A CALL FOR AN OPEN CONVENTION

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? IF NOT YOU - THE DELEGATES, WHO?

In the 1880 presidential election, a historic brokered convention took place. At the Republican convention, the delegates were deadlocked between two candidates, James A. Blaine and John Sherman. Heavy politicking and brokering ensued. Over thirty ballots were cast. On the 34^th ballot, a new contender emerged. James A. Garfield, who was NOT even a candidate, was nominated and prevailed in the general election to become our country’s 20^th president.

America’s presidential elections are rife with history of brokered conventions (which are a form of open conventions). In 1844, James A. Polk only hoped for a VP slot yet was handed the nomination on the ninth ballot and emerged as the 11^th US president. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was nominated on the third ballot and became our 16^th president. In 1876, the delegates picked Rutherford Hayes on the seventh ballot. He, too, was victorious and won to become our 19^th president.

Back to the anxious time of 2012, America is one election away from turning into a socialist nation. We need a strong-willed, independent-thinking challenger to the incompetent Chicago-politician sitting at the White House. Instead, we have a presumptive nominee with no core principles who does not feel the need to have to “light his hair on fire” to earn the support of the conservative base, and an alternative candidate, buoyed by his fiery delegate-supporters but managed to win only 3% of the Republican  primary votes. The gravity and depth of problems facing our country are begging for history to repeat itself - only our circumstances call for an open convention where the delegates, and not the political leaders, would be doing the negotiating. LET US BRING ON AN OPEN CONVENTION. This is not to disrespect the rules of the Party or to disrupt the order of the convention event. We need to nominate another candidate at the convention because we NO longer have a choice.

How formidable is our presumptive nominee when the delegates were forced to sign affidavits of support, under threat of perjury, to secure their votes? How credible is our presumptive nominee when the Republican Party itself had to break their own rules to carry their preferred candidate across the finish line? Why did the RNC allow Florida to be winner-take-all when the Sunshine state broke Rule No. 15(b)(2) and held its primary prior to April 1^st? Did RNC Chairman Priebus have to thumb his nose at the voters and endorse Gov. Romney prematurely when Rep. Paul was still very much in the race in clear violation of Rule No. 11? In Montana, Indiana and many other state conventions, why did the RNC prevent the delegates to vote for their chosen delegation but instead force on them slates of delegates hand-picked by the Romney campaign?

The RNC and the Romney campaign had no qualms in breaking the Republican Party’s own rules to ensure his victory at the primaries and the convention. We the People are only asking our delegates to use the rules in the book to give us a TRUE COMMONSENSE CONSERVATIVE choice in Tampa. Please, delegates, exercise your right to Rule No. 38. “No delegate or alternate delegate shall be bound by any attempt of any state or congressional district to impose the unit rule."  Vote your conscience, vote for our country, vote for our future. Give us the strongest Republican who can energize the base, who has a proven record of accomplishments, serving only the best interests of the people she served, with concrete and tangible benefits to her constituents - Governor Sarah Palin.

The Republican Party establishment is now only looking to advance their own interests. The media has surrendered their journalistic duty to report unbiased facts at the president’s and the Left’s feet. It is time to take our destiny in our hands and restore everything that is good about our country. WE ARE AMERICANS. We are the leader of the free world. It is time to defend our freedoms and founding principles and values that the permanent political class has callously kicked aside in favor of perpetual power and greed.

The first step towards taking our exceptional nation back begins, not on November 6, but right here at the convention in Tampa in August, and it starts with YOU – the delegates.  If not now, when? If not us, who?

(Note: This article is cross-posted at www.palinquakes.com and is part of the delegate packet that we are mailing out to the RNC national delegates who will be convening in Tampa, Florida in August 27 - 30, 2012. I also wrote the cover page of the same packet that was signed by the founder of the Sarah Palin's Earthquake Movement).

Making Open Convention Happen - Based on an RNC Counsel Memo

                    "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning,

                  and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise

                  counsels:" Proverbs 1:5 KJV

(This article also appears on the Earthquake Movement's website  under Open Convention.)

    
Romney has passed 1,144 delegates but an OPEN CONVENTION can still happen – within bounds of the Republican Party Rules. A memo from no less than an RNC Associate Counsel confirms that all delegates are unbound. The same memo also showed a way to overcome Rule #40(b) which requires a candidate to have a plurality of votes from five states to be eligible to an official nomination at the convention. 

