Sarah Palin vs. New York Times and the judge

Bill Whittle and company discuss the judge throwing out Sarah Palin's lawsuit against the New York Times, while the jury was out deliberating a verdict. Just wow. That might be the most inept judge in history.

Window Wednesday - Hit piece on GOP

Sacha Baron Cohen did a hit piece on Republicans, Trump and his supporters that will be making it's first public appearance soon.  Apparently it's a one-sided, disgusting spectacle requiring no attention, but stuff like this needs to have the light shone on how ugly and inappropriate it really is:

It gets worse:

Sarah Palin responded with class at least.

Sarah Palin has the right to say "I told you so"

What a contrast.  Back in 2008 you had this from T Boone Pickens, "billionaire investor, philanthropist and energy reform activst" who warned against expectations that domestic oil drilling could ever contribute significantly to American energy independence.

Forget what candidate Obama was saying at the time, about bankrupting coal and promising to increase drilling (something he clearly did not follow through on). Meanwhile the most mocked woman in America, possibly ever in the history of the mainstream media, Sarah Palin was saying this - for which she was roundly mocked as not seeing the reality of American energy:

Flash forward 9 years to this.  Yesterday in Bloomberg:

Donald Trump will tout surging U.S. exports of oil and natural gas during a week of events aimed at highlighting the country’s growing energy dominance.

The president also plans to emphasize that after decades of relying on foreign energy supplies, the U.S. is on the brink of becoming a net exporter of oil, gas, coal and other energy resources...

“It’s about utilizing our abundance of resources at home to create jobs and grow the economy, and at the same time use those to strengthen America’s leadership and influence abroad,” said Michael Catanzaro, a special assistant to the president on domestic energy.

...The U.S. is on track to produce 10 million barrels of oil per day on average next year, according to a forecast from the Energy Information Administration -- a milestone that would shatter a record set in 1970.

For reference purposes only two countries in the world produced 10 million barrels per day in 2016, Russia and Saudi Arabia.  America is indeed on a path to energy independence, after an eight year stall under then president Obama. Granted not all that wealth of resources is from Alaska, but if anyone has the right to say, "I told you so" today, it's Sarah Palin. 

Martin Bashir resigns from MSNBC

Maybe he'll end up at the new CNN.  Martin Bashir didn't deserve the honor of quitting, he should have been summarily fired for his disgusting rant.

Via The Blaze:

TV host Martin Bashir announced Wednesday that he is resigning from MSNBC, according to an email obtained by Mediaite.

Bashir’s announcement comes weeks after he caused an uproar for suggesting someone defecate in former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s mouth.

“After making an on-air apology, I asked for permission to take some additional time out around the Thanksgiving holiday,” Bashir said in the email. “Upon further reflection, and after meeting with the president of MSNBC, I have tendered my resignation. It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues, at this special network, will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments.

That rant was not journalism.  It was angry liberal histrionics that has no place in political discourse.  Martin Bashir should have been fired, period.  That MSNBC did not have the inclination to do so speaks volumes.  Had someone from Fox said that sort of thing about Hillary Clinton, imagine the uproar it would have caused.  And that person would have been dismissed from the network before the uproar had even started.

2 Million Bikers Rally gets it right

Sarah Palin was right again; siding with bikers is not a bad thing.  They are patriotic Americans - at least this lot clearly are.

 

Was Sarah Palin Right?

Apparently, she was. So says Bill Whittle and also, someone else you might not expect.

If a tree falls in space, does anyone hear it scream?

If I were a comedian who thought I knew everything about politics and tried to come across as an expert on that subject, of course I'd be a liberal.  Why?  Because no matter what line I crossed, those I supported would REFUSE to condemn me for my line crossing behavior, and we could all go along happily living our hypocritical lives.

That explains Bill Maher:

Unbelievable bald-faced hypocrisy.  And I've now spent more time on Bill Maher than I ever intended to spend.

