Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone. I hope you have a very safe, happy and festive Season. If you're traveling, please be careful. I'll be taking about a week off so I'll see you back here in the New Year!

Palin bashing at new levels

This explains why, when I was on vacation with my husband at a very remote location, we turned on the little TV to immediately see Campbell Brown's mug saying "Governor Palin hasn't released a statement yet." The tag line at the bottom of the screen said "Palin's future in-law arrested." I didn't even know that TV had cable. We changed the channel and I thought I can't even go on vacation without hearing some sort of Palin bashing from MSM. I put it out of my mind so I could enjoy the rest of the vacation, but in the back of my mind I knew that they were blowing something out of proportion and just itching at the chance to take down Palin by association for whatever it was.

Northern Exposer at Conservative Jedi pointed me to this news article that explains everything. Not only Campbell Brown, but Keith Olbermann was in on it, too. MSM is really scraping the bottom of the barrel to entertain their favorite past-time, Palin bashing.

The story itself is so unnewsworthy it's absurd. It's almost comical the depths they sink to now.

Old Media: Now Featuring Palin-Smears From Actions of In-Laws Not Yet Even In-Laws
By Warner Todd Huston
December 20, 2008 - 05:09 ET
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/12/20/old-media-now-featuring-palin-smears-through-actions-laws

Compare and Contrast

Last week, WSJ opinion writer John Fund, wrote a startling piece on the MSM treatment of Palin vs. Caroline Kennedy, who is seeking the NY state Senate seat, since Hillary is going to be leaving her post to be SoS for Obama. He cuts to the chase and shows the blatant double standard.

OPINION: JOHN FUND ON THE TRAIL
DECEMBER 17, 2008, 9:00 P.M. ET
The Kennedy Entitlement
Can David Paterson say 'No' to Caroline?

By JOHN FUND
Media reaction to news that Caroline Kennedy is actively seeking appointment to the U.S. Senate seat held by Hillary Clinton was certainly different from how the media responded to Sarah Palin's arrival on the national stage. Mrs. Palin may have been a mayor, chairwoman of a major state regulatory commission and a governor, but her entrance into big-time politics was widely ridiculed.

In contrast, the 51-year-old Ms. Kennedy is a shy and private person who has never held a job in public life beyond her 22 months planning strategic partnerships for New York City's public schools. She has co-authored books such as "The Right to Privacy" and also co-chaired Barack
Obama's vice-presidential selection committee.

But her political experience is painfully limited. A family friend, noting that she had never campaigned for anyone outside her immediate family before Mr. Obama, had to reach in explaining to Newsweek magazine that she could handle the rigors of campaigning. "She worked rope lines and spoke at campaign stops for Obama and was not turned off by that," the friend said. "In fact, she enjoyed herself."

There is no doubt Ms. Kennedy could raise tens of millions of dollars for the two Senate races she would have to run in quick succession -- one in 2010 for the remaining two years of Mrs. Clinton's term and another in 2012 for a full six-year term. She no doubt would also receive the same kind of kid-glove treatment from most of the media that Barack Obama has.

But don't count on a Kennedy continuing the dynasty that has kept a member of the family in the U.S. Senate for all but two of the last 56 years. A key factor in who will be appointed to the Senate seat is how the selection would benefit the political interests of New York Governor David Paterson, the man who will make the decision.

Mr. Paterson is himself a governor who happened into his job by accident after the spectacular fall of Eliot Spitzer. With a slowing economy, the prospect of massive tax increases and a volatile group of special interests making demands on the state's budget, his job in winning a full term in his own right won't be easy.

That's why the safest choice for Mr. Paterson might be to appoint state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who has been viewed as a possible primary challenger to the governor in 2010. Promoting Mr. Cuomo would remove the largest single obstacle to Mr. Paterson's election to the office he now holds, but it might also irritate women voters who were used to having Mrs. Clinton represent New York in the nation's capital.

"My heart goes out to David Paterson," Democratic political strategist Dan Gerstein says. "He's sadly become the grand champion of the no-win situation. No matter who he picks, he will alienate a lot of different communities."

