Sarah Palin's Presidential Strategy / Robert Reich's Blog

[Mira]

(edited for copyright purposes proud patriot Moderator Democratic Underground)

25 November 10

Sarah Palin's Presidential Strategy, and the Economy She Depends On

Monday night, Sarah Palin watched from the audience as daughter Bristol danced on ABC. Twenty-three million other Americans joined her from their homes. Tuesday, the former vice-presidential candidate started a 13-state book tour for her new book, "America By Heart," which has a first printing of 1 million. Her reality show on TLC, "Sarah Palin's Alaska," is in its third week. Last Sunday she was the cover story in the New York Times magazine.

It's all part of The Palin Strategy for becoming president in 2012 - or 2016 or 2020.

Republican leaders don't believe it. "If she wanted the Republican nomination she'd be working on the inside," one influential Republican told me a few days ago. "She'd be building relationships with Republican Senators and representatives, governors, and state party officials. She'd be smoothing the feathers she ruffled by backing Tea Party candidates. She'd be huddled with GOP kingmakers." When I suggested she has a different strategy, the influential Republican smiled knowingly. "That's how it's done - how McCain, Bush, and everyone has done it. That's the only way to do it. But all she really wants is celebrity."

The Republican establishment doesn't get it. Celebrity is part of The Palin Strategy - as is avoiding the insider game. She doesn't want to do what Huckabee, Pawlenty, Gingrich, or Romney have to do. She has an outside game.

Palin's game plan is directly related to America' white working class, and the economy it faces - and the economy it's likely to continue to experience for years.

No prospective candidate so sharply embodies the anger of America's white working class as does Palin. And none is channeling that anger nearly as effectively.

[Historic NY]

1. She is trying to run a Facebook/Twitter election her followers eat it up Sarah speaks.

[tblue37]

2. And the dumbass media play right into her hands, breathlessly reporting on any little

brain droppings on her FB or Twitter account--even though many of them are not even written by La Palin herself.

[emilyg]

4. As does DU.

[JTFrog]

16. Not limited to Palin by any means. n/t

[felinetta]

17. How many follower her on Facebook/Twitter? Is it her small group of fans?

[madinmaryland]

3. Joblessness among the white working class is far higher than the 9.6 percent average for the nation

What about African Americans and Hispanic Americans??

It's the whole working middle class that is hurting. Maybe it is just the racist white working middle class that is angry at a black President.

:shrug:

[spanone]

5. she scares the shit out of me.

[Debuttante]

6. I wouldn't waste my time if I was here

She's too dumb to win.

[TalkingDog]

7. I said the same things about Ronald Reagan and GW Bush

And for fucks sake, look how that turned out.

[CrispyQ]

18. Yes, but they were puppets. Palin's a loose cannon.

She will thumb her nose at the republican elite & do what she wants. They don't care if their candidate is dumb, but that candidate needs to be one they can control.

[TalkingDog]

19. Bwahahahaahhahahhaaaa.... you think she can't be controlled?

WOOT!

Here's how the politics of idiots works:

Some people you control by co-opting = Reagan and GWB
Reagan was a lifelong Dem until he realized he would stand a shot at winning CA as a 'thuglican.
GWB wanted to show his daddy he was a real man.

They were easy to co-opt. You just had to feed their fantasy.

Palin takes a bit more effort, but it's essentially the same process. Instead of catering to her desire, you cater to her excessive paranoia and vindictiveness. She would make Nixon look like a choir boy. You cater to her view of herself as an intelligent person (in other words her vanity). Trust me, give me 30 minutes and I could have her agreeing with every plank on the Democratic Platform.

She's only a loose cannon if nobody figures out her "tell" (poker term giveaway behavior) Unfortunately, she pretty much broadcasts them 24/7.

[CrispyQ]

22. "...give me 30 minutes and I could have her agreeing with every plank on the Democratic Platform."

If you say so. :rofl:

[Republican25]

9. Dumb

Dude, look around you. Enough voters (especially Tea Party males) are dumb enough to vote for Palin. If dumb managed to elect Reagan, Bush I and Bush II, then they would be dumb enough to vote for dumb in 2012.

[TalkingDog]

20. I never thought I'd say this, but

compared to his son, Bush I is a Rhodes Scholar.

[Republican25]

8. Sarah Palin

The Tea Party disgusts me. As a formerly GOP male, I find it extremely disturbing that these Tea Party males would vote for Sarah Palin simply because they had the "hots" for her. That's awfully stupid if you ask me.

[Mimosa]

10. "Aftershock" by Robert Reich is a must read.

"The Work of Nations" and "Supercapitalism" are very good.

The other night a friend and I were yakking and we basically said what Reich wrote here:

"The Palin Strategy is to circumvent the Republican establishment, filled as it is with career Republicans, business executives, and Wall Streeters. That's why her path to the Republican nomination isn't the usual insider game. It's a celebrity game - a snark-fest with the nation's entire white working class. Vote for Bristol and we'll show the media establishment how powerful we are! Buy my book and we'll show the know-it-all coastal elites a real book directed at real people! Tune into my cable show and we'll show the real America - far from the urban centers with immigrants and blacks and fancy city slickers!

As I believe will become clearer, the Palin Strategy will involve a political threat to the GOP establishment: Deny her the nomination she'll run as independent. This will split off much of the white working class and guarantee defeat of the Republican establishment candidate. It will also result in her defeat in 2012, but that's a small price to pay for gaining the credibility and power to demand the nomination in 2016, or threaten another third-party run in 2020."

[watercolors]

11. I hope this country as not reached that level of stupidity!

nt

[ProSense]

12. Reich is right except it's not Sarah Palin's strategy

it's the Republican strategy just as was the teabaggers were.

"The Palin Strategy is to circumvent the Republican establishment, filled as it is with career Republicans, business executives, and Wall Streeters."

The primary person propping up Palin is none other than Rupert Murdoch.

Consider this WSJ editorial claim: The former Alaskan Governor showed sound political and economic instincts by inveighing forcefully against the Federal Reserve's latest round of quantitative easing.

It's the GOP strategy, and this moron is the pitch person. She's the face of the Republicans' desire to destroy the country for political gain.

They're playing with fire in the same way they did with the teabaggers, but the potential danger is secondary to achieving their political goal.

[TalkingDog]

21. What you said +10000

[Arkansas Granny]

13. I believe she still has the "beauty queen" mentality that sees the Presidential

campaign as nothing more than a popularity contest. Her ego completely overshadows any kind of logic and common sense.

[H2O Man]

14. Recommended.

Thank you for providing this. I've noticed a few DUers complaining about Sarah Palin threads. I am not interested in the ones about if she has less than perfect diction. I am definitely interested in OPs of high quality and significance. This one is the best example.

[morningglory]

15. What H2O said... nt