As for Rush, what he said, he apologized for it, and his insulting words while vulgar,  were related to the point he was tring to make.  Maher's invectives were designed to be hurtful and related only to liberal rage.  Rush was complaining about a law student demanding her birth control be paid for, Maher just hated Sarah Palin and wanted to spew bile at her - it was not related to her ideas.  It was not even an attack on her ideas.  It was misogynistic hatred and nothing more.  But liberals won't  disavow him because he sent them money. [Warning - foul language]

That is truly sickening.

In case you still care - Sarah Palin says...

Sarah Palin kinda sorta endorses Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina primary.  Her cache has slipped since she didn't enter the race (better to enter and lose than not run), but she still has sway over a segment of the population.  Just because her star has fallen doesn't make her wrong either. So for what it's worth, here it is:

Obama Jobs Plan - What If Scenario #2

Yesterday I went through the exercise of what would happen if the president in his upcoming jobs speech went big on conservative principles. Not likely but theoretically possible as a scenario, it pales compared to some of the other possibilities. In the next scenario, let's look at what would happen with a "go small approach". In other words, if the president's big plan that he worked on at Martha's Vineyard turned out to be entirely underwhelming, what would happen?  Hang on, there's a twist.

Link love

So I'm working 14-16 hours a day lately and my blog is suffering.  Trust me, I'm not complaining - I'm working.  Until I'm back to normal, check out these quality posts elsewhere:

Obamanomics - where food stamps equal economic boon.

Unions = people?  Corporations = people!

The bigger the lie, the more people you fool.

The Black Caucus is losing patience with Mr. O.

Libertarian dystopia?

Perry can't win, Romney can.

Romney can't win, Perry can.

Nobody can win, except Sarah Palin.

Nobody can win but Newt Gingrich.  No link?  Oh wait, he'll have the Hawaii vote.

Always end with a chuckle.

Trailer: The Undefeated

In case you haven't seen it everywhere else, the trailer for the Sarah Palin bio-pic, The Undefeated:

The Undefeated Teaser Trailer from Dain Valverde on Vimeo.

I'm still camping but I decided to sneak a peak of the latest news on my blackberry while picking up ice from the store in the town about 8 miles from our camp site.  The mosquitoes and black flies are killer this year.  I saw the clip and had to add a post.  It's ironic that I'm camping and a documentary about someone from Alaska comes out: I'm busy appreciating nature right now and I can really identify with the outdoorsy nature of the Palin family. 

Why Sarah Palin Must Run

Whether Sarah Palin can win or not, whether she does win or not, from her own political perspective, she has to run for President.  Having good reasons to leave the governorship of Alaska isn't acceptable in the minds of some voters.  But the reasons were sound personally and on some level politically as well, and that can probably be overcome as a political liability.  What likely couldn't be overcome, is after having to wrestle with the quitter label for the Alaska resignation, stringing supporters along on a possible run and then quitting without even entering would be politically devastating for her. The quitter label would be held both on the left and among some of the most fervent support from then right.  

Winning or losing doesn't even matter, what matters for her political career is the attempt. That is assuming politics is something she still wants to engage in as a career, in a capacity other than as a commentator.

What's more interesting though is her avoidance of declaring either way her intention.  Could she be looking to be drafted to run?  Could she be looking to score a s a write-in candidate and make her route to the possible nation even more unconventional?  Declaring an entry now is politically and financially draining with little upside for her.  Unlike Bachmann or Cain, she doesn't need to build name recognition.  What she needs is her favorables to turn, and she's got an independent biographical documentary going into release to help with that.

Sarah Palin - jury duty?

The media reports (with giddy glee no doubt) that Sarah Palin's tour has been called off or is fizzling.  Apparently that's not the case - it's simply a matter of civics.

As I said myself at the end of the east coast leg of the tour, the summer is long, and I’m looking forward to hitting the open road again. The coming weeks are tight because civic duty calls (like most everyone else, even former governors get called up for jury duty) and I look forward to doing my part just like every other Alaskan.

