War is hell, life is unfair ... get over it! Isn't that what Gov. Palin tried to say in her Facebook post last night?
I was shocked at the level of angst I unwittingly inspired yesterday (475+ comments) with the seemingly innocuous suggestion that there might be a few silver linings in a Bachmann candidacy. When I discussed these "Bachmann Benefits" with others on the C4P team, they didn't seem like such radically stupid ideas. Then again, this wouldn't be the first time I have been accused of being completely naive. I prefer to think of myself as being a consumate pragmatist.
Let me first say that I completely agree with the sentiment that Bachmann's potential run "feels" wrong and does have potential negative consequences. It wasn't supposed to go down like this. (And for all we know, it won't. It's still SO early.) In "fairness," Gov. Palin shouldn't have to defend her right flank against "one of her own" while simultaneously taking on RINO Nation and Media Derangement Syndrome.
But why the hell not?
I will give you a few more reasons why a Bachmann run could strengthen Palin. For one, it forces Gov. Palin to "walk the walk" on her praise of contested primaries.
Governor Palin has earned my respect in countless ways, but one of the most glaring is her belief in free market competition. It shows in everything she has done in her career. Shall we review? The woman who would eventually open up competitive bidding on the largest private infrastructure project in North American history has never been afraid to challenge entrenched (and often corrupt) power brokers. From her first days on the city council, she was not about to be CONTROLLED by anyone. She voted against the financial interests of the man who recruited her to the city council! She later challenged the incumbent mayor who had also been one of her key supporters. Yeah, I'll say it: she went Bachmann on him. Let us simply be grateful that in going "Bachmann," she didn't pull an "Obama": try to get him kicked off the ballot.
See, that's the difference between the crony system and the free market system. Cronies attempt to guarantee outcomes -- either by intimidation, bribery or legal shenanigans. Free marketers like Governor Palin promote honest competition and healthy debate on a level playing field. Palin has never subscribed to the "next in line" philosophy so often employed by cronies in the Republican party, most noticiably in presidential politics. Hell, she didn't even endorse her own mother-in-law for mayor (and later regretted it, as Michelle Bachmann may ultimately regret challenging Palin). Can Palin really be surprised that the powerful Tea Party movement would spawn a challenger for her when so often she has insisted there is no single leader of the movement? Don't Americans engaged in the most inspiring grassroots movement in recent political history deserve to have a choice?
And who are we to question Bachmann's motives? Who is to say they aren't just as high-minded as Governor Palin's.
And even if they're not ... so what?
At the end of the day, Bachmann is just another politician Palin will have to defeat in the quest to win more votes. As she has said time and again: contested primaries produce a better product.
And that brings me to my next point ... competition prepares you for the next level by making you a better candidate. On paper, the person who faces the easier path to the nomination should be better off, right? But that's hardly ever the case for presidential challengers. Wrapping up the nomination easily usually means that the public has lost interest in you because you're a sure loser in the general. Drama means interest, and interest means votes.
For presidential challengers, epic primary battles force you to hone your message to appeal to the largest number of people. They also attract the very attention that gives you a boost heading into the general. Heated rivalries suck the oxygen out of the room. We saw this with the monster showdown bewteen Obama and Hillary last time around, and with Bush and McCain in 2000. Seriously, I'm trying to imagine Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour or Tim Pawlenty drawing any attention with Palin and Bachmann in the room.
But how exactly will Gov. Palin compete for the Tea Party vote against Bachmann or any of her other competitors?
She will do something that Obama can never do: she will run on her record.
And if any of Governor Palin's competitors can match her pro-growth, pro-limited government record, more power to them. We have just learned this week the extent of Governor Palin's visionary leadership. Her ACES plan directly led to a $12 billion surplus for Alaska. We'll say it again: $12 billion surplus! Even Alaska Democrats are praising the way Palin's plan attracted private-sector business growth while simultaneously preventing the state from going through the fiscal crisis faced by so many other states. It wasn't inevitable ... it required Palin's leadership and courage to shake things up.
