Does Sarah Palin Lead the Tea Party Movement?
It’s instructive to look at Kentucky and the Rand Paul and Trey Grayson race. Sarah Palin is causing heartburn in that state in two ways. From The Hill:
Palin waded into the race despite it being widely known among political insiders that McConnell backs Rand’s opponent, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson.
GOP strategists in Washington believe Grayson has a much better chance of winning the general election but Palin has channeled conservatives’ frustration over “go-along-to-get-along” Republicans in Washington.
AdvertisementPalin’s not-so-subtle challenge to McConnell’s political authority shows the overall difficulty GOP leaders have in taming the resurgent conservative base, which has made Palin and the Tea Party newly powerful political forces.
In the case of Kentucky, the tea partiers I know favor McConnell’s choice. So here, the tea party movement and the Republican establishment are united.
The tea party people are independent. They don’t want outsiders just because they are outsiders.
One need only to look at the Scott Brown election in Massachusetts to recognize that the driving values there were fiscal restraint, anti-establishment discontent, and “win-ability.” There was a “tea party” candidate, Joe Kennedy, who garnered a few votes, but the tea partiers don’t seem so ideological as to be big-picture stupid. It’s nearly impossible to change Washington if the “pure” candidate can’t get elected.
A bigger concern than Sarah Palin hijacking the tea party movement should be whether she will fracture it and diminish the impact of their grassroots activism.
Sarah Palin garners fanatical support from many of her followers. She has Obama-esque star power. The camera loves her. The media loves to hate her. She always makes headlines.
Her followers do not take too kindly to any criticism of Sarah Palin, thank you very much. In my own case, I’ve followed her career with interest — writing mostly in defense of her. The vicious coverage she’s received makes it nearly impossible to judge her on her merits. The media caricatured her from the beginning as an empty-headed Alaskan redneck. She deserved fair and honest treatment, but the left rightly feared (and loathed) her star power. Thus, they attacked her at every turn.
These attacks made Sarah Palin the de facto symbol of media bias, and she became adored and revered on the right by those who have seen their own beliefs — clinging to God and guns — maligned. But not every tea partier engages in idol worship. In fact, that’s kinda the point. Most don’t — even for Sarah Palin.
Says one tea party organizer in a New England state:
As I posted on our Facebook page after this issue was brought up, Palin has never organized a rally, stood on a street corner with a sign or spent hours on an organizing conference call. No one tells us what to be upset about, when to rally nor why. We The People are in charge of this movement.
So if the tea party movement divides along Sarah-love lines, that could be problematic for the strength and future of the movement. While this is something to watch for, I’m not convinced that it will happen.
The tea party movement is a diverse group with the animating idea that government should bug out. They will make trouble for the Republican establishment. They will focus like lasers on “Blue Dog” Democrats who sold out their voters. They will not be told by anyone, including Sarah Palin, who and what they should support.
Conversely, because activists are independent, they may not resent Sarah Palin’s choices, either. She’s an American and free to do whatever she wants. That may mean that they are sometimes fighting on the same team and other times not.
It’s a new day in American politics. No one is safe. And really, no politician should feel safe, including Sarah Palin. Glenn Reynolds writes in the Washington Examiner:
It’s not America’s churches and seminaries that are in trouble: It’s America’s politicians and parties. They’ve grown corrupt, venal, and out-of-touch with the values, and the people, that they’re supposed to represent. So the people, once again, are reasserting themselves.
Politicians would do well to tread lightly. Even better, they’d do well to not tread on the tea partiers at all.
The tea party movement has no national leader. It rarely has one local leader, as Judson Phillips has discovered, much to his chagrin. Self-appointed grand pooh-bahs need not apply.
No, Sarah Palin does not lead the tea party movement. She is but one voice, a loud and vocal one, decrying the disconnect between Washington and the rest of the country. This message resonates with the American people and the tea party movement. As long as Sarah Palin isn’t perceived as part of the D.C. culture, her message will be heard.
Meanwhile, the people lead the tea party movement.
But partly because of her, reporters from countries like Japan, and Sweden came to Nashville to cover the story. The Swedish paper reported on the tax revolts while the Lame Stream Media reported on Palin’s palm writings.
If We The People are in charge of this movement then We The People better get their stuff together soon and put a face on whoever it is that We The People will accept and like or no one will know who to do what with whenever, wherever and however.
The more the Tea Party movement goes the less sense it makes to any and everyone that is trying to figure it out.
You can’t seduce your own. We The People don’t approve.
Every dog to it’s own fireplug. Not anymore Dude.
We The People haven’t blessed any brand of puppies yet, much less picked out the kind of fire hydrants they’ll use.
Tea Party Who are you?
Where are you?
What do you look like?
Over there you are a what?
But, here you are something else?
There doesn’t like here and here never did like there.
Here is pretty, but there isn’t ugly.
If We The People are in charge of this movement and this is any indication of how We The People will try to run the country, then no one should be surprised when Obama gets reelected.
As screwed up as Obama is, at least he has a face that people recognize.
I continue to watch Sarah P carefully.. .time will tell. I think for myself. I dont want ANY national leader telling me what to think…you can throw ol’ Rush Limpballs in there too.
Palin is a gem of a person. She is a conservative leader with intellect, honor, passion and wisdom. This woman is so powerful that the Obamanation-Statist-Progressive-SanFrancisco Democrats are climbing the walls with fear of her. The mono-partisan media are working overtime to smear her with any piece of sewer matter they can find. Shows how fearful the annointed-elite Democrats are. The American citizens admire her and will end up loving her enough to support anything she wants to run for. Our country needs a good light after the mess the Obamanation is creating. Go Conservatives. Go Republicans. God bless our Armed Forces and God bless America.
I am a tea party person at heart but have not attended their gatherings or conferences due to work conflicts. However my impression of these people is that they are very intelligent and informed on the issues and true caring Americans. Politicians who think they can outsmart these folks should think twice. There is much to be concerned about today and these people are the awakened Paul Reveres among us. They do not need a faux leader. Their influence will be in their ability to articulate American values that need to be reasserted and a sense of responsibility for this country since no one else in Washington seems to care. I may not be able to join them at their events but I am a tea partier at heart. Anyone who is conservative and wants to see this country return to it’s core values, principles, and moral compass is a tea partier in my view. Politicians beware!!
