"Hey Joe, I didn't know you could travel through time!"
At the vice presidential debate last night, Joe Biden made a curious comment regarding Sarah Palin:
“You know, I heard that death panel argument from Sarah Palin. It seems that every vice presidential debate, I hear this kind of stuff about panels. But let's talk about Medicare..."
Sadly, yesterday was not only a day for Americans to remember those we lost in the terrorist attacks eleven years ago, but also a day of violence in the Middle East, violence directed towards Americans.
Our embassy in Egypt was overrun by protesters, who tore down our flag and ripped and burned it, then replaced it with their own banner. Even worse, in Libya similar protests resulted in our ambassador being killed.
Embassies are legally treated as the sovereign soil of the countries that operate them, so I can't see how yesterday's violence in Egypt and Libya was anything other than an act of war against the United States.
In case you missed it, the Tampa Bay Times posted their regular blog feature, "Winner and Loser of the Week in Florida Politics," yesterday afternoon, and they named Congresswoman Sandy Adams as the Winner for last week:
Freshman Congresswoman Sandy Adams was on Fox News Channel's "On The Record" with Greta Van Susteren last night regarding her calls for a Congressional investigation into a multi-million dollar conference held by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership at a resort near Walt Disney World in Orlando:
Sigh. So...I'm here at the last day of CPAC, and the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel has been a great location again, except for one very glaring issue: slow and unreliable internet connection.
Tonight on Hannity, Sarah Palin gave the Newt Gingrich campaign one heckuva sound bite. After praising his performance at last night's debate ("I do think that Newt is the one that won the debate"), Palin danced on the edge of an endorsement:
In preparation for this post, I spent some time this week looking up past Thanksgiving presidential proclamations and quotes, collected statements from some politicians (at least those who were smart enough to not ask for campaign donations in their Thanksgiving messages. You know who you are. Tsk tsk!), and some other fun stuff. Enjoy:
Well, now Random House, the publisher of McGinniss' book, is joining McGinniss in the hot water. After it became clear that Random House was aware of the lack of factual support for the accusations in McGinniss' book, the Palins' attorneys sent a letter warning them to preserve evidence in preparation of a potential lawsuit:
I recently had the opportunity to see a private early screening of the Sarah Palin documentary, "The Undefeated." (Thank you to Jason Hoyt for getting me on the list!)
I admittedly showed up at the theater with a somewhat-contradictory set of preconceived notions, some positive, some negative, based on my observations and interactions with some of the people involved in this project over the past few years. Now having seen the film, I have to say that it exceeded my expectations, in multiple ways.
Last year, I saw another Stephen Bannon film, "Battle for America," and really enjoyed it. Bannon came to Orlando for a screening so I got to meet him. He's extremely gracious and sincere in person, and his passion about fighting for his political beliefs is clearly evident. Bannon has a distinctive style of filmmaking that I really enjoy: intertwining archived news footage with interviews with the people who directly experienced the events, clever graphics, and humorously-acted vignettes.
The emotional power of this film surprised me. From the opening recollection of the vicious leftist attacks on Palin from media and Hollywood celebrities to the scenes near the end recapping the 2008 Presidential election and summarizing the state of the country today, Bannon takes the viewer by the hand and leads them through a warm, engaging, and powerful story.
My Sarah Palin costume, 2008
The bigger surprise, however, was how the movie made me reevaluate Sarah Palin. I've been a fan of hers since her emergence on the national political scene as John McCain's running mate. I was thrilled and moved to tears when I watched her speech in Dayton, Ohio the day she was announced as a candidate. I bought a copy of her book Going Rogue, and dressed up like her for Halloween. I've heard her speak several times and even got the chance to meet her last year. In person, the energy she conveys on television is even more intense, and her warmth and sincerity are immediately obvious. Every eye in the room is drawn to her and she is just plain electric to be around.
So, yeah, I'm a Palin fan. But the unrelenting ugliness of the attacks on her from the left and the mainstream media had worn down a lot of that enthusiasm. I've always viewed her as intelligent and a passionate fighter for conservative causes, but I had begun to doubt her viability to run for national office again any time soon.
For me, the biggest impact of the movie was to reinvigorate the emotions that so many of us had in 2008: the pride we had in our party's vice presidential nominee, the enthusiasm we had for her tough backbone and solid conservative politics.
