2012 is not gonna be a typical year, just as 2008 was not a typical year. Who would ever have thought that a Chicago politician four years removed from the state legislature would win the presidency by a wide margin in his first term as U.S. Senator, after spending two of the four years campaigning. America essentially elected a two-year Senator to run the country. And, in case you missed it, the Senate is not an executive position.
And that brings us to Sarah Palin -- the anti-politician, the popular two-year govenor who "quit" a little more than halfway through her first term. Can she be elected to the presidency?
Let's have another conservation with a typical Sarah "doubter."
Sarah Doubter: Nobody who ever quit a governorship in their first term could be elected president. It's just not going to happen.
You: So you're concerned about how Sarah Palin's resignation affects her political image and electability?
Sarah Doubter: Yeah, it shows she can't handle the heat.
You: So staying in office would have shown she could handle heat?
Sarah Doubter: That's exactly what I'm saying.
You: What you're suggesting is that quitting removed the heat from her, right? That she quit to avoid heat?
Sarah Doubter: Yes, exactly.
You: Isn't it true that by quitting she has attracted more heat, including from people like you on her own side? And wouldn't it, in fact, have been easier to sit in office, collect a paycheck, concede to spend 80% of your time on non-productive "defensive" activities, stick taxpayers with the bill, travel the world, and pretend that you're accomplishing something?
Sarah Doubter: Well, she should have just fought her enemies instead of letting them win.
You: If you decide to continue fighting your enemies at the expense of the people you serve is that even ethical? In other words, if your presence in office is causing heavy collateral damage to your state, is it smart and ethical to remain in office no matter the cost?
Sarah Doubter: Well, every politician has political enemies. Ronald Reagan had them, George Bush had them. They didn't quit.
You: Has any politician at the state level attracted the volume of attacks directed at Sarah Palin? Is it normal for a governor to go personally bankrupt defending themselves against frivolous complaints? Sarah Palin incurred twice as much legal debt as the salary she drew as governor. Every day she spent in office she was one day closer to personal insolvency.
Sarah Doubter: Well, she should have started a private legal defense fund then.
You: She did, which led to yet another frivolous ethics complaint, wherein a politicially motivated investigator suggested Sarah should just let Alaska taxpayers pay for her legal defense. They wanted Alaskans to take the bullet for the political malice of Sarah's enemies.
Sarah Doubter: Well, I guess that's just part of politics. Taxpayers always get shafted.
You: So that's politics as usual, huh? Are you happy with politics as usual?
Sarah Doubter: No, not all.
You: Do you think people out there in America who are gathering for tea party protests are happy with politics as usual?
Sarah Doubter: No, absolutely not.
You: So doesn't that suggest that Sarah Palin has a huge base of supporters sympathetic to her decision making? Isn't she really the patron saint of "No politics as usual"? She gave up power, saved the people from her legal baggage and continues to fight her enemies on the national stage as a private citizen?
Sarah Doubter: Well, maybe.
You: And don't we need more leaders just like her who won't go with the flow?
Sarah Doubter: I guess so. You may have a point.
Monday, February 22, 2010
The "Quitter" Response, Pt. 3
Sarah Doubter: She really let her state down. How can we trust a woman like that?
You: So you think Alaskans are disappointed she quit?
Sarah Doubter: They should be.
You: Well, I guess if they thought she was doing a good job, they would be disappointed. Do you think she was doing a good job as governor for her state?
Sarah Doubter: I dunno. Maybe
You: Well, according to most Alaskans she was one of the better govenors Alaska has ever had with a long list of accomplishments in just 2 1/2 years so yes, that's understandable that some would be bitterly disappointed about her resignation. They really liked her and wanted her to be their governor judging from the 80% approval rating she had before the VP pick.
Sarah Doubter: She's just such a quitter.
You: Why would someone who was doing such an outstanding job as governor just up and quit?
Sarah Doubter: Because she wanted to be a celebrity.
You: Wasn't she already kind of a celebrity after the VP pick anyway?
Sarah Doubter: She wanted to make more money.
You: Well, quitting a six-figure job isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you want more money. She would have had the book money regardless of whether she quit her governor's job. But it sounds like you think she's a diva who cares only about a cushy lifestyle?
Sarah Doubter: Basically, yes.
