At this rate, Palin may be the only man left standing.
Comments
Thune bows out of the race — 44 Comments
Which would leave, the best man left standing.
Neo:
In one sentence, you’ve said it all.
–
Maybe this stuff about public unions will bring out some more potential Republican contenders.
I’ve been hoping for something like that because I’m still concerned about Sara Palin’s electability. I agree with her on almost everything but her favorables are quite low so far.
We need a Republican president and senate in 2012…baaaad. Even if some of them are RINO’s, we’d still get control of committees and the agenda in the Senate and whatever Congress passes won’t be vetoed by Obama.
(I’m assuming Republicans retain control of the House.)
Now *THAT’S* pith.
Thune was always unlikely to run this time around, he had no compelling advantage as a mere Senator, it’s not like he was a general or governor. Every four years a significant fraction of the Senate thinks “why not me?”. Thinking aloud about running raises the profile and possibly the clout. Now let’s see him actually amount to something important in the Senate.
The way that the potential Republican contenders have been acting, even if they had all decided to run, she would have been the only man.
But that is derogatory. Gender should be no barrier to the office, but a indomitable constitution should be a absolute prerequisite.
Thune: “There is a battle to be waged over what kind of country we are going to leave our children and grandchildren and that battle is happening now in Washington, not two years from now.”
So sorry, but…to this point there has been one and only one real fighter in the arena. As a man I am embarrassed to say that the boys have been hanging about on the sidelines watching and waiting for, maybe, who knows, I’ll see how things go and get worked up later, possibly, whatever, we;ll see…while the girl does al the real fighting and gets hit around and takes all the shots and perhaps we’ll step in and help her at some point maybe I doubt it.
Palin is the only one so far. She has my vote in a second.
If the boys want to play they better man up pronto.
Ditto Mike.
She’s the best man.
When I get married – I want her to be my best man. 🙂
Simply because she can’t be my bride. 🙂
Mike Mc: I agree completely.
In fact, given the way Gov. Palin has been trashed publicly, and blamed for anything and everything whatsoever, I want the 2012 Republican nominee to be either (a) Sarah Palin or (b) someone else who was man enough to stand up for her when it counted.
I’m not aware of any strong contenders in the latter category, but I’ll keep that open in the interests of being thorough. Maybe I missed somebody.
respectfully,
Daniel in Brookline
I just saw at Ace’s that Mitch Daniels has caved in on Indiana’s proposed right-to-work law.
“Republicans: They Thirst For Death”
Except in extremis, Palin and Romney are off my list for walking out on their states.
Interestingly, Palin has the biggest upside and the biggest downside (IMO the probabilities clearly favor the downside), whereas Romney seems like the ideal guy to competently oversee American decline (more a manager than a leader).
For the time being, I still look for the nominee to emerge from the ranks of Republican governors. A lot is going to happen before the primaries start.
Daniel: “I want the 2012 Republican nominee to be either (a) Sarah Palin or (b) someone else who was man enough to stand up for her when it counted.”
I hear you. I have already begun an elimination contest in my head: Any Republican who does not defend Palin, or worse, disses her, is O-U-T as far as I’m concerned. I feel ashamed for them.
I am still waiting for the first ‘man’ to step to her side in robust defense. So far the only man to do that has been another girl – Bachmann.
Maybe I missed one. I hope because up to now it’s been an embarrassment.
An ideal situation would be for the “major” (R) candidates to bow out gracefully and throw their support behind Sarah. That would get the centrist Republicans and right-leaning Independents give her another look.
But…what WILL happen if she runs is that the “men” in the primaries will repeat the same ridiculous and fallacious liberal talking points ad nauseum and drive her even deeper into the ditch of public opinion.
And for the Republican voters looking for someone more “electable” – democrats and the media WILL NOT support a Republican candidate under any circumstances. I’ve said this before, but the (R) candidate WILL be Palinized no matter what. McCain in ’08 should’ve taught us all that you cannot and will not out-Obama Obama.
Bachmann Turner Overdrive – She’s been “Taking Care of Business”
He’s dropped out of sight. No one talks about him anymore. Why should they? A year ago if you brought him up in any serious discussion of possible Republican presidential candidates you would be jeered, yes jeered.
Putting aside for the moment that he said he wouldn’t run in 2012 (and who hasn’t?), could Jeb Bush actually be a viable candidate? The last poll I remember seeing he ran far behind Obama head to head. But then again so did Sara Palin.
