Monday, February 28, 2011

Quote of the Day (February 28, 2011)

PDS Spreads To Netflix Customer Reviews
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Kensington at Daily Woof:
"The next time you feel bad about yourself, just remember that there are people out there who are so consumed with hatred for Sarah Palin that they can’t even write a customer review for a cheesy 70s movie without telling the whole world how much they hate the former governor of Alaska. She lives inside their heads rent free."
- JP

More Quote of the Day Honorable Mention, Part 225

"Faith" Edition
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WeHoldTheseTruths at Hub Pages:
"So, could I vote for Palin? Of course, and with enthusiasm. And, now, on to... 'Why'.... Faith. There's a lot more to believe in than just the Bible, for instance. There's the innate wisdom of history, the ability and good will of the people of the nation. Sarah never backs down from, nor in any ever disclaims absolute faith in the American people's ability to do anything that must be done. In this context, we call it 'trust'. I am so incomprehensibly tired of a government that believes I am untrustworthy to live my life, and that I must be made 'good" by regulation, mandates, laws, and rigid rules. The first thing you must know, about someone, is that if you want to know if you trust them... That they trust you. Of that, I have absolutely no doubt. Sarah's economic, societal, and political outlook is all based upon an implicit faith in the outcome of trusting people to do what they should. Not in the ability to FORCE them or BRIBE them to be what they should, but that they ARE what they should be. I find it easy to reciprocate."
Morgan Freeberg via Facebook:
"This is why, if I wasn't already in Palin's corner, one issue by itself would put me there all over again. Out of everyone pontificating about 'energy crisis,' she is the ONLY one who has consistently gotten it right."
Bill at Governor Palin for President 2012:
"Published reports have hit the internet claiming that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich would be announcing the formation of a presidential exploratory committee this coming week... What does this mean for Palin 2012? Actually that her road to the nomination probably just got easier... Mr. Gingrich has shown an almost incoherent ability to swerve leftward randomly and with such veracity that he becomes bosom buddies with Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi... As such, Gingrich will find it very hard to draw much support from grassroots core conservatives, which are a core voting bloc in the GOP primaries. His entry in the primaries would actually do more to hurt Palin's main opponent for the nomination, former governor Mitt Romney. Romney, who is proud of his own mini-Obamacare socialist medicine debacle that he foisted upon the people of Massachusetts before becoming a conservative in his quest for the 2008 presidential nomination, is the darling of the GOP establishment. Gingrich will pull donors and supporters from Romney's base and further erode his already Titanic-like plunging numbers."
Terry Branstad (R), Governor of Iowa:
"If Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann participate [in the 2012 Iowa caucuses], this could break all records and could get to be really, really wide open and very interesting."
Leppod's Rant:
"Finally somebody points out the COWARDICE (not duping) of the Right. It sickens me to no end when I see Republicans (of which I am not) and conservatives fall under the pressure of political correctness. If we cannot or will not stand up for this courageous and decent woman...how pathetic is that? Sarah Palin deserves our respect and dare I say GRATITUDE. Only idiots are 'duped' by the onslaught of lies and character assassination the left has relentlessly put on this woman and her family. If this is not enough to expose the Left for what they are...I suspect nothing will be."
The Editors of the Beaufort Observer:
"Sarah Palin... can ride the public's disgust with the Elites right into the White House."
Daria at The Conservative Diva:
"Even if you don’t support a Palin run for the presidency as I do, if you’re a conservative you should make that decision based on facts — not because you’ve fallen prey to the left’s Alinsky tactics by which they’ve poisoned all rational discourse about her by branding her as 'dumb'. We’re talking about a woman of accomplishment, both in business and politics — and I’d put her past record as a School Board member, City Council member, Oil and Gas Commissioner, Mayor and Governor up against Obama’s — or any other potential GOP contender — any day of the week. While we’re at it, conservatives with a libertarian streak, please stop falling into the media-driven narrative of Palin as an exclusively social conservative. The woman garnered an impressive reputation for wielding and using a veto pen during her tenure as Alaska’s governor. Conservatives concerned about disturbing things like global jihad and Sharia Law, she’s also strong on national security, foreign policy and energy policy. So while I respect anyone’s right not to support her for president, I do not support anyone distorting her record or turning her into a left wing media-created caricature."
John Nolte via Twitter:
"Dear @GovChristie feeding MSM's Palin narrative was pretty sad. Stop it."
Into The Morning:
"One thing that you can be sure of when Sarah Palin goes to India next month, is that she will not be apologizing for America. She is proud of this country and believes that we are the best place in the world to live. I think that they will be surprised to find that she is a very intelligent woman, unlike how the main stream press is determined to portray her. She proved a few weeks ago that she is perfectly able to answer any question thrown at her with knowledge, class, honestly, succinctly, and without a teleprompter."
Jeff Poor at The Daily Caller:
"Chris Matthews promotes video with sexist and derogatory attacks on Sarah Palin..."
Scipio at RedState.com:
"Last August, the Washington Post sold Newsweak Newsweek magazine for a buck to a 91-year old stereo equipment magnate Sidney Harman, who also assumed the periodical’s debt. Three months later the Daily Beast merged with Newsweek. The cheap purchase price from the Newsweek buy has allowed the Daily Beast to entice Andrew 'Excitable Andy' Sullivan, the 'conservative' pot-smoker and 'expert to the masses' on all things gynecological (which is ironic considering Sullivan’s sexual preferences), especially with regards to Sarah Palin and her progeny, to move to the Daily Beast from The Atlantic. The IQ of the writers at Sullivan’s former employer has increased a million percent."
Julie Ryan Evans at The Stir:
"If Sarah Palin Is a 'Froot Loop,' Jamie Oliver Is a 'Corn Flake'..."
New York Magazine:
"Does the next candidate of the GOP want the mark of 'Bush’s Brain' on their candidacy? To alienate the tea party by ­cozying up to the elitist Rasputin? Certainly not Sarah Palin. 'Of all the potential candidates, Governor Palin would no doubt be the one desiring new energy and ideas,' says her chief of staff Michael Glassner, 'and, refreshingly, hiring advisers who aren’t entrenched in any political machine.'"
Haley Barbour (R), Governor of Mississippi:
"Nobody put (Gov.) Mitch Daniels' picture with a crosshair over his face like they're doing in Wisconsin. You know, if Sarah Palin did that, it would be the world coming to an end."
Shane Vander Hart at Caffeinated Thoughts:
"As far as the 'some Iowa Republicans' who have said privately they don’t expect her to run based on fewer visits to Iowa. So what? Frankly I don’t give much credence to people who can’t attach their names to comments made. It seems like political backbiting from people who support other candidates... I still think she needs to participate in the Iowa Straw Poll and not wait too much longer, but I’m not writing off a candidacy yet. It’s too early especially since no one has formally announced yet. Anyway putting forth a narrative that her favorability is in decline based on the problems inherit with the poll and story seems to be to be a bunch of spin."

