Regarding Reconsideration

Conservatives4Palin has purchased a television ad to be shown in the Sioux City, IA market tonight on KCAU-TV during "GMA, Dr. Oz, 5 PM, 6 PM, and 10 PM news programming." Regardless of whether you agree or not about asking Sarah Palin to reconsider, consider one thing. Can we look ourselves in the mirror and be confident that we did all we could do to get Sarah Palin into the presidency?



Realistically speaking, the chances of her changing her mind are small and the idea that she could win even if she did run now after some important primary filing deadlines have passed also falls into the small chance odds range as well. But, this doesn't mean we don't give it one last effort - not out of disrespect for her decision, but out of a desire to continue being vocal in the cause.

Only time will tell whether or not this decision will play out like all of her previous ones: hard to understand at first but completely ingenious in outcome. By waiting, Sarah Palin risks allowing our country to go the way of Greece. Should Obama get reelected or should the next president be unable to fix our country's dire fiscal condition, it is conceivable that there may not be an America as we know it for her to lead in the future. However, what if by not running, the truth of her record comes out and people see her for who she really is so that in four or eight years she can run straight up with the smear campaign against her as a fading memory for most voters?

If you notice, with the exception of the occasional jab afforded most conservative commentators, the bad-mouthing of Sarah Palin in the media stopped almost immediately after she announced she wasn't running. You don't see the routine hit pieces in The Huffington Post or on Politico anymore; nor is MSNBC furiously racing to deadline each night with the final edit of stories stoked by malcontent bloggers in Alaska and in the liberal section of cyberspace.

Suddenly, people are actually talking about how much Sarah Palin has contributed to the conservative cause. Even some liberals are admitting that she has been effective. Why shouldn't they admit it now? She's no longer a threat to become president.

The sudden end of the smear campaign tells us flat out that every lie, every smear and every hit article published about Sarah Palin was politically motivated. The demonization of Palin by the Left and by the establishment had nothing to do with any deficiencies in her character. It had to do with creating false perceptions of deficiencies in her character in the event she ran for president. Now that she's not running, it's no longer necessary for the smear merchants to continue to churn out the nonsense.

Many Palin supporters believe that the time was now. With our country in such dire straights, the argument is that we can't wait for her the way we had to wait for Ronald Reagan. If those who believe this want to stay true to those beliefs, it is necessary to take on the exercise of asking her reconsider one last time so that it can't be said we didn't try.

This blogger wrote in a previous post:

It may be a sisyphusian effort. Some may say we're wasting our time. But, we should go forward with a reconsideration movement even if it doesn't change Governor Palin's mind. History must record that if the day comes when America as we know it no longer exists that we didn't just give up on Sarah Palin. "If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done."

After much thought, I have to recognize that the Palin movement doesn't die with her not running for president. It can only die if we stop trying to effect the changes needed in our political system. Part of this means that we need to move forward into the next chapter of the movement: supporting Governor Palin and candidates who are willing to carry out her and our vision for a better America. In doing so, some of us feel the need to make one last final plea for reconsideration.

We have always respected Governor Palin's decisions. This is not about telling her she's wrong for not running. It's about telling her we need her and we will be there for her if she does, whether it's now or later.

Let's plan on moving forward without her in the White House for now. If she changes her mind, it will be a pleasant surprise. If not, then it is our duty to create an even more favorable environment for her to run in the future by changing our leaders and making our government more responsive to us.

If the country survives the next half decade and we are successful in bringing it back, imagine how much more powerful she will be should she run down the road. If the country doesn't survive as we know it and we go the way of Greece, then at least let it be said that we tried to save it together.


-Listen to Patrick's World USA tonight on BlogTalk Radio at 11pm ET 8pm PT

Thanking God For All My Blessings

It's been a rough year. Having suffered setbacks on the job front and the business front, it's been difficult navigating the waters of stormy life circumstances. This blogger has been very active online in supporting the conservative cause and particularly the cause of the Palin movement. During the past three years, I've been challenged by time constraints, particularly due to work and business obligations. Yet, I have always tried to do what I could to push forward for a better America. While things have not gone particularly my way, they have gone in a direction that now leads me toward a better future.

I've been challenged by jaded Palin supporters and Palin detractors who claim I wasted the last three years of my life. That can't be further from the truth. It's important to believe in success and to believe in the qualities that make for great leadership. Advocating for and speaking out for a greater, better America is not a hobby. It is a business decision. It is based on the belief that a rising tide lifts all boats and that a better America leads to having better Americans. Sarah Palin embodied this belief and I supported her whole-heartedly without regret.

During the process, the company I worked for over the last 4 1/2 years downsized in July. As such, I have been without a job since. I have a business, which is struggling due in part to market and regulatory forces, but also in part due to the fact that building a business from scratch with no money is a daunting challenge. We are in the process of seeking out investment funds for a lucrative opportunity in the debt purchasing - debt selling business. It is my firm belief, with God's help, that we will break that seal and get the financing we need to succeed.

In the meantime, I have a mortgage to pay and a child to support. Monday, I was offered a nice position with a decent base salary and an unlimited bonus and commission structure. If I perform as I have in the past, I will be financially stable by the summer and be in a position to save and invest money after that. For this, I am thankful to the Lord for all of my blessings. I look forward to celebrating a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends who all have overcome their own personal challenges and who are now set on a much more stable path ahead.

While I have obtained the type of job that will afford me the ability to rebuild my life again, millions of Americans continue to be out of work and continue to suffer as the result of an economy that has been destroyed by the policies of crony capitalism and a president who many argue is trying to collapse our system in order to reorganize America into a collectivist style big government state. It's important that we thank our Lord for our blessings at this time and turn our eyes to Him for help in these trying times.

Psalm 46 tells us:

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. (Selah) 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. 6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Selah) 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth." 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Selah) 

Renewing and restoring America, as Glenn Beck has told us, begins with renewing and restoring ourselves. In spirit with this philosophy, it is only fitting to encourage people to do whatever they can do to best secure what they have, build upon their future potential and keep moving forward with a positive demeanor and a patience that tells them that no matter how bleak things may seem, with personal effort and perseverance, things can and will work.

