Sarah Palin's a Brainiac

from The Daily Beast
by Elaine Lafferty

The former editor in chief of Ms. magazine (and a Democrat) on what she learned on a campaign plane with the would-be VP.

It's difficult not to froth when one reads, as I did again and again this week, doubts about Sarah Palin's “intelligence,” coming especially from women such as PBS's Bonnie Erbe, who, as near as I recall, has not herself heretofore been burdened with the Susan Sontag of Journalism moniker. As Fred Barnes—God help me, I'm agreeing with Fred Barnes—suggests in the Weekly Standard, these high toned and authoritative dismissals come from people who have never met or spoken with Sarah Palin. Those who know her, love her or hate her, offer no such criticism. They know what I know, and I learned it from spending just a little time traveling on the cramped campaign plane this week: Sarah Palin is very smart.

I'm a Democrat, but I've worked as a consultant with the McCain campaign since shortly after Palin's nomination. Last week, there was the thought that as a former editor-in-chief of Ms. magazine as well as a feminist activist in my pre-journalism days, I might be helpful in contributing to a speech that Palin had long wanted to give on women's rights.

What is often called her “confidence” is actually a rarity in national politics: I saw a woman who knows exactly who she is.

Now by “smart,” I don't refer to a person who is wily or calculating or nimble in the way of certain talented athletes who we admire but suspect don't really have serious brains in their skulls. I mean, instead, a mind that is thoughtful, curious, with a discernible pattern of associative thinking and insight. Palin asks questions, and probes linkages and logic that bring to mind a quirky law professor I once had. Palin is more than a “quick study”; I'd heard rumors around the campaign of her photographic memory and, frankly, I watched it in action. She sees. She processes. She questions, and only then, she acts. What is often called her “confidence” is actually a rarity in national politics: I saw a woman who knows exactly who she is.

Palin's Glass Ceiling Speech

For all those old enough to remember Senator Sam Ervin, the brilliant strict constitutional constructionist and chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee whose patois included “I'm just a country lawyer"...Yup, Palin is that smart.

So no simple task then, this speech on women's rights. For the sin of being a Christian personally opposed to abortion, Palin is being pilloried by the inside-the-Beltway Democrat feminist establishment. (Yes, she is anti-abortion. And yes, instead of buying organic New Zealand lamb at Whole Foods, she joins other Alaskans in hunting for food. That's it. She is not a right-wing nut, and all the rest of the Internet drivel—the book banning at the Library, the rape kits decision—is nonsense. I digress.) Palin's role in this campaign was to energize “the Republican base,” which she has inarguably done. She also was expected to reach out to Hillary Clinton “moderates.” (Right. Only a woman would get both those jobs in either party.) Look, I am obviously personally pro-choice, and I disagree with McCain and Palin on that and a few other issues. But like many other Democrats, including Lynn Rothschild, I'm tired of the Democratic Party taking women for granted. I also happen to believe Sarah Palin supports women's rights, deeply and passionately.

Many of those—not all—who decried the sexist media treatment of Hillary Clinton have been silent as Palin has been skewered in the old ways that female public figures are skewered, as well as a host of sexualized new ways as well. Some feminists have weighed in; “Even the reportedly clear glasses she wears to play down her beauty queen credential and enhance her gravitas can't make up for experience,” writes my heroine Suzanne Braun Levine, former editor of Ms. Oppose her on policy? Fine. But how sad for feminist leaders to sink this low, especially when Palin has worn glasses since she was 10 years old.

Last month a prominent feminist blogger, echoing that sensibility, declared that the media was wrongly buying into the false idea that Palin was a feminist. Why? Well, just because she said she was a feminist, because she supported women's rights and opportunities, equal pay, Title IV—that was just “empty rhetoric,” they said. At least the blogger didn't go as far as NOW's Kim Gandy and declare that Palin was not a woman. Bottom line: you are not a feminist until we say you are. And there you have the formula for diminishing what was once a great and important mass social change movement to an exclusionary club that rejects women who sincerely want to join and, God forbid, grow to lead.

