GOP Insiders Trying to Marginalize Governor Palin & Her Supporters

For weeks, members of the GOP establishment have been busy rewriting history by trying to diminish Governor Palin's record, and her real contributions to the 2008 presidential race. Without her on the ticket, McCain would have lost by 20 points.

The facts no longer matter when you have a herd of Republican operatives, speaking from the same script to rid their party of one of its most outspoken reformers. Now these same spineless creeps are not only attempting to marginalize her, but also us, her supporters.

According to Reid Wilson at the National Journal (emphasis):

Several insiders interviewed for this story said former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will present a unique challenge to Romney's team: Will they give her a prime spot to satisfy her fans, or reduce her role because of her polarizing nature?

You've got to hand it to the anonymous GOPe "insiders"... They sure know how to sell a line of garbage to the left-leaning media. They just repeat the lines of garbage the left themselves created. Who else would think that a Governor who held an 80% approval rating, 18 months after being inaugurated, has a "polarizing nature" but someone from the other party.

Then one of the GOPe's professional liars said:

"You want people to generate interest and passion," said one Republican who has organized conventions before and who, like others, didn't want to be named. "Sarah Palin goes to a very small segment, relatively speaking, of the Republican Party. And you're trying to put together a rainbow coalition."

I gather "goes" is the coward's way of saying "appeals," but all one has to do is watch Governor Palin's last speech at CPAC to know that is a lie. She spoke to a full house, who spent much of the time on their feet. Also, a recent poll showed:

She [Palin] is seen positively by Gingrich voters (85/7), Santorum supporters (80/10), and Romney ones (57/27) alike. That's a contrast to Romney who is disliked by both Santorum (38/48) and Gingrich (32/54) voters and Santorum who is disliked by Romney (38/48) voters and only seen narrowly favorably by Gingrich (46/42) backers.

And another thing, as Tony Lee pointed out on Twitter:

“Sarah Palin goes to a very small segment, relatively speaking, of the Republican Party"...LOL, then why does person quoted want anonymity?

There would be no need for these people to say these things anonymously, if there were any truth in what they're saying.

The frequency with which GOP operatives are attacking Governor Palin, and their willingness to marginalize her supporters, should tell you all you need to know about the current Republican party. They have put us in a very bad situation and hurt the party, but don't forget that they are the ones who chose to go down this road.

George Will Makes Predictable Assessment of the 2012 Election on 'This Week'

Today, on ABC's “This Week with Christiane Amanpour,” George Will made the following, predictable statement regarding the upcoming 2012 election now that Mike Huckabee is out. He said:

“This is the most open scramble on the Republican side since 1940 when Wendell Willkie came out of the woodwork and swept the field. I think — people are complaining this is not off to a brisk start. I think that’s wrong. I think we know with reasonable certainty that standing up there on the West front of the Capitol on Jan. 20, 2013 will be one of three people: Obama, [former Minnesota Gov. Tim] Pawlenty and [Indiana Gov. Mitch] Daniels. I think that’s it.”

It shouldn't surprise anyone that George Will holds the view that only establishment Republicans can beat Barack Obama in the 2012 election. He is after all, about as establishment as they come. This is just another example of the beltway elite seriously misreading the electorate, and more importantly, misreading the Republican base.

The reason the GOP primary race did not got off to a "brisk" start, is because the base is not happy with the current crop of announced candidates. Republicans around the country are not lining up behind any one person they know for certain is running. And I seriously doubt that you will see Conservative activists working too hard for a status quo contender. Times have changed, and the people of this country understand that we need bold, commonsense leadership. Not beltway business-as-usual, George Will approved politicians.

Mark Levin reminds us just how wrong George Will has been before.



