*
Bernie Quigley, at Quigley in Exile:
“Primaries. That is a dangerous idea. And I guess the ‘little people’ Palin is referring to are those Hobbits. So I guess that should make her Galadriel, Lady of the Woods.”- JP
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Quote of the Day (July 31, 2011)
Sarah Palin and the Hobbits
*
Bernie Quigley, at Quigley in Exile:
*
Bernie Quigley, at Quigley in Exile:
'The Victory Sessions' with Stephen Bannon launches tonight on KABC
7PM Texas Time
*
"The Undefeated" director Stephen K. Bannon makes his debut as radio talk show host this evening with the premiere of "The Victory Sessions" on TalkRadio 790 KABC in Los Angeles. Here's the press release:
*
"The Undefeated" director Stephen K. Bannon makes his debut as radio talk show host this evening with the premiere of "The Victory Sessions" on TalkRadio 790 KABC in Los Angeles. Here's the press release:
The inaugural premier first show of “The Victory Sessions” with host Stephen K. Bannon will air on TalkRadio 790 KABC today from 5-7PM PDT immediately following Dodger baseball Victory Media Group announced today. The weekly Sunday show will be broadcast live nationally and focuses on Culture, Economics, Politics, and War and its resulting impact from the perspective of all Americans.- JP
This week’s co-hosts are Tobin Smith of FOX Business News; Adam Tragone and Anthony Lee of Human Events; and Sonnie Johnson, a leading Tea party activist.
The lineup of guests includes FOX News’ Lou Dobbs, Jim Quinn of the Burning Platform and a political roundtable to discuss the latest news from Washington featuring: Peter Boyer, Newsweek; Joshua Green, The Atlantic; Jedediah Bila from The Daily Caller and Ted Johnson, Deputy Editor of Variety. The show will also feature a Tea Party Report from political experts William J. Kelly and Laura Kelly.
With an emphasis on culture as well as politics, the show will also feature segments on cinema and guest Jonathan English, the Director of the film “Ironclad” starring Paul Giammati, Michael Murphy will also discuss the new film adaptation of his classic novel, “Golf in the Kingdom,” which opens this weekend in New York.
“Radio is such a dynamic medium, and it’s the perfect venue to bring together compelling groups of people each week for thought-provoking conversations on politics, economics and culture,” said host Stephen K. Bannon. “I want ‘The Victory Sessions’ to be a more like a gathering, not a ‘show.’”
“Our motto is, ‘Understanding Unites Us, Ignorance Divides Us. Each week we will be bringing people together to talk, debate, educate and entertain,” added Bannon.
Click here to access the live broadcast.
More Quote of the Day Honorable Mention Part 343
“Your Saving Grace” Edition
*
Mark America:
*
Mark America:
“The effect Sarah Palin has had on America’s young women has been amazing... Fierce determination in the face of crushing media mockery that has adopted a decidedly sexist tinge offers up yet another example of both grace and strength under fire. The passion in her approach is particularly appealing to young women, who see a forceful leader unencumbered by earlier stereotypes about strong women. This bodes well for the future of our country, and it is in this way particularly that a President Sarah Palin is likely to have an enduring cultural effect on the nation. With her as an example, the nation could hardly fare better, and the effect will be immediate. In certain respects, it already has been... The coming campaign season promises new and exciting possibilities, but for young women, like my daughter, who have been taught that their sex is no limitation upon their futures, with the prospect of Sarah Palin’s entry into the race, this election may well offer the final proof of that thesis to the enduring delight of millions of young women and girls both here at home, and around the world.”AlinskyDefeater:
“The mainstream media, joined at the hip with the ‘historic’ Obama campaign, went to great lengths in their complicity to mock and discredit Sarah Palin. The Palinization continues to this day.”Disraeli's Pen, at An American Tory:
“The truth is that film critics do not matter in the grand scheme of the media’s dispensation of information. They are an afterthought on the printed page or on the web, and they know this, and it burns them up. That is why they go out of their way to try and position themselves as defenders of high art and intellectualism. In the end, though, it is pretty obvious that they are as empty as a discarded beer bottle, meaningless and superfluous. Standing on their self-constructed mountains they attempt to relate to us what we should like or what we should dislike. They attempt to make our own decisions for us and, as often is the case, they allow their own liberal political leanings to shadow this generosity. That is why they savage Sarah Palin’s recent film ‘The Undefeated’ and proclaim it a bomb even though it is only a documentary appearing in a handful of theaters. If you read their overwhelmingly negative reviews, they level personal attack after personal attack, engaging in the most juvenile name-calling imaginable to attempt and destroy the film, but, it isn't anything new to Sarah Palin. I'm sure she isn't losing any sleep over the opinion of a swarm of intellectual Lilliputians.”Kevin DuJan, at Hillbuzz:
“‘The Undefeated’ is not about Sarah Palin…it is about YOU...”Jasmine Velasco, at Conservatives 4 Palin:
“Some have wrongly assumed ‘The Undefeated’ refers only to Sarah Palin. What they miss—or ignore—is that ‘the undefeated’ is not simply singular. It is plural. The undefeated are those who don’t quit, those who refuse to stop fighting the corrupt, entrenched, cronyism of business and politics for the benefit of We The People. Yes, the undefeated is Sarah Palin. But the undefeated are also the Marty Rutherfords, the Tom Irwins of the world. The Undefeated are the people of all races, generations and political parties who long and fight for decency and honor in their government and lives. Ultimately, the undefeated are the people of The Tea Party.”Stephen Bannon, Director of “The Undefeated”:
“The more they mock Gov. Palin like that, the more they play into my hand.”Jeanette Pryor, at Lipstick 2012:
“Boehner might have hypnotized Conservatives with Washington political hieroglyphics, but Sarah reminded the walking dead that they had only recently been elected for this night, and not so they could follow the decaying spectre of Politics as Usual. No other voice could be heard at that crucial turning point, at least no voice from those running for President. It is said that Sarah can’t be elected President because the Republican Leadership hates and won’t work with her. Once again Sarah’s intervention is the spoiler revealing that, when we all wake up from the current GOP ‘Leadership’ Creature Feature nightmare, we won’t have to worry about them working with Sarah. We now know how the sequel to ‘Boehner the Mummified Speaker’ ends. Primary Elections.”Gate, at NorCal Blogs:
“Basically the leftists at the Times, are marveling over the way Sarah Palin continues to go around them and thus effect national policy with a simple note on a web site that Zuckerberg was hoping he could use to get Obama reelected.”drdog09, at Be John Galt:
“He’s Toast! No President but FDR has endured a second term with unemployment numbers this high... No expected drop in unemployment and an anemic 3.25% GDP. That is what GS says. So far they have been wrong on every projection they have made the last two years. So the GDP will probably be lower and the unemployment mostly unchanged. The number unemployed will inch up and not a drop of the chronic unemployed who are not on the radar have been touched. But they have not lost their vote. Anyone who thinks that Palin could not win in this type of environment is out of their minds.”International Business Times:
“But now, some new light has been shed on the topic, and it may be in favor of Palin's viewpoint.”Rush Limbaugh:
“What is this American economy that's being held hostage? Isn't it us? It's our money. It's not Mr. Obama's money, Mr. Yeomans! The liberals do not own the wealth of this country. It's not theirs to distribute and redistribute. ‘Rather than reject the unthinkable, the Tea Party harnessed this potential harm as its weapon of mass destruction.’ Weapon of mass destruction. So, folks, they are cracking up. The left is cracking up, and it's the Tea Party doing it to them. We are now all Sarah Palin. As far as they're concerned, we are all Sarah Palin. They are scared to death of Sarah Palin. They are scared to death here of the Tea Party people, because the Tea Party in the House can't be bought and is not concerned about re-election. They're not playing the usual game.”Don Keayes:
“Get through the Left-leaning media’s overtly partisan reporting of her and Sarah Palin has some very interesting things to say... Now I get that she’s going to run in the 2012 Presidential elections, but political posturing aside, she makes some very good points about the Left’s approach to economic management...”Kevin Hall, at The Iowa Republican:
“Although they claim to have no inside information, the volunteers that comprise Iowa’s Organize 4 Palin group are convinced the former Alaska Governor is running for President. They also believe it is very likely she will announce her candidacy at a Tea Party event near Des Moines on September 3rd... Sarah Palin already has a very solid campaign structure in place in Iowa... Despite the lack of funding, the Organize 4 Palin Iowa team is running a very well organized campaign. Representatives from the group have personally met with every county GOP chair in Iowa. They have a strong presence at central committee meetings, GOP fundraisers, and events like last weekend’s 2nd Amendment rally. In fact, the Palin group has a stronger presence than some of the fully staffed operations.”ZIP, at Weasel Zippers:
“What parallel universe do these people live in?”AWR Hawkins, at Big Hollywood:
“Recently, on Piers Morgan’s show, comedian George Lopez said that if Sarah Palin wins the Presidency he’s going to move to Canada (I immediately made a donation to Palin’s PAC). Lopez said his elitist attitude views on Palin were due to the fact that he likes his ‘politicians to actually have a political background.’ What a crock. This guy campaigned for Obama in Detroit in 2008, yet the majority of Obama’s political background consisted in community organizing under the auspices of a Weatherman terrorist named William Ayers. But that’s all common knowledge. Anyway, back to Lopez’s claim that he likes his ‘politicians to actually have a political background.’ Does he not know that Palin was Governor of Alaska? I’m being serious folks... Let me just say this: If Palin winning will get Lopez out of the country I’m getting a Palin 2012 sticker tonight. And if Lopez actually follows through with leaving once she’s elected – which is something Baldwin and Roberts lacked the courage to do once Bush won – I’ll drive him to Canada on my dime.Exit Quote: José MartÃ, martyr of Cuban Independence:
I would consider it a service to my country.”
