Sarah Palin Flashback: 'We know violence isn’t the answer'

"When we take up our arms, we’re talking about our vote"
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A reminder at Big Government that this is not the first time the Democrat/Media Complex has shamelessly tried to use Sarah Palin's “Take Back The 20” map to demonize her. Just three days after the map was posted on her Facebook page, campaigning for John McCain (ironically in Arizona), the left's demonization of her had reached a fever pitch. Gov. Palin made it crystal clear in her speech that day that she and other conservatives were not inciting violence, but intended to use their votes to send a message to the Democrats that the public did not want any part of the unpopular ObamaCare measure that they had rammed through Congress:

Gov. Palin: "Hearing the news reports lately, this kinda ginned up controversy about us common sense conservatives 'inciting violence' because we happen to oppose some of the things in the Obama administration.

Man in Audience: "We do it with our vote!"

Gov. Palin: "Amen, brother! That’s what you do it with, with your vote! You got it right. We know violence isn’t the answer. When we take up our arms, we’re talking about our vote. We’re talking about being involved in a contested primary like this, and picking the right candidate..."

"But this B.S. coming from the lamestream media lately about this, about us inciting violence. Don’t let the conversation be diverted. Don’t’ let a distraction like that get you off track. Keep fighting hard for these candidates who are all about the common sense conservative solutions that we need."

Follow the link for the video clip.

- JP

Poll of Dozen House Districts Shows Dems in Danger

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The Hill and America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) commissioned a poll of 12 hotly contested House races, and found that Republican challengers are beating freshman Democrats in 11 of them, with the remaining race tied. Among the dozen congressional districts polled, half are in districts where Sarah Palin has made endorsements, and five are among the "Take Back the 20" House seats targeted by SarahPAC:

Arizona-1 - Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D) vs. Paul Gosar (R)

Kirkpatrick trails her Republican opponent by seven points, receiving 39 percent of the vote to Gosar’s 46, according to The Hill/ANGA poll. Twelve percent of likely voters remain undecided.

Gosar is a favorite of the Tea Party and was backed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin during the Republican primary.

[...]

Colorado-4 - Rep. Betsy Markey (D) vs. Cory Gardner (R)

Markey is behind in this Republican-leaning district by a mere three points — 44 percent to 41, with 14 percent of likely voters undecided, according to The Hill/ANGA poll.

It’s welcome news for Markey given that Republicans have trumpeted internal polling that has her down big.

But she may have difficulty finding new voters to win over. She has 89 percent of the Democrats’ support and is winning independents at 43 percent to Gardner’s 39. She even has a decent amount of Republican support, at 11 percent.

[...]

Ohio-16 - Rep. John Boccieri (D) vs. Jim Renacci (R)

Boccieri trails his Republican challenger by just three points — 42 percent to 39 — with 15 percent of likely voters undecided, according to The Hill/ANGA poll.

But dissatisfaction with Congress in this district is high, particularly among independents. Eighty-five percent of independents strongly disapprove of the job Congress is doing.

Even though the race is close, the remaining undecided voters are largely Republican and independent, making it tough for Boccieri to make up much ground. Just 14 percent of remaining undecided voters are Democrats, while 33 percent are Republican and 41 percent independent.

An unusual dynamic in the district is that women, who tend to break for Democrats in general, tend to break for the Republican here; Renacci gets 45 percent of the female vote to Boccieri’s 36.

[...]

Pennsylvania-3 - Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D) vs. Mike Kelly (R)

Dahlkemper trails Kelly by double digits, but there’s a large group of undecided voters who haven’t made up their minds about either candidate.

Kelly is ahead by 13 points — 49 percent to 36 — while 15 percent of likely voters are undecided.

Dahlkemper’s biggest obstacle could be the fact that a majority of her constituents favor repealing the healthcare reform bill, which Dahlkemper supported. Almost 60 percent said they believe the legislation should be repealed.

Undecided voters feel this way by a margin of 45 percent to 33

[...]

Virginia-5 - Rep. Tom Perriello (D) vs. Robert Hurt (R)

The Hill/ANGA poll found that Perriello trails Hurt by a single point — 44 percent to 45 — with 9 percent of likely voters undecided.

Perriello still has time to turn it around, but he’ll have to do it with two key groups — women and independents. These groups remain the largest bloc of undecided voters, with 11 percent of women and 13 percent of independents undecided.

