Sarah Palin in Iowa: The Defining Moment

By Gary P Jackson

Sarah Palin showed us Saturday how she will run her presidential campaign. Just as she did in Alaska, Governor Palin will take on the establishment, in both parties. There is corruption and crony capitalism everywhere in government. The American people know this and want it stopped. This will be a winning message that will attract Americans from every walk of life.

Unlike other candidates for high office, Sarah has an actual record of fighting corruption that goes all of the way back to her earliest days in elected office. As a member of the Wasilla city council, she went up against Nick Carney, one of the people who recruited her to run for office. Carney a fellow council member, owned a waste disposal business, and wanted to create a new law that would have required residents of new sub-divisions to pay for weekly garbage removal, by his company. Sarah fought him hard on this and defeated his plan.

What she did to the "Corrupt Bastards Club" is legendary. She turned a highly corrupt Alaska Republican Party on it's ear. I look at what she did in Alaska as a dress rehersal for what she will do as President. This is why you see so many in the Republican Establishment™ doing everything possible to stop her from even running. They know Alaska was just a warm up, as well! They also know the current so-called front runner is the absolute king of crony capitalism and will not survive with Sarah Palin in the race.

Sarah's speech in Iowa was great. She laid out a solid outline for restoring America. Besides talking about the corruption that has consumed government at every level, she gave a very specific tax proposal. Eliminating corporate income taxes, as well as closing loopholes in other taxes is a solid plan. Corporations don't really pay taxes as it is, as they simply build that into the price of their goods and services, so it's the consumer who ultimately pays this tax. The benefits of eliminating this, along with draconian regulations, could see one of the biggest booms in manufacturing that we've seen since WWII.

Speaking at the Liberty and Freedom Foundation in San Jose, California, in October of 2010, Sarah elaborated on her plan, why it would attract business to America, and how it all makes sense.



Sarah also talks about energy security and how it would benefit our nation. Her plan to make America energy independent, would create millions of good, durable, high paying jobs. It would also make us more secure. She calls on us to use our God given natural resources, and to build new refineries to process them. This is bold and decisive.

She has been saying these things for years, well before she was chosen as John McCain's running mate in 2008. No other candidate knows the energy sector better than Sarah Palin, and our untapped resources are the key to America's future.

The weather in Iowa was bad, thunderstorms rolled through the area in the mornming, and until Sarah Palin took the stage, it was raining. Still a crowd of between 2000-3000, the largest, by far, of any political event this season in Iowa, witnessed the speech in person.

After her speech, Sarah joined the crowd, sining autographs and posing for pictures with her supporters.

There are several good write-ups about the event, all with the same basic theme: Sarah Palin fired a shot across the bow of the Ruling Class. Both parties are in deep trouble with Sarah Palin in the race. Check 'em out.

From John Nolte:

Root Causes: In Iowa, Sarah Palin Lays Out a Governing Philosophy that Should Worry Both Sides of the Aisle

From Jedediah Bila:

Sarah Palin rocks Iowa: ‘The status quo is no longer an option’

From Scott Conroy:

Palin Sends Shot Across GOP Field's Bow in Fiery Iowa Speech

Photos from the event:

More here.

There are some crowd shots here, here, and here.

Hundreds Greet Sarah Palin At Local Iowa Restaurant Shouting "Run, Sarah, Run!"

Sarah Palin greets supporters at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale tonight. [The Register/Andrea Melendez]

By Gary P Jackson

Sarah and Todd Palin made a surprise visit to the Conservatives4Palin meet-up in Urbandale, Iowa Friday night.

From Jennifer Jacobs of the Des Moines Register:

Crowd chants ‘run, Sarah, run’ as Palin arrives at Iowa restaurant

Minutes after Alaska’s Sarah Palin arrived at the Machine Shed Restaurant in Urbandale tonight, the crowd of a couple hundred started up a chant of "Run, Sarah, run!"

Palin beamed, then asked Iowans about themselves as she shook hands and posed for photographs.

The possible presidential candidate didn’t make a speech and left for her Des Moines hotel with her husband, Todd, about half an hour after she arrived.

When a reporter asked Palin what she thinks about the current GOP competitors, she answered: "Happy with the field of candidates. I always think that there’s room for more, though, because spirited debate and more competition will allow an even better discourse and more rigorous discourse that the public deserves."

The event at the suburban restaurant, popular for conservative political gatherings, was organized by a Conservatives4Palin, an online group created by Palin aide Rebecca Mansour. (Mansour wasn’t there, but two other staffers, Michael Glassner and Jason Recher were at her side.)

Peter Singleton, a California lawyer who has been living in Iowa on and off as he talks up a Palin presidency, led a campaign rally of sorts tonight.

"This is not about Sarah Palin," he told the listeners jammed shoulder to shoulder in a back room with a long line out the door. "This is not about any candidate. This is about us as a people. But we need a leader."

Singleton, a volunteer organizer with Organize4Palin, continued: "There is no one who has the political courage and the vision of this woman."

The audience whooped and cheered when Singleton said he believes she could become the 2012 GOP nominee – and that she could be Democratic President Barack Obama.

More, including photos and audio, here.

Scott Conroy from Real Clear Politics was there and among his tweets:

Observation of hardcore Palin supporters: they are YOUNG. A lot of 20-somethings here. Ya don't see that in Iowa GOP politics

There's a short video here. [H/T: Linda]

The joint was crowded and Stacy Drake tweeted this photo with the headline: "Help... I can't get in"

Conroy: Palin to Rip "Crony Capitalism" [Rick Perry] in Iowa Speech

By Gary P Jackson

It looks like Sarah Palin's speech Saturday will finally put an end to the notion that she will endorse Rick Perry!

Scott Conroy reports that her speech will take corruption head on. Specifically the sort of crony capitalism that both Rick Perry and Barack Obama trade in daily.

As I was writing about Perry's half million dollar payoff from AT&T, on Thursday, I couldn't help but think that Perry was the exact sort of corrupt politician she ran against, and defeated, in Alaska. She helped send many to prison, others, including the GOP party chair, paid massive fines.

Perry has some serious vulnerabilities here. It's not his only issue, as we are learning more and more about land deals that make the Obama/Rezko thing look legit. Look for a more in-depth report on this soon.

Conroy also reports Sarah will lay out some substantial policy initiatives in her speech. A true way forward.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Though she won't be a candidate when she delivers a major address at a tea party rally in Iowa on Saturday, Sarah Palin will make it clear that she if enters the presidential race later this month she will vociferously challenge Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s engrained image of solidarity with the tea party movement.

In her speech at the bucolic National Balloon Classic field in Indianola, Palin will lean on loaded phrases like "crony capitalism" and "permanent political class" in laying out her view of the U.S. political system’s deep-rooted ills, according to a source close to Palin and familiar with the content of the speech.

Though she will not call Perry out by name, Palin’s carefully couched rhetoric will leave the impression that she may soon draw more overt attention to one of the Texan’s potential vulnerabilities as a candidate: his history of doling out plum positions and other benefits to generous campaign donors during his nearly 11-year tenure as the nation’s longest serving governor.

"Part of what she’s going to be addressing is the frustration that many Americans feel that nothing gets done in Washington, D.C.," a Palin source told RealClearPolitics. "We know that we have a debt problem and that we need to rein in government waste, and yet nothing ever gets done. Why is that? What special interests are involved?"

Palin’s speech before what will likely be one of the largest crowds of the campaign season to date will come on the third anniversary of her 2008 Republican convention address in the Twin Cities, when she accepted the vice presidential nomination in an almost universally acclaimed speaking performance.

In another likely indication that she still has her sights set on a White House run, Palin will also tout her record as governor of Alaska, particularly in ushering in what an aide described as "sudden and relentless reform" to state government.

