This should be an interesting discussion. I was thinking about this the other day, while pondering which direction the GOP should take in 2016. It seems they are sharply divided between three main factions, the establishment elite, the libertarians and the tea party conservatives. Neither of the three factions is strong enough to defeat the Democrats, doesn't matter who the dems put up, they could nominate Vladimir Putin, and he'd be our next president.
But what if..... The GOP came to it's senses on the establishment elite side, and supported a ticket with a Libertarian and Tea Party Conservative, like Rand Paul and Sarah Palin? The amalgamation of Libertarians, Tea Party Cons, and Elite, would be at least a formidable challenge to Democrats.
Libertarians would eat the corn out of Rand Paul's shit, I do believe. So they would vote for him even with Palin on the ticket, they'd find some way to justify it, regardless of how they will squeal otherwise right now. Palin fans, likewise, would support her no matter what, even as a running mate for Rand Paul, whom they may not agree with 100% on everything. The results of merging Tea Partyism and Libertarianism would be unbeatable by Democrats regardless of their candidate.
Now, obviously, the left absolutely HATE Sarah Palin, but they aren't exactly slobbering over Rand Paul these days, in case you hadn't noticed, and I think this is something us 'righties' will have to get accustomed to, if we are ever to regain political power. Whomever we put up, is going to be rejected soundly by the left, and generally speaking, the more vitriolic and hateful they are toward the person, the more indication it's the RIGHT person for the job. This alone, puts Sarah Palin at the top of my list. Forget everything else, the left hates her so much she must be good.
Some might say, why wouldn't it be a Palin/Paul ticket? And of course, that could work as well, ideally, we'd have a primary where Palin and Paul campaigned for the nomination and in a Reagan/Bush moment, join forces at the RNC. I just think Paul is more suited to be the main candidate, while Sarah could run effective interference, since we know how much attention she draws from the left. Once elected, I think Paul's leadership ability would suit him well in the White House, while Palin's administrative ability would make her an outstanding VP. I think the relatively small contingent of GOP voters who aren't sold on Palin as President, would probably be willing to at least give her a shot at VP... I mean, fuck... if JOE BIDEN can do the job? Seriously people, can it be that hard?
The added beauty of Palin on the ticket is, she's already been vetted. And by her detractors! Picked apart six ways from Sunday and found to be nothing but honorable and diligent in her job. 24,000 emails, scrutinized like no one has ever had their email scrutinized, and NOTHING found. Every facet of her life uncovered and explored, including her family members.... so there would be no new surprises. All they could do would be to repeat the stuff they already spewed and attack her personality. Call her names and imply she is stupid, and attack her family... that's about all they can do with Palin, and that's why she scares the living dog shit out of them, it's why they continue to pound her every chance they get. Oh... I predict it... some pinhead will chortle in with the notion that this is a GREAT idea and they WELCOME Palin on the GOP ticket, because they are confident this spells certain victory, and I am sure some pinheads honestly have convinced themselves of this, but a coalition as I described would be a challenge.
Now..... for the record, this is merely a hypothetical. I don't honestly believe there is a chance in hell of getting such a ticket, the elite establishment isn't going to "see the light" and Libertarians aren't going to have a "come to Jesus" moment, even if it means the death of the party or even the country. They seem to be hell bent on pushing out the only segment of the party with the political power to win an election, and they continue to underestimate that.
Okay Libertarians... let's play a little "devil's advocate" for you here... If you realize that you need some percentage of the social conservative tea party vote to beat the Democrats, what better "social conservative" candidate to have than someone you see as a political lightweight? Someone who's not going to have the power to influence or shape policy much as VP, but will be more committed to carrying out the policies of the Libertarian president? Sarah Palin is on record as being a huge Rand Paul fan, so there is no real animosity there to threaten a Paul administration or try to undercut his agenda. She would simply preside over Congress, which she could do very well... and she could deliver a HUMONGOUS block of socially conservative voters you may not otherwise appeal to.
In any event, it is food for thought.
