Posted on 09/09/2019 2:54:33 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
Monitoring Governor Palin’s pre-ascent to the national political scene was one of the stories that prompted my joining FR while in college. I remember Free Republic being one of the few places online (along with Glenn Beck’s show, to his credit) to profile the rising star governor: her successes navigating Alaska’s international corporate oil scene, her carrying a Down Syndrome baby to term, and before anybody in the media or even GOP establishment knew who she was — her qualifications as a viable for runningmate for John McCain. I stayed up all night before the day of the announcement, praying she would be the one.
Fast forward a few years and I attended a special screening of a film entitled “The Undefeated” - a documentary breaking down the media and establishment elite’s (including GOP) unhinged distortion and takedown of Sarah Palin and their continued onslaught against her legacy. It was directed by none other than the little known...Steve Bannon.
The ultimate thesis of the film being that as a working class American, as a Christian, a woman and mother, as a highly charismatic and skilled politician with a formidable record of executive accomplishment — Palin embodied a volatile convergence of the very forces in our country, which pose not only a political threat to the entrenched power structures of our society, but existential and cultural.
And it was with this insight and understanding by which Steve Bannon helped guide our current President to electoral victory in 2016.
I see a lot of posts at the moment trying to rationalize away the divorce and speculate on the Palins’ personal lives...Some observations may be valid — but these discussions miss the point — which is, that her fate (and that of her family) is what awaits *anybody* who dares challenge the establishment especially on that scale. (At least in term of what the establishment intends!) - We are not even told about the extent to which the media and other facets from both political parties worked night and day to drive her out of office, stoke fear in her family and her community (like the Wasilla church burning), how frivolous lawsuits bankrupted her financially, etc...
If you watch video footage of the sprightly, shrewd, and calmly eloquent Palin in the early 2000s at things like the AK gubernatorial debates and things, one can see just how much of a spiritual and psychological toll all that’s unfolded since had had on her.
This is what the media wants for Trump and his family too...but luckily our president has the financial and other buffers by which to withstand the attacks, which will likely come even after he leaves office...And in the meantime of course they will do everything in their power to drive him out even during a second term.
In the meantime the wolves will attack the emerging leaders of the conservative movement and NOTHING is off limits: families (children!) , homes, jobs, etc...And it’s incumbent on everyone to just...be aware. And to view all this in proper context.
I never claimed otherwise - I was just saying I don’t see how I can be whatever the hell a mod’s pet is. My respecting the rules of this place is evident, why are you being so antagonistic? you’re the one pinging JR after all after Admin Moderator said I broke no rules.
Can you get any more petty?
The 19 frivolous lawsuits placed a severe financial hardship on her family's finances, on her family's time together. Though frivolous, the lawsuits had to be addressed and greatly hindered her capacity as governor. She was greatly 'handcuffed' in performing her duties.
I would venture to state that love of family, of Alaska influenced her decision to vacate the governorship.And notwithstanding the above...I presently do not support her as I once did.
Leading with a jab is a poor way to do that. A handshake works better if one is new and trying to fit in.
-PJ
Can you troll any more?
I also like Alberta’s Child, Jim Noble, NathanBedford, LS (to a lower extent since he flipped out tonight on me), and a few others that aren’t worth mentioning but worth reading... including PJ, except for his/her freaking out tonight.
LS can smell a troll or a Uniparty douchenozzle a mile away. ;-)
Oh, this one is NOT new...
And if you're just "here to learn and discuss," where do you come off labeling my replies to you as "freaking out" when you supposedly don't know my posting style?
The long post to you about Palin was actually a snip of an earlier post to someone else on another thread before I even saw your post.
Long-time readers know that I don't "freak out."
-PJ
What Palin weathered was horrific.
But she also was part of her downfall with her decision first to resign before the end of her first term as governor and then to go the reality TV cashing in route rather than continuing to burnish her policy chops on the national level.
Outwardly at least Todd seemed to be something of an emotional anchor for her, but I think he also culturally helped to keep her and her kids from rising out of a dysfunctional working class culture that also kept pulling them down.
He was her childhood sweetheart from a very limited world.
And I too had the opportunity to attend such a private screening, with Bannon in attendance speaking on her and his film. But enough about Bannon has come out since to make me really wonder if he was another glommer on, looking to use her for his own populist-deplorable infiltrating purposes.
Sad. I’m available.
That is an excellent point in rebuttal.
I, too, was disappointed when she chose not to continue in public service like that.