Now, with Ms. Kennedy's openly public interest in going to the U.S. Senate, the question is whether he is willing to "just say no" to the Democratic Party's most powerful family dynasty.

To read more stories like this one, please subscribe to Political Diary.
Copyright 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com

Palin didn't seek, doesn't want pay raise

In these times, everyone from the political scene to the business world is trying to get a bigger piece of the pie - sometimes illegally. Take Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, for example. He was busted for trying to sell a Senate seat. He tried to shake down a Children's Hospital. The "Big Three" auto makers in the US want taxpayer's money to keep them in business. CEOs take bonuses in the millions for themselves that could have gone to their employees down the ladder. Even last week, a report came out stating the income of each of the NPR radio hosts is in $200,000-$300,000 range.

Contrast that with Palin who, astoundingly, is refusing a 20% pay raise. Take the Presidential election out of it for a minute - she had an 80% approval rating in Alaska, is currently the 24th lowest paid Governor in the US (making $125,000) and has accomplished many, many important things during her first term. By all accounts, she deserves this raise. She earned it.

This kind of gets back at all the people who won't shut up about Palin's wardrobe during the campaign - that she didn't even ask for or want.

Palin is definitely someone who walks the walk. She is an honest politician. It's almost unbelievable that anyone who achieved the success she has and accomplished what she has would refuse a pay raise. She has five children - I believe anyone with children would gladly take any raise, but she knows her family has what they need and will not accept any more. Her income is provided by the taxpayers of Alaska. She would rather have that money go to the state in some way. She really is their public servant.

Palin didn't seek, doesn't want pay raise
20 PERCENT: Spokesman says governor feels increase in middle of her term isn't appropriate.
By KYLE HOPKINS khopkins@adn.com
Published: December 17th, 2008 11:05 PM Last Modified: December 17th, 2008 07:50 AM

Gov. Sarah Palin didn't ask for a pay raise and won't accept one during her current term, a spokesman said Wednesday.

A new state commission appointed by Palin recommends boosting the governor's pay from $125,000 to $150,000. The State Officers Compensation Commission says the lieutenant governor, department heads and legislators need more money too.

But if the commission pushes ahead with a pay raise, Palin won't accept the money, said spokesman Bill McAllister.

"Her view is, it's just not appropriate to accept a pay raise in the middle of the term."

Palin's term ends in 2010.

The Legislature created the five-member commission this year to decide how much top state officials should be paid. Two members are recommended by legislative leaders.

The group announced its early suggestions this week and plans to hear from the public at 9 a.m. today at Legislative Information Offices around the state.

Palin makes 46 percent more than her predecessor, Frank Murkowski. She's also the 24th-lowest paid governor, according to the commission's numbers.

"We were all a little surprised by the preliminary recommendations," McAllister said of the suggested 20 percent raise for the governor. "We didn't know that was coming."

It's unclear if Palin would give the money to charity -- as commission chairman Rick Halford predicted Tuesday -- or simply not receive the extra pay.

Also Wednesday, Palin's team had been expected to unveil an energy plan that would tally energy costs and the cost of potential energy projects in towns and villages across the state. Instead,
the plan has been delayed until next month.

"It's a huge, huge body of information that is simply being put into final form," said Karsten Rodvik, spokesman for the Alaska Energy Authority. "And it takes some time and some level of communication and work between our office, and the governor's office to pull it all together and pick a date and make it happen."

Find Kyle Hopkins online at adn.com/contact/khopkins or call him at 257-4334.

Physical violence toward Republicans is perfectly fine, according to MSM

I’m sure you’ve heard about the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush’s head during a press conference in Baghdad last Saturday.

And last week, Sarah Palin’s hometown church in Wasilla was damaged by a “suspicious” fire.

The two events in and of themselves don’t bother me as much. They were both done by single individuals who have a few screws loose. What really worries me, actually terrifies me, is the general public and MSM’s reaction to the incidents.

