Gov. Palin in Germany to Visit Wounded Troops
According to the governor's latest tweet, she's wrapped up her time in Kosovo and is now in Germany to visit wounded troops:
LtGen Campbell & I now n Germany=visit wounded warriors seek to do more to help these deserving patriots than mere visit they sacrifice much
According to this article from the military, her visit to Alaska National Guard soldiers stationed in Kosovo provided a morale boost to the troops:
Soldiers from the 'Land of the Midnight Sun' got a huge morale boost when Alaska's governor, Sarah Palin, and the state's adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, trekked the approximately 5,000 miles to see their National Guard troops from the 49th state and to show their support for the service members of the Multi-National Task Force-East KFOR 11 mission.
[...]
"I truly appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. I have such a sincere, great appreciation for all that you are doing to serve your state and your country," said Palin.
Camp Bondsteel Soldiers welcomed with smiles, flash bulbs and a whirlwind tour. That evening she met with senior leadership hosted by the commanding general of MNTF-E, Brig. Gen. Keith Jones, and was briefed on the current situation in the eastern sector. The next morning Palin was treated to a unique breakfast of pancakes and smoked salmon by her fellow Alaskans and to hear what the rank and file had on their minds.
"[The governor] is real down-to-earth and as a mother of a teenager, she is someone I can relate to," said 1st Lt. Sarah Payeur, Task Force Arctic Eagle, aviation liaison officer, 1-207th Avn. Regt. "With her son in the Army, serving in Iraq, she completely understands what we are going through and to me that is important when it comes to knowing what family support is all about," said the Eagle River, Alaska native.
More here, including additional pictures.
(h/t baboonking)
UPDATE by RAM: Here's some more video of her trip to Kosovo:
UPDATE by Mel: Tweets from the Guv:
Frankfurt: AK Guard leadrs Campbell & Choate w/staff & soldiers @ Landstuhl Med Cntr; Canadian, US & other allied troops treated together...
To grasp the caring, sweet spirit of medical team @ Landstuhl will change your life. They serve, along w troops, something greater than self
Sacrificial soldiers who fought for freedom put it all in perspective: time/resources wasted on pettiness is futile- ask what really matters
Posts
96 comments:
Get on topic, meerkat.
Great pictures. Troops a long way from home always get a big boost from sincere support and appreciation. No one can doubt Gov. Palin sincerity when she talks about her respect for those serving their country.
Wouldn't it be so awesome if Palin met with Angela Merkel, who can't stand Obama while she is in Germany? I know there is almost no chance of this happening, but it sure would be great!
She will make an extraordinary president.
She embodies the American spirit.
She makes me smile.
Merkel is in the U.S. so it will definitely not happen. Oh well, can only dream...
Sarah Palin Onboard the Stennis
http://www.strategypage.com/military_photos/20090626202917.aspx
These visits are bringing her TONS of CREDIBILITY as executive and Comander in Chief.
Techno and others: would she be able to run for POTUS in 2012 without the credibility she is getting as governor?
Another term as governor would increase that credibility 100%. An elective office WIN behind her is the best asset she can have at the time to announce her 2012 run.
She does not runs for reelection and she is FINISHED. People WILL start losing faith in her. Don't believe me huh?
Sarah as private citizen would be seen just as a celebrity, a hockey mom, a woman that wants to use her fame to sell books, an ex Miss Wasilla, "I can see Russia from my House", non educated and no experinced former VP candidate. A hick, racist redneck that does not cares about MINORITIES.
The MSM will have a PARTY with her.
The only thing that keeps her in the spot light and viable candidate for 2012 is her job as GOVERNOR. This is the only thing that keeps the liberal smears from sticking!
She will be able to be governor and run for POTUS. Not because she is from Alaska makes her less competent than Rick Perry or Huckabee. She can fly back and forward. Its takes just hours to go from Alaska to Iowa. We have JET PLANES now you know? We have INTERNET.
Her grassroots will set the stage for 2 or theree months prior so when she appears in person in Iowa in front of 10 to 20 thousands people will seal her victory there. Yes, she needs to appear in Iowa and New Hamphire many times, BUT not all the time. She does not has to!
Some of you "Sarah supporters" still have the 2007 mentality. After Obama's win, we can't just take things for granted.
Sarah needs to get the LATINO vote and the MINORITIES vote. She needs to fight fire with fire, fight Obama with the same Obama tricks!
She has the potential not only to win in 2012 but to win BIG(40 states or more). NOT MATTER the popularity Obama might still enjoy. Popularity don't win elections: Job and CREDIBILITY does. If Obama does not fulfill his many promises, Iran test nuclear bombs and the foreign policy and the economy is a mess, there is not popularity that could defeat the first WOMAN NOMINATED FOR US PRESIDENT!
CJ---Give it a F'ing rest already.
Mel wrote:
"Get on topic, meerkat."
------------------------
My admiration and respect for Governor Palin equals or exceeds that of anybody at C4P.
I agree with Carmelo Jr. She does need to run another term even though it'll be hard for her to travel around. Her popularity is there. She can always give interviews by satellite.
Love it that she was able to boost their morale. It is always nice to share things with someone who truly appreciates what you all do. Sarah truly appreciates the military with all her heart. (Now if only Levi would wake up and realize it.)
Linda wrote:
"I agree with Carmelo Jr. She does need to run another term even though it'll be hard for her to travel around. Her popularity is there. She can always give interviews by satellite."
Satellite interviews don't work so good because of the transmission delays. People always end end up talking over each other or they have those awkward "dead time" periods when nobody is speaking.
Nancy wrote:
" She makes me smile."
me too :-)
Carmelo wrote:
"She has the potential not only to win in 2012 but to win BIG(40 states or more)."
Here are 14 States that always go Democrat.
