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Cutting bait (Steyn on Palin)
NRO ^ | 7/3/09 | Mark Steyn

Posted on 07/03/2009 10:57:15 PM PDT by pissant

With respect to many of the Palinologists below, I think they're getting way too hepatomantic over the entrails.

As a political move for anything other than the 2010 Senate race, today's announcement is a disaster. And I'm not sure it's a plus for the Senate - and, even if it were, the manner and timing suggest it was not a professionally planned event and therefore is unlikely to have any grand strategy behind it.

So Occam's Razor leaves us with: Who needs this?

In states far from the national spotlight, politics still attracts normal people. You're a mayor or a state senator or even the governor, but you lead a normal life. The local media are tough on you, but they know you, they live where you live, they're tough on the real you, not on some caricature cooked up by a malign alliance of late-night comics who'd never heard of you a week earlier and media grandees supposedly on your own side who pronounce you a "cancer".

Then suddenly you get the call from Washington. You know it'll mean Secret Service, and speechwriters, and minders vetting your wardrobe. But nobody said it would mean a mainstream network comedy host doing statutory rape gags about your 14-year old daughter. You've got a special-needs kid and a son in Iraq and a daughter who's given you your first grandchild in less than ideal circumstances. That would be enough for most of us. But the special-needs kid and the daughter and most everyone else you love are a national joke, and the PC enforcers are entirely cool with it.

Most of those who sneer at Sarah Palin have no desire to live her life. But why not try to - what's the word? - "empathize"? If you like Wasilla and hunting and snowmachining and moose stew and politics, is the last worth giving up everything else in the hopes that one day David Letterman and Maureen Dowd might decide Trig and Bristol and the rest are sufficiently non-risible to enable you to prosper in their world? And, putting aside the odds, would you really like to be the person you'd have to turn into under that scenario?

National office will dwindle down to the unhealthily singleminded (Clinton, Obama), the timeserving emirs of Incumbistan (Biden, McCain) and dynastic heirs (Bush). Our loss.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Alaska
KEYWORDS: careerendingmove; chickenlittles; democratswin; fedindictmentcoming; gopimplosion; marksteyn; palin; quitter; sarahbarraquitta; soroswins
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To: DoughtyOne
If she never plans on running for president, she may have made the right decision. If she does, I won’t be supporting her. Not after this...

Words, words,.... and here are yours, not mine!!!

I do believe it is my duty to respect my fellow man I also believe that I fail that duty more often than I would like Here's to a constantly expended effort to do better

141 posted on 07/04/2009 12:38:50 AM PDT by danamco
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To: TigersEye
That wasn't the final vote count.
You are using a partial count from CNN on election night, prior to all the absentees being counted and such.

Here is the final vote count for both candidates.
 
142 posted on 07/04/2009 12:39:00 AM PDT by counterpunch (In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.)
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To: Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears

You have a point of view but you might want to read some of counterpoint’s recent posting history before you get into a lot of interaction with him and get drawn into his recent out of control behavior.


143 posted on 07/04/2009 12:40:07 AM PDT by ansel12 (Romney (guns)"instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people")
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To: TigersEye

counterpunch,by & with his name explains his mission on freerepublic. He seems to relish the playing “Devils Advocate”. To post to him sooths his ego.


144 posted on 07/04/2009 12:40:20 AM PDT by GOYAKLA
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To: counterpunch

That never happens with Republicans. The GOP doesn’t pick unknowns. McCain, Bush, Dole, Bush, Bush, Reagan, Reagan, Ford, Nixon, Nixon, Goldwater. Goldwater was the closest to being an unknown. W was somewhat unknown, but had the Bush name. Palin is the natural leader of the GOP right now.


145 posted on 07/04/2009 12:40:33 AM PDT by truthfreedom
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To: counterpunch

After a day like that. to see you on here spewing out your anti Palin BS propaganda. I truly want to call you what you are. but I would be banned...


146 posted on 07/04/2009 12:40:39 AM PDT by se_ohio_young_conservative (Palin 2012)
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To: Aria

Perhaps she won’t run Aria. I wish her well either way, but this will be something she’ll have to deal with for a long time politically.

I realize she did some good things as Governor. That’s part of the reason why I supported her. As for the cost to Alaska, I’m not convinced that’s a good enough reason to step down.

Allowing someone to drive you from office, is not a reasoned thing to do. If you can take the heat for 30 months, you can see it out for 18 more.

Look, she can prepare to be President all she wants, but when it comes time to run she’s going to have to convince folks that attacks on her family (or anything else that comes along including nuclear incidents) wouldn’t cause her to step down again.

Well, if you’re going to give up the blood sport, then don’t come knocking to play on a much larger field with much bigger players.

I understand we won’t agree on this Aria. I do appreciate your reasoned objections. You take care.


147 posted on 07/04/2009 12:40:43 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (_Resident of the United States and Kenya's favorite son, Baraaaack Hussein Obamaaaa...)
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To: floridagopvoter

Oh, OK. I will concede the final tally. 0bama won by 9.5 million. Still a small margin out of a total of 129.3 million.


148 posted on 07/04/2009 12:43:22 AM PDT by TigersEye (0bama: "I can see Mecca from the WH portico." --- Google - Cloward-Piven Strategy)
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To: weston

But Biden didn’t bring in votes. 0bama was the star on that ticket.
Just as Sarah Palin was the star on the GOP ticket.

