Why Politics as Usual Will Sink America … Part Two

JWT’s Journal: Why We Keep Electing the Same Politicians 
 
by John Wayne Tucker
 
In the previous article, we discussed how politicians want to make everything good on their watch; therefore, they are to the point of borrowing our lifestyle from other countries and printing money at unprecedented levels.

Why do we keep electing politicians who behave this way? There are many answers to that question. First, it goes back to the complacency of the people. Many assume that the incumbent is the natural choice for election. After all, he already has the job; therefore, he must have experience. He made contacts and connections which allow him to be able to carry out the job effectively. Of course, what the average voter does not realize is that those connections and contacts are often a developed relationship of backroom deals and agreements of mutual support regardless of the consequences. While this kind of collaboration to accomplish goals can be a good thing, it stops being a good thing when it means that the politician has to sacrifice his values to accomplish the compromise.

Feminism and Palin Panic - An Update

by Clio

Almost two years ago, I wrote a blog about Governor Sarah Palin (see below), then candidate for vice president of the United States. As we all know, Governor Palin and Senator McCain lost their bid for the presidency; however, the media and pubic interest in this unique woman hasn't waned.

Governor Palin's supporters never lost faith with her after the election, pinning their hopes on another run, perhaps for president, in 2012. Since the election, her detractors continued their tirades and filed baseless ethics complaints (all but one dismissed) while the media seemed unaware that the McCain/Palin ticket failed. Until recently (a year and half after the election) did one notice a decrease in media attacks on the former Governor of Alaska.

The insults and assaults on Governor Palin did not sway her support base, in fact, it made the faithful even more steadfast in their devotion and energized the growing ranks of her followers on Facebook, Twitter and hundreds of social networks devoted to her. In brief, Governor Palin emerged from one of the most vicious and unrelenting "scorched earth" strategic political attacks in modern history with her dignity and reputation intact. She boldly criticizes her former political (perhaps future?) foes and opponents using the new media of the day, such as Facebook, and in her new position as a contributor to Fox News Network.

If one reads her autobiography, it is clear that Sarah Palin is a formidable adversary, fighter and competitor (not to mention a hunter). Still, after the abuse and lies spread about the governor and her family, one might expect her to step out of the heat of the spotlight and enjoy the royalties rolling in from her best-selling book, "Going Rogue." Apparently, Sarah Palin has other plans.

When Sarah Palin resigned as Governor of Alaska almost a year ago, almost every pundit predicted her political demise and fade from public life -- and they could not have been more wrong. Still, it's not really fair to hold these "experts" accountable for their flawed conjecture; they are used to profiling Washington politicians and Sarah Palin is the proverbial square peg.

The former maverick of Wasilla, Alaska is now dubbed the new "King or Queen-maker" of the Republican party. Three out of her four candidates picked for endorsement won in last June's Super Tuesday primaries: Carly Fiorina: California, US Senate, Nikki Haley: South Carolina, Governor, and former Governor Terry Branstad: Iowa, Governor. She continues to be in demand for endorsements and speaking engagements.

As for the future, Sarah Palin released a web video last week that highlights her "Mama Grizzly" endorsement philosophy:

“This year will be remembered as the year that common-sense conservative women get things done for our country,” Palin says in the 90-second video.

While no name are mentioned in the spot, many wonder if this video, in which Sarah Palin appears polished and, well, presidential, may be a first step toward tossing her hat into the ring for a presidential run in 2012.

How does this correlate with the blog below? Governor Sarah Palin is paving her own path, playing by her rules in a field once dominated by men. Her "Mama Grizzlies" are winning and the strength and will of conservative women is being acknowledged. The Bold Pursuit will follow this strong, unique woman and her efforts on behalf of Americans -- women and men. We believe this is a story worth pursuing...

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October 13, 2008

I first declared myself a feminist at the age of 14. In reality, I knew very little about feminism, but the ideal resonated with my strong sentiments about personal freedom. My activist English teacher discovered my interest in feminism and guided me to books by all of the popular feminist authors of the day. It was a lot for a young girl to absorb and understand. My teacher urged me to join the Student Senate, so that I could endorse her class on activism in our high school. At that time, I didn’t understand her motivation; I was just barely in my teens and still quite naive.

