Palin Power: She's drawing big crowds and ignoring the D.C. cognoscenti

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | June 14, 2009 | Jack Kelly

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

President Barack Obama is, by far, the most popular politician in America. And there is little doubt who is No. 2.

(snip)

That many liberals found Mr. Letterman's remarks humorous speaks not only to their depravity, but to their fear. The 20,000 who turned out to see Ms. Palin in Auburn testify to the fact that she strikes a responsive chord with ordinary people no other Republican does.

Liberals and some Beltway conservatives assert Ms. Palin is stupid. She frequently is misquoted -- most recently by Dan Balz in The Washington Post Wednesday -- to make her appear so.

But I'd say she got the better of it in her exchange with David Letterman. And her brief walk across the stage at the GOP dinner Monday drew more attention than Mr. Gingrich's stem-winding speech. For someone who, according to the Washington cognoscenti, doesn't know what she's doing, she's doing pretty well.

I don't think Sarah Palin has decided whether she'd like to live in the White House. But if she does, ignoring the conventional wisdom in Washington may be the best way to get there.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Nice piece from Pittsburgh, of all places.

[jessduntno]

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

((PING))

[SolidWood]

Palin PING!

Anyone on or off the Palin ping, write me.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

It was a rare trip outside of Alaska for Ms. Palin, who since the election has been tending to her day job, and it produced plenty of snotty commentary.

Much of it came from "GOP insiders" in Washington who speak anonymously to journalists.

"Everyone seems to have a Sarah Palin story of ignored calls, mishandled invitations or unanswered e-mail," wrote columnist Kathleen Parker, who was severely critical of Ms. Palin last fall.

The subtext of Ms. Parker's column is that her anonymous confidantes are upset with Ms. Palin because she has not hired them to work on a presidential campaign she has not begun.

[bigbob]

She upstaged Newt anyway, because she’s the future and he’s the past.

[ClearCase_guy]

Her instincts are better than any other big name Republican out there right now. She should stay a Republican -- I'm not one who wishes her to form a new party. But she needs to go her own way, do what she wants to do, say what she wants to say. If there is any hope in the future, the Party will see that this works, and will move in her direction.

If, on the other hand, she decides to move in the party's direction, then we are truly lost.

[Ulysse]

ping

[Covenantor]

Here’s a very telling fact about the Auburn turnout of 20,000 fo Gov. Palin.

Aubrun NY
Population in July 2007: 27,317.

That puts fear into them big time.

[SandRat]

Sarah Palin for President in 2012!!!

[oblomov]

And it’s not even in the Scaife paper (the Tribune-Review).

[Billthedrill]

I'll repeat Dennis Miller's take on it, because it's mine too - I like Sarah because she pisses off people for whom I have no respect. That's no basis on which to judge a Presidential candidate but it's a perfectly sound basis on which to fight back in the kulturkampf. And it's more vital to win the latter than the former.

[rj45mis]

If, on the other hand, she decides to move in the party’s direction, then we are truly lost.

No, they are truly lost. We still have an honorable vision for America and we will not bow the knee to those who would subvert the constitution and impose a new world order on us.

[maica]

“Everyone seems to have a Sarah Palin story of ignored calls, mishandled invitations or unanswered e-mail,” wrote columnist Kathleen Parker, who was severely critical of Ms. Palin last fall.

^^^^

I also heard this criticism from the conservative guest (Jim Geraghty) on Howard Kurtz’s show today.

Of course, if she had a spiffy pr team in Alaska to answer reporters’ calls, she would be accused of mishandling govt money or time or both. She knows that the Beltway crowd are not her friends.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

Both Democrats AND Republicans under-estimate Sarah Palin at their peril.

[Vaquero]

the D.C. cognoscenti, their perverted thoughts and strange, belt-ways, are vomit material.

[Talisker]

“Everyone seems to have a Sarah Palin story of ignored calls, mishandled invitations or unanswered e-mail,” wrote columnist Kathleen Parker, who was severely critical of Ms. Palin last fall.

In other words, she's refusing to bend her knee to these self-exalted corporate media whores.

[ken21]

my president!

[Mr. Mojo]

In 2012 it’ll be Sarah Palin and fellow conservatives/patriots vs......

The D.C. cognoscenti (Beltway elites), the entire mainstream media establishment, RINOs, nanny staters, and America-haters the world over.

And we’re going to kick their keisters.

[MadelineZapeezda]

Dennis did tell BOR recently that he’d like a Gingrich/Palin ticket in 2012