NY
NJ
New Hamp
Conn
Delaware
California
Washington
Oregon
Maine
Pennsylvania
Hawaii
Michigan
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Perhaps you should lower your expectation a touch ?
She wears anything stunning.
meerkat,
Forgive me, but, I hope we are smiling for the same reasons. In admiration of her principled stand on issue, not a mocking derisional smirk.
Perhaps, I'm gun shy with so many trolls shape shifting in and out of C4P, these days. After yesterday, still hesitant about ya.
A tentative, I'm glad to hear that you smile too.
Well, Carmello, there would clearly be advantages to her being reelected as Governor, but there are disadvantages too. The amount of criticism she gets for doing any national events as governor is immense, there would be continual ethics charges filed if she ran as Governor. Now she can overcome them, but it's a drag on efforts -- and the MSM would play them up. The alternative is to spend the 2010 election cycle campaigning and fundraising for conservative republicans all over the country and help us get either control of the house so that catastrophies like yesterday do not keep happening. Then, there's the book tour, some speaking engagements including overseas and it's time for the 2012 primary cycle. You pretty much have to be campaigning full time from the end of the 2010 elections. Governor Palin has some slack there because she doesn't need to build name recognition, but I think she'll have plenty to do without also being Governor. And with her "servent's heart" she would want to do the job well if she took it.
As to the 14 states that always go Democrat, in 1984 Ronald Reagan won everything except Minnesota, something the RINOs seem to have forgotten.
When I heard Gov. Palin give her address at the convention, I knew her delivery of the speech reminded me of someone. And, when she was on the campaign trail and would deliver those great one liners, it would bug me because I still couldn't think who it was that had that same type of delivery.
This morning when I listened again to her Kerry joke, it came to me who it was, Ann Richards. Ann Richards was a Texan Democrat, the Governor of Texas, who smacked down the first Geo. Bush with that famous line "Poor George...he can't help it...he was born with a silver foot in his mouth" Granted I didn't like that put down too much. But, Ann Richards did it in such a cheerful way, smiling all the time. You have to admit, it was a great one liner.
Like someone else said. It is the "it" factor. You can't teach it and Sarah has it, Ann Richards had it too. And, both ladies speak the language of the common person in fly over country.
wjshipley wrote:
" As to the 14 states that always go Democrat, in 1984 Ronald Reagan won everything except Minnesota, something the RINOs seem to have forgotten."
This isn't 1984 and Sarah Palin isn't Ronald Reagan.
Seriously, how many of those 14 do you think Sarah can win ?
This has nothing to do with whether you think I'm a RINO or not.
If Sarah wants to win some of those States she will need to get
the vote from RINO's, independents,
and some Democrats. It is far too early to start making predictions on what will happen in 2012.
http://www.thefoxnation.com/assets/imagecache/fox-nation-large/fox-nation/415_062609_fx_michelle_barack_obama.jpg
NO HEAD CROPPING NEEDED ON
THIS PIC...IT SAYS ALL WE NEED TO KNOW...IN FACT MORE THEN YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE TWO OF THEM
Don't know if you can open this or not. Go to Fox Nation and take a look. If someone knows how to bring the pic. here, please do so.
I think it says "Limo Please".."Get these bags too".."Take us to NY we need a night out" "Isn't Air Force One great when you just want to have a nice dinner 500 miles away"
Compare this to Gov. Palin with the troops and her carrying her own back pack off the chopper.
NY
NJ
New Hamp
Conn
Delaware
California
Washington
Oregon
Maine
Pennsylvania
Hawaii
Michigan
Wisconsin
Minnesota
I think she can take PA, MN, and NJ and NH.
Yes, I think the Northeast remains blue, regardless of whom we run, which is why I'm shying away from Romney as her V.P.
Originally, I had thought he could help out there, but it's looking like the NE will be deep blue in years to come.
Which is now why I'd like to see Pawlenty as her running mate. He's strong on experience and can really help her in Middle America.
In 84' all of those states listed, with the exception of Minnesota (Mondale's home state) went Red.
Now with that, let's get back on topic....... :^)
We have been through every possible scenario for Sarah. I don't know about Sarah, but if I had all these options before me, I would be in some kind of turmoil over the best thing to do. The problem is that there are pros and cons to every scenario (you can even make a good case for running for relection, governing 'til 2014 and going for it all in 2016). Though inwardly Sarah must agonize over some of this, (and I'm sure she prays about it) outwardly, she never shows it. I kind of get the sense though, that she wants to run against Obama, which of course means 2012.
Oh, it would be so wonderful to see the Republicans working to do something for our brave soldiers once they return from risking their lives and health by fighting in our wars. You see, as the wife of an Army Colonel, I've watched the Republicans assault my family's heat care benefits for many, many years now. You see, by cutting the healthcare costs of veterans and retired military--which are huge--the good ole boys of the GOP can then divert defense funds to their defense industry patrons like Haliburton et al. She's talkin' the talk, but will she walk the walk?
Let's be honest. Without the Internet and the blogosphere (eg the Kosovo visit) Sarah Palin would not exist as a formidable candidate to gain the Republican nod in 2012 and beat Obama in the general election.
If Sarah were competing according to the same rules that Reagan fought under between 1976-1980 there is no way on God's green earth that Sarah Palin would now enjoy the favorability of 73% of all Republicans, 80% of conservative Republicans and 84% of white evangelical Republicans while being virtually on hiatus from the national political scene between the beginning of December 2008 to the beginning of June 2009 (6 months).
Folks, take a moment to digest these figures. They are awesome.
And again let us never forget Adam Brickley of Draft Sarah Palin for VP and the contributors of C4P for allowing Sarah's story to be told to tens of millions of Americans.
