Palin hit Iowa and South Dakota today. I honestly think the importance of Iowa in a Presidential election is overrated. Yes, it's good for proving that you're in the game, and in Palin's case, that may be essential, but just because you win Iowa, does not mean you'll win the entire country. Look at who won Iowa last time. So it cracks me up that Sarah goes to sign books in Iowa and the media loses its speculative mind. Whatever.Articles on visits here, here, here, and here.
Here's some excerpts:
"She's not embarrassed to speak her mind. She 100 percent believes what she says," Jewett said.Pictures here.
"Her appeal is antiestablishment, populist, and to center-right women finally seeing one of their own emerge only to be attacked and undermined," Mueller said. "It goes beyond presidential politics - it's cultural."
Palin’s parents, both dressed in purple, came near the exit to personally speak with each person departing. “Nice to meet you, Sarah’s Dad,” said the woman who came through as No. 399.
“I don’t know when I’m coming back to Iowa, but it was good to be here,” Palin said before hopping onto her bus.
"I just wanted to be assured I'll get a chance to at least get to see her and get her autograph," Stapp said. "We came prepared. I've got battery-operated socks, about four layers of clothing, hats, gloves, coat and a very strong will."
Carl Cameron traveled to Sioux City for Fox News, arriving Saturday.
"I got here last night," said Cameron, who said his station's primary interest lies in examining Palin's future. "I came to hear what the people have to say (about Palin)."
A BBC video team spent more than an hour interviewing attendees for a documentary on Obama's first year in office.
In other news, the transcript of Palin's speech at the dinner last night is here.
And another controversy is McCain's appearance on Meet the Press: “I am entertained every time I see these people attack her and attack her and attack her. She's irrelevant, but they continue to attack her...."
I don't like McCain, but he was obviously outlining the mindset of those who attack Palin, not his personal opinion. These people keep screaming from the rooftops that she's irrelevent, yet they can't quit attacking her. If she's irrelevant, why attack her? She's already dead. That was his meaning. The fact that the press is making a big deal out of this stupid stuff is very telling.
McCain: "I think that Sarah Palin has earned herself a very big place in the Republican political scene," McCain said. "I'm proud of her. I am entertained every time I see these people attack her, and attack her and attack her. 'She's irrelevant!' -- but they continue to attack her.
"We had a wonderful relationship, Todd [Palin], Sarah and I," McCain added. "I just saw her recently. And I'm very proud of her. And we need a vigorous discussion and debate in the Republican Party. She's going to be a big part of that discussion and debate in the future....
"You thought her book was fair?" asked host David Gregory. "Oh sure, yeah," said McCain. "I enjoyed her book."
Two good articles at the American Thinker. The most recent first:
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Despite what the radical feminists say, women want men to be strong and confident without being jerks. It is called Biology.
Is chivalry dead? Have we conservative men allowed political correctness to prevent us from treating women the way we instinctively know we should? When my three brothers and I started dating, my dad instructed us, "You take good care and return her home the way you found her." Following dad's instruction made us feel good about ourselves. We felt like men.
It is time we conservative guys start acting like men and defend our women-folk (a little cowboy lingo). Since her acceptance speech as McCain's V.P. nominee, attacks on Sarah Palin have been vile, extremely vicious, and beyond the pale. Even Palin's family, including her fourteen-year-old daughter, were targeted for destruction by an (dare I use the E-word?) evil media. The Left's hatred of Sarah Palin is good versus evil, and Palin's book tour is pouring gasoline on the Left's "destroy Palin at any cost" fire.
Governor Palin positively represents motherhood, marriage, and traditional Christian values. The Left appears to despise any and all things so wholesome.
Unfortunately, it appears that even some on our side (conservatives) have bought into the media's "she is not too bright" portrayal of Palin. When Obama mentions 57 states and other faux pas, the sycophant media circle the wagons around him by saying he was tired or simply misspoke. Meanwhile, every word out of Palin's mouth is viewed through the template that she is stupid. Who among us could withstand such harsh scrutiny?
Well, I am standing up for my awesome conservative sister, Gov. Palin. She has the right stuff to get our country back on track. I love how Palin boldly and unapologetically challenges the concept of government-run health care, blasts the global warming/climate change scam, and declares her desire to drill for oil to make us energy-independent. Talk about backbone. Could Sarah Palin be the reincarnation of John Wayne and Ronald Reagan? No, I do not believe in reincarnation; I'm just having a little fun. My point is that despite what the snobby elites -- both conservative and liberal -- think, Sarah Palin is a force to be reckoned with and is great for America.