Regarding the arson, many commenters said that Palin was playing the victim when she said she hoped the damage wasn’t due to “undeserved negative attention.” Many said it was not undeserved negative attention because they believe her church is only comprised of “crazy right wing nut jobs.” Many joked about the church’s appearance. And still others just shook their heads and laughed it off like it was not a big deal.

I wonder – where is the outrage that a person can’t run for office anymore without the fear that their livelihood is going to be destroyed? Why isn’t anyone saying anything about that? It doesn’t matter if she’s a Republican or Democrat, she doesn’t deserve to have her church destroyed because she dared to run for office.

Of course, the shoe-throwing incident received way more attention. There were countless stories in MSM about how this one man was a reflection of Iraq as a whole, and how they’re fed up with Bush and the American “invasion.” Many, many, late night talk show jokes were made of it. I haven’t watched any cable news stories on this yet so they may have had a different reaction, but I’ve yet to see anyone outraged. No one expressed any anger that our President was attacked. Yes, he was physically attacked.

I am outraged. Saddam Hussein was famous for torturing and murdering his enemies. If this Iraqi journalist had done this during Hussein’s time, he and his family would have been murdered – period. This man is damn lucky President Bush liberated Iraq from Hussein and he has the freedom to throw shoes without torture and death as a consequence.

Not only that, but you just don’t do that. I don’t care if you don’t like his policies, you can’t resort to physical violence. That is completely wrong. What if someone threw shoes at Obama? Would people be laughing? I don’t like Obama’s ideas but I would never, ever, throw something at him or try to hurt him. The fact that MSM is saying Bush deserved it, and making jokes about it, says a lot about their integrity, and lack of pride for their job. They can make the blanket statement that he represents Iraq, so can I make the blanket statement that he represents all journalists? Are they all as careless about their freedom as he is? Do they all have the same disregard for the people who died to give them freedom as he does?

What I also see is this trend, or culture, in America that if someone attacks us we deserve it. To use these two events as an example, it is not okay to say that they were done by two psychos with no logical motive or sense of right and wrong. They say Palin and Bush deserved it because of their actions. After September 11 and to this day many Americans believe we deserved to be attacked because of our “policies.” They legitimize the attack itself by saying the victim deserved it. Maddening.

Palin and the culture of political corruption

Over at Ace of Spades, there are several discussions of Obama turning a blind eye during his career to the rampant political corruption in Illinois, as well as his alleged involvement. With a state so entrenched in the culture of corruption it's difficult to untangle who is who, who's scratching who's back, and who is on what side. Or should it be "whom?" It seems like everyone has been paid off in some way, including spouses who aren't directly involved in the political process at all.

Palin faced the culture of corruption in Alaska. Instead of turning a blind eye, or participating, she rolled up her sleeves and fought it. She clearly stated what side she was on; there was absolutely no guessing. The people of Alaska wanted her as their Governor, instead of the corrupt political machine that was hurting Alaska - unfortunately several of them were in the Republican Party. But Palin isn't there to make friends or scratch anyone's back. She is there to serve the people and she takes her job very seriously.

In Ace's post, he wittingly compares how she faced corruption compared with Obama:

Obama did rouse himself to speak out forcefully against government corruption... in Kenya. Bear in mind, of course, Sarah Palin was a moron for taking on the less-spectacularly corrupt Alaskan political machine. See, if she had been as brilliant as Obama, she wouldn't have needed to respond with crude measures like fighting corruption and defeating corrupt politicians; she could have employed nuance and smarts to finesse around it, and even profit from it.

From the 12/11/08 post: The Media's "Almost Willful" Fantasy That Obama Is
Untouched By Chicago Corruption
—Ace

Two years ago today: Palin family comes home for the holidays

I found this lovely article, published in 2006 by a local Alaska TV news station, KTUU, about the Palin family moving into the Governor's mansion. So very much has happened in only two years. But you can see Palin's warm, friendly, unassuming, unpretentious personality even then. It's refreshing to know she hasn't changed into a jaded politician with all she's been through. I love how she said "I can drive myself" to the security personnel. Such a breath of fresh air from the politicians of today.

