Sarah Palin: Authentic and on the Money

By: Erick Erickson (Diary) | February 7th, 2010 at 10:44 PM |

RESIZE: AAA

Governor Sarah Palin took to the stage at the National Tea Party Convention on Saturday night and hit it out of the park. She hit all the notes perfectly. She threw in some great lines. But above all else, she proved herself authentic, sincere, and in touch with conservatives and independents.

You can see the whole speech here. As Andrew Malcolm noted, she started by recognizing Ronald Reagan’s birthday, which was the day of her speech.

Governor Palin offered a full throated endorsement of the tea party movement, a movement that has seen as much hatred and scorn from the media and both political parties’ establishments as the Governor herself.

She said, “The Republican Party would be really smart to start trying to absorb as much of the Tea Party movement as possible” and also said Republicans should not be afraid of primaries.

Here’s the thing — and it is what I mentioned the other day. Sarah Palin’s history in politics is of not a reformer in general, but of a house cleaner. She has, in every job she has held, rooted out corruption and cleaned up the place.

She said in her speech that she would support candidates dedicated to personal responsibility and the free market — kind of like the candidates RedState supports. And that means there are some Republicans who might want to watch out.

From Utah to South Carolina to Florida to Indiana via Texas, Republican races just might get real interesting soon.

Echoing a point I have made repeatedly, Governor Palin says the tea party does not need a leader. But, given her ability to unite disparate tea party groups and voices, she could help solve the problem that cropped up in Illinois where all the tea party groups went for separate candidates. That would align Governor Pain with Senator Jim DeMint as the two most powerful politicians on the right.

Tags: Sarah Palin, Tea Parties

COMMENTS

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mbecker908

I mean, heck, Tod wrote the speech on her hand. Along with the answers to all the questions.

Good point about Palin and DeMint. Now if Mark Ryan will move into that group we could have a trinity.

The next six months are going to be very, very interesting.
EagleWatcher

She is more effective now in civilian life than she was in political office.

She does two thing well:

1. Articulates conservative principles in clear, bold terms.
2. Attacks the myths of Progressivism.
http://uslibertyjournal.blogspot.com/ daezy

I was sorry to Chris Wallace attempt to beat her up, but she stood her ground. Don’t think he was quite prepared for her chutzpah.
mbecker908

She might invigorate it though.

I do find it interesting that you would be interested in promoting someone for President who you admit is more effective in civilian life than she was in political office. Especially when said political office was the top elected office in her state.

You might want to rethink that one, it might not be the compliment I think you meant it to be…
gumbyandpokey

But why does Palin seem to be the only Conservative gutsy enough to tweak Obama?

I’ll vote for any Republican over Obama, but I would probably only work/volunteer for Sarah Palin.
Swamp_Yankee

I like Palin and I kind of like the Tea Parties, but Kleinheider makes some good points. That was a GOP stump speech. I think Tea Party groups will continue to splinter.

Palin will be more effective if she sticks to the broader themes of good, responsive governance and anti-tax and anti-big government.

I’m not sure that dabbling if the rote partisan stuff, and the foreign policy stuff, and some of the social stuff will resonate with libertarians and independents as much. We’ve already seen the backlash about birther nativism.

http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2010/02/07/the-begining-of-the-end-sarah-palin-hijacks-the-tea-party-movement/
gekster

He could have been trying to draw out that chutzpah.
It could have been a tough interview so the left can’t take much ammo to shoot back at him for being soft because shes Palin.
Chriss Walace has been good at his job for a long time.
I thought all of the questions were fair.
Bobcat51

a full set of teeth and uses them well to snap at the statists. It would seem we have an awful lot of Republicans who act like toothless, neutured tired old lap dogs.
Bobcat51

Sorry team.
http://dezignworx-ae.com tsquare

But I choose to watch her speak and the interview on Fox News Sunday… what I saw is a woman that has learned much this last year… dare I say she learned more in this year than our current President has… and a woman that will be ready to run in 2012.

And she told me last night that she knows how she would need to run to win. She gave a good speech last night… not a great one, a good one. As one pundit said the same 3/5 of the crowd that walked in to the room last night backing her walked out that way. She neither gained or lost.

As of right here, right now, Palin CAN win… if she were to run.

