Michael Reagan: 'The others don't have the passion that Sarah Palin has'

*
Michael Reagan and Megyn Kelly discuss Sarah Palin's political future:


- JP

TLC will screen "Sarah Palin's Alaska" in Houston next week

*
As part of its promotional campaign for "Sarah Palin's Alaska," TLC will be screening the first episode of the 9-part series in select theaters next week ahead of the cablecast premiere of the program on Nov. 14.

Houston is the only location in Texas and one of only eight cities across the country where viewers will be able to see the sneak preview screening. It'll be on Thursday, November 11. Click here to get tickets to the Houston screening. For a list of the other seven cities where it will be shown, go here. There's a nice photo gallery of stills from the series here.

- JP

More Quote of the Day Honorable Mention, Part 146

Special "Winning" Edition
*

Freedom Fighter at Joshuapundit:

"One person who has to be particularly gratified about [Tuesday] night's results is Governor Sarah Palin. While she had some high profile losses among her endorsees, her batting average overall was spectacular, coming in at around .680 so far... One big loss for Palin was Sharron Angle, and I'm convinced that Angle only lost because Harry Reid trucked... thousands of Democrat and union operatives into Nevada in a massive GOTV operation that the RNC was apparently unwilling to put in place for the Tea Party favorite, who was a relative amateur in a big race like this. Without a real ground came, she came up short..."

Just A Grunt at JammieWearingFool:

"I Want Sarah Filling Out My NCAA Tournament Brackets..."

Jennifer at Cubachi:

"If you want to know how great we have it with this past election, watch Sarah Palin’s new video, 'Together.' Featuring Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Allen West, Nikki Haley, Susana Martinez, Renee Ellmers, Sean Duffy, Tim Scott, and so many other stellar conservatives who are heading to Washington, DC to shake things up. This video is so uplifting, and is a reminder that together we can change things in Washington for the better... My goodness, we have never seen such a wipe out of liberalism in decades!"

Jeanette at The Right Angle:

"Right now, Sarah Palin is the only conservative who remained consistently relevant during two years of Nan-O-Reid hell. None of the 'smart' politicians so effectively engaged Obama or were targeted for retaliation by the Administration. Only Sarah Palin has been persistent and accurate."

Roaring Republican:

"Palin achieved three things on election night. First she built relationships and earned credibility amongst now elected Republicans and their supporters. Second she raised her image nationally by being serious and appearing focused. Her image had been tarnished by the mainstream media and pundits. She did exactly what she needed to raise her stature and create an opening to reinvent herself as a savvy politician. Finally, she was able to make the election about her while also appearing to make it about true policy and politics... 2010 was a relatively free massive ad for Palin politics. Something her competitors, despite their attempts, did not have. (Yes, I am largely looking at you Mitt Romney.)"

Ted Nugent in The Washington Times:

"The election of 2010 will go down in history as the Great Tea Party Massacre. The Founding Fathers would smile with pride at Sarah, Glenn and many other patriots."

Timothy Dalrymple at Patheos:

"Sarah Palin... helped shape the narrative in many elections, and Hillary Clinton... is looking more and more like the Democrat who should have been President... Finally, attacks on the basis of religion were flying fast and furious over the course of recent months, against Rand Paul, Christine O’Donnell, Sharron Angle, Carly Fiorina, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Nikki Haley, and…well, it looks as though all of them were Christian conservatives, doesn’t it? Hmm. Many folks on the Left want religion — and especially conservative Christian religion — out of the public square."

Lloyd Marcus at American Thinker Blog:

"The American Tea Party Movement is the biggest winner of Tuesday's election... 15 days ago we held our launch rally in Reno, NV. Sarah Palin was our keynote speaker for that rally. Palin appearances are electric. Her impact on the audiences is amazing. The people love her."

Teri O'Brien at Illinois Review:

"If a single candidate who received the slightest nod of approval from Gov. Sarah Palin does not win, that race will become the ultimate 'bell weather,' proving once and for all that 'everybody knows' that she is a ditzy airhead who lacks 'gravitas,' more suited to pushing an airplane drink cart than being involved in serious public policy issues. Of course, she is not on the ballot anywhere. That fact that won’t matter in Sarah’s case, but it will be repeated incessantly about Barack Obama, as in 'President Obama wasn’t on the ballot, so I don’t think we can think of this stunning defeat of the democrats a referendum on him.'"

James Pethokoukis at NRO:

"Who was the biggest winner of Election Day 2010? Sarah Louise Palin. She bestrode the political stage and backed winners in key primary states like Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina."

Sahit Muja at WSJ's Marketwatch.com:

"Tea Party and Sarah Palin are the winners of this election... The popularity of the Tea Party movement and former Governor Palin in particular attests to the fact that many of us want smaller government, less intrusion from it in our daily lives, and a financial system that stops spending money we don't have. Democrats continued [to] focus on finding ways to stick collective fingers in Tea Party movement and Gov. Palin's eyes whenever they get the chance."

Michael Falcone and Amy Walter at ABC News' The Note:

"Palin now has something else going for her: a cadre of candidates she endorsed who soon will take office in key House, Senate and governor's seats and who are in Palin's debt."

