First 2012 GOP debate is tonight - Palin not attending

The first GOP debate of 2012 is being held tonight in Greenville, South Carolina. Here's the list of participants:

Herman Cain
Gary Johnson
Ron Paul
Tim Pawlenty
Rick Santorum

Um...yeah. With the exception of Cain, that group is pretty pathetic. I'm so glad Palin is skipping this debate. If this is the best the GOP has to offer, then I think in a few months the entire country will be begging Palin to run. And I think this is exactly why Palin has waited to make her announcement. As the candidates start shaping up, compared to Palin they are just so un-inspiring and yawn-worthy. If we really have to choose from a list like this (give or take a few) we're going to be pretty bummed.

OBL's death brings questions on birth certificate release (for me)

Osama bin Laden's death is a relief to us all and an amazing accomplishment for our troops. The 10-year hunt is finally over. However, Obama's actions before and after this event have left many confused and feeling odd rather than happy. There was the Donald Trump show which seemed, to me, to unravel to a perfect end of Obama releasing his long form birth certificate. Very weird occurance for someone who has done everything imaginable to keep it hidden. Then a week later, Obama makes an announcement that OBL is dead and we killed him. I'm wondering why he even bothered with the birth certificate now. Was it because he thought people wouldn't trust him on the OBL death announcement? Did he know that he wasn't going to show the death photo, and then think that people would label him as hiding everything - the BC and now the death photo?
Not to get all conspiracy-theory on you, but Trump's call to release the BC came out of nowhere. And because of the insurmounting pressure of Trump's demand, Obama was forced to release the BC. See? He couldn't just produce the BC easily after two three years of hiding it. In literary terms, he needed an agent or external force to push him into this action. If you remember, for weeks before Trump made his demand, the corrupt media kept asking Republicans if they thought Obama was born here. Off the top of my head I know Palin, Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty were asked repeatedly in recent interviews and they ALL refused to take the bait. They ALL said it was a distraction from the real issues. Then Trump comes in coincidentally, poses as a Republican and demands it. Then Obama releases it.

And now Obama is refusing to release OBL's death photo. Obama's actions cause so much chaos and confusion. This is a moment where everyone could unite and be happy together. But Obama's weird actions, from not releasing the photo to treating the corpse with honor and according to Muslim tradition, have left most of us feeling empty, confused and second-guessing ourselves.

I've moved on and don't really care one way or another. It was just a thought in my head. But I do think it's very strange how this all happened given that Obama knew where OBL was for months. I'm just glad OBL is dead. It truly is a time to celebrate.

SarahPAC's new website

On April 18, SarahPAC quietly launched a new website design. This website streamlines everything related to Sarah Palin: her ideas, her facts, her candidate picks, where to donate, where she'll be, her media appearances, her Facebook and Twitter posts and more. Many independent Palin supporters and bloggers have been compiling and publishing this information over the years, but this is the first time she has done it herself. This quiet unveiling looks to me like another brick in laying the groundwork for her announcement to run in 2012. There was no fan fair, no youtube announcement, only an email to those already subscribing to SarahPAC.

This website is spectacular. She makes no bones about where she stands on the issues. She lays it all out on the line clearly. Compare her site to Mitt Romney's, which is just one page where you can sign up for emails or donate. He doesn't say anything about his opinions, not even that he's a Republican! Tim Pawlenty's website is very good, better than Romney's. He at least publishes information about where he stands on the issues. Overall, this website puts her directly in the field of GOP candidates.

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…

We need Sarah more than ever

I apologize for the lack of posts. I am going through a huge transformation at home that's taking up all my free time and energy. It's a good thing that's happening, but unfortunately this blog has fallen off the to-do list. But I am going to make a concerted effort to get back to posting regularly because of last night, because of the way our country is going - time is of the essence and we can't give up.

