Category: Sarah Palin

by Dave Mindeman

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.-- Sarah Palin

I have to admit that when I first read that "2012 GOP Nomination" part, it stood out to me. But I decided...naw, doesn't mean anything. But then Rachel Maddow pointed it out even more directly than I would have on her show. Sarah Palin as a third party candidate.

The Tea Party is not going to abide by a Romney nomination. They already have several "Stop Romney" campaigns going on already...

If Romney continues to be the front runner with a growing lock on the nomination, Sarah Palin may be "drafted" to form that third party which is ever present in the wings.

And don't forget about Michele Bachmann. She is angry about her growing irrelevancy. She feels slighted at the turnabout that the GOP nomination pulled on her. She would have little to lose to add her voice to a Tea Party revolt.

The Republican establishment is already working on damage control. If Rick Perry continues to lose ground the angry mob may show itself once more.

You never know what can happen when a loud, boisterous, vocal group overestimates its national reach.

Democrats can only hope they push the envelope.

Category: Sarah Palin

by Alan Anderson

Sarah Palin is coming to town to raise money for Michele Bachmann. Both are using their star status to cash in and continue to fund their tea parties. These are the rogue ladies of the Republican Party and they bring new meaning to the term. Now it stands for Republican Opportunists Gouging Unsuspecting Electorates. Yes, as Sarah has shown, there is no need to serve the public when you can be self-serving?.giving up a governorship just to sell books and do television shows. And Michele stopped hiding behind bushes (real and George) to sell her brand of fear and demagoguery to stay in office. Yes, for only thousands of dollars you can hob-knob with the ladies of roguery and ensure that Republican ascendency to power is safely on the road to riches.

Sarah Palin told us earlier in her book that she was going ?rogue.? It is interesting that she would share that information with the public, unless of course, she didn?t really know what rogue meant. I certainly wouldn?t want others to know I was rogue?..especially if I wanted to be President of the United States.

When you check a dictionary you find the word rogue has several meanings. Unfortunately, not many of them are flattering. For example: a rogue is an unprincipled person; a scoundrel. For a Republican it is especially unbecoming, meaning ?a vicious and solitary animal, especially an elephant that has separated itself from its herd. The Republican symbol is an elephant, so it has a special meaning in that context. It also refers to being mischievous. Worst case scenario, a rogue?s gallery is a ?collection of pictures of criminals maintained in police files used for making identification.

So, for Sarah Palin, a governor who has been charged with unprincipled behavior, tax evasion, and corruption of her power and position, to declare herself a ?rogue? is rather self defeating. In a sense, it is acknowledging the truth of the term?.she is someone who plays loose with the law and who ?separates? herself from her peers and social group.

And now we know that Sarah and Michelle are rogues we should watch out for. They both play loose with the law and with language, inciting people whenever they have the chance. Let?s hope they stay together. Perhaps Sarah will convince Michelle that public service is a waste of time and that money is more important than anything else. Expect Representative Bachmann to resign before the next election!!

Category: Sarah Palin

by Dave Mindeman

You think her speech was worth $100,000?

Sarah Palin, Tea Party Entrepeneur, has discovered a way to get through the recession unscathed. She talks.

Not well at times, but she's good at that platitudey thingey.

I listened to part of her speech on C-SPAN last night. (I couldn't get through all of it, because it sounded too much like the 2008 Republican campaign.)

Sarah tells us the "hopey changey" thing is dead and that the Tea Partiers have founded the new age of politics. They are our future.

Yikes.

I was a little surprised that the hope of Democracy has changed:

"Around the world, people who are seeking freedom from oppressive regimes, wonder if ALASKA is still that beacon of hope for their cause."

Darn. I always thought it was America itself. I'm not sure that Sarah gave Alaska a full shot at being that beacon. She quit in the middle of her term.

(What was really funny about that Alaska line is that she just finished a paragraph that ridiculed Obama for using a teleprompter.)

Still, there is a sobering reality to all of this. Sarah Palin has clearly won these people over. And the Tea Party crowd is going to be a factor for awhile. As long as the economy continues to underperform and stagnate, the Tea Party Nation will get some attention.

When people are hurting and dissatisfied, they will listen to anything. Even if, in the long run, it is flat out wrong.

During our economic turmoil, Palin may have a chance to merge the Tea Party Nation with a disjointed Republican Party that is hungry for a return to power. In ordinary times, these two philosophies might be incompatible. But when they can grab attention by merely being against everything....things that are slow to give us an answer to severe economic doldrums....then the two disparate entities can seek that tentative unity.

Palin may increase her popularity in both of them for awhile. As long as things stay economically bad. As long as negatives are acceptable. As long as obstruction is winning the day. As long as platitudes and ancient GOP tag lines don't have to give us any real results.

Sarah Palin thinks she is carrying the day. Trouble is, she has no plans beyond the day....you know, that futurey thingey.