PPP: Palin Leads Among Likely GOP Primary Voters (11-30-2010)

Sarah Palin leads the pack in PPP's latest poll of likely GOP primary voters.


When poll respondents were asked for their second choice, Palin and Huckabee were the most common responses. Romney and Gingrich tied for fourth. This will not bode well for Romney as the field starts to whittle down to 2 or 3 candidates.


PPP also included data to show who voters would support if their candidate of choice was not in the race. Just as I suspected, Palin and Huckabee largely draw from the same pool of voters. 34% of Huckabee supporters would move to Palin, followed by Gingrich at only 19%. See the chart below for more interesting revelations.


Read PPP's report and view additional polling data HERE

PPP Latest Head-To-Head Presidential Match-up (11-29-10)

H/T to Bosman

The latest PPP poll has Romney the closest to beating President Obama in a head-to-head match-up with Palin doing the worse out of the Big 4 candidates:

More bad news for Palin:

There is much more data and cross tabs found below. Just click the PPP icon:

The Fox News 2012'ers are getting a BIG BOOST!

How many can remember back in 2008, poor Mike Huckabee whining about Mitt Romney's wealth and how he was just poor folk trying to run a Presidential campaign on a shoe string budget?

Welcome to the world of FAT CATS Mike!

It seems that Media Matters put together some figures that puts a price tag on all the FREE PUBLICITY that their potential horses in the 2012 race have benifited from since coming to work at Fox.

It seems that Fox News candidates appeared on the network for nearly 66 hours.

The beak down is as follows, Former Republican Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, whose role as host pushed him to the top this list, appeared onscreen for more than 38 hours. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin -- the Republican vice-presidential nominee in 2008 -- and former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich both appeared for approximately nine hours of time on the network. Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) clocked in just about five hours, while John Bolton, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. under George W. Bush, appeared on Fox for more than four hours:

They further broke it down in dollars:

Fox News candidates' appearances were worth at least $40.23 million in advertising costs. Media Matters also estimated the equivalent cost advertisers would pay for the amount of air time Fox gave to each of its potential candidates. Advertisers would have spent about $22 million for screen time given to Huckabee, who is the only candidate to host his own, regular Fox News program. Gingrich's appearances would have been worth almost $6 million to advertisers, and Palin's would have cost them approximately $5 million. Santorum's advertising equivalency is about $4.19 million, while Bolton's would have cost just under $3 million.

I don't believe that media matters included re-runs. For Example, Mike Huckabee's taped hour show airs at it's regular time on Saturday, then again between 12:00 -5:00 AM, then again on Sunday night. I can't imagine what the figures would be if ALL THIS was included.

I guess the Fox horses are doing pretty well for Poor Folk!

The complete article can be read here.

Is Mitt Romney responsible for Obamacare and the current state of the Massachusetts Health Care system?

Here is an analogy for those who continue to blame Obamacare and the current status of the Massachusetts Health Care system on Mitt Romney:

There was a woman named Massa Chu Setts. She had complained of chronic pain to several doctors over the years. No one seemed able to help her until Dr. X came along. After several meetings with Massa, Dr X took her medical history and specific symptoms and consulted with several specialists. Tests were recommended and performed. A plan to remedy this woman's suffering was developed and put into place specific to here particular needs and situation. With all this information in hand, Dr X proceeded with his treatment and the woman was finally relieved of her pain.

Well, hearing this news, Dr Y who had a patient that he felt had a similar problem, decided that he would treat his patient the same way. Why bother with the unnecessary tests and consultations Dr. Y thought. It was obvious to him that his patient suffered from the same ailment and required the same treatment as Massa. He proceeded and his patient died.

If he had only just consulted with Dr X, before he proceeded, he would have learned that Dr. X's patient Massa Chu Setts, had mixed results. The pain she was having was lessened, but she would require ongoing treatments and close supervision, for the rest of her life.

Dr. X, finally retired and left his patient in the hands of Dr Z with the recommendation to continue with his treatment of Massa under close supervision. Well Dr Z decided to put the woman on additional drugs because he felt they would help her. They didn't and Massa continues a downward spiral losing many of the gains she made under Dr. X..

I have 2 questions for you:

1. Is Dr X (Mitt Romney) in anyway responsible for Dr. Y's (Barack Obama) patient dying?
2. Is Dr. X responsible for his former patient's new health issues under Dr. Z (Governor Deval Patrick)?

If you have determined that Dr. X is not responsible for Dr. Y's patient's treatment and death or the current health of his former patient Massa, How then is Mitt Romney responsible for Obamacare and the current state of the Massachusetts Health Care system?

Please answer the 2 questions. I'm not interested in you changing the above scenario or someone else inserting their own.

John McCain: "I think she's keeping her options open, and I think she should."

Sen. John McCain sat down today with Candy Crowley, on CNN's State of the Union. To nobody's surprise, he was asked whether he thought Sarah Palin would run for President. He was surprisingly gracious in his comments toward Palin given his propensity to pander to the left-wing media.

"I think she's keeping her options open, and I think she should. I think she's an incredible force in the American political arena...I think that anybody that has the visibility that Sarah has is obviously going to have some divisiveness. I remember that a guy named Ronald Reagan used to be viewed by some as divisive. I think she's doing a great job...I think she has motivated our base...I think she had a positive impact on the last election, and I'm proud of her."

Also of note, McCain stated that he would read Palin's book before reading George W. Bush's. The above video does not include that exchange. The entire video is at CNN.com

I have a feeling that McCain is less than enamored with the Bush wing of the GOP establishment at this time. McCain and George W. Bush have never been particularly close, and Bush is reportedly less than kind to McCain in his book. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he thumbs his nose at the Bush's by endorsing Palin's candidacy for president. McCain may end up being Palin's bridge to the moderate vote.

Palin Takes the High Road -- Compliments Christie

H/T Cubachi

Earlier this week, Gov. Chris Christie's comments about Sarah Palin garnered a lot of attention. The next day, Palin was asked about it on the Laura Ingraham Show. Apparently not familiar with the incident, Palin attempted to dismiss Christie's disingenuous swipe, but Ingraham contended that Christie was, in fact, mocking her.