One can't help but to wonder if the decisions made by people like Sarah Palin, Chris Christie, John Thune and Paul Ryan regarding presidential runs are not born of the theory that you can't sell the house unless it's completely built. While it clearly can be argued that Sarah Palin was ready for the presidency, three years of boning up on the issues and building wealth may not have been enough for someone who could potentially occupy an office during the most trying times our republic has seen since the Civil War and World War II.

Maybe there's more that we all have to do personally before someone like Palin could be considered a lock for the presidency. It's time to take back the culture, the Congress and the cable television box.

Keeping powder dry and fortifying the fort sometimes is a better way than shooting the works and leaving oneself vulnerable to the fickle finger of fate. I am me. We are conservatives. We know our luck. Sometimes, building it bigger than we have to is more important than blowing it all too quickly on a cause in such a way that it fails rather than succeeds. I've done that in business, and I know how unpredictable the future can be when you bet on time and future success without having a fortress already set up that can withstand that kind of a dice roll.

Consolidating and building on one's own personal wealth (with wealth being defined as strong relationships with God, family and friends, financial stability; and a strong positive mental outlook with advocacy in our hearts and words for what is right) is key. Building America back from the ground level up requires us to first become strong individually, then as a family, then as a community and then as a town and state. We must never stray from that which makes us strongest, whether it be spiritually, financially or socially.

The key line of today's interview which landed me the job was when I said "making money is not about the mansions and the yachts; it's about the ability to take care of the car, the water heater and the family when something goes wrong." After thinking about my resume, I could have added that it's about being able to thank God today for the decisions made yesterday with His guidance.

While we all make mistakes (and I have my fair share of them), one thing is certain. We can overcome our past by building on a future based on what we do today. I have always been blessed because I have a clear understanding of the fundamental spiritual and mental values that we need to move forward in such a crazy world. I may not always stick to these values 100%, but for me it's not about the kill, it's about the thrill of the chase. Success is not about the shining city on a hill, it's about busting your ass to get there.

As we move forward into 2012, this blogger's work schedule will be demanding. I will have to make some changes in how I contribute to this and other blogs which have been so gracious and offering me their forums to post my articles. My radio show may have to shut down in January since my work hours will take me past the 11:00 hour on Wednesday. My blog posts may come more on weekends than during the week. But, by being focused on the main thing to better myself, it is my most sincere hope that I will be better positioned down the road to contribute more than just my written word to the cause of bettering America.

And, I'm not going anywhere. I will still blog and tweet. I will still cheer-lead the future of America.

When you sit down at the table with your family and friends tomorrow, please make sure that you thank God for your blessings and ask Him to bestow upon you the patience, inner peace and personal power to better yourself in the future. Success is not a destination. It's a journey.
God bless you all.


-Listen to Patrick's World USA tonight on Blogtalk Radio at 11pm ET 8pm PT.

What Do our Candidates Have To Say About Sarah?

All of our candidates have their flaws, but if it comes down to nominating a candidate that is the least of all evils, we should look at nominating a candidate that will have Sarah's voice in his or her ear. That's where we can win.

Sarah can be the ultimate lobbyist, a lobbyist for the people. If there is a culture of corruption in Washington, if there is crony capitalism and if the Congress is allowed to insider trade, why can't "we the people" get a nice chunk of that "special interest pie?" We are, after all the biggest and most powerful special interest of them all. There are 300 million of us who want the nonsense to stop.

Let's let Sarah Palin be our voice and let's find out which head that voice will resonate the loudest in. They should have a debate question: "what do you think of Sarah Palin?" Whoever answers that debate question correctly and sincerely should get our vote. Right now, Newt Gingrich is being pro-active in courting the Palin vote. Where are the rest of the candidates on Sarah?

We've been able to get a good read on people by how they react to Sarah Palin (both good and bad). Maybe we should use this as one of the criteria we consider when choosing a nominee.

Sarah Palin: How Congress Occupied Wall Street

(h/t @IL4Palin)

Sarah Palin has just penned an absolutely fabulous piece for tomorrow's Wall Street Journal that clearly explains and articulates the points that were made by Peter Schweizer in his new book, Throw Them All Out. Even the most politically astute among us will find her op-ed helpful in tying together what we have been hearing in the news regarding insider trading in Congress and how crony capitalism works within the walls of government.

Alaska's former governor looks at the issue of how elected officials enrich themselves even though their government positions don't pay the kind of salaries that would support such enrichment. Her familiarity with how all of this works comes from her own experience in Alaska.

The corruption isn't confined to one political party or just a few bad apples. It's an endemic problem encompassing leadership on both sides of the aisle. It's an entire system of public servants feathering their own nests.

None of this surprises me. I've been fighting this type of corruption and cronyism my entire political career. For years Alaskans suspected that our lawmakers and state administrators were in the pockets of the big oil companies to the detriment of ordinary Alaskans. We knew we were being taken for a ride, but it took FBI wiretaps to finally capture lawmakers in the act of selling their votes. In the wake of politicos being carted off to prison, my administration enacted reforms based on transparency and accountability to prevent this from happening again.

She goes on to elaborate on her calls for sudden and relentless reform.

I've learned from local, state and national political experience that the only solution to entrenched corruption is sudden and relentless reform. Sudden because our permanent political class is adept at changing the subject to divert the public's attention—and we can no longer afford to be indifferent to this system of graft when our country is going bankrupt. Reform must be relentless because fighting corruption is like a game of whack-a-mole. You knock it down in one area only to see it pop up in another.

Palin also provide solutions in her piece. Congress should not be allowed to be exempt from laws governing insider trading and disclosure nor should they be allowed to benefit from certain types of deals and campaign contributions.

No more sweetheart land deals with campaign contributors. No gifts of IPO shares. No trading of stocks related to committee assignments. No earmarks where the congressman receives a direct benefit. No accepting campaign contributions while Congress is in session. No lobbyists as family members, and no transitioning into a lobbying career after leaving office. No more revolving door, ever.

She calls on Congress to have to follow the laws the make and encourages the grass roots on both the right and the left to embrace her solutions. It's a great read. Read the whole thing here.