"She’ll also address her own record in the sense that she has fought the powers that be her entire career in taking on the political machine and a corrupt political class in her own state," the aide said.

Though she has lagged in third place in most recent national polls, Palin’s entry into the race would almost certainly turn the Republican field on its head and immediately alter the strategies of both Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- the two front-runners for the GOP nomination.

A Palin campaign would also threaten to further sap support for Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has sought to position herself as the ideologically purest small-government contender in the contest but who has faded in the polls since winning the Ames Straw Poll last month.

In her speech Saturday, Palin will "more clearly" and "more boldly" offer policy prescriptions that she has laid out in Facebook posts over the past few months.

Read more here.

As we have always thought, Sarah will not only run against the democrats and Obama, but also the Republican Establishment™ just as Ronald Reagan did in 1980. This is the right message and will certainly resonate with Conservatives and independents. The need to clean house in Washington is strong.

BTW, this is why you see the Establishment™ pushing back so hard. In the last few days all sorts of stories have come out saying how terrible it would be if Sarah runs. Damned right it will be terrible! It'll be terrible for the corrupt Republican Establishment™, terrible for the other candidates, and terrible for Obama.

It will, however, be downright awesome for the American people!

Sarah Palin To New Hampshire On Labor Day

By Gary P Jackson

After what is expected to be a landmark speech in Iowa on Saturday, Sarah Palin will spend Monday, Labor Day, in the first primary in the nation state of New Hampshire. Sarah will headline a Tea Party Express event.

"We are always thrilled to have Sarah Palin join one of our rallies," Tea Party Express chairman Amy Kremer said in a statement released late Tuesday.

"She is an electrifying figure in conservative politics and a hero to the tea party movement."

Game on.

Flashback: Sarah Palin: Alaska’s Promise for the Nation

By Gary P Jackson

One of my favorite things that shows up in my mailbox regularly is Imprimis from Hillsdale College. If you aren't a subscriber, you are missing some great commentary. It's free, so sign up here.

On August 2, 2008, before she was chosen as the Republican vice presidential nominee, Governor Sarah Palin gave a speech outlining Alaska's role in America's future. Specifically she's talking about energy independence, and national security. What strikes me most is Governor Palin's consistency. She was saying the same thing in 2008, before most Americans knew who she was, as she does today in 2011, when everyone knows who she is.

More importantly, she's just as correct today, as she was in 2008. Sarah is the only candidate who seems to understand the link between energy independence and national security. She's absolutely the only one talking about it. She's also the only one with actual executive experience in the energy sector. When she talks energy, she talks from first hand knowledge.

Sarah Palin actually has a solid plan for making America energy independent. A plan that will create millions of jobs, jump start our economy, and make us a lot safer and more secure.

From Imprimis online:

The following is adapted from a speech delivered on August 2, 2008, aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner in Juneau, Alaska, to Hillsdale College friends and supporters during the College’s "North to Alaska" cruise from Seward to Vancouver.

NEXT YEAR IN ALASKA we are celebrating 50 years of statehood. We are still a very young state, and we’re still experiencing some growing pains, perhaps, as we seek opportunities for Alaska to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on the federal government. And the key to our becoming self-sufficient—and doing our part for our fellow Americans—is to develop further our state’s vast natural resource wealth.

Fifty years ago, this was our deal with the federal government—that we pull our own weight. And we’ve already come a long way from being known as "Seward’s Folly," back when Alaska was purchased from the Russians for two cents an acre. We’re earning our keep, largely by tapping our energy resources such as crude oil and liquefied natural gas. In fact, Alaska has our nation’s only liquefied natural gas export facility, located in the south-central Alaska town of Nikiski. But Alaska could and should be doing much more.

Being an Alaskan today is especially exciting and historic, as the energy and fuel crisis in our nation spawns creativity and makes us reevaluate what is important and necessary. As we consider where our energy will come from in the future, Alaska can and must be a big part of the answer. In fact, Alaska has already begun to take the lead on a sorely needed national energy policy. Groundbreaking history was made just up the hill at the capitol building yesterday, as Alaska’s lawmakers voted to award TransCanada Alaska a license to proceed with fieldwork, permitting, and development of the biggest construction project in the history of North America—the building of a natural gas pipeline, a project we have been fighting to begin for three decades. Once constructed, this pipeline will supply four to four-and-one-half billion cubic feet of natural gas per day—roughly six percent of America’s demand—to our fellow countrymen in what we call "the lower 48."

Just to provide some perspective, Alaska has tens of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas under the surface, especially on the North Slope. Alaskans have longed for the right to access our gas and more of our oil to assist in supplying the U.S. market, and now we are finally on the road to doing so. This $30-40 billion infrastructure project—which will be built by the private sector—is one of the most exciting and progressive events in Alaska’s history.

This is a good start, to be sure. But Alaska has much more to offer in the way of resources. And let me tell you clearly that we can do so in a way consistent with good environmental stewardship. Each and every Alaskan recognizes that our most precious resource is the pristine environment in which we are privileged to live and where our "First People" still subsist to this day. No one can love or care for Alaska more than Alaskans. And we who live here recognize that sound science and constantly improving technology make it possible to extract oil and gas safely and responsibly. Furthermore, with gas and fuel prices reaching record highs, oil and gas must be extracted—even as we move in the direction of renewable and alternative sources of energy.

Because of the lagging economy, Americans do not have time for "all talk and no action." Here at home, Alaskans struggle with the highest gas prices in the nation—the cost of gas in parts of Alaska is four to five dollars more per gallon than gas in the lower 48—and many face the choice between heating their homes and putting food on the table. Now other Americans are experiencing the same challenges. And we are in this position only because Alaska’s vast resources are being warehoused underground by Congress—placing us in a ridiculous and difficult position.

The price of oil, and now gasoline, has always been sensitive and subject to events occurring outside the U.S. We have placed ourselves in the position of having to plead with Middle Eastern suppliers to increase production, when instead we could lift the development bans that are keeping us from our own resource independence—namely, the bans relating to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and offshore drilling.

Alaskans find it incredibly frustrating that others—many of whom have never even set foot in our state, much less lived here—dictate how and when we can best use our own resources. Whether over the barren tundra or in our majestic mountains, we have a strong history of responsible development. To date, Alaska has sent more than 15 billion barrels of oil, safely and efficiently, to the lower 48. One look at the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System illustrates that development and wildlife can and do coexist.

I’ve heard it said by some politicians that Alaska doesn’t have enough oil to make a difference. I can tell you honestly that we do have enough. And while consultants and experts debate the current energy crisis, Alaska is already preparing for its next role—providing American consumers with a safe and secure domestic source of crude oil and natural gas. In fact, if energy imports were curtailed completely, Alaska could provide our nation with seven years of crude oil independence and an eight-year supply of natural gas. These are numbers that reflect known and recoverable oil and gas deposits.

To repeat, Prudhoe Bay has produced 15 billion barrels of crude oil, and there’s more where that came from in ANWR, which is home to more than ten billion barrels of oil and nine trillion cubic feet of natural gas. I know this is a controversial issue. But most Americans do not realize that of the 20 million acres that make up ANWR, we are asking for the right to access just 2,000 of them—a mere 1/10,000th of the total area. Opening up just that sliver of ANWR—which would create a footprint smaller than the total area of Los Angeles International Airport—could produce enough oil (an estimated one million barrels per day) to ease America’s fuel crisis and greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

It is also estimated that there are 24 billion barrels of recoverable oil and another 104 trillion cubic feet of natural gas offshore. In other words, offshore areas that are geologically promising, such as the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, hold roughly three-and-one-half years of U.S. oil consumption and four-and-one-half years of natural gas.

Congress can make it possible to take advantage of these resources right now, by streamlining access to offshore areas. As usual, outside interests are throwing up roadblocks and manipulating the legal system to achieve their agenda. But we need to bring some sanity back to the legal and permitting processes in the area of energy production.

