Don Surber: 10 more reasons why Sarah Palin will make a good president

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U.S. News and World Report recently published: “10 Reasons Sarah Palin Would Make a Good President.”

Don Surber adds 10 more reasons of his own:

11. Put up with a lot of crap from a media that gave Barack Obama a pass on his association with terrorists, racists and crooks.

12. Took on Exxon and won.

13. Took on Frank Murkowski and won.

14. Was cleared of 26 ethics charges making her the cleanest politician in the land.

15. Actually leads people.

16. Actually leads people by example.

17. Todd Palin. He is the husband I would want if I were a woman.

18. Has balanced a budget.

19. Has cut taxes.

20. Not an Ivy Leaguer. The last non-Ivy Leaguer president we had was Ronald Reagan.

- JP

Joe Miller's Big News

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Joe Miller, who is challenging Sen. Lisa Murkowski for her seat in the U.S. Senate, had hinted last week that he might get an endorsement from Sarah Palin today. Turns out that what he was hinting at is something less earth-shattering. From the Joe Miller for U.S. Senate website:

MEDIA ADVISORY

The Committee to Elect Joe Miller to United States Senate will be holding its first fundraiser on Friday, May 7, 2010 at the Regan Building in Wasilla.

Todd Palin will be attending the event organized on Joe Miller’s behalf.

Event: Fundraising reception Honoring Joe Miller for U.S. Senate

Where: The Regan Building

3161 East Palmer-Wasilla Highway

When: Friday, May 7th

Time: 5 – 8 p.m.

For more information call: 907.452.8559

www.JoeMiller.us

Having Todd Palin attend your first fundraiser is scarcely tantamount to an endorsement from Todd's more high-profile spouse. Still, Sen. Murkowski can't be any too thrilled about the news.

h/t: David Weigel

- JP

New Agenda author sets the record straight on Gov. Palin and sex ed.

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At The New Agenda, Henrietta provides another good fisking of the leftist lie, propagated by an all-too willing lamestream media, of Sarah Palin's position on the issue of sex education:

Sarah Palin and her daughter Bristol seem to be on the same wave length when it comes to sex education. Both support abstinence education. And both support birth control education. Sounds like a contradiction, right? Actually, it is not. abstinence education in conjunction with birth control education are the main components of comprehensive sex education, which most Americans support.

But the media has been getting this story wrong for some time now and it is widely believed even today that Sarah Palin supports abstinence-only education. NPR got it wrong back in 2008. As did the The Washington Post, MSNBC, ABC News and The Wallstreet Journal .

Unfortunately, many feminists have followed the misinformation of the mainstream media.

[...]

Most media sources mistakenly took Palin’s strong rejection of explicit sex-education as proof that she is a proponent of abstinence-only education. Too bad the media didn’t dig a little deeper because they would have discovered that Palin had spoken openly in support of comprehensive sex education during this time.

In fact, weeks later Palin clarified her position on sex education. During a KTOO radio debate Palin spoke further about her support of both abstinence and contraception education:

[...]

Also during the presidential election Palin’s spokeswoman Maria Comella said that Governor Palin stands by her 2006 position and supports a sex education curriculum that covers both abstinence and contraception education.

I know, I know. This was news back in 2008 and the topic of Palin’s sex education stance more often comes up now due to the activism of her daughter Bristol. But it is a rumor that has traction and due to her family circumstances their is a sexist element to this rumor as well. By claiming Palin to be an abstinence-only advocate it becomes fun to mock Palin as the clueless mother of a teenage mom.

We must also correct this rumor in order to make the media culpable. If we do not take them to task are we not giving them the green light to partake in dangerously inaccurate reporting with future women candidates? I’m afraid to find out.

Read Henrietta's unabridged op-ed at The New Agenda.

- JP

Crappy Birthday!

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Levi Johnston, gay pinup poster boy and liar about all things Palin, is 20 -- going on 14 -- today.

- JP

Dan Calabrese: Sarah Palin's courageous leadership on domestic drilling (Updated)

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Dan Calabrese, writing in The North Star National, sees the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and the resulting oil spill as a good test of spine stiffness for the GOP. One Republican, he says, has passed the test, and it’s Sarah Palin, as usual, but Calabrese is not encouraged by the signs he's seeing from others in the Shy Elephant Party:

A day after pundit Charles Krauthammer declared “drill, baby, drill” to be history in light of the spill, and two days after the Obama Administration halted all domestic drilling (gee, what a surprise), Palin came out and invoked her moral authority as an Alaskan who lived through the Exxon Valdez spill.

