Palin Plays Hard to Get ("She's not playing by our rules!")

Time Magazine ^ | May 29, 2011 | Jay Newton-Smell

[2ndDivisionVet]

Almost any politician in America follows tried and true patterns when dealing with the media. They alert the media of an upcoming event, the media shows up, photos are taken, cameras roll. Sometimes questions follow. And then the media goes home. But not Sarah Palin.

Palin alerted the media of the first stop on her northeastern road trip: Rolling Thunder. But after some event organizers expressed displeasure at her attendance on Friday, her staff refused to comment about the appearance, and some reporters wondered if she’d even go. No time was given – the event lasted from 7am to 5pm. No venue was given – Rolling Thunder’s course goes for more than five miles from Arlington cemetery around the National Mall. The annual charity for prisoners of war and missing in action draws a quarter of a million bikes and an estimated 900,000 participants – good luck finding the Palin family.

Amazingly, some media did (bravo, AP’s Phil Elliott), though the former Alaska governor and vice presidential nominee mostly refused to answer questions. She signed jackets and hats, shook hands and admired tattoos. She rode on the back of her middle daughter, Willow’s Harley. Husband Todd rode with their youngest daughter Piper and their eldest daughter Bristol rode separately, according to media reports. Palin had “rolling justice” written in smeared ink on one hand and a George W. Bush sticker on her bike reading, “Miss me?” “There’s no better way to see D.C. than on the back of a Harley! My family may be used to snowmachines more so than motorcycles,” Palin wrote on her political action committee’s website. “But whether you’re riding the open road or the frozen tundra, you’re celebrating a free spirit. What could be more American than that?”(continued)

[onyx]

Thanks very much!!!!
I have a favorite, which is easy to guess.

[onyx]

You have it right!

Just publish BS and to H with facts.

They figure they’re only writing about Sarah Palin and she won’t give them the time of day.

[harmonium]

While you’re repeating that again and again, I’ll remind you of the point:

“Today’s Rolling Thunder rally in DC is all about freedom. And it’s about duty and loyalty and service. The message heard loud and clear through the roar of tens of thousands of bike engines declared, “We will never forget our heroes left behind!” Truly, our POWs and MIAs honored today are America’s real heroes.

In addition to drawing special attention to POWs and MIAs, Rolling Thunders works to help all veterans, active duty service men and women, and military families in so many ways. Riding with these patriots today reinforced that we must do all we can to remind all Americans that we owe our freedom to our vets and to those missing and to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to make this the greatest country on earth. They deserve our debt of gratitude. It’s not the politician or the reporter who makes us free; it is the veteran.”
http://conservatives4palin.com/2011/05/governor-palin-roll-on-rolling-thunder.html

[excopconservative]

This was the top news story of the day. More people found out about Rolling Thunder than ever before. The story even moved Obama’s belated gum-chewing visit to the memorial service in Joplin, well down the page.

[vlad335]

Ok. You posted the mission statement for Rolling Thunder. Great organization. Please explain to us on the forum exactly how this dovetails with Sarah Palin’s appearance today and exactly what point you are trying to make in regards to Sarah.

Since I spend most of my time “high-fiving myself in an echo chamber,”(whatever that means), you might want to put in in simple language for me.

[Windflier]

She's not running, this is all a tease show.

Keep repeating that enemy nonsense, Sicko'lib. You'll draw the lightning you so badly want to ride, at some point.

[harmonium]

Really? You can’t figure out why I’d post the Rolling Thunder mission statement?
...or my point? I’ve already explained it, and in simple language.

I think it’s going to be a rough two years for those of you who see a Leftist provocateur from anything less than unconditional love for Palin, even from people who generally, and genuinely support and like her.

[Rational Thought]

The reality is mostly the only people who found problems with Gov. Palin's attendance were Liberals, probably upset they'd never thought about attending. They are certainly not happy with Palin getting any press coverage of giving up her Sunday for a great cause. So, the fabricated attacks begin.

Sorry to say, Liberals don't exactly have a stellar track record with supporting the Military and the POW's and MIA's, which is likely why they'd never considered attending this demonstration before.

[newzjunkey]

is a Gold Star mother herself.

Funny... Track looked pretty healthy when he got married the other week. Did she lose a child in combat that I don't know about?

[newzjunkey]

I’ve seen several stories identifying the driver as Willow, and one as “unidentified”... you’d think they could get the basic facts down.