Redbaiter at CrusaderRabbit:

"The left like to falsely portray Palin as a quitter for resigning as Governor of Alaska. The long term benefits of this strategic move are now plain to everyone other than the most bigoted Palin hater. She has skewered Obama and his mainstream media cronies... at every turn.... I’m not saying Palin is my pick for President. I’m saying that the left and the soft right are wrong when they attack her as 'inexperienced'. She’s streets ahead of all on the left and most on the right in intelligence, political nous, and (most of all) courage. The girl's got heart like you wouldn’t believe. She prevailed in this election and she will continue to prevail. That the political establishment of the hard left and the soft right hate her so intensely is one of the main reasons I support her as I do."

Freedom Fighter at Joshuapundit:

"The real story is that if Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint hadn't kept the Tea Party activists and candidates within the Republican tent, the massive Republican victory Tuesday simply wouldn't have happened."

Peter Wallsten at The Wall Street Journal:

"A revitalized Republican Party began looking toward the 2012 presidential election with renewed optimism about its prospects but uncertainty about who was best positioned to lead the charge... Ms. Palin's active media presence and endorsements in the midterm campaign have maintained her high profile as a spokeswoman for her party. In a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll in mid-October, Republicans cited her most often as the 'most important leader or spokesperson' for the GOP... Independent voters also cited Ms. Palin as the 'most important' GOP leader..."

- JP

Steven Bryan: Sarah Palin’s ‘Take Back the 20′ PAC scores a bull’s-eye

From Associated Content's Steven Bryan:

During the 2010 midterm elections, Sarah Palin went hunting for Democrats and nearly bagged her limit.

"Take Back the 20," Palin's political action committee, targeted 20 congressional districts across the country that John McCain carried in 2008 but had Democratic representatives in Congress.

The results... are eye-opening. Palin succeeded in 18 of 20 districts, losing in West Virginia's 3rd House District. At this time, the race in Arizona's 8th House District is too close to call.

The 18 Republican winners unseated freshman politicians, congressional veterans and even House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt.

The list of the "Take Back the 20" candidates Gov. Palin endorsed and how they did in the 2010 midterm elections is here.

- JP

The Midterms: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward

Have an intelligent message, and fight for your right to be heard.

- by Sarah Palin

*
Now that the dust has settled on the 2010 midterm elections, it’s slowly becoming clear just how monumental the results really are. We saw an extreme left-wing agenda suffer a crushing defeat. At the ballot box, voters took Obamacare and the stimulus and wrapped them right around the necks of those same House members and senators who had arrogantly dismissed the concerns voiced in countless town halls and Tea Party rallies up and down the country. Voters sent commonsense conservatives a clear mandate to hold the line against the Obama agenda.

Does that mean Republican candidates can look forward with greater confidence to the 2012 elections? Yes and no. Yes, objectively speaking the next electoral cycle should be even more favorable than the one that just ended. A large number of red-state Democratic senators will have to defend their seats; and since Obama will be at the top of the ballot that year, they won’t be able to hide from the fact that their party leader is a detached liberal with a destructive tax-and-spend agenda. Whether Republicans will do as well as they did in this cycle depends on whether they learn the lessons from the 2010 election.

The first lesson is simple: Set the narrative. This year it wasn’t too difficult to tell the story of the election: It was about stopping an out-of-control Congress and an out-of-touch White House. In races across the country, Republican candidates ran on the message that the Left was bankrupting America with budget-busting spending bills that mortgage our children’s future, burden the private sector with uncertainty, and cripple our much-needed job growth.

The story of the next cycle, though, remains to be written. Its content depends on what Republicans do next. Just as in the 1980s, there are today millions of conservative-leaning Democrats and independents who are ready to join our cause. They gave us their votes, now we must earn their trust. And we do that by showing them that a vote for us will not be a vote for the big-spending, over-regulating status quo. The 2012 story should be about conservatives in Congress cutting government down to size and rolling back the spending, and the Left doing everything in its power to prevent these necessary reforms from happening. In the next two years, if all we end up doing is adopting some tax hikes here, some Obama-agenda compromises there, and a thousand little measures that do nothing to get us out of the economic mess we’re in, the same voters that put the GOP in office will vote them out in the next election. If that happens, the story of 2012 may well be that of the GOP going the way of the Whigs. No, the American people are expecting us to be bold and big in our economic reform to allow the private sector to create jobs and soar!

In the coming weeks, there will be those who lament that some of us endorsed conservative Republicans over liberal ones in blue-state races. It’s a good debate, and one I’m willing to have. First, we must keep in mind that there is no guarantee that any Republican will win in a deep-blue state (as evidenced by the exit polls in Delaware showing that the liberal Republican would have lost too). But even more to the point, we saw in the last decade what happens when conservatives hold their noses and elect liberals who have an “R” after their names. Our party’s message of freedom and fiscal responsibility became diluted. In 2008, it was difficult to claim on the one hand that we were the party of fiscal responsibility and on the other hand that our fiscal policies work. It was clear to the electorate that the GOP had not adhered to fiscally conservative positions, and that the liberal positions they did adhere to didn’t work. If we go on in that direction again, we won’t have a base, let alone a majority. Certainly we can and should back sensible center-right candidates in bluer states, but I see no point in backing someone who supports cap-and-tax, Obamacare, bailouts, taxes, and more useless stimulus packages. If you think such a candidate will be with us when it comes time to vote down an Obama Supreme Court nominee, you’re living on a unicorn ranch in fantasy land.

