Sarah Palin, even if she serves two terms, would not be able to part the Red Sea.
One of my main selling points to people of various political stripes is that: Sarah Palin will LISTEN to you. And, Sarah Palin will do her darnedest to be PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, not just the president of AL, MS, UT, and ID.
She will uphold the Constitution, even in cases where her views might differ somewhat from those of the Founders. (For example, freedom of speech and press sometimes get misused, but that doesn't mean such misuses are unConstitutional.) I believe she will be respectful of state constitutions, which occasionally differ from the national document (or at least from Supreme Court interpretations.
I don't expect Sarah to come across as an "anti" in regard to groups (except perhaps terrorists). Sarah Palin is not a clone of any of us. And she's not someone comfortable with pitting one group against another.
For example, Alaska people tend to have a libertarian streak, and Sarah is one of them. She seems to be more a friend of small businesses than of the large ones she knows (the oil companies and oil service firms that misbehaved badly in AK). On the famous "social issues," Sarah clearly believes in teaching by example -- through behavior -- rather than by delivering lectures and passing laws that are unenforceable.
Finally, Sarah's appeal to some liberal women (Elaine Lafferty, Lynn de Rothschild, Tammy Bruce, Camille Paglia, and others) results from them seeing her as, in Lafferty's words, a "feminist" and a "brainiac" -- a good and thoughtful person). We don't need ideological tests to welcome people in as Supporters. After Nov., 2012, we can begin squabbling if necessary (or if we can still recall what the argument was about.)
We must get across to Sarah that there are people backing her, including many people working together on the "Sarah Effort," who can play important roles on ensuring she eventually makes the move to the White House. Smart, curious, hard-working, tough, loyal: those should be the main criteria for Sarah's people. A tradition of working on losing campaigns should be a disqualification.
Showing posts with label Elaine Lafferty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elaine Lafferty. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Hillary Supporters Backing Sarah Palin
Beginning in April, 2008, I began working with many people, Democrats, Independents, and even a few Republicans, who supported Hillary Clinton. It became evident that the "Hillary votes" were critical to any Republican candidate running against Obama. My guess was that we needed six million of the 20 million voters (including those in caucus states) who supported Clinton in the primaries.
I began a blog (HillarySupportersforMcCain) and posted a couple of hundred pieces on it. Today, eight months later, I stopped posting on that site long ago, but it still gets 30-35 or so visitors a week.
A not-so-secret-secret: I don't like Hillary Clinton as a politician. I never did. But I believe my efforts helped the McCain-Palin ticket by my emphasizing that Hillary Supporters' votes were needed and valued. (I did believe Mrs. Clinton would be much better as a president than BHO, although not nearly as good as many of her Supporters believed.)
For months, I was co-host, with the irrepressible Cristi Adkins of VA, on the radio program "Clintons4McCain." We had a blast . . . and interviewed many terrific guests, including Bev Perlson and Gold Star Mother Debbie Lee.
In the end, we didn't get the six millions votes (from Hillary Supporters) that we needed. However, we apparently did get four million-plus of them. The additional two million votes would have allowed us to win several states (perhaps including FL) that would have provided many more electoral votes.
Many of the Hillary Supporters, including some on this list, have become good friends of mine. . . and tremendous allies in advancing the cause of Gov. Palin. Yes, I sometimes got a major Excedrin headache from Hillary Supporters -- mainly those who saw her wrongly as a modern Joan of Arc.
But I always tried not to stray far from political reality. My goal over the next several years is not to step out of that Political Reality Zone. Arguing with people who support Sarah is pointless.
Some of the Sarah/Hillary Supporters have a history of being fairly liberal -- Elaine Lafferty (former editor of Ms.) is one, along with Camille Paglia and Tammy Bruce. I don't care about their pasts; I care about Sarah's and America's future.
Remember, a couple of million people who call themselves "conservative" voted for Barack Obama. I don't recall him or Axelrod handing back those votes.
Sarah Palin's appeal transcends ideology. As I said before, she has conservative, libertarian, and populist (like the Alaska Constitution) elements. She has strong support in the gay community. She has great potential with young voters and Hispanics. She can draw many votes from YWP (Young Women Professionals) as soon as it dawns on them she's a YWP. The large number of parents of special needs children are seeing her as a major advocate.
