August 30, 2008
Aug 30 03:34 Dems Do Damage Control Aug 30 06:15 Why Gov. Palin Changes Everything Aug 30 10:48 Minnesota's Reaction to Gov. Palin Aug 30 11:32 WSJ Weighs In Aug 30 18:30 Obama's Dishonest Ads
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Dems Do Damage Control
Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden issued the following statement on Sarah Palin:
"We send our congratulations to Governor Sarah Palin and her family on her designation as the Republican nominee for Vice President. It is yet another encouraging sign that old barriers are falling in our politics. While we obviously have differences over how best to lead this country forward Governor Palin is an admirable person and will add a compelling new voice to this campaign."That's a stark contrats with this statement by Obama spokesman Bill Burton:
"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies; that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same," said Bill Burton, Obama Campaign Spokesman.This shows the difficult position Gov. Palin puts Democrats in. If they attack her, they'll alienate more women than they've already alienated. If they don't attack Gov. Palin, Hillary's supporters will ask why Gov. Palin gets the kid glove treatment but Hillary got attacked.
I think it'll soon be apparent that Gov. Palin isn't a wholly owned subsidiary of Big Oil. When that falls to the side, people will start looking at Gov. Palin's record of reforms and accomplishments and her bipartisanship. Sen. Obama's resume will look thin compared with Gov. Palin's.
One other thing that's gotta scare Democrats is her expertise on energy policy. Gov. Palin dealt with that issue alot as Alaska's governor. When Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden talk energy policy, they talk about it through the perspective of the environmentalist lobby's eyes. When Gov. Palin talks energy policy, she talks from the perspective of talking to oil executives, of having visited Prudhoe Bay and Alaska's North Slope. Her husband is a member of the United Steel Workers Union, where he works on Alaska's North Slope.
In other words, she can dispel the myths about ANWR and drilling on the OCS. That will go a long ways towards winning that argument for Republicans. In addition to that, Alaska is now building a natural gas pipeline. As a hunter, she can talk credibly about the effects the original pipeline has had on caribou herds.
Going forward, Democrats will have to measure their words lest they totally alienate Hillary's supporters. In fact, Hillary's statement was pitch perfect:
"We should all be proud of Governor Sarah Palin's historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Senator McCain," she says. "While their policies would take America in the wrong direction, Governor Palin will add an important new voice to the debate."Saying that this hasn't been a good week of messaging for Team Barry is understatement.
Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 3:35 AM
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Why Gov. Palin Changes Everything
I've just spent some time listening to Bob Beckel and Alan Colmes question Sarah Palin's lack of experience. To be fair, both gentlemen said that picking a woman was a great step in the right direction for American politics.
The experience thing isn't unimportant but it isn't everything. The reason why experience often is beneficial is because you can draw on that information to see what did or didn't work. The reason why it isn't everything is when a Joe Biden has lots of information inside his head but his critical thinking skills cause him to make bad decisions.
Everything that I've read about Gov. Palin, coupled with watching her speech Friday morning, tells me that she's got outstanding critical thinking abilities. A close examination of her decisions tells me that she picks up on things quickly, which helps her make high quality decisions.
Two things in her background particularly stand out for me, things that political pundits might laugh at. The first thing from her personal, non-political, life that jumps out at me is that she was a point guard for a state championship team. the reason why that's important to me is because point guards are the quarterbacks of the basketball court.
Great point guards like Magic Johnson, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd get the ball to their teammats at exactly the right time in the best place for that player to make important, sometimes gamechanging, plays.
By all accounts, that's something that Sarah Palin excelled in in high school. That tells me that her critical thinking skills are very good. Another thing that tells me that her critical thinking skills are good is that she hasn't lost sight of her mission.
When she was on the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, she didn't lose sight of her job description. Her job title with the AOGCC was ethics supervisor, meaning that she was tasked with investigating ethical violations. the highest profile ethics complaint was against Randy Ruedrich, then the chairman of the Alaska Republican Party.
It didn't matter to Sarah Palin that she was also a Republican. Her job was to eliminate corruption wherever it was found. She focused herself like a laser beam on eliminating the corruption, much of which was within her political party. After getting Ruedrich to leave his job just ahead of an investigation was just the start.
She then took on Frank Murkowski, who'd served Alaska as a senator In the US Senate. She knew that he was a corrupt politician. Despite the long odds of defeating then-Gov. Murkowski in the Republican primary, she focused on defeating him. Without a hint of defeatism or pessimism, she set out to do just that. Months later, she'd defeated Gov. Murkowski. She then defeated Tony Knowles in the general election. She currently has a job approval rating north of 80 percent.
Another thing that I picked up on was that she confidently identified herself as a hockey mom. Having played in youth hockey back when I was young, I've seen alot of things that hockey moms do. In St. Cloud, they get up exceptionally early to get their kids to the rink for practice. For youth teams, that also means that they drove the kids to their games. St. Cloud's youth hockey association wasn't well-financed enough to charter buses.
