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.
From what I was reading at the time, I doubted that she would run from Arizona, because McCaine and his group were against her from the time she was picked as his running mate. I don't think that they really knew her, nor understood her; let alone just HOW much people would favor her and yet, still hate him! That stuck in his craw and then there was that B*TCH on wheels...Nicole Wallace, who already had a BAD rep when he picked her to use for "helping" Sarah.
The harassment, abuse, and vilification of Sarah and her entire family, sadly has NEVER stopped! So I imagine that running for anything, today, would be not just difficult, but IMPOSSIBLE to win and then there is the fact that she has an 11 year old with Downs. He will reach puberty soon and that is a difficult time for normal kids to go through and often worse for a Downs kid. She's needed at home!
I, too, don’t understand why the Mods are protecting his/her goading, disingenuous, fundamentally dishonest behavior on this thread. Obviously did not want to defend his/her opinion with facts; just insults. His/her every post contains as many “I”, “me”, “my” and “myself” words as an Obama speech.
Claimed to know the FR rules.
Claimed not to know the FR rules.
Claimed immunity from criticism due to being a recent poster.
Claimed the right to aggressive insullts due to be a long-time lurker.
Claimed not to know how to research a point, but failed to utilize two posts that provided links on that point.
Boasted of knowing how to use Google and Wayback.
Condescends to others.
Whines that others are condescending.
Plays games.
Whines that others are playing games.
Hijacked a thread with a stated topic by the OP and insisted it was about his/her point of view instead.
Claimed s/he was being attacked by people asking him/her to stick to the topic.
Openly stated that many people change their sign-ins from time to time, as if this normal FR behavior.
Bristled at being called a retread due to an obvious pattern of insider trolling.
etc etc
I realize that you, nopardons, can sometimes be prickliy to deal with; but come on—easily 90% of the other posters objected to her/his behavior. Ruined what could have been a very good thread. The one poster who supported him/her joined in with a litany of ad hominems and complaints about FR rather than join the topic, and has thrown around insults on other threads (and was called out for it here by someone other than me, who has experienced the same thing).
Respectfully asking for a reconsideration.
Great post AW! Maybe the young’n nOOb troll will read it and learn something, maybe not though. Go get ‘em Sarah Palin!
-PJ
And as far as my being "prickly", stupidity sticks in my craw, as do TROLLS and liars! So upon seeing such posts, my hackles rise.I do fight back and am blunt!
OTOH....I do post quite a lot of factual history posts, agree and/or cheer on other posters who post really good replies, and am usually not just "civil", but cordial.
Thanks! :-)
I won't speculate about what it means, other than I suspect that the marriage had hit a wall as far as Todd was concerned, and he had decided to go his own way. This happens after three decades of concerted tumult and change. In addition, Todd and Sarah may have had some deep disagreements over their future together. So he pulled the plug on the marriage.
As to whether there was another man or woman involved, no one can say right now. The fact that none of the gossip sites seem to be reporting anything of that nature seems to indicate that something else broke that marriage up. Todd always seemed to me like a stand-up guy who valued the marriage, as did Governor Palin.
Only a month ago they were in Sturgis, SD, on a biker rally that had become and annual pilgrimage for both of them, and their marriage seemed quite stable. Shortly thereafter, he made the decision to go forward with the divorce. I suspect that this had been brewing for some time, and may have been mutually agreed on between the two of them.
As to what it portends politically for the Governor, we don't know. Palin is now single, and free from potential charges of cheating on her husband. These charges would have come at her any time she had decided to reenter elective politics, not only from the Democrats, but from Republican operatives allied with the Bush Family, Romney and others in the Beltway GOP. But she may have decided to return to politics and Todd may have decided that that wasn't for him.
I just think he got sick of his home being a reality show. He wanted his own life back. Celebrity comes with a high price.
Thanks for an interesting post; it does give one somethings to think about.
I learned from the best.
Prove she quit for any other reason?
So she didn’t quit halfway through her term?
Oh the vapors! If that’s all it takes... jesus.
“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?”
Because I do know your posting style, and it’s why I said you are freaking out.
“Can you troll any more?”
Not trolling.
“LS can smell a troll or a Uniparty douchenozzle a mile away. ;-)”
Good on you to defend him. You subbing in?
“Leading with a jab is a poor way to do that. A handshake works better if one is new and trying to fit in.”
I wasn’t trying to fit in, merely expressing my opinion.
Many here won't care about your opinion if you have no interest in becoming a member of the community in good standing.
If you don't want to fit in, then you don't want to be here, you only want to agitate those of us who do want to be here.
-PJ
“Many here won’t care about your opinion if you have no interest in becoming a member of the community in good standing.
If you don’t want to fit in, then you don’t want to be here, you only want to agitate those of us who do want to be here.”
If you say so. Tell me, do you post here because you’re trying to fit in?
-PJ
Answer my question, please, instead of deflecting. It’s poor form.
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