John Ziegler was on CNN today discussing why Sarah Palin has to run for president in 2012, even if doing so would destroy the GOP.
Here is the video:
Here is the transcript from CNN:
KURTZ: You don’t think she should run for president. You say a presidential run would be suicidal. That’s pretty strong language.
ZIEGLER: It would be suicidal for the Republican Party. I think it would actually be good for her brand. I don’t know that she has much choice but to run for president to continue her brand. But for the Republican Party it would be devastating. She is absolutely, positively, 100 percent — and keep in mind, Howard, nobody has more incentive than I do to believe that she has a chance. But she has no chance of beating Barack Obama, and the media narrative that has been created about her is the number one reason why. It’s not her fault. It’s not fair.
KURTZ: Well, when you say it’s not her fault — and I’m not saying that you don’t have some valid criticism here of the way in which some in the media, maybe many in the media, have treated Sarah Palin. But doesn’t she bear some responsibility for the fact that she basically speaks on Fox, she doesn’t really engage with the mainstream press, she spends an awful lot of energy going after the press, which pleases the base but doesn’t do much to elevate her as a serious policy thinker, shall we say?
ZIEGLER: That’s what I meant when I referred to how she dealt with the cards that were dealt to her, how she dealt with that hand of cards, which was horrendous. She made lemonade out of lemons. And I disagreed strongly with her decision to go on Fox. I told her that, because after she resigned, I thought, well, the last chance to try to get her message out to the middle of America and not just preach to the choir would be going on a major network, maybe do ABC Sunday mornings, or something like that. Her celebrity certainly allowed her numerous options to do that.
KURTZ: Sure.
ZIEGLER: But she has chosen to play to the base. That’s fine if you want to sell books. That’s fine if you want to do a reality show. That’s fantastic if you want to make money for your family. She deserves all that. I think it’s great that she survived all this.
KURTZ: But not to run for president. But ironically –
ZIEGLER: Exactly. She can’t run for president.
KURTZ: Ironically, and I’m quoting you, “The media are acting as her enabler because, otherwise, the Republican race would be a commercial disaster.” You’re saying the press wants her to run, because otherwise we’ll all fall asleep covering these other guys?
ZIEGLER: Well, Howard, one of the dirtiest little secrets in ideological media is that both the liberal mainstream media and the conservative media are not only ratings-based, but they don’t want their person in power. So what we have here is, the liberal media wants another shot at destroying Palin, and she’s great for the narrative of the campaign and great for ratings. The conservative media doesn’t want to say anything bad about her because they’re going to offend millions of Palin fans.
I had the guts to do that, believe me. I’m getting the blowback. This was not a financial decision that I made to come out and tell the truth about this. But I think the conservative media also has a disincentive for Obama to lose, because Obama has been great for business in the conservative media. That’s the dirty little secret that very few people want to talk about.
Ziegler’s media criticism is a combination of revisionist history and baloney. He and other Palin apologists seem to forget the absolutely fawning mainstream media coverage that Sarah Palin got when she first joined the ticket in 2008. The media didn’t destroy Sarah Palin. She destroyed herself by not properly preparing for the interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric. Sarah Palin ruined her national image by not being able to answer the most simple and basic questions. Whining about the media is excuse making for Sarah Palin’s personal and political deficiencies.
The interesting part of this interview is that Ziegler laid out why Palin has to run for president in 2012. People who don’t think she will run always argue that Sarah Palin makes too much money off of her brand to jump back into politics. The problem is that if Palin doesn’t run she is no longer the next big thing in conservative politics. Her brand will be damaged.
The part that a lot of pundits miss when assessing whether or not Palin will run is that almost all of her supporters are expecting her to run. They are so devoted to her because they want to see her in the White House. There is a political element that must be satisfied in order for them to continue their financial support of her.
Sarah Palin already demonstrated that she has zero loyalty to the Republican Party when she upstaged Mitt Romney’s formal entry into the 2012 race. If her brand and future earning power require her to run for the Republican nomination that is what she will do. Palin doesn’t care if she destroys the Republican Party. She knows that if she sits out 2012, she becomes irrelevant.
If Palin announces she is not running, the media won’t be interested in her or her publicity stunts anymore. Sarah Palin’s media cache is based on possibility that she runs for president. Without the campaign, she’s just another failed running mate.
Even if Palin knows she can’t win, she has to run in order to sustain her brand. The calculus here isn’t just political. It’s personal finance. People who try to evaluate Sarah Palin’s decision making from only a political viewpoint are certain to get it wrong. Palin thinks that the 2008 election was stolen from her and that she is destined to be president.