(H/T: Doug)

Governor Palin Will Decide Her Own "Role"

Yesterday, Ian Lazaran posted this in response to Jennifer Rubin's most recent Washington Post, anti-Palin installment. Is it just me or does it seem like Rubin always posts these pieces directed at Governor Palin, on a Wednesday? Anyway, in Rubin's latest she writes (emphasis mine):

[W]hen one talks to Republicans in private gatherings, on the Hill, and even in Tea Party gatherings it is rare to find anyone who labels Palin as the party's leader or who looks to her for guidance on major issues. This is not a slur on Palin; she has an important and essential role in rallying the base, getting under Obama's skin and debunking much of what passes for conventional wisdom.

It is laughable to think that Jennifer Rubin is spending much time at tea parties talking to the folks about who they look to for "guidance on major issues." I'll happily retract my last sentence if anyone has attended a Tea Party and personally witnessed Jennifer Rubin taking pulse of the people there. But for now, I'm not buying it.

Now, concerning what Republicans say in "private gatherings"... I really have no idea what the sort of Republican Rubin must spend her time with, say in their private gatherings. Most of the registered Republicans I know happen to be Palin supporters, but once again, I think Rubin is pulling her conclusions from her own vivid imagination.

Rubin's fables are not the issue however. What she did in that paragraph was to suggest that Governor Palin is good for the party in a certain "role," just not a leading one. This is becoming a familiar tone with some in the Republican establishment.

Last Sunday, Bill Kristol said on the Fox News Sunday Panel that:

She could play a big role supporting someone else and articulating issues - and not running this time.

It seems that the talking heads are trying to push a 'Sarah Palin as activist, not candidate' narrative. At least they admit that she is "important" and has the ability to "rally" Conservatives. They especially like when those rallies turn into money for the Republican party.

What these over-sized egos of the pundit class do not seem to understand is that Governor Palin is an effective leader, and not just in an activist role. They ignore her many accomplishments as an executive, and show disdain for her unconventional approach. They downplay her support with conservatives in their columns and on their panels, but they themselves are not members of the grassroots, which is where Governor Palin receives most of her support. So, how would they really known what kind of support Governor Palin truly has? Their criticism is condescending at best but it also lacks credibility, most notably when they cite Daily Kos pollsters as their "empirical evidence."

Nobody knows if Governor Palin is running for President or not. Thankfully, it is not up to "chattering class" to declare what "role" she will play now, or in the future. Governor Palin will decide her own roll.

Armstrong Williams Now Taking Shots at Governor Palin

Another day, another anti-Palin attack piece published by an establishment republican. This time, Armstrong Williams posted an article at The Hill titled, "Sarah Palin for president 2012?" He writes (emphasis mine):

No one can deny Sarah Palin’s charisma, common-sense approach to issues and media savvy, and few will deny she was an overall plus for the GOP this past election.

Now that he got that pesky important stuff, like her approach to dealing with the issues that face our country out of the way, what's the problem? He continues:

However, I find it rare in conservative and Tea Party circles for anyone to support her as the serious Republican presidential nominee in 2012, much less the winner. Conservatives are well aware of Palin’s shortcomings, yet the media seems to be rather blind to them at the moment. In fact, every time I turn on the TV, all I hear the mainstream talk about when it comes to 2012 nominees is that Palin is already the anointed savior.

Exactly what planet has Armstrong been living on since he got canned from his syndication and had his Tribune column canceled for taking bribes from, then selling Bush administration policies under the guise of delivering honest commentary?

Have the GOP establishment switched attack methods from dispersing "anonymous republican insiders" to 'anonymous conservatives and Tea Party members,' to the press?

Williams lists no names, and you will have to excuse my laughter (yes, I am laughing) at the notion that Armstrong Williams spends a lot of time with Tea Partiers. I've been to a Tea Party or two and I know how the people there view unprincipled establishment republicans. To say that Governor Palin, one of only a few national politicians to actually headline Tea Party rallies, doesn't have the support of many of those same people is ridiculous. In fact, it's insulting to anyone with a functioning brain.

