Althouse: Sarah Palin has 950 invitations to do speeches for which she'll be paid in the 6 figures.

৩১ আগস্ট, ২০০৯

Sarah Palin has 950 invitations to do speeches for which she'll be paid in the 6 figures.

950 X $100,000 = $95,000,000.

৬৩টি মন্তব্য:

David Walser বলেছেন...: The article says she has 950 expressions of interest, but that number includes by the paying and the non-paying variety. Only some of the paying gigs are for 6 figure fees. Still, it sounds like nice work if you can get it.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:০১ PM
traditionalguy বলেছেন...: The point guard from Wasila High School is about to score Big Time. And her Daddy in not even a rich Kennedy heir. There is something very good happening here.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:০১ PM
Darcy বলেছেন...: Sweet!; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:০২ PM
David Walser বলেছেন...: "that number includes by the paying..." should read: "that number includes BOTH the paying..."

Sorry for the typo.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:০২ PM
Elliott A বলেছেন...: No wonder she resigned as Governor!; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:০৩ PM
hdhouse বলেছেন...: If all it takes to get this doofuss out of public office is money then I'll gladly contribute.

Ya'betcha; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:০৫ PM
John বলেছেন...: Before it was she was an idiot and can't give a speech. Now it will be that she is greedy and only cares about money.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:০৬ PM
hdhouse বলেছেন...: I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain.
And my head I'd be scratchin' while
my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain.
I'd unravel every riddle for any individ'le,
In trouble or in pain.
With the thoughts you'll be thinkin'
you could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain.
Oh, I could tell you why The ocean's near the shore.
I could think of things I never thunk before.
And then I'd sit, and think some more.
I would not be just a nothin' my head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry,
If I only had a brain.

OMG 95!!!! ya'betcha she'll have to take off her shoes to count that high.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:০৮ PM
John বলেছেন...: "If all it takes to get this doofuss out of public office is money then I'll gladly contribute."

Yeah lets get someone smart in there like one of the Kennedy kids or maybe Nancy Pelosi. Or maybe even an affirmative action hire who was once editor of the Harvard Law Review but can't say his own name without reading it off of a teleprompter. Surely, that guy will bring the Bush deficits under control, get us out of Afghanistan and Iraq, close Guitmo, end rendition and not raise taxes on the middle class. I mean what could possibly go wrong?; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:০৯ PM
chickelit বলেছেন...: Good for her!

*waves at Darcy*; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:০৯ PM
Paddy O বলেছেন...: If she has scheduling conflicts, I'd totally be happy filling in for her on say 5 or 6 of those.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:১০ PM
John বলেছেন...: HD House,

There is not one Democratic public figure who seems to have an IQ in the tripple digits. Really, I am honestly surprisd Reid, Biden and Pelosi can feed themselves. I guess they do so out of their innate sense of greed. And our errudite President can't seem to do much besides write books about himself and pose for creepy posters. I am afraid your ability to make fun of anyone in public life's intelligence ended about January 30th of this year.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:১১ PM
hdhouse বলেছেন...: John said...
"HD House,
There is not one Democratic public figure who seems to have an IQ in the tripple digits."

How gracefully you make the case for no child left behind.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:১২ PM
TWM বলেছেন...: The road to the WH in 2012 is paved in speaking engagement dollars, not sitting back in Alaska spending her savings fighting off frivolous ethics complaints. Good for her.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:১৩ PM
chickelit বলেছেন...: @hdhouse:

Now she'll be beautiful, fabulous AND rich!

Titus must worship her.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:১৪ PM
Big Mike বলেছেন...: @hdhouse, do I correctly gather that you perhaps don't like the lady very much?

Interesting contrast between Charlie Rangel getting rich in office and Sarah Palin getting rich after leaving office. Perhaps one of them is, maybe, just a mite crooked?

(Hint, not the female with the shotgun.); ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:১৫ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit বলেছেন...: Its Palin time in America.

Go show them how is done!

Palin 2012.

wv - mentinede = an attack liberals get when they hear Palin.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:১৬ PM
Dust Bunny Queen বলেছেন...: Love it!! The woman drives the hdhouses of the world bat shit crazy.

She drives the debate while sitting in her jammies and bunny slippers and posting on facebook.

Can't wait until she gets out in the public arena as a private citizen. The media and the moonbats can't help themselves. They will go over the top frothing at the mouth and provide free promotional time for Palin and great amusement for the rest of us.