She craves the power of the presidency, but the thing that may give the final nudge into the 2012 race will be her looming also ran status if she decides to sit it out. Sarah Palin loves money and the spotlight, but she will get a whole lot less of both if she doesn’t run. What the Republican Party wants is irrelevant in her decision, because Sarah Palin would happily destroy the Republican Party if it would help her brand.
When are Republicans going to learn that in dealing with Palin it is never about them? It is always about her, and if she wants to run in 2012 they can’t stop her.
Related posts:
- John McCain Announces That He Won’t Be Endorsing Sarah Palin In 2012
- Straight Talk For John McCain: Why Sarah Palin Can’t Beat Obama
- Fox News Hides Video of Sarah Palin Blasting John Boehner’s Budget Deal
- Iowa Poll Shows Trouble Ahead for Sarah Palin in 2012
- A Fox News Fairy Tale: Sarah Palin Will Clean Obama’s Clock in 2012
Also, note to CNN, Ziegler? Really? My how the mighty have fallen. In bed with Tea Party, wake up with…….
I highly doubt that she will run.
I don’t doubt it. She will run as an Independent. Her ego is way to hugh. Do you think she is going to let Bachmann get the better of her. She pimped her family when any normal woman who had a disfunctional family would have said no thanks because her kids had enough problems that she needed to stay home. She doesn’t really care about her kids. She is into money and power like a man lusts for a nude woman begging for sex. She can’t help herself. She’ll run and destroy the country while doing it. Watch the 2 wackiest broads on the right to see who will fall off the right right right cliff. It will be something to behold. After all god told the 2 ladies to run. Which god I dunno. God told them. That’s all.
Your comments are pretty mean spirited and there is no need to state: “…man lusts for a nude woman begging for sex.” What a nutty statement.
Ziegler is not a Palin insider and really has no idea at all what Palin will be doing politically. He really should just shut up. “I did this because I was not hired by the Palins.” I wonder why….
Who are you to tell someone else they are mean spirited as you slam Ziegler? ! He is a Palin freak but so what? She used him and tossed him under the bus. His mistake.
Sarah may run or Sarah may opt to be the power behind the thrown. Doesn’t matter. She is pissing off the people who do matter in the GOP and they aren’t going to put up with her nonsense much longer. http://progresszine.com/2011/06/09/sarah-won't-know-what-hit-her/
I really don’t think she has the power to be the man behind the curtain anymore. People might want her endorsement that she is not going to be the kingmaker the people think she is. The GOP knows that the tea party is not going to go vote Democrat if they are upset about Sarah not running. I do not think she will run myself, she is way too damaged
Palin wasn’t the power behind the 2010 elections that both she and the media pretended she was. Polls showed that her endorsement was far more of a hindrance than a help. In fact, most of the people she endorsed were already ahead in their races when she came forward. She endorsed some after they won their primaries and the media stupidly gave her credit for the primary win, not bothering to check to see when her endorsement was given.
Her second book, America by Heart sold 700k copies, while most authors would love those numbers, that doesn’t translate well as far as popularity goes when you see that her first book sold 3x as many. However, both books were bought in huge amounts by conservative groups and are probably still stored in boxes totally forgotten about by now. Her book tour for the second book brought out less than half the number of people as the first one did, for a woman who wants to be the first female President? If I were a follower of hers, thank God I have more sense, I’d be out there getting a copy in the hopes that I’d have a book signed by the first female President of the U.S. But the polling numbers are what really tells the story. When 70% of the people in this country have said they would NEVER vote for her, they aren’t kidding. There is no way she can change anyone’s mind at this point. Palin is manipulative, deceitful, dishonest, and intellectually challenged. Consider that during her first campaign for Mayor, after 4 years on city council, she told her campaign manager that she wanted to be President when the manager remarked that Palin could possibly be Governor one day. Imagine that?! Yet did she do anything to prepare herself for such a role, she seriously campaigned behind the scenes for V.P., hiring a publicity firm to get her interviews in major publications and on TV. But not once did Palin ever attempt to learn anything about foreign policy. In fact, she still doesn’t know much about domestic policy. Her advisors write all her op-eds and FB posts. If she were to sit down with anyone well-versed in economics, she’d never be able to discuss QE with them to any degree. She’d parrot a few talking points but other than that, she doesn’t know a damn thing about economics. Her emails revealed not a hard-working governor but a woman who was far more concerned with her public image than day-to-day needs of her state. She left those matters to her staff. Their common complaint was that she wanted everything broken down into simple terminology, short, sweet and easy for her to understand.
Anyone who thinks this woman is ready to become President of our country has their eyes and mind closed to reality. It would be so devastating to our standing in the world that it would take decades before we were ever taken seriously again.