But here is the good news: women, citizens of America's high and low culture, the Economist and People magazine readers, will get it. They got it with Hillary even when feminist leaders were not supporting her or doing so half-heartedly. Yes, Palin is a harder sell, she looks and sounds different, and one can rightfully oppose her based on abortion policies. If you only vote on how a person personally feels about abortion, you will never want her to darken your door. If you care about anything else, she will continue to intrigue you. As Time's Nancy Gibbs noted a few weeks ago, quoting bioethicist Tom Murray, “Sympathy and subtlety are seasonings rarely applied to political red meat.” Will Palin's time come next week? I don't know. But her time will come.

"Drill, baby Drill!"

With the price of gas skyrocketing and turmoil in the Middle East (again) former Governor Sarah Palin's calls for energy independence and our need to "Drill, baby, drill' right here in our own country during the 2008 Presidential campaign are sounding prophetic.

As President Obama restricts drilling efforts in our own country and increases our dependence on foreign energy sources, and gas prices rise to the point they may once again cripple our economy, it's becoming clear we need a different type of leadership in the White House.

Governor Palin alone among the potential presidential candidates in 2012 has the experience (as commissioner of the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission) and, more importantly, the will, to see us become energy independent and no longer rely on foreign sources of energy to fuel our economy. She has stated we have the best environmental and safety regulations in the world, and of course she wants to protect the environment, so who better than us to drill for our much needed and plentiful energy products?

Governor Palin says we need an 'all-of-the -above" approach to energy independence. We should not be restricting drilling, but encouraging every possible development of our natural and reusable energy sources including oil, gas, coal, nuclear, wind, et al. so we are no longer at the mercy of regimes who may not even like us.

That's the only way we can break our dependence on foreign oil!

This was submitted to The Sioux City Journal's on-line Letters to the Editor/Mini Editorial page and the Globe Gazette's 'Letter to the Editor' page on line.

Please feel free to share this as a letter to the editor in your local paper.

Here is a list of Iowa newspapers.

Media Double Standard

This was a letter to the editor of the Boone News Republican
that I found on the Boone Republicans News & Issues blog.
Thanks to Tom Rosenbaum

I have noticed a serious double standard in the AP and other mainstream media reporting between the shooting of Representative Gifford in Tucson and the Wisconsin protests.

Just one day after the shooting of Representative Gifford in January, AP headlines linked the cause of the shooting directly to Sarah Palin and Tea Party groups, citing examples of them, on maps of congressional districts, saying that some seats that were up for reelection were being targeted . The news articles neglected to say that both political parties commonly use this terminology. And several days later when it came out that the shooter was a psychotic man who had never read a political article and had been stalking Gifford for years, I did not see any retractions of the unjustified accusations that had been made about individuals and groups.

Now we have the week long protests in Wisconsin dealing with benefits for public workers. I have seen posters with a target and cross-hairs over a picture Governor Walker’s head. There have been signs showing the newly elected governor portrayed as Hitler, Stalin, and Mubarak, calling him a dictator. Governor Walker’s family has had to move out of their home because they were being threatened. His car has been attacked.

I’ve been watching and waiting. I have yet to see any condemnation of these inflammatory signs and this deplorable behavior in any AP headlines. It looks like this “new era of civility” is one sided.

Eileen Westrum
Boone, Iowa

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd like to thank Eileen for her great letter to the editor! This got me thinking, wouldn't it be cool to start writing letters to the editors of papers around the state of Iowa?

If you're like me, the incessant attacks on Governor Palin are maddening, and I want to counter them whenever I hear them. The media is so unfair.

I would encourage anyone reading this blog to take a minute and write a short note in defense of Governor Palin, or in support for something she has said or done. The media has had a three year campaign of ridicule and smears and it's time for the truth about this great woman to get out and counter the media double standard.

