Palin “Achiever of the Year” and potential 2016 candidate

Here are two noteworthy articles about Governor Palin’s political achievements and 2016 potential that were posted this weekend.

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From article by M. Joseph Sheppard at The American Thinker:

December 27, 2014

American Achiever of 2014: Sarah Palin

By M. Joseph Sheppard

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It would be the height of churlishness for even the most inveterate leftist to deny the import of someone who made Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” list, and then the Smithsonian Institution‘s “100 Most Significant Americans Of All Time” list.  Both affirmations were earned by former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.To then accept Governor Palin as “American Achiever of the Year 2014” would be for most, if not all on the left (and to be fair, many in the GOP) no doubt a bridge too far.  However, such partisanship should not stand in the way of a general acknowledgement of what was a remarkable year for Palin.

Palin achieved what such luminaries as President Obama did not: a place in the Smithsonian’s prestigious “Most Significant” list.  After being written off by many in the media, and especially the left, as “irrelevant” and predicted by MSNBC’s Krystal Ball as “not going to have an effect on the [2014] midterms,” Palin’s record of success of her endorsed candidates was nothing short of phenomenal.Governor Palin endorsed 22 candidates for various offices during the midterm finals, including senators, governors, lieutenant governors, congressmen, and attorneys general.  Of those so endorsed, an incredible 20 were elected – contrasted with, for example, Hillary Clinton’s record of 8 wins out 24 endorsed candidates.

Beyond the success of her endorsed candidates lies a much deeper reason for Palin being seen as “Achiever of the Year”: those Palin endorsed in their respective primaries who then went on to win the general election battles.  As in the past with, among others, senators Ted Cruz, Kelly Ayotte, and Deb Fischer, and Governor Nikki Haley, who owe their elections in their primary campaigns to Palin’s endorsement at a critical juncture, so too could new senators Ben Sasse and Joni Ernst, and new Alaska governor Bill Walker (and, remarkably, his Democrat lieutenant governor Byron Mallott) be considered to owe all or a substantial part of their nominations to Palin’s endorsement.For all her detractors’ cries of “irrelevance” and “she’s just a reality show entertainer” (those two being among the nicer epithets), Palin goes on, election cycle after election cycle, populating Congress with her endorsed candidates in a cost-effective manner, and in such numbers that the likes of Karl Rove with his 1% success rate can surely view only with hidden admiration, if not downright envy.

In what is perhaps the most interesting aspect of Palin’s year of achievement, in instance after instance where Palin was ridiculed for a straightforward statement (e.g., “death panels” or the true history of Paul Revere), her most strident critics have agreed, in whole or in part, with her views.  But 2014 saw the most impressive of this historical revisionism.

After Russian president Putin invaded the Ukraine and annexed the Crimea, video surfaced of Governor Palin’s 2008 speech where she predicted exactly that occurrence should then presidential candidate Barack Obama be elected.  Palin sounded a deserved note of triumphalism in March:

“Yes, I could see this one from Alaska,” Palin posted on Facebook, saying she said “told-ya-so” in the case of her “accurate prediction being derided as ‘an extremely far-fetched scenario’ by the ‘high-brow’ Foreign Policy magazine.”

Read more.

From article by Anna Marie Burke at Newsmax (h/tp Ron Devito):

Sarah Palin 2016: 7 Key Political Positions of GOP Presidential Hopeful

Friday, 26 Dec 2014 03:08 PM

By Alana Marie Burke

Sarah Palin is considered a 2016 GOP presidential hopeful but she has not indicated whether she intends to run. However, an early 2014 Economist/YouGov Poll asked participants, “Other than Hillary Clinton, is there any other woman you would want to run for president either in 2016 or 2020? Palin topped the field above Democrat Elizabeth Warren and Republican Condoleeza Rice.

The former Alaska govenor is championed by the Tea Party and many Republicans for her solid conservative values, strength of character, and straightforward, folksy style of communication. On the other hand, the latter character trait has also made her an easy target for the liberal media, which takes every opportunity to portray Palin in a negative light.As the Republican choice for vice president in 2008, Palin brought a breath of fresh air and energy to John McCain’s rather plodding campaign. After McCain’s election loss, Palin continued to motivate conservatives across the country with her strong rhetoric for fiscal sanity, smaller government, and criticisms of President Obama.