Later in the day, Palin was a guest on the Dennis Miller Show. A woman from New Jersey called in to praise Palin's work to advance the conservative cause. Palin could have easily swept Christie's impressive accomplishments under the rug and simply accepted the caller's accolades, but she took the high road and made a point of complimenting the New Jersey Governor.

The following video is a montage of Christie's comments, Palin's reaction on The Laura Ingraham Show, and Palin's interaction with the caller from New Jersey.

Video courtesy of Palin TV



Governor Christie, I hope you learned something from this.

"Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." - Ronald Reagan

"Sarah not ready to be the flippin' president of the United States" - American Thinker

"Gosh darn it, Sarah. You're just not ready to be the flippin' president of the United States."  - Scott Ruppert, American Thinker

With those words, the Conservative Political Sphere proves it is far from the monolithic thinking group, many Liberal pundits like to portray. Nowhere is this more evident, than in the ongoing heated debate over whether or not former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, should seek the presidency in 2012. The American Thinker magazine posted an article, proclaiming with ardent fervor, the need for Palin to run. Ironically, there was another article, also at American Thinker, imploring, “Don’t Do It, Sarah.”

In the first article, Robert Eugene Simmons, Jr issues a very passionate rationale for urging Sarah Palin, not to merely run but to serve. Mr. Simmons Jr first lists the reasons why he believes Gov. Palin would not run. He goes into the details and painful sacrifices she would have to endure, should she be imbued with the inspiration, that she alone can save the Nation. Among the attributes cited are Palin’s love of country, from the heart speaking style, her belief in law before personal opinion and her uniquely singular ability to take on and dismantle the corrupt “Aristocracy” currently misbehaving in the nation’s capital. Whew! Not since George Washington has the nation had such a compelling, capable and yet humbly self-sacrificing leader offered to them.

Evidently, The American Thinker must be a very good place to work, since they allow for freedom of opinion and thought among their editorial staff. In the second posting, author Scott Ruppert lays out a compelling case for the Mama Grizzly not to run in 2012. He captures what many in the GOP and Conservative world have been feeling for some time now - basically Gov. Palin is too over exposed, in other words, Palin Fatigue:

“I genuinely liked Palin when she broke on the scene. She proved she had stamina, energy, charisma, and a message that resonated with conservatives. But somewhere along the line, Gov. Palin unknowingly traded being a serious politician for being a celebrity. Much like Barack Obama in his early days in the White House, she has been overexposed. From Fox News pundit, Dancing with the Stars proud mother, and Alaskan travel guide to touring with the Tea Party Express from state to state during the midterms, Ms. Palin has been omnipresent. That new face and air of common sense that I felt two years ago has gotten stale. The message still resonates, but I want it to come from somebody with a voice of depth not cultivated from briefing sheets and talking points.”

In addition, Mr. Ruppert also points to a casual quality in Palin, resulting in a lack of Presidential demeanor, as one of her stumbling blocks to Oval Office success:

“Maybe it's something as superficial as Sarah's whiny voice, the irritating momma grizzly shtick, or that "aw golly shucks" demeanor that makes her an improbable choice to be taken seriously behind the presidential seal while answering tough questions across the spectrum of global importance. Maybe it's the idea that I don't feel disrespectful at all calling her Sarah. This is tough to admit as someone who saw her as a breath of fresh air when John McCain initially brought her to the national spotlight in 2008.”

Now to be fair, both authors hold very positive feelings towards Gov. Palin, as I am sure the entire American Thinker staff does as well. But the valid questions and concerns that are currently held regarding a 2012 Sarah Palin presidential candidacy are based on more on political reality and strategy, rather than personal animus.

One of the many other concerns regarding Palin is her penchant for getting into public spats with the Media or the LSM – “lame stream media” as she likes to refer to them. While she has shown a deft use of her sharp sense of humor in the dispatching her detractors, such encounters do nothing to improve her image or burnish her credentials with Independent voters. Her reactions are one of the reasons she is viewed as the one of the most polarizing political figure in the nation. True, these encounters are very often driven by the LSM, they do raise eyebrows and questions even in conservative circles and question if they are of any real political value. They also highlight the tough time Palin would have as the GOP standard bearer in 2012 – she would be a distraction and on the defensive in all stories, allowing President Obama to articulate his “positive” case for re-election. Palin would have to “perfect” in order to have a shot a winning, as another American Thinker author points out.

Another sticking point with critics of the Mama Grizzly include her habitual use of GOP icon, Ronald Reagan, as her role model, inspiration and some would say, political shield. Her chronic use of Reagan as a political prop has lead Reagan admirers to be critical of Palin for not knowing facts about the former actor in defending her reality TV foray and citing his going to Eureka College in California, when it was actually in Illinois. By citing and incorporating Reagan, Palin can assure supporters of where she stands and how she’d govern, without getting into the troublesome tangle of spelling out actual policy positions. While Palin, to her credit, has taken on the issues of Inflation and Quantitative Easing 2, even that foray had a tepid response with some conservatives.

For the time being however, the Palin–Media Waltz will continue unabated for the next several weeks, while the Governor’s highly promoted book tour continues and her TLC reality show (yes, it is a reality show, one some conservatives didn’t care for) continues it’s run. While her book is anticipated to be a major success, complete with adoring fans braving the elements to obtain a signed copy, the TV show is another story. Week 2 of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” saw its ratings gutted like a halibut on Episode 2, dropping 40% from the premiere week.

Perhaps, Americans are tiring of the 24/7 Palin inspired reality-dance-political-docu-drama being played out in their homes, every time the turn on the news, check the Internet or crack open a newspaper. If so, it may represent the biggest hurdle Palin will have to face in a quest for the White House, avoiding real or percieved gaffes and controversies, while getting people to take her seriously.

Then again, since Sarah Palin is no dummy, maybe she is content to be the most widely covered celebrity on the national scene.

