Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:01 pm
One of these things is not like the other.
Sarah Palin’s 2012 strategy has now become so obvious that even the mainstream media can’t miss it. She is out to sell herself to Republicans as the heir to the legacy of Ronald Reagan. From her real American stories to constant name dropping of the former president, Palin seems stuck in the 1980s, and obsessed with reanimating the corpse of a political era that has long since past.
Yesterday for the 66th Anniversary of D-Day, Palin took to her Facebook page to reprint some quotes from Reagan’s 26 year old D-day speech. Her strategy of name dropping Reagan has become so obvious that even the mainstream sites and bloggers like The Huffington Post and Marc Ambinder have picked up on it. They both note the fact that Palin kept name dropping Reagan while in Illinois, and they used the mentally challenged kids over at Conservatives for Palin as their reference to push the rumor that Palin will announce her presidential candidacy on February 6, 2011. This is a rumor that I will knock down in just a little bit.
Palin has been sowing the seeds of her plot to cast herself as the new Republican messiah for quite a while now. Her bombed out Fox News special was titled “Real American Stories,” and their website claimed that their mission was to, “This campaign was created to share American stories and to help us appreciate who we are, where we come from, and how truly fortunate we are to be part of the American experience.”
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It sounds like Sarah is really trying hard to inspire this kind of mood:
Palin’s new book is described by her publisher Harper Collins as, “Framed by her strong belief in the importance of family, faith, and patriotism, the book ranges widely over American history, culture, and current affairs, and reflects on the key values—both national and spiritual-that have been such a profound part of Governor Palin’s life and continue to inform her vision of America’s future. Written in her own refreshingly candid voice, America By Heart will include selections from classic and contemporary readings that have moved her-from the nation’s founding documents to great speeches, sermons, letters, literature and poetry, biography, and even some of her favorite songs and movies. Here, too, are portraits of some of the extraordinary men and women she admires and who embody her deep love of country, her strong rootedness in faith, and her profound love and appreciation of family.”
Palin is not only attempting to inherit Reagan’s legacy, she wants to be Reagan. It is obvious that Palin is going to wrap herself even tighter in flag in the hope that patriotism, not intellect can carry her to the White House. Palin’s strategy is destined to fail, because it isn’t 1980, or 1984 anymore, Barack Obama is not Jimmy Carter, and Sarah Palin is definitely not Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was a two term governor of a large state, but Palin could survive a half term in quite possibly the most obscure American state.
Reagan was an outstanding campaigner. Palin memorizes one stump speech and repeats it over and over, and over again. Reagan never backed down from an interview. Palin never grants an interview to anyone other than Fox News. Reagan had a clearly defined political direction for the country. Palin has a clearly defined vision to pad her bank account. As much it must hurt her followers to hear, Sarah Palin is no Ronald Reagan. Heck, Sarah Palin isn’t even Bob Dole, and even Dan Quayle is more accomplished than Palin ever likely will be.
Lastly, let’s put this stupid right wing wet dream of Sarah Palin announcing her presidential candidacy in Illinois during Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday to bed. There is one simple reason why Palin won’t announce her candidacy on Reagan’s 100th birthday. If The Huffington Post, or Marc Ambinder or anyone else pushing this rumor would have done two minutes worth of research, they would have realized that February 6, 2011 is the date of the Super Bowl.
No presidential candidate, unless they want absolutely zero media coverage, would ever announce their candidacy on Super Bowl Sunday. This would be like announcing your candidacy on Christmas. Super Bowl Sunday has become a national holiday, and it would be a waste of time and resources for a candidate to announce that day. Plus, why would Palin announce in a state, which she has zero chance of carrying? The Reagan’s birthday thing sounds like a rumor made up by fan boys. Palin will announce, but look for it to be in a Red State, possibly at a big event like the Tea Party convention. The Reagan’s birthday rumor makes zero political sense.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
