Palin & Reagan Covers Strikingly Similar

As I began reading my copy of Going Rogue today, I happened to walk past my bookshelf and noticed something that I hadn't yet. Surely it's been commented on elsewhere, but I had to point it out.

Sarah Palin's book, "Going Rogue: An American Life" looks strikingly similar to Ronald Reagan's "An American Life" book cover.

On both covers, the optimistic conservative leaders are looking up and over into the great future.

Coincidence? Surely not. Make no mistake, our lady from the north is laying the groundwork and doing the homework necessary to pick up the mantle of Reagan in 2012.

You betcha!

Going Rogue: The Case for Sarah Palin in 2012

Click here to read my latest from Examiner.com: Going Rogue: The Case for Sarah Palin in 2012

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As Sarah Palin's book, Going Rogue, comes out this week (and subsequently sells more copies than anyone can imagine) we can expect more of the following chatter regarding her from the media:
She resigned. She’s a quitter. She ain’t bright. She’s white trash.

Yes, those are all of the media talking points on Sarah Palin. Taken together, they alone should serve as impeccable qualifications for the White House. Also “not bright” Ronald Reagan. Quitting? Well, it depends on how you look at it. From the conventional sense, yes Palin quit. From the “maverick” style with which she has blazed her political trail, however, her resignation is just par for the course.

Her book, Going Rogue, hasn’t even come out yet. And still if you are really honest about it, you have to acknowledge that Palin has done more to advance her political agenda (and thus her career) in the months since her July resignation than she ever possibly could have as the sitting governor of Alaska. Taken in full view of her commitment to conservative principles and a revived--and conservative--Republican party, one cannot help but see the merit in her bold political gamble.

Additionally, Palin will be able to stand as a private citizen concerned about the ruling elites. Her populist appeal will be massive. She will stand alone in the pack of folks seeking the office currently stained with the filth of Obama’s socialism, as the only person who left public office intentionally. She doesn’t represent the politics as usual brand, those who seek to preserve their political power at all costs.

To her, political power is merely a means to an end.

And that approach is exactly the approach that the conservatives will be looking for. Sure the media will make a lot of noise about the low polling for the Republican brand in recent polls. They will feign horror at the “imminent” demise of the GOP, while prescribing a steady dose of moderation in order to retain power. Of course, this ignores ongoing polling like the Battleground polling that shows upwards of 60% of folks identifying themselves as either “very conservative” or “somewhat conservative” while self-identifying liberals are in the mere 20s. So the story isn’t so much that the GOP is dying because of too much conservatism, as it is dying because of a leftward drift among the party leadership. Unapologetic conservatism as an election strategy works every time it is tried. Ronald Reagan’s landslides in 1980 and 1984, George H.W. Bush’s in 1988, the GOP takeover of congress in 1994 are proof positive of this. When conservatives try to “moderate” their message, apologize for vast portions of it, or blatantly attempt to become a slightly less socialist Democratic party, the GOP fails miserably. Just ask George W. Bush about his approval ratings post 2004. Just ask Gerald Ford, the George H. W. Bush of 1992, Bob Dole, John McCain and the “drunken sailor” class of the GOP congress in 2004 & 2006.

So, when one looks around at the possible GOP contenders, you have only one candidate that stands consistently and boldly as a passionate conservative advocate. That person is Sarah Palin. Mitt Romney ran for governor and largely governed as a moderate Republican before miraculously changing his tune to a more conservative melody in order to win the nomination in 2008. Conservatives have been down his tired road before. George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, and George W. Bush all gave lip service during election cycles to their alleged conservative beliefs, only to check them at the door once in office. In short, like the reptilian aliens of “V” they hid their moderate scales beneath a nice and shiny outer coating of conservative skin.

Mike Huckabee is a darling of social conservatives, but his fiscal and foreign policy positions during 2008 left a lot of us wondering what the heck he was talking about. Speaking as one who was a big fan of the Huckster, it was disappointing to see him going “off the reservation” of conservatism when he could have stayed on message and claimed the nomination from the moderate duo of McCain and Romney.