Yes, Palin says, the spill is horrible, as was the Exxon Valdez, which was why she took steps as a regulator in Alaska to put tighter controls on the oil companies. But she still comes to the same conclusion she’s touted before: We need domestic drilling.

No matter how horrible the British Petroleum spill proves to be, it won’t change the economic reality. We are putting our economy and our national security at risk when we rely on the likes of Venezuela and Saudi Arabia to get the oil we need. And it is insane to do this when we can and should drill for oil on our own lands and in waters we control.

This drilling can be done safely and cleanly. It obviously wasn’t in the case of the BP explosion, but it can and it should.

[...]

We need more domestic drilling, including off-shore, but when the GOP was in charge, they didn’t make it happen. We needed market-oriented health care reform, but it was easier for the GOP to do little or nothing on the issue, so they left the door open for Democrats to create a socialist behemoth the first chance they got. We need to get federal spending and entitlements under control, but that’s too hard because the media and the Democrats will say you hate Grandma. So the GOP did nothing.

Real leadership is what you do when it’s right but it’s also hard. McConnell, Boehner and company have never been known for this, and now we have the latest example as to why.

Many Americans get that we need to drill domestically but in the midst of the current hysteria over the spreading oil slick, Calabrese says it takes courage to say so. While most Republicans run and hide, Gov. Palin stands her ground and speaks truth to hysteria. This, he concludes, is another reason why Sarah Palin is so admired by so many.

The left has already started trying to pin the whole Deepwater Horizon blowup on Sarah Palin, but as we noted late last night, and Dan Riehl was one of the first to point out, the drilling plan was submitted to and approved by Minerals Management Services (MMS) on Obama's watch.

But though MMS signed off on the project, it never had a plan to answer the question, What could possibly go wrong? The Portland Press Herald reported:

Hammond Eve, who did environmental impact studies of offshore drilling for the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS), said the federal agency never planned for response to an oil spill of this size. "We never imagined that it would happen because the safety measures were supposed to work and prevent it from happening," he said.

Perhaps that will serve to explain why the Obama administration dithered for eight days following the offshore explosion. To try to divert attention away from such facts about the unfolding tragedy on and off the coast of Louisiana , the left is trying to characterize the oil-contaminated area as "Lake Palin." That flies in the face of the facts. If anything, it should be called The Gulf of Obama. Legal eagle blogger John Hinderaker:

It appears clear from this record that the Obama administration 1) underestimated what was obviously a major incident with potential for environmental catastrophe, and assumed a best-case scenario--the opposite of what Ken Salazar now claims; 2) relied for too long on British Petroleum to contain the spill, without taking decisive action to protect American interests in the Gulf Coast; 3) had no real plan in place for how a major spill in the Gulf could be contained; and 4) to this day, remains obsessed with asserting that financial responsibility lies with BP, without any apparent understanding of how inadequate such liability will prove to those whose livelihoods have been devastated.

This is Obama's Katrina, and it's not Bush's fault or Sarah Palin's. BP deserves its share of the blame, but there comes a point in time when the Obama administration will have to take responsibility for its decisions and actions or lack of same. But don't bet on it doing so. With the Obamunists, it's always someone else that is to blame.

Update: Wonder of wonders, WaPo PostPartisan columnist Jonathan Capehart, a frequent Palin critic, agrees with the governor on this one:

"...on the issue of offshore drilling, Palin's Friday missive makes sense. There, I said it."

[...]

"I won't join the chorus demanding that off-shore drilling be stopped forever in the U.S. for one simple reason: Until renewable energy sources are more widely available we have no choice. We need the fuel."

Another rare display of intellectual honesty from the left. Kudos to Capehart for admitting that Sarah Palin is right

- JP

Ted Belman: Sarah Palin Is on a Roll

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Ted Belman, who is the editor of Israpundit, says in an American Thinker op-ed that Sarah Palin is on a roll:

Since resigning from her governorship last July, Sarah Palin hasn't made a false move. This is surprising for someone who is more passionate than cautious and one reputed to be...well, you know, a dummy.

[...]

