Althouse: "Sarah Palin is launching a nationwide bus tour starting Sunday in Washington..."

May 26, 2011

"Sarah Palin is launching a nationwide bus tour starting Sunday in Washington..."

"... Palin will also be stopping at other spots of symbolic national significance on the East Coast, including the Civil War battlefields at Gettysburg and Antietam, and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.... In addition to the tour, Palin’s camp recently announced a two-hour promotional film about the former governor set to premiere in Iowa next month."

So... does that mean she's going to run for President?

ADDED: That film — according to the Guardian — "will present her as a Joan of Arc-like figure beset at every turn by vicious leftwing enemies seeking to thwart her ambition of reviving the conservative legacy of Ronald Reagan." Somehow I doubt that the film actually mentions Joan of Arc. If not, the linked article has quite a deceptive headline: "Sarah Palin likened to Joan of Arc in two-hour documentary film." The title of the movie is "The Undefeated," which sounds more like the title of an American western than any reference to Joan of Arc. But the British website comes up with Joan of Arc, who was not undefeated. She was captured, purchased by the British and then tried — unfairly — and executed — brutally — by the British.

224 comments:

«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 224 of 224

yashu said...: Ace posts some interesting musings on Palin here, mirroring some of my own ambivalence. I too started off loving her: that first speech after McCain picked her, her debut on the national stage, *killed* (… knocked it right out of the park!). It made me so happy, just as I imagine Obama's first big speech on the national stage, at the Dem convention, made Dems happy. Palin struck me then as very smart, sharp, witty, tough, brave, awesome. The scurrilous MSM assault against her, bad-faith journalism at its worst, only endeared her to me more.

But since then I've gone through just the back-and-forth that Ace describes, the same uncertainty about her intellect & knowledge, real and apparent: because like it or not, if she's to be a candidate, it's essential that she be capable of *appearing* intelligent & knowledgeable, especially since the image of her as stupid & ignorant has been (very unfairly) fixed as a truism by the continual MSM drumbeat. (Yes, I know, Bush: but like it or not, W's Ivy League background provided a layer of insulation against this which Palin lacks.)

Believe me, I have very little regard for Obama's intelligence; but unfortunately (incredibly, to this day) he possesses the preternatural ability of *appearing* to be brilliant (to all too many people, including plenty who should know better by now)-- aided of course by the MSM drumbeat of this truthiest of truthisms. As someone who's spent all too much time in academia-- and thoroughly disenchanted & disgusted with academia-- I recognize all too well O's brand of lofty-sounding , seemingly profound, completely platitudinous, specious (& worse, intentionally misleading) bullshit. But if Palin wants to be president, I still need her to do much more to reassure *me* on this score (and I'm someone who *wants* to be persuaded by her), let alone the majority who long ago made up their minds (had their minds made up) against her.; 5/27/11, 3:58 AM
Paul said...: Crack is holding court in this thread. He's absolutely right that it is all about character. She has it in spades as well as guts and the right values. AMERICAN values!

People like Revenant are crusty and stiff, always looking in the rear view mirror and always last to feel the tectonic shift under their feet. It will be amusing to watch how he reacts to the Palin Presidency.

The factor nobody seems to be focusing on is the dismal and depressing leaden gray world of the Obama "new normal" that we are all burdened with. It's a direct outgrowth of his disdain for America and it's English common law pedigree. He cannot but weaken America's collective spirit because he despises us, and everybody but the kool aid drinkers feels it.

People don't have to vote for Palin. They just have to vote against Obama. Or sit the election out.

But Sarah's optimism and love for America and the traditions that have made it prosperous will be starkly contrasted to Obama's idea of America as a spent force in decline, and it's easy to imagine her as the candidate who can really deliver "change we can believe in". Change from the doomed to fail leftwing collectivist model back to the only system that works. Individual iberty, free markets, and a government held in check.; 5/27/11, 4:17 AM
Seeing Red said...: The English can scorn all they want but

at least Churchill's bust would return to the WH & she'd repair some of the damage the UR wrought.; 5/27/11, 8:33 AM
Steve Koch said...: I like and admire Palin and was a very big fan of her until she quit as governor (and she did quit). If she wanted to run for the presidency, she should have figured out a way to hang in there as governor.

