The music swells and then picks up tempo. Sarah Palin is talking about how 2010 will be the year that "commonsense conservative women get things done for our country." She's worried about "these policies coming out of D.C. right now, this fundamental transformation of America," and reports that she is not alone. "Moms kinda just know when something's wrong," she says. "You thought pit bulls were tough? Well, you don't wanna mess with the mama grizzlies!"
Can a two-minute Internet video reshuffle a Republican presidential race before it has even started? Palin's glossy yet authentic clip, released without any fanfare did just that. It was the surest sign yet that she means to be an energizing factor in this year's midterm elections and will mount a real bid for the White House in 2012. Most compelling is the way the video targets women, specifically moms, whom Palin exhorts to vote in the midterms and halt the Obama agenda. The video features image after image of everyday, determined, smiling, patriotic mothers and grandmothers, all keen to join her army of supporters. Palin calls it a "mom awakening." If Palin can inspire GOP and independent women to turn out for the party's candidates in November, she could decisively influence the outcome of the midterms.
Palin doesn't need specific policies to crank up the energy — or even specific criticisms of Obama. She knows that injecting emotion into the conversation is the most efficient way to spark a movement. Her charming if idiosyncratic way with words may also be an asset: "Look out, Washington, because there's a whole stampede of pink elephants crossing the line, and the ETA stampeding through is November 2, 2010. Lotta women comin' together." […]
Her candidacy would require almost none of the usual time sinks that force politicians to jump in early: power-broker schmoozing, schedule-intensive fundraising, competitive recruitment of experienced strategists, careful policy development. She would have immediate access to cash, with even small Internet donations likely bringing in millions.
Already the most arresting political figure other than the President, Palin will be even more visible in the coming months. After a year of profitable speaking, bookselling and punditry on Fox, she will do some promotion in August for the paperback release of her best-selling Going Rogue. When it airs in the fall, her documentary series about Alaska on TLC will attract both curiosity and viewers. And after the midterms, her second book, America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag, will hit stores in time to rack up millions in Christmas sales. She keeps in touch with her fans via Twitter and Facebook; on July 13 she pushed back hard after the NAACP criticized the Tea Party.
Palin thrives on the unpredictable, and as her new video shows, she can adapt quickly. "What she knows, you can't teach," says Mark McKinnon, a top strategist for George W. Bush and McCain. "And what she doesn't know she can learn — and she's learning fast."
On Hillbuzz: They are obviously a pro HIllary Clinton , but to their cedit, the writers have defended Sarah Palin and us Governors Palin supporters appreciate it. I would also like to point out Sarah Palin has raised over $2.5 in the 1st quarter of 2010 and 4x what Romney raised.
Thanks to a good friend, two of us will be lucky enough to go to Sarah Palin’s speech this Saturday in Wilmington, IL, near Peoria. We’re going to cover the speech in great detail, and hopefully do some cross-posts of our report at Palin sites we love, like Conservatives4Palin.
We don’t know how close we’ll be able to get to Palin herself, but hope we’ll be able to score a moment in front of her, at which we’ll tell her what we told Hillary Clinton in 2003, when we saw her at a book signing on Shaker Square in Cleveland: Run for president and don’t let anyone talk you out of it.
Well, The Kennedys and others in the DNC told Hillary to wait until 2008, whereby they succeeding in stabbing her in the back and taking the nomination away from her. Clearly, we see the RNC doing the same thing to Palin now, telling her to wait until 2016 to run.
We think it’s as big of a mistake for her to wait as it was for Hillary. The “It’s Mitt’s turn” nonsense will hand Dr. Utopia a second term, whereas we believe Palin would absolutely clean that socialist’s clock.
So, every chance we get, we want to tell Palin to keep doing what she’s doing, and to never, ever listen to the sort of people who kept Hillary from running in 2004, when we believe she would have won not just the nomination, but the presidency.
Palin’s moment is 2012. We want to stand behind her and help her in any way we can.
If anyone out there can help us get in front of her for even just a minute this coming Saturday, we’d appreciate it, as we want her to learn from the mistakes of Hillary’s campaign so that the RNC does not do to her what the DNC did to our champ.
