New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg can breathe a sigh of relief. He won’t have to run as an Independent presidential candidate.
The haters can stand down. They can put their hate on hold.
And Jon Stewart? Sorry. No Sarah Palin jokes this election cycle.
Sarah Palin is not running for president.
Is it really a surprise? No. Heartbreaking for her fans? Absolutely. So how does it change the political calculation in 2012?
Well, Gov. Rick Perry is happy now that Palin won’t take from his base. Bachmann, Cain, and Santorum are smiling a little more tonight knowing they now have a shot at a lot of those folks who were holding out for Palin.
And Mitt Romney? He would have liked to see Palin run only so she can splinter the Tea Party and evangelical voting blocks even further. That won’t happen now so it’s a bit of a negative for Romney.
As for her future, she's still a force to be reckoned with and young enough to run in 2016 if Obama gets a second term. Heck, she can run in 2020 and age wouldn't be a problem.