Take a moment and think back to August 2008. Do you remember how you felt back then? The excitement, the energy? The disappointment about John McCain (because most of us supported other candidates in the primary), the worries about his moderate tendencies, all lifted from the first instant she spoke that day in Dayton?
McCain had seemed to me to be just the latest incarnation of the party's unfortunate tendency of picking the next oldest guy in the room, but now here was this smart, feisty, and beautiful woman who spoke with such poise, eloquence and power. Listening to her, I got a strong feeling of "Ah-ha! Here's someone who is speaking the truth. Finally! Finally!" Oh and her name is also Sarah? Awesome.
Palin's ethics and priorities are clearly defined, and she has unwaveringly followed them like her own personal North Star. This point is driven home over and over again in the movie, and in my opinion is the heart of why she is appealing to so many people. Palin has a great quote regarding the establishment political consultants who tried to influence and bully her: "In politics, you're either eating well or sleeping well."
The most powerful example of Palin's adherence to her own ethical principles is her years-long battle with Alaska's oil and gas industry. Everyone has heard general statements about how she "reformed" the industry and "took on members of her own party," but for most of us, the details are fuzzy. There is so much more to the story, and this film does an amazing job of walking us through it. Palin didn't just reform her state's relationship with the oil and gas industry, she completely redefined the entire way they do business. It is honestly one of the most impressive accomplishments I've ever heard associated with a politician. This section of the movie was my favorite, and Bannon's team did an amazing job telling it.
The vicious enthusiasm with which Palin's critics target her has always bewildered me. After watching this film, I've gone from bewildered to infuriated. The mainstream media has spent the past few years engaging in journalistic malpractice when the story involves even the most tangential connection to Palin.
Sadly, the Republican Party establishment and the vast majority of the members of our party have remained largely silent on the issue of the character assassination of Sarah Palin and have declined to stick up for her. Andrew Breitbart, who was interviewed for this film, has some very harsh words for these Republicans, branding them as "eunuchs," not man enough to defend her. Watching this movie is to witness step by step, year by year, the challenges that Palin has faced and overcome, mostly on her own. You cannot help but respect her backbone. There's a reason that #fightlikeagirl has been a popular hashtag on Twitter lately.
After the movie was over, several of us were interviewed to capture our immediate reactions. My comments reference what I wrote above about remembering the excitement from 2008:
I thought she hadn’t gotten a fair shake in the media, but I felt confident that I could see through the bias and that I understood who she was, what she had done and what my opinion would probably be about her going forward.
I was entirely incorrect.
...Shame [on me] for not bothering to look up her record. Shame for not reading her story. Shame for turning the channel when she came on the tv. Shame for not listening to people that we had a great deal of respect for like Andrew Breitbart, Tammy Bruce, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity...
I highly recommend that you read Howe's review in its entirety. He has also posted a link to an interview he did with Bannon about the film that you should check out as well.
So, to go back to the title of this post:I dare you to go see The Undefeated. Whether you love Sarah Palin or hate her, you will come away from this movie with a new perspective on her abilities and accomplishments.
Is she running for President? Maybe. Maybe not. But regardless of whether she throws her hat in the ring this year, I am convinced that her voice is a valuable one, and one that we need to hear. From this point forward, anyone who seeks to criticize her without seeing this movie or at least acknowledging its content will be proving the per se illegitimacy of their position.
DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (or as those of us who remember her days in the Florida Legislature know her, "Wasserperson") has taken the offensive and logic-deprived stance that asking voters to show ID is like the "Jim Crow" laws from the early 20th century. Yeah, being asked to show my driver's license is equally as oppressive as segregated schools, poll taxes, and making blacks sit in the back of the bus. Yet another example of "words ceasing to have meanings" when a liberal gets a hold of them.
New York Congressman Anthony Weiner has been getting a lot of attention lately for what has become known as "Weinergate." Here are two of my favorite articles summing up yesterday's press conference, in which Weiner admitted that he had sent the scandalous photo in question, and had engaged in online relationships with other women around the country:
Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz continues to rack up the endorsements, including Erick Erickson, Mark Levin, Club for Growth PAC and now FreedomWorks PAC.