Palin also can point to her record of vetoing wasteful spending projects (the most in Alaska history), forward funding education, and opening up energy development while leveling the competitive field. None of this was a given ... she had to lead.
No one can match Palin on energy development. It is her ace in the hole. In an election that promises to be about "digging" out of a fiscal hell hole, Palin can point to the sure way to get America back on track: unleashing her natural resources. Can you imagine if Palin could do for America's balance sheet what she did for Alaska's? America is only gonna survive our current difficulties if we elect a leader who will stand up to the entitlement classes, call out environmental obstructionists, and sideline the special interest looters.
There is only ONE candidate with a track record of doing just that ... Governor Palin. Through the twists and turns of the heated campaign, let's try to keep that front and center.
Bachmann may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, folks. The next presidential election will be about implementing the Tea Party vision of America. Isn't it only fitting to have two strong, beautiful, fearless conservative women leading the charge, both vying for the opportunity to preside over the rebirth of American exceptionalism?
As a writer, I couldn't think of a better storyline.
And for Tea Party Americans, it may come down to a choice between "good" and "better." In an era of voting for the "lesser" of two evils, that's more than we could ever ask.
Now go ahead and tell I"m completely wrong. Ha!
Showing posts with label Sarah Palin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Palin. Show all posts
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sunday, July 4, 2010
101 Reasons to Support Sarah Palin
Compiled by Conservatives4Palin readers
1. She articulates the common sense and practicality of
conservatism better than anyone else.
2. She knows energy like the back of her hand.
3. She is an inspiration to young women everywhere,
showing it is awesome to be conservative and a woman.
4. She doesn't give 17-minute answers.
5. Her natural charisma drips off her leather jackets.
6. She is bold and lives her life like that.
7. She calls it the way she sees it.
8. She is confident in her abilities, yet not arrogant.
9. She shredded Obama in her RNC speech, after “family
scandal” was supposed to cripple her.
10. She tore Joe Biden apart in front of an international
audience.
11. She won’t run and hide even after all of the ways the Left
has attacked her.
12. She is tougher than nails but with a soft heart.
13. She has a steel spine.
14. She makes people say things like: "We are not gonna pull
the plug on Granny."
15. She is not a D.C. politician.
16. She has sacrificed tremendously to fight for our country.
17. She leads by example.
18. She will stand with us and for us and protect us.
19. She is faithful, strong, caring, trustworthy.
20. She makes sound decisions without checking with all
voting blocks first.
21. She makes the Obama administration wear adult diapers.
22. She rose to power without the help of a party machinery.
23. She displays strength and resolve, important qualities of
a commander-in-chief.
24. She does things her own way.
25. She made history as the youngest ever and the first
female Governor of Alaska, and first female GOP VP pick.
26. She is the best person to lead this country back from the
brink of madness.
27. She reminds us of Abraham Lincoln who was similarly
pilloried as neither smart nor establishment fashionable.
28. She stands tall with her head held high.
29. She is a great leader for the hardworking American.
30. She stood up to the political establishment.
31. She is the reason many in the Tea Party started to get
involved politically.
32. She proves that real change is possible.
33. She supports fiscal conservatism, the sanctity of life, and
strong national defense
34. She shares many Americans’ values and ideals.
35. When she talks about smaller government, lower taxes, a
strong national defense, and the sanctity of life, she really
means what she says.
36. She’s the only one we can trust to undo what Obama has
done.
37. She believes that the government that governs least,
governs best.
38. She has the right message at the right time for America.
39. She uses sarcasm to make her points.
40. She has inspired record numbers of GOP women to run
She says, “backasswards.”
43. She makes Obama, the LSM, and the GOP establishment
crazy.
44. She continues to drive the political news cycle.
45. She drains the joy right out of Joy Behar.
46. She uses Obama's words against him every chance she
gets.