I don’t know that anyone has seen a true organic, grass roots movement like this in over 40 years. Most politicians don’t believe it really exists because it is so frightening to them. They want to call it “astroturf”. They just cannot accept something like this that they cannot control and direct. It can’t be steered or bought off. The only way for them to benefit from it is to serve the cause and lead, not jut position themselves to ride the tide. That’s something that most of them have forgotten or never knew how to do in the first place. The ones that succeed in the new environment are the principled leaders, the pretenders will fall by the wayside.
Melissa, I don’t understand why are you accusing Palin of attempting to harness the Tea Party when she herself specifically urged the very Tea Party members not to build their power around any personality.
Nor she gave any indication that she would use te tea Party movement for her own political gain.
She was invited to the convention organised by just some of the TP members that had all the characteristics of the privately organised meeting at which she gave a cheerfull, high spirited, highly telegenic speech that raised spirit of the participants.
There is no point in demonising her as she herself is not yet sure in what direction she would ultimately go (she stated that so many times that we shuld begin to believe her).
Appart from that, all those small mistakes ralated to her support for McCain and few others, should not and will not damage her as a political personality with an immense power and influence.
She makes mistakes (much fewer than others) and this is normal. It is absolutely ridiculous to demand from her to be a walking example of an absolute perfection.
If she was perfect I would be rather suspicious…
I initially wanted Sarah to pull out of the Nashville event. Now I’m glad she didn’t. Despite Judson Phillips’ involvement, it seemed to have been a great success. Enough people cared to raise money so their delegates could get some useful political organizing expertise at the workshops. The international media couldn’t stay away from the double bonus of Palin at the Tea Party “convention.” I suspect a few in the media noticed the aerial photos of the inauguration and 9/12 gathering showed a comparable size in crowds. I suggest Scott Brown learned a few things from Joe Kennedy in the Mass. debates. The Tea Party has people talking about what kind of government we want. I don’t think that’s happened so much since the Articles of Confederation were scrapped. Curious that the media didn’t report on Palin’s call for revolution. That could have been the headline. Maybe the elites are getting nervous. Let there be wild competition in the primaries. The machine be damned. Sarah likes Rand Paul’s strident advocacy of the 10th Amendment. Good for her. Tea Partiers are free to choose who they want. Sarah is our de facto leader as an inspirational figure, not our boss. A perfect relationship.
Some morons and novices in political thought think that the Tea Party is a Party in which the number of leaders is equal to the number of its members. No wonder the left and in fact all serious analysts on both right and left are making fun of THAT “Tea Party.”
Or, even more colorfully idiotic, these “critics” of Sarah Palin are looking for a “Tea Party” consisting of millions of carbon-copies of themselves and their immature ideas. Now that is the single most significant threat to its very existence. The chiropractor-writer of the article, and the infantile moron she quotes from are clear indications of this danger.
My take on this leader thing is that the left wants to identify a leader so they can get down to the alinsky method of ‘making it personal’ and launching ad hominem attacks on the ‘leader’. Not seeing that a fox news commentator who gives a speech is or should be such a leader.
I wonder to what extent Ron Paul goofed when he chose to work within the republican party and had the tea party movement develop separate from his organization.
Tea Party is all about what is wrong with the republican (and democratic) party, and I hope it leans libertarian rather than republican.
All the cognoscenti miss the visceral connection between Sarah and The People. Because the bright boys and girls are above all that, donchyaknow. So the simple answer of all us simpletons is, “Yes, Sarah leads the Tea Party Movement.”
Good overview, Melissa!
I like Sarah, but don’t think she’s ready for the Presidency yet. She in turn supports limited government and individual liberty, which dovetails nicely with TEA Partiers, of which I’m one. Sometimes she speaks my views, sometimes she muddies them, and other times she goes the opposite direction. I don’t WANT us to be the world cop, as an example. As to endorsements, Sarah has personal relationships and obligations to McCain & Perry.
No, the TEA Party doesn’t have a single leader. And it has multiple spokesmen. Sarah is just the most visible, BECAUSE OF the MSM, not her own merits, nice as they are.
In my mind, the TEA Parties will be best served by helping elect those candidates that hew closest to fiscal responsibility and strict adherence to Constitutional intent, thus individual freedom. Scott Brown was that candidate in Massachusetts.
With a right-minded majority in the House, many of the abuses can simply be defunded by elimination from the omnibus spending bills in committee. This really isn’t rocket science, and the House is the body closest to the people.
There is also growing understanding that we can simply disobey unjust laws, either by nullification by the States, or by widespread refusal to abide by unjust requirements of statist laws.
This will continue to be interesting.
The msm don’t want to get it. The Tea Party movement doesn’t need a “leader”.
All the chattering about her (from both left and right) notwithstanding, Palin’s political instincts — along with her common sense — are absolutely spot on.
In my lifetime, I’ve only seen two politicians with such unerring political instincts: Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.
As a somewhat awed, but disinterested, observer of Reagan once said of him: “He may know very little, but he understands everything.” Well, like Reagan, Palin just instinctively… gets it.
Is the Tea Party a unified, organized party? Not as far as I can see. IMO, it appears to be little more than a loose amalgam of people who share common beliefs and values. But it’s a lot of people, growing by the minute, and they’re vocal, and justifiably angry–it is for this reason that the Tea Party movement has been so politically effective.
Since it is not a bone fide political party (yet), and since the election laws in this country have all but eliminated the possibility of establishing a legitimate third party, the Tea Party movement is going to have to rely on endorsing mainstream Republicans if it intends to keep its message of lower taxes and smaller government in the forefront. To some, this seems like selling out the principles of the movement, but IMO, it is a matter of practicality.
=M=
I think the tea party people will rally around the ballot box this year.