India visit offers Gov. Palin opportunity to draw contrast with Obama

"In India... Mrs. Palin is certain to be well received."
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New York Sun contributing editor Pranay Gupte weighs in on Gov. Palin's keynote address scheduled for March 19 in India, saying her decision to accept the invitation to speak in New Delhi was a canny one, giving that the India Today conclave "arguably possesses the biggest private-sector megaphone in the world’s largest democracy":
Mrs. Palin’s choice is also shrewd because her visit to India will come barely three months after a celebrated one by President Obama. Her appearance is certain to elicit comparisons, however superficial. A presidential visit, replete with pomp and pageantry, is far more of a visual and verbal feast than that of a private citizen, even if she happens to have been an erstwhile governor of Alaska and a former running mate in an American presidential election.

Nevertheless, Mrs. Palin’s India journey is an important one. For one, Indians would like to hear a clearly defined sense of America’s political and economic trajectory. Mr. Obama’s message during his trip last November was replete with predictable bromides and the usual rhetoric of bilateral friendship.

[...]

But it is in India that Mrs. Palin is certain to be well received; there will be quite of bit of curiosity, too, since she will be a newcomer — although not a new face media-wise — for Indians. That has little to do with her controversial public persona. Rather, Indians have traditionally looked favorably at Republicans, with the possible exception of Richard Nixon, during whose presidency Washington openly sided with Pakistan as India assisted the former territory of East Pakistan to gain independence from Islamabad and establish itself as Bangladesh. Two years after George W. Bush retired from the White House, he’s still held in high regard in New Delhi on account of his unflinching support for the deal under which India has been allowed to buy equipment for its civilian nuclear program.

The other reason that Mrs. Palin will be warmly received is that Indians like women leaders. After all, the country’s most powerful politician is Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian National Congress; the INC is the lead party in the coalition that rules India. It has often been said that Mrs. Gandhi, daughter-in-law of the assassinated prime inister, Indira Gandhi, is the person that the current prime minister, Manmohan Singh, consults on every major decision. Mrs. Palin is bound to be impressed by how many women legislators there are in India’s national parliament, and in the assemblies of the countries 28 states and seven federal territories.

[...]

And given her personality, Mrs. Palin most definitely will make friends in India, which has already begun souring on President Obama for his perceived failure to follow through on promises made on his state visit. Happily, Mrs. Palin will be a political tourist; she will have no obligation to make any pledges, other than of accelerating her personal friendships in a land known for its warmth and hospitality.

[More]
- JP

Prevarication by the numbers at the Des Moines Register

Stupid media poll tricks in Iowa
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This Des Moines Register Monday headline attempts to sell what appears to be bad news for Gov. Palin's presidential prospects in a key primary state - "Iowa Poll: Sarah Palin's favorability rating slips among Iowa Republicans." But does it really? Let's investigate:
Sarah Palin's popularity has declined among the very voters the former Alaska governor would need to impress first were she to seek the 2012 Republican nomination for president, The Des Moines Register's new Iowa Poll shows.

Palin's favorability has ebbed with Iowa Republican likely voters, whose most active members make up the state's presidential caucus electorate, in the past 15 months, according to the poll taken this month.

While a solid majority of this group still views Palin positively, the intensity has waned as Palin has become a regular national media presence but done little to cultivate a support base in Iowa.

The shift is not dramatic, but it raises questions about whether Palin would have staying power in Iowa as she moves closer to a decision on a White House run, pollsters say.

[More]
So if the shift is not dramatic, why the dramatic headline? The difference is a decline of just six points in Gov. Palin's favorability among Iowa Republicans from November 2009 to this month. The casual reader of this article would assume that the Register did not measure Gov. Palin's favorability in the state between November, 2009 and February 2011, but the casual reader would be mistaken.

Not mentioned anywhere in this article is the fact that the Des Moines Register reported June 11, 2010 that it's "latest poll" at the time showed that Sarah Palin had a favorability rating of 58 percent among likely GOP voters. So among the same group being measured, Gov. Palin's favorability has actually increased by seven percent over the last six months. So why did the Register's story today compare her numbers to a 2009 poll instead of its own more recent 2010 survey? We can only guess, but Craig Robinson of The Iowa Republican seems to have the Register pegged:
"It seems that with every election cycle that passes, the Des Moines Register’s bias towards Democrat candidates and liberal causes has become more and more apparent. Not only has the Register’s liberal bias more noticeable, the state’s largest newspaper acts like it doesn’t even care about how it is perceived anymore."
If the Register wants to compare Gov. Palin's numbers now with those of 15 months in the past rather than 6 months ago, it should, in the interest of fairness, at least mention somewhere in the article that it conducted a poll in 2010, and the results of that poll indicate that Gov. Palin is viewed more favorably by likely Republican voters today than she was in June of 2010. But the Des Moines Register is not at all interested in being fair to the GOP's first female vice presidential candidate. It would rather distort the facts by the sin of omission instead.

An additional caveat about the Register's latest poll: The portion of the sample that are likely Republican voters consisted of only 189 people, which should explain the astronomical margin of error among that subgroup of plus or minus 7.1 percentage points. That's more than twice the MOE of most statistically sound scientific surveys. In contrast, the 2010 poll of 501 likely Republican primary voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, still not ideal, but a much more reliable confidence level than indicated by the MOE of the Register's latest poll, as any student who has taken STAT 101 well knows.

This story should serve as a textbook example of how the leftist media manipulates its own polling data to paint a distorted picture of how Sarah Palin is viewed by an electorate that same media long ago lost touch with. We can only conclude that the Des Moines Register is joining its liberal media fellow travelers in pushing an anti-Palin narrative, which is not surprising. But the way it goes about doing it is both disingenuous and despicable.

- JP

Marcus: Some conservatives duped by lib media branding of Palin

"Palin's presidential qualifications far exceed Obama's"
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Lloyd Marcus, Tea Party activist and author of Confessions of a Black Conservative: How the Left has shattered the dreams of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Black America, calls out those conservatives who "still crave to be accepted by the liberal media" and have been duped by that same media into accepting the left's narrative about Sarah Palin:
The Left launched their "Sarah Palin is Stupid" campaign the next day after her incredible VP nomination acceptance speech. A woman, pretty, smart, witty, confident and bold with an ability to inspire and fire up the conservative base, Sarah Palin was the Left's worst nightmare. They were livid. The only thing which could have made it worse would have been if Palin was black. The Left would have surely lost their minds.

The clarion call went out, "Palin MUST be destroyed!"

[...]

The assault on Palin's intellect intensified daily. Every word out of Palin's mouth was dissected and placed under a microscope. Then, viewed through a lens tainted with the paradigm that "Palin is stupid". Who amongst us could withstand our every utterance judged with such extreme scrutiny?

Conservatives saying under their breath at cocktail parties that Palin isn't too bright is evidence the liberal media's branding of her has worked on some level.

Frustratingly, the facts completely prove otherwise. Palin was extremely successful as Governor of Alaska.

[...]

