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Palin Is No Reagan
American Spectator ^ | 7.6.09 @ 7:45AM | By Philip Klein

Posted on 07/06/2009 7:22:56 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines

[C]omparisons do a disservice to Reagan, who not only served two full terms as governor of California, but also spent decades studying the issues and immersing himself in conservative philosophy. His writings and radio commentaries make this abundantly clear. He proved people wrong because they objectively were wrong. This does not mean that whenever the media writes off or attacks a conservative politician that he or she is the next Reagan

****

to win and govern effectively you have to do more than "galvanize the party base" and "convince conservatives" -- you also have to convince independents and even some Democrats, as Reagan did [but] instead of going back to Alaska to gain more governing experience as many advised, Palin resigned after just two and a half years on the job. And there’s nothing to indicate that she has the slightest interest in boning up on policy. Honestly, what’s her incentive to study policy and do the boring task of governing? No matter what she does, her army of apologists will make excuses for her and lash out at those who dare to criticize her by accusing them of being liberal elitists who are threatened by her sheer awesomeness....

[N]one of this really matters if Palin intends to leave elective politics and become some sort of television or radio personality. My comments are only meant as a response to those who are still seriously suggesting her as a potential presidential candidate. Last October, an ABC/Washington Post poll found that only 35 percent of Americans thought Palin was qualified enough to be president, yet now her boosters expect us to believe that an additional nine months in office is all she needed to assauge Americans' concerns, allowing her to resign and prepare for a presidential run.

(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: Alaska
KEYWORDS: antipalin; derangement; palin; pds; reagan; waronsarah
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

So, vote for whomever tickles your fancy in the primary. What difference does it make to you if others want to support Palin?

Besides, by your definition, everyone who doesn’t think exactly like you is unworthy of having an opinion. So, why engage such riff-raff with a debate?


321 posted on 07/06/2009 10:14:54 AM PDT by perfect_rovian_storm (The worst is behind us. Unfortunately it is really well endowed.)
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To: snowrip
That is probably because she wasn't running for president. The position of VP is never to implement policy.

No, but it is the VP nominee's role to argue for the policy positions of the top of the ticket, and to attack the opposition's positions. Palin failed utterly on both counts.

Are you high? We are surrounded by corruption at every level of government, and the tyranny and contempt it breeds for those outside the political classes is slowly, bloodily killing America. To suggest that an anti-corruption platform (let alone a personal abhorrence of corruption itself) lies outside the realm of conservative philosophy shows a complete lack of understanding of that philosophy itself.

It is you who shows a complete lack of knowledge of history or current events. Conservatives by no means have a monopoly on crusading against corruption.

For example, are you seriously going to argue that RFK was really a conservative when he fought union corruption?

322 posted on 07/06/2009 10:14:59 AM PDT by curiosity
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To: Reagan Man
In resigning, Palin has given her attackers in the liberal establishment even more ammunition to use against her, should she some back one day to run again. Nixon was politically dead in 1962 and President in 1969. Anything is possible, but her resignation doesn't help with Independents and the proverbial fence sitters. Which any presidential candidate needs to win. Sadly, in the short term, Palin has damaged her reputation by resigning.

The Independents and proverbial fence sitters just voted for a big spending, baby killing, tyrant loving Obama.

If Sarah can explain to these geniuses why their vote was wrong, she can easily explain why her resigning a job that would be impossible to perform correctly, while running for president, is the correct decision.

323 posted on 07/06/2009 10:15:40 AM PDT by FreeReign
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To: loveliberty2
Actually, let me fix that.

That resignation speech was one, big, long, rambling mess...punctuated by lots of gasping for air!

324 posted on 07/06/2009 10:15:41 AM PDT by Texas_shutterbug (e)
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To: Reagan Man

Nonsense. I don’t have any vested interest either way.


325 posted on 07/06/2009 10:17:22 AM PDT by perfect_rovian_storm (The worst is behind us. Unfortunately it is really well endowed.)
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To: itsahoot
I know what Michael Reagan said about Palin and addressed it at RE:#270.
326 posted on 07/06/2009 10:17:59 AM PDT by Reagan Man ("In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.")
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To: PzLdr

Exactly! There never will be another Reagan simply because we are all individuals but there can be people who share the same vision for America.


327 posted on 07/06/2009 10:20:11 AM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: lady lawyer
Palin doesn’t know the difference between conservatism and populism.

However she does seem to be infected with that red neck disease called common sense, which I can't say about most of the republican leadership.

328 posted on 07/06/2009 10:22:40 AM PDT by itsahoot (Each generation takes to excess, what the previous generation accepted in moderation.)
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To: curiosity

“...a debate with you about Romney, but not here. This is not a thread about Romney, but Palin. If you wish to have a discussion about him, let’s take it offline.”

You don’t get to set the terms of the debate. I’ll bring up any points I wish. Your credibility as a Palin hater is fixated in your desire and strong support of Myth Romney in 2008. That is german to your lack of credibility.