Palin does represent a rally point, face, name. Maybe she is not the leader, and doesn’ want to be..but, she is associated with conservative values, more than Steele etc.
Melissa, you sound whiney.
YOU BETCHA! That is because Tea Party Organizers can turn around and play mock-the-media in ways she cannot. A good example is this “PALM READINGS” campaign, in which people write Tea Party messages on their palms and share pictures (or send the images) to the elites.
PALM READING CAMPAIGN.
http://templeofmut.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/palm-readings-the-new-tea-party-sign-language/
Sarah is OK! I don’t know about President Sarah but I’ll think about that later. What is wonderful about Sarah is the way in which she TERRIFIES the lefties and the captive media. She should start doing random things, wearing one glove, changing glasses, wearing a clashing sweater, etc. to constantly keep the lamestreamers shrieking.
Look what she did with a couple of notes on her hand.
And, it’ll get worse as we approach November. She will be able to raise millions for certain candidates and, in doing so, get more frantic publicity than a John Edwards/Chrissie Mathews sex tape.
“The media caricatured her from the beginning as an empty-headed Alaskan redneck.”
And she’s done very little to counter this caricature. In fact, it would seem that she is what she is. A good lookin’, motivated gal from Alaska.
I don’t find Sarah empty headed Scott E.
She can at least put two words together without a teleprompter..uhuhuh, i meanuh….
Where the heck if Biden these days??? we need some comic relief!!
Go Rednecks of the world!!!!
The movement is better off without leaders in my opinion. Individuals are a far easier target for the NeoCoM media than our ideas are. Let the politicians listen to we the people, not the “leaders” anointed by the press. The best speeches at the tea parties have been made by common citizens, not politicians or radio personalities. The roving microphone and camera should be the standard operating procedure at these events rather then a program of speakers.
As for Palin, I like her stand on the 2nd amendment, the fact that her son, like mine wears the uniform and has served in the war zone impresses me, but the main thing I like is the reaction she gets from the NeoCoMs, just check out some of the stuff over at The Guardian’s “comment is free” section. She absolutely sends these lemmings over the cliff and it is a joy to watch.
Suffice it to say, this country would be much better served if ALL incumbents were thrown out and new blood was installed through a national lottery. Yes, the odds would be increased that we would have people who had held actual jobs in the private sector and had an appreciation for the constitution. The Democrats needed a leader and look who we all got stuck with. Just get rid of at least every other “leader” in Washington and the country would be greatly improved. The country doesn’t need a designated leader so much as it needs an informed citizenry of patriotic individuals. We don’t need a Tea Party crowd in order for an opportunist to step in front of it and “claim” credit for it’s existance. We need a Tea Party to garner INDIVIDUALS who are smart enough to reject liars, cheats, and thieves. In other words people unlike those who followed Obama’s sham toward slavery through taxation, circumvention of the constitution, and his version of a new world order via Czars and his personal goal of being admired and envied by every tyrant who appreciates his bowing and scraping ploys- how ignorant ! FORGET LEADERS. THINK LEGIONS OF INFORMED INDIVIDUALS. TEA PARTY- STAY PURE.
A better question would be ‘Just WHO is Obambi’
The Gullibles
The Gullibles don’t question Obama’s eligibility. These trusting, naive, innocent folks believe it is crazy, and/or improper to question Obama. The easiest way to identify a Gullible is their complete lack of curiosity and cynicism in the face of the gazillion contradictions that are facts and circumstances of the life of Barack Obama.
Me? A birther? Hell no! I’ll believe anything he says!
Most Gullibles are Obots, as you’d expect, but there are plenty of guys, like O’Reilly and Beck, who are Gullibles also. Many judges, politicians and journalists are committed Gullibles — especially the journalists. The Gullibles favorite sport is attacking Birthers. The reason Gullibles attack Birthers is because of the Birthers’ skepticism. Birthers don’t buy Obama’s brand of bullshit.
What we have here is one bunch that chuck-a-lugged the Obama brew — and one that says, “hey! wait-a-minute! what’s in that stuff?”
The Gullibles ignore the fact that Obama’s book, “Dreams…,” his life’s narrative, is a myth. In the introduction, Obama acknowledges his use of pseudonyms, composite characters, approximated dialogue and events out of chronological order. Outright lies and omissions are not noted for obvious reasons.
The Gullibles ignore the fact that Michelle Obama said that Senior and Anna were never married. She described Anna as “very young and very single when she had him (Obama).”
The Gullibles ignore the fact that their are dozens of reports of his Kenyan birth from responsible journalists and politicians.
The Gullibles ignore the fact that four qualified examiners have investigated the Certification of Live Birth provided by the Obama Campaign to partisan web sites, and declared the copies that have been referenced by the world to be bogus electronic documents.
The Gullibles ignore the fact that Hawaii’s Department of Health (DOH) has issued obfuscations and contradictions, and has been creatively using their rulebook to prevent the disclosure of Obama’s birth records — except the ones they chose. When that doesn’t work, they change the rules. When that doesn’t work, they build a firewall between the DOH and the public.
The Gullibles ignore the conflicting accounts of Obama’s birthplace, even though Obama, himself has been quoted as saying he was born in two different hospitals.
I could go on all day identifying discrepancies in Obama’s story. There are hundreds and hundreds of pages in The Obama File that link to thousands and thousands of pages on the Web, that lay lie to Obama’s narrative, demonstrate how little is KNOWN about this guy, and how dynamic his life story is. It evolves constantly.
Obama, or his people, lay down a scenario. An investigator investigates. The investigator finds the scenario is full of holes, or is an out and out fabrication — and the story evolves — so-and-so misspoke — somebody misremembered — most often though, Obama just ignores it — after all — he won! — this cycle is repeating constantly — remember Rev. Wright, Obama’s racist mentor” — Obama sat at his feet for 20 years and didn’t hear a thing — the Gullibles went, uh-huh!
There isn’t a week that goes by that another element in the Obama narrative doesn’t change. And there isn’t another week that goes by that something doesn’t disappear from the Web.
