Althouse: "Palin is running for president, get used to it."

July 4, 2009

"Palin is running for president, get used to it."

Lots of posts over at The Corner about what Sarah Palin is really up to, but I'm with Mark R. Levin, quoted in the title to this post.

42 comments:

AllenS said...: I don't think that she'll run for president.; 7/4/09, 7:51 AM
American Liberal Elite said...: Palin/Bachmann in 2012. Please!; 7/4/09, 7:59 AM
save_the_rustbelt said...: This says something about the lack of talent in the GOP. How depressing.; 7/4/09, 8:00 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "I don't think that she'll run for president."

I said get used to it!; 7/4/09, 8:06 AM
traditionalguy said...: If "President Palin" rubs your fur the wrong way, turn your cat around. She's not sitting for a Phd. She is bringing strength, common sense and communication skills that connect with Americans back to DC, where they have been MIA since Ronald Reagan faded into the California sunset. Not that there is anything wrong with our groveling submission to King Obama I and his aristocrats, who are currently engaged in stealing everything we have as reparations to owed to Kings by the American Rebels and their descendants who declared freedom from them on July 4, 1776. All we need to rebel again is a leader with the strength and courage not to sell us out for wealth and European Aristocratic glamour. So yes, the Obama operation really fears Palin becoming our leader, but only because they know that Americans will one day wake up from their Obama trance and drive out these thieves.; 7/4/09, 8:16 AM
J. Cricket said...: As long as we're getting used to things, get used to this: she has no chance. Quitters don't do well in American politics.; 7/4/09, 8:20 AM
Unknown said...: Palin and her supporters should stop whining about how she is being treated.

She has a long way to go to catch up to how Bill and Hillary were treated in the 90's by the right wing. A long, long, long way. That was brutal. Besides, she was quite adept at attacking Obama during the election. No one on the right minded that.

She got $11M for her book. It cost her $500K to answer complaints. She is way out ahead. WAY OUT AHEAD!; 7/4/09, 8:32 AM
EnigmatiCore said...: If she is, I can hardly think of a better way for her to ensure failure (if there was a possibility of success) than to quit before finishing her term as Governor.; 7/4/09, 8:48 AM
EnigmatiCore said...: "She has a long way to go to catch up to how Bill and Hillary were treated in the 90's by the right wing."

This is delusional.

Palin has been treated much, much worse and has enjoyed significantly fewer defenders than the Clintons had.

It is not even close, actually.; 7/4/09, 8:49 AM
vet66 said...: There is no moral equivalency between the Clintons and the Palins. Bill Clinton suffered from a lack of morals in an age of immoral preachers; "I HAVE SINNED!" when we finished with establishing the meaning of "is".

Somebody from the left correctly viewed Palin as a threat to the establishment and consciously decided to pull out all the stops and destroy her nascent populism with every means at their disposal from lawyers invading Alaska, MSM spinning stories and toxic attacks on the Palin family.

What Rahm Emanuel and his ilk must consider now is what Isoroku Yamamoto spoke darkly of after bombing Pearly Harbor; I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill her with a terrible resolve."

One can only hope that a leader emerges to fill the vacuum created by wild-eyed liberals and weak-kneed Republicans. Fitting that our "Savior" would not be the false prophet BHO but a woman from Alaska. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!"; 7/4/09, 9:01 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm not getting used to it, because it isn't going to happen. I'm with Mark Steyn in the Corner when he applies Occam's Razor to Palin's announcement and concludes WYSIWYG: She ISN'T running. She's had enough.

She can no longer do her job because of the continual ethics complaint harassment, and it's costing both the State of Alaska and her personally a lot of money to defend against them. THAT seems to be the heart of the matter, NOT that she feels bad because mean Dave Letterman or anyone else said nasty things. Sticks and stones, etc.

But it should be obvious that these kinds of "reforms," such as the ethics complaint process in Alaska, that supposedly lead to more open and responsible government, are subject to egregious abuse. Processes such as this assume a degree of goodwill that doesn't exist in politics and never has, and should be scrapped for a return to the simple accountability of the ballot box. And, if the Republicans have any sense, they should immediately start using similar tactics wherever possible to make the lives of Democratic officeholders living hells.

