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Palin's persistent grassroots popularity chafes key Republican strategists (RINOs)
Google News / The Canadian Press ^ | October 8, 2009 | Lee-Anne Goodman

Posted on 10/08/2009 7:22:37 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

She's poised to become the best-selling author in the United States, has a devoted base of conservative supporters and is considered a front-runner to lead the Republicans into the next election in 2012 - and yet key party strategists are tormented by the popularity of Sarah Palin.

The very notion of a Palin candidacy has been derided in recent days by some of the brightest minds in the Republican party even as the former governor of Alaska outlines her policies on Afghanistan, energy and other issues of national importance.

"Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election," Steve Schmidt, John McCain's presidential campaign manager last year, said recently.

He was backed by Mike Murphy, a Republican media consultant who also made a point of chastising Schmidt for his role in Palin's rise to international prominence to begin with.

"Steve Schmidt correct about Sarah Palin and '12," Murphy said by way of his Twitter feed. "Shame he didn't feel same way a year ago when he was lobbying McCain to choose her as VP."

John Weaver, McCain's closest political adviser for years, also weighed in earlier this week about a Palin candidacy.

"It would surely mean a political apocalypse is upon us," he said.

Yet from her unlikely pulpit - Facebook, and not the governor's office in Wasilla, Alaska - Palin is getting her message out on everything from health-care reform and energy while assailing President Barack Obama for his position on Afghanistan. Many of her 900,000-plus "friends" on the social networking site are cheering her every word.

Her star quality is undisputed - a Canadian is so confident of her popularity that he's selling an Xbox 360 autographed by Palin for US$1.1 million on eBay.(continued)

(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012; energy; gop; johnweaver; mikemurphy; murphy; obama; obamacare; palin; palin2012; republicans; rinos; sarahpalin; schmidt; steveschmidt; weaver
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To: uncitizen
As for the choice of Sarah Palin, that was a stroke of genius on someones part. Maybe it wasn’t McCains decision to make tho.

McCain thought of it brought her to their ranch but his wife Cindy was a major player in the decision.

When it happened I spoke with one of the conservative ladies in our coffee group and I noted this had a women's touch my gut feel was his wife had a hand in it. It came out days later in the Washington Times or Post stating that as fact, my gut feel was spot on....

81 posted on 10/09/2009 3:52:18 AM PDT by taildragger (Palin/Mulally 2012)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
all these McCain hacks warning of a disaster with Palin?!

as opposed to the brilliant success these clowns had with McLoser? small wonder they were beaten by a marxist with no resume

82 posted on 10/09/2009 3:52:45 AM PDT by wny
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To: An American!
I have voted repubic all of my life... since Nixon... I have never failed to show up and cast my vote for a repubic... but I will never... having voted for mcnasty and donated heavily to him only because of Palin... I will NEVER vote for another beltway rino liberal again. You and your party have been warned. If you lose people like me... your party is dead.

LLS

83 posted on 10/09/2009 3:53:19 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (hussama will never be my president... NEVER!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Great picture - welcome home Track!!!!!! We’re all very proud of you and your fellow troops. What a great family they have, how refreshing to see.


84 posted on 10/09/2009 4:08:54 AM PDT by SueRae
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To: icwhatudo

We already HAD a catastrophic election, thanks to this man and the candidate at the time. The only thing that helped them was Palin.


85 posted on 10/09/2009 4:10:52 AM PDT by SueRae
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

these two GOP “strategists” know she will no need for them, they are loooooooooooooosers....


86 posted on 10/09/2009 4:51:27 AM PDT by The Wizard (I support Madame President)
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To: All

I don’t know if she could win the Presidency or not. I hope so but I’ll have to wait to see if she even gets the nomination. I do know though, that I’m damned tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. Even when my choice wins I get evil. I know the only possible candidate who would be perfect for me is me and I’m not running. So I grab onto the coattails of whomever I think is most like me and go for a ride. So far, the ride has been downhill toward socialism and tyranny.

I don’t know how many more elections I’ll get to vote in but just once I’d like to vote for a real American, not a citizen of the world. We need someone with the single-mindedness of Putin or Netenyahu. Someone who will put America first and to hell with the rest of the world. I think Sarah will fit that bill. I hope so.


