Run, Baby, Run? The Sarah Palin Sideshow—Scottsdale Edition

Mon Mothma

It was It's a Trap!—the scene when the rebel fleet gathers to discuss the assault on the Death Star, hands out assignments, and Luke returns from Degobah.

And it's actually a very insightful theory.

I know, I know; some might object, but you're not necessarily describing a universal trait of womanhood. The whole "what a bitch" phenomenon can be set off by another stereotype, too—if she's wearing the same dress as another.

I know, I know. But I've seen it.

The question is whether or not Sarah Palin fits this arche-/stereo-type.

And it's possible. Just like it's possible to find a drunk Irishman, or a black car thief, or a racist in Alabama, yes, it is possible to find this particular stereotype within the real boundaries of womanhood.

To the other, there was that confrontation between Todd Palin and some random woman last week, and Rachel Maddow suggested on Friday that there is some insight to the Republican outlook in that; political campaigns, even hopeless ones, are often a means to another end—a bigger paycheck.

Until now, I've been one who figured Palin wouldn't run because she wanted the money she's getting in all of her other pursuits. But if she knows she can't win, can she at least boost her private-sector paycheck?

Maybe.

But I've already argued a few times that she won't run. I'll stand by that until she proves me wrong. And then I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.

 

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My belief as well.

Palin has made bazillions and is sure to make more if she runs, even if she stands no chance of making it. Same for most of the current candidates. Wonder what froth Santorum takes away from the whole thing?

~String

 

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A whole can of sheepish froth?

Lawrence O'Donnell, I think, made a joke about that a couple weeks ago, that Santorum has run such an embarrassingly awful campaign that he will have to beg for his job back at FOX News, and for a lower sum.

 

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Wait, he worked at Fox News?

Seriously, does every erstwhile Republican work there?

I was just at my dad's house two weeks ago and I noticed that he was watching a show hosted by Dana Perino. I chuckled a bit and wondered to myself if they even attempted the veneer of "fair and balanced" anymore.

On top of that, the show she was hosting had ONE not-so-liberal Democrat and FOUR Republicans.

~String

 

An intriguing theory

Aye.

The Fox News Channel said Wednesday that it had suspended the contracts of two employees, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, both of whom are considering running for president. By suspending the two men, Fox appears to be addressing long-standing questions about how to handle pundits who are contemplating political bids.

(New York Times)​

Not all of them, but yeah ....

Well, okay, the transcript is finally up (the video is split into multiple segments, and I haven't really figured out MSNBC's method) from Friday's Rachel Maddow Show:

There was a little sort of under-noticed moment on the not quite campaign trail this week in Iowa that at first glance seemed to be kind of just a snippy confrontation between a citizen and a politico. In this case, between a woman who said she's an Alaska president, and Todd Palin, who is the husband of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Now, at first glance, this is just a mano-a-womano, almost personal snip fest between the two of them. Very tense. But then Todd Palin said something here in this little snip fest that I actually think in retrospect is key to understanding at least why a lot of the people who are running for president right now are, in fact, running for president ....​

And then she launches into a long consideration of Republican candidates and their post-campaign jobs, starting with Alan Keyes is Making Sense, an MSNBC program from the late '90s:

There's a reason why more than a gadfly, less than a contender conservative candidacies are an important part of the way Republicans run for president. When Alan Keyes ran for president in the year 2001, one of the concrete outcomes of that was him getting a TV show on the cables, which not only paid him, of course, but also helped him maintain his influence. He ran for president again in 2008 and runs for Senate every time you turn around.

He even moved to Illinois at one point to run against Barack Obama for Senate in 2004. Running for office is a career strategy for Alan Keyes.

Pat Robertson ran for president in 1998 when he was already a very successful televangelist. Pat Robertson came in second at the Iowa caucuses. He got lots of attention before parlaying all of that into all sorts of ways to make money and maintain his influence, he even spoke at the Republican Convention that year.

His television empire grew. Since then, he has published about a dozen books, plus the thing about the diamond mine he owned with the dictator in Liberia. Plus, he has his age-defying shake recipe that he says allows him to leg press 2,000 pounds whenever he wants, even though he's 81.

Like Alan Keyes, being more than a gadfly but less than a contender, as a candidate a very good thing for Pat Robertson's career.

It was also good for Mike Huckabee. Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses. Was he ever going to win the Republican nomination? Who cares, when all was said and done, what he was, was a FOX News commentator with his own show called "Huckabee" with Mike Huckabee. He's published four more books since his presidential run, plus audio books. He's got his history revisionist history DVDs for kids.

One of the reasons Mike Huckabee said he wasn't going to run this time is he said he'd be walking away from a pretty good income.​

Wow. On second thought, the transcript is a mess. (They must have switched typists.)

So let us see; try these links, and I hope they work:

• The Rachel Maddow Show — Aug. 19, 2011 broadcast, general link.

• Todd Palin and the Paycheck — segment

• Means to an End — segment​

It's hardly a proven theory, but it is an intriguing possibility. The cynical part of me hearkens back to the old days, when liberals were Reds and conservatives were Bluebloods. That is, Republicans are more closely associated with capitalism, so perhaps we should not be surprised if the theory is correct.
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Notes:

The New York Times. "Gingrich and Santorum Suspended by Fox News". The Caucus. March 2, 2011. TheCaucus.Blogs.NYTimes.com. August 23, 2011. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/gingrich-and-santorum-suspended-by-fox-news/

Maddow, Rachel. The Rachel Maddow Show. MSNBC, New York. August 19, 2011. Television. MSNBC.MSN.com. August 23, 2011. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/

Transcript. August 22, 2011. MSNBC.MSN.com. August 23, 2011. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44231579/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/​