You: So, she does a fantastically competent job as governor, including reducing the governor's personal travel budget budget by 85%, selling the private jet, laying off the chauffeur and the chef to save the state money (not to mention all the policy initiatives she got passed)... and she spends several weeks during the summer as a commercial fisherwoman, one of the grimiest jobs on the planet ... and then she wakes up one day and decides to become a diva? Do divas actually fish?
Sarah Doubter: She got used to the crowds on campaign and all the adoration. She missed that.
You: So you don't buy her reason that her newfound celebrity and the negative attention and bogus charges it brought was harming her state?
Sarah Doubter: No.
You: Hmmm ... So it was fair to Alaskans for their executive branch of government to be basically shut down with 80% of its time dealing with frivolous lawsuits and freedom of information act requests? Doesn't that sound like a huge waste? One frivolous suit after another ... 19 in all, with no merit to any of them, all because of the presence of celebrity Sarah Palin in office? Wasn't she really harming her state sticking around? Basically doing more harm in her position than good?
Sarah Doubter: Well, maybe. I dunno about all those ethics charges.
You: Would divas really care about their states? If she were a diva, wouldn't she have stayed in office, screwed the state over, traveled around the country or the world the next year (expensed it to Alaska) and reveled in being an Alaskan celebrity while still collecting her governor's salary? Nobody would have called her a "quitter" then. Don't you think, in fact, it took guts to quit? Especially knowing her decision might be misunderstood by Alaskans and that she might be signing her political death warrant?
Sarah Doubter: I suppose.
You: Don't we need more elected officials with that kind of courage?
Sarah Doubter: Probably
You: So you think Alaskans are disappointed she quit?
Sarah Doubter: They should be.
You: Well, I guess if they thought she was doing a good job, they would be disappointed. Do you think she was doing a good job as governor for her state?
Sarah Doubter: I dunno. Maybe
You: Well, according to most Alaskans she was one of the better govenors Alaska has ever had with a long list of accomplishments in just 2 1/2 years so yes, that's understandable that some would be bitterly disappointed about her resignation. They really liked her and wanted her to be their governor judging from the 80% approval rating she had before the VP pick.
Sarah Doubter: She's just such a quitter.
You: Why would someone who was doing such an outstanding job as governor just up and quit?
Sarah Doubter: Because she wanted to be a celebrity.
You: Wasn't she already kind of a celebrity after the VP pick anyway?
Sarah Doubter: She wanted to make more money.
You: Well, quitting a six-figure job isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you want more money. She would have had the book money regardless of whether she quit her governor's job. But it sounds like you think she's a diva who cares only about a cushy lifestyle?
Sarah Doubter: Basically, yes.
You: So, she does a fantastically competent job as governor, including reducing the governor's personal travel budget budget by 85%, selling the private jet, laying off the chauffeur and the chef to save the state money (not to mention all the policy initiatives she got passed)... and she spends several weeks during the summer as a commercial fisherwoman, one of the grimiest jobs on the planet ... and then she wakes up one day and decides to become a diva? Do divas actually fish?
Sarah Doubter: She got used to the crowds on campaign and all the adoration. She missed that.
You: So you don't buy her reason that her newfound celebrity and the negative attention and bogus charges it brought was harming her state?
Sarah Doubter: No.
You: Hmmm ... So it was fair to Alaskans for their executive branch of government to be basically shut down with 80% of its time dealing with frivolous lawsuits and freedom of information act requests? Doesn't that sound like a huge waste? One frivolous suit after another ... 19 in all, with no merit to any of them, all because of the presence of celebrity Sarah Palin in office? Wasn't she really harming her state sticking around? Basically doing more harm in her position than good?
Sarah Doubter: Well, maybe. I dunno about all those ethics charges.
You: Would divas really care about their states? If she were a diva, wouldn't she have stayed in office, screwed the state over, traveled around the country or the world the next year (expensed it to Alaska) and reveled in being an Alaskan celebrity while still collecting her governor's salary? Nobody would have called her a "quitter" then. Don't you think, in fact, it took guts to quit? Especially knowing her decision might be misunderstood by Alaskans and that she might be signing her political death warrant?
Sarah Doubter: I suppose.
You: Don't we need more elected officials with that kind of courage?
Sarah Doubter: Probably
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Quitting Response, Pt. 2
I just thought of another reply ...
Sarah Hater: She's a quitter. I won't vote for her.
You: So quitting is always a bad thing?
Sarah Hater: Yes, it shows a lack of character.
