Sarah Is Indomitable
Posted on 06/14/2011 4:20:58 PM PDT by parksstp
Okay Folks, Enough is Enough!
I have enjoyed participating in this forum for a long time because I enjoy supporting the conservative values people like JimRob, the Tea Party, and other decent Americans hold dear to. It's obvious we are in the fight of our lives for the long-term survival of this country. 2012 is clearly a major turning poing that could very well decide whether or not America survives.
Because of this importance, it is paramount we select the right candidate, the true conservative that will stand with us on all the conservative specturms (social, economic, domestic, and foreign policy). We absolutely cannot settle for another RINO or Democrat-lite candidate.
Many people here have been passionate in support of "their" candidate. Others have expressed gloom and doom with no hope of survival. Still others have taken the "my candidate or nothing" road. I want to address these.
Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum (listed alphabetically). All of these individuals have strong conservative credentials, and based on what I know, I would feel comfortable and empowered with supporting any of them in a general election against Obama. Nobody is ever perfect, but these four individuals have shown time and time again that they have the character and the heart to direct the country in the "right" direction.
That being said, I have become alarmed and disheartened at the amount of attacks generated against these folks by posters on this board claiming to be conservative. I have seen Michele Bachmann absolutely brutalized for one reason or another, being labeled a "phony, stalking-horse, RINO, inexperienced, unintelligent". I have also seen Herman Cain get hammered as an "Establishment guy, Anti-2nd Amendment, TARP loving RINO". And some people just can't let the whole Santorum/Spector thing rest. It's like many posters for whatever reason want to turn reality on its head.
I know a lot of people on this board like and support Bachmann, Cain, and Santorum. Personally, I really like Michele and her debate performance last night strengthened my opinion of her. As I said before, I could easily support any of them.
I think many of the Palin supporters feel the same way too (that is, if she decided not to jump in, they could support one of the three above without much reservations). And many of us supporting one of the three candidates listed above, could possibly move to the Palin camp if she got in without any problems.
However, there appears to be a strong minority of the Palin supporters on this forum that are trying hard to deliberately suck the life out of any other conservative candidate who might actually be just as able to carry the conservative banner in the 2012 election. The notion of these folks is that Palin is the only "true conservative" who can do no wrong and that any other candidate claiming to be a conservative in this race is simply a "wolf in sheeps clothing", and that we should simply wait for her entry into the race so that she can be rightfully "annoited". After all, they say, once she enters, the debates against the other conservatives will be useless because she is already obviously the winner!
As someone that believes in conservative values and independent thought, I reject this notion and take great offense to the attacks these people have thrown on Bachmann, Cain, and Santorum.
I like Sarah Palin a lot. I love how she has learned to torture the media and turn the game on them. It's clear she is the most charasmatic of all the conservative indiviudals listed. Beleive me, it would be awesome watching her win on Election Night just to see the reaction of the liberal media (I predict Olbermann would hang himself). She's more than capable to be President.
But Sarah Palin isn't the only conservative. And contrary to some people here, she isn't an object to be worshipped. This type of infatuation always leads to disappointment, because NO candidate is perfect.
I like Michelle Bachmann. And I like Herman Cain too. And if either of these individuals ever made it to the WH at the top of a ticket, then I believe are country would be in good shape.
So I'm asking nicely to please, stop the attacks on the other conservatives in this race. These people are not rivals, they're allies. Let them each state their case to the American people, then take a step back, and make a good, rationale, objective decision.
P.S. By "Conservative Candidates" I do not mean Romney or other RINOS (those folks are fair game)
The Bachmann supporters are already trying to pretend that what Rollins said wasn't a big deal, is old news, and that Bachmann doesn't bear any responsibility for what was said by one of her own senior campaign advisors. I guess we won't see a 'Buck stops here' placard on her desk anytime soon.
I responded to this yesterday
...anytime you try to debate Palin, it could be as simple as you don’t like her voice.That's debating? LOL, that's pretty deep!
Got *crickets* after my reply to that
Poofters punch like girls, and then act like them when punched back.
Hmm, does the name Chuck Devore ring a bell?
If Bachmann made an error in judgement hiring Rollins, then what did Palin do using her star power to endorse non-Conservative candidates such as Carly Fiorina? She apparentally even had a staffer that told the Devore supporters to “get over it” that their candidate had no chance in hell of winning, despite being the most conservative candidate in that race. Or supporting McCain for his reelection bid? And if you try to say she was just “paying the party dues”, then what the hell do you think Santorum was doing when he endorsed Spector?
Do I really care about the above? Not really. Palin endorsing someone like Fiorina or McCain doesn’t make me think she’s sold out or is any less conservative. And neither does Bachmann’s hiring of Rollins.