Here are 7 key political positions of potential GOP presidential hopeful Sarah Palin:

1. Fiscal conservative: Sarah Palin is aligned with the Tea Party foundation of reduced government spending, taxation, and regulation.

2. Illegal immigration: Palin supports a path to citizenship but is opposed to any form of amnesty for illegal immigrants. Currently Palin has been very vocal about Republicans whom she says will “face America’s wrath,” reports the Chicago Sun Times, if they do not defund President Obama’s executive amnesty actions.

3. Energy: Sarah Palin subscribes to the “Drill baby drill” energy perspective on domestic oil and gas production. While she was mocked by liberals for saying more domestic energy would bring gas prices down, Rush Limbaugh recently pointed out, “We’ve drilled, we’ve drilled, we’ve fracked, and here are the Saudis lowering the price of oil. It works every time it’s tried.”

4. Healthcare: As a vocal opponent of Obamacare, Palin has taken not just the Democrats to task for the Affordable Care Act, which she calls “socialized medicine.” She has also criticized Republicans in Congress saying, “Just remember — if you fund it, you own it!” reports National Review Online. Palin is for tort reform, and a free-market solution to healthcare that focuses on the doctor-patient relationship.

5. Abortion: Sarah Palin is pro-life including in cases of rape and incest. She does make an exception when the health of the mother is at risk. After an abortion activist filmed her own abortion, calling it “positive,” Palin posted on her Facebook page, “Sad, gut wrenching, barbaric, hopeless, too far-gone a society that celebrates filming this?” Christian Post reports that Palin thanked women who choose to protect their unborn children saying “it is the strong and selfless woman who faces life head-on and seeks the help she needs, all while acknowledging the life within her is purposeful and precious — the life of a baby, the precious life of a child.”

Read more.

Christmas Evening, 2014

Governor Palin posted a special Christmas greeting to the military on  her Facebook page yesterday with a video and this comment:

Sarah Palin

23 hrs ·

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A special Merry Christmas to our brave men and women in uniform – especially those serving us far from home.

[WATCH VIDEO HERE]

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We at SPIB hope that all of our friends and readers have had a joyful and blessed Christmas with family and friends today.  And we join Governor Palin in wishing our military and their families a special merry Christmas.

Christmas is when we remember the birth of our Messiah and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Although we don’t know exactly what time of year He was born, December 25 is the day that Christians have celebrated His birth for centuries.  He came to Earth for the sole purpose of providing an atonement for our sins so that we can have eternal life with Him in Heaven after all our days written in His book are finished.

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Graphic from DaySpring

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Video retrieved from Joe Comer

Hanukkah: Celebrating the miracle of the oil

Hanukkah 2014 started Tuesday night and will go through December 24.   We hope all of our Jewish friends and readers are having a happy and blessed Hanukkah celebration.

Here is a series of Hanukkah videos by the Maccabeats:

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And here is a more traditional candle lighting video from the Voice of Israel.

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A Hanukkah greeting from the soldiers of the IDF:

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Here is a brief history of the Festival of Lights and a description of the lighting of the Menorah, which celebrates the miracle of the oil during the rededication of the Jewish Temple.

The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.

More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.

According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war.

[…]

The only religious observance related to the holiday is the lighting of candles. The candles are arranged in a candelabrum called a menorah (or sometimes called a chanukkiah) that holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shammus (servant) at a different height. On the first night, one candle is placed at the far right. The shammus candle is lit and three berakhot (blessings) are recited: l’hadlik neir (a general prayer over candles), she-asah nisim (a prayer thanking G-d for performing miracles for our ancestors at this time), and she-hekhianu (a general prayer thanking G-d for allowing us to reach this time of year). See Chanukkah Candle Lighting Blessings for the full text of these blessings. After reciting the blessings, the first candle is then lit using the shammus candle, and the shammus candle is placed in its holder. Candles can be lit any time after dark but before midnight. The candles are normally allowed to burn out on their own after a minimum of 1/2 hour, but if necessary they can be blown out at any time after that 1/2 hour.

[…]

Each night, another candle is added from right to left (like the Hebrew language). Candles are lit from left to right (because you pay honor to the newer thing first). On the eighth night, all nine candles (the 8 Chanukkah candles and the shammus) are lit. See animation at right for the candlelighting procedure. On nights after the first, only the first two blessings are recited; the third blessing, she-hekhianu is only recited on the first night of holidays.

