AN APPEAL TO GOV. SARAH PALIN: GO FOR IT!

I received the following from Adam Brickley, founder of the Draft Palin Effort:

"Conservative web guru Patrick Ruffini (webmaster for the Bush-Cheney Campaign in 2004) has just posted a glowing column about Gov. Palin on Townhall.com. He even mentions our movement, agreeing with us in principle but saying we're "a bit early". Other than that one quip, his column is spot-on in my opinion. Click here to read the column.Adam BrickleyFounder, palinforvp.blogpsot.com."


Here's the link to Patrick's essay on Sarah ("The GOP's North Star"): http:/townhall.com/columnists/Column.aspxUrlTitle=the_gops_north_star&ns=PatrickRuffini&dt=09/29/2007&page=full&comments=true&submitted=true0188d8c6-5b38-4a6c-a329-b3e76c3cfbcb


Here's My Response to Adam:

Adam, I saw the Patrick Ruffini column saluting Sarah and agree that it's a very good one. A "bit early" doesn't strike me as too extreme in his comment about Sarah and the nation's highest offices.

Soon, perhaps, say by the election in 2008, it won't be "a bit early" for her to be on the national ticket.

Consider: when I was your age (previous century, but not telling exactly which century) freshmen in college were't allowed to play on the varsity football and basketball teams. The idea was that they (and even sophomores) were't "ready." Of course, we found out that was not true -- and, in some cases, it was absolutely absurd.

Today, in Charlottesville, Virginia, the University of Pittsburgh football team will start a freshman at QB and another one at running back. three years ago, West Virginia University started two freshmen in the backfrield and both got some mention for All-American teams. I guess they were a lot more "ready" than people might have imagined.

I even disagree with my friend Malia in Hawaii some on the question of Sarah's readiness to assume the presidency if necessary. I think she is in fact ready now (if it became necessary) to lead this country -- mainly because leadership is a question of character, willingness to listen and learn, and a desire to serve the "governed."

More and more people look at Sarah and soon begin to wonder: "Is there any space left on Mr. Rushmore?" One recent blog noted Sarah's ridiculously low 4% disapproval rating (and nearly 90% approval) and proclaimed: "She's More Popular Than Kittens." She has touched the hearts of her constituents in a way we've not seen with any other elected official.

People used to pester us with questions about Sarah's "stand" on the War on Terror. When her son Track, age 18, enlisted in the Army on 9/11-2007, I think we learned all we need to about the Palin family's views on that subject.

Sarah Palin has a connection with key issues (including the WOT) that is more direct and personal -- than any other candidate under consideration for President or V-P. She has more knowledge on critical issues -- especially energy and the environment. She rejects the view that top elected official has to be some sort of egomanic. Instead, she sees herself a "a willing servant."

This is a remarkable woman, and we don't even have the right to ask her to be more remarkable.

Adam, I'd compare Sarah in some ways to the founder of the Draft Palin movement -- which happens to be you. You're 20 years old. You're much "too young" (in the minds of some) to have accomplished what you have -- turning this effort into the largest such grass-roots undertaking now underway. I guess the fact that it's "a bit early" to achieve such things means you should have devoted your time to "normal" college activities, such as kegging, painting your face with the school colors, chasing girls, etc.

Right now, you're the same age Bill Gates was when he dropped out of Harvard to form the company that became Microsoft.

I've osaid that if Sarah were a Democrat, she'd be right up on the stage with Hillary, Obama, and the others. Even with her short tenure as Governor, she has more executive experience than Mrs. Clinton and Obama combined.

We Republicans tend to place a lot of value on "experience," which usually means that we end up running candidates who are eligible for Medicare and Social Security. Dick Cheney is a fine man, but he's too ill, too old, and too widely disliked to be an asset to George W. Bush. As for Dan Quayle, I don't know about his "experience," but he didn't have the intellect , dynamism, or candor of a person like Sarah Palin.

Someone (John Ehrlichman I think) once asked Richard Nixon why he chose Spiro Agnew as his running mate. Nixon said, "Because no one in his right mind would think of assassinating me."

As a political Party, we can do better, much better. Adam, the success of your "Sarah Project" derives from your initial perception that we as Republicans can't continue running a bunch of aging, exhausted Caucasian males. Frankly, we don't want to be a Party mainly appealing to "angry, old white guys." There's no future in that approach.

Like anyone in high office, Sarah would need good people around her. (Adam, you should be one of those people -- and Patrick Ruffini and Fred Barnes should be others. So should some of the people that received my e-mail today on this subject.)

In all candor, the kind of "experience" Sarah lacks is the type that seems to produce mainly Beltway Cynicism and the politicization of every aspect of an indvidual's being. Adam, at some point in our lifetime, we want someone on the ticket -- as V-P nominee first and later as presidential nominee -- who has the potential to be a Washington, a Lincoln, a Truman, or a Reagan.