But finally the reason I mentioned this is to admit that Sarah Palin will NOT be elected POTUS in 2012 solely because of her presence of the Internet and the blogosphere. Eventually she will need to get up front and personal with the American voters in the Lower 48. Even in the modern world we live in there is no substitute for personal appearances, cogent speeches and pressing the flesh and of course the MSM dissemination of Sarah's pronouncements and quips on a timely basis.
How many of those 14 states could she win?
PA (came close in 2008 and she could do it next time)
NH (GWB took it, and Obama's fiscal policies might give them something to think about in 2012)
MI (yes, Michigan. The only reason why MI keeps going blue is because of voter fraud in Detroit. It's a national disgrace. If someone got serious about it -- I mean team of effing lawyers on the ground watching the polls and playing hardball serious -- Michigan would really be in play. Michigan has suffered terribly economically under a Democrat governor. They are ready for a change. They are ready for another 1980. They see what Obama is doing to the auto industry. A smart campaign can flip Michigan. But they must deal with voter fraud in Detroit or all will be a wash.)
yogi14 wrote:
"I think she can take PA, MN, and NJ and NH."
Of the 4 Pennsylvania is a must have.
It would depends on the "soft" Dems
and how mad they are at Obama come
election time.
NJ is always a teaser. Early on NJ
acts like it will go Repub and ends up voting Dem. It would be a nice plum.
MN..meh they are wacky voters with the latest example being what's his name they voted into the Senate
although I can understand her appeal there. Michigan might be a better place to apply resources.
NH.. don't think so. She would have to spend a lot of time in the State and she can't do that easily
from Alaska.
RAM: Did you see the John Kerry reply to Gov. Palin's joke...I posted it on the open thread.
Also, I notice the CD, IM, etc. are all doing the head cropping today.
I think it best we say nothing. We have made our point and the majority agree with us. If they w want to take a bad thing further, let them, they are the ones that look foolish,insensitive, and
and politically incorrect. They don't need our help to spread their hate the whole world saw it the other day.
I'm not getting into the whole "should she or shouldn't she run for re-election" deal. I think we can all agree that the current version of Sarah isn't the same as the July 2008 version.
The American people are desperate for a leader who actually loves this country and wants the best for it.
She'll have even stronger credibility (the book) as the months go on. Even a blind/deaf person knows that Sarah is the most formidable person Metro could face in '12.
I for one am looking to Sarah as a leader whether she happens to have the title of "governor" in front of her name or not.
This isn't 1984 and Sarah Palin isn't Ronald Reagan.
Well, that's true. In 1984 Reagan was running for reelection. But I would not be too sure how you rank Sarah Palin vs Ronald Reagan.
While Reagan clearly had many years of laying out a conservative agenda, he is most famous for being the great communicator. Palin may well be better at that than he was, I don't remember Ronald Reagan drawing 20,000 people to a parade before he ran for President. Of course Sarah is standing on his shoulders, as she admits, but that means you can be raised higher.
Nancy,
I will say this once and leave you to make up your own mind about me
and won't be sitting on the edge of my chair waiting for your answer.
I am not a troll.
I am not a RINO.
I am a fiscal conservative who is strong on nat'l security. I am an
independent(former Republican) who
gave up on the party in 2006 when they lost their way and started losing elections.
There you have it.
Bitter, I agree, this country is looking for a leader who stands up for America and does not apologize for anything the USA does, not bowing to anyone.
Sarah will be honest, and keep the military always to the forefront, and if we can get those Dems, Ind, that are leaners- 2012 should be all wrapped up- perhaps not a 1984 Reagan victory, but a victory non the less.
Sarah 2012!
juju, I read your post about Kerry on the other thread. Do you have a link for the "Kerry clarification"? It's a pretty pathetic bit of tripe.
I'm waiting for 2012 when Gov. Palin looks some wise ass reporter in the eye and says, "I may not be able to see Russia from my house, but I can definately see the White House from my back yard."
bitterclinger:
Approaching it from a different angle I just finished reading up on President Reagan's 'wilderness years' between 1974 and 1980 in a book by Dinesh D'Souza:
Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader
Here is a sample of what D'Souza gleaned:
"Ronald Reagan was not ready to run for the Presidency when he completed his second term as governor of California (1974)...he lacked NATIONAL ISSUES that would define his candidacy."
1974-1980: his wilderness years
"He was a well-known figure but didn't really have a job."
"He read widely, looking not for a new philosophy but for ammunition for his views."
"He read Hayek and Bastiat on economic liberty...and was interested in the writings of the Founding fathers."
Now consider Sarah Palin. Does she not find herself in the same situation as Reagan found himself in 1974-1976 being not taken seriously in national affairs?
And would not it be wise for her to follow in the footsteps of her hero Ronald Reagan to broaden her knowledge and to become more conversant on national issues rather than trying to re-invent the wheel.
bitteclinger, am what I am proposing for Sarah so unreasonable and unorthodox to not to receive any merit?
Sorry, I don't have a link to that Kerry piece. I swiped it from one of our enemy blogs. Maybe Ram can find where it came from. I would like to see it on our front page.
I thought both the jokes by Kerry and Palin were clever and harmless.
Actually, kinda cute them batting back and forth. But, wow, the Dems.
took it real serious. They must really be afraid of her.
Juju,
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2009/06/sen_kerry_clarifies_joke_about.html#comments
Can we put Dr. Chill's swanswong on the front page as well, hahahahaah.
Cajun,
It's pretty clear from all the scientific data that a clear majority of active military servicemembers hate the Democrat party and Barack Obama.
Just read the poll: only a third of the troops approve of Barack Obama.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/12/military_poll_main_122908/
techno, you have made several good arguments why Sarah should not run for re-election.
One of your points is the distraction of dealing with the ankle-biters' ethics complaints while campaigning.
That was a good point a couple of months ago, but it is not persuasive now.
