The Sarah Palin Storm Begins: Will Her Book Bring Her Back?
November 16, 2009 / 11:21 am • By Dr. Melissa ClouthierThe jealous ovary hater Andrew Sullivan froths again. Sarah Palin must be peeking her head out of Alaska and Facebook. How DARE she?!
Still, I can’t help but imagining the envy among fellow Republicans. Rick Perry spouting about Obama’s socialism won’t get the press that Sarah Palin’s discussion about anything will get. And still Sarah Palin faces trouble according to ABC. Overall, 52% of Americans view her unfavorably. She needs to overcome this.
Will her book do this? Will a genteel interview with Oprah and an emotional one with Barbara Walters push her into favorable territory?
Sarah Palin is supported by the Republican party base. From Rasmussen:
Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Republican voters say former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin shares the values of most GOP voters throughout the nation.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 21% of Republican voters disagree and think the 2008 vice presidential candidate does not share their values. Twenty percent (20%) are undecided.
By contrast, 74% of Republicans say their party’s representatives in Congress have lost touch with GOP voters nationwide over the past several years. Only 18% of Republican voters believe their elected officials have done a good job representing the base.
To win, though, Sarah Palin needs all Americans, particularly women. To win, though, Sarah Palin needs all Americans, particularly women. Are women ready for a woman in charge? I’m not sure about that.
Sarah just needs to keep plugging, I guess. She is driving the argument. Her Facebook posts push the news cycle, because she’s the only consistent voice calling the administration on their nefarious deeds. She is also going at the press. Dan Riehl has an interesting take:
Sarah Palin seems to be spoiling for a fight with the media in her latest Facebook posting. There are going to be people, assuming political consultants are people, that are going to call this foolish. They’ll rely on conventional, read old, wisdom that says you don’t pick fights with people who buy ink by the barrel. But does that alleged wisdom still apply?
Reagan didn’t fight with the media. The usual descriptor for what he did is, he went over the media’s head directly to the American people. Is Sarah Palin really doing anything different, except for having Facebook, blogs and a great many other New Media resources today to which Reagan didn’t have access? Just imagine how even more effective his communication strategy would have been if he had?
Because of media advances made in the last several years, Sarah Palin doesn’t have to go over the media’s head. She can go right through them. It appears to me that’s precisely what she intends to do. Don’t be surprised if it works, even as the media and some old-line politicos point how what a bad idea it is.
Well, time will tell if Sarah Palin’s strategy will work. She’s not going away and she’s not hiding. I’m wondering if she wins some good will and grudging respect through her book and softer interviews, if she’ll go on a Sunday talk show. That’s what many politicos seem to want. First, though, she needs to have a conversation with the people, win them and then they might be more interested in listening to a wonkier Sarah Palin.
Also, and this shouldn’t be underestimated, Barack Obama is doing more to make Sarah Palin viable than anyone else. Her Facebook posts are straight-forward, self-evident common sense. Meanwhile, President Obama is so “smart” and his impulses are exactly wrong. He seems ashamed of America and American principles. No doubt about Sarah Palin’s allegiance. That may well be enough, after it’s all said and done.
10 Responses to “The Sarah Palin Storm Begins: Will Her Book Bring Her Back?”
November 16 2009 / 11:30 am
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~ I am an ‘Independent Thinker’ and I will support the person who supports the life of the unborn child. ….. We must bring our fighting soldiers home for Christmas and I will support the person who has the courage to fight, – Raymonty/GoodTroll.
November 16 2009 / 11:53 am
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I’d really say the whole premise is based on a falsehood. The ONLY one’s that “counted her out” were the Libs, RINO’s and MSM’s – basically her ENEMIES.
She’s done what the RINO’s haven’t done – NOT listened to her political enemies about “moving to the center” and “dropping certain political philosophies” etc. And you can see they are even MORE worried about her than ever before – because they realize they can’t control her by “threatening” bad stories and publicity.
November 16 2009 / 12:42 pm
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For once, I agree with you, Davie. Palin has never left the stage and she’s retained the interest of her supporters.
She holds less than 20% of the Republicans in the Rasmussen poll cited here, but no other prominent Republican really has a grip on the party.
November 16 2009 / 1:40 pm
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I think you missed typed that fuster (but then that’s not a surprise).
How about adding 40 more %.
And of course since you are going to “claim” that I can’t provide proof, even though you didn’t link ANYTHING supporting YOUR opinions, here you go.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/november_2009/59_of_gop_voters_say_palin_shares_their_values
November 16 2009 / 2:39 pm
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It’s worth noting that whether or not Palin’s values match with GOP voters is a very different question than whether or not the GOP voters want to see her leading the party or the nation. I know I’m not the only one who would answer those questions very differently–and I’m no “enemy” of hers.
November 16 2009 / 3:16 pm
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No I didn’t make a mistake in the typing, Daver.
If you look at the poll a little further,
” share’s our values” is at 59%,
but that is different from supporting her possible candidacy.
When the poll asks who people would vote for, she places third behind Romney and Huckabee with Republicans.
She gets 18% saying that they would vote for her.
November 16 2009 / 5:14 pm
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I notice you didn’t include the first part of that sentense.
“Last month, Rasmussen Reports found..”
This isn’t about last month.
But the MOST telling finding in that survey:
“Among the Political Class, just 3% have a Very Favorable opinion of Palin while 64% hold a Very Unfavorable view. “
November 16 2009 / 5:31 pm
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Dave, I doubt if her support has appreciably diminished in the last couple of weeks and doubt that it’s increased either. I have to think that the article you’re quoting wouldn’t have included referencing the numbers from last month if they thought them outdated, or, at least,would have mentioned some reason to doubt them.
People generally go on thinking the same way about people and things unless something causes them to change, and not much has recently happened to cause any change concerning Palin.
After this new round of publicity centered on the book, there’ll likely be some movement in her popularity and/or support.
November 20 2009 / 9:48 am
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I’m constantly shocked at how much Sarah Palin is attacked from the left. If they don’t care about her then why keep attacking? I wrote a piece on this, I agree with a lot you are saying.
http://www.examiner.com/x-26908-Fairfax-County-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m11d19-Why-is-the-left-so-afraid-of-Sarah-Palin
November 21 2009 / 12:21 pm
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I normally am not impressed by commentators who send you to their own blog postings, but the above one by SecPress is very good and one of the best quick overviews of the whole situation at a high level.