Arizona just passed a controversial immigration law. Obama attacked the new law and called on blacks and Latinos to get out the vote. Sarah Palin, in a recent interview with Sean Hannity, came out in full support of the new law and attacked Obama for not fulfilling the federal responsibility of protecting U.S. borders. She also attacked him for racist comments he had made pitting Latinos and blacks against other Americans. In the interview, Palin effectively contrasted his remarks with her calls to all Americans to solve their problems together. Once again, polls show overwhelming support for the new law.

During the debate on financial reform, Palin came out against institutionalizing "crony capitalism." When Obama said America is a military superpower "whether we like it or not," Palin said she was taken aback by his comment. She said, "I would hope that our leaders in Washington, D.C. understand we like to be a dominant superpower. ... I don't understand a worldview where we have to question whether we like it or not that America is powerful." These positions were well-received.

[...]

Many of her detractors cite negative polling numbers to discredit her. They should be ignored. Public Policy Polling found in a poll reported on April 15 that

Sarah Palin now lags Obama only 45-47 after showing deficits of eight or seven points in each of the last three months. Both Obama and Palin have increased their base support, but Palin now trails Obama among independents 39-46 versus 35-49 in March.

As this poll demonstrates, Palin is quickly gaining support among independents. Give her another three months, and she will be leading Obama. And do not forget the growing enthusiasm gap as reported by Politics Daily:

While voters are about evenly split about whether they support the Democrat or Republican in this year's congressional elections, the Republicans have opened up a 20 point "enthusiasm gap" when it comes to how eager they are to go to the polls, according to Gallup's daily tracking polls conducted between April 1-25.

This growing gap is due to the Palin factor. She energizes her base as no other today can.

The left has done its best to demonize, ridicule, and reduce her, to no avail. The more that fair-minded Americans hear her, the more they are drawn to her. They no longer listen to Obama, but they do listen to her.

Ted Belman believes that after her second book is released, Gov. Palin will visit Europe and Israel and be well received in both places. As a result, she will get "an enormous boost" back home, he predicts. Read his full commentary here.

- JP

Quote of the Day (May 2, 2010)

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Dan Riehl:

"Oops: Macondo Driling Plan Was Submitted, Approved Under Obama Administration"

QOTD Runner up...

Portland Press Herald:

"Hammond Eve, who did environmental impact studies of offshore drilling for the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS), said the federal agency never planned for response to an oil spill of this size. 'We never imagined that it would happen because the safety measures were supposed to work and prevent it from happening,' he said."

So libs, enough with the "Lake Palin" cracks. Actually, it's the Gulf of Obama.

- JP

Sarah Palin Rouses Crowd of Thousands in Wichita

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Sarah Palin delivered what The Wichita Eagle reported as "a rousing speech" Sunday night at a fund-raiser for the Bethel Life School Association of Wichita. Speaking to a crowd of a several thousand, the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate praised Wichita as a city of "hard working and patriotic liberty-loving Americans":

"People here are not afraid to stand up and speak out for what they believe in," Palin said.

She said the country needs people like that to correct problems such as the economy and "Obamacare" health reform.

"The powers that be in Washington, they've got it all wrong. They want to tax and spend our way out of our problems," she said.

Palin drew one of her longest ovations by saying, "We should not be working for our government. Our government should be working for us,"

"Washington has broken faith with the citizens they're supposed to be serving and many of us want to take it back," Palin said.

She ripped the new health reform laws. "The more you find out about Obamacare," she said, "the more you're going to pressure your officials to do something about it."

"Obamacare must be repealed and replaced," she said to loud applause.

Palin urged the audience to register to vote, then elect leaders "who understand the constitution and reflect our values."

America, she said, needs to return to the exceptional country it used to be, and can do that through faith in God, strong families and values of the heartland.

The Eagle's article was accompanied by a photo gallery here.

- JP

Sarah Palin's Weekend Speeches (Updated)

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TheBlogProf caught most of Gov. Palin's Clarkston speech on video, and TheRightScoop has all of the segments collected in one post.

Glen Enloe has posted a favorable post about that Independence speech on the KC Star's Midwest Voices blog, and the libs are pounding him for it in the comments section. Seems that "progressives" won't tolerate any media narrative that doesn't try to destroy Sarah Palin. Progressives are about as tolerant of views opposed to their own as is the Taliban.

