Building on a lengthy discussion by Rhodes Cook of of late entry possibilities for the GOP race, Mark Whittington proposes the following scenario:
The scenario looks something like this:
Newt Gingrich’s momentum is blunted by the ongoing attacks that have been levied against him from all sides. Perhaps someone like Ron Paul or Rick Perry does unexpectedly well in Iowa and/or South Carolina. Romney stays pretty much as he is now, at about 20 percent.
So, as February dawns, there is no obvious candidate. There is Romney and three or four not-Romneys, none of whom has a commanding position. Republican voters start to get dispirited about the choices. No one seems to be a perfect fit for the presidency.
Then, from out of the blue, comes the big announcement. Sarah Palin calls a press conference at some appropriate venue and says, in effect, ya talked me into it. Game on.
The effect is electric on all sides. A surge of popular support boosts Palin to a number of wins in the later primary states. One or two of the not-Romney candidates drop out and throw their support to her, urging that their pledged delegates do likewise. By the time the Republican National Convention occurs in August, Palin has it sown up. The Obama campaign is reacting in full-fledged faux horror, as are certain inside the beltway pundits. But like Reagan in 1980, she cannot be denied. That November, the first female president of the United States is elected.
In this YouTube video, Tim Donovan narrates Whittington’s article and adds a few comments of his own:
h/tp Tommy Miller and Sarah Palin’s Earthquake Movement