In the latest indication that her sights are still set on a presidential run, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has accepted an invitation to keynote a Tea Party rally in Waukee, Iowa, on Sept. 3, RealClearPolitics has learned.
The Labor Day weekend visit to the nation's first voting state comes after Palin indicated during an appearance on Fox News earlier this month that she would make her decision about whether to launch a campaign in August or September.
All signs now point to September as the month when Palin would throw her hat into the ring, as logistical concerns ranging from fundraising to getting her name on the ballot in various states would likely preclude further delay.
Many prominent political analysts and Republican operatives have expressed skepticism that Palin is seriously considering a presidential bid, since she has not taken many of the steps that candidates traditionally take before jumping into the race, such as signing early-state consultants, contacting key powerbrokers and boosting their travel schedules.
But Palin has a long history of shunning the Republican Party machinery and taking an unconventional approach to campaigns -- a mind-set that appears to have been in play throughout the past several months.
Palin's latest appearance in Iowa will come just two days after "The Undefeated," a documentary film spotlighting her accomplishments in Alaska, will be released on Pay-Per-View and video-on-demand. In the film, Palin is portrayed as a continual thorn in the Republican establishment's side. And it is the GOP, rather than the Democratic Party, that garners the better part of the movie's scorn.
If Palin were to announce a White House run, the theme of her campaign would almost certainly focus on resisting the ingrained political culture and what she sees as being wrong with the status quo, and much of the Republican Party itself, in addition to continuing to offer one of the most strident contrasts to President Obama's policies.
The outdoor rally on the first Saturday in September will take place at a field in Waukee, located just outside of Des Moines, and will be hosted by the Tea Party of America -- an Iowa-based political action committee that was founded in May.
The midday affair will be the new group's kickoff event and is sure to generate a large crowd and massive media attention.
One of the Tea Party of America's co-founders, Charlie Gruschow, had previously founded the Des Moines Tea Party before splintering off to start a new group with some like-minded colleagues.
Gruschow praised the work of a highly motivated group of volunteers who have been setting the groundwork in Iowa for a Palin campaign, which almost all of them deem to be inevitable.
"I can only surmise that she's very, very popular here," Gruschow said of Palin's level of support among Republican caucus-goers in Iowa. "And it didn't hurt at all when she introduced her movie in Pella. The feedback I've gotten was it was an awesome movie, and there are more people becoming more endeared to her."
Palin has been relatively quiet over the past month, as she has retreated to Alaska to immerse herself in policy and to strategize with her husband, Todd, and top advisers about how a potential campaign would work.
SarahPAC, Palin's political action committee, has not hired a pollster or a media consultant, and Palin appears to have little interest in doing so, although the addition of a national press secretary may soon be on the horizon.
The 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee will not be on the ballot at next month's Ames Straw Poll, which could winnow the GOP field just as Texas Gov. Rick Perry is expected to enter the race sometime in August.
We've been saying for some time that after Labor Day is the ideal time to get serious about this thing. That's when the majority of the American people will start paying attention to presidential politics. Right now the only ones really paying attention are the political junkies and the media, who are desperate for anything to fill the 24 hour a day news cycle.
We know Organize4Palin has put together a ground game in Iowa that is miles ahead of anyone else. These volunteers have been in Iowa for almost a year now.
As Conroy points out, Sarah Palin has never run a conventional campaign. She is one of the best retail politicians she is, and loves taking her case directly to the people. She turned the Ruling Class on it's head in Alaska by doing this.
We're looking at new polls that show once Sarah Palin enters the race, she will be in a dead heat with Mitt Romney and Rick Perry for the nomination. The rest of the field becomes quite irrelevant. We are confident Sarah will be able to show that her record is superior to the rest, and that she has the right plan to get America back on track.
As director Stephen Bannon pointed out in an interview we covered here: "What Sarah Palin did as Governor in Alaska is a Harvard Business School case study in turnarounds"
The rest will have a hard time measuring up to this standard, that's for certain.
Craig Robinson of The Iowa Republican has a great recap of the Pella. Iowa world premier of The Undefeated
Here are some excerpts:
Pella took center stage as Sarah Palin made a visit to the community of 10,000 to view a new documentary about her political life, "The Undefeated." Below are my thoughts about what took place there yesterday.
The Setting
The setting couldn’t have been more perfect. The City of Pella is worth a visit at any time of year, especially in the early spring when its millions of tulips are bloom. But even after the tulips are gone, the vibrant city known for its Dutch heritage still impresses those who stop in the southern Iowa town.
The heart of the city is populated with locally owned stores. There isn’t a big box store in sight of the downtown. Instead of cars being lined up at a Starbucks, people grab their coffee at Smokey Row. People travel from near and far to get Dutch letters and baked goods from the Jaarsma Bakery. If sweets and baked goods are not your forte, there is always Ulrich’s Meat Market.