Those who called her dumb and inarticulate might find it too substantive a read for them to understand.

Governor Palin once again demonstrates her ability to lead on the issues. She's clearly intellectually engaged in the political conversation. She has guided the national discussion toward addressing crony capitalism and the real problems that confront America. The American presidency would surely be enhanced by someone of her caliber.

No Endorsement: Sarah Palin On The Record 11/15/11

Fox News analyst (sniff sniff, not presidential candidate) Sarah Palin gave her assessment of the Republican field on On The Record with Greta Van Susteren last night. She didn't endorse.

When Greta asked about whether she would endorse someone she thinks could win and beat President Obama or if she would endorse someone who has ideas that are more consistent with hers, Palin responded:

Well, I want to believe that he or she who would share the ideas that I have, and that many fiscal conservatives have, and those of us who believe that the balance of power needs to be tipped more in favor of "we the people" versus this trajectory of centralized government growth that we have been on. I want to believe that he who shares those ideas will be most electable. The cream of the crop has not risen yet in this very fluid primary process so I'm not going to get out there and endorse anybody right now. But, certainly those ideas that I have that so many Americans share that are pro growth ideas, pro private sector blessed Constitutional restraints that our Constitution has within it (created) in order to build this prosperous and healthy nation of ours; those ideas that are articulated best by the candidate through this primary process will be the one that I will endorse.

It's clear that Palin is moving on from being a political candidate as she becomes more of a political analyst. She assesses the candidates and opines on the Penn State Sex scandal at the end with outrage and blunt straight forwardness. There is no indication of reconsideration. She is simply becoming another voice. While she continues to be right on the issues, it's becoming more and more obvious that she is settling back into the conservative fold in order to wait for another day down the road rather than jump in and take this one.




-listen to Patrick's World USA on BlogTalkRadio tonight at 11pm ET 8pm PT.

What Would Sarah Palin's Endorsement Mean?

No human being is perfect. We can’t look for perfection in candidates. We can only look for and hope to find one who most closely represents what we believe. If one comes close enough for us to be confident in their abilities if elected, that’s when we can support him or her. Will we get everything we want? No.

Tonight On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, Sarah Palin will tell us who she thinks has the best chance of winning the GOP nomination. For the record, I never like to be called a front runner or a follower. I make my decisions based on my own views. In most cases, my decisions are validated afterwards by conservatives who I believe strongly in. In few rare cases, they point out a flaw in my reasoning and I come more in agreement. In other cases, I disagree on that one issue or point and move on with no hard feelings, but for the most part my best conservative bellwethers are right 99.6% of the time.

Here’s my honest take on this. I’ve been leaning toward Newt Gingrich. However, I have also been looking at Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann. I like Rick Santorum and Rick Perry, but I don’t believe they resonate enough with the American people to win.  For all intents and purposes, though, I remain uncommitted and open to all arguments, which is I why I tend to listen more when writers and bloggers make the case FOR a candidate than when they make a case AGAINST a candidate. That’s not to say negative information is discarded. Some of it is important in the decision making process provided that it’s true information or reasoned opinion and not trash talk that’s agenda driven.

There are flaws in all the candidates, including Newt Gingrich. I’ve read them all and I respect my fellow bloggers and tweeters who have pointed these out. But, if none of the candidates have a vision and Gingrich has at least something of a vision, we must consider. If none of the other candidates have his intellectual capacity, we must consider. If none of the other candidates can articulate themselves better than he can, we should consider him as viable and electable even if we are not ready just yet to unite around him. It’s worth taking a look at him. The question is, will Sarah Palin being taking a look at Newt Gingrich tonight on Greta?

No one can predict Palin. She could end up picking any of the other candidates for all we know. She may endorse. She may not. She is an analyst, so what we get out of her tonight might just be analysis and not her final word. If Governor Palin does endorse tonight, be ready for it to be a huge boost to one candidate. Also, look for some to argue against her.

We must remember one thing either way. We have always loved her for who SHE is. She ran with John McCain. She backed Carly Fiorina in California. She may be the closest thing to perfection in our eyes, but there are no real perfect candidates - including the ones she's been affiliated with. Whoever she picks will not be perfect, which means we are all not going to agree. No matter what, we must avoid infighting in the Palin army at all costs and respect Governor Palin’s opinion tonight.

It may seem like I’m hedging because I'm leaning Newt, but I haven’t made up my mind yet. Technically, I’m still undecided. I want to hear what Governor Palin has to say. I’m not looking for her to pick my candidate for me. I’m looking for her input. Palin’s input holds a lot of weight considering she remains the best choice for president despite her not running. Why wouldn’t one want to listen to what she has to say? The person who should be president may be picking the person who can be president.

Gingrich has overcome one concern since I wrote Backing the Imperfect Candidate October 26, 2011 (emphasis mine).

Newt Gingrich is a Reagan conservative and The 21st Century Contract With America makes some strong arguments. However, even if he is not establishment in the sense that some other Republicans are, he too comes with baggage. His past marital infidelity and his lack of discipline raise questions. He will have to move up in the polls and he will have to raise a lot more money if he is to be viable. Herman Cain comes in as a political outsider with some new ideas. But stumbles on the trail and questions about his foreign policy credentials makes it harder for him to close the deal as well. All the candidates seem to be missing something or other when you go through them.

Don’t look for the Palin army to coalesce around one candidate just yet after being staggered by her announcement not to run. Palinistas have always wanted one thing since day one and that is the total package. Swallowing anything less than Sarah Palin as president is going to require a lot of water and good gag reflex control. But at some time, we are all going to have to walk into a voting booth and make a decision even if it looks like there’s a name missing on the ballot. When we do pick our nominee, we are going to have to accept imperfection. This is because there is no candidate in the race that gives us the confidence that Sarah Palin would have about vision, ideas, character and discipline. 

There will still be other questions. I still have them. But we need a nominee. Although I'm not a fan of group thinking, I was hoping to gauge who the Palin army could coalesce around. Right now, the Palin army is split and they are still debating amongst each other. Ultimately, if Sarah had run, this wouldn't be an issue. If we can’t find someone better than her, what else are we supposed to do? We have to go with somebody.

