Sarah Palin: The Power of the Pit Bull
In her electrifying speech Wednesday night, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin dealt what might wind up being the first real blow to Barack Obama and the Democratic party in the 2008 presidential campaign ... and she did it with a smile.
"She can plunge the knife in while she's smiling at you, and you wouldn't even know she did it," gushed CNN anchor Anderson Cooper following her powerful speech.
"She hit it out of the park tonight, and she may have hit a grand slam," Cooper's co-host Wolf Blitzer, said with a dazed grin.
Clearly, Sarah Palin is something special, because these are not easily moved men.
Democratic pundits also appeared stunned by Palin's willingness to jump directly into the fray. One commentator looked uncertainly into the camera and said with a swallow, "Ok, then. Um. Game on, I guess."
Palin's delivery even seemed to cast a spell on the commentators over at MSNBC. Keith Olberman (who I watched while holding my nose) seemed stiffly aware of the magnitude of Palin's speech. He thought for a moment, faltered, started to talk, falthered again, and then asked whether McCain would be able to remain the focus of his own ticket.
I won't even mention the FOX News commentators. What's the point? They loved her before the speech, and they loved her after it.
The mantra across every network, regardless of political affiliation was clear: "A political star is born."
Palin made it clear that she'll not only be up to the task of debating Sen. Joe Biden when the vice-presidential debates roll around in 28 days, she'd be up for a debate with Barack Obama immediately afterward (if moderators would let her have a go at him).
Her remarks and her tone seemed to herald the arrival of a welcome and refreshing populist movement in the voice of American political conservatism. Palin is tough, yet grounded; willing to work across party lines for the good of the country, yet unwilling to back down from a fight when reforms are necessary.
Democrats are right to fear this tundra spitfire. Sarah "The Pit Bull" Palin has finally been released.
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Comments
I liked her from day one. Even if that was just last Friday. I mean the lady actually has a record of “change”. Something it appears Obama just pulled out of the thesaurus for his fancy speeches. Look out Liberals, Obama, and the Media, I think McCain just let the mama “pit bull” out of her cage!!
The speech was remarkably smug, petty, and sarcastic. It played well with the Republican base at the convention, but how well will it play with the general public?
Compare the more level headed speeches at the DNC with the those at the RNC. The Republicans are very angry. Angry at the media. Angry at the left. Angry at the government. But they’re the ones who have been in power for the last 8 years…
Bush himself spoke of “the angry left,” but comparing the two conventions, it’s the republicans who are angry while the Democrats are happy and celebrating.
I was for Sarah Palin (USA’s Margaret Thatcher) for weeks before the sleepy news media woke up. What I haven’t been able to fathom is why the media didn’t know about her, why they were surprised when McCain chose her for VP, and why some were even critical of her when they finally found out who she was and all she had accomplished as Governor of Alaska, executive of a 15-billion dollar budget, and Christian reformer! My opinion of the press went way down when they started to ask such sexist questions as to how she would serve her country and still be a good mother! Such so-called reporters should lose their jobs. They just don’t have vision. They are looking back to the old way of doing things in Washington. Sarah Palin is the future of America.
Behold. A pitbull in lipstick!
Palin was horrible last night. Her voice was piercing and she sounded as if she was speaking to a high school class rather than to grown ups. My 15 year old nephew could have done a better job.
OMG. What a joke! All she had to do was show up and now she is a hit to the Republicans. Is the bar in this country so low that we don’t need excellence? What a big mistake John McCain is making!
People, wake up the issues are too serious for this to be the standard bearer.
As for CNN, I am ashamed of you. What lies! How can you be so completely hypocritical?
You know she was horrible. What happened? Did the big boss man threaten to take your paychecks away from you? We all know FOX is a joke and MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough goes with the wind. But, I am so ashamed of you guys. I have watched you for years and now you are losing all credibility with me.
First, not only did CNN and the rest of the media do our country a dis-service for the last 7 + years, by sitting on your hands and not reporting the truth about George Bush, but now you are promoting this woman who is clearly not qualified and the nerve of her to parade her pregnant daughter around on stage with her 17 year old boyfriend. What kind of morals do you have at CNN? What are you relaying the country with your silence?
Poor people alike want to see people move up and get ahead but they don’t want their mistakes flaunted in their faces. By putting this woman on the stage with her dysfunctional family, what kinds of values are you portraying to the world? We are already hated by the world. Now, you really make us look like “hicks.”
I just can not say how disappointed I am in this country and its values. I don’t care about Spears and the rest of the stars having kids out of wedlock and not marrying. I care about the people who are running this country.
CNN! I guess I will have to find another source for the truth.
God help this country with the likes of McCain and Palin. We are going to need it.
Oh, by the way didn’t Giuliani marry his cousin? I thought so!!!!
Her speech did not tell me the average american, what a McCain/Palin adminstration will do for me. What will they do for a middle class american struggling with the high price of gas and food? How can I make a competive wage and keep my home? All she did was mock Barack. She did not show me a thing, the only thing she can do is throw a one liner here and there. For me it still smells like the same old same old. Rich get richer and the common man who cares. I will take my chance on OBAMA in 08. MCCAIN IS MORE OF THE SAME!!!