If we're successful in reaching out to voters in the above communities, we will end up electing this good woman as POTUS.
As governor of Alaska, Sarah was basically being held prisoner in her home state. Now, she's free to be a national leader. She belongs not just to Alaska, but to America. "Free at last . . . free at last . . . thank God Almighty . . . "
I began a blog (HillarySupportersforMcCain) and posted a couple of hundred pieces on it. Today, eight months later, I stopped posting on that site long ago, but it still gets 30-35 or so visitors a week.
A not-so-secret-secret: I don't like Hillary Clinton as a politician. I never did. But I believe my efforts helped the McCain-Palin ticket by my emphasizing that Hillary Supporters' votes were needed and valued. (I did believe Mrs. Clinton would be much better as a president than BHO, although not nearly as good as many of her Supporters believed.)
For months, I was co-host, with the irrepressible Cristi Adkins of VA, on the radio program "Clintons4McCain." We had a blast . . . and interviewed many terrific guests, including Bev Perlson and Gold Star Mother Debbie Lee.
In the end, we didn't get the six millions votes (from Hillary Supporters) that we needed. However, we apparently did get four million-plus of them. The additional two million votes would have allowed us to win several states (perhaps including FL) that would have provided many more electoral votes.
Many of the Hillary Supporters, including some on this list, have become good friends of mine. . . and tremendous allies in advancing the cause of Gov. Palin. Yes, I sometimes got a major Excedrin headache from Hillary Supporters -- mainly those who saw her wrongly as a modern Joan of Arc.
But I always tried not to stray far from political reality. My goal over the next several years is not to step out of that Political Reality Zone. Arguing with people who support Sarah is pointless.
Some of the Sarah/Hillary Supporters have a history of being fairly liberal -- Elaine Lafferty (former editor of Ms.) is one, along with Camille Paglia and Tammy Bruce. I don't care about their pasts; I care about Sarah's and America's future.
Remember, a couple of million people who call themselves "conservative" voted for Barack Obama. I don't recall him or Axelrod handing back those votes.
Sarah Palin's appeal transcends ideology. As I said before, she has conservative, libertarian, and populist (like the Alaska Constitution) elements. She has strong support in the gay community. She has great potential with young voters and Hispanics. She can draw many votes from YWP (Young Women Professionals) as soon as it dawns on them she's a YWP. The large number of parents of special needs children are seeing her as a major advocate.
If we're successful in reaching out to voters in the above communities, we will end up electing this good woman as POTUS.
As governor of Alaska, Sarah was basically being held prisoner in her home state. Now, she's free to be a national leader. She belongs not just to Alaska, but to America. "Free at last . . . free at last . . . thank God Almighty . . . "
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Sarah Palin: Criticism from "Friends"
Below: Sarah and Todd at prom . . . and later, with children Track and Bristol . . .
How should Sarah Palin respond to "constructive" criticism from people who claim to be her ardent supporters? My view: she should respond by using an old truism: "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"
[Note: On my other blog I basically solve America's health care crisis -- in less than 800 words. It was a very tough job, but somebody had to do it. "If not now, when? If not me, who?"]
Ever since she came on the national stage (on August 29, 2008, in Dayton, Ohio, when John McCain named her as his running mate), Sarah has been subject to a torrent of vitriol from Obama/Aexlrod and their media cronies. She does not need -- nor does she merit -- additional criticism from people claiming to be her friends and admirers.
During the presidential campaign (and after), Sarah was surrounded by McCain staffers who ranged from incompetent to disloyal. I've revealed recently that one of the people spreading false rumors about Sarah was Meghan McCain, the Senator's thoroughly pathetic daughter.
Having to work with people she couldn't trust made it hard at times for Sarah to campaign effectively. When John McCain failed to defend Sarah adequately that must have been disheartening for her, as she had been the Senator's most faithful cheerleader between August 29 and the election on Nov. 4.
