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Palin's persistent grassroots popularity chafes key Republican strategists (RINOs)
Google News / The Canadian Press ^ | October 8, 2009 | Lee-Anne Goodman

Posted on 10/08/2009 7:22:37 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

She's poised to become the best-selling author in the United States, has a devoted base of conservative supporters and is considered a front-runner to lead the Republicans into the next election in 2012 - and yet key party strategists are tormented by the popularity of Sarah Palin.

The very notion of a Palin candidacy has been derided in recent days by some of the brightest minds in the Republican party even as the former governor of Alaska outlines her policies on Afghanistan, energy and other issues of national importance.

"Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election," Steve Schmidt, John McCain's presidential campaign manager last year, said recently.

He was backed by Mike Murphy, a Republican media consultant who also made a point of chastising Schmidt for his role in Palin's rise to international prominence to begin with.

"Steve Schmidt correct about Sarah Palin and '12," Murphy said by way of his Twitter feed. "Shame he didn't feel same way a year ago when he was lobbying McCain to choose her as VP."

John Weaver, McCain's closest political adviser for years, also weighed in earlier this week about a Palin candidacy.

"It would surely mean a political apocalypse is upon us," he said.

Yet from her unlikely pulpit - Facebook, and not the governor's office in Wasilla, Alaska - Palin is getting her message out on everything from health-care reform and energy while assailing President Barack Obama for his position on Afghanistan. Many of her 900,000-plus "friends" on the social networking site are cheering her every word.

Her star quality is undisputed - a Canadian is so confident of her popularity that he's selling an Xbox 360 autographed by Palin for US$1.1 million on eBay.(continued)

(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012; energy; gop; johnweaver; mikemurphy; murphy; obama; obamacare; palin; palin2012; republicans; rinos; sarahpalin; schmidt; steveschmidt; weaver
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I hope her book takes Schmidt-head to task. She's Ronald Reagan in a skirt, and I should know, I worked for him.
1 posted on 10/08/2009 7:22:38 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

lol They should be worried. We are sick of them, too!


2 posted on 10/08/2009 7:24:30 PM PDT by TNdandelion (I'd rather have FedEx run my healthcare than USPS.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election,” Steve Schmidt, John McCain’s presidential campaign manager.


LOL, thats pretty funny when you read it again and realized who said it.


3 posted on 10/08/2009 7:25:34 PM PDT by icwhatudo ("laws requiring compulsory abortion could be sustained under the existing Constitution"Obama Adviser)
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To: icwhatudo

She’s the ONLY reason Juan McCrazy didn’t have a McGovern-like implosion.


4 posted on 10/08/2009 7:26:54 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I will raise $2 million for Sarah Palin if she runs; What will you do?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election,” Steve Schmidt, John McCain’s presidential campaign manager last year, said recently.

Good grief! We have a catastrophe right now because she wasn’t elected to office.


5 posted on 10/08/2009 7:27:08 PM PDT by bukkdems (When we end our dependence on oil, what will we do without plastic?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

6 posted on 10/08/2009 7:27:26 PM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Throw the bums out who vote yes on the bail out)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Palin's persistent grassroots popularity chafes key Republican strategists"

I don't consider the people who advised a looser like McCain to be key Republican strategists"

7 posted on 10/08/2009 7:32:45 PM PDT by norwaypinesavage (Global Warming Theory is extremely robust with respect to data. All observations confirm it)
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To: icwhatudo; June K.
Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election,” Steve Schmidt, John McCain’s presidential campaign manager.

LOL, thats pretty funny when you read it again and realized who said it.

Yah, fairly 'catastrophic' for the political class .... /LOL

8 posted on 10/08/2009 7:33:04 PM PDT by Mr_Moonlight
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To: TNdandelion
America needs the likes of these "strategists" like a bride needs venereal warts.
9 posted on 10/08/2009 7:33:27 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard (Truth--The liberal's Kryptonite)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Palin's persistent grassroots popularity chafes key Republican strategists (RINOs)

Republican strategists (RINOs) persistent fecklessness chafes key Palin grassroots supporters.