If not Sarah, who? If not now, when?

Steve Maloney
"All Sarah (Almost) All the Time"

Note: I'll put up Patrick's entire article later today (Saturday)

WHY SARAH PALIN FOR THE NATION'S HIGHEST OFFICES?

NOTE: I HAVE SOME REGULAR VISITORS THAT I KNOW A LOT ABOUT AND SOME ABOUT WHOM I KNOW NOTHING. DON'T BE AFRAID TO LEAVE YOUR NAME AND THOUGHTS. IF YOU DISAGREE WITH WHAT I SAY, YOU MAY JUST BE IN THE MAJORITY. ANYWAY, THANKS FOR STOPPING BY. -- STEVE


But why Gov. Sarah Palin for the nation's highest offices? She's scrupulously honest, which puts her at odds with the state's pervasively corrupt Republican office holders.

She's able to win elections against both powerful Republicans (Frank Murkowski) and Democrats (Tony Knowles). She's completely uninterested in using political office to enrich herself and her family. She's BOTH a female professional AND a working mother. She's not only FOR the "workingman," she's married to one (commercial fisherman and oil field production worker).

She's a devoted Christian whose religious beliefs have NOT curdled into sanctimony and self-congratulation.She not only "supports" our troops, but also has a beloved son -- Track -- who's one of them.

She's an expert on energy and the environment, two of the great issues of our time. She's a lifetime advocate of the sanctity of life and gun rights, but does a minimum of pandering on either.

That's why I support Sarah Palin for vice-president and, in God's own good time, for President. Those with eyes to see detect signs there of another Washington, Lincoln, or Reagan. She's a person whose communication skills and character have earned her the nation's highest approval ratings.

She's a breath of fresh air in a political atmosphere -- Republican and Democrat -- that's generally stultifying. For a nation in need of strong leadership, Sarah is the best our nation has.

Stephen R. Maloney
Ambridge, PA

SARAH EFFORT AT TIPPING POINT: Support Pours In

NOTE: There are two columns -- the one below, and the one below that -- that I regard as important. I realize Senator Larry Craig has resigned, but I want to retract my initial condemantion of him. I rushed to judgment, and I was mistaken to do that. So, please take a look at both columns. Thanks. -- Steve

In the Palin Movement, one great thing after another continues to take place. TWO fine blog columns by David Anderson, a long-time admirer of Gov. Sarah Palin has two dynamite pieces in praise of her. You can find them at the following links: http://stoptaxing.wordpress.com/2007/08/30/why-sarah-palin-could-be-the-most-important-person-you-dont-know/

http://firststatepolitics.wordpress.com/2007/08/30/is-sarah-palin-the-best-hope-for-the-gop/

One new recruit to the Palin Movement sent me an e-mail with the following message: "You guys really do have me excited about Palin now. (And those are some great pics ... it's now wonder she can boast an 84+% approval rating...)"

Steve says: Some Republicans with the national Party in DC don't quite know what to make of Sarah's appeal, which is a shame. They tend to spend much of their time trying to preserve the Republican "Good Ole Boys" network, channeling money and support to individuals who have been around long enough to raise their own campaign funds.

Frankly, if we don't put excellent candidates forward (and see David Anderson's list of such people in the comments section of his blog) who are rigorously honest and great communicators, our future will be a gloomy one.

COBB (MICHAEL COBB BOWEN) FOR PRESIDENT?

I read a column by Michael Cobb Bowen, a Black conservative who blogs under the name "Cobb" (see his site on the blogroll). http://cobb.typepad.com/. He posts under the name "Cobb: Strictly Old School."

Discussing Hurricane Katrina, he builds on a point made by economist Larry Kudlow: that the $125 billion-plus in federal dollars that have gone to New Orleans should have been distributed to the 300,000 people remaining in New Orleans. Each of the people would have received $425,000. A family of four would have received $1.7 million.

In other words, New Orleaneans would have had enough money to do whatever was in their best interests. Let me add: It's probable that a big chunk of the money would have gone to rebuilding businesses, charter schools, homes, and the like that would by now have have made The Big Easy into The Big Success Story.

How would the $425,000 each help with the major problem of getting people to return home? Guess.

My question is this: why isn't the national Republican Party begging and pleading with Cobb to run for the state senate -- or for Congress -- or, eventually, for President? Also, he's a computer whiz who could be showing the Party how to use the Internet to build support among minorities.

Also, on Cobb's blogroll there are 100-plus sites listed. Most of them are Black conservatives who blog. Why isn't some Republican (other than just little me, of course) contacting them to ask for their support -- and to provide whatever assistance they need?

Do I agree with Cobb on everything? No, I don't, which puts him in the same category as the other 300 million Americans who disagree with me on something or other.