In politics, the people you sometimes need to worry about most are your supposed "friends" -- not your enemies, whose behavior is predictable. The smears Sarah and her family have been subjected to have inflicted some damage on the famously tough and close-knit Palins. Realizing the challenges she faces, Sarah demands absolute loyalty from her staff. She's entirely right to do so. Disloyal staffers -- and, frankly, disloyal "supporters" -- are useless.
The critics that must dishearten Sarah the most are those on the right -- particularly "single-issue" conservatives. Understand that single-issue people inhabit a political universe the size of a broom-closet.
For example, Sarah was recently criticized for selecting a distinguished female jurist, Morgan Chretien, to serve on the Alaska Supreme Court. To the single-issue people, Ms. Chretien has committed the unforgivable sin: she is -- or may be -- pro-choice. In the fever swamps of the extreme Right, Chretien's views on a thousand or so other issues don't matter.
Critics of "Sarah's choice" ignore an important reality: Under the Alaska system, a judicial board selects the candidates (two in this instance), and the Governor chooses among them. A spokesperson for Sarah's political action committee (sarahPAC) explained it this way: the Governor had a choice between a liberal and a moderate -- and she chose "the moderate."
Sarah's critics on the right say she should have taken the entire matter of the Supreme Court appointment . . . to the Supreme Court. She should have, they say, fought the system for selecting judges to the highest court. They ignore the fact that a prior governor, Frank Murkowski, did just that . . . and had his lawsuit tossed back in his face.
Of course, Obama's perpetual campaign has seized upon the conservative criticism of Sarah and is running with it. They're using it to try to drive a wedge between Sarah and the small but passionate pro-life community.
Frankly, Sarah's sometimes unreliable friends on the political right have hatched an image of her that resembles a cartoon-character rather than a real human being. Through glazed eyes, they apparently see her a pure ideologue. "Wind her up, and she spouts an endless stream of right-wing propaganda."
Strangely enough, Sarah's liberal supporters -- and she has millions of them -- seem to understand her better than many conservatives. Consider Elaine Lafferty, a feminist and former editor of Ms. Magazine. She worked as a speechwriter with Sarah during the campaign and wrote a famous article describing the Alaska governor as a "brainiac" and a "feminist." (Lafferty also co-authored a book with Sarah's most consistent admirer on the media, Greta van Susteren.)
Here's what Lafferty said about Sarah's appointment of Judge Chretien (only the second female ever appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court): "Of course Sarah Palin is not pro-choice. But she is now, as governor of Alaska, what she was before the presidential campaign: a pragmatic conservative politician who largely governs from the center. She is opposed to abortion, but it does not inform every decision she makes.
Lafferty adds, "Done with playing the good soldier for McCain’s right wing on the campaign trail, she [Sarah] is back to being who she is."
Trust me, Elaine Lafferty understands Sarah Palin much better than, say, Phyllis Schlafly. Elaine grasps Sarah's human gravity and complexity. If Gov. Palin never makes it to the presidency, it won't be the fault of Elaine Lafferty and others like her.
I have a lot more to say about Gov. Palin's future, including the issue of whether she should seek either re-election as Alaska's governor or go after the Republican nomination for President. Right now, I'm leaning against her doing either -- a major reversal of position for me. Come back on Sunday and Monday to find out why.
Ever since she came on the national stage (on August 29, 2008, in Dayton, Ohio, when John McCain named her as his running mate), Sarah has been subject to a torrent of vitriol from Obama/Aexlrod and their media cronies. She does not need -- nor does she merit -- additional criticism from people claiming to be her friends and admirers.
During the presidential campaign (and after), Sarah was surrounded by McCain staffers who ranged from incompetent to disloyal. I've revealed recently that one of the people spreading false rumors about Sarah was Meghan McCain, the Senator's thoroughly pathetic daughter.
Having to work with people she couldn't trust made it hard at times for Sarah to campaign effectively. When John McCain failed to defend Sarah adequately that must have been disheartening for her, as she had been the Senator's most faithful cheerleader between August 29 and the election on Nov. 4.
In politics, the people you sometimes need to worry about most are your supposed "friends" -- not your enemies, whose behavior is predictable. The smears Sarah and her family have been subjected to have inflicted some damage on the famously tough and close-knit Palins. Realizing the challenges she faces, Sarah demands absolute loyalty from her staff. She's entirely right to do so. Disloyal staffers -- and, frankly, disloyal "supporters" -- are useless.