In the coming weeks there will also be a debate about the viability of particular candidates. Anyone with the courage to throw his or her hat in the ring and stand up and be counted always has my respect. Some of them were stronger candidates than others, but they all had the courage to be “in the arena.” The second lesson of this election is one a number of the candidates had to learn to their cost: Fight back the lies immediately and consistently. Some candidates assumed that, once they received their party’s nomination, the conservative message would automatically carry the day. Unfortunately, political contests aren’t always about truth and justice. Powerful vested interests will combine to keep bad candidates in place and good candidates out of office. Once they let themselves be defined as “unfit” (decorated war hero Joe Miller) or “heartless” (pro-life, international women’s rights champion Carly Fiorina), good candidates often find it virtually impossible to get their message across. The moral of their stories: You must be prepared to fight for your right to be heard.

Another important lesson is that we will need the mother of all GOTV efforts if we wish to win in 2012. Sending donations isn’t enough when push comes to shove. Millions of boots on the ground are needed, and voter-fraud prevention must be addressed before election eve.

The last, and possibly most important, lesson is that a winning conservative message must always be carefully crafted. If candidates are going to talk boldly on the campaign trail about entitlement reform and reducing the size of government, they must be prepared to word it in such a way as to minimize the inevitable fear-mongering accusations of “extremism.” We are quickly approaching a fiscal turning point where these crucial reform discussions will be mandatory. We need to speak about them in a way that the public will embrace. During his first run for the presidency in 1976, Ronald Reagan found out that election campaigns aren’t necessarily the best settings for quasi-academic discussions about issues like Social Security reform. So for his next campaign, he resolved to build his platform out of tried and tested policies like tax cuts. Successful candidates in the next election cycle will have to test and develop similar policy platforms that address the crucial issues of entitlement reform and shrinking government in a way that the voters will find pragmatic and even attractive.

If we manage to do these things, there is no reason why we can’t look forward with confidence to winning in 2012. I have said all along that this election must be seen in conjunction with the next. Ultimately 2010 must be viewed as just the first battle in a much longer fight that leads to November 6, 2012, and beyond. We cannot fully restore and revive America until we replace Obama. The meaning of the 2010 election was rebuke, reject, and repeal. We rebuked Washington’s power grab, rejected this unwanted “fundamental transformation of America,” and began the process to repeal the dangerous policies inflicted on us. But this theme will only complement the theme of 2012, which is renew, revive, and restore. In 2012, we need to renew our optimistic, pioneering spirit, revive our free-market system, and restore constitutional limits and our standing in the world as the abiding beacon of freedom.

Till then, I hope that commonsense patriots will join me in applauding the real heroes of this election year: the Tea Party Americans. In 2008, we were told that we had to “move beyond Reagan.” Well, some of us refused to believe that America chose big-government European-style socialism. American voters elected a politician who cloaked his agenda in the language of moderation. Once the mask was removed, Americans rejected his “fundamental transformation.” The Tea Party reminded us that Reaganism is still our foundation. I think the Gipper is smiling down on us today waving the Gadsden Flag.

- Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, was the 2008 Republican nominee for vice president.

Tonight in NYC: TLC's SPAlaska Promotion Party

*
TLC kicks off its publicity campaign for "Sarah Palin's Alaska" tonight in the Big Apple:

SPalaska.com will take over the event space at the Samsung Interactive Experience in the Time Warner Building on Thursday, where curators and editors of the website will preview video clips, explain what they're doing, talk about Sarah and Alaska, and generally "try to support and elevate the discussion around the show beyond where it would be if left to happen on its own."

[..,]

Where does the promotion for the show end and promotion for Palin begin? It's hard to say. The first blog entry is entitled: "I can see Alaska from my living room," a play off one of Palin's early 2008 campaign musings about her foreign policy experience. Transitioning from a television host to a presidential candidate in the age of Reality Politics may be easier than it appears. Palin will have a captive audience, a chance to remake her identity, associations with pastoral objects and scenery -- and the assistance of a cable network that knows that the more attention it brings to Palin, the more money it makes.

Tonight's event gets underway at 6:30PM New York, New York time. Gov. Palin will be seen on the big screen, and among the party favors, "I Can See Sarah Palin's Alaska From My Living Room" t-shirts and laptop stickers will be handed out. The 8-part series premieres Sunday, Nov. 14.

- JP

Great new SarahPAC Video: 'Together'

*

Support SarahPAC here

- JP

Day By Day (November 4, 2010)

*
Good Morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day.



Support Pro-Palin Day By Day

- JP

Quote of the Day (November 3, 2010)

*
Sen. Jim DeMint via CBS News:

"Sarah Palin's done a lot of good for the country. She's gone out front and taken a lot of the slings and arrows from the critics. When women or minorities get involved in politics as conservatives, they take a lot of hits from the press. And she's done a lot of good for the Republican Party, and for our country."

- JP

Sarah Palin says she will 'prayerfully consider' running in '12

*
Gov. Palin, on Fox News' 'Hannity" Wednesday night, provided post-election analysis and told host Sean Hannity she would 'prayerfully consider' running for president in 2012:


Help Palin TV acquire more Sarah Palin videos. Contribute here

- JP

More Quote of the Day Honorable Mention, Part 145

"Hypocritico Rove" Edition
*

Jennifer at Cubachi:

"My how the beltway are so hypocritical. Rove demeans Sarah Palin for having a show that promotes Alaska, yet he gave accolades to Jon Stewart for his interview with President Obama. What the heck is this about? Rove seems to hate that Sarah Palin, the out of the beltway type, is so popular, yet his liberal elite republicans are thrown out of office by conservatives. I watched last night Sarah Palin being interviewed by Mary Hart of Entertainment Tonight (Rove must have had a conniption over this) where Palin discussed why she was willing to do such a program. Although Rove likes to think of it as a 'reality show,' Palin explained that it was a showcase of the grandeur that is Alaska. What is so wrong about promoting a state and encouraging tourism? Rove must be worried that a new audience will actually see the Sarah Palin all of us know and admire, and not the Palin the elite in the liberal and republican beltway portrayed her to be."