Update: Jesse Cornish has a firsthand account of Gov. Palin's Michigan speech here, and Michigan Capitol Confidential has a report here. Nicole Coulter has a not-up-close, but very personal account of the Wichita speech posted at C4P here. Nice Deb's videos of Gov. Palin's Independence speech are posted here.

- JP

Gov. Palin on the Glenn Beck radio show last week

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h/t: TheRightScoop

- JP

Petition Drive Supporting 'Sarah Palin's Alaska' Gains Momentum

- By special guest blogger Fay
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As with all things Palin, Governor Palin’s upcoming Alaska documentary series has come under attack by the left, in the guise of protection of wildlife. Radical environmental groups, such as Defenders of Wildlife and CREDO, have led the charge. Backed by considerable funding, they have collected over 500,000 signatures through petitions sponsored by Defenders, CREDO, Care2, and Change.com. A summary of their efforts to date against Governor Palin’s show can be found here. To top it all off, CREDO plans to present their petition with signatures to Discovery Communications at their annual shareholders meeting in Washington, D. C. on Wednesday, May 5.

Radical environmentalist efforts against Governor Palin are not new. We are all familiar with Ashley Judd’s propaganda against then Governor Palin’s predator control program. (See here also.) As U. S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA) pointed out then, predator control is essential to ensure that there is enough caribou for Alaskans to hunt for food. Predator control was conducted responsibly and scientifically by Governor Palin’s administration.

Environmental extremists have also attacked Governor Palin over her call to “Drill Here, Drill Now!” As Governor Palin has explained on numerous occasions, energy independence is essential for national security and prosperity. In Alaska, the gas and oil industry provides a significant portion of its citizens’ income. Again, her administration responsibly monitored the oil and gas industry so that there was minimal impact on the environment.

As the fiasco in the San Joaquin valley has taught us, we have to balance the needs of human beings with our need to protect the environment. Due to the uproar of eco-terrorists over a three-inch minnow that wasn’t even indigenous to the region, that fertile valley, the bread basket of the nation and even the world, was turned into a dust bowl. Thousands lost their jobs and their livelihood before the federal government was forced to respond to citizens’ demands to turn the water that supplied the farms in the valley back on.

I’ve said all that to say this. Upon becoming aware of the eco-terrorists’ latest attack on Governor Palin, a group of Sarah Palin supporters decided to do something about it. The authors of Sarah Palin Web Brigade and the Sarah Palin Information Blog spearheaded a petition drive in a counter-attack. Other Sarah Palin support sites joined the effort, and our numbers have doubled already.

We have set up a petition in the form of a letter to Discovery Communications President and CEO David Zaslav in which we support Governor Palin’s and Discovery’s Alaska documentary series and at the same time present the facts about her responsible stewardship of Alaska’s wildlife. All supporters of Sarah Palin are asked to sign this petition as a show of support for Governor Pallin. Strength is shown in numbers, and we want the world to know that Governor Palin’s support far exceeds that of the opposition. If you bought her book or stood in line to get her autograph or traveled the distance to hear her speak, please take time to go here and sign this token of support for her. You’ll be glad you did!

- Fay

The Texas for Sarah Palin Store is now open.

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Like some other blogs, we've opened a store which offers products with our logo on them. Right now, the product lineup is limited to just the basic stuff, including a bumper sticker, coffee mug, baseball cap, mouse pad and a t-shirt. But we will add more products down the road.

Zazzle, Cafe Press and other such outfits offer similar deals to bloggers. Upload your artwork, and they will provide you with an online store to sell products with your logo or message on them. While the actual profit bloggers make on each product is very small, the arrangement has the benefit of providing an instant internet storefront for bloggers with no upfront costs or having to deal with packaging, shipping, etc.

But the best benefit, from our POV is that the products provide us with a great way to promote this blog, which is why we finally got around to opening a store. Please pay it a visit here or click on the store widget in the sidebar.

Also, please let us know what products you would like to see on sale in our store, and we will add them. Just use to kontactr button in the sidebar to send us your product suggestions.

Thanks,

- JP

More on the Winning America Back event in Independence

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Nice Deb has a roundup of the event here. Deb and her husband had VIP tickets, and they got to meet Todd and Sarah and have pics taken with her:

"Sarah is just a sweet, and gracious in person as you could possibly imagine, as was her husband Todd, who casually chatted with my hubby."

KCTV's story is here.