Armstrong then outdoes himself when he says, "all I hear the mainstream talk about when it comes to 2012 nominees is that Palin is already the anointed savior." Just who is this guy trying to kid? Last I checked, the media were doing what they always do... Demeaning her, trashing her character, ignoring her record, and reporting false stories about her and her family. And that's just in the last twenty four hours! That is not the sort of treatment they gave to the man they did anoint, back in 2008. Armstrong continues:

The media seems to be intentionally ignoring everything they have mocked her for over the past two years. So I started asking myself: "Why?" I am not one to put much stock in conspiracy theories, but it does seem a bit strange. Her supposed base is not keen on her being president; yet, the media, rather than relegate her to political sideshow, is ordaining her the next GOP presidential candidate.

What on earth is this guy watching? Perhaps he missed all of his establishment buddies delivering smug, insulting remarks about Governor Palin on one of the various panel discussions conducted on cable and network news shows. Williams then writes:

Now, we all know the media tends to be liberal, outside Fox News of course; so it does not seem to be in their political interest to bang the Palin drum. But what if, perchance, the media is pumping up Palin because they know she’ll lose a general election to Obama? Are the onslaught of media offers and free publicity a subtle means of saying to the GOP, “Look, here’s your nominee. We accept her and think she’s great. ‘Dontcha know’, we even gave her daughter a shot on the No. 1 TV show and gave Sarah her very own show on TLC?” Are they trying to give us a false sense of security in Palin's chances and distract us from all the reasons we know she's not the best candidate to defeat President Obama in 2012?

You need help Armstrong. Serious help.

Mr. Williams, that "free publicity" you are seeing is news coverage dedicated to Governor Palin because she has a new book out. One filled with some of her signature "common-sense approach to issues." She is also promoting her TLC show, Sarah Palin's Alaska. Not to mention, Governor Palin weighs in on a lot of issues with Facebook notes and op-ed's that other potential candidates don't touch. She's already in the news, it's not a conspiracy.

Armstrong Williams concludes his nutty article by stealing a far left-wing smear against Governor Palin by calling her, "the political equivalent of Kim Kardashian." Due to the fact that I am pop-culture deficient, I don't really know who this Kim Kardashian character is. I do have enough sense to understand that people who compare Governor Palin to her are merely trying to trash and demean her. I assume they think this tactic works well with simple-minded hipsters. That may be the case, but I think it's bigoted and dishonest.

You know, Armstrong Williams tried a be clever here by creating a theory to support a talking point. Williams and others from his branch of the establishment are trying to get republicans to believe that Governor Palin could not beat Obama in an election. The problem for them, is that they're entirely wrong.

Governor Palin is very popular with republicans, the Tea Party, and with many commonsense Americans, considering her commonsense approach to issues. The more people hear what she's actually saying, beyond the clutter of the non-anointing lamestream press, the more support she will receive. With more exposure directly to the people, her popularity is bound to rise just as Obama's continues it's descent. Add to that the fact that she stands with the majority of Americans on important issues and has been bold taking on the Obama administration throughout the past two years. Considering all the factors, I like Governor Palin's chances in a head to head contest, a lot.

William A. Jacobson wrote a piece the other day, warning the GOP establishment against attacking Governor Palin. His post was called, "The Republican Party Can't Win Without The Support of Palin Supporters." In it, he writes:

Without the enthusiasm of Palin supporters the Republican Party is nothing moving into 2012.

The campaign troops who will be in the field, on the telephones and at the fundraisers in 2012 will be the same troops who fought the 2010 campaign war. And those troops weren't carrying Mitt Romney, or Mike Huckabee, or Newt Gingrich signs.

That doesn't mean Palin gets the nomination just because she wants it, or that she is presumptive, or that her supporters constitute a majority of the Party.

It does mean that the Republican nominee cannot win against Barack Obama without the enthusiasm and support of Palin supporters.

I suggest Armstrong Williams and others from that neck of the Beltway pay close attention to what Jacobson is saying.

Governor Palin has not decided if she is going to run for president in 2012 yet. These preemptive attacks against her do nothing but create a divide within the Republican party. Americans have the right to choose their candidates and this arrogant behavior exhibited by the elite to manipulate that process, is a serious miscalculation on their part. The establishment will serve republicans, including themselves a favor to stand-down. They will be the ones who pay a political price for their efforts, not Governor Palin.

