Word on the Street: The story behind Palin's speech

Peoria Journal Star ^ | 01-31-10 | John Sharp and Karen McDonald

[euram]

A longtime spokesman to arguably the state's most powerful Democrat supports former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's trip to central Illinois as "a good thing."

Steve Brown, aide to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, is vice president of the board of directors governing Five Points Washington, where Palin will deliver a speech April 17 kicking off the organization's "Lessons from Leaders" series.

Brown, whose family has lived in Washington for the past five years, emphasized that the address isn't a "political event" and should not be viewed as such.

"I think the governor has established a niche for herself," Brown said. "I'm a person who believes there is a lot of room for different points of views."

He recognizes that Palin, who has political star power, will attract attention to what Five Points is trying to accomplish with its new series. The goal is to raise money to eventually expand the facility and provide scholarships for area students.

[Vigilanteman]

"If I had a good idea for the next speaker, regardless of party, perhaps (that person should be) not as conservative as Gov. Palin," Brown said, adding he hopes his fellow Five Points board members - there are 11 of them altogether - will support less conservative presenters.

What a breathtakingly stupid statement!

While on business, I've had an opportunity to stay in two of the most conservative communities in the country, one on the top end of the economic scale, the other on the bottom end.

The one on the top end was San Marino, California. I found the locals nice and courteous without exception and with little of the air of snobbery as is common in a comparable liberal community of comparable wealth. Even the maids and gardner at the hotel were friendly and smiling, indicating that their (probably) conservative employers (probably) treated them well.

The one on the bottom of the scale was Rexburg, Idaho. According to the liberal theory, this should have been a den of crime and drugs given the low average income and disparaties in wealth. Instead, I found it to be one of the most pleasant places I've ever stayed and would put it at the top of the list as a place to retire if I could ever afford to retire. It is a very young community, a college town as I discovered. The college kids staff most of the local businesses, including the hotels. They dress and speak like the cast out of Leave It to Beaver, neat, pleasant and polite. One of them was an English major at the local university, a den for liberals almost everywhere else, but she was reading a book by Dr. Thomas Sowell. I struck up a conversation with her because I assumed she was an economics major. But she told me the book (Vision of the Annointed) was actually an English assignment!

If these are fine examples of ultraconservative towns (as I suspect they are), then any town which doesn't aspire to emulate them is breathtakingly stupid!

[Blue Collar Christian]

“If I had a good idea for the next speaker, regardless of party, perhaps (that person should be) not as conservative as Gov. Palin,” Brown said, adding he hopes his fellow Five Points board members - there are 11 of them altogether - will support less conservative presenters.

What a breathtakingly stupid statement!
_____________

I think Brown is trying to avoid the public view that if only conservative speakers were to participate, it would appear as though the audience was being indoctrinated with conservatism only. It would be hypocritical to behave the opposite as the MSM who tend to favor the left’s view, and we know how annoying that can be. We conservatives cannot allow ourselves to be appropriately accused of doing the same thing the liberal media do, no matter how hypocritical the left is about such things.

[News Junkie]

I have my ticket! Can’t wait to hear Gov. Palin in person.