O'Donnell's win: Has it made Palin the 2012 nominee?
Palin's support helped Tea Partier Christine O'Donnell win in Delaware. Did it also give Palin a lock on 2012?
The 2010 election season has barely begun, but the shocking upset by the Sarah Palin–like (and Palin-backed) Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell in Delaware has pundits looking ahead at 2012. And what a growing number see, with delight or dismay, is Palin emerging as the inevitable GOP presidential nominee. Given the Tea Party's evident muscle and its allegiance to Palin, says Paul Mirengoff in PowerLine, "the nomination is Sarah Palin's to lose." Is Palin 2012 a foregone conclusion? (Watch Jon Stewart's take)
Who could beat Palin now? "I haven't wanted to believe this," says David Frum at Frum Forum, but such declarations are "looking prophetic" after O'Donnell's win. The other GOP options for 2012 — Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, and the best nominee we'll never have: Mitch Daniels — are tainted by their belief in science and the realities of the political landscape. Republican voters seem determined to make Palin our next Barry Goldwater.
"Is Palin now the 2012 frontrunner?"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
It's too soon to make the call: "Palin is not as unelectable as O'Donnell," says Jonathan Chait in The New Republic. But O'Donnell is "kind of a more Palin-y Palin," and her campaign can be seen as a "dry run for Palin '12." Watch what lessons the GOP establishment and Tea Party base draw from O'Donnell's loss. That, and "the state of the economy in 2012," hold the keys to Palin's political fortunes.
"Christine O'Donnell '10, a dry run for Palin '12"
Watch for the hangover: Palin's "career rises or falls" on one big question, says Michael Wolff in Newser. As more and more 2010 voters giddily "depart the mainstream — does the euphoria and joie de guerre last through the night?" This year the political "mainstream" is "a handicapped place," and the fringe is an exciting realm of "political plasticity and fabulousness." But a lot can happen in two years.
"Was last night good for Sarah Palin?"
O'Donnell is part of Palin's master plan: Palin's enviable track record of picking (and making) winners this year will help her regardless, says Shushannah Walshe in The Daily Beast. When (not if) she runs in 2012, those indebted soldiers in her "upstart army" will be a valuable asset. And "if Palin's endorsees are elected this fall and in office come 2012, it would be easier for her to govern" — as President Palin.
"Palin's wins stoke White House run"
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Republicans want to silence Israel's opponents'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - priority delivery, USPS on fire, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published