Voter enthusiasm could present a problem for Perriello: 80 percent of Republicans say they are “very passionate” about voting, while only 68 percent of Democrats describe themselves that way.

President Obama could be an albatross for his fellow Democrat this cycle. A majority of voters (54 percent) disapprove of the president’s performance and, by a 3-to-1 ratio, respondents said their opinion of Obama will influence their vote this November.

Not among the "Take Back the 20," but a key district in which Gov. Palin made an early endorsement:

Illinois-11 - Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D) vs. Adam Kinzinger (R)

Right now, the outlook for Halvorson appears grim. The Hill/ANGA poll found she trails Kinzinger by 18 points — 49 percent to 31. Another 18 percent of likely voters remain undecided.

Kinzinger also leads among most major demographic groups. He’s ahead by 26 points among male voters and by 11 percent among females, and leads in all age groups by 10 points or more. Kinzinger also holds a wide lead with independent voters — 53 percent to 24.

Undecided voters lean toward the right; 27 percent described themselves as Republicans compared to 16 percent who said they are Democrats.

h/t: Warner Todd Huston

- JP

Phoenix Business Journal: Gov. Palin going after Arizona Dems

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The Phoenix Business Journal observes that three of Sarah Palin's targeted "Take Back the 20" Congressional seats are currently held by Arizona Democrats:

Palin is urging her supporters to get behind David Schweikert, Paul Gosar and Jesse Kelly in their bids against U.S. Reps. Harry Mitchell of Tempe, Ann Kirkpatrick of Flagstaff and Gabrielle Giffords of Tucson.

Palin has targeted 20 races nationwide where she wants to help Republican challengers.

The three Arizona races could be indicators of how well Republicans are doing nationally in a year when Democrats and President Barack Obama could face voters’ wrath over the economy and housing. Real Clear Politics lists the trio of Arizona contests as toss-ups in November.

The Journal notes that the DCCC, in response, is asking Democrats to contribute to candidates in the districts targeted by the governor.

Good. Keep 'em on defense, and make 'em spend their money there.

- JP

Video: Sarah Palin 'On the Record' with Greta, 9/27/10

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Part 1: ObamaCare and Taking Back the 20:


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Part 2: The GOP & the Tea party movement, endorsements, Bristol on DWTS:



- JP

Spike Maynard on his ensorsement by Gov. Palin

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Don Surber writes that even though Spike used to be a Democrat (we're in good company), he "was conservative when conservative was not cool." In a press release issued by his campaign, Maynard commented on Sarah Palin's recent endorsement of his candidacy:

Spike Maynard said, “We are excited and grateful to have the support of Sarah Palin in our campaign against Rahall. His support of Obamacare and his commitment to the Obama and Pelsoi team are two of the top reasons we started this campaign to begin with.”

Maynard continued, “Our campaign continues to gain momentum because the voters in West Virginia’s Third Congressional District do not want to be represented by anyone on the Obama / Rahall / Pelosi team.”

Spike Maynard is the Republican running in the 3rd Congressional District of West Virginia. Maynard is a former West Virginia State Supreme Court Justice and trial judge from Mingo County. Maynard is an Air Force veteran, where he served in reconnaissance during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Following his honorable discharge, Maynard was the Managing Director of the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce and practiced law. In 1976, Maynard was elected as a Prosecuting Attorney for Mingo County. He was appointed by Governor Rockefeller to the Thirtieth Judicial Circuit and was twice elected to that circuit. His legal experience saw him elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals, where he served as Chief Justice in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Maynard's campaign website is ILikeSpike.com.

- JP

Tipton: Gov. Palin 'a great inspiration' and 'a tremendous asset' to his campaign

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Two Congressional candidates in Colorado endorsed by Gov. Palin in SarahPAC's Take Back the 20" effort are Scott Tipton (CO-3) and Cory Gardner (CO-4). The Gardner and Tipton campaigns responded to NRO's new BATTLE ‘10 blog about receiving the endorsements:

Gardner expressed gratitude saying, “I’m pleased to get the endorsement since the McCain/Palin ticket won the district in 2008.” Tipton’s told BATTLE ‘10, “I am honored to have Governor Palin’s endorsement of my candidacy. She’s a great inspiration to a lot of common sense conservatives in Colorado’s Third Congressional District. She’ll be a tremendous asset to this grassroots effort to send a small businessman to Washington.”

