The Coming Bachmann-Palin Smack Down
Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann are running for President. Neither is fact finding, considering options, or on a “listening tour.” In Sarah’s case, she’s not really waiting to find out if democracy “needs” her to step in. Both women are running for the nation’s highest office. Further, both believe they are qualified for the job. Take a moment to wrap your head around that.
Of course, neither will be President. Bachmann and Palin both share the same narrow constituency, roughly twenty percent of Americans who believe their lack of success is caused by other Americans. Both Bachmann and Palin nourish these folks with a ready string of excuses for un-remarkableness. For that, their supporters are a very loyal bunch.
This voter bloc is large enough to make a powerful case that one or the other should be the Republican vice-presidential candidate. Historically, few potential running mates bring this many voters along. Either Bachmann or Palin would surely settle for VP when it becomes clear that they can’t win the top spot. Both would view it as their eventual path to the presidency.
So Palin needs to knock off Bachmann. Or Bachmann needs to knock off Palin. Between them, they have only one set of votes to deliver. And they both know it.
When Sarah Palin made one of her biggest gaffes to date, her silly, self-indulgent statement on the morning of the Tucson shooting victim’s memorial, she wasn’t merely answering critics. She was attempting to create an equivalent stature between herself and the President. It was a disastrous stumble and maybe a fatal one. She didn’t manage to elevate her standing – just the opposite. But she did manage to look petty and small and supremely narcissistic.
That may have been that exact moment when Michele Bachmann decided to deliver her equally silly response to the State of the Union. Though Bachmann didn’t stumble as badly as Palin, her performance could hardly be called a success. After getting a gift from CNN – they covered her speech live – she forgot to look at the network’s camera. It only served to reinforce her image as a bug-eyed, crazy woman. She also ticked off people she’ll need later, though honestly Bachmann’s always been ignorant about coalition building.
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