We Alaskans are sick of the ethics complaints. The rest of the nation has been clued into them also. I think even the lefties realize how the ethics complaints are backfiring on them.
With the defense fund in place and a legislator (forget who) willing to submit a bill that would require future complainants to maintain silence while the complaint is being investigated, future ethics complaints should NOT be a reason for Sarah not running for re-election.
So can we all agree that the ankle-biters' ethics complaints can be taken off the table as a reason why Sarah should not run for re-election?
There are other arguments why Sarah shouldn't run for re-election, but ethics complaints ain't one of them.
Rasmussen Daily tracking poll:
+2 (33-31)
NB: 10th straight day where the net approval index has been 2+ or below.
+11 (55-44)overall approval index
juju wrote:
"Compare this to Gov. Palin with the troops and her carrying her own back pack off the chopper."
That was the first thing I noticed in the video clip. Governor Palin treats others with respect.
Re: Sarah & Reagan
I know I'm probably a loner around here in this regard but I wish Sarah would beef up her reading on other Republican presidents than just Reagan. Maybe she has/is, but she quotes Reagan about 115% of the time when she's quoting from past politicians.
Lincoln, TR, Eisenhower anyone?
The pundits will notice in a presidential run that the only person she quotes is Reagan and they'll go after her for that.
We have never had a more hawkish president than Theodore Roosevelt. There are dozens of his quotes on hawkish foreign policy, for instance. I've got a room full of books in case Sarah ever needs some TR quotes. (o:
But my fave TR quote is :
"Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground."
When someone has to say:
"I'm not a troll..."
"I'm not a RINO...."
It kind of makes you stick out like a sore thumb.
meerkat
with all respect.
Saying that Sarah Palin is not Reagan is not something that comes out of a Sarah supporter.
Sarah resembles Reagan in all aspects except age, gender and experience.
Reagan was on his way to lose by 4 points against Carter. It was his appeal, his incredible speech skills that got him on top.
Do not underestimate this lady. There is no state that is BLUE or RED. Texas might turn blue at any given moment. New York can turn RED.
There is nothing for granted in politics. If you think like this you are not in the 21 century.
Obama IS NOT unbeatable. That is a liberal lie to scare conservatives and Republicans. Obama could not even do well in the primaries without ACORN help.
gardunne63:
As you know I am probably thought of being too cold-blooded in my way of seeing politics but I think that the reason Sarah is harking back to Reagan so often in her speeches is mainly to cement the cornerstone of her candidacy for the Presidency: the Republican base.
Now don't get me wrong. Sarah believes every word she says, but it's just good politics for a conservative to consistently mention Reagan, don't you think?
And if you read my former post about the Reagan 'wilderness years' I am in full agreement with you that Sarah should broaden her horizons.
But remember gardunne63 as long as she remains governor of Alaska, if you know what I mean, Sarah will not be able to focus undivided time on what you think she should read. Her priorities will of course lie in running the state, which it should be.
Blogger Huskers-For-Palin said...
When someone has to say:
"I'm not a troll..."
"I'm not a RINO...."
It kind of makes you stick out like a sore thumb.
---------------------------
Here's a thumb in your eye :-)
Just to confuse you even more, aside from not being a troll nor a RINO I am also an atheist and pro choice.
Have at it.
Folks,
Can we not have a discussion of the finer points without someone shouting troll or RINO? Come on. The trolls are obvious. Meerkat is not a troll.
you guys forgot one big ole demo state...
Illinois...she will NEVER win that state. not in a million years.
unfortunately..i live there.
Illinois = Daly machine. Forget about that one.
Reagan is the President she quotes from, because he was the one in her formative years in college, and later when she started in journalism. But T.R. appeals to her, for their common history of fighting political corruption, the old Stalwart machines is an analogue of the Ruedrich/Allen
one. their love of hunting, their
support of Jews and african Americans, their belief in a fair deal, although she thinks that business can better provide this
approach.
Sarah needs to gain support amongst the hispanic vote to ensure she takes CO, NV, and NM back.
Obama's poor economy and socialism will help her take the midwest states of OH, IN back.
The interesting states are VA and FL.
If she gets VA, she will get also NC.
If she picks Rubio as her Veep, I think she will tak FL.
She MUST get the mountain states back secure so that she can concentrate on the midwest and Virginia and Florida.
Blogger Carmelo Junior said...
meerkat
"with all respect.
Saying that Sarah Palin is not Reagan is not something that comes out of a Sarah supporter."
Do you think it's possible for someone to disagree with you and still be a Sarah supporter for a whole different set of reasons ?
"Sarah resembles Reagan in all aspects except age, gender and experience."
What would those aspects be? You seem to have covered 99% of the
aspects.
If Sarah gets the nomination do you think people will vote for Reagan or Sarah ?
meerkat:
I take Rush Limbaugh's approach to Reagan. He said that when we talk of Reagan conservatism it should not take the shape of nostalgia or does not mean we want to dig Reagan up and resurrect him which of course we can't but Rush then goes on always and emphasizes why do the Democrats continually hearken back to FDR and in contrast why is the GOP so quick to throw Reagan under the bus over jettison his ideas overboard.
To him it makes no sense to abandon Reagan conservatism because of the two landslide victories Reagan achieved and the enhanced freedom, prosperity, security and lifestyle that the Reagan Presidency brought with it.
Make no mistake Sarah Palin is a Reagan conservative. No amount of Obama and MSM disinformation and propaganda will convince the conservative base of the Republican Party otherwise. They might as well give up trying.
If Sarah runs for the Presidency it will be as a Reagan conservative. However her policies and positions must deal with and be tailored to the issues of 2012 and not 1980.
Having said that I believe that Sarah has to broaden her horizons beyond Reagan in her thinking, reading and discussions.
I refer you to my post on Reagan's wilderness years.