A short background: A Utah Republican National Committeewoman named Nancy Lord wrote to the RNC Counsel in 2008 to seek clarification on the so-called “unit rule” (Rule#38) which states that “No delegate or alternate delegate shall be bound by any attempt of any state or congressional district to impose the unit rule.” (See reprint of the full memo at the end of this article.)

Here are the key parts of the memo:

From: Jennifer Sheehan – Legal

To: Nancy Lord

Cc: Sean Cairncross - Legal ; Blake G. Hall

Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008

Subject: RE: The Unit Rule

Mrs. Lord:

I am going to attempt to clearly answer your questions as listed below. 

1. You are correct - the answer is no.  The national convention allows delegates to vote for the individual of their choice, regardless of whether the person's name is officially placed into nomination or not.

…….

(Regarding Rule #40)

4. … The Rules require that a roll call be taken from each state who announces the number of votes that its delegates cast for any eligible candidates, as well as for any person someone would like to cast a vote for in the roll call.  You are correct that a person does not have to be officially nominated in order to receive votes, however, this vote is essentially pointless as it will not count towards the official tally (emphasis mine).

Therefore to clarify, a candidate must receive the support of the majority of five state delegations in order to be officially placed into the nomination.  Only candidates that have been officially nominated can accumulate votes that will count towards the majority of delegates necessary to officially nominate the Republican nominee for President.  The Republican nominee for President must receive at least 1191 votes from the national convention delegation in order to receive the official nomination. 

The memo is clear enough that Rule #38 frees delegates to vote for any candidate they want and only a candidate with a 5-state majority support  [per Rule #40(b)] can be officially nominated. It also clarified that since every delegate is unbound, he/she is free to cast a vote for anybody, even one who does not meet the 5-state majority support. However, that vote will not count as it will not be added towards the official tally. Let us say someone puts in Sarah Palin’s name. That vote will be tossed out. BUT A VOTE FOR PALIN IS A VOTE DENIED ROMNEY, THUS KEEPING HIM BELOW THE THRESHOLD OF 1,191 - WHICH LEADS US TO AN OPEN CONVENTION.

Nothing is set in stone. No one is declared a nominee until after the convention. Members of the 5-state majority delegations can place ANYBODY's name on the nomination form. Please nominate anybody but Romney on the first ballot and keep him under 1,191 votes. Make open convention happen.  

GAME ON!   

 REPRINT OF THE MEMO (SOURCE: http://republicanselect.blogspot.com/2012/05/rnc-counsel-on-rule-38-of-rnc-rules.html)
  
RNC Associate Counsel's Opinion on Rule 38 of the RNC Rules barring the "unit rule"

MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT: RULE NO 38 - UNIT RULE
FROM:      RNC COUNSEL
TO:             NANCY LORD
DATE:       AUG 20, 2008

________________________________________________________________

This Memorandum is based on your request to examine the Republican Party Rules historyrelating to the so-called “Unit Rule” provision currently found at Rule 38 which states, “Nodelegate or alternate delegate shall be bound by any attempt of any state or congressional district to impose the unit rule”.

This language was initially adopted at the 1964 Republican National Convention, paraphrasingthe words of the proponent of the amendment, in order to codify in party rules the actual practicefollowed in past conventions, namely to allow delegates to vote as they chose even if state law bound them to vote for a specific candidate.

This amendment which modified then Rule 18(a) was initiated by the RNC Rules Committee andadopted by the full RNC at its pre-convention meeting. That ’64 language stated, “No Delegateor Alternate shall be bound by any attempt of any State or Congressional District, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands to impose the unit rule.” Based upon a review of the transcripts of the RNC debate on the “Unit Rule”, proponents of the ’64 amendment argued that their amendment to Rule 18 merely reflected current practice and adopting this Rules change would simply memorialize what was the historical Convention practice, not create a new policy.

During the debate on the “Unit Rule” amendment, there was some concern raised that the new language would be interpreted by some to prohibit the individual states from adopting rules that would bind or allocate delegates to specific candidates. The proponents, however, gave assurances that it was not their intention to effect any “legal or “moral” obligation of the delegates. Based upon the concern raised that this provision would be erroneously read to prohibit states to bind or allocate delegates a concerted effort was made to defeat the amendment. That effort to reject the addition of the new “Unit Rule” language based on that concern, failed, 59 to 41.