You: Have you ever quit a six-figure job before?
Sarah Hater: No, but that doesn't have anything do with it.
You: Did you know Sarah Palin quit another six figure job, her oil & gas ethics commissioner job?
Sarah Hater: No, but that just proves she's a lifelong quitter.
You: Yeah, she quit to protest corruption when the sitting Republican governor wouldn't investigate the state party chair for sharing confidential state documents with an oil lobbyist. She quit because by law as a commissioner she couldn't go public with her concerns because of confidentiality rules. So she quit to be able to blow the whistle on collusion knowing it would probably kill any chance she had to succeed in state politics as a Republican. And you know what happened to that state party chair? He was later given the largest ethics fine in Alaska history, largely because Sarah had the courage to put pressure on the governor's office and the Republican party.
Sarah Hater: Well, if she's so tough, she should have stayed in her job as governor and fought those ethics charges.
You: If you were working in a job that was costing you almost twice as much to go into work everyday than you were making would you stay there?
Sarah Hater: No, probably not.
You: Sarah Palin was paid $337,500 in 2 1/2 years as governor. After 19 frivolous ethics charges against her, she owed $600,000 in legal fees to her attorney. Had she stayed in office another 17 months, she likely would have been forced into bankruptcy because Alaska law does not automatically cover the legal defense of its governors, and Sarah did not want to foot taxpayers with the bill. Would you have been willing to go bankrupt in your job?
Sarah Hater: Well, no ...
You: So quitting is not always a bad thing?
Sarah hater: Well, she just wanted to make money and be a celebrity. She could have paid her legal fees with her book deal and speeches anyway.
You: So, she should have done her book deal and speeches while being governor and collecting a paycheck from taxpayers and attracting even more frivolous lawsuits every week that she stayed in office?
Sarah hater: No
You: So, quitting turned out to be the best thing for Sarah Palin personally and the State of Alaska?
Sarah Hater: She's a quitter. I won't vote for her.
You: So quitting is always a bad thing?
Sarah Hater: Yes, it shows a lack of character.
You: Have you ever quit a six-figure job before?
Sarah Hater: No, but that doesn't have anything do with it.
You: Did you know Sarah Palin quit another six figure job, her oil & gas ethics commissioner job?
Sarah Hater: No, but that just proves she's a lifelong quitter.
You: Yeah, she quit to protest corruption when the sitting Republican governor wouldn't investigate the state party chair for sharing confidential state documents with an oil lobbyist. She quit because by law as a commissioner she couldn't go public with her concerns because of confidentiality rules. So she quit to be able to blow the whistle on collusion knowing it would probably kill any chance she had to succeed in state politics as a Republican. And you know what happened to that state party chair? He was later given the largest ethics fine in Alaska history, largely because Sarah had the courage to put pressure on the governor's office and the Republican party.
Sarah Hater: Well, if she's so tough, she should have stayed in her job as governor and fought those ethics charges.
You: If you were working in a job that was costing you almost twice as much to go into work everyday than you were making would you stay there?
Sarah Hater: No, probably not.
You: Sarah Palin was paid $337,500 in 2 1/2 years as governor. After 19 frivolous ethics charges against her, she owed $600,000 in legal fees to her attorney. Had she stayed in office another 17 months, she likely would have been forced into bankruptcy because Alaska law does not automatically cover the legal defense of its governors, and Sarah did not want to foot taxpayers with the bill. Would you have been willing to go bankrupt in your job?
Sarah Hater: Well, no ...
You: So quitting is not always a bad thing?
Sarah hater: Well, she just wanted to make money and be a celebrity. She could have paid her legal fees with her book deal and speeches anyway.
You: So, she should have done her book deal and speeches while being governor and collecting a paycheck from taxpayers and attracting even more frivolous lawsuits every week that she stayed in office?
Sarah hater: No
You: So, quitting turned out to be the best thing for Sarah Palin personally and the State of Alaska?
Answering the "Quitter" Charge: A Sample Dialogue
Over on Hillbuzz, we were brainstorming how to support Sarah against the inevitable pot shots, and the tired claim that she's a "quitter." Here's my take ...
If someone says Sarah Palin is a “quitter” ask them the following:
You: So you think Alaska would have been better off had Palin not resigned with 17 months left in her term?
Sarah hater: Yes, that’s what I’m saying.
You: Hmmm … How specifically would the state have benefitted from her staying in office?