Pella was the perfect setting to unveil the new Palin documentary, The Undefeated, because, in many ways, it could be said that the community of Pella is undefeated.
[ .... ]
The community, which has 2400 more registered Republicans than Democrats, embraced the movie premier and Palin visit. The day before her visit, the movie producer and other advance staff could be heard laughing throughout the downtown with public safety officials. As always, the community of Pella put its best foot forward as the spotlight shined upon its picturesque city.
The Movie
Last week, I talked to a member of the media who had seen a preview of "The Undefeated" and was unimpressed. Most of the complaints were technical in nature. They were also offended by the unrated version’s language that opens the movie. The movie begins showing the vicious attacks on Palin, most of them from the liberal elite from Hollywood. The version shown in Pella was lightly toned down with the offending curse words being bleeped out, but the effect of displaying the vitriol this woman faced, mostly just for the fact that she’s a conservative woman, was still shocking and a bit overwhelming to watch.
My initial thought while watching the movies was, where was this three years ago when Palin was on the Republican presidential ticket? The movie does an excellent job of telling the story of Palin’s political career, the odds she faced, the victories she achieved, and the price that she ultimately paid.
After watching the film, you come away with a better understanding of what Palin did in Alaska that thrust her into the national spotlight. The documentary showcases the victories she achieved in the first 20 months as governor. Then it shows how, after being demonized by the liberal left, she was no longer able to accomplish anything.
The Star: [emphasis mine]
Palin was amazing in Pella yesterday. As she and Todd made their way though various shops in the downtown area, onlookers would stop to say hello, ask to take a photo, or get an autograph. Palin took it all in stride. Even though she is a huge media sensation, she is somehow able to remain grounded. Nothing illustrated that more than the bug splattered Chevy Malibu that they drove to Pella.
The media couldn’t help but try and compare Palin to Michele Bachmann, who officially launched her presidential campaign on Monday. They both connect to people, and both have star power, but having seem them both in Iowa in the span of 24 hours, it’s clear that Palin will always be the original female GOP star. That’s not an insult toward Bachmann, but Palin’s star shines brighter.
I thought it was pretty remarkable that Palin, who is a national political phenomenon, came to this small Iowa town, strolled through the town square, watched a two-hour movie with 300 plus locals, and then spent several hours meeting people and shaking hands at the cook out that followed the movie premier. The people just flocked to her in Pella last night, and she handled it all with grace.
Palin must have posed for a thousand photographs last night. In addition, she also autographed hundreds of books, tickets, and even a baseball. While she could have left at any time, she patiently worked through the crowd until she hit the door of her car. The crowd loved her. Nobody went home disappointed.
This article hits the nail on the head. Sarah Palin has a rare quality that we will need to win in 2012. She's undeniably a media superstar. She can draw a crowd anywhere. She connects very well with people. And lets face it, if she's in town, she's the story, the media all but ignore other candidates, and even the President of the United States, if he's close by.
But there's more to Sarah Palin than that, she was also a superstar Governor. She had the highest approval rating of any Governor, and possibly any elected official, in the entire United States. She did this by working hard and getting things done. She took on corruption, including corruption among Republicans and Big Oil. She cut spending by record amounts. And she did it in good times, while her legislature was begging her to spend, spend, spend.
You know, we look at a few Governors out there today trying to cut spending, and get excited, but we must remember, these Governors have no choice. Their states are on the verge of bankruptcy. Alaska was flush with money, but Sarah foresaw a time when it wouldn't be. She was way ahead of the curve. Her insight left Alaska with a $12 billion surplus.
Sarah even cut her own staff, famously getting rid of the cook and other staff at the Governor's Mansion. She also refused a pay raise [taking her from $125,000 to earning $150,000 per year] the legislature approved for both her and the Lt. Governor. [who also refused] All-in-all, Sarah cut the executive office budget by $1 million, as compared to the previous two Governor's spending.
Sarah also got huge things done like ACES and AGIA. The former revamping the way Big Oil paid Alaska for the oil they take out of the ground, the latter putting in place the mechanism to create a natural gas pipeline from Alaska to the lower 48, the largest construction project in North American history, and a 30 year dream of the Alaskan people.
Sarah got more significant things done in her time as Governor than most Governors and even most Presidents do in their entire careers.
You combine the media savvy of Sarah Palin with the abilities as the best Governor/CEO in the country and you have a winning package, not only for 2012, but for many decades to come.
You see, the thing Sarah Palin is able to do, that no other politician in the country can, including Obama, is excite people to the point of truly wanting to get involved. Those familiar with Organize4Palin, know that thousands of volunteers nationwide are building a ground game for 2012, just on the HOPE Sarah Palin will run for President. These aren't paid staffers. They are regular people who see a real leader and are willing to work hard to do anything to help her win.
