" Do you not know that in a race all the runners run
but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as
to get the prize." - 1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV
One month after Governor Sarah Palin announced that she would not be seeking the GOP nomination for President of the United States in 2012, her supporters still have not coalesced behind one declared Republican candidate.
Torn between wanting to respect her decision and a group of GOP candidates who are either lacking in experience, not ready for prime time, with too much baggage or with ever-shifting positions on issues, Palin supporters keep going back to one leader who has the right experience, resolve and character to restore America’s greatness - Sarah Palin.
There is a compelling parallel to be drawn here between her staying out of the 2012 election and the times that she resigned her posts as chairwoman of the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC) and as governor of her home state.
During her tenure at the AOGCC, she brought to the forefront the ethical lapses and conflict of interests of, among others, her fellow Commissioner Rudy Ruedrich who was also serving at the same time as chairman of Alaska Republican Party. Unwilling to be part of the "Corrupt Bastards' Club", she resigned from AOGCC and blew the whistle on the corruptions of her colleagues, knowing fully well that she was going against the deeply entrenched GOP establishment. In the end, the FBI investigations resulted in arrests and jail times for some public officials and with Mr. Ruedrich paying the state's largest fine for ethics violation.
Sarah Palin sacrificed her political career, took a stand and Alaska won.
After the 2008 election, the Democrats and their allies deluged the Palin administration with one frivolous ethics complaint after another, which were just as quickly dismissed and found without merit by the state Personnel Board. An article by John Fund, Death by a Thousand FOIAs, deftly described her critics' zeal in holding her office hostage to their political dirty game. By the time she resigned, fighting off these complaints had cost the Alaskan taxpayers $1.9 million, not counting the lost time and opportunities that could have been used in taking up the state affairs and business. She gave up her governorship, as she said, so that Alaska could continue to progress. One year after she left office, Moody's upgraded the state's credit rating to Triple-A on the account of Alaska's $14 billion in reserves - "enough to pay for almost three years of operating expenses". Proof positive that by stepping aside, the wheels of her economic and fiscal policies kept on rolling successfully to the benefit of her constituents.
Sarah Palin sacrificed her political career, took a stand and Alaska won.
Now that she has declined a run for the 2012 election, Gov. Palin has once again decided to put her political advancement on hold – at a time when America needs to win.
This may turn out to be the biggest blessing in disguise and/or the most unconventional campaign strategy yet.
Whatever and however family concerns factored in in her decision, in my opinion, should be left within the walls of her home. What we can fairly discuss in the public arena are the statements she gave in her announcement release: that she will "help elect other true public servants, from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency , … who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.”
Rest assured, she will not be hibernating in Alaska.
By not being a candidate, she is indeed unshackled to go around the country to talk about what is at stake in this election without a big target on her back. At the same time, she is meeting, supporting and endorsing like-minded commonsense conservative candidates, building alliances along the way. Alliances that would be necessary in implementing the much-needed reforms so we can get our economy growing again and get the country back on the right track.
For three years she has endured attacks, darts and arrows from the LSM and the left. Now that she isn't a "threat" to Barack Obama, the issues facing our country can finally take center stage. As the GOP rivals busy themselves taking each other down and Team Obama already defining Mitt Romney as "Mitt the Empty Suit ... without a core", she will be blazing the trail, talking to voters about the urgent need for smaller government, less spending, less regulated free market and the solutions to fix our country’s problems. She is building the support system and the path to retaking the Senate, strengthening the GOP-controlled House and, with God's blessing, winning the White House.
Her supporters would like nothing else but to see that it is she who would win the White House. It is just too soon to concede.
Pro-Palin movements, like the Sarah Palin's Earthquake and DraftPalin among others, have been leading the efforts in urging her to change her mind and in pushing for a write-in/draft drive. They're doing a tremendous job. It is now time to shake things up and take our actions to the next level!
Right now, the group that benefits the most from our work is probably the US Postal Service. The thousands upon thousands of postcards we're sending the former governor and the state RNCs have probably "saved or created" more jobs than Pres. Obama could ever hope for with his stimulus bill. But our postcards and personal letters may not be enough to convince her to jump into the race.
Why?
The voters, especially the non-supporters and those on the sidelines, do not see the volume of the personal letters and postcards that are mailed to her private residence and to the RNC's private offices. Nor do they feel the intensity of her supporters' desire to get her to reconsider. The general public, and the media, need to see vigorous actions on the ground, boots on the ground kicking things up in her behalf, their curiosity piqued by ordinary folks' sincere activism in wanting to shape this election, so dynamic and unseen before that it'll shake American politics at its core.