You could use Eileen's letter as a template (please don't just copy it, but you can use her points to write in your own words, or use any of the articles here at Iowans4Palin that could give you inspiration.)

Here is a list of Iowa newspapers.

Let's do this!

Palin 2012: the only Republican who can take on Obama

Palin 2012: the only Republican who can take on Obama

By Ryan Henson

To some she represents everything America should stand for: patriotism, hard work, and good common sense. For others, her very being embodies everything America ought not to be: reactionary, unadaptable, uncompromising. Sarah Palin is small town mayor, turned state governor, turned political superstar. Savior of the silent majority, in the eyes of her supporters, ringleader of the anti-consensus eccentrics, to her many detractors. Whatever she is, Sarah Palin should run for President in 2012.

At the time of writing no heavyweight Republican looks likely to pose a serious threat to Barack Obama’s re-election hopes. Okay so Mike Huckabee looks friendly enough; sounds like a safe pair of hands, but, let’s be honest, would Americans be willing to trade in Obama for an overweight preacher with none of the former’s star quality? Harsh, but if we’re honest: fair. Similarly Mitt Romney, whilst he might look the part; middle-aged, great suits, tall, handsome etc. Does he really have the oratorical flair or the rags-to-riches back story of the man currently inhabiting the White House?

America’s presidential elections are the envy of the world – events which help to renew the greatness of the democratic system. If Sarah Palin chooses not to run, America’s choice in 2012 will come down to this: a charismatic and proven Democrat against a mediocre, never likely to succeed, nonentity Republican. In other words, America’s choice will be no choice at all.

Sure, Republican voters will still vote Republican. Democrats will still vote Democrat. The swing voters however, that great mass of people who decide the outcome of elections, are more likely to stick with Obama if his opponent can’t match him with the three features all good American Presidents have so much of: vision, charisma, and conviction. Disagree with her as you choose, but you can not deny Sarah Palin lacks those three attributes. At the very least she possesses them in far greater quantities than any of her current would-be Republican rivals.

This doesn’t mean Palin deserves to become President. After all, President Obama has, from the perspective of a neutral, not made too bad a job of his first term. He campaigned on a platform which promised universal healthcare and the promotion of liberal values. As far as I can see he’s largely delivered. In many ways the next election will be more true to Obama’s campaign slogan of 2008, than any he might choose for 2012. If Obama is re-elected, the healthcare debate will surely be settled for good. Change really will have come to America. That’s why it’s so important for Republicans that Sarah Palin decides to run.

The success of the Tea Party movement proves there is a loud, and strong conservatism still active in the United States. They deserve a candidate who can match Obama for charisma, vision, and conviction. Sure, Sarah Palin may destroy herself before she even gets out of the Primaries, but she should, for the sake of providing a better democratic choice, give running for the Presidency a go, regardless.

2012 should build on the drama, excitement and choice which characterized the election of 2008. As Tunisia, Egypt, and (God willing) Libya, all emerge from beneath the tyranny of dictatorship, what better way for America to showcase the greatness of its democracy, than by offering the American people a choice between the conservatism of Sarah Palin, and the Liberalism of Barack Obama.

Some will say that Sarah Palin is too divisive, too angry. To those people, I say this: if she really is unfit, unready, and unsafe to be given the keys to the White House, what better way for those weaknesses to be exposed than by her running for the most powerful job in the world, which brings with it the sort of media scrutiny capable of revealing all potential flaws in an instant.

President Obama’s re-election is not yet inevitable. Liberalism has yet to overturn forty years of conservative dominated politics. The Right needs a charismatic candidate with conviction enough to challenge the incumbent. Palin may not appeal to all but she is brilliant at articulating the values of those she does represent.

