Sarah Palin and Scott Brown set the United States frothing

The Sunday Times ^ | 14 February 2010 | Christina Lamb

[IbJensen]

She is a former beauty queen; he is a one-time nude model. She has written a bestselling memoir; he is negotiating a contract to write one. Both drive pick-up trucks and base their appeal on folksy common sense.

The former Miss Wasilla and America’s sexiest man, aka Sarah Palin and Scott Brown, may sound like contestants in a celebrity game show. But to the bemusement of many Americans, the unlikely duo are the most visible Republicans in the country and may become rivals to Barack Obama in the next presidential election.

Two years ago most Americans had heard of neither. Palin was plucked from the icy wastes of Alaska, where she was governor, to be Senator John McCain’s running mate. Brown found himself catapulted to national celebrity a month ago after he unexpectedly won the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, which had been in Democrat hands for 50 years.

“Brown 4 Prez” speculation started the following morning. Overnight his favourite breakfast at a local cafe was renamed the Scott Brown special. On his first day at the Senate he was repeatedly asked “Are you going to run for president?” and the ScottBrown2012 domain name has been snapped up. Related Links

* Palm-reading Palin caught red-handed

* Palin has her sights on the White House

Darrell Delamaide wrote in The Wall Street Journal that Brown “is to the Republicans now what Barack Obama was to the Democrats in 2004 — a fresh face, a new voice, an ‘overnight success’ who has been working in politics for years”. It was no coincidence that Brown was the only Republican given a name check in his party’s response to Obama’s state of the union speech.

His election rattled Obama.

[doorgunner69]

So what's his point about Sarah being a beauty queen and Brown showing off his abs?

Zero is an admitted coke head with no executive experience, and Biden an exposed plagiarizer that had seizures.........so what's the point?

[BARLF]

Scott Brown wasn't born with a sliver spoon in his mouth, In fact Senator Brown made his own way up the ladder.

God Bless him!

[ully2]

Sarah Palin had to earn her own way through college, unlike Obama, who evidently went through on a foreign student scholarship and financial support by a Saudi Prince.

You mean he is a foreign student, must mean he doesn’t have a birth certificate.

[henry_reardon]

yeah, it’d be like Reagan-bush41

[BreezyDog]

"Palin was plucked from the icy wastes of Alaska"

"icy wastes"?...Makin' friends in Alaska... Idiots!

[Reagan Man]

LOL Not even close!

[Cicero]

Well, it’s still speculative, until the facts are released—if ever. But Obama roomed with a foreign student at Occidental college, and at that time it was customary for all the foreign scholarship students to live in a separate dorm. The presumption is that he was admitted on a scholarship as Barry Soetoro, Indonesian.

[proudpapa]

Politics is funny sometimes.

I wouldn’t want Scott Brown to be President. However, if he were to run with Palin it might make it difficult for the leftist media to make the case that she’s a hard right wing nutjob. (like me)

It also might help the GOP compete in areas that democrats have taken for granted for way too long.

Personally, my first choice for palin VP would be Sen. John Thune.

[Reagan Man]

If by funny you mean politics can be ironic at times, I might agree. However, embracing moderatism helps advance liberalism, not conservatism.

Besides, I seriously doubt Pro-Life Palin would choose a Pro-Roe/Pro-abort running mate. Not to mention Brown's support for big government RomneyCare, man made global warming and states rights choice for gay marriage. OTOH, I like Sen John Thune.

[Billthedrill]

What isn't obvious to foreign observers, even relatively well-informed ones, is the degree to which the U.S. media have become shamelessly and systemically partisan. This has the consequence of them mistaking the opinions expressed by the staffs of these partisans as indicative of American political opinion at large. It's a skewed impression, and the upshot is that any success by a conservative anywhere is breathlessly described as unforeseen, unprecedented, somehow illegitimate and vaguely but intensely threatening, and the conservative in question as inherently stupid and deeply flawed, one unerring sign of which is that he or she is conservative to begin with.

That places a tremendous barrier against any profound understanding of American political dynamics, and not only for foreign media. It is an institutional acceptance of two entirely different sets of standards. Has anyone tired of being reminded that 0bama has an advanced degree from Harvard? Does anyone remember that Bush did as well?

And so the ridiculously unjustified conclusion that one cannot be both conservative and intelligent unless one's conservatism is of the approved, tamed, East coast variety that performs its obeisances toward liberal pieties. How else to explain a David Brooks, a Kathleen Parker, a Peggy Noonan, a Christopher Buckley? This is the face of the American media to foreign observers, and when it is confounded, as it is in the cases of Brown and Palin, so too are the foreign observers. One suspects, however, that it is the foreigners who are more likely to awaken from their comfortable trance. The winds of revolution are blowing, and the Old Guard isn't even smart enough to tremble.

[proudpapa]

So, if you were Palin and you’ve wrapped up the nomination and internal polling data told you that it would be a toss-up if you selected Thune but that you would win by 20 Electoral Votes if you selected Brown what would you do?

The problem is that there are a few people who would accuse Sarah! of selling out...and not being true to her values if she selected Brown.

I wouldn’t be one of them. We simply can’t afford 8 years of Obummer.

[freedumb2003]

Very few pass the FR Conservative Litmus Test (Patent Pending).

Those found wanting are derided as RINOs. As of this time we have maybe 1.4 non-RINO candidates across all legislative seats including prospective President and Veep.

So, it is better to have a Commie democrat win than anyone who isn’t Pure.

Isn’t Purity wonderful?

[Reagan Man]

You said you were a “hard right wing nutjob”. Now you're sounding like a wishy-washy wimp!

There are several deal breakers and abortion is one of them. If you can not stand up for the God given inalienable right to life, you don't stand for anything and you don't deserve the vote from one conservative.

I would tell Brown to take an effin hike!

[Texas Eagle]

She is a former beauty queen; he is a one-time nude model.

And what sort of activities did Chairman O engage in before entering politics?

[rdb3]

So, it is better to have a Commie democrat win than anyone who isn’t Pure.

Isn’t Purity wonderful?

It's just peachy.

[grey_whiskers]

You're begging the question.

Recall what was said about Reagan in the run up to the '80 election:

Carter Campaign Ad.

Nice try, though.

[freedumb2003]

>>You’re begging the question.

Recall what was said about Reagan in the run up to the ‘80 election:<<

No offense, my friend, but you misunderstand my post.

[grey_whiskers]

OK, please explain.

I've had a shot of bourbon after dinner and my already-slow neurons are now down to Biden-speed.

Cheers!

[freedumb2003]

>>I’ve had a shot of bourbon after dinner and my already-slow neurons are now down to Biden-speed.<<

If they are THAT slow, then no amount of ecxplanation will help. But, I’ll take a flyer...

My point is that there are many MANY here at FR and in the Conservative side of things who, WHEN ALL ATTEMPTS TO GET A CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE HAVE FAILED, will not vote or vote 3rd party (thus voting democrat). These are the people who gave us the current TOTUS-reader and his reichstag.

Also, the litmus test is broad — one person’s RINO is another’s staunch conservative.

Bottom Line: The perfect is the enemy of the Good. And it is better to hold your nose to keep our enemies at bay than it is to satisfy your sense of “purity” and put our enemies in office.

[SmartInsight]

“He (Scott Brown) joined the Massachusetts Army National Guard when he was 19, receiving his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey,[14] and attending Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) classes at the campus of Northeastern University.[19] He has been active in the Guard for about 30 years and has risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.”