Except that she is not running today, and the election is not today… it is 2 1/2 years from now.

That’s about three lifetimes from now in politics.

Or more…
adriansoto

I saw Governor Palin in an interview on FoxNews with Chris Wallace on Sunday. And I accept the reason she gave for her resignation as Governor of Alaska. The reason I believe her: No one is attacking her former lieutenant governor, now the governor of Alaska. Image that.
aesthete

so much as the amorphous nature of the “Tea Party Convention”, and the inherent attempt at centralization of the Tea Party movement’s tenets. The Tea Party movement started as, and has been, a broad movement with low costs with the simple message of, “get government out of our lives!” Attempts to associate the movement with birtherism, social conservatism, aggressive foreign policy, or any other issue or politician on the national horizon necessarily increase the cost of participation, and reduce the appeal of the movement.

Sure, Palin gave a kind of partisan speech (funny how some were predicting a third-party speech), but I would posit that the establishment of the Tea Party movement as a brand started well before her opening words, when the national “Tea Party convention” started floating around as an idea. Indeed, even if had Palin had given the best speech possible at the convention, her mere presence would have ensured that some folks would be turned off to the Tea Party movement. In short, I don’t blame the messenger: the message of the Tea Party convention was that the Tea Party is a brand, now.

Disappointing, but not wholly unanticipated.
antisocial

I think that fits the narrative I am just curious.
Flagstaff

Whe he?
EagleWatcher

I think she’s reluctant at best to run for President after what her family went through on 2008.

In her FNS interview she said she might run for President if it’s good for the country AND the Palin family. She is genuinely concerned about the lives of her children and grand children.
Flagstaff

ran a blip where local guy Sean Somebody tried to draw a comparison between TCYP Barry using a teleprompter and the no more than ten reminder words Palin had written on her hand with a felt pen, as if that made her hypocritical because she mocked TCYPB for using said TOTUS.

I’m not sure what his intent was, but it made him look rather foolish.

No more KPHO for me.
writeblock

…What’s wrong with that? First off, it got covered like a stump speech by the media–which is exactly the kind of focus the tea party needs to amplify its themes. Second, the tea party movement was amorphous to begin with. It can’t splinter–because it was a collection of splinters to begin with. Palin did fine. She’s not running for anything and won’t be held accountable for her general tone of snarkiness. If anything it gave perfect expression to the generalized indignitation most ordinary Americans feel with their oversized, over-spending government. Why does Kleinheider believe people–never before involved in politics–would take to the streets and make homemade signs and trek all the way to protest in Washington? It’s because they’re pissed, to put it bluntly! They want nothing more than to hear the kind of speech Palin delivered.
writeblock

…in a way. Reagan drove the left and its media toadies bonkers. Just to mention him as a candidate drew liberal ire. His path was effectively blocked the first time around by a bunch of timid souls in the GOP, but he eventually won the nomination and cleaned Carter’s clock.

Personally I’d prefer Rudy in 2012, not Sarah. I like her–but Rudy’s got a broader appeal and a more experienced and variegated background. He’s also got a finer mind and is more articulate. They both have reformist instincts and they both would need to cut spending and shut down wasteful government programs. Rudy would be more adept at this I suspect.
Whitehorse

I think her authenticity is the key to her success – she authentically, passionately believes in her values & principles.

Being “picky,” I wish she would have chosen a different word than “absorb.” Some in the Republican establishment want to bring in the TEA Party folks & run their actions – that isn’t going to happen. IMHO, our successful candidates will attract the TEA Partiers into partnership by demonstrating that authentic passion.

I wish the horserace stuff would simmer down – we have such a historic & imminently important opportunity in 2010. She may run for president, may not – she’s doing an awesome job effectively articulating the conservative message & activating people right now. If she does run, she’ll have my full support unless something drastically changes – but that’s a 2011 thing for me.
precinctpatriot

chairwoman of the Republican party! She would galvanize the Tea Party activists to support the party and would bring credibility that the GOP would actually support their principles.
http://itsaboutfreedom.proboards.com/index.cgi IronDioPriest

…. Ridicule. Obama wilts under it.

And then she went for the throat of his policies with a scalpel.

