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Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
Sarah Palin delivers a keynote address to the International Council of Shopping Centers convention Sunday, May 23, 2010, in Las Vegas.
Sunday, March 17, 2013 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
In January 2009, Sarah Palin had the world on a string. As a potential Republican presidential field-clearer, every sentence she uttered was news. A Fox News contract awaited her. So did book deals.
Four years later, Palin is without a clear option for elected office — or a clear sense she has an interest in any position of real public influence. She never took an active, leadership role in the Tea Party movement, beyond showing up at a scattered handful of events and talking it up on television. For many Americans, her name is now primarily a punch line, and if she is envisioning a comeback, it may simply be too late.
Once as polarizing as a 1990s-era Hillary Clinton, she can still rouse the conservative base and create headline ripples and has instincts for picking candidates in a primary battle that other Republicans follow. She is getting the most speaking time at this weekend’s CPAC at the Gaylord National hotel in Maryland, and her speech is among the most anticipated.
But as a force within the party, Palin has gone from 60 to zero within the span of a single presidential cycle.
“There was a ton of potential there, and it’s conceivable that there could be a second act, but it’s a little hard to see it now,” said Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol, who championed Palin as a potential vice presidential pick in 2008 for Sen. John McCain.
“She didn’t run, obviously, in 2012, and she hasn’t really made herself a leader on any particular issue,” added Kristol, arguing that one either needs to hold office or be relevant on an issues front. “Usually you have to do one of those things ... otherwise you’re just another pundit.”
Several Republicans privately said they’d grown weary of the lather, rinse, repeat by which Palin makes an appearance, creates a mystique, then disappears.
Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer argued she has as much of a chance of a second act as Joe Biden managed after being “laughed out of the race” in 1988 amid a plagiarism scandal.
However, he added, “Her act as a celebrity is done. Her act as a political figure is possible — if she applies herself.”
Ed Rollins, who managed Ronald Reagan’s campaign, and, more recently, the presidential bid of another woman who was a favorite of the base — Michele Bachmann — said plainly: “Her moment in the sun ... has gone.”
“Being a talking head ... was not something that sustained her as a viable candidate,” he said. “She’s a personality in the same way the Kardashian family is.”
Palin’s downward trajectory is almost in direct proportion to her rise after the 2008 cycle.
She was the part of the John McCain ticket that had endurance — or seemed to — as she tapped into a populist sentiment within the Republican base before the rise of the Tea Party. Political pros on both sides might have mocked Palin, but they also readily acknowledged her raw but undeniable talent.
Her unvarnished, “mama grizzly” cred and unapologetic chastising of the liberal establishment helped vault her to a leadership role, albeit an unofficial one.
Her endorsement was not only seen as a golden seal of approval within Republican primary politics, but she was a major boost in fundraising for candidates. She was crucial in helping get South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte elected in 2010.
Yet, even those who were beneficiaries of her political swat concede her only real role now is playing in primaries.
“I think she still has an ability to ignite activists, and I also think that she is someone who is relatively young. I’m sure it’s not the last that we’ve heard of her,” Ayotte told Politico.
McCain, who has maintained nothing but kind words about Palin, said, “I’m sure there are many candidates who I know request her to campaign for them.”
Still, Palin’s own endorsement process was — and remained — opaque at best and haphazard at worst. To wit, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad learned, almost as an aside from an aide, that she had endorsed him shortly before the Republican primary in his 2010 gubernatorial campaign.
Other candidates learned from her Facebook page that she was backing them, a method that added to her mystique but ultimately made discerning a pattern somewhat difficult. She understood how to use social media, but it became her main outlet.
She stumbled into negative headlines with a website featuring the crosshairs of a rifle to target members of Congress in 2010, a few months before the near-fatal shooting of then-Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. She decried the attacks against her as “blood libel” and offended Jews in the process. (A Palin aide did not respond to an email about this story).
In the meantime, her political circle shrank — with key members of the McCain 2008 effort who had taken her side in an internal fight drifting away.
The march of time has not helped her — Tea Party candidates elected to the House and Senate in the 2010 wave are now the faces of change for a Republican Party in the midst of another soul-searching session.
“Unlike a few years ago when she was the new, fresh face, we are seeing a crop of even newer, fresher faces in the party — from Rubio and Cruz to Martinez and Haley,” Bachmann Deputy Campaign Manager David Polyansky said.
“It will take more work on her part to elbow back into that leadership space,” he said. “But since so many in the party have such strong sentiment toward her (in both directions), she is one of the unusual figures that can still find a seat at the head table whether that is in a kingmaker or more individualistic capacity.”
Steve Bannon, the filmmaker and Breitbart News chairman who made a movie about Palin called “Undefeated” that debuted in Iowa, disagreed with the notion that she has lost any standing.
“I don’t think her standing’s ever wavered,” he said. “People hang on her words. ... I think she’s thinking a lot of things and I’m sure she has a lot of plans, and I think there are going to be initiatives.
“I’m sure she’s doing this for a reason, and I’m sure she’s going to be quite a force in 2014.”
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich suggested she still has “a significant base.”
But he added, “I think that Gov. Palin has to decide what her future is. She could run for the U.S. Senate. She could sustain national impact, but the question is does she want to do that, and if so, to what end?”
That said, Gingrich said, Palin did things her own way, defying the Washington “patterns” by which officials get defined.
“I don’t think she thought those were her patterns,” he said. “I don’t think they worried her one bit.”
