Where does Palin stand on the issues?

With flip-flopping Romney, longtime DC-insider Newt, and Santorum's questionable votes/endorsements, conservatives are left wondering where those three stand on some issues and if we can trust them to vote our way if elected President.

As a stark contrast, no one has to ask themselves where Palin stands on the issues. She has been open and up front with all her decisions from day one. Absolutely not a question. It's a shame the establishment GOP couldn't support her.

Palin's Paul Ryan endorsements are paying off for us long-term

Palin endorsed Paul Ryan's Roadmap on December 10, 2010. To my knowledge she was the first major contender to do so. When I wrote about it on this blog, I mentioned how at the time Ryan's Roadmap was considered somewhat of a risky proposition that only serious conservatives would endorse to either their success or their peril.

Now it's May 2011 and Ryan's Roadmap has become one of the most significant arguments in nearly every debate. Each candidate is framed on whether or not they endorse his plan and to what degree. Even the President had to make a rebuttal to Ryan's budget proposal during the budget talks. Not only has this piece of policy become so significant, but Ryan himself has become the go-to guy on our country's economic issues. Would this have happened if Palin hadn't endorsed the plan back in December?

Last Sunday, official 2012 candidate Newt Gingrich slammed the Medicare component in Ryan's budget proposal to his peril. Every major conservative pundit has declared Gingrich done in the 2012 race. I don't know if he did this to make waves in order to get the focus on him and to get more popularity or something, but whatever he wanted to accomplish completely backfired. The 2012 candidates need to realize that we are really fed up with big government and we're not going to forgive gaffes like this so easily.

Palin endorsed this plan in December. She endorsed Ryan's policy credentials throughout the past two years. It's because of her high profile endorsements that these economic policy debates are happening. She has such a great eye for who is going to be good for this country and who is passionate about their work. She's already paved the way for us picking a great nominee in 2012 - one who can go toe-to-toe with Obama and one who is not a RINO squish. Gingrich has been weeded out because of her. That's got to be a great feeling.

Proof that corrupt media will tear down any GOP nominee

Last night I was watching "Conan," the new late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. In the opening monologue he made a "joke" about Newt Gingrich and his adulterous past. Gingrich is currently exploring his options for running for president.

This appears to be the way they will attack Gingrich if he decides to run. This "joke" was like a trial balloon for the new JournoList. It also fits into Alinski rules quite well. Attack a candidate personally instead of on the issues. Ignore all his policy ideas; ignore the fact that Gingrich has admitted and apologized for his adultery - just keep harping on that one thing over and over. Remember when they wouldn't shut up about how many cars and houses the McCains have?

This is proof that any GOP candidate no matter who it is, will be attacked and systematically dismantled by the corrupt media. Don't fall for the "she's unelectable because of Tina Fey" excuse for Sarah Palin. If not Palin, they'd be making fun of any other GOP candidate. Gingrich hasn't even formally announced that he will run and they're already attacking him. This is going to be a very tough race.

SRLC is tomorrow - Palin will speak

The Battle Begins for 2012 GOP Contenders
CBS News Political Hotsheet
April 7, 2010 9:48am

Every four years, in between presidential elections, conservative activists gather to take stock of some of the most prominent names in the Republican Party -- and consider which of them has what it takes for a successful run for the White House.

That gathering, the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, takes place this Thursday through Saturday in New Orleans. Among the speakers will be Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Bobby Jindal, Michael Steele, and Sarah Palin, whose speech will be closely watched for signs as to whether the former Alaska governor is serious about a presidential run or is opting instead a lucrative media career.

Notably absent, oddly enough, will be the only two prominent Republicans who have been doing the most staff hiring, fundraising, travel and networking to lay the groundwork for a 2012 run: Former Massachusetts governor and 2008 GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who has elected to continue his book tour instead of coming to the conference, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who pulled out in order to attend a welcome home ceremony for members of the armed forces.

Both men are widely expected to jump in the race, but both have their liabilities. While Romney has worked hard to establish his conservative credentials after taking moderate positions on some issues as Massachusetts governor, some on the right continue to be skeptical of him. And the passage of a health care reform package that looks a lot like the health care bill Romney signed into law in Massachusetts has had the ex-governor straining to make the case that the Massachusetts model has legitimate differences with what conservatives derisively call "ObamaCare."

