Originally Posted By: BASAMS The Plumber
back the discussion, why do you think the liberals notably the Huffington post worry about her so much if they believe her career is dead?


I just caught up on your comments, BSAMS.

And you make a good point, that if the left/media weren't concerned about Palin, they wouldn't continue to go after her, and far beyond that, really extend themselves and their credibility to trash her.

My instinct is what I said above.

But Sarah Palin is also still the most popular Republican out there (more popular than my own choice of Romney). And it's precisely her un-conventionalness and candid manner that make her popular with many.

Even some in the liberal media acknowledge this.
Borrowing from Dan Baltz of the Washington Post:


 Quote:
Their reasoning followed conventional assumptions about what it takes to mount a national campaign -- that, in surrendering the governor's office in Alaska and ending her brief tenure in statewide office, she leaves behind a thin record on which to base a national bid.

Yet it has been obvious that Alaska is a difficult place from which to participate in the national debate, both because of its physical distance from the rest of the United States and because of its culture and identity. Freed of the constraints of her office, Palin could become a more engaged participant in the national debate.

"My contrarian take is, almost everyone I talk to thinks it's crazy, but I wonder maybe it's crazy like a fox," said Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, who has been defending Palin this past week.

Kristol's view is that spending another 18 months in office in Alaska will not convince skeptics that Palin is ready to be president. Instead, he said, she can use this time to travel the country and the world, to immerse herself in policy issues and to campaign for Republican candidates, without facing questions every time she leaves the state about whether she is shirking her responsibilities.

"It's a heck of a gamble, but it might pay off," Kristol said.

Few who have watched Palin doubt her ability to attract attention, command a following and make herself a force, should she choose to run for president. Democratic and Republican strategists agree that she has charisma and a personality that connects with people.

"The skills she has are formidable and unteachable," Mark Salter, who was one of McCain's top advisers, said after he heard the news of her resignation.



and

 Quote:
All of that may mean little to the supporters who flocked to Palin during the presidential campaign and who remain loyal to her. She had far more appeal than McCain last year and drew far bigger crowds than he ever could. How they will see yesterday's announcement is not known, but they have tended to be both protective and forgiving of Palin as she has charted her unusual course through national politics.

A Republican strategist who got to know her over the past year, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to offer a candid opinion, said this: "She has a base in the party that's motivated like no one else's, and this decision won't bother them. I don't know if she'll run. I don't know if she could win if she ran. But I'm sure she has a shot.