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I don't know if you're asking a serious question or being sarcastic, but I'll answer anyway.

The GOP Establishment had a rather large, behind-the-scenes, organized chatter session on how to immediately start taking out Sarah Palin after the midterm elections, first by working to nullify any credit she might be assigned for any victories, and then by portraying her as polarizing and unelectable. Few names were released (maybe 10-11 that you've read about), but word of the unofficial strategy session got leaked to some members of the press, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Erick Erickson, among others.

Rush Limbaugh mentioned it on his show, and then later read an article from one of those who got word.

The buzz phrase was “Stop Sarah Palin Week.” That was what they were calling it, and that is the title that got leaked. Quickly, some lefty bloggers took up that title, too, in the hopes of finding strange bedfellows with whom to take down Sarah Palin. Kos was the most notable one; but that title was apparently a GOP creation.

Immediately after the election, polls were released showing Romney and/or Huckabee ahead of Obama, and Palin behind. A couple of polls made a point to only poll blue states in the GOP Primary race, showing Romney as the clear front-runner, while leaving out South Carolina, among others.

The words “too polarizing” could be heard about Palin from every single GOP pundit who was going over the list of contenders on any show. “Too polarizing,” “can't win,” “is the reason the GOP doesn't control the Senate,” and “is better for us doing what she's doing” could be heard with such perfect consistency that it was like actors reading a script from the same play while performing in different cities.

Huckabee and Romney started making the rounds, and surrogates/supporters started touting them while dismissing Palin with those aforementioned buzz phrases. Supporters of Palin were curiously not invited onto any of these shows, and no contrary opinion on her electability, et al, was entertained.

Even FR and Conservative blogs/sites were immediately astroturfed with folks on every thread talking her down, using those same talking points. It suddenly peaked on Monday and has been especially prevalent since.

Even the Wall Street Journal tried to get into the act, though Palin busted them for contradicting themselves on food prices. Red State helped show their error.

To sum it up: “Stop Sarah Palin Week” is an organized effort, created by insiders, propagated by surrogates of other candidates and Establishment GOPers, spread in earnest by GOP members of the media, and picked-up by lefty blogs and organizations hoping to join the assassination attempt. The Journolisters were quick to take action as well. It is an all-out attempt to unload on Sarah Palin, relentlessly, for at least all of this week, using every means, medium, talking point, astroturfing tool, media outlet, and blog they can to try and inflict a mortal wound. They are hoping the sheer volume and consistency of their memes will be effective enough to plant enough seeds of doubt in everyone’s mind that they will stop considering Sarah Palin as an option for 2012. This week is a big test for them, because it is going to give them a measure of how much damage they can do with a 100% concerted effort and every weapon in the arsenal firing.

Rush unloaded on these guys, and I am glad that he did. It is time to circle the wagons, and fight back.

Awesome analysis Titans!

They have been on here thick...all so reasonable...”I like her, but...you know she just can’t win, she’s just too divisive”

B.S.

nice summation. However you left out Palin’s counterattack. Palin has switched to talking about Policy, she slammed the Rino Bacus for his RINO votes on TARP and Clash for Clunkers, She has scheduled speeches at a trade show and a christian school going after the small business crowd as well as the social conservatives. She has used facebook and the NRO to get her op-ed out on her view of the GOP giving a very detailed write up and vision. Taking many by surprised. Her monetary speech was very well received by people.

Or in other words they went after a “bimbo” and she played the “gravitas card” she is also setting up state pac’s and defending her friends like Michelle bachmann.

further she took after the establishment when they failed to help Renee ellmers in her recount and I'm sure she is waiting for the results of the AK count. If it is very close she will hammer them on that as well.

From a politcal POV it has been gratifying to watch Gov Palin dance and weave and diffuse these attacks. She has shown a keen political eye and some massive skillz. And watching her supporters beat back these talking points has shown they have her back. will it be enough? yes i think the establishment by doing this has done the one thing that all her supporters could never do. Give her a reason to run and win.

Thank you so much for confirming my personal belief that the elitist republicans have gathered together their own group of seminar posters to trash Sarah Palin where ever conservatives gather. Whenever I see or hear some one spouting those talking points, I will know that they are either a schooled minion or one of the brainwashed masses incapable of independent thought.

Before I was just going to wait and see who would run in 2012 to decide who I would support for president. Maybe I’d consider Jim DeMint or Mike Pence as well as Sarah Palin. But after seeing this, I’ve changed my mind. I’m voting for Sarah. I don’t care who else is running. I’m voting for Sarah Palin. If these clowns think they can get away with trashing a mother of five children just because they can’t imagine giving up their power, then they are in for the shock of their lives. What they meant for evil, God means for good. Every evil thing they plot will backfire on them.