87 posted on 10/09/2009 5:11:00 AM PDT by oldfart (Obama nation = abomination. Think about it!)
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To: SolidWood

Get used to it RepublicRats, she’s a force.

Pray for America and Gov Palin


88 posted on 10/09/2009 5:32:30 AM PDT by bray (Hope and Corruption)
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To: spikeytx86

You do have to admit, Schmidt is an expert on catastrophic elections.

Pray for America and Gov Palin


89 posted on 10/09/2009 5:35:17 AM PDT by bray (Hope and Corruption)
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To: oldfart

That’s because the nominating process of the Republican Party has been completely taken over by the corporate wing of the party. And as long as true, grassroot Republicans refuse to pick up their phonebooks and look up the number of their local Republican Party headquarters and find out when and where their next meeting is and get involved, things will never change. The people who presently control the Republican Party’s primaries are counting on you not getting involved. There is only true one way to change the primary process and that is to attend them and vote.

ex animo
davidfarrar


90 posted on 10/09/2009 6:00:20 AM PDT by DavidFarrar (davidfarrar)
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To: Mr_Moonlight

I’ve coined a new term to distinguish the party elites from ordinary conservative Republicans: “Republiticians”. Republiticians hate Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, etc, and most of all they hate Sarah Palin, because they expose their own lack of principles.


91 posted on 10/09/2009 6:00:42 AM PDT by Hugin (Sarah Palin: accept no substitutes!)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
More and more, it makes perfect sense for Palin to abandon the Stupid Party and run as a true Independent.

Wrong. That's a sure way to a irrelevancy and a second Obama term. The only sound strategy is to take the Republican nomination, regardless of what the Republiticains want, just as Reagan did. The bottom line is this; if you cannot win a majority of those voters most ideologically inclined to your point of view, you will never win a majority among the voters at large.

92 posted on 10/09/2009 6:09:36 AM PDT by Hugin (Sarah Palin: accept no substitutes!)
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To: bronxville; Virginia Ridgerunner

Thank you both.
Some very interesting information.


93 posted on 10/09/2009 6:26:54 AM PDT by astyanax (Liberalism: Logic's retarded cousin.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The RINOs can’t take it that she is more popular than their failed picks like Mitt the Twit and the preacher. The Nebraska GOP is holding a fundraiser featuring Mitt of the Executive Hair as the speaker. It’s a high-rent fundraiser so rank-and-file republicans will be excluded by the price of admission but the state party does not seem to get it that parading the corpse of a candidate past will not get them much support amonng the day-to-day republicans.


94 posted on 10/09/2009 6:29:15 AM PDT by RJS1950 (The democrats are the "enemies foreign and domestic" cited in the federal oath)
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To: hinckley buzzard

’ ... ... like a bride needs venereal warts.”

Now there’s an image that grabs the imagination!!


95 posted on 10/09/2009 7:46:52 AM PDT by Elsiejay (.)
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To: DavidFarrar

I agree


96 posted on 10/09/2009 7:57:42 AM PDT by The Wizard (I support Madame President)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election," Steve Schmidt, John McCain's presidential campaign manager last year, said recently.

Boy Steve, are you really this stupid? No wonder your boss was defeated. Without Sarah on YOUR team, your boss would have lost it like McGovern.

97 posted on 10/09/2009 10:34:13 AM PDT by hattend (Sarah Palin's mob minion - Mob Name: Hatman the Hitman)
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To: Covenantor

This all started with the “big tent” movement. The GOP, consciously, aggressively, and with malice aforethought, moved from being about issues and into the world of party win simply for party win.

The absolute worst kind of politicos who live, breath and operate only for political maneuvering and personal power.

Aka: human garbage, scumbags, white collar criminals, filth, degenerates, etc and so on.


98 posted on 10/09/2009 10:45:58 AM PDT by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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To: hattend

Watched the videos and such a moving ceremony.

You can see the troops love Sarah they way they gathered around here and smiles.

Sarah Palin, the next Commander in Chief.


99 posted on 10/09/2009 12:46:41 PM PDT by SoCalPol (Reagan Republican for Palin 2012)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The McWhig limb and other Blue Bloods of the Republican party are wetting their pants of the Palin phenomenon. Go Sarah.


100 posted on 10/09/2009 2:26:42 PM PDT by Ron H. (I believe in and practice the 4 Gs : God, Guns, Guts and Garden and OBTW, Obama LIES.)
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