“But when women are moved and lend help, when women, who are by nature calm and controlled, give encouragement and applause, when virtuous and knowledgeable women grace the endeavor with their sweet love, then it is invincible.”- JP
Hate Sarah Palin, Hate the TEA Party Movement (Updated)
The Axis of Acrimony has declared war on both
*
The political left, which long ago declared all-out war on the TEA Party movement, has always had the enthusiastic assistance of a corrupt and compliant media to help it smear the ordinary Americans who have turned activist to try to restore some degree of fiscal sanity to the nation's runaway government. Now the hard left and their media left attack dogs have a third partner in their Axis of Acrimony - the RINOs.
Not that the Vichy Republicans haven't always hated the Tea Parties as much as the other two members of their unholy triumvirate. They just haven't been as vocal about it as they've been recently. Leftist TEA Party haters such as Margaret Carlson (via Bloomberg) and William Yeomans (via Politico and RealClearPolitics) have seized on a old meme which had its genesis two years ago in an Obama Administration Department of Homeland Security report characterizing the grandmothers and proud American military veterans of the TEA parties as "right wing extremists." Thanks to the rabid rhetoric of the in-the-hip-pocket-of-the-DNC media mobsters, the threat those mere "extremists" pose to the Beltway Establishment's spending addiction has been elevated to that of "hostage takers" and now "terrorists."
Though the anti-TEA Party rhetoric of the RINOs hasn't been as hysterical as that of their hard left comrades, it is no less acrimonious. It has taken the recent debt ceiling battle for the RINO element of the Axis to fully blow their cover. Thursday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski put the blame for the current debt "crisis" on the House TEA party Caucus. A Wednesday Wall Street Journal editorial mocked TEA Partiers as "Hobbits." And Washington Post House RINO
Jennifer Rubin late last night smeared not just the TEA Party but all fiscal conservatives who believe the county needs a balanced budget amendment as "extremists." So they've come full circle back to that 2009 Obama Administration rhetoric.
So other than their disdain for the TEA Parties and the concept of fiscal responsibility, what else do Jennifer Rubin, Lisa Murkowski and the editors of the Wall Street Journal share in common? They are Palinophobes, one and all. Though Murkowski's hatred of Sarah Palin is deeply personal, the animosity of Rubin and the WSJ editors toward the GOP's first female vice presidential candidate is more that of the garden variety talking points regurgitator. But it is still Palin hatred, a fully grown poisonous plant nurtured by Republicans In Name Only from the gift of a seedling by their leftist crime partners in the Axis of Acrimony.
Update: Kathleen Parker, another Palin hater, drops her own load of RINO manure on the TEA Party and Gov. Palin, as Dan Riehl observes. Appears that all the usual suspects are crawling out from under their rocks to cast stones, being -- in their own minds, at least -- completely without sin.
- JP
*
The political left, which long ago declared all-out war on the TEA Party movement, has always had the enthusiastic assistance of a corrupt and compliant media to help it smear the ordinary Americans who have turned activist to try to restore some degree of fiscal sanity to the nation's runaway government. Now the hard left and their media left attack dogs have a third partner in their Axis of Acrimony - the RINOs.
Not that the Vichy Republicans haven't always hated the Tea Parties as much as the other two members of their unholy triumvirate. They just haven't been as vocal about it as they've been recently. Leftist TEA Party haters such as Margaret Carlson (via Bloomberg) and William Yeomans (via Politico and RealClearPolitics) have seized on a old meme which had its genesis two years ago in an Obama Administration Department of Homeland Security report characterizing the grandmothers and proud American military veterans of the TEA parties as "right wing extremists." Thanks to the rabid rhetoric of the in-the-hip-pocket-of-the-DNC media mobsters, the threat those mere "extremists" pose to the Beltway Establishment's spending addiction has been elevated to that of "hostage takers" and now "terrorists."
Though the anti-TEA Party rhetoric of the RINOs hasn't been as hysterical as that of their hard left comrades, it is no less acrimonious. It has taken the recent debt ceiling battle for the RINO element of the Axis to fully blow their cover. Thursday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski put the blame for the current debt "crisis" on the House TEA party Caucus. A Wednesday Wall Street Journal editorial mocked TEA Partiers as "Hobbits." And Washington Post House RINO
Jennifer Rubin late last night smeared not just the TEA Party but all fiscal conservatives who believe the county needs a balanced budget amendment as "extremists." So they've come full circle back to that 2009 Obama Administration rhetoric.
So other than their disdain for the TEA Parties and the concept of fiscal responsibility, what else do Jennifer Rubin, Lisa Murkowski and the editors of the Wall Street Journal share in common? They are Palinophobes, one and all. Though Murkowski's hatred of Sarah Palin is deeply personal, the animosity of Rubin and the WSJ editors toward the GOP's first female vice presidential candidate is more that of the garden variety talking points regurgitator. But it is still Palin hatred, a fully grown poisonous plant nurtured by Republicans In Name Only from the gift of a seedling by their leftist crime partners in the Axis of Acrimony.
Update: Kathleen Parker, another Palin hater, drops her own load of RINO manure on the TEA Party and Gov. Palin, as Dan Riehl observes. Appears that all the usual suspects are crawling out from under their rocks to cast stones, being -- in their own minds, at least -- completely without sin.
- JP
Day By Day (July 31, 2011)
Workin' at the Car Wash
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Quote of the Day (July 30, 2011)
Via Jim Hoft
*
Andrew Breitbart, at the Smart Girl Summit today:
*
Andrew Breitbart, at the Smart Girl Summit today:
“They’re doing to me what they did to Sarah Palin. If you’re effective they sue you. They do this to everyone they think is effective. And, they’re trying to shut me up and they’re not going to shut me up.”- JP
Texans traveling to Iowa for 'Restoring America' TEA Party Rally
Road Trip!
*
The Texas chapter of Organize4Palin has chartered a bus to travel to Waukee Iowa for the September 3 “Restoring America” rally being organized by Tea Party of America. Sarah Palin has agreed to deliver the keynote address at the event, one which many of the governor's supporters hope will be the venue at which she will announce that she will be a candidate for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
The charter is scheduled to depart Dallas Thursday night, September 1st, and to return Sunday night, September 4th. The O4P Texans are having the bus wrapped in “Texas is Palin Country” livery.
Seats are still available at $175 per round trip ticket, which includes transfers to and from the event site. Lodging is not included but O4P has arranged for special able group rate.
If you would like to make the trip and live in or can get to the Dallas - Fort Worth area to catch the bus, September 1st, click here to contact the Texas O4P coordinator for DFW.
h/t: Jelayne Sessler
- JP
*
The Texas chapter of Organize4Palin has chartered a bus to travel to Waukee Iowa for the September 3 “Restoring America” rally being organized by Tea Party of America. Sarah Palin has agreed to deliver the keynote address at the event, one which many of the governor's supporters hope will be the venue at which she will announce that she will be a candidate for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
The charter is scheduled to depart Dallas Thursday night, September 1st, and to return Sunday night, September 4th. The O4P Texans are having the bus wrapped in “Texas is Palin Country” livery.
Seats are still available at $175 per round trip ticket, which includes transfers to and from the event site. Lodging is not included but O4P has arranged for special able group rate.
If you would like to make the trip and live in or can get to the Dallas - Fort Worth area to catch the bus, September 1st, click here to contact the Texas O4P coordinator for DFW.
h/t: Jelayne Sessler
- JP
Who will you take to see 'The Undefeated?' Five target groups
There is fertile ground to be plowed here
*
"The Undefeated," now beginning its third week in theaters, has attracted large numbers of Sarah Palin supporters to see it. This is as expected, and it is necessary that Palinistas see this film. But we are not the people Stephen Bannon had in mind when he made his groundbreaking documentary. He made his film with Palin skeptics in mind, with the goal of changing their perceptions about Gov. Palin. His film has proven itself more than able to accomplish this mission, if only sufficiently large numbers of these skeptics can be persuaded to watch it.
This is where the Palinistas come in, for we have a critically important job to do. The governor's loyal supporters must help get the skeptics into the theater seats. That's why it is essential that we target those among our friends who do not share our admiration for Sarah Palin to see this film. Many of these skeptics will not go to see "The Undefeated" on their own or at our prodding, but when we offer to buy their tickets and challenge their sense of fair play to view the film with an open mind, most of them will go along.
Palin skeptics can be roughly sorted into six main categories: liberals, independents, Blue Collar Democrats, libertarians, moderate Republicans and fiscal conservatives. We have read reports of some liberals who have seen the film with Palin supporter friends and had their eyes -- and more importantly their minds -- opened. But of the six groups of Palin skeptics, liberals will be the hardest to get to the theaters, and once there, open their minds to allow the film to make the case for the governor. While any liberal attitudes which can be changed to be more positive toward Sarah Palin are pluses, few of this group would vote for her even if they were to discover that she has been unfairly demonized by their fellows on the left and a media which is all too willing to serve the leftist cause. Liberals account for only about 20 percent of all voters anyway, so much more fertile ground for changing minds lies among the other five groups:
Independents - This is the obvious target group we most want to see "The Undefeated." Independents -- called swing voters because they have the power to literally swing elections from one party's candidates to the other -- are the keys to the highway that leads to the White House. Although Gov. Palin's numbers have started to rebound with this group, there is still much work to be done. Most independents have not even a remote idea of what her record as governor of Alaska looks like, and it is among these swing voters that the film has the most potential to change attitudes. Seek out your independent voter friends and invite them to see the film with you. Matinee tickets are inexpensive, and you should consider paying the way for swing voter friends to see "The Undefeated an investment equally as important as a donation to SarahPAC.