Peter Andrew at Conservative American:

"What’s scary to [Chris] Matthews is good for America!"

Mark Whittington at Associated Content:

"The idea that trying to change a comely, affable hockey mom from Wassila, Alaska, into the boogie woman is the only thing the Democrats have to save them from disaster is pretty pathetic. However, that will not stop them from using the fear and loathing of Sarah Palin among the left as a motivational whip. The conventional wisdom is that once the Democrats have their heads handed to them, Palin becomes the frontrunner for the 2012 GOP nomination."

Judson Phillips via email to Sushanna Walshe:

"Karl Rove–bless his heart–has been wrong all summer long when it comes to having any idea of what conservative Americans want. The difference is that Rove is a D.C. analyst, and Sarah Palin is a leader."

The Editors of Investors Business Daily:

"Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin... knows a little about how disparagingly liberal media can treat conservative candidates...She knows how they look down on conservatives as some lower life-form the way ABC's Charles Gibson looked at Palin during an interview like some professor quizzing a grad student. Palin experienced it personally during and after her vice presidential run. She knows how low in the gutter some media outlets will go. The New York Times Web page had no fewer than three stories on Bristol Palin. Slate, owned by the Washington Post, ran a 'Name Bristol Palin's Baby' contest. Us Weekly had 'Babies, Lies, and Scandal' and a picture of Palin on its cover, and the media openly speculated on whether Trig was really her child and not Bristol's. There may have been a bit of personal grievance when she called the Alaskan media 'corrupt bastards' on 'Fox News Sunday.' Bristol's [now ex-]boyfriend was more thoroughly investigated than Barack Obama's lifelong association with terrorist William Ayers."

John Coale quoted by Chris Cillizza:

"Have you seen the attacks on this woman and her family in the last two years?"

Ann Althouse:

"Is there any evidence, anywhere, that Sarah Palin would like to criminalize the teaching of evolution? Is there any evidence, anywhere, that Sarah Palin doesn't love our constitutional free expression rights? Is there evidence, anywhere, that Sarah Palin would not admire a lawyer who fought to defend free speech rights against the oppressive government use of criminal law against a science teacher? ... But even assuming Clarence Darrow should be anathema to Sarah Palin, the quote — 'Lost causes' are the only ones worth fighting for' — isn't from Clarence Darrow. It's from the book that became the movie 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.'"

Krista West of the Culture and Media Institute:

"Is there anything that Sarah Palin says that doesn’t get twisted by the liberal media?"

PW Enterprise at Patricia:

"Here is how these extreme media outlets look at stuff: Sarah Palin is labeled as a supporter of Domestic Violence because she won’t 'denounce' Genn Beck, yet our President can have associates such as Reverend Wright, William Ayers and Geroge Soros and all is fuzzy warm. What is wrong with people in this country that 1st believe this BS and 2ndly support it?"

Stacy McCain at The Other McCain:

"Rove, let me rock your little world with a question: what if Sarah Palin is smarter than you? Seriously. You’re either playing a sly bad cop role here, or maybe you’re past your sell-by date."

Andrew Gully of AFP:

"Palin announced in July 2009 that she was resigning as Alaska governor, 18 months before completing her first term, providing a puzzling explanation that it was due to frivolous ethics complaints against her. It is not too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that the potent figure in the burgeoning anti-Obama opposition movement simply wanted to dedicate herself completely to a 2012 presidential run."

Shane Vander Hart at Caffeinated Thoughts:

"Here’s some advice for those who give POLITICO fodder. Grow a spine and own your comments; otherwise shut up."

Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America:

"The last thing Republican operatives should be discussing on the eve of a historic election featuring conservative women is some kind of goofy ‘Stop Palin’ strategy. Unfortunately this is typical of the GOP establishment’s self-serving worldview which the grassroots have clearly repudiated."

Richard Viguerie, CEO of ConservativeHQ, via email:

"Sarah Palin presented a strong and articulate case for Republicans in a Fox News interview with Chris Wallace"

SamHenry at On My Watch:

"Rumors that Republican stalwarts have been trying to find a way of freezing Sarah Palin out of the 2012 presidential race are circulating and unless this is squashed, Barack will rise again on cannibalism carried out in the Republican Ranks. One of the most important points to consider when trying to strong-arm a candidate is not just that it stymies the democratic process but that it suggests to voters that the Republicans hacks don’t have very much confidence in their innate intelligence. In short, let Palin do what she does best and get behind her if she gets the nomination."

- JP

Exit Polls: Castle would have probably lost to Coons

*
Rebecca Sinderbrand, via CNN's Political Ticker, serves up a morsel of food for thought that Tokyo Rove and other Conservative Lite^® loudmouths who have been slamming Gov. Palin for her endorsement of Christine O'Donnell in the Delaware race for the U.S. Senate should chew on:

"If GOP voters are feeling any buyer's remorse, they may take some solace in one surprising stat: despite pre-election polls that showed longtime Republican Rep. Mike Castle handily beating Coons in a hypothetical matchup, the voters who turned out today said they would still probably have sent Coons to Washington over Castle, backing him 44-43 percent."

