The entire presidential election year was kind of a downer for conservatives. Once the “maverick” John McCain won the nomination, the rest of the year was like watching a slow motion car crash. Except at least a slow-motion car crash is occasionally entertaining. So it was going to be a long year.
Until Palin.
Liberals were angry at Palin because they thought she should look and act like Kay Bailey Hutchinson: Upper crust, prissy and stiff.
Palin had a husband in the Steelworkers Union, a sister and brother-in-law who owned a gas station, and five attractive children -- one headed for Iraq, one a Down’s syndrome baby and one the cutest little girl anyone had ever seen.
In a nutshell, Palin was everything Democrats are always pretending to be, but never are.
Palin was a kick in the pants, she energized conservatives, and she made liberal heads explode. Other than his brave military service, introducing Sarah Palin to Americans is the greatest thing John McCain ever did for his country.
"Earlier in this case, at a bail hearing, I asked — said — to Mr. Simpson I didn't know if he was arrogant or ignorant or both. And during the trial and through this proceeding, I got this answer, and it was both."--Judge Jackie Glass
--I'm trying to get back in shape by hitting the gym hard. I let things go during the hectic election season.
--I've actually been in the mood to get caught up on housework. I have to take advantage of that when the mood strikes. Again, I neglected my house during election season.
--Christmas Season in general
--2 of my kids have birthdays this time of year
--I'm bonding with my oldest daughter by re-watching old seasons of 24 with her.
--I've actually been going to bed at a decent time
--And the list goes on...
Sarah Palin and those like her are the future of the Republican Party. Conservatism is not dead – moderates are the losers in this election. No liberal has been elected by outing themselves as same. They become centrists, moving center and center-right (remember the elections of 2006). Obama, who is recognized by other liberals as the most liberal liberal in Congress, spent the last two months of the campaign running center-right.--Mychal Massie
The accusations now surfacing is that Gov. Palin isn't "smart enough" to even consider running for president
, to which one might argue: like Al Gore and John Kerry were, and like Joe Biden is – but I digress. A pre-eminent business leader told me many years ago, "You don't have to be super smart to be successful – you just have to be smart enough to surround yourself with people who are."
To that point, Sarah Palin is not only smart enough to surround herself with smart people, but she is also both smart and capable. Her record of accomplishment in barely two years as governor of Alaska is extraordinary. She is a proven fiscal conservative who puts the best interests of the people ahead of "good ol' boy" politics and policies, and she isn't hesitant to take on malevolent factions of her own party. She holds to traditional values, not as a mace, but as a way of life.
She restructured her state's pre-existing severance tax on oil and gas production, renegotiating the structure in full public view, and the rebated part of the resulting surplus went directly to taxpayers. She ended a multi-year stalemate over the financing and construction of a $40 billion cross-state pipeline that supplies cheaper natural gas to Alaskans and the lower 48 states. That single act alone did more to advance American energy independence than Biden, Obama or McCain can boast collectively. In her capacity as being responsible for the Alaskan National Guard, she authorized 521 missions that saved 200 lives.
Sarah Palin and those like her are the future of the Republican Party. Conservatism is not dead – moderates are the losers in this election. No liberal has been elected by outing themselves as same. They become centrists, moving center and center-right (remember the elections of 2006). Obama, who is recognized by other liberals as the most liberal liberal in Congress, spent the last two months of the campaign running center-right.
The attacks are coming from those who fear what Gov. Palin represents. They fear not being able to convince enough people to oppose her unless they start savaging her now. I am also inclined to believe that a good number of those spreading the lies and misinformation are either from, will be or desire to be part of a certain former and future presidential hopeful loser, who fancies himself a contender in 2012.
Sarah Palin is good for our party – she is good for America.And trust me, those attacking her do so because they fear her ability to connect with voters. They wouldn't waste their efforts if this were not the case. To those who say she isn't "smart enough," I say she doesn't have to be an Adams, Jefferson, Madison or Reagan; she just has to be smart enough to know it and surround herself with capable people. And keep in mind that Ronald Reagan was attacked as not being intelligent enough, while Bill Clinton was hailed as being supremely intelligent.
Palin didn't lose the race for McCain – he lost it himself despite her giving him a tremendous boost going into the closing weeks of the campaign. She is, however, the reason his 6-point lost wasn't a double-digit loss.
