Sarah Palin Mystifies and Annoys the Republican Establishment

Some say she needs to decide if she's running for president surreptitiously or overtly

By Kenneth T. Walsh

June 9, 2009 RSS Feed Print

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is mystifying and annoying members of the Republican establishment by sending what they consider to be mixed messages about courting conservative groups.

The latest example is her lack of clarity about attending last night's joint fund-raiser in Washington for the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. After several false starts, when it was unclear to the organizers whether or not she would attend or agree to speak, Palin decided to show up at the dinner but wasn't assigned to the head table and wasn't given an opportunity to address the group. She was seated in the first row, however, and drew a big crowd of well-wishers even though, privately, there was a debate about who had snubbed whom in arranging her appearance.

The headliner was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, considered a potential rival for Palin in the 2012 GOP presidential race. Still, Palin can be one of the GOP's biggest draws. The 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee helped to attract a crowd of 20,000 last weekend for an appearance and parade in Auburn, N.Y., hometown of William Seward, secretary of state under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson and the man who arranged for the United States to buy Alaska from Russia.

Prominent GOP strategists don't understand why Palin has avoided appearances at events that could bolster her standing among conservatives who will be instrumental in the 2012 GOP presidential primaries, such as gatherings of the National Rifle Association and state parties in California and Texas. "She's getting a reputation for being on-again, off-again," says one conservative activist. "People aren't even sure how to get in touch with her and whether their messages are getting through." Conservatives say their calls to her office in Alaska frequently aren't returned, leading to speculation that she isn't interested in cooperating with the GOP establishment or that her staff isn't competent. "To a certain extent, she needs to be focusing on being a good governor," says a conservative strategist, but he adds that she runs the risk of alienating conservative leaders is she is too aloof. Palin needs to make a basic decision, he says: "Is she running for president surreptitiously or overtly?"

Tags:
RNC,
Sarah Palin,
republican party

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Localbuilding of 9:54AM December 07, 2009

Literacy studies have shown that one out of every 7 adults in the USA cannot read or write how much more think critically about issues. That suggests strongly that those 46 million adult votes against President Obama must come from this subset of the American population! Adults who voted without having a clue what the elections were all about.These are the people who resort to name-calling and all forms of mindless, fear-filled, panic-stricken rumor-mongering when they speak or try to write. Those in this population are largely the evangelicals, the conservatives and the republicans who just do what they are told without ever trying to find or question anything but recite the talking points fed to them. At the head of this population are Sarah, Huckabee and others like them. Peoplw who want to live free or die yet enslave others, those claim to be CHristians yet curse their elected leaders,those who lie without blinking and think nothing of killing those who disagree with thier beliefs, hate abortion but wink at pre-marital sex and adultery, etc. The greatest danger to this country is from these folks - 46 million wingnuts! How scary!

ourhiafe of MA 5:36PM July 29, 2009

I am scared of Sarah Palin. As a republican, ever since GW became president the republican party has become a bunch of anti intellectual idiots. While i am socially conservative, and am a devout Catholic Christian, i feel that we emphasize these issues as our only issues. I'd rather fix the budget and conserve our environment, as well as provide a non socialist solution to healthcare, than just talk about getting rid of abortion and gay marriage (talk is all its been, the republicans have never tried to reverse roe, even when they had the majority in both houses). I don't think Gov. Palin even cares about these issues, if she runs in 2012, she'll lose in the primaries i hope, but if republican sheeple vote for her, prepare for another four years of barack. I don't know who is a good candidate, but at least someone who can win, Mccain was the right choice in 2000, not 2008, and Sarah should not have even been considered. There are thousands of better choices for VP (personally i wanted Chuck Hagel, my senator in Nebraska, if only he had run for prez, he wouldnt of won, but he would of been best VP nominee by far). Anyway, GOP, don't vote for Sarah in the primaries unless you want someone stupider than GW bush

Ben Polacek of NE 6:40PM July 17, 2009

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