Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Will Palin 'pull a Reagan?'

Don Campbell, a former Washington-based newspaper man, writes in USA Today that Sarah Palin could "pull a Reagan" in 2016. Unlike some commentators who have written off Palin's political future because she resigned her governorship, Campbell thinks she still has a good shot at the White House:
I believe she's not only a prime candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, but she could be a formidable general election contender as well — if she's willing to take her time and do it right.
Doing it right, according to Campbell, means that Sarah Palin should get the same kind of coaching on national and international issues that Ronald Reagan sought on state issues prior to campaigning for and winning the California governor's job.

But Campbell seems to have bought into the Left's "incurious" meme, expressing his wonder "about her lack of curiosity" and what he supposes is the former governor's opinion that she can become president simply by being an outsider. As Afghan President Hamid Karzai remarked after meeting with Palin:
"I found her quite a capable woman. She asked the right questions on Afghanistan."
Democrats from liberal writer Ari Berman to center-left former President Bill Clinton have warned against underestimating Sarah Palin, but many pols and pundits from all points of the political spectrum continue to ignore their advice. Despite Campbell's doubt about Palin's curiosity, he still thinks she can pull off a Reagan-style win, but he doesn't believe 2012 will be her year:
She might win the GOP nomination in 2012, but I'm skeptical that voters will turn Barack Obama out of office after four years. On the other hand, I'd bet the mortgage that a majority will be ready for a Republican president by 2016.
Despite a press corps which still mostly swoons over him, President Obama faces some serious economic challenges, and his prescription of statism and spending isn't likely to make them go away in three years, by which time the 2012 election will be in full swing. If she wants the job, we believe Sarah Palin can have it in 2012 if she surrounds herself with the kind of team that Ronald Reagan built.

Scott Martin has his own thoughts on Campbell's piece posted at The Patriot Room.

- JP

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