Today, my personal definition of feminism is very similar to what I believed in my youth; it simply means that a woman should be able to choose her own life path, work in a profession of her choosing and receive fair and equal compensation. A woman shouldn’t encounter or accept discrimination because of her gender.

So, why are feminists and others (still) alarmed by the popularity and respect so many have for Governor Palin? I find it baffling because I view Governor Palin as an example of my definition of a true feminist: she’s smart, savvy, ambitious, courageous and patriotic. She sought the highest office in her state and won. She is a mother, a Christian, a governor, a reformer and the first Republican woman nominated for the Vice Presidency.

My point is that she chose her own life path; she’s a mother and has a career. I thought that’s what feminism was all about – to be free, without discrimination, to choose our lifestyles, professions and interests. I believe Sarah Palin is one of the best feminist role models we have in public life.

While reading various blogs and message board posts, I am surprised by the comments and slurs by some posters. You don’t have to like her, agree with her or vote for her. You certainly don’t have to accept or even understand my endorsement of Governor Palin on the basis of feminism, politics or qualifications (and, yes, I thought she was very qualified) for the vice presidency. However, a little cool-headed discussion and/or disagreement would be more appropriate in your forums.



If you're one of the hatemongers, please feel free to disagree with me, but tell me why – what is your position on my message? If you’re not bright enough to come up with some intelligent dialogue, well, I guess the only appropriate response, one that you’ll understand is: sticks and stones may …


© The Bold Pursuit, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Sarah Palin: Super Tuesday’s Biggest Winner

by Clio

Sarah Palin was not a candidate for office on Super Tuesday, but that’s hard to ascertain from hundreds of news reports and blogs published today.

I thought I’d begin this piece with a cerebral and sophisticated title: “Chicks Rule!” and, indeed, the ladies made the biggest headlines during last night’s Super Tuesday primary results. However, the biggest story of the Super Tuesday mid-term primaries appears to be Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska.

"Palin is a queen or kingmaker within the Republican Party," said former Republican New York Sen. Alfonse D'Amato.

After perusing dozens of articles, a theme began to emerge – the Palin effect (not to be confused with Palin Derangement Syndrome): almost all made note of Palin’s picks and the significance of her endorsements in paragraph one or within the first few paragraphs of the story.


Few major news outlets failed to mention Governor Palin’s efforts in Tuesday night’s primaries (three out of four of her candidates won) although several attempted to downplay her role or deflected attention from her successes by focusing on Palin supporters who were unhappy with her picks, dredging up the failed McCain/Palin ticket or her endorsement of New York Senate Independent, Doug Hoffman.

Hoffman entered the race as a dark horse, but soon led the Republican candidate, DeDe Scozzafava in the polls. Scozzafava withdrew from the race and threw her support behind challenger, Democrat Bill Owens. Hoffman lost by a few points; however, one might conclude that Hoffman could have won if Scozzafava had given her support to him instead of the opposition candidate.

Palin’s Facebook fans, according to NYMag.com, are “full of dismay, disenchantment, and even some disgust…” (link below).

This afternoon, I visited Sarah Palin’s Facebook page. After sifting through several pages of enthusiastic messages, I found a few mildly unhappy comments. Granted, some of her Facebook fans didn’t care for all of the candidates she chose to endorse. This may come as a shock to some liberals, but the Palin devout (the Palinistas or Palinbots, as some detractors like to call the former governor’s followers), are not brainless lemmings. Some may not agree with her choices in this primary, but that doesn’t diminish their approval of Governor Palin.

Below are a few excerpts from today’s primary coverage (for the full article, click on the link):

Fox News:

Sarah Palin's still got it.
After a few strikeouts during the campaign season, the former Alaska governor saw three of the four candidates she endorsed sail to victory ….

WashingtonPost.com:

Can Sarah Palin claim credit for last night?
It's irresistible for many in the press to look for Sarah Palin angles on election night…

AsssociatedContent.com:

Whitman, Fiorina, Haley, Angle , Lincoln Score Wins
Primary night was ladies' night on June 8, with the victories of Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina in California, Nikki Haley in South Carolina, Sharron Angle in Nevada, and the unexpected win of Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas.