In 1976 the no “Unit Rule” language was modified by the RNC Rules Committee, effectively requiring the 1976 Convention to record delegate votes based on the results of “any binding Presidential Primary or direct election of delegates bound or pledged pursuant to state law.” The Convention Rules Committee and the Convention itself accepted this RNC modification without any debate. The additional Rule 18(a) language applicable to the 1976 Republican Convention read as follows, “…however, that in any event, the vote of each state for the nomination for President shall be announced and recorded (or in the absence of an announcement shall be recorded) in accordance with the results of any binding Presidential Primary or direct election of delegates bound or pledged pursuant to state law. No delegate or alternate shall be bound by any attempt of any state or Congressional district to impose the unit rule.”

The ’76 language was deleted in 1980 effectively reverting back to the 1964 language and the current language regarding the “Unit Rule” now found in Rule 38 is consistent with the 1980 language.

---

Dear Blake and Sean,

Thank you so much for the memorandum [above] regarding the history of the Rule 38.

After studying it, I still have unanswered questions.

From the memo, I am clear that:

1. Rule 38 was not intended "to prohibit the individual states from adopting rules that would bind or allocate delegates to specific candidates".

What I need clarified is the following:

1. Do the RNC Rules require a state's delegation to follow its state laws or state party rules in the matter of binding of their national delegates to vote for a particular candidate? (I believe the answer is no; the RNC Rules are silent on this issue. My understanding is that any “legal" or “moral” obligation of the delegates, under either state law or state party rules, is simply that -- a state party matter. The RNC will not get involved in any such issue unless it deems that there is a violation of Rule 38 - an attempt to invoke the "Unit Rule" - during the time of the national convention.)

2. Do the RNC Rules prohibit a state party from changing its rules regarding the binding of their national delegates after the 2nd Tuesday in the September the year before the convention but before the national convention begins? (I believe the answer is no - the RNC Rules are again silent on this issue.)

3. Do the RNC Rules allow a national delegate to cast their vote for anyone they choose at the national convention, regardless of any vote-binding rules in their state or regardless of whether or not that "candidate" has been officially nominated under the RNC "majority of delegates from five states" rule? (I believe the answer is yes. I cite the actual rolling roll call of the states vote in 2000 as an example. In several states, even though George W. Bush had for many months been the presumptive nominee, several states, including Arkansas (19 for Bush, 5 for Alan Keyes) in the 2nd session on Monday evening, Massachusetts (35 for Bush, 1 for McCain, and 1 abstention) in the 3rd session on Tuesday evening,

4. Is the process of the "rolling roll call of the states" the process by which it is determined which candidates have met the RNC "majority of delegates from five states" rule in order to have their name officially placed in nomination? In other words, or as a corollary, do only those candidates who receive a "majority of delegates from five states" votes during the "rolling roll call of the states" become an official nominee, while any candidates receiving votes who did not receive the required majority of five states' votes simply fall to the floor, having not met the threshold?

Is there any way that you can clarify the answers to these questions in writing before tomorrow morning?

Nancy Lord

Utah Republican Republican National Committeewoman

---

From: Jennifer Sheehan - Legal

To: Nancy Lord 

Cc: Sean Cairncross - Legal ; Blake G. Hall 

Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008 

Subject: RE: The Unit Rule

Mrs. Lord:

I am going to attempt to clearly answer your questions as listed below.

1. You are correct - the answer is no.  The national convention allows delegates to vote for the individual of their choice, regardless of whether the person's name is officially placed into nomination or not.

2. National Party Rule No. 15(e) does prohibit State Parties from changing their delegate selection and allocation process that the State Party had to submit to the RNC no later than Sept. 4, 2007.  However, the time frame for submitting a challenge to the national convention delegation based upon these Rules has expired, as any delegate contests had to be filed by August 2, 2008.

3. Yes - see #1 above.

4. Your question is mixing two separate issues.  The first issue involves the nominating process, which requires the majority of delegates from five states to put a candidate's name into the official nominating process.  The delegates from these five states must sign a nominating form that is then submitted to the Secretary of the Republican National Convention.  After the Secretary receives these forms, the candidates are announced who have been officially placed into the nominating process and are therefore eligible to accumulate votes from the national convention delegates.    

The Rules require that a roll call be taken from each state who announces the number of votes that its delegates cast for any eligible candidates, as well as for any person someone would like to cast a vote for in the roll call.  You are correct that a person does not have to be officially nominated in order to receive votes, however, this vote is essentially pointless as it will not count towards the official tally. 

Therefore to clarify, a candidate must receive the support of the majority of five state delegations in order to be officially placed into the nomination.  Only candidates that have been officially nominated can accumulate votes that will count towards the majority of delegates necessary to officially nominate the Republican nominee for President.  The Republican nominee for President must receive at least 1191 votes from the national convention delegation in order to receive the official nomination.

Please let me know if you have additional questions or need further clarifications related to this process. 

