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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Sarah Palin no match for Bill Clinton in November

Posted on Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 11:24 PM

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When it comes to political endorsements give me Bill Clinton over Sarah Palin any day.

Yes I know the media is trumpeting Palin as the new Moses who will lead all candidates she supports to the promised land.

She won three out of four races on Tuesday night but in the process, may have made it more difficult for those candidates to win in a general election.

While a Palin endorsement is gold in a Republican primary, especially where Teabaggers are concerned, that same endorsement can be turned into clay by a Democratic opponent.

That is because Sarah Palin is a polarizing figure who does not help draw any middle of the road votes, but merely reinforces a tea party hardline vote.

That can work, but already you can see that Palin's endorsement of Carly Fiorina in California will be used against her by Democrat Barbra Boxer in the general election.

So while Fox News were proclaiming 'you betcha' when asking if Palin's endorsement worked, the jury will still be out to see if she can help deliver office, especially in the California senate race.

Bill Clinton on the other hand needs no introduction at all.

His endorsement of Blanche Lincoln in the Arkansas senate race was the margin of victory for her.

She ran from the right and Clinton helped her overcome a huge move by Labor unions to muscle her out of power.

Clinton works in general elections too.

He recently was a key figure in ensuring that Mark Critz held on to Congressman John Murtha's seat in Pennsylvania when he campaigned there for him throughout the last weekend.

In an ironic twist, candidates are calling Clinton to come rally for them while Obama is being left home in the White House.

That will happen again next week when Clinton takes a plane to Nevada to stump for Senator Harry Reid who is in the battle of his life to get re-elected.

Bill Clinton may be more popular than ever -- the debacle around his wife's campaign now long behind him.

He is still the uber political meister, a man whose impact can never be underestimated.

People now remember the Clinton years with low deficits and low unemployment with nostalgia as the good old days.

Clinton is a proven asset.

Sarah Palin has yet to reach that stratosphere in a general election battle.

Right now the Big Dog is still the beast to ride .

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47 Comments

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joanxis | Jul 08, 2010, 12:00 PM EDT

You know, there are people who read these articles that aren't conservatives. You conservatives seem to think that only your opinion counts and if people disagree with you then they are jerks. Go ahead and express your views on the subject of the article, but don't name call and bash the people who disagree with you and don't assume that everyone agrees with you. I try to listen to all sides and then make up my own mind, but I don't bad mouth people who I disagree with in a public forum. And so what if Niall leans more left than right ( which I don't really know). If you think Irish Central is not conservative enough, don't log on. Why does everything have to only show one side. As an intelligent being, I can handle people's ideas that are different than mine. It would be a strange world if everyone thought alike. I don't understand why it bothers some of you so much.

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Monsoonman | Jun 18, 2010, 10:19 AM EDT

Can clinton run for office again? Or is the intent to have a coronation instead? That would be far simpler and less messy than going through all of those hanging chad thingys again.

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HelenPalisin | Jun 16, 2010, 07:15 PM EDT

I'm done with Bubba.

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2BorNot2B | Jun 16, 2010, 07:08 PM EDT

After trying to read through KattyCallaHun's love-sick missive to Bubba Clinton without barfing, I'm thinking it's quite possible she was keeping company under the Oval Office desk with 'the woman in the blue dress' (doing a double-hand piano job?), you know the one that Bubba referred to as "that woman." Yeah, the one about whom he declared under oath: "I never had sex with THAT WOMAN"! -- News flash to you Katty, Bubba did not create the conditions for the economic upturn under his rule; that came to him courtesy of both, the previous Repub presidency, and the Repub congress that served under his regime.

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irishwxman | Jun 15, 2010, 12:11 PM EDT

Never mind Sean. he has his head so far up Obama's ass he can see what he had for lunch yesterday while frolicking along the gulf beaches pretending to care.

