"Sarah not ready to be the flippin' president of the United States" - American Thinker

"Gosh darn it, Sarah. You're just not ready to be the flippin' president of the United States."  - Scott Ruppert, American Thinker

With those words, the Conservative Political Sphere proves it is far from the monolithic thinking group, many Liberal pundits like to portray. Nowhere is this more evident, than in the ongoing heated debate over whether or not former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, should seek the presidency in 2012. The American Thinker magazine posted an article, proclaiming with ardent fervor, the need for Palin to run. Ironically, there was another article, also at American Thinker, imploring, “Don’t Do It, Sarah.”

In the first article, Robert Eugene Simmons, Jr issues a very passionate rationale for urging Sarah Palin, not to merely run but to serve. Mr. Simmons Jr first lists the reasons why he believes Gov. Palin would not run. He goes into the details and painful sacrifices she would have to endure, should she be imbued with the inspiration, that she alone can save the Nation. Among the attributes cited are Palin’s love of country, from the heart speaking style, her belief in law before personal opinion and her uniquely singular ability to take on and dismantle the corrupt “Aristocracy” currently misbehaving in the nation’s capital. Whew! Not since George Washington has the nation had such a compelling, capable and yet humbly self-sacrificing leader offered to them.

Evidently, The American Thinker must be a very good place to work, since they allow for freedom of opinion and thought among their editorial staff. In the second posting, author Scott Ruppert lays out a compelling case for the Mama Grizzly not to run in 2012. He captures what many in the GOP and Conservative world have been feeling for some time now - basically Gov. Palin is too over exposed, in other words, Palin Fatigue:

“I genuinely liked Palin when she broke on the scene. She proved she had stamina, energy, charisma, and a message that resonated with conservatives. But somewhere along the line, Gov. Palin unknowingly traded being a serious politician for being a celebrity. Much like Barack Obama in his early days in the White House, she has been overexposed. From Fox News pundit, Dancing with the Stars proud mother, and Alaskan travel guide to touring with the Tea Party Express from state to state during the midterms, Ms. Palin has been omnipresent. That new face and air of common sense that I felt two years ago has gotten stale. The message still resonates, but I want it to come from somebody with a voice of depth not cultivated from briefing sheets and talking points.”

In addition, Mr. Ruppert also points to a casual quality in Palin, resulting in a lack of Presidential demeanor, as one of her stumbling blocks to Oval Office success:

“Maybe it's something as superficial as Sarah's whiny voice, the irritating momma grizzly shtick, or that "aw golly shucks" demeanor that makes her an improbable choice to be taken seriously behind the presidential seal while answering tough questions across the spectrum of global importance. Maybe it's the idea that I don't feel disrespectful at all calling her Sarah. This is tough to admit as someone who saw her as a breath of fresh air when John McCain initially brought her to the national spotlight in 2008.”

Now to be fair, both authors hold very positive feelings towards Gov. Palin, as I am sure the entire American Thinker staff does as well. But the valid questions and concerns that are currently held regarding a 2012 Sarah Palin presidential candidacy are based on more on political reality and strategy, rather than personal animus.

One of the many other concerns regarding Palin is her penchant for getting into public spats with the Media or the LSM – “lame stream media” as she likes to refer to them. While she has shown a deft use of her sharp sense of humor in the dispatching her detractors, such encounters do nothing to improve her image or burnish her credentials with Independent voters. Her reactions are one of the reasons she is viewed as the one of the most polarizing political figure in the nation. True, these encounters are very often driven by the LSM, they do raise eyebrows and questions even in conservative circles and question if they are of any real political value. They also highlight the tough time Palin would have as the GOP standard bearer in 2012 – she would be a distraction and on the defensive in all stories, allowing President Obama to articulate his “positive” case for re-election. Palin would have to “perfect” in order to have a shot a winning, as another American Thinker author points out.

Another sticking point with critics of the Mama Grizzly include her habitual use of GOP icon, Ronald Reagan, as her role model, inspiration and some would say, political shield. Her chronic use of Reagan as a political prop has lead Reagan admirers to be critical of Palin for not knowing facts about the former actor in defending her reality TV foray and citing his going to Eureka College in California, when it was actually in Illinois. By citing and incorporating Reagan, Palin can assure supporters of where she stands and how she’d govern, without getting into the troublesome tangle of spelling out actual policy positions. While Palin, to her credit, has taken on the issues of Inflation and Quantitative Easing 2, even that foray had a tepid response with some conservatives.

For the time being however, the Palin–Media Waltz will continue unabated for the next several weeks, while the Governor’s highly promoted book tour continues and her TLC reality show (yes, it is a reality show, one some conservatives didn’t care for) continues it’s run. While her book is anticipated to be a major success, complete with adoring fans braving the elements to obtain a signed copy, the TV show is another story. Week 2 of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” saw its ratings gutted like a halibut on Episode 2, dropping 40% from the premiere week.

Perhaps, Americans are tiring of the 24/7 Palin inspired reality-dance-political-docu-drama being played out in their homes, every time the turn on the news, check the Internet or crack open a newspaper. If so, it may represent the biggest hurdle Palin will have to face in a quest for the White House, avoiding real or percieved gaffes and controversies, while getting people to take her seriously.

Then again, since Sarah Palin is no dummy, maybe she is content to be the most widely covered celebrity on the national scene.