--Teddy Roosevelt was Governor of New York for exactly 2 years before becoming Vice President
--He was Vice President for LESS THAN A YEAR before becoming President
--He was 43 years old, younger than Sarah Palin is now
I was very disappointed to read your column asking Sarah Palin to step down. McCain never had a chance at winning until she was on the ticket. It is the first time many of us as conservative women have truly been excited about a woman politician.
I've done a lot of studying of the presidents and first ladies and I have to go back to Abigail Adams to find a first lady to admire. Sarah Palin has plenty of experience for the ticket and I can't believe you, of all people would ask her to step down.
Palin has been compared to many great leaders. She has been compared to Reagan by Michael Reagan himself, but the best comparison is to Teddy Roosevelt. Why? She is a reformer and guess how much experience Teddy Roosevelt had before becoming Vice President and then President? He had been Governor of New York for 2 years before becoming Vice President and then he was VP for less than a year before becoming President. He was younger than Palin is today when he assumed the Presidency. He was a very successful, two term president with his face on Mt. Rushmore. You should be cheering Sarah Palin on, not asking her to step down.
Hannity told OneNewsNow that his interview with Sarah Palin will be a stark contrast from the grilling she received from Charlie Gibson of ABC News. The interview, he explained, is "not about me," but about her -- because she is, after all, the vice-presidential candidate.
"She's got a compelling story to tell," stated Hannity. "And to the extent she can say these things in her words -- where she stands, her values, her principles, where she goes to to make decisions -- that is what I'm going to try to let her say to the American people, unfiltered, without an agenda, without a bias, without playing 'gotcha,' in her own words. That's my goal."
Hannity says Americans will look back at 2008 as "the year journalism died." He contends reporters have asked tougher questions of Sarah Palin and her 17-year-old daughter the past few weeks than they have about Senator Obama's relationship with "an unrepentant terrorist" who bombed the Pentagon.
--Jim Brown of OneNewsNow reporting in, Hannity's interview with Palin on deck
"The guy who, reading his vice-presidential acceptance speech from a TelePrompter, bungled McCain's name, calling him "George" ("Freudian slip, folks, Freudian slip," he explained).
The guy who, on the day Obama announced him as his running mate, referred to his party's presidential nominee as "Barack America" and noted that his own wife, Jill, a college professor, was "drop-dead gorgeous" but who, problematically, possessed a doctorate.
The guy who has said he is running for president (not vice president) and who confused army brigades with battalions. Who referred to his Republican vice-presidential opponent as the lieutenant governor of Alaska."
"George Bush is Gary Cooper in the classic western "High Noon." The sheriff is about to leave office when a marauding gang is coming to town. He could leave, but he waits to face the killers as all his friends and all the townspeople, who supported him during his years of keeping them safe, slowly abandon him. In the end, he walks alone to meet the killers, because someone has to.
That's Bush. Name one other person in Washington who would be willing to stand alone if he had to, because someone had to.
OK, there is one, but she's not in Washington yet. Appropriately, at the end of "High Noon," Cooper is surrounded by the last two highwaymen when, suddenly, his wife (Grace Kelly) appears out of nowhere and blows away one of the killers! The aging sheriff is saved by a beautiful, gun-toting woman."
"CALLER: Hey, listen, Rush, longtime listener, first-time caller, one of those Bible, family, gun clingers from western Pennsylvania.
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: And I wanted to share a story with you. A week ago last Saturday we went to the Palin-McCain rally in Washington, Pennsylvania, was the day after he announced her, and we have a five-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, and we made a sign that said: "We Love Kids with Down Syndrome." So when they pulled in in their bus the sign did catch their, McCain and Palin and the rest of their family, it caught their eye, we could tell, they gave us a thumbs-up from the bus, so we were all excited just by that --
RUSH: Wait, wait, wait. Who gave you the thumbs up, McCain and Palin?
CALLER: McCain, Palin, Cindy McCain, we could see them from the bus. We were in a position where we had eye contact with them --
RUSH: Oh, cool!
CALLER: My wife was holding our daughter.
RUSH: Very, very, very cool.
CALLER: It was really cool, Rush. I was like, "Wow, that's awesome," because I love Governor Palin and so I thought that's really neat. So then we moved around as the bus was getting ready to pull out, we kind of positioned ourselves so we could just wave them on and a Secret Service agent came up to us and said, "Hey, can you come with us?" I was like, "Do we have a choice?"
