Just What Congress Needs, Another Clown!

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Sarah Palin, a show-boating personality who hasn't had a job in politics since 2009 when she resigned the governorship of Alaska less than half-way through her only term in order to "cash-in" on her fame and notoriety as John McCain's running mate, announced this week that she will be running for Alaska's sole Congressional seat.  The spot in Congress opened unexpectedly a few weeks ago when Alaska Representative Don Young, the longest-serving member of the US House of Representatives, died at the age of eighty-eight.  

Fifty-one candidates announced that they were running to replace the deceased congressman, but one has since dropped out, leaving the field of contenders at fifty.  And one of those fifty is Sarah Palin.  (Another candidate is a fellow named "Santa Claus" from North Pole, Alaska!)  

Palin, the former half-term governor, was born in the beautiful community of Sandpoint, Idaho, but grew up in Alaska where, according to her own account, her family used to sneak across the border into Canada for free medical care.  She served on the Wasilla, Alaska, city council and two terms as mayor, where her primary focus seemed to be controlling what went on the shelves of the city's library.  The city's debt increased from around one million dollars when she took office to over $25 million when she left office six years later.  As governor Palin was accused of trying to force the state's commissioner of public safety to fire a state trooper who happened to be her ex-brother-in-law.

With McCain choosing her to be his running mate in 2008, Palin's star hit the big time.  She became a public personality who fit naturally into the American culture of reality television.  But the once fierce "Mama Grizzly" is now starting to more closely resemble an aging cougar.  A political race will provide Palin with a much needed opportunity to refresh her media profile.

Congress, an institution once known for being staid and somewhat boring, is now a bastion of colorful characters, clowns who spend far more time trying to get noticed by Fox and the tabloid press than they do in actually legislating.  It is a milieu that would seem a perfect fit for someone who is always seeking press attention and seems to have an aversion to actually working.  Sarah would be right at home with Marge, Matt, Lauren, Madison, and all of the other self-promoting clowns of the House!

Congressman Young's death was a very opportune moment for Sarah Palin.  She had been jawing about possibly running against Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski in a Republican primary, but defeating Murkowski would have been a challenge requiring a serious amount of work - and Palin is not known for being a hard worker.  So the suddenly open congressional seat seemed to be a gift from Heaven - and the GOP's God almighty, Donald John Trump, quickly endorsed her.  But God's blessing may not be enough to prevail.

Alaska will be instituting "ranked voting" with this June's primary election, a relatively new process where voters get to "rank" their favorites instead of only voting for one candidate.  It is a complicated process, often known as a "jungle primary," that can result in unexpected results.  And, among the fifty contenders, are several with substantial followings.  Four finalists will emerge from the crowded field, and Ms. Pailin has no guarantees that she will make the final four - even with God's blessing.

Senator Murkowski is, in fact, encouraging journalists to study the field and give coverage to some of the other candidates.   And Murkowski, a senior Republican senator from Alaska, is not shy about throwing shade on Palin.  When a reporter asked her when was the last time that she had actually seen Sarah Palin in Alaska, Murkowski replied:  "That's hard to say.  It's been years."

Ouch!

It's going to be a fierce campaign, and Sarah Palin will undoubtedly fly in some big guns to help her defeat those forty-nine interlopers who are trying to grab her spotlight.  Her pal, Ted Nugent, sill probably show up, and with any kind of luck at all she might even get an endorsement from Kyle Rittenhouse.  

Sarah Palin is, if nothing else, a class act!