Palin family comes home for the holidays
by Maria Downey

Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2006

Juneau, Alaska - It was a big weekend in Juneau since a new person came to town. She is the state's newest governor, and the move is the talk of the town.

For some the holidays will be spent in a new home with some very welcoming neighbors. A welcome party was held on the steps of the capitol as neighbors welcomed Sarah Palin's family to the big house on the hill.

For the first family -- at least the first females, who arrived before the others -- it's like a real life Hallmark Christmas special -- a holiday wonderland complete with a fresh Christmas tree from Thorne Bay and donated ornaments from local families who wanted to make sure the first family felt at home. Not that your average home has a room dedicated to the annual holiday gingerbread village.

It's a time for the first kids to pick out their rooms.

"They're pretty polite about those things so they'll work it out amongst themselves, right, girls?" Palin said.

It's a time -- at least for the first teens -- to explore every historic nook and cranny.

It's a home that will be filled with staff: people to cook, clean and round-the-clock security.

"I just don't like to inconvenience anyone, and I've been telling the security folks that, ‘You really don't have to pick me up. I can drive myself,' and I can cook, so I just don't want to inconvenience anyone and that, too, will take some getting used to," Palin said.

In a home with many possibilities for a young family from Wasilla, Alaska.

"Anytime you have kids who can kick their feet up and feel comfortable, it's home," Palin said.

The Palin family home, not just for the holidays, but for the next four years -- or maybe even longer.

"I hope we just don't overwhelm those folks who've maybe have had it nice and quiet around here for some years. It's like, OK, the Palins are here," Palin said.

The first females -- the governor, Bristol, Willow and Piper -- got their tour Friday night. The first spouse, Todd, arrived Saturday, and the first son. Track, will be arriving from school in the Lower 48 in time for Christmas.

All content © Copyright 2000 - 2008 WorldNow and KTUU. All Rights Reserved.

Palin's health care initiative for Alaska

While CNN, HuffPo, MSNBC and the other major news outlets are still talking about the cost of Palin’s wardrobe, hair and makeup, the Anchorage Daily News is reporting and discussing what news publications should – the issues.

The Anchorage Daily News has an editorial of Palin’s healthcare initiative for the state. I’m blown away at how thoroughly and openly they discuss her proposal and the pros and cons, mostly the pros, of it.

I'm usually not for increased government spending, but this is an area in which Palin knows her state and what's best for it.

Maybe this is a reflection of her 80% approval rating in Alaska. The fact that a major local newspaper (that probably leans to the left as most newspapers do) is legitimately discussing her proposal is astounding.

Our view: Palin backs important health initiatives, focusing on kids
Forward thinking
Published: December 7th, 2008 10:23 PM
Last Modified: December 7th, 2008 12:21 AM

Gov. Sarah Palin has proposed some excellent health care initiatives that will make a big difference to affected families in the coming year.

Most importantly, Palin announced she is backing an expansion of Denali KidCare, the government-funded health insurance for children and pregnant women in working families.

Palin's support, along with a sympathetic new administration in Washington, D.C., should convince reluctant legislators that it's time for Alaska to cover more uninsured children.

The governor wants to extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to families earning up to twice the federal poverty level -- $44,000 for a family of three.

Now coverage is limited to those earning a maximum of 175 percent of the poverty level, or $38,500 for a family of three -- an income that doesn't leave room for buying non-essentials like health insurance.

Expanding the program will make about 1,300 more children and 225 more pregnant women eligible for coverage, the governor's office said.

In the 2008 legislative session, the Senate voted to raise the coverage to those earning twice the poverty level, but the House did not, and the governor sat out the debate. A year was lost.

Some legislators during the last session worried that the federal government, which pays 70 percent of the costs, might not reauthorize the children's health program. With Obama in office, that worry fades.

The expansion Palin proposes will cost the state less than $1 million a year -- affordable in a state as wealthy as ours, even with a drop in oil revenues. When the program was first started, under Gov. Tony Knowles in the 1990s, oil was selling for under $10 a barrel.

Many states offer government insurance to children in families earning 2.5 times the poverty rate or more.

