"Vote for my dad. He's a progressive Republican."
Posted on 03/29/2010 5:37:42 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
Seeing my father reunited with Sarah Palin this weekend reminded voters of what might have been and presented an energizing glimpse of the future of conservative politics.
My father formally kicked off his Senate reelection seat this weekend, and once again Sarah Palin was by his side. Although I did make it home, unfortunately I couldn’t get back in time for the rally in Tucson because of a previously scheduled speech in Washington. Soon after I landed, I was immediately swept back into to the 2008 campaign fever, which for the most part feels like a lifetime ago. Fresh off the rally in Tucson, where Gov. Palin endorsed my father for his Senate run, I had some time to talk to one of his veteran staffers. The direct quote from one of my old friends from the campaign was, “It was like the last 18 months didn’t even happen. It was weird to see them together again.” Another member of the 2008 team uploaded a picture from the rally onto Facebook with the tagline “flashback,” followed by comments from fellow campaign alums.
The political reunion of my father and Sarah Palin has allowed the public and pundits to project whatever it is they want to see in this pair. If you are nostalgic for the glory days of the 2008 election, then seeing the Republican ticket together again is a glimpse of what could have been and a reminder of the power that occurs when two political stars stand on stage together. To this day, there is no denying that Palin’s wattage continues to increase—witness her new reality-TV show—and I have no doubt this will get more intense as we head to the midterm elections.
On the other hand, if you are pro-Obama, then seeing McCain-Palin onstage again also reminds you of what could have been and allows you to gloat about how much better off we are now. Reporting on this weekend’s rally, Gawker quipped: “Wormhole Opens in Arizona, Offers Chilling Glimpse of Alternate Reality.”
For me, I respect and appreciate Sarah Palin’s involvement with my father’s reelection campaign—especially because he is running against a Tea Party candidate. The former Alaska governor is an icon of that movement and she still chose to endorse my father. Much like my father’s campaign workers, I experienced a weird disconnect this weekend, thinking that so many things have changed in the past 18 months and then again so many things have not.
On one hand, the two are still as iconic as they ever were, and the media is still just as obsessed with nitpicking and reading into every inane detail of their relationship. (Typically, the Internet exploded with trenchant commentary about the leather jacket Palin wore.)
I just don’t remember this weird fascination over the relationship between Al Gore and Joe Lieberman or John Kerry and John Edwards. And at this point, it’s hard to imagine a time in which there won’t be a media firestorm whenever my father and Sarah Palin get together.
On the other hand, I wonder whether this obsession with McCain-Palin: The Sequel says more about the current administration and the Democrats’ holding power in Washington. When audiences saw the 2008 ticket reunited this weekend, they were once again energized by a 30-year veteran of the Senate and a relative newcomer to the national stage, a woman who represents the future of conservative politics to many. I think people got excited because in my father and Sarah Palin they see the best of both Republican worlds.
And they still love what they see.
Not even JD himself is going to fall for the usual 'Palin is the enemy' crap. Even HE gets it.
BLITZER: You know that Sarah Palin who was his running mate says she's going to support John McCain and try to get him that nomination instead of you. How do you feel about that?And there's this gem from JD:HAYWORTH: Well, I think we all understand the impulse of gratitude in politics and obviously Senator McCain, one of the decisions I applaud him for was putting Sarah Palin on the ticket. I think it gave great excitement to the Republican base and I can understand why she's coming here. But what's interesting, Wolf, in the social media, as I understand it, there's a new page on Facebook, Sarah Palin fans for JD but in the final analysis, it's not Sarah Palin from Alaska, It's Sarah Boyd in Scottsdale and others like her. Arizonans will decide who will be the next senator from this great state.
VIDEO:"I look forward to having Mrs. Palin's support following the primary on August 24th."
They wouldn’t have let you within 50 miles of your old man while he’s playing conservative.
Pissant, is that you?
Please! Send money to J.D. Hayworth today!
they don’t love what they see in yer daddy dearie.
but politics are local in this case and Arizona ain’t what it was in Zane Grey’s imagination anyhow
Rabs, did you ask Juan for his daughter’s hand yet?
Oh we all know you’d like to make her your queen. It will only cost you a box of twinkies and a cold bud.
McCains campaign is hanging onto Palin’s skirt.
"Vote for my dad. He's a progressive Republican."
Send money to JD folks - I did. The whole McCain clan is awful.
LOL! Oh man...
Aside from Meghan does anyone give a damn what that peabrain thinks?
“If you are nostalgic for the glory days of the 2008 election”
She’s unhinged.
Is that fat media whore on her 16th minute yet?
We have to CONSTANTLY watch our own Republicans, even within our own ranks of Conservatism. At one time I was a big supporter of Lindsey Graham for example, due to his behavior in the Impeachment Hearings in the House. And look how HE turned out. Orrin Hatch. Lugar. These kinda guys. Gingrich is another one. I thought GWB might turn out OK and then I got the education of my life about this insanity known as "Compassionate Conservatism (sic)".
Nope. Nobody gets a free pass. Not even, God Bless her, Governor Sarah Palin I'm afraid.
Not if one is a doctrinaire, principled Conservative (capital "C") republican (small "r").
JD's statement kinda sucks the wind out of Rabscuttle's sails, doesn't it?
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