Palin: The Republicans' Snooki

Razib Khan thinks GOP elites gunning for Palin need to tread carefully because "Sarah Palin’s intensity of following may be inversely correlated with the the nakedness of antipathy toward her from elites":

Republican elites have been waiting for Palin to fumble to the point where she loses much of her core support. But this seems a case where the more she “fumbles” the more her core followers are reinforced in the righteousness of adhering to her cause, as she shows her humanity. On the other hand a Sarah Palin run for the highest office is probably one of the best ways for Democrats to guarantee massive turnout among their base in 2012.

This is the genius. If her campaign is simply the O'Donnell one - "I'm You" - then how does an elite hurt her without actually helping her? Even if someone found out some amazing new fact about her - the story would not be the fact, but that the liberal elitist media was out to get her. That's what happens when you have a paranoid personality cult dominating a political party.

I saw this early on when I dared to ask questions about the Trig story. Heads she wins; tails you lose. And so any actual investigation never happens, and you have pure reality television politics. The more Palin says "crap" on Fox, the wackier her Discovery Channel escapades, the sleazier Bristol's dance routines ... the more Karl Rove worries and her base rallies to her as "one of them". The worse Snooki behaves, the more famous she is, the more people decry her ... the bigger her audience.




http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/11/out-to-get-her-ctd.html

and there's nothing she can do wrong. She control about 20 - 25% of the Republican hard core base and that's a scary percentage. It's more than any other potential candidate. If she can get a savvy PR team together to help her win over a further 20%, she'll be the Rethug nominee.

And all bets are off it that happens imho. The American public has nominated Reagan and GW Bush in my lifetime alone. We are capable of some pretty serious mistakes and if the economy doesn't turn around, generating real jobs gains, Obama is in deep trouble no matter whose his opponent.

Why? Because Americans remember GWBush. Those 20% poll numbers were real and long lasting. Americans know that the last rethug president lied them into an unnecessary and very costly war and ruined a very good economy. I really think that is why so many republicans are having so much difficulty winning vs. incumbent democrats. Americans simply don't trust republicans, and there is no likely rethung candidate that will be able to mount an effective campaign vs. Obama in two years.

And unless you watch Jersey Shore regularly, it may escape you, because while Snooki may seem like a foolish character, she actually becomes much more likeable as you get to know her a bit by watching the show (of course the more we get to know Palin, the LESS likeable she becomes, but that's actually beside the point of Sullivan's piece, I think).

As with Palin, Snooki obviously has serious neuroses, but with Palin those neuroses are truly dangerous to my well-being, while Snooki's neuroses are dangerous only to her own well-being and that of those close to her.

:thumbsup:

When her followers are nothing more than brain dead zombies, she can't lose with them. On the other hand the divisions in the republican party are going to get "bigger" also. The "elite" in the party are not going to go down without a fight and let Palin take control of the party, it just isn't going to happen! She has already told those "elite" to "man up" and start supporting the idiots in the tea party, and that just isn't going to happen. Sure they are working with them now to try and take back control, but what happens later is not going to be the "elite" rolling over for the nuts who think they now have a "real" voice!

All I can say is no matter what the results are tomorrow, the republican party is in for some tough times the next two years, and the fight between Palin and the party is only going to get worse! I can't wait to see how it all turns out! :evilgrin:

When she's a has been and I never hear her name again

Palin's more like The Situation.

There's no way someone like Romney (or Huckabee for that matter) is going to roll over for Palin. I figure any legitimate contender for 2012 already has tons of opposition research completed on Sarah.

The best part is Palin's not going to be able to blame the media (not that she won't try) for her eventual destruction esp. when FOX News is going to be compelled to carry every gaffe and error she makes during the primary debates.