The rhyme and reason of Sarah Palin's endorsements

The Washington Post's The Fix ^ | June 4, 2010 | Chris Cillizza

[2ndDivisionVet]

After a stretch in which an endorsement from Sarah Palin was considered a rarity, the former Alaska governor has become something of an endorsement machine as of late. In the past week alone, she has endorsed four candidates, ranging from a tea party contender for Senate in her home state of Alaska to the GOP establishment favorite for Iowa governor.

Palin has backed both clear winners and decided long-shots; she's weighed in on behalf of "mama grizzlies," but an extra X chromosome doesn't necessarily mean an automatic endorsement (see Hutchison, Kay Bailey). Some candidates (such as former Redskins tight end and Washington Senate hopeful Clint Didier) have enjoyed her backing long before their primaries; another, Fox News commentator Angela McGlowan, got the Palin nod via a tweet mere hours before polls closed on primary day.

The recent barrage of endorsements also represents a shift from Palin's strategy in March, when she released a target list of 20 House districts, but did not name favored GOP candidates in those races.

We took a look at Palin's recent endorsements and found that if there's any rhyme or reason to them, it's that they're as idiosyncratic and unpredictable as the former governor herself.

That said, Palin's endorsements do break down into a few rough categories, which we've outlined below:

1. Outsiders/tea party candidates: Palin has always touted herself as a candidate running outside the establishment; it comes as little surprise, then, that a fair number of the candidates she's backed this cycle have tended to be political "outsiders" (or have at least been running under that mantle).

Ophthalmologist Rand Paul (R) in Kentucky is the most prominent example in this category.(continued)

[mkjessup]

What a great day!
First, a certain Paulbot (name undisclosed) gets his rear end busted for being the juvenile, pimply faced, chubby kindergartner he is.

Sounds like a personal attack aimed at Rabscuttle385, who is the continued target of the personal jihad Lakesnark perpetuates on any thread Rabs is involved with.

Next, a certain messup runs away in disgrace after being unable to contain himself.

You're only half clever Lakesnark. You engage in the childish practice of exploiting the absence of a poster who has a real life on the outside of FR (unlike you), but you assign your own ominous 'meaning' to that poster not being present when you and your ilk continue prattling on. Nobody (least of all myself) has ever slammed and sneered at you on occasions when you've said you had to leave the thread and 'bbl' ['be back later'], your own double standard and hypocrisy has now become abundantly clear, and if anyone should be disgraced (assuming they even had a sense of shame), it is YOU (Lakesnark).

And last, a certain financier posts the most cringeworthy, whiniest, and pathetic plea for help on FR ever.

I read SJB's post, and there was nothing pathetic about it whatsoever. He pinged JimRob to the thread, and if you and your fellow Dork are so proud of yourselves, you shouldn't have any problem with that. But of course you didn't have the stones to ping SJB to your snide remarks.

Trashing people without pinging them first.
You better cringe again, you pathetic little runt.
You are naming me and mkjessup without pinging.

SJB, that is their stock in trade. They are quick to babble incoherently about 'rules', 'decorum', etc, but when it comes to their own behavior, anything is ok, and anything goes. It is classic hypocrisy on display and they don't even realize how they paint a yellow streak down their own back with such behavior.

And hoping and joking about mkjessup having a heart attack, and laughing about it, is beneath contempt for this website!!
Here it is..

To: Darksheare
Should we call 911? It could be a coronary............or maybe the keyboard short circuited from the moisture.....

:-)
185 posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 12:45:45 PM by Lakeshark

You think this is funny? You sick freak.

I'll admit that surprised me. I've participated in threads where everyone was calling everyone else every name in the book, FR rules be damned, but I don't recall ever seeing a poster joke about another FReeper suffering a stroke, or a heart attack, or something of that nature. That is beyond the pale.

And I certainly don't apologize for NOT suffering a coronary, I'm alive and well, apparently to the chagrin of one poster (and perhaps others) who would prefer to see me moved over to the FR Memorial Wall, assuming that I was considered worthy of such an honor.

