Matt Lewis: Sarah Palin can still win the GOP nomination

"Don’t be surprised if she runs for president, and if she does, she can win."
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Matt Lewis cautions his readers at The Daily Caller not to count Sarah Palin out of the race for 2012:

The caricaturing of Palin has led many political observers to cavalierly dismiss her chances of entering the 2012 GOP field — and winning. My question is…why?

At least one pundit sees the opportunity. Appearing on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell” show Monday, Time magazine’s Mark Halperin noted that Mike Huckabee’s decision to skip the 2012 GOP primary, “leaves a big hole for Sarah Palin who can come in and take over that space that Huckabee left.”

A new Gallup poll seems to confirm his analysis...

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Keep in mind, going back to Alaska, she has never run a conventional campaign — she always started late and was the underdog. And the good news for Palin is that she has more room for reinvention and growth than most people might realize.

Her supporters raise a good point when they argue she is “the most known, unknown” figure in politics. What they mean is that, despite how ubiquitous she became, she never really had a chance to craft her own image.

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Don’t discount the possibility that Palin may indeed be on the verge of launching her second (or is it third?) act. It is entirely plausible to believe that Palin could seize this opportunity, win Iowa and South Carolina, and then make a real run for it. Don’t be surprised if she runs for president, and if she does, she can win.

[More]

One of the many things those who subscribe to the conventional wisdom about Gov. Palin fail to give due consideration is that she is a determined long distance runner. If she decides to run a race, she gets in it to win it. Those who have already counted her out run the risk of looking extremely foolish in the not too distant future.

- JP