This is a formidable woman, and she has shown that she will not wilt under ridicule, unless one takes her gubernatorial resignation as weakness. In watching her play the media, the administration, and yes – the conservative electorate – like a Stradivarius, I am increasingly inclined to view that resignation as providential and pragmatic, rather than weak.
mosander

Your response is the old style middle of the road on the issues stance seen in politics for years. Our country is in serious collapse here. It is being done deliberately by an alien president and you are dong this “stick to the issues” crap. Most of the people in this country are not “disgruntled” they are ANGRY! That is one thing Obama has done positively in office. Like Pearl Harbor he has awakened the sleeping people in our country to action. We are paying close attention and the Tea Party movement is GROWING!
dmartin

Makes sense to me.
Section9

Anyone who tuned into MSNBC this morning saw his mouthpiece Mark Halperin and Twinkles Breziznski opining about how Palin was unready because she brought not one new idea to the table.

Talking Points Monday, I guess.
mbecker908
http://hillbillypolitics.com Steph C

It’s another lefty rag. There is nothing but lefty rags in Nashville.
qurys

In the questions and answers she was asked about the “Palin Presidency” and the 3 things she would do first.
1. Cut spending
2. Start Drilling
3. Allow the spirit of America to rise.
For those who didn’t see it – she was talking about our dependence on foreign creditors, our dependence on foreign oil, and our lack of dependence on God. And those are not three ideas you will hear seriously discussed by the Obama administration or MSNBC. I guess that would make them “new ideas”
http://hillbillypolitics.com Steph C

The statists haven’t had a new idea since FDR. The play semantic games and present them as “new ideas.”
Warrior
Warrior
Warrior
libertysroar

when she decided to go stump for squishy Moderates like McCain and Perry instead of the true conservatives Hayworth and Medina. I don’t buy into the whole “I keep my word” excuse either – - that is just political back-scratching. The most important oath she can keep is to the constitution and those who support it and she has already failed at that. Just another pol folks…
Warrior

It took guts to resign and save her family the pain and cost of staying on.

Remaining in office would have been the weak thing to do. You know, play it safe, don’t rock the boat, don’t risk being called weak, etc…
gekster
Warrior

And I would hardly describe keeping one’s word as “excuse” making

Actually, someone who is willing to keep their word would be a novelty in Washington…
bs61

And I won’t be voting for the progressive McCain here in AZ – on talk radio she said she believes McCain has recently woken up, but here in AZ, we realize it’s only a pre-election condition!

Her support of Perry doesn’t work for me either since there ia another good candidate there – Medina.

Palin seems nice enough, but I really don’t know enough about her, to let it sway me.

As a Tea Partier, I agree that we need no leader – we have it at the local level, and nobody would trust anyone put to lead – we’ve been screwed enough by govt.
boywonder

I loved her speach and interview.On a superbowl sunday of all days 15,000 showed up to a rally in Houston.Palin was smart to say the movement is not a flock of sheep looking for a leader.She hit the nail on the head.I would of being upset had she tried to invoke herself as the movements leader.Like she said its not a political machine run from the top down.Its a grassroots group run from the people,not any single person or political hiarchy.Her speach in my opinion was one of her best ever.She helped draw international media there from 11 forighn nations and millions of people watched the event live.100,000 paid for her to do this was a wise investment.She will use it to help further the cause.As far as the notes on her hand,wheres the scandle there?I laugh at people who try and attack that as if she was cheeting on a test in high school.I write things at times on my hand to remind myself of things I need to do.Obama has a scripted machine he doesnt need notes.She uses notes and that was refreashing to see she does things I would do as well.Did you see in Texas she wrote hi mom on her hand?I think she set it all up to drive the leftys(and those who hate her in the GOP) even more nuts.Wouldnt suprise me one bit.
boywonder

No was has suggested she is DeMint.I think she has a seperate body and different last name last time I looked.It is so intresting to see how upset some people can get when she keeps her word.She made these endorsements with Mccain in aug 2008.(she ran on his ticket you seem to ignore that).With Perry early 2009,before the name Medina was even known.I like both of the other candidates Hayworth & Medina like you.However a persons word is their character.I would be far more critical had she broken it.Everyone else as well.Just imagine the bullstuff flying if she listened to you and tossed both people under a bus,just to advance her political carear.People like you who dislike her and never ever would support her.Would be bashing her non stop as a liar who breaks her word, just to gain your favour.Mccains not perfect(either is his questionable voting record) but a persons word still means something to me and obviously to her.
boywonder

Red faced embarassed guy.
usnret88

I think one of her contributions will be to help focus and articulate the thoughts of conservatives…. Thank you John…now go home.
azaeroprof

Yes, McCain has a history of pre-election conservative “awakenings”. However, I think most of his bipartisan posturing over the last decade or so is just that, posturing. I believe he made a calculated gamble that appearing bipartisan and supposedly getting the media on his side was his best way to get elected at the national level. Bad bad miscalculation on his part.