The critics that must dishearten Sarah the most are those on the right -- particularly "single-issue" conservatives. Understand that single-issue people inhabit a political universe the size of a broom-closet.
For example, Sarah was recently criticized for selecting a distinguished female jurist, Morgan Chretien, to serve on the Alaska Supreme Court. To the single-issue people, Ms. Chretien has committed the unforgivable sin: she is -- or may be -- pro-choice. In the fever swamps of the extreme Right, Chretien's views on a thousand or so other issues don't matter.
Critics of "Sarah's choice" ignore an important reality: Under the Alaska system, a judicial board selects the candidates (two in this instance), and the Governor chooses among them. A spokesperson for Sarah's political action committee (sarahPAC) explained it this way: the Governor had a choice between a liberal and a moderate -- and she chose "the moderate."
Sarah's critics on the right say she should have taken the entire matter of the Supreme Court appointment . . . to the Supreme Court. She should have, they say, fought the system for selecting judges to the highest court. They ignore the fact that a prior governor, Frank Murkowski, did just that . . . and had his lawsuit tossed back in his face.
Of course, Obama's perpetual campaign has seized upon the conservative criticism of Sarah and is running with it. They're using it to try to drive a wedge between Sarah and the small but passionate pro-life community.
Frankly, Sarah's sometimes unreliable friends on the political right have hatched an image of her that resembles a cartoon-character rather than a real human being. Through glazed eyes, they apparently see her a pure ideologue. "Wind her up, and she spouts an endless stream of right-wing propaganda."
Strangely enough, Sarah's liberal supporters -- and she has millions of them -- seem to understand her better than many conservatives. Consider Elaine Lafferty, a feminist and former editor of Ms. Magazine. She worked as a speechwriter with Sarah during the campaign and wrote a famous article describing the Alaska governor as a "brainiac" and a "feminist." (Lafferty also co-authored a book with Sarah's most consistent admirer on the media, Greta van Susteren.)
Here's what Lafferty said about Sarah's appointment of Judge Chretien (only the second female ever appointed to the Alaska Supreme Court): "Of course Sarah Palin is not pro-choice. But she is now, as governor of Alaska, what she was before the presidential campaign: a pragmatic conservative politician who largely governs from the center. She is opposed to abortion, but it does not inform every decision she makes.
Lafferty adds, "Done with playing the good soldier for McCain’s right wing on the campaign trail, she [Sarah] is back to being who she is."
Trust me, Elaine Lafferty understands Sarah Palin much better than, say, Phyllis Schlafly. Elaine grasps Sarah's human gravity and complexity. If Gov. Palin never makes it to the presidency, it won't be the fault of Elaine Lafferty and others like her.
I have a lot more to say about Gov. Palin's future, including the issue of whether she should seek either re-election as Alaska's governor or go after the Republican nomination for President. Right now, I'm leaning against her doing either -- a major reversal of position for me. Come back on Sunday and Monday to find out why.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sarah Palin, Abortion, Planned Parenthood
The following is a press release from Gov. Sarah Palin on the subject of abortion: My comments are below the release.
February 11, 2009, Juneau, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin today issued the following statement in response to reports that contributions are being made to Planned Parenthood in her name:
“The abortion issue has been with us for decades and has pitted well-meaning people of differing ideologies against each other. Where we can find common ground is in the belief that no one wants a single abortion.
“But when there is a clash of values, I always will come down on the side of life. Making donations to Planned Parenthood in my name might be interesting theater in these politically charged times, but it is not going to change my views or the views of many other Alaskans who believe every life is precious.
“Anti-hunting groups are employing the same tactic of using my name to promote their cause right now. Again, interesting theater.”
Steve says:
I've sort of "said my say" on the abortion issue, but if I go back to Elaine Lafferty's article on Sarah as a "brainiac" and a "feminist," I believe she nails it. For those to whom pro-abortion ('"pro-choice" it turns out is a semantic game, where only one "choice" is acceptable) is a critical single-issue, Sarah will never be acceptable.