But the biggest winner may be someone who was not even on the ballot: Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska, potential Presidential candidate, and political queen-maker…

Newsmax.com:

Gillespie: Palin Factor Was Crucial to GOP Victories

CSMonitor.com:

…The “outsider” role in this year’s primaries has been played up big by Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, whose famous stump line is now “mama grizzlies, they rise up.” Her endorsement of four female Republican candidates may have helped three of them win or proceed to a runoff. And by her association with the “tea party” movement, she has helped prevent that conservative group from being stamped as antiwoman…

CBSNews.com:

…By my count, former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has endorsed 14 Republicans in 2010. Last night, Palin's candidates went two-for-three. California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina and Iowa gubernatorial nominee Terry Branstad won the GOP primaries, while one of her "mama grizzlies" -- Cecile Bledsoe -- went down to defeat in a congressional primary in Arkansas. (South Carolina GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Nikki Haley was forced to a runoff)…

Politico.com:

Some of Sarah Palin’s riskiest endorsements scored major victories Tuesday for the former Alaska governor, showing off her power in Republican primaries.


Palin had four primary endorsements in play – Carly Fiorina, Nikki Haley, Terry Branstad and Cecile Bledsoe – and three won or moved on to a runoff. 

Palin served different roles for each candidate – sometimes spotlighting conservatives not well known to the national scene while at others validating conservative credentials to an unsure grassroots and even stepping in to deflect nasty attacks…

Negative reviews of Palin are de rigueur in the predominantly liberal mainstream media (or “lamestream media – a term used by Governor Palin and other conservatives). NYMag.com focuses on Palin’s disgruntled devotees; Huffington Post offers a compendium of anti-Palin blogs and features on the primaries and her (supposedly altered) mammaries. The Bold Pursuit suggests HuffPo report on the incompetency of the boobs running the White House rather than unsupported rumors intended to detract from a clearly powerful, influential woman.


NYMag.com:

It's usually difficult to find a more Palin-friendly place than the comment threads for Sarah Palin's own Facebook notes (standard message: "Go get 'em Sarah!"), but today, Palin's Facebook page is full of dismay, disenchantment, and even some disgust. It's all because Palin endorsed former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly "Demon Sheep" Fiorina over the more conservative Chuck DeVore in California's Republican Senate primary…

The real story is that three out of four candidates endorsed by Governor Palin won their primaries: Carly Fiorina: California, US Senate, Nikki Haley: South Carolina, Governor, and former Governor Terry Branstad: Iowa, Governor. The only candidate Palin endorsed in Tuesday's primaries who lost was Arkansas House candidate Cecile Bledsoe.

Sarah Palin's choices for governor and the U.S. Senate are, for the most part, conservatives selected by SarahPAC for having the best chance to prevail in the primaries and general elections. Occasionally, as in the case of Carly Fiorina, that means bypassing the more conservative choice.

Why would Sarah Palin choose a moderate over a more conservative candidate? She’s looking to the future, for the party and, perhaps, herself.

The Electoral College Map indicates that California will have 55 delegates – always pivotal state and especially so in the upcoming 2010 and 2012 elections. If Fiorina and Meg Whitman both win in November, there is a strong possibility that California may provide the crucial electoral and popular votes that conservative candidates need to win. Granted, that’s premature speculation at this point, however, one can see the strategic need for conservative wins in 2010 and 2012.

Of course, we do not know if Governor Palin’s popularity will continue to grow or maintain. Will she win back the support of her ‘dismayed, disenchanted, and disgusted’ fans? The Bold Pursuit asserts that her core base is strong and the demand for her endorsements and speaking engagements will continue. There are reports in the media that other candidates are seeking her seal of approval; many of her Facebook fans are begging her to consider their city/state/national candidates.

Will Governor Palin continue to wield her scepter as queen/kingmaker or seek her own throne in 2012? Readers, what do you think?

Photo Credit:  
May 22, 2010 - Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America



© The Bold Pursuit, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED