Posted on 11/21/2010 12:52:50 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
In a National Review Online column on November 19, Mona Charen provided an explanation of why she believes Sarah Palin shouldn’t run for President. She argued that after the 2008 campaign, Palin “quit her job as governor after two and a half years…and seemed to chase money and empty celebrity.” She asserted that “Palin seems consumed and obsessed” by the media, labeled Palin’s new TLC show, Sarah Palin’s Alaska, a “cheesy entrant in the reality-show genre,” and took issue with the fact that Sarah and Todd sit in the Dancing with the Stars audience “cheering on their unwed-mother daughter.” She opined that Palin’s “endorsement of Christine O’Donnell was irresponsible and damaging” and suggested that “She would be terrific as a talk-show host — the new Oprah.”
First and foremost, let’s address one of Charen’s opening points as to why Palin should sit 2012 out. She stated, “Americans will be looking for sober competence, managerial skill, and maturity — not sizzle and flash.” Perhaps a walk down policy lane is in order.
As Governor, Sarah Palin actualized AGIA, the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, the largest private sector infrastructure project in North American history. Palin’s administration opened up drilling for oil and gas at Point Thomson for the first time in several decades. As Governor, Palin reduced earmark requests for Alaska by 80%, established Alaska’s Petroleum Integrity Office to oversee safe energy development, placed the state checkbook online, and reduced spending for Fiscal Year 2010 by over one billion dollars from Governor Murkowski’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget. Palin signed ACES, Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share bill, into law, incentivizing development and ensuring that Alaskans would receive a “clear and equitable” share of oil profits. She cut costs by selling a private jet purchased by the previous governor and saying “no thank you” to the Executive Mansion’s personal chef. She has served as Chairperson of the AK Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and Vice Chair of the National Governors Association Natural Resource Committee. Prior to her time as Governor, Palin served as Mayor of Wasilla, AK, and city council member in Wasilla. She has also been involved in running a commercial fishing business with her husband Todd.
“Sober competence, managerial skill, and maturity,” indeed.
Charen asserted that Palin’s statement to Barbara Walters that she believes she could defeat President Obama “has dimmed hopes cherished by sensible Republicans that she might decide against a run for the White House in 2012.” Well, it’s not the first time I haven’t fallen into the “sensible” VIP league of the Washington elite. On that note, let’s shift on over to Sarah Palin’s Alaska, Dancing with the Stars, and all that drives the GOP highbrows wild.
Sarah Palin has done something that no-one since President Reagan has been bold enough to do: just be herself. Sure, she’s a prominent political figure. Yes, she was a 2008 Vice Presidential candidate. But she’s also a mom, a wife, a hunter, a fisherwoman, and a plain old American just like you and me. In her new TLC show, Palin’s not afraid to show you how proud she is of the beauty of her state, a state which is so often discarded as unimportant – despite extensive energy and national security clout – by the likes of New York and California elites. She’s not afraid to speak in her folksy accent, to invite you inside her very regular American home, to let you watch her accept the challenge to climb Mt. McKinley, and do the dirty work of wiping slime off of newly-caught halibut.
Simply put, she’s not afraid to just be Sarah Palin. And in our phony, snobby, chameleon-happy political world, that is priceless.
Kudos to Sarah Palin for cheering on her daughter, who has had the commonsense wisdom to express, “They’re going to criticize me no matter what I do, so I might as well dance.” Kudos to Palin for placing principles over party by endorsing the only conservative choice in the Delaware Senate race this 2010 election season, Christine O’Donnell. Palin seems to understand that a Republican “gain” by a closet lefty isn’t a gain at all.
Also, when faced with frivolous, baseless ethics charges made by political operatives, which was costing her state millions of dollars and her staff thousands of hours to refute, kudos to Palin for having done the right thing. That’s right, she resigned. And it wasn’t to preserve her political future. It was to ensure that the Governor’s office could get back to what was important – the day-to-day work of protecting Alaska and its citizens.
As a parting thought, let’s revisit a segment from radio host and bestselling author Mark R. Levin’s November ninth monologue: [In] 1976 … Ronald Reagan was running against Gerald Ford. There were conservatives all over the country who were lining up behind Gerald Ford. ‘Reagan’s too extreme, Reagan is a B actor, Reagan is this, Reagan is that, he can’t win, he can’t win.’”
