Human Events Article!

I apologize for being tardy in reporting on this article, but I have had a long week and I wanted to be able to address this development in some detail.

Last Thursday, the lead story at HumanEvents.com was entitled, "McCain Veepstakes: Possible Palin?" Written by the publication's political editor, John Gizzi, the article refers to Palin as "Possibly the most intriguing name in the 'veepstakes'" and outlines why she would make a fantastic nominee for vice president. However, Gizzi declares a McCain-Palin ticket "unlikely" and includes the following passage:

“Why can’t she just be from another state?” is a lament heard often by Republicans who feel Palin is a natural for national office, if only she weren’t from a state that is not contiguous with the continental United States and brings only three electoral votes to the electoral column.

This is the one issue where I would take issue with Mr. Gizzi. Winning VP nominees are rarely chosen simply to add their state's electoral votes. Gov. Palin would enhance McCain's reputation as an anti-pork crusader while helping him reach out to women and younger voters. Her decisive leadership in Alaska also shows that she would make a fine president should it become neccessary. Those traits will increase McCain's vote share in every state, handing him more electoral votes than any one state could deliver. Furthermore, a Vice President should be chosen primarily because he/she would make a good President, and I think that Americans could sleep soundly at night knowing that a strong, principled leader like Sarah Palin is a heartbeat away from the White House.

As for a McCain-Palin ticket being "unlikely", I cannot for the life of me see why that would be true. Gov. Palin is both a tremendous leader and, as America's most popular Governor, a potential electoral powerhouse. To quote Gizzi, Sarah Palin is "a candidate right out of central casting". Politically speaking, she's almost too good too be true. Hence, it would be downright idiotic for the McCain campaign not to have her on the shortlist. I personally believe that Senator McCain is being advised by very intelligent people, so McCain-Palin might be a more likely pairing than many are willing to admit.

This site endorses...

Usually, this blog is not in the business of making endorsements, as we are promoting a candidate and do not want to put words in the Gov. Palin's mouth. However, I feel at this point that it is necessary to officially announce the following endorsements at this time. They will be explained in detail, and they will likely be both the first and last endorsements made by this blog.

With that disclaimer, this site endorses...

1. Sen. John McCain for President
This is actually something of a formality, as I have always operated under the assumption that
I would back the eventual Republican nominee. I am issuing this formal statement simply to ensure that everyone knows that this website is 100% behind Senator McCain's candidacy for the presidency. John McCain has a decades-long record of service and and depth of experience unrivaled among the presidential candidates. He will be a fantastic leader for this country, and I am enthusiastically looking forward to his inauguration (along with Vice President Palin's) this coming January.

2. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell for Congress (AK-At Large)

Lieutenant Governor Parnell shocked last week's Alaska GOP convention by announcing that he would be a candidate for the state's lone congressional seat in 2008, pitting him against 18-term incumbent Rep. Don Young in the Republican Primary (a third Republican, State Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, is also running) . Gov. Palin immediately endorsed Parnell's candidacy, and National Review will be endorsing him in next week's issue. Congressman Young, long known as one of the House's premiere porkers, is currently under federal investigation (to be fair, he has not been charged) and his campaign has spent $845,035 on legal fees - though the congressman refuses to say what services he was paying for. Hence, our blog is proud to support the effort to replace him with a Palinite candidate. As I see it, Parnell's candidacy is a continuation of the "Palin Revolution" against Alaska's ethically-challenged political establishment, which began in 2006 when Sarah Palin knocked off incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in the gubernatorial primary. I will be sure to provide links to Parnell paraphernalia for your blogs as soon as his campaign website is launched. Any effort backed Gov. Palin is something that our movement should be supporting; so I gladly offer my endorsement to her lieutenant governor in his run for Congress.

Does this count as bipartisanship?

This video was played at the 2008 convention of the Alaskan Independence Party. If you're not familiar with Alaskan Politics, the AIP is the state's largest third party. Their biggest agenda item is Alaskan separatism, but they are also known for their hardcore libertarian-conservative ideology. So, if you want them to take you seriously, you need to have a serious commitment to small government.

Personally, I think the Governor showed a lot of guts by addressing the AIP. It showed her commitment to serving all of her constituents and reinforced her position as a fiscal and economic conservative. It may have been a risky move, but we need leaders who are willing to take risks if we want to fix Washington.

Palin continues war on pork

"Before vetoes are made again, come tell us why it's so doggone important that we spend the money right now."

-Sarah Palin

Gov. Palin continues to earn her reputation as one of the nation's premiere fiscal conservatives.