Mark Levin Rush said she is the only one with Moral courage to stand up to Obama & the liberl hags she would delicately put them in their place with class.. God go with you guys..
Agreed. They won’t endorse anybody now, but they know who the libs fear, and they see what we all do: Gov. Palin hitting Zero with ninja stars left and right, day after day.
I think Gov. Palin would kick Obama’s ass from one end of the country to the other.
My best friend, a raging lib, makes a big point of saying how much he wants the GOP to nominate Gov. Palin. So I say to him, “Great — ’cause that’s a fight I want!”
Nothing better than a fight both sides want, right?
“Gov. Palin hitting Zero with ninja stars left and right, day after day.”
And she has been doing it from the very beginning. Unlike the boys, who waited until they saw the coast was clear before doing so (and not very effectively either).3e21`
The Southern Republican Leadership Conference Straw Poll doesn't carry a whole lot of weight, since it's skewed — like most of these things — by the makeup of the crowd, the intensity of Ron Paul's supporters and the ease of gaming the vote.
That doesn't mean, however, that the various camps aren't trying to game it. One of the organizers told me that two groups, Paul's Campaign for Liberty and Evangelicals for Mitt (which denies ties to Romney) have purchased blocks of tickets to the event, typically given to supporters.
I spoke to a young female delegate who said she planned to vote for Romney in the poll. I asked her how she had ended up at the conference.
She said Evangelicals for Mitt had contacted her and offered to pay for her to have a limited-access ticket — as long as she agreed to vote for Romney in the straw poll.
Asked how Evangelicals for Mitt got her name, she said she didn't know. But she said that she was on the e-mail list for Romney and speculated that the Romney team had given out their e-mail list.
I've e-mailed a Romney spokesman to ask if they shared the list.
UPDATE: Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom says Romney's PAC hasn't shared its list, and that he's not aware of any other list.
And a Paul supporter gets hold of the full e-mail from Evangelicals for Mitt's Nancy French, which requires ticket recipients to promise to vote for Romney:
Evangelicals for Mitt is trying to get people there who would vote for Gov. Romney in a straw poll. It is customary for potential Presidential candidates to make an effort to get friendly people at the conference to help their showing in the straw polls, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.
Sarah Palin, McCain's former running mate and perhaps the most powerful brand in Republican politics, will stump for McCain in Arizona on March 26 and 27, a Palin adviser told CNN. The presence of Palin - and the considerable crowds and media attention she will draw - might give pause to J.D. Hayworth, the former Republican congressman and radio host who opposes McCain's position on illegal immigration and is mulling a Senate run of his own.
The former Alaska governor will also hit the campaign trail in the coming month for two conservative heroes - Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Two Republican Party superstars -- Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin -- will be stumping in Minnesota in April. The former Alaska governor will make a campaign appearance with the Sixth District congresswoman who's running for a third term, Bachmann announced Tuesday.
Announcing Palin's scheduled appearance, Bachmann is quoted as saying: "There is absolutely no one more in tune with the hearts and minds of everyday Americans than Governor Palin, and I'm excited to welcome her back to our beautiful state this spring." [...]
In some conservative and Republican circles there has been persistent buzz about a Palin-Bachmann presidential ticket in 2012. A Google search for "Palin Bachmann 2012" produces more than 2 million hits.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is coming to Texas on Sunday, February 7, 2010 to headline a rally for Governor Perry's re-election campaign. We invite you to join Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, and your fellow conservatives in Houston for this exciting event. Sign up below and don't forget to print out your registration confirmation, which will serve as your ticket into the event.
I'm excited to get out and help elect candidates who will bring those principles to our nation's towns, state houses, and directly to Washington D.C. We are already making plans to support the candidates our nation needs to make a difference and speak for everyday Americans.
I look forward to helping Governors like Rick Perry in Texas, Representatives like Michele Bachmann in Minnesota, and heroes and statesmen like Senator John McCain. We will support these candidates and others so that they can continue to fight for our American values.