Some on our side still crave to be accepted by the liberal media. They are embarrassed to be named among those "crazy tea party people". Thus, they pander to the Left saying things like, "They're right, Palin is a joke. And yes, we conservatives should be willing to work with liberal democrats". Unfortunately, willing to work with always means compromising our values, not theirs. Thank God, most of us get it. We realize the left simply must be defeated.

Liberal mainstream media, your glory days of distorting the truth, monopolizing coverage and totally controlling public opinion are over. We The People truly are Taking Back America!

[More]
Lloyd Marcus has a point. Though conservatives pride themselves on not being as gullible as their liberal friends, some of them nevertheless seem to be willing to fall for anything rather than stand for something. Those conservatives who buy the Democrat/Media Complex's narrative about Sarah Palin almost always do not resemble movement conservatives in any way, shape or form. They are represented in the corrupt media by the likes of David Frum, David Brooks and Kathleen Parker, and the type is easy to spot. Their modus operandi is to attack other conservatives more often than they criticize the left and its policies.

In Ronald Reagan's day, they were called Country Club Republicans, and they supported Gerald Ford over Reagan in 1976, with the result being the national disaster that was the Jimmy Carter presidency. Nowadays, they like to call themselves "conservatives," and the liberal media never fails to oblige them. We like to refer to them as Conservative Lite®. To take back America, as Lloyd Marcus urges us to do, we must first defeat these pretend conservatives. Only then can we set about dismantling the crack house government that the Democrats and Vichy Republicans conspired to build. We can't think of a better contractor for such a project than Sarah Palin.

- JP

Day By Day (February 28, 2011)

Barack Nero Obama
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Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:

Conga

Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.

- JP

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Quote of the Day (February 27, 2011)

Liberalism: An ideology of rage and hate
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Joe Newby at Examiner.com:
"One thing has become crystal clear in the last few days; Liberalism is an ideology of hate. After the Tucson shootings that left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords fighting for her life, liberals twisted themselves into pretzels trying to convince Americans that 'rhetoric' from conservatives was the culprit. Almost immediately after the shootings, liberals blamed Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, the Tea Party and cross-hairs. At a memorial that looked more like a campaign rally, President Obama said Americans should '…listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together…' Nevertheless, hardcore leftists continued their hate speech against conservatives. Since the beginning of the Wisconsin Insurrection, Americans have seen the insane rage of the left, and it has not been pretty."
- JP

More Quote of the Day Honorable Mention, Part 224

"Right Now" Edition
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EH Vogel at Generational Dysfunction:
"Ronald Reagan captured our sense of resolve and evoked a 'can do' attitude... which we sorely need right now... And without a strong America leading the way, our world is doomed to experience more unrest like we see today in the Mideast, northern Africa and elsewhere. When the world senses a fading American dream, it loses its bearings and rightly so. We have to lead by example, not words. We have to lead by doing, not hoping. Moreover, we can only return to greatness if our leaders in Washington believe the same things that we do and get out of our way to prove it. Sarah Palin oozes confidence in the American dream. She knows what will inspire us and it isn't some government program. She has confidence in us and, so far, she's the only politician that seems to understand that and has understood it from the beginning. The minute that Ronald Reagan was elected President, the Iran hostage situation was over. The hostage takers knew their days were numbered with Reagan in office and they were right. The minute that Sarah Palin is elected President, the world will know that the United States has resurrected itself and [will] act accordingly, deferring to principled leadership. That, my friends, is what Sarah Palin means to the world."
Vilmar at Kickin' And Screamin':
"Chrissy, go change your Depends. Sarah forgot more about the world around her than you’ll ever know in your entire miserable existence."
Team CAPE PAC at RedState.com:
"If a woman is strong, raises her family and wants to make a difference in the world by being involved in politics, there’s nothing wrong with that. I thank women like Sarah Palin for being a trend setter and breaking new ground for women everywhere. I’m sure people made Susan B. Anthony out to be a crazy woman as well. But I highly doubt it was her fellow woman. This shouldn’t be a gender war. All men (and women) were created equal. We should be treated as such in the media. Unless, I ask, what is it about conservative women like Sarah Palin that scares the media so much?"
AF at Pennslyvania For Palin:
"The media has fallen from truth seekers to copy cats perched on a fence waiting for someone, anyone, to give them a crumb of anti-Palin gossip to rush into print. Guys, anyone ever think of fact checking this garbage? Yeah, I didn't think so."
Meredith Jessup at The Blaze:
"With apparently nothing better to report on, the latest gold mine for liberal bloggers... was the discovery of a 'secret' Facebook profile page which may or may not belong to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. (It doesn’t.) ... Why this non-story makes headlines in newspapers and whips the liberal blogosphere into a frenzy is beyond me. Since everything down to her choice of shoes is scrutinized in the media, it’s not surprising that Palin would utilize a more private medium to keep in contact with close friends or family. But since the Campaign to Destroy Palin has published her personal email address and private Facebook account, she can’t even do that."
The Sleeping Giant:
"Did Sarah Palin Shoot JR?"
Quin Hillyer at The American Spectator:
"Sarah Palin has a genius for finding just the right turn of phrase to capture attention and get her message across. Her principles seem to spring from deep within, rather than being mere appendages of convenience. And her instincts are anti-establishmentarian, in an age where the establishment's ramparts do need to be assaulted. (And yes, we can still use the word 'assault' in a political context. And we know Palin won't hesitate to do so, nor to 'target' the word-police for justifiable ridicule.)"
Scott Conroy at RealClearPolitics:
"Parnell had nothing but kind words for the woman under whom he served as lieutenant governor for two-and-a-half years."
Poll Insider:
"After spending the past 2 years as a popular conservative activist, hosting fundraisers for private schools and charities, she is spreading her wings into high-profile and public events, and will continue to do so over the next two months. Her first outing with the Long Island Association was an unequivocal success. The only thing the media could spin out of an hourlong, unscripted Q&A session was to falsely claim that Palin had 'attacked' Michelle Obama’s breastfeeding push when she was actually talking about the rising costs of food. In March, she is heading overseas to give the keynote address at the India Today Conclave."
Common American Journal:
"Sarah was right: New study shows Alaska could be 8th largest oil producer in the world"
Matthew Vadum of the Capital Research Center:
"Calling a character 'Kurt McVeigh' conjures up unmistakable images of mass murdering terrorist Timothy McVeigh. Hollywood screenwriters don't live in a cultural vacuum; they help to create American culture. They had to have known that making the character a conservative with a fondness for Sarah Palin was a clever way to take a jab at the former Alaska governor."
Mike Huckabee on 'Fox News Sunday':
" I didn't say they're all wrong. Let's be real clear, because then it sounds like I'm in a war with Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Rush Limbaugh, and I'm not."
Jerry Springer, former Cincinnati mayor, via The Daily Caller:
"I don’t agree with her views. But I would never say anything mean about her. I think she is incredibly charismatic. I think she takes her religion very seriously and her views very seriously. I don’t think there’s anything mean-spirited about her... I think where liberals may be doing the wrong thing is when they try to make fun of her because they’re making fun of a large section of America that has those fundamental beliefs that she has... And I think that’s dangerous."
Ian Lazaran at Conservatives4 Palin:
"So I take it that Christopher does not consider taking questions from a pro-abortion, pro-gun control Democrat for over an hour before an audience of socially liberal Democrats and Republicans in an area where the Democrat Party is strong to be an 'unscripted moment.'"
Bernie Quigley at The Hill's Pundits Blog:
"Sarah Palin... gets her own category... The unpredictable, archetypal figure; the mythic she-bear who pushes the world out of hibernation. Those already entrenched and justified feel it shattering and falling around them. She is a political genius who came to dominate the zeitgeist in two years without a dime. The first question about 2012 remains, 'Will Sarah Palin run?'"
- JP