In other words, hockey moms willingly made big sacrifices for their children. Simply put, that's a personal character trait that is in too short of supply in politics.
Finally, I can't omit the Palin's decision to bring Trig into the world, especially knowing that he would have Down Syndrome. Not only did they bring him into the world but they saw him as a precious gift from God. Dick Morris was moved by this decision tonight on Hannity & Colmes. He said that everyone "knows that I'm pro-choice", then proceeded to tell the audience that he was moved by this story. He said he had to tip his cap to the Palins for living out what they believed.
That's quite the testimonial. I couldn't agree more.
When you look at Sarah Palin's public life, the thing that jumps out at me is how consistent she's been in following her beliefs and her steadfastness in eliminating corruption. She's dealt with energy policy. She's done everything she can to eliminate corruption within the Alaskan Republican Party. She's exercised fiscal restraint while signing off on a bill authorizing the building of a natural gas pipeline that will keep our supply of natural gas strong.
This isn't a 'business-as-usual' lady. She isn't the type that will be affected by criticism from party elders or the media. I'm confident that she'll learn foreign policy quickly. Gov. Palin's determination in ending status quo Washington will endear her to people all across the nation.
In short, she'll go a long ways towards restoring the 'Republican brand'.
The biggest mistake Democratic pundits are making is underestimating her abilities, her focus and her determination. In that respect, people will notice the attention gap between Gov. Palin and Sen. Biden. Sen. Biden is a true gentleman but he's got a history of not maintaining his focus. The contrast between his meandering focus and Gov. Palin's attention to detail won't put Sen. Biden in a good light.
In the end, that's why Gov. Palin is such an outstanding pick. She's a great compliment to Sen. McCain's critical thinking abilities. That's why they'll be the compelling story on the campaign trail.
Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 6:16 AM
Comment 1 by Walter hanson at 30-Aug-08 10:07 AM
One point I will make Gary is that given maybe one day's notice she pulled off a much better introduction of herself than Obama used four days for. The fact she all these points in your post is why she could write and execute a speech that tells us better why to support her and John Mccina than Obama did on a speech that he had months to prepare.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota's Reaction to Gov. Palin
Last night, I sent an email to Minnesota's House GOP leadershhip asking them for their opinion on Sen. McCain's selection of Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Here's what House Minority Leader Marty Seifert said of Sen. McCain's pick:
"Sarah Palin is a rock solid conservative that brings excitement to this ticket. Her plain-spoken common sense is refreshing and will help John McCain in key areas."Here's House Assistant Minority Leader Laura Brod's reaction to Sen McCain's selection of Gov. Palin:
-House Minority Leader Marty Seifert
"Governor Pawlenty's reform message and ability to win and govern in a state that has trended Democrat attracted the attention of Senator McCain and others looking for new leaders. That made him an excellent candidate to be John McCain's Vice President. However, Minnesota faces a looming budget deficit, and rumblings from our friends on the other side of the aisle that they will continue their drumb beat for job-killing tax increases. We will be fortunate to have Governor Pawlenty here to protect Minnesota taxpayers and struggling employers .Leader Seifert's observation that Gov. Palin's "plain-spoken common sense is refreshing" and that it will "help John McCain in key areas" should be given great weight. People across America's Heartland appreciate politicians that don't talk like politicians. Based on yesterday's speech, I'm firmly convinced that Gov. Palin, though capable of speaking in politician-speak, has no desire to sound like a politician.
Governor Palin is also a reformer who offers fresh ideas from about as far away from Washington DC as you can get. As a mom, business owner and leader, she is a great mentor for those of us in public service as well as women across the country who are trying to balance checkbooks, family time and careers. Governor Palin is an excellent choice for Republicans who are looking for a conservative leader who is ready to serve as Vice President. Similarly, Independents and Democrats appreciate that Sen McCain is willing to step outside the box.
It is said that the candidates' choice for Vice President is the first and most important decision they will make. Sen Obama looked to Washington and the Past. Senator McCain looked to the future and selected a woman from our frontier state of Alaska ."
Rep. Brod makes several points that shouldn't be overlooked. Saying that "Governor Pawlenty's reform message and ability to win and govern in a state that has trended Democrat" is a testimony to his abilities and justification for him being on Sen. McCain's short list. We're fortunate to have someone as talented and as steadfast as Gov. Pawlenty leading our state.
Rep. Brod's statement that Gov. Palin is "a mom, business owner and leader" as well as someone who is "trying to balance checkbooks, family time and careers" is proof that she'll connect with working women everywhere. I'm confident that Gov. Palin's combination of skills and duties will help her talk with wives and mothers everywhere.
Finally, Rep. Brod points out that Sen. Obama, though he talks about change, "looked to Washington and the Past." Sen. Obama's pick is contrasted by Sen. McCain's looking "to the future and selected a woman from our frontier state of Alaska." That speaks to Sen. McCain's seriousness about ending business as usual in Washington.