Gullibles expend enormous energy attacking Birthers for expecting Obama to simply be straight with the American People — who do have a right to know — and a need to know. Will the real Barack Obama please stand up and present his credentials?
Like I say on my main page, “Barack Obama is referenced by name, rather than title, in these pages whenever possible — except when used as part of a direct quote. The day Obama produces his bona fides for inspection by the American People, and demonstrates his eligibility to occupy the Office of the President of the United States of America, these pages will be amended to reflect his proper title.”
This is like “The Emperors New Clothes” in real life — Obama’s narrative is his suit of clothes, and the Gullibles just love Obama’s ever-changing threads, and they get upset when someone points out Obama is bare-assed naked.
Gullibles have to attack Birthers — they know in their hearts he’s nekked — but he’s their guy.
http://www.theobamafile.com/ObamaLatest.htm
As a country we abolished a “King” and decided we did not need a ruler, god, dictator, or a power that was not a Devine Power. We decided we were and would be a nation ruled by the single objective of freedom, individual responsibility, and adhere to the rule of LAW. The founding document that has the embedded laws that insure our freedom is the US Constitution. The Tea Party has no leader because it is about the focus of the people on the law and the adherence to the Constitution.
Small government that belongs to us, we do not belong to the government. The elected people work for us, not us for them. They never tell us what we will do nor have, we tell them. All directed by the Constitution.
No place does it say anything about government providing medical care or a Government Motors (GM) vehicle. Freedom and Responsibility are synonymous and when the government takes it to “Give” us something, we lose freedom.
The Tea Party is not really leadable. Herd of cats. That’s good.
The MSM and left would love to pin a label on us. They already have, “racist, nazi, astroturf, homophobic” etc., and it’s biting them in the butt.
We don’t need a label. We don’t care about image, we are doers, rolling up our sleeves to work.
No, no one runs the Tea Party movement. That’s why it’s so powerful; it’s grass roots all the way. A strong figure might influence it if his ir her goals were aligned to those of the Tea party–a return to fiscal conservatism and origianl Constitutional law–but that’s about it.
People are angry from the bottom of their souls.
Why does there have to be so much invested in leadership? Certainly conciliarity is not given enough room to accomplish what
needs to be accomplished.
What matters is what needs to be done. How it is done is a lower
priority, and it has to be a lower priority.
Plus, if people were more thick skinned, we wouldn’t have to walk
on egg shells, because the fear is someone could get honked off.
I am tired of the liberal elitest “intellecutals”
The snobs on the left have their harvad grad in right now ruining our country!!!
I’ll take Palinover anyone the left offers.
I do not loook to Palin as the teaparty leader. I do look to her as a moral/ethical anchor . The left and some on the right do not like her because she is plain spoken, we most of are. She has morals that they do not seem to appreciate. She is not a puppet as we see this administration being.. So, they demean her, talk down to and about her.
Why? seriously, why? Don’t give me the lack of education crap…look what ivy league education has done to us so far. She had more practical experience than the obanation we now have. She is more in ture with America and that scares many people. It scares them to think that the people who work and provide in America might actually get their voice.
Oh there is such light…Obama is having a meeting with …Sharpton and his ilk…to see about jobs for Americans..crap..what peopole to consult with. I don’t think one of them has ever had a real job, understand american needs beyond welfare. I could say some very nasty things..my fingers are itching, but i’ll let it go ….
Palin is a good person . We should never allow her or anyone like her to be degraded in the MSM, by Gibbs or anyone else.
wonder why gibbs didn’t put a teleprompter around his neck…then laugh…
I agree with others, the TEA Party does not need one leader, it enjoys the contributions of many. If either party were doing its job, the movement would not be where it is today. Many of the TEA partiers in my area are like me, Reagan/Hillary/Palin Democrats who are mad as hell at the lefty wackos that are trying to hijack our country and make it into something it never was and never will be. We bow to no one. We do not apologize for our strength. We believe in a hand up not a hand out. We believe in giving to those less fortunate. We understand that Fox News is not our enemy but the underwear bomber is. We do not associate with people who think Mao is great or with radicals who hate America. We think it’s OK if people want to cling to their guns and religion. We think it’s possible that people who disagree with Obama are NOT automatically racists. And lastly, we are energized and we will vote to get our country back.
#18 NCBob – Great idea. I can just seeing her wear some ugly scarf. The MSM would go apoplectic. Then she could reveal that it was a gift from some dying kid. Kaboom!
#14 jackjolis – “He may know very little, but he understands everything.” Perfect. It absolutely describes Palin as well. She was truly effective in AK because of this.
#19 Scott E – Apparently you haven’t been paying much attention, lately. She’s starting to give far more solid interviews. Clearly, she has been boning up. She has a ways to go, but real, evident progress is being made.
As to the article, I think Sarah doesn’t lead the Tea Party, but, she SYMBOLIZES it. Symbols are very important! She will be our next President. She is clearly positioning herself for it. People will vote for the symbol, as she comes to truly personify the rejection of the corruption of our government. All the usual rules no longer apply. There exists a new, greater dynamic; an exception to the rules. This is a revolution in our country.
The more the Left attacks Sarah, the more powerful she becomes, because they are attacking the symbol. If they’d leave her alone, she’d lose power, but they just can’t help themselves. Thus, they reveal themselves and increase the anger people feel.
The Left is creating the phenomenon of Sarah. They are constructing the agent of their own destruction. Not only will she be swept into power as rejection of Big Government, but their attacks will also result in a rejection of the Left. The mask is coming off the Beast. It is revealed.
Say what you will about Sarah, but she is Wholesome America. They attack her, and they attack Wholesome America. Reagan was teflon for the same reason. Sarah is becoming teflon.
Why do ‘tea partiers’ want uneducated leaders? What makes being uneducated a good thing? Why can’t rednecks go to school? What is this country going to do in 20 years when all the children refuse to go to school because they don’t want their parents calling them ‘elitists’?
Why do people think that Sarah Palin is honest? She is a proven liar. Why do people think she has integrity and honor when she’s a quitter and hypocrite?
