Posted on 05/13/2011 9:00:10 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Some media commentary on Sarah Palin continues to amuse me quite a bit.
There are those who love to talk about how irrelevant she is — usually in the midst of a lengthy blog post or column that obsesses about something Palin recently said or tweeted.
There are those who continue to distort her record, despite the surplus her policies afforded Alaska and a list of accomplishments that includes substantial spending reductions, incentivizing and expanding drilling for oil and natural gas, investing in state savings, and a commitment to transparency, ethics reform, and tackling corruption.
And there are an array of “tell-all” books soon to come out that will attempt to discredit both her character and her record. They will try their hardest to reinforce pre-existing media-fed hype about who Palin is, what kind of a leader she was as governor, and what kind of a leader she could be for America. Some of the authors are ideologically driven. Others are driven by the hope that having the words “Sarah Palin” in their books’ titles will put money in their pockets.
Palin’s plans with respect to a 2012 presidential run remain to be seen, but rest assured that plenty of haters are already working overtime to distort and deceive. Their hope is to tarnish the attributes Palin appears to possess that have resonated with so many Americans — a down-to-earth authenticity, an expertise with respect to energy issues, an unshakeable faith in God and an equally strong commitment to her family, as well as a genuine concern for the struggles of regular, hard-working Americans, to name just a few.
Some Palin-haters will twist and turn the truth in an effort to promote and solidify the caricature of Palin that so many on the left, in the GOP establishment, and in the media elite have worked so hard to perfect. Others will continue to ignore her written and spoken commentary on matters of supreme national and international importance, opting instead to cling to any word or phrase she utters that can somehow be generated into a traffic-grabbing — and image-busting — headline.
And as many of us have come to learn, there’s a separate set of rules for Sarah Palin. If she ignores deceptive attacks against her, her family, or her record, some will say she’s weak or guilty as charged. If she responds to the attacks, they will insist she’s thin-skinned or playing the victim. You know the drill.
But the passion on the part of some to try to tear her down is like nothing I’ve seen in my lifetime. I don’t always catch a glimpse of the woman who scares the daylights out of them. But every now and then I do.
I caught it during my telephone interview with her in November. She was bold, but approachable, completely unapologetic about her principles, and spontaneous in her responses. Despite her success with respect to 2010 candidate endorsements and otherwise, she was decidedly humble and unwilling to take credit for so many of the victories she played an enormous part in. That humility, coupled with a refusal to spew preset talking points, must be awfully unnerving to those who are pre-programmed to say this or that and/or are driven by a “me, myself, and I” mindset.
I also saw a glimpse of the woman who terrifies some when I met her in person at the Long Island Association’s February 2011 Annual Meeting and Luncheon. There’s absolutely nothing about her — from the way she greets you to the tone of her exchanges — that fits into the mold of “conventional politician.” I suppose that must be terribly frustrating to those who struggle so hard to stand out, but don’t … because when it comes down to it, they’re not all that different from the rest.
And, perhaps most significantly, I saw a glimpse of the woman so many fear when I recently revisited her 2007 State of the State Address. If you haven’t watched it, you should. There’s a passion she possesses to cut through the garbage and get things done, as well as an ability to connect with people without even trying. She’s not telling you what she thinks you want to hear. She’s simply telling you what she thinks.
A liberal Manhattan acquaintance of mine recently hit the nail on the head: “The thing about Palin that’s so scary is that she actually means what she says. She actually believes it. And she’ll do it. She’ll make it happen.”
To borrow the words of the first female governor of Alaska, “Game on.”
******
Jedediah Bila is a conservative columnist, television commentator and author of the new book Outnumbered: Chronicles of a Manhattan Conservative
yes!
Mrs. Palin’s story line is singularly amazing and uniquely American.
Irrespective of her desires or chances in 2012, she will always have a special place in the hearts of America.
The dark will never like the light
Good Lord, I hope she runs. Although, I can’t imagine anyone wanting the job...just makes me feel her concern for the country is at heights the rest of us feel.
I have an ignorant brother-in-law. Thinks she’s not “sophisticated”. She says “you betcha”. Can’t be elected because of THAT.
He never remarked on Little Stevie Dunham’s pissing on the Constitution every second of every day.
“Irrespective of her desires or chances in 2012, she will always have a special place in the hearts of America.”
She may or may not run, but u can bet she will be working hard to elect great Tea-Party minded candidates in the 2012 election. Out with the RINO’s. In with the conservatives.
Legs like two stick of DYNAMITE!
The old...I like her...BUT crowd
I hope she runs.
Be nice if Trump would be her veep.
I know, he’s very far from perfect...but Palin
needs the campaign cash...to fight the crooked dem
machine.
Beauty and the Bucks.
She will win in a landslide.
Pray for Palin
You betcha!
Huck? nah. his fox show notwithstanding, I still think he's a closet liberal or at least a RINO.
Paul? Definitely out.
Trump? I'd consider, not seriously but I'd consider.
Romney? Masscare? I think not.
Mitch? nah. don't know a whole lot about him but didn't he just roll over for the unions in his state?
Sarah is the top of the heap for me. She'd get the oil going soonest and if she could curb govt spending, and tame the illegal problem, she'd do a lot to help this country get its balance back. Just those three thing.
I was raised a lot like Palin in Michigan, under far better conditions. Am a bit her senior. I have read her books in awe.I swear, this women has more nads than anyone in this current generation.
Be nice if Trump would be her veep.
Sarah thankfully is not that stupid. She is going to pick a fellow conservative, not a Democrat. And don’t tell me that Trump is not a Democrat......he basically is.
Sarah will win at least 59 percent of the popular vote and 300+ electoral votes. If Republicans are not smart enough to have this American be our candidate then we deserve to lose this great country of ours. Trump is horrible.....stay at Apprentice.....sit there and for two minutes yell “your fired”....tough job. Romney has MASSCARE and will kill him. Daniels is third string at best. Cain was great at selling pizzas but we need leadership, looney Ron Paul is just that crazy. Huckster thankfully it appears is not running. Allen West has 1 1/2 years in the House.....give him around 10 years and he should be ready but definitely not in 2012. And the rest are not even start ups.....Santorum......my former senator could not even win his election with a guy whose only claim to fame was his dead father’s name....clearly a loser in 2012. So bottom line,,,,,,,SARAH PALIN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She is a tenacious fighter and will crush the Marxist. It is obvious the left fears Sarah above all others.
Well tell your brother-in-law that I have a college degree in IT, but I was born a redneck, raised in Cajun Country and retired from the USAF to Middle Georgia.
Sophisticated folk give me hives!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.