Greg Jarrett of Fox News, doesn't seem to buy the Fox News Palin Hype

Greg Jarret of Fox's Studio B had this to say on Friday:

"I'm getting the hook, My producer is having a heart attack."~Greg Jarrett

American Thinker: "I am sorry, Sarah Palin, but we need you to serve -- and for that, we need you to run."

Robert Eugen Simmons Jr. has penned an excellent piece for American Thinker regarding Sarah Palin's deliberations on whether she will run for president. He has an interesting take that echos what I've been thinking for the past few days. He makes the case that she may not actually want to be president, including the reasons why she may be hesitant to take the plunge.

Next, he makes a very convincing case as to why Palin should run, and declares that "we need her." Palin has been fairly consistent in her message regarding a potential run. I imagine she feels that the current crop of likely candidates won't be capable or willing to do what it takes to put the country back on the right track, but is more than willing to forego a run if an acceptable candidate emerges. I suspect that Jim DeMint, Mike Pence, Marco Rubio, or Rick Perry would be acceptable to her if they had a reasonable chance at capturing the nomination. DeMint and Perry have all but ruled out a run, Rubio hasn't even been sworn in to the US Senate yet, and Pence is likely running for Governor of Indiana. It's becoming more apparent as time goes on that absent a Palin candidacy, a large portion of the primary electorate will be disenchanted with the list of names on the ballot.

I believe her team will continue to proceed as if she will run for president. I cannot envision Palin standing on the sidelines while supporting Romney, Huckabee, Gingrich, Thune, or Daniels in a GOP primary. Unless one of the aforementioned acceptable conservatives surprises everyone and jumps into the race and proves that they can can compete for the nomination, she will declare her candidacy and be "in it to win it."

George Washington was a reluctant leader as well. He agreed to serve because he realized that his leadership was needed at a time when the country was in great peril. Sarah Palin will come to the same conclusion, if she hasn't already. I agree with the author, that while she's not Reagan, "she could be just as great as Reagan."

From the article:

In a recent interview, Sarah Palin said to the interviewer that she will consider running for president if there is no one willing to do the job and take on the problems facing America. I think America is going to have to hold her to that promise.

I can't think of a reason why Palin would want to be president and move to Washington. She clearly loves Alaska and has a wonderful family who also love Alaska as home. Palin clearly has a good thing going with the influence she has on national politics and election cycles. On a personal level, she has been able to amass a small fortune in being who she is. I don't begrudge her the fortune, and I don't blame her for her love of the wild beauty of Alaska.

I can't think of a single reason she would want to move to an urban environment often choked with crime and poverty. I can't think of a good reason why she should want even more scrutiny into her life and her doings with her children and submit to being organized 24 hours a day. I can't think of why she would want to brave the wall of vitriol that would come from the left as well as many Republican establishment types. Make no mistake that if she does run for president, you can expect every rude, misogynistic, and disgusting word in several languages to be thrown her way.

In fact, there is only one reason I can ask Sarah Palin to brave the sewers of a presidential run. The reason is that we need her.

The brutal reality of America is that an aristocracy has developed in Washington against the wishes of the founders of this country. The Republican Party "insiders" are just as deep in the corruption and aristocratic thinking as the liberal elites. If anyone ever needed convincing of the deep disregard in which the aristocracy holds the serfs, the "insiders'" reaction to the Tea Party movement answered that question. In such an atmosphere of aristocratic minds, who else would be able to cut them down to size and remind them that they work for the people of America? Would Romney, with his own aristocratic flair and his own version of Obamacare, be willing to curtail the reach of the aristocrats into our lives? Would politician-turned-talk show host Huckabee be willing to rein in the very people who supported him in his political life? Sarah Palin is one of few politicians who have fearlessly taken on the establishment, both Democrat and Republican, with a consistent message about the enforcement of the constitution and the returning of government to the people.

[...]

I won't be a bit surprised if Sarah Palin doesn't particularly want to be president, and I can think of a million reasons why she would not want to run. However, I cant imagine anyone else who would be able to pull us out of the mess we are in, reign in the aristocracy, encourage our allies, intimidate our enemies, and believe what she says while doing it all. President Palin wouldn't merely encourage young women by being the first female president; she would be a great president. Palin is not Reagan, but she could be just as great as Reagan.

I am sorry, Sarah Palin, but we need you to serve -- and for that, we need you to run.

Read the entire article HERE.

Sarah Palin: If I Become A Distraction I Won’t Run

Sarah Palin had this to say to Sean Hannity on Wednesday:



I found this video at Fox Nation. Here is a sampling of comments there.

freedombaby,
I would vote for you, but don't run. You won't win, because there is too much media against you, and too many in your own party against you

bouco,
I love Sarah, but I don't think she'll win if she runs. Too polarizing.
RNC chairman would be the PERFECT job for her. Don't run for prez, Sarah... please

NinjaMidget,
I have nothing against Palin, but I do think she would be a distraction. I think she could play a serious supporting role, but the lamestream media has done a pretty good job of vilifying her and she could not overcome that in 2 years. We need a good strong Reagan conservative that the media has not had a chance to tear down to run in 2012

hemorrhoid,
I'm going to laugh when Sarah Palin moves in the WH and all you liberal dumb @sses eat your heart out

noblinkster,
I feel that Sara Palin would definitely be a distraction if she ran for President and would be a better force for conservatives to "get out the vote" and rally America to vote out Obama!!!

werkenstiff,
As a conservative, I hope she doesn't run (too polarizing) and realizes she can have a more positive effect on the election and get more done if she doesn't . Kinda like quitting being Governor in order to get more done and have more influence. Which I completely agree with

IMHO, 75% of the comments at Fox Nation reflected the sentiment of the above comments.