:-D

vw: anglem. what a master fisherwoman does when she has the hook firmly set in the mouth of the fish.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:১৯ PM
John বলেছেন...: "How gracefully you make the case for no child left behind."

Let's see. We have 9 trillion dollars in debt run up in six months. We have a healthcare reform bill that no one understands and no one likes. We have approval ratings that have fallen faster than any President in history. We have an "anti-war" President who bragged about being on the right side of the most important decision in his life needless escalating the war in Afghanistan. We have a continuation of rendition, only this time we use it on contracting cheats. We promised to close GUITMO but have no plan or idea how to do it. We have a real unemployment rate of over 16%. We a $700 billion stimulus that did absolutely nothing beyond enrich BO's cronies. We are paying people to destroy good assets, workable cars. It is funny liberals are allegedly so smart and Palin dumb, but I bet Palin at least understands the broken windows fallacy.

Honestly, the man has done nothing right so far. Nothing. But he has destroyed any idea that liberals anything but mind numbingly stupid.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:১৯ PM
Big Mike বলেছেন...: @chickenlittle, and don't forget married to a stud muffin championship athlete who helps out with the household chores.

No wonder MoDo and the harridans of the left wing hate her so much!; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:২০ PM
Dust Bunny Queen বলেছেন...: (Hint, not the female with the shotgun.)

OT: I almost used my shotgun last night to kill a fox that was growling at me outside the bedroom door. But thought better of that since the neighbors might not appreciate it at 4am. I used the 22 instead.

Dead fox. Little prick was crapping on my deck and trying to eat my cats.

Go Sarah!

LOL wf = roundl round one!!; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:২১ PM
Hoosier Daddy বলেছেন...: How gracefully you make the case for no child left behind.

Holy spellcheck Batman! hdhouse is making fun of someone's typo!

If the irony could be more profound I think I would start to bleed from my ears.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:২৪ PM
chickelit বলেছেন...: @house: yours must be in duvel digits!; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:২৮ PM
John বলেছেন...: "Holy spellcheck Batman! hdhouse is making fun of someone's typo!

If the irony could be more profound I think I would start to bleed from my ears."

Notice he hasn't come back. You make fun of spelling errors only when you have nothing else to say. HDHouse realized that the days of attacking anyone without having to defend Obama are over. And no one wants to have to defend Obama right now. Better to make some stupid comment about spelling and run.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:২৮ PM
daubiere বলেছেন...: You know hd house, people who can't even type complete sentences without incorrect punctuations and capitalization really shouldn't call other people dumb.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:৩৬ PM
Hoosier Daddy বলেছেন...: Notice he hasn't come back.

Well that's classic hdhouse. Pop in to toss a few shit bombs and then head out before having to have an honest dialogue.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:৪৩ PM
Paul বলেছেন...: "Honestly, the man has done nothing right so far. Nothing. But he has destroyed any idea that liberals anything but mind numbingly stupid."

No. They are flat out evil. They hate America, free markets, free people out from under the dead hand of government, and they thirst for its destruction. They lie to themselves and to others about their motives, but the pathological Pavlovian response to a Sarah Palin puts paid to the notion that they are anything other than a force for ruin and ruled by hatred and envy.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:৫৩ PM
David বলেছেন...: I hope she remembers to thank John McCain.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১২:৫৭ PM
I'm Full of Soup বলেছেন...: I remember when the MSM did a similar story, right after he left office, about all of Bill Clinton's big bucks moneymaking opportunities. :); ৩১/৮/০৯, ১:০৮ PM
Revenant বলেছেন...: If all it takes to get this doofuss out of public office is money then I'll gladly contribute.

She's been out of public office for five weeks, hd.

I mean, you're welcome to pay her to leave public office after she's already left public office... if you really want to. It wouldn't be the stupidest political use of money by a Democrat this week. :); ৩১/৮/০৯, ১:১৩ PM
hdhouse বলেছেন...: sorry for the delay in comments...i have a job that needs attention rather than pick dust bunny's lint from navels of the world.

tell ya' what. when you get down to some substance let me know. right now you got nothing.

if this is the best cheese you got, well then....

ya'betcha.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১:২০ PM
Michael Haz বলেছেন...: Somewhere in Massachusetts Mitt Romney is considering using less mousse in his hair, and learning how to shoot, kill, skin and clean actual moose.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১:২৩ PM
hdhouse বলেছেন...: Revenant said...
"She's been out of public office for five weeks, hd."

of course rev. well noted. but i was referring to the unlikely event that madame bearclaw gained entrance to a higher office.

few well placed bags of wampum and $26 worth of beads and cloth and presto...vanishes back to the private sector faster than you can say "on king, on you huskies".

ya'betcha.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১:৩৭ PM
Penny বলেছেন...: It seems to me that Madam Bearclaw is doing just fine being one of "us".; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১:৫৫ PM
SteveR বলেছেন...: What's next? steve simels; ৩১/৮/০৯, ২:০১ PM
John বলেছেন...: "tell ya' what. when you get down to some substance let me know. right now you got nothing."

