Dems fear a Palin candidacy!

It's haven't heard much talk in the liberal blogosphere about a potential Palin candidacy. But when I do find leftists who are aware of the possibility, they all seem to have a similar reaction: fear.

My latest find was this comment on a recent Daily Kos post (bolding added):

Sarah Palin would be by far be the most attractive VP for McCain (literally and figuartively). That's probably the toughest ticket we could face (assuming Lieberman is telling the truth when he says he won't run with McCain). But I think most likely, McCain will choose someone under age 50 to off-set concerns about his age and make him seem less like an insider, so Tim Pawlenty or John Thune could also be possible choices.

I don't think McCain is stupid enough to choose Huckabee (The Republican base would explode) or Rice (Do you really want THAT strong of a connection to the Bush administration?).

by Namtrix on Tue Jan 29, 2008 at 09:29:00 PM PST

As cocky as the Democrats have been about their 2008 chances, I think it's fair to say that you are on to something big when you can identify a candidate who truly scares them.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have found that candidate and her name is Sarah Palin!

Alaska Mag: Palin is "more than just a pretty face"

If you live in Alaska, you really ought to pick up a copy of the February issue of Alaska magazine, as the cover story is a fantastic profile of Gov. Palin and her family written by Melissa DeVaughn . There's far too much good info to fit into a blog post. But, for the benefit of my fellow lower-48ers who don't happen to have friends in Alaska sending them copies of such things, I figured I'd post a few excerpts here. What I found most intriguing were the descriptions of Gov. Palin's behavior and outlook on life. I've said this too many times already, but this proves yet again that Palin is the kind of common-sense personality that is sorely needed in Washington.

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"She can be on the phone with Dick Cheney and have (Republican Senate President) Lyda Green right outside her door, and her kids call and she goes, 'Oops, hold on,'" said [Shannon] Leighow, the deputy press secretary. "Her kids trump everyone, and I think that's pretty neat.

Watching her everyday life, its easy to forget Palin is the governor, a quality that unnerves her security detail. She often walks down the road to meet Piper's school bus. And although she could have a driver with her at all times, she prefers to drive herself.
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When they were married in 1988, Sarah and Todd were coming off a mediocre fishing season in Bristol Bay. She didn't want to burden her parents with the costs , something the young couple thought was totally unnecessary.

So they took the practical approach. One day in August, they simply drove to the Palmer courthouse and bought a marriage licence. But they still needed two witnesses to stand for them at the ceremony,

"So they went to the senior center there in Palmer and got two old people as witnesses," [Palin's father Chuck] Heath said. "They didn't know them at all. I'd love to have seen that. When Sarah came home, she said, 'By the way, we got married today.'"
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[The governor's Daughter] Bristol, upon returning from a shopping trip in Anchorage, received Palin's approval for the $15 dress she bought for the night's gala they were about to attend. No need for a $300 gown, Palin said.

But when Bristol revealed she spent $30 on a leg waxing-"That was supposed to be gas money," Todd Palin said disapprovingly-the governor wasn't too happy, either."

"That's a waste of money," she said, "You have razors."
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Maybe I should have focused more on the political parts of the article, but frankly I think you can tell a lot more about a leader from the way they live their life than you can from their political positions (and most of the political details are things I have posted on before).

So, let's keep up the good work and make sure that this fine lady is sent to Washington ASAP.

Liveblog: Showdown in Juneau

All times Alaskan:

4:36 PM: Okay, the Dem response is over. Not much substance to it, they want problems fixed but not many programs were suggested. No commentary afterward, feed just went dead.

4:31 PM: Oh dear, now we have to listen to a Democratic response.

4:30: Ends the speech by literally saying, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"...You go gov!

4:26 PM: More choice and personal responsibility in healthcare, wants to eliminate certificates of need. Also think she almost teared up talking about child sexual abuse. Appeals for unity in Government, says it's not about "who gets the credit". Ouch!

4:23 PM: The Gov. wants Alaskans to vote on some projects in the budget...cool!

4:20: Palin is appointing an "Energy Coordinator", says AK can lead U.S. to energy independence. Says schools have to be about more than test scores, wants education funding package. Quotes Victor Hugo: "He who opens a school door closes a prison."

4:14 PM: Palin wants to reduce "burdensome taxes and fees", argues for AGIA, says it is working. Notes that Alaska cannot "surrender its sovereignty" ore be "leveraged by a small group of companies."