Sarah hater: Well, she promised to serve a four-year term. She’s quit on them to go make money.
You: But how would it have benefited her state, her continuing being in office?
Sarah hater: It just would have.
You: So, what you’re really saying is that despite her administration spending 80% of their time fighting junk ethics charges Palin was indispensible in governing the state of Alaska?
Sarah hater: No, she’s a quitter. That’s all.
You: So, you’re really concerned with how her resignation affected her political image rather than the actual effect it had on her state?
Sarah hater: No, that’s not what I said.
You: Do you generally support or oppose politicians who put their state’s interests ahead of their own politicial image?
Sarah hater: Sarah is a money grubber and she’s stupid.
You: So you're glad she resigned?
If someone says Sarah Palin is a “quitter” ask them the following:
You: So you think Alaska would have been better off had Palin not resigned with 17 months left in her term?
Sarah hater: Yes, that’s what I’m saying.
You: Hmmm … How specifically would the state have benefitted from her staying in office?
Sarah hater: Well, she promised to serve a four-year term. She’s quit on them to go make money.
You: But how would it have benefited her state, her continuing being in office?
Sarah hater: It just would have.
You: So, what you’re really saying is that despite her administration spending 80% of their time fighting junk ethics charges Palin was indispensible in governing the state of Alaska?
Sarah hater: No, she’s a quitter. That’s all.
You: So, you’re really concerned with how her resignation affected her political image rather than the actual effect it had on her state?
Sarah hater: No, that’s not what I said.
You: Do you generally support or oppose politicians who put their state’s interests ahead of their own politicial image?
Sarah hater: Sarah is a money grubber and she’s stupid.
You: So you're glad she resigned?
Friday, February 19, 2010
Sarah Palin and the 3 Ds
Someone on Conservatives4Palin.com asked: Where do you think Sarah Palin's future lies?
Having met her, and witnessed two of her well-received speeches first hand, I'm convinced Sarah Palin is our next president. What convinces me? The 3 Ds.
Details
Sarah is meticulous in her preparation for each venue. She weaves in the local narrative to her message. She remembers names and facts. Without belaboring the point or seeming insincere, she expresses appreciation for individuals, for institutions, and pays tribute to local veterans and industry. She works the audience like a national leader at the top of her game, a sign of someone who can connect anywhere she goes, whether it's speaking to Daytona race fans, or bowlers, or loggers. While others may tune out the mundane, she focuses like a laser. I witnessed her straining her neck to watch a 7-minute Chamber of Commerce video in Salina, Kan. I'll admit it, it was a boring video. But Sarah did not divert her gaze once, and took notes the whole time. This is retail politics. I also saw her talking intently with an ordinary fan in Springfield, Mo. who had a suggestion for her about fundraising. She asked the man questions, she completely gave him her attention for several minutes, longer than the 30-second time allotted. She makes eye contact, asks you your name and where you're from, as she shakes your hand, and thanks you for coming. Her parents and extended family members walk right up to you and warmly introduce themselves to you and shake your hand like you're an honored guest or an old friend.
Discipline
What Sarah Palin has accomplished since July 26th (her resignation date), is mind-boggling. After a smooth transition in handing off power to Sean Parnell, she essentially completed her 400-plus page memoir in one month (August), working 20-hour days, according to her father, and extracting from her detailed journals. (We know other politicians that have been unable to produce a book so quickly). Meanwhile, she also wrote dozens of Facebook posts, including her infamous death panel bomb (also in August) that got the White House all wee-weed up, and several well-researched timely op-eds for national publications. She doesn't let grass grow under her toes. She's busy. Her whirlwind media blitz featured more than a dozen interviews during her 26-city book tour with only one hitch that was quickly rectified. This speaks to her organizational skills. Let's not forget that she also gave a fantastic foreign policy speech in Hong Kong that even won praise from NYTimes, and she dazzled the grizzled press CORPSE at the Gridiron Dinner in DC, while taking time out also to visit Walter Reed, and the families at Ft. Hood. She's given more than a dozen subsequent speeches, sorting through hundreds of invites. Her pay is on par with some ex-presidents and prime ministers, a testament to her drawing power, as well as her substance. Fox News hired her for her commentary and even justaposed her video feed from Wasilla on a splitscreen while President Obama entered for his first State of the Union address. Meanwhile, she's crisscrossing the country for sold-out appearances. Her schedule would have killed mere mortals. But Sarah is disciplined. She is focused. And these traits will serve her well if/when she hits the presidential campaign trail.
