Is it me, or has Obama finally started talking in the authentic dialect that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was missing? I guess he has to do something to cover for all of the shuck and jive that has been going on in the most corrupt Congress in our nation’s 233 year history!
Anyhow, Sarah Palin seems to be as perplexed as the rest of us that our epic failure of a President still doesn’t get it. Better to just let her tell it, as frankly, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry anymore when discussing this administration!
Obamacare = Stray Dog, So Says President
What am I missing, folks? We’re called obstructionists and made to feel uninformed in the Obamacare debate as we point out this is not a patient-driven, market-oriented approach to health care cost challenges. We’ve been saying for months that this is government takeover of our personal choices of insurers and doctors. We’re called liars when claiming that this is all about government mandates and control of up to a sixth of our economy.
And yet, shockingly, the president admitted yesterday exactly what we’ve been saying: that his Democrats and lobbyists have crafted bills that in fact will prevent us from keeping our current insurance and/or choosing our own doctor. He said:
The last thing I will say, though — let me say this about health care and the health care debate, because I think it also bears on a whole lot of other issues. If you look at the package that we’ve presented — and there’s some stray cats and dogs that got in there that we were eliminating, we were in the process of eliminating. For example, we said from the start that it was going to be important for us to be consistent in saying to people if you can have your — if you want to keep the health insurance you got, you can keep it, that you’re not going to have anybody getting in between you and your doctor in your decision making. And I think that some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge. [emphasis added]
Thanks to Tom Bevan at RCP for spotting this. The president’s statement is shocking, enlightening, and in an odd and unfortunate way also encouraging. Folks, this admission tells us we’re not off-base and we need to stay vigilant so we’re not missing anything else in this scheme. This trillion-dollar government takeover of our health care system is full of “stray dogs and cats” (the president’s words, not mine), and that’s what we’ve been saying all along.
Commonsense conservatives have better ideas on how to start tackling rising health care costs. Reps. Paul Ryan, Mike Pence, Eric Cantor, John Boehner, and others have offered solutions. I commend their efforts to counter the White House’s attempt to ram Obamacare through as these Congressmen seek bipartisan, sensible solutions. I implore them to speak louder because we’re listening, and we’re counting on them!
– Sarah Palin
The Republicans have had solid solutions from the get go, but as we all know, the democrat/communists aren’t so much interested in health care reform as they are about seizing control of one sixth of the U.S. economy, and more menacingly, taking away more of your freedom and liberty.
It’s time the communists get a grip and realize we simply do not want what they are selling. Time for them to throw ObamaCare, in all of it’s various configurations, onto the trash heap of total failure, and start over.
Republicans have, and have had, a real plan for the successful reform of health care issues. Time honored, market based solutions. It’s time to take a look at making them law, because Obama’s dogs just don’t hunt!
There has been an irritating unease surrounding the Tea Party movement lately and I’ve been trying to keep track of the reasons why. Having dealt with leftist political operatives for awhile, I had a feeling they were sticking their ugly noses into the movement’s business by attempting to sow seeds of discontent and disunity. The election of Scott Brown to the United States Senate, representing “Teddy’s seat” for the normally very blue state of Massachusetts must have been a huge wake-up call to the Democrat Party. Instead of listening to the message that the people were clearly trying to send, the left decided to ratchet up attacks on the movement they feel is complicit in their election defeat. An election stunner that clearly represented more than just a senate seat. The Tea Party movement is now firmly in the cross-hairs of the DNC, the White House, and all the operations that go with that.
There are also those on the right that have been culprits by throwing monkey wrenches into the Tea Party’s collective spokes. One could speculate that they are part of the old guard GOP establishment, threatened by the grassroots movement. One could also argue that they have financial interests tied to their “concerns.” I won’t jump to any conclusions here but I think Josh Painter was right when he pointed out:
“For Sarah Palin supporters, this is an all too familiar story. We have seen it before in the way the former governor has been treated by self-styled “conservative” pundits and again when some McCain campaign staffers leaked a series of outrageous lies and distortions concerning Gov. Palin to a media which is always happy to get free ammunition. When that ammo comes from across the aisle, they make as much hay from it as they can, thinking that it gives the crap they dish out some kind of special “credibility.” But when multiple agendas are at work, we see some strange bedfellows indeed”
While some on the right have sought to malign a mere convention, the media happily carried that water of attack, right back over to the left’s camp. I lump some of the media in with the other leftist groups that spend the majority of their time trying to justify the current administrations policies and taking up the political fight for them. They are all to eager to write up a story that may paint a tainted picture of the Tea Party movement. They are even more eager to slam the wires with articles that accomplish that, plus disparage the character the usual target of their ire, Sarah Palin.
Governor Palin has displayed an unwillingness to let these smears chase her away from the Tea Party Convention. She stated:
“I’m going to be there. I’m going to speak there because there are people traveling from many miles away to hear what that tea party movement is all about and what that message is that should be received by our politicians in Washington. I’m honored to get to be there.”
While the media focuses heavily the speaking fee arranged by her representatives, the Washington Speakers Bureau, she is standing strong against the attacks. She is doing so because she knows how important this movement is for the future of this this nation. She corrected the record in regards to the fee in a recent interview with Greta Van Susteren.
“I won’t personally gain from being there. The speaker’s fee will go right back into the cause. I’ll be able to donate it to people and to events, those things that I believe in that will help perpetuate the message, the message being, Government, you have constitutional limits. You better start abiding by them.”
Another sign that the left feels the Tea Party movement is a threat and is taking action on those fears, is a website that came to my attention yesterday. A group calling themselves “The Tea Party is Over” launched a web page that highlighted three republicans currently running for Congress from the state of Illinois. The disclaimer at the bottom of the page indicates that they are funded by American Public Policy Committee. After a little research Lee Doren concludes that American Public Policy Committee is the second “largest contributor in 2008 to Patriot Majority was SEIU and other top Unions around America.”
