by Smitty
She seems to be having a much better effect on actual conservatives in office than His Jebness:
Governor Palin endorsed 22 candidates for various offices during the midterm finals, including senators, governors, lieutenant governors, congressmen, and attorneys general. Of those so endorsed, an incredible 20 were elected – contrasted with, for example, Hillary Clinton’s record of 8 wins out 24 endorsed candidates.
Beyond the success of her endorsed candidates lies a much deeper reason for Palin being seen as “Achiever of the Year”: those Palin endorsed in their respective primaries who then went on to win the general election battles. As in the past with, among others, senators Ted Cruz, Kelly Ayotte, and Deb Fischer, and Governor Nikki Haley, who owe their elections in their primary campaigns to Palin’s endorsement at a critical juncture, so too could new senators Ben Sasse and Joni Ernst, and new Alaska governor Bill Walker (and, remarkably, his Democrat lieutenant governor Byron Mallott) be considered to owe all or a substantial part of their nominations to Palin’s endorsement.
For all her detractors’ cries of “irrelevance” and “she’s just a reality show entertainer” (those two being among the nicer epithets), Palin goes on, election cycle after election cycle, populating Congress with her endorsed candidates in a cost-effective manner, and in such numbers that the likes of Karl Rove with his 1% success rate can surely view only with hidden admiration, if not downright envy.
She seems an acknowledged ambassador to the conservative base:
If former Alaska Gov. and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin enters the 2016 presidential election, she will face stiff competition from a wide field of qualified Republican candidates. However, she may face greater challenges from her numerous detractors, especially those in the liberal media whose vitriol towards Palin knows no bounds.
Many believe that Palin is most powerful as a conservative spokesperson who has a remarkable ability to motivate and inspire her base. In fact, she has been confirmed as a speaker at the Iowa Freedom Summit in January 2015. She will be joined by at least nine GOP presidential hopefuls and whether her purpose at the event is to motivate or throw her hat in the election ring is uncertain.
It remains to be seen if the base’s contempt for the Vichy GOP can be overcome by dread of Her Majesty, the way the dread of the Goreacle led to (barely) enough support for a Republican “triumph” in 2000. All I can say is that I’m not voting for another Bush. Should Sarah Palin opt to run (and, in all candor, I’m more of a Scott Walker fan) she could well play the Ross Perot role in a Bush/Clinton ’92 re-run.
And I don’t care, Rove. You and any other Progressive jackwagons on the False Choice Express can tell me that failure to vote for candidate B is really a vote for candidate C. Screw you, to the wall, with a large diameter drill. IF the Vichy GOP foist Jeb on the base, AND we suffer eight years of Her Majesty, it’s YOUR flipping fault for nominating the chap.
I don’t actually bear any personal animus toward Jeb. I’m just not playing along with this anti-American dynastic noise. The argument that the Commies are cheerfully doing so via Her Majesty is strangely non-compelling. If Jeb wants to earn some respect, how about calmly announcing that he’s declining a run in a few months, and offering his talents in service of his country a la the Koch brothers, and funding outfits like Heritage and AFP? Such a move would do more to advance the needed reforms in this country than actually running for the sake of polishing his ego.
I cannot support Jeb at all. I could support Sarah, in the same vein I supported Romney in 2012. I’d sooner support a third attempt at POTUS from Ward Cleaver than I would seeing Jeb on the ticket. No, no, a thousand nos, and again: get lost with the dynastic politics => “CNN/ORC Poll: Bush surges to 2016 GOP frontrunner”
via Hot Air and Instapundit
Update: Memeorandum thread