Another Submission from the Anti-Palin Establishment Echo Chamber

Mona Charen wrote another anti-Palin hit-piece Thursday for the National Review titled, "Why Sarah Palin Shouldn’t Run." Just as other establishment talking heads have done recently, she echoes the opinion that Governor Palin shouldn't run for President. These people are all starting to sound identical to me. It's almost as if they're reading form the same talking points... I'll save the conspiracy theories for the television-shooting freaks on the left. I'm sticking with the theory that these establishment pundits are really just a collective group of self-proclaimed elitists, devoid of original thought. Charen begins (emphasis mine):

By telling Barbara Walters that she thinks she can defeat President Obama, Sarah Palin has dimmed hopes cherished by sensible Republicans that she might decide against a run for the White House in 2012. Here are just some of the reasons she should not run.

The Republican nominee should be someone with a vast and impressive record in government and the private sector. Voters chose a novice with plenty of star power in 2008 and will be inclined to swing strongly in the other direction in 2012. Americans will be looking for sober competence, managerial skill, and maturity — not sizzle and flash.

I'm pleased with the thought that Mona's "hopes" have been "dimmed" by a 24 second clip released by ABC. Last I checked, Governor Palin still has not made a decision about running in 2012. This does show you how much these establishment types are thinking about the prospect however.

Now, let me delve into what I'm sure Mona Charen considers the 'substance' of her article. She states that the Republican nominee "should be someone with a vast and impressive record in government and the private sector." Mona Charen is either ignorant of the governor's record, or she is purposely ignoring it. Governor Palin is no novice and, she is much more than "sizzle and flash." Whatever that is supposed to mean.

Governor Palin was first elected to office in 1992. She has almost two decades of public service experience including City Council, Mayor, president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors, chair and ethics officer of the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, and Governor of Alaska. She has also helped run a commercial fishing business with her husband, which they have done for many years. That may not be up to a northeast elitist's standard for private sector experience, but I assure you the Todd and Sarah Palin kept a budget to mange their expenditures and overhead. Unlike our current president, Governor Palin has held many jobs in her life. She also runs a pretty successful little operation these days. The one the media complains she makes too much money doing.

For a handy list of the governor's accomplishments, Whitney composed a great down-loadable document awhile back, you can find here. The piece continues:

After the 2008 campaign revealed her substantive weaknesses, Palin was advised by those who admired her natural gifts to bone up on policy and devote herself to governing Alaska successfully. Instead, she quit her job as governor after two and a half years, published a book (another is due next week), and seemed to chase money and empty celebrity. Now, rather than being able to highlight the accomplishments of Sarah Palin’s Alaska, we getSarah Palin’s Alaska, another cheesy entrant in the reality-show genre. She’d so much rather be out dog sledding than in some “dull political office,” she tells the audience. File that.

Charen writes, "after the 2008 campaign revealed her substantive weaknesses." Excuse me, but Governor Palin was the Vice Presidential nominee on that ticket. Mona should understand that the person in that role has to be a team player. They aren't in charge of the "substance" of a campaign, but more so in selling the ticket's message. If you have a problem with the "substance" of the McCain 2008 campaign, take it up with those in charge of that effort.

Mona Charen then says that Governor Palin "quit her job as governor" to "chase money and empty celebrity." For those of us who paid attention to what happened in Alaska after the election, and actually cared that someone who represented the GOP in that race was being politically and financially savaged, Mona's implication is insulting. Governor Palin did not resign to get rich. If you truly want to understand what lead to her decision, I strongly recommend reading chapter five in the governor's book, Going Rogue called "The Tumpin."

