Sarah Palin recently came out in support of Donald Trump for president. We hadn't heard much from Palin in awhile so this was a grand opportunity for her to get back into the spotlight. Her Alaska reality show that paid her millions of dollars is now a distant memory and most of us are glad. Palin is often referred to as Governor Palin but if you resign without finishing your term you shouldn't be able to run around the country being called governor. Instead people should refer to her as the "former Governor who departed her office because she could make more money and obtain more fame elsewhere" or something like that.
Palin jumps on the campaign wagon of Trump who referred to Senator John McCain as "...no war hero, heroes don't get captured." McCain was a prisoner of war for five years. McCain was good enough to propel Palin to the national spotlight as his vice presidential candidate when he ran for president. Does Palin not have any loyalty to John McCain? I'll answer that question - no. She couldn't care less about McCain. McCain can no longer do anything to promote her or make her any money.
Trump looks good to Palin. Trump is wealthy. Trump could recommend her to be his vice presidential running mate, which is what Palin hopes for, but would be suicidal to Trump. While there are Republican loyalists, many Republicans aren't going to vote for anybody involved with Palin. Zero Democrats will vote for Palin so it would be a lose-lose for the Republican Party. If Palin cannot get a VP nod from Trump and the party she might obtain other jobs from Trump. Trump might consider her for another appointment should he win. I wouldn't though because she might resign in midstream if she gets a reality show offer. If he loses he might get her a job on Celebrity Apprentice or recommend her for Dancing with the Stars or something like that.
I don't dislike Sarah Palin. It's just interesting to see the political jockeying. Unfortunately all of the candidates have mad dog tendencies, charming one minute and biting your jugular vein the next. Look at Huckabee and Santorum. They were on Fox's preliminary debate prior to the real debate last week. This is the debate for the lightweight candidates who have already lost. As soon as it's over they hightail it to Trump's fundraiser for Veterans so they appear on national television with Trump. This was Trump's answer to avoiding Megan Kelly. I wonder if Trump will send flowers to Kelly for Valentine's Day. I bet it would surprise her.
Of course, all of this was in the name of supporting our veterans. The real truth is that they both hope Trump will remember them if he comes into the kingdom of winning the election. They know they are dead in the water. So, like Palin, they are grabbing for any oxygen tank they can find to keep their names alive. Plus they might generate a few more dollars with which to travel around New Hampshire and South Carolina. After all what else are they going to do? They are both like Palin, hoping for a Fox contributing job or maybe the Travel Network will do a gig on Huckabee's beach life pad that he just recently built on the gulf coast in Florida. Actually I would be more interested in Huckabee jogging on the beach in the white sands of the emerald coast than Palin flying in and out on the lake plane that is parked behind her house.
Oh well, it's just politics. When the New Hampshire primary is over we will slowly see some of these candidates run out of oxygen. Then they will be on to other things such as book deals, reality shows, radio talk shows and doing everything they can do to utilize a year of "just politics."
Glenn Mollette is an syndicated columnist and author of 11 books and read in all 50 states. This column does not necessarily reflect the view of any organization, institution or this paper or media source.