She was selected for the sole purpose of bringing out votes.
Not votes in one state, but vote of a particular ideological tilt.
She brought out those votes.
But there were less of those than there were votes for 0bama.

The concept is really not abstract. People vote for a candidate, not a campaign.
Usually that candidate is on the top of the ticket, but that’s not the case in the rare instance where the VP candidate is the one with all the support.

Sarah had all the supporters, not McCain.
Just as 0bama had all the supporters, not Biden.
0bama’s supporters outnumbered Sarah’s supporters.

What is so hard about that to understand?
I know it hurts to admit defeat, but this is the way it is.
Sarah doesn’t have as much support in America as 0bama does.


149 posted on 07/04/2009 12:44:29 AM PDT by counterpunch (In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.)
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To: pissant; All
What Does Mark Levin Have To Say About The Palin News?

Levin generally knows what he's talking about.

His show is worth listening to today.

150 posted on 07/04/2009 12:44:46 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner (Sarah Palin is a smart missile aimed at the heart of the left!)
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To: pissant

Sarah Palin is “going Galt”? I think not.

She’ll be the Champ in 2012, and she’ll deliver a lot of damaging punches before then.


151 posted on 07/04/2009 12:44:48 AM PDT by AZLiberty (Yes, Mr. Lennon, I do want a revolution.)
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To: berdie
If it were I, the media's unprecedented savage attacks on my family would make me rethink the whole situation. I can't think of any attack on the children of previous politicians that has equaled this.

You ought to read the account of the fates of the signers of the Declaration of Independence by Rush Limbaugh Sr. Many of them lost wives, sons, daughters, their whole families to the cause of freedom and liberty.

Sarah Palin is a type of "throwback" American, in that she has a spiritual connection to the Founders that is visible in everything she does. She truly gets America, like those who founded this country got it.

Sarah won't suffer the actual loss of her children because she takes up the fight for freedom in America. Yes, she (and they) have suffered tremendous insult and injury at the hands of degraded liberals, but these are very strong people. They're Palins. They will triumph in the end, because Sarah speaks the truth, and will rally all good Americans to the good fight ahead.

152 posted on 07/04/2009 12:45:25 AM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Vendome

How many Democrats do you think Palin will draw in now? How many Independents do you think will be drawn in now?

Look folks, you can sit there and root for her all you like. I don’t think you’re going to find that people are going to be drawn to a person who allowed words and false ethics complaint drive her from office.

I’ve said it a number of times, how does this bode for her running for the Presidency or even winning the office? What happens then when criticisms, ethics complaints, and her children are the butt of jokes?

It’s not my opinion that counts. You’re going to have to deal with others on this matter.


153 posted on 07/04/2009 12:45:45 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (_Resident of the United States and Kenya's favorite son, Baraaaack Hussein Obamaaaa...)
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To: truthfreedom
Palin is the natural leader of the GOP right now.
Not after resigning.
She's now less a GOP leader than Mark Sanford.
 
154 posted on 07/04/2009 12:46:04 AM PDT by counterpunch (In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.)
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To: counterpunch
I think it means that despite all the hype, she just wasn’t able to help him win in the end.

What hype? Besides, I thought you said that a VP doesn't win or lose an election. Make up your mind.

155 posted on 07/04/2009 12:46:53 AM PDT by TigersEye (0bama: "I can see Mecca from the WH portico." --- Google - Cloward-Piven Strategy)
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To: DoughtyOne

Do you realize how terrible some of the attacks on her family were ? Do you realize that it is like a fish hook in a moms heart when her daughters are insulted sexually ? and her disabled son.

gave a heart dude.. she needs time away from all of this.

and maybe we need to go track down some of the people who did this to her. they are not safe in my opinion.


156 posted on 07/04/2009 12:47:37 AM PDT by se_ohio_young_conservative (Palin 2012)
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To: counterpunch

I’m not abandoning hope until I see the next move. Once out of office, she’ll have the freedom to rip the Left a new one without having to worry about how it looks as governor or how it plays out in the beltway. She can just be herself and that might really be what makes her a better candidate.

However, she may also decide to take her ball and go home. And who could blame her with all the crap she’s had to take, not just from the nasty Left but from the RINO wing of her own party?

I’ll wait to see which direction she takes.


157 posted on 07/04/2009 12:47:49 AM PDT by OrangeHoof (YES WE CAN have a Depression.)
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To: weston
So, by your way of thinking we can say that Obama won because Biden brought in the votes. That’s it. Biden WON!

No, he said VPs don't win or lose elections. Except that Palin did. Except...

I think we're dealing with a mental patient not a troll. LOL

158 posted on 07/04/2009 12:48:51 AM PDT by TigersEye (0bama: "I can see Mecca from the WH portico." --- Google - Cloward-Piven Strategy)
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To: se_ohio_young_conservative

After a day like what?
Sarah Palin resigning?
So you admit that is a crushing defeat for her, not something to celebrate as a crafty manoeuvre and a start of something bigger and better, like her blind cult following is trying to claim?


159 posted on 07/04/2009 12:49:11 AM PDT by counterpunch (In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.)
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To: TigersEye
Make up your mind.

ROFL, like that is going to happen! The boy has lost it, he has hijacked thread after thread with this sleazy babbling.

160 posted on 07/04/2009 12:50:24 AM PDT by ansel12 (Romney (guns)"instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people")
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