Rallying the faithful Tea Party crowd, political ‘rock star’ Sarah Palin‘s endorsement for New Hampshire Rep. Senate hopeful Kelly Ayotte brought the wild enthusiasm and cheers we’ve come to expect at a Palin rah-rah session, where the leader of the Pink Grizzly Mamas dubbed Kelly Ayotte the Granite Grizzly. Thus christened by the mama bear, Ayotte may well go forth and lose – unless she runs from further ringing endorsements by Power Palin, formerly known as Sarah Barracuda, and the Pit Bull. Apparently one needs a totem animal in the Palin neighborhood of the Tea party.
How can Ayotte fail with such a powerful endorsement? We assume her endorsement is powerful at one hundred thousand dollars per speaking engagement. Perhaps the fact that Progressives are willing Palin to oppose Obama in 2012 offers some clue that Palin only inspires such devotion in the hearts of the Tea Party, birthers, and others of the fringe element, an important fact which shouldn’t be mistaken as a Left turn of heart, but taken as a sign that Palin has little to no credibility outside of Tea Party circles, assuring an easy win for Obama. As for the Kelly Ayotte’s who seek votes within the GOP and the Tea Party, the sad fact is that Palin’s popularity, tied to her credibility and fitness to serve, are careening quickly downhill outside of the Tea party, with many Republicans leaping out of her way to avoid injury. Anyone who hitches their star to her wagon, inevitably gets taken along on the downhill run. The Plum Line’s Greg Sargent joins O’Donnell to discuss this turn of events, and explain why voters aren’t falling prey to the Sarah Palin myth.