Absent these, Sarah Palin would only be opening herself to unnecessary attacks from the LSM and the left. If she simply comes out and suddenly announces in the Bob & Mark show that she has changed her mind and would run for the presidency in 2012 after all, her critics would just as quickly pummel her as wishy-washy, a spoiler, or worse, be slapped with that most dreadful label - a flipflopper. But if everyone, including the media, could see the earth-shattering grassroots efforts by We The People to put her name on the ballot, it gives her all the ammunition she needs to pick up the torch and carry the fight to the finish line.
It's time to reset our "reconsider" strategy and take it out to the campaign trail. It's time to reload. Here are some suggestions on the things we can do:
- Let's work on the official write-in/draft petition now, gather the signatures and file. Contact your state's O4P (if your local O4P is not on the "reconsider camp", you'll have twice the task to convince them to "reconsider" as well). We have to make sure that the gathered signatures are all legit and valid. We knew that Barack Obama knocked off his opponents in his first Senate run in Chicago by challenging his opponents' petition signatures. I don't see how the Democrats or the GOP nominee would not employ the same tactic. There are also filing fees to consider which vary from state to state. We may be asked to contribute.
- Keep her out there. Let’s encourage the O4Ps and the Tea Parties to work together in requesting speeches and appearances by the governor to keep her visibility high. While the other candidates are floundering at the weight of their own gaffes and flaps, with Sarah Palin being out there, voters are reminded that, yes, there is one living alternative to these flawed candidates and we have paved the legal way for them to vote for her and make their write-in votes count.
- Attend all and any political events to distribute "Write-in Sarah Palin" leaflets. We have to coordinate with our local O4Ps on what to write on the leaflets. We can't have 3 million Palinistas (and that's just her Facebook followers) going rogue on messaging. We will have to print these materials from our home computer to help defray costs. Suggested items to write on the handouts: list of accomplishments, link to her FB page, brief bio, promote the movie "The Undefeated".
- Be her minesweeper. For the past years the Democrats, the left and the media have littered Sarah Palin's way with spikes and mines in hope that that would end her political career. By sheer wit, gut and determination, she is still on top but she cannot fight the smears alone by herself. Let us do locally what Conservatives4Palin has done for her nationally: defend her record and correct any lies and misinformations that her detractors are throwing out there. Write to your local papers, call radio shows, do robocalls . Let us all remember to be respectful and sensible in language and in tone because we represent her.
With the O4Ps, the Tea Party, her supporters and pro-Palin groups working together, more and better strategies will surely come up. Let us all help in whatever capacity we can.
After deciding that she'd pass up on 2012, why should we go to great lengths to convince her to reconsider and run?
Some critics say that if Sarah Palin wanted to be president, then she should be out there fighting for each and every vote. Under ordinary times I would agree. But the country right now is standing at a precipice of history. We could all go down together without a fight or pull each other up to a stable and solid ground. For three years, she has been fighting the powerful troika of the LSM, the left and the GOP's good ol' boys' club who would unleash all dirty tricks on the book to take down an honest and an incorruptible public servant. Their false and malicious attacks have been universally on her character because they knew that they could not compare with the substance and solidness of her record. They will never play it fair with her.
She is just one person and if we care about the direction America is going, we need to fight with and for her.
Her record in public office is marked with one consistent theme: doing the right things for the people she serves. That means making the hard choices that elected politicians before her have refused to make. No kicking the can down the road . No accounting gimmicks in balancing the budget. No pandering to special interests. If it meant risking her own political career, so be it. In her book, what needed to be done shall be done.
This is exactly the kind of leader we need at the White House. We have a president right now who is chipping away at everything that America stands for, whose politics guide every policy he makes, who seems oblivious to the hardships that he’s creating for the American people.
As I have said here before, when it comes to Sarah Palin as a leader and her crusade for a government truly representative of the people, it is impossible to separate the message from the messenger. By paving the campaign trail for her, we are allowing her to carry her message all across the country without being knocked off by constant attacks from the protectors of the status quo.
Keeping in mind 1 Corinthians 9:24, 2012 is the race that could either completely "transform" or restore America . Many are in the race but only one wins the prize. For our children and the future generation's sake, Sarah Palin has got to be the one to win this race.
Let the Earthquake begin. It’s time to shake things up!
We can do this.
(Note: Please know that I am not speaking for any O4P, Draft Palin or any particular group. All the opinions expressed in this article are mine alone.)
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