31, please tell us of Palin’s “proven lies”…
She quit as governor because of the persecution of her office by the dems and MSM, I would have done the same and not been as nice about it
.
Obama quit as a senator to run for office..he’d only been in a few months. “Neapolitan” quit as gov, Kansas gove quit..
She has a college degree, she’s far from “uneducated”. An elitist is not necessarily a person with an education…I think of it as a state of mind of thinking they are better than anyone else, smarter, etc., than the people you represent
I have a BSN. The MSM would label me a “redneck” because I’m conservative and do not adhere to their drivel.
Palin professes to be a conservative and a christian. What proof do you have that she is not?
#32, for one thing she stated that if Obama’s healthcare bill passed her down syndrome child would have to go in front of death panel it see if it could live (or something super crazy like that). This was not only an outright lie, it was fear mongering.
She is a quitter, she quit the governor position. Do you really think it was because of the ‘meanies’ on the ‘left’ and the MSM? What if she becomes president, I can guarantee the ‘meanies’ will be out in force. Will she quit again?
She is a hypocrite, look at this ‘retard’ stuff between Emmanual and Limbaugh? Pure hypocrisy and pandering to ?? I don’t even know who she is trying to impress with that blather. She is also a hypocrite when it comes to her kids. She puts them out as props and then cries when anyone says anything about them. She was on the cover of a mag with her DS child and her daughter and grandchild saying they ‘choose life’. Guess what, that makes them both pro-choice.
I’ve been curious about the elitist comments thrown around so freely on this site. So, you have a BSN but are not an elitist. And you know that the elitists would call you a redneck because you are conservative. wow, that is quite a stretch, don’t you think?
So, if you write notes on your palm you are not an elitist, but if you use a teleprompter, you are? Is that right?
#32
I answered your questions but it seems that the moderator didn’t like them so they were deleted.
I guess the truth is not valued on this site, probably to elitist for Pajama media.
@33. Sassy: – …it was fear mongering.
Right. Which is why the provision she was referring to was removed shortly thereafter.
Where in the world do you people come from?
hmmm… try this link instead.
sorry about #34, I thought it had been deleted.
Reagan “lied” too, right Sassy.
Heh.
IF the party had a leader and IF said leader needed to be female to “keep up with the times”, take a good look at Anne Northrup. She is a true statesman, the likes of which our nation has not seen since Patrick Henry.
I’m tire of opportunists, and Sarah is nothing but. If she wanted to ‘go rogue’ she should have done it when (she now claims) she was being “handled” by the RNC during McCain’s campaign. Saying now that she has more to offer than she showed during the 2008 run is like Obama now saying he wants to get GOP input on health-care. Really? Seriously?
Sarah is not what this nation, nor the tea party needs.
oohhh sassy…
“The Senate Finance Committee decided to remove the so-called “death panel” provision from its version of Obamacare legislation because the language could be “misinterpreted or implemented incorrectly.”
The decision and rational amounts to an admission that fears the language allegedly designed to allow Medicare to pay doctors to counsel patients about planning for end-of-life decisions could morph into “death panels” are justified
According to the Los Angeles Times, a similar provision remains in the Obamacare legislation that was passed by three House committees last month, and could remain in the final bill. Until the death panel provision is removed from all the Democrats’ Obamacare proposals, the controversy will continue.
So much for Obama’s assertions that complaints about “death panels” are nothing more than misconceptions.”
You must keep your head in dark places..Elietism has nothing to do with notes on palms and teleprompters..if you don’t know that you surely are a babe in the woods.
thanks goy, i was looking for that article!!
I think sassy is jharp or one of them in drag.
No, not a leader. Rather, a champion.
Goy,
so you are saying that Palin NEVER lied?
There was a provision for DEATH PANELS and it was removed?
Really, are you really saying that?
#40,
you state:
‘The decision and rational amounts to an admission that fears the language allegedly designed to allow Medicare to pay doctors to counsel patients about planning for end-of-life decisions could morph into “death panels” are justified’
That is a lie. They were not justified and planning for end-of-life decisions does not magically morph in death panels. You know it, and so does everyone else.
It’s okay to disagree with a proposed bill, it is not okay to lie about it.
#41
I am female, can I do drag?
Also, I would more likely be classified as a babe in the city. thanks
Sassy, when you say she uses her children as “props”, what do you mean by that? How is it different from what any other politician does? I thought family front and center was one of the reasons why people loved the Kennedys, for example. Obama himself held a press conference at one of his daughter’s birthday parties, for heaven’s sake, and they appeared on stage at a number of his rallies including the DNC convention. Why don’t you condemn him for using them as “Props”? You seem to hold this working woman to a higher standard than any male politician.
Melissa has written a very accurate article. I liked it. And by the amount of intelligent responses I’d say the Tea Party movement is not going away anytime soon. The beauty of this movement is that it is not political but works within the political environment. Most people I have seen are either non-partisan or independents. But, all have a united interest in the rule of law, the Constitution. And Freedom.
Regarding Sarah Palin. Well, I hope she continues to speak up and energize. If she intends to run for higher office she will probably need to run as an independent. For the most part the Republican Party Establishment will never accept her and will work to destroy her credibility and character like they did in Alaska. IMHO, the sooner Mrs. Palin learns Austrian School economics, educates and discusses it openly as the solution to our economic recovery, the better. That would be the curve ball that exposes the government economists for what the really are. Keynesian socialist statists on the government dole. BTW, can anyone tell me when and where any government stimulus package of giveaways actually worked to solve the problem? And, I do mean anywhere in the history of the world!
Seems to me the TP movement has helped to educate and it looks like the solutions will come from the people. Not government. Not any single spokes person either. As it should be. It is looking like this is the time to start over with a clean slate. No incumbents anywhere that do not respect the Constitution and Freedom.
@43. Sassy: – so you are saying that Palin NEVER lied?
That is correct. That’s precisely what I’m saying. And you have yet to demonstrate otherwise.
- There was a provision for DEATH PANELS and it was removed?
