The lady has pull:
Some of Sarah Palin’s riskiest endorsements scored major victories Tuesday for the former Alaska governor, showing off her power in Republican primaries.
Palin had four primary endorsements in play – Carly Fiorina, Nikki Haley, Terry Branstad and Cecile Bledsoe – and three won or moved on to a runoff.
Palin served different roles for each candidate – sometimes spotlighting conservatives not well known to the national scene while at others validating conservative credentials to an unsure grassroots and even stepping in to deflect nasty attacks.
Whether she decides to run in 2012 or not, she’ll be carrying a lot of political weight all through the 2012 campaign. In a time of political upheaval, someone who’s conservative/populist credentials are spotless like Palin’s will be able to use her endorsement again and again to either defend someone against attacks or shoot them in to public notice. Especially if, as I expect, her actions secure a lot of GOP victories in November, she will be a king maker in the Republican party.
This, on the whole, is good for the party – we need someone who can stand up for principle. And in the long run, this might be a better service to us than even her being President.
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