Palin and the GOP looking to the future

Republicans seek a fresh direction

Sarah Palin, in Miami yesterday for a Republican Governors Association meeting, said a woman - though not necessarily her - would be good for the party's presidential ticket in 2012. (John Watson-Riley/ Associated Press)

MIAMI - Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, who clearly is looking ahead to her political prospects in 2012, said yesterday that a woman would be good for the Republican presidential ticket in four years.

The 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, who has been on a whirlwind series of postelection television interviews, traveled to Florida this week for the three-day Republican Governors Association meeting, where she is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion today titled, "Looking Towards the Future: The GOP in Transition."

Asked about speculation that she is the party's future, she told reporters: "I don't think it's me personally, I think it's what I represent. Everyday hardworking American families - a woman on the ticket perhaps represents that. It would be good for the ticket. It would be good for the party. I would be happy to get to do whatever is asked of me to help progress this nation."

A week after Election Day, Republicans are doing some soul-searching after losing the White House and seeing their numbers decrease in the Senate and House. Many in the GOP are looking to their governors for a fresh direction for the party and the best prospects for winning the presidency in 2012.

Palin was a hit with Republican social conservatives but faces possible competition from a number of other governors, including Charlie Crist of Florida, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

She also faces a deeply divided public. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released yesterday said 49 percent of those surveyed have a favorable opinion of Palin, while 43 percent have an unfavorable opinion.

Her numbers have dropped slightly from mid-October; her favorability peaked at 57 percent, just after her national debut during the Republican convention.

In an interview on CNN yesterday, Palin did not rule out running for president in 2012, saying, "That is based on my philosophy that it's crazy to close a door before you know what's even open in front of you."

She also didn't close the door on seeking a seat in the US Senate, depending on the fate of Republican incumbent Ted Stevens. . While the senator is leading in the continuing count from the election, he could be ousted by the Senate for his conviction on seven felony counts of failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts, mostly renovations on his home. If that happens, there would be a special election.

"I'm going to serve Alaskans to the best of my ability," Palin said. "At this point, it is as governor."

As Republicans gathered in Miami to talk about what went wrong and what to do next, Ron Paul put in his two cents, arguing that the party strayed from its core principles after winning power during the Bush presidency - and must return to those beliefs to regain voters' trust.

Paul, a Texas congressman, developed a core of dedicated supporters and a formidable online fund-raising operation during the GOP presidential primaries, then held a counter-rally during the party's national convention.

"The Republican Congress never once stood up against the Bush/Rove machine that demanded support for unconstitutional wars; attacks on civil liberties here at home; and an economic policy based on more spending, more debt, and more inflation - while constantly preaching the flawed doctrine that deficits don't matter as long as taxes aren't raised," he wrote in a commentary for CNN. "But what the Republican leadership didn't realize was that ALL spending is a tax on middle-class Americans through price inflation, and that eventually the inevitable consequence is paying for the extravagance with a financial crisis."