[Rational Thought]

You know, it's not unconditional love. It's knowing the real deal when I see it. If I'm proven wrong in the future, I'll eat a giant portion of crow.

Walk back Gov. Palin’s entire career and Media coverage, and imagine for a moment she had a “D” next to her name. Not only would Palin have an approval rating of close to 90%, but her actions and statements would be adored. In this scenario, you certainly would have seen unconditional love...from the Media.

But, back to reality. They (the Media) have a fraud and a dud they're supporting. They are too fully invested to ever turn on him, so they continue to prop him up and attack his main opposition any way they can, regardless of how honorable her intentions might be.

[saltus]

I agree. She is not running for POTUS. She is running for something else.

If she were to run for POTUS, half dems would jump for glee, half would explode, and half find her merely entertaining. Palin for sure is unconventional and this has appeal, but she has yet to be in a debate with rivals, she has not won a poll in many months, and the big guns like Koch, Heritage, Chamber of Commerce, Goldman, etc., are biding their time. Bringing out crowds to rallies is not the same as getting votes.

She knows this; Fox and Roger Ailes know this. She will announce that she has decided not to run, citing her family and other considerations.

[PA Engineer]

I think it’s going to be a rough two years for those of you who see a Leftist provocateur from anything less than unconditional love for Palin, even from people who generally, and genuinely support and like her.

For your reference:

Here is part of her record posted by Retired Intelligence Officer:

To: Retired Intelligence Officer
Governor Sarah Palin’s Accomplishments

Energy Independence, Development, and Environmental Stewardship

*Governor Palin’s cornerstone accomplishment is AGIA (Alaska Gasline Inducement Act). During the Palin administration, TransCanada and Exxon formed an alliance to build a natural gas pipeline from Alaska to the Lower 48. Under Governor Palin’s governance, the project was expanded and revised from what previous governors had proposed with an open policy process for the Alaskan people. More progress was made on this effort than in the previous 30 years. This is the largest private sector infrastructure project in North American history and helps put us on the path to energy independence.

*Governor Palin’s administration opened up drilling for oil and natural gas at Pt. Thompson for the first time in decades.

*Governor Palin created the Alaska’s Petroleum Integrity Office to oversee all aspects of energy development and to make sure oilfield equipment was safe to operate and a Climate Change Subcabinet to comprehensively and honestly evaluate climate change.

Fiscal Conservatism

Governor Palin reduced spending in her budget for Fiscal Year 2010 by more than one billion dollars from the previous governor’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget, a 9.5% real reduction in spending. Her FY2010 budget was $10.57 billion compared to Governor Murkowski’s FY2007 budget of nearly $11.7 billion. At the same time, she fulfilled her campaign promise to forward fund education, allowing districts greater flexibility and predictability in their planning.

Murkowski Budget 2007:

http://gov.state.ak.us/omb/08_OMB/budget/Enacted/FY2008_ConfComm_Less_Vetoes_Fiscal_Summary.pdf

Palin Budget 2010:

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/10_omb/budget/bills/Budget_Press_Release_5-21-09.pdf

Total reduction in spending between 2007 and 2010: a whopping 9.5% or $1,127,400,000

A general rule of thumb for both liberal and conservative administrations is to claim that they may reasonably increase spending every year at a rate of 2% to 3% because of inflation and that should not count against them as increased spending. Even if we use the low end of inflation at 2%, Governor Palin’s budget could have been (without calling it a spending increase): $12,413,374,459.20

Of course, the budget is not $12.4 billion; it is actually $10.57 billion. In other words, she cut spending.

When Governor Palin set out to cut Alaska’s dependence on government funds, she was serious!

Check out these numbers:

Here is a gigantic 80% drop in federal earmark requests by the Alaska governor’s office.

*Governor Palin reduced earmark requests for the state of Alaska by 80% during her administration, requesting only earmarks that would benefit the country as a whole.

See what I mean about leading by example? Not only has Governor Palin dropped the federal requests for money by 80%, she had also been slowly chipping away at these numbers since the beginning of her administration.