Lakesnark and his pack of weasels (w/apologies to the other more honorable weasels out there) will have to work one helluva lot harder if they are laboring under the delusion that anything they might post would provoke a heart attack in THIS FReeper.

[rabscuttle385]

but I don't recall ever seeing a poster joke about another FReeper suffering a stroke, or a heart attack, or something of that nature. That is beyond the pale.

I do vaguely remember some FReepers wishing ill will upon me and my family during the 2008 election cycle.

[mkjessup]

Now that you mention it Rabs, so do I. But you and I, SJB and others are supposed to just sit back and take it from those morally superior posters who think that it’s all good sporting ‘fun’. ;)

[Allegra]

First, a certain Paulbot (name undisclosed) gets his rear end busted for being the juvenile, pimply faced, chubby kindergartner he is.

Next, a certain messup runs away in disgrace after being unable to contain himself.

And last, a certain financier posts the most cringeworthy, whiniest, and pathetic plea for help on FR ever.

Dang...it must be this time zone thing....I miss all the good stuff!

[wtc911]

I'll admit that surprised me. I've participated in threads where everyone was calling everyone else every name in the book, FR rules be damned, but I don't recall ever seeing a poster joke about another FReeper suffering a stroke, or a heart attack, or something of that nature. That is beyond the pale.

______________________________________________________

You must have missed the thread a while ago whereon one of the palinites present on this thread expressed his hope that I die in a house fire.

[Lakeshark]

Fyi, the offending post. If that looks like wishing death and dismemberment on someone, please let me know. Mostly there is losts of hyperventilating going on, but hey, it’s FR: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2526618/posts?page=196#185

[jla]

I'll tell you one thing I have noticed - *that group* for all their claims of being noble conservatives spend a majority, great majority, of their time here not promoting their preferred candidates but in a continuance of their smear campaign against Mrs Palin.

A truly pathetic exhibit they are,

[jla]

See what happens when one plays the sides game? C'mon, ES, you usually offer valid critique* of Palin without resorting to sophomoric behavior.

* Not implying that I agree with you all the time.

[Lakeshark]

Right you are, and for all the complaining I'm seeing about the horrible, horrible Lakeshark and his horrible horrible nassstiness (boo, hoo, *teethgnashing* etc), the amount of invective, name calling and spittle thrown at those who disagree with this bunch is truly appalling.

They ping the clown posse and off they go at you.

[mkjessup]

I'll admit that surprised me. I've participated in threads where everyone was calling everyone else every name in the book, FR rules be damned, but I don't recall ever seeing a poster joke about another FReeper suffering a stroke, or a heart attack, or something of that nature. That is beyond the pale.
You must have missed the thread a while ago whereon one of the palinites present on this thread expressed his hope that I die in a house fire.

I did indeed miss that FRiend, you have to remember (as I was recently reminded) that when the groupies of ANY idolized figure perceive that someone is less than enthralled with the object of their affections, their venom and viciousness knows no bounds, and if they could have found your place, there is always the possibility they would have been throwing lit packs of matches at your house.

Feel the love Brother. ;)

[EveningStar]

C'mon, ES, you usually offer valid critique of Palin without resorting to sophomoric behavior.

jla, many folks here know that I can be quite sophomoric at times. :)

[onyx]

Good grief. Look at this thread and all because that snot-nosed disruptor was caught spamming the keywords on yet another Sarah Palin thread!

I’m not pinging anyone.

Enough of the histrionics, lies, and bullsh!t by posters who want to bitch, complain and post endlessly on about others when they’re as guilty of the same and worse.

And pinging Jim to this crap? Grow-up!

[onyx]

While I’m away, try to stop making grown men cry....lol.

[jla]

LOL - OK, fair enough.

[raygun]

From what was posted I took away from the sentiment remaining with respect to FreeRepublic endorseement (as if that’s the only acceptible nor viable perspective / viewpoint).

So, what’s left?

Spork weasel?