Charen also seems to have a problem with Governor Palin's show on TLC. As someone who was originally a skeptic of the show idea in the beginning (primarily because I loathe television), after watching it, I think I understand why she did it. It is not "empty celebrity." Sarah Palin's Alaska showcases one of the most beautiful places on earth. A place Governor Palin promotes at every given opportunity. It also gives Americans a glimpse into who Sarah Palin is as a person. The governor is aware that many Americans have a false impression of her. The media went above and beyond to distort her reputation, and that effort continues to this day. She has once again, figured out a way to communicate with the country without the use of a press agent's microphone. The governor uses the word "unconventional" a lot for a reason. I suggest establishment Republicans obtain an understanding of the word's definition. Charen goes on:

There is no denying that Sarah Palin has been harshly, sometimes even brutally, treated by the press and the entertainment gaggle. But any prominent Republican must expect and be able to transcend that. Palin compares herself to Reagan. But Reagan didn’t mud-wrestle with the press. Palin seems consumed and obsessed by it, as her rapid Twitter finger attests, and thus she encourages the sniping. She should be presiding over meetings on oil and gas leases in the North Slope, or devising alternatives to Obamacare. Every public spat with Dave Letterman or Politico, or the “lamestream media,” or (God help us) Levi Johnston, diminishes her.

I honestly couldn't disagree more. I have been in the news business for over a decade. I am well aware of just how the media works against people outside of the left-wing spectrum. Conservatives not fighting back has always been a source agitation for me. Why let someone lie about you? Why let the irresponsible media get away with trashing their own trade? The media have a responsibility in a free society to be ethical. It is a threat to any free society when the press become agents of any political faction. Governor Palin understands that. Besides, I don't know about you but I like a fighter. She calls out the press when they are making things up, which they do daily. Regardless of what Karl Rove says, she does not answer all the attacks leveled against her because that would literally consume all of her time. She does however, call out the most glaring, and in some cases, more distorted attacks directed at her record, her character, and her family. Keep fighting, governor!

The next segment of Charen's article attempts to take Governor Palin to task for supporting Bristol in the audience on Dancing with the Stars. She writes:

Speaking of television, have you watched “Dancing with the Stars”? Calling the show cheesy would be too generous. Perhaps the former governor should not be blamed for the decisions of her adult daughter. Yet there in the audience we see Sarah and Todd Palin, mugging for the camera and cheering on their unwed-mother daughter as she bumps and grinds to the tune of “Mamma Told Me Not To Come.” Her parents had advised her, the 20-year-old Bristol told an interviewer, that she had to stay “in character” if she expected to win. Being “in character” evidently meant descending to the vulgarity that DWTS peddles on a weekly basis. The mama grizzly was apparently unfazed by, or — equally disturbingly — unaware of, the indignity. And she is supposed to be a conservative culture warrior?

I take it Mona isn't a big Dancing with the Stars fan. Fine, but lambasting someone for supporting their child during a competition is slightly heartless. Governor Palin is not ashamed of her children, nor should she be. Bristol is her daughter and she is a very proud mother. To try and make the governor feel bad for attending these performances, speaks loudly to the kind of character Mona Charen is. In other words, I feel bad for Mona's kids.

In the next paragraph, Mona Charen derides Governor Palin's endorsements from the misterm elections. Please note that Mona left out any discussion about the very successful campaigns that Governor Palin supported. She writes:

Voters prize judgment, above all, in a presidential candidate. Some of Sarah Palin’s 2010 endorsements were sound and arguably helpful. Others betrayed flightiness and recklessness. Tom Tancredo, Palin’s choice for governor of Colorado, has ridden his anti-immigration hobby-horse in a style perfectly suited to alienate Hispanic voters (describing Miami, for example, as a “Third World city”). Her endorsement of Christine O’Donnell was irresponsible and damaging, losing a seat that would otherwise have been a Republican pick-up. Of course, O’Donnell received an absurdly disproportionate amount of ink and attention during the race (the liberal press naturally seizes upon any opportunity to make conservatives look kooky), but Palin should have anticipated that. Besides, this one cannot be laid at the feet of the biased media. O’Donnell was a thoroughly unqualified candidate.