Mark Steyn skewers RomneyCare as fill-in host on The Rush Limbaugh Show

A few days ago, conservative commentator and author, Mark Steyn was a fill-in host on The Rush Limbaugh Show. In the first part of the segment, Mark Steyn discussed Sen. Scott Brown's attempt to nibble at the edges of ObamaCare. Inevitably, the topic of the Massachusetts health care system, and former Governor Mitt Romney came up (at the 5:30 point in the audio clip below).

"I like Mitt Romney. Don't get me wrong. He's a nice, smart fellow. He turned around the Olympics. He made more money off people doing sports that nobody's got interest in...if you ask him to make money and find an efficient way to devise a 2-man luge event, he can do it. But, when you ask a Massachusetts bureaucracy to run a 2-man luge event, it's a disaster. And that's what happened in Massachusetts."

"Mitt told me that Massachusetts needed to reform its health care system, because the uninsured were placing huge strains on the state's emergency rooms, and so the rest of the population had to pick up the tab for that--that was why Massachusetts health care costs had been driven up. So, now practically everyone in Massachusetts is insured, but emergency room use is as high as ever...70% of the newly insured are all but entirely subsidized by state tax payers...costs are 30% higher than the US average...they wait longer to find a new family doctor than anybody in the nation, because nobody wants to be a family doctor in Massachusetts--so poor people trying to find a doctor in Massachusetts have to go up to southern New Hampshire."

"Massachusetts is the perfect example. It never cures the problem it sets out to cure, but it does give you an exciting range of new ones."

Perhaps this is why Romney has continued to hide from the press over the past few months, while others are taking on Obama, Pelosi, Reid and their radical agenda on a daily basis.

Marist Poll 11-24-10: Romney leads the field

If the 2012 Republican presidential primary were held today, whom would you support if the candidates are:

November 23, 2010 Marist Poll National Republicans and Republican Leaning Independents "N=337 MOE +/- 5.5%" Totals may not add to 100 due to rounding.

To see the results for rest of the field of candidates, click the icon below:

There was an additional poll that matched up: Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and Michae Bloombergl. Obama blew away Palin and Bloomburg. Click the icon below for results:

 

 

Mitt Romney's on a roll!

NJ Governor Chris Christie on Sarah Palin:

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Was asked about Sarah Palin on the Jimmy Fallon Show. What he said, may surprise you, or maybe not.

Move down to the 25 second mark on the video:

Mitt Romney has two more fans

Excerpt from a recent Larry King Live show:

North Korea fires missiles on South Korea

Latest related stories:

Amateur footage of North Korea attack on Yeonpyeong island

Pentagon: No Plan for Military Response to North Korean Attack

Japan on High Alert Following North Korea's Attack

Link to more updates HERE.

New Zogby Poll: Romney Wins and Obama Loses

Below are the results of the latest Zogby Poll conducted November 19-22.

President Obama's Approval ratings hit an all time low:

Mitt Romney beats Obama by the largest percentile of 6%:

The interactive poll consisted of 2,032 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/-2.2%.  A sampling of Zogby International's online panel, which is representative of the adult population of the U.S., was invited to participate.  Slight weights were added to region, party, age, race, religion, gender, and education to more accurately reflect the population.

More information can be found by clicking the Zogby icon below:

Palin leads the pack in Quinnipiac poll

Bosman posted some polling data from Quinnipiac earlier today.

I find this additional data from the poll, which was not included in Bosman's post, highly relevant.

Romney, Huckabee, and Gingrich appear to be losing ground to Palin over the last few weeks. The problem I have with Quinnipiac's hypothetical general election polling, is that they neglected to disclose the party identification splits. The data is useless without knowing who they polled. Survey USA has her down only 4 to Obama. Cross-tabs for this poll aren't available yet.

Mike Huckabee: Sounding like a 2012 Presidential candidate while in Iowa?

Mike Huckabee had this to say to reporters on Sunday, before his keynote address at an Iowa Family Policy Center event.

About a time line for running:

    “Honestly, I’m not on a time table. I’m not on somebody’s calendar to say, ‘This is the time when I have to decide.’ Am I keeping the option open? Yes.  Am I open to it, considering it and giving, you know, thought?  Of course.  I think I would be foolish not to in light of having been through it,understanding what it’s about.

    “…I’m in a very different position than I was four years ago when I was an asterisk in the polls and most people didn’t think that I was even going to be serious and this time, in most of the national polls, I’m either the top or near the top and that certainly is a different position to be in, but it doesn’t mean that I’m automatically going to do it either. There’s a lot of deep, internal soul-searching and another thing for me is that, as I’ve told many people, I don’t plan to jump in a pool unless there’s water in it.”

About Sarah Palin:

“One of the things I’ve learned in politics is you never make your decisions based on what other people are going to do or don’t do because, first of all, they can change their minds,”Huckabee said. “And, second of all, the one thing I learned running four marathons is you run your race, your pace.  You do not go out there and look around and constantly wonder what somebody else is going to do.

“No question she will be a very, very strong presence and force if she gets in, you know, she may run away with it and that’s one of those things that everybody as to be prepared for, but the decision I make won’t be based on what she does. If I get in it, I would prefer that she not and that she endorse me.”

About being able to defeat President Obama:

I always believed I could,”Huckabee said. “I wouldn’t have run the last time if I didn’t think I could and the good news for me is a majority of American voters seem to think that. In the last poll, I was the only one who polled above (Obama) outside the margin of error.”

To listen to the interview, play icon below: (You will need to back space to return)

 
He's sounding like a candidate to me. What do you think? Perhaps a little PR to push the book sales?

Quinnipiag University Poll: Mitt Romney is the only Republican that defeats Obama

In a new Quinnipiag University Poll conducted from November 8 - 15, Mitt Romney is the only Republican polled that defeats Obama:

From November 8 - 15, Quinnipiac University surveyed 2,424 registered voters nationwide, live by telephone, with a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.

Click the QP Icon below for cross tabs:

Palin's staff inquires about office space in Des Moines in advance of Nov 27th book signing.

How very interesting. Sarah Palin's book tour will take her to Des Moines, IA on November 27th. Apparently, she'll be doing more than signing books that day.