She did not quit because she is a coward but because she was afraid of being bankrupted (and maybe she was sick of being the governor of Alaska). Better to have stayed in office and fought it out if she wanted to preserve her presidential aspirations.

Having said that, Palin would fight harder than any other GOP candidate during the campaign. Her VP campaign experience should help her tremendously in her next campaign. I agree with almost everything that she says.

Her biggest weakness is that she seems a bit erratic so I wonder if she has the stability the presidency requires.

Unconventional is interesting but it may just be a con to mask her shortcomings by making it difficult to evaluate her.

I hope she runs but making money is extremely important for her and she is still young. She could easily decide to keep on making money, not challenge Obama in 2012 and wait until 2016.

The new "We the People" bus is going to be an awesome Palin family vacation RV down the road.; 5/27/11, 8:45 AM
Known Unknown said...: looking in the rear view mirror and always last to feel the tectonic shift under their feet.

teutonic shift, please.; 5/27/11, 8:45 AM
Paul said...: "teutonic shift, please."

That too.; 5/27/11, 8:55 AM
Shanna said...: You're welcome. She will win. Not "can" but "will". And it'll be easier than it looks once it gets going.

I would be ok with that, but I don’t believe it. And honestly? I would respect her less if she ran with such a thin resume. If she wants to be president, she should hone her skills (which I think she’s been doing), take another substantial job (which she hasn’t done), and really work towards her goal. I don’t care about pedigree, I care about experience and competence and she may have one of those things. Obama was too green and Palin is too green. Palin has the benefit of having the right ideas and might make a decent president if she picks good people, but that doesn’t mean I think she’s right right now.

People like Revenant are crusty and stiff, always looking in the rear view mirror and always last to feel the tectonic shift under their feet.

If it’s crusty and stiff to expect people to prepare with adequate experience to lead the entire country, than sign me up. It is a [b]serious[/b] job and I want people to take their preparation seriously. This isn’t a football game. I am afraid that she thinks the fire is there now and she should take her shot, but I hope she doesn’t because my worst case scenario is she wins the primary and loses the election and it seems like she could easily do that.

I pretty much wrote off the presidency for her this time around when she dropped her job as Governor, and I am on her side. I can't imagine independents are going to jump on board when even I can't.; 5/27/11, 9:20 AM
Steve said...: She was captured, purchased by the British and then tried — unfairly — and executed — brutally — by the British.

In what way was it not a fair trail? Have you looked at the details of the trail, who the judges were etc?; 5/27/11, 9:52 AM
Paul said...: "I pretty much wrote off the presidency for her this time around when she dropped her job as Governor, and I am on her side."

Nonsense. It was the smartest move and I call BS on anyone who views it as a disqualifier as being "on her side". She has plenty of experience and of the right kind. Running a business, and serving in elected office from the local PTA right on up the ladder to Governor. She fought and beat the good old boy corrupt establishment in her own party...THAT is the kind of experience that impresses me, not some conventional pol who spends two terms as governor by being a cog in the machine going along to get along. She also has the charisma needed to lead people and the ability to forge coalitions and get things done.

No, she has enough experience, but more important than even experience she has the right values and the kind of guts and conviction that define great leaders. No one else even comes close on that score. Crack is absolutely right. We are at war. A war for the soul of the nation, and the trajectory of civilization itself. Conventional thinking and tactics are simply inadequate to deal with the crises that loom before us. We need a bold innovator with courage and vision.

There's only one person in the field with these qualifications and you stiff and crusty small minded folks just lack the imagination and vision to comprehend this.

No matter. As long as you don't vote for the narcissist in chief and architect for the destruction of the American way you are harmless.; 5/27/11, 9:56 AM
Anonymous said...: I can appreciate the ambivalence some have about Palin due to her earlier unforced errors. I can agree that it would be good if she spent a few years in a Cabinet-level job for additional seasoning. But then I come around to channeling Lincoln: we can't spare this woman -- she fights.

