Sarah Palin, The Quitter??

My friends at Alaskans4Palin have posted an important article that I have to share. Iowans need to understand the truth surrounding Governor Palin's resignation, this sets the record straight.

Sarah Palin, The Quitter??

There are a few loud voices in Alaska that are dependable in their hatred for Sarah Palin. For the most part, they are extreme left wing liberals or rejected Palin administration job applicants and they are certainly still out there. The media in Alaska, like most other places in the country, is no different. One of their favorite memes is that Sarah Palin is a quitter.

On July 3, 2009, Sarah Palin announced her resignation as the Governor of Alaska to a small contingent of local reporters, standing in her backyard on the shores of Lake Lucille, surrounded by family and friends. There were 18 months and one legislative session left in her term. Many in the lower 48 that day waited over an hour for video feed of the speech to be finally available outside the state. In the meantime, national networks started spinning with second hand reports. First they reported she was not seeking re-election. Then they started getting word that she was stepping down. They immediately began questioning why. Was she under FBI investigation? Was she having an affair? What was she trying to cover up? This questioning began before her words even had a chance to make it outside the state.

Citizens of the state listened in disbelief to our Governor. She had taken on the corrupt Alaska Republican Party and had weathered the glaring spotlight of a national campaign, yet seemed to be suddenly caving to the pressures of a small sect of liberal Alaskans. These few Alaskans had been providing the lower 48 with information about how ‘Alaskans’ felt about the Governor for quite some time. They had also been engaged in harassing the Governor since her return from her Vice Presidential campaign.

She announced the press conference at the last second, not giving national media the opportunity to arrive. Her message was for Alaskans. When she began, the Governor seemed shaken. Her husband, Todd, had flown in from Bristol Bay to stand by her side. I immediately knew that this wasn’t a simple statement of not seeking re-election. She talked about Alaska’s value to the world and the country. She talked about the resources we hold. She pointed out the achievements her administration had already accomplished during her term as Governor. And then she announced her resignation. The text of her statement in part as released by the Governor’s office:

“…Political operatives descended on Alaska last August, digging for dirt. The ethics law I championed became their weapon of choice. Over the past nine months I've been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations - such as holding a fish in a photograph, wearing a jacket with a logo on it, and answering reporters' questions.

Every one - all 15 of the ethics complaints have been dismissed. We've won! But it hasn't been cheap - the State has wasted THOUSANDS of hours of YOUR time and shelled out some two million of YOUR dollars to respond to "opposition research" - that's money NOT going to fund teachers or troopers - or safer roads. And this political absurdity, the "politics of personal destruction" ... Todd and I are looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills in order to set the record straight. And what about the people who offer up these silly accusations? It doesn't cost them a dime so they're not going to stop draining public resources - spending other peoples' money in their game.
It's pretty insane - my staff and I spend most of our day dealing with THIS instead of progressing our state now. I know I promised no more "politics as usual," but THIS isn't what anyone had in mind for ALASKA.

If I have learned one thing: LIFE is about choices!

And one chooses how to react to circumstances. You can choose to engage in things that tear down, or build up. I choose to work very hard on a path for fruitfulness and productivity. I choose NOT to tear down and waste precious time; but to build UP this state and our country, and her industrious, generous, patriotic, free people!

Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up", but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out. And a problem in our country today is apathy. It would be apathetic to just hunker down and "go with the flow".

Nah, only dead fish "go with the flow".

I WILL support others who seek to serve, in or out of office, for the RIGHT reasons, and I don't care what party they're in or no party at all. Inside Alaska - or Outside Alaska.
But I won't do it from the Governor's desk.

I've never believed that I, nor anyone else, needs a title to do this - to make a difference... to HELP people. So I choose, for my State and my family, more "freedom" to progress, all the way around... so that Alaska may progress... I will not seek re-election as Governor.