After all, politicians everywhere deserve nothing less.; 7/4/09, 9:09 AM
hombre said...: She has a long way to go to catch up to how Bill and Hillary were treated in the 90's by the right wing.

Even if this were true, which it is not, what are you offering to the discussion? More of that secular progressive "two wrongs make a right" nonsense?

The "treatment" of the Clintons involved allegations of criminal wrongdoing, including Bill's perjury and sexual harrassment(maybe rape) and were investigated by a special prosecutor.

The attacks on Palin were, and are, largely directed at her family, her values and her politics and were, and are, led by the mediaswine. The Democrats didn't even need to get their hands dirty.

People who can't see the distinction need some work on their critical thinking skills.

Mark Steyn and Theo (9:09) analyze the situation well.; 7/4/09, 9:18 AM
Big Mike said...: Concur with Theo.

Maybe this is a good place to start.

Or Chelsea Clinton and her job as an investment banker.; 7/4/09, 9:20 AM
Roost on the Moon said...: William Gibson nails it on Twitter:

"Transitioning from politician to cultural idoru for a politically disenfranchised, permanently discontented ten percent of Americans."

Manba for brittish teens.
Idoru for american conservatives?; 7/4/09, 9:53 AM
Roost on the Moon said...: I wonder kind of music and dancing is favored by people this... dumb?

Not really.; 7/4/09, 9:56 AM
Peter Hoh said...: Palin is running for president.

I'll make plenty of popcorn.; 7/4/09, 10:00 AM
somefeller said...: Levin is probably right, she'll run, but she won't win, not by a long shot. Basically, with yesterday's performance, Palin will be lucky to be the Tom Tancredo of the 2012 GOP nomination stakes, or worse, the Duncan Hunter of that group. Mitt Romney is toasting this news with a nice tall cool glass of milk right now, and all weekend.

Anyway, happy July 4th everyone. Great to live in a nation where we are free to choose, remove and laugh at our political leadership, when the spirit moves us.; 7/4/09, 10:03 AM
former law student said...: She is bringing strength, common sense and communication skills that connect with Americans back to DC

I can never figure out if Traditional Guy is sincere or the king of the ironic put-on.

I think a lot of Palin's success is simply the halo effect: People who think she's attractive unconsciously ascribe all sorts of positive qualities to her. They identify with her; thus to attack her is to attack them. And she has a healthy dose of egoism: school board one day, President of the US the next. No doubts that she is perhaps out of her league assail her.; 7/4/09, 10:07 AM
Invisible Man said...: The attacks on Palin were, and are, largely directed at her family, her values and her politics and were, and are, led by the mediaswine. The Democrats didn't even need to get their hands dirty.

Maybe your just misremembering the events of the 80's, but serious media people WHERE ACCUSING THEM OF BEING MURDERERS AND DRUG KINGPINS!. Sorry, I felt like that needed some emphasis. Your favorite friend Rush called their daughter "the Family Dog". McCain a US Senator thought it was funny to say that Hillary and Janet Reno were Chelsea's parents. That crazy Senator from Indiana actually staged the shooting of Vince Foster with media members filming, with a FREAKIN' PUMPKIN. Their was actually a strategy funded by a few wealthy GOP that was to in fact destroy them personally, that they didn't even feel the need to hide about it.

Your partisan blinders are really showing if you think that its even close.; 7/4/09, 10:07 AM
former law student said...: Palin will be lucky to be the Tom Tancredo of the 2012 GOP nomination stakes, or worse

Don't kid yourself. Palin automatically outranks Huckabee. Unless some dark horse shows up, only Romney stands in the way of her getting the nomination.; 7/4/09, 10:10 AM
OhioAnne said...: I think a lot of Palin's success is simply the halo effect: People who think she's attractive unconsciously ascribe all sorts of positive qualities to her. They identify with her; thus to attack her is to attack them. And she has a healthy dose of egoism: school board one day, President of the US the next. No doubts that she is perhaps out of her league assail her.

If you change the name and correct for pronouns, this paragraph could have been (and something similar probably has been) written about President Obama.