If the independent conservative movement and the Tea Party were to lose steam and the GOP establishment gained the upper hand, I’m thinking it could be a very real possibility for good or ill.
Whether we like it or not, the so-called swing voters will decide the 2012 presidential election. Those voters will have to turn against Obama in similar numbers that gave him victory in ’08 if he is to be a one term president. I am a big Palin fan. I’ve liked her grit, wit and determination since I heard her accept the VP nomination. Yet I join gs in wondering about her electability. She’s my dream president but she may be too tainted by MSM smears to garner the confidence of the swingers.
I’m looking for a new personality like Allen West, Herman Cain, Chris Christie, or Nikki Haley to head the ticket. Sara Barracuda might just best serve the country by remaining on the outside looking in from where she can inspire the grassroots and snipe the opposition with impunity.
I agree with Parker.
Has anyone seen the Gallup poll today, showing 61% of people AGAINST curtailing collective bargaining rights for PSU’s? Even if the survey is methodologically flawed, how low could that number possibly go with a better survey? 41%, maybe? Is that acceptable?
At Hotair they reported on this and said, in essence, we the people are so confused and mush-brained on “What To Do” that no one can do anything decisive without being punished severely for it. Hence: Do the right thing, and let the chips fall where they may.
But we need to get to the Presidency before we can do the right thing and let the chips fall, so we need someone who can sell “the right thing” to the mush-brained in a campaign. I never thought Thune could do it anyway, so I’m glad he’s not running. As Parker said, we need a new personality, one I would add who has a “shine” or a glow, something that radiates trustworthiness and competence, but also “Message: I care.”
To work the message into the mush – that’s the trick.
I have said before on this blog that I would have no problem voting for Palin were she the nominee. But she’s not my choice, because I don’t believe she can electrify the core of the Mush: i.e., conveying hardcore conservative values in a way that the mushy Indies and DINO’s and RINO’s will find comforting. It will take a lot of electrifying to shock people away from the soothing comfort of voting for a neutered Obama, because surely the media line will be that to deny the black man a second term is a racist indignity that will lead to permanently decayed race relations, and probably riots and other fun things.
It is much easier to vote for Obama the second time around when there’s nothing more he can do anyway. It’s purely symbolic (to the Mush-Brained public, I mean), and actually, to have an incoherent government with a hectically conservative legislature and a far left President seems to me be actually What The People Want. Not divided government per se, but the comfort of socialism with common sense of conservatism – or as I would put it, a Mommy and a Daddy.
You win by being Mommy and Daddy rolled into one. Thune couldn’t do that, and I think Palin is (ironically enough) all Daddy.
The manuscript of a hit piece book on Palin by a former aide has been leaked.
Skepticism is warranted unless corroborating material comes to light.
Thune is a lot like Obama. He’s never had a real job, and he’s never run anything. He’s also an evangelical Christian which the MSM would make clear.
Baklava, I quoted your comment about Palin being your best man on my facebook page- hilarious!
Palin is awful. I can’t not think that, no matter how hard I try.
I have heard said in these comments that she is a Rorschach test and anyone who judges her badly simply exposes their own failings. Well so be it.
I keep reading this blog, I have read many books you and your commenters have recommended and enjoyed them all. I even enjoyed Glen Beck, much to my surprise. I was reading him on the coach trip to and from Jon Stewart’s rally and had to hide the cover for fear of looking like a twat. I am currently half way through a 50-hour audiobook entitled Human Action, by a fellow I am sure you know well. I am loving every minute of it, that guy is fantastic.
But Palin? She is awful, that’s all there is to it.
Simon says, “She is awful, that’s all there is to it.”
Au contrair, mon ami. Palin is the present day republican equivalent of plain spoken, shoot from the hip, the buck stops here Harry Truman. Ya’ll been hanging out with the wrong crowd of them thar intel-let-ual sissy boys and mannish girls. Vive la Palin! Liberte, egalite, fraternite!
I hope Palin doesn’t run. Her power will grow so much more if she sits this one out. I’d vote for her in a second, though. I think she’s the best one out there, but I’d prefer for her to be a kingmaker (or queenmaker).
Simon:
I think that a Palin vs. Obama matchup would be the closest thing to a battle of Good vs. Evil as I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.
On “The Good Wife” tonight, they have a court case wherein the lawyer for one side is “accusing” the defendant of being in the TEA party, ERGO, he’s a racist.
Because, according to the writers/producers of “The Good Wife,” the TEA Party is a racist organization. They’re just putting that meme out there, y’know. Like, all the time.