The SEIU and other Union funded group that targets republican congressional candidates from the state of Illinois, highlights a negative propaganda video clip painting the Tea Party movement as “extreme.” They also display this ominous message to visitors to the site.
I believe we will see more groups like this pop up in the near future. Groups, astroturf or by way of emulation, that act in accordance to White House wishes and the Chicago machine’s command. So I feel that it is vital to the Conservative movement, or anybody to the right of Obama for that matter (not hard to be) to watch carefully. It is important to see the ways the left with try to slow down momentum from the recent victories. They will exploit of any perceived vulnerabilities and apply their Alinsky tactics through political groups like the one I just mentioned.
Take Governor Palin’s actions to heart. Ignore the attacks, and press full steam ahead in this movement. Continue efforts to come together with like minded patriots, stay informed, and put pressure on Washington to represent the people they work for. We need to stick together and be prepared for the political fight of a lifetime.
Sarah Palin, like all politicians, made many campaign promises when she ran for Governor in Alaska. Unlike many politicians, Sarah made good on all of hers. And while that is remarkable unto itself, no campaign promise made was more important to the Alaskan people than building a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to the lower 48.
So important, and so desired by the people, is the construction of this pipeline that promising to get it built was a staple on the Alaskan campaign trail for over 30 years!
As Sarah noted in her book, Going Rouge, An American Life on page 111:
Our campaign would focus on cleaning house in government and facilitating the private-sector development of energy resources, specifically ramping up production of America’s energy supplies and building the 3,000 mile, $40 billion natural gas pipeline that other administrations had been promising to build for decades. It could ultimately go from the North Slope to hungry Midwest markets out of a Chicago hub. No more time wasted recycling the same old arguments and excuses as to why it couldn’t be done. I was determined that Alaska was going to start contributing more to the nation.
If you notice, there is a very important element to Sarah’s plan for development: “facilitating the private-sector development of energy resources.” This is Sarah recognizing that in most cases government is not the solution to any given situation, it’s the problem. Politics had stood in the way of getting this pipeline built for over 30 years, so Sarah, using common sense, sought to have as minimal government involvement as possible, and maximum private-sector participation. A refreshing change of pace, and a model for all governments to follow.
On her very first day on the job as Governor, Sarah set the wheels in motion to get this project rolling. From page 125 of Going Rogue:
Ethics reform was already underway, with some lawmakers already under arrest, so to kick off the Palin-Parnell agenda, we started with the natural gas pipeline on our first day in office.
For Alaskans, the term “gasline” is as familiar as “irrigation” is to Californians or “Wall Street” is to New Yorkers. Except that Californians and New Yorkers already reap the benefits of these economic lifelines, while Alaskans have been waiting for more than fifty years to realize the benefits of the state’s vast reserves of natural gas. At least 35 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves lie untapped on the North Slope, and geologists say there are hundreds of trillions more both on- and offshore. Our oil and gas supplies would be enough to provide 10 years of total energy independence for the entire country.
Below Governor Sarah Palin Lt. Governor Sean Parnell and officials from TransCanada are seen at the signing ceremony where TransCanada was awarded the license to build the natural gas pipeline:
As one can see, the stakes are high, and the rewards, for the entire nation, substantial. After talking about the fact that heavy government interference, labor and environmental restrictions had driven producers out of the country and over to foreign supplies of oil and gas, Sarah Adds:
It was unfortunate that our government’s well-meaning polices had driven producers to other parts of the world where there were no restraint’s on their activities. That was no way to protect the environment or heat the economy.
With my background, I understood the concerns of all of the parties: as a free-market capitalist I understood the bottom line for the oil producers; as the spouse of an oil worker I understood the Slopers and their families’ reliance on oil jobs; as a mayor I understood the communities’ dependence on oil’s economic contributions; as a lover of the land I understood as well the environmentalists’ and Alaska Natives’ concerns.
Sarah goes into further details of her thought process in the book, including how CEO look to maximize profit for their shareholders, and how as CEO of Alaska, it was her job to maximize the benefits to the Alaskan people. I’ve found, over the last few years that many people don’t understand the unique relationship the people of Alaska, as well as the state government, all have with the oil companies.
In Alaska, the Constitution dictates that the oil, natural gas, and other energy resources belong to the people, the citizens of the state. So, just like anyone who buys shares in a publicly traded company, the Alaskan people are shareholders in the Alaskan energy business. As Governor, Sarah took many steps to maximize the values of those shares to the Alaskan people, just as any good CEO would do.
Much has been written about the processes of how the natural gas pipeline project came to be, but the bottom line is this: By creating a market driven process, with great emphasis on the private-sector, Sarah was able to move this pipeline project from 50 years worth of talk, to reality, in just a few short years. I suggest those who are looking for more detailed information on the process read Sarah’s book, and check out the archives at US4Palin, where editor and publisher Ron Devito has carefully documented the entire process.
In this video from Canadian TV Sarah discusses the processes as well as leadership:
OK, now that we have some of the background out of the way, let’s get to the latest updates on the process that will see the completion of the gasline by 2020.
CALGARY/ANCHORAGE (Reuters) – TransCanada Corp and partner Exxon Mobil Corp boosted their cost estimates for a planned line to carry Alaska gas to southern markets by up to 58 percent on Friday, as the two ready plans to sign up shippers for the massive project.
The companies said the cost of the 1,700 mile pipeline carrying at least 4.5 billion cubic feet of gas daily from Alaska’s North Slope to Alberta will range between $32 billion and $41 billion, up from a previous $26 billion forecast.
The line, mulled for more than a generation, would be among the largest and most expensive civil engineering projects ever undertaken in North America, requiring years of planning and construction and massive financing.
“No matter how you measure it, the Alaska Pipeline Project would be an exceptional world leading project and one of the largest private investments in the history of North America,” Paul Pike, Exxon Mobil’s senior project manager for the line, said on a conference call.
For Alaska, which depends on oil for nearly all its state operating revenues, a natural gas pipeline is seen as economically crucial. North Slope oil production has dwindled to a third of the 2 million-barrel-a-day peak reached in 1988, and continues to decline.