President Obama will be a formidable candidate come 2012. He deserves an opponent who can match him for oratory and charisma, prepared to fight tooth and nail for the presidency. There is at present just one person who matches the criteria: Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin - Beware of the Iowa Focus Group

via Caffeinated Thoughts
by Shane Vander Hart


Former Governor Sarah Palin hasn’t even decided to run. We haven’t even have had one vote cast, and we already have some writing the narrative that she is unelectable. This isn’t anything new for Governor Palin or for presidential politics for that matter. We have seen a journalist spin a poll, and now we have a focus group. Oh the dreaded focus group, they are such worthwhile sources of information.

Say I convened a sample group of six people – one farmer, one lawyer, one college student, one factory worker, one auto mechanic, and one doctor. There were three guys and three girls. They each liked different brands of pop (or soda if you are a friend from the south). One liked Mountain Dew, one liked Dr. Pepper, one liked Sprite, another liked Sunkist, one liked Pepsi and yet another liked Coke because “it’s the real thing” and she really would like to buy the world a Coke.

They were unanimous in their belief that Mr. Pibb tasted like carbonated prune juice.

Does that mean that a majority of people believe that Mr. Pibb tastes like carbonated prune juice? No (I actually think it does, but I digress). Is it newsworthy? Hardly – it is just six people!

My hypothetical focus group is just as worthless as this focus group on the Iowa Caucus is. You might have an interesting discussion, but do you really have worthwhile information?

Time will tell. The only thing it tells me is that six people whom The Iowa Republican selected (I have no criteria on how they made their selection or who is considered an “activist”) say she is unelectable. Well I do know they said they were conservative activists and then they identify Connie Schmett as one of the members of the group. While I wouldn’t consider Connie and Kim Schmett flaming liberals I’m not sure conservative is the right word. Republican certainly, conservative… well Kim Schmett didn’t strike me as particularly conservative when he ran for Congress in 2008. The couple since haven’t done much to change my opinion. Connie Schmett is an excellent fundraiser though.

The group also said that Mitt Romney is in trouble because of RomneyCare. I happen to agree with this, but again it proves nothing. It is the opinion of the six people in the room, some of whom may have never liked Palin (or Romney) anyway. The Iowa Republican was asked to pull this focus group together for McClatchy Newspapers who happens to own Anchorage Daily News. I’m sure there’s no agenda whatsoever! Because they *certainly didn’t* demonstrate any type of agenda or bias while Governor Palin was in office. While Kevin Hall and Craig Robinson may not have planned to contribute to a narrative, but McClatchy won’t mind running with it.

PalinTracker: Milbank Goes Cold Turkey, Media Binges

Your loyal PalinTracker boils down six weeks of coverage and thousands of headlines.

via Pajamas Media

March 1, 2011 - by Barbara Curtis

In a nation where the media resist a “rush to judgment” when Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan yells “Allahu Akbar” before killing 13 at Fort Hood, all caution is thrown to the wind when a madman shoots Gabrielle Giffords in the head, killing 6 and wounding 13. Without a shred of background on the shooter, within hours, the propaganda press stamped a bullseye on Palin — eventually offering, as “evidence,” her metaphorical map targeting ObamaCare Democrats. Never mind Democrats’ similar maps. Or the Clintons’ “War Room.” Or — well, see Michelle Malkin’s The progressive “climate of hate”: An illustrated primer, 2000-2010.

Not only was it all Palin’s fault, the left declared; she should do the only honorable thing and commit political seppuku. This even after Loughner was revealed to be a heavy-metal, pot-smoking, Satan-worshipping psycho who’d been stalking Giffords since 2007 — long before anyone in the lower 49 had heard of Palin.

After a week of nonstop, unrestrained Palin-hatin’, Palin had the temerity to release a video statement — America’s Enduring Strength — and guess what? The most-maligned woman in America was roundly condemned for “making it all about her.” Say what?