There. Much more accurate. And meaningful.

10 posted on 10/08/2009 7:34:14 PM PDT by paulycy (Screw the RACErs)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Guys like Romney, Pawlenty, and Huckabee just don't have the grassroots followers that Palin has. Nor do they have the online network and support.

All Palin has to do is post a Facebook note on which city she'll be in to give a campaign speech, and the people will go in droves. It will drive the MSM bonkers because they can't ignore 50,000+ people attending a Palin rally.

More and more, it makes perfect sense for Palin to abandon the Stupid Party and run as a true Independent. She has the record of reform and she has the voters who are angry at both parties. She doesn't need to go through the puppet strings of the primaries only for liberals to crossover and vote for the most RINO candidate because the Stupid Party is too stupid to fix their primary system.

11 posted on 10/08/2009 7:35:55 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (90% of the fedgov is unconstitutional. The other 10% besides the military doesnt know what it's doin)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
>>>>>... and yet key party strategists are tormented by the popularity of Sarah Palin.

Moderates and liberals hate conservatives.

12 posted on 10/08/2009 7:36:01 PM PDT by Reagan Man ("In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Again I have the extreme honor of sending a post your way...

I’m just going to repeat my last one...

“If anyone would know...you would..I cant think of a better endorsment”


13 posted on 10/08/2009 7:36:53 PM PDT by Crim
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To: TNdandelion

some people think the reason the establishment GOP doesn’t like Sarah is because if she were to be elected she’ll expose their own corruption and/or stop their gravy trains.

But i think it is because the establishment is in agreement with the RATS on how to change the country. Look how they shoved McCain down our throats when there were so many other contenders that the party electorate liked better.


14 posted on 10/08/2009 7:37:28 PM PDT by uncitizen
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Palin's persistent grassroots popularity chafes key Republican strategists...

Maybe but these "strategists" haven't really proven lately that they know anything about strategy, have they?

15 posted on 10/08/2009 7:38:16 PM PDT by blake6900 (YOUR AD HERE)
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To: uncitizen

I agree. Great point.


16 posted on 10/08/2009 7:38:28 PM PDT by TNdandelion (I'd rather have FedEx run my healthcare than USPS.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Holy cow, that bit where he talks about "your borrowin' cousin" is obviously off-the-teleprompter. He's mumbling and lost in his own head.

What an idiot.

17 posted on 10/08/2009 7:38:28 PM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Naaa, she is much hotter than RR.


18 posted on 10/08/2009 7:39:12 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (The Second Amendment. Don't MAKE me use it.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
a Goldwater Palin candidacy has been derided in recent days by some of the brightest minds in the Republican party even as the Senator from Arizona former governor of Alaska outlines his her policies on . . . issues of national importance.

45 years ago..

Nelson Rockefeller told his staff that, in the words of his public relations head, Stuart Spencer, "We had to destroy Barry Goldwater as a member of the human race."

Purveyors of hate, declared Gov. Scranton about Goldwater and supporters. George Romney agreed stating, "There is no place in either of our great political parties for the purveyors of hate who, from time to time in nations the world over put on their brown or black or red shirts, flex their police-state muscles and cry for someone's blood."

Today..

Chief RINO tells his staff, "We have to destroy Sarah Palin as a member of the human race."

'dem liberal guys don't change do they?

19 posted on 10/08/2009 7:39:25 PM PDT by WilliamofCarmichael (If modern America's Man on Horseback is out there, Get on the damn horse already!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Who was the sage that said “without Palin, Barr would have come in second?”


20 posted on 10/08/2009 7:41:02 PM PDT by Palin Republic (Palin - Bachmann 2012 : Girl Power!)
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To: dead

Ooops posted to the wrong thread, which is a bad thing to do when your post calls somebody an idiot.