But, there's more. Sarah Palin has a profound effect on young people, boys and girls. Witness Youth for Palin, a growing group of real patriots whose writing we're proud to feature here. These young women and men are excited about Liberty and Freedom. They will be the future leaders of our country.
As someone who still has great reverence for Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin really excites me in a way no other can. She is the embodiment of Reagan. We know she's studied Reagan since her youth. Now she's using her star power to get younger folks, who didn't have the pleasure of living when Reagan was President, to understand the principles he used to save America after the turbulent Carter years. She's also reminding the older folks as well.
Simply put, Sarah Palin is today's gold standard of Conservatism and leadership. She has the ability to not only revive the Reagan Revolution, but create her own as well. As great as Reagan was, I firmly believe Sarah Palin has what it takes to raise the bar even higher. Sarah's unique pioneer roots, as well as her natural ability as a CEO, give her something we only see once, maybe twice, in a lifetime.
Sarah Palin can connect with the common man, because she's one too. She can also stand with the world's great leaders because she is one of them, too. Few can claim this sort of power and ability. And Sarah has the charisma and star power to bring the nation with her as she works to fundamentally RESTORE the nation to it's founding principles.
I rarely trust politicians or put an ounce of faith in them. I trust Sarah Palin completely and have faith in her. I've been following Sarah's career since her earliest days as Governor. A lot has happened since then. I've never been disappointed in how she's handled whatever came her way. She's proven to have a certain ability to always do the right thing, even when it was incredibly hard.
Sarah has also proven, without a single doubt, that she is one of the best tacticians out there. She has a political savvy that not only wins elections, but also wins hearts and minds. She proved as Governor that she could get things done by working with the democrats, without having to compromise her principles. The last President we had who could do this was Ronald Reagan. Reagan got incredible things done with a democrat Congress. Sarah got incredible things done facing not only democrats, but a hostile Republican Party. [sending their buddies to prison helped that along]
With Sarah Palin as our nominee, not only will she beat Obama in a landslide, her coattails will be long. Sarah proved in 2010 she can deliver. We saw one of the biggest nationwide political re-alignments in our nation's history, and Sarah played a huge part in this.
There are a lot of democrat Senators up for re-election in 2012. With the leadership and star power Sarah has, we can win enough of those seats to have a strong Republican majority in Congress. With this majority, Sarah will be able to restore our nation. She will put us on a path of energy independence. Real energy independence. She'll put in policies that will grow our economy and create jobs. Good jobs. Durable jobs. Most importantly, she will slash spending like you have never though imaginable. She'll ride herd over wayward RINOs, and get a lot of democrats on board as well. Sarah won't be bashful cutting any and all wasteful spending.
Leadership in Washington is almost non-existent. You don't even have to take your shoes off to count how many real leaders are in our nation's capitol, and none of them are at the top. Leaders like Sarah Palin do not grow on trees. When they come along, it is our duty as Americans to see they are put in office. Sarah Palin is the key if we want to see America restored. No one else has what she brings to the table. No one has the mix of star power and natural ability to govern, and govern well.
America is, as they say, "on" to the slick exterior of Barack Obama. Sarah is even beyond a breath of fresh air to the rancid, smelly corruptions going on in both the Republican and Democratic Parties.
I don’t see how the Republican Party can live without her!
I don’t see how America can survive without her!!
"And if she doesn’t run?"
Obama will be reelected. He’s the new Jimmy Carter and without a Ronald Reagan Carter would have been back in office.
"So Palin is the new Reagan?"
Better than a new Reagan. She’s the complete symbol of pro-life. Nothing less will put the United States back on track. She doesn’t talk pro-life. She and Trig are the very meaning of pro-life.
In the same way, she doesn’t talk the renewal of basic American values. She is America.
Are Americans really as "stupid" as Bill Maher says they are?
If so, then they all must, at heart, be as "stupid" as the elitist press of both the Republican and Democratic Parties say Sarah Palin is.
If the "stupid" American people see enough of themselves in Sarah Palin, they will, indeed, put her into office.
Ms. Palin is here! She’s the profoundest of quintessentially American realities! To not elect her is for America to sell not only herself out but the rest of the world as well.
To not elect her is to not know America’s greatest enemy and that enemy can be summed up in two words: the Obama Nation.
Lincoln predicted that America would not be destroyed by a foreign power. If she dies, it will be by suicide.
Sarah is the only life raft America has right now. Any other candidate for the Republican Party, Romney in particular, will eventually be in the back room cutting deals with a virulently Progressive Democratic Party, a radically Leftist’s poison that has, with Obama, proven its own promise: "the fundamental transformation of the United States of America."
After four years of Obama, the Dr. Jeckyll of America has already become Mr. Hyde. This radical experiment with a known Marxist in the Presidency?