Devotion
Sarah is devoted to the cause of "lifting American spirits," "fiscal conservatism" and "energy independence" as she told the Tea Partiers. But her devotion is matched, if not exceeded by, an unbelievable intensity of devotion from those who gather to see her. I personally camped overnight with about 400 people in Springfield, Mo., in 20-degree temperatures, for her book signing in December. One couple drove all the way down from Ohio to see Sarah. Her speeches sell out almost immediately. The College of the Ozarks ran out of tickets for her speech in less than an hour after their announcement. Two thousand seats, gone. Immediately. The school didn't even have time to finish the website to announce the tickets before it was rendered obsolete. Salina Chamber of Commerce added an extra several thousand seats to their venue for her sold-out speech to 6,000, the largest Chamber of Commerce meeting in U.S. history. At these events, people seem to hold Sarah in a reverence. She's not a politician. She's a hero, a woman who has taken so much abuse that every single person in the room feels duty-bound to protect her. Some don't want her to run for that very reason: they're afraid for her and her precious family. Others love Sarah but are convinced that the "big wigs" will never let her win.
And then there are those of us who see the 3 Ds and think: Who is going to stop Sarah? And, please, by all means, LET THEM TRY.
Having met her, and witnessed two of her well-received speeches first hand, I'm convinced Sarah Palin is our next president. What convinces me? The 3 Ds.
Details
Sarah is meticulous in her preparation for each venue. She weaves in the local narrative to her message. She remembers names and facts. Without belaboring the point or seeming insincere, she expresses appreciation for individuals, for institutions, and pays tribute to local veterans and industry. She works the audience like a national leader at the top of her game, a sign of someone who can connect anywhere she goes, whether it's speaking to Daytona race fans, or bowlers, or loggers. While others may tune out the mundane, she focuses like a laser. I witnessed her straining her neck to watch a 7-minute Chamber of Commerce video in Salina, Kan. I'll admit it, it was a boring video. But Sarah did not divert her gaze once, and took notes the whole time. This is retail politics. I also saw her talking intently with an ordinary fan in Springfield, Mo. who had a suggestion for her about fundraising. She asked the man questions, she completely gave him her attention for several minutes, longer than the 30-second time allotted. She makes eye contact, asks you your name and where you're from, as she shakes your hand, and thanks you for coming. Her parents and extended family members walk right up to you and warmly introduce themselves to you and shake your hand like you're an honored guest or an old friend.
Discipline
What Sarah Palin has accomplished since July 26th (her resignation date), is mind-boggling. After a smooth transition in handing off power to Sean Parnell, she essentially completed her 400-plus page memoir in one month (August), working 20-hour days, according to her father, and extracting from her detailed journals. (We know other politicians that have been unable to produce a book so quickly). Meanwhile, she also wrote dozens of Facebook posts, including her infamous death panel bomb (also in August) that got the White House all wee-weed up, and several well-researched timely op-eds for national publications. She doesn't let grass grow under her toes. She's busy. Her whirlwind media blitz featured more than a dozen interviews during her 26-city book tour with only one hitch that was quickly rectified. This speaks to her organizational skills. Let's not forget that she also gave a fantastic foreign policy speech in Hong Kong that even won praise from NYTimes, and she dazzled the grizzled press CORPSE at the Gridiron Dinner in DC, while taking time out also to visit Walter Reed, and the families at Ft. Hood. She's given more than a dozen subsequent speeches, sorting through hundreds of invites. Her pay is on par with some ex-presidents and prime ministers, a testament to her drawing power, as well as her substance. Fox News hired her for her commentary and even justaposed her video feed from Wasilla on a splitscreen while President Obama entered for his first State of the Union address. Meanwhile, she's crisscrossing the country for sold-out appearances. Her schedule would have killed mere mortals. But Sarah is disciplined. She is focused. And these traits will serve her well if/when she hits the presidential campaign trail.