The idiot I was referring to was on this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2358061/posts


21 posted on 10/08/2009 7:41:06 PM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: icwhatudo

**LOL, thats pretty funny when you read it again and realized who said it.**

Yo, Schmidtty... if not for PALIN... your boy JUAN McLAME would have only scored as well as MONDALE in ‘84


22 posted on 10/08/2009 7:42:51 PM PDT by gwilhelm56 (I will DIE with Israel BY MY SIDE, rather than LIVE with the CHAINS of ISLAM on my Back!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Good.


23 posted on 10/08/2009 7:46:09 PM PDT by CPT Clay (Pick up your weapon and follow me.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election,"

Gee Schmidt who are the "WE" you speak of? Could it be the RATS, RINOS and YOU?

I do hope so!

24 posted on 10/08/2009 7:47:32 PM PDT by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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.

"Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election,"

Catastrophic for rinos. About damn time for their fate to befall them.

.

25 posted on 10/08/2009 7:50:09 PM PDT by polymuser ("We have a right to debate and disagree with any administration!" (HRC))
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The main problem with Palin is that she is Phenomenally popular with us, the Base of the GOP, but polls horribly with independents, moderates, swing voters, and Women.

What she needs to do between now and 2012 is change her image with key general election voting groups. Most of the negative image they have of her is blatantly false and the result of a successful liberal propaganda and smear campaign against her.

Leaving the Governorship of Alaska will prove to either be the greatest political move in decades or it will go down as the greatest blunder ever.

If she can prove to the General Electorate she is ready to lead on day 1 and has what it takes to Govern, she will be unstoppable. If she doesn’t and still get’s the nomination, we will be looking at a Goldwater sized loss.


26 posted on 10/08/2009 7:51:14 PM PDT by spikeytx86 (Pray for Democrats for they have been brainwashed by their fruity little club.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election," Steve Schmidt, John McCain's presidential campaign manager last year, said recently.

VERY CATASTROPHIC FOR McCAIN IF THE DIPSHIITE IS DUMB ENOUGH TO TRY TO GET THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION OVER PALIN.

I simply won't vote for a RINO.

27 posted on 10/08/2009 7:52:03 PM PDT by Sir Francis Dashwood (Arjuna, why have you have dropped your bow???)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Tag 'em n' bag 'em, Sarah!


28 posted on 10/08/2009 7:57:59 PM PDT by The Comedian (Evil can only succeed if good men don't point at it and laugh.)
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To: spikeytx86

She won’t lose because of lack of funds. See my tagline.


29 posted on 10/08/2009 7:58:06 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I will raise $2 million for Sarah Palin if she runs; What will you do?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I think all the nay-sayers are RHINOS, they either need to get out of the way, shut-up, or get run over. May even be best if they got run out of the true republican party.


30 posted on 10/08/2009 7:59:28 PM PDT by conservativesister
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To: spikeytx86

Pfft. When did Obama prove he could lead from day one? And for pete’s sakes she left the governorship for excellent reasons.

I think by 2012 they’ll be howling for Sarah. And when these RINOs see what happens in 2010, they’d best keep their mouths shut and get out of the way.


31 posted on 10/08/2009 7:59:58 PM PDT by ReneeLynn (Socialism is SO yesterday. Fascism, it*s the new black. Mmm Mmm Mmm.)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Wrong!

Palin is gonna help us take back the party that we built and they stole!


32 posted on 10/08/2009 8:00:57 PM PDT by Randy Larsen ( BTW, If I offend you! Please let me know, I may want to offend you again!)
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To: Sir Francis Dashwood

“I simply won’t vote for a RINO.”
Yeah...that worked out so well for everyone that did that this past election. I don’t know how many made the choice to not vote for McCain, but if was 2.2% or 3.5 million then we would at least have someone in office who had made executive level decisions before. This clown we have now can’t make up his mind on anything.


33 posted on 10/08/2009 8:00:59 PM PDT by An American! (Proud To Be An American!)
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To: uncitizen

“Look how they shoved McCain down our throats when there were so many other contenders that the party electorate liked better.”