- JP

Jesse Kelly political ad shows Giffords is part of the problem

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Here's the latest political ad for Jesse Kelly in AZ-08:



Kelly is one of the "Take Back the 20" candidates endorsed by Gov. Palin.

- JP

Sarah Palin: It’s time to make a stand! Let’s take back the 20!

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Now that the primaries are over, Gov. Palin is taking the great political debate to the next level, starting with a new website, announced via Facebook and Twitter:

Lies, Damned Lies – Obamacare 6 Months Later; It’s Time to Take Back the 20!

It’s now six months since President Obama took control of one-sixth of the private sector economy with his health care “reform,” and the first changes to our health care system come into effect today. Despite overwhelming public dislike of the bill, we were told that D.C. knows best, and there was nothing to worry about, and we’d be better off swallowing the pill called Obamacare; so, in defiance of the will of the people, the President and his party rammed through this mother of all unfunded mandates. Nancy Pelosi said Congress had to pass the bill so that Americans could “find out what is in it.” We found out that it’s even worse than we feared.

Remember when the president said, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor”? Not true. In Texas alone a record number of doctors are leaving the Medicare system because of the cuts in reimbursements forced on them by Obamacare! The president of the Texas Medical Association, Dr. Susan Bailey, warns that “the Medicare system is beginning to implode.”

Remember the Obama administration’s promise that Obamacare would cut a typical family’s premium “by up to $2500 a year”? Not true. In fact, fueled by reports that insurers expect premiums to rise by as much as 25 percent as a result of Obamacare, Senate Democrats are contemplating the introduction of price controls.

Remember when the president said in his address to Congress that “no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions”? That turned out to be yet another one of those “You lie!” moments. We found out that Obamacare-mandated high risk insurance pools set up in states like Pennsylvania and New Mexico will fund abortions after all.

Remember the promise that Obamacare would “strengthen small businesses”? Not true either. The net result of Obamacare is that small businesses will face higher health care costs, new Medicare taxes, and higher regulation compliance costs, while the much-hyped health care tax credit for small businesses turns out to be almost impossible to obtain.

Remember the president’s promise that his bill would ensure “everyone [has] some basic security”? False again. Besides the great uncertainly that Obamacare hampers businesses with, companies now find it is actually cheaper to pay the $2000 per employee fine imposed by Obamacare than to keep insuring their workforce. This leaves millions of American workers at risk of losing their employer-provided health insurance.

And remember when the Obama administration said they would not be “rationing care” in the future? That ol’ “death panels” thing I wrote about last year? That was before Obamacare was passed. Once it passed, they admitted there was going to be rationing after all. There has to be. The reality of Obamacare is that it enshrines what the New York Times called “The Power of No” – the government’s power to say no to your request for treatment of the people you love. The fact that the president used a recess appointment to push through the nomination of Dr. Donald Berwick as head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services tells you all you need to know about this administration’s intentions. After all, Berwick is the man who said, “The decision is not whether we will ration care – the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open.”

By the way, when the administration was talking about that independent board that has the statutory power to decide which categories of treatment are worthy of funding based on efficiency calculations (that, again, sounded to me like a panel of faceless bureaucrats making life and death decisions about your loved ones – which, again, is what I referred to as a “death panel”), it was another opportunity for Americans to hear the truth about Obamacare’s intentions.

So, yes, those rationing “death panels” are there, and so are the tax increases that the president also promised were “absolutely not” in his bill. (Aren’t you tiring of the untruths coming from this White House and the liberals in Congress?) When the state of Florida filed a challenge to Obamacare on the basis that the mandates in the bill are unconstitutional, the Obama Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss the suit by citing the Anti-Injuction Act, which blocks courts from interfering with the federal government’s ability to collect taxes. Yes, taxes! Once the bill was passed it was no longer politically inconvenient for the Obama administration to admit that it makes no difference whether the payment is a tax or a penalty because it’s “assessed and collected in the same manner.” The National Taxpayer Advocate has already warned that “Congress must provide sufficient funding” to allow the IRS to collect this new tax. Pretty soon we’ll be paying taxes just to make it possible for the IRS to collect all the additional taxes under Obamacare! Seems as if this is another surprise that the public found out about after the bill was rammed through.