However, I do get the sense that Sarah wants to move beyond the endless cultural food-fight over the abortion issue. Good for her. I have a hunch that the "big issue" in 2012 and perhaps 2016 is going to be how to deal with the sick elderly to keep their illnesses from bankrupting the country. The Stimulus Bill, as Sen. Coburn pointed out, is a first step in that direction.
Tom Daschle is an assisted suicide enthusiast, and even though he's dead meat politically, his initial nomination shows which way the wind is blowing. As the poet put it, there are some who are "half in love with easeful death."
I admire the way Sarah is seeking to re-frame the abortion issue: She says, “The abortion issue has been with us for decades and has pitted well-meaning people of differing ideologies against each other. Where we can find common ground is in the belief that no one wants a single abortion."
"No one" may be excessive. Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer, and other worthies, such as the gentle ladies in NARAL, appear never to have seen an abortion they don't like.
Technology is confronting us with issues (octuplets anyone? gender selection?) that, as a society, we're ill-equipped to deal with. We need a modern St. Thomas Aquinas to give us some coherent foundation for making moral decisions.
February 11, 2009, Juneau, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin today issued the following statement in response to reports that contributions are being made to Planned Parenthood in her name:
“The abortion issue has been with us for decades and has pitted well-meaning people of differing ideologies against each other. Where we can find common ground is in the belief that no one wants a single abortion.
“But when there is a clash of values, I always will come down on the side of life. Making donations to Planned Parenthood in my name might be interesting theater in these politically charged times, but it is not going to change my views or the views of many other Alaskans who believe every life is precious.
“Anti-hunting groups are employing the same tactic of using my name to promote their cause right now. Again, interesting theater.”
Steve says:
I've sort of "said my say" on the abortion issue, but if I go back to Elaine Lafferty's article on Sarah as a "brainiac" and a "feminist," I believe she nails it. For those to whom pro-abortion ('"pro-choice" it turns out is a semantic game, where only one "choice" is acceptable) is a critical single-issue, Sarah will never be acceptable.
However, I do get the sense that Sarah wants to move beyond the endless cultural food-fight over the abortion issue. Good for her. I have a hunch that the "big issue" in 2012 and perhaps 2016 is going to be how to deal with the sick elderly to keep their illnesses from bankrupting the country. The Stimulus Bill, as Sen. Coburn pointed out, is a first step in that direction.
Tom Daschle is an assisted suicide enthusiast, and even though he's dead meat politically, his initial nomination shows which way the wind is blowing. As the poet put it, there are some who are "half in love with easeful death."
I admire the way Sarah is seeking to re-frame the abortion issue: She says, “The abortion issue has been with us for decades and has pitted well-meaning people of differing ideologies against each other. Where we can find common ground is in the belief that no one wants a single abortion."
"No one" may be excessive. Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer, and other worthies, such as the gentle ladies in NARAL, appear never to have seen an abortion they don't like.
Technology is confronting us with issues (octuplets anyone? gender selection?) that, as a society, we're ill-equipped to deal with. We need a modern St. Thomas Aquinas to give us some coherent foundation for making moral decisions.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Palin "Brainiac," Obama, "Gaffe Mchine"
"We will enter his Administration as the United States, buoyed by an aggressive free market economy. We will exit his first year - and even the first hundred days - as France, burdened with massive government regulation, a vast public sector, and permanent middle class entitlements." (Dick Morris)
Governor Sarah Palin meets with Mr. Sergey Kislyak, newly appointed Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States, on his first visit to Alaska. Ambassador Kislyak is part of a large group of foreign dignitaries on hand for celebrations in early January, 2009, marking Alaska’s 50th anniversary of statehood.
In a notable essay in The Daily Beast, Elaine Lafferty -- a former editor of Ms. Magazine -- called Sarah Palin a "brainiac" and a "feminist." Lafferty was fascinated by Palin's almost infinite degree of curiosity, a major component of intelligence. People who work closely with Palin marvel about her "photographic memory."
By comparison with Sarah Palin, Barack Obama is a simpleton, something the MSM has missed in its perpetual adoration of the new President. In fact, Obama is a human gaffe machine, someone who even got his oath of office wrong -- and had to re-do it.