They also had a gratuitous slam at Sarah Palin. The defendent, an attractive man of a certain age, also has a ginormous gun collection, including assault rifles with banana clips.
But of course.
This constant slander via all the organs of “information” is what we can expect to see, no matter who’s the nominee. If the Left can vilify small-government advocates as “racists,” they can and will slime everyone.
“Kill Your Television” was a saying I remember from years ago.
I didn’t understand it then, but I do now.
Simon,
Hiding Glenn Beck’s book … on the way to John Stewart’s rally…
YOU ARE A TWAT!
Here are the absolutely vile doctored photos that Atlantic Monthly “photographer” made of John McCain: in case anyone missed them.
So, if they’re going to disembowel Anyone we nominate, why not nominate someone we really believe in and can support with passion? Or, as a wise friend of mine once said, “If you’re going to be in the doghouse no matter what you do, why not do what you want?”
And Simon: Sarah Palin is “awful”? Care to be a little more, oh, I dunno — Specific about that?
I hear this sort of mindless remark quite a bit. They never present a bill of particulars, tho. Just a mindless “oh, I don’t like her” feeling.
I’d fault her for her malapropisms. God knows we’ve suffered enough with that in our candidates, with Bush I, Bush II, and now Sarah mangling their sentences. But her heart’s in the right place, as far as I can tell; she’s a happy warrior, and she has Horse Sense.
Horse Sense is what we’re sorely lacking in government, which is why Gov. Christie’s plain-talking to the unions is so damned refreshing.
Beverly,
I hear you. I really do trust Palin. I think Palin has what it takes to be strong, focused leader in this difficult time. But I doubt she can grab the golden ring. So although I trust her instincts, I think she has a better role to play other than heading the republican ticket.
We need the “Reagan democrats” in order to put a fiscal conservative in the oval office. The fiscal crisis is the issue that matters most, all other issues can be set aside until we tackle this crucial issue. Whatever/whomever it takes to get a fiscal conservative in the oval office is all that I am interested in come 2012.
You people arguing about how unelectable Palin is because she’s controversial, and because some folks can’t seem to get past Tina Fey’s characterization of her, seem to be saying “For God’s sake, don’t pick anyone who is distinguishable from a democrat.”
Kdaptists; the lot of you.
–
McCain was “electable” in 2008. How’d that work out?
“The female of the species is more deadlier than the male.” Since Margaret Thatcher became Premier-minister of Britain, all her ministers instantly looked like adolescent boys in comparison. If you need Real Man to do the job, cherchez la femme. At least, she will not need to overcome an inner boy in her, as all men need to do. It is easier for a woman to impersonate authoritarian Father figure, than for a man.
> I’m looking for a new personality like Allen West, … Chris Christie,
I’d like to know more about West, he certainly stood up to that CAIR idiot, which is a good sign.
And who the hell hasn’t Christie stood up to, which is an amazingly spineful accomplishment for any politician…?
I like Palin but suspect she’s better in the Howard Dean role. She could and would clean out the deadwood RINOs in the GOP.
Simon wrote, “PalinSimon is awful. I can’t not think that, no matter how hard I try.“
Are you a 97-pound weakling conservative? “Well, well, here comes David Brooks! Where’s your buddy Frum? Har har har.” Does this happen to you?
It used to happen to me, but not anymore.
Today, when I go to the Tea Party, men respect me and women admire. “There goes a Real Conservative!” “Reaganesque body language.”
My secret? SarahPAC.
Don’t delay. Start right now with a monthly donation. It really works!
“If you need Real Man to do the job, cherchez la femme.”
From The Iron Lady’s mouth, “If you want someone to make a speech, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.”
If Gov. Palin decides to run, and the Stupid Party wing of the GOP doesn’t get its way and hand us some sure loser like Romney or Daniels or whatever other candidate the MSM is praying we’ll nominate, and Gov. Palin wins the nomination…
She will *smash* Obama in the general.
He has never faced an opponent who knows how to fight him.
He’s had opponents thrown off the ballot, had their divorce records unsealed to shame them out of the race, and in the biggest contest of his life, he had an old RINO fool who was incapable of seeing Obama for who he really is.
A well-meaning man but a fool nonetheless, who refused to fight to win — who sat there and took it as the MSM dictated how and with what he could fight Obama.
Although Gov. Palin had to follow McCain’s lead to defeat in 2008, *her* immediate instinct was to fight Obama and to say to hell with the press.
That instinct has grown quite a bit since then… As has Gov. Palin, wouldn’t you say?
