for-all-you-dumb-liberals) > [@](#): > > Blood libel obviously means being falsely accused of having blood on your hands. In this case, that’s exactly what was going on… Just two days before, an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal had that term in its title. And that term has been used for eons. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/94 "2011-01-18T17:54:27Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > The Jews?! No, he said “accomplices,” not “masters.” Different subject. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/95 "2011-01-18T17:56:06Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Cmon…lets be civil. :dubious: You should never, **ever** type that line again. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/96 "2011-01-28T17:22:24Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > 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. So in other words the Republicans are the party of Eric Cartman. And the Democrats are Wendy Testerberger. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/97 "2011-01-28T17:27:07Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > 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. It also occurs to me that Muslims like Osama bin Laden for the same reason. ---
**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 28, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/98 "2011-01-28T17:37:21Z")
Muslims like Osama bin Laden? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/99 "2011-01-28T17:48:40Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > 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. Can you give an example of liberals “reacting poorly” to her? How does Sarah Palin saying stupid things mean that liberals are “showing their asses?” It sounds like these people you talk to are not very bright. ---
**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 28, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525/100 "2011-01-28T17:50:27Z")
I’d show her my ass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-sarah-palin-considered-the-de-facto-leader-of-the-republican-party/567525.md?page=6)