In that alternate reality Up North, Gov. Sarah Palin is back home with her new fame and wardrobe, while Ted Stevens seems to have won reelection to his Senate seat.
The careers of Alaska's two media stars have been intertwined since before Palin emerged and ran for the state house in 2006, and the conjunction will clearly continue.
Senate Republicans, anxious to escape the past and look to the future, would undoubtedly pressure the 84-year-old convicted felon to step aside to let Palin run for the seat in a special election early next year.
That would pose a slight problem for John McCain's running mate, who attained national stature without showing any knowledge whatsoever about substantive issues. As a senator, she would be a politician, to quote her convention speech, "with actual responsibilities" to know what's involved in proposed legislation and cast votes.
But her admirers at the National Review and Weekly Standard would be happy to supply tutelage, and it would be hard for Palin to resist the spotlight and remain frozen in Juneau.
As she told Rush Limbaugh, she is not bothered by the pesky attentions of the mainstream media: "Well, yeah, I guess that message is they do want me to sit down and shut up. But that's not going to happen. I care too much about this great country."
In his concession speech last night, McCain called Palin "an impressive new voice in our party for reform and the principles that have always been our greatest strength" and in Washington she would have much more occasion to wear the designer clothes that Republican contributors bought for her.
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2 comments:
Will the GOP learn from this rout: that had they embrased Moderate McCain, they could have been accepted by the electorate and seen te White House. That had they stayed away from divisive speech, they would have rallied those independents, who were lookin for true mavericks, and unified the US, not just divide the party. Or will they merely note that Sarah Palin brings up a lot of emotion and looks good on TV (even SNL!) and pander to the far right even more? I think I know the answer. I dearly hope I will be wrong.
The GOP can reshape themselves based on a shift in ideology or by who makes herself/himself available as a candidate.
The GOP lost because they tried to appeal to the far right base of the party instead of moving to the center where elections are won. If Palin makes herself available, the GOP can either make this stupid blunder again, or skip over and choose someone more mainstream next time.
Whether they read tea leaves or chew khat, it will be interesting.
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