Once again, local media did a much better job of reporting this event than national lamestream media. AP's story was the worst; The Independence/Blue Springs Examiner had the best report, in our opinion. Both are linked in our post from last night here.

And once again, new media trumps old, as bloggers provided a snark-free perspective often found missing in old media, including both local and national outlets.

- JP

Quote of the Day (May 1, 2010)

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Ed Morrissey:

"Republican women have two significant role models for this new surge in activism. Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann have toured the country, headlining Tea Party events and becoming spokespeople for the grassroots opposition to the radical Democratic agenda. In my experience at Tea Party events, we seem to get a bigger turnout of women — and women tend to dominate the organizer ranks as well. That trend could represent a long-term danger for Democrats... If the GOP can send dozens of women to Capitol Hill in support of a limited-government agenda, they could realign the women’s vote for the long term. If Republicans manage to do that, they can thank Palin and Bachmann."

- JP

KC Star: Palin 'rocks the house' in Independence, MO

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Speaking to a conservative crowd at the Independence Events Center, the Kansas City Star reports Sarah Palin said that despite the Gulf Coast rig explosion, the U.S. must wean itself from foreign oil in order to be truly free:

“We’ve got to tap domestically because energy security will be the key to our prosperity,” Palin said.

[...]

The day featured speeches from former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts, as well as panel discussions.

But the featured attraction was Palin, who... saved some of her strongest rhetoric for Obama and the Democrats for what she described as a dramatic expansion in the size of the federal government, particularly as a result of the recently passed health care bill.

The program will wind up costing far more than Obama has said, Palin predicted. And it will lead to rationing.

“Somebody has to decide who gets the health care and who doesn’t,” she said.

Palin also complained that too many Americans will be forced by the government to buy coverage.

The health care plan mocks the founding fathers’ idea of a small federal government with most powers delegated to the states, Palin said. In a line that drew thunderous applause, she said the plan should be repealed.

“Obama-care is such an over-reach,” Palin said. “This is a slippery slope we’re on.”

She called for lower taxes and a government that demands more of the individual.

“We should not be working for our government,” Palin said. “Government should be working for us.”

Media estimates put the crowd size at about 3,000.

The Star also has a photo gallery here. The AP story is here, and a report from the Examiner, eastern Jackson County's daily newspaper (including Independence and Blue Springs, MO) is here.

- JP

More Quote of the Day Honorable Mentions, Part 48

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Sarah the Neosocialist Slayer Edition...

Motor City Times:

"Laura Berman has a serious case of Palin Derangement Syndrome. Is it caused by jealousy? Sarah Palin has published a best selling book, and her Facebook page, where she publishes her op-ed’s, has over 1 million subscribers. Laura’s paper has a print circulation of 167,849 and less than 600,000 online readers. That’s gotta sting, just a little bit."

Mona Charen:

"You can delegitimize all political speech you dislike by suggesting that it may inflame the violence-prone. The press attempts this again and again. Rather than openly debate, they smear... One fan out of 8,000 at a McCain/Palin rally was reported to have shouted 'Kill him' in reference to Obama. Rafts of stories dwelt upon this revelation of the "ugly" side of Palinmania. A later investigation found no evidence that it had even happened."

Hillbuzz:

"Leftists are 20% of the country, tops, but they currently control the nation... If we can just mobilize enough moderates, conservatives, and independents to counterbalance the Left’s daily activities, these radicals will be quickly drowned out by the American Resistance. Be pro-Sarah in all that you do, not anti-Obama. Operate from a place filled with love for your country, not hatred of the Left. Oppose the Left at every turn and fight to take back this country using your God-given smarts, but do not be overcome by the emotion and insanity of the Left. If we work hard, every day, we will win. They will lose. They’ll howl and wail and gnash their teeth and rip their clothes, while the rest of us pave the way for President Palin to restore this country to strength, solvency, and greatness."

Fay:

"We are launching a petition drive to support Sarah Palin and Discovery Communications and to promote their upcoming Sarah Palin’s Alaska series. We are all looking forward to this series with great anticipation and will not allow political malelovent [types] to distract from what is promising to be an awe-inspiring look at the natural wonders of Alaska and an introduction to its history and everyday life."

