tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post1879597256522644061..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Palin as the Test CaseJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-62822706942402810022010-04-12T13:32:30.590-05:002010-04-12T13:32:30.590-05:00Aside from Palin's general incompetence, I am ...Aside from Palin's general incompetence, I am most worried about her apocalyptic, end-of-days worldview as a means to bringing about the next coming of Christ.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-44200265552049115092010-04-12T13:05:21.989-05:002010-04-12T13:05:21.989-05:00^The truly crazy thing about Palin is that she rea...^The truly crazy thing about Palin is that she really does "go rogue," in that she has ended up burning every single handler who has ever enabled her. So it's entirely possible that she wouldn't listen to the Cheneys of the world, but believe that her purely uninformed decisions are correct. <br /><br />Which brings me to what I see as a truly fascinating (and frightening) situation, for which I'm curious to have other's opinions about. <br /><br />Here it goes: Imagine you've got a President Palin. For whatever reason it actually happened. And then you have another 9/11-type situation, thousands (or more) of Americans killed, except this time it's terrorists from Pakistan. It doesn't really matter where they're from, but stay with me. And President Palin, being wholly uninformed yet confident in all decisions (possibly because she believes she's channeling Jesus' will), orders a nuclear strike on Pakistan (or Afghanistan, or Sudan, or wherever). <br /><br />Every handler with actual strategic experience or foresight tells her it's a terrible idea of historic proportions, but she's Sarah Palin -- she's going rogue, aka she's the decider. And she wants us to nuke Pakistan. <br /><br />Am I wrong in thinking that, as President, she would actually have the authority to drop the bomb? That as the head of the military, any underling who refused to push the button would be derelict in their duty and thus relieved of it. And thus, President Palin could literally start World War III on some kind of whim. <br /><br />Thoughts? It's not entirely impossible, is it?Dave Fnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-33391563242584724082010-04-12T10:59:10.035-05:002010-04-12T10:59:10.035-05:00alternately, it could very well prove to be the pe...alternately, it could very well prove to be the perfect storm for canny Republican leadership and <br />"conservative" "entertainers" - what better puppet could they ask for. with little real experience or even a modicum of governing capacity, a Palin presidency would rely almost completely on the men behind the curtain.gravityisadraghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10849354234455527070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-22138395050579059772010-04-12T10:54:58.808-05:002010-04-12T10:54:58.808-05:00How about she runs, but as a 3rd party candidate. ...How about she runs, but as a 3rd party candidate. That could really throw the election a wicked monkey wrench Ross Perot style.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-5093988265632147072010-04-12T10:39:41.633-05:002010-04-12T10:39:41.633-05:00Any way we can access your article on elites selec...Any way we can access your article on elites selecting the 2004 Democratic nominee without a subscription?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-41997763620508467302010-04-08T23:03:00.612-05:002010-04-08T23:03:00.612-05:00A point Jonathan has made many times before, but w...A point Jonathan has made many times before, but worth re-stating:<br /><br />Rush & Hannity (& Fox) win financially if Palin is nominated and then loses.<br /><br />A situation where party leaders' incentives are not clearly aligned with winning elections? Not a stable equilibrium.tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13145639900234999261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-18747550320384293792010-04-08T21:20:45.659-05:002010-04-08T21:20:45.659-05:00Linked fixed -- thanks.
As far as what party lead...Linked fixed -- thanks.<br /><br />As far as what party leaders could do to derail Palin, I'm including people such as Rush and Hannity and the rest among the party leaders. If they, and prominent pols, speak up against her (or even just for someone else) she would rapidly find herself with very little support. As it is, don't confuse the enthusiasm for her now with clear support for her as a presidential candidate, especially against other Republicans. <br /><br />BTW, I have no idea and I don't think anyone else does either, but lately I'm thinking that it's somewhat less likely that she'll be running in 2012. But of course that's just a guess, and not a solid one at that.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-480204164052535982010-04-08T20:57:40.052-05:002010-04-08T20:57:40.052-05:00Jonathan,
aren't you missing a McArdle link? I...Jonathan,<br />aren't you missing a McArdle link? I'm curious.tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13145639900234999261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-89226202201287976252010-04-08T16:28:47.943-05:002010-04-08T16:28:47.943-05:00I really hope you're right that GOP head honch...I really hope you're right that GOP head honchos will be smart enough to realize that a Palin nomination would be embarrassing for the party at best and disastrous for the country at worst.<br /><br />But then I wonder... what if Palin decides to run, raises a ton of money through small donations next year without a lot of help from the national party, and builds formidable leads in primary polls. (This is not an unlikely scenario.)<br /><br />What could party leaders possibly do to stop her momentum? <br /><br />And who would those party leaders be?<br /><br />(If Palin is in a strong position in January 2012, wouldn't <i>she</i> be the de facto head of the party?)Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15913245096162048743noreply@blogger.com