RUSH: (laughing) You shouldn't have worried. It's not the Clinton administration.
CALLER: Right. So we accompanied them up the hill, we went right to the bus, where it was, and Governor Palin, Senator McCain, Cindy, Todd Palin, they're all standing there. We're in this inner circle with just us and them, and the Secret Service agent, and they came right up to us and thanked us for coming out, said they loved our sign, and Governor Palin immediately said, "May I hold your daughter?" and our daughter Chloe, who's five, went right to her, and I have some pictures I'd love to send you maybe when I'm done here, but Governor Palin was hugging Chloe, and then her little daughter brought their baby Trig who has Down syndrome from the bus, he was napping, and Chloe went right over and kissed him on the cheek, and my son Nolan who's nine, he thanked her.
RUSH: This is amazing.
CALLER: I will send you all the stuff, Senator McCain was talking to my son, and we thanked him for his service, and he asked my son if he wanted to see the bus, and we were hanging out and it was very surreal. I felt like we could have had a pizza and a beer with them, they were so warm.
RUSH: You know what? I want to put you on hold. I want Snerdley to give you our super-secret, known-only-to-three-people here, e-mail address.
CALLER: I will send you everything, Rush.
RUSH: And then could you send us these pictures? Would you mind if we put them on the website?
CALLER: I would be honored, and my main thing is they are warm, kind, genuine people, and they represent the best of this country.
RUSH: That's right. And when you send these pictures, make sure you identify them. I mean, we'll know Palin and McCain, of course. Identify yourselves.
CALLER: I will, I will identify everybody in the picture, Rush, and God bless you for being a beacon of hope and truth in this country.
RUSH: Oh, no, no. It's nothing, it's nothing. You're doing the Lord's work.
CALLER: Well, we're very blessed and I want people to know what a blessing it is to have a child with Down syndrome. These kids, they're angels.
RUSH: That's the thing. There's always good to be found in everything that happens. It may be a while before it reveals itself.
CALLER: Absolutely.
RUSH: Right, and when she hugged my daughter I said, here's the difference, this candidate embraces life and all its limitless possibilities.
RUSH: All right.
CALLER: That's what she is.
"This is the pro-life choice. The fact that people will criticize her for this shows the astounding extent to which the secular critics of the pro-life movement just don't get it. Those who criticize the Palin family don't understand that we don't see babies as a punishment but as a blessing. Barack Obama said that if one of his daughters made a mistake and got pregnant out of wedlock he wouldn't want her to be punished with a child. Pro lifers don't see a child as punishment."--Dr. Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
"Look, this development will actually be positive for the most part with Evangelicals. First they hear that Sarah Palin chooses the life option even though she had a Downs Syndrome baby and once again the family (and Bristol) has chosen the life option in this recent case. That's a double "ca-ching". Let's call this the Evangelical daily double. If anything, this whole situation will probably make more people around the country relate to her and her family. It makes them more real. Will there by some turned off by the whole pre-marital sex thing? Of course but this type of story doesn't sink her at all with Evangelicals."--David Brody
"The risk John McCain took last Friday is comparable to the 72-year-old ex-fighter pilot knocking back two shots and flying his F-16 under the Golden Gate Bridge.
McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his co-pilot was the biggest gamble in presidential history. As of now, it is paying off, big-time."
"Many pundits believe her addition to the Republican ticket will make the race with Obama’s Democrats go to the wire.
What is certain is that the sharp-shooting mom from the wilds of Alaska won’t go down without a fight."
"And as for David Cook: Part of him must be chomping at the bit to get this gig over with and move on to his own material, his own band, his own career. His hometown gave him a spectacular reception, but he also showed he has the talent and personality to make it big elsewhere. I'll be surprised if he isn't at least as big as Daughtry. And if he gets bigger, Saturday won't be the last time he rocks the Sprint Center."
First of all, Palin has 8 years of Executive experience as Mayor and Governor. Obama has none.
Second, she has 2 years of Military experience being in charge of Alaska's National Guard. Obama has none, and before you dismiss 2 years of being in charge of the National Guard, read the following:"Alaska is the first line of defense in our missile interceptor defense system. The 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard is the unit that protects the entire nation from ballistic missile attacks. It’s on permanent active duty, unlike other Guard units.Third, she has a diverse background of experience as a professional journalist, city council woman, Mayor, Governor and Mother of 5.