4:11 PM: New camera angle, can't see Lyda Green's face anymore. Wondering if that is purposeful.

4:08 PM: Governor Palin talks about shrinking government, making Alaska a self-sufficient state. References Ronald Reagan. Calls for environmental policy based on "science, not special interests".

4:05 PM: Palin lists the accomplishments of here first year; Green looks very teed off, I just watched her roll her eyes.

4:00 PM: Senate Pres. Lyda Green is seated right behind the podium, I'll be watching her face the entire time. It's produced by KTOO Juneau, and there are in fact two commentators for analysis.

3:56 PM: Just tuned in via KTUU. Its a direct feed from the "Gavel to Gavel" coverage from the legislature's website, so it doesn't look like there will be any analysis from the local talking heads. I'll be watching both the speech and the audience to see who does and doesn't applaud, etc. Hopefully I can watch the 5:00 news on KTUU afterwards for analysis.

BREAKING: Showdown in Juneau!

NOTE: I will be liveblogging this event tonight starting at 8:00 PM Eastern/5:00 PM Pacific (4:00 PM Alaskan). Be sure to check back for minute-by-minute coverage. (You will be able to watch a live stream by clicking here)

The brouhaha surrounding Gov. Palin's State of the State address tonight has got to be one of the most bizarre and convoluted political messes that I have ever seen (luckily, the Governor is handling it very well). I will make an attempt to describe the madness below, but you may be better served by simply reading the details from the Anchorage Daily News and listening to Gov. Palin's excellent interview this morning on "The Bob and Mark Show" (Thanks yet again to Trish at Palintology.com).

The intrigue started yesterday when news broke that, ostensibly due to bad weekend weather, the Senate would have to delay the opening of the legislative session until 6:00 PM tonight, the exact time when the Governor planned to speak (after which Gov. Palin has to immediately catch a flight to her son's boot camp graduation in Georgia). This set up a situation where the Senate would not be able to attend the address. Then news surfaced today that there were plenty of seats available on flights into Juneau that would allow Senators to attend their original 1:00 "gaveling in" time (when the State House actually did gavel in). Then the the speech was moved to 4:00 PM by request of Senate president Lyda Green, pushing the speech out of prime time TV hours, which had been the reason for the 6:00 time in the first place (Lyda Green is a well known enemy of Gov. Palin).

The Senate is blaming the Governor for speaking at 6:00 instead of 7:00, and not speaking later in the week (even though the time was requested a month ago and the Senate session was only scheduled yesterday). It appears that this snafu may have come about due to a breakdown of communication between the House Speaker and Senate President, but it seems to have blown up into a showdown between the governor and Lyda Green.

If you are still confused; don't worry, so am I. Be sure to check back here for live updates as soon as the speech starts. The one thing I will say is that Palin had every right to speak at 6:00 PM, and every right to see her son become a soldier as well. The Senate could have easily made their originally scheduled 1:00 "gaveling in" session (because the much larger House DID make that time). The whole thing smells just a little rotten to me.

Flashback: 2006 Gubernatorial Debate

Trish at Palintology.com has once again provided some wonderful content on Gov. Palin that you can't find elsewhere on the web. This time, she's obtained video of a 2006 Republican primary debate between gubernatorial candidates Sarah Palin, John Binkley, and Frank Murkowski. (Click here to watch)

I think that this footage is very important, as one of the questions we face as a movement is whether the governor could hold her own in a debate against the Democratic VP nominee. This shows that she could not only compete in such a debate, but win it handily. One thing to note is that Palin remains calm and collected while Murkowski and Binkley descend into several childish shouting matches. She also displays a down-to-earth communication style, reminiscent of Ronald Reagan, which makes her seem less aloof than the other two candidates.

I also noticed that Palin's opponents in this debate are very similar to some of the frontrunners for the Democratic VP nomination. Frank Murkowski's style reminds me a lot of Bill Richardson, who tries to browbeat opponents with his experience. John Binkley, on the other hand, seems to be channelling Joe Biden, a fast talker with a good grasp of the issues and an overly high opinion of himself.

Many thanks to Trish, who has been instrumental in providing us with exclusive content that most non-Alaskans don't have access too. If not for her, we would not have heard Palin's "Bob and Mark Show" interview, and now she has provided us with this great footage of Gov. Palin in action. Kudos to you, Trish!

Palin pens op-ed for New York Times!