• Lori Ziganto, RedState: Thoughtful, On-Target Palin Responds To Attacks; Left Loses Last Grip On Reality

Palin acquired some unexpected defenders:

• Big Government Exclusive: Alan Dershowitz Defends Sarah Palin’s Use of Term ‘Blood Libel‘

• Wall Street Journal: Sarah Palin is right about “Blood Libel”: Judaism rejects the idea of collective responsibility for murder

• New York Daily News: Barbara Walters unexpected ally

January 14

While the media seemed obsessed with comparing Obama’s memorial service speech with Palin’s statement, Rob Miller brought up the absurdity of such a comparison: A comparison of Two Speeches. Really?

January 15

Katrina Trinko at National Review Online: Blame Palin: The ten most inane comments connecting Sarah Palin to the Tucson shooting

Pat Buchanan at Newsbusters:

I think that for the last week, she’s been a victim, Ed, in one the saddest smears that I’ve seen in a long, long time. From the very moment, they picked up those wounded and dead at that incident, she’s been charged with moral complicity in a crime which she had no responsibility whatsoever.

Richard Grant: Palin’s character, gut sense carry her through adversity

January 17

Sarah Palin at Facebook:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is a day to reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King dedicated himself to justice and the struggles of an imperfect world. In the face of fierce opposition, he stood up for the oppressed, and he ultimately sacrificed all for equality and freedom. His was a remarkable life of love and service for all mankind. His work must continue.

With Dr. King’s faith in God and his unwavering hope in a brighter, stronger future, let us recommit today to continuing his work for a more peaceful and just nation.

Consider the source department: Joan Rivers calls Sarah Palin “stupid”

The Ulsterman Report: Once Again, Sarah Palin Emerges Stronger:

It remains a mystery why Palin so enrages the left. From one side of their mouth they attempt to marginalize her as an inconsequential moron, some Alaskan redneck former beauty pageant breeder of too many children. At the same time, they declare her dangerous, cunning, a too-powerful figure corrupting the minds of mainstream America. The many contradictions contained within the liberals’ hatred (yes, I am using that word — because it is appropriate) of Sarah Palin willfully goes unnoticed by them. They simply march on, gleeful in their collective and repeated attacks against the former governor of Alaska. Sarah Palin is a woman. Sarah Palin is a conservative. Sarah Palin is Pro-Life. Sarah Palin is pro-gun rights. Sarah Palin talks of her love of God and country. Sarah Palin has the audacity to openly (and effectively) mock liberalism. We must destroy her.

January 18

Sarah Palin tells Hannity, “I am not going to shut up”

FrontPage: Why the Left Hates Sarah Palin (political)

American Thinker: Why the Left Hates Sarah Palin, by Robin of Berkeley (personal)

January 21

The Washington Post‘s Dana Milbank: I’m declaring February a Palin-free month. Join me!:

Though it is embarrassing to admit this in public, I can no longer hide the truth. I have a Sarah Palin problem.

I have written about her in 42 columns since Sen. John McCain picked her as his vice-presidential running mate in 2008. I’ve mentioned her in dozens more blog posts, Web chats, and TV and radio appearances. I feel powerless to control my obsession, even though it cheapens and demeans me.

But today is the first day of the rest of my life. And so, I hereby pledge that, beginning on Feb. 1, 2011, I will not mention Sarah Palin — in print, online or on television — for one month. Furthermore, I call on others in the news media to join me in this pledge of a Palin-free February. With enough support, I believe we may even be able to extend the moratorium beyond one month, but we are up against a powerful compulsion, and we must take this struggle day by day.

Reading this, I couldn’t help but laugh: here’s wishing Dana much success!

Rudy 2012? Giuliani says he’s more likely to run if Sarah Palin runs too. Does anyone really care?

January 24, 2011

Kay S. Hymowitz: Sarah Palin and the Battle for Feminism: The ex-governor and her Mama Grizzlies argue that the real women’s issue is our country’s fiscal future. Ya think?

Jack Cashill: Sarah Palin and the Legacy of Republican “Idiocy”

Sundance Report: [Documentary film] Missrepresentation Explores Treatment of Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton by Mainstream Media. Finally!