Sincerely,

Jennifer Sheehan

Associate Counsel

Republican National Committee

Posted 14th May by Mike Ridgway

Remembering Our Heroes on Memorial Day

                       ^"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering
                         you in my prayers," - Ephesians 1:16 ESV

"All gave some, some gave all." A most heartful thanks to those in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms and our country. May you all be resting in peace among the greatest of men and women. You will not be forgotten.

Redux: In Defense of Sarah Palin Defending Orrin Hatch

                      "But even if you should suffer for what is right,
                      you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear;
                      do not be frightened.”" - 1 Peter 3:14 NIV

It is deja vu all over again. Back in August of last year, I wrote about Sarah Palin defending Senator Orrin Hatch for his fight for balanced budget and fiscal reforms. Some conservative pundits and her supporters in the Tea Party who have lined up behind another candidate cried in protest then. They are up in arms once again when last Tuesday, Gov. Palin officially endorsed Mr. Hatch in her appearance on Greta Van Susteren's show on Fox News.

The governor has posted on SARAHPAC her support for Mr. Balanced Budget.
The NRO has written about the duo's longstanding friendship. Sean Hannity and Mark Levin also made no secret that they wanted the Utah Senator win another term. All this show of support may not be enough to convince some conservatives but I do see Sarah Palin as someone who always sees the big picture. I do see another area why Sarah Palin's backing of Hatch makes perfect sense.

Sen. Hatch is the ranking member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. If he is reelected and the GOP takes the Senate this fall, Mr. Hatch becomes the Chairman. This Committee oversees Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure, Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, Health Care, International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness, Social Security, pensions and Family Policy and Taxation and IRS Oversight.

If some people do not understand the huge impact and relevance of these issues on America's progress and future, then they will never understand why Sarah Palin stands with Hatch. If he is not reelected, that would mean one less chance of retaking the Senate. That would mean the Democrats retain control of the Senate and Sen. Max Baucus (D - MT) stays as the Chairman of the Finance Committee.

Gov. Palin was right to defend to Orrin Hatch then. She is right to endorse him now.  She knows what she's doing - then and now.

Palin vs. Obama: A Stark Contrast

                      "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a
                     companion of fools suffers harm." - Proverbs 13:30

Just as historic as our Founding fathers laid out the foundations of our country’s national identity, the 2012 election will shape America’s future and its influence in the world stage.  For the past three years that both Governor Palin and President Obama have been in the public limelight, the stark contrast between the two most defining political figures in our time, in their visions for America, their words and records, could not have been more glaring.

ON ECONOMIC and BUDGET STEWARDSHIP 

Palin:   She reined in wasteful spending and gave Alaska a surplus of $14B, earning the last frontier state a Triple A credit rating. She  balanced three budgets, By using her line-item veto power, she cut waste and vetoed spending by half a billion dollars, the largest in Alaska’s history. She reduced spending in her FY 2010 budget by 9.5% ($10,570,000,000 vs. her predecessor’s FY 2007 budget of $11,697,400,000). That was a savings of $1,127,400,000!  

Obama: His administration oversaw a credit rating downgrade for the first time in history – not once but twice!   He  has added $4.939T to our national debt since he took office. In comparison, although it is nothing to be proud of either, former President George W. Bush incurred $4.899 trillion of debt during the two terms of his presidency.  Obama promised to cut deficit in half by the end of his first term. The US deficit in fiscal year 2011 is $1.299 trillion. Not only that it is nowhere near half the $1.3 trillion deficit that he inherited, he made no honest attempt to chip a dent off it. His administration has also missed the budget deadline for three out his four years in office. His budget garnered  not a single vote (not even from his own Democratic Party) for two years in a row. The last time the Democratic-controlled Senate passed a budget was April 29, 2009.  

ON FIGHTING CORRUPTION

Palin: Puts the people’s interest before her own political career. She took on the corrupt system and signed the most sweeping ethics reform in Alaska that makes it a crime for lawmakers to trade votes for campaign contributions. Before she was governor, 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.

Obama: Pay-to-play is the trademark of the Obama presidency.  We see this as he rewards his campaign donors and friends with government grants and bailout. Solyndra. LightSquared.   Auto bailout. Healthcare waivers. These are beneficiaries of being bundlers to Obama’s campaign and payback to the solid support of unions and special interests. He talks tough about the corrupt Wall Street yet Americans have not seen  a single "greedy fat cat", as he likes to call those who were responsible for our country's financial meltdown, be brought to justice. Yet these are the same people who grace this administration's fundraising events, donating big bucks to his $1B reelection war chest.