- JP

Corrupt media spins Gov. Palin's endorsements (Updated)

*
Not all of the biggest winners in this year's general election were candidates running for public office. Those running who had Gov. Palin's endorsement did very well indeed, but you would never know it if you get your news from the mainstream media. Not only did crack reporters not do their research, some of them appear to have the math skills of a two-year old.

NBC Montana came closer to getting it right than others, as it named our favorite Mama Bear as one of the five big winners in Tuesday's elections:

Not all of the candidates Sarah Palin threw her support behind won election, but enough were victorious to reflect well on the former vice presidential candidate.

Of the 54 candidates across congressional, gubernatorial and other state races Palin supported who faced primaries, 42 won. Combined with the candidates she backed who did not face primaries, that left 49 candidates for the 2010 midterms. Of those, 28 candidates won, 15 lost and six races were still undecided by early Wednesday morning.

More important than her won-loss record, the 2008 vice presidential candidate helped to "energize the Republican Party on its way to a historic wave of success," says the author.

Next up, Shushannah Walshe. While Walshe may be regarded by the media establishment as an authoritative figure, she doesn't do too well with numbers:

Palin will point to a positive win-loss record—98 of her 77 candidates triumphed, (6 races had yet to be called by Wednesday morning.) But many of the highest-profile races, where she had loudly interjected herself, her candidates—Sharron Angle in Nevada, Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, and John Raese in West Virginia—lost.

98 of 77? Walshe gives the governor credit for having more candidates win than she actually endorsed, which is quite an accomplishment. But her piece focuses on those who lost, which is typical of The Daily Beast, which should change its name to The Daily Least.

Also, we have a story which falls into the Big Lie category by Aliyah Shahid, a staff writer for DNC stenographer rag NY Daily News:

"Overall, just 27, or 45% of the candidates Palin endorsed have won so far."

We're not sure what body cavity Shahid pulled those numbers from, because more than twice that number endorsed by Gov. Palin have actually won. The rest of this hit piece is just as disingenuous and snarky, proving once again that when the lamestream, drive-by media doesn't like the facts, it simply makes things up instead.

The truth is Palin-endorsed national candidates (there were 94 of them in the general election) have won 60 and lost 29, with 5 races undecided. Of the decided races, she has a winning percentage of 67.4% so far. That's over two-thirds of the candidates she has endorsed. Even were her endorsed candidates to lose the remaining nine undecided contests, she would still have a winning percentage of 63.8, or better than three out of five. Not bad at all, especially considering all of the underdogs and long shot candidates the governor endorsed in these races. Notice that no one in the media is talking about any other political figure's endorsements and how they fared in the midterms. That speaks volumes in itself.

Updates...

The Daily Bleat Beast has changed the Walshe piece to read "49 of her 77 candidates triumphed" without acknowledging the typo - but the numbers are still wrong. 60 of the 94 candidates Gov. Palin endorsed have won, with 8 races still to be called.

The Caucus blog at the NY Times also focused on the losers, rather than the larger number of winners, backed by Gov. Palin. But Michael Shear, who wrote the post, had to admit:

If former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska decides to run for president in 2012, she will now have plenty of help.

[...]

Still, as potential 2012 presidential contenders begin lining up support and cashing in chits, Ms. Palin will have plenty of places to look for support. In addition to the Senate and governors’ races, there are dozens of lesser-known House candidates who had earned her blessing.

But, on the positive side, CBS News published a surprisingly fair, if not quite accurate, report:

Most of the candidates Sarah Palin endorsed chalked up victories Tuesday.

And that scorecard leaves pundits wondering whether she'll now train her sights directly on the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

As CBS News Correspondent Jeff Glor reports, .the former GOP vice presidential nominee backed 43 candidates for the House. Thirty of them won, with races involving nine others still undecided.

Her record in Senate races was closer: She endorsed 12 candidates. Seven won.

Though it's been 15 months since Palin stepped down as Alaska governor, she was very much in this election, stumping for candidates across the country, skewering President Obama at every turn.

"My observation of Sarah Palin," says CBS News political analyst Nicolle Wallace, "is that she is one of the shrewdest political figures in our country at this moment. She's also one of the most electric."

Actually, Gov. Palin endorsed 72 Congressional candidates, 42 of whom won, with 5 races still undecided.

Add Ed Carson at IBD's Capital Hill blog to the list of media types who who are factually-challenged:

"Meanwhile, Sarah Palin’s presidential ambitions took a hit. The defeats of Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, Ken Buck and possibly Joe Miller — all races that were eminently winnable in a GOP year — show that activist zeal alone can’t push polarizing candidates to victory."

Just a couple of problems with that paragraph, Ed. First of all, Sarah Palin never endorsed Ken Buck. Secondly, a number of "polarizing" candidates Gov. Palin endorsed -- including, but certainly not limited to, Rand Paul, Michele Bachmann, Marco Rubio, Allen West, Nikki Haley and John Boozman -- cruised to victory last night.

*Also updated to account for latest results

- JP

Day By Day (November 3, 2010)

*
Good Morning! It's a wonderful life if we just take it Day By Day.



