Sarah Palin’s reemergence on the national stage for her book tour has shown that she could be a potential frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. If she wins the nomination, Palin could actually win the presidency. But a long time is stretching out between now and the election, and Palin still has a lot of work to do.
A key point to Palin’s appeal is that people are fed up with the federal government. Deficits are increasing, but government spending, specifically in the form of a government stimulus designed to create jobs, is not helping the economy. Many Democrats seem intent on ramming a health-care plan through Congress, even though many people do not support it, and such legislation likely would only add to the deficit.
Palin stands for less government and lower spending. Even though people may debate her record as Alaska governor, people identify her with these fiscally conservative principles, and she is a credible spokesperson for them.
As her book tour has shown, she commands attention, certainly more attention than any other Republican politician and potential Republican presidential nominee.
If Palin is to emerge as a serious contender for the presidency, though, she must use this publicity wisely. Even though she is a credible fiscal conservative, Palin must do more to articulate these principles. She must demonstrate that she can talk about the economy in a way that gives people confidence in her leadership.
A positive about Palin is that she compares favorably with Obama. While Obama seems polished, Palin seems real. Palin seems more able to connect with the average voter. Before he became president, Obama had about as much experience in government, arguably less, than Palin does. This fact could backfire against Palin, if voters decide they now want a more experienced candidate after Obama.
At this point, Palin shows promise. She must use her book tour as a springboard for her next step. Given the current situations facing the country, and Palin’s popular appeal, her political career may take off to an even greater extent.
November 19, 2009
OUR VIEW: PALIN’S POWER
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Palin’s experience should not be discounted – she really did run a very large state! Obama – did not, and didn’t bother to make decisions and take stands when he was at his seat in the Senate (he voted “present”, like saying “here!”). That shouldn’t be allowed. Unfortunately, I think we’ve been seeing the consequences of that in all of the bad decisions being made. Let’s face it, however historic his election may have been, it’s now proving to be a mess we’ll be paying for for a long time!!
Palin at least has the guts to be authentic. I do agree she must be more articulate and specific in stating her positions.
Let’s see what happens!
Comment by Palin Watcher — November 19, 2009 @ 6:03 pm