The UK Guardian reports:

In the course of making arrangements for that tour, two aides organising Palin's visit to Des Moines on 27 November told locals they were looking into office space and other logistical needs for the coming year, the Guardian has learned.

[...]

Some of her staff now appear to be putting the pieces in place in case Palin does decide to run. One of the aides, who only eats kosher food, told a local rabbi he was looking into longer term arrangements in Iowa.

"He was looking to be able to accommodate the needs of those coming down looking to set up shop here for campaigning in the coming years," said Yossi Jacobson of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Des Moines.

Others in Des Moines suggested Palin might be seeking a base from which to solidify her power within the Republican party, after successfully campaigning for a number of conservative Tea Party candidates during the mid-term elections. "It will be more than just a book signing – I am sure," said Jacobson.

[...]

This alone does not guarantee that she will run for president, but it confirms that she's seriously considering it.

Read the entire article HERE.

The Weekly Standard Author Skewers Palin's Alaska Reality Show

As devoted Sarah Palin fans get set to gather their families around their TV sets for the airing of tonight's second installment of the TLC reality show, "Alsaka's Sarah Palin" -- pardon me, "Sarah Palin's Alaska" - the Weekly Standard's Matt Labash has a blistering review of the show on their web site. It's a little surprising, since the WS has in the past been a pro-Palin entitiy.

Labash offers a scathing account of the show, as well as a commentary on the machinations and calculated moves behind the show's creation. Right from the opening paragraph, Labash let's loose with both barrells:



Matt Labash



"Just how Sarah is Sarah Palin’s Alaska, her new hit reality show on the TLC network? It’s soooo flippin’ Sarah, as Sarah would say. And it’s soooo Alaska, which Palin pronounces “A-LASK-ahhhh.” She repeats this on the show over and over again, as though we might forget where she’s from otherwise. She says it in that chirpy honk that, to her legions of fans, represents the music of Mom, apple pie, and flyover country. To her legions of enemies, it is the sound of gum smacking and syntax breaking. As Palin intones in the show’s opening, “A-LASK-ahhhh—I love this state like I love my family.” Except that she didn’t give her family up after governing it for two-and-a-half years, so that she could get a Fox News contract, and make 100 grand per speech, and write two books in a year, and drag her entire family onto a tacky reality show."

It doesn't get any better from that point on. Labash examines Palin's adroit and constant use of social media, her love-hate relationship with the Lame Stream Media and how she has nutured and gained from her explosive celebrity. Palin fans won't appreciate all the details and the authors caustic comments, while Palin detractors will relish in them.

Seems like something for just about everybody!

(This post is meant to inform, not agitate.)

Mitt Romney: Still quietly busy building a potential 2012 Coalition

I found this article the other day and almost didn't read it. It was about a groundbreaking event for the GW Bush Library. It was a slow news day yesterday other than what seemed to be a Fox News attempt at stymieing the results of their 12 in '12 series Presidential preference poll by launching a second one, so I decided to read it.

It seems that after the GW Bush event, there was another hidden in this article. The second event called by the writer of the article, a "heavy-duty meet-and-greet", took place at the home of Billionaires Alice and Keith Mosing.

While there was no official announcement regarding a run in 2012, his remarks were all about returning the country to the hands of the "conservative movement."

Long time friend and supporter L.E. Simmons put it this way to Governor Romney,

"We're going to rely on your help to make this all happen." The unspoken "this" obviously another run at the White House for the former Massachusetts governor.

Other BIG NAME attendees at the event were, Ned Holmes, Herb Butrum, Julie and Dr. David Brown, Ginny Simmons, Joanne King Herring, Nancy and Lucian Morrison, Jim Braniff, Gary Petersen, Carolyn Farb, Astrid and Gene Van Dyke, Lilly and Thurmon Andress, David Jones and Martha Adger and Jim Maged.

You can read the entire article HERE.

What I took away from this article was Mitt Romney quietly working behind the scenes to re-kindle friendships, make new friends, and more importantly, visit with current and future backers and donors of a potential 2012 run.

Even Mike Huckabee and Larry Sabato both agree that this kind of work is necessary in Huckabee's 12 in '12 interview. See 1:00 to 1:30 mark:

Congratulations to Renee Ellmers!...and to Sarah Palin for being the lone political figure to endorse her candidacy.

Congratulations to Renee Ellmers!

After a contentious recount, Democrat incumbent, Bob Etheridge has officially conceded the congressional race in North Carolina's 2nd District to Renee Ellmers. Many will remember the embarrassing encounter he had this past summer with two college students who were merely asking Rep. Etheridge if he supports the agenda of House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi.



One would think that a flood of support would come her way after this episode. Not exactly. Here's what an NRCC strategist had to say in july.

"It’s not a race we’re focused on. We’re still continuing to monitor it given the district’s Republican lean and Bobby Etheridge’s record and high-profile mistake,” said one party strategist. “But at the end of the day, with the deep fundraising discrepancy and no path to narrowing it, this is a race that’s not in our top 40 or our top 60 or anything like that.”

Enter Sarah Palin:

"Renee Ellmers is a true citizen-politician running in North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District. Having worked in the health care industry all her life, she joined countless other concerned Americans at the town hall meetings last summer to protest the disastrous Obamacare legislation. And she didn’t stop there! Renee decided to join the ranks of patriotic mothers across the country who have the courage to run for office this year and fight to make sure our children have as bright a future as we were given. Renee has an uphill battle against a truly out of touch incumbent who made news not too long ago when he was caught on video assaulting a student who asked him if he supported the Obama agenda. Simple enough question, but this Democrat Congressman who’s been in Washington for 14 years turned violent rather than answer it. My point with this is that Renee is willing to answer that question. She supports a commonsense conservative agenda which will put our country back on sound fiscal footing. Please visit Renee’s website at www.reneeforcongress.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter."

Out of curiosity, I checked Ellmer's campaign website to see if any other political figures joined Palin in the effort to replace an incumbent thug with a conservative. Other than a few endorsements from various conservative groups, Palin is the only individual listed.