In calling for bans to be lifted in order to get our nation out of the chokehold of high oil prices and dependence on the Middle East, I am certainly not rejecting the idea of alternative and renewable resources. I believe that we need to move in that direction, ultimately weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels. But we can’t do it overnight—or even over a decade. In Alaska, we have almost limitless opportunities for thermal, wind, solar, and hydroelectric energy. In fact, our capital city of Juneau receives 80 percent of its electricity from hydroelectric energy. Recently we have created a renewable/alternative energy fund with an initial $50 million that will build to $250 million over a five-year period. Yet until the science is fully developed, until all our vehicles are green, we must wisely and responsibly utilize known and given oil and natural gas resources so that we can provide for ourselves.

Alaskans are a very unique kind of people. We hear this on a regular basis from our visitors from the lower 48. One thing that makes us so unique is that we are at once fiercely independent and incredibly community-minded. It may seem as though these two qualities would be in conflict, but I believe they are the complementary qualities which, in tandem, drove the American Revolution. Our forefathers fought and died for liberty and independence, but they did so together. Today, as we seek freedom from dependence on foreign oil—and freedom from having to send our presidents to plead with the Saudis for more oil production—we must join together again, in the spirit of freedom and independence, to gain access to our own energy resources.

I say this to you not just as Alaska’s governor, but as the mother of a soldier—my son, Track, will soon be deploying overseas in service to his country and to a war that is certainly complicated by our dependence on foreign resources.

We must open ANWR and lift the ban on offshore drilling. The science and technology to harvest our resources responsibly and safely are in hand. The time for congressional action and leadership is now.

~ Sarah Palin

Audio: The Victory Sessions Stephen Bannon Hosts Jedediah Bila and Peter Singleton

By Gary P Jackson

On Sunday night Jedediah Bila and Peter Singleton were guests of Stephen Bannon on KABC Radio’sVictory Sessions.

RuBegonia has the audio. Click here and listen.

PPP Ohio: Governor Sarah Palin Highest In Favorablilty Ratings: A Key Finding

By Gary P Jackson

Ohio is one of the all important swing states, a must win, if someone wants to become President of the United States. Making a favorable impression on Ohioans goes a long way towards winning over the entire nation.

Though some national polls that over sample democrats and don't include likely voters [the only reliable group to sample] have shown Sarah Palin has a "favorability problem," every legit poll that specifically targets likely Republican voters and Republican leaning independents has shown Sarah Palin to have the best favorability among the candidates. This has been consistent since serious polling for 2012 started.

Ohio is no different. Democrat polling firm PPP's latest poll shows Governor Palin has 65% approval rating as compared to Rick Perry at 50%.

We're 15 months out from the general election of November 2012, and some 8 to 10 months away from settling the primaries. That's too far away to use votes as a guide as to who will be the Republican nominee. In fact, history shows those who lead early also peak early, and rarely make the final cut of candidates vying for the nomination. After all, other than a few debates, no one is really campaigning yet.

Favorability is the key this early on. The fact that Sarah's favorability is always higher than any one else, among the folks who will actually nominate her, is the key. High favorability means people will listen to what she has to say, and once she starts putting forth more of her plans to Revive, Renew, and Restore America, the likelihood of a large, receptive audience is far greater than with any other candidate.

A lot of folks live and die by polls that show supposed vote count, and over a long period of time one can spot certain trends, but the numbers to look at this far out are the ones measuring favorability. Those trends show Sarah Palin is consistently seen in the best light by Republicans and Republican leaning independents.

In my opinion, favorability equates to potential voters. At the very least it means a large group of people who will listen to what a candidate has to say.

In a key state like Ohio this spells trouble, not only for the rest of the Republican candidates, but Barack Obama too.

Sarah Palin's Libyan Statement Shows Leadership and Common Sense

By Gary P Jackson

Sarah Palin has released a strong, common sense statement on the Libyan revolution. Measured and concise, she shows once again the sort of leadership America needs. Recently both Caroline Glick and Walter Russell Mead have spoken of the Jacksonian/Reaganesque sort of foreign policy that needs to make a return to the U.S. Both have mentioned Sarah Palin as the sort who can bring this about, with Mead going so far asking if Governor Palin is our foreign policy "messiah."

Anyone who has kept up with Sarah's many op-eds and Facebook notes knows she's been very consistent about these sort of things. Cautious and reluctant to put American lives on the line in an effort to "spread democracy," which amounts to nation building, costs America blood and treasure, and rarely ends well.

Here she cautions the Obama regime, and others, not to get too excited about all of the latest developments in Libya. Instead she warns of the real possibility of a new government with direct ties to al Qaeda. She also points out we do have ways of supporting those who want a western style of democracy, and should do what we can to make sure they are victorious in this struggle, through diplomatic means.

From Sarah:

We join the Libyan people in gratefulness as we hear of Col. Gaddafi’s defeat. The fall of a tyrant and sponsor of terrorism is a great day for freedom-loving people around the world. But the path to democracy in Libya is not complete, and we must make wise choices to ensure that our national interests are protected.

First, the White House needs to avoid triumphalism. Gaddafi may be gone, but the fighting may not be complete. As we’ve seen in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, we must not celebrate too quickly. There are now mounting concerns that we will see tribal and sectarian fighting in Libya like we saw in Iraq. Let’s hope that is not the case, but it must be prepared for.

Second, we must be very concerned about the future government that will emerge to take Gaddafi’s place. History teaches that those with the guns usually prevail when a coalition overthrows a tyrant. We must remember that military power ultimately resides with the rebel commanders. This should be a source of some concern. The armed opposition to Gaddafi is an outgrowth of a group called Islamic Libya Fighting Group, and some rebel commanders admit that they have Al Qaeda links. The rebel fighters are from different tribes, and they have a variety of political views. Some are Islamists, some appear to favor some sort of western democracy. We should work through diplomatic means to help those who want democracy to come out on top.

That said, we should not commit U.S. troops or military assets to serve as peacekeepers or perform humanitarian missions or nation-building in Libya. Our military is already over-committed and strained, and a vaguely designed mission can be the first step toward a quagmire. The internal situation does not seem stable enough for U.S. forces to operate in a purely humanitarian manner without the possibility of coming under attack. Troop deployment to Libya would mean placing America’s finest in a potentially hostile zone that is not in our vital national security interest.

Finally, we must make sure that terrorist groups don’t try to co-opt the revolution, as Al Qaeda is trying to do in Syria. We should continue to use our intelligence assets to monitor the situation in Libya to ensure that potentially dangerous weapons are secured, and that terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda don’t gain a foothold in Libya.

People of Libya, be vigilant. May this opportunity be used to build a free and peaceful country.

~ Sarah Palin

Dan Riehl: It Will Take a Sarah Palin [Not a Rick Perry] To Re-Vitalize The Conservative Movement

By Gary P Jackson

Dan Riehl nails it, as usual. In just a few words he gets to the heart of the Palin vs Perry battle. Rick Perry is very much an establishment candidate, no matter the rhetoric he uses. He represents nothing more than more of the same.

Sarah Palin is the true outsider. Beholden to no one. A fresh voice and a true Reagan Conservative. Someone who's record proves she doesn't just talk a good game, she puts her words into action. She's been a Reagan Conservative throughout her 20 year career.

Dan doesn't get into either governor's record. He doesn't have to. This brilliantly sums up the entire issue:

For what it's worth, I'm getting a sense that, within the conservative movement, Perry may come to more represent the old line conservative movement, much of which is seriously compromised as a result of having been established in Washington for so long.

At the same time, I'm getting a sense that if the movement is to truly be re-energized and move forward from something it's been for decades - something already bound up in Washington - it may take a Sarah Palin to move forward along that path. If that does become the case, the two paths do lead to a different place.