Some political leaders hailed Friday’s announcement as a big step toward reaching the gas pipeline goal.
“Bringing Alaska’s gas to market presents a tremendous economic opportunity for the state,” Alaska Governor Sean Parnell said in a statement. “Alaskans have waited 30 years to advance this project, and today’s news marks a significant milestone in achieving this opportunity.”
A smaller line, running from the gas fields of the North Slope to a separately built liquefied natural gas facility near Valdez, Alaska, would cost between $20 billion and $26 billion and could be built instead of the larger project if shippers chose the option.
The backers said their cost estimate rose over initial projections because of an extension of the line to the Point Thomson field on Alaska’s North Slope, an expanded gas-processing plant and more detailed engineering than first available.
OPEN SEASON PLANNED
The new estimate for the lines, which could be in service by 2020, came as the partners filed plans with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to hold an open season to attract potential shippers.
“This open season will test potential customers’ interest in utilizing the Alaska Pipeline Project to transport their natural gas to market,” said Tony Palmer, TransCanada’s vice-president of Alaska development.
Calgary-based TransCanada is the state of Alaska’s preferred pipeline sponsor and holder of a state license under the Alaska Gasoline Inducement Act (AGIA).
It added U.S. energy major Exxon Mobil, one of the three major North Slope natural gas producers, as a partner to its proposal last year. The other two producers, BP Plc and ConocoPhillips are backing a rival pipeline plan of their own and Exxon itself has yet to commit its gas to the line.
However the two partners expect that they’ve squeezed the cost for shippers down, making their proposal attractive. They plan to a 20 percent capital risk in the project, reducing the costs needed to be covered by customers by between $6 billion and $8 billion.
As well, they’ve cut their planned return on equity to 12 percent instead of the 14 percent return TransCanada had forecast in its AGIA filing.
Including those cuts and other smaller factors, the partners expect shippers who commit during the open season will pay $500 million less per year on tolls than forecast in the AGIA application.
“Assuming that FERC approves our plan as filed, and … the customers commit their gas in that initial open season, they will see lower tariffs,” Palmer said. “They will see lower tolls to their account on the order of $500 million per year.”
Still, the rival Denali project, backed by BP and Conoco, is going ahead as planned, with its own open season scheduled to launch in April.
“I am confident that we will have an attractive commercial offer for our potential customers,” said Bud Fackrell, Denali’s president. “Today’s announcement by TransCanada and Exxon doesn’t change anything for us. We’re on track.”
TransCanada has offered BP and Conoco an equity stake in its project, saying the support of all three producers, as well as the state, is needed before its project proceeds. However negotiations with the rival producers have yet to take place .
TransCanada and Exxon filed plans for the open season with FERC, which has 90 days to approve the proposal. A separate open season will be staged for the Canadian portion of the line.
Along with Governor Parnell’s positive reaction to the news, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski added:
This marks the first time Alaska has seen a major producer come together with a pipeline company to solicit binding commitments for the transport and delivery of North Slope natural gas to markets in the Lower 48.
The bottom line is this. While there is still some work to be done, Sarah Palin, as well as her capable administration, and the folks at TransCanada and Exxon-Mobil prove the point that private-sector, free market solutions to major issues just make sense.
The fact that this is a viable project, and a solid approach, is underscored by the existence of a competing project in the mix. In the end, everyone will benefit from this competition.
Once again Sarah Palin proves to be a visionary leader who uses common sense solutions to complex issues. Energy independence is both an economic and a national security issue. With the economy in a slump, and wages stagnant, a good reliable supply of cheap, clean, and green natural gas is essential. Using our own resources, rather than enriching nations, and leaders who may not like us very much, is vital.
This is something Sarah Palin has been talking about for years, and unlike most, has used her leadership qualities and negotiation skills to actually make something happen. This is what true leadership is all about.
The most important job a President has is that of Commander-in-Chief. Protecting the nation against all enemies, both foreign and domestic should be job one for any President.
Unfortunately, like everything else Barack Obama has been put in charge of, he has proven to be an absolute failure as a Commander-in-Chief. Three high profile terrorist attacks on American soil, plus the massacre of CIA agents abroad bear this out.
As bad as that is though, Obama’s decision to bring the 9/11 terrorists to New York for a civilian trial vs a military tribunal, a time honored way of dealing with enemy combatants that dates back to ancient times, proves Obama just isn’t capable of handling this job. It proves he has a pre-9/11 mentality in a very dangerous post-9/11 world.
Stay Focused: Relocating Terrorists’ Trial Doesn’t Solve the Main Problem
Today at 5:57pm
People are celebrating the fact that the Obama Administration is considering relocating the terrorists’ trial from New York to another American city. Yet there’s still no talk of moving the trial out of our U.S. civilian courts to where it should take place – a military tribunal.
Now the administration is backtracking in order to fix its initially blundered decision to try these dangerous terrorists in New York City despite the great danger and cost to New Yorkers. This scenario is all too common in Washington. The tactic is to propose something so outrageous that the public will rise up and demand common sense, and then the White House “concedes” and changes its initial decision to give the impression of newfound reasonability and moderation. But the problem still isn’t solved! The trial location debate becomes a diversion so that we’ll take our eyes off the ball. The point missed is that our President still wants to give these terrorists U.S. constitutional protections in our civilian courts, allowing them to lawyer-up on our dime.
This tactic is in the same vein as another Washington game: creating the appearance of a “crisis” in order to push for a radical solution. (“The health care crisis must be fixed by government now or we’re all gonna die! The earth’s temperature is fluctuating; government must fix this crisis now or we’re all gonna die! Private businesses made poor decisions and bureaucrats claim they’re too big to fail, so government must fix this crisis now or we’re all gonna die!“)
Politicians and lobbyists announce that there is a “crisis,” and never letting a good crisis go to waste, they propose a radical solution to fix it. The public listens intently, and in a sincere desire to help, an alternative to the politicians’ radical solution gets put forward. The politicians then “concede” and mellow out their radical solution. The public’s attention has been diverted to tinkering on the periphery, all the while ignoring the real problem at the heart of the “crisis” that started the whole debate.