Ten tell-tale symptoms of Palin Derangement Syndrome (PDS)

Hypocrisy is that old time liberal religion
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Our liberal friends may suffer from PDS if they believe...
  1. that crosshairs over congressional districts on a SarahPAC map incite violence, but crosshairs over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's face on a union goon's protest sign do not;

  2. that criticism of Obama's policies by Sarah Palin are "hate speech," but personal attacks on Gov. Palin by Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews and Media Matters are not;

  3. that a telephone scam by two Canadian deejays proves Sarah Palin is dumb, but TIME magazine is still smart, even though it reported a satirical piece about Sarah Palin attacking Christina Aguilera as real;

  4. that Sarah Palin is stupid, but Rachel Maddow is smart, even though the MSPDS host fell for another satirical piece about Sarah Palin calling for the invasion of Egypt;

  5. that Joy Behar, who called Sarah Palin "dumb" is smart, even though "The View" panelist also said that "Black Friday" was a "racist" term;

  6. that Gov. Palin crossed the line by using the term blood libel, but use of the same term by Andrew Sullivan, Eugene Robinson and other "progressives" was within acceptable boundaries;

  7. that Sarah Palin supporters are ill-informed on key issues, but Obama supporters are well-informed on the same issues;

  8. that Sarah Palin really said she could see Russia from her house;

  9. that the same media which ignored the burning of the church Sarah Palin and her family attend is really concerned about civility;

  10. that "birthers" who question Barack Obama's place of birth are hateful lunatics, but "birfers" who question whether Trig Palin really is Sarah's son are tolerant, caring people in full control of their mental faculties.
- JP

Day By Day (February 27, 2011)

Debt Star
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Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:

Mashup:DayByDaycartoon

Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.

- JP

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Quote of the Day (February 26, 2011)

Why Kathleen Parker Was Doomed At CNN
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John Ziegler at Mediaite:
"There are many reasons why Parker’s short stint on CNN didn’t work... But the primary reason why the program couldn’t work is also the very reason Parker got the gig in the first place. She was clearly hired because she was perceived as a 'conservative' who was willing to vigorously attack Palin, while not holding any particularly strong conservative opinions which might offend the largely liberal CNN audience... There is also an interesting secondary element to Parker’s demise which might make media pundits a little more hesitant to attack Sarah Palin. Since the 2008 election, many of her biggest media critics have found themselves out of a job. Keith Olbermann, Rick Sanchez, David Shuster, Alan Colmes, Campbell Brown, John Roberts, Larry King, Harry Smith and Parker are all prominently mentioned in my documentary and all of them have been let go from TV jobs since Obama got elected. Coincidence? Perhaps... Regardless, if Chris Matthews is smart, he might want to be careful."
- JP

Team 11 in the lead on final leg of Iron Dog Race (Updated)

Next stop is the finish line
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The Arctic Cat Team 11 of Todd Palin and Eric Quam is in the lead of the Iron Dog endurance race headed for the finish line in Fairbanks, Alaska:

At 3:31 p.m local time, Palin and Quam were the first racers through Nenana, according to GPS tracker. The two were also first through the checkpoint of Manley, having taken the lead between Tanana and Manley.

Latest tweet from the Iron Dog Race Twitter page:
"Team #11, Palin/Quam are in the lead. Team #10, Huntington/Olds, just check out at Nenana and are 17 minutes behind."
More here and here.

Updates...

1. If GPS tracking is correct, looks like Todd Palin has been stopped for some time now. Either that or his GPS tracking lost contact. It appears that Eric Quam may have turned around and gone back to Todd's location. Prayers for both racers...

2. Video stream has gone live for the finish here.

3. Todd's machine appears to have a broken front ski, but we hear that he and Eric are back on the move. Team 11 has dropped into second place behind Team 10.

4. Huntington/Olds (Team 10) win it. KTUU killed the live feed, but last we heard Palin/Quam were in 2nd.

5. Fairbanks News-Miner wrap-up here.

- JP

Joe Biden stars in the remake of 'Liar Liar'

In which Slow Joe can't tell a lie for 24 hours...
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Biden Debate

View the full comic strip at iOwnTheWorld.com

- JP

Day By Day (February 26, 2011)

Simple
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Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:

Express:DaybyDayCartoon

Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.

- JP

Friday, February 25, 2011

Quote of the Day (February 25, 2011)

No, Newt didn't credit Jeffrey Lord or Rush Limbaugh
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Newt Gingrich via Newsmax:
“Imagine that Governor Palin had become president. Imagine that she had announced that Roe versus Wade in her view was unconstitutional and therefore the United States government would no longer protect anyone’s right to have an abortion because she personally had decided it should be changed. The news media would have gone crazy. The New York Times would have demanded her impeachment.”
- JP