Tim Pawlenty seems better than Romney as an establishment conservative, but his actions thus far have shown a lack of principle over party. When push comes to shove, Pawlenty will fall in line with the out-of-touch “big tent” obsessed moderate leadership of the GOP.

To be certain, there are other possible candidates, like Haley Barbour and Bobby Jindal. None, however, generate the amount of attention and excitement that a Palin candidacy would offer. As good a guy as Jindal is, his half-dead zombie response to Obama’s state of the union signaled the type of candidate he would be. Can you really imagine that type of speaker drawing crowds of 60,000?

People will point to recent polling that shows Palin struggling with voters in a 2012 match-up. Any honest assessor of the situation, however, would acknowledge that this far out of an election those numbers mean nothing. Sure, Palin has some work to do. She hasn't declared a candidacy or even campaigned at all for the office. Polling numbers can change dramatically, particularly with an energetic and courageous underdog like Palin. (For more on polling reliability, see President Hillary Clinton.)

Sarah Palin’s career demonstrates a political courage unseen in decades. She took down local officials in Wasilla by pushing an unashamed conservative agenda. She courageously sought to clean up corruption in the state Oil & Gas Commission, and when the powerful elites chose to look the other way to the corruption she had found, she resigned and took them down piece by piece. She took down a corrupt Republican Attorney General. She took down a moderate incumbent governor and a popular former Democratic governor. She took on the oil companies and won. She was the first governor in Alaska’s recent memory to actually pursue private sector solutions to the oil and gas pipeline project that languished in the Alaska hope chest for decades. She was able to put the deal together in just two years.

One can see her resignation as governor as quitting. However, Palin has proven throughout her career that she is a tenacious proponent of her principles who will stop at nothing (even to the detriment of her own career) to advance her agenda. She didn’t quit the governorship and go away. She quit to write a book, tour the country, raise money for and promote conservative candidates nationwide and become a thorn in the side of the Obama administration. A thorn, it should be noted, that the GOP establishment just couldn’t produce.

Her career and education are also not unheard of in presidential history. She has more political experience than Abraham Lincoln prior to his election, and even her two year tenure as Alaska’s governor matched Teddy Roosevelt’s mere two year stint as governor of New York prior to his elevation to the national stage. She has more years of executive experience (12+) than Obama and Joe Biden will even by election day 2012. She has more education than Andrew Jackson and Harry Truman. One of her political heroes, Ronald Reagan also earned a degree at a sneer-worthy non-Ivy League school named Eureka College. Sure, Palin’s degree from the University of Idaho doesn’t carry the same weight as the completely sealed records of Obama’s Ivy League education, where not a single paper can be found and there is no record of him actually doing anything as the “President” of the Harvard Law Review, other than being president. Folks who sneer at Palin, however, sneer at the bulk of Americans who didn’t go to Ivy League schools, and yet can somehow still figure out how to tie our shoes.

Sarah Palin is a genuine public servant in an era of antipathy and outright hostility toward the governing ruling class. She represents accomplishment over career preservation. She represents a love of America and devotion to personal liberty lost on the governmental leviathan care-takers so prominent in both parties.

The election of 2009 showed that independents are turning in large numbers against the Obama agenda. It is not enough, however, to just have these folks against Obama, they need to be given an agenda to vote for. Sarah Palin is the only candidate on the GOP side with the courage and vision to promote and active and unabashedly conservative agenda to bring Republicans, independents, and even the long-missing Reagan Democrats together in a mandate to take back this country.

Sarah Palin’s public rehabilitation will begin on Monday with Oprah. America will finally get to meet the Arctic fox on her terms and with her fully in command of the message. She will not longer be peddling McCain’s moderate GOP worldview, but the passionate and courageous conservative worldview of a hockey mom from Alaska.

Ever fond of the underdog, America will find someone to root for. Someone who will in turn root for her and bring her out of the socialist malaise that Obama and the completely out-of-control congress have gotten us into.

Indeed, Obama and his merry band of socialists may find that 2012 is the year of the “rogue.”

Governor Palin Pulled into NJ Governor's Race!