Sound familiar?
Regardless of what her future plans may be, Sarah Palin is certainly qualified to step up to the plate in 2012 if she so chooses – Facebook posts, mountain climbing, and dancing daughter included.
Your choices show you don't take issue with those who believe in overly-strong government.
That leaves only self-serving weasels or those who cannot stand up either to domestic OR foreign enemies as acceptable. (*) I agree that Mitt is probably the best choice for you under your conditions.
(*)(Yes, I include Powell in this; he was the one who urged us not to finish the job in Gulf War I.
I love what Sarah Palin stands for. But when she speaks I want to put a bullet in my brain. It is worse than nails on a chalkboard. Can’t she learn how to speak properly? And I DON’T mean accent. I mean the terrible pauses and unbearable peaks and valleys of tone and pitch. Horrible.
Santorum is weak. He couldn’t even re-win Pennsylvania in the last Senatorial race - lost to a man weaker & dumber than him - Casey. He’s a nice man but not strong enough.
I like Haley Barbour. I like Michele Bachmann. I like a lot of candidates and I think every one of them should throw their hat in the ring. Let’s have the national covnersation about freedom, capitalism, and American exceptionalism. NO voice should be shouted down. That the elitists feel the need to shut Palin out of the process without letting the PEOPLE decide, says more about who they are than who Americans are.
Palin is not demanding the presidency. She has as much right as Romney, Santorum, Trump & Gingrich to take her best shot.
Thanks for keeping up the high standards of Free Republic to support those running for office on the basis of substantive issues.
(*) ...and I thought everyone was sick of Teh One because he came across as *too* polished and therefore insincere and maniupulative.
Cheers!
If only she could be like our Speechmaker in Chief, Obama the Orator.
One thing you have to know: When Palin speaks, people are listening. And she doesn’t lie.
> “Personally, I think karl and Barbara want Jeb to run,...” <
There’s the rub. They want Jeb to run.
Please, no more Bushes!
“Stay outta the Bushes!” - Jesse Jackson
I particularly liked the concise summary of her accomplishments in office. We need a lot more of that from our side. Sarah Palin has expressed her frustration recently (in the NY Times) that her record is being obscured by the MSM. As she said in the New York Times, "I want to talk about my record", while the MSM is interested in "distractions."
Jedediah Bila is doing her part in responding to distractions, this time from the Romney-pimping Mona Charen.
That only leaves people without credentials or experience as acceptable. I agree that Sarah is probably the best choice for you then under your conditions.
You are intentionally
> “Another sin of Sarah Palin is she does not seem to be making backroom deals in return for power and exposure. She owes no one except the people who vote for her and all she owes them is to keep her promises.” <
Palin is a woman of principle. The Establishement/Ruling Class Republicans hate her for it.
I’m also “on the fence about Palin for President.” I will continue to read and study about her as I don’t really see any other “Republican” with any sense of direction for Our Nation that she has.
BTW, your post was an excellent response to “Hospice Nurse.”
I am going to save it and repeat it to those that keep telling me “Palin’s not qualified!”
Great reply, thanks!!!
Ronald Reagan was CEO of of the 12th largest economy in the world for eight years before being elected president. How are Gore, Kerry, or Powell "better qualified"?
[So now we hate Mona Charen, Karl Rove, and Barbara Bush because they believe a candidate for president should have credentials.]
Romney has credentials out the butt and is the godfather of Obamacare. The Bushes have ivy league credentials and brought us to ruin. Obama is a Harvard boy.
So what’s your point?
But it's not good enough.
It's amazing how Obama suddenly becomes the standard of "experience" whenever Sarah Palin's lack of it comes up.
Half-term as governor! Mayor of Wasilla (pop. 7028)! Helped run a commercial fishing business!
One might concede that's (a little) more experience than Obama had .... but despite the claims of her sycophants it's not all that impressive for a prospective leader of the free world.
Haley Barbour’s stance on eminent domain is reasonable and well thought out.
It was a general statement, Jag, not a personal one. And it was accurate. Look at the comments on this thread.
Yes, but he's an elitist RINO member of the club. And he's fat.
(How'd I do?)
Like I said, you clearly don't take issue with abuses of power. Eminent domain should not be used to transfer private property to another private party.
Bologna.
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