President Palin: Fifteen Years in the Making

With the failure of the Undefeated, the cessation of the bus tour, another grandchild on the way that was conceived out of wedlock, and her continued decline in polls, many people might think that Sarah Palin would surely not run for the Presidency. That assumption is based on logic and logic has never been a motivating force for Palin. If we consider the actions of Palin and what she has actually said, she has given every indication of her intent to run. Just two months ago Sarah herself declared that she has the “fire in her belly.” Then a month ago Bristol was delighted to say that she wanted her mom to run, and that her mother had made her decision . While she stopped short of admitting that her mother was running, it was clear that Bristol was anticipating that Sarah Palin would remain relevant for another year.

Scott Conroy of Real Clear Politics recently did an interview about Sarah Palin.

He was not “pro” or “con” Palin, but instead was simply making observations about Sarah and Todd Palin. He explained that:

1. She’s a magnet.

2. She has always benefited from people underestimating her.

3. She has a certain “star quality.”

4. She has the ability to make people feel they are the only person in the room.

5. While she has been out of the spotlight lately, she may have been “studying policy” which is what she was lacking.

6. She is giving the keynote address in Iowa at the Tea Party Conference. It will be held Sept 3, 2011, and is the second time Palin has appeared in Iowa. The first was for the premier of the Undefeated.

The conclusion of Mr. Conroy was that we would make a mistake to assume Palin won’t be part of the race.

Lorenzo Benet provided significant documentation about Sarah Palin in his book Trailblazer, which was published in Feb. 2009.

It was a book written to provide insight into the history and background of Sarah Palin. While the title might suggest that it was a book designed to promote Sarah Palin, there was not an indication of that in the text.

At page 83 of the book there is a reference to a late night meeting that occurred before her election as Mayor of Wasilla.

“Sarah’s political trajectory, meanwhile, seemed poised to clear Mount McKinley. …and Chase and Sarah were discussing the candidate’s future, and Chase suggested she could run for governor in ten years. It’s doubtful that even the GOP leaders lining up in support could have anticipated the reply from the ambitious thirty-two-year-old mayor-to-be. “I want to be president,” she said.”

Ten years later in December of 2006 Palin became Governor of Alaska. We are haunted by the fact that she still wants to be President. If and when she announces her candidacy, it will not be because she simply woke up one morning in August or September of 2011 and decided she wanted to throw her hat in the ring. She has been planning for this moment for at least the last 15 years. The sad thing is that if she wanted to be President she didn’t spend the last 15 years educating herself about world affairs, geography, economics, and constitutional law. She didn’t spend those 15 years gaining the experience necessary to be a leader. That would have been the “logical” thing to do. Instead she has signed a lot of books, made millions of dollars giving speeches that prove how limited she is intellectually, claimed to give birth to a special needs child, became a grandmother, and has become a national celebrity. Through her PAC she has begun the fund raising process necessary to finance a presidential campaign. As illogical as it may seem, Sarah Palin still aspires to be President. She was able to convince the people of Alaska to elect her as Governor. In May of 2007 she was reported to have an 89%-93% popularity rating in Alaska. As she devoted herself to gaining popularity across the country her approval ratings in Alaska plummeted. In May of ’09 she had a 42% negative rating in Alaska. By January of 2010 her unfavorable rating in Alaska was 45%.   At the end of 2010 her negative rating had climbed to 58%.  It is clear from her resignation as Governor, and from these disapproval ratings, that Sarah Palin is not committed to serving the people of Alaska, or this country. She aspires to higher office for the fame and publicity but not because she desires to make a difference for her state or the country.

At least as early as 1996, Palin declared her intent to be President. We have had 15 years to prepare ourselves and educate people about who the “real” Sarah Palin is. Alaskans know her for the person she is, but the rest of the country doesn’t know her as well. The 2012 Presidential race is a little more than a year away and the Empress appears to be on track to announce her candidacy in the next month. Sarah Palin has been planning for this moment for 15 years. We have only 15 months before the election of 2012.