Just days after she successfully field-dressed RINO congressional candidate Whats-her-name Scuzzy-foo-foo in the NY 23 congressional race in favor of conservative third party candidate Doug Hoffman, Sarah Palin is being pulled into the race for governor in my state of NJ. Now, aside from urging folks to vote for Chris Christie, Palin has remained largely on the sidelines on this race. That's probably wise. New Jersey loves corrupt socialist politicians. Anyone to the right of Chairman Mao usually doesn't stand a chance at elected office here. So, Palin wouldn't do much to help Christie politically here in the state and she has the political sense to understand that.

So, when third party candidate (and complete nut-case) Chris Daggett, who's biggest claims to fame in the NJ governor's race thus far include not being able to name a single Supreme Court Justice, having left a loaded gun in his car, and reaching the glorious pinnacle of 12% in the polls (in that order) wants a piece of the Palin media frenzy, you have to wonder why. Clearly desperate as his third party numbers dwindle in the final days, Daggett has begun lying about Palin, claiming that she had contacted his campaign and told him to leave the race. Like being an actual war veteran for Republicans, being a victim of the "vast right-wing conspiracy" has often been a medal of honor among those on the left.

Not so fast Daggett! Daggett, known to Save Jersey Blog readers as "The Riddler" has been quite the chameleon this election cycle. His two-fronted fiscal policy supports both raising and cutting taxes simultaneously, and has hardly endeared him to either party. They just can't seem to figure out what to make of this clown. His inability to deny rumors that he has a job offer from Corzine for his efforts to re-elect our creepy befuddled governor has also kept him an enigma to our scandal-plagued state's voting public. Like lower taxes? Vote Daggett. Like higher taxes? Vote Daggett. Like Corzine? Vote Daggett. Don't like Corzine? Vote Daggett.

Daggett has truly been all things to all people and it has been a treasure. There just aren't enough folks like that in politics these days.

His latest move to capitalize on the anti-Palin sentiment felt by those on the left is going to back-fire. Why? Because you don't mess with the 'cuda. Via Facebook, Sarah Palin responded to Daggett's nonsensical tall tales:

"Despite what candidate Chris Daggett is claiming, I have never contacted him or his campaign. I have never asked him to drop out of the NJ Governor’s race. Now, if a politician is going to play loose with facts like this, the electorate needs to know it.

So, to the good people of New Jersey, please know that Daggett’s claims are false. I’ve never even suggested he should drop out of the race. But, come to think of it…"

And so the expert RINO huntress field-dresses yet another power-hungry and dishonest politician with one click of the mouse. Who needs helicopters when you can take out the political wolves by merely posting a Facebook note?

Single-handedly smacking down the publicity seeking spoiler, Palin demonstrates once again why liberals so fear this woman that they try desperately to de-humanize and marginalize.

Thank you Sarah for putting "The Riddler" in his place!

Palin Power Fuels Hoffman to the Lead

Only days after Sarah Palin endorsed Doug Hoffman for Congress in NY's 23rd congressional district, Doug Hoffman has gone from third place to first in the polls. This comes after the other announcement that the day after Palin's endorsement saw Hoffman's campaign take in some 100,000+ in campaign contributions.

The poll conducted by the Club for Growth has Hoffman out front with 31%, while Democratic challenger Bill Owens takes second with 27% and RINO Scozzofava slips to third place with not quite 20% of the vote. This is huge momentum for Hoffman. Let's see what big event happened this week in terms of this campaign? Oh, that's right, Hoffman was endorsed by Sarah Palin.

This poll and the new campaign cash are further proof of Palin's political power. Underestimated and left for dead in the political wilderness by opponents in both parties, Sarah Palin remains a powerful force to be reckoned with. One that no doubt is causing fear and trembling at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Maybe all isn't lost for RINO Scozzofava. If her pal Newt Gingrich, and maybe would-be GOP king Mitt Romney can come in an campaign for her, maybe she'd attract a crowd of dozens. That should do wonders for her electability.

What the Hoffman Endorsement Says about Palin & 2012

Sarah Palin went rogue this week and joined former GOP senator Fred Thompson in endorsing Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman over the crazed liberal Obama-mama and GOP establishment candidate Dede Scozzafava for Congress in the 23rd district of New York. Newt Gingrich and many part leaders continue to stand behind the GOP nominee in the election under the banner of "party first, principles second."