The fact is our government has a choice as to where to try the terrorists. We don’t have to try them in our civilian courts. The peripheral debate regarding in which city to try these evil, dangerous haters-of-America is a diversion. Let’s get back to the heart of the matter: what choice will our government make – terrorist trials in civilian courts or military tribunals?
– Sarah Palin
That, folks, is called hitting the nail on the head!
Washington is very good at playing the old game of diversion. Of bait and switch. Obama is a master of it. It’s one of the few things he and his Chicago crew have been able to pull off correctly since taking office. It’s the old slight of hand.
Giving KSM and the rest of these savages full constitutional rights and a civilian trial is ludicrous, especially since Obama himself has already pronounced that they will be found guilty, and no matter the verdict, they will be held forever.
A civilian trial serves only one purpose, and that is to embarrass the United States and give these murderous terrorists a world wide stage to bash our nation. Of course, the way Obama and his people look at this, is it’s just another way to bash President George W Bush and his administration too.
This madness has to stop. We have provisions for military tribunals already set up, and they pass United States Supreme Court muster. Put these cats through the military system and be done with them!
The latest poll, courtesy of Republican Rankings shows Sarah Palin leading the field of possible candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential primary:
Sarah Palin…………31.41
Mike Huckabee…..30.03
Mitt Romney………26.34
Tim Pawlenty……….8.94
Newt Gingrich………2.05
John Thune…………..1.33
This comes on the heels of the just released Newsmax-Zogby poll that has Sarah leading all comers nationally for the Republican nomination.
In the accompanying Newsmax article, Dick Morris is quoted as saying the winner of the 2012 Republican nomination will be the next President of the United States. This is assuming, of course, that Barack Obama is the democrat/communist party nominee, which, with his performance so far, is not a sure bet by any means.
This polling shows a continuing trend. Sarah Palin is solidly cementing her position as front runner 2012. Her continued hard work and strong vision for America is what has more and more Americans looking toward her for leadership in these troubled times.
Of course, her writings, such as this don’t hurt a bit!
We kind of figured Sarah would have something more to say about President Obama’s State of the Union speech. As you will read, she doesn’t disappoint.
Sarah was pulling no punches last night when she appeared on the Sean Hannity Show:
She was spot on. It was like Obama was lecturing America. This was the most disjointed, rambling, and frankly..hateful State of the Union speech we have ever witnessed. It was all about Obama attacking those he thought weren’t on board with his lunacy.
But why waste time. Let Sarah give usher take. This is simply delicious:
The Credibility Gap
Today at 4:17pm
While I don’t wish to speak too harshly about President Obama’s state of the union address, we live in challenging times that call for candor. I call them as I see them, and I hope my frank assessment will be taken as an honest effort to move this conversation forward.
Last night, the president spoke of the “credibility gap” between the public’s expectations of their leaders and what those leaders actually deliver. “Credibility gap” is a good way to describe the chasm between rhetoric and reality in the president’s address. The contradictions seemed endless.
He called for Democrats and Republicans to “work through our differences,” but last year he dismissed any notion of bipartisanship when he smugly told Republicans, “I won.”
He talked like a Washington “outsider,” but he runs Washington! He’s had everything any president could ask for – an overwhelming majority in Congress and a fawning press corps that feels tingles every time he speaks. There was nothing preventing him from pursuing “common sense” solutions all along. He didn’t pursue them because they weren’t his priorities, and he spent his speech blaming Republicans for the problems caused by his own policies.
He dared us to “let him know” if we have a better health care plan, but he refused to allow Republicans in on the negotiations or consider any ideas for real free market and patient-centered reforms. We’ve been “letting him know” our ideas for months from the town halls to the tea parties, but he isn’t interested in listening. Instead he keeps making the nonsensical claim that his massive trillion-dollar health care bill won’t increase the deficit.
Americans are suffering from job losses and lower wages, yet the president practically demanded applause when he mentioned tax cuts, as if allowing people to keep more of their own hard-earned money is an act of noblesse oblige. He claims that he cut taxes, but I must have missed that. I see his policies as paving the way for massive tax increases and inflation, which is the “hidden tax” that most hurts the poor and the elderly living on fixed incomes.
He condemned lobbyists, but his White House is filled with former lobbyists, and this has been a banner year for K Street with his stimulus bill, aka the Lobbyist’s Full Employment Act. He talked about a “deficit of trust” and the need to “do our work in the open,” but he chased away the C-SPAN cameras and cut deals with insurance industry lobbyists behind closed doors.
He spoke of doing what’s best for the next generation and not leaving our children with a “mountain of debt,” but under his watch this year, government spending is up by 22%, and his budget will triple our national debt.
He spoke of a spending freeze, but doesn’t he realize that each new program he’s proposing comes with a new price tag? A spending freeze is a nice idea, but it doesn’t address the root cause of the problem. We need a comprehensive examination of the role of government spending. The president’s deficit commission is little more than a bipartisan tax hike committee, lending political cover to raise taxes without seriously addressing the problem of spending.
He condemned bailouts, but he voted for them and then expanded and extended them. He praised the House’s financial reform bill, but where was Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in that bill? He still hasn’t told us when we’ll be getting out of the auto and the mortgage industries. He praised small businesses, but he’s spent the past year as a friend to big corporations and their lobbyists, who always find a way to make government regulations work in their favor at the expense of their mom & pop competitors.
He praised the effectiveness of his stimulus bill, but then he called for another one – this time cleverly renamed a “jobs bill.” The first stimulus was sold to us as a jobs bill that would keep unemployment under 8%. We now have double digit unemployment with no end in sight. Why should we trust this new “jobs bill“?
He talked about “making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development,” but apparently it’s still too tough for his Interior Secretary to move ahead with Virginia’s offshore oil and gas leases. If they’re dragging their feet on leases, how long will it take them to build “safe, clean nuclear power plants“? Meanwhile, he continued to emphasize “green jobs,” which require massive government subsidies for inefficient technologies that can’t survive on their own in the real world of the free market.