Blue Collar Democrats - These are the working class Democrats who in The Gipper's day were called "Reagan Democrats" because so many of them who had voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 crossed over to mark their ballots for Reagan in 1980. Although many of the Reagan Democrats changed their party affiliation to the GOP and many others became independent voters, there are still significant numbers of them who, although not at all happy with the way hard core liberals dominate their party, would never think of being anything other than a Democrat. There are strong family ties to the party that go back for generations, and many Blue Collar Dems are rank and file union members. There are many fiscal conservatives among this group, and though many are also culturally conservative, they tend to tolerate social diversity -- to a point. That point is most often reached when liberals try to force things Reagan Dems disagree with upon them and their children. Sarah Palin must reassemble the Reagan Coalition to win the presidency, and Blue Collar Democrats are an important component of that coalition. Like their independent counterparts, this demographic doesn't know Gov. Palin's history as a city councilwoman, mayor, oil & gas commissioner and governor in remote Alaska. "The Undefeated" can have a significant impact on how Blue Collar Democrats view her, so make a point of targeting your friends in this group to watch the film with you.
Libertarians - Many small-l libertarians believe the media narrative about Gov. Palin and are surprised when they learn that she governed Alaska as neither theocrat nor far right wing bomb thrower. Social libertarians have been only too willing to spread the false left wing talking points about Sarah Palin to their libertarian brethren, so there is much gold to be mined among this demographic. Libertarians were an important part of the Reagan Coalition, and as many of them we can get the truth to, the better. They need to see "The Undefeated" to learn that Sarah Palin put Alaska's constitution ahead of her religious views and was one of the most fiscally responsible governors among her peers in the 50 states. By all means get your libertarian friends in the theater seats for two hours, and watch their perceptions of Gov. Palin change.
Moderate Republicans - Perhaps no group has been led more astray about our favorite governor than these important voters. The hostility of the GOP establishment towards Sarah Palin has definitely had its effect on moderates, and the McCain campaign's misuse and abuse of her in 2008 has only served to harden that impression. Yet moderate Republicans can be quite receptive to conservative ideas, as Ronald Reagan demonstrated by making GOP moderates a key part of his coalition. For many of the same reasons that independent voters and libertarians need to see "The Undefeated," so do moderate Republicans. Don't leave your friends who are among this demographic off of your list of people to take to see the documentary.
Fiscal conservatives - It's all about perceptions, and polling indicates that among conservatives, Gov. Palin is perceived as strongest on national security and foreign policy matters. She also gets high marks from social conservatives, but fiscal issues -- government spending & power, and business & the economy -- are the number one concerns among conservatives. Surprisingly, it is on the economy where her support among conservatives is softest. Though one would think that the media's obfuscation of Sarah Palin's record would have little effect on conservatives -- a group very distrustful of the media -- such is not entirely the case. Fiscal conservatives in particular apparently are not aware that Gov. Palin was a fiscally responsible governor who cut state spending and left Alaska with a $12 Billion surplus when she resigned. As the documentary does such an effective job of bringing these facts to light, friends who are fiscal conservatives should be high on your list of people to take to see "The Undefeated." And speaking of that resignation, her reasons for leaving office are perhaps the most misunderstood piece of the puzzle the media has made of her record in Alaska. The film does an excellent job of putting the viewer in her place and considering what they would do when faced with more than half a million dollars worth of legal bills stamped "Due Now - Please Pay Promptly."
Until the film is released on DVD and Pay Per View, which begins in September, you won't be able to make any new friends for Sarah Palin in your homes unless you are among the very lucky few who have an early release DVD of "The Undefeated." So for the month of August, you need to get them to one of the theaters which will be showing the film. As mentioned, tickets for matinee screenings are relatively inexpensive at $5 each, but you may have to sweeten the pot with a dinner invitation to break the resistance of the most determined Palin skeptic. Is it worth it? If you want to see Sarah Palin as the next President of the Unities States, it is more than worth it -- it is essential.
- JP
*
"The Undefeated," now beginning its third week in theaters, has attracted large numbers of Sarah Palin supporters to see it. This is as expected, and it is necessary that Palinistas see this film. But we are not the people Stephen Bannon had in mind when he made his groundbreaking documentary. He made his film with Palin skeptics in mind, with the goal of changing their perceptions about Gov. Palin. His film has proven itself more than able to accomplish this mission, if only sufficiently large numbers of these skeptics can be persuaded to watch it.
This is where the Palinistas come in, for we have a critically important job to do. The governor's loyal supporters must help get the skeptics into the theater seats. That's why it is essential that we target those among our friends who do not share our admiration for Sarah Palin to see this film. Many of these skeptics will not go to see "The Undefeated" on their own or at our prodding, but when we offer to buy their tickets and challenge their sense of fair play to view the film with an open mind, most of them will go along.
Palin skeptics can be roughly sorted into six main categories: liberals, independents, Blue Collar Democrats, libertarians, moderate Republicans and fiscal conservatives. We have read reports of some liberals who have seen the film with Palin supporter friends and had their eyes -- and more importantly their minds -- opened. But of the six groups of Palin skeptics, liberals will be the hardest to get to the theaters, and once there, open their minds to allow the film to make the case for the governor. While any liberal attitudes which can be changed to be more positive toward Sarah Palin are pluses, few of this group would vote for her even if they were to discover that she has been unfairly demonized by their fellows on the left and a media which is all too willing to serve the leftist cause. Liberals account for only about 20 percent of all voters anyway, so much more fertile ground for changing minds lies among the other five groups:
Independents - This is the obvious target group we most want to see "The Undefeated." Independents -- called swing voters because they have the power to literally swing elections from one party's candidates to the other -- are the keys to the highway that leads to the White House. Although Gov. Palin's numbers have started to rebound with this group, there is still much work to be done. Most independents have not even a remote idea of what her record as governor of Alaska looks like, and it is among these swing voters that the film has the most potential to change attitudes. Seek out your independent voter friends and invite them to see the film with you. Matinee tickets are inexpensive, and you should consider paying the way for swing voter friends to see "The Undefeated an investment equally as important as a donation to SarahPAC.
Blue Collar Democrats - These are the working class Democrats who in The Gipper's day were called "Reagan Democrats" because so many of them who had voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 crossed over to mark their ballots for Reagan in 1980. Although many of the Reagan Democrats changed their party affiliation to the GOP and many others became independent voters, there are still significant numbers of them who, although not at all happy with the way hard core liberals dominate their party, would never think of being anything other than a Democrat. There are strong family ties to the party that go back for generations, and many Blue Collar Dems are rank and file union members. There are many fiscal conservatives among this group, and though many are also culturally conservative, they tend to tolerate social diversity -- to a point. That point is most often reached when liberals try to force things Reagan Dems disagree with upon them and their children. Sarah Palin must reassemble the Reagan Coalition to win the presidency, and Blue Collar Democrats are an important component of that coalition. Like their independent counterparts, this demographic doesn't know Gov. Palin's history as a city councilwoman, mayor, oil & gas commissioner and governor in remote Alaska. "The Undefeated" can have a significant impact on how Blue Collar Democrats view her, so make a point of targeting your friends in this group to watch the film with you.
Libertarians - Many small-l libertarians believe the media narrative about Gov. Palin and are surprised when they learn that she governed Alaska as neither theocrat nor far right wing bomb thrower. Social libertarians have been only too willing to spread the false left wing talking points about Sarah Palin to their libertarian brethren, so there is much gold to be mined among this demographic. Libertarians were an important part of the Reagan Coalition, and as many of them we can get the truth to, the better. They need to see "The Undefeated" to learn that Sarah Palin put Alaska's constitution ahead of her religious views and was one of the most fiscally responsible governors among her peers in the 50 states. By all means get your libertarian friends in the theater seats for two hours, and watch their perceptions of Gov. Palin change.
Moderate Republicans - Perhaps no group has been led more astray about our favorite governor than these important voters. The hostility of the GOP establishment towards Sarah Palin has definitely had its effect on moderates, and the McCain campaign's misuse and abuse of her in 2008 has only served to harden that impression. Yet moderate Republicans can be quite receptive to conservative ideas, as Ronald Reagan demonstrated by making GOP moderates a key part of his coalition. For many of the same reasons that independent voters and libertarians need to see "The Undefeated," so do moderate Republicans. Don't leave your friends who are among this demographic off of your list of people to take to see the documentary.
Fiscal conservatives - It's all about perceptions, and polling indicates that among conservatives, Gov. Palin is perceived as strongest on national security and foreign policy matters. She also gets high marks from social conservatives, but fiscal issues -- government spending & power, and business & the economy -- are the number one concerns among conservatives. Surprisingly, it is on the economy where her support among conservatives is softest. Though one would think that the media's obfuscation of Sarah Palin's record would have little effect on conservatives -- a group very distrustful of the media -- such is not entirely the case. Fiscal conservatives in particular apparently are not aware that Gov. Palin was a fiscally responsible governor who cut state spending and left Alaska with a $12 Billion surplus when she resigned. As the documentary does such an effective job of bringing these facts to light, friends who are fiscal conservatives should be high on your list of people to take to see "The Undefeated." And speaking of that resignation, her reasons for leaving office are perhaps the most misunderstood piece of the puzzle the media has made of her record in Alaska. The film does an excellent job of putting the viewer in her place and considering what they would do when faced with more than half a million dollars worth of legal bills stamped "Due Now - Please Pay Promptly."