Here's an interesting analysis of how the 2012 Senate races may breakdown nationwide, and a discussion of some inherent advantages that the GOP may have:
Ari Fleischer, Former White House Press Secretary for George W. Bush, has joined Team Hasner, sending out this tweet yesterday in support of Florida Senate candidate Adam Hasner:
Hasner also added to his list of supporters Former Ohio Secretary of State and co-chair of the group "Pass the Balanced Budget Amendment" Ken Blackwell:
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Much has already been said and written about Saturday's tragic events in Tucson, Arizona. As a nation, we are united in our horror and sadness over the heartless murder of six innocent people, and the wounding of nineteen more, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Well...sigh...we should be united...
In an alarming and shocking turn, many on the Left instantaneously blamed the Right, before anyone had any information about the beliefs or affiliations of the shooter, much less his name.
Far-left blogger Markos Moulitsas, who runs the Daily Kos website, posted on his Twitter account almost immediately after the news broke, "Mission accomplished, Sarah Palin." Jane Fonda, apparently forgetting her own violent rhetoric during the Vietnam War (not to mention that nasty little episode where she posed for publicity photos on a Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun) also used her twitter account to blame Palin, Glenn Beck (whose name she repeatedly misspelled as "Glen Beck"), as well as "the violence-provoking rhetoric of the Tea Party." Mainstream media outlets also joined the blame game, with pundits like MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and the New York Times' Paul Krugman pointing fingers at the "violent rhetoric" of conservatives.
Within hours of the shooting, facts started coming out about Jared Lee Loughner, facts that did not fit with the Left's "Crazy Violent Tea Partier" narrative. Loughner was a registered independent, and his high school and community college classmates described him as "quite liberal" and "left wing." He listed the Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf among his favorite books, and stated in a YouTube video (video removed by YouTube; mirror site here) that the U.S. Constitution was "treasonous laws."
Even today, several days later, there is still zero evidence tying Loughner to the tea party or any conservative organization or school of thought, and his personal beliefs, both as expressed in his own words and as relayed by those who have known him the past few years, are directly antithetical to the beliefs of the tea party (e.g., the Constitution is revered by the tea party; never decried as "treasonous").
Loughner also exhibited an obsession with language and grammar. There is more justification to blame Strunk and White for inspiring Loughner's actions than Sarah Palin, who recently garnered attention for making up the word "refudiate," but of course we can all take a step back and say that it makes no sense to blame a grammar book for the actions of a madman.
Not to be deterred by facts, today I am still hearing politicians and journalists on television crying out for a end to "violent rhetoric." However, the real problem, in my opinion, is not just that the Left is completely wrong in blaming political rhetoric, but that they are totally missing the point.
The debate shouldn't be about our political rhetoric, but rather about how we deal with mental illness in this country.
I am not a doctor or psychologist, but I have seen multiple discussions that Loughner's obsession over certain details, fixation on Giffords, antisocial behavior, and odd "if-then" cadence of his speech and writings indicate a high likelihood of certain paranoid/schizophrenic disorders. Regardless of the accuracy of diagnosing mental illness via YouTube, the facts surrounding his expulsion at Pima Community College should have been the impetus to get Loughner a mental health evaluation, at minimum, if not active treatment. He wasn't expelled for cheating on a test or not paying tuition; the campus police were involved, repeatedly, in a series of "classroom and library disruptions" caused by Loughner. One of his professors, Ben McGahee, feared for the safety of his students and pushed the administration to remove Loughner. One classmate, Lynda Sorenson, emailed her friends last summer about Loughner, writing, "We have a mentally unstable person in the class that scares the living crap out of me. He is one of those whose picture you see on the news, after he has come into class with an automatic weapon...I sit by the door with my purse handy. If you see it on the news one night, know that I got out fast..."
Decades ago, we used to incarcerate the mentally ill in asylums, involuntarily sterilize them, and subject them to horrific medical procedures like lobotomies (in many cases, without informed consent). This abusive treatment didn't just happen in Nazi Germany, but here in the United States. Let me be very clear, I am absolutely not suggesting that we return to the eugenics-inspired methods of the past. But I do think that we should have a open and brutally honest discussion about whether the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. We are more worried about damaging a student's self esteem or inviting lawsuits than making sure that someone in mental trouble gets help.
Let's also recognize that not all mental illness leads to violence. Many people, probably even some of your own friends or family, struggle daily with a wide variety of challenges ranging from depression to obsessive-compulsive disorders to schizophrenia without ever causing harm to anyone. But it is still vitally important that these people obtain effective treatment, both to help them live the best life that they can, and also to catch and hopefully prevent the small percentage who may have violent tendencies.