From the Department of Mile Wide But Only Inch Deep Support: Here's a key bit of information that many are missing from the latest Gallup poll via Susan Page:
30% of Romney supporters said they were certain to support him; no chance they’d change. 52% of Palin’s supporters said that.
There’s no reason to believe that other pollsters would find a contrary result. What these numbers tell you is that Mitt "peacetime" Romney’s support is softer than LeBron James in the fourth quarter. These numbers suggest that there is a wide opening for both Pawlenty/Huntsman to take a good chunk of Romney’s support whereas there pretty much is no room for Bachmann to operate.
There’s a strong argument to be made that what Palin is getting right now as a non-candidate who nobody believes is running is her floor and what Romney is getting right now post-announcement speech is pretty much his ceiling. The fact that a paltry 30% of his supporters are committed to voting for him suggests that his already low ceiling will crash once Pawlenty/Huntsman inevitably rise in the polls.
As Ian points out, there is no reason to believe any reputable pollster wouldn't come up with the same findings. Though not scientific by any stretch, straw polls like Hot Air's have been showing this all year long.
What exactly does Mitt Romney offer, except a bunch of establishment hacks crying that he's "electable"? The man has the dubious record of a Big Government liberal. His time as Governor of Massachusetts is certainly nothing to write home about. Many voters, haven't been exposed to Romney's record .... yet. It's no wonder that while he has support, it's extremely soft, and supporters are obviously looking for any excuse to support a better candidate.
On the other hand, Sarah Palin must certainly be the most well vetted person in our nation's history. There is very little we don't know about her, and her solid 20 year record has always been out there for all to see.
It could also be said that Palin supporters are better informed, and more engaged. Not only do they know Sarah Palin's record, they've looked at the records of all the rest as well. I mean really looked at their records. There's a lot to be said for strongly backing a candidate that you know is superior in every way to anyone else in the running.
The only arguments Romney can make is it's "his turn" and the Ruling Class likes him. Sarah Palin can stand on her record as a solid reformer, and a solid CEO. Someone who accomplished more in her time as Governor than most politicians will in a lifetime.
This comes on the heels of the latest polling from Reuters-Ipsos that shows Sarah Palin leading the field of GOP hopefuls. A report that shows Sarah is out-fundraising Romney in the key state of Ohio. A CNN poll that shows most people feel she is like Ronald Reagan, and 80% agree with her on the issues and feel she represents their values. I guess I should also mention that new polling shows Sarah is tied with Obama in all of the swing states too.
On Friday Night Sarah Palin appeared on the Sean Hannity Show Good solid interview. While Sarah and Sean talk about many topics pertaining to the 2012 presidential campaign, it's notable that she really takes the Republican Party and other candidates to task.
Sarah is quick to say if the GOP doesn't get it's act together, it will go the way of the Whigs. She also says she fears none of the current field of GOP hopefuls won't be aggressive enough to to after Obama.
Sarah says this past week has been one of the best in her life, and when asked if she still had the fire in the belly she has talked about. Her answer was that it's "raging." She also says an announcement is "weeks away, not months."
The future of our country, the direction that we go as people, whether we move ahead to meet the challenges of the future or slide back into the irresponsible policies of the past, will be determined by those who get involved.
~Ronald Reagan
When I look at Sarah Palin, when I think about Sarah Palin, when I write about Sarah Palin, one thing stands out: This woman has cojones. Grande cojones!
One of the most frustrating things about the modern day Republican Party is, for the most part, they are gutless wonders. Even the ones who you find appealing, the ones that look like they may have some fight in them, will let you down at some point.
We are at war in this country. We have been at war for the soul of this nation for over 100 years. A minority group of Marxist-progressives have slowly, but methodically infected this nation with an ideology of hate, division, and failure. Over the decades they have eroded many of America’s greatest strengths.
With the tragic election of Barack Obama, the war has escalated to thermonuclear status. Not only is every tradition, every custom under assault, so is the Rule of Law, and the very Constitution that protects us from a tyrannical government. So far the Obama regime is winning this war, aided by their media partners who serve as little more than a Ministry of Propaganda.
We are on the verge of losing America, as we know and love it, forever. If not curtailed, the Obama regime will soon have America destroyed, and what will be left will more resemble a third world Banana Republic, than the world’s only Super Power.
Sarah Palin understands this.
Only one person has really shown the ability to stand up to the regime and take it to them on a steady basis, and that’s Sarah Palin. The radical left hates her for it. The Obama regime has tried ever dirty trick in the book, everything it learned from Alinsky, as well as decades immersed Chicago corruption and thuggery, and yet, not only is Sarah still standing, she has gotten stronger.
Justin Miller has written a fine take on this for The Atlantic magazine. While I don’t agree with everything Justin writes, he does get one thing right, for sure: Sarah Palin brings the Macho.