Support Pro-Palin Day By Day

- JP

Quote of the Day (November 2, 2010)

*
Political science professor Susan MacManus:

"In politics, part of being able to support other people of your party in your election endeavor is a way you build your network and you build power. [Sarah Palin is] basically building a lot of clout within the party. She can raise money, she can turn out crowds. People read into her the ability to impact an election."

- JP

How Gov. Palin's General Election Endorsees Are Doing (Updating)

*
Gov. Palin's Endorsements by Office and State
(Candidates with asterisk (*) after their names also endorsed by Combat Veterans for Congress)
(Candidates with carat (^) after their names are in SarahPAC's "Take Back the 20" House districts)

Her national candidates have won 61 and lost 33:
(SarahPAC's "Take Back the 20" candiates have won 18 and lost 2)
*
Governor: (9-2)

CO - Tom Tancredo - lost
FL - Rick Scott - won
IA - Terry Branstad - won
ID - Butch Otter - won
MN - Tom Emmer - lost
NJ - Chris Christie - won
NM - Susanna Martinez - won
OK - Mary Fallin - won
SC - Nikki Haley won
TX - Rick Perry - won
VA - Bob McDonnell - won

*
US Senate: (7-4)

AK - Joe Miller* - lost
AR - John Boozeman - won
AZ - John McCain* - won
CA - Carly Fiorina - lost
DE - Christine O'Donnell - lost
FL - Marco Rubio - won
IL - Mark Kirk* - won
KY - Dr. Rand Paul - won
NH - Kelly Ayotte - won
PA - Pat Toomey - won
WV - John Raese - lost

*
U.S. House (45- 27)

AL-02 - Martha Roby - won
AR-02 - Tim Griffin*^ - won
AZ-01 - Dr. Paul Gosar^ - won
AZ-04 - Janet Contreras - lost
AZ-05 - David Schweikert^ - won
AZ-07 - Ruth McClung - lost
AZ-08 - Jesse Kelly*^ - lost
CA-07 - Rick Tubbs* - lost
CA-30 - Chuck Wilkerson - lost
CA-37 - Star Parker - lost
CA-51 - Nick Popaditch* - lost
CA-52 - Duncan Hunter* - won
CA-53 - Michael Crimmins* - lost
CO-03 - Scott Tipton^ - won
CO-04 - Cory Gardner^ - won
CO-06 - Michael Coffman* - won
FL-02 - Steve Southerland^ - won
FL-08 - Daniel Webster - won
FL-22 - Allen West* - won
FL-24 - Sandy Adams^ - won
GA-11 - Phil Gingrey - won
GA-12 - Ray McKinney - lost
HI-02 - John Willoughby - lost
IL-11 - Adam Kinzinger* - won
IL-14 - Randy Hultgren - won
IN-02 - Jackie Walorski - won
IN-08 - Larry Bucshon^ - won
IN-09 - Todd Young^ - won
KY-03 - Todd Lally* - lost
MA-04 - Sean Bielat - lost
MD-05 - Charles Lollar* - lost
MI-01 - Dr. Dan Benishek - won
MI-09 - Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski* - lost
MI-15 - Rob Steele - lost
MN-02 - John Kline* - won
MN-06 - Michelle Bachmann - won
MO-04 - Vicky Hartzler - won
MS-01 - Alan Nunnelee - won
MS-02 - Bill Marcy - lost
NC-02 - Renee Ellmers - won
NC-07 - Ilario Pantano - lost
ND-AL - Rick Berg^ - won
NM-02 - Steve Pearce* - won
NY-02 - John Gomez - lost
NY-13 - Michael Grimm* - won
NY-20 - Chris Gibson* - won
NY-25 - Anna Marie Buerkle - won
OH-06 - Bill Johnson^ - won
OH-15 - Steve Stivers* - won
OH-16 - Jim Renacci^ - won
PA-03 - Mike Kelly^ - won
PA-10 - Tom Marino^ - won
RI-01 - John Loughlin* - lost
SC-01 - Tim Scott - won
SC-05 - Mick Mulvaney^ - won
TN-06 - Diane Black^ - won
TN-08 - Stephen Fincher - won
TX-17 - Bill Flores - won
TX-23 - Francisco "Quico" Canseco - won
TX-25 - Dr. Donna Campbell - lost
TX-27 - Blake Farenthold - won
TX-30 - Stephen Broden - lost
UT-02 - Morgan Philpot - lost
VA-05 - Robert Hurt^ - won
VA-08 - J. Patrick Murray* - lost
VA-11 - Keith Fimian - lost
WA-02 - John Koster - lost
WA-05 - Cathy McMorris Rogers - won
WA-09 - Dick Muri* - lost
WI-07 - Sean Duffy - won
WV-01 - David McKinley^ - won
WV-03 - Spike Maynard^ - lost
*

Her state candidates have won 3 and lost 2:

*
State Attorney General (2-1):

IA - Brenna Findley - lost
FL - Pam Bondi - won
TX - Greg Abbott - won

*
State Secretary of State (1-0):

AL - Beth Chapman - won

*
State House (0-1):

HI - Scott Henderson - lost

*
Here is the updated list in chronological order, from most recent to earliest, of the 94 candidates (75 men, 19 women) endorsed/actively supported for national office by Sarah Palin in the 2010 general election.