Until the film is released on DVD and Pay Per View, which begins in September, you won't be able to make any new friends for Sarah Palin in your homes unless you are among the very lucky few who have an early release DVD of "The Undefeated." So for the month of August, you need to get them to one of the theaters which will be showing the film. As mentioned, tickets for matinee screenings are relatively inexpensive at $5 each, but you may have to sweeten the pot with a dinner invitation to break the resistance of the most determined Palin skeptic. Is it worth it? If you want to see Sarah Palin as the next President of the Unities States, it is more than worth it -- it is essential.
- JP
Day By Day (July 30, 2011)
Principles Balance
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
Friday, July 29, 2011
Quote of the Day (July 29, 2011)
The Palin Factor
*
Van Guard, at Patriot Action Network:
*
Van Guard, at Patriot Action Network:
“ Who says Sarah Palin is ‘polarizing?’ It is those who have spent zillions of dollars vetting her, including entrenched ‘establishment’ Republicans, who have much to lose from her candidacy. She did after, all, take on her own party in Alaska and won, and to Americans who have had enough of socialism, whether it is Blue or Red, Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air.”- JP
Gov. Palin to President Obama: Woman Up and Lead!
"How about a balanced budget amendment?"
*
Barack Obama today urged people to tweet GOP Congressmen and tell them to "compromise." Sarah Palin figured the president could use some tweets himself, and got busy with her Blackberry, chiding him for his scaremongering:
*
Barack Obama today urged people to tweet GOP Congressmen and tell them to "compromise." Sarah Palin figured the president could use some tweets himself, and got busy with her Blackberry, chiding him for his scaremongering:
@BarackObama you're wrong, threatening to throw seniors under the bus because you refuse to prioritize govt spending.Time to #womanup & leadJust minutes earlier, Gov. Palin had tweeted that if the president really wants a balanced deficit solution, he should drop his opposition to a balanced budget amendment:
@BarackObama wants us to support a "balanced deficit solution." Great idea! How about a balanced budget amendment?
@BarackObama wants us to contact Congress. Great idea! Tell them to rein in our dangerously unsustainable debt to protect our credit rating.- JP
More Quote of the Day Honorable Mention Part 342
“Fox On The Run” Edition
*
Sherry Tomfeld, at Associated Content:
*
Sherry Tomfeld, at Associated Content:
“Sarah Palin has a powerful, loyal base that the other candidates can only dream of. Palin can raise millions with a tweet that she is running. The Internet will have her up to speed with the other candidates in a flash. Palin draws thousands to rallies... Maybe the reason she is not disclosing her ‘plan’ for the debt crisis is because she will use it in her run. The media should be more concerned that the President does not have a ‘plan’ for the debt crisis. The media should be reporting on the lack of leadership displayed by the President and Democrats. They are in office; they should have had plans months/years ago. Sarah Palin is a sly fox. Her refusal to divulge her plans is driving the pundits wild... There is room for Palin to run for President, and there is plenty of time. I like the fact that a woman can make such a splash. Palin leaves me with the impression that she fears nothing, except letting her country down.”Michael D. Shear, at The Caucus:
“Sarah Palin has impeccable timing.”Shushannah Walshe and Sheila Marikar, at The Note:
“The Sept. 3 trip will be Palin’s second visit to the key election state this year. She attended the Pella, Iowa, premiere of the documentary about her, ‘The Undefeated,’ in June. Her keynote speech will fall two days after ‘The Undefeated’ gets released on pay-per-view and video-on-demand. A tea party insider with knowledge of the rally said the timing is not a coincidence: ‘Labor Day weekend is the traditional kick-off to political campaigns, [and] it’s going to be all Sarah all the time.’ The same source pointed out that Palin has ‘sucked the news cycles of three major summer holidays’ because her ‘One Nation’ bus tour launched Memorial Day weekend, ‘The Undefeated’ premiered ahead of July 4 weekend, and this event falls on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.”Doug Powers, at MichelleMalkin.com:
“Palin’s Labor Day weekend appearance, coincidentally, will be on the three-year anniversary of her Republican Convention speech.”Rev. Michael Bresciani, at RenewAmerica:
“If Mitt Romney is the party nominee he will most assuredly lose running against Barack Obama. Sarah Palin has a chance to beat Obama but that doesn't mean all our troubles will go away if she is elected. In fact, the economy will continue to turn down but we would have a strong leader to walk us through the hard times... You could take a bet but I'm not offering any, you could take some advice but I'm not offering any of that either. Or you could take a hard look at what you will someday come to see, was on the order of a prophetic utterance. Romney cannot defeat Obama. I don't know whether to say ‘over and out’ or ‘amen’ but I would stand by this proclamation to the end... You will vote for your best candidate and that is what America is all about, but for the moment Sarah Palin may be the only candidate that has a chance to uproot the incumbent. She could be described as ‘The front runner that's still on the back burner.’”Righty64, at Right View from the Left Coast:
“And remember, my friends, don't blame me! I voted for Palin!”Nicolas Mendoza, at Soros-funded The American Independent:
“A new Gallup poll shows that while a plurality of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents would pick former Gov. Mitt Romney as their preferred presidential nominee, more Southern Republicans would pick Texas Gov. Rick Perry or former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Neither Perry nor Palin has officially announced a presidential campaign. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani achieved second place among Eastern Republicans, after Romney, while Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) is in a statistical tie for second place with Perry, Palin and Giuliani among Midwestern and Western Republicans.”Pew Research Center:
“The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press... finds that just 31% of independent voters want to see Obama reelected, down from 42% in May.”TWB, at The POH Diaries:
“One More Reason To Vote For Sarah Palin... As if you needed one... My guess is if Sarah Palin won the Presidency, George Lopez would still be on TBS or wherever he is doing jokes about her. Just another empty threat. It’s nice to dream anyway... I suppose the obvious is that if all of these libs followed through on their vain threats then our fight to save the country wouldn’t be nearly as hard.”Cathy Smoorenburg, at Tea Party Brewing:
“Whoever did the evaluation on Sarah Palin got it wrong at NumbersUSA.”Victoria Jackson, at Vicki Goes to Washington:
“Wanna get into the mind of Norwegian Breivik the Bomber? Fundamental Christianity doesn’t live there... The liberal media, including Clinton, tried to blame the Tea Party and Sarah Palin for the actions of Jared Lee Loughner, the man who shot Democratic Congresswoman Gabrille Giffords. According to the left’s own Huffington Post, Loughner listed on Facebook, The Communist Manifesto, and Mein Kampf as two of his favorite books. The Bible wasn’t in his list. I’d concur that Loughner was more of a Leftie. The liberal media claimed Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber to be a right wing extremist also... The liberal media lies. It’s called Propaganda. Hitler used it. Obama, Reid and Pelosi are using it; the enemy within. Reid just used the word ‘extremist’ 8 times in describing the conservative position on solving the deficit problem. Need I say more?”Bloodthirsty Liberal:
“Ah yes, what’s a news report about a mass murdering maniac without a reference to Sarah Palin? Incomplete, that’s what.”Ben Hart, at EscapeTyranny.com:
“What liberals want everyone to believe is that the real threat to domestic tranquility is Sarah Palin and Tea Party types. Remember when they tried to blame Jared Loughner’s shooting rampage in Arizona on conservative talk radio and Sarah Palin? Then it turned out he didn’t listen to conservative radio, did not follow the news at all, and had no interest in politics. Remember when the media tried to tell us that Timothy McVeigh was a Christian? Then it turned out he was an atheist. I think something along these lines is happening here... Funny how there was virtually no coverage in the mainstream media of the fact that the Unabomber had a copy of Al Gore’s book ‘Earth in the Blanace’ in his shack. Gore’s book was heavily underlined with lots of handwritten notes in the margins by the Unabomber. But not much concern by liberals about violent environmental extremists — such as Earth First.”Dan Phillips, at Biblical Christianity:
“In PR terms, Christmas has come early for the Left/MSM: they have found a terrorist to whom they can attach ‘far-right’ conservatism, fundamentalist Christianity, and the name of Sarah Palin. It's a propaganda trifecta.”Tammy Bruce:
“There is still a lot to find out about the terrorist attacks in Oslo, but one thing is for sure, just as with the Tucson massacre, the American left is reveling in the possibility that they could make political points from the heinous acts. And just as with Tucson, the Left put its target (again) on American conservatives and Governor Sarah Palin. This horrific and ghoulish use of mass murder to score political points is moved today by a Roger Cohen column in the New York Times. Through this column, which gives this obscene meme the NYT Seal of Approval, Cohen blames the Oslo attacks on American conservatives, Palin and Republicans in general, but also repeats the lie that Tucson shooter Loughner was the product of all non-liberal concerns... In the shadow of this rank tripe at the increasingly bizarre and absurd New York Times (which should be at the top of the list for Palinistas and the Fingers on the Keyboard campaign), there are some thoughtful and important pieces emerging exposing the Left Wing lie of attaching Oslo to Christians and conservatives. In the midst of what will be renewed and appalling attacks on conservatives using Oslo, here is a list of Required Reading to give all conservatives the information to reject and combat these specious accusations...”Exit Quote: Napoleon Bonaparte:
“I am sometimes a fox and sometimes a lion. The whole secret of government lies in knowing when to be the one or the other.”- JP
Day By Day (July 29, 2011)
Skin Job
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Whittington: Sept IA Speech Holds Promise for Palin Presidential Bid Announcement
"Of course, Palin never does the obvious thing."
*
Mark Whittington reads the TEA leaves:
*
Mark Whittington reads the TEA leaves:
Rumors have suggested Palin would announce her intentions for a run for the presidency in late August or early September. She had also indicated planned bus trips in the Midwest, including Iowa, and the South, including South Carolina, an important early primary state. The speech in Waukee might be tied into an Iowa-centered bus trip. It might even be the event where she announces whether or not she will run for president.- JP
Palin is moving up in some of the polls, usually placing second or third in Republican primary matchups. A new Harris poll shows her just eight points behind President Obama, suggesting she is now in striking distance of the president about 15 months before the general election.
