Tony Blankley Knows Political History Others Forget

Some conservative pundits continue to make strange assertions about upcoming elections. Charles Krauthammer tonight said that if Palin ran for the Republican nomination and lost, her "stature" would be diminished. So, she won't run.

Hmm. I remember voting twice for Reagan when he ran for the Republican nomination and lost. True, the first time, in 1968, he didn't actively campaign. But, in 1976 he very actively campaigned and lost. Somehow that loss didn't diminish his stature since he came back to win both the nomination and the presidency in 1980.

In my memory even losing not just in the primaries, but an actual presidential run, hasn't caused irreparable damage. Richard Nixon lost to Kennedy in 1960 and ran again and won the presidency in 1968.

So, having actually lived through elections that contradict what currently passes as wisdom, I tend to take these political wizards with a grain of salt as to what is and is not necessary to win. It's refreshing to find someone who does know a little political history. Here's Tony Blankley:

And last week was also the moment for prominent and respected Republicans (George Will[*] and former Gov. John Sununu) to pronounce various of the likely Republican contenders unfit for nomination or election to the presidency. But then, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama were all written off as either unelectable or unfit by various prominent members of their respective parties. They all ended up being respectfully called "Mr. President," often by the very people who disparaged their chances a year before.

Blankley seems to be one of the few pundits who actually knows the political history of the last 50 years and applies it to his analysis.
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*Link to Will's column