Sarah Palin Should Retire From Politics, Stop Being Newt Gingrich's Wingwoman

Since her vice presidential loss in 2008, Sarah Palin has not nearly as invested in national horse race politics. She resigned as Alaska's governor in her first term in July 2009, and decided not to run in the current GOP presidential race. She has not fully endorsed any of the candidates, but has shown support for Newt Gingrich on numerous counts. Palin said she would vote for the former House Speaker in the South Carolina primary. And recently, Palin said Gingrich was being unfairly attacked by liberals and progressives and not given the opportunity to share the spotlight with other candidates like Mitt Romney.

But as an ex-governor, Palin's reign has ended and nothing she says should be taken under consideration any longer.

"The left seeks to single someone out and destroy his or her record and reputation and family using the media as a channel to dump handpicked and half-baked campaign opposition research on the public,” Palin said.

In response, Gingrich welcomed her with open arms, saying he would want her to be a part of his administration if elected president. However, this statement only discourages me even further from voting for Gingrich. No candidate should accept an endorsement from Palin, because she holds a social stigma to her name and boasts an unimpressive political résumé.

Palin’s 2008 campaign brought her notoriety and ushered her into the realm of celebrity status. That celebrity status helped her create a best-selling memoir, give speeches in crowd-packed venues a national speaking tour, secure a speaking gig on Fox News, and even star in a TLC documentary television series that illustrates her personal life in Alaska.

But Palin is popular for all the wrong reasons. She is often seen as a crazy right-wing Republican that lacks the knowledge and experience to be fit for Washington. As the face of the Tea Party, she became the “reality star” of politics. But Palin's viewpoints will not be taken seriously because she has been so immersed within our celebrity culture that she is essentially looked down upon in the Republican Party.

But it is not just her character that raises skepticism in the public's eye. In her brief political career, she has not done much to make herself stand out. Because she had no prior experience before governor and was only active in government for two years, Palin is not a reputable voice to listen to. In addition, she is an amateur on international as well as many socioeconomic issues, lacks strong leadership and management qualities, and is hammered by the mainstream media.

Put simply, she does not have the expertise or the likeability factor to make a difference in another candidate's campaign or administration.

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