I like her too, but let’s not get irrational; she’s great at the microphone with prepared remarks… but Reagan would not have been so easily led awry by Charlie Gibson, Katie Couric, etc. He would not have appeared as inexperienced and overcoached as Palin obviously was. 2016 or 2020, and she’ll be a shoo-in.

VastRightWingConspirator on November 18, 2008 at 6:19 PM

I agree: He wouldn’t have. Although Reagan was in politics during a time when the press was at least a little more respectful than they are now, and at least attempted to appear impartial. Also, as someone upthread mentioned, Reagan was involved in politics at the national level for over a decade before he threw his hat in the presidential ring for the first time. I think considering this was her first appearance on the national stage, Sarah did quite well. And I also agree that she appeared over-rehearsed/under-prepared at times, but I have to blame that on those in the McCain campaign for not handling her properly. I realize the MSM favors presidential candidates who are pointy-headed elitists but I think the American people prefer someone like Sarah who has more of a populist appeal. Like Reagan. ;o) She’s governor of Alaska so I don’t expect her to be a foreign policy wonk, or a constitutional scholar. Those are things she can learn over the next four years. And if she has an interest in running in 2012, she’ll do it. She is certainly bright enough. I consider energy policy to be at least as complex as anything else she was quizzed on this go around and the depth and breadth of her understanding on the subject — and its relationship to our national security — was quite impressive. And this is just stuff she picked up working in Alaska government. She strikes me somewhat like a sponge in that regard.

I am not worried about her. She speaks beautifully, both on script and extemporaneously. She struggles when she is trying to stay “on message” as it has been prescribed to her, but when she is running, the message will be hers. I thought she sounded very thoughtful and articulate when talking to that windbag Gibson on matters that she is more comfortable with, like her pro-life position and her thoughts on the war. That to me is all the proof I need that she only needs some time to absorb this other knowledge and really make her answers her own.

thirteen28 on November 18, 2008 at 8:50 PM
Unlike the neocon brigade, I don’t mind paying my fair share of taxes.

Bonus: as a federal employee, YOUR taxes are paying my salary!

benny shakar on November 18, 2008 at 9:10 PM

So Benny, I was a federal DOD employee at one time.. Couple of questions for you..

1. I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts you aren’t in DOD.. Probably in one of the ’social services’ areas. If you are in DOD, do you think anyone could have passed the security investigation for even a clerical job if they had the connections to Ayers and Dohrn that Obama has?? be honest now.

2. How are you defining “fair share”?? is it the “from each according to their abilities, to each according to their means.”

I spent many a coffee break with liberals who would spend one break talking about how to increase taxes and the next bragging about how they are beating taxes with their after hours cash under the table job.

One thing I can say from my almost 20 years working for the federal gov’t (DOD) is that most federal employees have NO CLUE as to how the real economy works. The federal budgeting system is an arcane series of funding pots and numbers. You don’t have to worry about making a profit. You have no real stockholders to please (at least directly). If you screw up, you can always dip deeper into the working taxpayer’s pocket.

Don’t get me wrong, i worked with a lot of dedicated, intelligent people. However, the reality is that, as I said before, they have no clue as to the real world. The other side of the coin is that there was a huge proportion of fat, lazy, parasitical drones with an entitlement mentality. “YOu can’t make me work or I’ll take you to the Union”.

Now, if you have worked in industry in a for-profit environment or as an entreprenuer, say so and I will offer an apology. Otherwise I think I hit the nail squarely on the head.

Oh, we did have one entrepreneur among us.. He got fired because he actually took out a yellow page ad for his side business and put his DOD phone number in the ad… Pure Genius.

Candidates should start running at the end of 2011, not any sooner.

This last presidential mess’s results should be reason enough to pare down the plod.

Also, in case anyone was wondering, Andrew Sullivan is still crazy. Where’s that cheese again? I think it slipped off the cracker somewhere back there.

I’m praying for her success and hope she stays true to the covictions and values which attracted us to her.

I can’t explain this well but, I feel embarassed with God that we elected someone with the values the president elect has. I sincerely believe this choice does not bode well for the USA.

See, this is what I’m talking about. A commenter observes a drop in approval ratings and criticizes her. The response: accusations of being a RINO who thinks conservatives should compromise their principles.

amerpundit on November 18, 2008 at 5:05 PM

Need a hanky?
This guy Big S is a lefty troll. Comes on HA making all kinds of dumbs assertions of fact for which he hasn’t a shred of proof, and gets called on it, as he should. Stop whining for g*d’s sake.

I don’t know what to make of this group just yet … they are using an obviously fake photo of Palin in their “photo” section

they just seem weird

hmmmm

thirteen28 on November 18, 2008 at 8:50 PM

Unlike the neocon brigade, I don’t mind paying my fair share of taxes.

