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Originally Posted by rekop
The facts don't appear to support that statement. Many republicans didn't like Palin, and voted for McCain grudgingly because of his VP choice. And obviously, the independants didn't vote for the ticket either or Obama wouldn't have won. Most pundits I've read do say that Palin appeals to the right wing portion of the Republican party. In any event, 4 years is a long time in politics. She may educate herself and attempt to re-make her image; or new political stars will come onto the horizon that will outshine her. Obama may be such a great president, that the Republican candidate won't have a chance at all.  |
There was a lot wrong with the way the Republican Party handled this last election: 1) the lead candidate did not espouse right-of-center values which were the party core; 2) the negativity of the campaign did not inspire confidence; 3) the secondary candidate lacked preparation and was thrown into the mix without strategy; and most of all 4) the incumbent President, as the party leader, made strategy inconsistent and contrary.
All that being true, Gov. Palin proved at the onset that for the Republican Party to compete, "fresh faces" devoid of alliances to the current establishment were necessary. Her selection as the V.P. candidate was an initial shot of adrenalin into the Party, as evidenced by the first two weeks of her entry into the campaign. However, the momentum could not be maintained since there was no prior planning and preparation to make the move a decisive one. The "fresh face" strategy proved successful for the Democrats who prepared for the moment with cautious preparation to have a "fresh face" candidate should the "familiar" candidate appear too similar to the Republicans in the sense of being "old school" and tied to past policies and tactics.
Republicans, during the primaries, demonstrated that Sen. McCain lacked across-the-party backing and there was little consensus ever reached. The Democrats too were divided, but linked better in the end.
Sarah Palin may indeed return to the scene, mainly due to the fact that she "took one for the team" and having survived the fray with little more than satirical scarring, proved she can take the heat. She will insure that another time at bat is in the offing, and the next time there will be much more and better prepping. It would seem doubtful that she would be the lead candidate (V.P. is a probable spot), and the Republicans would look more towards grooming someone like one of the current military generals.
Whether President-elect Obama turns into one of the best presidents in the last 100 years, only time will tell. For the sake of the nation, I hope he does.