Pawlenty, meanwhile, is unknown to most Americans. While he has been making all the right moves to prepare for a presidential run, including raising money for and endorsing anti-spending Republican candidates, he has not come close to capturing the imagination of the GOP faithful. Perhaps in an effort to break through and generate a little buzz -- and also draw a distinction with Romney -- Pawlenty is pushing a lawsuit to overturn the health care bill. (He's also not skipping the conference entirely -- organizers tell Hotsheet he plans to send in a video address for the event.)

The current landscape means that many conservatives are hoping that a plausible alternative to Pawlenty and Romney emerges in the coming months -- perhaps spurred by a winning speech at the conference seen by many as the unofficial kickoff to primary campaign season.

Palin, seemingly the brightest light in the GOP, remains a polarizing figure who many Republicans believe could not win in a general election; she has also laid little groundwork for a presidential run. The activists gathered at the conference will be looking for signs that the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee is interested in a run and willing to do the necessary hard work to win -- or if she seems content to focus on her burgeoning media career, including her planned television show, "Sarah Palin's Alaska."


Continued…

Even though Hoffman lost, the conservative movement made a lot of progress

It's a shame NY23 didn't turn out the way we wanted. But a lot of good things came out of it. We showed the Republican party that we will not stand for RINOs. We will not elect someone just because they have an (R) next to their name. A third party candidate can gain enough popularity to be viable since this was a very close election. I imagine a lot of the Republican elite establishment are saying "I told you so" right now, but I'll say the same thing I've always said which is, what's the point of winning an election if you've sacrificed your principles to get there? Electing Dede Scozz would have been no different than electing the Democrat (can't even remember his name) so what would be the point in even electing her? She wouldn't have voted conservative or even right-of-center.

Palin being the first high-profile conservative to endorse Hoffman gave others enough courage to stand behind him as well. Of course, being the first to endorse showed that Palin isn't apologetic about her conservatism and it showed she's a trailblazer and a leader who's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Everyone who followed her was just that - a follower.

We learned where Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney stand - they both failed to formally endorse Hoffman. We learned how off-the-rails Newt Gingrich has become. We learned that Tim Pawlenty is weak and uninformed. We learned that the Republican party will stop funding RINOs if we insist on it. So a lot of good things came from this election even though our candidate lost.

Most of all, Palin is the one who stood her ground throughout and put her money where her mouth is. I really applaud her for trying to get a third-party conservative elected. She didn't lose anything by endorsing Hoffman.

American Thinker nails it again with NY23 race and RINOs

Palin's endorsement of conservative Doug Hoffman in NY23 proved to be too much for "Republican" Dede Scozzafava as she has since suspended her campaign and now...shockingly...endorses the Democrat candidate on her way out!

I can't emphasize again how critical this race is, how undeniably gamechanging it is for the GOP. With this race, Newt Gingrich destroyed his chances of running for President and Palin just boosted hers. RINOs like Tim Pawlenty showed their true colors while Mitt Romney sat on the sidelines and did nothing. This is exactly what the future will look like, this little congressional race is proving to change the course of history. I'm not trying to be over-dramatic, I really do believe it.

November 01, 2009
Dede Scozzafava proves her detractors right!
by Aaron Gee

It is being reported today that Dede Scozzafava is endorsing Democrat Bill Owens. In one fell swoop she proved her detractors right. Her actions also speak to the Republicans that made excuses for her such as Newt Gingrich; they were dead wrong. When Dede withdrew from the race on Saturday, many (including me) thought she was doing the right thing for Northern New York, and the Republican Party. Instead we have been presented with the quintessential example of what the label RINO means.


"Scozzafava dropped out after Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman experienced a late-in-the-game surge. The move was expected to consolidate GOP voters behind Hoffman on Tuesday.

But on Sunday, Scozzafava backed Democrat Bill Owens -- the announcement was made in a statement sent out by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee."


When the DNC is releasing statements for the former GOP candidate you know something is very wrong. This is a wake up call for the leaders of the Grand Old Party. The party got its hat handed to it in the last election by running the most "moderate" candidate in decades why do they continue in the same vein that didn't work last time?