#####

Which begs the question, what specifically in the logistics and structure of the Republican presidential primary allows them to game the system, against the will of the voters?


34 posted on 10/08/2009 8:01:05 PM PDT by EyeGuy
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To: spikeytx86

“What she needs to do between now and 2012 is change her image with key general election voting groups.”
Wrong...she is not running in 2012. She is supporting candidates. She never planned to run. In stepping down she put her State first. She understands she is controversial and will use that position to encourage the conservative base. The Conservative base is still not ACTIVE. This teaparty thing could barely be considered being active. Look at the other side...24x7x365...fighting for socialism.


35 posted on 10/08/2009 8:05:40 PM PDT by An American! (Proud To Be An American!)
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To: EyeGuy
Which begs the question, what specifically in the logistics and structure of the Republican presidential primary allows them to game the system, against the will of the voters?

Well lets see, open primaries, having the early primaries in left leaning states, liberal GOP leadership picking favorites early on (Ford, Dole, McCain), did you have any other questions?
36 posted on 10/08/2009 8:09:06 PM PDT by Tailback
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To: EyeGuy

“ome people think the reason the establishment GOP doesn’t like Sarah is because if she were to be elected she’ll expose their own corruption and/or stop their gravy trains.

But i think it is because the establishment is in agreement with the RATS on how to change the country. Look how they shoved McCain down our throats when there were so many other contenders that the party electorate liked better.

14 posted on Thu Oct 8 18:37:28 2009 by uncitizen “

This is what she did here in Alaska and the mainstream pubbies are still pissed, blaming her for every one of their failures. As recently as tuesday on the local radio show, the host was attributing the failures of the previous republican administration to “the lovely and gracious Sarah P” as they call her.

The media sure did a job of Borking her-I don’t know if she can run as a candidate, but she can bring in crowds and support, which the present crop of candidates need desperately. I can’t believe that these morons are the best and brighest.


37 posted on 10/08/2009 8:10:26 PM PDT by Gnomad
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To: EyeGuy
"Which begs the question, what specifically in the logistics and structure of the Republican presidential primary allows them to game the system, against the will of the voters?"
Part of it is that it is over before it really starts...many states choose to use the "winner-take-all" method to allocate delegates within a state. This essentially kills off the competition early. In a Republican 3 way foot race the vote tally might be 35, 33, 25 and the rest going to single digit placement. In too many states the guy with 35 gets all the delegates...essentially 1/3 of the states electorate choosing the nominee. Well McCain eeked out enough wins early in all or nothing states and took a commanding lead. The guy or gal who gets second get ZERO delegates...conversely, the Democrats had to deal with a head to head race to the finish between Hillary and Obama because they were splitting delegates in each state.
38 posted on 10/08/2009 8:12:56 PM PDT by An American! (Proud To Be An American!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Repub's brightest?--Steve Schmidt and Mike Murphy? Not even two has-beens; just two never-beens.

vaudine

39 posted on 10/08/2009 8:17:02 PM PDT by vaudine
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ha! Republicans my right eye! RINO’s! Pretenders! Democrats all but the LABEL!

Sarah has grassroots support these bozo’s scoffed at — and STILL they scoff!


40 posted on 10/08/2009 8:22:20 PM PDT by patriot preacher (To be a good American Citizen and a Christian IS NOT a contradiction. (www.mygration.blogspot.com))
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To: An American!
I don’t know how many made the choice to not vote for McCain, but if was 2.2% or 3.5 million then we would at least have someone in office who had made executive level decisions before.

That is exactly what I am afraid of - McCain's judgment is about as decisive as the product of my dog's rectum - it rolls downhill...

41 posted on 10/08/2009 8:23:25 PM PDT by Sir Francis Dashwood (Arjuna, why have you have dropped your bow???)
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To: Tailback

and don’t forget...the leading cause... LOW VOTER TURNOUT

It baffles me that in a state like Texas the voter turnout for the primary was less than 10%. It doesn’t take very many people of a different mindset to screw up the nomination.
Note that on Nov 8, 2009 McCain received 4,479,328 votes. But total votes across all candidates on March 4, 2009 in the primary was 1,362,322. This is out of 14,780,857 eligible voters!!! The bulk of the problem is apathy...no one cares until it is too late.