For a poignant and intensely personal discussion on this issue, please check out Chris Barnhart's blog, Chris is Right, in which he writes about his own mental illness in the context of the Arizona shootings:
The problem with mental illness is that one can’t easily test for it. Sure, there are psychiatric evaluations, but most of those require oral testimony from the patient him or herself. You can’t find mental illness in a blood screen, or by swabbing the cheek with a Q-Tip.
Oftentimes, psychiatrists judge symptoms based solely on interviews with a patient, and rely on that patient to be honest. Then, based on those symptoms, and what impact they have on a patient’s life, diagnoses and treatment plans are established.
The unavoidable complication here is that many people with paranoid psychoses often see psychiatrists and the mental health “establishment” as part of “the conspiracy,” whatever their particular conspiracy is. So, when interviewed by a psychiatrist, they lie.
...The point I’m trying to make here is that, even if the AZ shooter had undergone a psychiatric evaluation, they might not have caught the seriousness of his condition. And, even if they had assessed him as psychotic, medical and therapeutic treatment may not have prevented him from acting on his psychoses.
Barnhart also addresses the fact that mental illness should not negate Loughner's culpability for his crimes:
I am not suggesting in any way that the shooter’s alleged mental illness, or the lack of treatment, absolves him of the consequences of his crimes! String the bastard up.
...People with mental illnesses still have powers of reasoning and, in most cases, a strong sense of right and wrong. I hope I’m living proof of that. I may not be currently fit to be a full member of society, but I can still apply logic and ethics to my thoughts and my choices. Just because I talk to myself out loud when I walk down the street doesn’t mean I’m free from culpability if I choose to destroy someone’s well-being, property or life.
No matter how mentally ill Loughner might be, it was his choice to take the actions he took, rather than getting help or simply stewing in his own juices. He alone is responsible for his crimes, and he should be punished for them, just like anyone else would be.
Last night on Hannity, Dr. Keith Ablow had the following comment:
Our system of mental health care is shattered. We don't know what to do. We don't have a strategy for the Jared Loughners of this world. And we'd better get one. Because this is a health issue. There's nothing political about his act.
It is time that we put politics and political correctness aside and look at how we handle mental illness. We can't just lock up everyone who acts a little nutty, but standing aside and waiting until someone gets hurt before we intervene is not the answer either.
And regarding the continued focus on political rhetoric...I am absolutely against any attempts to control, suppress or restrain our free speech. In my opinion, our loud, passionate, and even obnoxious political speech is a net positive. I am glad that we have the freedom to have debates, hold up posters protesting our government, write stupid and ugly things on the internet, and just plain yell at each other.
We have gone through a series of close, highly contentious elections in the past few years (the 2000 "hanging chads", Bush's re-election in 2004, the Democrat's takeover of Congress in 2006, Obama's election in 2008, and now the Republican victories in 2010), andeach time we have handled the transfer of power from one leader to another, from one party to another and back again, without bloodshed.
We have a record of peaceful political transitions that are the envy of the world. In too many other countries, political power is held only by the barrel of a gun, and dissenting speech is brutally oppressed. Human beings are passionate and emotional creatures, and I believe that having the freedom to engage in "violent" rhetoric provides a vital outlet to examine and challenge ideas without actually engaging in violent acts.
So go ahead and be loud, be passionate, be opinionated. Criticize other people if you think what they are saying is offensive. Debate back and forth. Challenge our elected officials. Demand answers from candidates. Examine ideas. Question why things are being done the way they are.
Free speech is a great American tradition that must be preserved, especially in times of tragedy. We should not let the ugly actions of a disturbed young man distract us from that important principle. Saturday's events had nothing to do with Left or Right, Republican or Democrat, and everything to do with the devastating effects of untreated mental illness and the savage and heartless decisions of Jared Lee Loughner.
Just when I think the lamestream media's hatred of Sarah Palin can't get any more ridiculous...
