Gov. Palin: Christie ‘just produced an ad for the Democrats’

h/t: SarahNET

- JP

Tony Lee: Christie says ‘Not My Time' -- All Eyes Now on Palin

"So could it now be Palin’s time?"
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Human Events columnist Tony Lee calls our attention to the interesting coincidence that on the same day New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had to call a press conference to convince some in the GOP establishment and the media once and for all that he's not running for president this election cycle, DVDs of the Sarah Palin documentary "The Undefeated" went on sale in thousands of retail and online outlets.

If it is not Christie's time, as the governor declared Tuesday, the question now becomes, is it Gov. Palin’s time?

From now until the end of October, when candidates must meet the first official filing deadline to get on the primary ballot, the eyes of the political world will be on Palin, who, unlike other candidates who have shown a public sense of indecision, has never gone on record to say that she would not run for President.

In recent weeks, books that have sought to potentially undermine Palin have been thoroughly discredited.

For instance, Joe McGinniss​, an author of an anti-Palin book, had an e-mail he wrote to a source discovered in which he wrote that a “legal review of my manuscript is under way, and here’s my problem: No one has ever offered documentation of any of the lurid stories about the Palins.”

McGinniss’ shenanigans and vindictiveness are representative of the frivolous ethics charges Palin was confronted with when she came back to Alaska after the 2008 election, which The Undefeated documents.

In an unconventional cycle in which candidates have seen rapid and wild swings in their poll numbers in a matter of weeks, Palin is the only Republican figure with enough clout, name recognition and grassroots support to enter this late and be a contender.

In fact, one difference between Palin and Christie is that while the Republican and financial elite have backed Christie, Palin’s support comes from her fervent grassroots supporters who disdain and loathe the GOP establishment and what Palin has referred to as the “permanent political class,” almost as much as they love Palin. Another difference is Palin’s bold conservatism, as opposed to Christie’s more pastel brand, the former’s fitting the spirit of this cycle way more than the latter’s.

[More]

In a delicious twist of irony, the same ruling and chattering classes who have assured us that it was too late for the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate to get into the 2012 race for the White House just made such a turn of events plausible by arguing that there was still plenty of time for New Jersey's governor to start a presidential campaign entirely from scratch. All that remains to be seen are whether Sarah Palin will run and when she will formally announce her intentions. While political junkies wait for those questions to be answered, Tony Lee concludes, "all eyes will be on Palin, and the GOP field is far from being considered set."

- JP

Quote of the Day (November 28, 2010)

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Jennifer at Cubachi:

"So Governor Chris Christie... got caught up with ridiculing a conservative like Sarah Palin on national television. OK, if he likes to play that game. But there is something called class, which he needs to have a lesson about... My point is, show some respect for her. She never uttered a bad word about the governor. He should reciprocate the respect and not let the liberal media frame how he should characterize Palin. One day, Christie will be rudely awakened to a liberal media that will hate his guts. Everything is peachy so far. But just remember what happened to media darling Senator John McCain."

- JP

Richmond Tea Party presidential straw poll: Christie 14%, Palin 13.5%

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie edged out former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin by half a percentage point for first place in the Richmond, Virginia, Tea Party presidential straw poll Saturday. Christie won 14 percent of the 1,560 votes cast, with Governor Palin just behind him in second place with 13.5 percent. Texas Congressman Ron Paul finished third with 12.5 percent, followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who had 8.4 percent and U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) with 7.3 percent. Other candidates included Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Indiana Congressman Mike Pence.

Former CNN commentator Lou Dobbs keynoted the event, which organizers say attracted 2,800 registered attendees:

Repealing Obamacare was a major focus of the convention, and former Virginia Governor and U.S. Senator George Allen made an indirect stab at former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for the Bay State’s healthcare program. Romney didn’t even place in the top five contenders in the straw poll, and “RomneyCare,” as Massachusetts’ healthcare program has been coined, may have had something to do with that.

[...]

Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain kicked off Saturday’s events with a headlining speech – and he hinted the most of any potential 2012 GOP candidate at a run for the presidency.

After recounting his story of having survived cancer, Cain said sometimes God keeps people around for a reason they don’t know at the time.

“I might do something crazy,” Cain told the crowd of Tea Partiers in Richmond. “I might just run for president.”

Speaking of running for president, Christie has rather emphatically denied that he wants to do so, telling reporters in Iowa recently:

"I'm governor of New Jersey, I'm not going to run for national office. You have to want it more than anything else in the world, and I don't. ... You have to be ready for it, and I'm not."

Gov. Palin, on the other hand, has by her own recent comments, increased speculation that she will run in 2012.

- JP

Sarah Palin quotes Ronald Reagan: "The cause goes on."

Via her Facebook Notes page late Tuesday night, Sarah Palin offered a message of congratulations to the nation's two new Republican governors and words of encouragement to a long shot Conservative Party candidate for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives:

A Victory for Common Sense and Fiscal Sanity

Congratulations to the new Governors-Elect of Virginia and New Jersey! I’d also like to offer a special word of support to the new Lieutenant Governor-Elect of New Jersey, Kim Guadagno, the first woman to hold that office.