47. She makes Andrea Mitchell and Norah O'Donnell whine
and look petty and jealous.
48. She is the opposite of President Obama and Obama
knows it and can't stand it.
49. She is dangerous to the pundits and to the establishment
because she does not operate according to their playbook.
50. She thought it would be funny if Andrea Mitchell got
smelly, fish water on her. And admitted it.
51. She doesn't call her opponents "my friend"!
52. She fights with the intensity of a warrior.
53. Her faith guides her.
54. She doesn't shove her faith down anyone's throat.
55. She gave birth to Trig.
56. She is not ashamed to say that God is at the center of her
life, and the decisions she makes.
57. She balances self-confidence and humility better than
most anyone we’ve seen.
58. She is the first politician many of us believe is a better
person than us.
59. She is one of the few "politicians" who will do what is
right, even if she has to go against her party.
60. She demonstrates integrity, humor, humility, love for
God, family and country.
61. She stands on principle.
62. She doesn't shift with the political wind.
63. She is someone I trust with my children's future.
64. She is real - not a fake or a phony.
65. She was the same person August 29, 2008 as she was
when she ran for the city counsel, mayor, and the
governorship
66. She's a fearless principled conservative, the People's
Politician.
67. She resigned knowing that could possibly have
irreparably damaged her future in politics.
68. She always looks on the bright side of life.
69. She glows with true joy.
70. She loves her family.
71. She is a mom, wife, daughter, sister, and aunt.
72. She runs, played point guard in high school, and played
the flute.
73. She is not blinded by an Ivy League degree, or a lawyer's
sheepskin.
74. She is one of us, but with the ability to go all the way.
75. She love sports.
76. She uses sports analogies.
77. She is family.
78. She makes everyone she touches part of her family.
79. She likes to eat meat.
80. She likes beer.
81. She rides snowmachines!
82. She named her kid after Van Halen!
83. She is a citizen-politician in every sense of the word.
84. She speaks the language of ordinary people, and she does
it all with a smile on her face, always upbeat and optimistic.
85. She's almost single-mindedly pro-freedom in a world of
wannabe socialists.
86. She has common sense.
for office, and unlike Obama, she supports contested
primaries.
87. She loves America – and Americans.
88. She will do whatever it will take to keep
America/Americans safe.
89. She will not stop fighting for this country.
90. She has a strong love and respect for our Founding
Fathers, and the Constitution.
91. She stands for those who can't.
92. She loves the military and knows that they are
responsible for our safety and freedom.
93. She will take out terrorists in the blink of an eye.
94. She upholds the Constitution.
95. She sees elected office as public service, not self-service.
96. She always puts the people she serves first.
97. She doesn't like to talk about herself, and prefers writing
about the people in her life that have inspired her.
98. She thinks more of the others around her than herself.
99. She walks the walk with a true servant's heart.
100. She doesn’t have an “I know what is best” -paternalistic
attitude that is pervasive all throughout government today.
101. She sacrificed her power for the best interests of her
state.
Thanks for sharing this with your friends and family!
Nicole Coulter
Founder of EdgyConservative.com
Author of Advice to Sarah Palin From the Know-It-Alls: a
Satirical Journey, available now on Amazon.com.
1. She articulates the common sense and practicality of
conservatism better than anyone else.
2. She knows energy like the back of her hand.
3. She is an inspiration to young women everywhere,
showing it is awesome to be conservative and a woman.
4. She doesn't give 17-minute answers.
5. Her natural charisma drips off her leather jackets.
6. She is bold and lives her life like that.
7. She calls it the way she sees it.
8. She is confident in her abilities, yet not arrogant.
9. She shredded Obama in her RNC speech, after “family
scandal” was supposed to cripple her.
10. She tore Joe Biden apart in front of an international
audience.
11. She won’t run and hide even after all of the ways the Left
has attacked her.