This weekend, Palin traveled to Haiti on a humanitarian trip with Reverend Franklin Graham and the Samaritan's Purse charitable organization. The Haitians, still a long way from recovering from the earthquake, recently were dealt another blow after the outbreak of a cholera epidemic. The Associated Press sent photographers, and this was one of the photos they published:
Note the photo's caption: "Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, center, has her hair done during a visit to a cholera treatment center set up by the NGO Samaritan's Purse in Cabaret, Haiti, Saturday Dec. 11, 2010. Palin arrived Saturday in Haiti as part of a brief humanitarian mission. Dieu Nalio Chery / AP"
The AP needs to find a dictionary and look up the meaning of "journalism." First of all, Sarah Palin isn't getting her "hair done" in this photo. It's just a girl pushing a loose strand back in place. As someone who has had long hair since high school, there's no way I would consider this getting my hair done. If Sarah puts her hair in a ponytail, is that "getting an updo" now?
And what about the girl in the photo? Who is she?
Let's look at another photo from the trip:
Who is that next to Todd Palin? Hey, wasn't she on that dancing show?
Hmmm. Same brown hair in a ponytail, same white T-shirt and jeans, same scarf as the "hairdresser"...yes, it's Bristol, Sarah Palin's daughter.
So basically, Bristol helps her mom fix her hair and the AP twists itself into pretzels trying to embarrass her.
The liberal derangement and paranoia over Sarah Palin continues, even after they were forced to admit that she wasn't really getting her hair done. After seeing photos of Palin washing and sanitizing her hands, a Huffington Post commenter slammed her for being "primarily concerned, above all humanitarian else, about catching something."
Ummm, hello! Palin was visiting a treatment center during a cholera outbreak! Cholera! Symptoms include sudden onset of severe diarrhea and vomiting, often causing severe electrolyte imbalances and dehydration, leading to death if not adequately treated. And by the way, the World Health Organization and other medical organizations recommend thoroughly washing and disinfecting any hands that touch cholera patients, their bedding or clothes, etc.
So, yeah, that prissy little snob Sarah Palin didn't want to get cholera. How ridiculous! [insert eyeroll here]
Seriously, people. This is the left-wing media's philosophy...their hatred is so deep and irrational that they are willing to attack a woman for taking basic health precautions so she doesn't bring a dangerous disease home with her (where, remember, she has a baby son).
(Hat tip to "kristinn" at the Free Republic, who had this great comment: "To reiterate, a daughter helps fix a loose strand of her mother's hair, and it becomes an international scandal. Amazing.")
Yes, we now have an online petition and a blog devoted solely to the idea of drafting Palin as Chair of the Republican Party:
...the answer can only be Sarah Palin. Why? Notwithstanding the reasons we have outlined here and here, it is because she will raise more money and command more control over the media narrative than ANY other Republican in the field. Seating Sarah would also set the Progressive-Democrats on their heels, forcing them to ratchet up their vile PR smear campaigns.
The problem for the Progressive smear machine, and they know it, is that the jig is up. More and more Americans are becoming aware of the Alinksy song and dance the Progressives have been running. Their charges of racism and labels of stupid and evil grow less and less effective every day.
The advantage for the Right is that the Progressives have no other strategy than to go vicious, so the Left will likely double down on the tactic. Doing so will only expose them as hypocrites when it comes to their claim of righteously elevating the narrative above cheap personal attacks, and working to solve our nation’s problems.
Who more than Sarah Palin can inspire the Left to so publicly display their ugliness and contempt for American civility?
What do you think? Crazy idea, or so crazy it just might work?
At minimum, I think I can definitely agree that Michael Steele has unfortunately been a big, hot mess lately, and under the right circumstances, I would definitely support finding a way for Steele to make a grateful exit before we get much closer to the crucial midterm elections.
Remember back in 2008, when the Republicans were arguing that Obama lacked executive experience and was therefore unqualified for the Presidency? Remember?
I have to admit, it's not that fun saying "I told you so." Watching the oil spill continue to endanger the beautiful coastlines of my state and our Gulf neighbors is ripping me apart on a daily basis, and one of the most heartbreaking aspects of this ongoing disaster is the lack of leadership coming from the White House.
Sarah Palin posted a great note on her Facebook page recently, delivering a real punch in the teeth to Obama for the White House's role in exacerbating the oil spill disaster. She discusses in detail the importance of constant vigilance, verification of all reports from oil companies, and avoidance of conflicts of interest between regulators and the companies when regulating the oil industry.
I encourage all of you to read Palin's words and share them with your friends. Palin has been getting a lot of criticism lately for her "Drill, Baby, Drill" comments, but in my opinion, her critics are oversimplifying her position and completely ignoring her past work fighting corruption and promoting responsible regulation of the Alaska oil industry.
