If you’ve read anything I’ve written on Sarah Palin in the past, you will know I’m not at all surprised she dropped out of the 2012 presidential race before she ever announced. But, it’s amazing to me just how many folks emailed me claiming she dropped out of the race after she declared her candidcay. She did no such thing, but so loyal is her constituency, many of them were convinced she had already begun to campaign. Sadly, (for them), that was not the case. Palin never announced, and as I predicted will not run.
There are myriad reasons for this, but my gut still tells me that she simply knows deep down she’s not up to the task. Her sole qualification for President is half a term as Governor of Alaska, and running as McCain’s VP choice in 2008. She left the Governor’s mansion to pursue other things like being a Fox News contributor, and overall GOP gadfly. If anyone needs her all they have to do is pay her hefty speaking fees and she’ll show up and give you what you want to hear. A pro-GOP message, and anti-Obama rhetoric that’s sure to fire up the Tea Party wing of the GOP. The trouble with that is that the Tea Party is shrinking, and most mainstream Republicans are avoiding it like the plague. That also leaves Palin out in the cold, and shows clearly that when you hitch your wagon to an isolated wing of your party, you get left out of the big stuff like Presidential politics.
Palin will certainly play some role in the 2012 campaign no matter who the nominee is for the GOP, but her effectiveness as an actual candidate herself has passed. By leaving her seat in Alaska’s Statehouse, she forfeited a lot of her political capital with her home-state base, and I’m told it’s doubtful she could get elected to anything there either. Whether it’s true or not, my perception of Sarah Palin has always been that she loves the glory, the spotlight, the money, and the perks. But, wants no part of doing the actual work needed to run for national office. Goodbye Sarah.