I listened to JD on KFYI quite a bit. The guy is just a blowhard who couldn’t even hang onto his own congressional seat. IMHO, Arizona and the nation are better served by a more influential McCain so long as he continues on the path that he has followed post 2008.
Tbone

ROFLMAO.

Rudy vs Sarah in the primaries? Just how much money do you have to bet on that horse race?
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens
Tbone

of the other Republican contenders to play the dwarfs. Another 18 months of public appearances, observation and study, banked endorsements, fundraising for other candidates, continuous TV exposure whenever she wants it and keeping the squish Republican establishment on the other side of political independents and those who hate government and no one is going to beat her in the primaries.

President Palin. Get used to it.
revolutionary

And she has done the smartest thing in the world…surround herself with honest people and armed herself with knowledge. I’m with “precinctpatriot”, she would make an excellent chairwoman. The left should not be scared of her running for office…they should be very afraid of her straight talk. She is talking to anyone who will listen and she is saying what we all wish we had the platform to say. She is one of the few giving us a voice. What impresses me the most is that she has tough words for all of them because the “R”s need not get too comfortable in Nov. Many of them are on the chopping block as well.

Be afraid of people who have been abused for too long for when we rise up those in our path will fall!
AceInTX

She does both…and I don’t see it happening with our leadership…I have griped about it ad nauseum and can only pray that changes soon.
AceInTX

What I asw was Palin saying…yea we have our Problems with the Republican Party…but the Republican PArty is where we belong.

Everything that almost every faction of the Tea Party movement believes in and is fighting for is in the Republican Platform…which is what she’s emphasizing…

Sarah Palin made a call for us to not strike of in a dozen different direction…or to not try and form a third party….She’s asking them to join her in elevating the Republican PArty Platform to relevance again and hold Republican Leadership accountable for not heeding it’s call for smaller government, fiscal responsibility, motal values, and a strong national defense.

How anyone can find fault with that is beyond me
AceInTX
AceInTX
Richard Mullins

it’s clear that she is quite focused on 2010. Perhaps, writing off her political career is greatly exaggerated.
aesthete

more with the idea that a national “Tea Party Convention” is a good thing. Like I said, Palin could have given the best, most magical speech ever, and it still would have 1) associated the Tea Party movement strongly with one politician (when, quite frankly, there are lots of Tea Party people who don’t approve of her), and 2) centralized the movement overmuch.

I’ll also note that her mentioning of social issues and foreign policy really were red meat, and not Tea Party issues. It’s great that Palin believes and advocates for those things, but that doesn’t mean that those things have anything to do with the Tea Party movement, much like Farah’s birther crap had nothing to do with smaller government/less regulation. Anything that moves beyond that basic descriptor is overcomplicating things, and is unrepresentative of the broad coalition behind the Tea Party movement.
AceInTX

It’s no accident that Texas is number 1 in Job creation…has the strongest Real Estate market, The five best Real Estate markets in the nation, the fastest growing economy and a $33 billion surplus.

He’s maintained a balanced budget through two recessions and without raising taxes…in fact…he’s cut taxes.

