Palin Passes Kobayashi Maru

reprinted and edited from a post I did on Team Sarah July 7, 2009 (three days after Palin announced her resignation as Alaska governor)

The Kobayashi Maru is a test in the fictional Star Trek universe. It is a Starfleet training exercise designed to test the character of cadets in the command track at Starfleet Academy. The Kobayashi Maru test was first depicted in the opening scene of the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and also appears in the 2009 film Star Trek. This provided context for how the main character ensign (later admiral) James T. Kirk deals with the possibility of unwinnable situations in general and death in particular.

The civilian vessel Kobayashi Maru is in a simulated battle with the Klingons. The ship is disabled and the approaching cadet crew must decide whether or not to attempt rescue of the Maru crew - potentially endangering their own ship/lives - or leave the Kobayashi Maru to certain destruction. The difficult decision to assist "Maru" revolves around the issue of the disabled ship's location being in the Klingon Neutral Zone, as entering the zone would be in violation of the Organian Peace Treaty. (The test itself is to see how a starfleet captain would handle a no-win scenario.)

James T. Kirk takes the test three times while at Starfleet Academy. Prior to his third attempt, Kirk "surreptitiously reprograms the simulator so that it is possible to rescue the freighter." This fact finally comes out, later in the movie, as Kirk, Saavik and others appear marooned, near death. Saavik's response is, "Then you never faced that situation. Faced death." Kirk replies, "I don't believe in the no-win scenario." Despite having cheated, Kirk was awarded a commendation for "original thinking." - Wickipedia

Like Kirk, Palin doesn't believe in the no-win situation.

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Leigh Scott wrote :

Then, as Sarah Palin announced her resignation, it hit me. Sarah Palin is Captain Kirk. Why? Because she just passed the Kobayashi Maru.

The article is a good read and supports my point about how Sarah Palin has beaten a no-win situation where she would be hacked at by ankle biting ethics complainers until she was bankrupt and could no longer conduct the state of Alaska's business effectively.

Resigning was the most dangerous political move she could make, but it was also the shrewdist. As we watch her complete an enormously successful book tour, we see the brilliance and genius of Sarah Palin who now commands 6 figures for speeches, will make millions on the book, will be exposed to the types of donors needed to fund SarahPac and will be able to speak freely about her political opinions without the risk of being slapped with an ethics complaint because she is "neglecting the business of the state" for doing all the above from her desk in Anchorage.

It's clearer now more than ever that had she stayed on as governor of Alaska, she would have been destroyed by the media and the ankle biters.

She has followed all the principles outlined in my web page: Fight For the Right. The web page was designed originally as my suggestion as to how the conservative movement should rebuild itself. Written shortly after the 2008 election, it outlined what I believed were the key ingredients to a return to power for the Republican party and the conservative movement. It then goes on to ask:

Rank and file: Are we ready?

Congressional leaders: Are you ready?

Sarah?

Ironically, the page was not designed to tell Sarah Palin how to revive the movement or sell Sarah Palin to the movement; it was directed at everyone in the movement. But as Sarah Palin fulfilled more and more of the "requirements" on this page, references to her were added to support the original theories. I also added the Courageous Conservatism section after the Carrie Prejean incident. It was around that same time that Palin gave the "If I die, I die" speech.

It's amazing how Sarah Palin has such a "shared world view" or a "unity of thought" with this blogger. These were the same characteristics that attracted me so strongly to Ronald Reagan. Sarah Palin is quickly becoming an example that supports everything that I wrote on that page.

One of the things I wrote about (and included quotes from Andrew Breitbart to support this) was our need to infiltrate the pop culture. The years of ridiculing that George W. Bush took from pop culture, the shots at conservative values that are constantly being taken, and finally the Tina Fey caricatures led me to believe that we conservatives needed to get writers and actors to infiltrate Hollywood and use the techniques of the left for our purpose. The days when conservative Dan Aykroyd called called liberal Jane Curtain, "Jane, you ignorant slut" came to mind, but I chose to leave it out of the page.

I never dreamed that Sarah Palin herself would take to a Hollywood set and handle this part for me.

Which brings us to Captain Kirk and the Kobayashi Maru again. One can't help but to think that biographers should make a note that the video below is going to be a major player in a historical discussion of how Sarah Palin overcame the ridicule. It's also really cool that part of beating the political Kobayashi Maru included a roasting of the actor who played the character who defeated the original Kobayashi Maru.



Ronald Reagan used humor to defuse the ridicule that was directed at him, too.

Conservatives4Palin.com could not have made a more accurate assessment of the positive effect that Palin's appearance on the Tonight Show had.

Sarah Palin’s book tour has ended, and its cessation coincides with the end of the media’s vile attempt to de-legitimize her. That doesn’t mean the smears will come to a halt or the condescension will lessen, it means that this character assassination will no longer be taken seriously by serious political observers or by the portion of the American public at large who can be described as anything other than “Palin-hater.” What Gov. Palin did at the Gridiron and on Conan put an end to such foolishness.

Set a course for the shining city on a hill. Warp factor 4, Mr. Sulu.

Shining Brightly in the Snow

I’m truly humbled by the response to my book tour by everyday Americans, and if traveling by plane means that I can meet more of these wonderful people, I’ll travel by plane (or bus or train or canoe or dog sled or whatever it takes). - Sarah Palin

And because you feel this way about us, we will wait in the dead of night, sleep in our cars, in the pouring rain, the blinding snow or whatever it takes to meet you, too.



I arrived at the BJ's parking lot in Fairfax, VA around 1 am. I tweeted some and then took a two hour nap in the "Right Wing Express," otherwise known as my car, the one with the "Sarah kicks (picture of a donkey)" and "Palin 2012" bumper stickers. Not exactly a dog sled, but a pretty good liberal tweaker while riding by on the highway.

Whe I awoke around 4 am, the crowd was getting in line as temperatures hovered around 40 degrees. Dressed in layers, I situated my chair and chatted on the phone with a friend of mine who works the night shift as a newspaper distributor. The conversation was full of politics: discussions about climategate, how hypocritical liberals are and what Palin's chances for 2012 were.

Light rain began to fall prior to dawn, so I headed back to the car, tweeted some more, got my umbrella and headed back to my chair. It was cold, and the temperature was dropping.

As the dark sky morphed into a cloudy daylight, the rain fell heavier and heavier. Umbrellas were open everywhere. It was miserable, except for the mood of the people. There was no complaining. There was no disconnect between the people. This was not a mightier than thou leader that people would have thoughts of like "I bet she's sleeping in some warm bed somewhere while we freeze." Instead, the conversation was about how distastefully the media treated Sarah about "the plane." We talked about how great the plane was because, as I pointed out to another gentleman in the crowd, "did you see her schedule? It's crazy."

There were discussions of how many seconds would be needed per person for Sarah Palin to sign her name. It wasn't about us, it was about how hard Sarah was working. It wasn't about "give me the autograph, I waited hours for it." It was about "let's follow the rules and move quickly out of respect for Sarah's time."

At a little after 8 am, the rain changed to snow. As the snow fell heavier and the temperature had dropped even more, the crowd still grew as did the anticipation. BJ's employees gave out wrist bands. More people joined the line. The police and BJ officials saw to it that those of us who did not have the book yet or a BJ's membership were given the opportunity to take care of those issues without losing their place in line.

The one police officer who kept me informed so I knew when it would be my turn to get my membership and pick up my books performed his duty with good humor and professionalism despite being covered in snow.

When I returned to the line armed with my books, a man named Jimmy and I talked about Sarah Palin's qualifications. She's not part of that Washington establishment. People are turned off by the establishment. She's one of us. She's a mother of five. If America is to elect its first woman president, it will have to be someone of good moral character and without the blemishes of scandals and affairs. He said that her resignation helped her put the time in necessary to meet the people and learn more about foreign policy. I mentioned how she was demonstrating that on her Facebook page.

The line moved and we were now on the sidewalk heading for the door. Ironically, it was during a conversation about Fox News that we were having that I heard people toward the back of the line yelling out "it's Greta Van Susteran!" Greta had emerged from a car and was walking away, passing the line behind me toward a side entrance into BJ's.