Lets see, Sarah Palin has a following of millions and a seven figure speaking gig. Barrack Obama is a failed messiah on his way to becoming the most unpopular President in history and completely discrediting the liberal brand.

Someone has nothing alright.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ২:০৮ PM
Cedarford বলেছেন...: Michael Hasenstab said...
Somewhere in Massachusetts Mitt Romney is considering using less mousse in his hair, and learning how to shoot, kill, skin and clean actual moose.

I think Romney's time is being better spent than on moose hunting.
Along with the serious people, Mitt is trying to figure out not just what is wrong with the Democrats, but how to position Republicans in very dangerous and troubling times for the nation. And moving the Party past failed Reagonomics, and past the failed neocon dream of an Imperial American Empire bringing Freedom!! by blowing lives and treasure in military occupation in various blighted parts of the world.

It won't be just saying Obama and Pelosi's gang and their special interests are boobs - it will require reclaiming the Republican Party as a visionary and competent force in society.

Palin appears to be a throwback and strongly identified with the "know nothing and proud of it because my heart is in the right place here in rural Okie!" part of the Republicans that will not win back the major sections of the nation Republicans are almost destroyed in.

British Labour, before ideologues once again have led them to perdition recently, understood that. You can't just say John Major was a squalid idiot..and say that Good ol' 60s Labor and all the old ideas had to be worshipped and genuflected to - you had to revamp. And they did in the early 90s.

We live in some very bad times - at China's fiscal mercy and perched all too close to the abyss. Overextended abroad. Times bad enough that Paul Krugman today is mourning Richard Nixon as the last President who was not captive of special interests and a visionary leader who brought lasting, consequential change domestically working with the other Party to get things done.

Nixon being the last Republican Prez who believed government should work, should get things done, should fix national problems.

Good luck to Palin. Obama and Jesse Jackson blazed the trail. You don't need to know much or have any idea how to turn your platitudes to your base into action the rest of the country will get behind. Just speak well, and have good scriptwriters to read off your TelePrompter.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ২:১৭ PM
traditionalguy বলেছেন...: A little talked about fundamental in America's role as the reserve currency of for world trade is that Palin embodies the Scots-Irish Honesty and fair dealings that is The Biggest Deal of all to China, India, and Russia. She will be a true night and day difference when she is elected. Those guys see her as more important than Americans who supposedly only value Harvard sophisticates and the latest re-named European socialism.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৩:১৭ PM
Big Mike বলেছেন...: @Cedarford, some day I will figure out how you can mix such insane drivel with such transcendant insights. The only person I am aware of who comes close -- and you may not like the comparison -- is Ann Coulter.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৩:২৯ PM
I'm Full of Soup বলেছেন...: Cford:

After the Obama presidency, Americans will be begging for simplicity, small govt and to just get back to the basics.

No matter what you think of Palin, those voter desires will make for an advantageous time for Palin and others like her.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৩:৪৭ PM
Greg বলেছেন...: Apparently all those inviting her to speak to or campaign for them haven't gotten Axelrod's memo that she is unpopular, unimportant, and finished.

I can see thousands of Palin Derangement Syndrome sufferers taking crayon in hand, and scribbling on paper drenched in drool and flecked with foam, their next unhinged attack.

Palin 2012; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৪:০৬ PM
Roger J. বলেছেন...: C4: probably a bit before your time, but Representative Shirley Chisolm had a go at it in the mid 70s--; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৪:০৭ PM
chickelit বলেছেন...: Cedarford:
There is something uncharacteristically irrational about your anti-Palinalia.

It gives you strange political bedfellows too.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৪:০৭ PM
Jason (the commenter) বলেছেন...: She's one of the few politicians I would actually want to hear make a speech.

Sometimes she almost makes me cry.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৪:২৭ PM
kentuckyliz বলেছেন...: Too bad there wasn't remedial con law at Harvard Law. I can think of one child who got left behind.