After the votes were tabulated on November 2nd, the race was too close to call. An automatic recount was set to take place. In her effort to raise funds for the legal costs associated with a recount, Ellmers placed a call to the NRCC. The disappointing response she got was spelled out in the following letter to supporters.

Dear Supporters,

Election night, after the ten counties in my district had reported their votes, I led Bob Etheridge by 2,100 votes. (That number is crucial because under North Carolina law Congressman Etheridge is not entitled to an ‘automatic recount’ if he trails by more than 1% – or 1,888 votes.)

Then, yesterday afternoon – unexpectedly – the vote totals changed. The State Board of Elections reported my lead had dropped to 1,600 votes. Two hours later Bob Etheridge announced he intended to call for a recount.

As a result, last night my campaign began hiring attorneys – eleven attorneys in all. One in each county to monitor each recount and an attorney to work with the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Right now, our best estimate of the minimum cost we face is $50,000. But, of course, my campaign spent every penny we had before the election.

Yesterday, we appealed to the National Republican Congressional Committee for support, asking if they could contribute to help pay the costs of this recount. Their answer, unfortunately, was, No – that we would have to raise the money to pay for the recount ourselves.

I was afraid that would be their answer. Months ago, I went to Washington and asked the National Republican Congressional Committee and many conservative leaders to help my campaign. Many conservative groups – like the Susan B. Anthony List, Concerned Women of America, Freedom Works, and Sarah Palin’s Sarah PAC all helped, but the NRCC declined. Later, they did support other campaigns in North Carolina – which, unfortunately, lost – but we never received their support. In fact, their spokesman told the press “that the campaign wasn’t ready for prime time” – which actually made it even harder for us to raise money. So, I am doubtful we will get support from the NRCC to help with the expense of the recount.

[...]

Palin followed up on her letter with a plea for assistance from her Twitter account.

SarahPAC help is on the way for @Renee4Congress recount fund. Will other PACs join us? How about Beltway GOP? http://is.gd/gIZKN

And, the rest is history. This great story is not likely to get much press. However, those who follow the political scene have noticed, and more importantly, Renee Ellmers has noticed. Thank you Sarah Palin!

Free Republic and Mitt Romney. Not a match made in heaven.

Attention Romney supporters! You might want to scoot on over to Free Republic and defend Mitt's honor. The first comment on every post is as follows:

...Just to be absolutely clear, there will never ever be a RINO Romney campaign on FR!! If he somehow becomes the nominee, FR will be running a full-time campaign to DEFEAT him!! If you wish to support him then I suggest you sign off FR and onto Wankers for Mitt!!

The first sentence in the statement is a bit harsh, so I decided not to include it. The comment includes a video and a link to the Romney Truth File.
I suspect this was put up by the folks who run Free Republic. The purpose of my post is to inform, not to agitate.

Slow News Day News (3rd Edition)

Mitt Romney, George W. Bush, Barbara Bush and the Kinders take the spotlight

Rochester Business Journal: Mitt Romney Strongest GOP Pick 2012

Mitt Romney delays run, but experts say he’s a sure bet

Read Excerpt From Palin's New Book

Sarah Palin to Air Security Agents: 'Profile Away'

Mike Huckabee to push social issues in Iowa

Because I posted the Fox 12 in '12 series Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin profiles HERE, I decided to include the Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich videos as well:

Mike Huckabee:




Newt Gingrich:



All 13 videos can also be viewed HERE by scrolling down the page.

Will Fox News announce their "12 in '12" series Poll Results?

H/T to MRC chat participant James Taylor who said,

"If Huckabee or Palin don't win the poll probably will be discarded anyway"

That's an excellent point. That's why I decided to post this thread. I think your question deserves it's own poll:

I've posted a poll question on top of the Right Speak front page that asks,

"WHEN Mitt Romney wins the "12 in '12 Poll", will Fox News announce it?"

I believe it's important to keep the Fox News 12 in '12 Poll in the spotlight until the results are announced.

Fox News presented 12 potential candidates for President in their series. To not announce the winner of the accompanying poll because one of the hometown favorites doesn't win, would certainly not be the 'Fair and Balanced' thing to do. I'm counting on you Fox, to do the right thing.

I've added the poll on the side column of the front page at Right Speak as well.

Mitt Romney maybe eyeing a later start for 2012

According to Politico, Mitt Romney made a conference call to 245 of his top financial supporters today. Joining him on the call were,

Beth Myers, his 2008 campaign manager; Spencer Zwick, who was his finance director; Matt Rhoades, who runs his Free and Strong America PAC; and Eric Fehrnstrom, his longtime spokesman.

Also speaking on the call were Republican Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, as well as former Florida Republican Party Chairman Al Cardenas.

Politico is reporting Romney as saying,

“People are exhausted from the 2010 election, and they’re not anxious to begin right away with the next campaign,”

Romney also told supporters that his organization will be “smaller in scale than our last effort.”

Romney's rationale is that he was an unknown in 2008. This time, "January and February will come and go without an announcement".

He told his supporters that he can plan a leaner staff because he’s now a leading national Republican figure and needs a team that can hang on through a prolonged primary campaign amid a crowded GOP field.

Read the full story HERE.

Karl Rove: Don't Get Cocky, GOP!

Karl 'The Architect" Rove had an op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal titled, Don't Get Cocky, GOP.

In the article, Rove points out the difficulty in unseating a sitting President who decides to seek a second term. He points out that Since World War II, three have been defeated for re-election and two decided not to run again. But five had sought and won second terms.

He offers the following advise and predicts that whoever wins the GOP nomination in 2012, will be the candidate that does the better of the following 3 tasks:

1. 1. Create a compelling narrative for why Mr. Obama deserves to be replaced, why voters should pick him or her as the replacement, and where he or she seeks to lead the country.
2. Demonstrate the strength, values, decision-making capacity and leadership to take on the responsibilities of the world's most powerful and important job. Voters need to be able to visualize someone in the Oval Office before they will give them their support.  
3. Finally, the candidate who ultimately wins the nomination is likely to be the one who shows the greatest ability to unite the party and draw others into the GOP fold.

