Are RNC Chair Candidates The Last Five Republicans Who See Palin As Electable?

The “lightning round” of Monday’s RNC Chairman candidates’ debate featured a wealth of amusing moments (some even intentionally), but in a political climate that has turned cold toward former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, perhaps the most comical was the unanimity with which they agreed that the Mama Grizzly could win a general election.

In another Palin-related highlight, moderator Grover Norquist pulled a Katie Couric on the candidates, asking where they got their news. Remarkably, none of them got offended, and all were able to answer the question handily.

Other highlights include the odd one-upmanship on the “How many guns do you own” question, which was won by former US Ambassador to Luxembourg Ann Wagner, who also misheard the question “What is your favorite book?” as “What’s your favorite bar?”

Finally, on the book question, current RNC Chairman Michael Steele named War and Peace, wistfully saying, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” which is actually from A Tale of Two Cities. Norquist also got a laugh by referencing the “Late and unlamented governor of Florida, Governor Charlie Christie.”

But the Palin question reveals something of a reality gap within the Republican Party. Although polling suggests otherwise, and increasing numbers of conservative figures are finding the courage to speak out against Palin, her mojo remains strong enough to keep these potential figureheads in lockstep. From C-Span:

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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