Posted on 09/08/2011 11:58:25 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
After Palin gave two speeches this weekend that positioned herself on the side of reform, with a proven and demonstrable record, and squarely against big government and crony capitalism that invoked the outsider spirit of Ronald Reagan, the GOP establishment, along with Rick Perry's cheerleaders, immediately saw Palin as serious threat to their plans.
But this was hardly the first time where the GOP establishment and Palin's competitors saw her as a threat.
Soon after the 2008 election, in which Palin was forced to basically become a press secretary for a candidate who seemed to not know anything he stood for and perhaps the most disastrously and incompetent presidential campaign in the history of the United States, she spoke at a Republican Governors Association meeting.
Unshackled from the constraints of the McCain campaign, Palin was at ease, and it was clear she was a threat then to the GOP establishment and, in particular, current presidential candidate Rick Perry, who abruptly, awkwardly, and prematurely ended Palin's press conference 15 minutes before it was supposed to, when it was clear Palin was not the bumbling idiot many had assumed she was.
Should Palin enter the 2012 presidential contest, she would threaten Mitt Romney and Perry, and this moment may be symbolic of where the rivalry between Palin and Perry began even though reports have said that Palin and Perry remain friends, especially after Palin's endorsement of Perry during the 2010 election cycle enabled Perry to essentially win his primary against Kay Bailey Hutchison and get elected again.
In the few minutes Palin had to speak at the RGA conference in 2008, Palin said now that the campaign had ended, she was essentially free to do press conference. When a reporter referred to her "political celebrity," Palin, without batting an eyelash, shot the notion that she was a celebrity and focused on substantive issues such as domestic energy production and the Republican governors working as a team to balance budgets and work on health care and immigration reform in the states. When a reporter cluelessly, and in a condescending way, referred to Palin's news conference as her first formal news conference, Palin reminded those in the room that she had been doing press conferences for years in Alaska (this was perfectly symbol and harbinger of a national media that did not know anything about her record of reform and fighting crony capitalism in Alaska).
One thing that was striking was how often Palin called for everyone to be on the same team while Perry seemed jealous that Palin was shining. Since then, Palin has been trying to unite the GOP while her rivals and purported teammates have done everything to try to not be good teammates.
Jack Thompson, who covered the event for HUMAN EVENTS, described the scene from that day:
The Republican Governors Conference Press Guidelines promised that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin would “take approximately 20 minutes of questions” at today’s morning press conference. Instead, this press conference, attended by 150 local and national media and taped by 26 video cameras, disintegrated into a fiasco when Texas Governor Rick Perry shut it down after only five minutes and four questions.
Eight other governors assembled on the stage, all men, seemed visibly uncomfortable with the “Palin at center stage” format. When Perry stepped in front of Palin at the podium to announce it was over just as it was getting started, Palin looked irritated, and the media shouted, “You’ve got to be kidding,” “This is ridiculous,” "Come on,” and “We were promised more questions.”
(VIDEO AT LINK)
Later, Palin gave remarks, described by Thompson, that eerily resonates today, especially her reliance on her husband Todd and her warnings about the Obama Adminstration being addicted to "OPM (Other People's Money). Here's Thompson's account of Palin's speech:
Palin, after the truncated press conference, gave a prepared twenty-minute speech in a large hall to approximately 400 members of the RGA ... and the media. Palin recounted what it was like to go through the campaign and what lay ahead for the GOP. Some quotes of note:
--She began by joking that she filled the last two months “with a few speeches, meeting important people who change the world, like Tina Fey, and opportunities to expand my wardrobe.”
--She thanked President Bush for having discharged, over the last eight years, his most important duty of office -- keeping us safe. This was met with long applause.
--“God is in control, and He decided it was not our time and not our moment.”
--“We wish President Obama well, but as the chief executives of the various states it will be our job to lead by example, to oppose any more unfunded federal mandates and the growth of the federal government. All Republican governors embrace the federalist principle that the government closest to the people is the most responsive and most responsible.”
--She took a swipe at what she called the addiction to “opium (Other People’s Money),” found in bail outs that reward bad corporate decisions.
--Finally, in the area of policy, she repeatedly noted that the Republican leadership in Washington had over the last decade betrayed the conservative principles and values of the Party, and that it is up to Republic governors, not to the failed GOP leadership in Washington, to lead the GOP back to power.
To conclude her prepared comments, she got very personal in tone. She said that, during the campaign, her “real right hand man was my husband Todd, and, in the future, I am to rely upon him more and on others less."
She received sustained applause when she remembered all the teenaged girls who came up to her and told her they were excited she had shown “[t]here is no glass ceiling on achievement” and “[o]ne day, a woman will be President.”