Perhaps she knew she had lurking issues with her daughter (who was promiscuous), or with her son (who has anger issues), or she needed to raise her special needs child.
In any case, she did raise expectations and then failed to follow through on them for whatever reasons. She did extend whatever coattails she had by endorsing Tea Party candidates while she could, but I think the political capital that she banked has not kept up with the cost of living in today's political atmosphere.
That doesn't mean that she can't mount a comeback... if Mark Sanford thinks he can, so can Sarah Palin!
-PJ
The fact that Todd’s the one who filed for divorce is something incomprehensible to me. It feels like a death in my family.
It must’ve been a long time coming.
None of my business, but I wonder what the straw was that finally broke the camel’s back.
Yes, though going the reality TV route probably didn’t help her children either. She could have made plenty just working on policy at a think tank, with the fame to flog books in that direction instead. She is IMO done in politics at either the state or federal level, since she is apparently so politically unpopular in Alaska, hasn’t established herself in another state, and isn’t viable on either the presidential or veep level.
It’s a sorry story.
a) Palin was a very well-read, self-educated person. She was not as ‘physically’ well-traveled as her parents, but the mere fact that they were avid travelers (and teachers) says something about the kind of innate curiosity she was raised with. Also, maybe you’ve been to Alaska — I also have. And I am aware of how actually international it is (I remember meeting with Koreans and eating at a Korean restaurant there in the late 90s) and diverse even in terms of having a sizable native population compared to the ‘lower 48.’
b) In her dealing with oil companies, she had constant exposure to international realities and she knew (and stood up to) the likes of former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of ExoonMobil before any of us in the public knew who he even was. (He’s mentioned in her book ‘Going Rogue.’)
c) As stated elsewhere on the thread: Gov. Palin had to resign because she could not financially afford to fight off the frivolous lawsuits thrown her away (as Trump would have been able to do...with the best lawyers at that) and as governor in AK, did not have the same legal immunity as a sitting President does.
d) Not only did she not have legal immunity, but even pre-McCain, the AK State GOP was against her as she took their most powerful figure (Frank Murkowski, RINO Senator Lisa Murkowski’s father) out of office. Yes, she beat an entrenched *REPUBLICAN* for higher office, not Democrat. And without her own party backing her...
e) I realize that not everybody here followed her career prior to the veep nomination, but some of us did and plus there is literature by Alaskans and others out there who profiled the early rise of Palin — and Todd’s presence loomed large in the key decisions Sarah made and even in the dealings she had to maneuver through while in office. He’s no dummy. And people’s comments here are proof that the media rather than reality has shaped the perspectives of people even sympathetic to them. That’s the power of the media in setting the narrative.
f) Finally, upon leaving office Governor Palin was arguably the most instrumental figure in the Tea Party movement and setting the stage for MAGA — her endorsements catapulting then little known figures like Rand Paul and Nikki Haley into front-runner status, her ‘death panels’ comment (referring to govt. rationing) on Facebook forever rocking the national discourse surrounding Obamacare, and she fought tooth and nail for all our Congressional gains in 2010 — permanently impeding the very worst of Obama’s legislative aspirations.
WE owe her a THANKS.
The EV return could have been a complete rout.
Kudos for an excellent post!
I became politically aware in grad school during Reagan’s 2nd term. He was the 1st to get me enthused for our Constitutional Republic.
Sarah Palin was the 2nd.
Donald J Trump is the 3rd.
Again...GREAT post!
Good post - in Sarah’s case, when she fought, it meant the whole family was embattled ... explains why she chose some battles over others - but Todd Palin must be more of a loner type (Iditarod competition is for the independent spirits) and probably wanted her to lick her wounds and sink out of sight with hopes of the lens being removed from their lives...heavy burden and with kids grown he doesn’t have to keep shouldering the ancillary crap.
‘What rules am I breaking?’
you’ve caused people to become offended...and of all the infractions one can commit, in today’s America, that is the greatest...
Sad to hear it, but it happens. Especially with the amount of negative pressure being thrown at them 24/7/265 by the hateful pieces of crap in the media and the left.
She gave me a lot of hope, though. And Trump took it the next step further and made it to the Show.
You helped light up the counter-revolution, Sarah. Thank you. Best of luck to you and Todd, no matter what.
No doubt. I voted for Palin, not the old guy.
A week-old n00b apparently has a Free Republic moderator in his or her pocket.
Nice! ;-)
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