Ted Belman: Would President Palin Shake Up the 'Peace Process'?

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If Sarah Palin becomes President of the United States in 2012, Ted Belman opines that she may end the impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process by introducing a paradigm shift:

To date she has not retracted her support for a "two- state solution," which in any event is not a two-state solution that the Palestinians would accept. She told Barbara Walters, "I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon, because that population of Israel is, is going to grow. ...And I don't think that the Obama administration has any right to tell Israel that the Jewish settlements cannot expand."

In the VP debate, she said she would move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

She told AIPAC, "Let there be no doubt: I will always keep the threat of military action on the table to defend our security and our ally Israel."

In a similarly firm tone, she told Charles Gibson, that she would not "second-guess" Israeli military action against Iran.

While many politicians kiss up to the American Jews during elections, Sarah Palin has always exhibited affection and support for the Jewish people and Israel. Her views are supported by 50 million Evangelical Christians who support an undivided Jerusalem and Jewish claims to Judea and Samaria. The latest polls indicate 65% of Americans support Israel.

After decades of trying to reach a two state solution, America should abandon the attempt and pursue a more workable solution such as autonomy only for the Palestinians.

[More]

Noting Gov. Palin's reputation for "shaking things up," Bellman argues that she, "more than anyone else, is likely to usher in the required paradigm shift."

- JP

Quote of the Day (September 20, 2010)

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Ted Belman at Israpundit:

"Many seculars are turned off by anyone of faith. To my mind they are driven by prejudice. Some religious people can be a pain in the ass or when they talk about G-d its a turnoff. Others, like Palin, can be inspirational. She is a beautiful person."

h/t: JewsForSarah.com

- 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.

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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.

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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 (March 10, 2010)

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Ted Belman:

"Sarah is one of a kind... It is not just that they hate her, fear her, envy her, resent her and/or reject her Christian values. Something else is at play... The attacks go way beyond a simple expression of a feeling or an opinion. They are part of a strategy to build up in the minds of the people that she is all manner of bad things and certainly, not fit for the office of President. It doesn’t matter whether the attacks are baseless or frivolous. What matters is that there are more negative articles written about her than articles of praise and support. Its a numbers game. The left can’t afford to be passive. They must go all out, everyday, to besmirch her name, with lies if necessary, otherwise she will begin to fly."

- JP

Ted Belman: GOP will ultimately adopt The Palin brand

Ted Belman, who is the editor of  Israpundit and a contributor to American Thinker, argues that the Republican Party must rebrand itself by putting on the back burner such issues as abortion, the Second Amendment, and gay marriage and by embracing those values that are important to most Americans. He argues further that the GOP can do this without sacrificing its principles.

Curiously, Belman cites a David Frum essay in Commentary Magazine about how the U.K.'s Conservative Party enjoyed no small measure of success using this strategy as the basis for his suggestion. As far as we know, "without sacrificing its principles" sounds rather strange coming from Frum, who has a history of trying to persuade the Republican Party to be more like the Democrats. Perhaps Frum is having a turnaround of his own, which is something many conservatives would love to see.

Once the GOP has convinced most Americans that the same issues which are important to them are also important to Republicans, the next step, according to Belman, is to select a new leader who appeals to the voters the party needs to gain. He says that Sarah Palin represents common sense values that Independents can rally to because "she eschews the party and its brand and embraces the people and their values." Leaving aside the fact that just the name "Sarah Palin" is enough turn David Frum into a barking moonbat indistinguishable from those on the Democrat Party's outskirts, it is true that the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate's favorability ratings are improving significantly with independents. So what are the values that The Arctic Fox represents?

1. Energy: "Drill, baby, drill"; "Exploit all the above."

2. Economy: "Stop digging the hole deeper" and unleash the private sector.

3. Health care: She favors competition, tort reform, and waste reduction.

4. Environment: She rejects cap-and-trade. She favors environmentally sensitive development.

5. Security: Support the armed services and let them do their job. Don't lower your guard. Specifically, stand by your allies, win in Afghanistan, and treat terrorists as terrorists, not citizens.

6. Israel: Build, baby, build. She supports the right of Jews to build in Judea and Samaria. She rejects Obama's racist policy of telling the Jews where they cannot live. She is a harsh critic of Ahmedinejad and his government and faults Obama for not supporting the Iranian opposition.

7. Patriotism: Patriotism is good, not bad. America is good, not bad. The Constitution must be protected and upheld.

8. Social issues: She supports life (not "death panels"), the weak (including challenged children and the elderly), hard work (not entitlement), and private-sector charity (rather then (sic) government handouts).

9. Ethics: Accountability over cronyism.

Not only do these values appeal to Palin's base, but they also appeal to Middle America, to Independents, and even to Democrats. On all these issues, Obama and the Democrats have set themselves up for a fall. Palin is on the right side of these issues and everyone knows it.

The Left in America doesn't so much reject these values as they rejects (sic) Palin herself. In fact, they ignore her message and set up straw-man values for her that they can attack. The Left is struggling to brand Palin as a Christian fundamentalist, God forbid -- an idiot, a know-nothing, a racist, and anything else with a negative connotation.

While the Left is attacking Sarah Palin in this manner, she is in the process of remodeling the Conservative movement using Ronald Reagan's blueprints and putting her brand on it for political success in a new century. No other figure in the movement is doing anything even remotely close to what Palin is effectively accomplishing. We agree with Ted Belman that the Grand Old Party should renew itself and adopt the Palin brand with her as its leader.

Quick, call 9-1-1. It sounds like David Frum needs the crash cart, stat! 

Read the complete Belman op-ed here.

- JP