This week, the state legislature passed a supplemental budget that loaded with $70 million of spending that the Governor line-item vetoed out of the year's capital budget. Of course, the Governor is threatening a second round of vetoes, but Palin is taking fiscal conservatism a step farther by demanding accountability from the legislators who inserted the projects into the bill. Hence she is calling on legislators to meet with her and explain why their projects (including a batting cage and a gun range) are so "doggone important" that they can't wait for the 2009 capital budget.

"Whether we are talking about a budget that's $70,000 or in this case $70 million," Palin told the Anchorage Daily News, "spending other people's money is a responsibility that I take very seriously."

We need leaders in Washington who recognize that they can't just fritter away the taxpayers' money, and that's why we need Sarah Palin on the ticket this November.

Gov. Palin Supports Troops!

Gov. Palin recently recorded this tribute to our troops for the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program. I really enjoyed watching this, and there are 22 more gubernatorial tributes you can watch on YouTube. You can also send your on thoughts to the troops via the website, be sure to check it out!

New adresses

I have acquired several domain names to make accessing my site more convenient. You will soon be able to get here using the domain names draftsarahpalin.com, palinforvp.org, palinforvp.net, and palinforvp.info.

There are some very major developments out of Alaska that I will be reporting on soon (probably tomorrow), but there is a minor housekeeping matter that I need to address first:

A new website has been launched at the address http://www.palinforvp.com/. It's not mine, but the propiretor is a friend of our movement and he has some great resources available (I encourage all of you to visit). I figured that I'd clearthat up just to avoid confusion due to the similar domain names.

Ingraham on Palin: "I like her!"

Yet another national talk-show host seems very pleased with the idea of Sarah Palin becoming our next Vice President. This time, it's Laura Ingraham. During a discussion of the Veepstakes Monday morning, Miss Ingraham was considerably less than impressed with almost all of the VP possibilities being floated in the media. The notable exception, however, was a certain Governor from the Last Frontier. Gov. Palin is clearly the only VP candidate who can cement McCain's support in the conservative base AND make the ticket more appealing to independent voters. Most of the other names being thrown around can only perform one of those tasks, but there is one candidate can do both. Her name is Sarah Palin. How could you refuse the opportunity to have such a person on your ticket?

Here's what Ingraham had to say:

"We definitely want a governor, but slim pickings, though, in the governors. And I’m telling you, the Alaskan governor…what’s her name? I always forget it. (Producer: “ Palin”). I sat next to her at lunch…she’s gonna kill me ‘cause I know she listens to the show…and this was in July,…or dinner, excuse me, it was a dinner. I spoke at an event. KBYR, our great affiliate, was there. And just [a] great, great time. And she was delightful , and smart…Oh, my phone’s ringing…

(Conversation momentarily interrupted by Ingraham’s answering a sales call on air and launching into a diatribe about receiving solicitations on her cell phone [Blogger’s note : I agree, such calls are insanely annoying.])

….So, back to the Veepstakes. Sarah Palin: I like her. (Producer: “Babe”) Well, she is. She’s a beautiful woman, but she’s also a conservative. Her husband, I think is a shrimper? (pause) He’s a fisherman. I’m not kidding you, and they go out and fish on the weekends. He’s a commercial fisherman. I’m telling you, I think that sells. That sells a lot more than “my friends” and comprehensive immigration reform. And she’s not for comprehensive reform, I can tell you that right now. She’s sick to death of this immigration nonsense in the United States."

If you want to hear it for yourself, you will need a "Laura365" subscription to access the online archives. Obviously, the date you need is 3/10/08, and the comments on Palin begin 1:33:43 into the brodcast.

Front Page story in Anchorage Daily News!

"I'm very confident that a pregnant woman should not and doesn't have to be prohibited from doing anything, including running for vice president."

-Sarah Palin

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This week has certainly been a roller coaster for us, but we're coming out of it stronger than ever. In fact, our movement was the lead story on the front page of today's Anchorage Daily News. Not just the website, mind you, the print edition too. Yes, I was interviewed and have a few quotes, but there are a few other pieces of info that I would also like to direct your attention to:

First, the comment that I quoted at the beginning of this post should shoot down any thoughts that Palin would be withdrawing her name from consideration based on her pregnancy (which will be over before McCain chooses his running mate anyway). I agree with her totally and am taking that comment as a go-ahead to continue our efforts at full speed. The Draft Palin Movement is here to stay, and any rumors of our demise were extremely premature.

Second, the article gives us some good perspective on how we need to focus our efforts in the future. There was no dispute that Gov. Palin is exactly the type of leader that the Republican Party is hungry for. However, there were some questions raised about whether she was "Presidential" enough to be a heartbeat away from the White House and whether she was being considered only because she was young and female. Therefore, our top priority must be to present Gov. Palin as a potential President, and not merely a representative of the future. This means moving away from away from arguments about the need for fresh leadership and focusing like a laser beam on Gov. Palin as an individual. We will have to emphasize her mental toughness, the efficiency with which she is rooting out corruption, her and her long executive resume.