Ultimately, I believe the older line path - Perry, ultimately may only lead to more of the same - a lot of good talk, but not a lot of change. It may take Sarah Palin, or a Sarah Palin, or some number of them over time to truly re-vitalize the conservative movement in America. But I'm far from certain of it at this point, it's simply beginning to look that way.

Riehl adds at the end that he's not exactly a Palinista, something many of us can attest to! That said, I've always found that even when he says something I don't agree with, he's always fair about it. In this day and age, that's getting harder and harder to find.

Read more here.

Walter Russell Mead: Sarah Palin: America’s Foreign Policy Messiah?

Governor Sarah Palin observes flight operations aboard the USS Stennis

By Gary P Jackson

While doing research for the article: Carolyn Glick: U.S. Needs Sarah Palin’s Foreign Policy, Not Rick Perry’s, I came across this piece from Walter Russell Mead, who Caroline Glick quotes in her article. Mead is a proponent of Jacksonian/Reaganesque foreign policy. The title of his article, written back in February, may be a bit much, but his thinking is spot on.

The rise of the Tea Party movement has been the most controversial and dramatic development in U.S. politics in many years. Supporters have hailed it as a return to core American values; opponents have seen it as a racist, reactionary and ultimately futile protest against the emerging reality of a multicultural, multiracial United States and a new era of government activism.

Nonetheless, the Tea Party movement has clearly struck a nerve in American politics, and students of American foreign policy need to think through the consequences of this populist and nationalist political insurgency.

As is so often the case in the United States, to understand the present and future of American politics, one must begin by coming to grips with the past.

The Tea Party movement taps deep roots in U.S. history. It is best understood as a contemporary revolt of Jacksonian common sense — the idea that moral, scientific, political and religious truths can be ascertained by the average person — against elites perceived as both misguided and corrupt.

And although the movement itself may splinter and even disappear, the populist energy that powers it will not go away any time soon. Jacksonianism is always an important force in American politics; at times of social and economic stress and change, like the present, its importance tends to grow.

In foreign policy, Jacksonians embrace a set of strongly nationalist ideas. They combine a firm belief in American exceptionalism with deep skepticism about the nation’s ability to create a liberal world order. The Obama administration is trying to steer U.S. foreign policy away from Jacksonian approaches just as a confluence of foreign and domestic developments are creating a Jacksonian moment.

Forecasting how this newly energized populist movement will influence foreign policy is difficult. Public opinion is responsive to events; a terrorist attack inside U.S. borders or a crisis in East Asia or the Middle East, for example, could transform the politics of U.S. foreign policy overnight.

Nevertheless, some trends seem clear.

The first is that the contest in the Tea Party between what might be called its Palinite and its Paulite wings will likely end in a victory for the Palinites. The Palinite wing of the Tea Party (after Sarah Palin) wants a vigorous, proactive approach to the problem of terrorism in the Middle East, one that rests on a close alliance between the United States and Israel. The Paulite wing (Rand Paul) would rather distance the United States from Israel as part of a general reduction of the United States’ profile in a part of the world from which little good can be expected.

The Paulites are likely to lose this contest because the commonsense reasoning of the American people now generally takes as axiomatic that security at home cannot be protected without substantial engagement overseas.

Terrorist attacks and events such as the Iranian effort to build nuclear weapons are likely to keep that sense of international danger alive (recent polls show that up to 64 percent of the U.S. public favors military strikes to end the Iranian nuclear program). Widespread public concern about perceived threats from a rising China will also strengthen public support for a strong military force and global American engagement.

Paulites and Palinites are united in their dislike for liberal internationalism — the attempt to conduct international relations through multilateral institutions under an ever-tightening web of international laws and treaties.

There is much in the Tea Party movement to give pause, but effective foreign policy must always begin with a realistic assessment of the facts on the ground.

Today’s Jacksonians are unlikely to disappear. Americans should rejoice that in many ways the Tea Party movement, warts and all, is a significantly more capable and reliable partner for the United States’ world-order-building tasks than were the isolationists of 60 years ago. Compared to the Jacksonians during the Truman administration, today’s are less racist, less antifeminist, less homophobic, and more open to an appreciation of other cultures and worldviews.

Furthermore, today’s southern Republican populists are far more sympathetic to core liberal capitalist concepts than were the populist supporters of William Jennings Bryan a century ago.

Foreign policy mandarins often wish the public would leave them alone so that they can get on with the serious business of statecraft. That is not going to happen in the United States. If the Tea Party movement fades away, other voices of populist protest will take its place. American policymakers and their counterparts overseas simply cannot do their jobs well without a deep understanding of what is one of the principal forces in American political life.

A robust foreign policy that concentrates on making sure our enemies are defeated is the best use of our blood and treasure. Blood and treasure that should never be wasted trying to be the world's policeman. Nation building is an exercise in futility. Yes, we can aid and help guide the willing, but it should never be our foreign policy goal.

Again, I'm not comfortable calling Governor Palin some sort "messiah" but I am confident she is the one person that, as President, would have the right strategy. Her doctrine of foreign policy is well defined and based on common sense.

One thing we can never say enough, is Sarah Palin's energy policy will have an incredible impact on our foreign policy. Energy is Sarah's strong suit. She was relentless in Alaska, not only with reform and safety, but with getting maximum production from the field.

A United States that is energy independent will change the world in many ways. It will change how America looks at problems around the world. Many of the conflicts we are involved in are due to the fact our oil supply is in peril. Instability in the Middle East, as well as an emerging China and Russia have made things complicated and volatile.

Remove energy dependence from the equation and all of a sudden things look a little different.

Most of America disagrees with what Mead calls the "Paulite" wing of the Tea Party, most notably Ron Paul's extreme views. [like it's OK for Iran to have nukes] I recently directed a reader, who is a Paul fan, to an article I wrote last December reporting that Iran was placing nuclear capable missiles in Venezuela. Missiles that could hit targets in the United States. So no, Iran having nukes is not OK in any way, shape, or form.

That said, there is a strong case to be made for people who support Ron Paul, because of foreign policy, to take a hard look at Sarah Palin. Her energy policy alone will mean that America will not only be stronger, but better able to aggressively prosecute the war on terror, without having to take interruptions in oil supply into consideration.

Reagan's foreign policy philosophy was "Peace through strength." A stronger America always means a safer world. Here are two Reagan quotes that say it all:

Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.

History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.

The Japanese attacked the United States on December 7, 1941 because they thought we were weak, based on our isolationist, "Paulite," sort of foreign policy. They didn't think the price of their aggression would be very high at all.

A strong America makes the rest of the world think twice before doing something that will destabilize the world. On the other hand, look at what's going on now, with Obama running things. Rogue nations and thug dictators world wide are emboldened now that America is perceived as weak.

Sarah Palin is cut from the same cloth as Ronald Reagan, and shares his "Peace through strength" ideals. Nothing could make America stronger or more secure than an aggressive energy policy with a goal of being 100% energy independent at it's core. This would help ensure not only our national security, but our financial security as well.

Governor Palin is not some sort of "messiah" [with all due respect to Mead] but she is America's best chance at having a leader who gets it. Someone who will bring common sense with her in all of her dealings.

The GOP Establishment Is Playing You, Sarah Palin Will Announce at the Time of Her Choosing, Not Theirs

"Gentlemen, we've got to protect our phony baloney jobs!"

By Gary P Jackson

The Republican Establishment™ has a new meme they are trying out. After months of assuring America that Sarah Palin is not going to run for President, no way, no how, errand boys Dick Morris and Karl Rove started singing a new tune late last week. Now they and a few others are convinced she's absolutely running. At least that's what they are telling the people that don't immediately change channels when either come on to pontificate.