Ronald Reagan was one of a kind.
I think we see similar qualities in Sarah Palin, but she is not Ronald Reagan, nor Margaret Thatcher. She is Sarah Palin.
Here's a few differences:
*Reagan would never have encouraged people to call him "Ron." In fact, he had disdain for Carter because Carter told people, "Call me Jimmy."
*Reagan was charming and friendly to ordinary Americans, but he wasn't a rope line chit-chatter like Palin.
*Palin is much more casual in her style than Reagan was.
A few similarities:
*Palin can knock a good speech out of the ballpark just like Reagan could.
*Rock solid principles and integrity. A decency and sincerity almost completely absent in politics.
*An utterly unique combination of humility and -- for lack of a better word -- hubris (at least the right kind of hubris -- the kind that comes with a sense of destiny).
Talking about Gov. Palin and a second term....
I've commented concerning this recently and believe stronger ever day, that she will definitely, (99.5% ) sure, run for re-election in 2010.
The Gas Pipeline- AGIA and TransCanada/ExxonMobil agreement, bring to fruition a dream talked about in Alaska for many decades. Sarah has made it happen, it's her legacy, so to speak.....
THE PIPELINE IS LIKE A SIXTH CHILD FOR SARAH AND IT'S JUST IN IT'S INFANCY!, no one will nurture it to full reality, other than Sarah.
Her commitment to Alaska, as she says, is first and foremost above all others.
How does she answer the inevitable question about her Presidential hopes in 2012 while asking Alaskans for a second term?
JUST TELL THEM SHE CAN'T 100% RULE IT OUT, be honest with them... Honesty, in my opinion, is Sarah's trump card, she values it above all, always has and always will and people believe it, It's what we all cherish so much about her.
We don't have to FEAR being had by her or that she takes us for GRANTED.
My take is that Alaskans will afford her great respect in this matter, Alaska first her ambitions second., knowing full well she will never forsake them even if a higher calling is in her future.
Yogi41,
I respectfully disagree that Pawlenty would be a good running mate. The man is a nice guy but the various position(s) he has taken including the FAKE ISSUE of "Climate Change" are untenable!!
Pawlenty won BY THE SKIN OF HIS TEETH against a LIBERAL MN Attorney General. I don't think he would bring anything to a Palin Ticket.
Which brings us to a interesting predicament if Gov. Palin decides to run for POTUS. "Traditionaly", the V.P. canidate is usually the "Attack Dog" on the campain trail. Gov. Palin can hold her own. Would a Palin/Fill in the blank ticket need/be o.k. with Two people who can hold thier own and take no prisoners. Would the MSM say "Oh, we have two MEANIES on a National Ticket!!"
RAM - Agree. Similar but different. I think Sarah can connect even more with the citizens but is very for from the elites.
As for as States, MI, PA, NH, OR, WI, NJ heck even WA and ME can be in play. Michigan has 14+ % unemployment and going higher. Dems can talk all they want, too many affected no positive action. Same with Oregon.
Look at results of 2000 and 04 elections. Most these States were close. If the economy is not straightened out they can turn quick. Also Obama's passive apporoach to Foreign policy means one incident and he is in BIG trouble. Don't forget how the tax vote went in California. Looks impossible until nothing is done to fix their mess. This is how Obama swung the vote about 4% his way vs '04. Take that 4% the other way and you would be surprised of the States in play.
meerkat;
i just stumbled on a column over at national review (by way of Find Articles at BNET) by noted conservative writer Steven Hayward where he compares Reagan's 'wilderness years' with Winston Churchill's 'wilderness years' in the 1930's where Churchill was a backbencher and thought of as a has-been.
As a note during the 5 years in the wilderness doing radio commentaries Reagan broadcast 1027 commentaries, the bulk written by himself.
Hayward goes on: "The Reagan that emerges from this enormous corpus of writings IS FULL OF CURIOSITY: He cast a wide net for information, and went far beyond generalities to discuss the inner workings of obscure government programs and regulations. Reagan displayed a talent for explaining complicated regulations, such as how the Clean Air Act's "prevention of significant deterioration" policy works, in just three minutes, along with a critique and alternative ideas for achieveing the same goal...often Reagan would devote three or four commentaries to same subject over the course of consecutive broadcasts...offer a complete teaching on issues such as inflation, tax policy, welfare reform, the environment, and foreign policy.
The remarkable range of depth of Reagan's writings suggests that he was arguably the best-prepared person to enter the White House in modern times. This was not a person who needed to consult polls and policy wonks to decide what was important or what he should think."
If you want to read more here is the web site:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/
mi_m1282/is_21-56/ai_n13667692/
Although as RA Mansour asserts there are clear differences between Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin, if you want to begin to scratch the surface of the political soul of Sarah Palin you must explore the political writings of Ronald Reagan and especially those years often referred to by historians as his 'wilderness years' (1974-1980).
bestbud at 3:10 pm:
Exactly!
I was listening to the Eddie Burke show (this Thursday or Friday)and he had a Deputy Commissioner of Oil and Gas on the show. The Deputy Commissioner said we're 9 years away from having natural gas flow through the pipeline. Sure, more negotiation and work needs to be done, but I'm confident that nothing will be a dealbreaker at this point.
The longer Sarah can be our governor and help make the gasline happen, the better for her run for the presidency. What other candidate can claim to be responsible for the largest construction job ever in North America?
Sarah will have the support of most all Alaskans, and especially if she works for getting us our bullet line.
Folks,
Sarah gathers the Republican base, runs for ereelction, wins reelection(for 5 points or more) and she wins the nomination.
Romney is NOT going anywhere, nor Hukabee. Those polls favoring these two must be democrats and liberals being polled. The same happend with Gulliani.
