Forming America's Next Political Party

We've been giving the issue of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's resignation some thought, although we still wonder exactly what she has planned. Resigning before completing a term is not an unheard of manoeuvre, so such an act by Ms. Palin is not necessarily out of the ordinary. However, she seems to be a canny and clever person; we would be very surprised if she is simply leaving politics behind and returning to a quiet, private life.

On the contrary, this article from the Wall Street Journal gave us pause; "Governor's move highlights GOP divide," as the title says. The Republican Party has a rich and vibrant tradition of falling completely to pieces at various intervals, typically resulting in a name change (or at least a bifurcation of the Party). A collapse and reinvention of the GOP is not outside of the realm of possibility, in our minds.

Now, Ms. Palin's 'highlighting of divides' could just be another interior squabble of the Republican Party, which will resolve itself one way or the other. However, Mr. Gerald Celente, of the Trends Research Institute, has made it clear on numerous occasions that he expects to see a powerful third political party develop in the United States - partly in response to the Depression.

We regard Mr. Celente as a very smart man... he's paid lots of money to be very right, after all. We can think of no reason why a new party couldn't form, except perhaps the disinterest and passivity of the U.S. citizenry. If there were to be a new third party, we frankly don't expect it to bud off of the Democratic Party. A splintering of the Republican Party, on the other hand, is not unlikely, as the Party is under an incredible amount of political strain (e.g. sex scandals of former frontrunners for the 2012 Elections, losing their majority, and their perceived responsibility for the Nation's economic woes).

We ask the question, could Ms. Palin be one of the forces behind the creation of this new party? We wouldn't bet against that. Out of the present Republican Party, she is - in our mind - one of the few with any, shall we say, personality. She had a very striking rise to national attention, and has not really left the national scene entirely, even after the election. We wouldn't expect that her reasons for leaving her post as Governor include 'form new third party,' but we could definitely see her being part of any sort of movement in that direction.

We suggest watching Ms. Palin's actions closely for the next few months. Perhaps we are wrong, and she really does intend to leave politics behind. Whatever the case, though, we posit her moves will be most illuminating.