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Friday, October 21, 2011

Making A Case For Sarah Palin's Earthquake

                     "But as for you, be strong and do not give up,
                      for your work will be rewarded."  - 2 Chronicles 15:7



The GOP presidential candidates just recently held their 8th debate of the year. The field is all but set.  Yet, most of Sarah Palin's supporters are still finding it hard to rally behind one Republican candidate. It's because not one comes close to being a total package that she is.

We see a tug-of-war in the polls between Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Herman Cain. Michelle Bachmann has lost the magic and all the rest has simply no clear and practical path to the nomination.

Mitt Romney is the presumptive nominee but the Republicans' embrace of him has been lukewarm at best. I, for one, cannot in good conscience vote for Mr. Romney whose convictions are as solid as a JELL-O. A man of his word he is not. He's been a liberal, a moderate and a conservative depending on who he is running against. A famous flip-flopper, he's even changed his position that one should make a stand on issues and not flip-flop.  His 10th amendment defense of individual mandate in Romneycare is also highly debatable. Technically, the federal government cannot  mandate people to eat broccoli, but a state can. Should a governor order everybody in his state to eat broccoli? As Sarah Palin once said, "just because you can, doesn't mean you should." His defense, if anything, shows lack of restraint in exercising the vast powers of his office, though guaranteed by the States' Rights. Just ask Rick Perry.

Rick Perry came under fire for his policy of providing in-state tuition assistance to illegal immigrants in Texas. He defended this as a states' rights issue. It wasn't enough that it showed utter unfairness to other students (who are legal residents and US citizens) who probably have to work two jobs or have to incur students' loans to afford their college educations. It was also quite a sight to watch on national TV a governor, entrusted to enforce the laws of his state,  to openly embrace and publicly ignore the meaning of the word "illegal." If that wasn't trouble enough for him, he suggested that those who play by the rules who disagree with him "do not have a heart." Mr. Perry has had several gaffes (the Gardasil flap, "Ponzi scheme" remark that scared off seniors dependent on Social Security checks, "treasonous" Ben Bernake)  that sent his poll standing tumbling down. He is, however, a formidable fundraiser so he remains a viable contender. Nearly 60%, though, of his contributions came from Texas which suggests that his base of support elsewhere is soft. Moneywise, he could endure a long and expensive campaign and probably win easily ... in Texas.

Herman Cain has surged in the polls lately. But as affable and charismatic as he is , his 9%  national sales tax would be a hard sell, especially to states with no sales tax like New Hampshire or states with the highest combined state and local sales taxes like Tennessee and California. His propensity to misspeak is a treasure trove for his opponents to twist and misquote every word he has uttered. He is not quite ready for prime time and his inexperience on national stage is showing through his gaffes, during interviews and on the campaign trail. With his paltry fundraising and a ragtag team, he'd be easily creamed by the more seasoned, aggressive, $1 billion-richer Team Obama.

With the general election likely to be Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney, it's hard to tell which lesser evil America is going to get: a President Romney or a reelected President Obama. A President Romney is a win for the establishment and business-as-usual. A President Obama means another four years of more-of-the-same. Mitt Romney is a man of ever-shifting positions on issues. Barack Obama is a man of no-principle-at-all, voting present and too careful to stick his neck out for anything. What difference does it make? Either way, America loses.

That's why Palin supporters keep looking back at Wasilla, Alaska, hoping that their last remaining fighting chance would reconsider her decision and run for President of the United States in 2012.

There is a movement on Facebook right now called "Sarah Palin's Earthquake" whose main purpose is "to round up all of the Sarah Palin supporters to see if we can create the "Earthquake" that she said it would take to get her to reconsider running for President."

(Disclaimer: I am a member but I do NOT speak for the group. The opinions expressed in this post are all mine and are not endorsed by the group.)

