Sarah Palin tells conservatives to branch out: ‘Stop preaching to the choir’

Yahoo! News ^ | March 16, 2013 | Chris Moody

[2ndDivisionVet]

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Sarah Palin may no longer hold public office, be a candidate for national office or have a paid contributor slot at a news network, but when put in front of a room full of conservatives, she still has no trouble riling up a crowd.

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference here Saturday, Palin was interrupted more than half a dozen times by standing ovations throughout a short red-meat speech, where she dinged the Republican Party and called on the conservative movement to be more inclusive. Palin, who delivered the keynote address at the same event last year, argued that Republicans acted "too calculated" and "scripted."

"Even our guys in the GOP too often have a habit of reading their stage directions, especially these days. They're being too scripted, too calculated. They talk about rebuilding the party. How about rebuilding the middle class?" Palin said. "They talk about re-branding the GOP instead of restoring the trust of the American people. Now, we can't just ignore, though, that we just lost a big election. Came in second. Out of two. Second position on the dog sled team--it's where the view never changes and the view ain't pretty."

"But we need to figure out then, our job. What will we do next?" she added. "Let's be clear about one thing: We're not here to re-brand a party. We're here to rebuild a country."(continued)

[2ndDivisionVet]

Since when does a paid contributor slot at a news network make one a national leader?

[John Galt's cousin]

people listen to Sarah.

[cripplecreek]

Unfortunately most conservatives are too lazy to do the heavy lifting and that’s just the voters.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

I disagree.

Last time we ended up with a self-centered candidate who chose to turn away his biggest unused asset.

Romney chose to refuse help, from Sarah.

Romney then lost.

I do not think the problem is conservatives. The problem was Romney.

And I supported him.

[bmwcyle]

The Press only invites the the RINOs to TV (even FOX).

[Cringing Negativism Network]

(after Sarah backed out, that is...)

[humblegunner]

It doesn’t.

[plain talk]

"It's time we all stop preaching to the choir," she said, "and let's grow."

Great advice!

[Louis Foxwell]

Since when does a paid contributor slot at a news network make one a national leader?

When she is a national leader.

[chris37]

I don’t understand what she’s saying.

Very few people preach conservatism to anyone.

Certainly not in the GOP.

As far as I can see, Rush and Mark are about it. Beck preaches Libertarianism, and Sean...I don’t really know.

When those sources are gone, it’s hard to imagine how anyone will be conservative, because there is no one to plant the seeds of the philosophy.

But there are plenty sources of seeds of the other philosophy, and the success of its growth is obvious and visible everywhere.

[rrrod]

She has a good point. There are conservatives out there that need to be brought into the fold. Then there are folks that dont even know they’re conservatives.

We need leadership that stands for something....then we win.

[cripplecreek]

When those sources are gone, it’s hard to imagine how anyone will be conservative, because there is no one to plant the seeds of the philosophy.

It doesn't help that other conservatives are ready to stomp the emerging sprout back into the dirt at the first opportunity.

[GOP Poet]

Sarah vision is clear, essential, and true as a seed that will ultimately feed the soul and the world. It is essential to her being and radiates at her every turn.

[huckfillary]

She’s wrong about preaching to the choir. Conservatives can only preach to the choir because the lame-stream media and academia control access. I often submit letters to the editor. I’ll submit the very same letter to a liberal newspaper and a conservative one. The liberal newspaper NEVER publishes my letters. The conservative one publishes them if they have the space. I mean, how many conservative speakers are invited to give commencement addresses at major universities? Has Rush Limbaugh ever been invited to address the graduating class of the Harvard School of Government? So give me a break, as long as conservatives are treated like a colony of lepers, we can only preach to the choir.

[chris37]

It just doesn’t seem like we are on any sort of path to recovering to what this country was, CC.

It seems like once free people die, they are not going to be replaced, because they didn’t make any more free people.

They didn’t pass it on. Instead they passed on something insidious.

I’m not sure how this could have happened, and it makes me sad.

[upchuck]

Ping.

[SoConPubbie]

where she dinged the Republican Party and called on the conservative movement to be more inclusive.

I listened to her whole speach and not once did I hear her say we needed to be more "inclusive" either explicitly or implicitly. I did hear say all kinds of things that can only be taken that we need to stick to our principles, that we don't need to "rebrand" the party.

I'm pretty sure this is just wishful thinking on the part of the author.

[cripplecreek]

It just doesn’t seem like we are on any sort of path to recovering to what this country was, CC.

Too busy seeking to punish to see the opportunities to build and strengthen.

The Detroit issue is a perfect example of an opportunity that most "conservatives" would rather let slip away so they don't lose a favorite whipping boy. They simply declare it to be the result of liberalism and move on but Detroit is not a terribly liberal city. The real problem is corrupt politicians and an apathetic population. That apathetic population provides a great opportunity for a conservative message of hope.

Now that Rick Snyder has appointed a top notch man (Kevin Orr) as financial manager which is a good start but it doesn't address the social ills of Detroit. However, Ben Carson is going to be giving a speech in Detroit next week to talk about rising above his less than ideal beginnings. What we need to be doing is encouraging more conservatives to take Carson's lead and get to Detroit and talk to the people about the foundations of faith and family. I don't like playing race politics but they'll probably need to be black conservatives in the beginning. Herman Cain, Alfonzo Rachael, Star Parker, Allen West etc.

I'm not even suggesting that conservatives need to dump money into Detroit, private money is being invested anyway. What I would like to see from conservatives is moral support and promotion of a conservative revival of Detroit. It seems like a small thing to do for a chance at a spectacular coup for conservatism and republicans. A regular old conservative moon landing.

I don't love cities but I'm smart enough to know that Sarah Palin nor Ronald Reagan would never say "Let it rot".

[cripplecreek]

BTW Sarah Palin posted this on twitter a couple of hours ago with the encouragement to share it around. She's talking my language.

[chris37]

You know I have to agree.

It seems like the best way to demonstrate conservatism, American principles, capitaism, free markets and freedom would be to employ those in areas where liberalism has destroyed.

Demonstrate, lead, show, rebuild. I think actions and results mean much more to people than empty speeches from washed up politicians. (Not Palin, but other GOP members such as Mccain and Jeb Bush and so many others.)

I think letting it rot is the complete wrong attitude to have. It is failure, negative, and teaches nothing.