She may run, but I don’t see her ever being the GOP nominee. They seem to be trying to elect someone who seems reasonable by comparison with certifiable nutcases like Bachmann and Palin, which is why Romney is currently the frontrunner. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her run as a Tea Partier, though. If she did run at all, she would hurt the GOP badly, but that’s what they get for embracing and then doubling down on craziness.
As I see things, running for president is a no lose situation for her. If she does not get the nomination her base chalks it up to prejudice by the leaders of the GOP, who in their minds (using the term loosely) are part of “the intellectual elite” and hate “real people” like them and Ms. Palin. If she wins the GOP nomination, her status and stature is restored with her base, because she showed those smarty pants GOP leaders that “real conservatives” can not be fooled, by big words like “electability.” If she loses the election, her fans will add 2012 to their list of elections that must have been “stolen from her [because]… she is destined to be president.” And if she wins, she wins… and God help us all.
Amen
I hope if she makes it far enough to run in the general election, that she will be defeated decisively. Of course, her fans will try to put a positive spin on that, as they always do regardless of how egregious her blunders have been. If she doesn’t get the nomination, of course her fans will spin that, too. But it’s up to those of us who don’t want her anywhere near the WH to get out and vote to keep that from occurring. In either case, while her fans continue their mindless adoration, the country will have dodged a Palin-sized bullet.
Both Palin and Bachmann running under the Tea Party? I don’t see Bachmann ever allowing Palin to upstage her. She’s just as narcissistic as Palin and just as crazy. What a cat fight that would be! Bring it on!
her brand is not important to enough people. She may have 1 million people are so but that is nothing compared to the hundred and 10 million that vote. unfortunately, I think the GOP also realizes that she has the same odds-on chance of losing to Obama as the rest of their candidates do. So what does the GOP lose if they just simply refuse to nominate her? I have a feeling they know they’re going to lose anyways.
This is what bothers me about the fact that the GOP did not rein in the GOP governors who are angering everyone in the country. If those governors would’ve waited till they had a Republican president or at least until the 2012 elections they would have had a far better chance of getting what they’re trying to do.
Utter stupidity, with Sarah or without her
That’s why I keep waiting for the Jack of Cider to pop out of the deck and spit in our ears.
“It’s not her fault. It’s not fair.”
EXCUSE ME, it is TOTALLY her fault! She publicly insults, slanders and attempts to obliterate the good name of anyone she perceives as a threat to her power (ex. Barack Obama). She mercilessly and relentlessly attacks any and every person who dares to speak the truth about her, or calls her on the multitude of half-truths and straight-up lies that come forth from her mouth continually. She NEVER, EVER holds herself accountable for her actions or words, instead choosing to deny, deny, deny and “pretend” it never happened or re-create an alternative scenario. Do you know how frustrating this is for anyone trying to give her some slack? She is not kind or generous or respectful of others and she certainly does not deserve any kindness or generosity or respect from any American. We are SICK of her antics and dysfunctionality. It’s a sad situation, but she needs to go away and figure it all out by herself, not on the backs of the US citizens.
Absolutely the truth–but she won’t go away. SP’s ego won’t allow her to stop. And like Newt, I have nightmares of her reappearing time and time again. I don’t think she will stop even if the GOP totally destroy her. She just doesn’t get that she has no chance of ever being POTUS.
{{{clapping}}} your Truth does Rock!
Amd thats what Ziegler fails to mention. The media is on her because of her fricking big mouth and ignorance
I completely agree. How dare anyone claim that the press has been hard on her? She has gotten a free pass on the types of legal, ethical, and moral shenanigans that the mainstream media has used to destroy so many other people.
Examples: knowingly not paying property taxes while governor, the strong resemblance between the materials used to build her home and the sports center, Dairygate, her relentless efforts to bilk Alaska of every penny she could while governor (charging the state per diem to stay in her own home, which she chose to do because she didn’t like the state capital), and so many, many, more.
The press beats the slightest hint of anything juicy to death for anyone else, but not her.
And I personally have had it up to here with her absolute total inability to ever, ever, ever, ever, ever admit to the slightest error or mistake on her part. It is always, always, always, always, someone else’s fault.
You forgot being married to a secessionist while simultaneously accusing Obama of palling around with terrorists. The media totally has given her a pass on that one.