The line moved quickly. Inside, it was a matter of about 5-10 minutes that I was at the table with my books prepared for signature. Todd Palin said hello and we shook hands. I said "it's a pleasure to meet you." Then I stepped over to Sarah and she looked at my shirt, with a picture of her on it and the words "Say it ain't so, Joe." She was all energy and enthusiam. We shook hands. I had touched greatness.

"Honored to meet you," I said. She smiled and had that raised pitch in her voice, as she took immediate notice and reacted enthusiastically saying "I love your shirt!" I said "thanks, I wore it to your rallies" as she was signing two books. I thanked her and moved on. It was so quick, but worth every hour standing in the elements. She was radiant and she was genuine.

(UPDATE: CLICK HERE TO SEE SARAH PALIN LOOKING AT MY SHIRT. END UPDATE)

I met her parents. Chuck and Sally. They were so personable. They also loved the shirt. What a cool couple of people!

I lost my bearings at that point and didn't know which way I was supposed to go. Flashes were going off, people were taking pictures and I was momentarily lost. I tried to make a mental note of the name of a person from twitter who recognized me, but I was still leaving the moments from when I was in Sarah Palin's presence.

I went to get bags to wrap my books in to protect them from the snow. The lady who worked at customer service was excited. She asked me to show her Sarah's signature, which I did. She thought that was so awesome.

I left the store in the full glow that I had finally achieved the one thing I never did when Reagan was alive.

I quickly put the books in the car to protect them from the three inches of snow that had already fallen. I got my brush out of the trunk, cleared the car and warmed it up. I tweeted and texted. All hell broke loose. The texts were flying back in. My friends were calling. I was alone in my car, yet it was mayhem.

As I drove back to Richmond, VA, I spoke to my business partner who couldn't have been happier for me. I spoke to a couple of other friends. The text messages were pouring in, but I couldn't read them while driving. As I neared the northern suburbs of Richmond, the snow changed to rain. There was no snow in Richmond. If you wanted snow, you had to go where the lady from the north was.

Prior to the trip, I told a friend of mine what I was doing. He asked me if I ever got up that early to go to Black Friday or to get to a store for a sale. I told him, "if I'm going to get up that early to go to any store, Sarah Palin better be there, otherwise forget it."

While on line, someone came back from the parking lot and said there was a small group of protestors, about 3 or 4 I surmised (UPDATE: TPM reported 4 protestors). (END UPDATE) One of the guys I was talking with said "this is great snow for packing snowballs."

"That's perfect," I said. "Where are the liberals?" We laughed.

(UPDATE) One of the first things I noticed about Governor Palin when I first saw her was her hat. She has been getting a lot of compliments about it. (END UPDATE)

On my way home, the "Right Wing Express" passed a car with an Obama bumper sticker on it. There were two 30ish year old white men inside. I showed them Going Rogue against my driver side window. The driver gave me the finger and the passenger waved, shaking his head "no, no." We were all laughing, ribbing each other. I gave them a thumbs up, pointing to the book, shaking my head affirmatively, laughing. It was great.

It's all about the great moments. It's all about the light that shines brightly in the snow.


The Hat that everyone loved


The shirt that Sarah loved


Need I say more?

I'm in this video briefly at the 1:46 mark and 2:43 mark

Sarah Palin arrives at BJ's in Fairfax, VA in the snow



Fairfax, VA Palin book signing links:

Palin fans out for a look and a book in Fairfax
Alaska? Feel like home for Gov Palin?
Sarah Palin Brings First Snow, Signs Books
Fairfax Goes Rogue
Sarah Palin Looks Nice In Fairfax The Gridiron Transcript: Biden Selling Book: Going Rogaine
Madame Meets Virginia!
Pictures: Palin book signing pics
Video: Fans wait in snow for Palin book signing
Video: Beck: Palin "looks really hot in that hat"

Other People's Experiences

My Colorado Springs Signing Extravaganza - Julie Smith
december 9 2009: meeting governor palin in colorado springs - The Design Conservative
Sarah in the Springs - Michelle Malkin
Going Rogue with Governor Palin in Rochester, NY--Pics & Video - Adrienne Ross

Conservative Girl With a Voice
Meeting Sarah: Part One
Meeting Sarah: Part Two

The Light Shines

People in Roanoke, Virginia, who stayed overnight in the parking lot waiting for Sarah Palin's appearance to sign her new book Going Rogue: An American Life, were treated to a surprise visit from the former Alaska Governor and VP candidate. The lights of a bus coming toward them from the highway may not have been recognizable at first, but in symbolic terms, it was the light that shined from those headlights that gives us the first glimmer of hope on what is about to be a long and arduous journey.

When asked by Bill O'Reilly if the brutal attacks in the press have harmed her, Sarah Palin responded "I'm still standing. Look, I'm on O'Reilly." The light continues to shine brighter with her book tour turning out to be a huge success. She is not only drawing crowds of adoring supporters, but this unfiltered by the media tour is helping to bring up her favorability ratings in recent polls as well because she literally is going directly to the people.

Now that those of us who have been wandering in the wilderness found out there was hope again, we "wait in the parking lot." We've been in the parking lot since Sarah Palin resigned as governor. We have been blogging, tweeting and protesting, quick to wield our rhetorical swords at the slightest whiff of liberal Palin haters who may leap out of the darkness, as they are prone to do.

We prepare ourselves, build our ranks and do whatever we can to support the leader who has earned her place at the helm with her unbridled patriotism, message of limited government, soul deep devotion to the principles of Ronald Reagan and oneness with who we are.

It's the middle of the night in America. But when that bus gets here, it will be morning.

Across America, people will be waiting in "the parking lot." This is the first leg of the trip back to the shining city on a hill.

I see headlights. The light shines.

What Crabs Can Teach You About Sarah Palin

Listening to people in the media talking about Sarah Palin tonight reminds me of a story I heard at a success seminar. Those who are working to be successful will always be pulled down by those who aren't.

Success trainers and positive people will tell you to shoot for the stars and if you miss, you still might hit the moon. The late Joe Ensor, a motivational speaker for Primerica Financial Services, said in a seminar that your brain is like a rubberband. Once stretched, it never goes back to it's original size. He also told a story about crabs.

He said that if you observe crabs in a barrel, you will notice that one crab makes the climb and gets to the point where it can almost get out of the barrel and over the top. But, the other crabs will latch onto it and try to drag it back down into the barrel with them. They are not willing to get out of the barrel and they won't let the one bound for success do it either.

Everyone thinks inside a box that they have been painted into by their environment. Some may choose to say "I'm a victim of circumstances." Those who reject that notion simply change their environment.

To listen to Bill O'Reilly and Mary Katharine Ham portray Sarah Palin as someone who should settle for a House or Senate seat reminds me of the crabs. It also goes against everything I have been taught about success.

So Palin should shoot for a House or Senate seat, maybe even settle there. They are missing the idea that Palin should shoot for the stars of the presidency and if she lands in a Senate seat, so be it. But don't tell her she can't be president.

That's stinking thinking.

The lamp is shining. Sarah carries the lamp. No matter what the mainstream media says about her, there are a lot of people who want the shining city on a hill back. They cannot rely on people that don't get the deal to lead us there. Palin is it right now and we should be running with her.

Will the ignorant and uniformed leave the room until they have properly researched this?


UPDATE: In all fairness to Mary Katharine Ham, I have agreed with her on many issues and think highly of her. She thinks that Sarah still needs to go through a certain path that is not a primrose road to the White House. I do agree that is a valid opinion and respect that. With that said, I think sometimes lightning in the bottle and striking while the iron is hot may be outside the box, but it's what this country needs right now.

The Evolution of Sarah (Part 2)

The first part of Sarah Palin's evolution occurred before the existence of this blog. Therefore, we will start with part 2 of what will probably be 4 or 5 parts. The first part of her evolution of course is her career as Mayor of Wasilla, Governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential Nominee for John McCain. In that portion of her evolution, we watched a wildly charismatic woman with a deep interest in Alaska's greatness meet her full blown American patriotism on the national stage and electrify the base of a party that seemed to be on its last legs. Now it's time for Part 2.