Since I started leaning, I was looking to see if another candidate could sway me back. All of them so far are either too establishment, not moving the needle or in some cases going backwards themselves. If great minds think alike and Palin endorses Gingrich, it would push me further in the direction I’m leaning. But, if she doesn’t endorse or endorses another candidate, then it leaves me as still undecided. In that case, I would have to consider her logic and reasoning as to who she picks and come more into agreement; or disagree on that one issue and move on with no hard feelings, with this being the 0.04% time that she was wrong.

There are pros and cons to a Gingrich presidency among Palin supporters and conservative writers.

Steve McCann at American Thinker makes a strong case.

Of the remaining viable candidates, there is only one who is not a part of the establishment, has laid out a viable plan to rescue the country, is not intimidated by the mainstream media or the Democrat smear machine, is knowledgeable of how to get drastic changes through the congressional legislative meat grinder, is more than capable of overwhelming Barack Obama in a debate, is experienced in foreign affairs, has a record of conservative legislative accomplishments, and can articulate to the American people as to where he will take the country.  It is time for the Republican primary voters to rediscover Newt Gingrich.

Palin supporters Josh Painter and Sheya make a case for him as well.

Palin supporter Gary P. Jackson on the other hand takes issue.

As the 2012 Republican presidential candidates continue to look less and less appealing, some are starting to fall for Newt’s pretty words and big promises.

Without a true leader in the bunch, no one to really get excited about, many conservatives are falling into the deadly pattern of listening to flowery speeches instead of researching the records of the candidates. Suddenly beating Obama is more important than electing an honest man who will actually bring the reform necessary for the nation to survive.

Gary is a good critical thinker and makes great arguments. He has also pointed out unflattering things about Rick Perry and Herman Cain as well. Those who point out the flaws in our candidates help us evaluate them. But this also serves to remind us that all of our candidates are flawed. Without Palin in the race, we are already choosing the lesser of all the evils and we haven't even gotten out of the primaries yet. 

Like I wrote:

While Sarah Palin is not running for president, when she speaks at conferences or gives analyses on Fox News, she’s still dead right on the issues – which is primarily the reason her supporters are finding it difficult to accept her not running. If there was a better candidate in the field, they would have already gotten behind him or her.

It may or may not be time tonight for someone to get her endorsement. But if Sarah Palin is dead right again when she endorses, we may have an idea about to who look at in the primaries as we choose the best of rest that are not named Sarah.

Maybe someone as intelligent as Newt Gingrich can see America's disgust with big government and crony capitalism enough to take action on it. It’s a risky bet to consider. But if we have to pull a lever, maybe our best chance is to look at the smartest guy in the room. With his intellect, he may be better able than others to understand what we’re trying to do long before they start bringing the pitchers of the Potomoc water into his White House. Maybe Sarah sees someone better. We'll have to see what she says tonight.

Being beholden to Sarah Palin for her endorsement may be the first step in having our voices heard in the next administration. If it’s not Newt, then there just may be another GOP candidate that wakes up the day after Palin endorses with a skip in their step, a bump in their polls and our voices in their head.

Choosing Sarah Palin's Successor

If Sarah Palin doesn't reconsider and run for president, Republican primary voters are going to have to choose from the remaining candidates. This selection process is difficult for two reasons. First, none of the candidates are Sarah Palin. Second, of the four or five best candidates two are viable and it's difficult to pick one over the other at this point. Either way, we are voting in a post Palin election this go around.

Without her in the race, we are back to the business as usual of choosing a nominee. Put the heart and soul back in the box and get out the dice and the handicapping sheet. We're not rooting on Secretariat here. We're simply picking a horse.

Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum are good conservatives. Unless they do something major in the next few weeks to get into the top tier, they will have a very tough time in the primaries. It has always been this writer's contention that if Sarah Palin was going to win or lose, it would be based on her campaign performance - not on what the media says about her. The same can be said for Santorum, Bachmann and Perry. It will take getting bodies into voting booths, but right now the numbers are not there.

Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann need to get more people to listen to their conservative messages. Rick Perry must undergo a major rehabilitation after his gaffe in this week's debate. Ron Paul resonates well on economic policy but is out of sync with the GOP on foreign policy. Huntsman is likeable, but he like Romney is seen as more of an establishment candidate at a time when many primary voters are looking for an anti-establishment candidate.

Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich are also good conservatives. They have been able to defy the odds and move themselves up into the top tier of candidates. As such, they are the most viable other than Romney. But one can't help but to be torn over picking a candidate since the best candidate by far has decided not to run.

As I was writing this, Michele Bachmann did an interview on Hannity, which I will now add to the quotes I already planned on using from Cain and Gingrich. We clearly would be better off with any of the candidates we have than Obama. But, dominating the game and bringing America back from such a deficit in this game is not as exciting nor is it as good of a shot as it could be since Palin won't be at the helm. Add a shameless request to reconsider here.

America is like the Denver Broncos. Barack Obama is Kyle Orton - horrible. Tim Tebow is a better quarterback. But he's not Aaron Rodgers. Since Sarah Palin is not running, we will not have Aaron Rodgers as our quarterback. Whoever the GOP chooses as its nominee would easily replace Obama as our quarterback. But we need to throw for a lot of yards and we need touchdowns fast.

So what do we do? We watch. We wait. We let the process play out. Governor Palin has said that eventually we will have the "most vetted candidate to come forth and rise to the surface."

So lets not kill each other over Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Santorum or any of the other candidates. If you're backing a candidate then back them. But, let's look for the good in all of them. Let's not give the liberals fodder for the general election. Don't sweat the negative stuff. We may have our favorites and those we least favor, but we need to know the arguments for all of them. Yes, we need to discuss their weaknesses, too. But we need to remember that anything we say can and will be used against us in the court of public opinion come general election time.

Newt Gingrich has disavowed his couch affair with Nancy Pelosi. The Right Scoop picked up a great speech that Ginrich gave to his supporters yesterday.