I am the general public, and I approve of Palin’s message! She is exactly what America needs.
The speech was electrifying.. But a lot of what she said was simply incorrect.. I think there is a double standard here because she is a woman and we are all walking on eggshells so to speak.. I was a working mother of 2 children neither of which had a health crisis and I only worked weekends when they were small. I really feel she is doing a disservice to her baby. I think it would be hard enough to adjust to Mom being governor let only on the campaign trail. But God Bless Her!
John McCain’s presidential campaign is threatening a lawsuit against the National Enquirer over a print edition story the tabloid ran today alleging that Gov. Sarah Palin has had an extramarital affair with her husband’s business partner.
What’s up with the Dems? McCain is suppose to share why and how their goals are to be met. But all I read this morning is that Palin was suppose to do that.
The smell of fear permeates the air.
And if you follow the scent, I think you will end up facing the Dem Camp.
No mocked up stage. No glittering actors. No million dollar production. Just one lady who, thru words and insight, stated she is the real deal! I found her speech refreshing.
Well, George, I’m not sure which stage you saw last night, but the one I saw had some pretty striking imagery being shown behind the celebrities being paraded around on that stage. It disgusts me that these republicans question anyone’s patriotism who is not aligned with their dated, right-wing politics.
Shame on them and shame on Palin for her series of irrefutable lies disguised as folksiness.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/04/ap-attacks-praise-stretch_n_123771.html
Remarkable. Buzz at the water cooler this morning was 10:1 favorable at the F500 company where I work.
Palin has given Republicans their 21st century Teddy Roosevelt. In sharp contrast to Joe Biden, she’s likeable, authentic and strong. Biden is just angry. And consistently wrong on the issues, too.
I have to say I never saw it coming, but McCain/Palin just outflanked Team Obama for the inside track as legitimate change agents. Frankly, I’m shocked.
Obama should’ve picked Kaine. At least he’d have a running mate that has some executive experience and is not so negative. Ironically, someone just like Palin.
Liberals are going to lose a lot of sleep now. The fear is palpable. Who would’ve guessed? Wow.
She’s the real deal, alright. The real trailer-trash deal. All she did was to throw mud. I never heard her say “This is our plan” or even “Thank you Mr. Obama for your rule about my family”. All she did was to go after Obama’s wife, and to make ridiculous statements about how a Community Leader has no responsibility. Maybe that’s how you view it, but let me tell you Mrs. Palin, you wouldn’t know leadership if it slapped you in the face. You are the epitome of why I am a Democrat. All bluster, no facts. And why didn’t I hear you talk about your own corruption charges, charges that are apparently NOT going to be disimissed as your Republican campaign folk want? Is that because there is an overwhelming amount of evidence against you which is going to result in you being removed from the Governorship? Address it. Because the longer you keep silent about it, the more strongly I believe it.
From what I have read today (cause I forgot it was on television!!! DOH!!!) her speech was brilliant with amazing delivery! I can’t wait to hear her debate!
To Jim Buchanan – She’s what the country needs, alright. That is, if you want it to go completely under. Bring her in & let her destroy more of the Alaska wilderness (then, probably the national forests & parks), finish off US polar bears, kick everybody out she can who disagrees w/her, and watch this Evangelical backed Republican party try to force everyone to bend to the rules of this out-of-control religion. This religion & political party are total hypocrites. They’d let Satan run for president if he was pro-life, hated homosexuals & belonged to the NRA! And I’d love to hear the explanation for why this pseudo-religious group is so in favor of guns?? Obviously not following Jesus’ admonition at Matthew 26:52 – “All those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.” Same applies to guns, they just didn’t have them then.
After the last eight years, we have an obligation to look beyond the hype. Here are some more things informed voters should know about Sarah Palin:
Experience: During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running town was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after
she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.
Fiscal policy: She campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002) and record oil revenues and budget surpluses. She taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners far more than they benefited residents. Despite the huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration, she borrowed money, too.
She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million.
Bipartisanship: As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by her or her staff.
Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them.
Pork: As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.
As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.
Believer in small government: Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla’s history.
Please, please, understand that this isn’t a movie-of-the-week or a vote for homecoming queen. She would be one step away from the presidency, and the president is 72 years old!
Please stop with the pit bull comparison. The dogs get enough of bad rap as it is! I have very little respect for woman who has five children yet leaves them to be raised by others. Before the hate replies start about me being sexist, woman are suposed to be the main caretakers of children, otherwise it would be the men who had breastses to feed them. I know daddy’s who are great at staying home with the kids and that fantastic but this not the case here. Families need parents who involved in their lives daily, there no way she could possibly have enough time in day to raise kids and run state. Woman cannot have it all, not at one time at least. I totally believe that if you want big career you need to either have the kids early and at least get them into high school before running off to have life or don’t have them all all. There are so many woman who have to work to feed their families but again this not the case here Palin chooses not to raise her kids and I feel that wrong. I was McCain supporter before but with her as his VP, no thanks