Gary P. Jackson:

"Sarah’s successful efforts to stop the cronyism and reform the energy business in Alaska were so impressive Kay Cashman, the publisher and executive editor of Petroleum News, wrote the book entitled: Sarah Takes On Big Oil... Contrast Sarah with Barack Obama. Chicago is world famous for it’s corruption... While Obama was putting on a dog and pony show... on Wall Street, he was pretty silent all those years when he was in an incredibly target rich environment. The difference between the courage Sarah Palin shows standing up to corruption vs Obama’s willingness to wallow in it, is breathtaking."

Chris Field:

"An excerpt from Townhall contributing editor S.E. Cupp's new book, Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media's Attack on Christianity, 'Thou Shalt Have Standards -- Double Standards,' exposes the left-wing media's attack on Sarah Palin's religious beliefs but praised Barack Obama's. They ridiculed Palin's Christianity relentlessly -- as though she believed some radical theology. Of course, they didn't make a peep when it was exposed that Barack Obama attended for 20 years, got married in and had had both daughters baptized in a church that day in and day out preached Marxist black liberation theology."

David Weigel:

"Sarah Palin has, in her inimitable way, moved the Army's decision to disinvite evangelist Franklin Graham from a Pentagon National Day of Prayer Service into Conservative Outrage of the Day territory."

Arlen Williams:

"Sarah Palin says it is 'crony capitalism...' Real reform and truly appropriate regulation can be very difficult to instill, amidst entrenched, corrupt politics and an ideological enmity to the truly virtuous republicanism authentic to America. I personally know of no one with better experience as a pathfinder in just that reform, than Sarah Palin."

Kenneth P. Vogel:

"Palin’s new Twitter feed has nearly 135,000 followers — more than the accounts maintained by Romney, Pawlenty and Huckabee combined (though Gingrich’s is in a category by itself with 1.3 million followers), while Palin’s 1.5 million friends on Facebook laps the field many times over."

Victoria Jackson:

"In Albany, NY standing next to a statue of George Washington was an angry black woman holding a sign that said, 'Yes, We Can.' She looked very angry. The media was on her like flies. They got shots of our Tea Party crowd with her in the foreground. I was asked to pose next to her for a group shot. I kept glancing at her face. It takes a lot of energy to keep a frown that long. Finally, I asked her, 'Why are you so angry?' She whipped her head around, her eyes on fire with hate, and snarled, 'Don’t talk to me, Whitey.' I walked away slowly, wondering why she was so mad at me... Racism… pretty lame if you ask me. My teenage daughter is on the front of the bus flirting with David, a black teenager... His black father William is sitting near me sleeping... In Boston... I had gone back to watching her talk to her fans when suddenly Sarah had turned around and our eyes met. She did a double take and said, 'Oh! I love you!' She hugged me and then she said, 'Thanks for all you’re doing. I want your autograph!'"

Bernie Quigley:

"As long as Bill Maher, Noam Chomsky, Frank Rich, Tiny Fey and David Letterman scorn the Tea Party and Sarah Palin — German fascists, Ku Klux Klan, slut, 'two-headed circus freak dog,' I read about Palin in a North Carolina newspaper this week; writes on her hand and has a Garfield calendar on her desk — the movement will grow and clarify. This debased commentary suggests a troupe of vampires in the twilight and triggers an archetypal and instinctive Buffy the Vampire Slayer conditioned reflex out there with the plain folk in Sunnydale, and she comes with a sword."

Stacy Drake:

"Let’s face it… The left thinks it’s perfectly acceptable to HATE certain people. Tim Tebow, Sarah Palin, and anyone at who attends a Tea Party protest fit into that category... These tactics from the left are increasing and I think that before the November election they will have anyone who disagrees with their agenda or ideology pegged as mass-murdering ‘Soldiers for Satan.’ Expect the worst of the worst to spew from the likes of Alan Grayson, the left-wing blogosphere, and certain members of the press. This is all designed to taint the minds of Independents and scare away Conservative opposition. It won’t work because it’s fairly obvious to most thinking people what is going on here. This is modern American left-wing, gutter politics and it shines a great big light onto their character."

Matthew Archbold:

"Let all the elites laugh it up over how crazy and stupid Sarah Palin is until they request some kind of treatment and it gets denied by an advisory panel... White House Budget Director Peter Orszag explained in scary detail how the Obamacare 'advisory' panel restructures who makes healthcare decisions. Well, firstly it's not an 'advisory' panel in that its decisions are automatically implemented. Secondly, it's weird how forthcoming libs are now that Obamacare has passed."