12. She is tougher than nails but with a soft heart.
13. She has a steel spine.
14. She makes people say things like: "We are not gonna pull
the plug on Granny."
15. She is not a D.C. politician.
16. She has sacrificed tremendously to fight for our country.
17. She leads by example.
18. She will stand with us and for us and protect us.
19. She is faithful, strong, caring, trustworthy.
20. She makes sound decisions without checking with all
voting blocks first.
21. She makes the Obama administration wear adult diapers.
22. She rose to power without the help of a party machinery.
23. She displays strength and resolve, important qualities of
a commander-in-chief.
24. She does things her own way.
25. She made history as the youngest ever and the first
female Governor of Alaska, and first female GOP VP pick.
26. She is the best person to lead this country back from the
brink of madness.
27. She reminds us of Abraham Lincoln who was similarly
pilloried as neither smart nor establishment fashionable.
28. She stands tall with her head held high.
29. She is a great leader for the hardworking American.
30. She stood up to the political establishment.
31. She is the reason many in the Tea Party started to get
involved politically.
32. She proves that real change is possible.
33. She supports fiscal conservatism, the sanctity of life, and
strong national defense
34. She shares many Americans’ values and ideals.
35. When she talks about smaller government, lower taxes, a
strong national defense, and the sanctity of life, she really
means what she says.
36. She’s the only one we can trust to undo what Obama has
done.
37. She believes that the government that governs least,
governs best.
38. She has the right message at the right time for America.
39. She uses sarcasm to make her points.
40. She has inspired record numbers of GOP women to run
She says, “backasswards.”
43. She makes Obama, the LSM, and the GOP establishment
crazy.
44. She continues to drive the political news cycle.
45. She drains the joy right out of Joy Behar.
46. She uses Obama's words against him every chance she
gets.
47. She makes Andrea Mitchell and Norah O'Donnell whine
and look petty and jealous.
48. She is the opposite of President Obama and Obama
knows it and can't stand it.
49. She is dangerous to the pundits and to the establishment
because she does not operate according to their playbook.
50. She thought it would be funny if Andrea Mitchell got
smelly, fish water on her. And admitted it.
51. She doesn't call her opponents "my friend"!
52. She fights with the intensity of a warrior.
53. Her faith guides her.
54. She doesn't shove her faith down anyone's throat.
55. She gave birth to Trig.
56. She is not ashamed to say that God is at the center of her
life, and the decisions she makes.
57. She balances self-confidence and humility better than
most anyone we’ve seen.
58. She is the first politician many of us believe is a better
person than us.
59. She is one of the few "politicians" who will do what is
right, even if she has to go against her party.
60. She demonstrates integrity, humor, humility, love for
God, family and country.
61. She stands on principle.
62. She doesn't shift with the political wind.
63. She is someone I trust with my children's future.
64. She is real - not a fake or a phony.
65. She was the same person August 29, 2008 as she was
when she ran for the city counsel, mayor, and the
governorship
66. She's a fearless principled conservative, the People's
Politician.
67. She resigned knowing that could possibly have
irreparably damaged her future in politics.
68. She always looks on the bright side of life.
69. She glows with true joy.
70. She loves her family.
71. She is a mom, wife, daughter, sister, and aunt.
72. She runs, played point guard in high school, and played
the flute.
73. She is not blinded by an Ivy League degree, or a lawyer's
sheepskin.
74. She is one of us, but with the ability to go all the way.
75. She love sports.
76. She uses sports analogies.
77. She is family.
78. She makes everyone she touches part of her family.
79. She likes to eat meat.
80. She likes beer.
81. She rides snowmachines!
82. She named her kid after Van Halen!
83. She is a citizen-politician in every sense of the word.
84. She speaks the language of ordinary people, and she does
it all with a smile on her face, always upbeat and optimistic.
85. She's almost single-mindedly pro-freedom in a world of
wannabe socialists.