FFY2007- Gov. Murkowski 63 projects at $349,497,000

http://gov.state.ak.us/omb/10_omb/budget/10%20PDFs/FFY07_Approp_Requests.pdf

FFY08- Gov. Palin 52 projects at $256,037,000

http://gov.state.ak.us/omb/10_omb/budget/10%20PDFs/FFY08_Approp_Requests.pdf

FFY09- Gov. Palin 31 projects at $195,094,900

http://gov.state.ak.us/omb/10_omb/budget/10%20PDFs/FFY09_Approp_Requests.pdf

FFY10- Gov. Palin: 8 projects @ $69,100,000

http://gov.state.ak.us/omb/10_omb/budget/10%20PDFs/FFY10_Approp_Requests.pdf

As you can clearly see, there was a noticeable drop in federal requests year after year during Governor Palin’s administration.

*Governor Palin opposed much of the “stimulus”, wanting only to accept 55% of the money allocated to Alaska, specifically only dollars dedicated to infrastructure [projects. Although the Alaskan legislature ultimately overturned her veto, she stood firm on her commitment to help Alaska to become more self-sufficient while not adding to not add to the skyrocketing national debt.

* Governor Palin invested $5 billion in state savings.

Walking the Walk on Fiscal Responsibility

*Governor Palin sold the private jet purchased by the previous governor. She state it was an unnecessary financial burden on the state and was unable to land on many of the state’s landing strips.

* To cut costs that would be incurred by continuing to use a personal driver like previous governors, the governor drove herself from Wasilla to her office in Anchorage. She also dismissed the governor’s personal chef stationed in Juneau, Alaska’s capital.

* Governor Palin accepted less state per diem for herself and her family than her predecessors even though she had a larger family.

10th Amendment Advocacy/Promotion of State Constitution

*Showing that she is a strong supporter of the 10th amendment, Governor Palin advocated for the sovereignty of the state of Alaska.

*Governor Palin’s administration sued the federal government for placing the polar bear on the endangered species list, as this restriction affected energy development which would increase energy costs.

*A Constitutionalist, Governor Palin signed Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share (ACES) bill into law. The Alaska constitution states that the Alaskan people own the oil and other resources. This law ensures that the “owners”, the people of Alaska, receive a clear and equitable share of oil profits.

National Defense/Veterans

*Governor Palin supported ground-based missile defense Ft Greely and other Alaskan Bases around to protect America from America’s enemies. She criticized the Obama administration for cuts that they made to this national defense system.

*Governor Palin, with Senators Murkowski and Begich, fought for retirement benefits from the federal government that were due to the Alaska Territorial Guard members who fought during World War II. These benefits were eventually rewarded to these veterans by the federal government.

* Governor Palin visited Alaskan soldiers in Kosovo and Kuwait.

Transparency/Anti-Corruption

*Governor Palin signed bipartisan ethics reform legislation into law that helped to hold both the legislative and executive branches accountable.

*Governor Palin put the state checkbook online, allowing all constituents to see how state money was being spent.

Health Care

*Governor Palin introduced health care transparency legislation which aimed at putting information in the hands of consumers about cost and quality of health care as a way to make health care consumer driven and accessible.

Sanctity and Dignity of All Life

* Governor Palin strongly supported both parental consent and parental notification legislation.

*Governor Palin increased educational funding for special needs’ children.

*Governor Palin implemented the Senior Benefits Program to support low income seniors.

Positions Held while Governor

* Chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

*Vice Chair of the National Governors Association Natural Resource Committee.

* She served as chair of the Alaska Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska’s most valuable non-renewable resources: oil and gas. She was elected by her peers to serve as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. In this role, she worked with local, state and federal officials to promote solutions to the needs of Alaska’s communities.

She exposed legal violations and conflicts of interest of Alaska Republican leaders, including the former state Attorney General and the State GOP Chairman (who was also an Oil & Gas Commissioner), who was doing work for the party on public time and supplying a lobbyist with a sensitive e-mail. Several went to jail.

Governor Palin signed several pieces of legislation and resolutions during July 2009. They were:

•SB-125: Encourage aerospace development in AK

•SB-177: Extend sunset for sport fishing guides and address harvest data collection

•Pro-energy development and missile defense resolutions

HJR-27: Alaska a Sovereign State

HJR-25: Hydro-Electric a Renewable Resource

HJR-28: Oppose Federal Restriction on Oil and Gas Development

HJR-12: Support Missile Defense System

•SB-88: Power cost equalization

•Defending Second Amendment rights.

SB-201: Extends Concealed Carry Permit Expiration to 5 Years from Birthday

HJR-17: Urges Congress not to pass HR-45.The federal legislation would put burdensome licensing and registration controls on individual gun owners.