This is where Sarah Palin is given the opportunity to make a second impression against the backdrop of the lies and the politics of political destruction that dogged her through the 2008 presidential campaign. Those who follow and support Sarah Palin know who she is. Those who bought into the media malpractice or drew their own conclusions due to lack of research and the surrendering of their brains to the mainstream media are the ones who will see this as a re-branding.

Here is what to look for during the evolution of Sarah Palin (part 2):

1.The mainstream media will comment that Sarah Palin has astounded pundits and media people with a maturity, confidence and depth of knowledge that many though she could never display. Yet they will continue to tell us that she will never become president. Leave it to the mainstream media to make a few bucks off of someone they don't think is viable.

2.Palin supporters will comment that they are not surprised by the maturity, confidence and depth of knowledge that she displays.

3.Old guard elitist Republicans, moderates and independents will admit that Sarah Palin has done herself well in the PR department and while they won't come to say just yet that they see her as the savior of or the future of the GOP, they will admit that if she works hard and pulls it off that they wouldn't rule it out. In football, that's called punting.

4.The liberals will get scared again and in backroom meetings will decide that they have to take a more serious approach toward opposing Palin. Her emergence as a "beefed up" Sarah will cause the liberal movement and the Democrat party to go to DefCon4. While privately they will be taking her very seriously, publicly they will continue downplaying her chances. They will run ads against her, write op-eds and give statements in such a way as to portray her as a right wing extremist who doesn't pull a big enough plurality to win on the national scene. Ultimately, though they will admit she is a danger to the progressive movement as their ratcheted up attacks fail.

I caution Sarah Palin supporters not to draw the conclusion that now that she is a media sensation that the nasty attacks, satire and caricaturing has come to an end. Newsweek is the freshest example of that. Always remember that Ronald Reagan was lampooned in the popular culture throughout his presidency. There was a left wing presence that simmered under the surface undermining him and trying to catch him at every turn until his last day in office.

This will always be the same for Sarah Palin. Her detractors will hate her right up to the day she dies. They will be unashamed in the means and tactics they will use to try to undermine her and cast her in a negative light.

Yes, the Alaska bloggers, the media and the left in America will continue to oppose Sarah Palin. But, a majority of the American people are about to be reminded that Sarah Palin was the most brutally abused and most unfairly characterized political candidate in the history of modern politics (she surpasses Reagan in this category only because there was no internet or social media in his day). As such, although it can't be called a sympathy vote, she will earn the respect of many of the uncertains for having stood tall through all that she has been through.

That should lead us to her evolution, part 3, and her national political campaign.

Her studious embodiment of the principles and spirit of Ronald Reagan positions Sarah Palin well to become the "teflon mom" just as Reagan had become "the teflon president." She will survive the smearing and the mocking. It is what she does in the future that will determine whether her outcome is successful, not what has been done to her in the past. Those who underestimate her do so at their own peril.

This is not about narcisism, feel good hero worship or the capitalization on celebrity status for financial gain. This is about the future of the United States of America. Sarah Palin knows that. It is simply political protocol that she not say this until after the 2010 elections.

The fact that she is discussing policy on her Facebook page and will be doing more in depth policy interviews later in the week is indicative that she's not leaving the political arena, and that this book tour is not her way of lining her pockets before telling America to go screw themselves after the nonsense in Alaska and the ridiculous crap in the national media during the 2008 campaign.

Sarah Palin is not going through all of this because of some selfish motive or financial agenda. She is doing this for us Americans who know that if it's been done before, it can be done again. This country can be a shining city on a hill and a beacon of freedom for the world. There is a cause more important than Sarah Palin's personal gain that drives the woman who believes that she should act "with a servant's heart."

We have come too far as a nation to allow socialists and radicals to re-make this country in an image that is unrecognizable to those who understand our underpinnings in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Ronald Reagan did so much to bring us out of a similar darkness as this once before. His efforts and his accomplishments CANNOT go to waste! Sarah Palin is the answer whether the media likes it or not.

Reaganites Think Alike

It's more archetypical than presumptious to think that Sarah Palin thinks a lot like me. The archetype: Ronald Reagan. The unity in thought can be traced back to the Gipper. It's the thought patterns that make me really understand why Sarah thinks the way she does. There's a true connection. Ronald Reagan is the man.

The premise of this blogsite is outlined in the keynote blog: Who Should Carry Liberty's Lamp. It was Ronald Reagan's words:

after losing the Republican presidential nomination in 1976 that stand out the most now having seen the tears in Sarah Palin's eyes and hearing the disappointment in John McCain's voice that fateful November night in 2008.

If Ronald Reagan was with us that day, he would have surely repeated these words to us: "Don't get cynical because, look at yourselves and what you were willing to do and recognize that there are millions and millions of Americans out there that want what you want, that want it to be that way (his voice cracks), that want it to be a shining city on a hill."

Don't let it be said that I am alone in feeling the pain of defeat. Sarah Palin understands. She writes on her Facebook page:

To the tireless grassroots patriots who worked so hard in that race and to future citizen-candidates like Doug, please remember Reagan’s words of encouragement after his defeat in 1976:

“The cause goes on. Don't get cynical because look at yourselves and what you were willing to do, and recognize that there are millions and millions of Americans out there that want what you want, that want it to be that way, that want it to be a shining city on a hill.”

The cause goes on.

I'm kind of blown away.

Sarah Palin Never Quit

Business leaders, personal success coaches and public speakers have told us for years that quitters never win and winners never quit. They just never told us what the definition of "quit" is. Quitting is not giving up a job or a title. It's giving up on the ultimate goal itself. Palin never quit. She just changed vehicles in the pursuit of her goals and dreams.

If your goal was to become a millionaire and you opened a business that bankrupted you, wouldn't it make sense that, instead of quitting on your goal of becoming a millionaire, you quit the business that's bankrupting you? If your goal was to see your country return to greatness, but the political office you served was stopping that, wouldn't it make sense that instead of quitting on your goal of seeing your country return to greatness, you quit the office that was stopping that?

It seems the less intellectually curious among us have taken Sarah Palin's resignation as governor of Alaska at face value. They think she quit. But when you dig a little deeper, it becomes more and more apparent that her resignation was probably the most crucial career saving decision of her life. This blogger has now come to accept that Sarah Palin's resignation was a brilliant and fantastic move.

Had Palin stayed on as governor, she would have just spiraled deeper and deeper into debt as the concerted smear campaign against her continued to pile on frivolous ethics complaint after frivolous ethics complaint. She did the math and realized that if she was ever going to be able to participate in leading a nation back to its greatness, she would not be able to do it from the poor house.

Palin could have served two terms as Alaska governor and ended up broke, disillusioned and politically devastated. Any attempts at reaching a national audience would have been viewed with contempt by local detractors and would have resulted in more ethics complaints. Without the ability to speak to the masses of those who yearn for her to take the reigns of the disaster we now call "the federal government," Palin was a lame duck governor in terms of national politics the minute she returned to Anchorage after the 2008 presidential campaign.

And on top of that, she was going broke.

When Sarah Palin sat down and figured out the finances, she realized that $125,000 a year minus $600,000 plus whatever other ethics violations were in the works means that she will end up with a net loss of at least $475,000. That's some fine reward for a great governor isn't it? And that's low balling it.

Since her resignation, here is the cocktail napkin explanation I've been giving to everyone who argues with me or simply asks me about her resignation:

Pro rate it like this:

4 years as Governor $500,000
Current ethics costs -$600,000
Projected new ethics costs -$400,000

Profit/Loss -$500,000

Then take into consideration the hits on her children.

Palin's choice: be Governor of Alaska and run up over $1 million in legal fees while having her children abused ruthlessly in the press or resign and make more than enough money on a book to pay back her debt and embark on a career as a private citizen political activist that would allow her to never quit on the real thing she's after: seeing our country return to greatness again.

You do the math. If you were her, wouldn't you quit, too?

In retrospect, it's turning out that this blogger was right. Why? Because I was willing enough to let Sarah Palin tell the story and not listen to the media. What I heard was "money" and "kids." I didn't hear "quit." I heard "advance in a different direction."