And so as I thought about this announcement that I wouldn't run for re-election and what it means for Alaska, I thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks... travel around the state, to the Lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade - as so many politicians do. And then I thought - that's what's wrong - many just accept that lame duck status, hit the road, draw the paycheck, and "milk it". I'm not putting Alaska through that - I promised efficiencies and effectiveness! ? That's not how I am wired. I am not wired to operate under the same old "politics as usual." I promised that four years ago - and I meant it.

It's not what is best for Alaska.

I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is unconventional and not so comfortable.

With this announcement that I am not seeking re-election... I've determined it's best to transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor Parnell; and I am willing to do so, so that this administration - with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future - can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success.

My choice is to take a stand and effect change - not hit our heads against the wall and watch valuable state time and money, millions of your dollars, go down the drain in this new environment. Rather, we know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time, on another scale, and actually make a difference for our priorities - and so we will, for Alaskans and for Americans.”

Her statement was clear. Her administration was stymied by the politics of personal destruction. The time, energy, and resources of the state were being used to defend her from relentless attacks. It was clear that this type of attack was the new normal in Alaska politics. And she thought the State deserved better.

Immediately upon her resignation, she did what most Alaskans would do. She sought shelter and solitude in the familiarity of hard work on the shores of Bristol Bay.

The national media, desperate to explain her actions using anything except the reasons she had just stated, began a 24-hour spin cycle attempting to develop alternative reasons. The FBI had to issue an unprecedented statement, stating she was not under any type of investigation by them. We can assume that was in response to an unprecedented number of media requests.

The Palin’s granted interviews to several national media outlets just days later. CNN, ABC, and NBC were among the throng that flew reporters and film crews out to the remote location in hopes of unveiling the “real story”. The Governor, in full Alaskan fishing gear and with family in tow, reiterated her reasoning to the inquisitive reporters.

I encourage those hoping to find the truth behind her resignation to start by listening to her words. Time has passed and we have had the advantage of seeing what the future has held, both for the Governor and for the State.

Governor Palin announces her resignation

KTUU reports:

CNN interviews

ABC interviews

And if you only have time to watch one, Andrea Mitchell interviews
It’s a little less than 6 minutes. It reiterates her consistent message.

The decision she made that day had profound implications for herself, her family, our State and our Nation. In order to fully understand the decision and its ongoing effects, one needs to know the players and the history of Alaskan politics. In the coming weeks, Alaskans4Palin will discuss the key players, their past relationships to the Governor, the ethic complaints, and the cost involved that led to the decision by our Governor to put the well being of the State before her own. We will explore the reactions of both the left and the right in more detail. We take a look at the path Governor Palin has taken since leaving office as well as the progress of the key projects her administration set in motion.

Those outside the State who wish to dismiss her as a quitter are likely missing some of this key information regarding Alaskan politics. Those within the State who make the same charge are likely the same people who supported the obstacles that shackled her administration. Liberals will continue to make the charge, as it is getting increasingly difficult for them to attack her in any other way.

Those who seek truth need to hear the other side of the story. The left wing liberal media and bloggers have spewed their hatred and skewed perception of Governor Palin’s resignation for long enough.

The truth is that many Alaskans, while disappointed to lose her leadership, continue to support her today. We view her resignation as our Governor as one of the greatest forms of intentional self-sacrifice ever seen in Alaskan politics. To purposefully give up power, for the good of the people, is unheard of in politics today. Greed, money, and power keep politicians fighting for elected titles long past their expiration date. Our Governor, made a decision that might not have been the best for her personally or politically, but it was the best for the tax paying constituents of the State. She said "Politically, if I die, I die", making it clear that she understood the implications her actions could have on her political future. But as Governor, she stepped up and acted in the best interest of the people she represented that day. And for that I am personally grateful.

The More Sarah Palin Seems Unelectable, the More Electable She May Actually Be.

