Vanity: Sarah Palin 2012

4-8 years of Obama would be very bad indeed, particularly a second term where we would probably lose influence on the Supreme Court for 25 years or more.

But I expect the union will still stand, even if in name only.

You’re wrong.

I clearly said the last LOSING vice presidential candidate to ascend to the presidency was FDR (who lost in 1920 and won in 1932).

Nixon was never a losing VP candidate. He won both times he ran for VP (1952 and 1956). He is not a losing VP candidate, sorry to break the news to you.

Veterans are amusing too, evidently. Maybe more so.

Palin needs to prove herself to be in the rarified air that Hunter is in. It is no knock on her.

Exactly right, and importantly, it really is no knock on her. That really needs to be clarified. It is not that she (and her fellows) do not show great promise, but that it is not yet their time. It is the time of their father's wisdom now, and I would much prefer the wisdom that an elder statesman would provide (providing, of course, that the elder is a statesman and does have wisdom- present candidates non-eligible).

These and other topics are big gaps that need to be filled in over time - by word and by deed.

Agreed, and entirely on the point.

And I have never, ever seen him get rattled, or forced to backtrack, or have to clarify a darn thing, and I have studied him probably more than any other human has. LOL

Absolutely. One of the most important qualities needed in a president is resolve of character- Who will "blink" first in an international or national "stare-down" is often the difference between a speed-bump and a full blown crisis. I have every confidence that Hunter is able to meet any man's gaze with the fullest confidence in his beliefs, and with all the courage of his convictions.

As ballsy as Palin may be, that quality is not in her, at least, not yet. Nor is it in McCain for that matter.

But what the country really needs is another tried and true rock ribbed man, who means every syllable he says, does not posture, does not mince words to keep from offending liberal ears, and cannot be intimidated into retreat.

YEP! You know, when the whole bailout mess was happening, and the House Conservatives rose once again to stand in the breech, I thought for a moment of our FRiend, the honorable Mr. Hunter, and where his vote would fall... And just as quickly as the thought entered my mind, I knew- And I mean that, I KNEW where he would be, quite confidently, and predicted to myself that he would stand against it completely, and gave it no more thought.

That is what I expect of a president... perhaps not every time, but by far, most of the time.

..I will be watching Duncan Hunter over the next couple of years to see if he has interest in another try at the Oval Office. He was my candidate, a great American.

I fully intended to cast a meaningless write-in protest vote. It would be meaningless in that I live in CA.

This was my plan--until SHE walked onto the stage.

The way she came out of nowhere borders on supernatural.

Every bit and piece of information on issues I can gather only confirms what I suspect about her. She is a true conservative in the Reagan tradition.

I will be casting my vote for Sarah--I believe DH and Ronald Reagan would want me to...

You’re exactly right...have been saying this to help soothe fragile nerves and it works. I believe John is probably already thinking her VP spot with him is a perfect setup for her and he’s right. She’s fabulous and just what the Rep needs...and Jendal isn’t all bad...good choice!

You’re exactly right...have been saying this to help soothe fragile nerves and it works. I believe John is probably already thinking her VP spot with him is a perfect setup for her and he’s right. She’s fabulous and just what the Reps need...and Jindal isn’t all bad...good choice!

I guess Hunter ripped a hole in his back pocket when he was stuffing all that conservatism in there...

http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/afb/archives/008058.html

Oh, dear. I am supposed to be swayed by an article that refers to his "protectionist" streak, and bad marks by the CFR? Obviously a "Free Traitor" propaganda hit piece. I am HAPPILY *for* his opposition to NAFTA, CAFTA and China Free Traitors.

As to the maligning of his record regarding spending, that has been addressed ad nauseum in the primary by many, many people. Suffice it to say that it always seems the attacks of this nature seem to be coming from the Free Traitors, while the avid supply siders, the anti-credit guys all seem to be on Hunter's side.. Funny how that works out... And the same thing happened just the other day- All the old school Reagan FICONS were against the bailout, and all the rest were for it. Where was Hunter? Where were you?

Go ahead and talk him up as the most conservative person to ever walk the planet until you turn blue in the face. He does not inspire and motivate on a mass audience level. Period. End of story.

The masses, as you put it, don't know who he is. My uncle in Chicago, a hard right Conservative, who I had the good fortune to talk to the other day, had never even heard of Hunter. He did not even know that Hunter, Keyes, and Tancredo were even running in the primary. He did not know that Keyes is still in the race today, because he does not use the net.

Those that do know who Hunter is, those who are politically knowledgeable, like here on FR, are 100% for him. He was the favorite here, even above Thompson, if everyone could have who they wanted in office. So don't tell me he cannot inspire. If everyone knew him like we do here, there would be vast agreement with him.

And in the mean time, btw, I had no idea who Sarah Palin was until shortly before she was nominated. Never even heard of her, and the Mountain West keeps pretty good tabs on wat is happening in AK, too. If she is "all that and a can of corn" for Conservatives, why is it that so many Conservatives were taken by surprise?

You think even though he doesn't have this gift, that all the GOP has to do is give him a stage. You have it completely 180 degrees backward. You earn such a stage. Palin earned it because of what she's done AND how she did it.