However, with most of the national Democrats (from Mrs. Clinton and Mrs. Pelosi to Mr. Murtha and Mr. Schumer), I don't agree with them on hardly anything. Ergo, let's see the Cobbs (and Michael Steeles) of the world become the subjects of serious discussion about how we're going to get them in the nation's highest offices.

The column below reprints Kazoo's thoughtful support of Gov. Sarah Heath Palin for the vice-presidency of our beloved country. Kazoo grew up near where I now live, and I grew up in the county where he now resides. As Kazoo suggests, Sarah's having the second spot makes eminent sense. I'd also like to direct you to Adam's site -- http://palinforvp.blogspot.com to see some wonderful pictures (courtesy of Alaskan Tricia Ward) of Sarah and her husband (Todd) with Alaska's teacher-of-the-year, Ina Boucher. Kazoo's excellent blog is at: http://kazoolist.blogspot.com/2007/08/palin-for-veep.html

Tuesday, August 28, 2007 (By "Kazoo")
Palin for Veep?

I recently came across the Draft Sarah Palin For Vice President blog via comments on a post on a friend's blog.Sarah Palin is the Governor of Alaska and while I'm not yet ready to throw all (2 1/4 ounces) of my blog's weight behind the Palin for VP movement, I think Palin would make a wise (though unfortunately unlikely) choice for Republican '08 Vice Persident. [Note from Steve: Palin backers include individuals who support nearly every one of the 10 presidential candidates who appeared in the first -- Reagan Library -- debate. The Palin Movement as a whole currently endorses no single individual for the presidency. FYI: Currently, a good number of Palin supporters are backing Gov. Mike Huckabee]

Quoting from an early entry on the Draft Palin blog:

"This blog is the result of about a month worth of research on potential Republican Vice-Presidential candidates for the 2008 election. ... I developed the following profile for the perfect VP candidate (using Rudy Giuliani as my presumptive presidential candidate):

1) A energetic, young, fresh face who will energize the electorate
2) Not connected to the current administration
3) Pro-Life
4) Pro-Gun
5) A woman or minority to counter Hillary or Obama and put to rest the idea that America only elects white males.

One of the first names I found that fit these qualifications was that of Sarah Palin, the recently elected Governor of Alaska. ...

After looking at every GOP governor, senator, and congressperson, I found that Palin had only become more appealing. From what I've read, she certainly is an "energetic, young, fresh face who [would] energize the electorate."

Frankly, I think she could even give Obama's charisma a run for its money.She also has a reputation for shaking up the political status quo, knocking off incumbents and chasing down corruption (even when it was Republicans committing the corrupt acts.)" [End of Adam's comments quoted]

[Kazoo's observation] That fits in really well with '08 being billed as "change election" and Americans being tired of the "political establishment." She also passes the "extremely like-able" test with an 84% approval rating. And, I can't see anyone being able to effectively run attack ads against her. She would just come off as being too sympathetic. Not because they'd be attacking a woman; more like if someone were to run attack ads against Ned Flanders.

[Kazoo adds -- and notice his warming up considerably to Sarah] Actually, now that I've finished jotting down my thoughts I can't think of a better choice for '08 GOP VP. If nothing else, maybe the momentum behind trying to have her be the VP will show that Republicans really are OK with candidates that aren't just white males.

(Not that that stereotype actually doesn't hold water ... first woman SCOTUS justice? Appointed by Reagan. First African-American male Sec. of State? Appointed by G.W. Bush. First African-American female Sec. of State? by Bush. First Hispanic Attorney General? by Bush (but witch-hunted out by white (Democratic) males Schumer, Leahey, Biden, Kennedy and Finegold.))

Perhaps my one final (fleeting?) reservation is that she probably best pairs up with Guillani, and he's certainly not my first choice.

But since he is (admittedly) the most likely choice, Run Palin Run! [End of comments by Kazoo]

Comment from Steve Maloney: I have said that I will back the presidential (and vice-presidential) nominees for the Republican Party. If the Republican nominees lose in the 2008 presidential election (presumably to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton), I intend to begin working immediately to ensure that Sarah gets the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 to oppose -- and to defeat -- Mrs. Clinton. In Kazoo's piece, note how he starts out somewhat tentative about backing Sarah for V-P -- and ends up doing so enthusiastically. That's a process many Sarah supporters know well. I hope you'll join Kazoo in getting behind this remarkable woman.

Timothy Egan, an important Seattle-area newsman, says the following about Sarah: "The good news for Republicans is that the most popular fresh face is one of theirs — Gov. Sarah Palin, who looks like Tina Fey of “Saturday Night Live” fame. A marathon runner and commercial fisherwoman — whose kids are named Track, Bristol, Willow and Piper — Governor Palin knocked out an encrusted incumbent in the primary last year. She supports a new ethics bill designed to bring light to the long winter of Alaska politics."