Medina doesn’t have a chance and she sounds like an armature in her debates…Kay Baily is a joke that can’t make up her mind about anything and has wreaked havoc with the elections down ticket in every year the Governor’s office is up because she’s on again off again and I blame her for Henry Bonilla being defeated. (I know…redistricting hurt Henry…but I think he’d have won had he not geared up to replace her only to have to shift gears and run at the last minute for Re-Election.
AceInTX

He’s no squish….I’ve got issues with him over the TTC…but I can’t figure out why the Bush Machine is going after him like they are!
Richard Mullins

Because it doesn’t seem to be the case. From all accounts it looked good and she when to friendly territory(the North Harris County Republican Juggernaut). BTW, is there any to remind yourself that the unincorporated community of Cypress is not in Houston. Really, it’s not and I don’t live in Houston either(I live in Spring).
BlackConservative

They see him as the Charlie Crist of Texas, riding the Bush coattails to elected office. Except for the fact that Perry has been far more effective, conservative and liked than W, they are right about that. Perry may have rode Bush’s coattails in, but he has been a far better governor than Bush ever was. I’d vote for him in 2012 if he was more interested, at this point, I don’t see it happening though….
Maggie_in_Indiana

Folks just offer opinions of the tea party movement like its a club whose members lose interest and just disband. It’s not. It’s us ,you too Yankee. And the more Obama sticks to his policies the more we get drawn together.

The splintering will stop when the self proclaimed leaders rub the folks the wrong way one too many times. Enough of the dominance of any party or any one making their agenda the only one. And that is what keeps the Tea Partiers together,the blending and discussion of so many issues.

When the call for action is given thousands answer no matter their differences. Heck some of our group are pro-choice. Some are for a smaller version of government HC. Some want a third party,because of the GOP choices in past elections,not just to get our own candidate in office. but the basic reasons Rick Santelli shouted out on air one day is the reason we will stand together. Yes the GOP will be the beneficiary,because the planks of the party are the way to get our country back on the road the founders paved. That’s it.
teresakoch

He’s the best thing to happen to this state, especially in light of what’s going on in Washington. I salute him for refusing to take government money with all of its “strings attached” conditions. Good for him, and good for Texas!
gemimail

The Guardian across the pond is running an online poll about whether Sarah could be elected President. Since the Guardian makes the New York Times seem to be a “conservative” paper, you can imagine what a beating Sarah is taking in both the votes and the comments. I posted a really snarky comment and voted yes. Why doesn’t everyone here do the same? http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/poll/2010/feb/08/sarahpalin-usa.
Flagstaff

Regarding leaders of conservative movement, Paul Ryan came to my mind, too. He is very impressive to me. I’d hate to see him on a ticket with Tim Pawlenty, though. Just the impression would be an egghead omelet.
E Pluribus Unum

I don’t know who you are or where you’re from, but you con’t know what you are talking about.

Perry is clearly, unequivocably a conservative. I don’t personally like him, and he has some quirks and loony ideas, but his name should never, ever be uttered with McCain’s. That’s curse words.

Medina is not a conservative, she’s a libertarian. Since you’re flinging out labels, you should at least use accurate ones.

And I don’t have a word that fits Hayworth, exactly. Poseur and blowhard are a good start. I like him better than McCain, but only because I hate McCain with a royal passion. Hayworth’s only redeeming quality is that he is not McCain.
http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

I don’t live there, but from what I understand, Perry’s reputation as a squish comes from a few things: NAU Superhighway! and that disastrous mandatory STD vaccination idea he was pushing.

If one bad move with a vaccine is enough to make somebody a squish, then we’re probably all squishes.
partyless1

I have been a fan of Sara Palin, but I have to start questioning her judgement when she endorses a RINO over a conservative. McCain is pro-illegal, has blocked conservative judicial appointments, stood against water boarding, voted for Tarp, helped author and promote limiting my ability to be represented with a supposed cean elections bill, along with a myriad of other RINO stances; he represents part of the problem in Washington, voting against the will of those he claims to represent far too often. If Palin is honest and authentic, I fail to see how she could endorse the RINO McCain over a conservative like JD. It is those like McCain, Graham, Bush, … That prevents me from joining or supporting the Republican party!
AceInTX

hacked off a lot of Conservatives and Libertarians off…and I have a problem with him on both of those issues.

But being on the wrong side of two issues does not a squish make!
AceInTX
gemimail

The percentage has gone up from 23 to 30 in one hour. Get more people to vote. There is another article in the same rag that is so condescending, it infuriated me. The remarks are even worse. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/feb/08/opportunity-knocks-sarah-palin.

I was so mad, I had to comment as follows:

For all of you people who love to dump on Sarah Palin (and her family), I have but one reply: Let’s see you do it and then you can talk. Could you as a mother of five (four back then) raise the money to run against the incumbent governor of your own political party and win in a primary? Could you top that by then beating a Democrat previous governor in the general election? Could you then run up an 80% approval rating as governor? If you truly think a clueless, no talent beauty queen could accomplish this, you do not know the first thing about American politics. The odds of pulling something like that off are 1000 to 1.