Sarah picks a Hispanic running mate from Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, California, Michigan or Ohio, and she wins against Obama, end of story!
techno, I'm still waiting to hear from you if you're willing to CONCEDE that ankle-biter ethics complaints are no longer a good reason for Sarah not to run for re-election.
:>
9:36pm Saturday (CEST) - Time in Germany
BettyJoBialowski:
No I am not. Remember when I am talking about anklebiter complaints I am not talking about the first five months of 2010 (Sarah Palin is still governor) but of 2011.
If Sarah Palin is governor past Dec 2010 I predict that Obama and his war room and the local anklebiting brigade in Alaska will redouble their efforts and will come up with something to make Sarah's life a living hell and to take her down. Remember George Soros and Obama have all the money in the world to bribe people or pay people to say things. And we are only in 2009; The scores of people in the Obama war room have 18 months to come up with a nefarious scheme or plot to cause Sarah major distress and divert her attention from the Presidential trail. I would not put it past them. And neither should you. These thugs and bastards are cutthroat and they play for keeps. Al Capone, Stalin and Alinsky are their heroes.
gardunne63:
I believe TR is a double-edged sword. He has his good points, such as his charisma, toughness, and great patriotism, but he was one of the founders of the progressive movement which has been an absolute disaster. Today the Dems are doubling and tripling down on the movement that people like TR started in the early 20th century and if left unchecked will be the undoing of America as we know it. If she is going to reference leaders other than Reagan, I'd use Lincoln and other great world leaders such as Thatcher and Churchill. Maybe even get into philosophers such as Burke and Adam Smith. Use TR references sparingly.
more video on the guv in kosovo:
http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=video/video_show.php&id=63178
techno at3:58 pm:
Won't the Obama war room try to make Sarah's life a living hell whether or not she runs for re-election?
Why should Sarah give up "progressing" the pipeline by not running for re-election when they are going to come after her anyway?
M. Minnesota,
I understand your concerns about Pawlenty. Let me be clear (do I sound like Obama?).... I am not a Pawlenty fan, but I understand the importance of putting someone on the bottom of the ticket that can bring in some moderates.
Reagan wanted Kemp as his V.P., but the party pushed him to choose someone more moderate; either Ford or Bush. He relented, chose Bush, and they cleaned up in electoral votes. (read Ed Rollins book - very insightful as to the wheeling and dealing that was done regarding Ford and Bush as the V.P.)
Do I think 2 conservatives can win a general election? Yes. Does the party have the guts to do that? No. If a conservative is at the top of the ticket, then a moderate will be the running mate. In that case, I wonder if Romney or Pawlenty will be a better fit. At this point, I think Pawlenty can help.
I don't know about Rubio. A) Crist will probably win there, but even if he doesn't you don't run for VP after a yr in the Senate. McCain could go with Palin because he had tons of experience and could pick someone younger and less experienced(like how Kerry went with Edwards). But Palin at the top would be like Obama or Bush, she'd likely need that Biden/Cheney figure to provide gravitas. She could go the Clinton/Gore route but Al Gore even though young had been 8 yrs in the house and senate and had already run for President. Rubio would be little too green in 2012.
Palin would almost certainly need someone who brings some demonstrated expertise or assets in either the economy or foriegn policy/miltary. Ironically, Romney would be a fine choice. He'd shore up the economy end and reassure the business community(if there's anything left of it by the time Obama is finished). Meg Whitman if she ends up as Gov would be a good choice, but I don't know how 2 women would play. It'd be worth finding out.
It'd likely be a beltway person. Every outsider(Obama, Bush, Clinton, Dukakis, Reagan, Carter picks a DC veteran-Biden, Cheney, Gore, Bentsen, Bush, Mondale). Condi Rice would be interesting. There's really no one in the Senate who stands out.
The bottom line is the economy. If it recovers and it's evident by the 2010 midterms, I doubt she runs for the nomination. It'd be worthless and Obama will win easily. If it's still struggling by 2010 and Obama has gone south, then she probably will, and with a bad or struggling economy after 4 yrs of Obama, she'd have a decent shot.
But she has to worry about fundraising. We can't get out spent by 430 million dollars again and expect to win. It just doesn't happen. We can't even get outspent by 40 million and hope to win. We have to be ahead or within 20M or so to have a real shot.
And demographics will continue to hurt. The white vote is shrinking at a rate that will make it very difficult to win elections. The shrinking white vote combined with growing black/hispanic vote was worth 3-4 pts alone to Obama regardless of anything that happened on the campaign. Kerry would have won in 2004 with Obama's demographics and monoploy of the black vote.
So, hope the economy doesn't get much better, and take care of the fundraising and things will look up. But if the economy recovers, she's better off waiting until 2016.
And the reason I keep shying away from Romney is that he has way too many ties to these Wall Street corporations that most of America hates right now. Google and read about his association with Goldman Sachs; it's troubling.
As long as Wall Street keeps getting into bed with the federal government during the Obama administration, the worse off it is for Romney. Once his opposition reveals all of Romney's associations and dealings and monetary ties with these companies, he's going to have a hard time getting most Americans to trust him.
BettyJoBialowski:
As the governor of Alaska Sarah Palin is a sitting target for or running the gauntlet every day because of the local media, the national media, anklebiters, the local Democrats and Murkowski RINO's and would be constantly put on the DEFENSIVE on a 24/7 basis. As I posted in another thread as 'all roads lead to Rome', all insidious schemes and nefarious plots to destroy Sarah Palin, except for the Murkowski RINO's lead directly or indirectly to the Obama war room and their brainstorming sessions.