Show me someone else in the GOP race with comparable experience and the will to confront our decadent, bankrupt, Leviathan government head-on, and I'll happily support him. Hell, show Sarah Palin that same person and I'll bet $100 she wouldn't choose to run against him this time out.; 5/27/11, 9:58 AM
Shanna said...: I call BS on anyone who views it as a disqualifier as being "on her side".

Well, by "on her side" I mean on her side politically, as in I agree with a decent number of her positions, not that I will cheerlead for her in the face of all opposition like an automaton. I like her fine, but I have high expectations for President.

I think ya'll who claim to be "on her side" in that way need to go read some Carnegie, because you're not winning any friends this way. At least Crack gives reasons to root for her.

I was down with the resume when I thought it would eventually have two term sitting governor on the end of it. That's a great story and I am a little pissed that it is marred by "quit halfway through office", regardless of reasoning. Just saying "she's not a quitter eleventy" doesn't make that go away. The woman is in her 40's. She has time to become an AMAZING candidate, I don't want her to settle for what she is now.; 5/27/11, 10:13 AM
Paul said...: "I think ya'll who claim to be "on her side" in that way need to go read some Carnegie, because you're not winning any friends this way. At least Crack gives reasons to root for her."

Two points. I did give reasons to vote for her, you chose to ignore them because of a perceived slight.

And second I could care less about winning friends.

"She has time to become an AMAZING candidate, I don't want her to settle for what she is now."

In case you haven't noticed the nation doesn't have time. And really what would she have gained in terms of real practical experience as two terms as governor that she didn't already have? Would it trump the experience she's had as a political kingmaker since leaving office? How about her innovative use of social media and her unconventional and highly effective means of bypassing the MSM to get her message out and affect the political landscape, perhaps more than any outsider ever has? All these things were made possible by leaving the governorship. She has singlehandedly done more damage to the Obama agenda than anyone else, all made possible by being free of the responsibilities of elected office. Responsibilities she was unable to fulfill anyway do to the shameless tactics of the diseased left.

You lack imagination. Too bad. But so what? Like I said, as long as you don't vote for Obama you are harmless.; 5/27/11, 10:35 AM
Shanna said...: And second I could care less about winning friends.

That is clear, but politics is about gaining a majority so if you really want her to win you might want to at least try not to actively piss people off.

I'm not ignoring what you say because of a "perceived slight" I've just heard it all before and still disagree.; 5/27/11, 11:08 AM
Revenant said...: People like Revenant are crusty and stiff, always looking in the rear view mirror and always last to feel the tectonic shift under their feet. It will be amusing to watch how he reacts to the Palin Presidency.

I would react with joy to a Palin Presidency, moron. I have never once said I wouldn't vote for her. I defended her from the media attacks back during the '08 race.

I don't want her to run because I think she has a great chance of winning the nomination and no chance in hell of winning the Presidency. I don't want her to run because I don't want to be living under President Obama until 2017.

On the plus side, I can look forward to laughing in your faces when he does. So there's that small ray of sunshine amidst the gloom. :); 5/27/11, 11:20 AM
Paul said...: We'll see who gets the last laugh fool. You are such an unimaginative thinker it would be sad...if your arrogance didn't destroy any possible chance for sympathy.; 5/27/11, 11:27 AM
Paul said...: "That is clear, but politics is about gaining a majority so if you really want her to win you might want to at least try not to actively piss people off."

So you're saying that my personal disrespect for your prowess as a thinker will influence your vote? Really?

I'm not here to kiss your ass for Sarah's vote. I don't suffer fools gladly, and you are a fool.; 5/27/11, 11:35 AM
Revenant said...: You are such an unimaginative thinker it would be sad

Imagination is great when constructing a fantasy world. When trying to understand the real world, imagination needs to be tempered with understanding.

You cannot imagine your way to the Oval Office. You need to actually get people to vote for you. Most Americans think Sarah Palin has the "character" of day-old bread. If your plan is that she will somehow convince them otherwise with the sheer power of her awesomeness, you need to explain (a) why her every attempt to do so thus far has had the exact *opposite* effect and (b) what, exactly, is going to be different between now an 11/12.

At least Crack has a plan to totally convert the media into an unbiased source of information. Its insane, but it IS a plan. What's your plan? Wow us with your imagination. Thus far all you've done is repeat "she CAN win", which might have been imaginative three years ago but is yawnworthy today.; 5/27/11, 11:45 AM
Revenant said...: So you're saying that my personal disrespect for your prowess as a thinker will influence your vote? Really?