Now some of you are going to disparage the voters of Alaska as being stupid nincompoops. Just remember that a lot of Canada has the same climate. Would you be willing to carry a baby you know has Down’s Syndrome to term (or want your wife to do it)? If you think you are so damn smart that you can make nasty comments about someone who has some real accomplishments in her resume unlike the American affirmative action President who really is clueless, let’s see you do its equivalent.
Finrod

They’re both fighters, and we need all the fighters we can get in the GOP. I’d be quite happy with a Palin/Giuliani ticket myself– if not VP, then Rudy would make an awesome Attorney General.
rightwingmom52

and the yes votes are up to 38% and climbing.
rightwingmom52

of the time. DeMint is the only politician who comes to mind that thinks like me almost 100% of the time. Everyone else falls to about 85% or 90% if not lower. I personally believe Sarah may feel as if she owes McCain for bringing her into the spotlight. I really wish she would force him to address some of these issues or at least just be a silent supporter.
partyless1

If Sara is to be true to her words, then she should not be endorsing RINO’s; this leaves me wondering if she is not authentic or just naive about political realities. I like the messages she conveys, I want to support her, but it becomes hard to square with her willingness to endorse candidates that are a contradiction to what she claims to stand for. McCain is a classic example, she should not be endorsing candidates that are contrary to what she claims she stands for. McCain is in campaign mode now, running ads that are deceptive and harsher than those used against Democrats, and if re-elected he will return to his progressive stance, siding with the likes of Graham instead of the people he is supposed to represent (his standard pattern).

Why would Palin want to tie herself to RINO’s? It will only tarnish her image and reduce her ability to facilitate the change that we need!

In regards to honoring ones word. It is an honorable thing to do, so long as that word is aligned with an honorable purpose. What honor is there in honoring ones words, if one realizes that the oath or promise will result in an unethical and inconsistent stance. I would understand Sara Palin pulling her endorsement from McCain, stating that she was premature in the endorsement, I would not understand her standing by her endorsement when it is obvious that she is endorsing the candidate that is the furthest from what she claims she stands for. To err is human, to ignore the error and continue nurture the error is a violation of ethics and a statement of ones character or lack there of; to recognize the error and recant shows strength, character and a willingness to maintian the ethical and moral high ground.
mbecker908

anything else. Just a really solid policy guy.
Flagstaff

that we need as many of those as we can get.
AceInTX

would that every governor in the nation would take the same approach to the Federal Government’s velvet glove tactic giving Federal Funds in return for accepting mandates to go along with it.
Flagstaff

I’m just listening to Chris Matthews make a fool of himself by completely misunderstanding Sarah Palin. It isn’t even effective, because he played a clip which made it clear that his interpretation is off the mark.

He really hated the “How is that hopey-changey thing working for you?” line.

Mathews must have lost his last active brain cell. He doesn’t even make sense.
soljerblue

But whether Sarah has it in mind to run for president in 2012, only she knows right now. She’s working on 2010, as well she should be — energizing conservatives, beefing up her own credentials, keeping the buzz going. Come next fall, you can bet your bippy she’s gonna be in demand to speak for conservative Republican candidates for Congress. If it happens that a GOP wave erases the current Congressional majority, there’s gonna be a plethora of IOUs for her to collect on in 2012.

I buy her explanation that she quit the Alaska governor’s job for excellent reasons. When she was there, she wasn’t just a reformer — she cleaned house, and has done so in every job she’s held from the Wasilla PTA on up the line.

The way to line up your next job is to get noticed for doing a good job where you are. Obviously, Palin has figured this out. Something the current occupant of the Whine House never seems to have learned.
cwilson

Get used to it. Sarah gets a mulligan on that one issue. Now, if she makes a pattern of it — which, so far she has not — then you may have a point.

Besides, it’s becoming obvious that her endorsement of McCain is doing Johnny no good — because NOBODY believes she’s doing this out of anything BUT obligation.

And it therefore carries exactly zero weight.