On the other hand, how about Obama? Think he’s grown?
Please.
So for those of you who are unsure about Gov. Palin, let me assure you:
Gov. Palin is Obama’s worst nightmare.
She is the Democrat Party/MSM’s worst nightmare.
They are *terrified* of having to face her, because they know she will run rings around them all. That is why they have been trying to destroy her from the first — because they had a feeling about her, and they didn’t like it.
Only they didn’t destroy her. On the contrary, the attacks only made her stronger, more sure of herself… and more determined to fight.
Which is just one of the many reasons why the MSM/Democrat Party don’t want any part of a fight with Gov. Palin: Like all bullies, they don’t like adversaries who fight back. That quick jab of Gov. Palin’s, that pop in the nose that brings tears to their eyes — they don’t like it at all.
And that’s just the jab.
So quit panicking, until Gov. Palin announces her decision.
In fact, if you really want to do yourself a favor, and give your nerves a break, take the glass-half-full view: assume Gov. Palin will run, and try to envision all the ways in which she will pick Obama apart, piece by piece, until there’s nothing left of him but his empty suit in a rumpled heap on the floor.
JR,
I agree with you. I know one thing for certain: whoever the media starts promoting (even in a soft way as in, “so-and-so is making big gains in republican circles” type “news” stories) is the very person they think will be the easiest to defeat.
Romney will lose as surely as McCain was going to lose. Huckaby is another sure loser. Mitch Daniels probably a definite loser.
Palin is vilified the most because she is the most feared. That is a reverse test of who we should nominate – who gets the most negative stories about them? They are doing something right.
And the MSM can be very sophisticated. They may play up one just so that person can defeat another one – and then they will turn on that one a destroy them. This happened to McCain. he deserved it, but we didn’t.
JR and Mike: I agree completely.
If America’s liberals learned anything from the 2008 campaign, it was that a no-hold-barred everything-including-the-kitchen-sink attack campaign… works. And, as Glenn Reynolds is fond of pointing out, when people perceive that something has worked for them, they continue doing it.
Count on it. Whoever the Republicans nominate in 2012 will be slimed, probably worse than anything we’ve ever seen before. The Democrats will scream, scream, scream, keeping the volume level at 11 all the time.
And the American people will rapidly tire of it. Gov. Palin has nowhere to go but up; she’s already taken the worst anybody could think of to throw at her, and she’s come out the other side, smiling and ready to fight.
And she’s learned. She was blindsided multiple times in 2008… and the McCain campaign forced her to turn the other cheek. How many times since then have the press gone after her, only to have her make a laughingstock of them?
Unelectable? So was Harry Truman. (Thanks for that analogy, Parker!) But he was determined that we not have a President Dewey… and he prevailed.
The question remains: will she run or not? Personally, I hope she thinks of it in terms of obligation. By those lights, she’ll scan the likely field of candidates… and if she doesn’t see anyone who’d do a significantly better job than she would, she’ll run. “If a job must be done, and you can see that you’re the best one for the job, then you are morally obligated to do it.”
Nice comparison between Harry & Sarah. I appreciate your thoughts. Harry followed his instincts and faced the major issues of his era without regard to what was conventional wisdom. I think Palin has the same strength of character.
PS – I miss Patrick Moynihan.
Neo, Daniel, Mike,
Good to hear from you. Want to see another piece of the puzzle explaining why Gov. Palin will not only beat Obama, but beat him to an electoral pulp?
Below is a link to an article about the trend of the rising dominance of women. This trend is significant, yet it is still largely under the radar. Thus I don’t care what the polls say today about women’s views on Gov. Palin; they’re snapshots taken in a rigged media atmosphere, which will begin to crumble the moment Gov. Palin declares, if she declares (and I believe she will).
Mark my words: A substantial number of women who today swear they would *never* vote for Gov. Palin, who call her an idiot who should go build an igloo, will end up changing their mind about the governor, and they will cast their vote for her. Assaultive calumny, especially that with so much as a whiff of misogyny, of the governor by the MSM and the opposing side will backfire — badly.
The reason this will happen is not simply because Gov. Palin is a woman, but because she is an *impressive* woman, with the executive credentials, skills, and moral fortitude to make her a *superb* president.
Click on the link for the article. It’s longish but worth it.
Which would leave, the best man left standing.
Neo:
In one sentence, you’ve said it all.
–
Maybe this stuff about public unions will bring out some more potential Republican contenders.
I’ve been hoping for something like that because I’m still concerned about Sara Palin’s electability. I agree with her on almost everything but her favorables are quite low so far.
