Sarah Palin gave her big speech in Indianola while I was at lunch today with Da Tech Guy. However, I got a sort of live feed on the event via a series of text messages from Tea Party activist Tiffiny Ruegner.
“No doubt she’s campaigning,” Tiffiny texted, and at the end: “Finished. Didn’t announce. . . . You’ll get the story in New Hampshire.”
The part elided (“…”) involved the suggestion that perhaps Palin did not announce her presidential candidacy at Indianola because of her displeasure with the bungled organizing of the rally. So Tiffiny’s theory is that Palin will announce Monday at the Manchester rally, and I pass that along as an interesting theory to consider.
Doug Brady at Conservatives for Palin has a comprehensive round-up of the speech, including the complete video:
Here’s Jennifer Jacobs of the Des Moines Register:
Although this audience of like-minded conservatives passionately urged her to run, Palin during her 40-minute speech did not say whether she will seek the Republican nomination for president.
Here’s Alex Pappas of the Daily Caller:
“The reality is we are governed by a permanent political class,” Palin said to applause from a rain-soaked audience in Indianola, “until we change that.”
The crowd at the Tea Party for America’s “Restoring America” event ate it up. She was interrupted during her speech to chants of “Run, Sarah, Run.”
And here’s Scott Conroy of Real Clear Politics:
Sarah Palin still isn’t a candidate, but in an aggressive bid to lay down her marker in the 2012 Republican presidential race, she delivered a speech here Saturday that was as confrontational toward the Republican establishment as it was aimed at President Obama.
Despite her high-profile endorsement of Rick Perry during his 2010 gubernatorial primary fight, Palin used thinly veiled language to leave little doubt that she sees the Texas governor and national front-runner for the Republican nomination as part of the problem.
“Some GOP candidates, they also raise mammoth amounts of cash,” Palin said. “We need to ask them, too: What, if anything, do their donors expect from their investments? We need to know this because our country can’t afford more trillion-dollar thank-you notes to campaign backers.”
Again and again, Palin urged her audience to confront “the permanent political class,” “crony capitalism” and “the good ol’ boys,” whom she said she took on as governor of Alaska.
The idea that Palin may enter the 2012 field because of her dissatisfaction with Perry’s campaign is intriguing, but I’ll save that for another post. For now, let’s consider Ace’s idea that Palin’s just jerking everybody around:
[A]fter the encouragement of interest, and the cultivation of speculation about what that “major announcement” might be, it was a very standard-issue and not-particularly-important or novel stump speech.
Some might find this sort of coyness and games-playing “brilliant” or the like. I don’t.
Some may claim she “played a trick on the media.” Yes, the media. And everyone else too. . . .
Who’s being pranked here? The media in attendance were all paid to be there. Their travel arrangements were comped. They’ll get back their vacation day. And it was either covering this or covering Jon Huntsman.
What about everyone else?
You can go read the whole thing. Ace seems to be more or less on the Perry bandwagon at this point, so a bit of Palin-vs.-Perry drama may be shaping up . . . But as I say, that’s another post.
The “paid to be there” factor was part of the reason I didn’t go to Indianola. If I had thought she was going to announce, I might have made the trip. But I’d already spent 10 days in Iowa, whereas I hadn’t been to New Hampshire yet, so this trip seemed to me the better bargain for the tip-jar hitters. It’s cheaper, because I can crash on Da Tech Guy‘s sofa and ride with him, rather than paying for a hotel room and renting a car.
Florida, on the other hand . . . but let’s not get ahead of the story.
Ace exemplifies a disturbing trend among the Perrywinkles, namely the “how DARE anyone breathe a word against our chosen one” syndrome. There is no open debate, no vetting and no questioning allowed. Perry is perfect and that’s that.
In other words, they’re acting exactly in the same manner they accuse Palin supporters of acting.
Except they whine more.
Perry supporters have nothing on the Palin cultists.
Let Palin speak. She gives voice to millions of Americans who have been manipulated, over-taxed, ridiculed and bled. Palin is not country club. She is not career. She is not Ivy League. She is not Establishment.