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It is traditional to eat fried foods on Chanukkah because of the significance of oil to the holiday. Among Ashkenazic Jews, this usually includes latkes (pronounced “lot-kuhs” or “lot-keys” depending on where your grandmother comes from. Pronounced “potato pancakes” if you are a goy.) My recipe is included later in this page.

Read more.

Also see:

Hanukkah: Celebrating God’s Faithfulness

Gov. Palin responds to hunting critics

Posted on Governor Palin’s Facebook page on Monday:

Sarah Palin

December 15

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This needs to be read to be believed:

http://hotair.com/archives/2014/12/15/sarah-palin-hunts-feral-hogs-world-ends/

Do the “scientific” haters not realize that it’s considered practically illegal, immoral and fattening NOT to help control predators that decimate the food source these granola-crunching yahoos live on? And by food source, I mean grain fields.

According to the article: “Sarah Palin will unfortunately not be able to make a dent in the hog population in Texas even if she stayed for the entire year with an unlimited supply of ammo.”

PLEASE, let me try, let me try!

– Sarah Palin

Gov. Palin: Amazing America returns Thursday January 15th at 9 PM!

Posted on Governor Palin’s Facebook page today:

Sarah Palin

about an hour ago · Edited

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Get ready for a new season of Amazing America on Thursday, January 15th at 9pm! Exclusively on Sportsman Channel.

Next she posted a promo video for the show with this comment:

Sarah Palin

about an hour ago

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All roads lead to this Amazing hot new promo. Amazing America returns Thursday, January 15th at 9pm. Hop in for the ride. Exclusively on Sportsman Channel.

[WATCH VIDEO HERE]

There are additional videoclips at the Sportsman Channel’s  ‘Amazing America with Sarah Palin’ website.

Gov. Palin to Obama: Whose side are you on?

Posted on Governor Palin’s Facebook page yesterday:

Sarah Palin shared a link.

21 hours ago · Edited

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America Asks: “Whose Side Are You On”; Necessarily Directing This At Our President

In debauched minds it is fine for our young, once potentially unifying President to boast, “I’m pretty good at killing” while speaking of his own secret kill list, but all hell breaks loose if America’s expert and experienced CIA keeps known terrorists up at night for questioning, plays annoying music to get the evil ones’ attention, and considers whatever else necessary to keep us safe. (Yuck it up much, Nobel Peacenik President?) From the cozy confines of the White House he blusters a willingness to assassinate whomever he chooses, no need for judicial balance or seasoned military brass strategy – in fact the Community Organizer canned nearly 200 of our top military officials. And leftist response to their leader’s suspiciously opaque drone game plan? Crickets.

Mr. President: newsflash ignored by your yapping lapdogs – many of our finest whom you unprecedentedly refer to as “YOUR” own troops confide that the only thing legitimizing your being Commander in Chief is that puffed up leather coat you sport with an embroidered title on your left breast. They want to respect you; they know to obey you; they deserve better.

Want to talk “torture”? Evidence #1: Innocent Americans tortured and murdered by guilty terrorists on 9/11. Note the accurate terms “innocent” and “guilty”. Innocent 9/11 families are still tortured. Torture is slicing off the heads of investigative journalists and American charity workers serving in the Middle East who are used as political pawns. Torture is what radical Islamists routinely do to women and minorities.

True Americans say “never again.” These perpetrators are evil monsters sharing dark demonic intentions with radical Muslims who are beheading Christian children today overseas. True Americans serving as watchmen on the wall say, “Not on our soil. Not on my watch.” And any American-loving leader should promise, “Whatever it takes to stop evil, to protect this nation, we shall do.”

You’re on one side or the other. What is it, liberals: sympathy for inconvenienced terrorists who would murder our children or saving America?

– Sarah Palin

See more here:
http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/12/13/eric-bolling-blasts-cia-torture-report-i-have-zero-sympathy-terrorists

Bolling Blasts CIA Torture Report: ‘I Have Zero Sympathy for the Terrorists’

insider.foxnews.com

On “Cashin’ In” today, Eric Bolling slammed the “torture report” that details the CIA’s enhanced interrogation methods following 9/11.