We need a Republican president and senate in 2012…baaaad. Even if some of them are RINO’s, we’d still get control of committees and the agenda in the Senate and whatever Congress passes won’t be vetoed by Obama.
(I’m assuming Republicans retain control of the House.)
Now *THAT’S* pith.
Thune was always unlikely to run this time around, he had no compelling advantage as a mere Senator, it’s not like he was a general or governor. Every four years a significant fraction of the Senate thinks “why not me?”. Thinking aloud about running raises the profile and possibly the clout. Now let’s see him actually amount to something important in the Senate.
The way that the potential Republican contenders have been acting, even if they had all decided to run, she would have been the only man.
But that is derogatory. Gender should be no barrier to the office, but a indomitable constitution should be a absolute prerequisite.
Thune: “There is a battle to be waged over what kind of country we are going to leave our children and grandchildren and that battle is happening now in Washington, not two years from now.”
So sorry, but…to this point there has been one and only one real fighter in the arena. As a man I am embarrassed to say that the boys have been hanging about on the sidelines watching and waiting for, maybe, who knows, I’ll see how things go and get worked up later, possibly, whatever, we;ll see…while the girl does al the real fighting and gets hit around and takes all the shots and perhaps we’ll step in and help her at some point maybe I doubt it.
Palin is the only one so far. She has my vote in a second.
If the boys want to play they better man up pronto.
Ditto Mike.
She’s the best man.
When I get married – I want her to be my best man. 🙂
Simply because she can’t be my bride. 🙂
Mike Mc: I agree completely.
In fact, given the way Gov. Palin has been trashed publicly, and blamed for anything and everything whatsoever, I want the 2012 Republican nominee to be either (a) Sarah Palin or (b) someone else who was man enough to stand up for her when it counted.
I’m not aware of any strong contenders in the latter category, but I’ll keep that open in the interests of being thorough. Maybe I missed somebody.
respectfully,
Daniel in Brookline
I just saw at Ace’s that Mitch Daniels has caved in on Indiana’s proposed right-to-work law.
“Republicans: They Thirst For Death”
Except in extremis, Palin and Romney are off my list for walking out on their states.
Interestingly, Palin has the biggest upside and the biggest downside (IMO the probabilities clearly favor the downside), whereas Romney seems like the ideal guy to competently oversee American decline (more a manager than a leader).
For the time being, I still look for the nominee to emerge from the ranks of Republican governors. A lot is going to happen before the primaries start.
Daniel: “I want the 2012 Republican nominee to be either (a) Sarah Palin or (b) someone else who was man enough to stand up for her when it counted.”
I hear you. I have already begun an elimination contest in my head: Any Republican who does not defend Palin, or worse, disses her, is O-U-T as far as I’m concerned. I feel ashamed for them.
I am still waiting for the first ‘man’ to step to her side in robust defense. So far the only man to do that has been another girl – Bachmann.
Maybe I missed one. I hope because up to now it’s been an embarrassment.
An ideal situation would be for the “major” (R) candidates to bow out gracefully and throw their support behind Sarah. That would get the centrist Republicans and right-leaning Independents give her another look.
But…what WILL happen if she runs is that the “men” in the primaries will repeat the same ridiculous and fallacious liberal talking points ad nauseum and drive her even deeper into the ditch of public opinion.
And for the Republican voters looking for someone more “electable” – democrats and the media WILL NOT support a Republican candidate under any circumstances. I’ve said this before, but the (R) candidate WILL be Palinized no matter what. McCain in ’08 should’ve taught us all that you cannot and will not out-Obama Obama.
Bachmann Turner Overdrive – She’s been “Taking Care of Business”
Mike MC. I see another one on the horizon.
Nikki Haley
Allen West also
http://floppingaces.net/2011/02/21/cair-confronts-allen-west/
He’s dropped out of sight. No one talks about him anymore. Why should they? A year ago if you brought him up in any serious discussion of possible Republican presidential candidates you would be jeered, yes jeered.
Putting aside for the moment that he said he wouldn’t run in 2012 (and who hasn’t?), could Jeb Bush actually be a viable candidate? The last poll I remember seeing he ran far behind Obama head to head. But then again so did Sara Palin.
If the independent conservative movement and the Tea Party were to lose steam and the GOP establishment gained the upper hand, I’m thinking it could be a very real possibility for good or ill.
