Palin's 2012 Playbook

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Broaden Your Base
Not all evangelicals are thrilled with Palin. "Bridge outward," advises Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals. "You have to get out of that mentality that it's only the base that matters. It's the independents who matter." Rather than honing her skills as a cultural warrior, says Cizik, Palin should take a page from Reagan's playbook. "If you want to be a conservative, then immerse yourself in great ideas, broaden your horizons. That's what Ronald Reagan did for 25 years. William F. Buckley's strength was that he made intelligence and intellect valuable, not something to despise." By focusing so much on class warfare, says Cizik, Palin has limited her appeal. "Her kind of campaign suggests that Christian conservatives are outcasts who need to be seduced to run against the elites," says Cizik. "That's very outdated thinking." It's OK to pal around with conservative intellectuals like William Kristol, Fred Barnes and Michael Gerson, the former Bush speechwriter.

You need a fat bank account to run on the national stage. Ask Hillary Clinton. And God knows, you don't want reporters pawing through your mortgage records in 2012; better to pay the whole thing off. But how? Alaska's ethics laws preclude cashing in as governor with a TV gig or speaking fees. If you don't run for re-election in 2010, you can cash in. According to the Hollywood Reporter, several producers are working on "the ideal on-air deal vehicle" for you. According to the trade paper, those options include a reality show on your family, or an afternoon talk show. A cable deal, a la Mike Huckabee's recent show on FOX, is another option. But resist the temptations. If you continue to brand yourself as a celebrity, it's going to be hard for people to take your seriously. "The spotlight is good," says Wright. "But not if it's done in a way that trivializes the person."

Let's just say you decide not to run for re-election. That gives you two years between 2010 and 2012 to fill the till. After all, Tina Fey just landed a book deal estimated between $3 and $4 million. Publishing sources say a tell-all about your weeks as McCain's running mate could yield a similar paycheck. But beware of appearing venal or ungrateful. After all, these are the guys who called you a "diva" when you were still on the ticket. A lot of Americans have doubts that you ever read a book. Show them you can write one. But make it the right one.

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Posted By: NedHop @ 11/24/2009 1:35:52 AM

Mark Sanford? You've got to be kidding.
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Posted By: Mwalimu @ 11/15/2009 1:22:07 PM

So Sarah Palin has to get featured in the Christian network because after all she is supposed to be a Christian.

Very well. Let's look at health care reform and ask a simply question. What would Jesus do? Jesus healed the sick. Never once did he ask about health insurance coverage. Jesus told the rich man to "sell all you have and give to the poor." St. Paul writes that "the love of money is the root of all evil." Our current system of for-profit health care, which robs you when you are will and drops you when you get sick - is an affront to Christianity.

And what can we say about the title of Sarah Palin's book, Going Rogue. A rogue by definition is a cheat, a crook, a liar, a fraud, and a hypocrite. A rogue finds nothing wrong with bearing false witness - and this is precisely what Sarah Palin did when she accused Obama of pulling the plug on grandma or setting up government death panels. (Actually for proft health insurance companies employe death panels to cut off treatments to people who are too sick to cure profitably.)

I am sure various so-called "Christian" groups will welcome Sarah Palin with open arms. But remember Jesus said "Beware of those who come in my name and are not of me."That very definitely applies to all the Christian groups mentioned in this article as well as Sarah Palin. They are nothing but a bunch of God frauds who steal in the name of the Lord.
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Posted By: jlgab @ 11/15/2009 12:51:15 PM

Palin is a fraud and an idiot - she would have served well under Bush! Africa - Heellloooo? She needs to worry about how she mis-billed her fellow Alaskans for her and her families time and travel. Troopergate wouldn't have happened if she wouldn't have let her personal problems get in the way of her professional decisions. She couldn't even tell the truth about something as simple as the sale of the State of Alaska's airplane. Palin admitted to smoking marijuana which made me wonder after she bombed her interview with Katie Couric so bad, had Palin JUST smoked some of that wacky weed? Palin should have stayed home to tend to her pregnant unwed minor teenage daughter instead of traveling the US and patting herself on the back every step of the way. Where O Where will she do her shopping now? When O When will she drive on her Bridge to Nowhere? Palin should not throw stones while living in a glass house.

She might have been able to gain some credibility had she not allowed herself to be pimped out so quick and easily by McCain's camp to do the dirty work by bashing Obama without merit. And now she publicly blames McCain's camp for 'MAKING' her bash Obama. My My MY what a web we weave. Funny what comes around goes around, what is more funny, is the bashing she is getting is coming from her own party! Gotta love it!

Palin is so self-absorbed, it is sickening to listen to her give herself a pat on her own back every time she talks. She doesn't even allow Todd so answer questions posed to him.