There is a strategery behind all of this. The "she's running" has morphed into she will "absolutely be announcing" on September 3rd at the Tea Party event in Iowa. This is a set up, don't fall for it!

The establishment, and a handful of sycophantic bloggers, are pushing this nonsense hot and heavy. Again, do not fall for it!

The idea is to proclaim loudly that when the September 3rd event comes and goes, and Sarah is not an official candidate for President, that she is just "stringing her supporters along" and just trying to get some attention. Rove is already calling the event her "drop dead date" for announcing. This would be hilarious if it wasn't so patently dishonest.

It's funny, there was never a "drop dead date" for Rick Perry, and certainly no "drop dead date" for Chris Christie, or whatever GOP establishment candidate these people fantasize about. Only Sarah Palin has to do everything right now or it's over. Bear in mind, guys like Perry and Christie suffer from relatively low name recognition nationwide, and have an uphill battle, while Sarah Palin enjoys high name recognition, and a media that follows her every move, and reports it all breathlessly! Sarah has the luxury of not having to worry about exposure.

Still, Rove prattles on with his nonsense.

Since learning of the event, we've consistently said it would be cool if she announced there, but it was highly unlikely. There are many considerations as to why Governor Palin is waiting as long as possible to announce, not the least of which is the longer she hangs back, the more the other candidates are vetted, and America learns theses are not the people they are looking for. This has been a solid strategy from the get-go.

On more than one occasion Sarah has said when she makes her announcement, you won't be able to miss it. I take that to mean she has something pretty spectacular planned. That it will be a stand alone event.

Look for the speech in Iowa to be like her fiery "Game On!" speech in Madison, Wisconsin. Lots of red meat. I look for her to use this speech as a way to set the battlefield. What we must do, and how we must do it, if we are to Revive, Renew, and Restore America!

Now for some facts. We all know that Peter Singleton has been in Iowa for over a year building an incredible organization of dedicated supporters. These are not paid mercenaries, instead they are independent voters who are passionate about Sarah Palin, her message, her record, and her ability to lead. Not only are these people not paid, they are putting their money where their mouth is, and spending it towards their goal of electing Sarah Palin.

We also know that Singleton spent quite a bit of time with Sarah at the Iowa State Fair. It was the first time they've actually met. Governor Palin is well aware of the time, money, and effort members of Organize4Palin have put into all of this. In fact, back in July at the world premier of The Undefeated in Pella, Iowa, Real Clear Politics' Scott Conroy asked Sarah about Organize4Palin and if she wanted to tell them to stand down. Her response was to praise the group and tell then to keep up the good work.

I don't care if you love Sarah Palin or hate her, I think we can all agree that if she wasn't running, she is not the sort of person who would have allowed all of this to go on. Too many people have so much invested. She would have certainly said something.

Back to Peter's time with Sarah. He's been quite vocal saying he feels she's running. He obviously has to choose his words carefully, as there are legal considerations. He's also now openly recruiting people to join Organize4Palin, and getting set up to make calls to Iowa voters. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what is going on.

Singleton was a guest on the Tammy Bruce Show and told listeners point blank that if they were coming to Iowa thinking they will witness Sarah announce her candidacy, they should just stay home.

Monday, Iowa4Palin co-coordinator Michelle McCormick echoed Singleton's words by tweeting:

Reports of Gov. Palin "announcing" on 9/3 in IA are at best, speculative; at worst, mendacious. Come expecting a great speech-nothing more

The newest reports are there will be a "major announcement" at the September event. I have no insider knowledge, but do remember that in Pella, during an interview, Sarah said she had talked with a Tea Party group, likely Tea Party of America, about a combined bus tour. Again, I have no inside knowledge, but this may be what the big announcement is.

There is little doubt, among people who are actually paying attention, that Sarah Palin is running. There is also little doubt the Republican elites are running scared and will do absolutely anything to stop her and her supporters. These people know full well what she did in Alaska, taking on corruption at every level, and not caring which party the offending person belonged to. She even saw to it the GOP party chair paid the largest fine in Alaska history, for his misdeeds.

Guys like Rove and Dick Morris will have no place in a Palin administration. More terrifying, for them, is Sarah Palin represents a true move by the people to take our government back from the career politicians and corrupt insiders. If she is successful, and there is no reason to think she won't be, the elites, Rove, Morris, and others will become obsolete.The days of business as usual in Washington will be over.

This is why you can't afford to buy into what they are selling. The Republican Establishment™ will betray you every time.

Tea Party of America Releases First Ad For September 3 Event Featuring Sarah Palin

By Gary P Jackson

Yes, I know the event has been moved to the National Balloon Classic field, east of Indianola, Iowa. I just love the "Sarahstock" artwork created by our friends at HillBuzz.

As Peter Singleton noted when talking with Tammy Bruce, the event was moved from Waukee because of logistical considerations. The field is larger to accommodate the expected crowd, but it's also better suited in case of bad weather. There was concern if it rained, the many buses would get stuck and it would take days to clear them out. Also ingress and egress is much better at the balloon fields.

That said, Tea Party of America, promoter of the Restoring America event, has released their first radio ad promoting the event to .Revive, Renew, and Restore America. You can check it out by clicking here.

For more information on the event, visit Tea Party of America's website.

Carolyn Glick: U.S. Needs Sarah Palin's Foreign Policy, Not Rick Perry's

By Gary P Jackson

The Jerusalem Post's Carolyn Glick writes about the dilemma facing the United States, and the world: What sort of foreign policy will our next president have?

Glick goes into detail discussing the three different schools of thought out there: Isolationism, neo-conservatism, and Jacksonian/Reaganesque. We know isolationism doesn't work, and as Glick points out, America's isolationist foreign policy in the last century actually led to two world wars, as the enemies of Liberty and Freedom were emboldened by a passive United States.

Neo-conservatism, nation-building, has been a disaster in many ways, and has us fighting in three different wars with no real master plan or objective.

It's Jacksonian/Reaganesque foreign policy that Glick advocates, as do most Americans. It's a policy of intervention when it makes sense, and with a specific goal and outcome in mind. Speaking of Reagan and the Jacksonian principles, she writes:

In truth, the dominant foreign policy in the Republican Party, and to a degree, in American society as a whole is neither neoconservativism nor isolationism. For lack of a better name, it is what historian Walter Russell Mead has referred to as Jacksonianism, after Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the US. As Mead noted in a 1999 article in the National Interest entitled, "The Jacksonian Tradition," the most popular and enduring US model for foreign policy is far more flexible than either the isolationist or the neoconservative model.

According to Mead, the Jacksonian foreign policy model involves a few basic ideas. The US is different from the rest of the world and therefore the US should not try to remake the world in its own image by claiming that everyone is basically the same. The US must ensure its honor abroad by abiding by its commitments and standing with its allies. The US must take action to defend its interests. The US must fight to win or not fight at all. The US should only respect those foes that fight by the same rules as the US does.

The U.S. president that hewed closest to these basic guidelines in recent times was former president Ronald Reagan. Popular perception that Reagan was acting in accordance with Jacksonian foreign policy principles is what kept the public support for Reagan high even as the liberal media depicted his foreign policy as simplistic and dangerous.

For instance, Reagan fought Soviet influence in Central America everywhere he could and with whomever he could find. Regan exploited every opportunity to weaken the Soviet Union in Europe. He worked with the Vatican in Poland. He deployed Pershing short-range nuclear warheads in Western Europe. He called the Soviet Union an evil empire. He began developing the Strategic Defense Initiative. And he walked away from an arms control agreement when he decided it was a bad deal for the US.

Throughout his presidency, Reagan never shied away from trumpeting American values. To the contrary, he did so regularly. However, unlike the neoconservatives, Reagan recognized that advancing those values themselves could not replace the entirety of US foreign policy. Indeed, he realized that the very notion that values trumped all represented a fundamental misunderstanding of US interests and the nature and limits of US power.