The dumbest thing I've done in the last couple of years is sit on the couch with Nancy Pelosi. I was trying to send a signal and it failed (inaudible) and was foolish; it didn't work. People have misinterpreted that to suggest that I favor Cap and Trade. That is explicitely untrue. If anybody asks you about this, all of my testimony is on YouTube because I testified at the energy and commerce commission the same day as Al Gore. And I testified against the bill. I then helped lead the effort through American Solutions to beat the bill in the Senate. Cap and Trade is a totally irrational effort to centralize power in Washington, to give the Left control over our lives by using Carbon as the new excuse... If any of your friends ask you where I am on Cap and trade, I'm opposed to it.

Herman Cain successfully fought off the phantom charges of sexual harrassment on Neil Cavuto today. According to what Cain said on the video posted on The San Francisco Chronicle website, he scored major points about how the media works in using psychological warfare in order to place doubts into the minds of the voters and how voters are responding more positively now because the smear campaign is backfiring.

People who do not want me to get the nomination or become president - I don't know who these people are, it's probably a network of them - are behind this because they knew just what you indicated at the beginning of this interview. They knew that some people were going to believe the accusation, whether it was true or not. Let's take a little bit of shine off of Herman's star and see whether or not it will help to reduce the enthusiasm that people have. They knew that. So, they achieved that objective. But here's what backfired: more people believe me than the accusation. And they have demonstrated it with not only their verbal support - people wanted to volunteer; they have demonstrated it with their dollars.

Palin supporters can clearly relate to that. The media runs with stories based on anonymous sources and make the victim shadow box it. It's not important whether the story is true or not, but whether it can have enough of a psychological impact on voters so as to knock down their level of acceptance on a candidate. This was always the strategy of the Left when they feared Palin would run for president. You can see that what is happening with Cain is similar to what happened with Palin. It's helping to galvanize his supporters.

The intent is obvious. Isn't it funny how all of a sudden Sarah Palin is no longer a dumb bimbo who is unelectable? Where are the daily hit pieces from the Huffington Post and Politico? Their writers must have been told to focus on Cain now and just reprint stuff from the Bush and Palin files and update the fill in the blank parts with more timely material.

Michelle Bachmann nailed it on Hannity last night.

I think that conservatives are tired of seeing us attacked. They've seen it happen. They know that it's completely unfair. They know that the media's biased. That's why I think that the media has completely lost the faith of the average American. And that's why I really know that in this 2012 election, we have more than a chance to win. We're going to win. And that's why we can't settle on anything less than a true core conservative because people aren't going to listen to this biased media anymore, are they? You heard that last night. They're not going to listen to the media. They're going to make up their own mind.

We are not running against Obama. We are running against the media. If we tear each other up now and don't stand up to the media lies, we lose.

Eventually, we're going to have to argue on behalf of one of these folks in the general. 

I'm not endorsing anyone for president just yet. I'm just saying that we should not be like the rest of the weak kneed, trembling tiger Republicans who didn't come to the aid of Sarah Palin when she was being destroyed. We're trained in spotting and debunking media lies. And if they do it to Bachmann, Cain or Gingrich, we need to recognize that and not become like them. Standing for something is a lot better than standing against something. If you have to destroy another candidate to advance yours, you're doing it wrong.

Let's not help them pick our nominee. More importantly, let's not help them with their opposition research. All of our candidates are flawed and we know it. But someday, we're all going to have to back the nominee, even if it's the one we bashed in the primaries. We better not have to flip flop.

Renew, Restore and Reconsider

When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow
We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance



Conservatives4Palin has posted a Reconsider Project Ideas Open Thread on their website. The Palin movement is bubbling right now with calls for Governor Palin to reconsider running for the presidency. There are some stinging realities to overcome if this discussion is to result in a concerted final effort to get her to reconsider, but there is a good argument for going through with this effort nonetheless.

In order to get to this good argument, this writer has to be blunt and will for the sake of this post express strong feelings and sentiments that are deeply rooted in this blogger's firm conviction that Sarah Palin is the one we've been looking for. Anything written is written with all of the love and all of the most due respect that I have for the Governor as a leader and a potentially transformational political figure.

Here are the facts. Sarah Palin has made a decision that she believes is best for her and her family. Leaders make decisions, stick to those decisions and act on those decisions no matter what. Major primary filing deadlines have passed or will be passing shortly (Florida and South Carolina or already closed). There are millions of Americans who were looking to her to run and help save the country, and these people just don't see any alternative even with Palin out of the race.

Here are the analyticals. Our country is being destroyed by Barack Obama, the Democrat Party and the progressive movement. Whether you believe it is intentional or simply because of bad policy and mistaken assumptions, the fact remains that the country's moral and economic foundations are collapsing. There is no one in the Republican field right now who offers us that much more beyond a simple defeat of Obama. While most of the candidates could potentially stop the bleeding by beating Obama, our troubles are so deep that it will take a decade or more to recover without radical relentless reform and the psychological optimism that would come from a leader who would continue to be a daily reminder of where we need to go. None of what the candidates are offering does that.

Here is what we want to say to Sarah Palin but won't because we care about her and respect her right to make decisions about her own life. For three years, we all busted our asses - including her - to fight the socialism and the president's agenda. Although Governor Palin has always said its not about her, the fact remains that she is our leader, our voice. We are doing it for her and our country, and we will continue to fight for our country even if it means having to tell Governor Palin over and over again that we need her.

She has always been the point person for everything her supporters believe. We are her supporters because her words and her political philosophy are ours. We fought the smear campaign against her, promoted her to a media-brainwashed nation and quite frankly I think we won that battle. She in return acknowledged that we had her back and she in return fought hard for the cause using her position as a public speaker, Fox News analyst and writer to push back on the liberal onslaught. She gave us the hope and motivation to carry on even when the winds were howling in our face and the snow was holding back the foot that's slow.

We kept on. We kept on because we believed that there was no one else in America who could help us save this country. We don't want to throw it all on her shoulders. We would never vote for her and say go get em while we sat back home watching sports and eating Bon Bons the way we did when George W. Bush was president. We dropped the ball. We assumed the grown ups would always win.

The days of assuming that the person we voted for was going to do it alone or that the grown ups would always be in charge are over. We let Bush get smeared alone. We didn't blog, tweet or Facebook about the impending financial crises. We were asleep at the switch. We learned our lesson with the election of Obama. We woke up because a woman from Alaska came down here and told it to us like it was and from that point forward we willing to give our all for her.