Certainly Palin's presence at a Tea Party rally will attract thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people, as well as heavy media coverage. The obvious thing would be to announce for president at the rally. Of course, Palin never does the obvious thing.
[...]
The debt ceiling crisis will not likely be solved with any great satisfaction for most people, even if a default is averted. The open wrangling and posturing of politicians in Washington, especially President Obama, will fit in perfectly with Palin's likely theme of an outsider riding into Washington to clean up the mess and begin reforming the government.
[Mores]
Three private screenings of 'The Undefeated' in Iowa Saturday
10AM, 2PM & 6 PM in Mason City
*
O4P's Toni Hagen will host three private showings of “The Undefeated” Saturday in Mason City, Iowa. The screenings are scheduled for 10AM, 2PM and 6 PM
These will be the first screenings of the Sarah Palin documentary since the film's world premiere in Pella last month.
To RSVP to attend one of the showings and/or to learn more about Organize4Palin, contact Toni at 641-512-8101.
h/t: Ian Lazaran
- JP
*
O4P's Toni Hagen will host three private showings of “The Undefeated” Saturday in Mason City, Iowa. The screenings are scheduled for 10AM, 2PM and 6 PM
These will be the first screenings of the Sarah Palin documentary since the film's world premiere in Pella last month.
To RSVP to attend one of the showings and/or to learn more about Organize4Palin, contact Toni at 641-512-8101.
h/t: Ian Lazaran
- JP
Sarah Palin: Congressional Freshmen – For Such A Time As This
Don't forget about us out here in flyover country
*
Just hours before a major Congressional vote on raising the nation's debt ceiling, Sarah Palin, via Facebook, reminded House freshmen why American voters sent them to Washington:
*
Just hours before a major Congressional vote on raising the nation's debt ceiling, Sarah Palin, via Facebook, reminded House freshmen why American voters sent them to Washington:
Congressional Freshmen – For Such A Time As This- JP
Out here in proverbial politico flyover country, we little folk are watching the debt ceiling debate with great interest and concern. Today I re-read the open letter I wrote to Republican Freshman Members of Congress in November 2010, just days after they were ushered into office in an historic landslide victory due in large part to the activism of commonsense patriots who are considered part of the Tea Party movement. I respectfully ask these GOP Freshman to re-read this letter and remember us “little people” who believed in them, donated to their campaigns, spent hours tirelessly volunteering for them, and trusted them with our votes. This new wave of public servants may recall that they were sent to D.C. for such a time as this.
The original letter is pasted below, with added emphasis to certain passages that I feel are especially relevant to the current discussion.
All my best to you, GOP Freshmen, from up here in the Last Frontier.
Sincerely,
Sarah Palin
P.S. Everyone I talk to still believes in contested primaries.November 13, 2010
Welcome to all Republican Freshmen and congratulations!
Congratulations to all of you for your contribution to this historic election, and for the contributions I am certain you will make to our country in the next two years. Your victory was hard fought, and the success belongs entirely to you and the staff and volunteers who spent countless hours working for this chance to put government back on the side of the people. Now you will come to Washington to serve your nation and leave your mark on history by reining in government spending, preserving our freedoms at home, and restoring America’s leadership abroad. Some of you have asked for my thoughts on how best to proceed in the weeks and months ahead and how best to advance an agenda that can move our country forward. I have a simple answer: stick to the principles that propelled your campaigns. When you take your oath to support and defend our Constitution and to faithfully discharge the duties of your office, remember that present and future generations of “We the People” are counting on you to stand by that oath. Never forget the people who sent you to Washington. Never forget the trust they placed in you to do the right thing.
The task before you is daunting because so much damage has been done in the last two years, but I believe you have the chance to achieve great things.
Republicans campaigned on a promise to rein in out-of-control government spending and to repeal and replace the massive, burdensome, and unwanted health care law President Obama and the Democrat Congress passed earlier this year in defiance of the will of the majority of the American people. These are promises that you must keep. Obamacare is a job-killer, a regulatory nightmare, and an enormous unfunded mandate. The American people don’t want it and we can’t afford it. We ask, with all due respect, that you remember your job will be to work to replace this legislation with real reform that relies on free market principles and patient-centered policies. The first step is, of course, to defund Obamacare.
You’ve also got to be deadly serious about cutting the deficit. Despite what some would like us to believe, tax cuts didn’t get us into the mess we’re in. Government spending did. Tough decisions need to be made about reducing government spending. The longer we put them off, the worse it will get. We need to start by cutting non-essential spending. That includes stopping earmarks (because abuse of the earmark process created the “gateway-drug” that allowed backroom deals and bloated budgets), canceling all further spending on the failed Stimulus program, and rolling back non-discretionary spending to 2008 levels. You can do more, but this would be a good start.
In order to avert a fiscal disaster, we will also need to check the growth of spending on our entitlement programs. That will be a huge challenge, but it must be confronted head on. We must do it in a humane way that honors the government’s current commitments to our fellow Americans while also keeping faith with future generations. We cannot rob from our children and grandchildren’s tomorrow to pay for our unchecked spending today. Beyond that, we need to reform the way Congress conducts business in order to make it procedurally easier to cut spending than to increase it. We need to encourage zero-based budgeting practices in D.C. like the kind fiscally conservative mayors and governors utilize to balance their budgets and reduce unnecessary spending.
There in the insulated and isolated Beltway you will be far removed from the economic pain felt by so many Americans who are out of work. Please remember that if we want real job growth, we must create a stable investment climate by ending the tidal wave of overly burdensome regulations coming out of Washington. Businesses need certainty – and freedom that incentivizes competition – to grow and expand our workforce.
The last thing our small businesses need is tax hikes. It falls to the current Democrat-controlled Congress to decide on the future of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. If it does not permanently renew all of them, you should move quickly to do so in the new Congress. It would remove from households and businesses the threat of a possible $3.8 trillion tax hike hitting all Americans at the worst possible moment, with our economy struggling to recover from a deep recession! You must continue to remind Democrats that the people they are dismissing as “rich” are the small business owners who create up to 70% of all jobs in this country!
Another issue of vital importance is border security. Americans expect our leadership in Washington to act now to secure our borders. Don’t fall for the claims of those who suggest that we can’t secure our borders until we simultaneously deal with the illegal immigrants already here. Let’s deal with securing the border first. That alone is a huge challenge that has been ignored for far too long.
On foreign policy and national security, I urge you to stick to our principles: strong defense, free trade, nurturing allies, and steadfast opposition to America’s enemies. We are the most powerful country on earth and the world is better off because of it. Our president does not seem to understand this. If we withdraw from the world, the world will become a much more dangerous place. You must push President Obama to finish the job right in Iraq and get the job done in Afghanistan, otherwise we who are war-weary will forever question why America’s finest are sent overseas to make the ultimate sacrifice with no clear commitment to victory from those who send them. You should be prepared to stand with the President against Iran’s nuclear aspirations using whatever means necessary to ensure the mullahs in Tehran do not get their hands on nuclear weapons. And you can stand with the Iranian people who oppose the tyrannical rule of the clerics and concretely support their efforts to win their freedom – even if the President does not.
You need to say no to cutting the necessities in our defense budget when we are engaged in two wars and face so many threats – from Islamic extremists to a nuclear Iran to a rising China. As Ronald Reagan said, “We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.” You will also have the opportunity to push job-creating free trade agreements with allies like Colombia and South Korea. You can stand with allies like Israel, not criticize them. You can let the President know what you believe – Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, not a settlement. And for those of you joining the United States Senate, don’t listen to desperate politically-motivated arguments about the need for hasty consideration of the “New START” treaty. Insist on your right to patient and careful deliberation of New START to address very real concerns about verification, missile defense, and modernization of our nuclear infrastructure. No New START in the lame duck!
You can stand against misguided proposals to try dangerous, evil terrorists in the US; precipitously close the Guantanamo prison; and a return to the failed policies of the past in treating the war on terror as a law enforcement problem. Finally, you have a platform to express the support of the American people for all those around the world seeking their freedom that God has bestowed within all mankind’s being – from Burma and Egypt to Russia and Venezuela – because the spread of liberty increases our own security. You, freshmen lawmakers, can and will be powerful voices in support of foreign policies that protect our interests and promote our values! Thank you for being willing to fight for our values and our freedom!
In all this, you should extend a hand to President Obama and Democrats in Congress. After this election, they may finally be prepared to work with Republicans on some of these issues for the good of the country. And if not, we will all be looking forward to 2012.
Remember that some in the media will love you when you stray from the time-tested truths that built America into the most exceptional nation on earth. When the Left in the media pat you on the back, quickly reassess where you are and readjust, for the liberals’ praise is a warning bell you must heed. Trust me on that.
I and most Americans are so excited for you. Working together, we have every right to be optimistic about our future. We can be hopeful because real hope lies in the ingenuity, generosity, and boundless courage of the everyday Americans who make our country exceptional. These are the men and women who sent you to Washington. May your work and leadership honor their faith in you.
With sincere congratulations and a big Alaskan heart,
Sarah Palin
Washington Unplugged: Is Palin 2012 'more method than madness?'
She's been "immersing herself in policy" and is "a great retail politician."
*
On "Washington Unplugged," CBS News' Rob Hendin and Real Clear Politics political reporter Scott Conroy discuss the prospect of Gov. Palin entering the 2012 Republican presidential field:
- JP
*
On "Washington Unplugged," CBS News' Rob Hendin and Real Clear Politics political reporter Scott Conroy discuss the prospect of Gov. Palin entering the 2012 Republican presidential field:
- JP
David Limbaugh: What Sarah Palin actually said
She addresses the concerns of grassroots conservatives like few others are able to do.