U.S. News Staff:

"Palin is a long-time, unbending Reagan conservative who has committed to cutting taxes, eliminating some regulations, and generally shrinking the government... The former governor of Alaska is a strong advocate for an energy policy. She wants to produce more domestic energy and buy less overseas... As governor, she had the respect of other governors and worked well with the state legislature. She might bring a new bipartisan approach to Washington... She identifies with working class Americans more than more wealthy candidates and presidents... Just being the first woman president would likely bring massive changes to how the Oval Office is handled and how foreign leaders view the United States."

Right Pundits:

"I think this is something we can all learn about during this midterm year. There will be places where Sarah appears with statewide candidates; there will be places where Obama shows up... The last time I can recall when each party had one headliner and everyone else was a backup act was in the post-94 period, where the options were Newt and BJ."

Seth Lipsky:

"I’ve been telling people that the situation reminds me a little bit of the 1984 presidential campaign, when Vice President Mondale challenged Reagan... I said or wrote at the time that this was the difference between Mondale and Reagan — Mondale knew how the missile worked and Reagan knew whom to point it at. And that’s how I feel about Mrs. Palin. She may not know as many details as some of the other candidates, but she comprehends whom we’re up against."

Cincinnati Enquirer:

"Former and probably future GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney didn't draw even half as many people for his book-signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers here Thursday as potential rival Sarah Palin did last fall."

Justin Miller:

"Republican primary voters like macho candidates and no one is more macho than Sarah Palin. In a way the fashionista and mother of five evokes more toughness than any man regularly mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in the GOP... Not only is Palin tough on Democrats, she seems to genuinely enjoy beating them up... Republicans know she won't bow to what they think are elite sensitivities or political correctness... Republicans don't want a passionate reformer or soothing reconciler--they want a fighter."

Garance Franke-Ruta:

"Nearly two years after Sarah Palin became the Republican Party's first female vice presidential nominee, record numbers of Republican women are running for House seats, driving the overall count of women running for both the House and the Senate to a new high... Jan Larimer, who is co-chairman of the Republican National Committee and heads its women's program, attributed the increase to anger over Democratic domestic policy priorities: 'The policies of the Obama administration and a Congress led by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have energized women to fight back. First, they were afraid, and now they are angry about health care, their jobs, how to pay for their children's education.' And the example of Palin certainly didn't hurt. Women 'are giving the GOP a second look and realizing that our policies, principles and vision make sense and work for their families,' she said."

The Strib:

"A tipping point [for Tom Emmer's surging campaign] may been the last-minute endorsement by Republican heartthrob Sarah Palin on Thursday afternoon, just as delegates started filtering into the Minneapolis Convention Center."

- JP

Pilgrim, are you a Bush Republican or a Perry Republican?

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Bernie Quigley has an interesting take on the realignment going on the GOP right now. Think Palin passion, Perry proficiency and Pataki perspective. Pataki? As in George Pataki, former governor of New York? Bernie's serious. Read on:

There can be seen now two schools of Republicans: Bush Republicans and Perry Republicans. This took form in Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s recent primary race when Dick Cheney, George H.W. Bush, Karl Rove and Karen Hughes (W’s proxy) lined up behind Kay Bailey Hutchison and Sarah Palin lined up behind Rick Perry. Perry won in a landslide. But the sides had already been drawn up for and against in Doug Hoffman’s Conservative Party challenge in NY-23. It was the moment of the significant turning. Palin and Perry were there, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty showed up after the brush was cut, while Newt Gingrich and the party regulars lined up behind the traditional Republican. But George Pataki, former governor of New York, was there first. The Bush clan is now sidling up to Tea Party types; Cheney to Rubio in Florida, Mitt Romney to Nikki Haley in South Carolina. But George Pataki was there first. think Palin passion, Perry proficiency and Pataki perspective. Pataki? As in George Pataki, former governor of New York? Bernie's serious. Read on:

He told The Hill that he won’t rule out a presidential race in 2012. He’d be a great addition to a line that would hopefully include Perry, Palin and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. That would leave Mitt Romney holding the coat for the Bush people. But all of these others add substance and character to what is the sea change known as the Tea Party. It is heartland-based, and the American century ahead will find its strengths and prosperity in the American heartland.