He spoke of supporting young girls in Afghanistan who want to go to school and young women in Iran who courageously protest in the streets, but where were his words of encouragement to the young girls of Afghanistan in his West Point speech? And where was his support for the young women of Iran when they were being gunned down in the streets of Tehran?
Despite speaking for over an hour, the president only spent 10% of his speech on foreign policy, and he left us with many unanswered questions. Does he still think trying the 9/11 terrorists in New York is a good idea? Does he still think closing Gitmo is a good idea? Does he still believe in Mirandizing terrorists after the Christmas bomber fiasco? Does he believe we’re in a war against terrorists, or does he think this is just a global crime spree? Does he understand that the first priority of our government is to keep our country safe?
In his address last night, the president once again revealed that there’s a fundamental disconnect between what the American people expect from their government, and what he wants to deliver. He’s still proposing failed top-down big government solutions to our problems. Instead of smaller, smarter government, he’s taken a government that was already too big and supersized it.
Real private sector jobs are created when taxes are low, investment is high, and people are free to go about their business without the heavy hand of government. The president thinks innovation comes from government subsidies. Common sense conservatives know innovation comes from unleashing the creative energy of American entrepreneurs.
Everything seems to be “unexpected” to this administration: unexpected job losses; unexpected housing numbers; unexpected political losses in Massachusetts, Virginia, and New Jersey. True leaders lead best when confronted with the unexpected. But instead of leading us, the president lectured us. He lectured Wall Street; he lectured Main Street; he lectured Congress; he even lectured our Supreme Court Justices.
He criticized politicians who “wage a perpetual campaign,” but he gave a campaign speech instead of a state of the union address. The campaign is over, and President Obama now has something that candidate Obama never had: an actual track record in office. We now can see the failed policies behind the flowery words. If Americans feel as cynical as the president suggests, perhaps it’s because the audacity of his recycled rhetoric no longer inspires hope.
Real leadership requires results. Real hope lies in the ingenuity, generosity, and boundless courage of the American people whose voices are still not being heard in Washington.
– Sarah Palin
Say it with me children! BOOM!
That’s a hard act to follow right there. Nothing more one can add except spot on Sarah, spot on.
No wonder the latest poll places Sarah Palin at the top of the 2012 presidential sweepstakes.
Sarah Palin’s recent book success and her new high-profile role on Fox News are having a stunning impact on her political standing with a Newsmax-Zogby poll showing the former Alaska governor now leading the GOP field as the party’s preferred candidate for president.
The exclusive Newsmax Media-Zogby poll released Thursday asked likely GOP voters: “If the Republican primary for president of the United States were held today… for whom would you vote?”
The poll gave voters a selection of top tier potential candidates as well as some dark horses, the list included Scott Brown, Jeb Bush, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, David Petraeus, Tim Pawlenty, and Mitt Romney.
Despite the size and diversity of the field, Palin grabbed a solid 22.2 percent to take the lead with former Massachusetts Gov. Romney close behind with 19.4 percent.
Also making a strong showing was former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich with 12 percent, followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 11 percent.
The Newsmax-Zogby poll suggests the rumble for top dog among GOP candidates is anything but static.
In early December, a CNN/Opinion Research poll found Mike Huckabee led the Republican field of presidential candidates with Palin trailing him for second place.
The latest data is clearly good news for Palin.
“It suggests to me that reports of her political death are exaggerated,” political strategist and Democratic pollster Douglas Schoen tells Newsmax. “In American political life, politicians have not only second and third lives, they have nine lives. And Sarah Palin is on her third or fourth life.”
The poll’s results offer a stark contrast to earlier surveys on Palin.
In November, a Washington Post-ABC News poll reported that 52 percent of voters viewed Palin unfavorably, although her positive rating among Republicans in that poll was 76 percent.
Since then, Palin has continued making appearances associated with her blockbuster bestseller “Going Rogue: An American Life.”
And earlier this month she inked a deal as an on-air contributor to Fox News, followed by several high-profile appearances on the network.
The poll indicates that, among Republicans at least, Palin has overcome the various and sundry attacks leveled against her in the media and remains a powerful political force.
She recently kicked off a series of campaign appearances on behalf of Republican candidates who hope to ride the current wave of anti-incumbent animus into Washington.
GOP political leaders are taking notice.
California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the chief deputy whip for the GOP, tells Newsmax he’s not surprised by Palin’s strength in the Newsmax-Zogby poll, “but I imagine there are a few networks, that it might surprise them.”
McCarthy says Palin has become the voice of an electorate increasingly frustrated with federal governance.
“She has the common sense to go out, to listen, to talk, to tell exactly how she feels from the heart,” McCarthy tells Newsmax. “They can try to go out there and say whatever they want about her but she’s really the voice of the people. She raises a family, she understands those challenges. … I think that’s what America is looking for.”
“America is not looking for a party,” McCarthy says. “They’re looking for a leader and those who will help change Washington.”
The Newsmax-Zogby poll asked voters to select from among a diverse field of candidates, including newly elected Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown (5.2 percent), Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (4.9 percent), and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (3.9 percent).
The poll also probed voters’ interest in a dark horse in the race, Gen. David Petraeus, the commander who received high marks for his performance in executing the Bush administration’s successful “surge” strategy in Iraq.
Petraeus placed fifth among the candidates with 5.6 percent of the vote, indicating he’s clearly on the radar of GOP voters. The poll’s margin of error was 2.2 percent.
Of course, polls taken months or years before an election often don’t reflect what actually happens on Election Day. A Gallup poll taken in November 2007, for example, showed then-Sen. Hillary Clinton with a seemingly insurmountable 27-point lead over a young senator from Illinois named Barack Obama.
Schoen points out that 15.6 percent of those surveyed in the Newsmax-Zogby poll were undecided. Considering that frontrunner Palin received just over 22 percent, “it’s anybody’s race” according to Schoen.