The Macho Primary:
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. Palin is visceral, in your face, relishes combat, and won't be shamed. (Her hobbies include ice fishing, snowmobiling, running, and hunting.) These are traits usually and stereotypically associated with men - and they're especially endearing to Republicans, who like to see President Obama hit with the most force possible.
The basis of her popularity says nothing about whether she will or won't run for president or even if she could win. It does show that she's passing the Republican test of who is the toughest person on Democrats and Obama. It's a "macho primary" of sorts.
Palin goes after Obama at every opportunity and hits him hard. She doesn't use a politician's favorite tactic of saying at least one nice thing about the opponent's character before shredding a man's past, questioning his judgment, beliefs, and priorities. Palin shows as much mercy as Jack Bauer.
Not only is Palin tough on Democrats, she seems to genuinely enjoy beating them up. Crowds get behind Palin's attacks of Obama because she makes being mean fun by using humiliation, sarcasm, cutesy catchphrases, and smiles.
Republicans know she won't bow to what they think are elite sensitivities or political correctness. Say she was "going rogue" as a diss? She'll make it the title of her book. Dismiss the GOP as the "party of no?" Palin will rename it "the party of hell no!" Argue that her slogan, "Don't Retreat, Instead RELOAD" is a call to violence? She'll repeat it and then add "that is not a call for violence."
In 2008, John McCain was tough but not merciless on Obama. If he got energized by crowds, it was because he was ad libing and going back-and-forth with questioners--not because they were cheering his peroration. (Palin doesn't really take questions.) McCain occasionally took his party to task for outrageous rhetoric. Even this modicum of restraint left Republicans dejected -- until the pit bull with lipstick came aboard and started mauling Obama.
Who else is as macho as Palin? Tim Pawlenty? Too nice. Mitt Romney? No fun. Plenty of Republicans refuse to apologize, but none appropriate negative accusations quite like Palin does.
The last person to be loved by Republicans as much or more than Palin was George W. Bush. While he can't run for president again, another Texas governor full of swagger could run and do very well in the macho primary: Rick Perry.
Perry campaigned as a Tea Partier in everything but name during the Texas Republican primary this year. He used anti-Washington, right-wing rhetoric as hot as anything Palin has said--and went on to demolish Kay Bailey Hutchinson (he'll win the general election). Get a taste of the rhetoric and see how much Perry gets fired-up going after Washington here.
Republicans don't want a passionate reformer or soothing reconciler--they want a fighter.
It’s not just Republicans who want a fighter...Americans want a fighter!
Another thing...Sarah isn't afraid of taking wayward Republicans to task either. Just ask the Alaska Republican Party!
While I agree in principle that Rick Perry is also a fighter, and a great Governor, who will indeed win re-election, even he is a bit timid at times compared to Sarah Palin. He sure would make a great Vice President in the Palin administration though!
If I had to make a real comparison to Sarah, with someone in the Party, it would have to be Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. This woman also has cojones. In fact, it seems that only Conservative women are blessed with any real testicular fortitude nowadays. Like Sarah, Michelle is absolutely hated by the left, and she wears that as a badge of honor. Michelle has grilled top people in the Obama regime, asking them to point to the part of the Constitution that allows them to do what they do. (and left them a quivering mass of humanity) Michelle has called the Obama regime and Marxist-democrat Congress "gangster government." The girl’s got game.
Where are the rest?
Sarah seems to thrive on the attacks thrown her way. I know a lot of this has to do with her strong, unwavering faith in God, but it also has to do with a serious competitive streak. This is a woman who led her high school basketball team to a championship, playing that championship game on a broken ankle. She earned the nickname "Sarahcuda!"
Sarah has carried that competitive urge with her all through life. Sarah is a take no prisoners, in it to win it, kind of person. Look at her reaction when the McCain campaign decided to pull it’s efforts out of Michigan late in the game. She was ready to go, on her own dime if necessary, to keep campaigning there. She wasn’t about to concede a single acre of ground to the Obama campaign. You can bet your last dollar that come 2012 she will have a solid 50 state strategy. No one is better at retail politics than Sarah Palin.
But there is more to it than just guts and a competitive spirit. Sarah Palin stands for things, and there is very little grey area in her positions. Sarah doesn't do nuance.
When Sarah started speaking out about ObamaCare, she zeroed in on the fact that health care would be rationed under the government system, just as it is in every nation on earth that has government run health care. She coined the term "death panels" to vividly describe the boards of bureaucrats who, in place of you and your doctor, would decide who gets what care. The left, as well as the establishment Republicans, lost their minds. When they called her a liar, she wrote another op-ed and doubled down! In fact, Sarah made absolutely certain the term "death panels" became a household word, a part of the American lexicon.
