Palin's 'I can win' claim: Delusional?

Newsweek's latest cover showcases a feature on Sarah Palin and the provocative grab quote: "I can win." In the 7,000-word article, Palin tells Newsweek's Peter Boyer that she believes she "can win a national election." When their conversation turns to the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Palin says she's still thinking about whether to jump in, then adds: "I'm not so egotistical as to believe that it has to be me, or it can only be me, to turn things around.... But I do believe that I can win." Well, could she?

Not even Palin believes this "lunacy": Palin's declaration "is laughable on its face when you know that her 'unfavorable' rating rests at an unelectable 57.9 percent," says Jonathan Capehart in The Washington Post. She knows it, too. In fact, it's "mystifying" that anyone thinks her hagiographic movie, short-lived bus tour, and the "nuttiness" in her Newsweek profile are anything but a bid to recapture the wandering spotlight. Palin "is a star," but not a presidential contender.

"Sarah Palin as Newsweek cover girl — again"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Critics don't get Palin's appeal: The only thing standing in Palin's path is "the hysterical level of character assassination that prevails on the Left," says John Sexton in Verum Serum. And she can overcome that. The Right hated Hillary Clinton, but she won her Senate seat, because "a lot of voters don't believe the negatives," or don't care. And as with Hillary, tons of people connect with Palin "on an emotional, almost spiritual level" — and they think she has "the right enemies."

"Palin can win, just like Hillary did in New York"

You've got to admire her bravado: Maybe Palin's "popularity among Republicans and conservatives warrants that pretty impressive confidence," says Tina Korbe in Hot Air, but the polls sure don't. The biggest thing in Palin's favor is the weak, dull GOP field. And who knows? Perhaps her "cockiness" about winning can light a fire under the whole lot of them. Either way, "if she's going to get in, I wish she’d get in now, so folks would stop evaluating her non-campaign-campaign tactics."

"Sarah Palin in Newsweek: 'I can win'"