Thinking about potential Republican candidates for 2012, I put together a list of the number of Facebookers who have indicated that they like a particular politician's profile.
Number of Facebook fans
Sarah Palin 2,044,149
Mitt Romney 488,657
Mike Huckabee 393,445
Ron Paul 241,954
Bobby Jindal 109,096
John Thune 73,859
Newt Gingrich 73,577
Tim Pawlenty 54,482
Jim DeMint 49,116
Chris Christie 4,829
Eric Cantor 466
Tom Tancredo 402
Jeb Bush 336
I suppose the numbers give us a sense of the grassroots enthusiasm for politicians, probably among a younger than average demographic. I doubt it means much, but it makes me nervous anyway: Sarah has no real competition here. This is the type of thing that might convince Palin to run. She commented on her profile that two million is more than the audience of some cable news shows.
Poor Newt just seems to leave people flat. I must say I am pleased that my niece has more Facebook friends than Jeb Bush has fans.
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What is the problem with Palin running?
ReplyDeleteHave you been brainwashed by Katie Couric and her ilk?
Sarah Palin is a low IQ individual. That's basically the problem. You may find that her ideological orientation is similar to yours, but that doesn't change the fact that her intellectual capabilities are seriously lacking.
ReplyDelete"What is the problem with Palin running?"
ReplyDelete1) She can't win.
2.)Her running will create such divisions w/in the party that it will take who knows how long for it to recover. (I will not waste time pointing out how and why she cannot win.)
2.) She is effective as an occasional flame thrower ("Obama lacks cojones") and as someone who can, as long as she doesn't overdo it, get away with delivering non pc commentary. She is useful to the conservative cause in this role.
3.) She has an unfortunate record of quitting--quit how many colleges? 4? 5? She quit her office as governor. She may quit her role as conservative spokesperson, but if she does, nothing is lost.
And no, I am not capable of being brainwashed by a Couric or her ilk.
Oh dear, I hope she burns out early. She is such a sweetheart and amply qualified to be governor of a lightly-populated state, and to be mother of a child or two at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if I should make a $%&*#^ Facebook profile just to be pals with Tom Tancredo.
Tancredo may be a one issue candidate....but is he sooooooo right on that issue, and it's a crucial one to the future of the country.
ReplyDeleteIf you live in a border state, as I do, and live daily with the tremendous downside of hoards, yes "hoards" of illegals, a situation made even worse because they are low IQ, you'd know this, and not feel so damn self-righteous in your criticism of Tandredo.
My community--its schools, its neighborhoods, its hospitals and clinics, its everything, is unrecognizable from what it was evern 7 years ago.
Maybe you live in Marin or SF County or some gated community that keeps the riff raff out?
Sarah Palin is a low IQ individual. That's basically the problem.
ReplyDeleteI think Razib Khan is essentially correct that her IQ is low for a politician but relatively high compared to a random unselected person or even to one of her randomly unselected detractors. Of course, the latter does not make one a good candidate.
"Sarah Palin is a low IQ individual. That's basically the problem. You may find that her ideological orientation is similar to yours, but that doesn't change the fact that her intellectual capabilities are seriously lacking."
ReplyDeleteI don't know if her IQ's 90 or 110; her absolute unwillingness to learn enough about the world to do the job of President means nothing but trouble. Remember G.W. Bush and his ridiculous and destructive Iraq war? Wasn't that great for conservatism? It helped elect a Democratic Congress and Obama.
Say what you will about Bush Sr., he didn't let the Israel lobby push him around, and he raised taxes even though it cost him the Presidency, with the noblesse oblige of the old WASP aristocracy. Say what you will about the fish and nerds, New England still looks pretty good.
Palin should host a talk show, with a political/lifestyle focus rather than the entertainment industry. That would play to her strengths.
ReplyDeleteChris
If you live in a border state, as I do, and live daily with the tremendous downside of hoards, yes "hoards" of illegals, a situation made even worse because they are low IQ, you'd know this, and not feel so damn self-righteous in your criticism of Tandredo.
ReplyDeleteWait a sec ... who was criticizing Tancredo? Ron? Certainly not me. Hope I didn't come off that way....
I'm just sick of hearing about Facebook. (I wasn't trying to criticize Sarah either. She's a nice person. Just not ready for prime time ... except maybe literally, as Chris suggests.)
When a politician is smart enough, his IQ high enough, there is no real advantage to prefer another politician with higher IQ or smarter.
ReplyDeleteYou do better looking at other features and skills, like steadfastness, independence, resolution, courage, work ethic, dependability, honesty, etc.
He need to delegate, anyway, the bulk of the workload. Better to choose a real leader, not a "I do it all" guy.