A brokered convention won’t save Sarah Palin
No one in the Republican Party is pushing for a brokered convention harder than Sarah Palin. But Rachel Weiner doubts one would do her much good:
One, her clout is dubious. Her popularity peaked long ago, and the supporters she does have won’t necessarily follow her lead. When Palin praised former House speaker Newt Gingrich on her Facebook page, many of her fans balked. While Palin can amplify tea party concerns, she doesn’t speak for or carry that group.
Two, she isn’t what people are looking for. The names that come up when talk of a brokered convention surfaces — as either candidates or potential dealmakers — are relatively moderate politicians with broad support: former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. A polarizing figure like Palin is hardly in the mix.
Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich, the candidate Palin quasi-endorsed, is now the most unpopular politician in America.
Tags
The Post Most: BusinessMost-viewed stories, videos and galleries int he past two hours
Blog Contributors
Ezra Klein
Ezra Klein is the editor of Wonkblog and a columnist at the Washington Post, as well as a contributor to MSNBC and Bloomberg. His work focuses on domestic and economic policymaking, as well as the political system that’s constantly screwing it up. He really likes graphs, and is on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook. E-mail him here.
Suzy Khimm
Suzy Khimm covers the budget, economic policy, and financial regulatory reform. Before coming to Washington, she was based in Brazil and Southeast Asia, where she wrote for the Economist, Slate, and the Wall Street Journal Asia. Follow her on Twitter here, and email her here.
Sarah Kliff
Sarah Kliff covers health policy, focusing on Medicare, Medicaid and the health reform law. She tries to fit in some reproductive health and education policy coverage, too, alongside an occasional hockey reference. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, Politico, and the BBC. She is on Twitter and Facebook.
Brad Plumer
Brad Plumer is a reporter focusing on energy and environmental issues. He was previously an associate editor at The New Republic. Follow him on Twitter. Email him here.