You are so right,and I agree that not NEARLY enough has been made of the type of people they were BEFORE McCain picked her,and they had to Straighten Up some! Todd Palin was big in that” white supremest type”group,and somebody thinks this gal should be PRESIDENT?! TOTALLY NUTS-SP AND IDEA SHE COULD REPRESENT THIS COUNTRY!WHAT are people thinking?And,that goes for Bachman,and even Romney&Pawlenty as well.NONE of them could do the job Obama has been doing for one minute,and if you check all their records,every one of them has FAILED in the places they have been elected before!Then there is that other idiot,Rick Perry-in his own state;exactly 4%Of even Repubs Think HE would make any kind of President These GOP people right now,are ALL LOONEYTUNES_not a good one among them for sure!
say whatever you like about how she’s been mistreated by the so-called liberal mainstream media or teased by Obama’s guys or any of the rest of it: her IQ is STILL 83.
This homey doesn’t seem to grasp that whatever “media bias” is found about $carah Palin is not created by MSM.
It is a reflection upon, and direct response to $carah’s COMPELETELY uninformed, idiotic and ignorant public statements which she seems unable to keep a lid on.
The fact that they are reported does not automatically make them biased.
Meh, I still don’t buy the idea that Palin will run. We’ve already seen the Palin approach. She’ll claim some sort of victimhood or potential victimhood and stay on the sidelines where she can safely shoot spitballs and continue collecting millions from Fox and her pac. As soon as she declares, all that money is gone, and when she loses, it’ll stay gone. A pres run is a no-win scenario for her bank account.
Yes her followers want her to run, but if she claims that running would allow the mean librul media to hurt her family, or eat into the quality time she gets to spend with trig, they’ll eat that up with a spoon and continue to support her in her role as outsider antagonist/best grizzly mom evar. She has little to fear in terms of reprisal from the ‘bots.
Her brand would be far more damaged by the horrific train wreck that an embarrassing failed presidential attempt would inevitably result in, than it would if she decided to just continue her current approach of slinging bumpersticker slogans from the peanut gallery.
The only possible reason I could see for her running, would be if her narcissism is truly so extreme that the notoriety of being the first female pres candidate overrides her greed instinct.
We’ll see…
Well done!
“It’s not her fault. It’s not fair.”
Wahhhhhh! mean ol’ Unreal Americans!! No one understands meeeee!!! Everyone’s pickin’ on me and expectin’ me to READ and stuff, which is soooo hard!! Blood libel! Special needs! Abstinence! SNOWmachines!
*snif*
I recall Newt Gingrich telling $arah that the easiest way to get people to give you money without actually doing anything, is to run for President.
Of course I am paraphrasing, but.
Her choice will be tied to the earning potential of a run, not the success of a run. I can imagine her thinking that paying cash for a second home in AZ will sure impress her classmates at the next reunion.
She’ll wind up like a champion boxer of no foresight and possessed no other prospects (I’m looking at you Mike Tyson), destitute and bitter.
[...] More: John Ziegler Explains Why Sarah Palin Will Screw The GOP and Run … [...]
Wishful thinking. She can’t attract enough money from the big spenders to run a viable campaign.
Spot on. Palin’s motivation has always – even in the Alaska days – greed, ambition and hogging the spotlight. In that order.
Suck it, Republicans – you get what you paid for. Literally, in the case of Palin.
I have been saying this for a long time now. She will run, she will get in late so she doesn’t have to do the debates and the strenuous campaigning and have to answer the real questions and have to have some policies to defend.
She will run as a 3rd party, because her ‘fans’ will demand it.
She has to run or her fans will not support her for the next 4 years and she will not give up all that easy money.
She will be destroyed however, If she loses the election for the republicans. But if it is not close, she can wait and torture us for the next 4 years with her antics.
Or, she may take the advice form the hands that feed her and run for some elected position in Arizona. I don’t think she could be elected dog catcher in Alaska.
But is she runs for the senate of house from Arizona and doesn’t screw up she could try in ’16 or again in ’20.
I don’t think she will though. She can’t do the hard stuff and she can’t afford to show people how inept she really really is.
The only thing palin is good for is bashing others and flirting.
Those stupid republicans must be annoyed at themselves for falling for her act!
As I have said many, many times…Palin is not now, nor has she ever been a Republican. She and her ilk infested the GOP because it was the conservative choice of the 2 main Parties. They have never had loyalty to any Party, it is all about getting a foothold.
Palin will run, and she will snub the GOP as her way of flipping them off because they have turned on her. Just look at the about-face by her creators like Wm Kristol, Fred Malek and others who were telling all of us in 2008 how qualified she was and who now say she is an idiot.
Believe me, Palin is unlike an elephant in every way but one. She is thin-skinned and the only thing she has in common with an elephant is the memory – add those up and you have a mean girl that will not rest until she strikes back and she will never forget who turned on her.
And besides that? Run, Sarah, RUN! That’s what I say. She is easier to contain and keep an eye on in the public light. Her fundraising powers are not to be taken lightly. We must all keep our eyes on who she is stomping for and where.