86. She has common sense.
for office, and unlike Obama, she supports contested
primaries.
87. She loves America – and Americans.
88. She will do whatever it will take to keep
America/Americans safe.
89. She will not stop fighting for this country.
90. She has a strong love and respect for our Founding
Fathers, and the Constitution.
91. She stands for those who can't.
92. She loves the military and knows that they are
responsible for our safety and freedom.
93. She will take out terrorists in the blink of an eye.
94. She upholds the Constitution.
95. She sees elected office as public service, not self-service.
96. She always puts the people she serves first.
97. She doesn't like to talk about herself, and prefers writing
about the people in her life that have inspired her.
98. She thinks more of the others around her than herself.
99. She walks the walk with a true servant's heart.
100. She doesn’t have an “I know what is best” -paternalistic
attitude that is pervasive all throughout government today.
101. She sacrificed her power for the best interests of her
state.
Thanks for sharing this with your friends and family!
Nicole Coulter
Founder of EdgyConservative.com
Author of Advice to Sarah Palin From the Know-It-Alls: a
Satirical Journey, available now on Amazon.com.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Picking Her Battles - Palin's War Plan
Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of Governor Palin’s surprising Independence Day-Eve resignation announcement. And if we’ve learned anything in the last year, it’s that Sarah Palin picks her battles wisely.
Fighting her deranged enemies in Alaska while chained to the governor’s desk and continuing to waste time and money on nuisance battles wasn’t helping anyone. It was a losing strategy. In the end, Palin won just about every single battle with the Alaska ankle-biters. What she didn’t do was allow them to dictate the battlefield and to continue to inflict collateral damage on innocent Alaskans. Governor Palin outflanked her enemies. By stepping down, becoming a private citizen, and handing the reins of power to Sean Parnell, she was able to leverage her strengths and minimize the unnecessary hits to her state. Palin genuinely means it when she says, “You don’t need a title to make a difference.” That’s a key difference between her and other politicians, in my view. She became involved in politics to serve, not to rule. Rulers cling to titles. Public servants put the public interest first.
Moreover, by resigning her governorship, Gov. Palin has emerged as the de facto leader of the conservative opposition to Obama’s socialist agenda. That battle was far more important than fending off the Andrea McLeods of the world. I haven’t even bothered to follow the details of the Alaska squabbles but appreciate others on C4P (including Rich Crowther) who have painstakingly documented these inane bottom-dwellers and their obsession with stopping Sarah Palin in her home state. They haven’t stopped her. In fact, they have made her stronger than ever. Palin saw an opportunity to make an even bigger difference than just on Alaskan issues. As an inspirational figure on the national stage she has given voice to the pent-up frustration of millions of Americans who have seen their federal government over-reaching its Constitutional constraints for too long without adequate checks.
I’ve now attended four Palin events and written a book and an e-comic book inspired by my experiences interacting with Palin fans. I’ve watched as Gov. Palin has inspired Mama Grizzlies throughout the country to run for office, and as she’s supported Tea Party longshot candidates to unlikely Primary victories.
More conservative women than ever before are running for office. More conservative minorities than ever are running for office. Governor Palin, unlike Pres. Obama, SUPPORTS contested primaries and thinks they are healthy for democracy. Palin is making an impact on the national debate. And what’s interesting to me, and encouraging, is that she doesn’t let temporary defeat bog her down. She could have let the 27 bogus ethics complaints completely deter her from fighting back. She could have said, “Too heck with all of this – I’m gonna make my book money and retire.” But she keeps fighting. She keeps bearing the brunt of the media criticism. And she’s not afraid to take on the administration full bore. I honestly think her courage is inspiring an army of patriots. I certainly have never felt inspired in this same way.
Who knows what all this is leading up to … a presidential run? A presidential victory?