Bonus: as a federal employee, YOUR taxes are paying my salary!

bullseye on November 18, 2008 at 8:28 PM

One of the silver linings of an Obama presidency is that we will get to laugh at benny when Obama inevitably raises taxes. Of course, I am going out on a limb with this one – I’m assuming benny actually has a job.

My friends, most Americans find endless entertainment in the fact that you people still cannot distinguish “destroying Palin” and merely laughing at a living, breathing punchline.

benny shakar on November 18, 2008 at 6:22 PM

Benny, I’m assuming that you are referncing Joe “Gird your loins” “Stand up Joe” “Hillary would have been a better VP Pick than Me” “I just had lunch in a restaurant that was closed for two decades” “I don’t know which clause in the constituion specifies the VP’s position” “Mark my words, we’ll screw up and you won’t like what we are doing” Biden

or are you talking about Barack “I visited all 57 states” “My Muslim Faith” “Let’s spread the wealth around” “I sat in church for 20 years and never heard my pastor say GOD D*MN AMERICA” “Bill Ayers is just some guy in my neighborhood.. er. Uhm, oh, we sat on a board together.. Make that a couple of boards, Oh, wait, I launched my career in his living room” “American servicemen are just air raiding villiages and bombing civilians” “Let me grab my package instead of saluting for the national anthem” “Lookit my coool greek god columns” Obama.

I’d appreciate if you’d clarify which of those two idiots you were referring to.

thanks

they just seem weird

Y-not on November 18, 2008 at 7:45 PM

Yes I understand … but that doesn’t change the fact that his network is already established

We don’t like Obama but his campaign has changed the way things are done … especially the communication aspects

joey24007 on November 18, 2008 at 7:34 PM

I appreciate your sentiment, but the things that the Obama campaign changed most significantly were fraudulent registrations and illegal fundraising, not communication. Obama’s announcement via phone was botched, remember, and McCain’s campaign, although flawed in many respects, was much quicker off the mark on web ads and viral videos.

Change you can believe in, indeed.

but we need to realize that the GOP is stuck in neutral while the dems are running smooth

we need to begin networking and fund raising for 2010 and beyond if we are going to have chance …

We don’t like Obama but his campaign has changed the way things are done … especially the communication aspects

Reagan had years of practice before the camera unlike Palin and yrs of proof that he moved to the right .

Go Palin
Run , Baby, run!

If those are the worst things critics can say about her without descending into the Sullivan-esque gutter, then I’d say she’s in good shape for 2012. Reagan would have never been in the situation you mentioned because he was never thrust into the national stage on such short notice like Palin was. Given time, she’ll be able to handle nimrods like Couric and Gibson just fine, and she won’t have to do it based on the lousy coaching of campaign staffers picked by McCain.

thirteen28 on November 18, 2008 at 6:27 PM

Good point. Reagan was already politically active in 1964 campaigning for Goldwater (who lost badly), and Reagan lost the 1976 primaries for President, so he was well-prepared by 1980. Palin was thrown into the race on extremely short notice this time, but she’ll have time to prepare for next time, since McCain will be too old to run, and will probably be considered as a “loser” by GOP primary voters.

Sarah Palin is a quick study, and a formidable candidate when she knows the issues, as she did in the Alaska Governor’s race. Two months was too short to jump from Governor of 600,000 people to Vice President of 300 million, but give her four years, she could become America’s Margaret Thatcher. But even Reagan could not win in 1976 with the unpopularity of Nixon/Ford–he had to wait until Carter made a mess to sweep to victory.

Maybe she did have one or two bad interviews this time around, but she was used to Alaska media, who are more friendly to Republicans than the MSM in the lower 48. She won’t be unprepared next time, and she’ll have four years to do media interviews and develop foreign-policy credibility if she wants to seek the Presidency in four years.

But before we bash Sarah Palin, we need to consider the environment she ran in this time. A major economic crisis hit a month before the election, which Obama blamed on an incumbent Republican President, who had 30% approval ratings. Lots of voters voted for “change” without having the foggiest idea what change Obama promised. They will soon know.

By 2010, Democrats will have controlled EVERYTHING for two years, except possibly some skin-of-the-teeth filibusters which might slow down the juggernaut toward socialism. If voters then don’t like what they see, they’ll blame Democrats, and electing a Republican House might seem like a great way to bring an out-of-control Obama back to reality, as the 1994 House did to Clinton. Sarah Palin will be running for re-election as Governor then, but she might take some time out to campaign for Republican House candidates, and can rightfully say that “I told you in ‘08 that Obama was a socialist, and now he needs to be stopped by a Republican House”.

Neither Sarah Palin nor any Republican candidate will have to defend the Bush record in 2010. They can attack the Obama/Pelosi/Reid record by then, and it should be a target-rich environment. But it’s easier to attack deeds than words, so we need to see what Obama does in order to refine the message.