As governor of Alaska, Palin is briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counterterrorism. Her exposure to classified material may rival even Biden's.
She's also the commander in chief of the Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF), a federally recognized militia incorporated into Homeland Security's counterterrorism plans.
Palin is privy to military and intelligence secrets that are vital to the entire country's defense. Given Alaska's proximity to Russia, she may have security clearances we don't even know about.
According to the Washington Post, she first met with McCain in February, but nobody ever found out. This is a woman used to keeping secrets.
She can be entrusted with our national security, because she already is."
Fourth, she has gotten a lot done and has an incredible record for only being a Governor for 2 years. She has vetoed 300 spending proposals and has an 80% approval rating in Alaska.
Fifth, she knows what she thinks and is very articulate, attractive, passionate, idealistic and courageous. She has shown enormous courage with her oldest son going off to serve in the military and her youngest son having downs syndrome.
Sixth, she is a very competent person with a compelling story.
Seventh, she should never be underestimated. She defeated the incumbent when she ran for Mayor and she defeated the incumbent Republican Governor in the primary before going on to defeat the Democrat in the general election.
"Babies, guns, Jesus... Hot damn."--Rush Limbaugh talking about Governor Sarah Palin
--Head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at her high school
--Earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" for being an intense basketball player in high school where she helped her team win a championship game
--Bachelor's Degree in Journalism
--In 1984, she won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest, then finished 2nd in the Miss Alaska pageant
--Married her high school sweetheart in 1988 (on the same exact day as my husband and I, just 4 years earlier)
--Sports reporter for local Anchorage television stations
--Worked as a commercial fisher woman with her husband
--Served two terms on the Wasilla city council from 1992 to 1996
--Served 2 terms as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska
--Elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors
--Exposed corruption within the Republican party
--Won the Governorship of Alaska in a landslide and is currently serving with an 80% approval rating
--Hockey Mom of 5
--Strongly pro-life, just gave birth to a Downs syndrome baby this past April
--Pro-2nd Amendment, life long member of the NRA
--For Drilling in ANWAR
--Her oldest son enlisted in the Army last year
--fiscal conservative
--pro-business and pro-development
"Her rise is a great (and rare) story of how adherence to principle--especially to transparency and accountability in government--can produce political success. And by the way, Palin is a conservative who only last month vetoed 13 percent of the state's proposed budget for capital projects. The cuts, the Anchorage Daily News said, "may be the biggest single-year line-item veto total in state history."
"Political analysts in Alaska refer to the "body count" of Palin's rivals. "The landscape is littered with the bodies of those who crossed Sarah," says pollster Dave Dittman, who worked for her gubernatorial campaign."
"She's as Alaskan as you can get," says Dan Fagan, an Anchorage radio talk show host. "She's a hockey mom, she lives on a lake, she ice fishes, she snowmobiles, she hunts, she's an NRA member, she has a float plane, and her husband works for BP on the North Slope," Fagan says. Todd Palin, her high school sweetheart, is a three-time winner of the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmobile race from Wasilla to Nome to Fairbanks. It's the world's longest snowmobile race."
"Her Christian faith--Palin grew up attending nondenominational Bible churches--was a minor issue in the race. She told me her faith affects her politics this way: "I believe everything happens for a purpose. In my own personal life, if I dedicated back to my Creator what I'm trying to create for the good . . . everything will turn out fine." That same concept applies to her political career, she suggested."
"She made three other promises: to end corruption in state government, cut spending, and provide accountability. She's now redeeming those promises."
"But most important, Palin could do something few Republicans seem interested in or able to do these days: Help fuse the two pillars of the Reagan Revolution, traditional conservatives and libertarian Republicans.
Palin can win the hearts of conservatives, given her strong pro-life views -- views that were backed up with action this year when she gave birth to a son with Down's syndrome. It would probably also help with these folks that her oldest son recently enlisted in the Army. And she can excite libertarian Republicans, given her fiscal conservatism as governor as well as her reputation for anti-corruption, love of guns and the outdoor life, and moderation on social issues other than abortion.
In short, Palin will provide McCain the surge he needs to win his last battle."