We are no longer selling the mere idea of putting a fresh face on the ticket (we have already won that argument). Instead, we are selling the much narrower and more personal concept of "President Palin", an idea that I think people will like very much once they know the details of the Governor's qualifications.

Palin leading GOPShoppe "Button Poll"

Buy Your McCain-Palin button now!

GOPShoppe.com is running an "Button Poll" for the Vice Presidential nomination by selling McCain campaign buttons featuring 14 different potential running mates. So, not only are they selling McCain-Palin buttons ($3.00), they are clocking and posting how many buttons they sell for each potential VP. As of now, Gov. Palin is LEADING with 17.80% of the vote. Mitt Romney is second with 16.10% and Haley Barbour is third with 12.29%.

For the record, the other 11 contestants are Gov Charlie Crist (FL), Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Rep. Duncan Hunter (CA), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), Gov. Tim Pawlenty (MN), Gov. Rick Perry (TX) , Gov. Mark Sanford (SC), Michael Steele, and Sen. John Thune (SD). So, if you have $3.00 to spare, be sure to buy a button and help keep Gov. Palin on top. Besides, who wouldn't want one of those amazing buttons?

Disclaimers: There are horrendous shipping charges if you live outside the lower 48 (which is a big concern for us). GOPShoppe is not the official vendor for the McCain campaign, but they are obviously a reputable organization as they were the official vendor for the 2000 GOP convention and both of President Bush's inaugurations.

Gov. Palin expecting!

For those of you who aren't in Alaska and haven't heard yet, Gov. Palin announced today that she is seven months pregnant with her fifth child (how she hid it for that long is beyond me). We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to the Palin family.

What this means for our movement: Gov. Palin is due in May, meaning that the littlest Palin will likely be two months old by the time Sen. McCain makes VP choice (traditionally these things are done in around July, especially considering the Democrats' drawn-out primary). Obviously we will be watching this situation very closely, but as of now there are no plans to change our operations in any way.

More V.P. Musings from Gov. Palin

Gov. Palin gave a great interview on Monday to the Los Angeles television station KTLA (she was in L.A. for a conference on women in leadership), and of course the anchors led off with questions about a potential run for the Vice Presidency. Personally, I think she did a fantastic job, not only with the VP questions, but also discussing energy issues and women in leadership.

Click here to watch.

"Obamamania" no match for "The Palin Effect"

Before getting into the nuts and bolts of this column, I would be remiss if I did not thank Rush Limabaugh for all of the help he has given to our movement in the last few days. Mega dittos, El Rushbo!

Now for the actual column.

There has been a lot of talk lately saying that Gov. Palin would be a good VP nominee only if Hillary Clinton comes back to win the Democratic nomination. However, I actually think that the Governor would be even better against a ticket led by Barack Obama, a belief that I held long before the Senator from Illinois became the Dems’ frontrunner. I persevered in this effort because I thought that Palin would also be a very effective choice against Clinton, but I am absolutely ecstatic that we now have the opportunity to put her up against an Obama-led ticket.

Here’s why: Sarah Palin is, in my opinion, a very similar candidate to Barack Obama in terms of her demeanor, youth, message of hope, and massive popularity. The difference is that Palin actually has close to a decade of experience as an executive in state and local government. She has actually PRODUCED change. Obama, on the contrary, has never been an executive. Gov. Palin has built an impressive record of accomplishments during her years in government, while Obama subsists mainly on his oratory skills…and I will take that matchup any day of the week.

If what I’ve heard during the last year has been any indication, the main criticism leveled at Palin in a Vice Presidential campaign would be that she is “inexperienced” based on her relatively short time as Governor. I actually like this criticism because it is easily refuted by listing all of the major proposals that Palin has passed in the last year (ethics reform, AGIA, ACES, etc.) Any shots taken at Palin’s short gubernatorial tenure will boomerang back to the less-experienced Obama and smack him in the face. Furthermore, if Obama picks an experienced old hand for VP (which he probably will), the McCain-Palin campaign could easily claim that the Democrats have their ticket upside-down!

I don’t believe in identity politics - which is why I supported putting up Palin against Clinton, even though it might not impact the female vote. However, from a purely practical standpoint, running a woman makes far more sense if the opposition is running an all-male ticket. Had I been more Machiavellian in this regard, I would have supported running an African-American VP against Hillary and saving a female VP for the off-chance that Obama might win. Yet, now it appears that picking a candidate on principle could also lead us into the best possible situation with regard to demographics.