"The critics want to put you on a course of personal bankruptcy, so you can't afford to serve," she said, calling the attacks "bull crap," Sarah Palin told Fox News. That confirms the money analysis. Palin's lawyer told CNN "off-color jokes by talk-show host David Letterman contributed to her decision to step down." That confirms the kid analysis.

Jay Tea on Wizbang writes:

At that point, she had run up about half a million dollars in legal bills, and pretty much every single complaint had been tossed. In other words, she had incurred debts equal to twice her family's net income and 40% of their net worth for absolutely nothing. And with the latest complaint going after her legal defense fund, it was shaping up to get more and more and more expensive, with no relief in sight. The agenda of her opponents was clear: to use Alaska's flawed ethics laws (the "flaw" being that no one foresaw a cabal filing an endless chain of worthless complaints purely to drive up the target's legal bills) to bankrupt her and her family.

Josh Painter writes: "The aim of her political opponents has always been to destroy Sarah Palin any way they can. So they staged an all-out assault not only on her character and her family, but on her personal finances as well."

John Ziegler says it best:

The bottom line is that Sarah Palin resigned simply because she was no longer allowed to do her job in a way that benefited her state and family. She saw that if she stayed on as Governor it would cost the state millions of dollars in wasted time and resources and doom it to gridlock. She knew that it would also continue to cost her family hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend against false and maliciously filed ethics complaints. And she had simply had enough of her children being fodder for inappropriate public attacks.

Like I said in a previous blog, this could not be answered by pundits. It could only be answered by Palin herself. Now that the answer has unfolded and her financial disclosure proves her right to resign, we can say that Sarah did in fact give us the answer.

We again are mere mortals who can thank the lucky stars and our God above that Sarah Palin had the wisdom to resign her governorship. If she didn't, we might as well have just kissed that shining city on a hill goodbye.

It's Not Just an Endorsement: It's A Shining of the Light

As Republicans navigate their way through the wilderness, bickering over whether to go center or right, the grassroots has stepped up their efforts in recruiting and supporting candidates who stand for limited government, strong national defense and no more political chicanery - from either party. The message resonating from the natural turf that grows quickly is "no more business as usual." In a hotly contested race for New York's 23rd Congressional seat, we are seeing a microcosm of the battle for the heart and soul of the Republican party.

When Sarah Palin endorsed Doug Hoffman, not only did she endorse him, but she articulated the true conservative philosophy in a way that not only referenced Ronald Reagan, but in a way we have not seen done since Reagan. In a facebook note where she clearly articulates a philosophy and a direction for the GOP, Palin writes "Our nation is at a crossroads, and this is once again a 'time for choosing.'"

Her endorsement is more than just an endorsement for a Congressional candidate. It is an articulation of the direction that Palin believes the Republican party must go.

Political parties must stand for something. When Republicans were in the wilderness in the late 1970s, Ronald Reagan knew that the doctrine of "blurring the lines" between parties was not an appropriate way to win elections. Unfortunately, the Republican Party today has decided to choose a candidate who more than blurs the lines, and there is no real difference between the Democrat and the Republican in this race. This is why Doug Hoffman is running on the Conservative Party's ticket.

Palin shines the light on the movement in her acknowledgement that "Republicans and conservatives around the country are sending an important message to the Republican establishment in their outstanding grassroots support for Doug Hoffman: no more politics as usual."

Sarah Palin is clearly in touch with the movement that is staying true to the words of Ronald Reagan when he said bold colors - no pale pastels.

I Can See Liberty From Sarah Palin's House

It's been nearly a year since we lost our way as a nation and elected a radical socialist to lead us out of financial crisis that still has not been solved. As the Republican party nominated John McCain from a group of candidates, none of whom had all the traits necessary to be the leader Ronald Reagan was but all of whom individually possessed a different trait needed to lead, it had appeared that liberty's lamp was about to go dark. Faced with the prospects that the liberals could have finally reached their moment of triumph, traditional Americans silently sulked in the disappointment that had become a Republican party that had given in to the allures of big government spending. Then suddenly there was light.

While the lady who appeared and took hold of liberty's lamp was able to keep the flame lit, it just wasn't the right time to move forward yet. The majority was silent as the main stream media bashed the values of traditional America and those who espoused them. She came in triumph and was hailed by the base as our next great hope; but the foul winds of AstroTurf smear campaigns, media complicity in the election of Obama and the inability of the electorate to recognize someone who truly embodied what they wanted was enough to keep the holder of the lamp stymied.

Mitt Romney had the charisma, Fred Thompson the philosophy, Rudy Giuliani the national defense and anti-terrorism savvy, Mike Huckabee the religious and social views, John McCain the war hero status and Ron Paul the libertarianism. It's too bad we couldn't have combined them all into one candidate.

Then John McCain discovered someone who was that one candidate. Without the time necessary to get people to really know who she was, it was too late for that candidate to carry us home in 2008, but she came pretty damn close. Bill Bennett said that because of the economic crisis, McCain couldn't have won the 2008 election with Ronald Reagan on the ticket. I think it's fair to say that's basically what happened.

Like sheep suddenly realizing they were in the shearing pen, the majority was silent no more. They took to the streets with signs protesting big government. They showed up at town hall meetings and confronted their leaders, demanding answers not lies. They all showed up in Washington, DC to tell the government "we're not saying no, we're saying hell no" to the corruption and the flushing of our taxpayer dollars down a toilet bowl labeled "stimulus plan."

The "mob" as they are mockingly called by their detractors is a growing army that once seasoned will be stronger than any special interest group, any lobbyist or any corporate conglomerate. This army will make the founders misty eyed with joy in Heaven as they overlook their great experiment finally doing what they wanted it to do: having the people impose their will on the government and not the other way around.

Sarah Palin has risked her reputation by resigning as Alaska governor. She has taken on the ridicule and scorn of the left. She has locked herself away with books and a lap top, not simply learning talking points that she can use in running for office, but researching and digging deep into the existential mysteries and truths of what makes our country tick and what it will need to do to return to the greatness that once was what Ronald Reagan called "that shining city on a hill."

As she reveals to us the depths of her knowledge on things like the natural order and the desire to be free, she tells us simple things in complicated ways so that the intellectuals will understand it as well. She was criticized for telling us complicated things in simple ways, so in the words of General MacArthur, she decided not to retreat, but to advance in a different direction.

And as the flicker of twitter turned to the young flame of a facebook page, the light grew brighter. And as the light brightens again, flaming out into a book called "Going Rogue: An American Life," we begin to see the masses looking to a light we knew as the beacon of freedom. That beacon of freedom, which must once again be placed at the center of our nation's image for all the world to see, is now being held in the hands of a leader in exile who is mocked by those in power who fear her and revered by those in the wilderness who simply, simply just want to come home.

We see the crowds gathering. We see heads turning toward the light and we see people beginning to move en mass. These people revere our founders, our founding documents and the dream upon which our great nation was formed and they are willing now to travel the long hard road from a political tundra, through mountainous terrain, across open plains and down through the deserts. They will suffer the harshest of winters and the hottest of summers as they make their way out of the political wilderness, now having been given a map which began to unfold at a speech in Hong Kong and which will continue to unfold as we cross rivers and valleys, fight tumultous thunderstorms and tornadoes and crawl through the dust and the dirt.

Our leader will be bruised and bloodied. She will be skewered with rhetorical swords while simultaneously being showered with shouts of adoration and encouragement. Her head will be held down in the waters of insolence, yet she will keep the lamp held high enough so as the flame not be doused.

We will take wounds for her. We will speak out and offend. We will squabble with our families and friends. We will put those around us on notice that while we agree to disagree, we will not falter and we will not fail in the intensity with which we will fight to save our great nation and the great lady who we want to entrust it to with all of our loyalty and all our heart.

There can be no other way. If we are to make our way back to that shining city on a hill and plant that flame high above the halls of power once again, we must be committed to withstand the slings and the arrows which will come our way. We must continue to move forward and as our army takes Virginia and New Jersey, then House districts throughout the land, we will secure the positions needed and we will fire the deadliest of shots from the ballot box.

