Covering the growing buzz that Sarah Palin might mount a 2012
presidential campaign, the morning shows on Friday repeated liberal
talking points proclaiming that it would be a disaster. Good Morning
America's George Stephanopoulos insisted that the White House looks "at Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann as, basically, re-election insurance." CBS's Chris Wragge hinted that Palin might become a "distraction."
On NBC's Today, David Gregory appeared and lectured that "[Palin's] not
seen as a general election candidate." He added that "she's still
relevant. She's still using Facebook. She's still opining. She's still
attacking the President, but she's lost a little bit of that sting in
her punch."
Co-host
Meredith Vieira gloomily wondered, "But David, she also has higher
negatives than any other GOP candidate. So how viable would her
candidacy even be?"
Appearing as a guest on GMA, political analyst Matt Dowd was a little
more optimistic about Palin's chances against Obama. He suggested the
White House may be "celebrating" the idea of the former Alaska governor
running, but he allowed "...Though I think Sarah Palin would help him
get reelected, it's no slam-dunk if the economy isn't doing well, come a
year from now."
Over on CBS's Early Show, correspondent Jan Crawford was more positive,
pointing out that Palin raises the "energy," she explained, "But I've
got to say, a lot of Republicans think that the bus tour is win-win for
the party. Palin can get out there and talk about the issues, really
take on President Obama, and get conservatives fired up about this
election."
However, co-host Wragge sounded a similar, defeatist theme:
"Well, we know she galvanizes Republicans, but she also does not have a
high favorability rating in the national electorate. If she can't beat
the incumbent, President Obama, right now, does she become more of a
distraction for the Republican Party?"
For more on this, see a post by the MRC's Brent Baker on how the evening newscasts covered Palin.
A transcript of the David Gregory segment, which aired at 7:07am EDT, follows:
MEREDITH VIEIRA: David Gregory is moderator of Meet the Press. David, good morning to you.
DAVID GREGORY: Hey, Meredith.
VIEIRA: So here's what a lot of political insiders are saying about
Sarah Palin, they're saying it may look like she's going to run but she
has not laid the necessary groundwork to actually do so. What are you
hearing?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Decision 2012; How Would Palin Candidacy Change GOP Race?]
GREGORY: Well, pretty much the same thing. That she is making herself
relevant, keeping herself relevant, that she's really not taking the
steps to run. And as Andrea reported, these are some high profile signs
that she's putting herself in a position to announce, but look, Sarah
Palin runs kind of a closed society in American politics. There are very
few people outside of her inner sanctum who really know what she's
going to do. And she could just be looking at a couple of key factors
that Andrea mentioned. She's second in the polls right now, according to
a Gallup poll, behind Mitt Romney. High name recognition. Two, with
Mike Huckabee gone there is still that space for a social conservative,
more of a populist candidate. She could fill that void, particularly in
Iowa, which kicks off the voting.
VIEIRA: But David, she also has higher negatives than any other GOP candidate. So how viable would her candidacy even be?
GREGORY: Well that's why there's so much skepticism that she would
actually run. She's not seen as a general election candidate. And even
among rank and file Republicans, according to Republicans I speak to,
she's lost a lot of favor, if you go back to the response to the Tucson
shootings and other issues. So she's still relevant, she's still using
Facebook, she's still opining, she's still attacking the President, but
she's lost a little bit of that sting in her punch. Still very popular
in the grassroots but as a broader appeal, simply not taking steps to
make herself more popular.
VIEIRA: But could she become a real spoiler? And now I'm thinking of
Michelle Bachmann, who is going to announce next month, she's says,
whether or not she's going to run. The other Tea Party favorite. Could
she - could Palin knock the wind out of Bachmann's sails, so to speak?
GREGORY: Well and there's some feeling that perhaps Palin doesn't want
Bachmann to steal that spotlight. I think that's true because they'd
both be vying for the same space. That populist candidate the social
conservative candidate. Bachmann, who was born in Waterloo, Iowa, is
going to have a major announcement there perhaps to announce a
presidential bid next month. So she might very well play well among the
40% of caucus-goers who are more socially conservative.
Palin there as well. But know this, Palin is a factor whether she's a
candidate or not a candidate because she has her own strong platform. So
either way, she makes some noise in this presidential race. She has
more potential impact, of course, if she's a candidate.
- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