Whether we like it or not, the so-called swing voters will decide the 2012 presidential election. Those voters will have to turn against Obama in similar numbers that gave him victory in ’08 if he is to be a one term president. I am a big Palin fan. I’ve liked her grit, wit and determination since I heard her accept the VP nomination. Yet I join gs in wondering about her electability. She’s my dream president but she may be too tainted by MSM smears to garner the confidence of the swingers.
I’m looking for a new personality like Allen West, Herman Cain, Chris Christie, or Nikki Haley to head the ticket. Sara Barracuda might just best serve the country by remaining on the outside looking in from where she can inspire the grassroots and snipe the opposition with impunity.
I agree with Parker.
Has anyone seen the Gallup poll today, showing 61% of people AGAINST curtailing collective bargaining rights for PSU’s? Even if the survey is methodologically flawed, how low could that number possibly go with a better survey? 41%, maybe? Is that acceptable?
At Hotair they reported on this and said, in essence, we the people are so confused and mush-brained on “What To Do” that no one can do anything decisive without being punished severely for it. Hence: Do the right thing, and let the chips fall where they may.
But we need to get to the Presidency before we can do the right thing and let the chips fall, so we need someone who can sell “the right thing” to the mush-brained in a campaign. I never thought Thune could do it anyway, so I’m glad he’s not running. As Parker said, we need a new personality, one I would add who has a “shine” or a glow, something that radiates trustworthiness and competence, but also “Message: I care.”
To work the message into the mush – that’s the trick.
I have said before on this blog that I would have no problem voting for Palin were she the nominee. But she’s not my choice, because I don’t believe she can electrify the core of the Mush: i.e., conveying hardcore conservative values in a way that the mushy Indies and DINO’s and RINO’s will find comforting. It will take a lot of electrifying to shock people away from the soothing comfort of voting for a neutered Obama, because surely the media line will be that to deny the black man a second term is a racist indignity that will lead to permanently decayed race relations, and probably riots and other fun things.
It is much easier to vote for Obama the second time around when there’s nothing more he can do anyway. It’s purely symbolic (to the Mush-Brained public, I mean), and actually, to have an incoherent government with a hectically conservative legislature and a far left President seems to me be actually What The People Want. Not divided government per se, but the comfort of socialism with common sense of conservatism – or as I would put it, a Mommy and a Daddy.
You win by being Mommy and Daddy rolled into one. Thune couldn’t do that, and I think Palin is (ironically enough) all Daddy.
The manuscript of a hit piece book on Palin by a former aide has been leaked.
Skepticism is warranted unless corroborating material comes to light.
Thune is a lot like Obama. He’s never had a real job, and he’s never run anything. He’s also an evangelical Christian which the MSM would make clear.
Baklava, I quoted your comment about Palin being your best man on my facebook page- hilarious!
Palin is awful. I can’t not think that, no matter how hard I try.
I have heard said in these comments that she is a Rorschach test and anyone who judges her badly simply exposes their own failings. Well so be it.
I keep reading this blog, I have read many books you and your commenters have recommended and enjoyed them all. I even enjoyed Glen Beck, much to my surprise. I was reading him on the coach trip to and from Jon Stewart’s rally and had to hide the cover for fear of looking like a twat. I am currently half way through a 50-hour audiobook entitled Human Action, by a fellow I am sure you know well. I am loving every minute of it, that guy is fantastic.
But Palin? She is awful, that’s all there is to it.
Simon says, “She is awful, that’s all there is to it.”
Au contrair, mon ami. Palin is the present day republican equivalent of plain spoken, shoot from the hip, the buck stops here Harry Truman. Ya’ll been hanging out with the wrong crowd of them thar intel-let-ual sissy boys and mannish girls. Vive la Palin! Liberte, egalite, fraternite!
I hope Palin doesn’t run. Her power will grow so much more if she sits this one out. I’d vote for her in a second, though. I think she’s the best one out there, but I’d prefer for her to be a kingmaker (or queenmaker).
Simon:
I think that a Palin vs. Obama matchup would be the closest thing to a battle of Good vs. Evil as I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.
On “The Good Wife” tonight, they have a court case wherein the lawyer for one side is “accusing” the defendant of being in the TEA party, ERGO, he’s a racist.
Because, according to the writers/producers of “The Good Wife,” the TEA Party is a racist organization. They’re just putting that meme out there, y’know. Like, all the time.
They also had a gratuitous slam at Sarah Palin. The defendent, an attractive man of a certain age, also has a ginormous gun collection, including assault rifles with banana clips.
But of course.