1) The Faith of the American Soldier--Stephen Mansfield
2) My Grandfather's Son--Clarence Thomas
3) A Patriot's Handbook (CD)--Caroline Kennedy
4) 1776 (CD)--David McCullough
5) One for the Money--Janet Evanovich
6) Two for the Dough--Janet Evanovich
7) Three to get Deadly--Janet Evanovich
8) Four to Score--Janet Evanovich
9) High Five--Janet Evanovich
10) Hot Six--Janet Evanovich
11) Seven Up--Janet Evanovich
12) Hard Eight--Janet Evanovich
13) To the Nines--Janet Evanovich
14) Ten Big Ones--Janet Evanovich
15) Eleven On Top--Janet Evanovich
16) Visions of Sugar Plums--Janet Evanovich
17) Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom (CD)
18) Twelve Sharp--Janet Evanovich
19) Lean Mean Thirteen--Janet Evanovich
20) Plum Lovin'--Janet Evanovich
21) Facing Terror--Carrie McDonnall (CD)
22) The Spiritual Heritage of the U.S. Capitol--David Barton (CD)
23) The Faith of George W. Bush--Stephen Mansfield (CD)
24) Danger in the Shadows--Dee Henderson (CD)
25) T is for Trespass--Sue Grafton
26) Plum Lucky--Janet Evanovich
27) Then Sings My Soul--Robert J. Morgan
28) The Negotiator--Dee Henderson (CD)
29) Wings of Silver--Jo Petty
30) Moments From America's History--David Barton (CD)
31) The Spirit of the American Revolution--David Barton (CD)
32) Stori Telling--Tori Spelling
33) First World War--Ruth Brocklehurst & Henry Brook
34) Mistaken Identity--VanRyn, Cerak & Mark Tabb
35) Mornings on Horseback--David McCullough (Cd)
36) Fearless Fourteen--Janet Evanovich
37) If God Should Choose--Kristen Stagg
38) Come Thirsty--Max Lucado
39) Lincoln, A Photobiography--Russell Freedman
40) Bringing Elizabeth Home--Ed & Lois Smart w/Laura Morton
41) John Adams--David McCullough (Cd)
42) Beauty Beyond the Ashes--Cheryl McGuinness
43) If I Did it--Ron Goldman
44) How I Helped OJ Get Away with Murder--Mike Gilbert
Benjamin Rush's name came up quite a bit and he was the one responsible for re-kindling Adams and Jefferson's friendship. I have a book on Rush that I've been wanting to read and hearing about him in this book, makes me even more motivated to read it.
1) The Faith of the American Soldier--Stephen Mansfield
2) My Grandfather's Son--Clarence Thomas
3) A Patriot's Handbook (CD)--Caroline Kennedy
4) 1776 (CD)--David McCullough
5) One for the Money--Janet Evanovich
6) Two for the Dough--Janet Evanovich
7) Three to get Deadly--Janet Evanovich
8) Four to Score--Janet Evanovich
9) High Five--Janet Evanovich
10) Hot Six--Janet Evanovich
11) Seven Up--Janet Evanovich
12) Hard Eight--Janet Evanovich
13) To the Nines--Janet Evanovich
14) Ten Big Ones--Janet Evanovich
15) Eleven On Top--Janet Evanovich
16) Visions of Sugar Plums--Janet Evanovich
17) Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom (CD)
18) Twelve Sharp--Janet Evanovich
19) Lean Mean Thirteen--Janet Evanovich
20) Plum Lovin'--Janet Evanovich
21) Facing Terror--Carrie McDonnall (CD)
22) The Spiritual Heritage of the U.S. Capitol--David Barton (CD)
23) The Faith of George W. Bush--Stephen Mansfield (CD)
24) Danger in the Shadows--Dee Henderson (CD)
25) T is for Trespass--Sue Grafton
26) Plum Lucky--Janet Evanovich
27) Then Sings My Soul--Robert J. Morgan
28) The Negotiator--Dee Henderson (CD)
29) Wings of Silver--Jo Petty
30) Moments From America's History--David Barton (CD)
31) The Spirit of the American Revolution--David Barton (CD)
32) Stori Telling--Tori Spelling
33) First World War--Ruth Brocklehurst & Henry Brook
34) Mistaken Identity--VanRyn, Cerak & Mark Tabb
35) Mornings on Horseback--David McCullough (Cd)
36) Fearless Fourteen--Janet Evanovich
37) If God Should Choose--Kristen Stagg
38) Come Thirsty--Max Lucado
39) Lincoln, A Photobiography--Russell Freedman
40) Bringing Elizabeth Home--Ed & Lois Smart w/Laura Morton
