Posted on 11/09/2008 4:58:41 PM PST by lewisglad
Politico: McCain staffers starting to rally to Palins defense
Nothing yet from Steve Schmidt, but foreign policy guru Steve Biegun and spokesman Tracy Schmitt among others are on the case.
That she remains a player and may be the partys nominee in four years would make it smart politics for Republican staffers to praise her in print. But those who went on the record suggest that they were doing so out of genuine affection for Palin and a sense that the image of her coming out of the election that of a self-absorbed conniver was not indicative of the person they knew.
Im appalled by it because Sarah Palin was one of nicest people I have ever had the chance to work with, says Biegun, a former Bush NSC aide. Ive worked in Washington for 20 years, on the Hill, in the White House and in the private sector, and she ranks at the highest levels of decency, kindness and graciousness of anybody Ive ever worked with.
Gov. Palin was a breath of fresh air, particularly for those of us whove been living in the Washington bubble, said Tracey Schmitt, the vice presidential nominees traveling spokeswoman and a veteran of the RNC and both Bush campaigns. Because she is a working mom, she brought a real sense of perspective to the campaign trail, which was important.
Two other McCain aides who were pressed unexpectedly into Palin duty also have only positive things to say about her now
One of the great developments of this campaign is the addition of Sarah Palin as a powerful and energetic new voice in American public life, said Taylor Griffin, a McCain press aide who had been focusing on economic issues until he was dispatched to Alaska in late August. Shes smart, insightful, and has an uncanny ability to ask the right questions.
Biegun is the one who approved the prank call from Sarkozy and was, apparently, quite graciously absolved for it by the Cuda afterwards.
Heres more on her diva-ness or lack thereof from Gretas show last night. Exit question: Romney likes to refer (awkwardly) to conservatism as a three-legged stool of strong military, strong economy and strong family. Palins cornered the market on the last one, but thats the least important insofar as Obamas first term will be defined by how well he handles the first two. If the economy comes back, Afghanistan improves, and he keeps the bomb out of Irans hands, no one will beat him in 2012. If, god help us, the economys still in the toilet and foreign policy is a shambles, well run on that. Either way, social conservatism wont matter much except to the extent that it usually does, as a basic litmus test to make sure the base turns out. In which case, whats the argument for Palin, whos young enough to wait and run in 2016, 2020, or even, conceivably, in 2032, when shed still be younger than Maverick was this year? Newt, on the other hand
Update: More from Biegun via Lowry at the Corner: He says theres no way she didnt know Africa was a continent, and whoever is saying she didnt must be distorting a fumble of words. He talked to her about all manner of issues relating to Africa, from failed states to the Sudan. She was aware from the beginning of the conflict in Darfur, which is followed closely in evangelical churches, and was aware of Clintons AIDS initiative. That basically makes it impossible that she thought all of Africa was a country.
On not knowing what countries are in NAFTA, Biegun was part of the conversation that led to that accusation and it convinces him somebody is acting with a high degree of maliciousness. He was briefing Palin before a Univision interview, and talking to her about trade issues. He rolled through NAFTA, CAFTA, and the Colombia FTA. As he talked, people were coming in and out of the room, handing Palin things, etc. She was distracted from what Biegun was saying, and said, roughly, Ok, whos in NAFTA, what the deal with CAFTA, whats up the FTA?her way, Biegun says, of saying rack them and stack them, begin again from the start. Somebody is taking a conversation and twisting it maliciously, he says.
OH PLEASE....so easy are some to throw in the towel.
Trust in the Force Luke!!!
Thread / my post from last night (very late) with link to orig. Politico article.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2128642/posts
Heh, it’s been roughly 34 years since we’ve had a pres. without significant executive experience when entering the office. (I AM counting Bush Senior’s VP experience, and not counting Gerald Ford’s VP experience.)
Can anybody get a transcript for that post election Palin interview? The link given doesn’t open for me, and, I always like to get a transcript anyway. Thanks!
great interview
off the cuff surrounded by the wolves
she is 10 times the man Obama will ever be with his hypnotic speech patterns and canned crap
damn right
Looks like you’ve put a lot of thought into your letter, I hope it reaches someone’s eyes who isn’t predisposed to tossing it in the garbage.
The r.n.c. is rife with vermin, rats and moles being the most common, so it’s a tossup if anyone who might be swayed by your words will ever see them.
Good luck and keep your head down, it’s still a long 4 years until we see the dawn again.
Let me make a suggestion as to what you should do to have the effect that you want. First, find out who your RNC delegates from Texas are. I remember one used to be, and may still be, Bill Crocker. Start writing him short, clear, concise letters WEEKY. This is to introduce yourself. Better yet, get a small group of like minded people to sign the letters. Takes an hour a week but it magnifies your power exponentially.
Once he knows who you are and that you are serious, you might follow with a call. Keep it cordial, you are on the same side. You just want to influence him.
If you like what you hear, ally with him. If not, oppose him. At this point you have power. Use it. Keep the letters flowing, preferably one issue per letter, short and sweet. If you are consistant and reasoned, he will start actually looking for your letters. I guarantee you, more doors will open. Look for them. Two or three paragraphs per week will magnify your power X 1000. In six months you will have more influence than 100,000 Republicans who don't write.
The only question is: Do you have the wherewithall to follow through or are you good for only a one page rant after an election? There are are lobbyists, and donors and interest groups but it all comes down to the voter. I was astounded at what a little paper and ink can do. I'm a nobody and it always flabbergasts me when I can call the Justice Department and the Attorney General takes my call personally. Or call my Senators and they return my calls personally.
ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why have they been silent?
Why is he remaining silent?
He carries a grudge, always has.
Here is McCain campaign finally defending Palin :D Finally
J. D. Kayworth, heard on radio station KFYI in Phoenix, has a blog entry labelled “Staff Infection” where he discusses who he thinks is behind this. Right or wrong, at least he’s disecting the smearing of Palin using his Washington DC connections and experience.
http://www.jdhayworth.com/blog/?p=45
On that note I called the RNC in DC (202-863-8500) and let them know I donated, made phone calls, blogged about the election ONLY because of Palin being added to the ticket and that if McCain didn’t get off his backside and in front of some cameras pretty darn fast I would never donate again. They claimed to be working hard to find out the source of the smears and said they’d put an end to it. We’ll see. Use option 2 if you call - that way you get a live person and not a voice mail.
Maybe he did MacisBack08, but he needs to do something PUBLICLY in front of cameras and news journalists to stop this. That is the only way the public and the voters will believe he ever did it.
“...if she runs for president in 2012, GOP elites will pull out the stops to take her down.”
That’s so true. The fact that she “took on her own party” sounded good in campaigning, but I’ll bet it scared the living crap out of the establishment GOPs who are all comfy in their positions, earmarks, goodies, etc. When it dawned on them that she was more than a token woman and pretty face, they had to take her down.
you said it all “Idiot People.” They follow SNL and other nit wit shows to get their news and GUIDANCE of whom to vote for. Did someone tell Tina Fey that she can stop impersonating the honorable Sarah Palin now? She (tina) evidently asked for someone to tell her when she can stop. In my opinion she could have stopped before she began. She liked the $$$$$$$$$$$$ though. Hey, if I disliked someone evidently like she did..there’s no amount of $$$ out there that would make me abandon my principles. So, that shows ou...$$$$ over brains.
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