If Sarah is not governor of Alaska past Dec 2010 she will be in the position Reagan was in his wilderness years (1974-1980) when he did not hold a job. As Reagan did not have to defend his actions then so would Sarah be in the same enviable postion between 2010 and 2012. Instead like Reagan, who was constantly on the attack against the Carter administation through his newspaper columns and radio broadcasts, Sarah could take the same approach against Obama and go constantly on the attack through various medium to expose his agenda for what it is, because again quite simply like Reagan she wouldn't have a job to go to occupy her time. In addition by travelling constantly she would be less of a sitting target and as you might know it is harder to hit a moving target than a fixed one.
Don't just believe me BettyJo-do your own research on the Reagan wilderness years and what he was able achieve during his incubation of refining his ideas, beliefs and policies that he planned to put forward in 1980 against Carter which led to a landslide victory in 1980.
Refer to my previous post on what Steven Hayward thought of Reagan's wilderness years and you'll perhaps understand why I believe Sarah Palin should take the same approach as she launches her bid for the Presidency in 2012.
Sure my views might sound unorthodox but if Reagan did it why not follow in his footsteps to the Presidency instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.
Youtube version of the clip here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUL0CVFy5IY
Please don't everyone jump on me for repeating myself again but...
Sarah will run for re-election in 2010..Why? Because she bleeds AK flag dark blue, right or wrong, she will run because she cannot stand to NOT run.
I said this in another thread but I will repeat here:
The left would have us think that Sarah would be hated by everyone overseas. After seeing pics and video of Sarah on the street I think she will be well liked by the average folks just like she is here.
You know I've been watching Wimbledon all day today. And it dawns on me with the Guv being in Europe it would be fun to see her stop by the Championships. Maybe even she could drop off a truly Alaskan gift for the Queen, or her version of a personalized iPod :)
I love seeing her interacting with the troops. You know she loves them dearly.
meerkat,
I am sorry for attacking you, I hope you will forgive me.
You can hold this over my head for as long as you like!:)
Hopefully, we can go to battle to defend Governor Palin together, in the future.
This is my last comment on re-election v run for 2012. This is getting insipid and ridicules with 3 1/2 years to go.
Techno---I agree with you on this subject. This is a BIG if. If Gov. Palin wants to be President it will more than likely be 2012. If Gov. Palin wants to remain governor she will and finish her sedond term period end of discussion.
Now if Gov. Palin wants to be President she will not run for re-election for all the reasons Techno has pointed out. I would agree it would be nice if Gov. Palin was a sitting governor but her being from AK makes that very difficult. Technological it can be done but physically it would be very difficult. It always come back to one thing the AK legislative session coinciding with the primary season. Gov. Palin will not leave the state for any length of time while the legislature is in session. The End.
CodaCuda2012:
Nothing is 100% but I am 95% convinced, barring a personal challenge in her family, Sarah Palin will run for POTUS in 2012. There are just too many signs that point that way and I know how to read the tea leaves as good as anyone.
Quite frankly any GOP politician who did not seriously think of running for POTUS with the poll numbers that PEW just revealed:
FAVORABILITY:
73% AMONG ALL REPUBLICANS
80% AMONG ALL CONSERV. REPUBLICANS
84% WHITE EVANGELICAL REPUBLICANS
would have to not have the fire in the belly. And I don't really believe that is Sarah's problem.
And finally John Ziegler in his radio show is still convinced that Palin should wait till 2016 but he now says expect a 'surprise' from Governor Palin.
Techno---The dynamics of presidential politics tell me the same thing.
Absolutely Great for Sarah and these young People.....
The battle for the hearts and minds of the youth vote will be Sarah's most cherished enterprise and one she can certainly pull off.... She's MAGNETIC, must be the reason all compasses point NORTH.
Can I make one request. I never want to hear the word gravitas again. Most overused word ever. It means you are an elitist. OK elitists has our Nation 12+ Trillions in debt with trainwrecks waiting in Soc. Sec. Medicare and the value of the dollar. That is what gravitas instead of common sense has got us.
Can we get somebody in there who understands us the citizens and doesn't cow tow to the elitists and the ones with Gravitas. Oh and in business Gravitas the fail companies of the banks, GM etc all had the Gravitas of Ivy League Schooling. What did it accomplish.
Who I wamt is a leader for VP.
Now as for as her running in '12 here is my take. If she does not run for GOV then it is 100% certain. If she runs it is about 80%. Agree with Techno only a family meltdown could do any damage. I think Bristol and you heard it hear first will be an asset not a liability in '12. She can help with that Single mother, lower income class. IS she different. Yes but there are similarities and she can talk with them of similar struggles. Also she can help rewrite family values. It is as much of a family helping somebody in difficult times as it is being perfect.
Will:
Ronald Reagan was in the wilderness without a job for 6 years before he became POTUS.
He wrote columns, did daily radio broadcasts and scheduled many speaking appearances and Steven Hayward commented (from my post earlier in the thread) claimed, "The remarkable range of depth of Reagan's writings suggest that he was arguably the best-prepared person ever to become President in modern times."
He proved he had gravitas through his writings over time and won a landslide victory in 1980.
I'm firmly convinced if Sarah chooses to go into the wilderness like Reagan she would develop the selfsame gravitas.
And it would develop a dynamic, focused rigor and clarity in Sarah's thought, speech and writings that can be only cultivated by doing the same thing every day in the run up to competing for the gold.
And she would be free to go on the attack every single day running up to 2012 without having to defend any policies or recent government actions.
That is what the Obama war room fears the most: a charismatic superstar politician that is unshackled from the burdens of office and free to attack the Messiah and his agenda daily without restraint.
Will:
A dull RINO Republican with experience and Democratic Lite ideas will not beat the Messiah.
As spoken by Messala in the movie Ben Hur, "Sextus, I'll tell you how to fight an idea...with another idea."
Sarah will provide that idea, Reagan conservatism, and with gusto, flair and charisma take that to the Lower 48 and attack Obama and his socialist agenda for the hearts and minds of the American people. And with Sarah you know she will give it everything she has and will fight to the end.
