Palin is a 5th columnist

[AZRedhawk44]

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view.bg?articleid=1247346&format=text

Mitt Romney-Sarah Palin in 2012? You betcha!
By Edward Mason, Hillary Chabot and Jessica Van Sack  |   Thursday, April 15, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  U.S. Politics
Photo
Photo by Stuart Cahill

Conservative superstar Sarah Palin opened the door yesterday to joining forces with Mitt Romney for a 2012 White House run - a hot ticket that has some Republicans licking their chops at the prospect of unseating President Obama.

“Sounds pretty good,” Palin declared at yesterday’s Tea Party Express rally on the Common when asked about pairing up with the former Bay State governor - giving the idea a big thumbs-up as she left the stage after her headline speech.

Last night, as Palin stopped for cannoli at Mike’s Pastry in the North End, she said she was “serious” about the idea.

“I have a lot of respect for Mitt,” she told the Herald.

Asked who would be on top of the ticket, Palin roared, “Ha! I haven’t even thought that far ahead yet.”

Indeed, Palin said she hasn’t decided whether she’ll run in 2012 - with or without Romney.

Romney, a presumptive 2012 Republican presidential contender who recently embarked on a nationwide book tour, has not ruled out an alliance with Palin, the GOP’s 2008 vice presidential candidate.

“Mitt Romney respects Sarah Palin and he appreciates the contributions she makes to the party,” said Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom. “But his immediate focus is on helping Republicans win back the Congress in 2010.”

Some veteran political observers were intrigued by the notion of the two telegenic former GOP governors on the same ticket.

“They both have a lot they can offer a campaign,” said Douglas Lorenz, a California-based GOP consultant. “Romney has the experience as a governor and experience as a candidate for president, and when you combine that with Sarah Palin’s ability to get people motivated, that could definitely be a formidable ticket.”

Republican gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos called the matchup “the best of both worlds.”

“They both come at it from totally different parts of the spectrum,” said Mihos, who attended yesterday’s Tea Party rally. “One deals on a gut level with people and the other is highly successful on the business end of things.”

Speaking before a rapt crowd estimated at 5,000, Palin squarely targeted Democrats, pounding away at Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package. She also lobbied for domestic oil drilling.

“I want to tell ’em, ‘Nah, we’ll keep clinging to our Constitution and our guns and religion - and you can keep the change,” Palin said, later adding, “Yeah, let’s drill, baby, drill; not stall, baby, stall - you betcha.”

Meanwhile, Palin said last night she had no hard feelings about U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s decision to skip the rally. “He was in Washington doing his job,” she said.

State Treasurer Tim Cahill, who also is running for governor as an independent, joked that a prospective alliance between Palin and Romney would “a good-looking ticket.”

Everyone remember the 3-headed RINO here?

Palin has been a darling of the libertarian/tea-party conservatives because she talks a good talk...

But she supports McCain over JD Hayworth.

Romney is another archetype RINO, just like McCain.  Appease, appease, appease.  Socialism-lite.

Palin is the enemy in the Tea Party.  She is the GOP's attempt to hijack it.

[RoadKingLarry]

I'm dissapointed in the direction Palin has taken with her political ambitions. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part, but she could have given a lot of momentum to the anti-status quo candidates.

[mellestad]

Honestly I doubt any of the realistic 2012 GOP candidates are stupid enough to link up with Palin as a VP.  It would be political suicide.

The only way Palin will help the GOP (or the Tea Party) in 2012 is if she stays out of the general race but points her fans towards a likely candidate that actually has a chance.

[Fjolnirsson]

Yeah, Palin started out pretty strong in my opinion, but she either lost her way or had bad intentions from the beginning. To say I am greatly disappointed in her is an understatement. A pity, because she really had great potential. I still view her as far better than any other candidate put forth by the GOP or Dems, but paired with Romney? Puhlease. As I have been saying, the GOP is going to waste voter anger on a lame duck ticket in 2012. And Obama will get a second term. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Palin/Nugent? That would get my vote.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Everyone remember the 3-headed RINO here?

Palin has been a darling of the libertarian/tea-party conservatives because she talks a good talk...

But she supports McCain over JD Hayworth.