She's saying that when you start off thinking Palin is a slightly nutty intellectual lightweight -- i.e., if you're a typical swing voter -- seeing that her supporters have nothing more to offer than "Palin iz AWSUM u suk" is going to do nothing more than confirm your existing beliefs.; 5/27/11, 11:47 AM
Anonymous said...: reader_iam takes offense to my description of the behavior of rationally ignorant independents.

From my reading of your comments, I get two alternatives: a) either you're hostile to both parties, or b) you don't like that I imply that RII's are airheads.

If it's a), I wasn't even thinking about you, because I was describing observed electorate macro-behavior. Libertarians and Greens don't count, they're not even spoilers.

If it's b). Being rationally ignorant is a good thing. It means you have a life that doesn't depend on sucking hind tit off Uncle Sugar, it keeps you occupied and happy, and you don't have the time for the messy frivolity of electoral politics. You also have enduring faith that regardless of their political affiliations, once on office almost all politicians will do the right thing for the country.

So what do RII's decide on? Intangibles. Maybe you haven't seen how pre-election polls wildly fluctuate in the weeks before an election, and only converge in the last several days. Independents base their polling answers on trivia and snippets they get from the cloud. Here's proof.

There are two powerful motivators in tension in everyone. They want to be free to choose their path, and they want to be part of something bigger than themselves (which means giving up some of that freedom), i.e. they want to join a winning team.; 5/27/11, 12:27 PM
Steve Koch said...: According to Byron York, "There are no Palin campaign organizations in early primary and caucus states, or anywhere else, for that matter". It is extremely unlikely that Palin will run without a campaign organization. She also has not resigned from Fox yet (something she has to do if she decides to run).; 5/27/11, 12:45 PM
Shanna said...: She's saying that when you start off thinking Palin is a slightly nutty intellectual lightweight -- i.e., if you're a typical swing voter -- seeing that her supporters have nothing more to offer than "Palin iz AWSUM u suk" is going to do nothing more than confirm your existing beliefs.

Exactly. I'm not the squishy middle, but I figure if I find "she's not a quitter just because she quit her job hater" a rather unimpressive argument, that people who are predisposed to dislike her are not exactly going to be won over.

And if I'm a "fool" because I think maybe more than a couple years as governor might be nice in a Presidential candidate then so be it. But again, calling me a fool because I dare to question Sarah Palin's perfection is not exactly a winning argument.; 5/27/11, 12:55 PM
VanderDouchen said...: Andinista said
" You also have enduring faith that regardless of their political affiliations, once on office almost all politicians will do the right thing for the country."

Exactly wrong. "The enduring faith that regardless of their political affiliations, once in office almost all politicians will do the right things for themselves. The Country doesn't stand a chance one way or another.

Glad I could clear that up for you.

WV: thidnest:

A politician will feather thidnest.; 5/27/11, 1:26 PM
Anonymous said...: Ok VanderDouchen, I'll modify it to be more realpolitik.

The RII has faith that because political power is widely distributed in our governments, no one or small group of partisans can hold undue sway. They are driven to forge compromises that in the end, benefit all of us.

The wreckage that single-party rule produces cannot be ignored. CA, Detroit, are the latest examples. Vigorous two-party striving produces nearly optimal results.

So think the RII'elles, as they flit between parties.; 5/27/11, 1:45 PM
Alex said...: I just had an epiphany. The ones who will be the ticket against Obama are the 2 people who will most defend the Ryan plan around the country. Who are those 2 people? Palin/Cain.; 5/27/11, 1:46 PM

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Is Sarah running?
	Obviously.
	She's testing the waters, as they say.
	Probably not. Just grabbing attention.
	No. Being President is not her thing. Wise up, America. Ignore this woman.

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May 26, 2011

"Sarah Palin is launching a nationwide bus tour starting Sunday in Washington..."

224 comments:

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Althouse

May 26, 2011

"Sarah Palin is launching a nationwide bus tour starting Sunday in Washington..."

224 comments:

Amazon

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