May every one of those good for nothings reap every nasty bit of what they have sown.

Nice assessment...

..and it looks to be that way for Palin. I doubt the media can do much to deter her supporters but it will affect those who are uncertain. The public can be very fickle! Still, she's shown herself to stand strong in the face of almost anything they have thrown, I suspect she'll remain so.

To sum it up: “Stop Sarah Palin Week” is an organized effort, created by insiders, propagated by surrogates of other candidates and Establishment GOPers, spread in earnest by GOP members of the media, and picked-up by lefty blogs and organizations hoping to join the assassination attempt. The Journolisters were quick to take action as well. It is an all-out attempt to unload on Sarah Palin, relentlessly, for at least all of this week, using every means, medium, talking point, astroturfing tool, media outlet, and blog they can to try and inflict a mortal wound. They are hoping the sheer volume and consistency of their memes will be effective enough to plant enough seeds of doubt in everyone’s mind that they will stop considering Sarah Palin as an option for 2012. This week is a big test for them, because it is going to give them a measure of how much damage they can do with a 100% concerted effort and every weapon in the arsenal firing.

Outstanding analysis of precisely what is going on right now!

I don't know if you're asking a serious question or being sarcastic, but I'll answer anyway.

Thank you for your response. I wasn't exactly being sarcastic. I just don't find any effort with so few non-anonymous sources to be sufficiently strong to take her out.

Frankly, the efforts you describe, at least on the talk radio front, are laughable. If Rush is defending Sarah Palin, and blasting these efforts, and he is, that is like Palin having the iPod of the talk radio world, and Romney et al settling for the Zune, Rio, and homebrew geek players. Rush is the Harlem Globetrotters. The others are the Washington Generals (especially since Hannity and Levin won't play).

These folks are like Boris and Natasha, or Wile E. Coyote, they keep on going back for more of the same. No creativity. In doing this, they further galvinize Palin's support and risk a real split, with them getting the short end. Based on what you say, I think they are willing to throw away 2012, if that is what it takes to keep the Republican Party in the Bob Michel/Denny Hastert mold.

These clowns' real power would be if they can change the states' primary systems to weaken Palin. They might try to have more "open" primaries, which may backfire if Obama draws a primary opponent. (Reagan did EXTREMELY well in open primaries in '76) They may also try caucuses in big states with tight controls (Reagan would have won the nomination outright in '76 but for New York's and Pennsylvania's system at the time). Palin is going to need agents on the ground in many of these areas.

The other tactic the establishment would try would be to throw in faux primary opponents to draw votes away from Palin, while quietly agreeing to put their weight behind a single "stop-Palin" candidate. This was last done in '96, when a much weaker candidate, Pat Buchanan, won New Hampshire. Suddenly, Dole was the man. Better candidates like Gramm actually lost ground.

That won't work so easily this time, because Romney wants it, and he is too flawed to get it. Pawlenty would make more sense (he's generic), but he and Romney will only weaken each other. There's a reason that Palin says she likes full-throated, active primaries. Her brand is established.

In 1980, only one candidate out of a half-dozen challenged Reagan on the right, Phil Crane (other candidates: Bush the Elder, Baker, Anderson, Dole, Connolly). Before the NH primary, Loeb's paper made a special effort to attack Crane, and not bother so much with Bush the Elder, who had already won Iowa.

Palin really isn't all that far to the right. Even her self-descriptor, "Common Sense Conservative" means that she isn't going to be a hard ideologue. What she has become, however, is the anti-establishment candidate; she is sort of a right wing Eugene McCarthy, where the style is as important as the actual platform. Who can challenge her on that? Ron Paul? Alan Keyes? Donald Trump? None of these. Maybe DeMint, Pence or Bolton if Palin missteps badly. Palin starts with 25% wherever she goes. Romney starts with 10% Huckabee also 10%. All of the other candidates (Pawlenty, Daniels, Bolton, Perry, Barbour,Pence) start with 2%. DeMint maybe a touch more.

I could easily see a Palin/Bolton ticket.

Getting back to the original topic:

When one is threatened with strong but anonymous forces one has three options. One, acquiesce and be co-opted or go away. Two, quietly work behind the scenes with your own forces. Three, go as public as you possibly can, exposing the plan at every turn, so that if something should happen to you, the source will be known. Plan three only works if you have the ability to get your message out, and if enough people will believe you. The risk to such a plan is that there may be unforeseen collateral damage throughout the system. The upside is that it is the only way to put a permanent stop to these types of threats. Palin has opted for #3, and is executing brilliantly.

You have it nailed. Perfectly.
It’s Wednesday afternoon. I am wondering who has today’s assignment?
Maybe the “commission’s report” will steal some of the thunder?