Palin said she's going for a smaller increase because that's what she thinks the Legislature will support.

It's a start.

The governor also proposed several other good health initiatives: Dedicating $250,000 to earlier diagnosis of autism; establishing a state health commission to work on improving health care for Alaskans; and continued investment in anti-tobacco and anti-obesity programs. Those efforts would include a new state Web site to promote healthy lifestyles.

The health commission, which she said would get going early next year, should focus on improvements that would make the most difference in Alaskans' health:

• A plan for universal insurance coverage, perhaps like the bill Sen. Hollis French has proposed. Too many people see doctors only in an emergency, when problems are worse, and more expensive to treat.

• Dealing with the shortage of primary health care providers in Alaska. That could mean encouraging doctors to hand over more routine patient services to nurses, case managers or pharmacists; it could mean state benefits like loan forgiveness that will entice more primary care health workers to Alaska.

• A way to hold down the steadily escalating costs of medical care.

Quite a challenge.

With proposals announced this week, the governor has helped get the
conversation started.

BOTTOM LINE: Gov. Palin has some good ideas for modest improvements in Alaska's health care system.

Palin getting major, positive things done in Alaska

On Friday, Palin appointed Canadian company TransCanada as the recipient of the license for The Alaska Gasline Inducement Act – the act that will move forward with the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Alaska’s North Slope to Alberta, Canada.

Two years ago, Palin got all the interested parties together in a series of meetings to discuss how to commercialize gas on the North Slope.

Last Friday, an agreement was reached and Palin gave the license to TransCanada to construct the pipeline. TransCanada will receive $500 million for construction and must meet the state’s deadlines and stipulations.

The license was hotly contested by Exxon, who claimed the pipeline couldn’t be done without Point Thomson, the entity that holds more than a quarter of the North Slope’s gas resources. Apparently, Exxon has had plenty of time to develop their Point Thomson resources and failed to do so. Palin had to commit to TransCanda knowing that Point Thomson would not be available due to Exxon dragging their feet.

“You know, some would say that Exxon has held Point Thomson and the state hostage for a couple of decades now,” Palin said. “No, we’re not playing that game. What we’re doing, what is right for Alaska, is to say that we need that development up there, it’s time for that development, and by not abiding by the provisions in your leases, you knew what was coming, Exxon.”

TransCanada’s CEO, Hal Kvisle, said his company has been interested in this project for 30 years.

Here is Palin at her best. She had to play hardball with major corporations from the US and Canada in order to get something very important done that would be good for Alaska. When Exxon tried to stall the negotiations and do things their way, she left them behind. Who says she can’t hold her own with world leaders? This was a project that was talked about for 30 years and Palin was the one who actually did something about it.

Palin snubbed Oprah after election

After being snubbed by Oprah before the election, Palin snubs O after it. You go girl!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJXrZuMkMO0

MSM Remorse. Media admits they treated Obama subjectively: great timing, media

The honeymoon might be over. It appears that after doing everything they could to get Obama elected, MSM (main stream media) is all but admitting they did it on purpose.

Jon Friedman wrote an article for CBS News detailing how he feels “a little guilty” over MSM’s treatment of Obama. Although I don’t agree with him on the SNL bit, let’s not give them that much credit. I believe SNL was just another example of the unabashed, shameless shilling for Obama.

It appears that Friedman is preparing everyone for the disappointment Obama will eventually bring, and is disheartened by it. Not disheartened that Obama will disappoint, but that the media’s honeymoon with him is over and they, including he, must pretend to be real journalists again.

This is one of many articles I’ve read since the election that addresses this topic in this same tone. CNN even had the audacity to say that we “are putting a lot of faith in a man they barely know.” Not only are they lamenting having to be journalists, but they’re also able to accomplish the goal of lowering Obama’s expectations (that they raised so high) so they can continue their crusade of manipulating their gullible audience in electing him again in four years. Amazing that they’re already using spin to lower expectations and he hasn’t even been sworn in yet.