SJR-10: Urges Congress to pass S-371. The legislation was to ensure that citizens of each state who are licensed or authorized by their home state to carry a concealed weapon, could do so in another state as long as they comply with the laws of that state.

SJR-3: The resolution expresses support to Congress for repealing the ban on carrying a firearm on National Park Service lands.

•SB-3 Requiring information sharing between two agencies.

•HRJ-19 Supports requirement of escort for loaded tankers traversing Prince William Sound.

•The Governor appointed 29 people to boards, commissions and councils and made three judicial appointments between July 6, 2009 and July 26, 2009.

Governor Palin’s total appointments for 2009 was123, including 116 to boards, commissions and councils, five judicial appointments, one legislative and one attorney general. Governor Palin averaged one appointment every 1.67 days during 2009.

•The Governor vetoed $28.6 million in stimulus money that would have involved federal interference with the state of Alaska.

Governor Palin signed bills removing experience caps on teacher’s salaries and extending boat safety programs.

Governor Palin signed legislation that gave struggling charter schools a one-year grace period to increase enrollments or integrate with other charter schools. She also signed legislation that authorizes Alaska “to enroll in the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.”

Governor Palin signed legislation granting birth certificates for stillborn babies

Governor Palin signed legislation authorizing the state to fund retirement benefits for Alaska Territorial Guard veterans. The federal government ceased funding benefits on April 1, 2009

Governor Palin signed legislation safeguarding student loans

Sarah Palin was Commander of the Alaska National Guard. Alaska is the first line of defense in our missile interceptor defense system. The 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard is the first line of defense unit that protects the entire nation from ballistic missile attacks. It’s on permanent active duty, unlike other Guard units in the United States. As governor of Alaska, Palin was briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counterterrorism daily.

Governor Palin was the commander in chief of the Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF), a federally recognized militia incorporated into Homeland Security’s counterterrorism plans.

8 posted on November 17, 2010 4:30:41 PM EST by Retired Intelligence Officer

[harmonium]

Hmm. Why do you feel the need to post Palin’s record?

It’s not in question by anyone here from what I can tell. Was that supposed to be in rebuttal to posting info on Rolling Thunder? Weird.

[PA Engineer]

Because to the average Freeper your posts are suspect. Spend time reading the post.

[vlad335]

I think it’s going to be a rough two years for those of you who see a Leftist provocateur from anything less than unconditional love for Palin, even from people who generally, and genuinely support and like her.

So you are saying that you genuinely support and like Sarah then? lol.

Unconditional love for Palin or you are a communist? Haha! No it's not that way at all however the events of Rolling Thunder and Sarah's attendance do provide a unique opportunity to gauge real, measurable PDS. Absolute derangement of mind to even attempt to formulate negativity regarding her appearance. I have been reading lefty message boards tonight and I am actually surprised at the delusional anger directed at her. Then I return to FR and get to read some of the same thing.

Let me say that she is not my favorite candidate but seeing how she gets the left unhinged, that is changing. Is she blameless, no but should she have had any criticism related to Rolling Thunder? Absolutely Not! The left is totally terrified of her and always have been from day one. They are not seeking to simply ridicule or marginalize her but want her destroyed.

[harmonium]

“You know, it’s not unconditional love. It’s knowing the real deal when I see it.”

How it’s reading to me, is there is a knee jerk response to anyone who wants to engage in any discussion over Palin with any depth. No public figure, or leader should be beyond question, or analysis. I think she stands up to that test, don’t you? So let’s not act as if there’s no middle ground between cheerleader and the Leftist smear mongers, or that nobody would question how successful today’s strategy was unless they’re a Democratic Underground type.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Oh, excuse me, I meant Blue Star mother.

[PA Engineer]

I think you are on to something.

[harmonium]

“I have been reading lefty message boards tonight and I am actually surprised at the delusional anger directed at her. Then I return to FR and get to read some of the same thing.”

I haven’t expressed any delusional anger. Nobody has. Stop inventing friction where it doesn’t exist.

Think about your own posts - on one hand, you’re upset that Leftists are characterizing her attendance to the rally as a photo op. ....yet on the other hand, you were puzzled when I posted the rallies mission statement, something we know Palin was in support of, and declared that an example of “PDS”. Someone else thought the Rolling Thunder statement needed to be countered with Palin’s resume. Can you not see how ridiculous that is?