Yes, voters do indeed prize "judgment." The judgment to place principles above filling congressional chambers with people who may belong to your party, but do not belong to your ideals. Governor Palin did not endorse candidates just because they were Republicans. She was not going to help elect people who would sell out our liberty, or help cosponsor any of Obama's 'transformational change.' She chose the candidates she chose for good reasons. Every campaign was different but the bottom line is that Governor Palin cannot take full responsibility for the losses. Charen's establishment buddies played a pretty big role in those losses as well by publicly trashing Conservative candidates, even after the primarily were over.

Charen's ends it by saying:

Palin has many strengths. I admire her fortitude and her principles. Her ability to connect with a crowd is something most politicians can only dream of. I will always remember her 2008 convention speech as a rollicking star turn. She would be terrific as a talk-show host — the new Oprah.

But a presidential candidate? Someone to convince critical independent voters that Republicans can govern successfully? Absolutely not.

Mona Charen admires Governor Palin's fortitude and principles, yet wants her to be talk-show host. While I'm sure principled talk-show hosts are a good thing, I think Mona is trying to diminish the governor with the suggestion. If Governor Palin does run for President, she will run an unconventional campaign. I'm sure these establishment types won't understand what they're looking at when they see it, but they are probably not going to like it. It won't fit their presidential campaign mold, just like the governor doesn't fit their presidential candidate mold. So what?

Governor Palin said she would take some things into consideration before making a decision to run for president. She has stated she will evalute the issues, the possible GOP contenders, how her family feels about it, and after prayerful consideration, she will make up her mind. She never said she was waiting to hear from the elite of the east coast to help make this big decision. The bottom-line is that Mona's opinion doesn't mean a thing at the end of the day.

May all of your hopes be dimmed in 2012, Mona!

More Anonymous Sources Trashing Governor Palin

You may have read by now that the NY Daily News has published another hit-piece about Governor Palin using nothing but anonymous sources. The last time it was Politico 'reporting' negative comments by so-called GOP "insiders." This time however, the comments are allegedly coming from "friends" of George W. Bush and a "Republican official familiar with Bush's thinking." The piece says:

The 43rd President has told friends the ex-Alaska governor isn't qualified to be President and criticizes Arizona Sen. John McCain for putting Palin on the 2008 GOP ticket and handing her a national platform.

"Naming Palin makes Bush think less of McCain as a man," a Republican official familiar with Bush's thinking told the Daily News.

"He thinks McCain ran a lousy campaign with an unqualified running mate and destroyed any chance of winning by picking Palin."

I have no idea if George W. Bush said any of these things but I seriously doubt it. It doesn't mesh with what he has said in the past regarding Governor Palin. According to Jason Recher, who served as special assistant to Bush, the former president thinks highly of Governor Palin. CNN reported back in September:

During a stopover in Fairbanks on the way to the Beijing Olympics last August, Recher said Bush met with Palin and even made a knowing reference to her rising reputation in the Republican Party.

"The president was fully aware of who Sarah Palin was," Recher told CNN. "Even so much that when he greeted the governor and Todd in Fairbanks during a re-fueling stop on the way to the Beijing Olympics, he threw open his arms and said "Madam Vice President!'"

"He was very aware of her rising-star status and who she was and everything about her, even down to the fact that she recently had given birth to Trig," Recher said.

After Palin became the vice presidential nominee, Recher said the White House loaned out both he and Laura Bush's photographer Shealah Craighead to the McCain campaign to help staff Palin and her family.

Recher said Bush and Palin had a warm relationship and talked multiple times throughout the campaign, including after a large campaign rally near Orlando in September and after the Vice Presidential debate in October.

"There is no air, no space between them," Recher said. "Sarah Palin is a big fan of George Bush, and she has said publicly she was proud he was Commander-in-Chief when her son Track was in Iraq."

It should also be noted that Jeb Bush recently said he would support Governor Palin if she were nominated as the 2012 Republican candidate.

The author of the NY Daily News hit-piece is a "well connected" man by the name of Thomas M. Defrank. According to his bio, he "was Newsweek's senior White House correspondent for a quarter century and also served as deputy chief of the magazine's Washington bureau for twelve years." Mr. Defrank should know by now the difference between ethical journalism and writing a hit-piece designed to smear reputations. It's clear he has no problem publishing the latter.