Yes. The bill in question simply used different euphemisms. SP knows her Sun Tzu and turned that dissembling language back on the socialists, beating them at their own game.
- … are you really saying that?
Yes, I really, really, really am.
I hope that’s clear, since you seem pretty confused about the whole thing.
In particular, you seem especially confused about the nature of socialized medicine, which is what Obamacare is all about. When a panel of unelected bureaucrats can determine your “chances” of getting health care, that panel can properly be deemed a “death panel” if its decision ultimately lead to one’s premature or unnecessary death.
But don’t take my word for it. Rather, take some time to educate yourself on the thinking that has gone into the latest proposals for socialized medicine. In particular, BHO’s health care advisor – eugenicist Zeke Emanuel – has proposed something he calls “the complete lives system”. This system is intended to address the government’s limited ability to provide adequate health care to all American citizens AND illegal aliens through what Emanuel calls “just allocation”.
Here’s Emanuel on the ultimate purpose and function of the “complete lives system” [emph. added]:
Sing out if you’re unfamiliar with the meaning of “attenuated” as it’s used in that sentence. It’s a deceitful form of dissembling that effectively says the government will decide your chance of survival by allocating who gets health care and who doesn’t. The fact that you support such an arrogant, dehumanizing, totalitarian plan – whether you do so knowingly or not – makes me wonder by what right you presume to criticize Sarah Palin… for anything.
#46
Did Obama cry when people talked or joked about his kids? If he did I must have missed it.
Palin wants it both ways and that doesn’t work.
You state: ‘You seem to hold this working woman to a higher standard than any male politician.’ Really, what makes you say that?
‘she stated that if Obama’s healthcare bill passed her down syndrome child would have to go in front of death panel it see if it could live (or something super crazy like that )This was not only an outright lie, it was fear mongering.’
or something super crazy like that??? You are admitting that you don’t what she said, but are willing to accuse her of lying and fear mongering for saying it. Why? Because someone told you so?
A word of advice. When you make a accusation, don’t admit to your ignorance of the actual event beforehand.
Attended the Tucson Tea Party last year
We united in slamming both parties, notably GWBush for Tarp, entitlement balloons, unfunded wars, over-spending.
The Tea Party stands for less government, low taxes, no more deficit spending, immigration laws enforced. That’s it, that’s all! Remember Santelli, who publicized this thing on CNBC, was speaking from the floor of the Chicago derivatives trading floor! We are neither pro-choice nor pro-life. Foreign policy generally is on some far-back burner. Why? Because this is a domestic movement, averting national bankruptcy, the 10th amendment, jobs for citizens, only.
Our grass-roots are nativist, capitalist, libertarian.
So, anybody who paid $500 to hear Sarah Palin run for the GOP nomination is not a foot soldier in this movement. By Natural Selection. I may vote for Ms Sarah in 2010, but: this was not a Tea Party speech. Even today, Rich Lowry’s column fantasizes the Tea Party as pro-life, which it certainly is not. The hijacking begins.
…
Er, meant to say:
I may vote for Ms Sarah in 2012
(not 2010) in that last post…
#50
boy, you sure put me in my place. I’ll be sure to take your advice in the future. Thanks so much.
Enjoy the kool aid folks, I’m off to Mardi Gras.
#50, well said. In the manner of Diogenes, I am on a quest to find some substance behind the wild things that are said about Palin. I don’t have a strong opinion about her politics, but it never ceases to amaze me the lengths the left will go to to assasinate her character (or that of her children)–she really scares the hell (or earth goddess
) out of so many liberal thought leaders.
After a year and a half of exposure to this virulently toxic presence, the question on the table is: In our lifetime, has there ever been a worse human being in American politics than Sarah Palin? For all the morons and criminals and bigots we’ve been subjected to, has there been anyone else who has combined all of the fetid qualities — the proud ignorance, the sadistic viciousness, the shameless hypocrisy, the arrogant laziness, the congenital dishonesty, the unctuous sanctimony, the bilious resentment, and whichever others I’m forgetting for the moment — that this morals-free harridan so relentlessly displays? (Not to mention that atonal bray with which she communicates it all.)
Talk amongst yourselves.
SLANSKY
@53. Sassy: – boy, you sure put me in my place. I’ll be sure to take your advice in the future. Thanks so much. …I’m off to Mardi Gras.
Sarcastic, passive-aggressive, childish; the narcissism of the morally adolescent left on full display.
hey SAAAASSSY!!
you missed a lot of things…namely the boat.. Try educating youself before you start vomitting statements.
the only reason you’re “off to mardi gras” is you know you are wrong and cannot defend yourself.
I agree with 54 fully. I look at Palin closer and closer as i see the left and some on the right, try to destroy her. I see they are afraid of her.. Unfortunately it is not only the liberals ,some of the repubs creep out and voice things, never able to back their statements up.. The hand notes was a hoot, glad the white house didn’t have anything more important to do buy make a deal of it..
We need people like Palin. They are in the front line and tell us what we need to know about our country/government. Like Beck does.
I believe politics has become totally ridiculous.
As far as Palin and her opinions, I would look at and consdier seriously any candidate she recommends.
‘boy, you sure put me in my place. I’ll be sure to take your advice in the future. Thanks so much.’
You’re welcome. Dispensing sound advice to children is an essential duty of adulthood.
Melissa Clother has attacked Sarah Palin 2-3 times in the past few weeks. Obviously Clouthier has an agenda. My guess is that she has seen how successful Kathleen Parker has been in becoming a “house conservative” bashing Sarah Palin and wants a “piece of the action.”
As I said, it’s pretty obvious Clouthier has an agenda. I trust Sarah Palin. Melissa Clouthier – not so much.
48. goyibble
Hey, checked your site. Something like 184 articles . . . comments? Up to 11.
Two words: time management. But hey, your royalties for linking to moral adolescence are almost $1 a year.
She is all yours, TPers! Cuddle with her, brush her hair, get BFF pendants and wear them around your neck.
I wholeheartedly support your embrace of Sarah the Sacred.