• Tom Tancredo for Governor in CO, 10/26/10
• Rob Steele for U.S. House in MI-15, 10/26/10
• Ilario Pantano for U.S. House in NC-07, 10/26/10
• Chuck Wilkerson for U.S. House in CA-30, 10/26/10
• Butch Otter for Governor of ID, 10/22/10
• Sean Bielat for U.S. House in MA-04, 10/22/10
• Stephen Fincher for U.S. House in TN-08, 10/22/10
• Randy Hultgren for U.S. House in IL-14, 10/22/10
• Phil Gingrey for U.S. House in GA-11, 10/19/10
• Pat Toomey for U.S. Senate in PA, 10/19/10
• John Boozman for U.S. Senate in AR, 10/19/10
• John Raese for U.S. Senate in WV, 10/11/10
• Dr. Dan Benishek for U.S. House in MI-01, 10/11/10
• Keith Fimian for U.S. House in VA-11, 10/11/10
• Ruth McClung for U.S. House in AZ-07, 10/11/10
• Janet Contreras for U.S. House in AZ-04, 10/11/10
• Ray McKinney for U.S. House in GA-12, 10/11/10
• Alan Nunnelee for U.S. House in MS-01, 10/11/10
• Bill Marcy for U.S. House in MS-02, 10/11/10
• Morgan Philpot for U.S. House in UT-02, 10/11/10
• John Loughlin for U.S. House in RI-01, 10/10/10
• Mark Kirk for U.S. Senate in IL, 10/10/10
• Charles Lollar for U.S. House in MD-05, 10/10/10
• Dick Muri for U.S. House in WA-09, 10/10/10
• Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski for U.S. House in MI-09, 10/10/10
• Todd Lally for U.S. House in KY-03, 10/10/10
• Michael Coffman for U.S. House in CO-06, 10/10/10
• Rick Tubbs for U.S. House in CA-07, 10/10/10
• Duncan Hunter for U.S. House in CA-52, 10/10/10
• Chris Gibson for U.S. House in NY-20, 10/10/10
• Nick Popaditch for U.S. House in CA-51, 10/10/10
• Michael Crimmins for U.S. House in CA-53, 10/10/10
• Steve Stivers for U.S. House in OH-15, 10/10/10
• J. Patrick Murray for U.S. House in VA-08, 10/10/10
• John Kline for U.S. House in MN-02, 10/10/10
• Rick Scott for Governor in FL, 10/07/10
• Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate in FL, 10/07/10
• John Willoughby for U.S. House in HI-02, 10/07/10
• Bill Flores for U.S. House in TX-17, 10/07/10
• Francisco "Quico" Canseco for U.S. House in TX-23, 10/07/10
• Dr. Donna Campbell for U.S. House in TX-25, 10/07/10
• Blake Farenthold for U.S. House in TX-27, 10/07/10
• Steve Pearce for US Congress in NM-02, 10/05/10
• Daniel Webster for US Congress in FL-08, 09/30/10
• Spike Maynard for US Congress in WV-03, 09/23/10
• David McKinley for US Congress in WV-01, 09/23/10
  
• Robert Hurt for US Congress in VA-05, 09/23/10
  
• Diane Black for US Congress in TN-06, 09/23/10
  
• Mick Mulvaney for US Congress in SC-05, 09/23/10
  
• Mike Kelly for US Congress in PA-03, 09/23/10
  
• Tom Marino for US Congress in PA-10, 09/23/10
  
• Bill Johnson for US Congress in OH-06, 09/23/10
  
• Jim Renacci for US Congress in OH-16, 09/23/10
  
• Rick Berg for US Congress in ND-AL, 09/23/10
  
• Todd Young for US Congress in IN-09, 09/23/10
  
• Larry Bucshon for US Congress in IN-08, 09/23/10
  
• Sandy Adams for US Congress in FL-24, 09/23/10
  
• Steve Southerland for US Congress in FL-02, 09/23/10
  
• Corey Gardner for US Congress in CO-04, 09/23/10
  
• Scott Tipton for US Congress in CO-03, 09/23/10
  
• Jesse Kelly for US Congress in AZ-08, 09/23/10
  
• David Schweikert for US Congress in AZ-05, 09/23/10
  
• Tim Griffin for US Congress in AR-02, 09/23/10
  
• Stephen Broden for US Congress in TX-30, 09/21/10
  
• Christine O'Donnell for US Senate in DE, 09/09/10
  
• Martha Roby for US Congress in AL-02, 08/18/10
  
• Renee Ellmers for US Congress in NC-02, 08/18/10
  
• Jackie Walorski for US Congress in IN-02, 08/18/10
  
• Vicky Hartzler for US Congress in MO-04, 08/18/10
  
• John Gomez for U.S. Congress in NY-02, 07/28/10
  
• Michael Grimm for U.S. Congress in NY-13, 07/28/10
  
• Kelly Ayotte for U.S. Senate in NH, 07/19/10
  
• Dr. Paul Gosar for U.S. Congress in AZ-01, 07/19/10
  
• Ann Marie Buerkle for U.S. Congress in NY-25, 07/12/10
  
• Tim Scott for U.S. Congress in SC-01, 06/17/10
  
• Cathy McMorris Rodgers for U.S. Congress in WA-05, 06/17/10
  
• Star Parker for U.S. Congress in CA-37, 06/17/10
  
• Mary Fallin for Governor in OK, 06/17/10
  
• John Koster for U.S. Congress in WA-02, 06/12/10
  
• Terry Branstad for Governor in IA, 06/03/10
  
• Joe Miller for U.S. Senate in AK, 06/02/10
  
• Susana Martinez for Governor in NM, 05/15/10
  
• Nikki Haley for Governor in SC, 05/14/10
  
• Carly Fiorina for U.S. Senate in CA, 05/06/10
  
• Tom Emmer for Governor in MN, 04/29/10
  
• Adam Kinzinger for U.S. Congress in IL-11, 03/29/10
• Lt. Col. Allen West for U.S. Congress in FL-22, 03/29/10
• Sean Duffy for U.S. Congress in WI-07, 02/17/10
  