(And — a point you may have missed — if she *rescinded* her endorsement and/or endorsed JD, it would not harm McCain at all; according to our resident AZ experts JD is just tilting at windmills, Mr. Maverick is going to win in a walk. But that action WOULD have disastrous effects on Palin’s reputation among those who don’t currently hate her. She’d be viewed as “another venal, backstabbing politician, pounding her red spike heels into the backs of those she tramples on her way to the top of the Tea Party heap” etc etc etc.)

So if you need to find some reason to dislike Sarah, I suggest criticizing her use of crib notes during her speech, or speculate that Tod was actually running Alaska via email during her “governorship”. It’s what all the cool concern trolls are doing today.
E Pluribus Unum

I can tell you that at least in TX his reputation is as a standard mainline conservative. Those two things are there, and they’re held against him, but that’s pretty much all there is.

Which is why you hear about those 2 things so much. That constitutes the entire campaign strategy for KBH, who deserves a Pot & Kettle Lifetime Achievement Award for all the times she’s EVER pointed at the weakness in anybody’s conservative credentials.

The very odd and disconcerting thing is his insistent and unwavering support for these 2 things. That’s peculiar.
aesthete

Even if you don’t assign Palin altruistic motives in her actions, pulling the plug on JD’s campaign might be a net benefit for conservatives; it means that at least some funding that would have gone to JD’s dead-end campaign will go towards other, viable conservatives.
bs61

Not me.. I’m not a Palin hater! I just don’t agree with her stumping for a progressive McCain! Now was the time, in my mind, to say no – I’m sorry McCain, but you and I differ from when I was your running mate. I don’t want anyone who owes somebody in the ‘party’, I want them owing the American people. I honestly believe that, in her heart she is keeping her promise – but, America comes first!
bs61

I hope that every Gov is like him!
bs61

I wont be voting for bailout McCain!
AceInTX

Baker, Barabra Bush was campaigning for her.

She’s indecisive and she’s moderately conservative at best…so I don’t get it at all why the powers that be are so behind her…or so against Perry….whatever the case may be
bs61

I can understand you appreciating someone who keeps their word – I agree, my point is for me, she should have never given her word.
bs61

I see your point, and that’s an angle that I didn’t think of before – thanks. However, at this very dangerous time for our country – nobody gets a second chance from me – I want to know how people are going to vote and support my values or not.
E Pluribus Unum

Ace , you and I know that Perry is not loved – he’s a primping, elitist snoot who draws no personal loyalty — but he is unquestionably conservative, where KBH is notably squishy.

The Bush family, that’s a bit odd, but then they’re not exactly conservative icons once you get past national security. Perry was GWB’s LG, and I thought there was more of a tie than apparently there is.

Cheney, now that endorsement hacks me off. I’m a huge fan of Darth Cheney, and this taxes me considerably. I don’t get it either.

But oh well. Most of TX is not fooled on this one. He’s going to win it walking away.
Richard Mullins

like Presidents,Vice-Presidents,Congressman and the like. Those that were a part of the US government are sticking up for KBH and not Perry. Also, she seems to tout things she’s done as a Federal elected official like Increment for Border Patrol(I still think the Texas Rangers before 1924 did a better job). That should all be a hint on what kind of a person she is. The third choice seems more like a agitator of sorts that doesn’t want to be an elected official or business person but want to beat the others with a nice stick.
E Pluribus Unum

Personally for me, she’s too libertarian to suit me.

Unfortunately, she’s the 10% candidate against 2 with massive name recognition and some skins on the wall, so to speak. That leaves your campaigning options to loudly screaming “hey look at how bad both of them are”. I don’t really hold it against her. You should hear her in an extended interview – very smart.
Richard Mullins

I’m not a debater and I don’t play on TV she might want to stop with the Obama heavy breathing tricks. Yes, she smart but so is my dad. He’s not running for Governor either.

I’m really convinced that she should tried to run for Lt. Governor right now because the truth is we need someone hammer in some fiscal discipline in the State budget(a Strong Lt. Governor would do the trick).