War weary and driven, we will be across the mall from the White House, resisting it not only from the street, but from the floor of the House of Representatives. And as we approach 2012, we will march in unison, Romney fans, Huckabee fans, Pawlenty fans and fans of those who may not have taken the movement's reigns but who will soon be part of the government that the movement will create.

We will be one. And Sarah will be our leader.

Sarah Palin will stand perched over the crowds at her podium and microphone as the city on a hill once again shines in its renewed glitter. And as she gives an innauguration speech, the likes we have not heard since 1981, we will cry tears of joy and hug each other tightly knowing that we have done something the founders would have died for. We will watch Sarah Palin, our president, tell us that the days of the nonsense are over. We will watch her tell us that the people, the grown ups are now back in charge.

She will look up to the sky and say "Mr. Reagan, because of your dream for us we have traveled a long hard road with liberty's lamp guiding our steps and opportunity's arm steadying our way. We have not forgotten that dream and we are home now."

The Pearl of the Orient

There are a lot of nerves showing in the blogosphere tonight. The commenters are out, the tweeters are out and the bloggers are out. All are jittery and on edge pending Sarah Palin's Hong Kong speech scheduled to go off right around the time this blog is released. What are they so nervous about? You might think I'm writing about her supporters. I'm not.

The liberal blogosphere has gone bonkers. They are freaking out because they know tomorrow, Sarah Palin is going to be an international superstar. Monica Crowley said Sarah Palin "represents an existential threat to liberalism." For those who understand existentialism, that's a lot of fear, trembling and angst for left wingers.

Sarah Palin is doing to liberalism what Ronald Reagan did to the Soviet Union. Lefties are turning into blithering idiots, basically imploding with each passing mention of the name Sarah Palin. They don't do this when any other conservative name is mentioned. Yeah, they get a little "wee weed" up about Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, but they flat out ex-lax crap their pants about Sarah Palin.

The more they cry out how dumb and unqualified she is to be president, the more it exposes their own insecurities. If being mocked by assholes is like being crowned by kings, Palin is pure royalty. You don't have to convince anyone of the truth. A lie, on the other hand, requires a lot of repitition and creativity.

Liberals have overplayed the Palin bashing now. They have actually violated one of their beloved Alinksy rules for radicals.

RULE 7: "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag." Don't become old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.)

Palin bashing is a yawner now. The nutroots and wingnuts keep coming out of their dirty little holes in the advance of every Palin appearance. Their morals disappear, yet hers continue to be no disgrace.

There are a lot of left wing flame throwers right now posting comments calling Sarah Palin a moron. It just shows there is a moron for every person who says that Sarah Palin is a moron.

If being a mayor, an oil and gas commissioner, a business owner, a governor and a vice presidential candidate makes you a moron, I'm in. And, apparently morons get paid $100,000 a gig now to speak in front of international investment bankers.

With each passing event, Palin's following grows stronger and the liberal anxiety grows deeper. Like rabid animals, they get more and more aggressive with each passing facebook note, op-ed and big dollar speech. And like animals with rabies, they eventually die, politically speaking of course. Nothing spreads more quickly and does more damage to the body politic than the cancer of negativity.

Tonight, the Pearl of the Orient shines.

We Are Begging You to Lead Us

We have been wandering leaderless in the wilderness since Ronald Reagan. We have been waiting for someone who embodies everything we the people believe in: strict constitutional constructionism and limited government. Greatness is not a commodity in abundance. We don't hold it against those who have led us since Ronaldus Maximus. But, like a man in the desert, there is only thirst here.

Here is no water but only rock
Rock and no water and the sandy road
The road winding above among the mountains
Which are mountains of rock without water
If there were water we should stop and drink
Amongst the rock one cannot stop or think
Sweat is dry and feet are in the sand
If there were only water amongst the rock
Dead mountain mouth of carious teeth that cannot spit
Here one can neither stand nor lie nor sit
There is not even silence in the mountains
But dry sterile thunder without rain
There is not even solitude in the mountains
But red sullen faces sneer and snarl
From doors of mudcracked houses

If there were water
And no rock
If there were rock
And also water
And water
A spring
A pool among the rock
If there were the
sound of water only
Not the cicada
And dry grass singing
But sound of water over a rock
Where the hermit-thrush sings in the pine trees
Drip drop drip drop drop drop drop
But there is no water

- The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot

We have finally been given water by the great war hero, John McCain, foot soldier to the last great one and presenter of the next great one. That water is just within our reach. Yet we still thirst. We call out to be led and our leader knows it. While she is gone readying herself for a role that will require much preparedness, we thirst.

"As the Tea Party Express makes its way across the country, Sarah Palin has emerged as a favorite daughter of the movement, and organizers have invited her to join the tour — or at least come to the final stop in the nation's capital," CNN reports.

That sound you just heard were millions of people crying out "lead us Sarah, lead us."

Shantih, shantih, shantih

How's That Resignation Thing Going?

To continue the thought provoked by Sarah Palin: Crazy Like A Fox, I'm observing that the local heat based on petty nonsense about Sarah Palin has died down and the national heat based on important issues has heated up, and in a good way.

She has said that she will be much better situated to affect change outside of the governor's office. Within three weeks, she's nearly single handedly taken down Obamacare and broken a story about money going to Brazil to drill for oil.

She's still taking a hit in the polls with most people who react inside the box regarding her resignation. But that will change when her book comes out and she hits the circuit. It did for Hillary Clinton. It will for Sarah. It was at this point in Reagan's situation following the 1976 loss to Gerald Ford that a poll was conducted that showed that more people would vote for Ford than Reagan if Ford decided to run in 1980. Reagan, however, still remained a top contender for the primaries as does Sarah Palin.

Have you seen vicious comments and biased articles in the Anchorage Daily News as of late? Have the Alaska bloggers been chronicling and stalking every move of Sarah Palin as of late and spinning it in such a way that MSNBC can’t but help to buy into it? Have we read any stories lately about new ethics complaints being filed or complaints from state legislators because Sarah Palin may want to go speak at a dinner out of state?

No. She’s not the governor anymore.

Half the PR battle was won with her resignation. By taking herself out of the spotlight of the governor’s office and acting in the privacy that is afforded regular citizens without title, she literally pulled the plug on most of what the smear campaign was trying to do to her.

It’s a brilliant move considering that she presents well researched pieces on her Facebook page which ultimately requires detractors to shift from personally attacking her to having to take her on about the issues. In this arena, the arena of ideas, Palin wins hands down.

Her well documented dissection of Obamacare took down the “death panel” provisions in the House legislation. She has created a fire storm that has focused positive attention on the issue even if her detractors are still spewing hatred toward her.

Instead of poking fun at her for being “Caribou Barbie,” liberals are now genuinely angered and anguished over the fact that their malcontent messiah is hitting a rough patch because of her. Suddenly the left is involved in an actual policy debate instead of silly clothing barbs because of her.

She is a major threat to liberalism. The way liberals are becoming more and more unhinged shows they are being affecting by her presence. Her mere existence seems to cause them to reflexively expose their philosophy for the morally and intellectually bankrupt ideology that it really is.

In conclusion, she is the lightening rod that is about to create a “death panel” for liberalism.


UPDATE - Related article: Palin's Popularity in the GOP Soars After Quitting

UPDATE 09/08/09 - Gov. Palin Knew What She Was Doing

UPDATE 01/06/10 - Congressman sees Palin in presidential race "'I thought she had made a career decision that would be hard to bounce back from,' (U.S. Rep. Steve) King said. 'It looks like she's bounced back from it and gone from there.'"

DNC: We Have a Problem

Liberals, the liberal media and even elitist conservatives like Peggy Noonan have questioned Sarah Palin's intelligence and interest in the issues. For the left, the barrage is born of a fear and hatrid of someone who threatens to blow their ideology and the political corruption it breeds right out into the open. For the elitist right, this is born out of a fear that if the average commoner demonstrates an ability to grasp conservative insidership, then the elite will no longer own the information. For everyone who falls into these categories: "Houston, we have a problem."

When Sarah Palin stumbled during her interview with Katie Couric, it was the left's opportunity to plug that moment into a smear campaign that had already begun in earnest with the Alaska bloggers, channeled by the Obama campaign directly through his adoring mainstream media. Palin, whose focus was on Alaskan issues, was demonstrating an amazing ability to bring energy interests from all sides to the table in discussing the future of the AGIA natural gas pipeline. But when confronted about Supreme Court decisions that weren't relative to the campaign, she wasn't on it.