ON LANDMARK ACCOMPLISHMENT/S IN OFFICE  

Palin.  Alaska Gas Inducement Act (AGIA). Gov. Palin successfully negotiated  an alliance of two private oil companies and started a long-stalled project to build a natural gas pipeline that would supply trillions of cubic feet of natural gas from Alaska to Lower 48, leading the country towards energy independence. She also took to court ExxonMobil for sitting on their leases to develop reserves at Point Thompson on the North Slope. She won and after decades of minimal activity, drilling for oil and natural gas at Pt. Thompson began. She signed into law Alaska’s Clear and equitable Share (ACES) that  “increased state taxes on oil profits on a graduated scale, so that the state's share would go up even more when oil prices rise. Oil company profits are taxed at a 25% base rate, up from the previous 22.5%. The tax rate rises 0.2% for each dollar the price of oil exceeds $52 per barrel” (USA TODAY, Ken Dilanian, 9/12/2008). This ensures that the Alaskans, the owners of the state’s natural resources as proclaimed in the state’s Constitutions, get a clear and equitable share of oil profits.  

Obama: "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as  Obamacare, which the president signed in March 2010. The centerpiece of this law is the individual mandate which requires private citizens to purchase their own health insurance, or otherwise be forced to pay fines. The constitutionality of this mandate is now being argued at the Supreme Court. This law is riddled with accounting tricks and is a complete package of faulty and broken promises.  In its two year anniversary, the CBO now reports that Obamacare costs twice than what the White House claimed ($1.76 trillion not $940 billion as Obama promised). Premiums will increase for the insured, costs will be controlled by rationing healthcare and not only that citizens cannot keep the doctors they want, medical decisions will be made not by doctors but by presidential appointees, or a death panel, as Governor Palin accurately called it.

ON FOREIGN POLICY

Palin: Peace through strength, as best exemplified by Ronald Reagan, guides her views on foreign policy and national security. That requires a strong military, standing by and defending our allies like Israel and  supporting democratic nations around the world.

Obama: Appeasement, as best exemplified by Jimmy Carter guides the president’s foreign policy and national security. This is what takes the world’s most powerful man around the globe bowing to other nation’s heads of state, extending his hand of friendship to dictators like Hugo Chavez, meeting with leaders of Muslim Brotherhood (which has ties to terror group Hamas)  at the White House while treating our closest ally Israel with  contempt and disrespect. President Obama has also shown that our national security interestsin Russia are flexible enough that it could wait for his attention until after his reelection bid.

ON ENERGY AND NATIONAL SECURITY

Palin: “Drill, Baby, Drill” and “all of the above approach” are central to Gov. Palin’s energy policy which is linked to our national security and economic prosperity. She believes that we must pursue renewable and green energy sources but must continue to develop and utilize our natural reserves to get us from point A to point B. She fights for energy development and independence that will free us from relying on foreign countries that do not have our best interests at heart and  those countries that support terrorist activities to do us and our allies harm.  She has advocated opening up ANWR. Drilling on 8% of ANWR alone is projected to create up to 735,000 jobs, the multiplier effect of which on our economy is just enormous. America is blessed with abundant natural resources which the federal government should not lock up for political reasons.

Obama: The President’s energy policy is heavy on investing in electric cars, bullet trains,  solar panels and other green industries. So far, his experiments are not yielding very optimistic reports. The taxpayer-subsidized Chevy Volt caught fire due to faulty battery and GM had to halt production and lay off workers. The construction of high speed trains  in economically-bankrupt California is now estimated to cost $98.5 billion, twice its previous projected cost. Solyndra, another taxpayer-subsidized solar panel manufacturing company, has closed its doors and  is now embroiled in scandal linked to the President’s political donors and supporters.  Obama’s energy policy would have been more authentic if it weren’t rooted on paying back and appeasing his political backers. He has so far refused to issue permits for drilling and would not approve the Keystone pipeline to satisfy his environmentalist friends.

ON CONSTITUTION

Palin: Looks to our Constitution as the ultimate compass in governing.  As governor, when a bill that prohibits domestic partnership rights to same-sex couples came to her desk, she vetoed it. Her Republican colleagues lambasted her for it but the State Court had ruled it unconstitutional. Although homosexual marriage is against her Christian faith, she was true and firm in her oath to uphold her State Constitution. For Governor Palin, the Bible is to her personal life as the Constitution is for the State affairs.