“I think the greatest degree of certainty we have now,” Schoen says, “is that uncertainty reigns.” The tea party movement did not exist a year ago: It’s now one of the most powerful forces in American politics. Scott Brown was a little known legislator. Barack Obama was a very, very popular president.
“So the world has changed, and it will undeniably change to a much greater extent.”
Schoen points out that the grassroots-conservative movement has yet to coalesce behind a favorite candidate, adding, “The activist conservative right is probably the most visible, active, aggressive force in American political life today.”
The poll isn’t all good news for Palin, cautions Fox News contributor and bestselling author Dick Morris.
She is the clearly highest profile candidate listed, he says, yet she garnered less than three-quarters of the vote.
“Sarah Palin has a strong group of dedicated supporters who really, really like her – with good reason, I might add. I think they believe, and I think they’re right, that she was an enormous asset to the McCain ticket,” Morris tells Newsmax. “And I think that group is going to be there buying her books, tuning into her programs, coming to her book signings, coming to her rallies, voting for her in the polls. But the fact that it’s less than a quarter of the Republican electorate, to me indicates some trouble ahead for her.”
Morris tells Newsmax the 2012 Republican nominee is likely to beat President Obama.
A couple of key points. Zogby uses the best sample, “likely voters.” This is generally the most accurate sample. One has to watch for this in polling. Often lesser pollsters will use “registered voters” which is a slightly less accurate sample, or simply poll “adults” which is can be wildly inaccurate. With that said, we feel this poll is a true reflection of the voters at this point.
Also, while I respect Dick Morris, and agree that Sarah will still have to earn the nomination, one must look at this poll in context. Newsmax offered up a large group of potential candidates for those questioned to choose. That diluted the percentages to each candidate.
Something else that is not mentioned here, but should be, is this: The front runners, Sarah , Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee remain about the same, in relationship to each other, as well as to the rest of the potential challengers. None of the other potential candidates are ever able to pull out of the single digits in any poll.
2012 is a long way away, and absolutely anything can happen, but as it stands today, Sarah Palin is the front runner. Sarah is the front runner for exactly the reasons Kevin McCarthy mentions above. Sarah connects with the voters because she is one of them. When she speaks folks know she has had the same experiences they have had.
Sarah is truly a woman of the people, and that is exactly the type of leader America is looking for.
This is pretty typical. Progressives sell their souls to the cause, nothing else matters, so it really should be of no surprise whatsoever that a group claiming to support women sells out.
For the record, I am pro-life. I find it hard to justify abortion n any circumstance, but I’ll listen to opposing arguments. However, I don’t run a group that claims to speak for all women. If NOW was all it claimed to be, it would support all women, especially those who are pro-life.
Unfortunately, NOW is progressive first, pro woman second.
As Sarah Palin recently reminded us, the women of the original feminist movement were pro-life. These were strong women, women who could conquer all. As she wrote:
The pro-life movement is pro-women, and it empowers women with the message that we are strong enough and smart enough to be able to pursue education, vocations and avocations while giving life to a child. This movement is largely run by women. In fact, many of the earliest leaders of the women’s rights movement were pro-life – women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul, the author of the original Equal Rights Amendment in 1923, who said, “Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women.”
Today, more and more young women agree with these feminist foremothers, for they know in their hearts that the culture of life empowers women by offering them real choices. Unfortunately, rather than portray this positive message, the media often focuses on divisions among Americans on this issue.
With that in mind Sarah tweeted this yesterday: “What’s N.O.W. thinking? Censoring a pro-women/pro-child Super Bowl ad? Unbelievable. Pls see my FB post on this“:
Women’s Rights Groups: Your Double Standard is Showing
Women’s Rights groups, like NOW, commendably call out advertisers and networks for airing sexist and demeaning portrayals of women that lead to young women’s diminished self-esteem and acceptance of roles as mere sexed-up objects.
What a ridiculous situation they’re getting themselves into now with their protest of CBS airing a pro-life ad during the upcoming Super Bowl game. The ad will feature Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mom, and they’ll speak to the sanctity of life and the beautiful potential within every innocent child as Mrs. Tebow acknowledges her choice to give Tim life, despite less than ideal circumstances. Messages like this empower women! This speaks to the strength and commitment and nurturing spirit within women. The message says everything positive and nothing negative about the power of women – and life. Evidently, some women’s rights groups like NOW do not like that message.
NOW is looking at the pro-life issue backwards. Women should be reminded that they are strong enough and smart enough to make decisions that allow for career and educational opportunities while still giving their babies a chance at life. In my own home, my daughter Bristol has also been challenged by pro-abortion “women’s rights” groups who don’t agree with her decision to have her baby, nor do they like the abstinence message which she articulated as her personal commitment. NOW could gain ground and credibility with everyday Americans, thus allowing their pro-women message to be heard by more than just their ardent supporters, if they made wiser decisions regarding which battles to pick. They should call attention to and embrace the Tebow’s message, instead of covertly and overtly disrespecting what Mrs. Tebow, Bristol, and millions of other women have chosen to do (in less than ideal circumstances).
My message to these groups who are inexplicably offended by a pro-woman, pro-child, pro-life message airing during the Super Bowl: please concentrate on empowering women, help with efforts to prevent unexpected pregnancies, stay consistent with your message that for too long women have been made to feel like sex objects in our “modern” culture and that we can expect better in 2010. But don’t let your double standard glare so vividly as to undo some of the good to which you could contribute.
And CBS: just do the right thing. Don’t cave. Have the backbone to run the ad.
To the Tebows: thank you. America is listening. We appreciate you.
– Sarah Palin
This is one of the things that really makes Sarah Palin such a special person in today’s political environment. Sarah is unabashedly pro-life and embraces the culture of life with great zeal. Never afraid to stand up for those innocents unable to stand up for themselves.
We are to be judged by how we treat the least among us. In my mind that’s those with special-needs, our elderly, it’s our soon-to-be-born babies. The heart of our nation shines brightly when we take care of those who are less fortunate, who have more challenges than the rest of us.