From Brices Crossroads
via C4P

The DNC/Mainstream Media strategy…the unelectability card, as it were…succeeds in dispiriting only political junkies and only those who are ignorant of history and blind to the historical and demographic advantages Governor Palin possesses as well as to her tenacity. She is not going to give up, so they have essentially lost the war. As has been pointed out here and elsewhere, Obama’s severe polling deficits with the white vote nationally, represented by the 60-37 percent thumping his party took in the recent midterms, severely imperils his reelection. No one can face those numbers, which are even more foreboding in the heavily white midwestern battleground states, and hope to win. The last best hope of the DNC/MSM axis was to deter Palin from running, and it has failed. Their feeble efforts to do so reveal just how little the lunatic Left appreciates the mettle of this latest foe. As many savvy German generals realized privately that America’s entry into World War II, before the GIs even fired a shot, spelled doom for them, so many in the Democrat left privately realize that the failure to deter Palin’s entry into the 2012 race similarly dooms their man.

Second, her willingness and ability to unite the old Reagan coalition, to unapologetically make social conservatives full partners in her coalition will allow the GOP in the 2012 election, to breathe from both its lungs, social and economic, which it has not done since Reagan. With Palin, the GOP will not be fighting with one hand behind its back as it has done under the Bushes, the Doles and McCain
.
Finally, the full bore assault on Governor Palin is beginning to provoke a backlash, which may well culminate when she stands on the debate stage with President Obama and the one white demographic that Obama has not lost by double digits–white college educated women–watch her and, swelling with pride, murmur collectively “She’s one of us”. Such a dam break is not only possible but quite likely and, if it comes, the landslide of 2012 may eclipse that of 1980. The Reagan Democrats who were unknown and undefined before the Gipper’s great landslide, will give way to the Palin Democrats, professional white women who, seeing one of their own on the threshold of the greatest office the world has ever known, will break for her and break hard driving Obama from office and lifting Sarah Palin to the Presidency of the United States.

Pajamas Media » Can Sarah Upstage Barack?

Pajamas Media » Can Sarah Upstage Barack?

Iowan's 4 Palin!

Let's start the morning with a little video of Governor Palin in Iowa and some of her great fans.

Review: America By Heart

What Palin Believes and Why

Wes Vernon
The Washington Times
December 28, 2010


Sarah Palin has read the writings of such intellectual giants as Milton Friedman, Alexis de Tocqueville and Whittaker Chambers and such historical leaders as Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

In “America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and the Flag,” she cites the published letters between John and Abigail Adams in this nation’s infancy as well as the speech of Calvin Coolidge (probably one of America’s most underrated presidents) on the occasion of this nation’s 150th birthday.

Beyond that, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee – recently in USA Today – offered us her insight regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities and ambitions.

Such displays of research and knowledge are not likely to prevent critics from disparaging her intellectual heft. Indeed, one is left to wonder if they would credit Mrs. Palin’s gravitas if she were to author her own comprehensive encyclopedia blindfolded and without notes or research material at hand.

The former Alaska governor’s second best-seller brims with historically significant details (many not widely known). Moreover, she discusses at length in well-ordered terminology who she is, what she believes, why she believes it and why she pursues her very public path whether or not she ultimately joins the presidential sweepstakes 2012.

As of this writing, it is likely that Mrs. Palin has not decided if she will seek the Republican nomination next year. Recall that she resigned as governor of Alaska only because her enemies, through frivolous lawsuits, made it impossible for her to govern. Such abuse of the legal system would be far more difficult if she were president.

As the author of this philosophical tell-all ponders a run next year, she writes about how she was badgered with questions as to how she would “balance” family life with White House responsibilities if she were to attain that higher station.

“They really don’t get it,” she writes. “I really don’t ‘balance’ anything. We [the family] do it together. And if we had won, we would have done the White House like we have done everything else as a team. And by the way, Ms. Reporter, I assume you’re asking all male candidates the same question.”

In addition to supporting Tea Party-like candidates in the 2010 primaries and general elections (with more successes than failures) Mrs. Palin explains what she sees as America’s greatness while also noting that, yes, we have had our failures, early slavery being the most conspicuous. But the author quotes Constitutional Convention delegate James Wilson as declaring at the time that the gathering had succeeded “in laying the groundwork for banishing slavery out of this country.”