Palin has formidable skills when she is her own person and candidate. It is something another formidable politician (much in the way an aging quarterback gets threatened when he sees someone younger and better get drafted), Perry, saw immediately. Should Palin enter the race and be a challenger to Perry, another video clip that will probably be played endlessly is the one below in which Palin, while delivering a substantive speech on energy policy in Texas, playfully referred to Texas as Alaska's "little sister state."
(VIDEO AT LINK)
Wow, she smiled as she regained her footing.... amazing.
Spoken like a true patriot and conservative!
I was grounded when you said that.
Missed my point completely, why am I not surprised! What difference does it make if some of the people on this site prefer Palin to Perry? I like scrambled eggs better than over easy, herding dogs to terriers. It’s just an opinion piece. It’s not going to determine the fate of the world or even influence a primary election that is months away. Seriously, it’s like a fly to fly paper. Why make your snide, holier-than-thou comments among people who clearly like Palin if not to start some kind of an argument. If you honestly believe Perry supporters are so much better than do the mature thing and act like it instead of stalking Palin threads and putting her supporters down. In other words, grow up and realize not everyone is going to think like you or like the same candidate you do. Even if Palin doesn’t get in the race, doesn’t mean these people are going to automatically gravitate towards Perry. There are people here who don’t support either Palin or Perry. Do you stalk their threads and post vitriol too?
Cindie
Thank you kindly. :-)
What a silly op-ed, speculating “jealousy” that wasn’t in view this day or at later events. Tony Lee tells us more about himself and his agenda than about those of Governors Palin and Perry.
The story is not the press corps, no matter how much they interject themselves.
And it looks like when they can’t be the story, they’ll just make one up! If they can’t tear at the flesh of a campaign that is over, they’ll make up division, sexism, and “jealousy.” And we trust the bleating press corps since when?
Several times, Governor Palin tried to redirect the questions and the attention back to the event and to the Republican governors. Look at the way she steps back, anticipating another type of question for the panel. Listen to her control when she’d asked about an election that is “over,” her “political celebrity,” and her “first press conference.”
Listen to her speak of the Governors’ intention to present their unity and unified goals! She reminds them that the RGA is a team.
This writer is no better than the yipping press corps trying to draw blood after the 2008 election and worse than the media Newt rightfully went after for trying to divide Republicans in the 2012 election.
well...not really.... I work 2nd shift.....
Heard parts of Oblahblah speech / details, during breaks
nothing new....I've heard it all before
417 Billion spending / more new taxes.
He's in fine company.......
Lol.. hope it’s for the day and not a full week ;)
Short / concise.....to the point. ....
a smoke screen / red herrings....
keep fighting amongst yourselves...
don't talk about OBlahBlah
If she were "forced to" do anything, then she would be a weak-willed-yes-man and hardly the independent maverick everyone says she was. The fact of theatter is that no one forced her to do anything. Once she was the nominee, she was free to do or say anything she damn well pleased. Her positions on TARP and the other weak or liberal positions she espoused during the campaign were her positions. If she didn't like McCain's positions then she was free to say so or say nothing. Two years later she endorsed McAmnesty in a primary against a conservative challenger.
If she was so weak that she actually espoused positions contrary to her beliefs just to placate the McAmnesty campaign, then she really isn't the leader her supporters try to portray her to be.
So what is it? Is she really an independent leader, or is she a person who can be forced to publicly espouse positions contrary to her core values in order to be politically expedient?
Um ... any comment on the fact that Perry shut down the news conference only five minutes into the promised 20 minutes?
Okay, let me guess. You'll respond:
You're a Palinbot.
Or then again, you might respond by pointing out that Palin couldn't have been that upset, seeing as how she later endorsed Perry during his campaign for governor.
But then AGAIN, that would simply provide an opportunity for someone like me to come along and respond that when Perry later asked her to endorse him over his more liberal opponent and she said yes, even after he'd pulled what looks like a pretty dirty trick on her, it was evidence that Palin put country over political self interest and petty paybacks.
Palin doesn't just talk the talk, she walks the walk.
so smart of Palin not to announce sooner. Can’t let Slick Perry steal her thunder. Palin is going to be center stage the moment she announces. Even her doubters and haters can’t help themselves but do all they can to keep her up there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=576BEGCmEDw
Comments? I see you’ve struck a nerve. :)
Smoke = fire
LOL They sure get snarky.
So no, I didn't take the time to listen to the latest go at it. There was absolutely no reason to. Just more of the same.
For you to call people such names for not wasting their time on another Obama speech is seriously inappropriate.
I'm not overly fond of Perry at this point but if he gets the nomination, he will get my vote. Until then I'm all in for Palin.
Well that’s a bit like “do you beat your wife often”?
The job of vice president, while vice president, is to promote the presidents agenda - not their own.
Did you vote for McCain? If so, you’ve failed your own purity test. You could have remained “pure” and not compromised yourself.
Or maybe you did the best you could with the options available and got yourself a little dirty.
I wonder if it is the same one. Not happy memories...
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