What are Sarah Palin's Prospects? Pablo Fanque speculates on the mid-term elections and beyond

By Pablo Fanque
All This Is That National Affairs Editor

As we all know,  the vice-presidency in modern politics has not exactly been a golden path to the Oval Office.  Sure, George Bush (Sr.) pulled it off, Dick Nixon was finally elected after eight years in the political wilderness, and Harry Truman and LBJ were catapulted into office by the sudden deaths of the Presidents under whom they were serving. 

Recent unsuccessful vice presidential nominees — like Jack Kemp, John Edwards, Joe Lieberman, and Dan Quayle — never got within miles of the Presidency.  The only two losing vice presidential candidates to win a nomination--Walter Mondale and Bob Dole--were trotted out as sacrificial lambs with no chance of surviving against wildly popular incumbents.  They were both thoroughly trounced in the general election.

What does this mean for Ex-Governor Palin, who was not only a losing Veep candidate, but eventually resigned little more than halfway through her only term as Governor of Alaska?  It's hard to say.  None of these other also-rans attached themselves to a populist movement like the "tea party."  None of them ever stumped as hard as she has for fellow Republicans.  And none of them had amassed the vast mega-million personal war-chest that Palin has collected in the last year.  Whatever you think of her, she has garnered some good ink, a lot of tea-party love,  and political I.O.U.s from GOP candidates and their supporters.  Does that translate into traction as a candidate?  Probably not, but it's too early to tell.  Sarah Palin is unique, her fans are especially dedicated, and the voters seem particularly cranky.  I suspect we will know much more about her prospects after we see what happens in the 36 Senate, 435 House, and 37 gubernatorial elections coming up on November 2nd. 
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