Devotion
Sarah is devoted to the cause of "lifting American spirits," "fiscal conservatism" and "energy independence" as she told the Tea Partiers. But her devotion is matched, if not exceeded by, an unbelievable intensity of devotion from those who gather to see her. I personally camped overnight with about 400 people in Springfield, Mo., in 20-degree temperatures, for her book signing in December. One couple drove all the way down from Ohio to see Sarah. Her speeches sell out almost immediately. The College of the Ozarks ran out of tickets for her speech in less than an hour after their announcement. Two thousand seats, gone. Immediately. The school didn't even have time to finish the website to announce the tickets before it was rendered obsolete. Salina Chamber of Commerce added an extra several thousand seats to their venue for her sold-out speech to 6,000, the largest Chamber of Commerce meeting in U.S. history. At these events, people seem to hold Sarah in a reverence. She's not a politician. She's a hero, a woman who has taken so much abuse that every single person in the room feels duty-bound to protect her. Some don't want her to run for that very reason: they're afraid for her and her precious family. Others love Sarah but are convinced that the "big wigs" will never let her win.
And then there are those of us who see the 3 Ds and think: Who is going to stop Sarah? And, please, by all means, LET THEM TRY.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Sarah in Salina
Before her keynote address, the Chamber of Commerce in Salina, Kan. showed a 5-6 minute video about local businesses. Many in the audience, and even folks up on the stage with Sarah at the head table, tuned out the video and were chatting. People were by and large ignoring the video on the large screen. But not Sarah. Sarah cranked her neck to see every second of the video. I watched her. Her eyes remained on the video, and she took notes about some of the people in it. Who else would give a darn? I mean the people in that video weren’t famous — they were just local business owners; some of them owned larger corporations. But it’s not like Salina, Kan. is critical to Sarah’s political future. Kansas always votes Republican for president. Yet, she gave people the respect of listening to their stories. If I were someone featured in that video I would have been impressed. Because Sarah DOES listen. She DOES care. We see it over and over and over again. That’s someone I would love to see representing the people in DC."
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Sarah Palin - Yes She Can
I just got back from hearing Sarah Palin speak to a crowd of 6,000 enthusiastic supporters in what was proudly billed as the largest Chamber of Commerce dinner ever. There have been lots of reports on this Salina, Kan.-speech already, but sufficeth to say it was classic Sarah – autobiographical, authentic, emotional, and a tasty appetizer before what will undoubtedly be her Tea Party main course tonight.
Afterward I had the delightful experience of sharing a late Italian meal with two other Conservatives4Palin posters (and a friend of a C4Per) all of whom I’d never met until Friday. It turned out I was the only non-attorney at the table. Ha! I want to thank “A” and “AlwaysFiredUp” for an incredibly stimulating conversation where I walked away feeling that one thing was certain: Sarah will become president – if we who love her refuse to give up on her.
And, why is it so hard (given the current mood of the country) to imagine that she could win in 2012? (“A” predicts Sarah will cruise to a 49-50-state blowout. And, I have to trust him because he’s been following her career since 2006 and is a very analytical guy).
It strikes me that many of us Sarah Palin supporters (myself included) float between hope and fear: we adore Sarah and would love to see her run for president (we’d walk across hot broken glass for her), but we fear she could not win. Even the most ardent Sarah fans suffer from this failure of confidence. We believe the enemy propaganda: that her enemies are stronger than her -- and stronger than us.
I talked with a lady while waiting in the frigid cold for the shuttle bus Friday night and she was truly scared for Sarah: “I love Sarah but I hope she doesn't run for president. I don’t want her to go through what they’ll throw at her again. And I don’t think the media will let her win.”
Others think the GOP might be Sarah's insurmountable obstacle: AlwaysFiredUp thinks every Republican with a pulse will be vying to run against what she believes could be a severely weakened Obama, and the crowded field may be to Sarah's disadvantage. My aunt in Utah is similarly pessimistic: “I love Sarah, but the Republicans won’t let her win.” To which I replied: "Well, they still have to let people vote, you know.”
Granted, there will be opposition in the media and the party, but why should we settle for anything LESS THAN SARAH if that’s who we want? If we give up on her before she’s even started, how WILL she ever win?
This reminds me of what the Hillbuzz guys call the “Eyeore Republicans.” We give up too easy. I admit myself that I am too quick to believe negative propaganda. (Hey, I’m a Recovering Democrat with occasionally eyeore syndrome). I have too little faith sometimes in our side, and too much fear of the other side. I lose focus. I had to take six months off from politics after the election in ’08 I was so depressed.
But here’s the thing: We need Sarah.