I thought it might be interesting to have our readers comment on where you feel your favorite or least favorite candidate STACKS UP in his/her ability to best Rove's 3 suggestions. Giving examples in their pasts that could indicate the ability and skills of achieving these goals.

Newt Gingrich: I'm working to clear path for 2012 presidential run [video]

In an interview with the Des Moines Register on Tuesday, Newt Gingrich said, he is making personal arrangements that would allow him to launch a campaign for president early next year, which his closest political adviser expects him to do.

Conglomerate PPP Polling After 18 States Pre-election

I now have all 18 of the new PPP polls compiled. I have taken all of the PPP polls that have been conducted since Gingrich has been included. I extracted earlier versions of states that have been polled more than once during that time, saving only the latest of those states. There are 23 states included in this study. I will show categories as follows: Overall, each of the age categories, Conservative, Men, and Women. I will show them both not only as a simple average, but also as a weighted average using the state delegates as the means by which I weight them. For some reason, with Paul removed and Thune, Daniels, and Pawlenty added, there are a whole lot more undecided and someone else. Thune, Daniels, and Pawlenty are all shown in the undecided/someone else category.

Overall Average Overall Weighted Average

Romney 19.35------------------------------------19.34

Palin 17.04--------------- ----------------------- 17.64

Huckabee 16.91------------------ ----------------17.11

Gingrich 15.87------------------------------------16.00

All others are either undecided or support someone else

In order to shorten this posting a little, let me just summarize the age division breakdown as follows:

Palin was best with the 18-29 year olds by a pretty large margin, then Romney, Gingrich, Huckabee

For 30-45 year olds Romney had the best average, then Palin, Huckabee, Gingrich

HOWEVER, with the weighted average for this age group we now have Palin, Huckabee, Gingrich, Romney

In the 46-65 year old group, Romney lead both averages, then Palin, Huckabee, Gingrich, HOWEVER, Huckabee switches places with Palin for the weighted average.

In the over 65 division, Romney lead both averages by a large margin, then Gingrich, Huckabee, Palin

Conservative Average Conservative Weighted Average

Romney---- 18.48----------------------------------18.25

Palin--------- 18.30--------------------------------19.56

Gingrich---- 18.26----------------------------------17.84

Huckabee-- 17.57----------------------------------- 17.67

All others are undecided or someone else

Women Average Women Weighted Average

Romney ------ 19.78----------------------------------19.84

Huckabee----- 18.78----------------------------------19.09

Palin---------- 16.22----------------------------------16.75

Gingrich------- 13.43--------------------------------- 13.07

All others are undecided or support someone else at this time

Men Average Men Weighted Average

Romney -----19.09---------------------------------19.03

Gingrich------18.17-------------------------------- 18.63

Palin--------- 17.43-------------------------------- 18.42

Huckabee---- 15.26-------------------------------- 15.37

All others are undecided or support someone else.

If anyone would like to put this into a nice, neat posting, feel free. I find the data interesting, and look forward to hearing the spin. The MOE on this much data would be very, very small. So, for these particular states, this is pretty much the story thus far. By the way the states involved in all except the age breakdown are:

KY, CO, IA, SC, LA, NV, FL, PA, IL, AK, TX, NH, ME, CA, MI, WV, CT, NC, OH, and WA

By the way, the MOE on this data would be extremely small. So, what you see is what you get.

In addition:

1) Of the 23 states, how many did each person win?

Romney: 8.5 Huckabee: 5 Palin: 7 Gingrich: 2.5

2) IF it were a winner take all in these states what would the delegate count be?

Romney: 503.5 Palin: 376 Huckabee: 233 Gingrich: 116.5

3) SC treated as a tie

Have fun. I would like to hear your comments. Don't stray too far from the subject matter please.

Fox News '12 in 12' Series: Fair and Balanced?

In Fox News attempt to cover all of who THEY feel are potential 2012 candidates for President, they decided to produce a segment on Mitt Romney, who opted out of the interview and IMHO clearly did not want to be included in the series. Perhaps Fox felt that '11 for 12' didn't roll off the lips quite as well as the original? So they decided to go ahead with the segment anyway.

Rather than highlight Romney's achievements in a positive light, Fox chose to play up what they felt were his negatives, including comparing the Massachusetts Health Care Bill to Obamacare.

Now I'm not naive. I fully expected a mention of the MA Health Care Bill. Instead, the majority of the piece seemed to center around this issue with only a few quick blurbs about his successful business background at Bain, Bain Capital, and the saving of the Olympics. No mention of Romney endorsing twice as many mid-term candidates as the other big 3 combined. No mention of him endorsing Chris Christie, Bob McDonnell, Nikki Haley, Terry Branstad, and Pat Toomey way before the others. When they were unknowns and/or long shots.

After viewing the video I was left with a sense that Romneycare is all Mitt Romney accomplished and the rest according to Fox, is insignificant. However, I know better and I know that's not the case. In light of the Romney segment, I believe he made the correct choice by not ACTIVELY partaking in the piece. I don't believe Fox would have done it any differently.

With Fox having 4 horses (Palin, Huckabee, Gingrich, and Santorum) in the race for 2012, it would be to their advantage to try and take the top horse out early. I'm not saying that this is what their plan was, I'm just opening it up as a possibility. It seems that with ALL the tv exposure that Palin, Huckabee, and Gingrich are getting on Fox, they can't seem to pass Romney in the polls and in the race to 2012.

What I'm going to ask readers of this post to do, is to view both Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin's profiles. See if you feel that they covered Palin's negatives with the same enthusiasm and intensity as they did Romney's. Let's see how much time they spent on her QUITTING her job as Alaska's Governor or the scandals that riddled her brief public career.

Mitt Romney:



Sarah Palin:



Well, were they, Fair and Balanced?