Gov. Palin: House Republican leadership sidelined the newly elected Congress; RINO season opens soon

Gov. Palin posted a link on Facebook to her exclusive interview about the CROmnibus bill with Stephen Bannon at Breitbart:

Exclusive–Palin on Obama/Boehner Cromnibus Bill: ‘It Stinks to High Heaven’

by Stephen K. Bannon 12 Dec 2014, 5:50 AM PDT

1. What do you think of Speaker Boehner having President Obama ‘whip votes’ from the White House in order to pass this bill?

It stinks to high heaven. Did arrogant politicians not get the memo that Obama’s agenda was decisively defeated in last month’s historic midterm landslide? Good Lord, America said loud and clear not just “no” but “hell no” to Obama’s failed policies. Americans who pay attention said absolutely no to Obama’s amnesty for illegal aliens.

We also said no to the mother-of-all unfunded mandates, Obamacare, and voters believed promises that they would ratchet down the $18 trillion debt. Well, our bad for apathetically trusting politicians. No, on second thought, it’s not “our bad.” Some of us warned and worked hard to elect candidates who would buck the status quo. Many conscientious Americans did all they could to open the eyes of low-information voters. It was tough going up against Obama’s lapdogs in the media and the power liberals have to play their politics of personal destruction against commonsense conservatives.

But really how out-of-touch do these politicians have to be to misunderstand our recent mandate to stop Barack Obama’s fundamental transformation of the greatest nation on earth?

2. Only 162 Republicans voted for this bill–a bill that will take decision making away from a Republican controlled Congress in 4 weeks–does that strike you as outrageous?

It’s baffling really. The Republican Leadership in the House just flipped American voters the bird by sidelining the new Congress we just elected. I want the names of all 162 yahoos who would squander the opportunity to respect the will of the people and get America on the right track. Please print their names so we can ask them, “What the heck are you thinking?!”

And thank you to the 67 House Republicans who did vote no. Let’s remind everyone of their names also.

3. Do you believe that the 162 Republicans that voted for the bill will face a backlash by conservatives?

Hope so! I’ll do my part and I call upon every citizen to do their civic duty to save our country. It’s easy; understand RINO season opens soon and don’t hold back.

4. Do you believe that Speaker Boehner working with President Obama effectively tried to ‘nullify’ the sweeping Republican victory in the 2014 mid-terms?

That’s the result thus far, so yes. This is an example of the GOP establishment campaigning one way and then governing another. It’s quite nauseating. They promised they would do everything in their power to stop Obama’s executive amnesty – I heard their darn campaign speeches promising to do so! – and yet when they have the power to do so (power that we the voters just gave them) they tacitly endorse Obama’s failed agenda. They’re shining that boot that liberals have on the neck of our economy. They’re carrying Barack Obama’s water even more so than Nancy Pelosi if you can believe it.

5. Do you think John Boehner should be re-elected Speaker of the House given his actions over the pass few days? 

Constitutional conservatives who understand government’s balance of power and the grave danger in Obama’s lawlessness, and those of us who want smart and principled leadership, should be perplexed and disappointed if stale leadership is re-elected, considering that the midterm election was all about “the status quo has got to go.”…

Read more.

Gov. Palin to GOP: You were elected to stop Obama’s “fundamental transformation of America.” Do it.

Posted on Governor Palin’s Facebook page last evening:

photo credit: Sportsman Channel “Amazing America with Sarah Palin”

Sarah Palin

20 hours ago · Edited

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Grant me this use of America’s voice:
When you cut through all the “inside baseball” stuff in this Omnibus Spending Bill that’s in front of Congress, you’re left with two cold hard facts: this bill doesn’t defund Obama’s amnesty (so he gets to reward lawbreakers with your tax dollars) and it adds to our dangerous, unsustainable debt. It also breaks campaign promises made by quite a few of our incumbent politicians on both sides of the aisle. Hey, if you thought we wanted more of the same as we worked our butts off to get good folks elected in November, then why did we vote to oust liberals who got America into this mess in the first place? Guess what, GOP: our victory party is over and voters are wide awake and trusting you to keep your promises to America. Get a handle on your debt. Stop Obama’s amnesty to illegal aliens. Support our military. Bottom line: we elected you to stop Obama’s “fundamental transformation of America.” Do it – especially you Republicans who promised to do it. Or face America’s wrath next go ’round because an elephant never forgets.