This constant slander via all the organs of “information” is what we can expect to see, no matter who’s the nominee. If the Left can vilify small-government advocates as “racists,” they can and will slime everyone.
“Kill Your Television” was a saying I remember from years ago.
I didn’t understand it then, but I do now.
Simon,
Hiding Glenn Beck’s book … on the way to John Stewart’s rally…
YOU ARE A TWAT!
Here are the absolutely vile doctored photos that Atlantic Monthly “photographer” made of John McCain: in case anyone missed them.
http://www.americandigest.org/mt-archives/bad_americans/the_atlantic_mo.php
So, if they’re going to disembowel Anyone we nominate, why not nominate someone we really believe in and can support with passion? Or, as a wise friend of mine once said, “If you’re going to be in the doghouse no matter what you do, why not do what you want?”
And Simon: Sarah Palin is “awful”? Care to be a little more, oh, I dunno — Specific about that?
I hear this sort of mindless remark quite a bit. They never present a bill of particulars, tho. Just a mindless “oh, I don’t like her” feeling.
I’d fault her for her malapropisms. God knows we’ve suffered enough with that in our candidates, with Bush I, Bush II, and now Sarah mangling their sentences. But her heart’s in the right place, as far as I can tell; she’s a happy warrior, and she has Horse Sense.
Horse Sense is what we’re sorely lacking in government, which is why Gov. Christie’s plain-talking to the unions is so damned refreshing.
Beverly,
I hear you. I really do trust Palin. I think Palin has what it takes to be strong, focused leader in this difficult time. But I doubt she can grab the golden ring. So although I trust her instincts, I think she has a better role to play other than heading the republican ticket.
We need the “Reagan democrats” in order to put a fiscal conservative in the oval office. The fiscal crisis is the issue that matters most, all other issues can be set aside until we tackle this crucial issue. Whatever/whomever it takes to get a fiscal conservative in the oval office is all that I am interested in come 2012.
You people arguing about how unelectable Palin is because she’s controversial, and because some folks can’t seem to get past Tina Fey’s characterization of her, seem to be saying “For God’s sake, don’t pick anyone who is distinguishable from a democrat.”
Kdaptists; the lot of you.
–
McCain was “electable” in 2008. How’d that work out?
“The female of the species is more deadlier than the male.” Since Margaret Thatcher became Premier-minister of Britain, all her ministers instantly looked like adolescent boys in comparison. If you need Real Man to do the job, cherchez la femme. At least, she will not need to overcome an inner boy in her, as all men need to do. It is easier for a woman to impersonate authoritarian Father figure, than for a man.
> I’m looking for a new personality like Allen West, … Chris Christie,
I’d like to know more about West, he certainly stood up to that CAIR idiot, which is a good sign.
And who the hell hasn’t Christie stood up to, which is an amazingly spineful accomplishment for any politician…?
I like Palin but suspect she’s better in the Howard Dean role. She could and would clean out the deadwood RINOs in the GOP.
I mean, when these bastards shy away from all of 22 billion in budget cuts… from a budget that is TRILLIONS of dollars… WtF did we put them in office for, again?
Simon wrote, “
PalinSimon is awful. I can’t not think that, no matter how hard I try.“Are you a 97-pound weakling conservative? “Well, well, here comes David Brooks! Where’s your buddy Frum? Har har har.” Does this happen to you?
It used to happen to me, but not anymore.
Today, when I go to the Tea Party, men respect me and women admire. “There goes a Real Conservative!” “Reaganesque body language.”
My secret? SarahPAC.
Don’t delay. Start right now with a monthly donation. It really works!
“If you need Real Man to do the job, cherchez la femme.”
From The Iron Lady’s mouth, “If you want someone to make a speech, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.”
If Gov. Palin decides to run, and the Stupid Party wing of the GOP doesn’t get its way and hand us some sure loser like Romney or Daniels or whatever other candidate the MSM is praying we’ll nominate, and Gov. Palin wins the nomination…
She will *smash* Obama in the general.
He has never faced an opponent who knows how to fight him.
He’s had opponents thrown off the ballot, had their divorce records unsealed to shame them out of the race, and in the biggest contest of his life, he had an old RINO fool who was incapable of seeing Obama for who he really is.
A well-meaning man but a fool nonetheless, who refused to fight to win — who sat there and took it as the MSM dictated how and with what he could fight Obama.
Although Gov. Palin had to follow McCain’s lead to defeat in 2008, *her* immediate instinct was to fight Obama and to say to hell with the press.
That instinct has grown quite a bit since then… As has Gov. Palin, wouldn’t you say?