I support Sarah primarily because I know she can beat Obama. That may be too blunt and sound too political and not squishy enough, but it is what it is.
Techno:
Sarahs best chance in 2012 is with a hispanic running-mate,any other way shes beat.
Will:
Or if Sarah could learn to speak Spanish.
I am the first one to admit the sooner the better a candidate should prepare for 2012 but 3 and 1/2 years is a long time away.
But let me say I do not believe in identity politics. Sarah is a Reagan conservative and like Rush Limbaugh says Reagan conservative's do not see people in terms of race, gender or as part of a group but as individuals whose vote is to be won as individuals.
c4p
More video. Includes 2007 shooting range. Some may load slowly.
Tell the bears to duck.
http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=general/general_search.php&table=video&query=palin&type=
The above looks like a still picture. Click on it, pray, and it starts moving.
Techno,
WOW!! Six years in the wilderness before Regan was POTUS? He served only one term right?
IMHO, a way that ordninary barbarians and Palin admirers around the World could secure the vision of Palin not having to run for Govoner again would be that we would ALL buy one copy of Palin's book in the spring and buy copies for EVERYONE ELSE on our list that we will give a gift to for the rest of the year!! :-)
We ALL need to do this!! The MSM/Obama War Room/unfriendly bookstore management. (Not placing it in front. You couldn't find a Palin book at the front of many bookstores. The MSM Ignores Mark Levin even though he has a Best Selling book.
M Minnesota:
For the record Reagan served two terms as Governor of California and left office in January 1975. He was inaugurated in January 1981.
Yes he lost in 1976 in a close primary against Ford but never ran in a Presidential campaign until 1980 while Sarah has a one up on Reagan by being selected by McCain in 2008.
Reagan has the edge on Palin in gubernatorial experience. But Palin has the edge of being able to follow the Reagan 'wilderness blueprint' if she chooses and knowing how well it prepared Reagan for the Presidency and succeeded in providing him a landslide victory.
And as to the issue of experience, I wrote this in the open thread today in the A to Z guide to political success for Sarah Palin that Sarah Palin: Sarah Palin has contested 8 elections in her political career (4 in Wasilla, 1 for Lieutenant-Governor, one for the 2006 primaries, one for Governor and one as VP)and won six and lost two. If Sarah secures the GOP nomination and goes up against Obama that will be ten elections that Sarah would have fought. How much electoral success does a politician have to have before he/she becomes eligible to run for POTUS?
Techno, Good point about Palin having one national run that Reagan did not have.
If she decides not to run for a second term,I is it possible for Palin to not worry about the implementation of her major victory on the pipeline to the lower 48? I could see
the Anti Palin Alaska forces and Obama and his minions trying to mess the pipeline while Palin is out of office.
M. Minnesota:
Whether Palin is in office or not after Dec. 2010 Obama and his merry men and women will try their best to sabotage the pipeline because quite simply it's robust capitalist ingenuity and enterprise represent a direct threat to the establishment of a permanent socialist, regimented regime in America.
Sarah has done what she had to do to get the project off the ground. She played the part of Moses. Remember it was Joshua who finally brought the Israelites to the Promised Land, not Moses.
Re:CodaCuda2012's Comment At 11:19AM:
********I Agree With You!*********
I agree with the earlier comment that she should quote T.R. more, because I would say we have not had a more eloquent leader in America since him. He is somewhat controversial for several reasons, and the problems we faced in his time are not the problems we face now, but on courage, patriotism and pacifism he was one of the great orators of all time.
Comparing Sarah Palin with Reagan??
This is getting old already! :)
Sarah only RESEMBLES Ronald Reagan, she IS NOT Reagan!!
Prior being governor of California for TWO(2) TERMS, Reagan had like 15 years of maduration as CONSERVATIVE. Reagan was a liberal. Sarah has never been a liberal!
Reagan was unemployed from 1974 to 1980, so? But he was a 56 years old Mature person with a lot of executive a experince behind him.
Reagan was the target of liberal smears BUT HE WAS A MALE! He was a former TWO TERMS GOVERNOR!!
Sarah is younger, with alrady media smear working on her. Howcome she just not run for reelection as governor and send the MSM to Syberia??
If Sarah does not runs for reelection, America will start losing the EXPECTATION and FAITH in her possibility of becoming our first woman president.
Winning reelection would be a HUGE boost for her 2012 RUN! EXPECTATION will increase. Imagine the news: GOVERNOR PALIN WINS REELECTION IN ALASKA! THIS IS SEEN AS A POSSIBLE RUN FOR PRESIDENT.
Or the other scenario: SARAH PALIN DECIDES NOT TO RUN FOR A SECOND TERM< SHE JUST WANTS TO SELL BOOKS>
People will be switching to MALES like Romney, Gingrich, Huckabee, Palwnty and the rest of the gang!
PERCEPTION and EXPECTATION are the KEY to keep Sarah in the heart of every American. Take that expectation from them and Sarah is just another woman trying to be president!
If she is just a private citizen in 2011 mark my words, noone will be paying attention to her. The liberal media will destroy her.
As GOVERNOR she get TONS of CREDIBILITY and the MSM smears will not stick!
First of all CJ, stop yelling and going all caps. You're a former
army man, I expect more composure.
I think she will lean toward running for governor as well, because that is more her
temperament, to be a doer not a talker. But I must admit, the logistics involved, the constant
storm of ethics complaints will make this difficult.
She's much like Reagan in manner and temperament but she shares characteristics with T.R, who was
a proud American nationalist, probably you could call him the first neocon from his job in the War Department, the San Juan charge, the Canal,the Perdicaris
incident and the Great White Fleet.
She's a candidate of strong convictions, that's why weak minded
people sometimes don't take a liking to her,
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