Someone either fed Mr. Defrank these lines and he willingly printed them, or he invented the sources in his own mind. Due to a lack of evidence, the reader has no way of telling which it is. By hiding his sources (mind you, this is not national security we're talking about) he has used his position to turn the NY Daily News into nothing more than a tabloid rag. A Veteran Washington reporter reduced to a gossip columnist.

Assuming these were actual sources Mr. Defrank used to write his piece, this was not the only "insider" attack against the governor since last weeks election. There have also been a few hit-pieces and words spoken by some within the establishment who are trying to pin blame of Governor Palin for the few loses the GOP did suffer. Who knows what else they wish to accomplish by writing and saying these things.

Rush Limbaugh warned us it was coming. He weighed again on the subject last Thursday. Newsmax Reports:

“What's going on here, folks, is very simple,” Limbaugh said. “They want to establish a lie very firmly in the minds of the public that the tea party hurt the Republican Party in these elections. They want to use this to stop Sarah Palin. Republican insiders are trying to figure out now how to stop Sarah Palin.”

[...]

Limbaugh said the ill-advised plan to blame Palin and the tea party for splintering the GOP after a record pickup of seats by Republicans in the midterms turns reality on its head.

“If anybody is an obvious winner here . . . it would be Palin. Look at the grief and the mockery that she got for putting what the media claimed were targets on 20 Democrat incumbents on her website. Look at the grief that she's got ever since she was named McCain's running mate. Eighteen of those Democrats she targeted lost. That's a pretty amazing and impressive record. Sarah Palin targeted a bunch of Democrats for defeat, and 18 of them lost. That's more than any Republican elites are doing.”

Well stated by Mr. Limbaugh...

It seems foolish that the GOP establishment would target Governor Palin in this manner after her efforts and the overall success of the elections. It creates an environment of distrust with the grassroots base who the Republican party needs the support of. Whoever is responsible for these attacks should stop what they are doing and realize that they are only hurting the GOP. While the establishment has a lot of money, the base has a lot of people. Last cycle those people were able to collectively put up a good sum of money themselves. The establishment needs the base. So, my message to the "sleazy insiders" who are behind these attacks - for the good of the Republican party, please knock it off.

Sarah Palin vs. Snobbery

"In order to acquire a growing and lasting respect in society, it is a good thing, if you possess great talent, to give, early in your youth, a very hard kick to the right shin of the society that you love. After that, be a snob." -Salvador Dali

Meet the snobs

(Ricochet.com audio excerpt from 6/10/2010 Episode 20: The Year of the Spanking.)

"Sarah Palin makes me nervous. I like her because I like her enemies. She's got the right enemies... So ya know, I'm, I'm, I like that (nervous laugh)... I'm exactly that shallow. But I'm just not.... There's something... I'm not sure, I mean, I just I, I hate borrowing the vocabulary of her detractors"
– Rob Long, online talkshow talker.

By all means, jerk. Go right ahead...

Since he can't quite put his finger on what makes him "nervous" about Governor Palin. He may as well double-down upon what is actually cowardice, by just stealing left-wing talking points in an utterly lazy fashion. I know Governor Palin has given a hundred interviews since the 2008 Presidential election but hey, let's talk about that Katie Couric hit-piece as though it wasn't a highly edited, highly contentious "interview." Give me a break.

One one hand, this podcast was composed of some talking heads from the establishment giving some minimal 'props' to the most active political force on the Conservative side, Sarah Palin. They acknowledge a job well done, so far in the primary elections with her endorsements and her overall political 'shrewdness.' On the other hand, it was like listening to a parody of pseudo-intellectual, 'elitist,' wannabe political players (on the record, for Mitch Daniels) sipping overly expensive rotted fruit, talking about that "really off-putting" pleb.