The point is, you can’t win the war, if you don’t win some battles. And you can’t win some battles if you shy from the fight. Palin didn’t retreat, she did reload, and she’s kicking some serious behind now, with a ragtag band of citizen politicians in tow, the most to run for office in decades. And unlike Obama who sees primary challenges as a nuisance to be avoided even if that requries cronyism and bribery, Palin champions contested primaries so the "cream can rise to the top."
Palin’s war plan may prove to be Palin’s Revenge … but America is the ultimate beneficiary. "General Palin" is leading a charge to restore common sense and honor in our government … not unlike the battle she won in Juneau four years ago, shortly after stepping down from another position of power.
Maybe history will repeat itself. It’s hard not to imagine that kind of storybook ending. The plot lines are already falling into place.
Fighting her deranged enemies in Alaska while chained to the governor’s desk and continuing to waste time and money on nuisance battles wasn’t helping anyone. It was a losing strategy. In the end, Palin won just about every single battle with the Alaska ankle-biters. What she didn’t do was allow them to dictate the battlefield and to continue to inflict collateral damage on innocent Alaskans. Governor Palin outflanked her enemies. By stepping down, becoming a private citizen, and handing the reins of power to Sean Parnell, she was able to leverage her strengths and minimize the unnecessary hits to her state. Palin genuinely means it when she says, “You don’t need a title to make a difference.” That’s a key difference between her and other politicians, in my view. She became involved in politics to serve, not to rule. Rulers cling to titles. Public servants put the public interest first.
Moreover, by resigning her governorship, Gov. Palin has emerged as the de facto leader of the conservative opposition to Obama’s socialist agenda. That battle was far more important than fending off the Andrea McLeods of the world. I haven’t even bothered to follow the details of the Alaska squabbles but appreciate others on C4P (including Rich Crowther) who have painstakingly documented these inane bottom-dwellers and their obsession with stopping Sarah Palin in her home state. They haven’t stopped her. In fact, they have made her stronger than ever. Palin saw an opportunity to make an even bigger difference than just on Alaskan issues. As an inspirational figure on the national stage she has given voice to the pent-up frustration of millions of Americans who have seen their federal government over-reaching its Constitutional constraints for too long without adequate checks.
I’ve now attended four Palin events and written a book and an e-comic book inspired by my experiences interacting with Palin fans. I’ve watched as Gov. Palin has inspired Mama Grizzlies throughout the country to run for office, and as she’s supported Tea Party longshot candidates to unlikely Primary victories.
More conservative women than ever before are running for office. More conservative minorities than ever are running for office. Governor Palin, unlike Pres. Obama, SUPPORTS contested primaries and thinks they are healthy for democracy. Palin is making an impact on the national debate. And what’s interesting to me, and encouraging, is that she doesn’t let temporary defeat bog her down. She could have let the 27 bogus ethics complaints completely deter her from fighting back. She could have said, “Too heck with all of this – I’m gonna make my book money and retire.” But she keeps fighting. She keeps bearing the brunt of the media criticism. And she’s not afraid to take on the administration full bore. I honestly think her courage is inspiring an army of patriots. I certainly have never felt inspired in this same way.
Who knows what all this is leading up to … a presidential run? A presidential victory?
The point is, you can’t win the war, if you don’t win some battles. And you can’t win some battles if you shy from the fight. Palin didn’t retreat, she did reload, and she’s kicking some serious behind now, with a ragtag band of citizen politicians in tow, the most to run for office in decades. And unlike Obama who sees primary challenges as a nuisance to be avoided even if that requries cronyism and bribery, Palin champions contested primaries so the "cream can rise to the top."
Palin’s war plan may prove to be Palin’s Revenge … but America is the ultimate beneficiary. "General Palin" is leading a charge to restore common sense and honor in our government … not unlike the battle she won in Juneau four years ago, shortly after stepping down from another position of power.
Maybe history will repeat itself. It’s hard not to imagine that kind of storybook ending. The plot lines are already falling into place.
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