Could Palin now Trump previous triumph?
The Republican party is on edge with rumours the gaffe-prone pair could be presidential running mates
US CORRESPONDENTS SHE IS perhaps best known for the gaffes: describing North Korea as an ally of America, referring to Afghanistan as a neighbour, and failing to name a single newspaper that she reads.
But could Sarah Palin be about to return to the political fray as Donald Trump’s running mate?
The pair have lavished praise on each other in recent weeks as Mr Trump goes from strength to strength in the race to become the Republican presidential candidate. On Thursday night, it was the former governor of Alaska’s turn to defend the Trump campaign against the frequent criticisms of offensive language and grandstanding.
“He’s shaking it up the way it should be and he’s leading other candidates and having to talk about the issues that average Joe Six-pack American wants to hear and wants to talk about,” she said in an interview with Extra TV.
She pointedly deflected questions about whether she would like to join Trump’s ticket as vice-presidential candidate, thereby reprising her role as running mate to John McCain in 2008.
“There are so many good potential female running mates out there and male running mates,” she said, failing to rule out the possibility.
The duo’s plain-speaking style would be a mouth-watering proposition for many on the populist wing of the Republican Party, but establishment fig- ures fear their platform would be light on policy and heavy on embarrassment. Rick Wilson, a Republican Party strategist, described the pairing as a “singularity of celebrity politics” that would send Right-wing talk radio stations into a frenzy of excitement.
However, as both appeal to the same section of the party, the ticket would do little to broaden Mr Trump’s support, Mr Wilson added. “Donald Trump is not a rational political actor and so the things you might expect of a rational political actor are not the sort of thing you should expect of Donald Trump,” he said. “So the truth is that any damn thing is possible with that man.”
Trump, a billionaire property mogul, continues to hold a huge lead in polls despite his penchant for controversy. This week, a well-respected Hispanic journalist was ejected from a press conference after a series of awkward ques- tions, prompting fresh criticisms about Mr Trump’s bombastic campaign style.
Many pundits believe Jeb Bush, the son and brother of former presidents, still holds poll position with key party endorsements. Few think Mr Trump will stay in the race until the Iowa caucus on Feb 1, having made as many headlines as possible before then.
Mr Trump has repeatedly expressed his admiration for Mrs Palin and said he would love to appoint her to his cabinet. She was last night due to interview Mr Trump for a cable news network.
Although she retains a large and loyal following, she has changed career since stepping down as Alaska’s governor in 2009, reinventing herself as a something of a political celebrity. She began an online television channel, The Sarah Palin Channel, which claims to cut through the “politically correct filter” of the conventional media.
When running mate for Mr McCain, Mrs Palin demonstrated her expertise on the issue of foreign policy.
“As Putin rears his head and comes ino the air space of the United States of America, where – where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border,” she said, prompting a wave of ridicule.