Of course, the real victors in this election are the ordinary men and women who voted for positive change and a return to fiscal sanity. Your voices have been heard.

The race for New York’s 23rd District is not over, just postponed until 2010. The issues of this election have always centered on the economy – on the need for fiscal restraint, smaller government, and policies that encourage jobs. In 2010, these issues will be even more crucial to the electorate. I commend Doug Hoffman and all the other under-dog candidates who have the courage to put themselves out there and run against the odds.

To the tireless grassroots patriots who worked so hard in that race and to future citizen-candidates like Doug, please remember Reagan’s words of encouragement after his defeat in 1976:

“The cause goes on. Don't get cynical because look at yourselves and what you were willing to do, and recognize that there are millions and millions of Americans out there that want what you want, that want it to be that way, that want it to be a shining city on a hill.”

The cause goes on.

- Sarah Palin

- JP

Palin asks for support for RGA, McDonnell, Christie

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Former Governor Sarah Palin, on her Facebook Notes page, has posted an op-ed in support of GOP guernatorial candidates Chris Christie, Bob McDonnell and the Republican Governors Association. Excerpts:

Like other independent Americans, you know I don’t always see eye-to-eye with Republican political committees, so when I tell you that the Republican Governors Association has my complete support and confidence in its campaign efforts back East, know that I really mean it. The RGA is helping lead the conservative comeback, BEGINNING THIS YEAR, and its involvement in the East Coast races is significant. I hope you'll support these efforts, which are vital to the cause for America's freedom and prosperity...

Let's consider the governor's race in New Jersey. The state has the highest tax burden in the country and the incumbent democrat governor has only added to the economic burden. He eliminated property tax rebates for middle class homeowners while the sales tax increased. Altogether, taxes on the people in the region have increased by billions of dollars. It’s no surprise that New Jersey has the highest unemployment rate in the region! Thankfully, there is an alternative. Residents there will be better off under an administration that understands the benefits that result when workers are allowed to keep more of what they earn. Watch New Jersey's economy come alive under new leadership that will put government back on the side of the people! Chris Christie promises this new leadership.

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Then in Virginia - there is a clear difference between Republican Bob McDonnell and his liberal opponent. Republican Bob McDonnell is fighting for cheaper American energy and lower taxes, while his opponent wants to raise taxes, and, amazingly, even bragged about having more earmarks than any other state legislator. Bob McDonnell promises to fight for Virginia's hard working families, and he opposes some heavy-handed union leadership efforts that could ultimately hurt employers and employees...

Americans who believe in smaller government and free enterprise have a chance to show Washington that people all across the U.S. don’t want an ever-increasing national debt, more dependency on foreign energy sources and more wasteful government spending. If, like me, this is what you want to show Washington, then I hope you'll support Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell, and the RGA, as great efforts are put forth in these East Coast races.

Read Sarah Palin's full Facebook op-ed here.

- JP

Sarah Palin will be very much in demand on the campaign trail

Democrats and Vichy Republicans have their latest talking point from the DNC, and they are plastering it all over the web. The jist of their meme, rooted in a Politico article, is that two GOP gubernatorial candidates -- Christie in New jersey and McDonnell in Virginia -- don't want Sarah Palin to campaign for them because she is "too polarizing" and might offend swing voters.

Wait a minute, says Moe Lane:

"They’re aware as I am that she’s going to be very much in demand in Congressional races where the Democratic incumbent is holding down a seat in a district that McCain or Bush won. Of which there are quite a few; but Democratic strategists can perhaps not be blamed for not wanting to say something along the lines of ‘Well, THAT WOMAN is going to go through all those Southern/Western Blue-on-Red districts like a buzz-saw, so you might as well get used to it.’ The people who need to hear that most will want to hear it least."

Our friend Moe also points our that attempts to marginalize Palin's long-term appeal rather conveniently ignore the unparalleled interest her forthcoming book has generated. It was, after all, in another Politico article where we learned:

A publishing industry source told POLITICO that they "cannot remember a non-fiction book taking off like this in the pre-order market. It became number one only a couple of hours after nothing more than a date announcement. It is truly unprecedented."

Well, unlike some of our "back east" brethren, we are fortunate to live in just one of the states where Sarah Palin is very much in demand to make campaign appearances:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign told POLITICO the Alaskan is slated to come to the Lone Star State early next year after she completes her book tour, during the latter part of Perry’s primary against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Update: McDonnell, it turns out, "repeatedly and personally" asked for Sarah Palin's help with his campaign, according to Palin spokesperson Meg Stapleton. Anita Kumar, on the Washington Post's Virginia Politics blog, explains McDonnell's backtracking:

"McDonnell['s} decision to back away from Palin is typical of his attempt to moderate himself."

According to Stapleton, it was in August when a Northern Virginia GOP operative notified Palin's staff that McDonnell no longer wanted help:

Later that month, a staffer from Palin's PAC personally handed a $2,500 check to McDonnell at a Virginia fundraiser, Stapleton said. She said Palin also planned to donate the expense of her travel from Alaska to Virginia for a future campaign event.

See Bob run.
Bob is running to the center, boys and girls.
Run, Bob, run!

- JP