We’ll see the Romney Truth Files soon enough lol.


329 posted on 07/06/2009 10:22:45 AM PDT by rbmillerjr (Sara Palin is running for President -- Get used to it.)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

But Mitt Romney with 3 years as governor(he bailed the last year and left Kerry Healey to manage his mess, I know, I lived there) is perfectly qualified.


330 posted on 07/06/2009 10:23:17 AM PDT by nhwingut (The media's love affair with Obama reminds me of a dog humping a telephone pole.)
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To: rbmillerjr

“germane” that is...


331 posted on 07/06/2009 10:23:46 AM PDT by rbmillerjr (Sara Palin is running for President -- Get used to it.)
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To: Reagan Man

“Frankly, I don’t like people who quit in the middle of a fight.”

Thanks for bringing number one in the Olberwierd Countdown in as a talking point.

Rebuttal: The only means the left had to attack Palin was thru her official capacity as governor with ethics complaints. She has accomplished her stated missions with regard to political corruption, pipeline, and cutting state budgets.

Choice 1- would be to sit there in office and continue to field more frivolous ethics complaints, go broke, and have every news story about you pertain to ethic complaints.

Choice 2- take away the enemy’s means of attack, free yourself up to stop a socialist blitzkrieg with gains in the 2010 congressional elections, build a national campaign to compete with the criminal enterprise the other side operates.

I know, I know, she should have stayed, and then lied to the people of Alaska while running for re-election. Or better yet, just sit there in office, unable to make much political movement, while we sit here on FR and wonder what the F she is waiting on.

There is a reason why every evening news ad is for prescription drugs and adult diapers. We will never win the adult diapers users vote. Although I suspect a few on the forum today could use a free sample.


332 posted on 07/06/2009 10:23:54 AM PDT by johncocktoasten ("Rumors of her political death have been greatly exaggerated.")
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To: itsahoot
"she is a clever politician.'

"Clever politicians" don't get goaded into quitting by their opposition. Ever.

333 posted on 07/06/2009 10:25:11 AM PDT by OldDeckHand
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To: itsahoot

“Common sense” is a term with no real meaning. It can just mean, “sounds good to me,” or “I agree. Therefore, she must be speaking ‘common sense.’” Sometimes, it’s just a synonym for “populism.” Sometimes Palin articulate conservative ideas, sometimes populist ideas.


334 posted on 07/06/2009 10:26:17 AM PDT by lady lawyer
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To: Behind Liberal Lines
Reagan would have resigned if he WON to take higher office. Palin resigned after LOSING.

Reagan campaigned for higher office at the same time that he was supposed to be performing as a full time governor. Palin is resigning because (as the theory goes) she is going to run for higher office and she refuses to remain at a full time job as governor while she runs for president.

If anything, Sarah's course of action is the most moral and ethical course of action. It is only poorly thought-out conventional wisdom that says otherwise.

335 posted on 07/06/2009 10:26:29 AM PDT by FreeReign
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To: Texas_shutterbug

Perhaps we didn’t listen to the same speech! Clearly, she revealed what she wanted to reveal and kept what she was not ready to reveal. Only her critics found her resignation speech not to be understandable, it seems to me. Haven’t we had enough of “great oratory” for one political season, meaning fine style and no substance?


336 posted on 07/06/2009 10:26:54 AM PDT by loveliberty2
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To: FreeReign
If anything, Sarah's course of action is the most moral and ethical course of action. It is only poorly thought-out conventional wisdom that says otherwise.

Do you quit your job before you apply for another one? Most people don't and no one finds it immoral or unethical.

337 posted on 07/06/2009 10:28:55 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
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To: OldDeckHand

“Clever politicians” don’t get goaded into quitting by their opposition. Ever.”

You have been here a freakin week and you are already showing your political naievette.

So are you a DU’r, a Obamite, a Olbergruppenfuhrer, or just politically unsavvy.


338 posted on 07/06/2009 10:29:49 AM PDT by rbmillerjr (Sara Palin is running for President -- Get used to it.)
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To: lady lawyer
Palin doesn’t know the difference between conservatism and populism.

Yes. Unfortunately, it is also true of much of the GOP base today. Very sad.

339 posted on 07/06/2009 10:31:37 AM PDT by curiosity
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To: Behind Liberal Lines
Reagan campaigned for higher office at the same time that he was supposed to be performing as a full time governor. Palin is resigning because (as the theory goes) she is going to run for higher office and she refuses to remain at a full time job as governor while she runs for president. If anything, Sarah's course of action is the most moral and ethical course of action. It is only poorly thought-out conventional wisdom that says otherwise.

Do you quit your job before you apply for another one? Most people don't and no one finds it immoral or unethical.

Putting ones resume on Monster and searching the want adds is night-and-day different then spending ones working day crisscrossing the country raising money and building and campaign to be president.

To do so while holding down a full time governors job, is unethical and immoral and her enemies in the media were all set to point that out.

340 posted on 07/06/2009 10:35:09 AM PDT by FreeReign
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