January 27

Palin on Facebook: Obama’s Message to America: The Era of Big Government is Back, Now Help Me Pay For It

ABC reports:

Sarah Palin waited exactly one night to launch a pointed attack on the president’s State of the Union address, laced with creative imagery, and creative history. [excuse me, ABC, how long should she have waited?] She mocked the president’s slogan of “Winning the Future.” She noted the initials are “WTF” and then observed there were “a lot of WTF moments through that speech.” [...] Palin went on to criticize the president for proposing more spending with not nearly enough spending cuts.

January 31

Theater regrets Palin beheading reference; removes it from production. What new civility? A Montana community theater staging Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado threw in a line calling for the beheading of Sarah Palin. Conservative patrons have had to endure many such moments for years, as it is smugly assumed that only liberals are into the arts. The theater seemed surprised by the outcry that followed.

February 1

Proof that liberal bias makes you stupid? BreitbartTV reports:

In their zeal to slam Sarah Palin, Christians and conservatives, MSNBC and Rachel Maddow reported a story from a satire website called ChristWire.org. It doesn’t take too much research to discover that the site is like “The Onion” and everything on it is a lampoon-style story.

MSNBC has scrubbed the segment from their website.

February 3

Andrea Tantaros: Sexism isn’t a issue for liberals if the target is a GOP woman like Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann

February 4

Palin passes on CPAC again. Maybe she doesn’t need it? After all, attention seems to be her middle name.

February 5

Palin kicked off Reagan’s 100th birthday bash. Palin says Obama’s policies have U.S. on road to ruin:

In a tribute to former President Ronald Reagan, the potential 2012 White House contender said leaders in Washington had lost sight of the values that made Reagan a Republican icon and a hero to conservatives — a belief in limited government, low taxes and personal freedoms. “This is not the road to national greatness, it is the road to ruin,” Palin said of the growth in government spending, budget deficits, joblessness and housing foreclosures under Obama. “The federal government is spending too much, borrowing too much, growing and controlling too much,” she said.

February 6

Sarah Palin Blasts Obama’s Handling of Egypt — Former Alaska Governor Says 3 a.m. Crisis Call Went “Right to the Answering Machine”:

“This is that 3 a.m. White House phone call, and it seems for many of us trying to get that information from our leader in the White House, it seems that that call went right to the answering machine.”

Palin’s reference to a 3 a.m. phone call referred to the 2008 bruising primary battle between now-President Obama and now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over responsiveness to unexpected foreign policy crises.

Here’s a MUST-READ!!

Exclusive: Governor Palin Visits Reagan Country

by Andrew Coffin

Sometimes it’s the questions you don’t ask that are telling. Case in point: the New York Times account of our event with Governor Palin last night.

Young America’s Foundation hosted Governor Sarah Palin for the keynote address at the opening banquet of our Reagan 100 weekend. This weekend marks the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth. Celebrations are taking place across the country, but this is a particularly significant weekend for our organization — since the spring of 1998 we’ve been preserving Ronald Reagan’s beloved Ranch home in the mountains north of Santa Barbara, Rancho del Cielo. Today Ronald Reagan’s Western White House is a place where young people come to be inspired by the life, the ideas, the character of Ronald Reagan.

For gorgeous, candid photos of Palin riding confident in the saddle along trails Reagan rode, with her family and with Young Americans for Freedom, visit BigGovernment.

February 7

Defying stereotypes:

• Palin’s Bold Attacks on Obama, Quiet Strategy Puzzle Republicans for 2012

• Palin defends GOProud participation at CPAC:

No great surprise here, really; Palin has quietly backed the end of DADT and expressed support for conservative gays and lesbians in the past. Speaking here with David Brody from the Christian Broadcasting Network and excerpted by Breitbart TV, Palin doesn’t endorse GOProud but does defend their attendance at CPAC, and argues that the value of events such as CPAC is to debate the issues and provide as much information as possible to attendees.

February 8

Palin: Obama Can “Pretend,” But Has “No Desire” to Move to the Center. Telling it like it is.