Of course, she was proven right, as we recently wrote, Peter Orszag, the Obama regime’s budget director admitted that yes, there were "death panels" (though he didn’t call them that) and yes, there would be health care rationing. You can read more, and see video of the guy in his own words, here.
Name me another person who could have stood up to the intense ridicule and hatred Sarah Palin faced on this one issue, never mind the insanity the mere mention of her name causes on the left and among the establishment GOP.
You think a Mitt Romney could withstand a daily assault from the Obama regime, their media partners, as well as the loser wing of the Republican Party? Don’t think so. Of course, as the establishment’s choice, I guess the country club GOP’ers would leave him alone.
Let’s look at the latest "controversy" out there: Illegal immigration. Arizona just passed a tough law that mirrors the FEDERAL law, and simply empowers local law enforcement to enforce the laws that are already on the books.
Obviously the left is going nuts, as they are counting on the support of all of those illegals. Why do you think they are pushing for amnesty? Instant Marxist-democrat voters baby! That and the Marxists get to play their favorite card, the race card. Identity politics ‘till the bitter end.
Some of the establishment GOP is going nuts as well, with Connie Mack, a Congressman out of Florida, comparing all of this to "Gestapo tactics."
What was Sarah’s stance? First she said: "What part about the word ‘illegal’ don’t YOU understand." She appeared on the Sean Hannity Show and talked about the issue. She also touched on something the rest of the GOP seems too timid to talk about, Obama’s continual playing of the race card, and his attempts to divide the nation along racial lines, rather than bring the nation together. You can see Stacy Drake’s report here.
Something else Sarah did, she went and supported Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, who have been targeted by vile communists wishing to stir up trouble.
This was a real "in your face" to those who find it troubling that we should actually FOLLOW THE LAW!
Phoenix, Arizona is the kidnap capital of the United States, and ranks number two in the world. This is all due to illegals who come here, the human trafficking it takes to get them here, and the drug trade. It amounts to no less than an invasion by foreign forces. An incredible amount of violence has been visited on the Arizona people, and the federal government has failed to respond. The federal government has failed to carry out it's number one constitutional duty, protecting the American people from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Instead, politicians have tried to use this issue for their own political gain. It borders on treason.
Since the federal government refuses to enforce it’s own laws, and protect it’s people against this invasion of violence, the state of Arizona was forced to take action. Arizona must protect it's people.
I’m sure Mitt Romney will weigh in as soon as all of the polling is done.
Speaking of polling, Arizona voters overwhelmingly support this action, with 70% approval, and over 60% of voters nationwide approve as well.
The Obama regime dithered for nine days while a possibly containable oil spill in the Gulf turned into a disaster of epic proportions. They couldn’t find they time as they were too busy demonizing everything that makes America great. This is Obama's Katrina. Actually it's worse, because there is simply no excuse for waiting so long to act. Stacy Drake weighs in on this mess here.
Of course, once Obama and his crew did get involved, it was purely political, with the regime using this as an excuse to halt America’s efforts toward energy independence. The GOP has been totally silent on this, but not Sarah Palin.
Sarah knows first hand what this tragedy will do to the effected area, having lived with the damage from the Exxon Valdez disaster. She writes extensively about this heartbreaking event in her book. One can tell it shaped her stance on tough standards for oil companies.
Instead of knee jerk panic, or political opportunism, Sarah calmly addressed the situation, showing the true leadership this nation requires. Both as an energy and environmental regulator, as well as Governor, Sarah has proven her expertise in the field. She has shown clear judgment where others have failed. You can see her statement here.
This is the story of Sarah Palin. She is a strong leader who, as Ronald Reagan would say, "paints in bold colors." There are no "pale pastels" in Sarah’s pallette. Sarah Palin stands unwavering and true, where others are too timid to tread.
Quite simply, leaders lead.
Though this doesn’t have anything to do with Sarah. A friend sent me this video that reminds us of the strong bold leadership the Republican Party used to stand for, especially under Ronald Reagan. Though not President, yet, I think Sarah Palin, like the great men portrayed in the video, is the right leader at the right time. Someone who truly understands American greatness, American exceptionalism, and will never apologize for wanting America to remain The Shining City on a Hill.
In October of 1964 Ronald Reagan addressed the Republican National Convention and a television audience. At the time America was headed into liberalism in a big way. Democrats were looking to grow the government in ways our founders never dreamed of. The "Great Society" was upon us.
Reagan, a newly minted Republican, remarked that he didn’t leave the democrat party, the party left him.
Reagan spoke of American exceptionalism and determination. He spoke of conservatism. He also spoke of the evils of liberalism, and communism.
Reagan’s speech, entitled "A Time For Choosing" is one of his best works. It is considered as the real awakening of the conservative movement. It is so iconic, it has come to be know as simply, "The Speech". And if you have never seen it, you cannot call yourself a conservative.