*
In the Wednesday edition of The Washington Times, David Limbaugh has penned an excellent review of Matt Lewis' The Quotable Rogue: The Ideals of Sarah Pain in Her Own Words :
- JP
*
In the Wednesday edition of The Washington Times, David Limbaugh has penned an excellent review of Matt Lewis' The Quotable Rogue: The Ideals of Sarah Pain in Her Own Words :
This book is the most honest and objective depiction of Mrs. Palin yet published because it records her own words, directly and accurately, instead of with embellishments and mischaracterizations routinely served up by the agenda-driven media.Limbaugh concludes that this collection of Sarah Palin quotes has an appeal which reaches beyond the core of the governor's hard core supporters. Those who have been "grossly misled about what she’s made of and who she is" should also read it. Matt Lewis' book shares that quality with "The Undefeated," Stephen Bannon's landmark documentary film. Together, the book and the film clear away every last remaining cobweb of false media narrative and reveal the real Sarah Palin.
As such, it also is the most informative source available on the important views of this dynamic lady, who already has attracted the attention of a nation and is sure to play an even greater role in the months and years to come - irrespective of whether she chooses to throw her hat into the presidential race. Indeed, Mr. Lewis appears to have compiled the book partially out of his frustration that despite endless media coverage, “the vast majority of Palin’s opinions and statements remain unfamiliar.”
Besides, what better way to answer the insults and charges against Mrs. Palin than to consult her own words. Even better, many of these quotes, which address a wide range of political and cultural issues, are extracted from unscripted moments, so we get a real glimpse into Mrs. Palin’s thoughts, absent any editorial airbrushing or blurring.
This book is anything but laborious; it’s a quick and entertaining read, and it confirms that Mrs. Palin is plainspoken, consistent and reliably conservative. Her words resonate with a broad spectrum of Americans - not just hard-core conservatives - because she speaks in a language we understand and addresses our concerns. She distrusts big government and is passionate about America’s unique liberty tradition. And she’s unafraid to speak her mind no matter how politically incorrect her opinions are.
[...]
Regardless of your feelings about Mrs. Palin, it’s undeniable that she consistently demonstrates courage and leadership; she has an uncanny knack for anticipating the next important issue and is unafraid to express her opinion without first holding her finger in the wind to assess its political popularity. In the face of relentless attacks, she doesn’t cower or retreat but fights back and demonstrates her resilience in direct proportion to the assaults against her.
[More]
- JP
Day By Day (July 28, 2011)
Broke
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Quote of the Day (July 27, 2011)
Palin returning to Iowa as her film hits TV screens
*
Peter Hamby, at CNN:
*
Peter Hamby, at CNN:
“Palin will descend on Iowa - likely generating a frenzy of media coverage - on September 3. That's just two days after ‘The Undefeated’ is made available to 75 million households via On Demand and pay-per-view on Time Warner, DirectTV and The Dish Network.”- JP
Rumor of the Year? (Updated)
Hmmmm...
*
We just saw this on Twitter:
We checked the Bob & Mark page on the KWHL website, and there was no mention of what would be one heck of a remote broadcast. So for now, at least, it's just a rumor. There are also other possibilities, among them one to be wary of. Bob & Mark have been known to stage a hoax/promotional stunt before about Gov. Palin supposedly announcing, so keep a few grains of salt handy. Still...
Update: Bob and Mark shoot down the rumor. And another one one bites the dust...
- JP
*
We just saw this on Twitter:
BREAKING: Bob and Mark will do Live show from Iowa Labor Day weekend...It only means one thing. The stars are aligning for #PalinAs most of you know, Gov. Palin promised the two Anchorage radio morning guys that if and when she announced a run for president, they would be the first to learn of it.
We checked the Bob & Mark page on the KWHL website, and there was no mention of what would be one heck of a remote broadcast. So for now, at least, it's just a rumor. There are also other possibilities, among them one to be wary of. Bob & Mark have been known to stage a hoax/promotional stunt before about Gov. Palin supposedly announcing, so keep a few grains of salt handy. Still...
Update: Bob and Mark shoot down the rumor. And another one one bites the dust...
- JP
More Quote of the Day Honorable Mention Part 341
“Into the waters” Edition
*
Craig Robinson, at The Iowa Republican:
*
Craig Robinson, at The Iowa Republican:
“By returning to Iowa in September, Palin will not just be dipping her toes into Iowa’s presidential waters, she’s basically jumping right in. Earlier this month, Palin told Sean Hannity that August or September might be the right time to launch a presidential campaign. Palin’s visit will also coincide with the pay-per-view release of the ‘The Undefeated’ documentary across the county. Announcing her candidacy during a Tea Party event in Iowa seems like the perfect setting for Palin if she is actually going to run in 2012. The event will focus on rallying people to take action in what may very well be the most pivotal moment in our nation’s history. Having fought corruption and the political machine in Alaska, Palin can not only can talk the talk about doing what is in the best interest of the people, but she has walked the walk in her life and political career.”Caucus Insider, at The Des Moines Register:
“Palin has not made the typical moves toward running, such as frequent visits to early voting states. But in polls that include her name, she often tops many of the announced Republican candidates.”Patrick S. Adams, at Patrick's World USA:
“If the public can be convinced to look at Governor Palin's record and see who she really is without the media filter and the caricaturing of her, it's possible to get enough people to feel comfortable enough to vote against Obama much the same way as Reagan was able to create enough of a comfort level with the ‘there you go again’ moment he had in the debate with Carter. So, when people tell you that Sarah Palin can’t win in 2012, don’t listen. Barack Obama is so much of a disaster that the American people should be more willing to take the chance on Palin rather than go with the certainty that Obama will continue to destroy the economy for another four years.”Byron York, at The Washington Examiner:
“Poll: Romney weakening... Among Republicans who describe themselves as moderate or liberal, Romney actually trails Giuliani, 14 percent to 16 percent, and is tied with Palin.”Nate Silver, at The NYT's FiveThirtyEight:
“An average of the seven most recent polls of Republican voters (the six contained in the Real Clear Politics average plus the Economist / YouGov poll) finds Mr. Romney with the lead, with an average of 22 percent of the vote. After that, there’s essentially a four-way tie between Ms. Bachmann (13 percent), Sarah Palin (13 percent), Mr. Perry (12 percent) and Rudolph W. Giuliani (11 percent in the polls in which he is included). Herman Cain’s momentum appears to have faded, while Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty are now often polling in the low rather than the high single digits.”Mike Sheeran, Sarah Palin's uncle:
“Sarah wanted me to tell him that, if he were to declare, he should declare here at Bentwood.”Meghan Malloy, at Soros-funded The Iowa Independent:
“Though conservative darling former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and rumored potential GOP candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry have been left off the ballot for the Ames Straw Poll Aug. 13, grassroots supporters for both candidates don’t seem worried... ‘There's nothing planned that I know of,’ Palin grassroots supporter and California-based attorney Peter Singleton told The Iowa Independent. Though Singleton thought Palin would announce a decision regarding 2012 this month, jury duty may have pushed back the former Governor’s plans. ‘Given she’s not in (the 2012 race), we will just support the party,’ Singleton said. ‘We think the Straw Poll is great, (and) it’s a great fundraiser. But we’re not making a run with write-ins.’”John Nolte , at Big Hollywood:
“I don’t know of any one filmmaker who wouldn’t be thrilled with that opening weekend or the home video distribution deal... when you’re talking about a political documentary.”Del Parker, at Conservatives 4 Palin:
“What is noteworthy about ‘The Undefeated’ and its audience, is the use of not just multiple witnesses to tell the story of Sarah Palin, but taking it to the next level, and using the power of multiple witnesses to advertise the movie itself, and thus mobilize and grow Organize 4 Palin, and to mobilize the ground troops. So far only word of mouth, via email, via Facebook, via links to You-Tube, and via Twitter have been used to draw audience. The audience so drawn is being drawn by the witness of those that have seen it, not by something in a Soros-paid media commentary, or paid advertising. The mainstream media has nothing to do with it. Every person that sees it is likely to bring others who in turn will have an influence on still more. This is exactly the same methodology that led to the rapid growth of the early first century church, and how that history was portrayed in Acts. Growth was accomplished, not by addition, but by multiplication. It is not the people you witness to, that is important. It is the people they witness to.”Whet Moser, at The 312:
“How the Sarah Palin Doc ‘The Undefeated’ Is Like the Debt Ceiling Debate”Kellyanne Conway, on why Sarah Palin has time for her kids:
“As far as I can tell, she doesn't have a boyfriend. So right there it frees up like 15 extra hours a week. And she doesn't play golf. That's like seven hours every Saturday, eight hours every Sunday because there's always a brunch involved. I just gave her 30 extra hours a week. These kids will be fine.”Noel Sheppard, at NewsBusters:
“I wouldn't hold my breath that Lopez will stick to his promise, but he sure does hate Sarah Palin...”Bridget, at Hillbuzz:
“Did you know that... George Lopez said that if Sarah Palin is elected president then he will move to Canada? Promise George? Because I don’t want to get my hopes up and have you back out like that Whoopi Goldberg creature did when George W. Bush was elected. I still see her sad sorry face on TV all the time and it makes me sick. You crazy Hollywood types need to start honoring your word.”Jim Hoft, at Big Journalism:
“When crazed Bush-hating leftist Jared Loughner went on a shooting spree in Arizona the ‘left’ blamed Sarah Palin. When a crazed ‘right-wing’ killer goes on a shooting spree in Oslo the the ‘left’ blames Sarah Palin.”Matthew Vadum, at The American Spectator's AmSpec Blog:
“While Norway mourns the deaths of the 92 (so far) shooting victims, kook bloggers at FireDogLake, Democratic Underground, and elsewhere are already labeling the alleged killer to be ‘right wing.’ This meme appears to have started with a comment made by a Norwegian political science professor who speculated that the shooter might be ‘right wing.’ Even Sarah Palin is now being blamed for the shooting because the suspect reportedly favored the creation of a European Tea Party. The media keeps repeating the mantra that the shooter is ‘right wing.’ But what does it even mean to be ‘right wing’ in Norway? The American media doesn't have a clue. American journos would much prefer to parrot a fuzzy idea than offer genuine insight into what happened in Norway. Very broadly speaking, to be on the right is to favor the status quo or a status quo ante. To be on the left is to favor change or something new. The terms came out of the French Revolutionary period.”Exit Quote: Ezekiel 19:10, in the King James Bible:
“Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.”- JP
Scott Conroy: Palin to Keynote Tea Party Rally in Iowa
"...she's very, very popular here, and it didn't hurt at all when she introduced her movie in Pella."