Romney is another archetype RINO, just like McCain.  Appease, appease, appease.  Socialism-lite.

Palin is the enemy in the Tea Party.  She is the GOP's attempt to hijack it.

[norinco982lover]

You guys are right on:(

I'm not looking forward to the 2012 elections because we really don't have any viable candidates. I HATE these candidates we have been bringing up.

We really need Ron Paul.

It might be too late for our country with the direction the GOP has gone.

~Norinco

[mellestad]

Yeah, Palin started out pretty strong in my opinion, but she either lost her way or had bad intentions from the beginning. To say I am greatly disappointed in her is an understatement. A pity, because she really had great potential. I still view her as far better than any other candidate put forth by the GOP or Dems, but paired with Romney? Puhlease. As I have been saying, the GOP is going to waste voter anger on a lame duck ticket in 2012. And Obama will get a second term. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Palin/Nugent? That would get my vote.

With the candidates available, the GOP doesn't have much chance unless Obama does something to alienate his base.  But then, I don't know if the current GOP leaders could even find someone who could beat Hillary right now.  The GOP needs to find another Reagan or they are done till 2016.  They are probably better off focusing on congressional seats.

Really, I don't think she will run though, I think she is just drumming up excitement.  Her chances at high political office died when she gave up her governorship (If she had any left after the beating she took from the media in the 08 election cycle), and I think she must know that.  If she stays on the side though she has a long and profitable career doing public speaking, book tours, advertising, etc. and she has a chance to send money towards other candidates.

[Tallpine]

Ah, the Stupid Party versus the Evil Party again 

[taurusowner]

I'm starting to feel like I did in the08 election.  Like I'm not even sure if I want the GOP to win.  You would think they would have learned not to run Democrat-Lite candidates after that debacle, but it appears they will not stop trying to put McCains or Romneys into office. Even if we win and succeed in getting BHO booted, what do we win?  Is not losing more gain?  Is not being harmed more being helped?  Is not having the worst president having a good president?  This is 08 all over again.  It's like our only choice is to split the vote voting for real candidates and let BHO have another 4 years of destruction, or vote for whatever RINO the Republican Machine puts up and possibly get stuck with a  lot of the same policies, just with our names branded on them.

[makattak]

May I note for people that it is TWO THOUSAND TEN, not 2012 yet?

I'm all for bashing Republicans for putting forward mealy-mouthed RINO's and "moderates".

Being that it is TWO THOUSAND TEN, though, we still have 2 years to work towards preventing that.

[taurusowner]

Is Bobby Jindal considering a run?

[mellestad]

I'm starting to feel like I did in the08 election.  Like I'm not even sure if I want the GOP to win.  You would think they would have learned not to run Democrat-Lite candidates after that debacle, but it appears they will not stop trying to put McCains or Romneys into office. Even if we win and succeed in getting BHO booted, what do we win?  Is not losing more gain?  Is not being harmed more being helped?  Is not having the worst president having a good president?  This is 08 all over again.  It's like our only choice is to split the vote voting for real candidates and let BHO have another 4 years of destruction, or vote for whatever RINO the Republican Machine puts up and possibly get stuck with a  lot of the same policies, just with our names branded on them.

The GOP is between a rock and a hard place though.  Guys who appeal to the GOP right, like the Tea Party faction, want candidates that the GOP's own moderates won't vote for, or at least won't shell out money for.

If the GOP really gets behind a candidate like Ron Paul (or someone similar) it is a lose-lose.  If they don't make it through the primaries a bunch of money gets spent without benefiting the actual race.  If they do make it through the primaries they'll win the reddest states but they will be butchered in the swing states.

The only way the GOP will get a right of moderate candidate into office is by raw charisma, and that is what people are lamenting...there isn't even anyone in the up and comers with that kind of populist appeal.  I honestly don't see what the GOP is supposed to do besides hope Obama has a political disaster.

[roo_ster]

FTR, yesterday I saw a poll pitting BHO vs Ron Paul.  BHO "won" 42% to 41%, within the margin of error.

What this tells me is that the GOP does not need to run a RINO in 2012.

As far as Palin's endorsements, she has done nothing risky.  

