Sarah Palin is extremely popular among a certain percentage of the American people, and many people think she should run for President in 2012. Behind the scenes, many Republicans, both those planning to run and others in positions of leadership or influence, hope she will not run, as they fear that she could weaken the party and cause a massive defeat in 2012, negating any gains that might be made in the midterm elections in November!
Sarah Palin will have to decide in the next six to nine months, at the most, whether she will plunge into the race! It is extremely doubtful that she will read, watch or listen to anyone who she sees as a naysayer, but in any case, the author will explain below why Sarah should NOT run!
1. You have a family that really needs you to spend more time at home! You have a disabled son who needs his mother more than he has you around! You have two daughters who need to have their mother in their life more, so that they will not become pregnant while in high school, and before they are married! Your husband could use you to be more involved in family matters, than in self promotion for one’s own ego!
2. You need to be honest, Sarah! You are a person who is very attractive in person, and seems very energetic and enthusiastic when you speak in public! But you have shown no evidence of having any great knowledge about economics, science, or international relations! You don’t seem to read very much, or have much interest in learning from others, including those who may disagree with you! You allow your religious beliefs to overwhelm common sense and to shape your public statements! You are intellectually inferior to the challenges of making tough decisions, as you have never had to do anything significant as Governor of Alaska, a state with the population the size of a congressional district! You might have great advisors as President, although you might also be subject to manipulation by others and make bad choices, as for instance Richard Nixon did when he was President! Would you really want to have to be awakened in the middle of the night to make a tough, immediate decision, when you have no experience in any political position that you have not quit because of boredom or lack of interest?
3. Running for President is HARD work, something you are adverse to, Sarah! Pat Buchanan, who ran for President a few times, makes clear that it is hard, retail work, not all glory and fame! You would have to be involved in debates with your Republican challengers and with the President of the United States! You would have to face interviews with media of all kinds, and if you refused to do so, you would be bitterly attacked, and not only by Democrats, but also Republicans! You would have to take definite stands on issues, and would make a lot of enemies, and your crowds would include many who do NOT adulate you, and you are not good at accepting criticism! You are a lazy person, who will not like being on camera and audio for 18 hours a day, will not like being second guessed all of the time, and will discover for the first time in your life what real WORK is! Sarah, do you really want to put yourself through all this? Think hard about it, Sarah, before you take the step that will change your life, and wear you down, and even have the effect of aging you earlier than necessary!
4. You will have to give up your lucrative income, as you cannot charge for speeches at universities and political gatherings anymore, if you run for President! You will not be able to have a reality series on cable anymore, and will not have time to write more books with shadow assistance, to gain royalties! It is so much more fun to endorse others, and speak for others, and keep your Fox News Channel salary, and have Sean Hannity, Bill O”Reilly, and Glenn Beck fawn and gush over you! Do you really want to give all of this up, which has given you at least $12 million income, if not more, in the past two years?
5. Finally, John McCain honored you and made you what you are, a multimillionaire, which you never would have been without him! You owe him a debt of gratitude that cannot be fully repaid, and he has been very good to you, and supportive of you ever since he chose you to run with him for Vice President! But isn’t it your responsibility to be thankful, and also realistic, about your talents, abilities, and character? Should you not look in the mirror and realize that you have been put into a position in public affairs way beyond your own reality, and that you need to be appreciative, but not burden your party and the nation with unsightly ambitions, which would, if by some freak chance, led to the White House, would be a danger to the American future? Not everyone, in fact most people, who may fantasize about being President should be President, as this is a position that requires the BEST among us, not just any average American! And yes, there certainly are women who could be qualified to be President, but face the facts, YOU ARE NOT ONE OF THEM, SARAH! Stop living in a fantasy of your own making, Sarah, and do what is right for you, your family, and the country: ANNOUNCE SOON YOU ARE NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, so that we can focus and concentrate on those who ARE qualified to compete in running for the White House! It would be the patriotic thing to do, to recognize your own limitations, and be thankful for the role you already have in political life!
Assuredly, this advice from the author will NOT be paid attention to, or even noticed by Sarah Palin, but this is a heartfelt appeal for reason, rather than emotion, to control her decision making process!
Wow, I think Mrs. Palin should consider hiring you as a personal consultant for her affairs. Great perspective. I really liked how you addressed her need to be more involved in the life of her own family instead of the chase for fame and glory.
I agree that Sarah Palin does not seem to have the intellectual capacity to handle a position as prestigious and demanding as the office of the President, since she could barely handle managing a state that has a population size of some American cities. Her constant appearances in the media and self promoting gatherings are indicative of her lack of knowledge. She speaks without ever considering a filter. She lacks the ability to think objectively and keep her religious beliefs out of the equation.
I really am concerned with the tone of her statements. Saying things like “don’t retreat, reload”, suggesting Obama had created Death Panels for America’s seniors who are “expendable” under the health care system, demanding Rahm Emmanuel step down for his “retarded” remarks but yet defending Dr. Laura Schlesinger’s racist comments brings her character into question.
Palin is a beautiful woman, but no person should be elected because they seem like the “candidate that I can share a beer with” or the “candidate who I’d like to sleep with”. Electing officials based on physical appearance and not on the substance of the issues and platforms is what is killing this nation. Very few Americans seem to pay attention to the “key details” and instead, get caught up in the mixture of pop culture and politics. Should Americans be so concerned with what Rosie O’ Donnell or Toby Keith have to say about the War in Iraq or Health Care? How about interviewing economists, specialists in their fields, college professors and paying stronger attention to what they have to say.
It’s painful to see Palin’s rise in American politics and see the negative transformation and career crash that Senator McCain has experienced. I do blame him for selling out his values and for shedding his moderate persona for one that appeals to the looney tunes in the Tea Party.