Ronald Reagan gave this most inspiring of speeches, in support of Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. While conservatives were moved with Reagan’s common sense, wisdom, and patriotism, it fell on the deaf ears of the party elite: The blue blood, country club Republicans. Those today we conservatives call RINOs (Republicans In Name Only)
It would be 16 years more of moving towards socialism, and really poor government. This culminated in the total disaster known as the Jimmy Carter presidency, a complete and total mess that we are still feeling the ramifications of to this day! Think Community Reinvestment Act, and Radical Islam.
So, how did Ronald Reagan finally become President? Well, he basically followed the principles he set forth in his 1964 speech! President Reagan won two record landslide elections, including a 49 state win in 1984, by stressing solid conservatism to every single American, no mater the sex, race, or religious creed.
What Reagan knew then, just as we know now, is that conservatism is universal. It doesn’t belong to any party. Conservatism is a concept of freedom, and accomplishment. That all men should be free of tyranny, from oppression. All men should have an equal chance in life. Reagan knew that conservatism stresses the fact that we get all of our rights from our God, not from the government of man. Reagan knew that the Constitution was a covenant between the government and it’s citizens, that limited the power of government, not it’s citizens.
Reagan knew that government wasn’t the answer, but indeed was the problem. In that regard, things have only gotten worse since Reagan’s days in office.
But you know what else about Reagan and his historic wins?
Reagan never pandered. He didn’t sit around and think up ways to appeal to this group or that group. He didn’t worry about having one message for one crowd or another. He had but one message: The message of conservatism, true conservatism.
Again, conservatism is universal. The concept of conservatism works for every single group of people. White, black, Hispanic, etc. Straight, gay, male, female, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, it doesn’t matter. Conservatism works for every single human being.
Now, let’s fast forward a bit. Even though Ronald Reagan was the most successful President in our lifetimes, the Republicans didn’t learn their real lesson. We ended up with a moderate Republican President. Not a bad man. In fact a very good man. But a moderate none the less.
That of course led us to Bill Clinton. Clinton was a disaster from the get go, including his weak answer to bombing of the World Trade Center. In fact, his poor performance led to the second conservative revolution in 1994, spearheaded by Newt Gingrich, Tom Delay, and others.
Using solid conservative principles, the Republicans were able to balance the budget, pass welfare reform, and other common sense legislation. In fact, they did so well, that the common man on the street credited Clinton, and gave him a second term!
But why did that happen? Well, easy. You see, the Republican party still hadn’t learned it’s lesson. (This is, a recurring theme, huh?) The party put up one of our greatest Americans, for sure. A bonafide World War II hero, a man of great integrity, a true statesman: Bob Dole. The only problem, is Senator Dole is a true moderate. (You know how the word liberal has become a pejorative? Well, as far as I am concerned, so has moderate!) We never had a chance.
Senator Dole never forcefully took credit for all of the great things Clinton was said to have done, that were actually accomplished by conservative Republicans.
Now, thankfully, we then saw George Bush, another fine man. A decent man. But not really a conservative. But, we knew that going in. George Bush was tested under the fire of war, and performed brilliantly, keeping America safe. Something no one thought was possible right after 9/11.
The Republicans had control of Congress, as well. But, it wasn’t the same Republicans. Maybe they had been in Washington too long. Or maybe real conservatives left. Whatever the reason, the RINOs came to power, and conservatism, real conservatism was in exile again.
Now for sure, President Bush did a whole lot more right than wrong. But being a moderate, he let a lot of things happen on his watch. Most notable, even though there are at least 34 documented calls to put Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both arms of the democrat party, in check, being a moderate, the President didn’t go to real battle with these people. And in the end, never named the names of the real culprits of the current financial crisis, instead accepting blame for the entire Republican party instead of naming all the democrats who actually caused this mess!
Which leads us to the 2008 election. Through silly Republican primary rules, and just plain insanity, the GOP showed that 44 years after Reagan’s blueprint for sure victory was written, they still didn’t have a clue. As such, we got the RINO’s RINO, John McCain! Now, John McCain is a war hero, a true American. But he is not a conservative, or even a moderate. He’s "democrat lite". A Liberal. A complete disaster.
But, just like in 1964....in September of 2008, another strong conservative walked to the podium to sing the praises of the Presidential candidate. This time in the guise of the Vice Presidential candidate. That strong conservative was Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. Her speech, like Reagan’s before her, was inspirational. Like Reagan, Governor Palin spoke from her heart. She spoke of the greatness of America. As she spoke, you could see the shining city on a hill that Reagan often spoke of.
Governor Palin spoke of American exceptionalism. The greatness of the common man. She spoke of the solid conservative principles of freedom, and self determination. She spoke of security and self reliance, not only for Americans but for America itself.