Once again Sarah Palin is breaking the rules and taking a big political risk. Once again she is demonstrating her own political courage and vision. So, what does this say about 2012?

First of all, other than Palin, the only possible 2012 GOP nominee that has taken a stand in the race is former Pennsylvania Senator, Rick Santorum, who has also endorsed Hoffman. Santorum, however, is currently a second tier candidate at best. A good man, but not really a contender as of yet. Among the other folks in the top tier, Palin stands alone. Tim Pawlenty "hasn't been following the race," in his attempt to avoid offending anyone. Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee have both refused to take a stand, and perennial presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has sided with the party. Of the top tier, only one person has the courage to stand for Reagan conservatism.

This sets Palin apart from the pack. The grassroots conservatives understand that to combat the over-the-top socialist experiment that is the Obama administration, they will need real conservatives. They don't want another McCain, Dole, Bush, etc. They need a Reagan. Only Reagan-like conviction and courage will turn the party into a winning one and stop socialism dead in its tracks. Sarah Palin is a Reagan Republican in both word and deed.

In her Facebook post, Palin notes that Hoffman has not been "anointed" by the party machine as part of her reasoning for her endorsement. Given the high level of hostility that the GOP establishment has toward those who actually want to enact common sense conservative reforms, this makes sense. Their preference would be folks who talk about it during elections and change their tune once safely ensconced in Washington. They prefer settling into the old "lesser of two evils" role in comparison with their slightly more liberal Democratic opponents than being bold conservative visionaries. This explains their tremendous love for Mitt Romney, one of Palin's chief rivals for the nomination in 2012, Palin is devoted to her conservative principles not her political career and that can be frightening to career politicians of every stripe.

Palin gets it in a way that no other candidate on the GOP side for 2012 does right now. We stand at the ground level of the next great conservative revolution. The tea parties, the town hall meetings, the increased Fox News and talk radio ratings all point to a coming conservative tide. That movement is hungry for a national face. And yet, as this movement continues to build to its peak, most of the national GOP leaders and possible presidential nominees seem hellbent on running as far away from this movement as possible. In vain they seek the approval of the media and the governing liberal overlords as opposed to that of their supposed political kin.

It is moments like this that show what our leaders are made of. Will they have the courage to stand up against all the forces of the liberal establishment or will they play it safe and fail to advance anything of substance? We have reached a point in our nation's history where another bold visionary needs to make a stand. So far has our governance fallen from our original intent, that it will take a massive overhaul to return this shining city to its hill.

Sarah Palin understands this. As further proof of that, she hit the nail on the head when she cited the example of Ronald Reagan in the late 1970s in her Hoffman endorsement:

Political parties must stand for something. When Republicans were in the wilderness in the late 1970s, Ronald Reagan knew that the doctrine of "blurring the lines" between parties was not an appropriate way to win elections. Unfortunately, the Republican Party today has decided to choose a candidate who more than blurs the lines, and there is no real difference between the Democrat and the Republican in this race. This is why Doug Hoffman is running on the Conservative Party's ticket.

Republicans and conservatives around the country are sending an important message to the Republican establishment in their outstanding grassroots support for Doug Hoffman: no more politics as usual.

Conservatives and independents are looking for a leader with courage and conviction. We are looking for someone to inspire us with their political bravery and lead us with their clear and passionate convictions. The Hoffman endorsement is another example of how Sarah Palin stands virtually alone in that regard among the possible 2012 nominees.

By going rogue and endorsing a third party candidate, Sarah Palin has demonstrated once more her intention to put principles over party. She has once again demonstrated that she has more backbone than the entire GOP establishment put together.

If they desire a path out of the wilderness, they would do well to follow the hunter from Alaska. She's on the trail of success and she's got socialism in her sights.

Palin V. Huckabee in 2012?

Most supporters of Sarah Palin have been eyeing up Mitt Romney as her primary opponent in 2012. Recent polling, however, suggests that pre-book release Palin has fallen a bit in polls of Republican voters. It's hard to square this with the actual energy at the grass roots level, but it is also important not to blindly discount it.