February 11

Proof that liberal bias makes you stupid (part 2) — “Oopsies!”: Us Weekly apologizes to Sarah Palin over using fake quotes:

Us Weekly ran a story quoting Sarah Palin demanding that Christina Aguilera be “deported” over her botched performance of the national anthem at Super Bowl XLV.

The only problem: It never happened.

The item “quoted” Palin trashing Aguilera as “a demanding beauty queen who’s clearly in over her head” and adding for good measure, “If I were president, I’d deport Ms. Aguilera back to wherever it is she’s from and give Amy Smart a call.”

The fake quotes originated from an Onion-like satirical web site, relaying a fictional radio interview between the former Governor of Alaska and Fox News host Sean Hannity. Other choice “quotes” from Palin that fooled Us Weekly included, “Here’s another case of an airhead diva going on TV, running her mouth off, sounding like a fool. She doesn’t understand something so basic about America, yet we’re supposed to tolerate her diva behavior?”

The problem: these stories take on a life of their own. How often have you encountered someone insistent that Palin said she could see Alaska from her front porch, when actually it was Tina Fey mocking her?

February 12

Now for serious news:

• Sarah Palin hired chief-of-staff Michael Glassner–indication she’s running for President in 2012?:

Sarah Palin has hired a chief-of-staff, a move that experts say is the strongest indication yet that the former Alaska governor will run for President in 2012. Michael Glassner, an attorney who has worked for several high-profile politicians, including Bob Dole and John McCain, will serve as the head adviser of her political action committee, Sarah PAC.

• Palin leery of Egypt’s “Military” Control

• Palin on Muslim Brotherhood (video)

February 15

Sarah Palin Says This Stunning Pie Chart Tells The Truth About Obama’s Pathetic Budget Cuts

February 17

Sidestepping a “Gotcha!” moment! The Washington Post beams with approval as Palin gets it right on birthers and Obama’s faith:

“Do you question his faith and citizenship?” Palin was asked today during an onstage interview hosted by the Long Island Association. Her answer was brief and to the point.

“I don’t, and those are distractions,” she said to some applause. “What we’re concerned about is the economy. And we’re concerned about the policies coming out of his administration and what he believes in terms of big government or private sector. So, no, the faith, the birth certificate, others can engage in that kind of conversation. It’s distracting. It gets annoying and let’s just stick with what really matters.”

February 18

Palin Tells Business Group Government Shutdown Would Fight Debt:

In her luncheon appearance in a packed ballroom at Crest Hollow Country Club, Palin answered questions about her political future and offered her views on topics including gun control, spending, energy policy and breast feeding.

Breastfeeding? Clearly, we’ve entered a new era in presidential politics.

February 19

Palin: Wis. Unions Must Be “Willing to Sacrifice”:

MADISON, Wis. — Sarah Palin says union members protesting Wisconsin Republicans’ plan to help balance the state’s budget by cutting collective bargaining rights are taking up “the wrong fight at the wrong time.”

Palin weighed in on the debate in a Friday night posting on her Facebook page but didn’t indicate whether she would join weekend conservative counter-protests organized by groups including the Tea Party Patriots and Americans for Prosperity.

Read more at FoxNews.

February 21

Nebraska Gov. Heineman: Sarah Palin “absolutely” qualified to be President

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman today said Sarah Palin is “absolutely” qualified to be President of the United States! Unlike many other GOP morons, many Govs support Palin and a possible Palin Presidency. Interestingly enough, Governor Heineman supported Mitt Romney’s 2008 run for the presidency but has not committed to supporting a candidate in 2012. Recent polling shows Sarah Palin would win Nebraska in the GOP Primary.

February 23

Palin Will Keynote India Today Conclave in March:

Of course the event is raising even more speculation about the possibility of Palin running for president in 2012. Many have claimed Palin is making the trip to add to her foreign travel resume, while others claim the trip is a sure sign that she’s not running as she should be concentrating her travel on key primary states.