This time it was going to be different. This time, a president Palin was going to have an army on the ground throughout her administration keeping the media in line and promoting the cause friend to friend, house to house. That's what it was like when Reagan was president and that's what it was going to be like again!

Then she broke our hearts by not running. Yes, we respect her decision. I know she asked how her supporters who trusted her on everything else would question this one decision. Well, let me explain why. When you are as humble as Sarah Palin; when you are not able to see yourself the way others see you; and when you just don't know how much this really means to so many people, it doesn't make you a bad person nor should she not have the right to make a decision her future or her family. Her problem is she simply is not seeing her own greatness.

Does she really think that there's someone else out there that can give us the optimism and the hope that she can? Does she really believe that any of the other candidates can succeed in renewing and restoring America like she can? We don't need a title? She doesn't need a title? Someone needs a title. We're doing it for each other. This is our country. Governor Palin represents our country and we are its citizens.

Karen Allen at PalinTwibe sums up how she feels and although she doesn't speak for all Palinistas, many (including this writer) can relate to what she wrote.

I know where I am at the moment - nowhere. Truthfully, I feel a little like a woman without a country, destined to float the seas with no news of my homeland. This isn't a "Woe is me, Palin left us, waaaaah" kind of feeling. It's a "I don't recognize this political scene" feeling.

None of the other candidates represents our vision of our country the way Sarah Palin does. This thing is a shining city on a hill that is the beacon of freedom for the rest of this God forsaken world. We are the unique bearers of a historical calling to be an example to the rest of the world how great free people can be. Sarah, it's your country. We want you to have it. We know you can take the best care of it.

You don't trust something as huge and as in danger as America is to just anyone. This is not about someone digging up something stupid from Palin's past or smearing her in the media. This is not about stupid sound bytes in a 90 minute debate. This is not about people on the Left getting their panties in a wad. Screw them. They don't really like our country anyway. This is not about shackling yourself to a job that the media and the political class will curse you over for the next 8 years. This is about history remembering the first woman president for saving it the way Lincoln and Washington did.

So if we grab Governor Palin by the shoulders, shake her and beg her to reconsider, it's not because we're trying to be disrespectful. It's not because we're trying to invade her life. It's not about what the people in the Palin army have sacrificed to support her. This time was not wasted. It made our lives better and the movement goes on. This is about America.

Maybe having statues erected to you, airports named after you and having your name mentioned amongst the greats doesn't appeal to someone with a servant's heart. Maybe having access to all the world's secrets, having planes and staff at your beck and call or being called Madame President doesn't appeal to someone like Sarah Palin. That's fine. But ask yourself one thing: where will America end up if she doesn't lead it? There's the good argument for reconsidering.

It may be a sisyphusian effort. Some may say we're wasting our time. But, we should go forward with a reconsideration movement even if it doesn't change Governor Palin's mind. History must record that if the day comes when America as we know it no longer exists that we didn't just give up on Sarah Palin. "If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done."

Renew, Restore and Reconsider or lest we say a farewell to kings.

Building on Grizzly Fest and the Restoration Movement

Sarah Palin has been carrying the mantra of Glenn Beck’s call to renew and restore America, which was the underlining theme of his Restoring Honor rally on the mall in Washington, DC on August 28, 2010. Now that she’s not running for president, how do we continue to do this? During hour 2 of Grizzly Fest, the panelists discussed the future of the restoration movement.

Stephen Bannon moderated the panel. He saw, in his research, similarities between the type of people who supported Reagan and those who supported Governor Palin. He also saw the similarities in the way the elites and Washington reacted to Reagan and Palin. He saw her humility and her emphasis on team rather than self promotion. He made the point that we are either to be a country of of our traditional values or we will become something totally different.

Bannon also talked about how this country is at a turning point and how important the Palin coalition is.



Jackie Siciliano talked about how Sarah Palin inspired people to run at all levels of government. She also spoke about our youth and bringing young people on board in the face of what they are being taught in school and in universities. Stacy Drake was disillusioned with politics until she read about Governor Palin in 2007. She saw someone who finally had it right. Talking about Conservatives4Palin, she said it was never about one charismatic person, but all of us.

 

Whitney Pitcher spoke about moving forward and what we need to do to restore our country. She was never interested in politics until Governor Palin hit the scene. Whitney called Palin "the anti-Illinois" politician when talking about her experience as an Illinois resident familiar with the type of politics going on in her state. Sarah Palin, as mayor, took exception with a business owner who owned a garbage pickup company who tried to use government to make everyone have to use that company to pick up their garbage. Palin was against crony capitalism early on in her career.

Ultimately, renewing and restoring America is going to require renewing and restoring the Republican Party. The party establishment keeps pulling it back to the pre-Obama days’ philosophy of business as usual where candidates talk like conservatives to get elected but act as part of the political permanent class once elected. Democrats choose winners and losers based on their union, environmental and cultural affiliations. Republicans choose winners and losers based on their business, legal and social class affiliations. Either way, the regular American gets left out of the equation.

This explains the electoral frustration that has been expressed by generations of voters. You’ve always heard of voting for the lesser of the two evils or that there are no real differences between the two political parties. Yes, the Democrat party tends to favor more regulations and leans socialist while the Republican party tends to favor less regulations and leans more capitalist. But, overall, each party rewards its cronies at the expense of the American people and the small business owner.

The most effective way of renewing and restoring the Republican Party comes through Tea Party activism. Governor Palin and her followers have developed a strong enough network so that through her endorsements, her followers’ activism and grassroots support that comes from all Tea Party groups, candidates will be able to generate strong support first locally and then nationally. The 2010 elections showed us that the Tea Party can have a strong influence on the nominating process.The next step comes in 2012.

Because so many Americans are sick and tired of business as usual, they can be called upon to support and make viable commonsense Constitutional conservatives who run in GOP primary races against entrenched establishment candidates. Infiltrating the party is the first crucial step toward winning back the future. As more and more Tea Party candidates win nominations and ultimately go on to win in general elections, we can build the infrastructure in Congress and on the state level in order to effect real change.