Please, someone, grab the constitution out of the shredder!

WV sionede
what I will want to take if the Big O gets re-elected; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৪:৩২ PM
section9 বলেছেন...: God,

Cedarford speaks of Mitt Romney the way that Paul of Tarsus must have spoke of Jesus the Christ after the Resurrection.

And here I though Cedarford was only an anti-Semite. Now I have to conclude that he is barking-mad insane.

Mittens? Teh Mittens? Mitt Romney as the next Nixon? The guy who lost his last ass to John McCain? The same John McCain who went on to prove that he couldn't beat Josef Mengele in a contest for mayor of Tel Aviv?

That Mittens?; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৫:০০ PM
Bruce Hayden বলেছেন...: Palin appears to be a throwback and strongly identified with the "know nothing and proud of it because my heart is in the right place here in rural Okie!" part of the Republicans that will not win back the major sections of the nation Republicans are almost destroyed in.

I have twice posted here an article from last weekend by a liberal pointing out to other liberals out there that the libs hurt themselves more than they hurt her, when they denigrate her, as you do here.

What she has managed to do, with a couple of posts on Facebook was set the debate. She may be just as ignorant as you claim, but we are all talking about "death panels" and she is the one who got that meme going.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৫:০৯ PM
Synova বলেছেন...: Go, Sarah!

You know... there's "thoughtful" and then there are people who consider themselves "thoughtful" as a fundamental element of their self image.

I ranted about a particular person by name on my blog who fits this. What I didn't include (since it was a private conversation and not uttered from the stage into a microphone) was that I overheard her talking about Sarah Palin. How do I know it was Sarah Palin? All I *heard* as I was walking by was, "Every time she opens her mouth, nonsense comes out."

It was the tone of voice and there was no question at all who "she" was.

IF Sarah Palin is ever elected to national office a whole lot of people are going to find the foundations of their world rocked... They won't understand how it could have happened. They will fall into depression and despair because it simply will not fit into their understanding of the world.

No one wanders around in a stupor moaning "how did that *happen*" about Obama's election. Even those of us who never trusted him understand why people voted for him. We can see the various things he seemed to offer that people wanted to support.

Sarah Palin does not open her mouth and speak nonsense. She speaks to the lives and to the concerns of a whole lot of Americans who see her as one of the few people NOT speaking nonsense.

There is plenty of room for disagreement and I expect that on policy issues and ideas that many people certainly disagree with her every bit as strongly as I disagree with Obama... but disagreeing with ideas isn't what is happening.

The "thoughtful" sorts insist that she has no ideas, that nothing coherent is spoken and thus no counter-argument needs to be made.

This is delusional, and it's not going to end well.

If for no other reason than that people who find a voice for *any* of their own various opinions in Sarah Palin, are going to *receive* those mocking ridicules directed at *her* as mocking and ridicule of *them*.

And really, it *is*, isn't it?; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৫:৪৫ PM
Synova বলেছেন...: And I thought "heart was in the right place" was a liberal meme.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৫:৪৭ PM
Ken Pidcock বলেছেন...: Palin 2012

Ain't gonna happen.

(1) The field is rich in former governors who faced hostile opposition, and who didn't quit.

(2) Rick Santorum has expressed interest. You can't get to the right of Rick, and he projects an authentic seriousness that will appeal to socially conservative Republicans fed up with the recent clown show.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৬:৪২ PM
traditionalguy বলেছেন...: When analysing C-4's twisted Anti-Palin artillery shots, always remember whom C-4's ENEMY is that he fights first and last. Sarah Palin has proclaimed pro-Israel sentiments, and C-4 fears that she means them.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৬:৫৩ PM
Revenant বলেছেন...: of course rev. well noted. but i was referring to the unlikely event that madame bearclaw gained entrance to a higher office.

Why would her accepting money for speaking engagements have anything to do with keeping her out of public office? Paid speaking engagements are a famously popular way of building up a campaign war-chest and staying on voters' radar.

Anyway, at the rate Obama's popularity is dropping the Republicans could probably run the rotting corpse of Richard Nixon against him and win in 2012. :); ৩১/৮/০৯, ৭:০৯ PM
Cedarford বলেছেন...: section9 said...
God,

Cedarford speaks of Mitt Romney the way that Paul of Tarsus must have spoke of Jesus the Christ after the Resurrection.

And here I though Cedarford was only an anti-Semite. Now I have to conclude that he is barking-mad insane.