As long as she keeps her mouth open, crib notes written on her hand, and carries her youngest around like a prop, all is well in LeftieLand. Polls show TPer candidates faring poorly, polls show Sacred faring poorly, and Nate Silver has already done the math for you. Do enjoy.
Love teh Sacred. The more absurd people you have on your platform, the better.
@55: depends on your POV. her lack of intellectual curiosity makes her dangerous, but bless the polls for showing us the stupidest woman in politics is no real threat. but, as displayed on this site, they *love* her and cannot fathom all of her inherent hypocrisies. they are content with the beauty queen, mom of 5, hunter and all around “yabetcha” kind of gal.
The leader of the Tea Party movement is the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
@60. “skeeziks”: – … 184 articles
Heh. Right now that site has over 450 articles and about 600 comments. No royalties. So as always, we see that you’re completely full of sh!t on every point.
Two words: moral adolescence. Try harder to grow out of it.
And learn to count.
Yes, you can.
Oh, and thanks for the heads up – I was curious what your IP address was.
63. goy:
Vanity, thy name is goybel. My IP address? That’s easy. It’s the only one.
Does Sarah Palin lead the Tea Baggers? I hope so.
According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 71% of Americans do not feel that Palin is qualified to be President. That includes a sharp drop in Republican support, where 45% believe she is qualified compared to 66% who thought she was last fall. Overall, 37% have a favorable view while 55% have an unfavorable view of the former Alaska Governor.
I think it’s because she’s morally adolescent. Or maybe it’s because nobody likes a quitter. Your theory?
As far as the “death panels” remark, the question is whether it was appropriate in the overall context of the discussion. ANY health plan has some limitations, and some of them would involve end-of-life treatment, since that is also where a lot of the cost is.
If all is fair in politics and the term “death panels” helps kill legislation which one does not like, or sandbag a President one does not like, then sobeit. But ANY plan is going to have to have limitations and death panels of a sort. The term may help defeat one health care plan, and sure as hell pushed some buttons in old, fearful folks, but is not particularly helping in solving some serious health care issues.
@64. “skeeziks”: – Your theory?
Don’t need one.
When Palin announces her intention to run for President, your poll (assuming it actually even exists) may have some relevance. But as things stand, it’s a lame sideshow to distract from stuff like this.
As far as the media-induced public opinion on “qualified” goes, your alleged poll does uncover one sad-but-important issue: the complete failure of the public education system to teach Americans what qualifies one to be elected President, as spelled out in Article II, Sec. 1 of the U.S. Constitution.
“We Are Mad As Hell And We The People Of America Are Not Going To Take It Anymore!”
“We the People”
“545 vs 300-million”
I am a home grown American citizen, will you stand up with me?
I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!
GO AHEAD – - – BE AN AMERICAN!!! We the People – 545 vs 300,000,000 Congress.org – Get informed, get involved today!
CALL TODAY: U.S. Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121
Congressional Switchboard
“We the People are as Mad as Hell: Are we becoming a Banana Republic?”
by The Funbobbasso’s Channel
“If the lefties/liberals/progressives don’t tap into the people’s anger, the right-wing tea baggers will…and are.
But the tone, the anger will get more support – more than the tepid response of the “hopers.” Meanwhile, the past and current Obama supporters are still “hoping” while the tea baggers are calling for action.
Watch the video: “We the People Stimulus Package”
I’m so fed up with the system of government here. I’m furious about the Supreme Court giving equal First Amendment rights to corporate America. Going forward corporate America can spend millions…billions…to lobby the thieves and vagabonds in congress and the senate. Forget fair elections. The wealthiest will win.
So far I have refrained from posting my disappointments in the Republican Party everyday just for my own peace of mind. But the pile is too deep now and I so disgusted that some venting needs to be done on a big scale.
Instead of voting “no” on everything, which keeps others from progressing, why don´t the Republicans just opt out of Medicare, Social Security and science-based drugs and electronics.
While Republican businessmen complain about green energy alternatives, the Chinese are out getting control of the rare earth metals used in all of them.
As a young man I chose between candidates based on three things, namely the issues, my political philosophy, and the qualifications of the individuals. Now this is impossible because the Republicans have fallen into the hands of pathological liars.
As a last resort Obama´s critics find something wrong with his scheduling of the Copenhagen visit. Turns out he chose that time because the Chinese were going to be there at that time.
Is it something new that the Deep South is so heartless?
The man who fixed my hot water heater, obviously reflecting local conservative views, incorrectly lambasted Obama´s health plan for cutting social security. Lacking either a retirement or health insurance, he is looking forward to Medicare to get two detached retinas fixed. Is he being consistent?
The Republicans are good at exploiting some people´s religious superstitions and fears of big government.
I think the Blue states should secede from the Union if the Red states continue to block social progress and to teach creationism instead of science. They are holding us back at least 100 years.
I turned on one news station after another trying in vain to get an update on the status of the health bill in the Senate. Instead, I heard endless interviews with opposing Republicans. Where´s a Democrat to get news these days?
The working poor, who obviously greatly outnumber the wealthy, could dominate American politics if half of them did not vote against their own financial self interests for reasons of religion. All the wealthy have to do is toss the religious poor a bone and they vote along with them, and it is a small bone at that. What have the Republicans ever done for the working poor except manipulate them?
Somewhere along the way the Republicans abandoned honesty in their statements and commercials.
It makes perfect sense for the wealthy individuals and corporations to dominate one of the political parties, currently the Republican Party. But why do the commoners join them?
The news media tries to make everything a debate, even evolution and the climate threat, both of which have solid scientific foundations and are beyond debate.”
CONTINUE ARTICLE:“We the People are as Mad as Hell Are we becoming a Banana Republic”
“We Are Mad As Hell And We The People Of America Are Not Going To Take It Anymore!”
@65. Dwight: – As far as the “death panels” remark, … ANY plan is going to have to have limitations and death panels of a sort.