The conservative movement can take a page out of the liberal playbook. For decades, they have been infiltrating the Democrat Party, the media, the culture and the academia. Winning back the future means beating liberals at their own game and affecting the Republican Party, the media (particularly the new media), the culture and the academia by running strong candidates, encouraging conservative activists to get into journalism, encouraging conservatives to bring a hip version of their values through humor, music and art to culture and by developing more of an intellectual base in colleges and universities throughout the country.

Sarah Palin will be an effective megaphone for us in that infiltration. Her supporters and supporters of the Tea Party movement in general can all play a role in bringing this about. It would have definitely helped us by having her in the bully pulpit of the presidency, much the way Reagan made conservatism cool again from his platform, but it may be more of a long term approach for Governor Palin if she can get the fires of conservatism stoked more than they are now.

We all know what happened after Reagan’s presidency. Everyone forgot what he said and went back to business as usual. If we lose our country and the presidency in 2012, many may second guess Palin’s decision to not run. But only time will really tell if her decision to not run is a way to forego a flash in the pan presidency in favor of developing a stronger foundation upon which we can build our power base and from which she can emerge as an even stronger presidential prospect in the future. This one’s a dice toss; but if it plays out well it won’t be the first time we looked back at a Palin decision and said “wow, that’s what she was doing and look at how well it worked!”


-listen to Patrick's World USA tonight on Blogtalk Radio. My guest is Whitney Pitcher, panelist on Grizzly Fest.

The People Vote Against Themselves in Ohio and Mississippi

The idiocracy has spoken.

It looks like the people have voted against themselves in two states.

In Ohio, they have voted against Issue 2 which would restrict the right of public sector unions to bargain against the taxpayers in regards to how much they have to contribute to pension and health care benefit programs. While private sector companies require employees to contribute a reasonable share of their own money to their benefits, public sector unions can continue to make taxpayers pay for their benefits without having to put much of their own skin into the game. Greece, here we come.

In Mississippi, they have voted against the Personhood initiative, which would have protected life in the womb. This is an even worse example of the people voting against themselves because in this case, they have voted against protection of the very existence of human life. Satan laughing spreads his wings as those who have survived the 9 months in the womb and grown up to be of voting age choose to take that same very basic human right from a percentage of newborns who will not survive the right to be born because some in our country still believes that denying the right to life is okay.

Folks, we got a long way to go to save this country. A long way to go. When taxpayers who will get jack at retirement vote against their rights to protect their money from being confiscated to be redistributed to public workers who will be paid cushy pensions for tying up their traffic and causing the other normal bureaucratic pain we feel when dealing with state governments and when human beings deny the right of existence to fellow human beings, there is something seriously wrong with a lot of people in this country.

We have voted against ourselves. It's no wonder we're in the mess we're in.

Moving Forward After Grizzly Fest

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to Saturday’s Grizzly Fest, it’s worth your while to listen to it here. Sarah Palin supporters are finding their way forward after her decision not to run for the presidency. Roderic Deane and Nicole Coulter co-hosted the broadcast which focused on organizing for the year ahead. The push will be on to get common sense Constitutional conservatives elected to Congress. Sarah Palin, who was instrumental in helping get candidates elected in the 2010 midterms, will once again be active in getting more elected in 2012. The program was broken up into three segments with three sets of panelists who discussed various aspects of the future of the Palin movement.

From GrizzlyFest.com:

Panel 1: Success of the Movement So Far – 2-3 p.m. ET

Tammy Bruce, conservativeradio host and author
Jedediah Bila, conservative columnist and author
Josh Painter – blogger, creator of Texans for Sarah Palin
Tami Nantz – blogger outreach coordinator of Smart Girl Politics, founder of Moms4SarahPalin

This panel will discuss the historic nature of the Palin movement, both in the blogosphere and in organizing, and the impact Palin supporters had on the historic 2010 midterms. Plus, what potential we have to make a difference in 2012.

Panel 2: The Restoration Agenda – 3-4 p.m. ET

Steve Bannon, film producer and radio host
Jackie Siciliano, coordinator of Team Sarah
Stacy Drake, editor at Conservatives4Palin
Whitney Zahnd, Illinois O4P coordinator, blogger, and part of the Central Illinois 9/12 Project

This panel will identify the main themes we relate to as Palin supporters, and how we can continue to make these issues front and center going forward in 2012 and beyond.

Panel 3: Future of the Grassroots Movement  4-5 p.m. ET

Peter Singleton, Iowa O4P coordinator
Janne Myrdal, North Dakota Tea Party Caucus
Thomas Schmitz, California O4P coordinator
Kristen Hendershot – Alaska resident, O4P coordinator

This panel will discuss the “boots on the ground” aspect of the Palin movement, and how we can continue to deploy for good causes.

The Palin army remains a well networked force for change in America. Even though Sarah Palin is not running, the group is sticking together in order to move forward with the work necessary to save the country. The values, the ideas and the political philosophies of the people who came into the Palin movement were already there. Without a leader to rally around, many have been wandering leaderless in the wilderness since Ronald Reagan left the national stage. As Tammy Bruce said, “each of us became Ronald Reagan” after his passing.

We didn't know each other before Governor Palin was chosen to be John McCain’s running mate. This writer remembers the weeks prior to his announcement of her. It was a dismal time. Coming to grips with a GOP presidential nominee who was speaking over the crickets at his sparsely attended rallies in the face of the impending socialist onslaught which the Obama campaign represented was probably the lowlight of my political life.

In the days leading up to McCain’s announcement, this blogger was having conversations with his friends about the end of America as we knew it and about the end of conservatism as a major political force. As bad as things are now – and as depressing it is to consider that Sarah Palin will not be president in 2012 – it is still better than it was then. There is a future ahead of us because Sarah Palin reignited the conservative movement and the army that formed from her inspiration is a political phenomenon that one rarely sees in American politics.

In the past three years, I have raised one question a number of times. Is it 1964 or is it 1976? The answer is obvious. It’s 1964. What Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan did for the conservative movement in 1964 was done again in 2008 by Sarah Palin. She, as Reagan did, took a dying brand of conservative and revived it. She renewed it, and now we are on the process of restoring it.