Mittens? Teh Mittens? Mitt Romney as the next Nixon? The guy who lost his last ass to John McCain? The same John McCain who went on to prove that he couldn't beat Josef Mengele in a contest for mayor of Tel Aviv?

Hardly. Though Romney matches at least, most likely exceeds Nixon in terms of raw intelligence, the two men have very different talent sets. I think Romney would make a good, moral technocratically competent President - which may be just what the country needs after the Dubya and Obama disasters.
I'd put Nixon over any of the current crop with an understanding of international affairs, how to shape them, and apply new vision to fix American problems. (with Palin not even part of the discussion).

As for Mcain beating Romney...it wouldn't be the 1st time either the Democrat or Republican primary system managed to foist a drooling idiot or bumbling ideologue that would and sometimes was a total disaster as candidate, on the public. Look at Goldwater, Carter, McGovern, Gore, Kerry...not just McCain.
And in statewide races, it's even worse. In huge states where you think they could find someone with a triple digit IQ, you get Baraba Boxer, Bill Smith of NH, Patty Murray, Mel Martinez, Blagjevovich, Jim Bunning...

And in defense of Romney..his race was greatly complicated by 3 guys splitting the conservative vote while McCain had the "RINO" vote in winner-take-all Blue states the Dems would win anyways thatRudy had worked to set up that way, then flamed out on. And despite his treachery towards Republicans and his nearly incoherent campaign, McCain benefited from Bush's efforts to deify any "hero in uniform". "Why are you voting for McCain?" "Well, he's too old and I don't understand him past his Surge stuff, and I hate everything he has done..but that man suffered as a POW!"

Again, after 4 years of a charismatic, great-talking community organizer ideologue with no significant executive experience who is generally ignorant of what his TelePrompter scriptwriters send him to talk about - I don't think the country wants the Alaskan Goddess of the No-Nothings and Religious Right.

A charismatic, great-talking, cultural warrior ideologue with no significant executive experience who is generally ignorant about each issue her TelePrompter scriptwriters send her out to talk about.

Yeah, Palin is a GILF. Gives some Republican guys wood they haven't had for years. I'm sure Barack moistened more young liberal female panties than Hillary did outside the ...err..ladies who wear sensible shoes and were loyal Hillary backers since 1992. Now they have Obama and dry panties...; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৭:২৫ PM
Methadras বলেছেন...: hdhouse said...

If all it takes to get this doofuss out of public office is money then I'll gladly contribute.

Ya'betcha

Uh, is your free market capitalism showing, Schemp?; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৮:৩৭ PM
Crimso বলেছেন...: "If all it takes to get this doofuss out of public office is money then I'll gladly contribute."

Set up the fund for Obama and I'll quit my job and go door-to-door.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ৯:৫৬ PM
Synova বলেছেন...: "(2) Rick Santorum has expressed interest. You can't get to the right of Rick,"

Santorum, if he looked like a real possibility, would bring out the big guns in opposition and it will make the attacks on Palin look ordinary.

The advantage that Palin has is that fatigue is setting in. What new thing can be said about her?

Not everyone even knows who Santorum *is* so for most people the attacks on him will be fresh and new.; ৩১/৮/০৯, ১১:৩২ PM
traditionalguy বলেছেন...: Synova...Santorum is a religious right draw that can split Palin's voters, and also Huckebee's voters. He has most likly been hired by Romney for that reason. But Santorum also makes Palin appear to be bright and energetic when compared with his dull persona. IMO Palin is too far ahead for Romney to stop her.; ১/৯/০৯, ১২:১১ AM
Kirk Parker বলেছেন...: DBQ,

What--your neighbors are close enough to care what you shoot after hours? So you're not really rural after all.... :-)

wv: typoxic--seriously dangerous typos...; ১/৯/০৯, ২:১০ AM
Bruce Hayden বলেছেন...: It will be interesting over the next couple of years. Huckebee is way too liberal fiscally to ever catch fire with the Republicans. He had a lot of the social conservatives, but Palin can pull them too. Santorum lost. So, he's out.

Romney's problem, as I see it, was that he couldn't close. On paper, he looked great, and would have been much better than McCain when the banking system blew up last fall. Sure, Obama could look intelligent and thoughtful, but as we have discovered, and would likely have discovered if he had been running against someone who truly understood the situation, he was clueless. We know that, because he still is clueless when it comes to the economy.

But Romney couldn't close.

