WizBang: Palin to meet with VP search team!!!

According to Kevin Aylward of WizBang, Arthur Culvahouse, the head of John McCain's VP search, has been spotted in Juneau! If this is true, it would confirm that the McCain campaign is SERIOUSLY considering a Palin nomination.

If you have any information that can independently confirm this report, please contact me at palinforvp@gmail.com.

Great column by Jean Avery

You've probably heard all of my arguments for a Palin candidacy by now, so I figured that it would be refreshing to post somebody else's for once. Jean Avery of Moms for McCain recently wrote a very good column on the subject (reposted over at McCainNow), and I think that you should read it. It's one of the best pro-Palin pieces that I have read, and it eloquently sums up some of the key ideals of our movement.

Click here to read.

Conservative praise, leftist fear, and another big poll

The pro-Palin news just won't stop coming in. Based on the stories listed below, along with the ones listed in the previous post, I think that it is now safe to declare that the "Palin Revolution" has officially begun.

CONSERVATIVE PRAISE

Jonah Goldberg plugs Palin as a potential VP at National Review's "The Corner"

Ross Douthat does the same for The Atlantic.

I'm also hearing that Rush Limbaugh dropped Palin's name today (my hit count skyrocketed, so I believe it).

LEFTISTS COWER IN FEAR

Chris Kelly sounds the alarm in an apoplectic, poorly researched diatribe for the Huffington Post.

DailyKos poster "Thatcher" figures out the Dems are utterly unprepared to face a McCain-Palin ticket. (May 23)

OUR BIGGEST POLL YET

MSNBC has posted it's own version of "VP Madness". With over 45,000 votes already cast, this poll is too big for anyone to hijack, and Palin leads Rob Portman in Round One (presumptive Round Two opponent: Sen. John Thune). Palin-Portman was listed as one of the marquee matchups in the first round by hosts David Gregory and Chuck Todd , with Todd declaring ""Don't be surprised if [Palin]'s got some grassroots movement". Todd also compared Gov. Palin to the basketball team from Davidson College (the Cinderella story of this year's March Madness). I don't know much about Chuck Todd, but right now I like him a lot.

A weekend to remember.

It's been crazy trying to keep up with all of the news surrounding Gov. Palin in the last few days, especially as my offline life has been extremely busy. So, I figured that a recap of the highlights would be more convenient for you than detailed descriptions. There has also been a lot of buzz in the blogosphere; too much to list here, in fact. But you'll get the idea if you go to Google Blogsearch and enter "Sarah Palin".

ENDORSEMENTS

Columnist Nat Hentoff (Washington Times, Jewish World Review)

FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog

Darvio Morrow at "Associated Content"

OTHER MENTIONS

Michael Goldfarb of The Weekly Standard ("on the Palin bandwagon" for the VP slot)

Michelle Malkin (regarding polar bear lawsuit, "You go , girl.")

Hugh Hewitt (Also on polar bear lawsuit, "Bravo")

National Review's environmental blog, "Planet Gore" ("Planet Gore may just have to endorse Sarah Palin as its choice for McCain's running mate"...I'm playing it safe by not labeling that as an endorsement)

Mark Steyn (at National Review's "The Corner")

Kathyrn Jean Lopez (Also at "The Corner)

Kirby Wilbur, guest host on "The Sean Hannity Show" (unconfirmed)

The Rush Limbaugh Program (a caller...not Rush himself)

ALASKAN POLITICS

Palin vetoes $268 MILLION in wasteful spending! (10% of the total capital budget...good work, Governor!)

Video Message on CQ's "VP Madness" Results

Well, I finally got my first attempt at video-blogging loaded. All of the sites mentioned in the video are linked below. Be sure to spread the word about how how Huckabee "won" the poll. Thanks to all of the Palin supporters who voted!

Links:

CQ's wrap-up post by Greg Giroux.

"Huck's Army"

"Hucks Army" message board thread targeting the "VP Madness" finals.

U.S. News & World Report poll targeted by "Huck's Army" (Huckabee at 74%, despite an early lead for Romney)

"Huck's Army" forum thread engineering the U.S. News poll result.

FullosseousFlap endorses Palin!

"Senator, forget about Romney, Crist or Jindal and invite Palin down for a visit."

-FullosseousFlap

For those of you unfamiliar with "FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog", Flap is a very widely read and respected political blogger. This is a BIG endorsement, and it is a great honor to welcome Flap aboard the Good Ship Palin.

Gov. Palin has received a lot of press in the past few days, establishing her as a bona fide contender for the GOP VP nod. We are very hopeful that more endorsements will be rolling in soon

Oh...and stay tuned for an important message later today.

UPDATE: YouTube is not cooperating with me, and I'll be busy graduating from college today (Friday). So, the video message is a little late...but it will hopefully be up tonight.

