Reprint: Palin Effort, What's Next?

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This column appeared on my old Townhall site on June 29, 2007, and it discusses my favorite subject: the effort to create a strong movement dedicated to drafting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the Republican national ticket in 2008.

This is primarily a "bottom-up" movement, one essentially run by the participants. We need to share our ideas on the best ways to gather new "members" (bloggers AND others) and build momentum.

The goal is to get the Republican nominee for President to make Sarah "an offer she can't refuse." Sarah's nomination strikes some people as improbable. However, over the last 40 years Americans have chosen as Presidents one "improbable" individual after another (Nixon, Carter, Reagan (wasn't he "too old?"), and Clinton).

The vice-presidential candidates have been more predictable choices -- and not always good ones (e.g., Spiro T. Agnew (the worst), Dan Quayle, and Jack Kemp).

We want to promote Sarah's candidacy, but to modify the famous line from Shakespeare, "this the summer of our discontent." During this season of the year, it's hard to get people to focus on politics. Also, the election is nearly a year-and-a-half away. Even the candidates for President seem to be taking a vacation.

So, it's sometimes difficult to get people to focus on a vice-presidential candidate -- that is, on Sarah.To be successful, the "Draft Palin" movement can't take extended holidays.

This summer is the time to build the base. It's the time to begin organizing and focusing our efforts on turning this "impossible dream" into a reality.

At some point, Governor Sarah Palin will become an important national figure. Our intention is to make that happen sooner rather than later.We've all written our individual views about Sarah Palin, yet we're saying basically the same thing: it's time for new blood in the Republican Party. I stole a line from an earlier generation and have applied it to Sarah: "She is fresh, and everyone else is tired."

The tradition of the Party nominating two aging Caucasian males has no special appeal to American voters -- a point the Democrats may have grasped more fully than we Republicans. What do we have to do to be successful? PalinforVP ("Elephantman"), who started this effort and has contributed so much to it, will be making proposals on how we can recruit more members and organize our efforts more effectively. I urge everyone to visit his site: http://palinforvp.blogspot.com/

He's a young man, but he's a leader and an innovator. I call him "a young Karl Rove," but he lacks Rove's negative elements. In particular, he understands that successful political efforts can't consist merely of a small, angry "base." The Palin Movement consists of what Ronald Reagan calls a "Big Tent," Republicans and independents with a variety of political views and allegiances.\

There's an irony linked to the Palin Movement. If we do our job well enough, we'll put ourselves largely out of business. We'll do that by having the "Draft" take place, with the Republican presidential candidate turning to Sarah and asking her to join the ticket.

At that point, the presidential candidate's people would take over leadership of the Palin campaign, and we will work for it as volunteers. At the same time, Sarah will continue to be a strong advocate for the values she has always supported.

I believe this could happen and should happen. As an eternal optimist, I believe it WILL happen.

Godspeed Sarah. There are many people whom you've never met but who believe strongly in your destiny as a great leader of our wonderful nation.

Stephen R. Maloney
Ambridge, PA