Gov. Palin would be a great ally in a McCain administration's fight against business-as-usual Washington. More importantly, she'll have appeal with voters for having taken on corruption within her own party. That's change we should vote for.
I'd like to thank Leader Seifert and Rep. Brod for sending me their thoughts and observations on Sen. McCain's historic pick of Gov. Sarah Palin. Their leadership over the past two years has given heart to conservative activists everywhere in Minnesota. Having meet both of them, I can attest to the fact that both are great listeners whose common sense approach will serve us well in St. Paul.
UPDATE: Rep. Tom Emmer has weighed in with this statement:
Because she is from the Great State of Alaska, we do not have all the details about her background. That being said, what we do know tells us Sarah Palin is a great pick! A real person with real life experience, someone that not only talks conservative values, she apparently walks the walk. If the stories of her crack down on corruption in the 49th state are true, our corrupt Congress had better watch out. Great news for conservatives, great news for Republicans!Rep. Emmer, I wholeheartedly agree.
It's worth repeating that Gov. Palin has a history of going after corruption wherever it's found. There's no such thing as acceptable corruption. The 'seriousness test' is whether a person will eliminated corruption from within one's political party. Gov. Palin has done that time and again.
Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 11:01 AM
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WSJ Weighs In
The editorial board at the Wall Street Journal have posted their thoughts about Sen. McCain's picking Gov. Sarah Palin. The entire editorial is up to their high standards and well worth reading. I want to focus on something that will become clear in the days and weeks ahead. Here's the key paragraph in the editorial:
Experience?Sen. Obama likes talking the talk but his reform accomplishments are thin to nonexistent. In fact, I haven't seen proof that he's ever even attempted to spearhead a reform movement. Perhaps it exists but I'm not betting on it. Instead, I'd bet that reform isn't a priority with any Chicago machine-style politician.
For starters, we'd say Governor Palin's credentials as an agent of reform exceed Barack Obama's. Mr. Obama rose through the Chicago Democratic machine without a peep of push-back. Alaska's politics are deeply inbred and backed by energy-industry money. Mr. Obama slid past the kind of forces that Mrs. Palin took head on. This is one reason her selection, despite its campaign risks, seems to have been so well received by Republicans yesterday. They are looking for a new generation of leaders.
As is often the case, Sen. Obama's reform words ring hollow. They're nothing more than platitudes, if that. They're like a movie set: When you see them on the movie screen, everything looks real. If you take a step behind the front view, though, you realize that it's all facade.
Let's compare Obama's rhetoric with Gov. Palin's accomplishments. When Gov. Palin was the ethics supervisor with the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, she saw corruption with the State Republican Party chairman. It wasn't long after that that he was history.
Next she saw the corruption of Gov. Frank Murkowski. In her second ran against him, she defeated him 51%-19% in the GOP primary, ending his political career. As I said here , Gov. Palin hasn't lost sight of her main purposes. She's just as reform-minded now as she was years ago.
That's because it's part of who she is. Reform isn't just a bullet point on her resume; it's something that she's committed to.
Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 11:33 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 30-Aug-08 02:34 PM
He doesn't have any. To be exact in 2006 when voters were trying to kick out the corrupt chairman of the Cook county board Obama didn't endorse the reform candidate in the Democrat primary and then endorsed the son of the chairman who replaced the chairman as the candidate.
Obama clearly supports the status qua (corruption) in Chicago.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 2 by Chuck at 30-Aug-08 07:42 PM
This has been an interesting 24 hours. The left, including the media, has done all they can to question the appointment and tear her down. While there has been almost universal support from the right. As I said in my blog today, I think there's fear on the left. The woman scares the Hell out of them and I think there may be good reason.
Obama's Dishonest Ads
Barack Obama is still attempting to paint John McCain as a Bush flunkie. He's still trying to say that a McCain-Palin administration is Bush's third term. Here's his latest video making that silly accusation:
Here's another video making essentially the same claim:
Nothing says change like someone that's got a record of taking on corruption in your own political party. For all of Sen. Obama's bluster that he's the candidate of change, he's sorely lacking in accomplishments.
Thursday night, Sen. Obama promised to raise taxes on small businesses. Today, he's promising to granting more small business loans. That doesn't sound like change. In fact, it sounds rather Carteresque. At least Bill Clinton's tax increase was when the economy was weakening.
The Obama campaign had to do something to dent the McCain-Palin coverage. In making these videos, though, they made the outlandish claim that McCain-Palin was more of the same. I'll guarantee that that claim won't enhance their credibility.
That's potentially damaging when contrasted with the McCain-Palin plain-spoken message and track record. Gov. Palin doesn't just talk the talk like a certain junior senator from Illinois. She's known for backing up her talk with actions, something that's sorely missing on the Democratic ticket.
Rest assured that McCain-Palin won't let these videos go unanswered. When they respond, I'll bet that it'll put Team Barry on its heals.
That's what happens when people make specious accusations.
Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 6:31 PM
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