This restoration now falls on our shoulders. Because Sarah Palin was nominated to run as VP, we all met. Since 2008, we have all become politically active – many of us for the first time. The internet exploded with pro-Palin and conservative blogs and websites. I spoke with Jedediah Bila for the first time as a result of a BlogTalk Radio show that April Liesel was doing at the time. I was invited to be on another show and that’s how I met Thomas S. Schmitz. These people inspired me to start my own BlogTalk Radio show and it was my honor to have had all three of these people on as guests.

Roderic Deane had me on his show. I’ve been on Dr. Gina Loudon’s show and she has been on mine. I’ve had Ron Devito, Stacy Drake, Whitney Pitcher, Adrienne Ross and Jackie Siciliano as guests. I could go on and on, but the point is that all of us have had the same experiences. We have gotten to know each other through our devotion to the ideals of Sarah Palin and because of our participation in the Palin movement.

It brings me back to the “old days” at Team Sarah where I would correspond with Thomas S. Schmitz, Ron Devito, Adrienne Ross and so many others. During the height of the smear campaign against Sarah Palin, we got most of our information from each other. Rather than take mainstream media accounts of  the lies, rumors and innuendo at face value, we researched. We looked deeply into the smears and found clear cut facts that showed how false and misleading they were.

Conservatives4Palin became an instrumental site in debunking the lies and the myths of  the anti-Palin movement. While the Left was concentrating on why Sarah Palin couldn’t be president, we were out there exposing them as the lying sacks they are. We’ve taken on many established journalists and media personalities and their credibility has suffered for it. Yes, we – a rag tag army of volunteers, many of whom were not professional journalists – destroyed Pullitzer prize winners and other highly recognized journalists who chose to toss their journalistic integrity aside in order to defecate all over themselves out of fear that Palin might actually become president.

We stood tall. We were the Patriot missiles of the blogosphere. Palin smears were being shot down left and right. There were many days when Politico would post their daily hit on Palin in the morning and by early afternoon it was debunked on Conservatives4Palin and blogs across the Palinosphere.

Josh Painter’s Texans for Sarah Palin was also a big go-to site. His Quotes of the Day posts were instrumental in keeping all of us Palinistas informed about what we were all writing and saying about her. So many ideas came from our interaction with each other. It was there we were able to see what was being said and written about Governor Palin. If you wanted links to truthful articles and posts about her, you went to Texans for Sarah Palin.

The numerous blog posts and articles coming from our side washed out and pushed back all the hit pieces. Without us, the internet would have been filled with lies about Sarah Palin with no rebuttal. It was on Team Sarah that I met Gary P. Jackson who publishes A Time For Choosing. His readers would hit the comment boards on articles about Sarah Palin to correct the record. It was war with the Left and the media. The Leftists were rumored to have been paying bloggers to leave negative comments about Palin on articles. We were real people, defending her for free.

All of this work does not go for naught just because Governor Palin is not running. Today, the movement is strong. There is no reason for it to stop working toward fixing America's problems.We can't just pack up and go home now. It's time to move forward and finish the job. Governor Palin needs to know that although we are greatly disappointed by her decision, we respect it. She also needs to know that if we continue with our work, we want her to consider running in the future. We will continue to fight for the ideals that she represents with a suddenness and relentlessness that will be necessary to bring about the needed reform.

In the third segment of the Grizzly Fest broadcast, the panelists addressed the future of the grassroots movement. The segment started off with a call to Sarah Palin's brother, Chuck Heath, who spoke about campaigning for candidates in 2012. The panel discussion was moderated by Peter Singleton. The discussion was geared toward what Organize4Palin will be doing going forward.

Peter Singleton nailed the whole thing when he said this:

We have formidable adversaries - the left, the media and the crony capitalists. They all work together. They are all opposed to our core values of free markets, constitutionally limited government and individual liberty.  However, the vast majority of the American people agree with us on the issues. Despite the fact that we are the majority of the American people, we could never establish an enduring electoral coalition that can restore the balance between the government and the people that the founders envisioned.

As I see it, there are three reasons for that. First of all, the Republican Party stands for Constitutional conservative values and has a great platform. Much of the Republican establishment does not and it appears to be aligned with the other side... Second, the mainstream media has immense influence in shaping voters' views. Third, on the practical sense, the Left has much better voter data bases and data bases on their activists, and they have mobilized their much smaller percentage of the population vastly better than we have mobilized our much larger share.

We all know that our country is in grave peril and that we are at a tipping point economically, politically [and] socially. That's not the bad news. The bad news is the left and the crony capitalists - who work together by the way - have a playbook they're working off of and they're planning to take advantage of this looming crisis. And, we must mobilize. This is a call to action. We must mobilize and now or lose our freedoms and lose those freedoms forever. 

Janne Myrdal talked about the power of one. Kristen Hendershot talked about traveling and being politically active. Thomas S. Schmitz talked about how the world is changing and how we don't live in a top down movement anymore. He talked about it as being a bottom up world now. He pointed out that whoever has the strongest ground team wins. "We're the real leaders," he said.

America is not going to be restored by the faculty lounges at Harvard, Princeton and Yale. America's not going to be restored by the permanent political class; its not going to be restored by panels of experts and entrenched out of touch party machines. America is going to be restored by people listening to this show.

Schmitz talked about building the the ultimate ground team to affect elections. Emphasizing "boots on the ground" and "fingers on the keyboard," he encouraged listeners that we have to be empowered, confident, bold and prepared for action. He said it was important that we be an engaged citizenry.

Dr. Gina Loudon came on at end of show. "Conservatives never had the verbiage to define the narrative." she said. "That is what Sarah has led on and that as what the governor has really become a beacon for in this country. That is what all of us continue to be a part of."

As we move forward, the Palin movement can continue to be a strong advocate for pushing the Republican Party back to its platform and holding their feet to the fire. Defeating the forces of socialism and crony capitalism is the calling for those of us who want to fix the Republican Party and fix the nation.


Listen to Patrick's World USA tonight at 11pm ET 8pm PT on Blogtalk Radio. My guest is Thomas S. Schmitz who was a panelist on Grizzly Fest.