Even in this article, Friedman can’t stop himself from saying he’s “thrilled” Obama won – always a sign of a great, un-biased journalist with integrity right? At the end he laments the fact that Obama will eventually have his turn under the microscope. Well, I certainly hope that our president, any president, is under a microscope. I hope someone is questioning his decisions – or are we supposed to worship and follow the King blindly?

In these articles we can feel the writers just aching in trying to admit that he is human, and does make mistakes. Yet these are the same people who have no shame in calling Bush a murderer on a daily basis. Journalistic integrity is gone.

Here’s his article, in its entirety.

The Media's "Obama-Remorse"

MarketWatch's Jon Friedman Says President-Elect Should Remember That What Goes Up, Must Come Down

(MarketWatch) I'm starting to feel a little guilty about the media's treatment of President-elect Barack Obama -- and I may not be the only one.

Chalk it up to a phenomenon I'd like to call "Obama-remorse." You know how you feel buyer's remorse after you've spent a lot of dough on some big-ticket item, only to realize that you might have made a mistake? Well, it's going to happen to the president-elect as well.

Perhaps this sort of recognition prompted Washington Post media writer Howard Kurtz to do an incisive piece called "A Giddy Sense of Boosterism" on Nov. 17. As Kurtz noted, the media have tripped over themselves to celebrate and cash in on Obama's victory.

NBC News is preparing a DVD called "Yes, We Can: The Barack Obama Story." ABC and USA Today are racing to publish a book on the election. HBO is readying a documentary on the campaign, too.

As I see it, the media are having second thoughts about their performance over the past year.

First, they gave Sen. Hillary Clinton the cold shoulder and all but rolled out a red carpet for Obama during the Democratic primary season. Perhaps Amy Poehler's eerily spot-on send-up of Clinton on "Saturday Night Live" helped reduce the New York senator to a caricature, making it even easier for the reporters to consign her to a complementary role.

Once Clinton was dispatched, they lavished favorable attention on Obama, as his opponent, Republican Sen. John McCain, was forced to watch from the shadows.

Yes, I'm thrilled that he won the election, underscoring the American ideal that we live in a foreword-thinking democracy, where any man or woman can rise to the highest office in the land. And I'm proud that even Obama's staunchest foes -- particularly the man he defeated, John McCain -- seem to be willing to accept his victory and pledge to help him turn around the economy and cure the nation's other ills.

Adulation Express

But I also feel guilty because I know that the media's Adulation Express -- never to be confused with McCain's old Straight Talk Express -- is going to hit a few speed bumps before it inexorably grinds to a halt.

It's inevitable. Look at what happened to Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate. When McCain first nominated her, she could do no wrong in the media's eyes. She was hailed for her aw-shucks demeanor, in contrast to the inveterate Beltway sharpies, and her unlikely ascent to such a big job (I suspect that Tina Fey's brilliant impersonation of Palin on "Saturday Night Live" owed as much to Palin's newness as it did to Fey's uncanny ability to look and sound like the governor of Alaska. Most SNL viewers had no frame of reference for Palin, other than her speech at the Republican National Convention, so Fey didn't have to worry about competing with a hardened image of Palin).

It's inevitable; too, that Obama will eventually have his turn under the microscope. When the media start picking apart some of his Cabinet choices or his pronouncements on the state of the economy or his declarations about Iraq, he may be surprised to find that the afterglow of his stunning victory turns sour so fast.

MEDIA WEB QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Have the media treated President-elect Barack Obama too kindly for the past year - and, if so, should that kind of treatment end now that he has won the election?

Join the online community of Media Web readers by posting comments directly to the MarketWatch.com site.

By Jon Friedman Copyright © 2008 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved

"She was dynamite" Chambliss says

Look at the great things Chambliss said about Palin! He seems truly grateful for the boost she gave him in the runoff. It's so refreshing to hear that she helped a campaign instead of the constant scrutiny from the Left and the McCain aides who say she was the reason McCain lost.

Politico
Chambliss: Palin 'allowed us to peak'
By ANDY BARR 12/3/08
10:20 AM EST

Fresh off his runoff victory Tuesday night, Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss credited Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with firing up his base.