More Quote of the Day Honorable Mention, Part 223

"India" Edition
*

Benyamin Korn at Jewish Americans for Sarah Palin:
"Comes today the most welcome news that Gov. Palin will be visiting New Delhi, India, capital of the world’s largest democracy, and a famously diverse society... Mrs. Palin will deliver the closing address at the ‘India Today Conclave,’ chaired by the urbane editor of India Today magazine, Aroon Purie... ‘Mother India’ has, of course, fascinated world travelers for centuries, and one would hope that Gov. Palin could see more than the magnificent Himalayas (where she would doubtless feel at home) or the glorious Moghul monuments of Delhi and Agra. An intrepid spirit with fewer responsibilities than hers might have time to visit the Christian-majority (and highly literate) southern state of Kerala, whose ancient Christian community pre-dates the advent of the Roman church, and whose nearly diminished Jewish community may trace its origins to the maritime ventures of King Solomon in ancient Israel. Namaste, Sarah behenji!"
Vicki McClure Davidson at Frugal Café Blog Zone:
"Any bets as to whether or not she’ll bow, or insult or apologize for America?"
Dino Teppara, IACC chairman, via Press Trust of India:
"It is only fitting that Governor Palin travel to New Delhi since India is an economic partner with the United States, with both nations benefiting from USD 50 billion in annual trade, along with mutual cooperation in the global war on terrorism... We appreciate Governor Palin's strong, pro-business positions and congratulate her for making India her first international destination [of 2011], since our two nations share unique political and cultural synergies in our bilateral relationship."
Midknight Review:
"So when exactly is this woman beaten?"
Anchorage Activist at Alaska Pride:
"The percentage of Alaskans approving of Obama has dropped from 46 percent to 38.5 percent in just one year, matched almost point-for-point by a corresponding increase in disapproval from 42.7 percent to 50.5 percent. Consequently, the hysterical Palin and Miller-bashing you read in the comments section to various Alaska media stories is unrepresentative of majority Alaskan opinion. Many are comments posted by Lower 48 cheechakos who masquerade as Alaskans. Alaska remains a fundamentally conservative state, albeit seasoned with a libertarian strain."
Terry Tesar at Caffeinated Thoughts:
"Spending, economy and social issues numbers can be addressed by Palin later, but the big risk for a female candidate is whether she can be seen as 'tough enough' to be President. It looks like she is surpassing expectations by her doubters so far."
M. Joseph Sheppard at A Point Of View:
"One again Sarah Palin, the derided by the leftist media Sarah Palin, the Sarah Palin who is called 'an idiot, dumb, lacking in experience', is proved right and the brilliant Obama-the possessor of every quality that Palin is said to lack, is proven utterly wrong. Once again the American public, in fact the world, is hit hard by the wrong headed decisions based on pandering to the left-wing 'progressive' base by an administration that puts it re-election chances ahead of the basic needs of the American people... As the price of oil goes,once again above the $100 a barrel mark,as the stock market tanks in reaction as the whole American Middle east policy is going down in flames because of a dill dallying weak administration the words of Sarah Palin stand out for their prescience, clarity, intelligence and above all, patriotism... 'In the end, energy independence is not just about the environment or the economy. It’s about freedom and confidence. It’s about building a more secure and peaceful America, an America in which our energy needs will not be subject to the whims of nature, currency speculators, or madmen in possession of vast oil reserves.'"
Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit:
"[Wednesday}, Sarah Palin called on NATO to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya... [Thursday], NATO officials responded... Meanwhile, somewhere hiding out in the White House, Obama voted present."
Jennifer at Cubachi:
"For several days, we’ve watched the insane and brutal Libyan leader Gaddafi treat his people horrifically, news came out of his demand for the Lockerbie bombing from his former minister, and he is expressing inanities and incoherent messages to the media. Governor Sarah Palin and Senators Joe Lieberman and John McCain gave their support for the Libyan people, and now Senator Marco Rubio, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, gave his support for the Libyan people seeking freedom, and supports imposing a no-fly zone to protect civilians against aircraft attacks. He also criticized President Obama and his administration for their lack of leadership on this issue. Instead, other countries took the lead."
Iowans 4 Palin:
"Sarah Palin is not in office, but is she in fact the equivalent of a shadow President? This is what real leadership looks like."
Tim Droogsma:
"Remember the recent shooting in Phoenix, and how the left was quick to blame things like Sarah Palin's facebook posts for the 'climate of violnce?' Well, Massachusetts congressman Michael Capuano decided to travel to Madison, where he told the union supporters that 'Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary.' Well, the union goons got the message loud and clear..."
Joy Tiz:
"No doubt deeply traumatized by exposure to Sarah Palin’s cross hairs map, Democrats are acting out following their loud demands for a 'new civility'. A union protester assaulted a petite female Freedomworks staffer, Tabitha Hale."
Jeff at Connecticut Comments:
"Sarah Palin's seven month old chart listing target seats get blamed for encouraging a leftist who never saw the chart to attack a congressman, but a Democrat congressman who explicitly calls for violence does not even merit a mention... The media searched in vain to find racist or threatening signs at the Tea Party rallies and discussed such signs even when they could not find them. When the union protesters hold signs that threaten their opponents and use violent imagery nothing is said. I would never expect anything else from the media. Most of it exists to promote the agenda of the Democrats. Nevertheless, it is fair to ask where Obama is. After his speech in Arizona, we have a right to expect him to condemn these actions by his allies. Given that he has found it hard to even condemn the genocide of the Libyan dictator, however, I guess we should not expect any moral courage from Obama."
Aggie at Bloodthirsty Liberal:
"Our official Civility Czar, Barack Obama, can’t find his tongue. It only works when random psychopaths murder folks in Tuscon and people of his ilk can blame Sarah Palin."
Michelle Malkin:
"First lady Michelle Obama said, 'Let’s Move!' Who knew Democratic politicians in Wisconsin and Indiana would take her literally? ... Scores of Fleebagger Democrats are now in hiding in neighboring Illinois, the nation’s sanctuary for political crooks and corruptocrats. Soon, area hotels will be announcing a special discount rate for card-carrying FleePAC winter convention registrants. Question: Will the White House count the economic stimulus from the mass Democratic exodus to Illinois as jobs 'saved' or 'created'? More important question: How much are taxpayers being charged for these obstructionist vacations? ... Many of the loudest Washington and Hollywood critics of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s decision to resign from office in 2009 are themselves now AWOL on the Wisconsin and Indiana AWOL-ians. Who’s all for mocking 'quitters' now? Anyone?"
- JP

Day By Day (February 25, 2011)

The People's Business
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:

Business:DaybyDayCartoon

Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.

- JP

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Quote of the Day (February 24, 2011)

Imagine President Palin Doing This
*
Rush Limbaugh:
"Imagine, for the fun of it, Sarah Palin is elected president... Imagine that Sarah Palin appoints scores of czars who are not confirmed by the Senate. These czars run the government out of the White House; they bypass the cabinet structure... Imagine if President Palin directs her attorney general to sue California to enforce border security and to stop granting taxpayer benefits to illegal aliens, in violation of the supremacy clause... It explains everything, this sickening spectacle that is the left. Whether they pretend to be journalists, whether they are politicians, this is a dangerous force in this nation. We have to continue to expose them."
- JP

Shocker: Jennifer Rubin acknowledges that Palin was right

Reflexive criticism of Palin leaves the press, not Palin, with egg on their faces
*
Surprise! A Jennifer Rubin Washington Post column which is positive about Sarah Palin. The Giuliani fan who is WaPo's token Conservative Lite® columnist had been highly critical of Gov. Palin in a series of columns since she went on the Washington Post Company payroll three months ago. Today's Rubin offering is a rare, but welcome, change of pace:
In November 2009, Sarah Palin made news with a comment on Israel in an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters:
"I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon, because that population of Israel is, is going to grow. More and more Jewish people will be flocking to Israel in the days and weeks and months ahead. And I don't think that the Obama administration has any right to tell Israel that the Jewish settlements cannot expand."
The left-leaning JTA dubbed this "puzzling." J Street had a fit... Reporters and snooty critics who should know better mocked her.

[...]

But today we learn:

The Central Bureau of Statistics said Thursday that aliyah to Israel had grown in 2010. According to CBS statistics, there were 14% more immigrants to Israel in 2010 than in 2009, for a total of 16,633 immigrants. Most of the immigrants came from Russia and the U.S., the CBS said.
There is plenty of room to debate the settlements and the eventual disposition of Judea and Samaria. But the assumption by so many elites that whatever Palin says must be daft and ignorant is a faulty one. Actually, when it comes to foreign policy she's been pretty much on the money...

