The Political Whore

By Dan Sullivan
PoHo Contributor

I confess: I’ve been having an affair with Sarah Palin. That’s why she’s stepping down as governor of Alaska.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not the kind of affair that ends a political career. Unlike certain other political affairs of late (Read: Mark Sanford, John Ensign) this affair is not one of the scandalous variety. Quite the contrary. My affair with Alaska’s sweetheart could be just the thing that propels her into the White House in 2012.

See, it isn’t just me who’s having an affair with Sexy Sarah. She’s the darling of many conservative Americans. She stole our hearts from the moment she first stepped onto the national stage back in August as John McCain’s running mate. And now, she’s dissolving her marriage to Alaska to become better acquainted with us — her secret lover — the rest of America.

For me, the affair has lasted long after I met her backstage at a campaign rally shortly before the ‘08 election (see photo above). Of course, I’m not naïve enough to fail to recognize that much of Sarah Palin’s popularity has to do with the fact that she’s an 11 on the hotness scale. If she were an old, fat, white guy, I doubt anyone would care. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Johnson
PoHo Contributor

Jim Johnson is the creator of The State of Sunshine blog.

UPDATE: I have a correction to post here. Turns out I am the late one to find out what everyone else knew already: It will be elected not appointed. The correction is posted here.

Read the rest of this entry »

…these two men, Bobby Jindal and Charlie Crist, representing both the split ideology of the Republican Party and its new, swarthier face.The Indian-American vs. the Greek-American.

The big question that will remain for GOP voters in a little less than four years: White hair or dark?

The body of his brother’s presidency is not even cold yet and Jeb Bush is (practically) off and running for the 2012 nomination, giving one of his (increasingly less) rare interviews, this time with the right-wing online Newsmax.com in which he sets out the direction he believes the GOP should take:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tells Newsmax that the GOP must broaden its appeal to avoid becoming “the old white-guy party,” and recommends that Republicans create a “shadow government” to engage Democrats on important issues as the incoming Obama administration seeks to enact its agenda.

Bush also said Barack Obama’s election was neither “transformational” nor a landslide, pointing to the huge advantage in fundraising that Obama enjoyed. And Bush had this warning for Republicans looking for a new direction:

Bush urged Republicans not to abandon their core conservative principles in favor of a “Democratic-lite” agenda. Still, the GOP does need to do some real soul-searching, he said.

“If you take the [last] two election cycles, there’s real cause for concern, no question about it,” he said.

There is good news for Republicans, Bush said: The United States remains “basically a center-right country.” He cited President-elect Barack Obama’s stance on taxes as an example.

“Who would have thought the so-called liberal candidate would be the one advocating tax cuts, and attacking the Republican candidate for tax hikes — which wasn’t true, but was effective when you consider he was outspending Sen. McCain by five to one.”

Oh, and be a little more tolerant, he adds:

“We can’t ignore large segments of our population and expect to win,” Bush said. “We can’t be the ‘old white-guy’ party. It’s just not going to work, the demographics go against us in that regard.

“Among Hispanic voters, I think we need to change the tone of the conversation as it relates to immigration. In Florida, we’ve not participated much in the chest pounding and the yelling and the screaming. I mean, it just drives me nuts when there are substantive policy differences that we can show mutual respect on, but the tone needs to change. And I think we need to recruit more candidates who share our values in the Hispanic community. In Florida we’ve done that.”

Jeb!’s education reform think-tank, Foundation for Florida’s Future, quickly shared excerpts of the article with an e-mail blast.

And how good is that hard-charging “journalism” at Newsmax? Here’s the only mention of the fact that Jeb! could be looking to add a third Bush to the presidential rolls: “who frequently is mentioned as a top-tier GOP presidential prospect.”

Video here.

The poli sci minds at UVA have a good roundup of the presidential hopefuls four years out, and even before Obama is sworn in. Here’s the intro to the red list:

Here’s the worst kept secret in politics: Presidential campaigning never ends. For periods of time it becomes quieter–a little subtler–but it never stops. Every morning 100 senators, 50 governors, quite a few grandees in the House of Representatives, and an assortment of corporate titans all hear their Rice Krispies shouting “2012!” “FORM A PRESIDENTIAL EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE!” and “RUN … YOU’RE THE ONE!”

Democrats will shush Snap, Crackle, and Pop, pleading with them to instead say, “2016!” Republicans on the other hand, will pour another bowl, and ask the three sirens of Battle Creek, Michigan, to repeat what they just said.

Of course, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are already doing battle for the hearts and minds of the social conservatives for 2012. (Kee-rist, you can’t even turn on the TV without seeing Mitt comment on the auto bailout or anything he is asked.) And Sarah Palin, La. Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Tim Pawlenty from the 2008 Veep race are mentioned, of course. Newcomers to the GOP list include Miss. Gov. Haley Barbour and SC Gov. Mark Sanford. Bubbling under is Cong. Eric Cantor, a darling of the right. Others: Former Md. Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (also seeking the RNC chair), New Jersey’s Chris Christie, and Va.’s Bob McDonnell.

Not a very inspiring list, huh Republicans? Where’s the great white hope that will lead the GOP out of the woods and back into the hearts of centrist voters?