Is Sarah Palin preparing to disappoint her fans?
Is Sarah Palin preparing her followers for disappointment? That could be. In an appearance on Fox News Tuesday, the former Alaska governor sounded a lot like somebody who was explaining to fans why it鈥檚 better that she doesn鈥檛 run for president.
Asked the obvious question by Greta van Susteren 鈥� is she in or is she out 鈥� Ms. Palin had this to say. We鈥檒l quote the whole thing, from a , so you get the full idea.
鈥淪omebody like me 鈥� is a title and is a campaign too shackling?鈥� said Palin. 鈥淒oes that prohibit me from being out there, out of a box, not allowing handlers to shape me and to force my message to be what donors or what contributors or what political pundits want it to be? Does a title take away my freedom to call it like I see it and to affect positive change that we need in this country? That鈥檚 the biggest contemplation piece in my process.鈥�
Here鈥檚 what we think 笔补濒颈苍鈥檚 saying there: I can have more impact as a non-candidate. Consultants won鈥檛 tell me I can鈥檛 say certain things. I won鈥檛 have to raise money by telling people what they want to hear. Fox News will still have to pay me when I appear on their shows.
OK, maybe that last one is going too far. But can you imagine anybody running for president after that kind of mini-speech? We can鈥檛 either. Palin appears to be defining her role as a purveyor of words (and by inference ideas) 鈥� not a potential wielder of power.
For serious candidates, the point of running for president is not to say what they want 鈥� it鈥檚 to get to sit in the chair in the Oval Office and run the executive branch. Mitt Romney probably daydreams about that on his campaign plane. (鈥淧resident Romney, Vice President Perry has been waiting for an hour. Should I tell him lunch is off?鈥�) His campaign message is a means to an end, not the other way round.
笔补濒颈苍鈥檚 posse may argue that this proves her pure independence. That may be. And given her past maverick tendencies it might be premature to predict her behavior.
鈥淭here鈥檚 absolutely no reason to rule out the possibility that she could still enter the presidential race 鈥� either as a contender for the GOP nomination or as a third party candidate,鈥� writes Jonathan Bernstein on the Washington Post鈥檚 liberal .
But at this point it is just about too late to mount a serious White House bid. Deadlines for candidates to get their names on primary slates begin to flip past in October. The best GOP organizers in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina have already been hired.
Even some conservatives, such as RedState blog editor Erick Erickson, have said 笔补濒颈苍鈥檚 at the precipice.
鈥淲e are coming to the end of the line for Sarah 笔补濒颈苍鈥檚 ability to string the Republican primary voters along,鈥� 鈥� in late August.
It鈥檚 true that recent polls have shown Palin running strongly against President Obama. But every Republican is running strongly against Obama. 笔补濒颈苍鈥檚 polls remain dismal: the latest of reputable surveys shows her at 7.7 percent of the vote, behind Perry, Romney, and Ron Paul.
笔补濒颈苍鈥檚 is still filled with page after page of posts from fans who are urging her to run. But some are beginning to sound a bit plaintive.
鈥淚t鈥檚 getting down to the wire are you going to run or what. I think you should but your opportunity is fleeting,鈥� said one post on September 28.
Will 笔补濒颈苍鈥檚 supporters have a reason to soon organize? Only the ex-Alaska governor knows 鈥� and for the moment, she鈥檚 not even telling Fox News.