The October 15 poll by Rasmussen Reports found Mike Huckabee the leading candidate for 2012 in the minds of GOP faithful. Mitt Romney took second while Sarah Palin came in third. Huckabee also took first place at the Values' Voters Summit last month. In the Rasmussen poll, Huckabee took 29% with Romney at 24% and Palin at 18%.

Huckabee's numbers aren't surprising. He represents the only other major GOP rising star besides Palin who has an actual personality. His folksy charm took him from below 1% in the polls late in 2007 to second place in the GOP 2008 primary, surpassing the establishment choice of Mitt Romney. Huckabee had some problems with conservatives because of his sometimes not-so-conservative approach to taxes and spending and his sometimes-not-so-conservative off-the-cuff remarks about foreign policy. Recently, Huckabee ruffled some feathers again when he chastised those conservatives who took issue with Obama's Nobel Peace Prize win.

While basking in the affection of conservatives now as a pundit, the ever likable Huckabee will likely find himself in hot water again when he begins speaking out on specific issues and policies and taking stands that conservatives don't like. Huckabee is mostly conservative, but he's not the total package that Palin is. Conservatives will begin to grow uneasy with him as a standard-bearer should he begin to go off the reservation again on core issues.

He has, however, mended a lot of fences with conservatives via his successful weekend program on Fox News and his regular appearances on other Fox News programs. He remains a force to be reckoned with and currently stands as Sarah Palin's biggest obstacle to the nomination in 2012.

The nomination battle of 2012 will be largely a grassroots conservatives versus the establishment fight. The conservative folks seem poised to divide up their vote between Huckabee and Palin (with some scraps falling to Santorum.) Gingrich and Jindal, also favorites of the conservative folks, will most likely not make the run in 2012. Their placement in polls just muddies the results of those who will actually be running.

The establishment which worships the ground that socialized medicine promoter Mitt Romney walks on, is beginning a slight infatuation with Tim Pawlenty. Pawlenty's new bounce in popularity among the ruling elites within the GOP could hurt Romney's chances. If Pawlenty continues to look and sound like a credible candidate, many of the ruling power-brokers may pass up another go-round with has-been Romney and try their chances with Pawlenty.

Meanwhile, the right will be torn between Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. Mike Huckabee may not run. He's making lots of cash right now over at Fox and he is very good at what he's doing there. That may cause him to pass up a second run at the White House in 2012. If he does run, however, Sarah Palin will have to move quickly to consolidate her conservative support. Palin's book releasing in November should bring a wave of media appearances. Those appearances should give us a glimpse as to what Palin's intentions are and how formidable she will be.

Palin needs to successfully reinvent herself in the eyes of the American people, who right now buy into a lot of the lies about her. She needs to speak with the confidence of her convention speech and establish herself as the smart, articulate and capable leader that those of us who support her know her to be. If she begins speaking to CPAC and other conservative forums over the next few years and stays engaged on the issues, her standing in 2012 polling will continue to rise.

Of the top tier candidates, she has the most passionate following and the strongest political instincts. She also demonstrates a fearlessness in doing things on her own terms and not always following the most conventional route. In a time when Americans are hungry for a genuine leader, she will fit the bill.

Mike Huckabee is a good man and a solid candidate. He does not, however, have the same potential for success that Palin has. With the publication of "Going Rogue" America will get to meet Sarah Palin on her own terms. Expect the dynamics of 2012 polling to change virtually overnight. The fight for the right has begun!

Governor Palin and Margaret Thatcher!

As Governor Palin wishes a Happy Birthday to Baroness Thatcher, one has to wonder if the "arctic fox" is America's answer to Thatcher. Her tenacity and pro-American, common sense American conservatism makes her a mirror image of Thatcher.

As Rush Limbaugh said of Palin today, "she has more backbone than any man in the Democratic party." I'll go one more: she has more backbone than pretty much anyone in the Republican party.

She is poised to lead the next great conservative revolution and we are witnesses to history.

We can only hope that others in the GOP will follow her lead. After today's betrayal at the hands of fairweather Republican Olympia Snowe, it is clear that we need strong conservative leaders if this party is ever going to find its way out of the wilderness.

We need less Snowe and more arctic fox!