This country desperately needs some new choices for candidates.; 7/4/09, 10:13 AM
Anonymous said...: I thought at the time all the personal attacks on the Clintons, the conspiracy theories, attacks on Chelsea, etc., were fairly outrageous and going way beyond propriety or even what was going to be effective. And they proved so. Bill Clinton was the first Democrat elected to a "normal" two-terms since Franklin Roosevelt, and, for all his troubles, remains popular.

But the thing that Sarah Palin made clear yesterday was not that the personal attakcs drove her from office, outrageous as they were, but that the ACTIONS of the continuous, seemingly baseless ethics charges were making it impossible for her to do her job.

They were also costing the State of Alaska millions of dollars and the Palins personally about half a million, so far. That was the functional reason she said she was leaving: She's under an ongoing full-court press, and so she's passing the ball. What's so hard to understand about this clearly-stated reason?

Now, there may be some serious ethics and/or financial impropriety that may come up that is the proximate cause of this, but we don't know that, and she didn't sound like someone who is starting to prepare a defense along these lines.

But the take-away point for me in a larger context is that these kinds of supposedly open-government reforms are subject to abuse themselves, and should be scrapped for the old, robust check on political wrongdoing of the ballot box.; 7/4/09, 10:40 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Only "Ten percent" are uncontented?

I bet 60% would support a candidate who promised to gut the federal govt and reduce the safety nets to one or two simple, straight-forward and universal programs.

Of course, that would create a depression in the Washington DC area. Couldn't have that now could we?; 7/4/09, 10:44 AM
Anonymous said...: I agree with Theo and Steyn.

I do disagree with the "fight fire with fire" crowd. I hope Palin and the right bear this whole sad affair in dignified silence. Let the left explain what just happened without implicating their own un-PC ritual killing. Just try.

I await Perky Killer Katie's Monday broadcast: "Whoo hoo! We did it!"; 7/4/09, 10:56 AM
hombre said...: Invisible Man wrote (10:07): Your partisan blinders are really showing if you think that its even close.... Serious media people....Rush Limbaugh....

You folks simply can't get past projection and moral equivalence to look at facts, can you?

I have been a Democrat most of my life. I have never been a "partisan" Republican. It doesn't require partisanship to recognize lame arguments from the left.

No "serious media" news people "accused" the Clintons of murder or drug dealing.

Rush Limbaugh is a self-proclaimed conservative political commentator who makes no effort to bolster his credibility by claiming to be anything else. The same cannot be said of the news entities and magazines that have produced or reproduced hits on Palin and her family.

You wouldn't be invisible if you'd pull your head out of the sand.; 7/4/09, 11:00 AM
chuck b. said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/4/09, 11:06 AM
chuck b. said...: I agree with Ann. Palin connects with people--that's her biggest asset; she can't leverage it nationally in Alaska. Now we'll see. The quitter meme will run its course.; 7/4/09, 11:07 AM
jag said...: I like Palin but her family's penchant for low rent drama would smother the campaign, especially when contrasted with the picture- perfect Obamas.

Romney looks better and better.; 7/4/09, 11:08 AM
Ralph L said...: The Year That Monica Ate obscures the earlier scandals which were more important, such as the Chinese/Indonesian fundraising, the 900 Republican FBI files, the cattle futures bribe, and the misuse of the FBI/DoJ to prosecute the WH Travel Office. Any one of these would have ended a national Republican's political career, but Clinton was actually helped by the sheer number of messes he and his people made.; 7/4/09, 11:28 AM
Ralph L said...: I get the impression that Mark Levin doesn't much like some of the other people at The Corner, or maybe that's just his style.; 7/4/09, 11:33 AM
hombre said...: fls wrote (10:07): ... And she has a healthy dose of egoism: school board one day, President of the US the next. No doubts that she is perhaps out of her league assail her.

The term that would be more precisely correct is "egotism." "Egoism" does refer to Obama, although he is also an egotist.

Why was it necessary for fls to misrepresent the extent of her experience?

