Posted on 10/06/2011 8:03:10 AM PDT by pgyanke
Governor Sarah Palin mattered.
She had gathered a terrific following and upset all of the right people. Conservatives loved her and liberals feared her. They were both right to do so.
For the conservatives, she had the unique combination of being right on the issues with a national presence, political machine, steel spine, gumption, charm and a salt-of-the-Earth attitude which comes from being one of the people--rather than one of society's elites. She was a fierce independent who battled both parties and their corruption. In every battle she fought her way (and 2008 was not fought her way), she won. She didn't rest on her victorious laurels, either... she cleaned house, reduced the perks of her own office and restored confidence in government offices. She did these things for Alaska... we wanted her to do these things for America.
To the liberals, she was a lightening rod standing up to their storm... and they hit her with everything they had. In every strike, her narrative was proven (emailgate revealed she was an engaged executive making day to day decisions--horror!) rather than destroyed. Like Sisyphus, the Left continued to push the boulder higher and higher only to have it crash down on them every time. They feared her because of all of the reasons the conservatives loved her... she didn't just TALK conservatism... she acted on it. Liberals will allow their leaders to say just about anything--just as liberals didn't fault Clinton for his Christian talk but faulted Bush for his Christian walk--as long as they toe the line in policy. Gov Palin took the greatest amount of flack from the enemy's guns because she was the greatest current threat to their view of the world... just as they were threatened by President Reagan a couple of generations ago.
Gov Palin now tells us that you don't need a title to make a difference in America. I agree with her... if you're talking about innovation or changing hearts and minds. Rush Limbaugh and other conservative talkers do that each and every day. I disagree with her in regards to our current troubles in this country... it will take conservatives in office to fix the problems. Sarah Palin wasn't popular with conservative voters because she SAID the right things... she was popular because she had a track record of DOING the right things.
I'm a fan of Rush Limbaugh, but let's be honest about his influence... if his voice could change America, we wouldn't have gone from Reagan to Obama during his tenure on the radio. I'm glad to have him (and others like him) doing what he does... but unless we have real conservatives in government offices (with titles), we will lose this country.
People didn't crowd Gov Palin's speaking engagements to hear her speak. They were there in the hope that she would run for President and take the wheel of a wayward ship of state. Yesterday's announcement will greatly diminish Gov Palin's voice and influence. We already have people who say the right things. She was uniquely poised to do what needed to be done. And now that is gone. I'm glad her priorities are in the right place... God, family and country are certainly the correct order. The problem is that the government of this country is quickly becoming the enemy of God and family. She gave up her chance to do something about that.
Now, it's time to settle for the next best candidate... and pray we don't end up having to settle for evil once again (albeit the lesser of two) in the general election.
Some may say, "Well what are you doing about it?" To which I say... I don't have the national presence, political machine and track record of Sarah Palin to be in a position to act in the short-term. I can work to build these things for a 2028 run... but it may be too late by then.
not sure I agree with it, but it’s a pretty good rant. I give it a 3.2/4.
Chatter away. I hope she feels her children and grandchildren are better off when she realizes this country will not recover from this! False sense of security. Now she should just take her money and shut up.
I'm growing weary in my adult life of always having to do that!!
I’m pissed off at her.
I'm growing weary in my adult life of always having to do that!!
You and me both.
She is just one person among millions... but one with the weight of a world of expectations on her shoulders. I don't fault her personally... but I'm very disappointed.
Believing we lost an opportunity is one thing. Laying the responsibility for all the ills that may or may not come our way on Palin’s shoulders is simplistic and more than a little self-defeating.
BTW - I did look longingly at my Palin bumper sticker on the back of my truck before I left for work this morning - I think I'll leave it there anyway.
I thought she was great at first. I supported her for a long time - until she started to show signs of poor judgment.
Now I’ve completely soured on her and hope she just goes away.
She’s Fred 2.0
That's a mean-spirited and ungracious attitude for a conservative.
Makes you look petty.
As I said above... she will now matter less. People flocked to her out of the expectation that she would pick up the mantle and actually deal with the problems. Without that expectation, her voice is no louder than Rush Limbaugh's... and Rush certainly hasn't been able to stop the liberal tide by voice alone...
Picture the 1980's without Ronald Reagan...
The GOP is a bunch of Socialists just like the ‘Rats. Third party is the only answer. Both parties suck.
I am truly BUMMED. She would have been our next POTUS. Now, I have to vote for the second time in a row in a general election......holding my nose.