[More]
It must be galling Dana Milbank that his own Palin moratorium prevents him from writing a snappy retort to his WaPo colleague's column. Perhaps he'll break it again to feed his Sarah Smear Jones. Aw hack... er, heck, it's only a few more days until March, when Milbank Mendacity Madness over all matters Palin hits redline on the tachometer once more and stays there until his head gaskets blow again.

- JP

Moderate Republicans prefer... Sarah Palin?

Who knew?
*
A new Gallup Poll finds Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney still statistically tied among Republicans who were asked which prospective presidential candidate they believe should be the party's 2012 nominee. But there are some surprises in the numbers when they are broken down among subgroups of Republicans:
Huckabee performs best among core Republicans, as opposed to conservative-leaning independent voters. He also performs best among Southerners, regular churchgoers and "non-supporters" of the tea party.

Surprisingly, Palin performs best among self-described "liberal or moderate" Republicans and those who "seldom" go to church. The poll also finds she has greater appeal to people who didn't graduate from college and with Republicans who make less than $90,000 a year. She ties with Romney on support from Republicans from the East Coast.

Meanwhile, Romney is most popular on the West Coast and leads Republicans who are 50 and over and wealthy. He has a significant lead when it comes to college graduates. He ties with Huckabee and bests Palin among GOPers who describe themselves as "tea party supporters."
But another surprise or two are in store when the results are broken down by the issues that are most important to Republicans:
Mitt Romney still does badly among those who social issues as the biggest issue in 2012, as does Newt Gingrich. Perhaps more surprising, Sarah Palin wins among those voters who see national security and foreign policy as the most important issue.

Interestingly, Gov. Palin ranked second on the economy and second on social issues, as well as first on security/foreign policy. Huckabee was preferred in two categories, rated second in another and third in the remaining one. Romney was first in one category, second in another and third in the remaining two. Gingrich finished third in one category and last in the other three. So when first and second place ratings are combined, Huckabee and Palin did well, Romney and Gingrich not so well. Such combinations become important when a candidate drops out and voters switch support to their second choices.

More good news for Gov. Palin: If she's doing this well this early with moderate GOPers, she won't have as much heavy lifting to do to improve her numbers among conservatives and tea partiers. We were told by the know-it-all punditocracy that the moderates would be hardest for her to bring over to her side. The media also mocked her foreign policy credentials, but she does better than her three most likely rivals among Republicans for whom it is their top issue. What Sarah Palin's team needs to do, if the results of this poll are to be taken seriously, is get the word out about her record as a fiscally responsible governor who cut her state's budgets and vetoed federal mandates with strings attached. The media has given short shrift to her fiscal accomplishments while governor of Alaska. This comes as no surprise, as even today, relatively few Americans are aware that National Journal magazine named Barack Obama and Joe Biden as two of the most liberal members of the U.S. Senate in 2007. The media didn't report that fact because it was in the sack with the Obama campaign to portray him as a centrist.

Which brings us to the grains of salt which should be taken with these poll results. Gallup sampled Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, not likely voters or even registered voters. Likely voters tend to be better informed on issues and candidates. Second grain of salt: Though the pundits are chomping at the bit for candidates to declare their intentions to run, it's still relatively early. Spring will be the season for that. And the final grain of salt: Recall the the polls of March, 2007, which assured us that Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton were certain to be the respective candidates of the two major political parties. Political perceptions can change, and rather quickly, too.

- JP

Jeffrey Lord: A. G. Mark Levin Won't Enforce Roe v. Wade

A White House spokesman said President Palin has always opposed Roe v. Wade
*
Jeffrey Lord at the AmSpec Blog takes a poke at Obama for ordering DOJ not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA):
WASHINGTON
January 21, 2013

Barely twenty-four hours after her inauguration as America's first woman chief executive, President Sarah Palin announced today that Attorney General Mark Levin has been instructed to stop defending Roe v. Wade and abortion in a wave of fresh lawsuits filed in federal courts around the country.

[...]

At the White House, a spokesman said Palin herself was never one to be "grappling" with her personal view of abortion, and has always personally opposed Roe v. Wade as "unnecessary and unfair."

Levin wrote to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, that Palin has concluded Roe v. Wade fails to meet a rigorous standard under which courts view with suspicion any laws targeting minority groups who have suffered a history of discrimination. "The unborn, perhaps the most vulnerable minority group in history, have a severe history of discrimination," added the new attorney general.

[...]

The decision brought an angry response from Planned Parenthood. In what sources say was a heated phone conversation with the head of the pro-abortion group, one shocked Justice Department career attorney said the Attorney General was heard to say:

"Get off the phone you big dope."

[More]
- JP

Gov. Palin was right about the fed, the dollar and inflation

Those inflation yard birds are coming home to roost
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In her keynote address at a trade-association convention in Phoenix last November, Sarah Palin criticized the Fed's misguided monetary policy and warned that the U.S. “shouldn’t be playing around with inflation.” Gov. Palin's warnings were quickly dismissed at the time by her political opponents, but inflation seems to be coming home to roost.

Charles Kadlec, a former Seligman & Co. managing director and investment strategist, who also served as economic advisor to Jack Kemp, effectively vindicates Gov. Plain in a forbes op-ed titled, "Higher Inflation Is On The Way":
Reported inflation is headed higher — much higher.

The stakes have seldom been higher. With the unemployment rate still above 9%, and federal debt at record levels, this latest error by the monetary authorities is likely to be the most costly since the Great Inflation of the 1970s. Monetary instability will slow employment growth and further erode confidence in government at the same time that higher interest rates will add billions of dollars to the interest cost on the national debt. Yet, failure to act in a timely basis will lead to an even greater crisis.

When it arrives, the Federal Reserve and its defenders will call it “cost-push” inflation and blame it on economic growth, the weather, Arab sheiks, China, and perhaps greedy companies and labor unions.

The actual cause of the looming crisis is the same as the cause of the Great Inflation of the 1970’s: a too easy monetary policy that has devalued the dollar by 40% against gold during the past two years.

[...]

The price of crude materials in the Producer Price Index (PPI) increased by 3.3% in January alone and now stands 21% above where it was just six months ago. Moreover, during the three months ending January, the rate of advance in the producer price indices for intermediate products, and finished goods have all accelerated into double digit annual rates of advance.

This upward adjustment of prices to the cheaper dollar is beginning to flow through to the consumer. For the past 3 months, the seasonally adjusted annualized rate of advance in the CPI is up to 3.9%, with food and energy prices – the items that have the greatest short-term impact on a family’s budget – accelerating to 3.1% and 27% over the same 3 months. Given the relative magnitudes of the dollar’s devaluation against gold, it is reasonable to expect consumer prices to be rising at a 5% plus annualized rate in the months ahead.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s assurance during last December’s interview on 60 Minutes that he was “100% certain” the Fed could control an outbreak of inflation above 2% was hubris...

