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I think we are all on the same page here. I personally really like her and much like the two of you just have a gut feeling about her. I know that she is still “green” in some ways but I think in leadership experience, as we saw last go-round, she still had more experience (executive) than any other candidate on the tickets.

I still don’t see anyone on the scene other than Sarah who I geniunely trust and think they have more than themselves on the forefront of their mind. There are several republican politicians who just appear way too slick to me and I think they want to run for national office to fulfill their own egotistical ambition. That to me is not where this country needs to go - I’m worried because of how much the establishment controls our nation and completely forgets about “us.” It’s no wonder why we are on the precipice of something big and it doesn’t seem like it will be big in a good way.

I too, have not been able to put my finger on what it is about Sarah that really strikes me as something hopeful, but I just get this sense that she has huge potential to be a great leader much like Margaret Thatcher. It’s my gut feeling, but in the meantime I make sure that I also keep on top of what she is doing as well as the other possible 2012 contenders. SO far I have really liked what she has done as governor after she has gone back to run AK after the election and have tried to take the time to look back at her record previously. She is not perfect by any means but I don’t think anyone is... but I really want people in our nation to see beyond elitism, popularity and get back to principles and substance - Sarah Palin is one of those politicians that exemplifies that to me... I hope I’m not wrong :-)

Time will tell and we will see where each candidate falls on the issues and who will actually run in the future...

Here is something I wrote to another poster with some examples as well: For the SoCons, arguably her strongest suit, The primary issue is Pro-Life. Does she support the main-line Pro-Life position that Life is a Constitutional matter? No, she does not. She believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and the issue should be returned to the states. So right away, Life becomes a wedge issue, dividing the Christian Right in the primary. Do you suppose the Value Voters, whom the Republicans ignored the last time around, are going to give her a pass? But does it? I know many independents and moderates who believe that it should be a state issue and it's a way to win both sides. You may have your opinion but that's all it is. I think the mere fact that Palin chose life over abortion speaks to more people along the lines of constitutional right to life than anything else. People will put example and real life choices over words anyday. And then here is something else I recently posted on another website regarding the pro-life issue and the effect it had on me: I'm a 27 year old female who was always pro-choice but didn't believe that to be an important voting platform. I have to admit that I was never as political as I am now and can honestly say the only reason I ever got involved was due to Sarah Palin. Never before had I been exposed to a pro-life female on the national stage, which made an incredible impact on me. The minute that Sarah walked out onto the stage for the RNC speech in September I found myself leaping out of my seat and clapping at least five different times. There was something so captivating, authentic and geniune about this woman and how different she appeared when compared to the rest of the political elite. Right off the bat I felt like I could trust her and she epitomized what was missing in D.C. As I listened to her speeches and even attended another rally in Pennsylvania, I also felt my heart change and my stance on life. Because of how she was able to communicate what it actually means and because I could feel how powerful her words were due to the meaning they held for her, I couldn't help but change my mind. I now understand that the choice to end a life, if it were to happen to me, would be a completely selfish and heartless act due to an irresponsible decision I made. There is absolutely no reason that an innocent child should have to suffer because of a mistake I made. Sarah Palin has changed this one young lady's mind and there is nobody else on the political scene that I admire more. And here are some other notes regarding some spending/earmarks and fiscal issues: Look at the comparison between her operating budget in 2008 to Mirkowski's in 2007: FY2007 Operating budget(Murkowski's budget) $11,697,400,000 FY2008 Operating Budget(Palin's budget) $9,813,000,000 When revenue sky rockets in your state, it is important to not only put money in the bank and save it for a rainy day, which she did to the tune of $5 billion. The increased revenue needs to make it back into the hands of the people via services or a check. Governor Palin did both. The people of Alaska received an extra $1200 in addition to their Permanent fund checks, plus she increased spending on education and infrastructure projects. This is a good use of the extra revenue. Rather than keep the extra revenue in some bucket in the back office (just being a little bit of a wise arse) she used it for things that are valuable investments in the future for her state. She also gave the money to her constituents and the constitution of AK already requires that revenues/royalties be collected and are given back to the state - rather than increase the government rolls she gave the money back so the government would remain small and limited. Did Governor Palin increase spending? Absolutely not! FY 2009 Operating Budget: $11,200,000,000 ($11.2B) FY 2010 Operating Budget: $9,700,000,000 ($9.7B) Net Cut in Operating Budget: $1,500,000,000 Total Percentage Cut in Operating Budget: 13.4% FY 2009 Capital Budget: $2,632,000,000 (after Governor Palin vetoed $268 million) FY 2010 Capital Budget: $1,800,000,000 Net Cut in the Capital Budget: $832,000,000 Total Percentage Cut in Capital Budget: 31.7% Overall FY 2009 Budget: $13,832,000,000 Overall Proposed FY 2010 Budget: $11,500,000,000 Net Reduction in the Overall Budget: $2,332,000,000 Total Percentage Cut in Overall Budget: 16.8% When it comes to budgets, this is a huge number. HUGE! Earmark reform: And, it would seem that not only has she talked the talk on this issue, she's walked the walk. In former Gov. Frank Murkowski's final year in office, he requested 63 earmarks worth about $350 million. In Gov. Palin's first year in office, she requested 52 earmarks worth about $256 million dollars. Last year, she requested 31 earmarks worth about $197 million. Her office has not yet released the total number of earmarks she requested this year. Just wanted to give some specifics as well as my personal feelings :)