Not one American figure in modern history has been subjected to the vitriol, hatred and abuse as Palin. Not even close. And that abuse comes from the suspects of the Establishment Left & “Right” and of course from the huge, psychotic wing of left.
Ace used to run a fine blog but his man-crush on Perry seems to have clouded his judgement and any threat to his beloved now is to be destroyed. Ace is becoming Charles Johnson or Frum or Sullivan. It is like another bizarre Twilight Zone epidose like “To Serve Perry”.
Palin will announce on Constitution Day, Sept 17.
JMO. 🙂
Today was fun, Stacy. Wish you were here.
Oh please. Palin supporters are fighting for something. Perry’s are only fighting against. The bloom will come off his rose and soon, prob the first debate.
Ace of Spades?…is that a shovel ready job?
As I totally expected, you and Ace have totally ignored the context of Sarah’s speech, choosing instead to dwell on “will she or won’t she enter the race?”
My friend, she’s already in it. Her proposal to end all corporate taxes is going to turn this election upside down. While brilliant, it’s so simple and common sense. I wrote about the effects of such a policy on my blog. You would be well-served to read it and recognize just how significant her proposal is.
Or, you and Ace can continue to dwell on your own feelings of inadequacy because you’re not privy to Sarah’s plans. How sad. You’re missing all that she inspires us to.
Can’t help but think when Palin does make her decision known it will be at her home with her family around her and Lake Lucille [sp] in the background. She will be on the phone to Bob and Mark.
Truth be told I don’t understand why anyone is lining up behind anyone yet. I can see opposing certain candidates but not picking a horse quite yet.
I just wish she would announce one way or the other. I want to see a few debates with three candidates. That is enough that they all get loads of time to talk and make each other confront hard questions. It looks (at the moment) like that will be Perry, Romney and one other person. Gov Palin would be welcome. Please don’t let it be Ru Paul.
“Ace is becoming Charles Johnson or Frum or Sullivan.”
Seriously?
For those who like Palin, when don’t they like her speech? No bad word is acceptable, lest you be called a traitor.
RSM,
Palin? Blah, blah, blah. I love the lady’s politics. I believe she is one of the greatest things to happen to the conservative cause since…whenever.
She is a genius at fund raising and pushing conservative value buttons. BUT, I also believe the American public has moved past the point of coy and cuteness on who the f*** IS going to defeat Obumbles.
Our country is crumbling and I’m going to give more than short shrift to a former Governor, who Quit during her first term and was John McCain’s 2008 running mate (JOHN RINO McCAIN. Whom she endorsed in the 2010 mid terms. Give me a freaking break.) who is playing fast and loose with the people who obviously admire her and who could be spending their time more politically productive if she would say yay or nay to running.?
Is she running? Ain’t she running? Who gives a f***? I thought we were the Party of ideas, not imaginary scenarios. Patience is in very short supply in the US of A.
Pshaww! Pretend is for little kids and mental patients.
Hell, as early as the season is, we already have top beat Mitt Romney.
I repeat. Mitt f****** Romney.
http://capitalistpreservation.blogspot.com/
“Truth be told I don’t understand why anyone is lining up behind anyone yet. I can see opposing certain candidates but not picking a horse quite yet.”
That’s a refreshing change of pace.
Way to early to get our bowels in an uproar.
I’ll keep it simple, Stacy.
What Palin is doing is tried and true Conservative battle strategy that goes back to Nixon in 1968 at least: stake out your marker on the right and don’t let anyone, especially some faux-conservative from Texas pretend that he’s a more authentic conservative than you are.
Palin doesn’t care if the Paultards outflank her on the right. She just doesn’t want Perry there. And after free college for Mexicans and no border fence, I don’t think there’s much danger in that.
Palin’s other tactic is to let Mittens use his Girl Friday to beat up on Perry for awhile, rather than on her. Michelle’s 527 is already making anti-Perry ads. Why not let Perry and Romney beat each other up for a couple of weeks.
Megan McCardle has also been pushing the policy at the less-than-conservative Atlantic. she insists it’s pie-in-the-sky, but a prominent GOP pol has now suggested it so we’ll see. It probably will need to go with eliminating the preference for capital gain income to pass.