The other thing is that Romney can't pump up the energy. I see that as important, esp. when going against the Democrats and their paid support groups like ACORN, SEIU, etc. Plus their netroot crazies. And that is the place where Palin has it over the rest of the candidates, at least right now - she can energize a crowd, like Obama could (and may be able to again - we shall see).

I do wish that Romney had beaten McCain for the nomination. He was my guy a year and a half ago. I think the election would have been a lot closer, and we might now be where we are right now, with an amazingly corrupt Administration, clueless when it comes to economics, willing to begger our grandchildren to pay of their political cronies, and likely to end up as the worst (and most corrupt) Administration in the last 75 years.; ১/৯/০৯, ২:২১ AM
Bruce Hayden বলেছেন...: It will be interesting over the next couple of years. Huckebee is way too liberal fiscally to ever catch fire with the Republicans. He had a lot of the social conservatives, but Palin can pull them too. Santorum lost. So, he's out.

Romney's problem, as I see it, was that he couldn't close. On paper, he looked great, and would have been much better than McCain when the banking system blew up last fall. Sure, Obama could look intelligent and thoughtful, but as we have discovered, and would likely have discovered if he had been running against someone who truly understood the situation, he was clueless. We know that, because he still is clueless when it comes to the economy.

But Romney couldn't close.

The other thing is that Romney can't pump up the energy. I see that as important, esp. when going against the Democrats and their paid support groups like ACORN, SEIU, etc. Plus their netroot crazies. And that is the place where Palin has it over the rest of the candidates, at least right now - she can energize a crowd, like Obama could (and may be able to again - we shall see).

I do wish that Romney had beaten McCain for the nomination. He was my guy a year and a half ago. I think the election would have been a lot closer, and we might now be where we are right now, with an amazingly corrupt Administration, clueless when it comes to economics, willing to begger our grandchildren to pay of their political cronies, and likely to end up as the worst (and most corrupt) Administration in the last 75 years.; ১/৯/০৯, ২:২১ AM
Revenant বলেছেন...: Nominating Rick Santorum would be a really, really dumb idea. What the Republican Party needs to do is win swing states. One of the largest swing states, Pennsylvania, sent Santorum home from the Senate in 2006 and replaced him with a Democrat. Need I say more?; ১/৯/০৯, ৩:৪৪ AM
নামহীন বলেছেন...: @Revenant: Paid speaking engagements are a famously popular way of building up a campaign war-chest and staying on voters' radar.

They are also an excellent way to polish one's command of the issues. Nothing sharpens the mind like instructing someone else about any given topic.

If you went back in time to August 28, 2008 (the day before Sarah Palin exploded on the national scene) and asked anyone in Alaska what they thought of her, not one in a hundred would have said "dumb."

80% of the responses would have been favorable. Any critical comments might have touched on her ambition, aggressiveness, and hard-core right wing beliefs, but she had a solid and well-earned reputation as a bright politician who got things done. She is not stupid or ignorant.

Yes, she skipped around to different schools and majors. That's a big yawner for me. I did the same thing and now hold a doctoral degree. Young people do that sometimes, whether following their heart, or out of boredom, or homesickness, or a need to earn tuition money.

For whatever reason, it seems a lot more common in the rural West than elsewhere. That's what we do out here, it's part of our culture, and it doesn't mean we're stupid. Ivy Leaguers who go to school on Daddy's nickel or with affirmative action full-rides wouldn't understand.

I suspect that a couple of years of delivering speeches will bring her right up to speed on all the national issues, and change a lot of peoples' minds about her qualifications. I'm also confident that the process will entail ever more challenging and thoughtful interviews on TV and radio.

She will never match, say, Christopher Hitchens as an interview guest, but I think the Gibson stumbles and Couric fiasco will be dim memories before long. Anyone who has seen the snappy 20-minute dialogue on energy issues that she had with Maria Bartiromo long before the 2008 campaign will know this to be true.

As the economy continues its collapse and the national political culture disintegrates, a back-to-basics message from someone perceived as One of Us will resonate mightily. Right now, I put her chances of being the next President at 30%. With further implosion of the Obama train wreck, it could easily be twice that. I'll be working long and hard, and emptying my not inconsiderable pockets, to make it so.; ৩/৯/০৯, ৪:২৫ AM
jeaneeinabottle বলেছেন...: Rock on Sarah!!! Get all that you can get! When is the GOP going to wise up about her?!; ১০/১০/০৯, ৯:৪৭ PM