Knowing that she aligned to RP(I found that out when Texas’ favorite Ferret face spilled the beans), I wonder if she got her talking from him. Sometimes I think I should have run, but hey Hindsight’s 20-20. If she could get closer to being a conservative or better yet a clone of Dan Patrick, then I would reconsider, but at this time it don’t think I waste my vote on her at this point. It should be noted that the Fourth estate of Texas(err the Newspapers) wanted to egg on her share so a Progressive democrat gets elected.
The Pennsylvania Republican

…her speech devolved too quickly into a virtual rehash of her 2008 message, word for word, only with (all too) concrete examples of the current administration’s failures. I don’t begrudge her that, and even had a big chuckle over the Biden comments.

However, she really seemed to not be aware of the core tea party (small case) principles, smaller decentralized gov’t and fiscal restraint. Her intense foreign policy portion seemed to me to be where the wheels started coming off of her message. It’s obvious to even casual observers that the tea party movement is a growing coalition that has lots of members who are not “hawks” in even the remotest sense. Libertarians and Paulites were probably appalled at her reading on foreign interventions.

Then the McCain stuff was just uncalled for…why even go there? The crowd shots during the middle of her speech were telling – lots of tense faces and arms crossed. Nobody needed reminding of the fall of 2008 in that room.

I firmly believe that the tea party (small case) crowd is more likely to be better informed on the consitutional issues than the typical “base” voter. Really, that’ the glue that holds the whole movement together. The garden variety tea partier is looking to throw the bums out (both parties included) and start over with constitionalists. Instead of “throw the bums out” she went down the “tough love/bipartisan” road instead. Sorry, I stood smack in the middle of the 9/12 rally and there wasn’t a SINGLE “bipartisanship now!” placard in sight…to a tea partier it’s not about “solving problems” in the economy and “drill now, baby”. It’s about “throw the bums out and start over”, Sarah.

Perhaps it was the whole idea of a “Tea Party” (in caps) “Convention” that that she was playing to, and I do give her high marks for chutzpah etc etc as stated by everyone else. But I suspect she’ll have to do a lot more homework on what is making that movement tick before she’d be ready to expect broad-based support from that corner.
AceInTX

and decides top stay after promising to leave…

It burns me up!
AceInTX

she did do one as you say that touts her Washington experience…but that on runs once for every ten times her attack ads run.

I will say she’s running a lot harder at it than I thought she would.
mbecker908

you’re not likely to be real happy with JD.
Scope

From what I am reading, KBH is running on a platform of Transportation. I’ve read that her transportation plan is similar to Perry’s, and, in fact would bring back the TTC, and other toll roads. I don’t have the link but, the texpirg site has analyzed her plan, and came to that conclusion.

Once Bush signed the Security and Prosperity Partnership, he set the wheels in motion for TTC, as well as other roadways. Do you think that the Bush’s and the Bush admin. people are still pushing for this project, and, that that may be why they are coming out in support of KBH. Perry’s approvals must have been in the gutter when the project was on the burner, and, he probably now won’t go anywhere near it. Do you think that is a possibility as to the Bush’s support?
Scope

I don’t remember. Was it an eminent domain issue?
Richard Mullins

it was vocal opposition to both TTC-35 and TTC-69 that sealed the fate for it. Eminent domain was a cherry on top of the issue.
AceInTX

and when it comes down to it…she’ll support it as Governor because. The Bushes are all for it and I wouldn’t think they’d back her unless she is seen as someone they can count on to see it through.
Scope

I just didn’t know if I was barking up the wrong tree.
AceInTX

these things have a way of showing up and getting hammered out suddenly and I expect it to be done here…the NAFTA and GATT trade agreements make it to rich a prospect to die forever…

That said The Texas Toll Party movement and Anti-Eminent Domain groups have gone to town on this and have done a great job keeping opposition to it stirred up.
escmac

If she owes anyone for bringing her into the spot light, that person would be Larry Kudlow. Mr. Kudlow was also responsible for bringing on Rick Santelli, so he could shout from the floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange about starting the next Tea Party on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Rick Santelli with his words started the “Tea Party Movement” and Governor Palin is doing the Right thing by not endorsing any kind of Third Party movement. We should continue to support conservative candidates and weed out the RINO’s.

She won’t be able to force McCain to address any of the issues he is wrong on, but we can and he knows it, so he will go the way the wind is blowing. Away from walking across the isle in bipartisanship and back towards the Conservatives.

The era of McCain is dead, the era of Reagan Marches On.

RS

EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Sarah Palin: Authentic and on the Money

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