Posted on 04/07/2010 1:32:58 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
Conflicting loyalties seem to have resulted in some surprising political decisions by Sarah Palin.
On Monday here at NewsReal Blog I argued that Govenor Sarah Palin’s active support of John McCain’s Senate reelection campaign makes no sense. Palin, after all, doesn’t owe McCain anything. Whatever debt she might have owed McCain she paid off during the 2008 presidential campaign.
In fact, if anything, it seems to me that McCain is indebted to Palin. This because his ‘08 campaign really did her a disservice, and also because McCain staffers have since betrayed the former Alaska governor with malicious and disparaging leaks to the media.
Many of the commenters to my post don’t disagree. However, they write, there is one laudable reason why Palin is actively supporting McCain: loyalty.
Fair enough. Loyalty is important. But it seems to me that Palin has competing loyalty obligations; and that she chose to be loyal to McCain when she just as easily could have chosen to be loyal to other people and other principles instead.
For example, Palin knows that some of her most steadfast supporters in the conservative and Tea Party movements have very profound and important differences with McCain.
These Palin supporters believe that on too many critical issues — including free speech (aka “campaign finance reform”), military modernization, and illegal immigration – McCain is a liberal wolf in a conservative sheep’s clothing.
What about loyalty to these people? What about loyalty to their issues and concerns? Why does loyalty to one man, one politician, outweigh loyalty to millions of dedicated conservative and Tea Party activists?
And why does personal loyalty to a man (McCain) outweigh loyalty to a set of conservative political principles?
No one’s saying that Palin had to actively oppose McCain. That might, indeed, have been awkward and ill-advised given that she was his vice presidential running mate.
But why did Palin have to go out of her way to actively support and campaign for McCain? Why couldn’t she have praised both McCain and his challenger, Rep. J.D. Hayworth, while remaining neutral in the Arizona Senate race?
I can think of two possible explanations offered up, respectively, by journalists Conor Friedersdorf and Matthew Continetti.
Friedersdorf says that Palin simply may not be the conservative her steadfast supporters think she is. She may, in fact, be a John McCain Republican. This would mean that she is liberal on some issues, moderate on others, and conservative about a few things.
Continetti notes that since being thrust into the national limelight, Palin has “become incredibly rich.” It may be — and this is me speaking, not Continetti — that because of her newfound riches, Palin feels an understandable debt, literally and figuratively, to Sen. McCain.
If true, that’s fine. Making money to support one’s family is honorable. But that’s a different type of loyalty, I think, than many of the governor’s defenders have in mind.
John R. Guardiano is a writer and analyst in Arlington, Virginia. You can follow him on Twitter: @Guardian0.
“During an appearance on conservative commentator Sean Hannity’s show on the Fox News Channel, Palin said, “I support Michael Steele.... I think he’s doing a great job. Michael Steele is an outsider. The machine, I think, is tough to penetrate... I think it’s been good to have an independent outsider trying to create some change in the Republican Party.”
1) Steele doing a “great job” ?
2)Steele “an outsider”?? He was hand picked by the RNC RINOS.
3)” The machine, I think, is tough to penetrate...” The machine?? Steele I S the machine!
Steele might be many things, but one thing he is NOT, is an ‘outsider’, he is a one time former Lt Governor of Maryland who lost his Senate bid, was handpicked by the powers-that-be in the GOP to become chairman, and he IS part of the ‘machine’
And as a PS, it was Steele who came up with the phrase “Drill baby, drill!” at the GOP convention in Minnesota in 2008.
“Hey SJB, I find it highly amusing that when pointing out the “crybaby” extortion attempt by caluvdubya, that the only thing Chunga can come up with is to call Palin “detractors” “crybabies” when I made absolutely no mention of Sarah Palin in my post to JimRob, I was pointing out the attempted shake-down of FR by a poster who I actually thought had higher standards than that, and in the middle of a Freep-A-Thon no less!
It’s shameful. “
This is the sleaziest thing I have ever seen attempted at Free Republic. BAR NONE !!
You guys are making the extraordinary claim. You back it up.
Wow, posting in the middle of the night, like a burglar...you’re an idiot and your hatred of all things Palin is what makes this forum look like the fanatical hate site BOR says it is.
You guys are losing it.....really.
You’re just full of class, aren’t ya. How special...
Now answer #488 - WHERE in my post #476 did I say ANYTHING about Sarah Palin?
“At least I don’t go around FR, hopping from Palin thread to Palin thread saying that Sarah Palin is the EMENY!”
Uh uh....it is YOU and your Palin Nazi’s that go thread to thread posting that I said Palin is the enemy. NOT ME!!!!
YOU LIE!!
For the record, and for the LAST TIME, I said that ANYONE
who openly campaigns for McCain(and continues to do so) is the enemy, BECAUSE McCain IS the enemy.
Now, what happened to all of you Palin Nazi’s who claimed months ago that “Sarah is just making one appearance for McCain out of loyalty”
HUH??
Palin has:
1) Done a million dollar fund raiser for McCain at the Arizona Biltmore.
2)Made 3 appearances with McCain(not one)in Arizona.
3) Made 2 appearances on Fox News, claiming she supports all of McCain’s platform.
4) Is now running DAILY radio ads for McCain all over Arizona telling everybody how INCREDIBLE McCain is. Buying expensive airtime on Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, and Levin.
And to top it all off, she heaps praise on Steele. You bought her, you live with her.
I will tell you this, when anyone posts FACTS about Palin, and verbatim quotes, that show her doing non conservative things, we don’t ever get an intelligent rebuttal. All we get are ugly photos, crying babies and venomous rhetoric. NO INTELLIGENT REBUTTALS EVER.
Friday, April 09, 2010 12:46:46 AM · 476 of 493
mkjessup to CAluvdubya; Jim Robinson; rabscuttle385;
I won't mince words here: I'd ban ANY person making public threats like that and inciting others to follow suit.
Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies
Like I said, you hate-filled guys are losing it.
It's a sign of desperation, don't you think?
It’s a sign of someone letting their hormones smash the keys in a frenzy of anger, instead of using their common sense.
When one is stuck trying to defend a position that is ethically challenged, and intellectually contemptible, one has no recourse but to lash out, or run away.
Okay, because I'm tired of this little dance you guys do every day, let's just get this out, once and for all.
Do the three of you contend that Sarah Palin is a detrement to Republicans and/or conservatives? .
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