Politico reports, “She will be the only American politician attending the conference, which is stacked with Indian and Pakistani officials, business leaders, public figures and entertainers.”

And on that note, your fearless PalinTracker bids adieu until next time, knowing that with Sister Sarah and a reactive press, we can always expect the unexpected.

Barbara Curtis is a wife, mother of 12, and author of nine books, including Reaching the Left from the Right: Talking About Social Issues with People Who Don't Think Like You. Visit her at www.barbaracurtis.com or at her blog www.MommyLife.net. Her fourth son will begin Marines OCS in January.

Three Problems With Iowa Poll & Story About Sarah Palin’s Favorability

Des Moines Register.com
Feb 28, 2011 | by Shane Vander Hart



Sarah Palin’s favorability ratings are slipping! Her favorability ratings are slipping! That’s what you hear from The Des Moines Register today in their latest release of the Iowa Poll.

Tom Beaumont reports a drop from 71% to 65% in the last 15 months.

Three problems with this poll and story.

1. The sample size – 189 people. Not exactly the standard used in scientific polls.
2. The margin of error of 7.1% +/- since the decline falls within the margin of error.
3. Josh Painter points out that Beaumont fails to mention the last time this was polled was actually back in June. Her favorability rating then was 58% with a 4.4% +/- margin of error. So her favorability has actually increased by 6 points since June.

Why not report that?

The thrust of Beaumont’s article seems to have more to do with a lack of political activity in Iowa:

However, Palin has done very little to cultivate political good will in a state where face-to-face meetings with influential activists, officials and organizers are common. Palin held no private political meetings during any of her four visits. She met briefly with about 50 influential Republican officials and donors during a reception before the fundraiser she headlined in September, but did not discuss mounting an Iowa campaign.

Some Iowa Republicans have said privately they do not expect Palin to run, considering her low profile in the state.

A reason for the dimmed enthusiasm for Palin could be her national exposure combined with her lack of Iowa activity, Geller said.

“She hasn’t been active in the state. And Iowans have that expectation and a feeling of responsibility to see these people up close,” Geller said. “But it might also be a little Sarah Palin fatigue. They are familiar with her and yet they are not necessarily embracing her. Sixty-five percent is not a very high favorable rating.”

But it isn’t a bad favorability rating either. I agree that if she runs she needs to come to the state, however there are a number of prospective candidates who have not spent much time here.. yet. I also suspect that her favorability rating will go up if she does start campaigning her because she is extremely good at retail politicking.

As far as the “some Iowa Republicans” who have said privately they don’t expect her to run based on fewer visits to Iowa. So what? Frankly I don’t give much credence to people who can’t attach their names to comments made. It seems like political backbiting from people who support other candidates. She may not run, but so far we are off to a slow start. She has made a few visits, but she isn’t camped out here. There has been some outreach done, but not a ton yet. You can’t quite compare her activity to Rick Santorum’s or Tim Pawlenty’s for instance because she does have more name recognition, media exposure, and still has a lot of grassroots support. Her campaign and candidacy will look different, but that doesn’t mean none of the rules apply

I still think she needs to participate in the Iowa Straw Poll and not wait too much longer, but I’m not writing off a candidacy yet. It’s too early especially since no one has formally announced yet.

Anyway putting forth a narrative that her favorability is in decline based on the problems inherit with the poll and story seems to be to be a bunch of spin.

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Shane is the Editor of Caffeinated Thoughts and Caffeinated Theology. Shane has been involved in youth ministry since 1992 in church, para-church, and Christian school settings, and currently works with juvenile offenders in the Des Moines Metro area. He has also been an interim pastor for a local Evangelical Free Church and provides pulpit supply for area churches. Shane has been a member of the Polk County Republican Central Committee since 2006. Shane also serves as the Communications Director for the Preserve Innocence Initiative of American Principles Project. Shane and his family reside in Pleasant Hill. You can connect with Shane on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.