But perhaps the most ridiculous promise of all was the president’s assurance that Obamacare will lead to “bending the curve” on health care spending. Yes, rationing is a part of the new system, and yes, Obamacare does raise taxes. But because the new government managed system is so incredibly complicated and expensive to run, health care spending will actually rise instead of fall. Don’t believe me? Then take a look at the Congressional Budget Office’s admittance that the CBO’s original estimate of the total costs of the bill were off by around $115 billion. Its new estimate is now above $1 trillion, and even that may be way too low. A more realistic figure calculated by the Pacific Research Institute puts the number at $2.5 to $3 trillion over the next 10 years! This is probably what President Obama was referring to when he admitted recently that he had known all along that “at the margins” his proposals were going to drive up costs. Give us a break! Only in this administration would they refer to a $3 trillion spending increase as “marginal.” Next time he comes to us with another one of his harebrained proposals for a budget-busting federal power grab, let’s make sure we remember the president’s admission that he was lying all along when he told us his health care plan was going to cut costs. He is increasing costs. He admits it now. Period.

Higher costs and worse care – is it any wonder why people are overwhelmingly in favor of repealing and replacing Obamacare? Politicians who have vacillated on this issue need to be fired. Candidates who don’t support “repeal and replace” don’t deserve your support. No amount of money spent on Washington’s “government-wide apolitical public information campaign” (otherwise known as “propaganda”) will convince Americans that this awful legislation is anything other than a debt-driven big government train wreck. We need to repeal and replace it, and that can only happen if we elect a new Congress that will make scrapping Obamacare one of its top priorities. We can replace it with pro-private sector, patient-oriented reform that the GOP has proposed.

On March 23, when Obamacare was signed into law, I launched my “Take back the 20” campaign, focusing on 20 congressional districts that John McCain and I carried in 2008 which are or were represented by members of Congress who voted in favor of Obamacare. They need to be held accountable for those votes. They voted for Obamacare. Now we can vote against them. We need to replace them with representatives who will respect the will of the people.

That’s why today I’m launching a new Take Back the 20 website at www.takebackthe20.com!

TakeBackthe20.com provides information about the candidates in these 20 districts who are committed to repealing and replacing Obamacare. It has links to their personal websites and their donation pages. It allows you to read up on them, and then support them in their race to defeat those who gave us this terrible bill.

We have to send Washington a message that it’s not acceptable to disregard the will of the people. We have to tell them enough is enough. No more defying the Constitution. No more driving us off a financial cliff. We must repeal and replace Obamacare with patient-centered, results-driven, free market reform that provides solutions to people of all income levels without bankrupting our country.

It’s time to make a stand! Let’s take back the 20!

- Sarah Palin

- JP

Palin "Take Back the 20" target Mollohan splashed

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One of Sarah Palin's targets in her Take Back the 20 effort has been acquired and splashed:

Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-W.Va.) lost his bid for a 15th term Tuesday in a primary defeat that further affirms the anti-incumbent sentiment coursing through the country.

He is the first House member to lose a reelection bid in the 2010 campaign, and his defeat comes days after Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) was knocked off the November ballot in that state's convention process.

Mollohan hadn't faced a serious primary fight in more than a decade and was seen in some circles as unbeatable, given that the state's 1st Congressional District seat had been in his family since 1968. (His father held it for seven terms before he won it.)

[...]

A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll showed that less than a third of voters said they plan to back their current member of Congress -- numbers that haven't been seen in Post-ABC data since the Republican-dominated election of 1994.

Just how bad the situation is for incumbents will be tested in a serious way next Tuesday, when Democratic Sens. Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) attempt to fend off primary challenges.

In West Virginia, Democrat primary rules allow unaffiliated voters and independents to participate.

- JP

Politically Correct 'Take Back the 20' Maps?

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For leftists who are driven to madness by metaphors, Code Monkey has redrawn SarahPAC's "Take Back the 20" Maps, replacing the crosshairs with less "threatening" imagery.

What could be more moonbat-friendly than cute little baby seals?


Nah, those seals look too much like violent tea-partying killer whales to us. Perhaps cute little baby kittens?


Oh noes, moonbat-eating right wing killer lions, tigers and PUMAs, oh my!

Have some fun... roll your own "Take Back the 20" Map. Use your imagination. Cute little baby ducklings (quack, quack), cute little baby maggots (nibble, nibble), cute little baby donkeys (hee-haw).

- JP