MSM Meme in trouble - Palin not a dimwit

Newsflash:  Sarah Palin apparently is no dimwit, but was a hard working loyal and diligent governor.  How do we know?  CNN says so.

CNN - Certainly Not Neutral

Via Sodahead.com

CNN came in to existence as a great idea - a news feed.  Looking back, the writing was already on the teleprompter - CNN was doomed to ratings decline because of the irresistible urge to proselytize (that's a good word, look it up) the viewers.  It's no secret what political slant Ted Turner was (or is) - he married Hanoi Jane after all.  A liberal slant, a media outlet, and armed with the conscious or unconscious understanding Alinsky's rules for radicals (specifically 5, 8 and 12), all made the journalistic drift from news to editorializing inevitable.  That formula can't exist forever without consequences.

PPP poll - WTF.

Public Policy Polling has a post that borders on deliberate character assassination: Charlie Sheen beats Sarah Palin among independents.  Really?  This is serious polling?  And is that serious voter intention?

Tea Party over?

Exactly.

Since conservatives made inroads by electing Republicans in Congress to 63 more seats than in the previous Congress, it seems things have let up in the progress towards rolling back progressivism. Recent polls out of AP/GFK and later Rasmussen have shown a softening of people's opposition to Obamacare. Sarah Palin's approval is down and President Obama's have crept upward. Conservative personalities have been blamed for the tragedy in Tucson. What happened?

Is it just a matter of having won, Republicans are back to being viewed as a part of the problem? Or is it part of a letdown after a big win - are we coasting after having stewed and grown ever more energized over the last two years?

That's possible. I argued right after the midterm election results that it was not time to let up, that a Tea Party rally the day of the swearing in of the new Congress would send a big signal to Democrats, Republicans the press and the people of America that this was not about partisanship but about common sense and responsive government. It's not too late. Tax Day is coming again, and there is still a need to keep the momentum up.

Where is the Tea Party now? It's course is not run out. Is the Tea Party over, or in remission until 2012? I hope not because liberalism and bad government decisions do not take a holiday.

Helping Out Bob McConnell

Bob MccConnell is running for Congress in Colorado district CO-3.  He needs your support.  He's a solid conservative, endorsed by Sarah Palin. Colorado needs a common sense representative and in this last week, where some of the races are tightening, make sure you give him any support you can.

He's targeting the national debt.



He's a Tea Party guy;

And while he thinks the unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare need to be addressed, he is not willing to forgo the commitments already made in those areas. That's both sensible and honorable.

Please vote for Bob McConnell on November 2nd.

Opportunity is Knocking and Timing is Everything

One of the things I like to do is connect the dots.  Not in some sort of crazy consiracy theorist sort of way, but rather linking together events or ideas in the spirit of James Burke.  Mr. Burke was able to connect seemingly unrelated pieces of history together to find a common thread of social and technical progress that, when put together make a lot of sense and indeed seem to have followed a logical path.

The real excitement though is finding events that link together when not all of those events have yet occured.  That's what I mean by timing is everything.

Over at Hillbuzz, a group of disenfranchised Hillary Clinton supporters have just recently become so disillusioned with the Obama left, they have decided to switch to Independent and possibly even vote for a Republican candidate if they aren't what they term a "religious zealot".

That is an OPPORTUNITY awaiting action.

Cue Sarah Palin's book release and next weeks visit to the Oprah Winfrey show. She has an historic opportunity to re-brand herself to a large swath of the American public.  A positive appearance, with insightful, intelligent and measured communication, an endearing approach would do wonders.  That Hillary supporters have just become 'officially' disenfranchised with Obama, and Oprah viewere may in fact constitute a large portion of the Hillbuzz crowd, means that the timing is not just an opportunity but a golden opportunity for Sarah Palin to make some serious inroads into her negative image scores in a short period of time.