[More]
- JP

Mike Gallagher: Sarah Palin is 'the perfect candidate'

"I believe with all my heart she can win"
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Palin TV captures nationally syndicated radio talker Mike Gallagher, whose show is based in Dallas, virtually endorsing Gov. Palin for president:


- JP

M. Catharine Evans: Palin Haters Continue Assault, But Why?

Her zest for life in a culture of death makes her especially dangerous
*
M. Catharine Evans is the latest of many writers to try to explain the left's unhinged hatred for Sarah Palin:
Sarah Palin continues to be a repository for the Left's paranoia. Ever since her arrival in St. Paul, Minnesota the self-motivated, good-looking, charismatic, conservative Governor has been subjected to all-consuming assaults coming from both genders and both parties. The carnivalistic orgy of insults and torrent of false accusations have not abated, despite the general consensus that she is "unelectable."

While Palin's gender automatically makes her vulnerable in the race for the White House, (no female has ever been elected President or Vice-President), there's some deeper unknown that turned normal curiosity about an unknown candidate in 2008 into full-blown rage.

[...]

The truth is Palin likes herself and it shows. She's an oddity for sure. Her undeniable zest for life in a culture of death makes her especially dangerous and foreign to the cultivators of cynicism and political power. Palin, as a palpable symbol of American exceptionalism, comes on to the world stage at precisely the time America's greatness is being challenged from all sides. Along with the millions of real conservatives that have rallied around her message, Sarah Palin's mere existence portends a major shift away from covert and corrupt politics toward a restored vision of real hope.

[More]
- JP

Day By Day (February 24, 2011)

That's fascist
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:

CallIt:DaybyDayCartoon

Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.

- JP

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Quote of the Day (February 23, 2011)

The New Era of Civility
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Yuval Levin at NRO's The Corner:
"Speaking to a union rally in Boston yesterday, Rep. Michael Capuano (a Democratic member of the U.S. House) told the crowd:
I’m proud to be here with people who understand that it’s more than just sending an email to get you going. Every once in a while you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary.
No word yet on precisely which Sarah Palin Facebook post made him so angry."
- JP

More Quote of the Day Honorable Mention, Part 222

"Betrayal" Edition
*

Stacy Drake at Big Government:
"Frank Bailey’s Betrayal of Sarah Palin... Andy Barr and Ben Smith from Politico have taken it upon themselves (obviously without legal council) to run a story repeating distorted claims by a troubled ex-employee, with the goal of smearing Governor Palin in mind. Barr and Smith ponder why it is that no publisher has signed on to print Bailey’s manuscript, which he has been trying to sell for almost 18 months. On top of the legal ramifications, there are many reasons... In fact, the majority of the emails contradict the claims made by Bailey, via Devon and Morris... After reading this manuscript, my only conclusion is that Frank Bailey is a horrible person. A good person, as Frank likes to sell himself as, doesn’t have the capacity to do what he did. Even if Governor Palin was twice the monster he and his leftist allies made her out to be, he still had no right to attempt to have this pile of garbage published. She provided him with a job, which allowed him to provide for his family. At any time, he could have walked away if he felt he worked for someone he could not morally support. Anyone who cannot see this man for what he is, is being willfully ignorant. They are turning a blind-eye to the obvious motives that drove him to betray his former boss."
Stacy McCain at The Other McCain:
"Bailey seems to imagine imagine himself as doing God’s work in backstabbing his former employer. You may search Scripture to your heart’s content and I guarantee you will never find praise for selfish and disloyal servants."
Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:
"A former aide to Sarah Palin has tried for almost 18 months to find a publisher for his gossipy tell-all about the former governor of Alaska. Palin’s team told Politico that Frank Bailey is the 'quintessential disgruntled employee,' which seems rather obvious from the limited excerpts quoted in the article... Maybe someone should work on the title. 'Blind Allegiance'? His allegiance seems to have been pretty conditional on getting favorable positions in the Palin administration, and when he didn’t get them, the allegiance apparently turned into dislike rather easily. Now Bailey wants to cash in on his proximity to a media magnet, which is hardly unusual; in fact, it’s rather surprising that we haven’t seen more of this with Palin. The question is why Bailey can’t sell the manuscript. With all of the intense interest and intense dislike for Palin among progressives, it’s hard to imagine how a publisher would take a pass on the project — unless it’s so bad that it’s unpublishable... If an author with inside knowledge of Palin’s operations can’t sell a book critical of Palin in 18 months, then I’d guess that the book is the problem."
Andrew Zarowny at Right Pundits:
"One must also take into account that co-author Jeanne Devon is a well-known Palin-hater. Devon lives in Anchorage and runs a website called Mudflats which routinely engages in Palin-bashing... When will the madness end?"
Henry D'Andrea at Politicons:
"[Tuesday], rumors surfaced that Gov. Sarah Palin created a fake Facebook account with the name 'Lou Sarah.' Well as expected, the rumors are completely false. Sarah Palin said this on Facebook: 'On a side note, there’s always buzz about fake Sarah Palin Facebook and Twitter accounts. Please know that this is my only authentic Facebook account and SarahPalinUSA is my only authentic Twitter account. Pay no attention to the fake accounts and their fake messages.' The moronic Anti-Palin haters need to get over the fact that Sarah Palin is here to stay, and very well could become President if she runs in 2012."
Van Helsing at Moonbattery:
"Remember all the sanctimonious rhetoric we were getting from the left about civility in public discourse in the wake of the bizarre liberal attempts to pin the Jared Loughner shootings on Sarah Palin and the Tea Party? Progressives don't."
Elena Ives at Thinklets:
"Wu obviously has issues. Like I said, I hope he gets the help he needs. But how many case studies like this will it take before even the Democrats are forced to admit that they benefit from some mighty prodigious favoritism from those with the power to promote and destroy careers through the selective rationing of information. Pick any conservative public figure in politics and media, and imagine behavior like Wu’s going on for months and years before finally rating few column inches in the hometown newspaper. By contrast, Sarah Palin’s every move is scrutinized by attack dogs that start to foam even when her daughter pushes back a lock of her hair."
theblogprof:
"Well that sure didn't take long! Gaddafi fled Tripoli and before his seat was cold, Matthews compared Sarah Palin to the long-term dictator... This is another in a misogynistic pattern for Matthews..."
Cindy Adams, frequent Palin critic, at the NY Post:
"Palin shines on LI... Did she exactly answer Kevin Law's every query exactly? Who knows? I only know even those who don't love her, liked her. Magnetic, without notes on her hand, she was engaging, amusing, good-looking. The self-important audience laughed, applauded, wasn't bored, never stirred. Unless Palin actually produces Bonzo Jr., what more could you want?"
Kristinn Taylor at Gateway Pundit:
"Given Slate’s prominence as a respected part of the mainstream media with professional standards to uphold, an innocent typo of this magnitude with this subject is highly unlikely."
Anchorage Activist at Alaska Pride:
"In a move that caught every one off guard, Anchorage's premier talk show host Dan Fagan abruptly resigned from his position at KFQD 750AM on February 21st, 2011... Dennis Bookey, who is the market manager for Anchorage Media Group, said he didn't know why Fagan had abruptly resigned, but wished him well nonetheless... At times, he was somewhat of a flip-flopper. One moment he hated Joe Miller, the next he loved him. First he loved Sarah Palin, then he hated her, and then he switched back to loving her again. No in-between, no grey-shading."
Donald Douglas at American Power:
"I don't dislike Romney myself, and I wouldn't be unhappy if he won the nomination, although Palin's... my first pick."
Ian Lazaran at Conservatives 4 Palin:
"Gallup: Huckabee, Palin, Romney Tie for Lead in GOP ’12 Preferences... Her support is steady since November while Romney’s support has dropped by over 15% since then... It’s pretty clear that she’ll take a decent lead over Romney once Huckabee ends the charade and formally admits that he’s not running for the presidency. All of the groups that Huckabee does well with... are groups that would likely favor Governor Palin over Romney. Keep in mind too that the Governor will likely benefit if Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul do not run."
Stacy McCain at American Spectator:
"It is certainly unusual for a potential presidential candidate to promote a potential rival, so eyebrows were raised Tuesday when Sarah Palin used her Facebook page (2.8 million followers) and her Twitter account (422,000 followers) to promote an Investor's Business Daily column by Herman Cain."
Rush Limbaugh:
"You know, these guys amaze me. Look at how they have attempted to destroy Sarah Palin. I mean you can say whatever you want about Sarah Palin. You can insult her family. You can insult her brain. You can insult her looks. You can insult her intelligence, but let me simply observe that Alex Rodriguez would not date the first lady... (laughing) All I said, Jeffrey, is what everybody's thinking. It's that simple. Okay, if somebody's gonna tell us what we can and can't eat, got a big obesity program out there, we're gonna save people, we're gonna demand that schools not serve X, Y, and Z and that schools must serve this everybody, you must eat this, you must eat that, we're gonna have calorie counts on all kinds of food. All right, fine, show us some leadership. It's that simple. But if you're gonna make the rules for everybody else and exempt yourself, I think people are going to scratch their heads over that. "
- JP

