Posted on 02/22/2010 9:22:25 AM PST by Josh Painter
In a USA Today analysis of Mitt Romney's pre-2012 groundwork for a second presidential bid, Susan Page highlighted the contrasts between Romney, the choice of the Republican establishment, and Sarah Palin, favored by conservatives and anti-Washington activists such as those found in the Tea Party movement:
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Page notes that Romney's book, heavy on policy prescription, includes his familiar "three pillars" reference. It has also become part of every major Romney speech, especially his address to CPAC this year:
Romney said there are three pillars upon which we should build: economy, security and family.This is where Romney misses the mark and Sarah Palin shines, in our opinion. As we have frequently pointed out, for any structure to stand, it must be built with four pillars, not just three. Romney gives short shrift to the need for a smaller, less intrusive federal government. This "Federalist" pillar is often cited by Gov. Palin in her speeches and written opinion pieces. It addresses one of the major concerns of small-government conservatives and libertarians alike. That Sarah Palin has made modern Federalism one of her major talking points reveals that she is the better student of Ronald Reagan, for whom the concept was also one of his favorite themes.
But it also reveals Romney as the statist he is. While Gov. Palin is not a pure libertarian by any means, her philosophy of government resonates with the opinions of a growing majority of Americans. A January Washington Post/ABC News poll found:
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A survey conducted by by Rasmussen Reports in mid-December also showed that an overwhelming majority of voters reject the big government ways of both major political parties:
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Lower taxes, as the Bush Administration proved, are not enough. True fiscal restraint requires cutting spending while simultaneously cutting taxes...
(Excerpt) Read more at texas4palin.blogspot.com ...
If it comes to that I will write in a third party..
I hope, more than anything else, that you’re right.
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