All the speculation about Palin's future overlooks one essential fact

[Stinky The Clown]

She is dumb.

She may have a successful minor league political career and good instincts for the game, but instinct is distinct from intelligence. Squirrels have the instinct to get out of the way of an oncoming car .... but look at the squirrely path they need to follow to do it.

[katandmoon]

1. If ONLY she were dumb! She's stupid as shit, though.

[FiveGoodMen]

2. I don't think Reagan was too bright either.

If a group of behind-the-scenes string-pullers finds her useful, she'll stay around.

[mitchum]

7. Reagan was very dumb, but he could take direction

he wasn't also burdened with the "I know best" arrogance of Palin

[katanalori]

15. another big difference.......

No matter how dumb he was, no matter how much his policies sucked - he was likable. Right or wrong, people got the feeling he was a NICE person. Palin is just plain MEAN and vindictive. For that reason alone, she will never be another Reagan.

[Mist]

8. Yes, I've assumed she's a cat's paw since, well, since she emerged last year as

McCain's running mate. She's a useful tool, much as Reagan was. I think the party powerful still might have some use for her.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. Remember this fine bit of recent history -

and it will sustain us all:

When Palin first appeared, she was ever so popular, remember? People just ate her up, her prettiness, her folksy way of talking, her great figure, those nice clothes, and the way she roused the rabble.

But, also remember that the more people saw of her, the less they liked her.

Sarah doesn't wear well.

She's dumb and shrill and self-indulgent and emotionally needy beyond belief. All those things will work against her, and she'll fuck it up over and over.

This will be very good entertainment, I believe............................

[walkaway]

4. I really hope that matters. Her stupidity is so obvious but...

I know all types of republicans (neo-con Jewish investment banker who has actually met her in AK, Catholic lady who thinks abortion is tantamount beatings babies to death, etc) and they are convinced she is much more intelligent than Mitt Romnney, John McCain and every Democrat that ever lived.

It is creepy and dangerous.

[gleaner]

13. It's not that hard to be...

more intelligent than Mitt Romney, who tied his dog in a cage to the top of his car while driving in a cold place on a family vacaton, and then sprayed it with a hose at a gas station when the animal's bowel control failed because it had been caged too long and was terrified. Palin just kills animals. She doesn't torture them first and one hopes that none of them are family pets as long as she's doing it.

McCain is a wing nut who needs some serious anger management counseling. Also it is not too cool to call your wife a "stupid cunt" around an open mic with all the press in attendance as he did during the run up to the presidential election. Forgive the use of the word. I'm not trying to offend anyone, simply quoting another "intelligent" Republican.

Take out the part about the Democrats. Even a Democratic squirrel beats Sarah Palin by miles in the brains department. As another post in this thread points out, she grates on people. She made a big splash at first, mostly because she was the only woman on the scene running for such a high office. Soon, though, she began to set peoples' teeth on edge. I do not think Alaska Barbie has much of a political future. I can't even understand why anyone still reports what she says, unless it is because she is still considered a novelty worth a good laugh.

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. She has an unstoppable self destruct tendency. She just can't help it.

I won't say she is dumb or stupid or label her in that way, but she is narcissistic and apparently "unhandleable". Though the first seems to infect many politicians, combined with the second she will always be a second away from disaster. So no worries about her ascending from our household.

The only people who should worry about her are any Faux bimbo or lamebrain that she ends up bumping to get the timeslot.

[Adsos Letter]

6. .... but look at the squirrely path they need to follow to do it.

which means they often get run over in the process.

[spanone]

9. there is precedent....bu$h*

[Fumesucker]

12. +1

[LynneSin]

10. Guess what, they don't need someone smart to run for President - Bush wasn't smart

Bush was a drunk who partied most of his life, bankrupted a few companies and owed his entire life to the fact that his Dad & Grand-dad had the pull to get him into a good college.

They don't need someone smart to run for president, they need someone to appeal to the lowest denominator of voters. People too clueless to actually realize their leader is an idiot and that the REAL power are those behind the scenes.

GOP just need a figurehead to appeal to those folks. They'll trot her around the country having her give speeches to crowds specifically selected to applaud every word she says. And then Fox News will use that as proof the country loves her. If, (god forbid) the GOP manages to get her election the last thing she'll be doing is actually making decisions for the country. You'll have another Dick Cheney-like person in charge to run the country and make decisions for her. All she has to do is be her goofy self as she sells those ideas to the rest of the country.

[LostInAnomie]

11. I can't wait for the Repub primaries if she is candidate.

They will be BRUTAL. All the slime guns will be pointed her direction. I can almost guarantee Romney has already spent millions combing through her background.

[pnwmom]

14. Bush is dumb and Reagan had Alzheimers during his presidency.

The Repubs have good reason for thinking that a figurehead doesn't have to have much in the way of brains.