If a Jacksonian president were in charge of US foreign policy, he or she would understand that supporting elections that are likely to bring a terror group like Hamas or Hezbollah into power is not an American interest.

He or she would understand that toppling a pro-American dictator like Mubarak in favor of a mob is not sound policy if the move is likely to bring an anti-American authoritarian successor regime to power.

A Jacksonian president would understand that using US power to overthrow a largely neutered US foe like Gaddafi in favor of a suspect opposition movement is not a judicious use of US power. Indeed, a Jacksonian president would recognize that it would be far better to expend the US's power to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad -- an open and active foe of the US and so influence the identity of a post-Assad government.

For all the deficiencies of the neoconservative worldview, at least the neoconservatives act out of a deep-seated belief that the US as a force for good in the world and out of concern for maintaining America's role as the leader of the free world. In stark contrast, Obama's foreign policy is based on a fundamental anti-American view of the US and a desire to end the US's role as the leading world power. And the impact of Obama's foreign policy on US and global security has been devastating.

From Europe to Asia to Russia to Latin America to the Middle East and Africa, Obama has weakened the US and turned on its allies. He has purposely strengthened US adversaries worldwide as part of an overall strategy of divesting an unworthy America from its role as world leader. He has empowered the anti-American UN to replace the US as the arbiter of US foreign policy. And so, absent the American sheriff, US adversaries from the Taliban to Vladimir Putin to Hugo Chavez to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are empowered to attack America and its allies.

In the coming months, Republican primary voters will choose their party's candidate to challenge Obama in next year's presidential elections. With all the failings of the neoconservative foreign policy model, it is clear that Obama's foreign policy has been far more devastating for US and global security.

Still, it would be a real tragedy if at the end of the primary season, due to neoconservative intellectual bullying the Republican presidential nominee was forced to choose between neoconservativism and isolationism. A rich, successful and popular American foreign policy tradition of Jacksonianism awaits the right candidate.

Read the entire article here.

In her article, Glick names names. Obviously Ron Paul is the leader of the very dangerous isolationist movement. Anyone who saw the latest Republican candidate debate, where Paul said it was quite OK for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, understands why that kind of thinking is not only dangerous for the United States, but the entire world. Yes, other nations have nuclear weapons, but mostly as a deterrent. Iran is the one nation that would most certainly use these weapons without regard for the consequences.

We're familiar with the neo-conservatives. George W Bush was pulled in that direction after September 11. Before that, he had been dead set against nation building and even preemptive strikes. Obviously the events of the worst attack on American soil changed things. As noble as his intentions were, we are still in Iraq and Iran for the foreseeable future, with no clear direction.

Rick Perry has surrounded himself with Bush's foreign advisors including Donald Rumsfeld, and Douglas Feith, a man who General Tommy Franks describes as "the dumbest f*cking guy on the planet!"

Rumsfeld disagrees, but Feith's record is troubling:

Feith's office was also responsible for the oversight of military prisons, including Abu Ghraib. And it turns out that Feith himself masterminded the policy of ignoring the Geneva Conventions against torture. Nevertheless, Secretary Rumsfeld defended his deputy in August 2004 when he told the press that Feith is "just a rare talent"

"He is one of the intellectual leaders in the administration" and "without question one of the most brilliant individuals in government." After his 2005 resignation, the Pentagon's Inspector General investigated Feith's office for supplying pre-war intelligence assessments -- at odds with findings of the intelligence community -- outlining strong ties between Iraq and al-Qaeda. The Inspector General's office found Feith's work "inappropriate" but not illegal.

Other than his long standing open borders wish for Mexico and Texas, Perry has said very little on foreign policy, except the usual soundbites we get from politicians. So the only way we can really judge Perry is by the company he is keeping. It appears he will be following in the tradition of the Bush administration and be a nation building neo-con.

That brings us to the Jacksonian, or as I prefer, Reaganesque school of foreign policy. Of all the candidates for President [and yeah, she's a candidate] Governor Sarah Palin is the only one who has a solid, stated, foreign policy. The "Palin Doctrine" if you will.

Speaking at Colorado Christian University (CCU) on May 2, 2011, in tribute of our troops, Sarah Palin went into detail concerning her foreign policy: [emphasis mine]

There’s a lesson here then for the effective use of force, as opposed to sending our troops on missions that are ill-defined. And it can be argued that our involvement elsewhere, say in Libya, is an example of a lack of clarity. See, these are deadly serious questions that we must ask ourselves when we contemplate sending Americans into harm’s way. Our men and women in uniform deserve a clear understanding of U.S. positions on such a crucial decision. I believe our criteria before we send our young men and women—America’s finest—into harm’s way should be spelled out clearly when it comes to the use of our military force. I can tell you what I believe that criteria should be in five points.

First, we should only commit our forces when clear and vital American interests are at stake. Period.

Second, if we have to fight, we fight to win. To do that, we use overwhelming force. We only send our troops into war with the objective to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible. We do not stretch out our military with open-ended and ill-defined missions. Nation building is a nice idea in theory, but it is not the main purpose of our armed forces. We use our military to win wars.

And third, we must have clearly defined goals and objectives before sending troops into harm’s way. If you can’t explain the mission to the American people clearly and concisely, then our sons and daughters should not be sent into battle. Period.

Fourth, American soldiers must never be put under foreign command. We will fight side by side with our allies, but American soldiers must remain under the care and the command of American officers.

Fifth, sending in our armed forces should be the last resort. We don’t go looking for dragons to slay. However, we will encourage the forces of freedom around the world who are sincerely fighting for the empowerment of the individual. When it makes sense, when it’s appropriate, we will provide them with material support to help them win their own freedom.

We are not indifferent to the cause of human rights or the desire for freedom. We are always on the side of both. But we can’t fight every war. We can’t undo every injustice around the world. But with strength and clarity in those five points, we’ll make for a safer, more prosperous, more peaceful world because as the U.S. leads by example, as we support freedom across the globe, we’re going to prove that free and healthy countries don’t wage war on other free and healthy countries. The stronger we are, the stronger and more peaceful the world will be under our example.

Read more and watch her speech here.

Like any policy Governor Palin sets forth, you can state the essence of the "Palin Doctrine" in two words: Common sense. We can't be the world's policeman, and we can't right every wrong. That said, we can indeed remain the strongest power for good in the world, and lead by example. A strong United States always means a safer world. Remember, Reagan, with his "Peace through strength" policies, won the Cold War without firing a single shot.

In furtherance of her doctrine, Sarah hired Peter Schweizer, the man who literally wrote the books on how Reagan won the Cold War. Schweizer is a fellow at the Hoover Institute, and rock solid as an adviser.

One more piece of Governor Palin's strong foreign policy, is also a strong national security policy, and something no one else is really talking about, and that's an aggressive national energy strategy.

Sarah Palin will be the Energy President. She will be aggressively working to make the United States energy independent with an "all of the above" approach that will include opening up exploration of our own resources as well as the use of alternatives that make economic sense.

A strong energy policy, one that makes dependence on foreign sources of energy obsolete, will put the United States in a stronger position to deal with rogue nations and foreign powers, that work against our best interests, without the concern of interruptions in our energy supply. This is a bigger deal than most imagine.

It's seems with our economy in free-fall, and all of the disastrous policies the Obama regime is implementing, foreign policy has sort of dropped off the map. People aren't paying much attention. The fact is, a successful president must have a strong understanding of how the world works, and a solid policy for dealing with it. Sarah Palin is the one candidate who has this, and has had it for years. Sarah Palin is the one proven leader who will make it work. The one leader we can trust.

