Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. Bertrand Russell (1872 – 1970)
Maybe this explains why the political left is so stupid? The left is gunning for Sarah Palin and gleefully using her family to do it. It’s coming from politicians and of course, from their friends in the MSM. Most non-political Americans will find these attacks appalling. Once again, liberals are their own worst enemies. They could screw up a one car funeral.
A moment of sanity from The New Republic, sure to be ignored,
Sarah Palin is a living reminder that the ultimate source of political power in this country is not the Kennedy School or the Davos Summit or an Ariana Huffington salon; even now, power emanates from the electorate itself. More precisely, power in 2008 emanates from the working class electorates of Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Sooner or later, the Obama camp will realize that the beauty pageant queen is an enormously talented populist in a year that is ripe for populism. For their own sake, it had better be sooner.
Jim Geraghty in National Review, gets off the line of the day,
In 72 hours, the media has subjected Bristol Palin to more scrutiny than they’ve given to Barack Obama in two years. Perhaps that’s a mild exaggeration. But pretty darn mild.
The New York Times, on a story involving an actual political figure and an illegitimate baby,
But I think The Times…was far too squeamish about tackling the story. It is … the kind of story that The Times seems instinctively to recoil from.
That was public editor Clark Hoyt , talking about John Edwards, less than a month ago. If I’m not mistaken, Edwards was a contender to be named vice president and was certainly in the mix for a cabinet position.
Today, the New York Times ran three front page stories on 17-year old Bristol Palin’s pregnancy.
As the guys at Powerline said today,
It’s nice to see that they’ve gotten over that squeamish feeling. Seems like we’ve learned something about their priorities, too.
Do gleeful liberals think this baby drama really benefits them? How do you think this compare and contrast will serve them in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania?
Obama on The Choice
I’ve got two daughters, 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals.But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby. I don’t want them punished with an STD at the age of 16. You know, so it doesn’t make sense to not give them information. You still want to teach them the morals and the values to make good decisions.
Sarah Palin on The Choice
As [our daughter] faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support…Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family.
Sarah Palin is a game changer, is there any doubt after this weekend? She has simultaneously energized the conservative base AND independents. I am truly shocked by how well this pick has been received.
Conservatives have been waiting for McCain to stick his finger in their eye once again. With this pick, he has shocked them by delivering an authentic conservative. He raised $3 million overnight and has re-energized his base in a way few thought possible.
I am surprised that independents have been as impressed,
64% of unaffiliated voters now give positive reviews to McCain, up ten points since naming his running mate.
I really thought this was a risky choice. I, like Richard Brookhiser of National Review, took a decidedly negative view initially. I tried to make these points tonight, but the callers for the most part, were having none of it. Here’s Brookhiser,
The Palin pick shows a low opinion of the vice presidency, and it shows conservatives in a bad light.
Why is this so? Because for months experience has been the issue. McCain has undercut his two main campaign themes, Barack is NOT READY TO LEAD and COUNTRY FIRST. Can you really make the argument that McCain put country first with this pick? Instead, it is the GOP embracing the identity politics it claims to detest. Palin tickles all the right interest groups, women (check), guns (check), God (check), pro life (check).
All that said, Repubicans don’t seem to care. They love the Palin pick and for good reason. She is what Barack Obama claims to be. She’s a reformer with a record instead of speeches. She’s bipartisan in action rather than in words. Unlike Obama, she has fought the politics of old within her own party. In short, she is the anti-Obama.
Gary Gross from Let Freedom Ring called in from MN to weigh in with his perpective on Palin. He disagrees with my initial reaction to the selection and makes a strong case for Palin here.
Liberals are besides themselves. They are not simply pointing out the experience issue, they are openly mocking her. Some, like the loathsome Andrew Sullivan, are quite happy to pass along ugly smears against the Palin family. All I can say about this is, keep it, please, keep it up.
The enthusiasm gap has been obliterated overnight. No matter what happens from here, one thing is clear, Sarah Palin is a game changer.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
Bruce McQuain from QandO joined me last night and we discussed, among other things, the selection of Sarah Palin. Bruce, like me, was not bowled over at first. Then he watched her introductory press conference and saw the groundswell of support for the pick. We discussed how this changes the game, and how it is driving the liberals crazy.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
One of the leading citizen journalists in the world, Michael Yon, returned to Pundit Review Radio once again for a live 30-minute report from the front lines. Michael is back in Afghanistan, embedded with the British troops. A former Green Beret, Michael has built his reputation by delivering the news as he sees it, the good, the bad and the ugly.