Is it really fair to portray Obama as a dimwit? After all, didn't he go to Columbia and Harvard? Yes, he did, but there's probably a good reason why he has refused to release any information about his academic performance. True, he did get a degree from Harvard Law and sometimes portrays himself as an expert on constitutional law. Yet he has never published a law review article -- or even a footnote.
Jack Kelly of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote last June about having "twitted Mr. Obama for saying he'd campaigned in 57 states, for not knowing that his home state bordered on Kentucky, and for claiming that the Cuban Missile Crisis (October, 1962) was defused by President Kennedy's summit meeting with Nikita Khrushchev (June, 1961)."
Kelly added, "Earlier Mr. Obama said 10,000 people were killed when a tornado struck Greensburg, Kansas, last year (the death toll was 12), and summed Afghans speak Arabic (they don't)."
These are only a few of the wild misstatements made by Obama during the Primary Campaign. Imagine the uproar if Goc. Palin had said any of those things. Obama may be many things, but he's no Sarah Palin.
Admittedly, by age 45 he'd written two autobiographices, but perhaps he'd have been better served studying geography and reading some American history books.
Governor Sarah Palin meets with Mr. Sergey Kislyak, newly appointed Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States, on his first visit to Alaska. Ambassador Kislyak is part of a large group of foreign dignitaries on hand for celebrations in early January, 2009, marking Alaska’s 50th anniversary of statehood.
In a notable essay in The Daily Beast, Elaine Lafferty -- a former editor of Ms. Magazine -- called Sarah Palin a "brainiac" and a "feminist." Lafferty was fascinated by Palin's almost infinite degree of curiosity, a major component of intelligence. People who work closely with Palin marvel about her "photographic memory."
By comparison with Sarah Palin, Barack Obama is a simpleton, something the MSM has missed in its perpetual adoration of the new President. In fact, Obama is a human gaffe machine, someone who even got his oath of office wrong -- and had to re-do it.
Is it really fair to portray Obama as a dimwit? After all, didn't he go to Columbia and Harvard? Yes, he did, but there's probably a good reason why he has refused to release any information about his academic performance. True, he did get a degree from Harvard Law and sometimes portrays himself as an expert on constitutional law. Yet he has never published a law review article -- or even a footnote.
Jack Kelly of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote last June about having "twitted Mr. Obama for saying he'd campaigned in 57 states, for not knowing that his home state bordered on Kentucky, and for claiming that the Cuban Missile Crisis (October, 1962) was defused by President Kennedy's summit meeting with Nikita Khrushchev (June, 1961)."
Kelly added, "Earlier Mr. Obama said 10,000 people were killed when a tornado struck Greensburg, Kansas, last year (the death toll was 12), and summed Afghans speak Arabic (they don't)."
These are only a few of the wild misstatements made by Obama during the Primary Campaign. Imagine the uproar if Goc. Palin had said any of those things. Obama may be many things, but he's no Sarah Palin.
Admittedly, by age 45 he'd written two autobiographices, but perhaps he'd have been better served studying geography and reading some American history books.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Palin: The Explosive Abortion Issue
Picture of Trig Palin as a newborn . . .I count myself as strongly pro-life, but I've argued for a pragmatic approach to the abortion issue. I know, you know, and Sarah knows there is nothing like a majority in the Congress -- or among the states (three-fourths of them needed) to pass a constitutional amendment outlawing abortion.
The last time a Human Life Amendment (see Wikipedia) was brought up in the Senate was 1983, and it failed to get even a majority, let alone the two-thirds vote it needed.
Justice Antonin Scalia, who is personally opposed to abortion, has said, "The Constitution does not permit abortion. The Constitution does not prohibit abortion." The critical point here is not whether one "agrees" with Scalia, but rather that what he says is true, which it is. (The implication in Scalia's statement is that the issue should go back to the states, which probably isn't going to happen. Things will stay as they are.)
Scalia is sometimes sniffed at by leftists as an "originalist." In fact, an originalist is someone who believes the Constitution means what it says. It doesn't mean what the latest Gallup Polls indicates a majority wishes it said.
Sarah's core group is anti-abortion. However, as her number of supporters grows, it will become more and more diverse. People will also come to understand that Gov. Palin embraces a combination of conservative, libertarian, and populist principles.