[alex_trebek]

May I note for people that it is TWO THOUSAND TEN, not 2012 yet?

I'm all for bashing Republicans for putting forward mealy-mouthed RINO's and "moderates".

Being that it is TWO THOUSAND TEN, though, we still have 2 years to work towards preventing that.

BHO started the infantcy of his campaign in 2006. Nowadays it takes around 2 years for one of the "small guys" to start a good campaign. Maybe we should currently look for relative unknowns out there who are considering a run.

FTR, yesterday I saw a poll pitting BHO vs Ron Paul.  BHO "won" 42% to 41%, within the margin of error.

What this tells me is that the GOP does not need to run a RINO in 2012.

As far as Palin's endorsements, she has done nothing risky. 

I know a few people who were torn between Paul and Obama during the '08 election, because they believed both offered a new type of politics.  Then the GOP helped them choose Obama.

I doubt the GOP will be wise enough to learn from their mistakes though.  To be honest, since the GOP made their positions clear in the last cycle, I really don't care who wins.

I don't think it will matter which party wins in the long run.

[taurusowner]

alex, I'm leaning more towards your thinking every day.  Welcome to Rome.

[mellestad]

FTR, yesterday I saw a poll pitting BHO vs Ron Paul.  BHO "won" 42% to 41%, within the margin of error.

What this tells me is that the GOP does not need to run a RINO in 2012.

As far as Palin's endorsements, she has done nothing risky.  

Can you cite this?

Edit:  Nevermind, I found it.  http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2012/election_2012_barack_obama_42_ron_paul_41

[roo_ster]

Can you cite this?

Here you go.  Plenty of links at the page, so you might want to click on through, especially to get at what Rassmusen means WRT Mainstream vs Political classes.

Pit maverick Republican Congressman Ron Paul against President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 election match-up, and the race is – virtually dead even.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of likely voters finds Obama with 42% support and Paul with 41% of the vote. Eleven percent (11%) prefer some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided.

Ask the Political Class, though, and it’s a blowout. While 58% of Mainstream voters favor Paul, 95% of the Political Class vote for Obama.

But Republican voters also have decidedly mixed feelings about Paul, who has been an outspoken critic of the party establishment.

Obama earns 79% support from Democrats, but Paul gets just 66% of GOP votes. Voters not affiliated with either major party give Paul a 47% to 28% edge over the president. [Independents breaking for RP, big time.  Opportunity for GOP to emphasize liberty??--jfruser]

Paul, an anti-big government libertarian who engenders unusually strong feelings among his supporters, was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. But he continues to have a solid following, especially in the growing Tea Party movement.

Twenty-four percent (24%) of voters now consider themselves a part of the Tea Party movement, an eight-point increase from a month ago. Another 10% say they are not a part of the movement but have close friends or family members who are.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

Thirty-nine percent (39%) of all voters have a favorable opinion of Paul, while 30% view him unfavorably. This includes 10% with a very favorable opinion and 12% with a very unfavorable one. But nearly one-out-of-three voters (32%) are not sure what they think of Paul.

Perhaps tellingly, just 42% of Republican voters have a favorable view of him, including eight percent (8%) with a very favorable opinion. By comparison, 42% of unaffiliated voters regard him favorably, with 15% very favorable toward him.

Twenty-six percent (26%) of GOP voters think Paul shares the values of most Republican voters throughout the nation, but 25% disagree. Forty-nine percent (49%) are not sure.

Similarly, 27% of Republicans see Paul as a divisive force in the party, while 30% view him as a new direction for the GOP. Forty-two percent (42%) aren’t sure.

Among all voters, 19% say Paul shares the values of most Republican voters, and 27% disagree. Fifty-four percent (54%) are undecided.

Twenty-one percent (21%) of voters nationwide regard Paul as a divisive force in the GOP. Thirty-four percent (34%) say he is representative of a new direction for the party. Forty-five percent (45%) are not sure.

But it’s important to note than 75% of Republicans voters believe Republicans in Congress have lost touch with GOP voters throughout the nation over the past several years.

Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and the GOP’s vice presidential nominee in 2008, is another Republican who has been bucking the party’s traditional leadership and was the keynote speaker at the recent Tea Party convention in Nashville. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Republican voters say Palin shares the values of most GOP voters throughout the nation. Just 18% of Republicans see Palin as a divisive force within the GOP.

Rasmussen Reports released survey findings yesterday that take a closer look at the political views of those who say they’re part of the Tea Party movement. Among other things, 96% of those in the movement think America is overtaxed, and 94% trust the judgment of the American people more than that of America’s political leaders.

When it comes to major issues confronting the nation, 48% of voters now say the average Tea Party member is closer to their views than Obama is. Forty-four percent (44%) hold the opposite view and believe the president’s views are closer to their own.

Fifty-two percent (52%) believe the average member of the Tea Party movement has a better understanding of the issues facing America today than the average member of Congress. Thirty-five percent (35%) of voters now think Republicans and Democrats are so much alike that an entirely new political party is needed to represent the American people. Nearly half (47%) of voters disagree and say a new party is not needed

If the Tea Party was organized as a political party, 34% of voters would prefer a Democrat in a three-way congressional race. In that hypothetical match-up, the Republican gets 27% of the vote with the Tea Party hopeful in third at 21%. However, if only the Democrat or Republican had a real chance to win, most of the Tea Party supporters would vote for the Republican.

[MicroBalrog]

Now if we had a guy like Ron Paul, but younger and with more moderate views on foreign policy... like, maybe, if Ron Paul had a son...

[mellestad]

@JF:  Thanks.  Sorry I didn't get my link up sooner, and saved you some time.

[lee n. field]

joining forces with Mitt Romney

eeech.

[roo_ster]

Now if we had a guy like Ron Paul, but younger and with more moderate views on foreign policy... like, maybe, if Ron Paul had a son...

Crazy talk, I say.  First, he'd have to at least gotten elected to the Senate or Governor or something, and what's the likelihood of that?  

GOP KY Senate Candidate Primary

In a Republican Primary for US Senate today, 04/12/10, 5 weeks from the vote, Rand Paul defeats Trey Grayson 45% to 30%, according to this exclusive Louisville Courier-Journal Bluegrass / WHAS-TV Poll conducted by SurveyUSA.

KY Senate Race

With Kentucky’s Republican primary just six weeks away, both GOP hopefuls for governor earn 50% or more of the vote in match-ups with their chief Democratic rivals.
...
Rand Paul with comparable double-digit leads over Democratic Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo and Jack Conway, Kentucky’s attorney general. Neither of the Democrats has gained much ground from a month ago...

Paul, an ophthalmologist who is seeking his first political office, posts a 52% to 37% lead over Mongiardo and leads Conway 50% to 36%.

OK, maybe not-so-crazy talk.

It sure would be nice to see the GOP lose some of the statist & establishment hangers-on while strengthening its stand for liberty.

[taurusowner]

I will not vote for Mitt Romney, no matter who his VP is.

[mellestad]

I will not vote for Mitt Romney, no matter who his VP is.

How come?

[Perd Hapley]

With the candidates available, the GOP doesn't have much chance unless Obama does something to alienate his base.  

I thought Obama had already done quite a bit of that. 

[AZRedhawk44]

With the candidates available, the GOP doesn't have much chance unless Obama does something to alienate his base.  

I thought Obama had already done quite a bit of that. 

The sick, conspiratorial  part of me thinks that Obama and the RINOs are in cahoots.

Obama will screw up for 4 years but get nasty Statist things done, then yield the floor to the RINOs or NeoCons (like Bush-43 and his additions to authoritarianism and executive power and police state) who will do different nasty Statist things, but we (the circus audience) will cheer as the pendulum appears to swing.

All the while, both sides will decry the lunacy of the fringe hatemongering moonbeam drinking tea partiers and libertarians as "fomenters of antiquated and dangerous ideas."

I swear that they're all just waiting for the perfect patsy to use as a trojan horse in the Liberty movement so they can declare the whole thing a "domestic terrorist group" and do away with the opposition that they flat-out refuse to face openly on the battlefield of ideas.

Palin's actions reinforce that suspicion.  So far, she's played the political patsy and trojan horse perfectly.  Tom Clancy couldn't have written the plot better.