• Dr. Rand Paul for U.S. Senate in KY, 02/01/10
  
• Rick Perry for Governor in TX, 01/20/10
  
• Michele Bachmann for U.S. Congress in MN-06, 01/20/10
  
• John McCain for U.S. Senate in AZ, 01/20/10
  
• Chris Christie for Governor in NJ, 10/27/09
  
• Bob McDonnell for Governor in VA, 10/27/09
  

*
In state races, Gov. Palin has endorsed 5 candidates, including 2 men and 3 women:

• Scott Henderson for State House in HI (Dist. 7), 10/07/10
• Greg Abbott for Attorney General in TX, 10/07/10
• Pam Bondi for Attorney General in FL, 08/18/10
  
• Brenna Findley for Attorney General in IA, 08/18/10
  
• Beth Chapman for Secretary of State in AL, 08/18/10
  

*
- JP

KTVA sacks two producers over 'Phonegate' (Updated)

*
Lacey Halpern of Fox News reports that two KTVA producers involved in the "Phonegate" scandal in Alaska have been fired:

The former employees of the CBS affiliate in Anchorage left an accidental voicemail for an aide to GOP Senate candidate Joe Miller, in which they joked about the possibility of reporting on the appearance of sex offenders at a Miller rally.

KTVA's General Manager released this statement on the station's web site:

Anchorage, Alaska, (11/02/10) - KTVA today released findings of its internal assessment of allegations that the "news director for CBS Anchorage affiliate KTVA, along with assignment editor Nick McDermott, and other reporters, openly discussed creating, if not fabricating, two stories about Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, Joe Miller," as alleged by the Miller campaign. KTVA states that its review included multiple staff interviews, a review of that day's actual news coverage and a forensic transcript of the recorded audio conversation.

General Manager Jerry Bever stated, "As we worked through this fact-finding process we noted that actual story assignments for that day had already been decided before the recorded conversation took place. At no time did any of the elements associated with the recorded comments become part of any coverage or broadcast. The recorded conversation in question specifically involved how that evening's Miller rally might be promoted and the ensuing dialogue went down hill from there. These particular comments were not in line with KTVA standards."

As a result of this incident, the two producers involved in the recorded conversation are no longer with the station. As a matter of policy KTVA did not identify the staff members involved, however KTVA clarified that neither the News Director, Assignment Editor Nick McDermott nor any other KTVA reporters were involved in the recorded conversation as previously reported by the Miller campaign.

KTVA believes that its actual broadcast coverage of Miller has been sound and fair during this election cycle and the history of our coverage speaks for itself. Bever noted that in the coverage of this issue, FOX News correspondent Dan Springer reported that in a review of recent Miller coverage by KTVA, Fox News could not find any articles or stories that showed any obvious bias or hit pieces against Joe Miller.

KTVA has contacted the Miller campaign to set up a meeting to review its findings.

Update: But that's not the whole story, not by a long shot. Ed Morrissey explains.

- JP

Sarah Palin to NBC's Todd: Chucky, I'm not on the ballot

NewsBuster Geoffrey Dickens catches NBC media hacks trying to set up Gov. Palin by making the election all about her, rather than about the liberal Democrats and their failed leftist agenda:

On Tuesday's Today show, a couple of correspondents laid down the potential story line of a big defeat for Sarah Palin if the Republican Tea Party candidate she endorsed, Joe Miller, doesn't win his bid for the Senate seat in Alaska as NBC's Chuck Todd proclaimed: "Sarah Palin's political future is a little bit on the line" and added "this would be a big embarrassment," while NBC's Kristen Welker declared: "the race is also a referendum on Sarah Palin." Welker also featured a sound bite from a political analyst noting a Miller defeat would mean a "black eye" for the former Alaska Governor. Of course the question has to be asked, if Miller defeats write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski, will Todd and Welker go the other way and admit it was a huge win for Palin and the Tea Party?

Of course there's no way the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate was going to let them get away with it scot free, as this tweet demonstrates:

"Silly fellas! Chucky, remember, I'm not on ballot; RT @newsbusters: Today Show Tries to Set Up Sarah Palin for Big Fail http://bit.ly/dwT5sy"

- JP

Sarah Palin: 'This is not a time to compromise our principles'

*
Sarah Palin, on Laura Ingraham's radio talk show today, took issue with Republicans who say that only bits and pieces of the unpopular ObamaCare bill should be repealed. Saying that conservatives should not compromise their principles, she insisted that the entire measure must be sent to the scrap heap instead:


Help Palin TV acquire more Sarah Palin videos. Contribute here

- JP

Gov. Palin continues to show her support for Israel

*

Sarah Palin wore her America/Israel flag pin during the weekend rally for GOP Senate candidate John Raese in Charleston, West Virginia:

This pleases Americans who recognize Israel as one of America's truest and strongest allies. It enrages the axis of anti-Israel leftists and Jew-hating jihadists.

h/t: Jewish Americans for Sarah Palin

- JP