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seanomelbourne | Jun 14, 2010, 08:09 PM EDT

Irishmathair you are steeped in an ignorance only a tea ba-ger could live with, what a sad piece of works you are.

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irishwxman | Jun 14, 2010, 08:21 AM EDT

Well said irishmathair.

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KathyCallahan | Jun 13, 2010, 05:13 PM EDT

Bill Clinton is the time tested and proven connector and campaigner in chief. He's got a presidential stump speech and stories that trump Palin's and Obama's at every turn. P & O know how to play to the hope and dreams of their respective narrowing choirs. While extoling 'You betcha promises and massive change that they can and believe in.' All of this and so much more can be done and without ever having to say, 'You're sorry, talking civily and or extending an olive branch to a member of the dark side of the divide.' Much less having to go back to 'the table' with a neighbor, elected official who doesn't stand with your wing of the party (not a party the vast majority flock to) to relate, rethink, renegotiate compromise or conjugate a solution that leads to 'progress not as usual.' No doubt P & O will get votes from the wings. And Bill Clinton won two presidential elections from Arkensas because he gets voters and votes everywhere everywhere. He brought 'transformational change and progress not as usual' to the people of Northern Ireland, Republic and beyond. Clinton knows how to tell stories that breach the seemingly intractable divide, reach people and create incremental and transformational change that holds up over time. He appears to enjoy constantly widening the shudder on perception. Where British subjects and the Irish saw predictable doom and gloom Clinton's and the delegation brought people together from bottom to the top and sideways to broker peace and the creation of a power sharing Irish government in No Ireland. Tangible progress flowed from civil and disciplined conversations created and moderated by Bill Clinton who owns the entire story and runs with it on the campaign trail. 'building bridges to the future' (his line) that you can be measured and celebrated.

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irishmathair | Jun 12, 2010, 07:41 PM EDT

I believe someone else already said you should keep to the business of Ireland Niall and not the USA. We know what we want and need in this country and it is not Clinton, Obama, Reid or Pelosi. We need more Sarah Palins and less lier's especially ones who lie under oath. Incidentally Niall, we are not teabaggers. We are The Tea Party - a group of civilized, fair minded citizens concerned about what's happening to our country and making the necessary changes to keep our constitution, freedom and liberties. You know nothing of what you talk about. I've always been a proud Irish American and will continue to be because I don't believe most Irish think as you do. You take care of Ireland, we'll take care of America.

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peterson | Jun 12, 2010, 02:25 PM EDT

Niall has his head stuck----well, you all no where!!

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irishwxman | Jun 12, 2010, 11:06 AM EDT

sanantoniobrendan what does it matter what school Clinton went to? Obama is a Harvard grad and he is about as thick as a ditch. Where you went to school has no bearing on ones ability to lead. That is such a liberal and elitist mentality. Look down your nose at others. "Well she didn't go to Georgetown or Yale..so she MUST be stupid." What a loser.

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irishwxman | Jun 12, 2010, 11:04 AM EDT

Sean watching FOX didn't get Clinton impeached. Lying under oath got him that on his own. Keep walking down that leftist path. You will soon find yourself all alone on it. Liberals are a dying breed.

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melgru23 | Jun 12, 2010, 10:31 AM EDT

I love reading what liberal commentators from European countries think they know about the US politics! Bill Clinton has support in the US as it is fun to watch a former president with the self control of a adolescent 14 year old male. Sarah Palin on the other hand is more of a common sense and mid america person. Neither have a great impact on the current election on the voters except in the minds of the pundits.

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sanantoniobrendan | Jun 12, 2010, 09:27 AM EDT

Let's see, Bill Clinton attended and finished Georgetown, Oxford and Yale Law while Sarah fumbled her way to a Communications degree. And there was doubt as to who had more going on upstairs?! Really?!?!?!

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WoundedKnee | Jun 11, 2010, 08:20 PM EDT

It's pretty sickening to see president Obama endorsing someone--Lincoln--who failed to support him on health care.

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