–Sarah Palin
It never ceases to amaze me how these so-called “pro-choice” groups think. They push for a “woman’s right to choose” but you damn well better choose their way, or else. Isn’t progressivism great!
Here is the original press release from Focus on the Family announcing their advertisement featuring Tim and his mother, Pam:
Focus on the Family to Air Super Bowl Ad
Commercial will feature Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam
Colorado Springs, Colo (Friday, Jan. 15, 2010) – Focus on the Family will broadcast the first Super Bowl ad in its history February 7 during CBS Sports’ coverage of the game at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida.
The 30-second spot from the international family-help organization will feature college football star Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam. They will share a personal story centered on the theme of “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life.”
Jim Daly, president and CEO of Focus on the Family, said the chance to partner with the Tebows and lift up a meaningful message about family and life comes at the right moment in the culture, because “families need to be inspired.”
“Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive,” Daly said. “They live what we see every day – that the desire for family closeness is written on the hearts of every generation. Focus on the Family is about nurturing that desire and strengthening families by empowering them with the tools they need to live lives rooted in morals and values.”
Daly added that all the funds to air the ad came from a handful of “very generous and committed friends” who donated specifically to support the project. No money from the ministry’s general fund was used.
The Tebows said they agreed to appear in the commercial because the issue of life is one they feel very strongly about.
Daly chuckled at some of the “will-they-or-won’t-they?” speculation in the media about whether Focus would indeed create a Super Bowl ad.
“Now that the ad has been shot, we’re excited to tell people it’s coming, because the Tebows’ story is such an important one for our culture to hear,” he said. “You won’t want to miss it.”
For more information, call Gary Schneeberger @ 719-548-5853 or e-mail press@family.org
You can learn more about Focus on the family here.
Maybe someday the National Organization for Women will re-think their position on all of this and join the culture of life with the rest of civilized society, and stop backing the barbaric practices of the culture of death brought about by the progressive movement.
He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient
–Article II Section 3, United States Constitution.
On the eve of Barack Obama’s big State of the Union address, Sarah Palin brutally assesses the President and issues him a challenge:
Mr. President: Please Try, “I’m Listening, People,” Instead of “Listen Up, People!”
We’ve now seen three landslide Republican victories in three states that President Obama carried in 2008. From the tea parties to the town halls to the Massachusetts Miracle, Americans have tried to make their opposition to Washington’s big government agenda loud and clear. But the President has decided that this current discontent isn’t his fault, it’s ours. He seems to think we just don’t understand what’s going on because he hasn’t had the chance – in his 411 speeches and 158 interviews last year – to adequately explain his policies to us.
Instead of sensibly telling the American people, “I’m listening,” the president is saying, “Listen up, people!” This approach is precisely the reason people are upset with Washington. Americans understand the president’s policies. We just don’t agree with them. But the president has refused to shift focus and come around to the center from the far left. Instead he and his old campaign advisers are regrouping to put a new spin on the same old agenda for 2010.
Americans aren’t looking for more political strategists. We’re looking for real leadership that listens and delivers results. The president’s former campaign adviser is now calling on supporters to “get on the same page,” but what’s on that page? He claims that the president is “resolved” to “keep fighting for” his agenda, but we’ve already seen what that government-growth agenda involves, and frankly the hype doesn’t give us much hope. Real health care reform requires a free market approach; real job creation involves incentivizing, not punishing, the job-creators; reining in the “big banks” means ending bailouts; and stopping “the undue influence of lobbyists” means not cutting deals with them behind closed doors.
Candidate Obama promised us that his economic stimulus package would be targeted and pork-free, but President Obama signed a stimulus bill loaded with pork and goodies for corporate cronies. Candidate Obama railed against Wall Street greed, but President Obama cozied up to bankers as he extended and expanded their bailouts. Candidate Obama promised us that for “Every dollar that I’ve proposed [in spending], I’ve proposed an additional cut so that it matches.” We’re still waiting to see how President Obama will cut spending to match the trillion he’s spent.
More than anything, Americans were promised jobs, but the president’s stimulus package has failed to stem our rising unemployment rate. Maybe it was unfair to expect that an administration with so little private sector experience would understand something about job creation. How many Obama Administration officials have ever had to make a payroll or craft a business plan in the private sector? How many have had to worry about not having the resources to invest and expand? The president’s big government policies have made hiring a new employee a difficult commitment for employers to make. Ask yourself if the Obama Administration has done anything to make it easier for employers to hire. Have they given us any reassurance that the president will keep taxes low and not impose expensive new regulations?
Candidate Obama over-promised; President Obama has under-delivered. We understand you, Mr. President. We’ve listened to you again and again. We ask that you now listen to the American people.
– Sarah Palin
What else really needs to be said. What we are witnessing here is a true American Statesman schooling a half-wit poseur. This is what real leadership is all about.
After slamming Barack Obama last year, in a Facebook note that was favorably quoted around the world, Sarah Palin is once again asking Barack Obama just what is he thinking.
While Obama has wasted an entire year pushing an unconstitutional government take over of health care, and globe trotting… chasing Olympic glory, Nobel Peace Prizes, all the while bowing to the world’s leaders and apologizing for America’s very existence, he is neglecting his job..
Obama also took time to try and garner support for the climate change crowd, further trying to promote the global warming fairy tale, the greatest lie ever told.
As we have written over and over, Obama and his cronies stand to make billions off of the global warming scam with a carbon credit trading scheme. And of course, Obama had also hoped to line the pockets of all of his corrupt Chicago buddies, by bringing the Olympics home.
Of course, while the most corrupt President in our nation’s history was trying to enrich his cronies, he was totally and completely ignoring his real job. First and foremost, Obama has totally failed on national security issues.
We’ve had no less than three major terrorist attacks on American soil since Obama took the reigns of Government. In a sane nation this man would have already been removed from office and replaced with someone who was competent.
The other important thing Obama has neglected while he has been more interested in enriching his buddies and feeding his massive ego, is the economy. To say we have a problem with the economy would be an understatement, for sure.