Mitt Romney Leads the field in new Gallup Poll (11-16-10)

 

 From Gallup:

In general, Republicans (including Republican-leaning independents) are at least twice as likely to identify as conservative as they are to identify as moderate or liberal. Thus, it is crucial for any potential Republican candidate to appeal to conservatives, especially given the Tea Party movement's influence in deciding nominations for Congress in 2010.

More information about the poll can be found HERE.

Mitt's Massachusetts?

Given the record breaking success of Sarah Palin's new television series, I suspect other political figures may be exploring this option as well. Other than the serial ankle-biters on the left, 'Sarah Palin's Alaska' continues to earn rave reviews.

Katie Pavlich at Townhall.com

"When we think of reality show, we think trashy housewives and serial dating, but this is not your typical reality show. Instead, 'Sarah Palin's Alaska' is a unique look into faith, family, love, strong American values and the natural beauty Alaska has to offer... Overall, this is an opportunity for viewers to see Sarah Palin for who she really is personally, as a wife, mother and career woman, without the media spin machine distorting her image or the distraction of being surrounded by political hoopla. "

Tom Gliatto at People.com:

"The first hour of the show, at least, played out as a shrewd, beautifully produced political ad intended to link the one-time vice presidential candidate in the audience's minds with an image that is homegrown, rugged and strong. There's nothing unfair or even surprising about this.... Palin and husband Todd climb the base of Mount McKinley. It's impossible to watch this footage and not see it as a metaphor for Palin's own self-propelled rise in politics.

Shane Vander Hart at Caffeinated Thoughts

"I just finished watching the first part of the eight part new documentary on TLC called 'Sarah Palin’s Alaska'. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The scenery was fantastic... What I liked most about the show is that it shows the family uncut and unscripted... There didn’t seem to be any desire on the part of the Palins to put up a false image, but rather a desire to just be themselves... This show looks to provide an unprecedented transparent look into the life of a political figure which is something that I appreciate. I’m sure there will be naysayers who will point to the flaws, but most I believe will gain a new appreciation for Governor Palin, but more importantly, an appreciation for the state that she loves."

PoliPundit:

"If Teddy Roosevelt – the outdoorsman and naturalist, not the 'progressive' ideologue – were a woman, he’d be called Sarah Palin."

It's likely that presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney has taken notice. Perhaps he's wondering if he can get in on the action. I came across the following videos that the Romneys had made prior to the 2008 campaign. In the first clip, a very personable Ann Romney explains the purpose of the family gathering. Apparently, Mitt was seeking feedback on whether he should run for president. Even the dogs got face time, or as Ann put it, "they will have an opinion too." All in all, I rate it as 13 minutes of clean, wholesome fun. Mitt vigorously shoveling snow from the deck? Check. Family prayer before dinner? Check. Grand kids sliding down the stairs, head first, on a mattress? Seems a bit dangerous, but...check.



The next video is my favorite. Mitt showed absolutely no fear while sliding down that hill head first.

Sledding At The Romneys - For more funny videos, click here

Could it be that the Romneys are currently planning the sequel?

Fox News '12 in 2012' series: Mitt Romney

PPP 2012 Presidential Preference Survey (AK, KY, NV, NC, OH, WA 11-15-10)

Cross tabs can be found HERE.

PPP surveyed 1,539 likely 2010 Alaska voters, including 743 typical Republican primary voters, from October 30th to 31st, for a +/- 2.5% margin of error for the entire sample, and +/- 3.6% for the GOP primary sample.

PPP surveyed 1,021 likely 2010 Kentucky voters, including 320 typical Republican primary voters, from October 28th to 30th, for a +/- 3.1% margin of error for the entire sample, and +/- 5.5% for the GOP primary sample.

PPP surveyed 682 likely 2010 Nevada voters, including 272 typical Republican primary voters, from October 30th to 31st, for a +/- 3.8% margin of error for the entire sample, and +/- 5.9% for the GOP primary sample.

PPP surveyed 847 likely 2010 North Carolina voters, including 307 typical Republican primary voters, from October 30th to 31st, for a +/- 3.4% margin of error for the entire sample, and +/- 5.6% for the GOP primary sample.

PPP surveyed 1,356 likely 2010 Ohio voters, including 500 typical Republican primary voters, from October 28th to 30th, for a +/- 2.7% margin of error for the entire sample, and +/- 4.4% for the GOP primary sample.

PPP surveyed 2,055 likely 2010 Washington voters, including 712 typical Republican primary voters, from October 29th to 31st, for a +/- 2.2% margin of error for the entire sample, and +/- 3.7% for the GOP primary sample.

Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.

Newt Gingrich Defends Mitt Romney and the Massachusetts Insurance Plan

During an interview scheduled for an upcoming The Brody File on CBN, Newt Gingrich is asked a question by David Brody about the Massachusetts Health Care Law:



Here is the transcript of the exchange:

Newt Gingrich: “Governor Romney’s made very clear that he favors absolute repeal of Obamacare and that he believes it’s not accurate and not fair to try and compare the two and I think you have to start with that and I also think in all fairness to Governor Romney that he vetoed many provisions that the liberal Democrats in the Massachusetts state legislature added to the bill and they overrode his veto so I think if you’re going to go back and look at the original Romney bill you’d have a much better bill and a much more practical bill than what the liberal Democrats did to the legislation because they literally overrode his veto on a whole series of items.”

David Brody:  “And so it’s not as clear cut as people make it?”

Newt Gingrich: “Yeah. I think it’s not but that will be part of the dialogue. People will talk about my record and they’ll talk about Mitt’s record and if others get in Palin, Huckabee, Mitch Daniels, Tim Pawlenty I mean it could be a pretty big crowd, Rick Santorum. Everybody’s record will be up for grabs and it ought to be up for grabs. You don’t pick the person to represent your party for the leadership of the most complex, most powerful and most prosperous country in history just out of a grab bag. You ought to have a chance to ask that person virtually anything and then you render judgment. You decide look is this the person I think can do that?”

Kudos to Newt. I guess he believes that facts are stubborn things!