Sarah Palin - Independent Candidate

By Conservative Ken

Much has been written in the past two weeks about Sarah Palin's political and financial future since she announced her resignation as Governor of Alaska. Now, I'm not on Mrs. Palin's speed-dial list (to my knowledge), so she hasn't called me to talk things through. That disclaimer aside, I'd like to speculate as to her plans....

As with any politician leaving any significant office, the option for a book-writing deal is most probably out there, especially since Mrs. Palin was the Republican party's nominee for Vice-President in the last election. I'm sure there are plenty of publishers that would offer her upwards of $1 million dollars to pen a "behind the scenes" look at what transpired from the time Mrs. Palin received the call from Senator McCain until her decision to resign the governorship. So, that might be considered choice number one.

Choice number two, given the society in which we live, could be a pending offer to host a television show, much like was offered to Governor Huckabee after his failed presidential campaign. In my mind, that's a bit more risky for Mrs. Palin, as she would constantly be attacked by the Left in a sure-to-be-mounted effort to drive her from the airwaves. She resigned as governor in large part due to the constant attacks upon her, and although somewhat different in nature, she doesn't strike me as someone who particularly wants her family to be under constant attack. All things being equal, who can blame her? So, I don't think the TV route is a likely scenario.

For some reason, I just keep thinking that Mrs. Palin is thinking about forming a new political party. She's seen first-hand how she was sold down the river by the McCain people, and I think she's lost her interest in the Republican party. I would suspect that her new party would be designed to represent what the Republican party used to stand for: conservative fiscal policy, strong military, low taxes, minimal government involvement in our daily lives, pro-life, equal opportunity, and strong foreign policy. I don't think Mrs. Palin thinks the Republican party represents those values very well anymore, and quite honestly, I think she's right. I think the Republican party has been lost for a couple of years, and certainly nominating Senator McCain demonstrated that. Senator McCain is an honorable man, and clearly I supported him during the last election. That said, McCain is not, nor ever has been, a conservative. His campaign was in the tanks until he tapped Mrs. Palin on the shoulder, and suddenly his campaign had life. Sadly, the McCain people succumbed to petty jealously of Mrs. Palin, and the campaign imploded. Oddly enough, while I think an effort to create a viable third national party is admirable, I'm also wondering if Mrs. Palin is considering becoming a Libertarian. There might be an interesting discussion among existing Libertarians and Mrs. Palin, as the Libertarians have struggled mightily to put forth a credible national candidate. Mrs. Palin, regardless of what one may think about her credibility, would draw large crowds, help raise millions of dollars, attract countless frustrated Republicans, and help move the Libertarian party forward in the mainstream. Of course, it would also subject her to the endless attacks she so loathed during the past year, which might be the reason I'm off-base in my speculation.

Whatever Mrs. Palin decides, she will be fun to watch. She's that independent-thinking, strong-willed, self-sufficient woman that the Left always dreamt of - except they never envisioned that woman being a conservative.