Listening to voters helped create the contract with America which propelled the GOP into the House and Senate in 1994. It was ignoring those principals that led to the GOP's decline. Instead of listening to Washington insiders the GOP would do better if it listened to the people.

Gingrich doesn't rule out Palin either

Newt Gingrich is obviously a beltway insider and seasoned politician who knows the big picture. Even though he's "gone off the rails" a few times in his career (in my opinion) he's still a big voice in the Party who has a lot of sway. The fact that he's aligning with Palin at this time says a lot.

GINGRICH: PALIN'S STILL GOT A SHOT
Posted: Monday, July 13, 2009 5:09 PM by Domenico Montanaro

Here's one we missed Friday evening, but came across perusing Newt Gingrich's Twitter feed this afternoon...

As we, at First Read, have also argued, Gingrich said he thinks Sarah Palin still has a legitimate shot at the 2012 nomination.

He was asked on audio on his Web site, "If you decided to run for president in 2012, would you be open to having Sarah Palin as your running mate?"

Gingrich replied: "Well, I think it's important to remember that Gov. Palin may well be the nominee. There are lots and lots of Republicans who like her. And she's now going to be able to campaign full time for the next-- almost three and a quarter years. And so, who knows what's going to happen. I think it's a long way off, but I think she has a very major role to play in the party. And I wouldn't rule her out for either the first or second slot."

Palin attended, but didn't speak at GOP fundraiser

Palin ended up attending the NRSC/NRCC fundraiser in Washington DC last night amidst the confusion over her role in the event. From the outside, it looked like neither Palin's camp nor the GOP had any clue about who was speaking and/or attending. This WaPo article leads us to believe that the GOP offered her a keynote slot, and then rescinded it for Newt instead. That's unbelievably tacky if true - to invite someone to give a keynote and then rescind? Who knows if that really happened, though. We'll never know.

But Palin did attend, giving her and Todd's RSVP hours prior. It appears that Newt still weilds a lot of power in the GOP.

Despite Questions About Her Appearance, Palin Welcomed at GOP Dinner
By Perry Bacon Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 8, 2009; 10:48 PM

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was warmly welcomed Monday night to a major GOP fundraiser dinner, a development that was surprising only because her appearance came after a bizarre, weeks-long saga that had party leaders questioning whether she would show up.

Palin had originally been announced as the keynote speaker for the fundraiser, a dinner benefiting the Republican congressional campaign committees at the Washington Convention Center. But her office then said that she had never confirmed her attendance. Palin's office asked last week if she would speak at the dinner, and party leaders told her she could. Later, though, they rescinded the speaking invitation in deference to the man who had accepted the keynote slot in her place, former House speaker Newt Gingrich.

Without a speaking slot, Palin declined to commit to appearing until hours before the event. But after assurances she would be publicly introduced at the event, the former vice presidential nominee and her husband strode across the stage with Gingrich and his wife as the event started, getting applause from the crowd of more than 2,000 Republicans.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), chairman of the National Senatorial Campaign Committee, praised Palin for her "leadership." The brief mention of the Alaska governor drew more applause from the crowd. Palin herself did not speak at the event.

Despite the controversy, Republicans raised more than $14 million at the event for the committees that help elect House and Senate GOP candidates. The dinner is annually one of the largest party fundraisers of the year.

Palin will not headline GOP dinner

There was some confusion over whether or not Palin would be speaking at a Republican fundraiser, the Senate-House Dinner on June 8. Numerous reports said she was, but SarahPAC said she wasn't. MSM took the opportunity to say that there were communication issues between her and her PAC. I personally think she told them no from the beginning and the GOP kept saying she would speak to drum up interest and turnout. It's not the first time someone has tried to piggyback off her success.

I think she did the right thing by staying in Alaska until the end of the legislative session.

Palin out as headliner for GOP dinner
15 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is out, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in as keynote speaker at a Republican dinner this spring.

The party's 2008 nominee for vice president, Palin had been slated to address the annual Senate-House Dinner on June 8, which is sponsored by the House and Senate Republican campaign committees. Instead, she will be replaced by Gingrich.

A spokesman for the Senate GOP committee, Brian Walsh, says Palin's team informed the committees that her responsibilities in Alaska prevented her from committing until the end of the legislative session.