She should have spoken up before the Undefeated came out. I am disappointed and I don’t know if I would put my trust back into her in the future. She is going to have to go a long way before we believe in her again.
I think there is a chance you're going to be surprised, and I don't mean by her changing her mind, but by her new role, however that might be described - what, the anti-Soros?
She’s worse than Fred. You’re right that she needs to go away. You don’t play like that this long and then bail like she did. Whatever Sarah.
Good point!
There are so many millions of people to hate, why should I confine my efforts to only one!
Maybe... but George Soros isn't powerful because of the strength of his ideas. He has the money (billions--with a capital B!) to spend to get his way. Sarah Palin does not. Again, she has a voice and without the expectation of public office to implement her ideas, her voice is no more powerful than Rush Limbaugh's. She will not be elevated to higher political power by the GOP elite so kiss RNC Chairperson goodbye. No... she is done in this regard. She will try... but will find her voice muted in the maelstrom.
She put herself into this and she can take the hits. You do not go along as if you are running an “unconventional” campaign and know you’ve got the supporters waiting to give all their hopes to you and just do what she did and then think people are not going to come to their own conclusions what is going on with her. She does need to shut up and go away since she is not a fighter. What she says has no weight and she has done it all to herself.
Now THAT's my Laz! Discrimination? No... he hates everyone the same!
I think...things are changing rapidly in the way societies are organized. She may very well be a visionary in this regard.
OH please!! Palin is no Reagan.
Reagan didn’t tease people forever then chicken out!
I’ve had enough! This woman joins the other ‘almost was’, and ‘has beens’ on the national stage.
Look forward, please!! Romanticizing what ‘might have been’ is pointless!!
I’m a conservative,Republican woman who never liked her. I think she is the same shallow construct that Obama is to the Dems- all style no substance- didn’t see the attraction when she MIGHT be running and I’m really baffled by the slavish devotion now that she isn’t.
Ronald Reagan??? Palin couldn’t ride his horse!
Palin is nothing. She flatters herself way too much.
There will be no future run. Rightly or wrongly, she now owns the "quitter" moniker. I, and many others, understood why she stepped down from the governorship. She will not so easily shrug this one off after having strung it out for so long. I still love her and what she stands for but she will never again get her strong following back.
Palin has no future. This country’s future is already in question.
Really well put. That sums up what situation Sarah will now find herself in.
Has grace ever been extended to you, by anybody?
If so, then try extending a little grace here, to her.
If you've never felt grace, then I am so sorry, and will pray for you.
You know, female to male here, I can’t help but be amused by the fact that Palin might be the only woman I’ve ever heard of who TEASED and strung-along so many- without delivering! I thought men hated that! LOL! Instead, we have men here who have been PLAYED and are soooo understanding. May other women in your lives get the same ‘pass’!
“I’m pissed off at her.”
I am too. All that hope for the future of this country - gone.
I know. That may be an extreme statement, but that is how I feel. I agree with the writer of this post...Palin’s influence and ability to lead is now greatly diminished. Even if she wanted to change her mind all that potential is gone. Wasted.
The establishment GOP would have sabotaged her anyway, I’m sure she’s smart enough to understand that. Throw a cowboy hat on Perry, have him talk about guns and there’s your “conservative” candidate. Then Mitt can be cast as the moderate and the charade can continue.
She still matters. She is our most important ally in 2012 and beyond.
I agree with you. I am angry she did this. Beyond angry, I am livid, but now we need to look closely at our options and make the best decision possible. It’s going to be difficult but we can do it.
Minor correction to tagline...
Agreed
In the end, she's just a politician - right on most issues, a bit lacking in experience, and her decision-making skills appeared sketchy to this point.
She'll be around for a long time, hopefully amounting to something more than a FoxNews talking head. I'd like to see her as Energy Secretary in the next term.
Your tagline, I can imagine. I have not been watching any news in so long and I’m sure there’s celebrating going on.
Exactly! She's not done yet. She has been and will continue to be a powerful ally to any true conservative seeking to serve this country.
Palin did not break her word, nor did she violate any principles.
It really comes down to this: how much are Palin supporters going to let our emotions influence us at this point?
The most prominent reasons for our support of Palin these past few years are exactly the principles by which we are obligated to minimize our complaints this morning.
As for the gloaters—they are liberals in sheeps’ clothing until proven otherwise. Remember who they are on this website—no real conservative would gloat at Palin dropping out of the race.
