“Sarah Palin.”
Those two words — by now a shibboleth for partisan, political vehemence — continue to resonate in the aftermath of the election and inauguration of President Barack Obama. Still polarizing and still energizing.
Pat Kemp and Deborah Cox-Rousch, respective chairpersons of Hillsborough County’s Democratic and Republican parties, reacted accordingly.
“She scared me,” recalled Kemp during a question-and-answer session at the most recent Tampa Tiger Bay Club luncheon. Palin, she underscored, was “divisive and unprepared.”
However, Kemp wouldn’t mind seeing her on a future ticket.
“Palin appeals to a smaller segment of her party,” she explained. “It’s not enough to win an election.”
Kemp said she was “amazed” at how many Republicans were “turned” by Palin’s inclusion on the ticket. “Sure, I’d like to see her run again.”
As for Cox-Rousch, whose vice presidential preference was Mitt Romney, Palin did her job, she said, by pumping up a base that was less than enthralled with the candidacy of John McCain.
“If anyone energized the party, she did,” stressed Cox-Rousch. “She’s a force to be reckoned with.
“Look, Palin handled the mom challenges,” she pointed out. “She supported her daughter. I respect that. Politicians are still people. She’s a good Republican. That’s all I can say. You betcha.”