Only if you proceed from a false premise – the same one employed by the myopic, end-justifies-the-means eugenicist Zeke Emanuel. The truth of the matter is that any plan RUN BY THE GOVERNMENT AND FUNDED BY A LIMITED SUPPLY OF TAXPAYERS’ DOLLARS is going to have limitations leading to ‘death panels’.
Unlike a robust, free market health care economy – which our government destroyed in this country a long time ago by relentlessly compromising with socialists – the State does not have the capacity to serve the entire population of American citizens plus millions of illegal aliens through a socialized medicine program without economy-destroying, socially suicidal levels of taxation.
Japan’s system is demonstrating this reality as we ‘speak’, despite the fact that their system enjoys legal advantages that would be expressly unconstitutional in the U.S.
Japan employs artificial and overtly socialist control of the health care market’s costs (i.e., providers’ salaries, prices of goods, etc.); it also includes a mandate that NO insurance company is allowed to compete with any other and none are allowed to make a profit. Even with these advantages, their system is poised to fail on an enormous scale as Japan’s population ages disproportionately and its economy continues to stagnate under the weight of a public debt that is now close to 200% of its GDP (exactly the direction Pelosi, Obama and Reid are taking the U.S.A.)!!
The socialists’ red herring response, by way of attempting to ignore this reality, is always the same: “well, uh, insurance companies ‘n’stuff can deny claims ‘n’stuff, uh, yeah, so that makes them death panels too… ‘n’stuff”. This is patent nonsense. Insurance companies are bound by a contract to provide a specific array of coverage. As their customer, you either agree to that coverage or you don’t. If you don’t like the contract offered by Company A, you can go to competing Company B. If you don’t like the way ANY of these companies are run, then you go out and buy yourself high-deductible, low-premium “catastrophic” insurance, in order to avoid medical bankruptcy for truly costly health care needs, and you pay for your routine health care the sane way – in cash.
The same options are not available with government, which can dream up, pass and enforce whatever laws it likes at the point of a gun and can simply change that law – or, more likely, the policies followed by armies of unelected bureaucrats – whenever it sees fit to ‘cut costs’. We’ve seen EXACTLY this behavior with Medicare already. Even with those onerous measures Medicare is effectively bankrupt, stealing more money from Taxpayers each year, employing outright extortion to keep retirees in the plan, and destined to continue ONLY through deficit spending after next year in its current state of insolvency. Do you want to put that program on steroids and saddle the entire U.S. population with it? Thanks, no.
The “Death Panels” aspect of any government-run plan is wholly inherent in the unavoidable nature of that plan if it becomes an enforceable facet of government. As such, Palin’s description was completely valid. Leftists don’t understand this because they don’t understand that their entire agenda in this regard is based on a false premise.
Socialized medicine is a non-solution to the wrong problem and the fact is that government manipulation of the health care market has constantly made things worse. What’s needed is to free up the health care economy and allow the market to push routine health care costs back into equilibrium with other commodities so that they are more generally affordable – like cars, T.V.s, cell phones, MP3 players, jewelry, diet soda, designer jeans, Skechers, Nikes and all the other commodities the so-called “poor” don’t seem to have any problems acquiring. Government could do this, easily, except for one thing: the arrogant idiots who are running it see the People as a source of revenue, not as their rightful masters. That’s going to change shortly.
Turning the broken health care market over to a broken government will never fix it. Thus, it should be obvious why the U.S. Constitution does not authorize the federal government to implement socialized medicine any more than it authorized the implementation of a (failing) Ponzi scam retirement plan.
66. goy:
The poll isn’t a distraction. It’s an indictment of her woefully ignorant grasp of things she pretends to be expert at.
Does anyone remember the awesome movie with Steven Sagal “Under Siege”? In the beginning the bad guys are pretending to put on a show for the Navy, and when the leader asks for the leading officer to stand up, as if to lampoon him, he instead kills him. Shocking.
Now, why is there all this talk about who leads the Tea Party “movement”? Who was running things with the first Tea Party? There were multiple lead players, but with one distinct motivation: Protect the Constitution and the Country.
Who is the leader of the Tea Party Movement? The Constitution, dummy.
The Tea Party Movement can be summarized very simply: To elect officials who will protect the Constitution.
@69. “skeeziks”: – The poll isn’t a distraction.
Yeah, it is… mos def.
71. goy:
“mos def”
How hep of you, slinging the rap hop. You make Michael Steele look black.
23 skidoo, small change.
If the GOP is silly enough to nominate this vulgar, common housewife they will thereby guarantee a jackass party win.
Sarah Palin is doing a great job helping our Country. No, I do not think she is the Leader nor does she think she is the Leader. The Tea Party Movement is a branch of the Conservative Movement.
The Republican Party should model the Tea Party Movement not stray from Conservative values.
By looking at the development of a Tea Party movement, it looks exactly like the process of making SAUSAGE. By 2012, the result in presidential candidates will be as messy as it is now.
We dont need a leader. We need to establish that we dictate what our representatives will represent instead of the other way around. I think the gadsen flag is the perfect symbol for our movement.
In fact, I have designed and entered a Tea Party car to be featured at the nascar All Star race 2010. It features the Gadsen flag and is named “No Tread.” It needs votes to make a showing, and I am trying to get a grassroots effort to make that happen. We were hanging in the top tier until just today. Normally I would not beg like this, but apparently there is now a Legion/union sponsored car that got something like 300,000 votes in one day. Not sure we could match that, but all I can do is try. I know this is a bit off topic, but we only have 11 more days to vote and our numbers have slowed to a crawl. I would hate to see and andy stern car or george soros car have a presence in nascar of a tea party car. Please please please help us out! It is not about me it is about yall and I would be willing to send whoever would represent the car the best if it wins.
It can be seen here: http://www.sponsafier.com/share/12707 It is an easy vote and you don’t have to register. You can vote once a day for the next 11 days. Can anyone help us make a showing on national television? Please pass it around to everyone you know. I know it has been on freeper as well, so it is getting some attention. Thanks so much yall. I am just doing everything I can to reach as much of the tea partiers as I can.
No she doesnt, but the NeoCon Jews would sure love her too