Sarah is the only one who can reverse this monstrosity. We need a leader to take charge and repeal. She's the only one who has the guts to pull this off. Forget Romney, forget Huckabee, forget Pawlenty. We need a REAL leader, and we need someone who is not afraid to take on the beltway. I know Sarah cares about this country the way we do, and she values freedom the way we do. She's a citizen just like us and she'll fight for us.

We also need to throw out everyone who voted "yes" yesterday. Fire. Them. All. They put their political agenda ahead of the will of the people. They purposefully rejected their constituents and we need to make them pay in November. Nancy Pelosi needs to be impeached.

As our President says, the time for talk is over. We need to act. We need to repeal this bill somehow. We need to vote these thugs out of office and we need to elect Sarah in 2012. Our future depends on it.

Here are some starting points.

Special Editorial: Repeal - The Weekly Standard
"Luckily, key parts of Obamacare--especially the subsidies--don’t go into effect until 2014. So what Republicans have to do is to make the 2010 and the 2012 elections referenda on Obamacare, win those elections, and then repeal Obamacare."


Your mission is to drive every Leftist from power, to defund the DNC, and to repeal what was done yesterday. - Hillbuzz
"It is our mission in life, as of today, to see to it the Democrat Party is sent to the dust heap of history with the Whigs and other extinct political animals whose time on this Earth came to an end. To thunderous applause in the case of Democrats, in our opinion."

What Freedom Demands - Hotair
"The decision is up to us. Our representatives will fight various legislative battles in the months to come… and then we will speak in November. As the voters of the United States ponder what to say, it would profit us to think long and hard about the freedom Democrats are trying to take from us tonight, and what freedom demands.



Yes, it makes demands. Freedom is not a gift. It is not given to you by the government, in a precise dosage that can be adjusted to match a politician’s diagnosis of what ails the body politic. Your forefathers won an impossible Revolution against an invincible foe to declare the self-evident truth that your rights descend from your Creator. Whether that Creator is a transcendent God, or a random combination of genetic material in the primordial soup, it is a power that existed before the first king assumed his throne, or the first president was elected. Liberty burns in your imagination, flows through your veins, and rings through your words."

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.

Going Rogue with Hoffman endorsement

Palin has endorsed conservative Doug Hoffman over the “Republican” Dede Scozzafava in the special election of New York’s 23rd congressional district.

This is exactly the type of situation that Palin said she would like to help out on. Getting the RINOs out and real conservatives in is exactly what we need to do to stop this landslide into socialism. This is great news and will most definitely give Hoffman a substantial edge.

Now for the Going Rogue part? Minn. Governor Tim Pawlenty didn’t know anything about this race. I’m not kidding:

"You know I haven't been following that, I haven't studied the race at all," he said. "It's not that I would or wouldn't, I just don't know anything about it. I haven't taken the time to study their positions, their records, so I haven't taken a position on it."

And this man is supposed to be a 2012 frontrunner?? First he hires former McCain aides for his campaign and now he’s not paying attention to a wildly popular conservative vs. Republican special election that has gained immense national coverage? This makes me think that he’s on board with the RINOs and doesn’t want to publicly acknowledge himself that way, or he is incredibly stupid, one or the other.

This race is critical. The only way we’re going to change the direction of this country is to elect real conservatives. I keep hearing that a so called “third party” won’t ever win. I disagree. First, a conservative is not part of a third party. Secondly, the majority of Americans are sick and tired of RINOs and hard leftists. They’re tired of paying the government for wasteful programs. I think most Americans are ready to elect real conservatives, not squishy "Republicans" or RINOs. That was one of the reasons the Right was so down about McCain being the 2008 nominee.

Palin endorsing Hoffman is going to start an enormous wave of support for conservatives everywhere. She will be the catalyst for this change, while the other Republican RINOs sit on the sidelines.

Pawlenty hires McCain staffers

Lifted from Ace, again. He reports that Tim Pawlenty has hired Randy Scheunemann and other 2008 McCain campaign advisors to advise him. Even though Scheunemann was one of the "good ones" and a Palin defender then and now, this is a good move and Palin needs to move on with advisors she selects on her own. I'm of the mind that the entire McCain advisory staff is not fit to do any advising. The 2008 campaign and election was a disaster. Us regular citizens could have run a better campaign.