And if some hater tries to tell you: well, GEE, she was mayor of a town of 9,000 – that’s smaller than the medium-sized suburb you live in. And she was only governor of Alaska, the fourth-least populated state in America. You tell them: Local government governs best. Mention the corruption in some of the larger cities and ask them which large-city mayor or large-state governor they’d rather have as president.
Sarah has a vision of limited government that is grounded in her experience at the local and state level. And she makes this clear every time she talks. In the 35-minute speech last night she displayed what I see as an innate libertarianism – perhaps her strongest expressions of it to date. Two-thirds of her address assailed the evils of government interference – not just in over-taxing, but also over-regulating. She drew the sharpest connection yet between government overstepping its bounds and the corruption and cronyism that accompany government largess. She invoked the Constitution, namely, the 10th Amendment, in reminding us that the best government is local. “The Feds need to keep their hands out of state business. We can’t legislate a favorable economic climate from Washington. It needs to be started at the local level,” she said.
I got a kick out of a couple of her anecdotes that I hadn’t heard before: she said some on the Wasilla council wanted to regulate whether businesses could have flashing signs. Another time they wanted to prevent the local barber pole from spinning. “We didn’t even have a barber shop with a barber pole, but people wanted rules to regulate it if we ever got one,” she laughed. She voted against both measures, opting to let people (and business owners) “think for themselves.”
(She didn’t mention it in the speech, but this reminded me of the fact that Sarah also nixed her council’s idea to close the Wasilla bars earlier than the customary 3 a.m., perhaps to the disappointment of the tee-totaling crowd.)The point is: Who are we going to trust to cut government? Why not Sarah?
As mayor, her focus was on cutting taxes on small business and providing the core infrastructure (sewer and roads) that were truly needed, the city services that would allow business development to expand.
As governor, she followed a similar “keep it simple pattern” pattern, laying out four keys for her state government:
1) Live within means
2) Develop energy sources
3) Provide core services
4) Save for a rainy day.
”It was not always the easy path,” she said. “I had to butt heads with the legislature. And the media didn’t always agree with me. Some things never change.”
The bottom line: everywhere Sarah has gone, the conditions have improved: her city, her state, (her nation?) She left them better than she found them. And it must be so frustrating (indeed the anguish shows in her demeanor) when she looks at the horrific abuses going on at the federal level. As she turned her attention to the national level in her speech, she spoke loathingly of TARP, quoting Rep. Paul Ryan that the TARP has morphed into “crony capitalism of the worst kind.”
(Incidentally, Ryan was the only Republican she mentioned by name in her whole speech, except for thanking Kansas Congressman Jerry Moran for introducing her.)
The foundation for a better future isn’t that complicated. And the answers aren’t all found in D.C. or in the highly populated cities or states – where big government lives.
Small-town Sarah Palin would be an unlikely president, to be sure. But her story would be no more unlikely than the story of America itself: a bunch of ragtag patriots in sparsely populated colonies taking on the British Empire.
And as “A” reminded me: Sarah's already conquered similar mountains on a "smaller" level. She should never have become governor. Odds were not in her favor. You just don’t take on the sitting governor of your own party in a primary. And if you somehow win the primary, well, you just don’t defeat a popular former Democratic governor who has the media on his side. You just don’t do it.
Unless you’re Sarah Palin. Yes, she can.
Afterward I had the delightful experience of sharing a late Italian meal with two other Conservatives4Palin posters (and a friend of a C4Per) all of whom I’d never met until Friday. It turned out I was the only non-attorney at the table. Ha! I want to thank “A” and “AlwaysFiredUp” for an incredibly stimulating conversation where I walked away feeling that one thing was certain: Sarah will become president – if we who love her refuse to give up on her.
And, why is it so hard (given the current mood of the country) to imagine that she could win in 2012? (“A” predicts Sarah will cruise to a 49-50-state blowout. And, I have to trust him because he’s been following her career since 2006 and is a very analytical guy).
It strikes me that many of us Sarah Palin supporters (myself included) float between hope and fear: we adore Sarah and would love to see her run for president (we’d walk across hot broken glass for her), but we fear she could not win. Even the most ardent Sarah fans suffer from this failure of confidence. We believe the enemy propaganda: that her enemies are stronger than her -- and stronger than us.
I talked with a lady while waiting in the frigid cold for the shuttle bus Friday night and she was truly scared for Sarah: “I love Sarah but I hope she doesn't run for president. I don’t want her to go through what they’ll throw at her again. And I don’t think the media will let her win.”