Essential Listening: Tammy Bruce Interview's Organize4Palin's Man In Iowa, Peter Singleton

By Gary P Jackson

Tammy Bruce samples her weekly Palin Report where she interviews Peter Singleton, the Iowa Coordinator for Organize4Palin. As our readers know, Peter has been in Iowa for over a year building an incredible ground game. His work has inspired others to do the same in other states across the nation.

This is a solid conversation, not only about organizing, but what President Palin will need in the way of support once she is in office. Tammy and Peter remind everyone it will be on us to do the hard work once Sarah announces. We are sovereign citizens and must take on the responsibility of helping elect our new leader.

From Tammy:

As a sneak peak, here’s about 40 minutes of this week’s "Palin Report" featuring my interview with Iowa Palinsita Peter Singleton. If you enjoy media such as this, please do subscribe–becoming a member is what makes all my work possible. In addition to the weekly "Palin Report," subscribers get a variety of exclusive media including the live show "On Demand," the daily TAM Briefing podcast, TAM Chat room and other exclusive media.

If you would like to contact Peter about how you can get plugged in to the Organize4Palin efforts in Iowa and across the country you can reach him at Iowa–at–organize4palin.com

Both Tammy and Peter mention Contributing Editors Stacy Drake and Whitney Pitcher as people whose articles are always a must read. [Obviously, I agree!]

Both make another strong point. No one expects Sarah to announce on September 3. Of course, no one will be surprised if she does.

Their point is two-fold, if you are only going to Iowa in anticipation of an announcement, it might it not be a bad idea to reconsider. Many of us look for the Governor to announce later in the month. That said, just like her powerful event in Madison, Wisconsin, this will be a historic speech. That alone, as well as the rest of the event, will certainly be worth the effort.

Listen to this essential interview here.

If you are not a TAM, it's worth the few bucks a month to be a member. Join up while you are at Tammy's website!

If you haven't, make sure you read Organize4Palin's National Coordinator Karen Allen's letter to Governor Palin's supporters about how you can get involved, and help us elect a true leader, here.

Walking the Early States is the Path to Sarah Palin's Nomination

By Gary P Jackson

Organize4Palin has been quietly setting up one of the strongest support networks any candidate has ever had. And they have been doing it own their own, independently of Sarah Palin.

Pete Singleton, O4P's man in Iowa has a standing army ready to roll when the Iowa caucuses start. Singleton's people blanket the state and participate in every GOP meeting at every level.

In New Hampshire similar activity is taking place, South Carolina too. I fact, Organize4Palin is building an army of volunteers in all 50 states. You see, unlike some, Palin supporters, like Governor Palin herself, are not about to write off any state. We plan to challenge Obama in all 50 of them.

Karen Allen, the hardest working woman I know, Is the national coordinator for Organize4Palin. Here are her thoughts and directions for all Liberty and Freedom loving Americans on how we can make sure our next President is the honorable Sarah Palin from the Great State of Alaska!

Reprinted in full with permission:

Walking the Early States Path to the Nomination

Dear Friends,

We are profoundly grateful for the commitment, hard work, and insight of the California4Palin and Organize4Palin community who are working across the nation to support the values and leadership of Gov. Palin. This is truly a team effort, as we work alongside each other, pounding with boots on the ground and fingers on the keyboard. We are fortunate to serve with you and to know you.

Recently, we’ve received requests asking how to help in the most time critical efforts. We believe it’s crucial now to get behind O4P’s early state efforts en masse! O4P has chapters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, and Florida. The path to the nomination will go through these states.

We have a number of ideas as to how the community can get behind these efforts, some of which are underway even now quietly. Most of these don’t cost any money at all, as we are an army of volunteers. However, other efforts do cost: advertising to reach other Palin supporters, providing literature on Gov. Palin’s accomplishments to potential voters, and reserving spaces at fairs and events to share information are just a few.

One vitally important way we can together support the early states effort is by donating to Organize4Palin’s Early States Fund. Reaching those early primary states and then spreading that success across the nation will provide Gov. Palin with an organized and strong network of volunteers should she decide to run, as we believe she will.

We have received a generous donation by a long time C4P-er who wishes to remain anonymous. Our C4P friend was inspired by “Charter’s Challenge” on July 10 to challenge us once again. For every $100 donated to the Early States Fund, this C4P-er will match that donation, up to a total of $1,000, for donations made through Sunday, August 21.

If you have the ability to do so in these challenging financial times, we urge you to give generously to the Early States Fund! Either way, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all that you are doing for this great country and in support of a great leader, Governor Sarah Palin. Again, it’s an honor and a privilege to serve with you in this great cause!

Click here to donate to the Early States Fund:

With American hearts,

Peter Singleton, Organize4Palin Iowa state coordinator

Michelle McCormick, Organize4Palin Iowa state co-coordinator

Karen Allen, Organize4Palin national coordinator

P.S. Before we go…anyone want to take a crack at what Gov. Rick Perry must have been thinking when he saw these volunteer placed O4P palm cards? Your help in the early states will place more of these cards in the hands of potential primary voters. Please help now!

Sarah Palin on Greta: Obama Tickling His Toes and Burying His Head in the Sand

By Gary P Jackson

Governor Palin talks about President Obama's inability to lead, wrong headed ideas, and his vacation from reality. Reminds us what makes America great, and how we can get back on track.

Greta and Sarah also talk about another round of stimulus, and how she and other Conservative governors vetoed attempts by their legislature to accept all of these funds in 2009, because of the strings attached.

Note, the difference on this, as Governor Rick Perry not only accepted TARP funds, but as chair of the Republican Governors Association, teamed up with his counterpart in the Democrat Governors Association, Joe Manchin, and was begging Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid for TARP to be passed.

Greta asks Sarah about bi-partisanship, and Sarah say both parties have their issues, and for the good of the nation, should embrace the Tea Party and the American people.



In the second video Greta and the Governor talk foreign policy and how Obama was too busy packing for his 10 day vacation at Martha's Vineyard to worry about it, sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton out to comment on the latest developments in Syria. Sarah also speculates that at this point, if they had a do-over, democrats might just chose Clinton over Obama, as Clinton was far more presidential in her appearance that Obama has ever been.

Greta can't figure out why candidate Obama was so good and President Obama sucks. Sarah never misses a beat and pounds home the point Obama was never vetted and the corrupt media covered for him, never pressing him on the issues.

As we see an effort by some in the Republican Party to quell any attempt to vet their candidate's record.

Finally Sarah talks about the American spirit and how we can get things back on track. How we don't need government to do it for us. Speaking to the Tea Party event on September 3, Labor Day weekend, says she wants to help empower Americans to do what they must ti get our country back on track.

Video courtesy of SarahNet

Sarah Palin Talks to Lou Dobbs

By Gary P Jackson

Jobs, stock market, and 2012. Governor Palin talks about the need to vet our candidates. Says the candidates need to take their gloves off.

Video courtesy of SarahNet

Standing at the Crossroads of History

By C. A. Bamford

Imagine a world without America. Imagine a world where there is no one to stand proudly and boldly in defense of liberty. To whom will those suffering under oppression or need turn for help? As Ronald Reagan so famously said, “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.”



Our nation is at a crucial crossroad. The presidential election of 2012 will be one of the most important in the history of our Republic. Our choice will determine our future, our children’s future, and that of the United States of America. Never have the stakes been so high. Never has the choice been so clearly defined. We face experience and accomplishment vs. empty rhetoric and unfulfilled promises; American exceptionalism vs. apologetic mediocrity. Will we remain the Greatest Nation on Earth, or will we become just one of many managed and regulated units in a homogenized, global community working for the good of a few and the freedom of none?

