Will Sarah Palin get a second chance at the presidency? – Part 6

With a message of change, Barack Obama and fellow Democrats took advantage of the toxic Republican brand to complete a clean sweep of power, winning control of the White House and expanding their control in both chambers of Congress. And many on the left are not only celebrating the victory but are also salivating over the possibility that the Republican Party as we know may never recover. But with 144 years of history to back it up, the Republican Party isn’t going anywhere. And neither is its newest star, Sarah Palin. And all those hockey moms, Joe six-packs, and mavericks out there can rest assured that she will get a second chance at the presidency.

Look at history, and the McCain/Palin loss would signal a likely end to Palin’s chances at the presidency. In fact, Bob Dole stands alone as the sole Republican to ever bounce back from a failed VP campaign to claim the Republican Party’s nomination for President. And how long did it take for him to bounce back? Try 20 years! But the McCain/Palin loss was unique in that the loss was a result of forces largely beyond their control: an unpopular incumbent Republican President, an economy floundering, and a nation inspired by the possibility of the first African American President. As McCain stated so accurately in his concession speech “I don’t know what more we could have done to try to win this election.”

Yet despite the backlash against Republicans this election, voters have always respected and admired McCain for his lifetime of service to his country, and his legacy as an American hero was only cemented further by the exposure he received as his party’s nominee and by the statesmanship and class he showed in defeat. Palin too, will undoubtedly benefit as a politician now that she is forever linked to John McCain in a historic campaign.

But the reason Sarah Palin will get a second chance at the presidency goes beyond her link to John McCain. Palin already has the support of the base with her solid conservative views; her path to the nomination is clear. She is respected my many for her willingness to fight corruption both inside and outside of her own party. She can speak to everyday kitchen table issues in a way that is both informal and intelligent. And as a female candidate, the possibility of a historic campaign only helps her cause. But the one key reason why Sarah Palin will get another shot at the presidency is time. At only 44 years old, she is young enough to ride out the current anti-Republican trend. But most importantly, Palin has the time to address her biggest weakness: lack of experience.

Palin was harshly criticized by Democrats and even some Republicans as having too little experience to be just a heartbeat away from the presidency. This criticism was legitimate to an extent, fueled by poor interviews that revealed a bit of naivete on certain key issues. But with the campaign now over, Palin can move forward to improve her biggest weakness. Will she run for another term as governor of Alaska? Does she look to Congress and a possible Senate seat? Does she focus on building a campaign organization? Whatever road Sarah Palin chooses to travel in the next decade, she will silence the critics from her VP run who claimed that she was just not ready. And make no mistake, when the electorate shifts and the time is right, Palin will get another shot. Sarah Palin has put herself in the right place for another shot. And unlike the man who blazed the trail that Palin hopes to take, it shouldn’t take 20 years for Sarah Palin to find the right time.