Governor Palin is the perfect candidate to take on Barack Obama. She’s a fresh face with a message of hope, but she has the record to back it up. On top of that, her popularity among Alaskans (over 80% approval) reaches levels that would flabbergast even the Obama machine. Dimitri Vassilaros, a columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, gave me my first media interview last summer (boy, was I nervous for that one. Still the harshest questions I’ve gotten to date, and most of my better answers didn’t make print). Anyway, his column coined the term “The Palin Effect” to describe the impact that the Governor can have on people. I think he was spot on in using that phrase, because Palin is one of the few leaders who can create not only a base of support, but an electoral phenomenon. And personally, I think that the Palin Effect just might be the antidote to Obamamania.

Palin: I'm Interested.

Gov. Palin tells The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza that she is interested in national office in the future. She doubts that she will be picked this year, but with the increasing buzz around her name, we think that she just might have to "make that decision" sooner rather than later. This video has gone up on a number of big time blogs due to Palin's blunt honesty aout national office. it is also getting noticed that she calls on other potential VP's to be honest about their willingness to serve on a ticket. I will have to disagree with Mr. Cillizza's argument that Palin (or any woman) would be considered only if Hillary Clinton wins the nomination. I hope to comment soon about why I think Palin might be even more effective against Obama than she would be against Clinton. So, stay tuned.

American Spectator, John Fund suggest Palin for VP!

That was the homepage at the website of The American Spectator this morning. You can the full article promoting Gov. Palin for VP by clicking here. In addition to this, I have also been able to confirm that Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund said in a speech this weekend to the Leadership Program of the Rockies that Gov. Palin would be "one of the best" VP choices for Sen. McCain. Hopefully we'll be seeing a lot more of these stories in the coming weeks. (Note: These stories should not be viewed as endorsements, as they are not. But we are very happy to see them.)

Radio Appearance

Lastly, I will be appearing on Political Pistachio. tonight at 10:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Pacific (click here to listen) to discuss Gov. Palin's VP prospects. Be sure to tune in, as I will be talking about some exciting developments.

Action Alert: Palin excluded from Newsmax VP poll!

We have a crucial opportunity to make our voices heard, and we must take it. Newsmax.com (a major conservative news source) posted a poll today regarding John McCain's VP pick and FAILED to include Gov. Palin in its list of 16 candidates. This despite her repeated placement near the top of almost every online poll in which she is included (including the RealClearPolitics "Veepstakes!"). This presents us with a golden opportunity to prove just how much support Palin actually has by flooding Newsmax with our own "votes" via email.

Please send your "votes" for Gov. Palin to Newmax's Editor (click here) and Webmaster (click here) along with requests that Gov. Palin be added to the main poll based on her online base of support (be sure to mention all of the recent media mentions posted on the blog). Please remember to keep your comments civil.

Lastly, please forward this post to your friends. We will not view this as a setback, but rather an opportunity. Newmax's faux pas provides us with a golden chance to let the world know that there is a lot of support for a Palin nomination.

As backup for our argument that Gov. Palin must be included in polls for the VP nomination here is a linked list of major blogs and news oultets who have recently mentioned (or in some cases supported) the idea. By "recently", I mean within the last two weeks.

1. Slublog at Ace of Spades HQ
2. Instapundit
3. Brian Faughnan of The Weekly Standard
4. Samantha Sault, also of The Weekly Standard
5. Brandon Barker of AOL News' Political Machine
6. Lisa Schiffren of National Review
7. Ross Douthat of The Atlantic
8. Dena Bunis of The Orange County Register
9. The Times of India
10. Ray Mickol of Associated Content

We did it!!!

I picked one heck of a week to take a vacation, as McCain has now become the presumptive nominee and the veepstakes has officially begun, and today I found that we have succeeded in our quest to insert Gov. Palin into the top tier of the veepstakes. Here's a brief rundown of our success in the last few days.

1. Ace of Spades, a MAJOR player in the conservative blogosphere, has posted in favor a Palin nomination and linked our blog.

2. Instapundit has once again mentioned a possible Palin nomination.

3. WeeklyStandard.com has suggested Palin not once, but twice for the VP nomination.

4. And here's the big one: Governor Palin is running THIRD (tied) in RealClearPolitics' "Veepstakes!" Only Condoleeza Rice and J.C. Watts recieved more mentions, and Colin Powell had to settle for a tie with Sarah. Other major contenders left in Palin's dust include Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Steele, Bobby Jindal, Charlie Crist, and Kay Bailey Hutchison.

I have an extremely busy day tomorrow here at CPAC, but I will see what I can do to keep you abreast of any new developments. Congratulations! We did it!

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.