Say Anything Blog

Talk radio host Lars Larson asked Sarah Palin if she’d be interested in running on a third party ticket.  While Palin didn’t specifically rule out a third party run, when you read her comments closely it’s clear she’s not exactly chomping at the bit to make one either.

LARSON: Governor, I know you’ve successfully dodged the question on a thousand interviews on whether or not you’re going to run, but if run again, for something, whatever it is, would you run as a third-party candidate?

PALIN: That depends on how things go in the next couple of years.

LARSON: That sounds like a yes.

PALIN: Well, you know, it really does depend on — I think there are enough Republicans who are realizing, ‘Oh, whoops, some of those liberal Republicans have screwed up’ — I’m including myself in that group — enough liberal Republicans have screwed up, and … the base of our party is common-sense conservatives, not obsessively partisan, but just wanting common-sense, free market principles, strong military principles to be implemented to get our country on the right track. And if the Republican Party gets back to that base, our party is going to be stronger and there’s not going to be a need for a third party. But I’ll play that by ear in the coming months, coming years.

I think this is more of a tease than anything else.  Clearly, the GOP as a disillusionment problem.  It’s been plaguing them since before 2006 (that’s why they lost their majorities in Congress) and they’re just starting to come to grips with it now.  But setting aside for a moment whether or not she’s right, it sounds like Palin is banking on the GOP coming to grips with the divides in its base.

Will that happen?  And if it doesn’t, will Palin actually go third party?  It’s hard to say.  But if the GOP doesn’t start to get it I’d support someone like Palin going third party.

Sure, that all bug guarantees liberal victories.  But why let Republicans win victories if they aren’t going to actually be conservatives?