Obama: Sees the Constitution as a living document subject to change according to his whim and his political convenience. He has shown disregard to the three branches of government created by the Constitution as a system of checks and balances. He has recently called the Supreme Court judges as a “group of unelected people” in an attempt to intimidate them into not overturning Obamacare. He also governs by fiat, openly declaring that he will act alone and not wait for the Congress to pass his bills and proposals.

ON LIFE VS. ABORTION

Palin: Unequivocally pro-life whose views have been tested in her own personal life. When pregnant with her fifth child, Sarah Palin knew that her baby was going to be born with Down syndrome. Yet she refused to do what   90% of pregnant mothers given a Down syndrome diagnosis do and brought the baby into this world.  

Obama : He is the most- pro-abortion president in our nation’s history. As an Illinois senator, Obama opposed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, a bill that would require that normal medical care be given to an infant that somehow managed to show signs of life after an unsuccessful abortion (thereby making it a born alive infant ). The bill was meant to prevent “infanticide”, the gruesome practice of infants born of failed abortions being left to die.  Sen. Obama declared that such bill would be nothing but a backdoor attack to women's legal rights to abortion.

ON FAITH

Palin: Evangelical Christian  whose strong faith in God was instilled at an early age by her mother, Sally Heath. She grew up attending Wasilla Assembly of God; at the age of 12, she decided to dedicate herself to God. She led her high school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Obama: A faithful follower of  Trinity United Church of Christ for 20 years, a “black liberation theology” church formerly led by Rev. Jeremiah Wright who is famous for his “G** damn America” remark. Obama professes to be a Christian yet since becoming president, he has developed the habit of omitting the word "Creator" when quoting the Declaration of Independence. In a speech in Indonesia, he replaced America's motto, "In God We Trust" with "E pluribus unum". His 2010 Easter statement reached out to the Jews, Muslims, Hindus and people of no faith yet there was no mention of Jesus at all - striking especially in this all-encompassing Christian day of celebration. Lately, though, the First family has been seen going to Sunday masses, followed around by dutiful photographers. It’s election year, so today Barack Obama is a practicing Christian.

ON PERKS OF THEIR OFFICES

Palin:  Sold the governor’s jet purchased by his predecessor as it is emblematic of unnecessary financial burden to the taxpayers and opted to drive to and from work.

Obama: Had no opposition to his wife’s taking a separate flight on the way to the family vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. The President arrived FOUR hours later at the same destination with the First Dog, Bo. The First lady has also taken numerous personal vacations, sometimes sans the President, unnecessarily burdening the taxpayers with flight costs and security details in times of recession and economic downturn.

CONTRIBUTION TO AMERICAN LEXICON 

Palin: Refudiate -  verb used loosely to mean “reject [origin — blend of refute and repudiate]. Named by the New Oxford American Dictionary as 2010’s Word of the Year; According to the Oxford University blog, "From a strictly lexical interpretation of the different contexts in which Palin has used 'refudiate,' we have concluded that neither 'refute' nor 'repudiate' seems consistently precise, and that 'refudiate' more or less stands on its own, suggesting a general sense of reject.”

Obama:  Wee-wee’d up - meaning ???

If You Want Palin at the Convention, Throw Newt a Lifeline

"[The LORD says,] "I will instruct you. I will teach you                          the way that you should go. I will advise you as my                                    eyes watch over you." - Psalm 32:8

        
If you want Sarah Palin at the Convention, we must throw Newt Gingrich a lifeline.

Some in Palin's loyal base have grown weary that she is not giving any directions or hints of her plans. She appears on TV, talks about letting the process work and letting the vetting continue, always propping up Newt.

Maybe that's been her message to her supporters all along. PROP UP NEWT so Romney doesn't reach the magic number 1,144, which LEADS TO A BROKERED CONVENTION. She isn't just playing political analyst when she's saying these things. She's been saying these things since South Carolina. Perhaps we're just not listening close enough. Perhaps this is what she wants us to do. Help Newt to deny Romney the needed delegates.

We all know that Gingrich's and Paul's strategies are one and the same: deny Romney the majority of delegates so they can fight it out in the convention (it helps, too, that 13 states and territories do not bind their convention delegates, even on the first ballot*). My first instinct is, when  Santorum was still in the race and was second-place in the delegate count, we should push for him but EVER SINCE SOUTH CAROLINA, GOV. PALIN SEEMS TO BE SPECIFICALLY BOOSTING NEWT, even going as far as acknowledging publicly - which she didn't have to do - that she voted for him in Alaska. Please do not ask me to defend Newt's record. I can't and I won't (I'm not even a Republican) but there's got to be a reason/s that we do not know about why Sarah seems to lean more towards Newt than the rest. I could only guess that (1) Newt balanced the budget (that's debatable but that's the "media-based reality") and balanced budget is what the Tea Party is about. Sarah can defend Newt to the Tea Party on that ground, and (2) She truly believes that Newt is the most conservative among the four. Nancy Reagan , after all, said that her husband had passed the torch of Reagan legacies to Mr. Gingrich.