On the other hand, how about Obama? Think he’s grown?
Please.
So for those of you who are unsure about Gov. Palin, let me assure you:
Gov. Palin is Obama’s worst nightmare.
She is the Democrat Party/MSM’s worst nightmare.
They are *terrified* of having to face her, because they know she will run rings around them all. That is why they have been trying to destroy her from the first — because they had a feeling about her, and they didn’t like it.
Only they didn’t destroy her. On the contrary, the attacks only made her stronger, more sure of herself… and more determined to fight.
Which is just one of the many reasons why the MSM/Democrat Party don’t want any part of a fight with Gov. Palin: Like all bullies, they don’t like adversaries who fight back. That quick jab of Gov. Palin’s, that pop in the nose that brings tears to their eyes — they don’t like it at all.
And that’s just the jab.
So quit panicking, until Gov. Palin announces her decision.
In fact, if you really want to do yourself a favor, and give your nerves a break, take the glass-half-full view: assume Gov. Palin will run, and try to envision all the ways in which she will pick Obama apart, piece by piece, until there’s nothing left of him but his empty suit in a rumpled heap on the floor.
JR,
I agree with you. I know one thing for certain: whoever the media starts promoting (even in a soft way as in, “so-and-so is making big gains in republican circles” type “news” stories) is the very person they think will be the easiest to defeat.
Romney will lose as surely as McCain was going to lose. Huckaby is another sure loser. Mitch Daniels probably a definite loser.
Palin is vilified the most because she is the most feared. That is a reverse test of who we should nominate – who gets the most negative stories about them? They are doing something right.
And the MSM can be very sophisticated. They may play up one just so that person can defeat another one – and then they will turn on that one a destroy them. This happened to McCain. he deserved it, but we didn’t.
JR and Mike: I agree completely.
If America’s liberals learned anything from the 2008 campaign, it was that a no-hold-barred everything-including-the-kitchen-sink attack campaign… works. And, as Glenn Reynolds is fond of pointing out, when people perceive that something has worked for them, they continue doing it.
Count on it. Whoever the Republicans nominate in 2012 will be slimed, probably worse than anything we’ve ever seen before. The Democrats will scream, scream, scream, keeping the volume level at 11 all the time.
And the American people will rapidly tire of it. Gov. Palin has nowhere to go but up; she’s already taken the worst anybody could think of to throw at her, and she’s come out the other side, smiling and ready to fight.
And she’s learned. She was blindsided multiple times in 2008… and the McCain campaign forced her to turn the other cheek. How many times since then have the press gone after her, only to have her make a laughingstock of them?
Unelectable? So was Harry Truman. (Thanks for that analogy, Parker!) But he was determined that we not have a President Dewey… and he prevailed.
The question remains: will she run or not? Personally, I hope she thinks of it in terms of obligation. By those lights, she’ll scan the likely field of candidates… and if she doesn’t see anyone who’d do a significantly better job than she would, she’ll run. “If a job must be done, and you can see that you’re the best one for the job, then you are morally obligated to do it.”
respectfully,
Daniel in Brookline
Daniel and Parker:
On Sarah Palin and Harry Truman: I compared Palin to Truman two days after her nomination.
Neo,
Nice comparison between Harry & Sarah. I appreciate your thoughts. Harry followed his instincts and faced the major issues of his era without regard to what was conventional wisdom. I think Palin has the same strength of character.
PS – I miss Patrick Moynihan.
Neo, Daniel, Mike,
Good to hear from you. Want to see another piece of the puzzle explaining why Gov. Palin will not only beat Obama, but beat him to an electoral pulp?
Below is a link to an article about the trend of the rising dominance of women. This trend is significant, yet it is still largely under the radar. Thus I don’t care what the polls say today about women’s views on Gov. Palin; they’re snapshots taken in a rigged media atmosphere, which will begin to crumble the moment Gov. Palin declares, if she declares (and I believe she will).
Mark my words: A substantial number of women who today swear they would *never* vote for Gov. Palin, who call her an idiot who should go build an igloo, will end up changing their mind about the governor, and they will cast their vote for her. Assaultive calumny, especially that with so much as a whiff of misogyny, of the governor by the MSM and the opposing side will backfire — badly.
The reason this will happen is not simply because Gov. Palin is a woman, but because she is an *impressive* woman, with the executive credentials, skills, and moral fortitude to make her a *superb* president.
Click on the link for the article. It’s longish but worth it.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/07/the-end-of-men/8135/