But being called a ‘bot or cultist is just truth, eh? Namecalling is prevalent on both sides m’dear.
Nixon wasn’t running against a dyed in the wool Marxist. I stand by my ‘pretend’ remark. And I am thrilled Palin has informed you as to her strategy.
I agree. I ask myself, what is she doing now that she would be doing differently had she said “I think I’ll run for president this cycle” on camera? And can’t think of a darn thing.
No, he was running against Johnson, a true capitalist with his Great Society and all. /s (Johnson didn’t drop out until well after Nixon got in.)
She is running pure and simple. Every time she makes appearances she drops hints, but she does not have to declare yet and good for her.
Her message is on the side of her bus: One Nation.
She is running as a uniter, as somone who empowers and inspires people. She is the only candidate on the right that can take her message directly to the people.
By that I mean she is the only candidate on the right that DOES empower and inspire people, others try and they fail ( cough cough Pawlenty )
Like she said today, she is not paying high-priced pundits to go on TV and say nice things about her.
Maybe she should, maybe that is her big mistake, but time will tell.
Please clarify: Are you suggesting that Bachman is cozy with Romney and is running as a stalking horse against Perry? If so, how did you arrive at that conclusion?
Johnson, even with the GIGANTIC failure of his ‘great society’ looks like a Capitalist robber baron next to Obama.
I don’t give a shit if she announces or not. I’m done with her. She thinks this is some kind of game where she makes all of the rules.
Well, lots of us are tired of your indecision. I supported her in 08, knocking on doors, donating… Now, I have a candidate. One who has declared.
It’s time to get serious, Sarah. We have a year.
Ahhh, a Rovian I see. Well good on you sir.
Come on, who’s Bachmann, in the most hamhanded parody of Tea Party bravado, since TRUMP had his go around?
You gleamed from Gimme a break’s 40 odd words about indecision that he is a “Rovian”? What does that even mean?
Argghh! It’d be nice if we could do a little vetting, have some tough debates, but without jumping to silly conclusions and knee-jerk name-calling.
No, you supported the guy who was running. You knocked on doors for McCain. You donated to McCain. Let’s be clear about what happened in 2008.
But you could think those things of Bachman without assuming that she’s coordinating with Team Romney. Thus, I was curious if section9 was blindly speculating or just talking out of his arse?
Mr. Rick Perry where are you on the scoamf’s epas cross state pollution reg. you’re still the governor of texas no? yes you were elected in 2010!!11!!
Not a Rovian at all, Shallow. I think he’s a dumbass.
Nice to see you Palinistas resorting to name calling and strawmen. It’s all you have since your candidate is so indecisive. We need to be serious. Obama must go.
Ed Rollins who just months before had shown contempt for Bachmann, just months before, and debuted his campaign by attacking Palin personally.
But if Gimme a break began knocking on doors for McCain after Palin had been named the running mate, at that point it was either McCain or Obama. As awful as McCain was/is, I’m not sure if we want to start implying that GOP voters/activists who supported McCain are therefore tainted.
I’m with Ace on this one Stacy. She’s not just jerking around “the media” (which, by the way, include friendly media including those members of the blogosphere not following her around like a bunch of happy puppies). She’s jerking around a whole nation full of undecided voters.
Palin’s fans are amused by what she does, but they are the only ones. To a large chunk of the electorate, she looks capricious and vain.
You’re mistaken. How would you know my motives.
Until McShamnesty picked Palin, I was thinking of staying home due to my visceral dislike of McCain. He’s no conservative.
You, sir, shouldn’t think you know me at all. To do so makes you a dumbass too.
That was not my intent at all. Gimme suggested that he did all those things for Palin. Palin wasn’t running in that election. I offer no opinion whatsoever on McCain, just the observation that he was the candidate.
Just that you used Karl Rove’s own words to shape your argument. Although he is a high priced consultant who is paid to go on TV to say nice things about the payee of the moment he is just following the rules, right?