Sarah Palin has always been a get it done type of leader. She understood the issues that confronted Alaskans and addressed them. History will show that she did more for Alaska in 2 1/2 years than most governors do in two terms.

Anyone who understands leadership knows that success is more dependent on "brains on tap" than "brains on top." One's ability to recognize a problem and use the cumulative knowledge of experts to find the solution is a success principal that Andrew Carnegie and Napolean Hill have taught since the beginning of the industrial revolution.

However, one thing that many of Palin's detractors missed in their criticism is that she has always been know to be a quick learner, and that when challenged, the "Barracuda" doesn't like to lose. Ronald Reagan had the same trait. When ridiculed and criticized by Jimmy Carter operatives leading into the 1980's primaries, Reagan reacted by sharpening his mind, sharpening his pen and most of all sharpening his tongue.

Now it's Palin's turn. This blogger has always described her as an evolving candidate. Watching Sarah Palin go from Governor, to vice presidential candidate and to potential presidential candidate is like watching the part of Ronald Reagan's political evolution that I missed because I was too young.

For those who don't think she's intelligent, you're in for a big surprise. For those who think she is intelligent, you're in for even a bigger surprise. Sarah Palin is not a figure frozen it time. The experience of a national campaign trail and the strength she gains from withstanding a smear campaign that no other American politician has had to endure is just the beginning.

This blogger has read her letters and writings. She communicates concisely when she needs to and she communicates esoterically when she wants. She can be a straight shooter or she can be a allusionist who uses literary or musical references to make her point. Those who disagree with her can't hear her through their bias, so they ridicule her.

She has turned her Facebook page into a research paper. This blogger is made to feel lazy after reading the amount of research she has done on healthcare reform and Cap and Trade. It just so happens, these are the two biggest issues of the day. If Katie Couric interviewed her now, Palin might just well school her and school her severely.

Ronald Reagan developed his knowledge and political philosophy through his writing. Sarah Palin knows that. Noone needs to tell her to go bone up on issues of the day. Ronald Reagan has already shown her how to do that by his example. She is a student of the master.

Learning what the Heritage Foundation stats are on Cap and Trade or referring to expert writers on the subject of healthcare reform to support her points may look like a great feat for Sarah Palin; but what's even a bigger feat is that she is the first person to completely use what she learns from Ronald Reagan - not just his words, but that "thing" that made him a great leader. She has internalized him.

For it is from the total understanding of Ronald Reagan that she will develop her greatest skills. Citing stats may give her supporters ammunition to attack with, but embracing Reagan's spirit in both mind and heart will be the real key from which she will find greatness.

Did Palin Resign Because There's an Emergency?

If your country was about to be destroyed and it needed the immediate attention that you couldn't give it unless you quit your job, would you quit your job?


Stimulus plans to nowhere: Banks stabilizing and giving bonuses to top executives while loans dry up for people on Main Street. Banks are constricting our credit with each passing day.

Bailouts: clunker car businesses sold for taxpayer cash. Unions and mismanaged divisions are bailed out while creditors get screwed and profitable dealerships get closed!

Healthcare Reform: The removal of all freedoms from cradle to grave. Submit today's diet via Whitehouse.gov! Don't forget to weigh yourself on the scale that's hooked up to your electric meter. That info gets downloaded to government computers.

Cap and Trade: General Electric and Al Gore get rich from making you believe you are saving the environment by paying into their pockets.

Military weakness: The reduction in our defense budget and missile defense at a time when rogue nations are developing nuclear weapons, terrorists are killing our troops and our President is apologizing for our "arrogance."

Federal mandates on the states: Do this or else we don't pay you!

Cronyism: Obama supporters getting lucrative deals and bailouts while McCain supporters get put on DHS watch lists.

This is happening right now!

Our country is being destroyed from within by the Democrat party and the radical socialist agenda being put forth by our President. American's are this close to losing their freedoms! The next time we vote, will we listen to Hannity, Rush, Palin and those who tell us about associations with radicals when the press won't? Will we even be in a position to remember how much we almost tossed 225 years of democracy out the window?

I think I understand now. Yes, it's about the ethics complaints and the costs to the state and her family. Yes, it's about the kids taking unfair shots in the media. But, you know what, folks? I'm going to sound a little bit like Glenn Beck when I say this, but IT'S AN EMERGENCY!

I think Sarah Palin resigned because she recognizes the emergency and her job is taking too much time away. I'm wondering if we all shouldn't quit our jobs and spend all of our time fighting to get this country back!

When a woman who says "politically speaking, if I die, I die" sees an emergency so dire and in desperate need of immediate attention that she quits her job to go fix it, there's something deeply wrong here.

Warriors, be prepared. This is serious.

Ron Devito pointed this out:

Like the rest of us, Sarah looks at Barack Obama and sees Neville Chamberlain, wrapped up in Jimmy Carter, and seasoned with a good dose of naivete. This is a dangerous world, and this is no time to be the appeaser-in-chief, or the apologist-in-chief.

So, what’s a girl to do?

Well, if you are Sarah Palin and know that Obama and his minions must be stopped and stopped now, before he and his gang do irreparable damage to our nation, you can’t sit idly by and watch.

When I read that, I went back and read this:

"I will take the battle nationally and I won't shy away from challenging the powerful, the entrenched, the corrupt and anyone standing in the way of getting our country back on the right track," Palin said in a written statement to the Washington Post.

Then I read what I wrote in a blog back in March 2009 when I questioned whether Barack Obama was part "of an underground movement with an agenda to tear down the founding fundamentals of our country and to re-make this country in their sick twisted vision."

Oh my God! Now it makes sense. The hasty resignation and the fact that many elitists and liberals didn't understand what she said makes sense now.

"I resign, gotta go. I'll tell you why later, gotta go."

Is there something she knows that we don't know? There is a dangerous sludge that flows deep in the bowels of both political parties, moreso the Democrats, but it's there in Washington corrupting all. That's why Sarah Palin is getting slammed by the media and the elites.

She knows the sludge is there. She's coming and they know it. There are a lot of people who are going to be "oil and gas commissioned" by her when she gets there. They have to stop her and they're finding they can't.

Unchained

Change, nothin' stays the same
Unchained, and ya hit the ground runnin'
Change, ain't nothin' stays the same
Unchained, yeah ya hit the ground runnin'

I know, I don't ask for permission
This is my chance to fly
Maybe enough ain't enough for you
But it's my turn at a try

-Unchained by Van Halen





Singing With Sarah Palin

I'm the guy with the dual degree in Literature and Political Science. I took literature because I wanted to understand the lyrics to Rush and Pink Floyd songs. I took political science because I wanted to learn more about Reagan and conservatism. And when both sides of my brain meet, it can get pretty esoteric at times.

Take yesterday for example. I went to the Asia / Yes concert here in Richmond, VA. There is an Asia song Sole Survivor that reminds me of Sarah Palin and there is a Yes song Machine Messiah that reminds me of Barack Obama.

Last night, John Wetton and I belted out these words for Sarah:

And from the wreckage I will arise
Cast the ashes back in their eyes
See the fire, I will defend
Just keep on burning right to the end

Last night, Chris Squire and I belted out these words for Barack:

Machine, Messiah
The mindless
Search for a higher Controller
Take me to the fire
And hold me
Show me the strength of your
Singular eye.

Bear with me as I duct tape the rest of my head back together. "Machine Messiah" is a rare live play for Yes. As concerts go, I hit the jackpot when they played it.

Yesterday, I tweeted about the two songs I mentioned above. Today, I saw this tweet from last night:

Detroit Down" & "Rollin": "Aint gonna shut my mouth/I know there's got to be a few hundred million more like me/just trying to keep it free" (the Detroit Down part was finishing up from a previous tweet)

Guess who tweeted it? Look here. The lyrics are here.

Get me the duct tape. My head just exploded again.

When I hear certain lyrics, I think of her. When she hears certain lyrics, she thinks of us.