“I can't overstate the impact she had down here,” Chambliss said during an interview Wednesday morning on Fox News.

“When she walks in a room, folks just explode,” he added. “And they really did pack the house everywhere we went. She's a dynamic lady, a great administrator, and I think she's got a great future in the Republican Party.”

Chambliss said that after watching her campaign on his behalf at several events Monday, he does not see her star status diminishing within the party.

The Republican also thanked John McCain and the other big name Republicans that came to Georgia, but said Palin made the biggest impact.

“We had John McCain and Mike Huckabee and Gov. Romney and Rudy Giuliani, but Sarah Palin came in on the last day, did a fly-around and, man, she was dynamite,” he said. “We packed the houses everywhere we went. And it really did allow us to peak and get our base fired up.”

But as Chambliss heaped praise on Palin and other big-ticket Republicans that came to Georgia on his behalf, he questioned why President-elect Barack Obama would not use his star power to aid his Democratic opponent Jim Martin.

“I have no idea why he didn't come down,” Chambliss said.

“His people were here. His organization was here,” he added. “They really did a good job in the general election of turning out people. And whatever their game plan was this time, if he had been here, I have no idea whether it would have worked better.”

Gallup Poll says Palin tops list among Republicans for 2012

From the St. Petersburg Times http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article920456.ece

No sooner had Barack Obama won the presidential election than pundits started looking to 2012 and possible Republican challengers. A Gallup Poll asked people to rank the top 10 candidates they would like to run. Topping the list: Sarah Palin (67 percent), Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. Second to last: Gov. Charlie Crist (23 percent), one below former Gov. Jeb Bush (31 percent). The telephone poll was taken Nov. 5-16 and included 799 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

This is an interesting poll because it targeted only Republicans. It shows where we are in our re-building process. At this point, it doesn't matter as much what Democrats think about Palin because they probably wouldn’t vote for any Republican candidate. But Palin’s status among the GOP is very important. That the majority of Republicans in this poll embrace Palin’s ideology gives me such hope for the party. It means that hopefully there will be a shift toward fiscal conservatism in our future. She said during her stump speeches for Chambliss that this is the time to rebuild the party. And I have always believed this is why Palin is so popular – Republicans love her conservative ideals and are so ready to get back to them again. After eight years of Clinton, and eight years of compassionate conservative Bush, it’s time to get back to the Right.

Chambliss wins re-election in runoff

Senator Chambliss defeated his challenger Jim Martin in the Senatorial runoff today. With 92% of the precincts reporting, Chambliss had 58% to Martin's 42%, when Martin called to concede.

Technically, this win thwarts the Democratic hopes of a filibuster-proof Super Majority - but there are still RINO Senators that would prove that wrong. For now, though, I'm happy we won this seat and happy that the Georgia voters were compelled to re-elect their Republican incumbent.

This win again proves Palin's effectiveness as an energizer and motivator. Can you believe a former VP candidate is so popular that she can attract thousands of people to rallies for a Senatorial runoff that isn't even in her state? She's so popular that this runoff became a national news item - a runoff that probably would have been a footnote to the other news stories any other day if she hadn't been there. Her effectiveness in this runoff is hopefully a foreshadowing of things to come. Go Sarah!

Video: Palin rallies the base for Chambliss in Georgia

Thanks to Northern Exposer at Conservative Jedi for this link to a video of Sarah's speech in Georgia. Classic Sarah and very inspiring. If the polls are accurate, Chambliss should win today. Hopefully, it'll happen!

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/12/01/video-palin-rallies-the-base-for-chambliss-in-georgia/

Thanks, N.E.!

Who needs Luda when we have Sarah?

Thousands attended rallies today to support Senator Chambliss and to see Palin. More people attended her events than any other Republican who campaigned for Chambliss.

These photos are from the Augusta Chronicle

The rapper, Ludacris, was campaigning for challenger Jim Martin, today.

Many in attendance were wearing "Palin 2012" shirts, and vendors were even selling them at the events.