In her conversation with Bob & Mark Levin, radio show hosts in Alaska, she said that absent  a 10.3 earthquake, she would not change her mind. We all know that the earthquake reference is all but a metaphor. What isn't a metaphor is her clear plan  going forward to help elect common sense conservatives who will get this country back on track. Indeed, we must join her in this effort 100%. We are one election away from turning into Greece. Our enormous debt is the biggest threat to our national security. It is only the specter of 2012 that makes some Democrats in Congress vote against Pres. Obama's bills and proposals. A GOP-controlled Congress is our only firewall against his destructive policies. We hear her message loud and clear.

But how do you separate the message from the messenger?

Such is the dilemna facing the voters. The current GOP presidential candidates are preaching the same message of smaller government, less spending, less regulations on the free market. Yet, not one comes across quite as authentic. With Sarah Palin, the message and the messenger are one and the same.There is no candidate right now from both parties whose policies and governing style are marked with clarity, consistency and constancy. She calls it like it is and says the same things whether she's speaking in Iowa or Florida or Arizona because she has no need to brown-nose to special interests. Rare is a politician whose words quite match her actions and she has the record to prove it.

Will we be able to convince her to change her mind?

Only she can answer that but I do know that our children's and grandchildren's future is at stake here so it's worth a try. I also know that if, after her much prayerful deliberations, we are going to ask her to put her family through heck again, we must show her that we have her back. We should be in it to win it.

I am not much of a political junkie to know the details of the write-in/draft rules and filing deadlines for primaries and general elections of all 50 states. But I know enough that there are Organize4Palin groups all around the country that have already laid out a campaign path for the governor before her announcement came out. They could gather the required signatures and file the necessary paperwork in her behalf so that, if in God's grace she reconsiders, all the legalities are already taken care of and we could all hit the ground running.

If we are ever to change her mind, I believe IOWA is key. I hope that Mr. Stephen Bannon would stick with his plan of releasing his "bombshell" a month before the Iowa caucuses as he had initially planned. I also hope that Mr. Peter Singleton could quickly mobilize those boots on the ground and do whatever is necessary to convince voters to caucus for her.  A win in Iowa would be a strong enough earthquake to meet the bar she has set. If we could deliver Iowa for her, it would make a huge statement for her viability and her supporters' sincere grassroots efforts to help get her into the race.

Speaking as a former Democrat, only the closed-minded would dismiss the substance and successes of her political life. I see Sarah Palin through her record of public service as a council member, mayor and governor. She has provided us with a blueprint of what great things America could achieve under a true and honest leadership  that operates under the context of a limited government. A leader who looks conscientiously to the Constitution in fulfilling her duties instead of trying to creatively circumvent it. A leader who is prudent with taxpayers' money and governs with the interests of her citizens instead of political donors and allies.  A leader who could not wait to shed the perks of her office, like the governor's jet, in stark contrast to the current First Couple who had no qualms about  travelling on  two separate taxpayer-funded planes on the same day on their way to the same vacation destination - four hours apart!

America deserves better.

One cautionary point to ponder for the ABO (Anybody But Obama) crowd. Mr. Obama might be a weak incumbent but an intense disapproval of the current president is not enough to unseat him if we field an even weaker challenger. Just ask any ABB (Anybody But Bush) Democrat. At the height of two unpopular wars and with the budget surplus that had all but turned into a $413 billion deficit , a polarizing George W. Bush could not be knocked off by a weak, flip-flopping, rich, can't-connect-with-a-Joe-six-pack, stiff guy  from Massachussetts. No, I'm talking about John Kerry, not Mitt Romney.

The political ground in DC needs a major shake-up. The electorate has the power - their votes- to crack open the fault line so that the old landscape can change and a new direction for our country could emerge. A government that is truly representative of the American people. Let us bring it forth. One vote at a time.

In Kaylene Johnsons's book, "Sarah: How A Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down" (2008 edition, pp. 96 -97), she wrote that Sarah Palin often turned down generous checks from big corporations or from supporters whom she knew did not really have much  money to spare, saying that "Really, all I need from you is your vote." That's what it will come down to when all is said and done.

Your vote. For Sarah Palin. In 2012.

We can do this.

Please go to http://www.facebook.com/PalinQuake;    OR
http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/SarahPalinsEarthQuakeMovement/   (this is a CLOSED group and the administrators are asking its members to switch over to the newer site at the top.)

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