COMMENTARY | Sarah Palin seems to be making the news a lot lately, especially for someone who insists that she is not running for president. While she has been unwilling to formally endorse any of the GOP candidates for president, she has injected her voice into the debate through her appearances on Fox News and other media outlets. Is she trying to help the GOP or does she have some other agenda? Is it possible that she is just so in need of attention that she is willing to risk sabotaging the Republican race for president? Or is she using the publicity as a way to sell more books and DVDs?
Palin started off the presidential election season by going on a bus tour that seemed eerily similar to a campaign tour. She stopped where the candidates were stopping, shook hands, and rode around in a bus that was wrapped in the Constitution. The media followed the bus around with more fervor than it showed for other people who had formally announced their own candidacies.
We all eagerly awaited her announcement that she was running for president, but it turns out the tour was only to promote the documentary about Palin’s life. Disappointed, tea party loyalists turned to Michele Bachmann and the rest for their daily dose of strange in the election, and no one questioned what was going to be done with all of the money that Sarah Palin raised while teasing voters with a potential run for president.
Then, we heard nothing. Palin remained eerily quiet; even her Twitter account showed little activity. One can only assume that she was watching the GOP hopefuls thin the candidate field themselves, waiting for the right time to pounce. Todd Palin endorsed Newt Gingrich, but still Sarah stayed silent.
Finally, Palin went public with a semi-endorsement for Newt Gingrich. She said that she would endorse Gingrich, but only in South Carolina. She hinted that she wants to see a long, drawn-out process for the Republican nomination. For a woman who wants to see Obama voted out of office, she certainly seems to be offering advice that would only bolster the president’s campaign.
No one can be sure of what is in Sarah Palin’s heart besides Sarah Palin. The truth of the matter is, no matter what her motivation, she is not helping her party. If she is a Republican, then she should act like one and support the candidates instead of creating more drama. If she truly feels that none of the candidates are conservative enough, and she truly wants to support the ideals of the tea party, she should stop aligning herself with the GOP and run as an independent. Unfortunately, seems to me that she is using the election as a way to stay in the headlines and make money.