More Quote of the Day Honorable Mentions, Part 18

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Tea Party/Populism/CPAC/SRLC edition...

The CSM:

"Sarah Palin is set to headline another landmark political event: the first-ever Tea Party Convention next month in Nashville... With an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll ranking a generic 'Tea Party' as more popular than either Democrats or Republicans, and Palin herself rivaling the charming Mr. Obama in poll popularity, many experts see the Tea Party event as a potential milestone for a mounting, even transformational, force in US politics."

Jim Hoft:

"Sarah Palin turned down an invitation to speak at CPAC this year. The governor does not want to be associated with scandal-plagued organizer David Keene."

Nate Silver:

"2010/12 is shaping up to be an anti-Establishment cycle. The Republican Establishment is not popular, to a large extent even within their own party, and certainly not among 'conservatives' more broadly, only 55 percent of whom have a favorable image of the G.O.P... She's the best equipped to bridge the divide between the Tea Party and the Republican Party."

John Ziegler:

"Sarah Palin is now finally the first prominent conservative to stand up and say, 'no more!' to the (very) old boys network at work here. She should be applauded, but more importantly her lead should be followed. The conservative movement deserves so much better than what CPAC has become."

Chris Cillizza:

"Sarah Palin's decision to attend -- and speak at -- the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans in April transforms that event into the first legitimate cattle-call of the 2012 Republican presidential sweepstakes... Palin also announced on Thursday that she would not be speaking at CPAC, a gathering of conservatives in Washington in mid February -- a decision, according to those familiar with her thinking, due at least in part to the fact that the John Birch Society is one of the sponsors."

Francis W. Porretto:

"Nominally conservative commentators have been busily trashing the TEA party movement, the most dynamic and exciting thing to happen to American politics in more than a century. Of course, any member of the Punditocracy is a member of the Establishment Elite, and must remain cognizant of what the E.E. expects of him: that the defense of the E.E.'s supremacy overrides all other considerations. All the same, to lay waste to such magnetic figures as Glenn Beck, Sarah Heath Palin, and Michele Bachmann, and to deride the persons who admire them as simpletons who lack understanding of the 'nuances' of politics and governance, is destructive to GOP fortunes. If preserving the perquisites of its fatcat kingmakers trumps all prospect of breaking Democrat hegemony and turning Washington back in a conservative direction, then the Republican Party truly has obsoleted itself."

Another Black Conservative:

"This lack of love for Palin by the GOP establishment actually helps her 'street cred' with [the] base, which is pretty sick and tired of politics as usual. In the end, the establishment’s disdain for Palin, may be the very thing she needs to garner the base’s full support."

Rick Moran:

"I don’t know who’s advising her at this point, but Sarah Palin is making some shrewd political moves lately that are likely to vault her into a very favorable position as leader of the only real “reform” faction in the Republican party... By dumping on CPAC - what passes for a 'mainstream' conservative gathering today even with the John Birch Society co-sponsoring - Palin is sending the message that the conservative elites who run the conference and dominate its programs will have to go through her to get the support of the conservative base. She is setting herself up to be the pivot by which the current party leadership in Washington will be able to utilize the enthusiasm and commitment of the tea partiers to help the GOP."

Allahpundit:

"Should Palin skip CPAC? A better question: Why shouldn’t Palin skip CPAC? She’s got her grassroots flank covered by speaking at the tea party convention and she’s got her party establishment flank covered by speaking at the SRLC. What does she gain by speaking at CPAC?"

Hillbuzz:

"Now, the MSM is promoting Romney as the best candidate for 2012, and we are telling you, as people who have been through this nightmare before, that Palin supporters need to get out in front of this nonsense somehow and stop letting the MSM and DNC select the Republican nominee... The trick is making sure the MSM does not, indeed, foist Romney on Republicans. They are already starting their machinations on his behalf. Who’s out there watching Palin’s back?"

The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler:

"We can’t help but laugh at the increasing number of deep 'thinkers' railing against people like Sarah Palin because of their allegedly 'impossible purity tests', meaning 'lower taxes, smaller government and leave us the [expletive] alone'... Also, just when exactly did 'populism” become a sneer word?' According to most definitions, it means 'a political philosophy supporting the rights and power of the people in their struggle against the privileged elite.'... 'Consent of the governed?' Obviously, that’s an 'impossible standard' these days and we should instead submit to effete metrosexuals inside the Beltway who have never done an honest day of work in their lives, giving them power to dictate every detail of our daily lives because they’re so much smarterer than we are."

Weekend Pundit:

"I find it interesting that one of the favorite politicians among TEA party supporters is former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. But it isn't all that surprising considering she implemented many of the TEA party core beliefs while she was governor, rooting out corruption, cutting profligate state spending, and scaling back the reach of state government until it was performing only the duties expected of it as laid out in the Alaska State Constitution."

Gates of Vienna:

"Not that the American Conservative Union or CPAC is any better than the rest of the Political class when it comes to ethics and power grabs. Unfortunately, Lord Acton’s dictum about the link between power and corruption still holds. And that is the whole point of populism. If you want to understand Sarah Palin’s appeal to the average voter, you have only to understand the estrangement of average voters from the political class. This phenomenon is growing; right now it’s hard to know where it will lead, but at the very least the 'throw the bums out' mantra will be heard again, loudly and repeatedly, as we move toward November. Expect all of the politicos, from elected officials to lobbyists to special interest groups on the Left and on the Right to go after Mrs. Palin big time. She will be labeled stupid, unpredictable, unseasoned, ignorant, etc. Just as Ronald Reagan was caricatured."

Francis Beckwith:

"In one of the most idiotic moves in the history of American conservatism, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), has allowed the wingnut John Birch Society (JBS) to co-sponsor it’s annual conference. Sarah Palin, rightfully, declined an invitation to speak at CPAC’s 2010 conference. It was a nearly a half-century ago that William F. Buckley, Jr. helped purge the conservative movement of the JBS. Palin, smartly, sees Buckley’s wisdom. And I believe that every conservative politician who shows up at this conference should be forewarned that this will be used against you in both the primaries and the general election. So, if you are smart, you will follow Sarah’s lead."

Tommy Report:

"CPAC, as some of you may know, has embarrassed itself by providing the John Birch Society with the opportunity to sponsor the event. Jonah Goldberg and Mark Krikorian of the National Review have both slammed CPAC for this decision. As you may recall, the late William F. Buckley did the conservative movement a great favor by purging this group from our ranks. It appears that CPAC disagrees with Buckley regarding the John Birch Society."

- JP