She has "done" very little to date... and it has not been all that Conservative either. As I have already said, there is not enough record to say what she is definitively. That is not knocking her, that is just a fact.

It wasn't a "creation" of the GOP machine as you like to portray it.

It certainly is. Point to her massive accomplishments that earn her this acclaim. Go ahead and list them... But be careful, now, because I will rebut. Be sure that you report Conservative accomplishments honestly, and without spinning.

It isn't that she hasn't been an effective governor, or mayor, mind you, but she isn't without her faults, and I tire of this hero(ine) worship. Speak with truth.

you think "oh, they could stick anyone in there and they'd be as popular"

That is not what I said. I said any Conservative, given the stage and the microphone, could do as she does, and better- She speaks a message of Conservative populism, while Conservatives live it- It is in their hearts.

Whether McCain wins or loses in 2 weeks, if you take a GOP poll of who should be the 2012 nominee, Palin would be the pick by a landslide. That's the universe we currently reside in. You can add "but Palin this" and "but Hunter that". It doesn't change the facts on the ground.

Palin has already done herself damage- The problem with a populist is that they do not necessarily live what they say- She came out for the bailout, she is *for* some form of amnesty (as we learn today), she is pimping redistributing wealth by the child tax credit... These are not Conservative positions, and they are changing the facts on the ground.

So, on "Day 1" of the 2012 campaign she will be miles ahead of any other candidate, and LIGHT YEARS ahead of Hunter.

That remains to be seen.

You keep talking like she's a flash in the pan and will fizzle out. That's based on what? Certainly not reality or her past. Look at her trajectory.

Based upon physics. What goes up, must come down. And her past was largely shaped by her, and in a place where she had support on the inside of the machine. She is a loooong way from Wasilla, and the Bakerites have been eating wannabes' for lunch for a long, long time. Either she is playing their game and waiting her turn, or she is likely to be chewed up and buried.

Maybe you can answer these final 2 questions.

If she's not really a conservative, why do the liberals hate her like death?

Anything that brings Conservatism to the front, and before the eyes of the people, even if it is just a populist, will be hated by both the liberal factions (Dem and Republican).

Secondly, who was it that Micheal Reagan said was the next Ronald Reagan after saying that he never thought he'd see another person like his father? (HINT: It wasn't Duncan Hunter.)

Michael Reagan has heaped praise upon Duncan Hunter on more than one occasion, in more than glowing terms. One can forgive him if he got wrapped up in the moment... I wonder if he feels the same, now that she has come out *for* the bailout* and *for* some sort of amnesty? I would bet he has changed his mind. I know that Hunter has not.

As to the maligning of his record regarding spending, that has been addressed ad nauseum in the primary by many, many people.

Well, that is certainly one way to avoid addressing the issue. In the best Clintonian "old news"tradition I might add.

The point is, perhaps he's not as a "purebred" conservative as you would like everyone to believe. He's obviously very conservative, as is Palin, but if you want to start a ridiculous game of nitpicking, that can go both ways, as I've shown.

Yet, you continue to miss the point. Over and over. And over again. Are you blue in the face yet? It seems that is your goal, as you want to draw me into a debate about who is more conservative, when I continue to tell you that it matters not. Palin is conservative enough. Your argument that the most conservative candidate is going to win is ridiculous. I guess if someone more conservative than Hunter gets in the race, Hunter is finished! LOL

I wonder if your head would have exploded from an overload of contradictions should McCain have tabbed the Huckster to be his running mate. You know Huckabee destroyed the GOP party and conservatism in Arkansas, yet there was Hunter to endorse him when he dropped out. Wow, some GREAT judgment there. NOT. Thank God McCain tabbed Palin and NOT Huckabee!

I keep hearing "it's not a popularity contest!". Well, no kidding. It's also not a "most conservative contest". It's a blend of the 2 among other things. Palin is off the charts on popularity and very high on the conservative list. Since Hunter is, as you would have us believe, the most conservative person to ever walk the face of the earth, let's just give him that distinction. On the "popularity" chart, nobody even knows who he is, per your own admission...EVEN AFTER RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT! Do you realize the admission that you made? Hunter runs for President and STILL hardly any conservatives know who he is. Palin shows up and runs for VP and is an INSTANT STAR. If you can't see what a HUGE advantage she has RIGHT NOW, you are being willfully blind, in which case I can't help you.

You are like a groupie for a band that puts out a song and couldn't get it played on the radio, no matter what they tried. You are so blinded by your devotion that you just can't accept the fact that your "guy" doesn't do "it" for anyone else except a very, very small number of people. You can't accept it that another conservative has "come out of nowhere" and stolen the limelight. Well, life isn't always fair.

But don't take my word for it. Here's one of the other of tens of millions of people that "get it":

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/palin_1.php

And PLEASE spare me another reply about how conservative Hunter is, lest I have to tell you once again that you are missing the point. The vast, vast majority of conservatives are WILD about Palin. As you yourself noted, the vast, vast majority of conservatives don't know who Hunter is, EVEN AFTER HE RAN FOR PRESIDENT and did how many debates and interviews? In politics, perception IS reality.