Disagree. Palin would only have a marginal impact, like Reagan. And Obama can only have a marginal impact. No matter how powerful -- within the American System, of course -- no one man can permanantly injure us. Or save us.
It is so difficult to watch this liar and several times I have wanted to kick my tv in when he lies. I am struggling to not break it now, but I like my soap opera Y&R. :)
I'm in the "that depends" category on this.
If Sarah goes home and just tries to raise her adorable family in what used to be a free country, "pissed" is far too mild. As Luke wrote: "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." Sarah has been give more leadership and speaking talent than almost anyone alive, and she has an obligation to use that God-given talent.
If Sarah did the numbers, figured that she could not win (I wanted her to run, but I was not sure she could take the nomination), and chose instead to work just as hard as would have been needed as a candidate but with less opposition, in order to create a conservative landslide in the House and the Senate, then I will applaud her decision. Okay, she's not running, which means we will have to settle for a lesser choice (although hopefully not Romney!). There are still two questions. What's next for Sarah? What's next for the rest of us. At least for me, what's next is working to elect a House and a Senate so conservative that neither Romney nor Obama can do much economic damage.
Magic powers? No. No more so than our political opponents, at least. What they have done to this country has not been the result of magic but policy. Gov Palin represented a significant hope to have an unabashed conservative set policy for a change. Nothing more... but certainly nothing less.
How is she unique? Exhibit A is the aftermath of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting. All other so-called conservatives were cowed into silence by the Left's fraudulent plea for civility. Sarah Palin came out swinging. All of the others came out in her shadow. That has been the story of the last four years. That is what I mean by "unabashed conservative." All of the others show some conservatism... where politically necessary.
No one I know is excited by the current crop of nominees... they are generally the "me toos" to Gov Palin's authenticity.
She does indeed matter. She is part of the future of the Conservative movement.
Some of these FReepers ( bless their hearts ) are acting like teenagers after their first heartbreak. They were so in love, she ripped their heart out, now they hate the crap out of her?
Not true. The main reason for supporting Gov Palin is gone... she was going to actually do something about the problems in America, not just talk about them.
All that clout that Sarah had in 2010 that impacted the congressional races...all that is gone now. Much of that “clout” was based upon her running for president and everyone knew it.
I dare say, that Palin may very well be toxic to races she otherwise have had influence in.
All that ability to drive the debate - gone. She had the media eating out of her hand and using that to drive discussion. Now, she has reduced herself to...well nothing. The media will ignore her.
Then a funny thing happened this past Memorial Day. Sarah did her motorcycle ride as part of Rolling Thunder, and her own PAC website featured a photo of her with one of the event organizers. The photo, which was otherwise well composed featured Bristol, Sarah, and the Rolling Thunder organizer who was wearing his leathers with a patch that distinctly read, "Dictator", right next to Sarah. I simply made the comment that her staff needed to tighten up on this sort of thing...the MSM would be out in force to garner their own "gotcha" photos and interviews, and that her own people needn't hand them anything this obvious.
It was meant as a constructive comment, but the reaction I received here from so many was nothing more than bitter vitriol, being told that I was not a 'true conservative', that I was in league with Karl Rove (whom I've nothing but absolute disdain for), etc. etc. While I've always supported Sarah and see her views in alignment with my own probably more so than any other public figure, some of her diehard fan base really turned me off, not from Sarah herself, but from associating with many of the blocs that most ardently supported her. IMHO, it's tragic that so many otherwise rational conservatives would pin all their hopes and dreams to somebody who never ultimately declared.
To all those who have said this country is lost because Sarah opted to follow her own conscience I would simply say that if one single, solitary person, making one single, solitary decision to not do something is all it took, this country was already lost.
I still don't understand how you can one minute say how you honor our troops for their willingness to sacrifice all for our country, and then in the next minute, turn your back on that same country as it cries out for your leadership in its hour of life-or-death need.
I'm dangerously close to despising her for her gutless decision, and for ripping the beating heart out of the country I love. She has really pissed me off, and she may well have destroyed our chance of winning in 2012.
It's going to take an energized base to beat Obama, Acorn, SEIU, Soros, etc. I just don't see anyone among the current field that conservatives can get excited about.
"Buck up or stay in the truck!"
"If you can't ride two horses at once, you probably shouldn't join the circus."
"Don't retreat... RELOAD!"
What a bad, sad joke.
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