Conservativer-Than-Thou Attitudes

Image from http://www.bigtimeconservativestore.com/default.asp

Newt Gingrich was being pilloried for his dogged support of Dede Scozzafava in the NY23 election.  She's not a conservative, in fact she's not really even a moderate.  She's a liberal.  Backing her was foolish.  But now Newt is being bashed for finally coming to the side of Doug Hoffman, Conservative Party candidate.  Yes, he came to the principles party late and may in fact be an univited guest to boot.  Yes, conservativism REALLY, REALLY matters and principles are paramount.  Yes, other conservatives of note, Sarah Palin and Fred Thompson notables among them, beat Newt to the punch and were right, right out of the gate.

Yes Newt deserves to take lumps over this.  His loyalties were clearly to the GOP and not conservative values.  The problem is not Newt's - the problem is that no one should have to decide between the GOP and conservatism because they are supposed to be the same thing.

But reality tends to get in the way of such pristine conditions.  When people talk about Big Tent conservatism they often forget that the tent is supposed to include actual conservatives and not just be awash in moderates.  Such has become the predicament of the GOP - too many moderates, not enough conservatives.  How did reality get in the way of the GOP being conservative?  A conservative in New York is not the same as a conservative in Texas.  A conservative in New York has to be more moderate in many districts to stand a chance to win at all.  Too many puritans want them expunged from the party or the GOP expunged from conservatism.  It's a recipe for defeat.

The real trick is to ensure that conservatives are the first choice for representatives in any district.  The only exceptions should be cases where straight ticket conservatives don't stand a chance to win.  And then, the level of conservatism should be bent as little as possible without betraying the overall integrity of conservative values. The trick is finding that point.  The GOP has lost sight of that focal point by being too out of touch with the grassroots.  The fault is not Newt's.  The fault lies in conservatives, outside of politics, not providing the unrelenting drumbeat of conservatism the way liberals do.  There are exceptions - Limbaugh, and Fox News (to a lesser extent) obvious among them.  Where's our CBS-NBC-ABC-CNN-MSNBC-NYT machine?  Stop asking and do something about it.  Rupert Murdoch will not be around forever. Where are his conservative immitators?  That's where conservativism is lacking.  From a conservative drumbeat will come conservative singers (candidates).

What the puritans must realize (and I'm extremely conservative myself, but I'm also a realist), is that in order to win, some concessions in some districts are unfortunately necessary.  But you have to walk before you can run.  The Hoffman example shows that the grassroots can get a conservative to win (I hope).  That energy shouldn't be turned on lesser conservative conservatives.  A conservativer-than-thou attitude doesn't help.

Small victories can compile and a slightly more conservative voice rather than a slightly more liberal voice is a good thing.  The left, until Obama, has been willing to take the long road to victory.  It's been what, 70 years of growing welfare statism?  No wonder the left thought they were close enough to take the final 'great leap forward'.  Conservatives often want to do everything at once.  It's great for the primaries - every possible true conservative should win in the primaries.  But as disgusted as I would be by having to vote for Scozzafava, I would have to look long and hard before sitting out and letting a Democrat win.  It's not out of the question, but the decision shouldn't be a flippant one.  Weak GOP candidates are better than hardcore liberals.  Socialism will not be defeated in our lifetime.  Frustratingly, patience is a virtue.  And it's a virtue that more grassroots conservatives would be advised to practice.

Newt's nose has been rubbed in his bad decision.  Scozzafava is gone.  Hoffman might win.  A signal very well could be sent tomorrow. Savor it.  Be energized by it, and use it to promote your local conservative option for candidacy in any primary race.  But do consider holding your nose and voting GOP in 2010 if you have to do so, because another 2 years of unfettered Obama-ism, is a recipe for a national disaster. On that, I'm sure 99% of conservatives (even the moderate ones) can agree.  And in a nod to the true conservatives reading this - if you can't agree on the damage done to America Obama-ism, then maybe you really do deserve to be removed from the conserative sphere.