Breaking: Palin to sue feds over Polar Bears

Gov. Palin made international headlines today by announcing that the State of Alaska will sue U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne for listing Alaska's healthy, growing population of polar bears as a "threatened species". We fully support her decision to stand up against this illegal listing, which is based on suspect climate modeling rather than scientific evidence. Environmentalist groups are planning to use the listing as a back door way of forcing the U.S. Government to impose draconian limitations, so Gov. Palin's lawsuit is really a service to the entire nation, not just Alaska. This is the type of gutsy leadership that proves, yet again, that Gov. Palin needs to be installed as a national leader ASAP.

I will do my best to keep you updated on this rapidly developing story.

Nat Hentoff endorses Palin for VP!

He has found success as an opinion columnist, historian, novelist, jazz critic, and prominent pro-lifer...and he wants Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket this fall! Writing today in Jewish World Review, Nat Hentoff declares, "John McCain, here is your vice president." Hentoff describes himself as a "Jewish atheist civil-libertarian pro-lifer", and Nachama Soloveichik of the Club for Growth's "VP Watch" blog calls him, "one of the few ardent pro-lifers on the Left." He also serves on the board of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) - an outstanding organization in this blogger's opinion - and has been critical of the ACLU's support of restrictive speech codes. We should all be extremely proud to welcome such a prominent and well-respected figure as Nat Hentoff to our movement.

Here are some of the high points of the column:

Because of Palin's reputation as a maverick, and her initial reduction of state spending (including pork-barrel spending), life-affirming Palin connects with voters and has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential running mate for John McCain.

She would be a decided asset — an independent Republican governor, a woman, a defender of life against the creeping culture of death and a fresh face in national politics, described in "the Almanac of National Politics" as "an avid hunter and fisher with a killer smile who wears designer glasses and heels, and hair like modern sculpture."

Hat Tips:
Nachama Soloveichik (Club for Growth)
PalinForVP.com

VP Madness: PALIN IN FINAL ROUND!!!

Gov. Palin is now just one victory away from WINNING CQ Politics' "VP Madness"! She beat out Rob Portman in the Final Four by a vote of 56%-43%, advancing to a final confrontation with Mike Huckabee.

I'm very confident in the chances of a Palin victory, but the presidential primaries proved that underestimating Mike Huckabee is a huge mistake. So, let's make sure that we give our favorite governor as much help as we possibly can.

PLEASE let as many people as you can know about this poll. Post it on your blog, email your friends, write a note on your Facebook profile, anything to help push Gov. Palin over the top. Win or lose, VP Madness has been a major victory for our movement, but a win here could permanently catapult Sarah Palin into the top tier of the top tier of the veepstakes (at least as far as the media is concerned).

LET'S WIN THIS!!!

Palin tops NY Times' list of potential female presidents!

With Hillary Clinton all but vanquished in the Democratic primary race, the New York Times has produced an article speculating on who could now be the frontrunners to become the first female president. The first candidate mentioned? You guessed it, Sarah Palin!

Now, in all fairness, the list was not ranked. However, Palin was both the first woman listed and one of only two mentioned twice. And, as most of the other people mentioned were Democrats, she was by far the most prominent Republican in the article. I think it is fair to say that Palin was at the "top" of the Times' list. At the very least, she ranks among the top two or three candidates (Govs. Sebelius and Napolitano were also prominently mentioned).

So, it looks like the national media is not only noticing Gov. Palin, but seriously considering her as a future leader of the nation.

VP Madness: Palin in FINAL FOUR!!!!!

WOW! Gov. Palin has made the "Final Four" in CQ Politics' "VP Madness!". She beat out Bobby Jindal by a margin of 54%-45%, and now faces Former White House Budget Director Rob Portman for a spot in the final matchup.

Let's give Gov. Palin all the help we can; she has the lead over Portman right now, but it has to hold until Monday. Keep up the good work

Oh..and in case you wanted to know, Palin and Portman are joined in the Final Four by Mike Huckabee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

News Video: Palin's popularity a "phenomenon"

This story aired yesterday on KTUU, Anchorage's NBC affiliate, and it's brilliant. I particularly liked the fact that the term "crushing" was used to describe what Gov. Palin is doing to her opponents in the CQ "VP Madness" poll. The McCain campaign should note that Palin remains the most popular politician in the country, with approval ratings well over 80%, and that these numbers are totally unaffected by the many polarizing issues that the governor has confronted. It takes a very special leader to generate such a "phenomenon"

Click here to watch.

VP Madness: The "Elite Eight"

Governor Palin has advanced to Round 3 in Congressional Quarterly's "VP Madness" after eliminating Senator Sam Brownback! Now, she must face off against Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to earn a spot in the Final Four.

I am very pleased with this matchup, as Palin and Jindal are often mentioned together as the future stars of GOP. Hence, a victory in this head-to-head matchup could help cement Sarah Palin's status as the brightest young star in the Republican firmament. This round only last until Friday, so let's get to work and push our favorite governor into the Final Four!

New Logo!