On July 26th, Sarah Palin becomes unchained. She will be able to speak freely and join the "few hundred million more like her."

For those about to rock, we salute you.

Sarah Palin Takes the Lamp

Making it Through the Obama Years One Tweet at a Time

I had a phone conversation with a fellow Palin supporter last night. I reminded him of a conversation we had before Sarah Palin was chosen for VP. I told him then that I was very disheartened by the political landscape. I wished we could have taken all the candidates (McCain's war hero status, Romney's charisma, Rudy's national defense abilities, Thompson's conservative philosophy, Ron Paul's economic theories and Huckabee's evangelicalism) and combined them into one candidate. My point was, I didn't see a Reagan in there.

He asked me what would happen if Obama won the presidency. I told him, I'd have to suffer. I told my friend that I don't know how I would be able to get through an Obama presidency with no Reagan, no voice in the wilderness. I contemplated the idea that it would be worse than Bill Clinton. "We could be entering the darkest years our country has ever faced, Mike," I told him.

Then John McCain introduced us to Sarah Palin. I can't begin to tell you how uplifting that was to me. I was actually able to contemplate losing the election knowing that there would still be a voice in the wilderness. When Obama won, I was disappointed of course. But I told my friend "let not your heart be troubled' (we quote that Hannity line back and forth to each other), we still have Sarah.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "We lost."

"I can survive it now, Mike," I told him. "Knowing that Sarah Palin is out there will get me through this Obama thing. She's the only thing that keeps me off the ledge."

Ronald Reagan told us during his farewell speech: "My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty's lamp guiding your steps and opportunity's arm steadying your way."

I read Sarah Palin's op ed piece last night. It's a straight forward criticism of the President's Cap & Trade policy. It's not an announcement to run or a grand philosophical epic outlining the strategy for taking over the world. It's a conservative's view on a serious issue of the day. Standing alone, the piece is a strong argument against Cap & Trade. Put beside the punditry's voices and the speeches and writings of Gingrich, Romney and Huckabee it joins a harmonius voice of conservative opposition.

But it's more than that. A lot more. Standing with the backdrop of Palin's entire political career and what she means to our Republic, that op ed piece is her hand taking Lady Liberty's lamp, holding it so she can look at it before turning to us, the other hand gesturing for us to come follow her.

"Don't get cynical because, look at yourselves and what you were willing to do and recognize that there are millions and millions of Americans out there that want what you want, that want it to be that way, that want it to be a shining city on the hill," Ronald Reagan said, his voice choked with emotion after the loss in 1976.

Every day, I look at my Twitter account. When Sarah Palin tweets, it revives me. It masks the pain I feel when I watch Cap & Trade, Sotomayor, Obamacare, stimulus plans, bailouts and apology tours on the news. I see my America in her eyes. I hear my America in her voice. And I read my America in her words. It's our America. It's still out there. It's in the hearts and minds of millions and millions of Americans that want it to be a shining city on a hill.

For four years as Jimmy Carter destroyed our economy and weakened our military, Ronald Reagan wrote op ed pieces and gave speeches. He didn't have twitter. But if he did, I'm sure there would have been millions like us signing on everyday to read the tweets of @RonaldReagan.

As Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin spoke through a microphone that was paid for by the people of the state. The Alaskans who filed ethics complaints in essence turned off the microphone. But now that she is no longer Governor, noone can turn off her microphone. And if they try now, you can rest assured you will hear her say "I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Breen."

Chris Christie May Have Just Screwed Up the Revolution

In order for us to take back America, we will have to win the first two challenges in 2009: the governships of New Jersey and Virginia. These are crucial wins. Both will send a message to Washington and to the nation that "it has begun." But if the party and the candidates screw this up, you can kiss the Republican Party goodbye for many years. Chris Christie has just made the first political mistake in this battle and its a doozy.

"This is about New Jersey issues and New Jersey, and I don't think having Governor Palin here would do me, or frankly the state, a whole lot of good in the sense that we need to talk and focus on what the New Jersey issues are," said on a radio show according to The Save Jersey Blog.

This is all due directly to an orchestrated political trick that the DNC is using to put a wedge between the Republican gubernatorial candidates and the constituencies they are courting. The Associated Press is COMPLICIT in this strategy. Again, the media is doing its best to defeat Republicans. The Associated Press might as well just open up a PAC for Democrats.

It's absolutely appauling to see a highly established, well known news agency like the AP participating in such a stunt. But it's the soup du jour in today's politics. Republicans run against Democrats and the media. The internet is the only true source of information now. Without the internet, TV and print media would be as useless as Pravda was during the Soviet Union's hey day.

It's the equivalent of playing a basketball game where the referee plays on the opponent's team.

But a lot of blame also needs to be laid at the feet of Chris Christie. His taking the bait is obviously a sign that he is not as good of a candidate as originally hoped. If he's dumb enough to fall for a stunt like this, could he be dumb enough to take off the fake conservative suit if elected and throw New Jersey to the fiscal wolves, too?

Christie now has no alternative but to court moderate and liberal Republicans and independents now. He can kiss part of his conservative base goodbye by alienating Palin supporters. They'll be staying home. Corzine can send the AP a thank you letter and just abuse Christie on the campaign trail the rest of the way.

There is still hope in Virginia, though. Bob McDonnell is a savvy political ace who didn't fall for the trap. He realized that the question does not have to be answered right now. He realized that by answering the question, he answers it on the AP's terms and falls for the trick that just destroyed Chris Christie's chance of becoming governor.

I explain how Bob McDonnell so adeptly avoided falling into the trap in this blog.

Chris Christie is now an example of what not to do. It should serve notice to McDonnell and other Republicans that by not respecting the power of Sarah Palin's base, they risk blowing the revolution.

Bob McDonnell punted and knows he's strong enough of a candidate that when he gets the ball back and the smoke has cleared, he can deal with Sarah Palin on his terms, not the AP's or their parent company, the DNC.

Chris Christie, on the other hand just fumbled.

Money Talks, "Bull Crap" Walks

Sarah Palin is doing just what I expected. She's giving us the answer. It's about the money and the kids.

When Sarah Palin sat down and figured out the finances, she realized that $125,000 a year minus $600,000 plus whatever other ethics violations were in the works means that she will end up with a net loss of at least $475,000. That's some fine reward for a great governor isn't it? And that's lowballing it.

Pro rate it like this:

4 years as Governor $500,000
Current ethics costs -$600,000
Projected new ethics costs -$400,000

Profit/Loss -$500,000

Then take into consideration the hits on her children.

Palin's choice: Be Governor of Alaska and take a hit of over half a mill while having her children abused ruthlessly in the press or quit and make $5,000,000 on a book plus whatever else she makes on the speaking circuit.

You do the math. If you were her, wouldn't you quit, too?

UPDATE:

Jay Tea on Wizbang writes:

At that point, she had run up about half a million dollars in legal bills, and pretty much every single complaint had been tossed. In other words, she had incurred debts equal to twice her family's net income and 40% of their net worth for absolutely nothing. And with the latest complaint going after her legal defense fund, it was shaping up to get more and more and more expensive, with no relief in sight. The agenda of her opponents was clear: to use Alaska's flawed ethics laws (the "flaw" being that no one foresaw a cabal filing an endless chain of worthless complaints purely to drive up the target's legal bills) to bankrupt her and her family.

Josh Painter writes: "The aim of her political opponents has always been to destroy Sarah Palin any way they can. So they staged an all-out assault not only on her character and her family, but on her personal finances as well."

END UPDATE

After further research (I go directly to the baracuda's mouth to confirm my analysis):

"The critics want to put you on a course of personal bankruptcy, so you can't afford to serve," she said, calling the attacks "bull crap," Sarah Palin told Fox News. That confirms the money analysis.

Palin's lawyer told CNN "off-color jokes by talk-show host David Letterman contributed to her decision to step down." That confirms the kid analysis.

John Ziegler says it best:

The bottom line is that Sarah Palin resigned simply because she was no longer allowed to do her job in a way that benefited her state and family. She saw that if she stayed on as Governor it would cost the state millions of dollars in wasted time and resources and doom it to gridlock. She knew that it would also continue to cost her family hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend against false and maliciously filed ethics complaints. And she had simply had enough of her children being fodder for inappropriate public attacks.