Governor Palin was a hit, as we know. Her message resonated with Americans. A once dead campaign came back to life. Donations and volunteers poured in at a record pace. Between Palin’s common sense conservatism, and the fact that of the four people on both tickets, she was the only one with chief executive experience, and lots of it, for the first time, Republicans saw a win happening.
We saw Ronald Reagan when we saw Sarah Palin. In fact, even Michael Reagan himself said so. No stronger endorsement than that.
But sadly, the RINOs were in control of the campaign, and totally misused her talents. It was incredibly disheartening for those of us who had followed the Governor before she became a nationally know figure.
Worse yet, the democrats along with their media cohorts launched an unrelenting campaign of hate, lies, and dirty tricks against the Governor, which is in high gear to this day.
In the end, the moderates had it their way. The entire "democrat lite" wing of the Republican party prevailed, as did Barack Obama, the democrat candidate.
Now, this should have never happened. Barack Obama is to the left of Joseph Stalin. This is a man who was raised by communist parents, and grand parents. Mentored by communists like Frank Marshal Davis, terrorist Bill Ayers, and racist America hating Jeremiah Wright, among others.
No way in the world should this guy gotten past McCain/Palin. But, instead of listening to the cry of conservatives everywhere, our man John McCain actually defended Obama at every turn. Apologizing when Governor Palin turned on the heat, and even worse, refusing to defend her while she, herself, was being attacked with lies, hate, and dirty tricks. Another reoccurring theme for today’s Republican party of moderates.
So, again getting whipped badly taught the Republican elite nothing. If anything, the RINOs, the country club blue blooders are trying to move even closer to the democrats and further to the left! The true definition of insanity.
Sarah Palin touched Americans like no one has since Ronald Reagan. But, the Republican party is no longer the party of Reagan. It’s the democrat party watered down. So, the elites in our party not only didn’t listen to Governor Palin, they joined in the attacks, unable to face up to their own inadequacies! Including John McCain, who to this day, never misses a chance to disrespect the Governor, all the while sucking up to his buddies in the media.
So, the die was cast.
That takes us to 2009, and CPAC. This time it was Rush Limbaugh who gave the patriotic speech. This too was iconic. No one was surprised that Fox News carried his keynote speech live, but so did CNN. This was a big deal, and rivaled both Reagan, and Palin in it’s enormity of purpose.
Like Reagan, and Palin, Limbaugh spoke of American exceptionalism. Of America and her people’s greatness. Limbaugh spoke of solid conservative values, and how those values are what made America great. He spoke of how conservatism lifts people up, and how communism oppresses people. How, as conservatives, we want to build people up to their highest potential, and how communism punishes great achievement in the name of "economic justice".
Something else Limbaugh did. Just like Ronald Reagan forcefully attacked President Lyndon Johnson, and the democrats and Sarah Palin forcefully attacked candidate Barack Obama and the democrat/communist party, he attacked President Barack Obama and the party of radicals.
And just like Reagan, and Palin, Limbaugh did it with skill, humor, and good cheer. He was angry, as we all are, but when you are on the right path, you can speak with great ease.
Something else. Just like with Ronald Reagan, and Sarah Palin, conservatives cried tears of joy as they heard Limbaugh speak! These are the words we want to hear. The crowd at CPAC was screaming and people who were watching this live in their homes were as well. These are the kind of Republicans we want! We are tired of the country club RINO. The milquetoast moderates who are stumbling all over themselves to out democrat the democrats!
It's this moderate democrat lite type of Republican that has kept the party in the minority position for most of its existence. Only when true Ronald Reagan conservatism is practiced does the Republican party prevail. And as such, the American people!
Of course, true to form, all of the RINOs chose not to get behind Limbaugh. Oh no! Just like the blue bloods did back in 1964, and really until 1980 when they attacked Reagan unmercifully, and like today’s RINOs attacked, and still attack Sarah Palin, these people attacked Rush Limbaugh with as much vigor as the democrats!
If only the RINO wing would attack democrats with such vigor!
So once again, we are at a time for choosing. As a party, do the Republican leaders want to continue to be a minority party forever, or do you want to weed out the democrat lite RINOs, and become the powerful, unstoppable party of Reagan once more?
In the coming days I will be addressing individual ideas that are on every American’s mind. Ideas that are universal in their nature, and profound in their effect. And again, it will be a time for choosing!
Time to chose to listen to what Americans, all Americans, want, or again turn a blind eye, and a deaf ear to it all, and remain an insignificant party.
There is much urgency to this decision too. This isn’t just about winning elections anymore. We are in a fight to save this nation. Barack Obama, and the democrat/communist party plan to take this nation places it was never intended to go. They are destroying everything Americans hold dear to their hearts
So, as you see, your decision is urgently needed, and you had better make the right one.