The logo above was designed by Ethan Demme of "My McCain Blog", who recently endorsed our movement. I think it’s brilliant, and I have secured his permission to use it as an official emblem for our cause. Please post this to your blog’s sidebar, your MySpace or Facebook profile, and anywhere else you can. If this picture starts popping up all over the net, Let’s make sure that this thing goes viral.

Thanks again to Ethan Demme for his design work, and I'm glad to welcome him to the Draft Palin Family.

VP Madness: Round 2

Gov. Palin has advanced to round two in Congressional Quarterly's "VP Madness" bracket! After pummeling Texas Gov. Rick Perry 59%-40% in the Round of 32, she now faces Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback in the "Sweet Sixteen". Early results put her in the lead, but she needs to keep that lead until Monday in order to advance to the "Elite Eight".

This is the biggest poll yet for our movement, so be sure to make your voice heard by voting for Gov. Palin!

Like Bobby Jindal? You'll LOVE Sarah Palin!

This morning's New York Times contains a very interesting column by William Kristol, in which Kristol says that numerous McCain staffers and advisers are starting to float Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as a potential running mate. Believe it or not, I think this is a very good sign for our movement. If the McCain campaign is in the market for a young, reformist governor with charisma and demographic appeal, we have just the person for them.

Don't get me wrong, Bobby Jindal is a great governor, but Sarah Palin is Bobby Jindal on steroids. Jindal has only been governor for a few months, and he is doing his best to clean out the corrupt political establishment in Louisiana. Palin, on the other hand, has been through two full legislative sessions (not counting two special sessions) and has already upended the equally corrupt Alaskan establishment. In fact, with her Lt. Governor, Sean Parnell, now attempting to unseat the state's infamous 18-term Congressman, Don Young, it not a stretch to say that Gov. Palin has started a revolution in Alaskan politics. And to top the whole package off, Palin is a former broadcast journalist with phenomenal communication skills and charisma to spare.

I try to avoid telling candidates how to run their campaigns. However, seeing as Sen. McCain seems to be trying running mates on for size lately (he's recently campaigned with Jindal, Huckabee, Romney, and Crist), I think the he definitely needs to make a trek to Alaska to talk about energy issues and/or pork-barrel spending...and have a nice long meeting with Gov. Palin while he's at it.

Weekend Media Coverage!

Governor Palin received a good deal of media coverage over the weekend. The Associated Press ran a lengthy story on how she is balancing the governorship and a newborn with special needs. I would highly recommend reading this piece, as the governor displayed great eloquence in describing her love for her new son and asserting that Trig's birth will not hinder her political career. However, one of the more politically relevant parts of the article was not directly connected to Sarah Palin at all. Instead, it detailed the comparative situation of Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), who gave birth to a son with Downs Syndrome last year. Far from being forced to cut her career short, McMorris Rodgers frequently brings her baby to to Washington, D.C. with her and is currently campaigning for a third term...and she says that there is no reason that Trig's birth should limit Gov. Palin's ambitions. So, there is tangible proof that mothers of special needs children can balance family and successful careers in federal politics.

I also stumbled across an interesting quip about one of our supporters in the Anchorage Daily News' Alaska Ear column on Sunday:

SARADISE ... Looks like John Suter of Chugiak, aka Poodle Man, has a bad case of Saralove. A few weeks ago, he was circulating red-and-white bumper stickers reading "Mothers Against Gov't Corruption, Gov. Sarah Palin for V.P., John McCain for President."

Now he's sending out copies of a handwritten note from the governor that reads: "Dear John -- Ha! I love the bumper sticker! Thanks for passing that along. You've always been creative & progressive, & I'm an admirer! Thank you, Sarah Palin."

John is probably best known for once racing a team of poodles in the Iditarod.

I happen to have one of those bumper stickers, and Mr. Suter deserves a pat on the back for his efforts on behalf of our movement. And for the record...I did some research, and those poodles made some pretty good showings in one of the world's most grueling sports events. Personally, I think its a great honor to have the "Poodle Man" on board with our movement.

Palin included in Congressional Quarterly's "VP Madness"!

Congressional Quarterly has just launched a "VP Madness" poll on their website, and Gov Palin made it into their bracket! Be sure to vote, tell all of your friends, post it to your blog, etc. CQ is a very well respected publication, and I think that the the Governor will do very well. Still, she has 31 other candidates to get past, so it's going to take some work to push her over the top.

Here's why I REALLY like this poll: It works off of a "March Madness" style playoff bracket, and I think that Palin can beat anyone in a head-to-head matchup. So, I think her chances are far better in this format than they would be in a traditional poll. For example, she's up against Texas Gov. Rick Perry in Round 1, and she's clobbering him with 60% of the vote (last time I checked). Let's make sure she wins in a blowout. In Round 2, she'll be up against the winner of a Sam Brownback-Fred Thompson faceoff (Brownback is leading), and I like her chances there as well.
I'll be posting updates throughout the process, so be sure to check back often. We need to do everything we can to make sure that Sarah Palin becomes the Cinderella story of this poll. So, let's get to work!