Posted on 03/17/2011 1:41:15 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Edited on 03/19/2011 8:37:18 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
It’s truly astonishing the lengths that some will go to in order to try to discredit Sarah Palin. Sure, the left-wing media loons are a given, but what about the folks on the Right who relentlessly brand her as unelectable, unintelligent, unpresidential, and/or unqualified? What is their basis for those assessments? And if she is so darn unelectable—why the need to consistently, near-obsessively attempt to tear her down?
What’s most interesting about the repeated attacks on Palin – from the Left and the Right – is that they are routinely empty. They are often featured in online hit pieces that are void of any reference to her record and/or her contributions over the past two years to discussions of national and international significance. They focus on absurd criticism of her TLC series, which so many elitists deemed anti-intellectual and so many regular Americans deemed relatable. They call her a “quitter” because she resigned from the governorship, but don’t reveal the reality that she was faced with numerous frivolous ethics charges made by political operatives that were costing her state hundreds of thousands of dollars and her staff countless hours to refute. The fact that she made the right decision for Alaska, and that the charges were all ultimately dismissed, get buried under the frenzied need some have to try to sabotage her at all costs.
And let’s not forget the manner in which the authors of these hit pieces so often compile every possible negative quotation on Palin they can find, particularly from the mouths of whom they consider to be the conservative intellectual elite. The quotes are typically nonsensical and/or erroneous, and mark embarrassing moments for those who uttered them, as they tend to reflect a complete lack of awareness of Palin’s accomplishments, writings, and outspoken stand on policy initiatives.
Excerpt... http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42340
Liar.
Palin’s record in Alaska is much to her credit. Still, she has never had to deal with the enormous structural deficit in federal entitlements.
I was an ardent Reaganite in 1976 and 1980. I had confidence in him because he had served two successful terms as Governor of California. Then he had a national radio program that I listened to while in college. And I had read many of Reagan’s speeches and articles.
My praise of Palin is sincere. The point of my comments on this thread is that her weaknesses and mistakes must be addressed if she is to have a credible chance of winning.
There are good political consultants and bad ones, just like there are good and bad plumbers and lawyers and doctors and landscape designers. Yet experience matters. Saying that you do not want Palin to hire the “usual political hacks” is like saying that when you need medical treatment, you will insist on people other than those jerks who have spent years hanging around hospitals and medical offices treating patients.
1) RESIGNING AS GOVERNOR
She said: “We are not retreating. We are advancing in a different direction.” (invoking the words of General Douglas MacArthur)
That is what she has done.
2)ESTABLISHING HERSELF AS MORE A MEDIA PERSONALITY THAN A SERIOUS POLITICAL FIGURE
Sarah Palin is so frivolous that she endorsed key Congressional and Senate candidates in the midterm election and was highly instrumental in the GOP winning 63 House seats and 6 Senate seats in November.
3)Not developing a strong-well-staffed operation
Palin’s organization is not employee oriented but “contractually oriented” in that she has built an organization based on sub-contractors and thus does not have to expend money to pay their benefits thus saving herself money.
In addition by being a regular commentator of Fox News she has saved herself from having to hire someone to be a regular spokesperson, thus saving herself more money and making sure her words get out unfiltered and not distorted or misrepresented.
4)FAILING TO MAKE INROADS WITH CONSERVATIVE WRITERS, INTELLECTUALS, AND OPINION MAKERS
Rush Limbaugh has an audience of 20m+ and Mark Levin several million himself.
5)NOT GETTING PROFESSIONAL TRAINING...VOICE AND CADENCES
With all due respect that is a snobbish attitude. The Convention speech in 2008 was one of the greatest speeches that I have ever heard given by anyone with any voice.
6)NOT GIVING SERIOUS POLICY SPEECHES TO HEAVYWEIGHT AUDIENCES
You must have been on vacation recently. Palin is to speak in India this Saturday. In Sept 2009 she spoke to a business conference in Hong Kong. In Feb 2010 she spoke to a gathering of TP activists in Nashville. She also spoke to a NRA convention last year. And her speech on energy during the 2008 campaign that got little coverage.
Or the speech in Norfolk Virginia on June 30 last year where she thoroughly dissected Obama’s foreign policy. (and with a follow-up post on Facebook).
In other words like many people you have fallen for the MSM narrative that has been debunked over the past 30 months. You should check out the truth of the matter like many of us at FR and elsewhere have done. The truth will set you free.
What governor has?
You could say Daniels, but he wouldn’t get a passing grade if you were to count histime at the OMB. There’s good reason that voters look to governors for the presidency, and that means they are slight in foreign affairs and federal budgeting experience.
I have no preference at this point. I see defects in every one of our potential candidates. I want to see how they do in their campaigns and I want to see how they address their weaknesses.
Interesting that Human Events would publish this today after pimping Donald Trump all week. Perhaps they’ve realized that the GOP backstabbers have gone too far again, and are firing a shot across their bow to back off?
You’ve got me wrong. I sincerely do like and admire Palin. And, to make the point again, high negative poll numbers cannot be brushed aside as some sort of piddling detail. A large part of major political campaigns is figuring out how to run your opponent’s negatives up and keep yours down.
Tag.
I like Palin and fear that if we don’t have her as our candidate Obama will walk over Mitt’s well-coiffed head to reelection.
But I also agree with you on pretty much your entire list of Palin’s errors. On the flip side, of course, she did more good for turning the tide on Obamacare and the outcome of the 2010 elections than anyone else.
But the reality TV show, Kate Plus 8, Dancing with the Stars and all of that along with her too often taking the bait from her opponents has put her in a hole. I think she can turn it around, but building a robust political team that she’ll actually listen to is IMO her immediate greatest challenge.
Such as?
I don’t care if you are using 10 thumbs: when you send ill-written missives putting down Palin’s education, you look like a complete fool.
What's your beef about Sarah Palin's education? You'd rather she was an Ivy school grad like (cough) you?
You mean she actually had to work her way through school, and had to change schools because of the costs, like millions of other students?
Thanks for revealing yourself as the snob we have always known you to be.
You mean those crooked polls like this one?
“In my view, Palin’s mistakes include:
(1) resigning as Alaska governor, and after resigning, not clearly explaining her reasons for doing so;”
Apparently your ‘admiration’ for Palin was so crushed when she resigned the governorship, you missed her detailed explanation for why she wouldn’t allow the attacks on her to further cost the state of Alaska.
“(2) establishing herself after that as more a media personality than a serious political figure;
(3) not developing a strong, well-staffed political operation;”
Same answer to both - she hasn’t announced she’s running as a candidate yet. As for political operations, there is, of course, that little insignificant group of people called the Tea Party. Perhaps you’ve heard of them. They turned the last election around, thanks in great part to Sarah Palin’s efforts.
The rest of your remarks are equally and predictably routine Left talking points... not one original or relevant point, as anyone can see. But since you took the time to regurgitate stock answers to the negatives, let’s hear even one reason why you repeatedly say you “respect and admire her”. Now that might be interesting. :)
True, but the campaign hasn't started and the current negatives show only old baggage. A smart and effective campaign can, and I believe will, drop those negatives way down. They are not permanently high. They will not necessarily stay up there once she starts campaigning, IF she starts campaigning. But she does have to run a great campaign.
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