Gov. Sarah Palin is the top of the pyramid:
Strengths: She has the most enthusiastic support amongst the GOP base by far. That will translate into fundraising, volunteers, and a ferocious defense from the Right. She is an excellent speaker, a savvy politician, will have the most compelling background of anyone running, and her primary weakness, a lack of experience, will have been shored up a bit by then.But John, she's been a bit busy lately, in case you haven't noticed. There was that little matter of the worst Alaska flooding in recorded history which kept her from getting out of the house. Plus, she's been dealing with a stack of bogus ethics complaints, legislation awaiting her signature, deciding which stimulus funds to reject, and all of the other things that go along with being the governor of Alaska.
Weaknesses: She has been damaged by media attacks a bit, but not beyond repair. Her approval rating in Alaska has slipped considerably. There is a small group of Republicans who hate her with a passion, based more on style than substance. She has done a very poor job of reaching out to her rabid supporters since the election and that could sap some of their enthusiasm.
If Gov. Palin's remarkable pro-life manifesto of a speech last month in Indiana wasn't reaching out to her "rabid" supporters, I don't know how you would define "reaching out." She has made clear statements on a number of issues, especially the short-sightedness of the Obama administration for relaxing our missile defenses while the North Koreans are ramping up both their nuclear potential and the vehicles to throw their impending weight in our general direction. She has virtually endorsed RNC chairman Michael Steele. She has never stopped warning against the dangers of federal spending and the intrusion of the Obama government into the private sector. Oh yes, she negotiated a little book deal, too.
Don't worry, John. We Rabid Dawgs for Palin aren't going to allow anything of ours to be sapped, including our enthusiasm. And we do appreciate your appraisal of the governor. We just have lots of rolls of pennies, and we rarely miss a chance to throw our two cents worth in when the conversation is about Sarah Palin.
- JP
Count me as one of many of her rabid dawgs, and I become more rabid with each passing day. Palin knows that every time she says anything, no matter how minor, it will be reported. All she has to do is post something on SarahPAC or send an email, as she did to the reporter from the Boston Herald about 0bama at Notre Dame, and presto, it spreads via the internet like wildfire. The further she stays away from the beltway clowns, the better, let Jindal, Gingrich, and Romney be their toadies. It must really burn the NRSC knowing that she will be helping the Seward House raise funds, as well as the Independent Group Home Living group raise funds as well this coming weekend, while they are stuck with Gingrich.
ReplyDeleteI just think John added it to balance the article out. :)
ReplyDeleteOTOH, there are a few people like Bill Kristol, Randy Scheumann and other good people out there who want to be in her corner, who could do with a call from her. She could call Bill at least and give him some indication of what she's going through, off the record. Just a suggestion. It's also time to start building the PAC more. With cap n trade, national health care coming up, the PAC can start hiring people and getting out info to work against these mad projects. Sarah can always say that she 's working for the issues she believes in, energy independence and health reform, rather than building a national profile. I am just dreaming of course, I'd content to let Sarah make moves on her own,