The biggest neglect though has been energy. Obama and his band of communists have no coherent energy policy whatsoever. Oh, they talk about mythical green jobs, but that’s all they are a myth. Pie in the sky.
Energy is the lifeblood of any economy. We can’t run without it. In our world, energy = oil. It’s a fact of life, and no amount of wishing that away is going to change things.
With that said, Sarah Palin again asks Obama just where his head is at:
Where’s the Oil in Our National Energy Policy?
America’s energy challenges are getting more and more serious every day, and yet the Obama administration just doesn’t get it. Please see this informative article that sheds light on one aspect of the president’s problem. It starts by explaining our energy demand will increase, and oil will be part of that demand.
Well, what do you know? The Obama administration, whose entire energy posture going back into the presidential campaign has been both ideologically and practically stridently anti-oil, both as an industry and as a form of energy, has suddenly become “concerned” about China’s oil grab.
This is, to say the least, disingenuous.
The U.S. government under Barack Obama has yet to acknowledge once, in spite of widely held estimates, that oil will continue to account for 40% of world energy demand 25 years from now — this while total world energy demand will increase by 50%, at least.
Read the rest here. I look forward to hopefully hearing President Obama acknowledge America’s need to ramp up domestic energy production, including oil and natural gas developments, during Wednesday’s State of the Union address. Let’s hope his advisers advise him accordingly.
It was a rubbing-the-eyes-in-disbelief headline even from an administration whose energy secretary, Steven Chu, suggested that America’s energy dilemma could be solved by painting roofs white, and whose interior secretary, Ken Salazar, talked of garnering 3,000 megawatts of wind-power capacity off the East Coast. (The current total electricity capacity from all U.S. energy sources is about 1,000 megawatts.)
Under the title “U.S. raises concern over China oil policy,” David Shear, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told the House Armed Services Committee on Jan. 13:
“We are pursuing intensive dialogue with the Chinese on the subject of energy security, in which we have raised our concerns about Chinese efforts to lock up oil reserves with long-term contracts.”
Shear was responding to Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland, who said he was “worried that the Chinese were aggressively buying up oil all over the world and might not share it with other countries in the future.”
Well, what do you know? The Obama administration, whose entire energy posture going back into the presidential campaign has been both ideologically and practically stridently anti-oil, both as an industry and as a form of energy, has suddenly become “concerned” about China’s oil grab.
This is, to say the least, disingenuous.
The U.S. government under Barack Obama has yet to acknowledge once, in spite of widely held estimates, that oil will continue to account for 40% of world energy demand 25 years from now — this while total world energy demand will increase by 50%, at least.
Nor has the administration, mired in Kyoto and Copenhagen global climate rhetoric, acknowledged that fossil fuels, oil, gas and coal will still account by then for over 85% of world energy demand, a largely unchanged contribution from what it is today.
Instead there is constant rhetoric about solar (the president’s favorite during the campaign), wind and “advanced biofuels” which, when combined, are not likely to account for more than 1% or 2% of the world energy demand over the next several decades.
In a Newsweek editorial last April 4, Chu expressed the administration’s energy philosophy and policy: “We must move beyond oil because the science on global warming is clear and compelling: Greenhouse-gas emissions, primarily from fossil fuels, have started to change our climate. We have a responsibility to future generations to reduce those emissions to spare our planet the worst of the possible effects.”
The Americans should not be surprised by the Chinese moves. A far more pragmatic nation, China is acutely aware that energy, in short domestic supply, will be the “choke point” in its future development unless resources are secured throughout the world.
That’s why the very capable Chinese oil companies — CNPC, Sinopec and CNOOC — have fanned out in dozens of countries, making hundreds of billions of dollars of oil and gas investments, including in America’s backyard, Argentina, Venezuela and Canada and a country America presumably dominates, Iraq. Their quest does not preclude unsavory countries such as Sudan or Iran.
The major Chinese oil companies have the full support of the Chinese government and, very importantly, they are admired and praised by the vast majority of Chinese people.
In discussions with Chinese intellectuals, government officials and company executives, the Chinese are often incredulous, all asking essentially the same question: Why is America letting us have a free and uncontested ride in all these energy ventures?
In contrast, American “Big Oil,” (ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Chevron — the only companies really able to play along and compete with the Chinese) not only are not supported or encouraged by the U.S. government, they’ve been routinely vilified by politicians. To the sizeable portion of the American public that’s unaware of the role energy plays in the modern world, they are the devil incarnate.
What the world is witnessing is the largest peaceful transfer of power in history. Energy means power, and while the U.S. is consumed by environmental ideologies and climate rhetoric, it is committing economic hara-kiri in the process. China, riding on energy acquisitions with little competition, will propel itself into the economic stratosphere.
The U.S. should be concerned, but doing something about it will require an unlikely sea of cultural change in the Obama administration.
• Economides is a professor at the University of Houston and the author of “Energy: China’s Choke Point.”
This is quite outrageous, to say the least! This is a direct threat to America’s national security. A threat just as sure as the one we face from al Qaeda or any other terror group. In fact, it’s a quite larger threat, as this threat is being carried out, and there is absolutely nothing that can be done to stop it from happening.
Look, this is pretty simple. Anyone with a pulse understands that no matter what, we are going to need oil and natural gas into the foreseeable future. In fact, natural gas can be a true alternative to burning so much gasoline in automobiles and trucks. It’s a real clean and green fuel.
Energy independence is a national security issue. That should go without saying. Securing our energy supply, developing our own God given natural resources should be job one for any administration. Economic prosperity and national security go hand in hand when we talk energy.
We have more than enough oil and natural gas to be totally energy independent. In fact, we are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. We have an estimated 200 plus years worth of coal reserves, and we haven’t even started talking about nuclear energy.
What say you Mr Obama? Are going to finally quit pushing your radical Marxist agenda on a nation that has soundly rejected it and start doing your job, and put together a coherent energy policy? Or…are you going to continue to send this nation over a cliff and toward certain destruction?
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A Time For Choosing 