Palin got where she is today by being a beltway outsider and I think she needs advisors that are out of the beltway, too.

Pawlenty Hires Ex-McCain Staffers
Noted in this post over at Hot Air written by "Eeyore-pundit" himself (I keed, I keed; all the AP critics should read it anyway because he's got a good point).


Quick summary: Pawlenty is hiring two former McCain staffers, including Randy Scheunemann, who was Sarah's more aggressive defender among the insiders from Team McCain. Does this mean that Scheunemann has soured on Sarah and is looking for greener pastures? Does it mean that she's unlikely to run in 2012?


My thoughts? It's too damn early to tell. Maybe RS has had a change of heart and now loves him some Minnesota Nice. Maybe he's just looking for a paycheck and Pawlenty is willing to hire him 3 years out while Palin wants to wait a while to assemble her team. Maybe.....she's just not that into him?


One question that I have to ask: Is it really VITAL for Sarah to hire former McCain staffers for a potential 2012 presidential run? Its not like that team really covered itself in glory the last time they were on the field, now is it?


continued.

Speculation on Palin's future

I previously wrote that I think Palin will run in 2012 and gave a list of reasons, or "clues" I probably should say, as to why.

This week, the MSM is also speculating on Palin's future and they too think she will run. Some say she won't even run for re-election as governor in 2010 in order to free up time and money for the 2012 bid, taking a nod from Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty. Certainly, Mark Sanford's recent choices will make an impact on this decision as well since he was previously considered a frontrunner.

Palin Likely Prepping for 2012 Presidential Run
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 2:29 PM
Newsmax
By: David A. Patten

Beltway tongues are starting to wag that Sarah Palin is likely to opt out of a 2010 bid for re-election as Alaska's governor, in order to free herself for a presumed run on the national GOP ticket in 2012.

“There is nothing that she has done that leads me to believe she will seek reelection,” a prominent former GOP state legislator, Andrew Halcro, told Politico's Andy Barr. “If you’re Palin, once you’ve flown first class, you don’t go back to coach. She’s been to the show and certainly seemed to like it there,” he adds.

Politico also quotes a DC-based Democratic strategist who concludes, "We don't think she's running."

If Palin does bow out, it would free up her time to organize a broader campaign for national office. In so doing, she would appear to be following the course set by conservative GOP Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a frequently touted presidential hopeful.

According to the Alaska Public Offices Commission, no candidate, including Palin, has yet to file the paperwork to toss their hat in the political ring for the Alaska governorship.

Politico quotes a former Palin staff member who estimates there's a 50-50 chance Palin will shoot for another term as governor.

"If Sarah Palin has proven anything in her career, it's that she is full of surprises," the source says.

Palin has consistently deflected media inquiries into her future political plans.

Political pundits expect Palin will wait as long as possible – probably until next spring -- to announce her intentions.

continued...

Breaking: Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty is not seeking re-election in 2010

I just read at the Corner that Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty will not run for re-election as Governor in 2010.

Pawlenty was a favorite to be McCain's running mate, and is a possible 2012 contender. I don't know if his decision has any reflection on his 2012 ambitions. We'll have to wait and see.

Tim Pawlenty [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

is not running for reelection as governor.

UPDATE: More:

NEW YORK (AP) — Sources close to Tim Pawlenty say the Minnesota governor won't seek a third term.

The Republican is expected to make that announcement later Tuesday.

But the sources say that he won't address the future. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as an announcement was pending. They say Pawlenty won't rule anything in or out during a planned news conference. That will certainly stoke speculation that Pawlenty is gearing up for a 2012 presidential run.

He was a top surrogate for John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008 and was among those considered for the vice presidential slot on the GOP ticket.

06/02 12:05 PM Share