Like I said in a previous blog, this cannot be answered by pundits. It can only be answered by Palin herself.

Confused political pundits need to stop guessing, take off the thick framed glasses and get rid of the pocket protectors because in the real world money talks and "bull crap" walks.

The Yet Unwritten Political Science Lesson

One looks to historical perspective to get a read on what currently is happening so as to analyze and form an opinion as to where it's headed. Forget about trying to analyze this one. Sarah Palin's unconventional rise to VP nominee and now potential presidential candidate is going to be in the history books some day when political scientists can have the benefit of hindsight to analyze it and tell us what happened. Until then, it's a story unfolding and only Sarah Palin knows the answer.

Democrats are cheering Sarah Palin's resignation as Alaska governor as a sign that their smear campaign and filing of frivolous ethics complaints has worked. They think she's going away. Independents don't understand what just happened. They are willing to wait for the outcome. Old guard elitist conservatives see this as a great way to level the playing field. They will spin the news of her announcement to step down as Alaska Governor as a sign she is not the overwhelming front runner after all. They may even tip off part of their complicity in the Vanity Fair smear piece, which contain critical comments about Palin that still can not be validated by a single source. McCain campaign officials have already spoken out to refute anonymous comments made by the unnamed "so called" McCain campaign aides.

But true supporters and those who are looking for a true conservative leader for the Republican party are staying in. They know that Sarah Palin is driven to something and that keeps them in the game, a game that could be won with an "ankle" politically "fractured" by her resignation.

Palin can now respond directly to the smear campaign. By being Governor, she risks using her "desk" as a forum from which to defend herself from slandering bloggers when she should be doing the state's business. As a private citizen, she can sue them and put them in her book. She wields a mightier sword, despite taking a big political risk which could alienate undecideds - a group that still waits to see what Sarah Palin can do now that she has no title.

That could be corrected after the book comes out and Palin becomes a blogosphere sensation. She tells her army in a tweet: "Critics are spinning, so hang in there as they feed false info on the right decision made as I enter last yr in office to not run again...."

Take a deep breath. There are 3 1/2 years left until the 2012 presidential election. A lot can happen. Sarah Palin holds the answer. Whether it works or not is totally up to her now. With more freedom to control her brand, her future will no longer be in the hands of an unchecked hostile media that spreads lies about her.

We will be participants in a future political science lesson that has yet to reveal its answer to us.

Palin: "Little Shop of Horrors" According to McCain Aide

Vanity Fair released an August 2009 article by Mark Purdham which paints Sarah Palin in a negative light and questions her actions throughout her political career. In an era where many fear Palin could challenge Obama for the presidency in 2012, it's easy to understand the motive behind the article.

According to mypalpalin, a new anti-Palin conspiracy was uncovered March 9, 2009 (4 months after the election ended):

MEDIA EXEC ADMITS NEW ANTI-PALIN CONSPIRACY

A private source at a major New York daily newspaper has admitted on condition of anonymity that the paper is one of several working closely with an army of young bloggers and at least one TV network to ensure that the flow of negative publicity targeting Sarah Palin continues unabated for the next four years.

“The thinking is, We can’t afford to let her bounce back,” he said. “If she’s all shined up and ready to go in 2012, and if ordinary people have already started to rebel against the consequences of some of Barack’s more extreme economic and social policies, we’re in deep trouble. The decision has been made at the highest levels to keep Palin down, at any cost and by any means necessary.”

On June 30, 2009, we found out which New York newspaper the blogger was referring to when Michael Saul of the New York Daily News wrote a hit piece in advance of a Vanity Fair article that would revisit the story that "recounts how strained Palin's relationship was with the McCain advisers."

One would think Vanity Fair would name McCain campaign aide names instead of regurgitating the same old campaign story that quoted spineless anonymous sources. But the article goes on to explain that these campaign aides won't come forward because of bruised egos and their own unwillingness to accept their complicity in a situation which would expose their leader for what they fear would be seen as bad judgment:

None of McCain’s still-loyal soldiers will say negative things about Palin on the record. Even thinking such thoughts privately is painful for them, because there is ultimately no way to read McCain’s selection of Palin as reflecting anything other than an appalling egotism, heedlessness, and lack of judgment in a man whose courage, tenacity, and character they have extravagantly admired—and as reflecting, too, an unsettling willingness on their own part to aid and abet him.

If the "One longtime McCain friend and frequent companion on the trail (who) was heard to refer to Palin as 'Little Shop of Horrors,'" Saul refers to in his article is Mark Salter, than shouldn't Saul or Purdham name him or some of the other weaklings who contributed to this?

Bill Kristol provided the first name Vanity Fair should have included:

Meanwhile, on the day Purdum’s piece hit the web (today), a journalist who had expressed suspicions in the past that elements of the McCain campaign had undercut Palin suddenly got a friendly e-mail from top McCain-Palin campaign strategist Steve Schmidt. This journalist hadn’t heard from Schmidt in months. Perhaps Steve was nervous someone would finger him for the Purdum piece. One reason people might do so is this passage in Purdum’s article: “All the while, Palin was coping not only with the crazed life of any national candidate on the road but also with the young children traveling with her. Some top aides worried about her mental state: was it possible that she was experiencing postpartum depression? (Palin’s youngest son was less than six months old.)” In fact, one aide who raised this possibility in the course of trashing Palin’s mental state to others in the McCain-Palin campaign was Steve Schmidt.

(Update 04/05/09: Kristol vs Schmidt, Round 2 & McCain staffers push back on Vanity Fair's Palin profile)

There are no extra-marital affairs, misappropriation of funds or the sale of a senate seat here. There's just a woman who can take down corruption on both sides of the aisle simply by what she represents. That's a clear and pending danger to the power elites in both parties.

The Vanity Fair article is long and well written. But it is nothing more than an anti-Palin op ed piece delivered with a straight face and no verifiable sources.

Palin supporters need not be worried about losing faith in their leader. They need to be more worried about losing faith in their country, which has become a place where the media smears people for political purposes in place of delivering fair and balanced facts to an electorate that is too busy watching Michael Jackson coverage, a situation that doesn't leave much time for independent research or mundane things like Cap & Trade or healthcare reform.

Palin will take the hit and survive. Everyone should remember that something similar to this happened to Hillary Clinton. "As first lady, Hillary Clinton had a habit of raging at even senior White House aides, hurling personal insults designed to belittle and humiliate them in front of their colleagues, according to former White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers," in a reprint of a story quoting from an interview for a joint production of ABC's Nightline and PBS's Frontline.

Mark Purdham is the "Sleazy" "Slimy" "Scumbag" husband of Dee Dee Myers, according to former President Bill Clinton, as reported by Mayhill Fowler of The Huffington Post.

Those who don't understand the underlying game of the politics of personal destruction and the media's complicity in it may fall for the story. And when they do, they should walk around with signs on them that say "I'm a well duped idiot." This way historians will know who to blame when America goes the way of the Roman Empire.

In Ronald Reagan's America, we disagreed cheerfully and with respect. Consensus was forged in the arena of ideas. In Barack Obama's America, we smear each other and whoever gets the most people to fall for the bullshit wins. We're living in a different America now: a grungy dirty city sliding down the side of a hill.

Once again, the media fails to look more deeply into the real issues of why we are declining as a nation. They really never wanted to cover ACORN, even after indictments and convictions were issued against some its branches. The President's firing of inspector generals? Nothing to see here, please move on. Cap & Trade? Not important enough. Michael Jackson died you know. Now they're trying to kill Sarah Palin. Exciting TV!

Our culture deteriorates as a celebrity focused nation watches.

Today's America is a lot scarier than what the media may think of Sarah Palin. But, if the media's participation in the decline of America is understood by the American people in time, Palin will come out on top. The media and government elites on both sides know that she has to be stopped "at all costs." If they are unsuccessful in doing this, the sludge that underlies the corruptocracy that is at the heart of both political parties will be expunged, and with it many of those who seek Palin's demise.

Winning the presidency after brutal attacks and articles like Vanity Fair's will hold much more weight in a historical context than her temperament or experience ever will.