*
In a move which Scott Conroy of RealClearPolitics interprets as a sign that Sarah Palin intends to make a run for the White House, the former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate has accepted an invitation to keynote a Tea Party rally in Waukee, Iowa, on Sept. 3:
- JP
*
In a move which Scott Conroy of RealClearPolitics interprets as a sign that Sarah Palin intends to make a run for the White House, the former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate has accepted an invitation to keynote a Tea Party rally in Waukee, Iowa, on Sept. 3:
The Labor Day weekend visit to the nation's first voting state comes after Palin indicated during an appearance on Fox News earlier this month that she would make her decision about whether to launch a campaign in August or September.Game on!
All signs now point to September as the month when Palin would throw her hat into the ring, as logistical concerns ranging from fundraising to getting her name on the ballot in various states would likely preclude further delay.
Many prominent political analysts and Republican operatives have expressed skepticism that Palin is seriously considering a presidential bid, since she has not taken many of the steps that candidates traditionally take before jumping into the race, such as signing early-state consultants, contacting key powerbrokers and boosting their travel schedules.
But Palin has a long history of shunning the Republican Party machinery and taking an unconventional approach to campaigns -- a mind-set that appears to have been in play throughout the past several months.
Palin's latest appearance in Iowa will come just two days after "The Undefeated," a documentary film spotlighting her accomplishments in Alaska, will be released on Pay-Per-View and video-on-demand. In the film, Palin is portrayed as a continual thorn in the Republican establishment's side. And it is the GOP, rather than the Democratic Party, that garners the better part of the movie's scorn.
If Palin were to announce a White House run, the theme of her campaign would almost certainly focus on resisting the ingrained political culture and what she sees as being wrong with the status quo, and much of the Republican Party itself, in addition to continuing to offer one of the most strident contrasts to President Obama's policies.
The outdoor rally on the first Saturday in September will take place at a field in Waukee, located just outside of Des Moines, and will be hosted by the Tea Party of America -- an Iowa-based political action committee that was founded in May.
The midday affair will be the new group's kickoff event and is sure to generate a large crowd and massive media attention.
[More]
- JP
Sarah Palin: The president 'does not get it'
Washington needs to live within its means
*
Fox Business aired this interview with Sarah Palin last night, although it appears to have been recorded at an earlier date:
- JP
*
Fox Business aired this interview with Sarah Palin last night, although it appears to have been recorded at an earlier date:
- JP
Day By Day (July 27, 2011)
The View
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Quote of the Day (July 26, 2011)
Sarah Plain Palin
*
Jelayne Sessler, at Defending Sarah Palin:
*
Jelayne Sessler, at Defending Sarah Palin:
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If I had a penny for every time Sarah Palin was pronounced politically dead; I’d be a rich woman—better yet, I could solve our nation’s debt crisis.”- JP
Sarah Palin: Cut, Cap and Balance is 'the right plan'
"It's the spending, stupid."
*
Appearing on Fox News' "On The Record" Tuesday night, Gov. Sarah Palin told host Greta Van Susteren that House Speaker John Boehner didn't have to try to "re-invent any wheel" by drafting new legislation to deal with the nation's debt ceiling because the House of Representatives had already passed the Cut, Cap and Balance Act. Though the Senate voted Friday to table the measure, and it has been pronounced dead by Majority Leader Harry Reid, Gov. Palin said Cut, Cap and Balance is "the right plan," and that Republicans "don't need to retreat now." Indeed, we agree that House Republicans acted responsibly by passing Cut, Cap and Balance, and they should put the onus on Senate Democrats to either reconsider the GOP legislation or to come up with a measure of their own. The ball should be in their court, since the leader of their side in the White House hasn't so much as proposed a budget. Speaking of the president, the first woman to be the vice presidential candidate of the Republican party criticized the president for "scaring the American people" with a mostly manufactured debt ceiling crisis which she said amounted to little more than "Obama drama." She challenged conservatives to insist that Obama submit a real plan of his own.
- JP
*
Appearing on Fox News' "On The Record" Tuesday night, Gov. Sarah Palin told host Greta Van Susteren that House Speaker John Boehner didn't have to try to "re-invent any wheel" by drafting new legislation to deal with the nation's debt ceiling because the House of Representatives had already passed the Cut, Cap and Balance Act. Though the Senate voted Friday to table the measure, and it has been pronounced dead by Majority Leader Harry Reid, Gov. Palin said Cut, Cap and Balance is "the right plan," and that Republicans "don't need to retreat now." Indeed, we agree that House Republicans acted responsibly by passing Cut, Cap and Balance, and they should put the onus on Senate Democrats to either reconsider the GOP legislation or to come up with a measure of their own. The ball should be in their court, since the leader of their side in the White House hasn't so much as proposed a budget. Speaking of the president, the first woman to be the vice presidential candidate of the Republican party criticized the president for "scaring the American people" with a mostly manufactured debt ceiling crisis which she said amounted to little more than "Obama drama." She challenged conservatives to insist that Obama submit a real plan of his own.
- JP
GretaWire: Governor Sarah Palin tonight 'On The Record'
9PM Central Time, 10PM Eastern*
Last night's "On The Record" with host Greta Van Susteren was a 2 hour live special on the debt ceiling issue. Greta follows up tonight with confirmed guest Gov. Sarah Palin for further discussion on the issue.
The program repeats at 12 Midnight Texas time.
h/t: Martha
- JP
Schmidt: Can Sarah Palin shake up the GOP?
GOP candidates are looking over their shoulders "to see if Hurricane Sarah might strike!"
*
So her name won't be on the Ames Straw Poll ballot. Sarah Palin nevertheless can still shake up the GOP in Iowa, according to this commentary by Iowa State University political science professor Steffen Schmidt:
- JP
*
So her name won't be on the Ames Straw Poll ballot. Sarah Palin nevertheless can still shake up the GOP in Iowa, according to this commentary by Iowa State University political science professor Steffen Schmidt:
The news media have largely neglected Palin because she has not bought space and asked to be on the Iowa (Ames) GOP Straw Poll in August. She has also not officially declared that she will run for President. However, she has been touring the country, giving major interviews to magazines, and hoarding a very nice stack of cash from her various enterprises, which include books, TV specials, speeches and her work for Fox.The end of July is a significant time for Sarah Palin's legion of dedicated supporters (Are there any other kind?). As Daniel Morgan reminds us, not only is it the second anniversary of Gov. Palin's political liberation by virtue of her resignation as Alaska governor, but it also closes the window on the period when nuisance lawsuits can be filed against her for her time in that office.In addition, it should also mark the fulfillment of her obligation to the jury pool. Sarah Palin is free to spread her wings and fly. And everyone will be watching where she chooses to go.
In Newsweek, Peter J. Boyer features her in a very flattering article that was published July 18. The cover of the magazine reads "I can win" and features a posed and very glamorous-looking Palin with the headline, "Sarah Palin on why she's confident — and how she'll decide whether to run in 2012."
When I talked to GOP contacts and friends, the opinion was pretty consistently this. Palin is a big "silent" factor in the 2011 Iowa events (debates and Ames straw poll) and will lurk in the background until caucus night is over in 2012. She may even skip the caucuses and decide to jump in at the last moment. However, in primaries there are ballot printing and candidate filing deadlines, so she cannot wait too long.
One acquaintance, a lifelong Republican, said, "Steffen, she's like the severe storms center hurricane forecast for the season. When they say this year will be an exceptionally active hurricane season, everyone from the Gulf States to Maine is jumpy, looking over their shoulder, getting plywood ready to board up, getting hurricane supplies, arranging to have their boat hauled out should a big one hit. All of the Republican candidates right now are looking over their shoulder to see if Hurricane Sarah might strike!"
I thought that was a sweet metaphor.
[More]
- JP
Day By Day (July 26, 2011)
Adult in the Room
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:
Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.
- JP
Monday, July 25, 2011
Quote of the Day (July 25, 2011)
NYT's Roger Cohen Smears Palin...
*
Clay Waters, at NewsBusters:
*
Clay Waters, at NewsBusters:
“‘Take America Back’ is a slogan of ethnic hatred? Somebody better tell Democrat Howard Dean, who spouted the slogan during his 2004 campaign for the Democratic nomination.”- JP
Reminder 'The Undefeated' To Be Shown In St. Louis Saturday
At the Smart Girl Summit*
A reminder from legendary radio station KMOX: Stephen Bannon's Palin documentary “The Undefeated,” will gave a special screening Saturday at the “Smart Girl Summit,” a two-day conference for politically conservative women:
The screening will take place at 1:00 PM on Saturday, July 30 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Organizers say cast members and writer/director Stephen K. Bannon will be in attendance.- JP
Bannon says, “We are thrilled to bring this film to the city of St. Louis and especially the Smart Girl Summit.