George Washington, in addressing religious tolerance, congratulated Americans for creating a government “which gives to bigotry no sanction.”

The Palin view of America, as the political landscape has evolved in recent decades, is that it has become less a federal republic than a 50-state colony of Washington, D.C.

Even the most intimate details of family life are no longer beyond government reach, quite unlike in the days of our country’s birth, when, the author tells us, “The Founders took it for granted that strong families instilled in children the habits and disciplines necessary for those children to govern themselves in adulthood.”

John and Abigail would have been shocked, we’re told in “America by Heart,” if only they could imagine that 232 years hence, Washington would seek “to tax every aspect of our daily lives in the name of building a ‘green’ economy … that rides roughshod over the more responsive level of government, our state government … that is spending away our children’s and grandchildren’s patrimony … that … regards us as citizens of an all-powerful nanny state.” (Mrs. Palin wrote all this before our first lady intoned that when it comes to our kids’ diets, “We can’t just leave it to the parents.”)

Hardly an issue of the day is untouched in this book:

On Obamacare: “We didn’t want it, couldn’t afford it, and it made no sense, but Washington passed Obamacare anyway, raising our bills and limiting our freedom of choice.”

Government busybody contradictions on children: “… at the same time they are busy downplaying the importance of the traditional family, liberals are busy justifying expanding government in the name of ‘the children.’ “

On today’s self-described “women’s movement”: “Modern feminism’s idea of a ‘real’ woman isn’t so much a woman as a liberal.”

The old-line media and its assorted allies in the snobocracy have “done a job” on Mrs. Palin in two short years. Sudden celebrity imposes a heavier burden on conservative women than on most. In “America by Heart,” we learn about this woman’s inner strength to persevere, whatever lies ahead.

Wes Vernon is a Washington-based writer and veteran broadcast journalist.

The Truth Behind the White House’s Budget Spin

The Truth Behind the White House’s Budget Spin

by Sarah Palin on Monday, February 14, 2011 at 2:12pm

Today the White House finally produced its proposal for the 2012 budget. Beware of the left’s attempt to sell this as “getting tough on the deficit,” because as an analysis from Americans for Tax Reform shows, the White House’s plans are more about raising taxes and growing more government than reducing budget shortfalls.

The fine print reveals a White House proposal to increase taxes by at least $1.5 trillion over the next decade. If you want to know how minuscule their proposed $775 million-a-year budget “cuts” really are, please look at this chart. The proposed cuts are so insignificant – less than 1/10 of 1% of this year’s $1.65 trillion budget deficit – that they are essentially invisible on the pie chart. That speaks volumes about today’s budget.

UPDATE: As J.D. Foster of the Heritage Foundation points out: “...the President proposes a budget that keeps the federal government on a thoroughly irresponsible and unsustainable course.” Please read the Heritage Foundation article and understand the $775 million in proposed cuts noted above are what the White House’s budget director Jacob Lew identified as reflecting what they perceive as some “tough calls.” Yet, as noted, they are a drop in the bucket; and the White House’s total proposed cuts for this year are still not at all enough to make us solvent.

- Sarah Palin

The Demoralization of Palin Supporters

The Demoralization of Palin Supporters

From Sheya at Conservatives For Palin

Ever since Governor Palin stepped on to the national stage, there has been a coordinated attempt to take her out. The liberals, the media, and even people in her own party have been on a rampage to destroy her. They went as far as sabotaging her administration to force her to resign so they could use another talking point against her. I’ve said this before but if Governor Palin hadn’t resigned, they would have went with the talking point that if she really cared about her state, she would have resigned. Nothing Governor Palin did was good enough for them. All this was in an attempt to demoralize the Governor and keep her out of national politics.

What they didn’t calculate is that Governor Palin is pretty good at taking the shots – as a matter of fact, they only make her stronger. The more they attack her, the stronger she gets. With that effort failing, they have to divert to plan B: demoralize her supporters. Peel off her base slice by slice. Frustrate us and make sure we eventually give up.

