C'mon. Invite Sarah Palin to speak at the convention. It'll be fun.

By Richard K. Barry

Whenever I get the idea I know anything about American politics, I remind myself that Sarah Palin continues to be an incredibly popular figure in conservative circles. Not only does this amaze me, but it means I am constantly having to revise downward my assessment of the intelligence of a significant segment of the electorate. Put a different way, it's hard to think about politics rationally when so many are so irrational. Then again, Jersey Shore gets good ratings, so...

I see that Mitt Romney has so far resisted the temptation to invite Sarah Palin to speak at the GOP convention. As the story goes, this is upsetting Tea Party activists who never trusted Romney anyway and is even causing some to say that if Romney doesn't straighten up, some committed conservatives may not see enough of a difference between Obama and Romney to come out and vote in November. I'm not sure about that.

Still, I understand why Romney wouldn't want her on the stage. She is, after all, crazy and stupid. But those who love her want to see their Sarah and they will be mighty angry with Mitt for denying them that opportunity.

On balance, though, I have to say that if I was advising Mitt, I'd invite her. Potential supporters who don't like her or might be turned off by what she says will understand the politics of the situation. Those who love her will, well, love her. And the rest of us will certainly be entertained.

What could go wrong?

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)