By Tom Bortnyk
PoHo correspondent

There is no doubt that Sarah Palin has every intention in the world of running for higher office. You could see it in her twinkling eye as she made the announcement that she was stepping down as governor of Alaska.

Will she host her own talk show? Will she get a book deal? Speculation has run rampant, but the consensus among the political news commentators seems to be that she is gearing up for a run for president in 2012.

Oddly enough, this news is exciting for many Republicans. To quite a large sect of the conservative base, Palin is a rock star. She is the answer to their prayers, and the savior of the Party.

Such an analysis is misguided, at best. More accurately, it could be described as delusional.

The media went out in full force to destroy any credibility she had at the beginning of the race. They successfully painted her as dumb and uninformed, with limited oratory skills; certainly a stark comparison to the smooth-talking Obama, whom the media worked hard to characterize as a godsend.

Some of it was propaganda, and some of it was not. Facts were distorted and myths were created, and it didn’t help that Palin’s gaffes ingrained her buffoonery into the minds of the average voter.

But Palin’s problems aren’t all rooted in the malpractice of the media; to the contrary, Palin herself has done more than enough to destroy her own electability. One of the most notable problems is her Peggy Hill persona that she can’t seem to shed. Americans have trouble viewing her as the leader of the free world when all they see in front of them is a slightly dim hockey mom. Her “Joe Six-Pack” rhetoric may have earned her a few fans among the red-state working class, but most people just roll their eyes; Americans don’t want to be patronized.

I’m rather surprised that more Republicans haven’t turned against Palin. The Republican Party is supposed to be the party of ideas and innovation, yet Palin supporters seem content listening to her regurgitated rhetoric.

Another disturbing trend is Palin’s constant pandering to the base. Republicans should reject pandering and start listening to new ideas, or better yet, returning to tried-and-true conservative principles. Rovian politics may have worked wonders in the past, but Obama’s campaign victory was a game changer. In order to win, Republicans have to adopt new tactics and leave liabilities like Palin behind. Don’t worry about social conservatives and the “family values” voters; they’ll vote Republican anyway, even if they do so begrudgingly.

In the end, however, it doesn’t matter if Palin were as brilliant as Milton Friedman and as charismatic as Reagan; at this point, she has become a toxic asset. If the GOP wants to win, they’re going to need to do better. It’s nothing personal; she’s a very nice lady. Americans just can’t shake that image of Tina Fey whimsically saying “I can see Russia from my house!”

Tom Bortnyk is a student at Florida State University.

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.

Naturally though, as an unabashed Palin fan, my initial reaction to her announcement that she was resigning as governor was one of enthusiasm.

“That’s our maverick! Always doing what’s unexpected and throwing conventional wisdom to the wind.”

After the initial effects of Sarahmania wore off on me, I recognized the possibility of this being perhaps a bonehead move. But you never know. Sarahmania is not unlike Beatlemania. And I think most people would agree that The Fab Four produced their most groundbreaking work after they decided to stop doing live concerts.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I did not acknowledge that there are many of my fellow Republicans who do, in fact, dislike Sarah Palin. Some of these are the staunch libertarian types who don’t care for her perceived religion-based social conservatism. Others are still highly skeptical of her viability as a presidential candidate due to memories of her embarrassing performance in interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric. Valid points, certainly. But not enough to frighten me away from this hottie.

In Republican circles, only one other person receives as much, if not more praise than Sarah Palin in regard to a potential 2012 candidacy. And that is Mitt Romney.

Where other potential candidates like Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal seem to only appeal to distinct portions of the Republican party, Romney seems to be consistently viewed favorably by a broad range of Republicans, from social conservatives to fiscal conservatives to national security conservatives.

No other potential candidates can boast Romney’s expert knowledge of the economy. This is a major advantage considering the economy is likely to still be the main issue in the run up to 2012, pending a terrorist attack thrusting national security back to the forefront or some other unforeseen event.

Still, even Romney has his share of flaws. My biggest beef with him has always been the fact that he comes from money. He can’t tell any heartwarming stories about having to struggle to work his way up and succeed in life. It seems to me that regular working people would have a hard time relating to a candidate born into a life of wealth and privilege. There’s also the Mormon factor, which is a big deal for some. Though, as I’m a Utah native — albeit a non-Mormon — Romney’s religion doesn’t bother me.

And of course, there’s the flip-flop on the abortion issue. But hey, do you really believe that Mitt Romney was once truly a pro-choice guy? Any pro-lifer would have to claim a pro-choice stance to have a prayer of getting elected in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts, especially to the U.S. Senate as Romney tried to do in 1994. It was a move he had to take in a race against Ted Kennedy. A shrewd move, if you ask me. Perhaps as shrewd as Sarah Palin’s leaving the governor’s office.

Well … maybe. We shall see. I admit, her gamble is troubling. My love of Sarah aside, I think the most logical thing for someone like her to do is to forget about 2012. Consider that she won’t even be considered too old to run for president for another 20 or 30 years. That’s more than enough time for her to build herself up in a national role. Perhaps she could campaign for and win one of Alaska’s U.S. Senate seats. That way she can learn the national ropes and wean herself off the all-Alaska all-the-time mentality.

Don’t count on that happening, though. Sarah has but one office at one time in her sights. And that is the presidency in 2012. The route she takes in courting us, America’s voters — particularly America’s conservative voters — will be interesting to see. As a Republican, while I’m certainly not dead-set on a Palin candidacy, she does maintain a special place in my heart.

The breathless recitation of right-wing talking points and multiple excuses for skipping out on her job, recited as if her inner tape-recorder were stuck on high speed, could be viewed as a slightly unhinged monologue in the Mark Sanford vein.

Then again, a breathless recitation of right-wing talking points could be just the thing her base wants to hear, and you can already imagine the scenario that’s being shaped for future campaigns: “She couldn’t stand to take part anymore in big-government Obamanomics because she’s a maverick! She’s declaring her independence!”

Never mind that Alaska has been lapping up government welfare for years; suddenly when her erstwhile Democratic opponent was doing the doling out, the money was tainted. And no matter that she’s declaring her independence from a job the voters expected her to complete; she doesn’t play by those conventional rules, people!

See video of the conference after the break. Be sure to hang on for the basketball metaphors.