Sarah Palin announced yesterday that she will not run for president in 2012. That means, of course, that Republican candidates are already courting the Tea Party darling.
Sarah Palin finally made it official: she will not run for the White House in 2012. “I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States,” said the former Alaska governor after months of “crying wolf” about her hypothetical candidacy.
Later, after the announcement, Palin appeared on Fox News’ Greta van Susteren’s show to further explain herself, and revealed that Republican hopefuls are already calling her up for an endorsement.
That, she believes, shows that she can still be an “effective” policy broker for the GOP.
I concluded that I can be an effective voice and a real decisive role in helping get true public servants elected to office, not just in the presidency but we have 33 senate seats coming up, we have a House of Representatives that we need to strengthen in numbers… I believe I can be an effective voice for some positive change in these positions.
Palin went on to tell her supporters, “When [you] take a step back, [you] will understand why the decision was made and understand that, really, you don’t need a title to make a difference in this country. I think that I’m proof of that.”
Palin has indeed been a force to be reckoned with over the past three years, both in terms of rallying the Tea Party and in terms of changing the face of political fame.
Conor Friedersdorf at ‘The Atlantic’ explains:
The former Alaska governor came along after two trends had taken hold on the American scene. The first was a certain kind of celebrity.
…
The other trend is the monetization of ideology… Today, movement conservatism is a multibillion-dollar industry that encompasses pundits, talk radio broadcasters, publishing imprints, a cable news channel, and speaking engagements galore. Saying conservative sounding things to conservatives who like to hear their worldview flattered is a well-trod path to wealth, especially if you’re blessed with charisma.Sarah Palin understood these two trends, and benefited in unprecedented ways from their intersection.
From books to reality shows to celebrity offspring, Palin turned herself and her family into a brand. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the former Alaska governor has staying power. In fact, her decision has already garnered some ire from her colleagues at Fox News.
Alexander Burns reports that the team at ‘Fox and Friends’ this morning “chuckled” and mocked Palin’s announcement, which co-host Brian Kilmeade described as “circuitous.” I wouldn’t be surprised if more right-wing and conservatives deride Palin for her months-long game of “will she or won’t she.”
“Her cat-and-mouse game about whether she would run for president seemed to grow older by the day with journalists, pundits, her fellow Republicans and even members of the public,” writes Michael D. Schear at ‘The New York Times.’ “Several public polls in recent weeks have suggested that her influence, even among conservative Republicans, has waned significantly since the months after the 2008 election.”
Even if Palin wields a modicum of influence in this election, it’s doubtful she will be able to hang on past the next political go-round. She will, like so many stars before her, fade into the background, becoming a distant memory as someone else takes her place in the spotlight.