So if we want to follow her lead, we need to help Newt Gingrich get to the convention.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE POINT OF THIS SUGGESTION OF THROWING NEWT A LIFELINE IS NOT TO MAKE HIM WIN BUT TO OPEN THE CONVENTION FLOOR FOR CONTEST. The point is to take away as many votes from Romney as possible, whether in a winner-take-all or proportional state. (It is inconceivable, anyway, for Gingrich to win the primary race outright given his ranking in the delegate count.)

Newt has also recently stated that a "brand new candidate" could emerge in the convention. Could we count on him to back Gov. Palin when it comes to a brokered convention? Yes or no, if Romney does not close the deal, it doesn't matter because everybody starts technically with zero delegates.

The GOP establishment is feeding the base once more with a nominee who  does not represent nor instinctively possess the conservatives values and principles that define the Republican Party. This primary process is still playing out. We still have time to bring a TRUE CONSERVATIVE choice at the convention. Only a true conservative with a proven track record can turn out the base, defeat  President Obama and get America back on the right track. That true conservative is Sarah Palin.

*13 States and territories that do not bind their convention delegates, even on the first ballot -  American Samoa, Colorado, Guam, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virgin Islands, and Wyoming.

California: Draft Sarah Palin as a Write-In Candidate

                    "And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make
                      it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. This
                      vision is for a future time. It describes the end,
                      and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming,
                      wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will
                      not be delayed."  - Habakkuk 2:2 - 3


The Sarah Palin's Earthquake Movement is sponsoring two petitions to draft Sarah Palin in the California primary election and the general election. The group urges you to please consider the petitions seriously, then sign and share the links to your family and friends. Thank you very much.

(Note: There are two petitions in this post: the first one is a California petition to draft her as a write-in candidate in the California primary election in June 5, 2012 while the second, which you will find under the California petition, is a national petition for the general election.)

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ONLY

Dear California GOP Voters,

We, the Sarah Palin's Earthquake Movement, are asking you to join us in our efforts to draft former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a write-in candidate in the great state of California. It is not too late. The filing deadline for a write-in candidacy in your state is May 15, 2012. (Note: We are also exploring the feasibility of a national draft for Sarah Palin. Please see details at the end of this letter.)

President Obama in 2008 promised to usher in an era of hope and change. Yet the country's mood right now is gloomy and pessimistic.101% debt-to-GDP ratio. $5 gas price at the pump. High unemployment rate. Unresolved housing crisis. More people on food stamps than ever. Businesses closing shop. If there is a state that understands the pain of these problem, it IS California.

We need a new leadership and "the challenge is not simply to replace Obama in 2012 but the real challenge is who and what we will replace him with." We need someone who will bring sudden and relentless reform to Washington. We need a leader with an incorruptible character and a steel spine to dismantle crony capitalism and the permanent political class in our nation's capital.

Unfortunately, in this year's primary election, the GOP frontrunner is a deeply flawed, weak, flip-flopping, can't-connect-with-a-Joe-six-pack, stiff liberal guy from Massachusetts whose core convictions are as solid as a jello: Mitt Romney. The other candidates, are now dropping hints or are making behind-closed doors deals with the Romney team to save their own political aspirations.

Mitt Romney's campaign has recently confirmed that his "severe conservatism" can be easily shaken and erased like an Etch-A-Sketch. With his shifting positions on issues depending on who he is running against, how can he be trusted to keep his campaign pledge to repeal Obamacare? How much would it take him for him to shake off his election promises when they no longer serve him politically?

Mitt Romney is well ahead in this race, thanks to his six years of non-stop campaigning for the presidency and the unabashed support of the GOP establishment. The Republican Party has been very clear in their support of the former Massachusetts governor, openly advocating voters and delegates to get behind him.

Mitt Romney cannot be trusted. California deserves better. America can do better.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has always said that she does not need a title to make a difference. Last October, she announced that she would not be seeking the GOP nomination for the Presidency in this year's election. Indeed, great leaders are those who are reluctant to serve, who seek neither power nor title to do good. They are CALLED to serve. Just as our past presidents George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower resisted the encouragements for them to run for office, they eventually stepped up to the plate and served our country well and honorably. Please let Sarah Palin know that she is now being CALLED to serve.