First, they label us stupid and uneducated with the hope that will break us. Hey, no one wants to be told they are stupid.

Then they’ll tell us that we shouldn’t kid ourselves, she’s not running, “She isn’t doing anything that potential candidates usually do”, “She isn’t building a team”, “She’s got nothing in Iowa”. Basically telling us to quit while we’re ahead.

When that doesn’t work, it’s on to the next level. She doesn’t like doing the things candidates usually do like retail politics, so even if she does run, no way she can win Iowa. They won’t tell you that retail politics is Governor Palin’s trademark, as Whitney Pitcher has pointed out here.

Next, they’ll throw us a little bone and admit that Governor Palin is the only candidate in the race that can outmatch Obama’s numbers in crowd attendance. They’ll admit that she has the star power and can raise money, but they’ll try to knock us down by convincing us that the crowds will only be there out of curiosity and just to watch the show, saying “they won’t actually vote for her”. So even the crowds mean nothing.

Moving on to the next level; “she can’t possibly win the nomination, let alone the presidency”. They’ll pick a couple of states that they claim should be strong for her and then they will produce polls showing her down in the states they picked. For good measure, they’ll even tell us that her own state hates her.

When everything fails, they’ll wait for a good opportunity and pounce. For example, they’ll accuse her of murder. That should definitely do it for her. Do a poll when she’s knocked down showing that the majority of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of her and hope that by this point, we’ll all get fed up. And to be sure, the murder thing nearly worked. In the days following the Arizona shooting, the conservative blogs and many pro-Palin sites, including many of supporters of the Governor, had all but given up hope.

But as Nicole Coulter points out, Governor Palin’s supporters are resilient. When we get slapped in the cheek, we’ll take the hit for a couple of days, wipe our tears, then turn around and eagerly welcome the slap on the other cheek. Because every slap they give us convinces us that everything they are telling us is wrong. If Palin’s opponents really believed their narratives, they wouldn’t have been slapping us in the first place.

The truth is that they know she is the only one that actually can win. Why attack her if she has no shot? If they truly believed she can’t win, why not prop her up? Wouldn’t they rather have her up against Obama than someone they believe can actually beat him? The media and the pollsters make it sound like the election will take place the day she announces. What they don’t tell you is that there will probably be close to eight months between an announcement until the first vote takes place in Iowa, followed by ten months until election day.

As for the polls, they mean nothing at this point. There are people under the assumption that she is not running, and there are those who think she will but have been caught up by the media distortions in believing she can’t win. These people will of course, tell pollsters that they wouldn’t vote for her. If you have an option of voting for someone that you believe will run against someone you believe won’t run, whom would you back? No one likes to appear that they are backing a losing horse, especially one that’s not even in the race. Read more about the secrets behind the poll numbers in “The Polarization of Sarah Palin”

Once Governor Palin announces whether she’s running or not, she’ll meet the American people in their own homes, she’ll talk with them, and they will listen. She will challenge her opponents, she will do the debates, she will release her governing platform, she will do the speeches, events, campaigning and interviews.

The crowds will line up to “listen” to her and they will love her and agree with what she stands for. They will be there to support her – they will campaign for her and vote for her. When the voters hear her, they will realize that everything was just a coordinated attack to destroy her and she’ll become immune from attack. Her numbers will dramatically go up and her support will increase to unprecedented levels.

Governor Palin has always been best as the underdog. She isn’t expecting to be handed the presidency on a golden platter. She’s a fighter and wants to fight for it and she wants to earn it and will. It’s up to us, her supporters, to stand with her now and fight with her. For two years, Governor Palin has been taking the shots on our behalf. Now it’s up to us to take the shots for her. The battle will be tough, but we will stand tall together, we will fight, we will not give up and we will win.

In the end, the media will be right about one thing: all those states they declared as Palin territory…well yes, they are.