Townhall reviewed her appearance in Perry, GA:

Monday, December 01, 2008
Palin implores Ga. Republicans to back Chambliss
By SHANNON McCAFFREY

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin urged Georgia voters to back Sen. Saxby Chambliss in Tuesday's runoff in an election eve appeal that underscored her popularity within the Republican Party and the GOP's efforts to stave off erosion of its shrinking Senate numbers.

"Losing an election doesn't mean we have lost our way," the former vice presidential candidate told a cheering crowd of 2,500 on Monday in the central Georgia town of Perry. "If we are to lead again, we have lots of hard work ahead of us. Let it begin here tomorrow in Georgia."

Palin's campaign appearances for Chambliss - four total - were her first since she and Republican presidential nominee John McCain stumbled on Nov. 4. Georgia Republicans clearly were looking ahead, with supporters waiting in the cold for more than an hour to attend the rallies. Vendors in Augusta sold bright pink "Palin 2012" T-shirts and "Palin for President: You Go Girl" buttons. Chants of "Sa-rah!" greeted Palin.

Palin highlighted Chambliss' conservative record of supporting gun rights and opposing abortion. Faced with the prospect of Democrats padding their Senate numbers - they are two votes shy of the 60 needed to thwart Republican filibusters - Palin said it was critical to elect the first-term Republican lawmaker.

"We must send Saxby back to the United States Senate," Palin told the crowd in Augusta. In the general election, Chambliss fell short of crossing the 50 percent threshold in a three-way race against Democrat Jim Martin and a Libertarian candidate, Allen Buckley, who drew 3.4 percent of the vote. The runoff between Chambliss and Martin will help determine the balance of power in Washington. Georgia is one of two undecided contests, with a recount under way in Minnesota in the tight race between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken.

All signs from early voting for the runoff pointed toward Chambliss holding the seat.

The contest has attracted almost 500,000 early voters and some 36 percent are white males, typically a solid Republican constituency in the state. In the weeks leading up to the general election, white males cast about 27 percent of the more than 2 million early votes. Less than 23 percent of the early voters for the runoff are black - a drop from the surge of black voters in the run-up to the general election. Black voters made up more than 34 percent of the 2 million early voters before the Nov. 4 contest when President-elect Barack Obama was on the ballot.

Palin cast the Georgia runoff as the first step in rehabilitating the Republican Party, wounded by losses in November including the defeat of the McCain-Palin ticket. "It takes rebuilding and I say let that begin here in Georgia tomorrow," Palin said. Palin said she has a soft spot for Georgia where her eldest son, Track, trained at Fort Benning before deploying to Iraq. "You took good care of my son," Palin said.

Martin is touring the state Monday with prominent Georgia Democrats, including Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta. He'll cap the day with a state Capitol rally with the Atlanta hip hop artist Ludacris. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., warmed up a crowd of about 2,000 at Palin and Chambliss' second stop in Savannah by taking a dig at Martin for campaigning with a rapper who has written some raunchy lyrics. "Would you play that for your momma?"

Kingston said of Ludacris' music. "I think Jim Martin should be with Ludacris," Kingston said. "It would be ludicrous to vote for Jim Martin."

Martin had asked President-elect Barack Obama to campaign with him. Obama recorded a radio ad and automated phone calls for Martin but did not campaign in the state. Some 100 Obama field operatives
traveled to the state to help with turnout. Several Republicans have campaigned for Chambliss, including one-time presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. McCain campaigned in the state last month, but only Palin was tapped for election eve and four Georgia stops, reflecting her star status.

Tommy Byler, 22, of Savannah marveled at the size of the crowd Palin drew compared to other top-tier Republicans who have campaigned for Chambliss. "I went to see Mitt Romney a week ago, and I think there were only about 100 people there," said Byler, who wore a T-shirt emblazoned with Palin's face and the words "Sarah Palin Is My Homegirl."

Former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore have campaigned for Martin. Georgia's last U.S. Senate runoff was in 1992. Democratic Sen. Wyche Fowler pulled more votes in the general election but lost to Republican Paul Coverdell in the runoff.