The fledgling spirit of the Tea Partiers, like Tamino, may need three words for guidance on its journey to maturity. Those words might be: passion, perspective and packaging. Palin provides passion and Perry the comprehensive abilities of a well-run and healthy state manager. But Pataki provides perspective. His recent six-stop tour, Revere America, geared to repealing ObamaCare, adds class and character to this grassroots movement.

Read the full Quigley at The Hill's Pundits Blog.

- JP

Detroit Free Press: The 'Anti-Obama' Addreses Crowd of 1500 in Michigan

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The Freep's Dawson Bell reported today that Gov. Palin "resumed her role as the anti-Obama" this morning at Clarkson's Mt. Zion church. The 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate told the audience of 1,500 that American voters are suffering from buyer's remorse because the "hopey changey stuff" of the 2008 election wasn't the kind of they were hoping for. To remedy the situation, Sarah Palin prescribed a heavy dose of Common sense in the form of conservative values and the Constitution, medicine which should be taken while repealing Obamacare and standing up for American exceptionalism and a robust military:

It may be hard, but it's not complicated, Palin said at the Defending the American Dream Summit, sponsored by the Michigan chapter of Americans for Prosperity.

"When you look at what's happening in Washington, D.C., it's easy to get discouraged," she said. "But I beg you not to do that. Don't allow anyone to tell you to sit down and shut up."

Introduced as "the left's worst nightmare," Palin went after President Obama, Democratic leaders in Congress and the media with gusto in her 40-minute address.

But Obama got the closest scrutiny.

During a brief question and answer period after delivering her speech, Palin cited the president's recent comment that America was the world's dominant military superpower "whether we like it or not."

"We like being a dominant superpower," Palin said. "What kind of a comment was that coming from a president?"

The AFP summit will continue all day, while Gov. Palin travels to the Kansas City area, where she will speak to the Winning Back America conference in Independence at 6 PM.

While Sarah Palin was speaking in Clarkston, the most radically leftist president in American history was telling the graduating class at the the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor that Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh fans should "try reading a few columns on the Huffington Post website" -- a far-left hate site known for publishing lies, smears and innuendo, much of it aimed a Gov. Palin and conservative talk radio hosts. We can't recall a more partisan commencement address made by any other American president, but this one promised "post-partisan" leadership. So much for false promises and false prophets.

- JP

TheBlogProf: Sarah Palin in Michigan

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TheBlogProg was at the Sarah Palin speech this morning in Clarkston, Michigan:

The event occurred right after massive thunderstorms rolled through the area. Thousands showed up anyway including huge tea party groups. There were supposed to be counterprotesters there but for the few hours that I was there I could not find a single one. And I was looking! The crowd was upbeat and cheery despite the rain. Many were there at 6 in the morning to see Sarah Palin speak at 9am. The auditorium at Mount Zion Church was packed full of patriots and there was also a good ensemble of media there as well. Several thousand showed up to enthusiastically greet the former Alaskan Governor and Vice Presidential candidate. The auditorium at Mount Zion was packed full.

The blogging Michigander captured some video and photos from the event:

I got about the first 25 minutes of her speech before someone from American for Prospertity asked me to stop. I obliged but pointed out that just about everyone with a cell phone was recording the speech anyway. AfP were filming the whole thing with 3 professional cameras, but nobody could tell me if it would be uploaded to the internet.

Read TheBlogProf's full after action report here.

Sarah Palin Speaks This Evening in the KC Metro Area

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Keynote speaker Sarah Palin and a cast of several other higher-profile political figures will address the Winning Back America conference at the Independence Events Center today. The event is sponsored by a Kansas City area volunteer organization, Preserving American Liberty, and gets under way at 1 PM with opening remarks by local news/talk station KMBZ's Darla Jaye:

Political commentator Jeri Thompson will speak at 1:30, followed by 2008 presidential candidate Fred Thompson at 1:40.

Palin is scheduled to take the stage at 6 pm, followed by a question and answer session, just before the event concludes at 7.

There will also be two discussion events throughout the day, including a conversation on the economy, jobs, and the deficit at 3:30 pm, and a conversation on conservative urban outreach at 5:15.

Tickets are priced beginning at $50 to the VIP level at about $250, the latter including access to the floor seating nearest the stage and admittance to a reception and photo op with Gov. Palin. More information here.

- JP