Her motto has been: "Serve the people." Her motto is NOT "Serve the people who believe exactly as I do." She has said she personally opposes abortion, but that she has no interest in "criminalizing" it. By the way, neither do I. Neither I guess would Scalia.
One of the chapters in my book on Sarah Palin will deal with feminists who support her, including Elaine Lafferty, Shelley Mandell (the head of the Los Angeles chapter of NOW who endorsed Sarah), and Camille Paglia. That chapter will deal with Sarah's obligation as a potential President to those women and others like them.
The key is a question of respect -- respect for those whose views differ from Palin's on one or more issues.
I've had discussions with some strong pro-lifers , including one woman who heads a pro-life PAC. She understands very well what I'm saying about abortion as an issue, that it's one of conscience and education, not laws, and she generally agrees. In time, I think most of the staunch pro-lifers on in Sarah's camp will also agree.
No one sound of mind wants to paint Sarah into a corner that would lead to her inevitable defeat. We can't ask her to run in an imaginary America; she has to run in the nation as it is. Sarah is a person who leads by example, not by barking out orders and using strong-arm tactics.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Camille Paglia Salutes Sarah, Todd Palin
One chapter in the book I'm writing (with help from other very talented people) about Sarah Palin will deal with feminists who strongly support the Governor and see her a role model for American women. They include Elaine Lafferty, the former Ms. Magazine editor who called Sarah a "feminist' and a "brainiac"; Shelley Mandell, the president of the Los Angeles chapter of NOW, who endorsed Sarah in a Carson, CA event (to the dismay of the tree-dwelling segment of NOW) by saying, "This [Sarah] is what a feminist looks like"; and the remarkable Camille Paglia, who voted for Obama, but has paradoxically been Sarah's strongest defender. Paglia wrote the following about Gov. Palin, which I hope you'll disseminate widely.
In an article written on October 8, 2008, Paglia said:
"The mountain of rubbish poured out about Palin over the past month would rival Everest. What a disgrace for our jabbering army of liberal journalists and commentators, too many of whom behaved like snippy jackasses…One of the most idiotic allegations batting around out there among urban media insiders is that Palin is "dumb." Are they kidding? What level of stupidity is now par for the course in those musty circles? People who can't see how smart Palin is are trapped in their own narrow parochialism-the tedious, hackneyed forms of their upper-middle-class syntax and vocabulary…I admire her competitive spirit and her exuberant vitality, which borders on the supernormal…both Todd and Sarah Palin…have emerged as powerful new symbols of a revived contemporary feminism. That the macho Todd, with his champion athleticism and working-class creed, can so amiably cradle babies and care for children is a huge step forward in American sexual symbolism."
Please also pass along the following link to Paglia's extended (and brilliant) analysis of the character, values, and socail significance of Sarah Palin:
http://www.blogrunner.com/snapshot/D/0/9/camille_paglia_on_sarah_palin_barack_obama_joe_biden_and_more/
In an article written on October 8, 2008, Paglia said:
"The mountain of rubbish poured out about Palin over the past month would rival Everest. What a disgrace for our jabbering army of liberal journalists and commentators, too many of whom behaved like snippy jackasses…One of the most idiotic allegations batting around out there among urban media insiders is that Palin is "dumb." Are they kidding? What level of stupidity is now par for the course in those musty circles? People who can't see how smart Palin is are trapped in their own narrow parochialism-the tedious, hackneyed forms of their upper-middle-class syntax and vocabulary…I admire her competitive spirit and her exuberant vitality, which borders on the supernormal…both Todd and Sarah Palin…have emerged as powerful new symbols of a revived contemporary feminism. That the macho Todd, with his champion athleticism and working-class creed, can so amiably cradle babies and care for children is a huge step forward in American sexual symbolism."
Please also pass along the following link to Paglia's extended (and brilliant) analysis of the character, values, and socail significance of Sarah Palin:
http://www.blogrunner.com/snapshot/D/0/9/camille_paglia_on_sarah_palin_barack_obama_joe_biden_and_more/
Monday, January 5, 2009
Sarah Palin: A Good Listener
Sarah among the people she loves -- and who love herI wrote the following to Karen Allen, who's head of one of my favorite organizations: http://annieoakleypac.org. She and I were talking about the fact that some Sarah Supporters believe she's more conservative than she actually is.
