What’s Next for Sarah Palin?

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin stunned the Political-Media Establishment last week by resigning from office.  In unscripted – no teleprompter – remarks she said she planned to

…effect positive change, outside government, at this moment in time, on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities.

It was not clear what she intends to do in this regard and after considerable time spent in an effort to figure it out we’re clueless.

She has been the target of incessant, deceitful attack since the day she was selected by John McCain to be his running mate.  Even after she and McCain lost the election, the onslaught continued.  It seems safe to say that no other politician has been so relentlessly attacked in at least a century.  Richard Nixon was the most hated politician in our memory, but even he didn’t suffer personal attacks on his daughter.  Ronald Reagan was hated by the Left, but his family was largely spared, even though it was dysfunctional and could have been a juicy target.

The nonstop smear from the Left proves one thing:  They are afraid of Sarah Palin.  She is attacked not for her ideas, but because she is popular.  Congressman Ron Paul’s ideas are more hostile to the Left-leaning government-media establishment than Gov. Palin’s.  Yet the Left doesn’t bother attacking him because he is perceived as marginal, and not a Presidential contender.

But Gov. Palin has charismatic qualities that attract millions of people.   The conservative/small government movement desperately needs an appealing leader.  Maybe Gov. Palin will be that leader. Time will tell.

In the meantime the media commentators simply do not know enough about her plans (to the extent she even has plans) to make all the predictions we’ve heard since last Friday.

There is a model for Gov. Palin to follow.  Ronald Reagan finished his second term as Governor of California at the end of 1974.  He ran for President in 1976 but lost the nomination to incumbent President Gerald Ford.

Except for a few months during the ’76 campaign season Reagan spent all his time from ’75 to ’79  making speeches in support of Republican candidates for Congress, state legislatures and state governorships.   He also wrote and announced a daily, syndicated radio commentary, presenting his governing philosophy five minutes at a time, on several hundred radio stations.

Sarah Palin could follow the Reagan model and build a wellspring of support in every state.  But, she may have other ideas.

Anyone who claims to know how or when the Palin story ends is delusional.