Co-founder of Smart Girl Politics Action, Teri Christoph says, ‘It was important for us to screen this movie at Smart Girl Summit because Sarah Palin has shown conservatives what it takes to be an effect voice in today’s political environment.”
[More]
Tea Party Report: 'The Undefeated' scores success in unexpected places
The film made its Chicago debut Saturday to a packed house
*
As hard as the corrupt, agenda-driven media is trying to kill off Stephen Bannon's Palin documentary, you'd think it would be gone by now. But 'The Undefeated' refuses to be defeated by the DNC stenographers who pose as journalists. Laura Kelly and William J. Kelly report:
- JP
*
As hard as the corrupt, agenda-driven media is trying to kill off Stephen Bannon's Palin documentary, you'd think it would be gone by now. But 'The Undefeated' refuses to be defeated by the DNC stenographers who pose as journalists. Laura Kelly and William J. Kelly report:
To the chagrin of Hollywood industry skeptics and Palin-haters alike, it was another big weekend for “The Undefeated.” In its opening weekend July 15-17 in limited theatrical release in 10 cities, the Stephen Bannon-directed film has defied expectations selling out showings to score an average $6500 per screen and more than $11,000 per screen in top markets.h/t: Henry D'Andrea
Predictably, the mainstream media have been on the attack. Gunning for the film at every turn. Using every headline to pepper the news cycle with innuendo.
[...]
But we aren’t talking Captain America or Harry Potter here. A conservative political documentary requires a different measure of success. And this indie underdog film has been scoring unexpected successes - and fans - in decidedly liberal places.
After a five-city expansion, the film made its Chicago debut Saturday to a packed house at the GeneSiskelFilmCenter. Yes, I said, “Chicago.”
This is the Sarah Palin documentary, right? Remember, Sarah Palin? The hockey mom of five whom comedian Bill Maher referred to “inbred weirdos straight out of ‘Hills Have Eyes.’” The former Alaskan governor woman liberal progressives love to hate?
Sunday’s left-leaning Chicago Sun-Times led its story coverage with a post-film recap called, “Film Drives a Stake into ‘Caribou Barbie’ for one Dem.” The “one Dem” was Eddie Bryant, a retired 67-year old Union Pacific employee of African American-descent. “People say this lady is brainless,” said Bryant. “She’s not only smart, but she’s a clean-government person. I gained respect for her.” And Bryant’s not the only one.
Legendary film critic Roger Ebert, a passionate political liberal, called the film “A Documentary for Palin Lovers.” A powerful industry voice, Ebert could have maligned the film; he didn’t.
[More]
- JP
'The Undefeated' will show in four additional cities July 29 (Updated)
In three states
*
Victory Film Group has announced that four additional cities will be hosting "The Undefeated" starting Friday, July 29th. They are Charleston, South Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Update: Here are the theaters:
N. Woods Stadium 13
2181 Northwoods Blvd.
N. Charleston, SC 29406
Carmike:
Ritz 15
3217 South Decker Lake Drive
West Valley City, UT 84119-3284
AMC Newport on the Levee 20 (across bridge from Cincinatti)
1 Levee Way, Suite 4100
Newport, KY 41071
AMC Lennox
777 Kinnear Rd.,
Columbus, OH 43212
- JP
*
Victory Film Group has announced that four additional cities will be hosting "The Undefeated" starting Friday, July 29th. They are Charleston, South Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Update: Here are the theaters:
N. Woods Stadium 13
2181 Northwoods Blvd.
N. Charleston, SC 29406
Carmike:
Ritz 15
3217 South Decker Lake Drive
West Valley City, UT 84119-3284
AMC Newport on the Levee 20 (across bridge from Cincinatti)
1 Levee Way, Suite 4100
Newport, KY 41071
AMC Lennox
777 Kinnear Rd.,
Columbus, OH 43212
- JP
Outside the OK Corral, Gov. Palin is keeping her powder dry
As she reloads, her would-be GOP rivals are shooting themselves, each other.
*
Sarah Palin's strategy of staying out of the early battles for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination is increasingly looking like a very wise plan, as her would-be rivals seem intent on taking shots at each other, and in some cases, shooting at their own feet.
It's not yet August, and just look how the two Minnesotans in the scrum, Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty are pummeling each other:
Businessman Herman Cain appears to be leading the GOP pack in the number of self-inflicted wounds he's suffered. Cain came out of the gate strong, but a series of foreign policy position blunders have removed much of the shine from his rising star, as Commentary Magazine's Jonathan S. Tobin recounted early last month:
- JP
*
Sarah Palin's strategy of staying out of the early battles for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination is increasingly looking like a very wise plan, as her would-be rivals seem intent on taking shots at each other, and in some cases, shooting at their own feet.
It's not yet August, and just look how the two Minnesotans in the scrum, Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty are pummeling each other:
“Actions speak louder than words,” said Bachmann in a statement released by her campaign, taking Pawlenty to task over health care, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and cap-and-trade legislation.Though it remains to be seen if Pawlenty's attacks on Bachmann will ultimately be successful, her campaign's decision to get into a slugging contest with with the former governor may indicate that Ed Rollins' internal polling may indicate that Pawlenty has been making up some ground on her in advance of the Ames Straw Poll.
“Governor Pawlenty said in 2006, ‘The era of small government is over ... The government has to be more proactive and more aggressive,’” said Bachmann. “That’s the same philosophy that, under President Obama, has brought us record deficits, massive unemployment, and an unconstitutional health care plan.”
Bachmann’s decision to engage Pawlenty marks a major change in strategy for the Minnesota congresswoman. But is it a sign that she is worried about Pawlenty’s progress in Iowa in advance of the Aug. 13 Ames Straw Poll, or simply that she was fed up?
Ed Rollins, Bachmann’s campaign manager, insisted in an email to The Fix that his candidate “just [got] tired of [Pawlenty] taking cheap shots” and decided to respond. “Even if he’s at 2 percent in the polls, we are not going to let anyone take free shots at us.”
Pawlenty has been goading Bachmann for weeks as he seeks to make up ground against her in Iowa — a state seen as a must-win for both candidates’ chances in the 2012 presidential race.
Pawlenty’s main attack on Bachmann is that she lacks any record of achievement, and it appears that Pawlenty’s comments to CNN’s Candy Crowley along those lines are what set Bachmann off.
In an interview that aired Sunday, Pawlenty said that “these are really serious times and there hasn’t been somebody who went [directly] from the U.S. House of Representatives to the presidency, I think, in over a hundred years, and there’s a reason for that.”
Businessman Herman Cain appears to be leading the GOP pack in the number of self-inflicted wounds he's suffered. Cain came out of the gate strong, but a series of foreign policy position blunders have removed much of the shine from his rising star, as Commentary Magazine's Jonathan S. Tobin recounted early last month:
You may recall that at the South Carolina GOP presidential debate he said he had no idea what to do about Afghanistan but would consult with experts about it. Later he said he would come up with a plan sometime between his election in November 2012 and his inauguration the following January. Then he was asked about the Palestinian right of return by Chris Wallace on Fox News and had no idea what he was talking about. He later said that he was reading a book about Israel but wouldn’t say what book it was. This week he said he would go to Israel to join a Glenn Beck rally.Herman Cain is a political neophyte, and his inexperience at least somewhat excuses his missteps. But Newt Gingrich, a veteran of many political campaigns, can claim no such excuses. He was the first of the GOP presidential pretenders to self-destruct, and the list of his stumbles runs from losing most of his campaign staff only days after his formal announcement to his inexplicable attack on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's proposal to reform Medicare. Now the Gingrich bandwagon seems to be a one-horse parade mired hopelessly:
Last night, as The Hill notes, Cain went on the Bill O’Reilly show to further showcase the fact that he knows about as much about the dangers facing the world abroad as many of us do about the intricacies of managing a fast food franchise. O’Reilly asked him what he would do to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and all he could say in reply was that he would work for energy independence for the United States. That’s a good cause but as O’Reilly tried to put out to Cain, it wouldn’t do anything about the terrible danger to the West that Iranian nukes pose.
Cain may be a good man and he may even be on the right side on these issues, as his instinct to support Israel seems to show. But the point about Cain and foreign policy is not just that he’s not very knowledgeable about such things. It’s that he is so self-confident about his abilities that it seemingly hasn’t occurred to him that this ignorance is a liability.
For a host of party leaders, Gingrich seems to have proven with astonishing speed that he deserves his reputation as an undisciplined, self-destructive, shoot-from-the-lip politician. His flair for provocative rhetoric, combined with his desire to make loftier political points, might make him too combustible for the presidential campaign trail.Little wonder that Republicans, in poll after poll, have indicated that they are generally unimpressed with the field of announced candidates so far. Meanwhile, Gov. Palin has told her supporters to keep their powder dry and has even encouraged grassroots organizers in Iowa to keep up their good work on her behalf. As she stands on the sidelines, Sarah Palin can see Gov. Rick Perry doing pretty much the same thing on the opposite side of the field. As many have speculated, when those two get into the race, the game will have changed in the blinking of an eye.
“The problem for Newt is, this is exactly what everybody who has ever worked for or around him said was his basic problem,” said Rich Galen, the veteran Republican strategist and former Gingrich aide. “Sooner or later, I suspect, unfortunately, the campaign will collapse from the top because people are going to say, ‘I love him and he’s really smart, but he can’t be president.’”
The campaign, Galen added, is “close to being functionally over.”
- JP