Shortly after it was posted to their site, Claire Berlinski, one of the commentators from the podcast wrote up a quick, ironically titled blog called, "Palin and Snobbery." It says:

During our podcast conversation about Sarah Palin, I noticed that everyone seemed to express some variant on the sentiment that they wished they liked her more because she so obviously infuriates the people they most loathe... It's a curious kind of blackmail. Why should we pretend to love her just because pantywaist leftists are snobs about her? If the same snobs refuse to eat Velveeta, that still doesn't mean it's a great cheese.

It seems as though Claire doesn't want to be labeled a "pantywaist" leftist-snob like Governor Palin's most deplorable detractors. As well, she shouldn't be. She's not a leftist after all, just a pantywaist snob. By the way, if you melt Velvetta cheese with some good New Mexico salsa, green chili, and jalapenos, it makes for a great queso dip. But I digress...

After listening to that clip many times I never found one instance where these people differed with Governor Palin on policy or even on her endorsement picks. It's painfully obvious that these people's only issue is that of Governor Palin's background. This becomes so blatant when the host, Mr. Long starts to sing the praises of the backgrounds shared by the female candidates from California. He said:

"Meg Whitman. Meg Whitman... Princeton and Harvard and building one of the biggest corporations in America. Carly Fiorina, Standford and MIT and one of the big-time business careers of the last twenty-five years. Nobody can look down his nose at Meg Whitman or Carly Fiorina."

So tell me something Mr. and Mrs. Elite. What is so wrong with Governor Palin's background? Growing up in an all-American, humble, hardworking family that instilled the values and ethics shared by the majority of Americans. Is that something to be ashamed of? Please enlighten us, the unwashed masses because logically speaking, I'm not getting where you're coming from.

Sarah Palin was brought up to work hard, do the right thing, and stand up for what she believed in. On top of that, she had to work for everything she has gained in life. Nobody handed her a thing. She had to go to college where she did and how she did because of the hand she was dealt. She had to pay for it herself! I don't know about you but I certainly look up more to those in our society who had to overcome obstacles in life to achieve success, versus those that where given success on a silver platter. I think it certainly says much more about one's depth of character and ability to thrive.

When I first started following Governor Palin a few years ago, I had no idea what her background was. I didn't think it was important to look it up immediately after I read about this fantastic, fiery public servant that was taking the fight for energy independence to Washington. To be honest, when I did find out about her background, it only made me like her more. I think the Ivy League educated in our country have failed to notice that they are the one's that have gotten this country into the shape it's in. American's are not as oblivious however. A common theme on Main Street USA for years has been, no matter what political party one belongs to, that these professional elite politicians have no clue what they are doing. Give me someone who has had to live on the most minuscule of budgets, and you will see someone who is a problem solver. The working-class of America may not have attended elite Ivy League institutions, but I happen to think they have more common sense in their little fingers, than the entirety of the establishment in New York and Washington. I won't quote George Will here, you've read it before.

I wonder if people like this, who are obviously trying to dissuade people from supporting Governor Palin by downplaying and distorting who she is, understand that the numbers aren't on their side. By spewing out meaningless, snobbish diatribe like this clip, they only make her more appealing to more Americans. Something else I find funny is that by the establishment shunning Sarah Palin, that actually translates on Main St. to 'not corrupt.' Seeing that, then learning that no corrupt politician ever found an ally in Governor Palinc that and she is their foe and the foe of their apologists, will actually go over well in this political environment.

People are sick of having to second guess the motives of their elected officials. Insiders aren't much appreciated these days. In the "year of the spanking" people are looking for REAL change. That includes getting rid of the establishment hordes in Washington and in our own local communities. This also includes fighting along side those within the Conservative movement, like Governor Palin to get better representation and hold those that are trying their best to destroy this nation, accountable.

Governor Palin is facing attacks from all sides in her day to day struggle to help this nation. She represents the people and if the people have the power and the influence, they think this threatens their prominence. The do indeed look down their noses at Governor Palin, as they also look down their noses at us. May this be the "year of the spanking" indeed, and may these elitist jerks from the republican side of the aisle get spanked right along with their pantywaist, leftist golfing buddies.