Others think the GOP might be Sarah's insurmountable obstacle: AlwaysFiredUp thinks every Republican with a pulse will be vying to run against what she believes could be a severely weakened Obama, and the crowded field may be to Sarah's disadvantage. My aunt in Utah is similarly pessimistic: “I love Sarah, but the Republicans won’t let her win.” To which I replied: "Well, they still have to let people vote, you know.”
Granted, there will be opposition in the media and the party, but why should we settle for anything LESS THAN SARAH if that’s who we want? If we give up on her before she’s even started, how WILL she ever win?
This reminds me of what the Hillbuzz guys call the “Eyeore Republicans.” We give up too easy. I admit myself that I am too quick to believe negative propaganda. (Hey, I’m a Recovering Democrat with occasionally eyeore syndrome). I have too little faith sometimes in our side, and too much fear of the other side. I lose focus. I had to take six months off from politics after the election in ’08 I was so depressed.
But here’s the thing: We need Sarah.
And if some hater tries to tell you: well, GEE, she was mayor of a town of 9,000 – that’s smaller than the medium-sized suburb you live in. And she was only governor of Alaska, the fourth-least populated state in America. You tell them: Local government governs best. Mention the corruption in some of the larger cities and ask them which large-city mayor or large-state governor they’d rather have as president.
Sarah has a vision of limited government that is grounded in her experience at the local and state level. And she makes this clear every time she talks. In the 35-minute speech last night she displayed what I see as an innate libertarianism – perhaps her strongest expressions of it to date. Two-thirds of her address assailed the evils of government interference – not just in over-taxing, but also over-regulating. She drew the sharpest connection yet between government overstepping its bounds and the corruption and cronyism that accompany government largess. She invoked the Constitution, namely, the 10th Amendment, in reminding us that the best government is local. “The Feds need to keep their hands out of state business. We can’t legislate a favorable economic climate from Washington. It needs to be started at the local level,” she said.
I got a kick out of a couple of her anecdotes that I hadn’t heard before: she said some on the Wasilla council wanted to regulate whether businesses could have flashing signs. Another time they wanted to prevent the local barber pole from spinning. “We didn’t even have a barber shop with a barber pole, but people wanted rules to regulate it if we ever got one,” she laughed. She voted against both measures, opting to let people (and business owners) “think for themselves.”
(She didn’t mention it in the speech, but this reminded me of the fact that Sarah also nixed her council’s idea to close the Wasilla bars earlier than the customary 3 a.m., perhaps to the disappointment of the tee-totaling crowd.)The point is: Who are we going to trust to cut government? Why not Sarah?
As mayor, her focus was on cutting taxes on small business and providing the core infrastructure (sewer and roads) that were truly needed, the city services that would allow business development to expand.
As governor, she followed a similar “keep it simple pattern” pattern, laying out four keys for her state government:
1) Live within means
2) Develop energy sources
3) Provide core services
4) Save for a rainy day.
”It was not always the easy path,” she said. “I had to butt heads with the legislature. And the media didn’t always agree with me. Some things never change.”
The bottom line: everywhere Sarah has gone, the conditions have improved: her city, her state, (her nation?) She left them better than she found them. And it must be so frustrating (indeed the anguish shows in her demeanor) when she looks at the horrific abuses going on at the federal level. As she turned her attention to the national level in her speech, she spoke loathingly of TARP, quoting Rep. Paul Ryan that the TARP has morphed into “crony capitalism of the worst kind.”
(Incidentally, Ryan was the only Republican she mentioned by name in her whole speech, except for thanking Kansas Congressman Jerry Moran for introducing her.)
The foundation for a better future isn’t that complicated. And the answers aren’t all found in D.C. or in the highly populated cities or states – where big government lives.
Small-town Sarah Palin would be an unlikely president, to be sure. But her story would be no more unlikely than the story of America itself: a bunch of ragtag patriots in sparsely populated colonies taking on the British Empire.
And as “A” reminded me: Sarah's already conquered similar mountains on a "smaller" level. She should never have become governor. Odds were not in her favor. You just don’t take on the sitting governor of your own party in a primary. And if you somehow win the primary, well, you just don’t defeat a popular former Democratic governor who has the media on his side. You just don’t do it.
Unless you’re Sarah Palin. Yes, she can.
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