This is the most consequential election in our time. Another four years will seal the president’s disastrous fundamental transformation of America. The difference between Sarah Palin and Barack Obama and their records cannot be starker.

Sarah Palin gave Alaska a surplus of $14B, earning the last frontier state a Triple A credit rating. Barack Obama has added $4.939T to our national debt since he took office and gave us a credit rating downgrade for the first time in history. Sarah Palin took on the corrupt system and signed the most sweeping ethics reform in Alaska. We are yet to see a single "greedy fat cat", as Barack Obama likes to call those who were responsible for our country's financial meltdown, be brought to justice. Yet these are the same people who grace this administration's fundraising events, donating big bucks to his $1B reelection war chest. Sarah Palin believes in American’s work ethic and independent spirit that we are free and able to achieve anything. Barack Obama believes that you cannot succeed without government’s help, thus his policies are to increase more cradle-to-grave , unsustainable, unfunded social programs. Sarah Palin looks to our Constitution as the ultimate compass in governing. Barack Obama sees it as a living document subject to change according to his whim and his political convenience.

California has the power to lift this cloud of malaise and pessimism brought about by President Obama. Do not allow the GOP establishment to stifle your voice. On June 5, 2012, YOU will have the chance to set things right . Make your vote count. Write Sarah Palin in.Please sign our petition HERE and let Sarah Palin know that her leadership is badly needed in Washington. Let her know that you will fight alongside her in putting our country in the right track. Let her know that she has the grassroots support to defeat Barack Obama and his socialist agenda. She's always had our backs, it is time to let her know that we've got hers.

Thank you for your support and please remember, it is not too late.

God Bless America,

Sarah Palin's Earthquake Movement

here is the website for the CALIFORNIA PETITION:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/california-draft-sarah-palin-as-a-write-in-candidate.html

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NATIONAL PETITION

Dear Voters,

We, members of the Sarah Palin’s Earthquake Movement, ask you to join us in our efforts to draft Sarah Palin as a candidate for President in the general election of 2012. Help us to bring a true common sense constitutional conservative to the White House. Please sign our petition HERE. Let Sarah Palin know that her grassroots supporters are here - strong, ready, willing and able to fight with her, to take our country back.

This is the most crucial and consequential election in our time. In its outcome depends whether we remain the UNITED States of America or a nation divided, a once-super power crippled by its enormous debt and lost of its national identity.

Barack Obama once famously that that “there are no red states or blue states, there is the United States of America. Yet as president, he has proven himself to be master at class warfare, dividing and pitting us against one another. In his America, there is the 1% and the 99%, the greedy fat cats of Wall Street vs. Main Street, the job creators and his union base, even inserting himself in cases that only heighten racial tensions. Without regard to the separation of powers under our Constitution, he calls our Supreme Court justices “unelected group of people” and governs by fiat, circumventing the Congress at every possible turn. Oblivious to his own hypocrisies and clueless in solving the problems our country is facing, he’ll lay blame on everybody but himself to cling to power.

Unfortunately, the GOP is offering an alternative who is as just as full of rhetorics, whose shifting principles and commitment to issues put a weather vane to shame. Mitt Romney will say anything and do anything to win votes. He has run as a liberal, as a moderate and as a conservative, depending on who is running against. His own campaign has confirmed that his “severe conservatism” is built like an Etch-A-Sketch that can easily be shaken and erased to fit what the general election audience would want to hear.

For such a time as this, we need a proven leader whose message and track record of public service are one and the same. We need a strong leader whose words can be trusted. We need a leader who fought corruption and has the scars to prove it. We need a leader who will dismantle crony capitalism and fight the permanent political class head-on. We need a leader who will restore a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Very importantly, we need a charismatic leader and a candidate who can excite the base and bring the voters to the polling booths. THAT LEADER IS GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN.

Please sign our petition and let Governor Palin know that she has the grassroots support to defeat Barack Obama. Please join Sarah Palin’s Earthquake Movement and request to be added to our group. We will link you up to our state groups where like-minded Americans who are working hard to help Sarah Palin in her mission to restore America’s exceptionalism. Let common sense, civility and the Constitution rule the United States of America again. Sarah Palin will do just that.

God Bless America.

Palin 2012
Sarah Palin’s Earthquake Movement



Here is the website for the NATIONAL PETITION:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/we-deserve-a-better-choice-it-is-governor-palin.html

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(Note: Petition letters were authored by this blogger.)

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