42 posted on 10/08/2009 8:28:42 PM PDT by An American! (Proud To Be An American!)
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To: ReneeLynn
In races with an incumbent President, if people are going to vote out the incumbent, it will because they wanted someone completely different.

Clinton was a total opposite of Bush, Reagan was a total opposite of Carter, Carter was a total opposite of Ford, and so on.

People will want substance over flowery talk, experience over change, and competence over personality in 2012.

I believe Palin can be that candidate, but she needs to prove that to the General Electorate, which is increasingly moderate, suburban, and female, all groups that she does not poll well with.

She has the base, heck she had us at “lipstick”, but she needs to change her perception with the people who actually decide elections, which is not by any means impossible. But she needs to start now.

If she can win over Independents, who are deserting Obama and the Democrats in droves, and dispel the many myths and outright lies about her, she will prove to be an unstoppable candidate.

She is actually in the same place Reagan was after 76’. The establishment of the GOP and the democrats had convinced most Americans that Reagan was a washed up actor who had no thoughts of his own and was virtually a puppet of his wealthy masters. They told us he would be an “apocalyptic” President.

But Reagan spent all of the time between 76’ and 80’ reintroducing himself to the American Public, proving his metal and intellect, and displaying that not only was he not a psychotic cowboy hellbent on bringing about Armageddon, but he was a man ready to lead and ready to Govern with solutions to restore America.

We have been here before. We can do it again.

43 posted on 10/08/2009 8:32:00 PM PDT by spikeytx86 (Pray for Democrats for they have been brainwashed by their fruity little club.)
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To: An American!

Definition of “Catastrophic:” War hero with years of government service defeated by communist community organizer with no experience


44 posted on 10/08/2009 8:33:00 PM PDT by LachlanMinnesota
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

In Huckabee’s case he doesn’t have the interest to see that the republicans have a strong candidate to take the senate next year. Has he done ANYTHING at all toward that end?


45 posted on 10/08/2009 8:33:35 PM PDT by MSF BU (++)
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To: An American!

I agree. I think if she runs it will be 2016 or even 2020. Right now she can accomplish a lot behind the scenes, and of course that means she will have a lot of chips to cash in if she ever decides too.


46 posted on 10/08/2009 8:35:28 PM PDT by spikeytx86 (Pray for Democrats for they have been brainwashed by their fruity little club.)
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To: spikeytx86

I disagree. The one thing Sarah Palin must never do is change simply to appeal to a segment of voters. What she should do is what Reagan did, chart a steady course, her own course, and require the independents and voter segments to see her views as the right ones to support. The voters should come to Palin, Palin should not go to the voters.

It’s called leadership.

ex animo
davidfarrar


47 posted on 10/08/2009 8:36:57 PM PDT by DavidFarrar (davidfarrar)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Her star quality is undisputed - a Canadian is so confident of her popularity that he's selling an Xbox 360 autographed by Palin for US$1.1 million on eBay.(

Wishful thinking, dude.

48 posted on 10/08/2009 8:37:05 PM PDT by Night Hides Not (If Dick Cheney = Darth Vader, then Joe Biden = Dark Helmet)
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To: Tailback

“...did you have any other questions?”

#####

Well certainly not for you.


49 posted on 10/08/2009 8:40:52 PM PDT by EyeGuy
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To: EyeGuy
what specifically in the logistics and structure of the Republican presidential primary allows them to game the system, against the will of the voters?

It doesn't answer your question directly but it's obvious that they already know who the candidate will be before they even ask us.

Then they proceed to take down the contenders one by one via various methods. Again, i state the obvious.

50 posted on 10/08/2009 8:41:07 PM PDT by uncitizen
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