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Lori Calabrese, at Examiner.com:
“With Trump and Huckabee out, what does this mean for Palin? ... Let's face it, both of these decisions shake up the race because 1/3rd of Republican voters have been freed up in the last 48 hours. And although her status is still strategically up in the air, if she wants it, Palin could come in and swoop those voters up in a heartbeat. Many who supported Huckabee often chose Palin as their second choice in polls, and Huckabee's supporters would most likely give Palin serious consideration because of her strong positions on issues like life and traditional marriage, as well as fiscal conservatism... Palin, who is a self-described ‘Bible-believing Christian,’ could jump in and fill [Huckabee's] space [with evangelicals], maintaining ties to those in the religious sphere... Bottom line is that a weak Republican field opens the door for Palin. And let's be honest, without Huckabee, who will compete with Palin? Romney? Romney is not trusted by tea partiers who fear a liberal agenda and many don't trust Romney because of his similar healthcare plan to Obamacare. Tim Pawlenty? He was outshone by upstart Herman Cain in the first GOP debate. Newt Gingrich? Mitch Daniels? Chris Christie? There's still a lot of time and no rush for Palin to announce, but things are getting interesting.”Mark Halperin, at TIME's blog The Page:
“Does Sarah Palin realize how big a vacuum Mike Huckabee’s no-go leaves among social conservatives?” [Editor's Note: Is that a rhetorical question? ]Mark Whittington, at Yahoo/Associated Content:
“Palin seems uniquely positioned to take advantage of Huckabee's absence from the race. Unique of all the other potential candidates, she has appeal for social, economic and national security conservatives. She appeals to the latter two because of her cogent critique of Obama administration policies. She appeals to the first because of herself, her conservative religious lifestyle, and her obviously cohesive, loving family... What is more, a plurality of Republicans have announced themselves to be dissatisfied with the current presidential candidates. No one running or having been mentioned to run seems to stir the blood. That seems to be the perfect door for the Lady from Wasilla, someone proven to be able to bring a hundred thousand partisans to their feet, to pass through. The question remains, though, will she?”Tony Lee, on Twitter:
“If I'm Sarah Palin, I'm looking at the door, and I think it's a bit more than a little ajar for her to try to ‘plow’ through.”Dr. Right:
“So who has the best chance of getting a big bump in the polls with Huckabee out of the equation? I'd have to think that Huckabee's devout Christian values and his reputation as a hardcore social conservative would go a long way in determining that. Once they get over their disappointment, Huckabee supporters will be looking to those candidates who have the strongest platform on social conservative values... If she decides to run, it also might be a golden opportunity for Sarah Palin, who has always been very outspoken on abortion and other social moral issues... Hold on to your hats, my fellow conservatives. Things are about to get very interesting.”Shane Vander Hart, at Caffeinated Thoughts:
“The obvious wildcard would be former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin... She attracts evangelical voters, women voters, and she is well liked in Iowa. She could win over a significant number of Huckabee supporters – if she’s runs.”Liberal columnist Tommy Christopher, at Mediaite:
“Palin’s supporters do have considerable reason to rejoice at Huckabee’s exit, which could portend a return to form for Palin, and a clear path to a presidential run... Right off the bat, she stands to inherit many, if not all, of Huckabee’s supporters, who will likely find Palin’s ‘family values’ stance and populist rhetoric appealing. Furthermore, she’s tied with Newt Gingrich, who only exists because Palin hasn’t entered the race yet to annihilate him. Gingrich and his personal history won’t stand a Spinal Tap Drummer’s chance on a debate stage with Palin. Through it all, Sarah Palin has played her presidential cards close to the vest, and while conventional wisdom has her not running, there have been signs that she will.”Organize4Palin founder Karen Allen, via the Des Moines Register:
“If we consider Governor Palin’s criteria for running for president, which was if she didn’t see anyone else who could bring to the table what she could and be willing to make those hard decisions we as a country must come to terms with, then it appears to us that a 2012 Palin campaign is inevitable.”Ashish, at 411mania.com:
“Huckabee would have once again been the favorite to win Iowa. His departure leaves a major void with Iowa's large Republican evangelical Christian base, a group that is now up for grabs. Sarah Palin... [would] likely have the best shot at swooping up those remains in Iowa. Doing so would give her a very good shot at winning Iowa, and with the type of money she'd be able to raise, she'd have just as good a shot at winning the nomination as anyone else in the field.”Thomas Schmitz, at the Palin Promotions Blog:
“Sarah Palin is the New Pink!”The State Column:
“Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin joined South Carolina governor Nikki Haley Wednesday, offering the Republican governor a sign of support in a letter... Ms. Palin’s entry into the debate concerning labor rights comes as Ms. Haley has ramped up her political profile. The South Carolina Republican has met with a number of potential Republican presidential candidates in recent months and remains one of the party’s rising stars. Ms. Palin endorsed the South Carolina Republican during the 2010 gubernatorial campaign, vaulting the little-known Republican to the forefront of the party.”Daniel Morgan, via Twitter:
“Comparison: @SarahPalinUSA says Ryan plan is good start. @NewtGingrich thinks Ryan plan goes too far. You decide.”Hoosierman, at Tea Party at Perrysburg:
“Absent any new entrants it's reasonable to expect that Sarah Palin will soon be the leading GOP contender in the Real Clear Politics poll. Yes flakey Sarah Palin. The same flakey Sarah Palin who did more with her Facebook account to counter Obamacare advocates than the entire Republican National Committee. The same flakey Sarah Palin who won't move down to Washington and learn politicalspeak and who shoots caribou and clubs halibut on television. The same Sarah Palin who in 2008 delivered to the Republican Convention and 37 million television viewer the most memorable speech in decades. She stuck a knife in Obama and with a wink and a grin, gave it a twist. Last year she dissected Obamacare and made the Democrats eat... This is one tough woman. Bobby Knight-Billy Martin tough. She's the sort of person who can take a brush back pitch, get up, brush off the dirt, stare down the pitcher and slap the next pitch into the bleachers. It could well be that the Presidential election will be won in the Republican primary and Sarah Palin could do that.”Uffda, at Barbaric Thoughts:
“You could chalk this up as one of the ‘lies of Geoffrey Dunn.’”Jeff Graham, at Mayor Graham's View:
“At the CAPC breakfast this morning I had the pleasure of sitting with Julia Robbins of Assemblyman Blankenbush' office and Jessica Renzi of Senator Ritchie's office the VITA program administered by the Community Action Planning Council... Ms. Renzi is always affable and informed and always gets mad at me for referring to her by her former title, Miss New York. She was crowned some years ago to represent our entire state on the national stage at Miss America. I know these pageants have lost the fascination of many, but it is an accomplishment. I know some people try to dismiss pageant winners like Ms. Renzi or Sarah Palin (runner up for Miss AK). It's like pointing it out is a putdown. It's not. Its a unique honor and takes a lot of skill, charm and education to win one of these... Don't let the nattering nabobs make you feel the crown is anything less than something to be proud of.”- JP
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