If you picked up a copy of the New York Times on Saturday, you may have noticed an editorial piece titled "Bearing Up" written by none other than Governor Sarah Palin. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first piece written by the governor to appear in any national publication. It is also well worth reading, as it addresses an issue which should be getting far more national press coverage than currently receiving: the push by a radical environmental group to list Alaska's perfectly healthy polar bear population as an endangered species based on "uncertain" climate change models. Essentially, they are trying to use the Endangered Species Act as back-door way of restricting greenhouse gas production under the guise of protecting polar bear habitat.

Gov. Palin's editorial expertly shoots down the idea that polar bears are in danger and lays out a more common-sense based approach to ensuring that such species are protected. I would recommend this article not only as evidence that Gov. Palin is the type of sensible leader that this country needs, but also as required reading for anyone interested in environmental issues.

Click here to read the article.

Palin: National office would be "an honour".

For the second time in a week, I have some amazing quotes from the Gov, to let you know about. They were actually published way back in October, but it took me forever to find them as they were given to a British-bade international affairs magazine. It's taken me a month to get access to the article, but it was well worth the wait. So, without further ado, I would like to share some excerpts from Gov. Palin's interview for the October issue of Monocle:

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Monocle: You must have heard the recent gossip that Rudy Giuliani, if he emerges as Republican nominee for President next year, might ask you to be his running mate. Would you consider it?

Sarah Palin: I think it is so far in outer space, the possibility that he would ever want a hockey mum from Wasilla to be his running mate, that I haven't considered it. I think the obligation that I have here is to serve my four-year term as a governor of Alaska. That's the deal that I struck with voters. There is much more that Alaska can do to contribute to the US and I think I can help it do that as governor. But it would obviously be an honour for me to serve the country. And for Alaska's sake too, it would be very good for our future for an Alaskan to be serving nationally. (emphasis mine)

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M: Back to the running-mate question. Say the Democratic ticket is Clinton-Obama, a woman and a black man, you can see why the party might approach you?

SP: That's diversity right there, isn't it? Wow! And who do the Republicans have? Good old rich white boys. I think that's another factor that has to be considered by Republicans, that in some way their candidates are a reflection of more politics as usual. Not to slam good old rich boys, but it sure wouldn't hurt for new energy and new perspective to be enveloped by the Republican Party.

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There are two things to take note of here. 1) The governor is making it sound like she is very open to serving on a ticket if asked. 2) "Gossip" is circulating that Rudy Giuliani wants Gov. Palin as his running mate. Now, I don't know where that rumor originated or how it evolved, but it's certainly not something that has ever appeared on this site or any of the sites which endorse our movement. We have laid out many reasons why Giuliani (or any other nominee) should seriously consider Sarah Palin as a running mate, but we have never asserted to have any knowledge of who is actually being considered for the VP position. Let's hope that these rumors are more than just "gossip".

Palin adresses VP speculation on "The Bob and Mark Show"

UPDATE: Palintology.com has posted the audio of Gov. Palin's "Bob and Mark Show" interview. Sorry that technical difficulties prevented me from posting it here.

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The good news just won't stop coming in, and today it's from Gov. Palin herself! We've obtained audio of an interview which she gave yesterday to "The Bob and Mark Show" on Anchorage's KWHL, and a good amount of time was spent on speculation that Gov. Palin might be moving up to higher office. I hope to have the audio file posted ASAP, but I'm having some technical difficulties.

Anyway, the governor wouldn't give a direct "yea" or "nay" about a possible 2008 VP candidacy, but what she did say was probably more encouraging than anything we have heard from her before. For one, she noted that "there does have to be some kind of diversity" on the 2008 GOP ticket. Then, she went a little further, saying, "A couple of rich, old white men trying to represent a party, much less the nation; I don't think that's going to cut it....it's going to be interesting to see how clever they can be."


Then the conversation got REALLY interesting, as Bob and Mark posed an even more dramatic question....would Gov. Palin be interested in someday becoming President Palin? The answer, "Absolutely! Just think of the changes you could affect. Just think of, I guess, the reality that you could bring to the job there." (Granted, she also a said that it was "fantasy thinking right now" and "if ever...way in the future".)

There's obviously a lot more to those answers than I can post at the moment, but I think it's safe to say that this is a very positive development for our movement and our nation. At the very least, it sounds like the governor might consider running nationally in the future.

Many thanks to Trish Houser of Palintology.com, who brought this story to our attention and was instumental in obtaining an mp3 copy of the interview.