We, the People are so sick of namby-pamby, "middle-of-the-road-speak," focus-group-tested candidates. Don't say this because you will offend this crowd and don't say that because you will offend the other. For crying out loud, just say what you mean and mean what you say. Show us voters who you are. This is the kind of candidate we voters are longing and tea-partying for. And this is why Sarah "what you see is what you get" Palin is a rock star!
I believe strong women inspire men to be strong. They are not offended when we open the door for them, carry their heavy packages, and mind our conversation around them. Or has such behavior from men become too "Andy and Mayberry" for our secular-progressive, crude culture? Trust me, I am not a prude, but radical feminists have diminished women's power in our society. I was raised to believe that a real man treats women with a level of respect. Nobody is allowed to "dis" your momma, your wife, or your sister.
Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air -- a woman using the God-given power of her femininity to be a mom, a wife, and a governor. Awesome. I would be honored to say, "Yes, Madam President."
Not only is the Left committed to keeping women in their place, but they're the same with blacks as well -- all the while claiming to desire progress and liberation for both.
Blacks who achieve success without liberal programs and intervention are beaten down and dragged back to the Left's government-dependency plantation. Such uppity independent blacks are strapped in a chair, deprived of bathroom privileges, and shown videos 24/7 of Sharpton, Jackson, and hypocritical, rich, America-hating rappers. The deprogramming message: America sucks! Racist! Sexist! Homophobic! Liberal democrats are your saviors!
The Left is equally intolerant of independent thought coming from women. The Left deceptively calls its pro-abortion movement "pro-choice." If choice is their issue, why are radical feminists so offended when a woman chooses not to have an abortion? They have a weird anti-male (particularly anti-white-male) and anti-family agenda. Outrageously, feminist leader Catharine McKinnon said that "all heterosexual sex is rape." These angry, bitter women have a distorted view of the world.
Then along comes Sarah Palin -- happily married, a happy mom, and an effective governor. Feminists should regard Sarah Palin as their hero -- a shining example of women's liberation enjoying success in both family and career. But instead, the Left seeks to destroy her. Palin is too happy, too good, too pretty, too effective, and, most intolerably, too powerful.
I wish to encourage my fellow conservative men to display a little John-Wayne-type testosterone and defend our feisty conservative women-folk. As I am a conservative singer/songwriter, I have penned, performed, and recorded a song honoring conservative women titled, "Our Girls." Along with nationally known women like Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingram, Michelle Malkin, my song is a tribute to all my patriot sisters fighting for the cause of freedom, liberty, and conservative principles. Please give "Our Girls" a listen. I promise it will make you smile.
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Here's Lloyd Marcus at the 9-12 March on Washington:
The Next article is a couple days old; it compares Sarah Palin and Ronald Reagan:
Here's Lloyd Marcus at the 9-12 March on Washington:
The Next article is a couple days old; it compares Sarah Palin and Ronald Reagan:
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Sarah Palin has taken the country by storm, electrifying the grassroots conservative movement in a way no Republican presidential or vice-presidential candidate has been able to in a very long time.
The last person responsible for uniting grassroots conservatives to such an energizing degree was the great conservative himself, Ronald Wilson Reagan. Reagan was the grassroots rebel to the mainstream media in a weary America -- entrenched in weak national defense and poor economic leadership, which barely withstood four years of Jimmy Carter. Come the end of 1979, fifty-two Americans had been held hostage by Islamic militants for 444 days, unemployment was through the roof, and national inflation rested in the double-digits.
As in the Carter era, Americans of every stripe are beginning to feel that weariness again. This is clear from a tremendous growth in unemployment, which correlates with president Obama's diminished approval ratings in his first year -- described by Gallup as "the largest [drop] ... ever measured for an elected president between the second and third quarters of his term, dating back to 1953."
In addition to the immense-yet-strangely-encouraging disapproval of Sarah Palin among the media, Hollywood celebrities, and every liberal, Palin also finds herself at the editorial mercy of "conservative pundits" like Kathleen Parker -- or David Brooks of the New York Times, who proclaimed to George Stephanopoulos on the November 15th episode of "This Week" that Sarah Palin is "a joke."