Karen, the issue you and I are discussing is perhaps the most important one facing those of us who back Sarah Palin: It's: How do we attract more voters?
Frankly, some of them will be pro-life. Others will be on the fence, and some will be pro-choice, such as Elaine Lafferty, the former Ms. editor who wrote the piece on Sarah (whom she supporterd) that described Gov. P. as a "feminist" (correct) and a "brainiac" (also correct). The head of the LA Chapter of NOW, Shelley Mandel, famously endorsed Sarah at a rally in Carson, CA.
We must welcome such people into our movement, and we must seek out more of them. We can't just hand every large state (CA, NY, PA, OH, MI, MA) to Obama. We can't prevail with UT, ID, AL, and MS alone. Above all, we can't ask Gov. Palin to run a race that she cannot win.
One of my favorite professional football coaches has said, "In pro football, there are NO MORAL VICTORIES." I believe the same is true of high-level politics. If a candidates doesn't believe he or she can win -- and doesn't have a credible plan to do so -- then someone else should run.
In the campaign, Sen. McCain's staff basically pulled out of Michigan, the kind of state Republicans must win. Gov. Palin opposed that move. She recognized that McCain was waving a white flag.
She also understood that people in Michigan (and we could add Ohio and Pennsylvania) are HER people. They aren't the "fat cats" of the GOP past, but rather autoworkers and ordinary Americans from all walks fo life.
In the heavily unionized PA county where I live (Beaver County), Democrats outnumber Republicans by two-to-one. However, McCain-Palin carried the county by 4,000 votes. We need to understand why this county ended up loving and admiring Sarah Palin.
We have a government "of, by, and for the people." It's not the obligation of political leaders to give the people marching orders. That reverses the process the Founding Fathers had in mind.
The most imporant tool any political leader has -- and Gov. Palin possesses it in abundance -- is the ability to LISTEN. We need to believe that she will respond to what she hears.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
How Palin Wins the Presidency
The call for people to join organizations dedicated to the election of Sarah Palin as POTUS in 2012 has drawn a multitude of people. There is hope. I sent the following to Pennsylvanians and others ready to endorse Gov. Palin:
One thing we've been getting in PA are reports from various counties carried by John Mccain and Sarah Palin. In my own county, Beaver (west of Pittsburgh), we are in the heart of Obama's "bitter" country. Registration is 60% Democrat. However, John McCain carried this county by 2,500 votes.
Also, we took a state Senate seat long held by Democrats. An incumbent Republican state rep. won. Also, another Republican candidate for state rep upset a Democratic incumbent. We are not alone. John McCain carried MANY PA counties where the Dems have a registration edge.
Thus, the situation is not in any way hopeless. We had an army of volunteers in Beaver County, many of them Democrats or Independents for McCain-Palin.
I've been asking people at my own Palin site to coalesce around "Gov. Sarah." She drew 10,000-plus people in Beaver, PA, a much bigger crowd than Obama attracted. Sarah is a magnet for conservative and moderate Americans. Also, she's drawn high praise from unlikely sources, including a former editor of Ms. Magazine (Elaine Lafferty) and the president of the LA chapter of NOW.
I've said that if Sarah is to win in 2012, she will need a million totally dedicated activists. Let me unveil a secret: she already has nearly 100,000, about 25%- 30% of them at TeamSarah.org, which said yesterday that it's "not going anywhere" (i.e., is "in it to win it").
ReadMyLipsticknetwork.com is also on its way to becoming a huge organization. A new Yahoo Group has sprung up, and I urge everyone to join it
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/teamsarah2012/. The Moms4McCain group, a big one, morphed on Nov. 5 into http://moms4palin.com/. That organization is ferociously going after sponsors of "news" channels -- including FOX and its resident rodent, Carl Cameron -- that delight in smearing Gov. Palin and her family.
As we emerge from the wreckage of Nov. 4, we see all around us that the sun is shining. There are real evidences of hope. Barack, change IS on the way; it wears lipstick, and you aren't going to like it.
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