Star power: Palin to keynote big congressional GOP fundraiser

Says NBC, “If there was any doubt whom the Republican Party sees as its biggest fundraiser in the post-Bush era, this news should probably end it.” They needed something strong to help wash the taste of Michael Steele’s blunders out of the base’s mouth, and this is about as strong as it gets.

Looks like Gov. Sarah Palin will continue to have a future as a Republican fundraiser. Palin will deliver the keynote address at the June 8 Senate-House Dinner in Washington, D.C. The annual dinner is a fundraiser for the Republican Party’s congressional re-election efforts.

Here’s a statement from the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas:

“Governor Palin has quickly emerged as one of the most popular and recognizable faces in the Republican Party, and we are honored to have her deliver the keynote address at the Senate-House dinner. As a proven leader in her home state of Alaska, Gov. Palin represents a breath of fresh air from the business-as-usual crowd in Washington, and is one of our party’s up-and-coming young governors who will play a critical role in our re-building efforts in the years to come. Last fall, she electrified and energized crowds across the country, and we expect she will generate a similar amount of enthusiasm at this spring’s dinner.”

A lot of powerful people will owe her favors come 2012 if the fundraising’s strong. Question: Given her popularity and money potential with grassroots conservatives, how come Palin’s name wasn’t floated for RNC chair last year? Granted, she’s busy running Alaska, but so what? Mel Martinez was busy with the Senate when he became chair in 2007. The answer then was to give him a co-chair who could handle day to day operations while Martinez served as a public face and fundraiser for the Committee. Palin would probably do gangbusters business in the same capacity. I can only assume she was reluctant to consider it this time around because it would look unseemly to divide her attention while Alaska deals with the recession, but if she’s reelected next year and the economy comes back, she’d be a dynamite prospect to succeed Steele in 2010.

Update: Another benefit to being chair, needless to say, is forming relationships with party movers and shakers at the state level, a useful thing to have for someone planning a national run down the road.