Because they just can't help themselves.; 7/4/09, 11:50 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: One of my fears about her running for President is that it is a repeat of Ross Perot. He drew a lot of voters mostly from Conservatives and Independents (2 to 1 they would have voted Republican), but not enough to win and thus we ended up with a three way ticket and Clinton.

Had Perot not run Clinton might not have been President. On the other hand the type of voters that Perot attracted are the very disenchanted and irritated voters who are becoming a larger and larger portion of the population.

The Tea Party movement is representative of that segment and if Palin can galvanize more people to the small government, lower taxes, local control and get the government the Hell out of my life movement there might be a chance that we could have some REAL change.; 7/4/09, 12:14 PM
mariner said...: Theo,
And, if the Republicans have any sense, they should immediately start using similar tactics wherever possible to make the lives of Democratic officeholders living hells.

If Republicans had any sense (or even spines), we'd have a Republican president and a Republican Congress.

If wishes were fishes ...; 7/4/09, 12:16 PM
Jeff with one 'f' said...: "People who think she's attractive unconsciously ascribe all sorts of positive qualities to her."

Like the LGBT movement did with Obama?; 7/4/09, 12:38 PM
former law student said...: Why was it necessary for fls to misrepresent the extent of her experience?

I was typing figuratively. Compare "Overnight Success."; 7/4/09, 12:53 PM
former law student said...: Like the LGBT movement did with Obama?

Did the LGBT movement consider Obama to be a (fill in the blank) ILF?; 7/4/09, 12:56 PM
LoafingOaf said...: Bill Clinton was a crook who deserved to be attacked. Sarah Palin is a fraud who deserves to be attacked.

If we actually had better politicians in this country, maybe I'd feel more sorry for them when they're attacked.

On the local level, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, we just witnessed our crooked County Commissioner, Jimmy Dimora, come unhinged in a press conference where he started caling for a federal investigation into the local newspaper and tried to blame the FBI probe into local Democratic Party corruption on Karl Rove. He even played the Italian card, claiming everyone's after him because they think all Italians are in the mob.

All these terrible, incompetent, corrupt, silly politicians play the victim when they're attacked.

Maybe they deserve to be attacked.

BTW, MArk Levin's radio program is just one non-stop hate-spewing rant night after night. Palin fans love the guy. Remember that when they tell you they condemn mean-spiritedness in politics.; 7/4/09, 3:16 PM
Kirk Parker said...: Invisible,

"but serious media people WHERE ACCUSING THEM OF BEING MURDERERS AND DRUG KINGPINS!."

I'm sure Bob Tyrell will enjoy his promotion, but will also be a bit annoyed that he had to read the comments of this blog to find out about it!; 7/4/09, 4:28 PM
Anonymous said...: Loafing Oaf,

Just what do you think Olbermann's nightly program is - or Chris Matthews and his tingly leg. The sheer mean-spiritedness of those 2 and Rachel are far worse than anything the Republicans do.; 7/4/09, 4:37 PM
Jeremy said...: The Princess is on her way to being indicted.; 7/4/09, 5:59 PM
Jim said...: fls -

"I was typing figuratively. Compare "Overnight Success."

For the millionth time, Palin spent more time in public office than did Obama. So you can reverse your names in your "analysis" and see just how ridiculous your argument is.

Obama's a miserable failure, and getting worse every day. Whatever Palin's faults, she would never have thought that adding a trillion dollars in public debt was any kind of solution to a problem created by trillions of dollars of bad debts. That's just basic common sense, and you don't need to be an Ivy League graduate to be able to figure that out.

That was some world-class stupid right there.; 7/4/09, 11:43 PM
traditionalguy said...: The only job open to rational choice as a career path today is a job that gives out government fiat money from the government's side or recieves money on the business or institution's side. This situation is just as intentional an act as Rockefeller's using the size of Standard Oil to undersell his competitors at below cost of production prices until all his competitors sold out to his Standard Oil Monopoly as they failed. Then John D quickly raised the prices way up over costs of production. But when the Money Printing U S A Federal Reserve Bank enables this same predatory practice against all businesses in the country, then at that moment the USA Government is only a criminal fascist gang. Am I wrong, asked Martin Luther, posting on the Wittenberg Church Door?; 7/5/09, 1:13 AM