Rollins is a political consultant by trade. His job is to help his client get elected, or he loses his job. Rollins got hired because he had success taking a candidate in 2008 from Tier 2 to Tier 1, which essentially gave McCain the nomination, but more importantly, Huckabee’s success led toward the derailment of Mitt Romney’s 2008 bid. Rollins knows how to deal with Romney and get under his skin. And Bachmann, a Tier 2 candidate with strong support from Huckabee-type social conservatives , is hoping to follow the same path Hucakbee did with the following:
1. Ames Straw Poll win
2. Continued success at the debates and in the polls which forces Romney to take notice and drag him into firing the “first shot” like he did in 2008. Acheiving this would be an admission of the Romney campaign that he is vulnerable. This is why I believe you haven’t seen Michele go after Romney yet.
3. Dealmaking if you have to, to keep the momentum out of Romney’s hands. (Herman Cain/Rick Santorum) would be the players here.
That’s not a bad strategy. The difference between 2008 and 2012 is that Huckabee largely had his base to himself. Fred got in late and made a run for it in SC, but overall Huckabee had the South locked up.
Rollins “problem” is that he is faced with the notion of Sarah Palin getting into the race. His comments leads me to believe that he thinks she’s getting in regardless of how well Michele does during the campaign. He knows Palin’s charisma would be enough to pull a good chunk of the Bachmann voters away. I think he’s weary of “playing nice” because it won’t bring in any new voters to Bachmann. So the idea was to come up with a comment, that while critical, was not meant to be so sharp, but was a pre-emptive attempt to try and keep Palin out, but not turn things so ugly as to eliminate any chance of a Palin endorsement should she decide to stay on the sidelines and play kingmaker.
Obviously Rollins failed at this, which is why he tried to clean up the comments the following night, but that didn’t make it any better. I’m not going to condone this part of the strategy because I believe its stupid. But Politics is politics. What’s really a shame about this is Rollins has tied Michele to essentially go negative if/when Palin enters, which is very unfortunate. The Palin staff meanwhile, will be completely off the hook. They know when she gets in, they’ll pick off enough support from the Bachmann/Cain supporters without ever having to go negative, which will elevate Palin further as “the candidate above the fray”. The more I think about it, the more I beleive that if Palin is getting in, it will be very close to the Iowa Caucus, like mid-January, followed by a 3-week blitzkrieg accross the state. The sheer excitement and short-notice of this even would almost prevent any other campaign from responding in a timely manner..
My point is Palin like Bachmann, Bachmann like Palin, they’re both good and decent people, and in the end, one’s probably going to end up endorsing the other without reservation.
If I’m running the Bachmann campaign, I stick to the original three points of the good part of the strategy listed above and avoid the negative comments. They’re not going to be able to control Palin’s entry. The best they can do is raise Michele’s positives like she was on Monday night.
Here’s another point of Bachmann Derangement Syndrome;
No one with a brain would ever believe MB stands true to the failed policies of Carter she helped campaign for in the mid-70’s. The last 35 years seems to suggest she actually learned the conservative truth by struggling through the lies of liberalism.
I wasn’t aware one had to be born a conservative at birth in order to be one. No wonder we have such a hard time finding liberal converts to conservatism. Why take the message to them if it’s just a waste of time? /extreme sarc
Sarah Is Indomitable
Good post and very true. Remember conservatives are usually ex liberals that actually grew up. LOL As I said earlier, my husband voted for Carter. He was a young guy. Now, he wouldn’t listen to a lib more than 10 seconds.
Nice job of tap-dancing around the key point. Namely, that Rollins alienated a large part of the base that Bachmann would need with his comments about Palin. And Bachmann refused to slap Rollins down for it.
Which shows that Bachmann apparently doesn't grasp how she is going to build her own base. Which she will need to do in order to win the nomination and the general. She may indicate the ability to learn from mistakes, but I haven't seen it so far.
Thank you. Excellent post.
Are you feeling the love from the Palinites? ;)
Every poll, even FOX News polls, that show Palin crahing and burning among ALL voters is dismissed by the Palin Worshippers as a conspiracy. The Sarah Palin Cult of Personality could very well reelect Obama.
We are running out of time and the "Palin or Nobody!" crowd needs to start asking themselves if they want to defeat Obama in 2012 or merely worship Sarah Palin regardless of the reality of the Real World.
For many on FR, nominating Sarah Palin is the only goal they seek even if 65% of all voters have said that they would "definitely NOT" vote her her?
So, does that mean I am for Romney?
No. I am simply not crazy enough to guarantee the reelection of Barack Hussein Obama by irrationally supporting a candidate that cannot possibly win a Presidential election.