Still, there are certain constants in politics — and in the era of new media and the one-hour news cycle, people have to fight harder to stay relevant. Whether she is bracing for such a fight remains unclear.
“I think it was smart of CPAC to invite her, and I think it was even smarter for her to come,” said Faith and Freedom Coalition head Ralph Reed, “because it’s a statement that she wants to play a role in the future even if it is as yet undetermined.”
Palin is the Kardashian of politics. She has no talent, but for some reason, the public gives her audience.
The Queen of Republican grifter's is still fleecing Republican rubes for ca$h.
Remember when she stood in Spotlight with Sharron Angle and vowed to destroy Harry Reid? WooT LoL
I'm not into her "ultra" conservative politics, but ya gotta admit, she had some pretty funny one-liners at CPAC!
Her one liners, funny as they were, exposed the stupidity of the Democratic Party. The Big Gulp was a good one.
Remember when Sarah campaigned all across America in 2010 to successfully have 70 Democrat Congressman and Nancy's gavel removed? Harry Reid, Karl Rove, Democrat hatch-lings in the media, WALL STREET BANKSTERS and several members of the GOP including Mitt Romney worked tirelessly to diminish Sarah's message. Well how'd that work out for ya Mittwitt? Brilliant strategy there Karl. You Betcha.
I did not write this, it's one of those cut copy paste thingys......
"the Half-Baked Alaskan."
-------------
Sarah Palin"
- Has a bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in political science
*Paid her own way through college and graduated debt-free
- Co-owned her family's fishing business
- Co-owned family snow machine and ATV dealership and mechanic shop
- Was a member of the PTA
- Elected as a city councilor for two terms
- Elected mayor for two terms
- President of the Alaska Conference of Mayors
- Appointed chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
- Elected governor of Alaska(Alaska's first female governor and youngest governor)
- Served as the chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission
- Served as the vice chair of the National Governors Association Natural Resource Committee
-Vice presidential candidate to Senator John McCain(first female vice presidential candidate for the Republican party and the second female vice presidential candidate in American history)
- Wrote a #1 bestselling book, Going Rogue
- Wrote a #2 bestseller, America by Heart
-----------------
As governor, Sarah Palin
-Was the executive over 16,000 full-time state employees and a $12 billion budget. In comparison, when Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992, Arkansas's state budget was $2 million and among the smallest in the country.
- Was the commander in chief of Alaska's National Guard
- Governed the largest state in the United States
-As governor of the state of Alaska, Palin had more executive responsibility and control than the governors of all other states except Massachusetts based on budgetary and appointment authority and veto power, among other things.
* Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other U.S. states combined
* Alaska is larger than all but 18 sovereign countries
- Fought corrupt big oil companies and exposed their ties to corrupt politicians
- Increased educational funding for children with special needs
- Implemented the Senior Benefits Program to support low income seniors
- Reformed Alaska's public employee retirement system to make it solvent
- Created the Alaska's Petroleum Integrity Office to oversee all aspects of energy development
- Visited injured soldiers at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany twice
The problem with Sarah Palin is that it became all about Sarah Palin and just like momma Kardashian she threw her kids into the act as well. All with the intentions of milking their 15 minutes of fame for all the money they could grab. I am a registered Republican and at first I didn't think she was a bad pick (even though I had never heard of her), but as time goes on a little Sarah goes along way and I think her act is a little tired now. To be honest I don't think she could get elected to office anymore even in Alaska.
This is a cut copy paste thingy... The media went through pages and pages of Palin Emails (24,000+ pages of emails from Palin's term as governor), looking for damning information that could wipe Sarah Palin from America's political scene.
What they found was the inner workings of an efficient, informed and very involved governor that mounted an unprecedented 80 plus approval rating while in office. Those emails revealed a hard-working, committed public servant. Even the mainstream media has been forced to concede that Palin was a conscientious, transparent, and effective public servant
There were no sex scandals, no lewd twitter photos, no misuse of taxpayer dollars, and no malicious behavior, whatsoever. Just a governor doing her job.
-----------------------The media went through pages and pages of Palin Emails (24,000+ pages of emails from Palin's term as governor), looking for damning information that could wipe Sarah Palin from America's political scene.
What they found was the inner workings of an efficient, informed and very involved governor that mounted an unprecedented 80 plus approval rating while in office. Those emails revealed a hard-working, committed public servant. Even the mainstream media has been forced to concede that Palin was a conscientious, transparent, and effective public servant
There were no sex scandals, no lewd twitter photos, no misuse of taxpayer dollars, and no malicious behavior, whatsoever. Just a governor doing her job.
-----------------------
She was outed as not being very bright 5 years ago. Things haven't changed.
Only a dingbat like John McCain could've put this lady front & center.
I am still trying to figure out the "Star" title.
She was in the game once and failed. Crashed and burned at the box office to put it in movie terms.
That would not make anyone a star in the real world.
Ms. Palin lost her lucrative contract with Fox News and now should go back to Alaska and be the wife and mother that she advocated for years. She is no longer the role model she pretended to be.
Palin is a minor leaguer who was suddenly thrust into the big leagues. The inevitable meltdowns began early and often, like when Katie Couric asked Palin which newspapers she reads.
In her first major interview, Palin's simple mind went blank and she could only think of a single paper, the local one in Wasilla. So naturally, being a typical the-media-hates-me republican she blamed the liberal press for picking on her by asking incredibly difficult "gotcha questions."
This quote from the article is good: "A little bit of Palin goes a long way."
But isn't that how it is with all crazy people?