I was lucky to have with me Bruce McQuain from QandO. Bruce is a veteran himself, having spent 28 years in the Army. We talked to Michael about the British troops he was staying with, how much we can rely on NATO, the influence of Pakistan and what sees in terms of progress with the Afghan military and police forces. Michael had just returned from a mission with the Brits, and told us about the opium crop, and how it was now being replaced by corn because of all things, surging prices. We have a long way to go in Afganistan, and Michael talked about the differences between this war and Iraq. Success will require enormous patience.
Michael is a truly independent journalist, fully supported by his readers. If you appreciate this kind of independent, trustworthy reporting from the world’s hot spots, you can support Michael via Pay Pal at his website or by sending a check to,
Michael Yon
PO Box 5553
Winter Haven, FL 33880
What is Pundit Review Radio?
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce is a veteran of the Vietnam war and spent 28 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. It is so great to have him as part of the show.
Last night, Bruce told us about CPL Moses Cardenas,
Al Anbar province, Iraq. Once one of the most deadly places on earth for US Soldiers and Marines is scheduled to be turned over to the Iraqi government soon because it has become a place of relative calm and peace. Things are beginning to bloom and work there. That is the case due to no small effort by Marines and Soldiers who have fought and died there over the past few years.
Tonight I’d like to tell you about a young Marine who not only saved a life and by doing so gave his new born daughter the ultimate gift.
The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce McQuain from QandO does an incredible job with the series every week.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
US Senate candidate Jeff Beatty joined me last week to discuss his campaign against John Kerry. Jeff is a very impressive man with his background in DELTA FORCE, CIA counterterrorism operations and private business.
We took a lot of good calls from both sides. Jeff handled himself well, especially when an angry Kerry supporter called in.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
Word this morning is that John McCain is going to announce Alaska governor of two years Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Pro’s:
She’s a women, obviously. However, I think McCain is overthinking this if he thinks just simply putting a women on the ticket will bring disaffected Hillary supporters into the fold. That’s a pretty low opinion of women IMHO, that they would just switch sides because the VP pick of the Republicans is a women.
Palin is a conservative and solidly pro life.
Perhaps her strongest area, she is very good on the energy issue, and has been great badgering the Dems in Washington to come up to Alaska and drill.
She is a rising star in the GOP. By rising I mean, just getting off the ground. I wonder if she is truly ready or being pushed on the national stage too soon.
Cons:
She has two years experience as governor. She’s 44 years old. So much for the anti-Obama experience arguement.
McCain turns 72 years old today. When thinking about a VP, I believe voters look at them and think, “can I imagine this person as president”. For all his flaws, Joe Biden passes that test. Will Sarah Palin? I don’t know?
Can she hold her own against a hostile press corps? How about against Joe Biden for that matter? The only honest answer is that nobody knows. I saw her about a month ago on Larry Kudlow’s TV show and I thought she did ok, not great, just ok. If that was my impression watching her in friendly territory, how will she do when really pressed?
Yes, she’s been a reformer and gone to bat against Republican corruption in her state. However, does the GOP nationally, in all of the races beyond the presidency, really want increased attention on Alaska Republicans, who are monuments to the myriad of ways the party has gone off the rails?Â
Conclusion:
McCain is really rolling the dice here. As I wrote yesterday, I think Pawlenty meets the conservative factor, has the requisite experience and I believe people would see him as “presidential material”.
The most overlooked question in all of this is “does the VP nominee have the media relations skills to be a forceful advocate?” Pawlenty has demonstrated that he does. I don’t think you can underestimate how important this single point is, the media relations skills. Ultimately, I believe they are even more important than the conservative positions or resume. We live in a 24/7 media soaked world. There is no such thing as a single mistake when it comes to working with the media. There are blogs and You Tube that can keep a single mistake alive from now until November.
I’m flummoxed by the choice honestly. Sure, its Mavericky alright. Yes, it shows McCain is an independent thinker. However, I wonder if he’s beeing too cute and losing sight of the basic ingredients that make a good running mate. I hope I am proven wrong.