Of all the debaters in the recent Republican debate, most American voters would choose .... drum roll , please, .....
Bill Clinton did not announce his first winning candidacy until October of the year before the election. The GOP has until around October of 2011 to attract a strong conservative candidate whose poll numbers are not lower than whale scat at the bottom of the ocean and who can actually defeat Obama.
So, who is my candidate?
My candidate has not yet entered the race so I have no idea who he/she may be. However, my candidate:
1.) Is a conservative and not a phony like Romney that supports or is against abortion depending on who his target audience is: Liberal Massachusetts Senate race = Pro-Choice Romney. GOP Primary race = Pro-Life Romney.
2.) Has executive experience that the average American voter can be impressed by and not merely half a term as Governor of a State with half the population of San Diego, California. Multiple (and complete) terms as Governor of a State the size of Texas, for example, would be nice.
3.) Has a resume that would not be laughed off the stage if the candidate were male and had white skin. "Hi, I'm a white guy, a former CEO of a national pizza chain, and I want you to make me President of the United States." "Hi, I'm a white guy, have been a Congressman since waaaaay back in January of 2007 and I want you to make me President of the United States."
4.) Has polling data that is NOT so toxic that 64% or 65% of ALL voters have already decided that they will "definitely NOT" vote for him/her. Sixty four percent of ALL voters said that they definitely would NOT have voted for Donald Trump. Sixty five percent of ALL voters say that they definitely will NOT vote for Sarah Palin.
5.) In short, my candidate is a conservative that can actually WIN Presidency of the United States instead of being George McGovern-Version 2012.
If that candidate does not show up before October of 2011, America will be in very deep kim-chee.
That candidate may turn out to be Texas Governor Rick Perry:
Governor Sarah Palin's Endorsement of Governor Rick Perry
"That's why I am supporting Governor Rick Perry for re-election. He does what is right regardless of whether it is popular. He walks the walk of a true conservative. And he sticks to his guns – and you know how I feel about guns!" ..... Sarah Palin
You make a good case for Perry, but for now my support goes to Bachmann. The tow might make a good ticket.
Wait. There’s disagreements about candidates? Here? At Free Republic? Seriously?
Thank you.
Folks support who you want, but please lets return to some sanity.
There are several good sound people out there. Tearing them down even though your candidate hasn’t and may not decide to run is very destructive.
Attacking each other here is even more destructive.
The only thing being accomplished by this is the splintering of an important tool for Conservatism.
I know many of you have become great supporters of a particular political figure. I encourage that, but we still need to be able to discuss maters rationally, not taking the other person’s head off just because they’re not as big a fan as you are of a certain person.
We should be able to address positives and negatives as long as there is basis to do so.
If we can’t do that, it makes it look like we’re afraid to address or accept reality.
After his Pigford vote, I am currently reevaluating West. Bad move on his part IMO, there are some things that just scream, WTH.
Good post.
How dare they become candidates before Sarah announces whether or not she is or is not going to be a candidate ? That is an attack in itself. Instead of entering the race they should all be asking her to run. They can all wait to decide until after she announces.
:) That seems to be the mindset.
That commandment only applies to Republicans.
Not all conservatives are stupid enough to live within the "Big political echo chamber Tent" otherwise known as the Republican Party.
Only one goal here, get Obama and crew out. We can work on perfecting the system once we’ve rescued it.
The Republican Party already had its chance - from 2000 to 2006, it controlled two out of three branches of the Federal government - and blew it even harder than Monica did to Bill.
The Republican Party betrayed conservatives' trust multiple times already...and now its operatives here on FR have the shameless audacity to ask conservatives to turn around and bend over again???
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Either things get fixed now or never.
Anything else is merely making excuses to elect one of the many liberal traitors in the Republican Party.
"A violation of this chapter may be investigated within two years after discovery of the alleged violation."
IOW...
If an "alleged violation" were to be discovered today then the clock to file a complaint would start ticking today and go for two years from today.
If those hundreds of eyes reading through those thousands of e-mails "discover" grounds to file any complaints for "alleged violations" then Palin must answer them.
IMO, this is the reason for the data dump...to find enough behaviour that rises to the very low threshold of "alleged violation" that the stream of ethics complaints could be started at any time in the next two years or longer.
If Palin announces, the complaints could begin and would continue on a regular basis. Her campaign would be de-railed. Her bank account would be hit.
Or, if she were to get the nomination then the complaints could start, her campaign would be de-railed and we would get dear leader redux.
It would be foolish to think that Palin does not know this.
Well, good for you, parksstp. When I want to hold hands and sing "Kumbaya", I'll build my own campfire, thanks...
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