I think you (and others) are just choosing to look at it that way. The national electorate is still not paying attention. The race has only started for political insiders, who have been following the race since the last one ended in 2008. these people are definitely impatient. But the average GOP primary voter doesn’t even know who all has declared right now and will be fine waiting another couple of weeks.
There will be a lot of ripple effects, but I just don’t see a downside.
Just to clarify: you’re suggesting that Ed Rollins is loyal to a certain group of (probably establishment) insider pols who support Romney; that these insiders decided that Romney would benefit from some assymetric political maneuveurs, including sending Ed Rollins to Bachman to help coordinate her role as a stalking horse against Perry and/or other potential threats to Romney?
At what point did Bachman conclude that her candidacy was unviable, except inasmuch as she could assist Romney (or was it ever a “real” campaign)?
Do we have any evidence supporting this theory other than your interpretation of team Bachman’s campaign choices?
Ok, so McCain is not conservative enough for you to vote for even if he were the nominee, and neither is Palin.
Who on earth are you planning to vote for that IS conservative enough?
But if someone agreed with Rove on one point, would that make him a full-fledged Rovian? And what exactly is Rovianism? We know that Rove is a crafty little bastard. Does Rovianism = belief in crafty bastardy?
So the polls showing 72% of Tea Partiers would NOT vote for her are bulls***? These people are currently disinterested voters? Gimmie a freaking break.
Yeah seriously. I used to be a regular there but I frankly stopped after Ace et al turned into some sort of strange cult of personality. Maybe that happens to bloggers and their fanbois after a time. Personally I prefer to have my own opinions rather than regurgitating some other dreck.
What is there to decide, Obama is a danger to the continued existence of this country as a beacon to the world, but he is not
a SCOAMF who said this back when it mattered, and who has been the clarion call for three years now, who paid a price for it.
Okay, my bad – I see now that I misconstrued your comment.
You’re right, it’s not that impressive for Gimme a break to claim that he supported Palin in 2008. We’ll find out who the real Palin supporters are soon enough, I suspect.
She’s running. But what I find interesting is the distinct shift in the LA Times in recent months. I don’t think they like Obama very much anymore. Maybe because they know they sat on some really damning stuff, maybe because they still have some integrity… they don’t like Obama, and the coverage is more and more showing him to be what he is.
And, by the same token – they seem to LIKE Sarah Palin. It’s encouraging an almost heartwarming in the sense that, phew, MAYBE there’s HOPE.
I might be classified as a Palin “cultist,” I suppose – AND, I love Herman Cain, I’m impressed by how well Michele Bachmann is showing, LOVE Rick Perry’s appearance so far (in quotes and text) don’t yet know if he will hold up on camera. I think it comes down to these four, then to two, then the one.
I hope they reserve their fire for the target, no need to kill off each other. The media will do that. the Dems will do that.
Don’t shoot our own. Don’t send our gladiator into the ring bloodied by friendly fire. No matter who it is. Support them. The world is at stake – and Obama is done. Forget this media meme that no one can beat him. He has already done himself in. He will have to cheat to get anywhere. Don’t badmouth Palin, Or Perry – they MUST WIN.
alwaysfiredup, you are spot on right. It’s the insiders that have their tits in a ringer. Sarah Palin gave a policy speech that other Republican candidates are going to have to answer to in next week’s debate. She’s not jerking anyone around except maybe Stacy McCain. There’s plenty of time to make a decision and when she does, she’ll have a tremendous amount of support. I don’t think she’ll care if Jimmie is not on board.
The only conservative anything Nixon ever had was a pose.
Of course the Left likes Palin. She’s their best chance at another term.
Bachmann is true Tea Party to the core and has been a drummer through out the dark days since Zero took office. She is entirely justified in claiming she’s led in the many fights that have gotten so many involved despite the fact that we lost many of them. Unfortunately tpaw was correct in pointing out that her actual accomplishments are few. Questioning her viability as presidential timber is perfectly legitimate. Calling her a shill for someone else or comparing her to Trump is simply moronic. You Palanistas have got to get a grip speculating on whether or not she will run or not is not a Bolshevik plot to diminish your hero. Thankfully there are no “Lightworkers” in or about to be in the Republican field. We don’t need any and we certainly want any.