Fighting to Preserve Liberty in America
At the conclusion of Newt Gingrich’s speech as CPAC a colleague and I discussed the Republican chances for the White House. That day we heard from Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt and we both agreed that winning in the fall should not be hard. But a couple of conditions had to be met.
As if sitting on a couch with Nancy Pelosi talking about global warming wasn’t enough, Newt Gingrich seems to have taken a seat next to Debbie Wasserman Schultz, to attack free market capitalism.
Don’t pay attention to what you are hearing from Obama’s supporters. What they really want may be the opposite of what they are saying.
Photo by Robert Scoble
And I’ll promise you this: I’ll work every day to make Washington, D.C. as inconsequential in your life as I can. And at the same time, we’ll be freeing our families and small businesses and states from the burdensome and costly federal government so those groups can create, innovate and succeed. — From Rick Perry’s speech announcing his run for the presidency.
That is the pledge of a person who deeply respects the Constitution. It is the sentiment of a person who understands the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution.
If anyone thinks that Sarah Palin is beaten and is about to become a footnote in history, I would say to them, “don’t bet the rent on it.” In her address where she announced she was stepping down, she used a basketball analogy. After all, it was on the basketball court where she got the name “Sarah Barracuda.” She said what a good point guard does when facing a full court press is protect the ball, keep her head up with her eyes on the basket and she passes off at the right opportunity. What she didn’t say was what happens next. If anyone who watched Michael Jordan play knows, after passing off they don’t go sit on the bench. They maneuver into position to make the big play and if you take your eye off of them, they’ll kill you every time.
The Full Court Press
In the last year Sarah Palin has been hit with eighteen ethics complaints. Her record so far in these complaints is 15-0, with three still pending. The results of these complaints have been a lot of needless time and money spent by state employees investigating these complaints and clearing her name every time. The concern she expressed yesterday is that these are a distraction, a waste of state time and money robbing the people of Alaska of the limited government they deserve and it is also costing her family a fortune to defend. As you can see below, one of the ethics complaints is that she is raising money to pay her legal fees. So the full court press is throw every frivolous ethics complaint you can at her, complain if she tries to raise money to defend herself, bankrupt her if you can, and later you can complain that she spent too much time on these issues rather than on state business. Here is a summary of the complaints:
Add to this the personal attacks by the likes of David Letterman, the recent Vanity Fair article and her enemies standing at the ready to file ethics complaints every time she tries to defend herself, let’s her opponents set the agenda. If allowed unchecked for the next three years, no one could recover from that. On top of that is her personal focus to do what is best for her state. She does not want to waste state money and time on dealing with ethics complaints rather than governing, but these complaints have to be dealt with and they seem to be coming at a rate of about one every three weeks. She defeats everyone of them but it is a drain.
An Unconventional Move
The pundits are saying this is the end of her career. But let’s look at this.
Is this a risky move? Sure. But to continue the basketball analogy, how conventional was Michael Jordan’s style of play? He did things that no one ever saw coming.
The 2012 Campaign
Some pundits are saying that Mitt Romney probably can’t stop pinching himself with his new found good fortune. Is that premature? After all, he and Sarah Palin are basically in the same position. They are both former governors. Yes, it can be said that Romney finished his term in office while Palin is stepping down. However, Romney as governor of liberal Massachusetts has some things on his resume that he would probably like to live down. Palin accomplished a lot in a short time in office without the same albatrosses. She is doing what she thinks is right for herself and for Alaska, not following some tired political playbook. Her approval/disapproval rating among Republicans is 73/17 compared to Romney’s 57/18.
Brand New Ballgame
Not being in office allows her to set the agenda rather than having to react to other people’s agendas. She doesn’t have to hold back. Consider how Dick Cheney came out forcefully so speak against Obama’s policies when others in the Republican party were trying to find their voice. His poll numbers rose dramatically.
Sarah Palin can speak with conservative principles that win elections. When Republicans stick to their conservative roots they win. When they try to be moderate they lose. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds, but I can see Palin having just passed off the ball driving to the basket while her opponents watch the ball, and soar into the air for the ally oop and the score.