Brooks, who used to be a liberal, was also responsible for parodying conservative pundit William Buckley, Jr. Naturally, one wonders how much attention Brooks actually paid to the 1980 presidential campaign.
As is the case with first-generation immigrants like Arianna Huffington and George Soros, who come to America with an immediate desire to reform it, many conservatives are suspicious of liberal-to-conservative "converts" who enter their side of the aisle with a drive to dictate how to change it.
Moreover, while some progressive types scramble to suddenly defend Reagan conservatism by writing articles titled "Sarah Palin is NOT the new Reagan," the life stories of Reagan and Palin contradict their theories by revealing stark similarities between these two fascinating Americans.
Reagan and Palin were raised with similar values, attended similar schools, had similar competitive interests, and embarked on authentic, gradual segues into public service, with an undeniable connection to conservative Americans.
Just like Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin was born in a small town. Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois, while Palin debuted in Sandpoint, Idaho -- both in February. As a youngster, Reagan had a job as a lifeguard and developed an enriched passion for competitive sports -- particularly football -- in high school. Sarah worked with her family, getting up with her father on many early mornings to hunt for the family's meat supply. In high school, she became known as "Barracuda" on the basketball court, and she eventually led her team to the state championship.
Just like Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin never attended an Ivy League college. Reagan chose Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois, while Sarah Palin attended local and state-level universities. Both obtained bachelor's degrees and sought work as sportscasters -- Reagan for the University of Iowa, Palin for local Anchorage news station.
Just like Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin got involved in politics by taking small steps. Reagan began writing speeches (which often espoused political messages supporting pro-business conservatism) while working for General Electric. Sarah Palin got involved with her local PTA and ran for city council of her small town because she was concerned about how her tax dollars were being spent.
Just as Ronald Reagan did, Palin contains an instantly recognizable honesty factor among the grassroots. Through honesty, both politicians' careers in public service continued to escalate in small but definitive steps.
Though he was honest and had good intentions, Ronald Reagan was dropped from General Electric as his speeches continued to grow more effective and persuasive. Identically, Sarah Palin made a large handful of political enemies in both parties in Alaska when, with the people's best interest at heart, she took on the same type of establishment politicians and opinions which continue to criticize her to this day.
Two years after his dismissal from General Electric, and in the same year Sarah Palin was born, Ronald Reagan kicked off the start of his enormous grassroots influence on a national level by giving his famed "Barry Goldwater" speech in 1964. Similarly, Sarah Palin remained impressively modest while giving one of the most powerful and effective speeches of all time during the 2008 Republican National Convention.
Just like Reagan, Sarah Palin was able to demonstrate how one lives and learns through personal moments of grievance and despair. Last year, the mainstream media went wild over Sarah Palin upon learning about her daughter's pregnancy during the same time she was being vetted by the McCain campaign. With Ronald Reagan, liberals in the media took aim at the fact that he was "the only divorced president."
Just like Reagan, Sarah Palin had been out of the country only a limited amount of times before running for national office. Even during Reagan's service to his country, his nearsightedness kept him from serving overseas.
Liberals and Republicans alike declared Ronald Reagan unqualified to be president, especially after Gerald Ford beat him for the Republican nomination in 1976. Even after four years of Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford himself remarked as late as March 1979 that Reagan was "unelectable."
Gerald Ford is not the only member of a previously-failed presidential campaign to make such a proclamation. Just last month, Steve Schmidt, who headed the losing McCain ticket, claimed that Palin would not be "a winning candidate" for president.
With the release of Palin's Going Rogue this month, Nielsen reports Palin selling an astonishing 469,000 copies in the book's first week of release. This trounces Obama's The Audacity of Hope, which sold 67,000 in the same period. On her nationwide book tour, Palin is reaching out to the masses and once again drawing record crowds -- and her grassroots fame gave Oprah her highest ratings in two years.
Just like Reagan, Palin continues to plow through her opposition, remaining successful by holding onto the nationwide support she had from last year while growing an entire base of new admirers from the bottom up. With the left and the elite Republicans scrambling for their best anti-Palin rhetoric while she innocuously sells her book, one wonders what they will come up with if she ever does run for president.
Most importantly, given classic Reagan history, and while some in the media ponder whether Sarah Palin will ever get support from Washington's beltway, all grassroots conservatives seem to be energized by the obvious: She never needed it.
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