Has Sarah Palin become the ‘community organizer’ she once disdained?
Sarah Palin appears on Oprah Winfrey (True/Slant screen grab)
Perhaps you’ve read about what Sarah Palin had to say in her friendly sit down with Oprah Winfrey to flack the book a ghost writer helped her compose, Going Rogue. This quip in particular:
When asked about her plans for 2012, Palin said that a presidential run in two years is “not on my radar screen right now.”
“I am dealing with so many issues that are important to me,” she said. “What I am seeing every day is that you don’t need a title to be important.”
via Sarah Palin tells Oprah 2012 run not on radar – Andy Barr – POLITICO.com.
I just figured it was worth lining that up against what she had to say during her 2008 Republican National Convention speech about the difference between a small-town mayor (her) and a former community organizer (then Senator Barack Obama):
Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska…
(APPLAUSE)
… I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involved.
(APPLAUSE)
I guess — I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.
Barack Obama: Community organizer to state senator to US Senator to 44th US President.
Sarah Palin: Small-town mayor to half-term governor to…community organizer?
Sounds like it to me. Palin’s presidential prospects seem so nil at this stage – she’s a polarizing lightning rod who didn’t finish her term as governor and is now backpedaling to say she’s not at fault for landing Republicans in the dog house. But in being able to ‘make a difference’ without ‘having a title,’ she’s showing that she can rally communities of conservatives effectively. And that’s a lesson Barack Obama learned two decades ago.
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I don’t know if she has presidential aspirations, but I’d bet dollars to donuts that she has political aspirations. But if that falls through she can always go with the NASCAR model gig.
I think Palin is capable of much more than a NASCAR model. However superfluous her knowledge of policy is, she’s got killer political instincts in certain circumstances. She’s figured out how to identify an ecosystem that lacks any big game, and she moves into it and advances rapidly to the top of the food chain. That’s the state Alaska was in when she ran for Governor, and it was not the state America was in when she ran for VP, which explains her failure.
That said, I don’t think she’ll run for POTUS unless she thinks she really can win. While I could see a scenario in which wrapped up the nomination, I don’t think the Democrats of 2012 will be in such a state of disarray that she could build an organization to beat them. 2016, well, it could be another story.
But I think to imply she’ll end up modeling for NASCAR doesn’t really give enough respect to how much she has accomplished politically in her brief career. As a figurehead/turnout machine for conservative Republicans, she can play a very powerful role. If they keep her out of purple states, and keep her to traditional Republican bastions, she will help the GOP sustain its current base in a serious way.
In response to another comment. See in context »