Run, Sarah, Run

The other day, Sarah Palin (R-Alaska-half-term) was doing an interview with Fox Business.  Among other of her pearls of wisdom, she said --

"Those haters out there don't understand that it invigorates me, The more they're pouring on the more I'm gonna bug the crap out of them by being out there with a voice, with a message, hopefully running for office in the future, too."

That's great to know.  Because Ms. Palin, whose incomprehensible use of the English language has helped give rise to the popularity of the great term, "word salad," would be almost as divisive to the Republican Party as Donald Trump is.

After all, you just know a "leader" has oh-so much to offer when their message is not one of vibrant thinking that help advance and enrich society, bur rather to "bug the crap out of them."

Just to be clear, being able to "bug the crap out of them" really isn't all that hard to do.  Any whining three-year-old child can do that at the drop of a hat.  More challenging is to have something of substance to offer.  Especially if you want to be seen as a leader -- which tends to suggest you have a direction where you want to go, and a way to get there.

Also, it's worth noting that most leaders are invigorated by their ideas to push society forward and upward.  Being invigorated by hate seems so small-spirited.  Something you'd expect Eric Blofeld or Goldfinger to say in a James Bond novel.  Or, for that matter, something we've all come to expect out of Sarah Palin.

Mind you, much as I'd love to see her run and drag down the respectability of the GOP, when she talks about "running for office in the future," I'm not quite sure what office she's talking about.

While it could be for (sorry, it's hard to type this with a straight face) President of the United States, it's worth knowing that in a Public Policy Poll last year, only 20% of Alaskans said they would like to see her run for the White House, while 74% said no.  (Ms. Palin is still viewed favorably among all Republicans nationally, but the GOP is heavily conservative-based, and she polls terribly among GOP moderates.  That's the problem to most Republican candidates for the presidency, limiting them too much.  You need the whole party's support, and Sarah Palin doesn't even come close to that standard.)

So, maybe she's thinking of state office in Alaska.  The problem there is that governor is probably out, since voters likely remember that she quit last time.  So, maybe the Senate.  But there problem there is that in the same PPP poll last years, her favorable rating in her home state is just 36% -- while unfavorable is 55%.

Maybe she's talking about trying to become mayor of Wasilla again.  Hey, she'd only have to get probably just 616 votes, which is her total the first time she was elected.  So, even with a 36% favorability, she should be able to manage that.

By the way, my favorite line in the PPP analysis of their polls is -- "There's actually almost as many Democrats -- 17% -- who want Palin to run as there are Republicans -- 23% -- suggesting there are as many Alaskans who want to see her run for the entertainment value as because they actually want her to be President."

That's sort of right out of the Donald Trump Playbook.  Indeed, it's hard to know whether Sarah Palin is the female Donald Trump, or Donald Trump is the male Sarah Palin.  Since she ran for public office first, I guess that gives her squatter's rights.

The unfortunate reality is that Sarah Palin isn't going to "run for office in the future."   First of all, she doesn't want the job, whatever the job is.  She showed that by quitting as governor halfway through.  Second, if she ran, the very first question she'd get in a debate would end her candidacy, "Since you quit as governor of Alaska, and because President of the United States is a much harder job, why should any voter believe you'd remain in office for your full-term?"  She likes saying that she might run one day because it keeps her name visible and "important" in the party.  But she's not going to run.

But I hope she does.  She provides so much free copy with her woeful ignorance of basic history, current events and facts.  Her invigoration by hatred will be all the more pronounced on such a high platform.  She'd embarrass the GOP in having to face that they actually nominated this person to be Vice President.  She'd continue the spectacle of using her children like circus props.  And she still wouldn't likely have an answer to such challenging questions as "What newspapers and magazine do you read," and cry about them being "Gotcha" questions.

So, if Sarah Palin views her running for office as a threat -- which is such a great foundation for a campaign -- she's wrong.  It's the greatest opportunity imaginable for Democrats.

Run, Sarah, run!!