First, let us define what is meant by American Exceptionalism. It does not mean we think that we are better than everyone else. It is a statement that America is different than all other nations because of where we came from, who we are, and what we stand for. Our Founders believed that we were brought together on this continent by Providence. They believed that God had a hand in bringing together the people who made this nation. It is faith in the idea that in this nation, people of all races and creeds can unite around a universal belief in opportunity, shared values, and our natural rights and responsibilities under God.

As Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and the rest of our Founders knew, American exceptionalism is about human freedom and holding yourself to the highest standard of which you are capable. No other country on earth has ever tried such an experiment as this representative democracy governing the independent states according to the Constitution; the Constitution, which was openly and contentiously debated, and painstakingly crafted by the founders in order to protect our new country and to ensure the individual rights of all. America was indeed founded as, and has endured as an exceptional nation.

But if we mistakenly demand that the rewards of the sacrifice of blood, toil, and treasure that created this exceptional nation be given to all without regard; if we demand that shared wealth regardless of participation, not shared opportunity, is the right of all, then we will no longer be exceptional. If we cease to hold ourselves to the highest standards of which we are capable, then we will cease to be an exceptional nation and we will become no more than any other country, be it Greece, Venezuela or Iran.

Over the past two and a half years, the inept and incomprehensible policies of the current administration have brought us to the brink of disaster and have eroded and threatened to destroy those things we once held dear…self-reliance, honor, and freedom.

We know that Governor Sarah Palin believes we are an exceptional nation. President Obama has told us he believes that America is no more exceptional than Greece, Iran, or any other nation in the world. Governor Palin has proven that she is willing to sacrifice much of what she holds dear for this exceptional nation. President Obama has asked us to sacrifice for his vision of a fundamentally changed country; one that is no longer an exceptional nation. The difference in their vision for America is clear. Let us now compare their experience and leadership.


Experience and Accomplishments: Governor Palin

Private sector experience: Sarah Palin worked at local businesses, on fishing boats and canneries to pay her way through college. She and her husband, Todd Palin, own and operate an Alaskan commercial fishing business. Palin has written two books, both #1 NY Times Bestsellers which sold over 2 million copies. She is a political commentator for FOX News and hosted a highly rated TV series about Alaska on the Learning Channel. Palin is an in demand international speaker.

1992-1996 - Palin was elected by wide margins and served two terms on the City Council of Wasilla, Alaska

1996—2002 - Elected in 1996 with 75% of the vote in a 3-way race, Palin served two successful 3-year terms as Mayor of Wasilla. Under her stewardship, infrastructure was improved, property taxes cut.

Her policies to attract business into the area were so successful that the tiny town of Wasilla became the fasting growing city in the nation.Tens of thousands flock to Wasilla to shop in the stores Palin brought to town, thanks to her positive, pro growth policies.

1999-2002 - Mayor Palin was elected President of Alaska Conference of Mayors by her peers. She led dozens of other mayors in dealing with statewide issues, such as municipal revenue sharing, and advocating for local government control of important local issues.

2003-2004 - Appointed to and named Chair and Ethics Supervisor of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

2003-2005 - Palin served as one of three Director of Senator Steven’s Excellence in Public Service group devoted to advancing women in conservative politics.

2007 Assumed Chairmanship of Interstate Oil and Gas Compact

2006-2009 - Palin was elected Governor of Alaska, the second most powerful gubernatorial office in the country. Governor Palin, the youngest person and first woman to be elected governor of Alaska, earned bipartisan approval ratings of over 90% making her the most popular governor in America.

She co-wrote and signed into law the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA), negotiated with Canada on building a natural gas line from Alaska to the lower 48 states (an achievement that prior governors had attempted but failed to achieve for over 30 years), passed landmark bi-bipartisan ethics reform, cut billions in spending from the budget and put $5 billion into the state’s rainy day savings fund, and left her state with a $12 billion budget surplus.

She successfully fulfilled every one of her campaign promises, both as Mayor and as Governor. Her fiscally conservative policies earned Alaska a Aaa rating, the highest rating given.

As governor, she served as Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard, the only National Guard on 24-hour standby. Alaska's unique role as the first line of defense means as Governor, Sarah Palin has a top level national security clearance, and received regular briefings. Though never discussed, Palin's level of security is reportedly as high as ranking members of Congress' national security council membership, second only to the President.

She was also Commander-in-Chief of the Alaska Defense Force, a reserve military and police force that is a recognized militia by Homeland Security. It was the ADF that bravely defended Alaska during World War II, when the Japanese invaded the territory.

Governor Palin was a frugal budgeter as the Governor of Alaska. During her tenure, she cut spending 9.5% while also vetoing nearly half a billion dollars in spending, and she wisely did this during strong economic times.

Whitney Pitcher spells it all out here.


Governor Palin has nine years of Executive Experience, more than three times as much as President Obama. Twenty years of public service in total.


Experience and Accomplishments: President Obama

Private sector experience - Barack Obama’s education was funded by federal programs and unknown donors. He has published two best-selling books, and one unsuccessful children’s book. He has no other known private sector business experience other than a reported part time job at an ice cream shop during his teen years.

1992-96 - Lectured at the U of Chicago Law School.

From April-Oct 1992 Obama also directed ACORN's Illinois Project Vote, a voter registration drive that achieved its goal of 400,000 registered African Americans.
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He and Michelle spent several months in Bali in 1992 working in vain to finish a book, which was later published in 1995 with the help of domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, who reportedly ghost wrote much of it.

1993-96 - Obama joined a law firm specializing in civil rights litigation, as an associate.

1995-1999- Chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a "foundation" created and guided by terrorist Bill Ayers.

1996-2004 - Obama was a senior lecturer at U of Chicago, teaching courses in due process and equal protection, voting rights, and racism and law. He published no legal scholarship, and turned down tenured positions

1995-2004 - Obama announced his candidacy for the Illinois Senate in 95, and served eight years (97-04) while continuing to work part time at the university, He proposed no major legislation and voted “Present” 130 times.

1996-2004 - Was counsel from 96-04, with his law license becoming inactive in 2002. During the four years Obama worked as a full time lawyer at the firm, he was involved in 30 cases. He also continued to work part time for the university and as a State Senator.

2004-2008 - Was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 2004, and began his fulltime campaign for the presidency in 2006. Introduced no significant legislation.

2009 - Obama elected President of United States. He began his campaign for re-election shortly thereafter. Under his administration, debt has tripled, the deficit widened, unsustainable spending, record unemployment has crippled the US economy.

Our AAA credit rating has been downgraded for the first time in our history. Onerous regulations have hampered energy exploration and development and are destroying our jobs creators, small businesses throughout the country. Government has become a bloated, uncontrolled entity that no longer answers to the people, but seeks instead to control and use them. Under his administration we have become a nation divided.

At the end of the 1970s, after three years of Jimmy Carter, America could not wait to vote for someone else. That someone turned out to be the greatest president of the 20th century. Ronald Reagan knew what he believed, was passionate about expressing it, and once in office, carried through with the goals he had articulated during the 1980 campaign.

When the history of the 2012 presidential election is written, what will we remember? That a conservative Republican challenged a socialist nightmare for the leadership of the country — and won? Or that the Republican Party nominated another squish who allowed the worst president in our history to follow through on his promise to "fundamentally transform the United States of America."

~Doug Patton

History will record whether we had to courage and wisdom to choose a leader who is passionate about America, and who has proven herself to be a fearless and effective fiscal reformer and advocate for the people she serves, or if we choose to continue to blindly follow those who are destroying our nation. America is indeed a blessed and exceptional nation.

It is now up to us to ensure that it remains so. One may again quote one of our greatest presidents:

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We'll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we'll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.

~ Ronald Reagan

In Her Own Words: Sarah Palin's American Adventure

By Gary P Jackson

A nice mini-documentary on Sarah Palin using excerpts from the audio version of Going Rogue, An American Life Governor Palin's multi-million copy, best selling book from 2009.