Gov. Palin to speak in India next month

March 19 in New Delhi
*
Chris Cillizza reports and SarahPAC's Rebecca Mansour confirms:
Sarah Palin is going to India next month, where she will speak at the annual "India Today Conclave." Other speakers include India's prime minister and Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei
Gov. Palin will deliver the keynote address at the final major event of the conclave in New Delhi, a dinner gala Saturday night, March 19. The topic of her speech is "My Vision of America."

- JP

Sarah Palin rumor du jour

It could happen, but don't bet the ranch on it
*
When a a gossip site says it is connecting the dots, look out for stretches of the imagination:
HollywoodLife.com has learned that Palin has booked an appearance in April on The Bob and Mark Show on 106.5 KWHL-FM in Anchorage. Sarah has said all along — including on the final episode of her TLC show Sarah Palin’s Alaska — that she would announce her candidacy on the radio via Bob and Mark.

While the exact date hasn’t been confirmed, we’re told that with Sarah’s schedule, her appearance on the show — especially booked so far in advance — can mean only one thing: That she’ll be kicking off her campaign on the radio.
Well, actually it could mean any one of a number of things. Of course, it's possible that this speculation could be be right. Even your great grandfather's broken pocket watch is right twice a day. But gossip sites are notoriously poor sources of information, especially where Gov. Palin is concerned. Remember how Us Weekly was so easily duped by the satirical Palin-Aguilera piece just a couple of weeks ago? But then again, TIME magazine proved itself to be no more reliable a journalistic source than the average gossip site, as it also fell for a hoax that a couple of minutes with a search engine would have exposed.

Plus, Gov. Palin doesn't need to book an appearance on Bob and Mark ahead of time. When she calls, they put her on the air immediately, regardless of how full their plate may be. Yes, the governor did indeed say that if and when she announces, it will be on that KWHL program, and yes, April would be a good time to announce either a run for president or the formation of an exploratory committee to consider such a candidacy. But we wouldn't bet the ranch on anything that comes from Hollywood Lite... er, Hollywood Life.

h/t: Henry D'Andrea

- JP

Herman Cain Thanks Sarah Palin

Twitter love
*
Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain thanked Gov. Palin for linking to his recent op-ed on leadership:
Thank you @SarahPalinUSA for sharing my weekly commentary on Facebook & Twitter. For those who missed it: http://bit.ly/f5ecR8
h/t: Scott Conroy

- JP

Downsizing the GOP's slate of 2012 contenders

Thune, Daniels and Barbour, oh my!
*
John Thune made it official yesterday: he's not running for president in 2012:
"... I feel that I am best positioned to fight for America’s future here in the trenches of the United States Senate."
Mitch Daniels did not issue such a statement, but he made it clear yesterday that he's not a serious contender for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. Dan Spencer summed it up succinctly via Twitter:
"I've said it before ... I've had it with Mitch Daniels from abortion to VAT to defense cuts and now right-to-work."
Jim Geraghty is also disappointed in Daniels:
I had been open-minded about Daniels’ “truce” talk — no matter how much a Republican presidential candidate talks about the importance of social issues, 75 to 90 percent of the president’s time from January 2013 to 2017 will be spent on economic and fiscal crises and managing a dangerous and rapidly changing world. But a concession to Democrats on major reforms like these will spur a lot of talk about Daniels’ toughness, or whether he’s too conciliatory to an opposition that has gone completely off the rails, or more accurately, out of the state….
Add Mike Flynn to the list of those who had viewed Daniels favorably, but are now backing away from supporting him:
Leaders seize a moment, not let a moment seize them.

Which goes to the foundational flaw of any Daniels for President campaign. Herman Melville’s ‘Bartleby the Scrivener’ famously said-at every point of decision-”I would prefer not to.” Daniels was just given an unprecedented opportunity to promote liberty and leverage a public zeitgeist to make a profound change to public policy. Rather than seize the moment, as all great leaders do, he shrugged and said, “I would prefer not to.”

I forever apologize for anything I did to promote a “Daniels for President” meme. From now on, “I would prefer not to.”
We never had any such illusions about Indiana's governor. We recognized early on that he's not a movement conservative. Perhaps it was the eagerness of the GOP establishment to embrace Daniels that first made us suspicious of him. We don't remember exactly because it was so long ago that we decided that he was more Vichy Republican than Reagan Republican.

We will admit that we once had a favorable view of Haley Barbour, even with the knowledge that his time as a lobbyist was a considerable load of baggage for the Mississippi governor to haul around. He was outstanding in his state in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and he had done solid work at the RNC and the RGA. But further investigation into his lobbying activities revealed that he's lobbied on behalf of the Mexican government for amnesty, and in a recent interview, Barbour spoke out in favor of federal intrusion into markets via farm subsidies. No wonder that despite his reputation as a conservative, the establishment lies him so much.

Scratch Thune, Daniels and Barbour from the list of serious contenders for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

- JP

Day By Day (February 23, 2011)

Face
*
Good morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day:

Face:DaybyDayCartoon

Please support Chris Muir's pro-Palin Day By Day.

- JP