Some more on what the solution is: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/mitch-mcconnell-ted-cruz-lame-duck-session-111017.html

GOP leaders already going wobbly, hoping us peons won’t notice: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/12/09/GOP-Whip-Steve-Scalise-Comes-Under-Fire-For-Supporting-Obama-s-Executive-Amnesty-Via-Omnibus-Backing

– Sarah Palin

Matthew Boyle at Breitbart reports (h/tp Benyamin Korn):

Sarah Palin Throws Down Gauntlet to GOP: Block Obama Amnesty Funds or Face ‘America’s Wrath’

by Matthew Boyle 10 Dec 2014

In a post on her Facebook page late Wednesday evening, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin—the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee—said that Republicans in Congress must block Obama’s amnesty and his “fundamental transformation of America” or face “America’s wrath” in the next elections.

“Grant me this use of America’s voice,” Palin asked her audience of millions of followers. “When you cut through all the ‘inside baseball’ stuff in this Omnibus Spending Bill that’s in front of Congress, you’re left with two cold hard facts: this bill doesn’t defund Obama’s amnesty (so he gets to reward lawbreakers with your tax dollars) and it adds to our dangerous, unsustainable debt.”

“It also breaks campaign promises made by quite a few of our incumbent politicians on both sides of the aisle,” Palin added.

[…]

Palin linked to two different news stories. The first is a Politico story that details how Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell differ greatly on how to handle this lame duck session of Congress.

The second story is a Breitbart News article on how the new House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, is in serious political jeopardy back home for his role in backing up Obama’s executive amnesty by providing material support for Speaker John Boehner’s 1,603-page, $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill. Scalise took over in the whip slot this summer after now Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy moved into Eric Cantor’s slot, when now Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) beat Cantor in a primary this year.

The story discusses conservative U.S. Senate candidate Col. Rob Maness—who Palin backed in the lead-up to Louisiana’s Nov. 4 jungle primary election against now GOP senator-elect Bill Cassidy and Democratic incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu, who just lost to Cassidy in the runoff. Maness lives in the heart of Scalise’s district, and while those close to him wouldn’t comment for the Breitbart News story questioning whether he’d run against Scalise, he’s a wildly popular conservative in the state who got more than 200,000 votes with almost no outside help and little money in the statewide Senate race.

Maness has since been successful in connecting with top GOP leaders in Louisiana, getting particularly close with Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), who used to represent Scalise’s House district years ago. Maness is also close with Gov. Bobby Jindal, a conservative who’s been calling on the Louisiana delegation to buck this omnibus spending bill and back efforts from Vitter and other conservatives to block Obama’s executive amnesty funding. Jindal also used to represent Louisiana’s First Congressional district before Scalise.

Scalise’s office hasn’t responded to a series of press requests from Breitbart News over the past couple weeks about why he’s backing the Boehner omnibus and whether he’d be working to whip votes for it, but a Wednesday night post from Politico confirmed that he is in fact supporting the bill that provides material support for Obama’s executive amnesty.

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Palin also backed Tea Party activist Katrina Pierson against House Rules Committee chairman Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) in a primary earlier this year. While Pierson—a first-time candidate who took a drubbing from the liberal media—lost, she did manage to get 36 percent of the vote after getting into the race late with little funding or outside help outside of Palin’s support. In the wake of Sessions’ work to help Boehner get this omnibus bill backing Obama’s amnesty to the finish line—and his likely vote for it on Thursday, should it actually come up for the vote if it doesn’t falter beforehand—Pierson has floated the possibility of running against him again in 2016 and has made appearances on major national media like Fox Business Network fueling speculation she’s getting ready for another run.

Read more.

Gov. Palin bags big game in Texas

Posted on Governor Palin’s Face yesterday:

Sarah Palin

15 hours ago

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Everything’s bigger in Texas! We’re in the middle of some great hunts this week for season 2 of Sportsman Channel’s “Amazing America with Sarah Palin.” Bristol lets you know what we’re up to — check out her blog: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/bristolpalin/2014/12/look-what-my-mom-got-everythings-bigger-in-texas/

 

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Governor Palin congratulates Cassidy, Graves, and Abraham for their Louisiana election victories

 Governor Palin posted these congratulatory messages on her Facebook page on Saturday:

Sarah Palin

December 6

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Congratulations, Ralph Abraham!

Sarah Palin

December 6

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Congratulations, Garret Graves!

Sarah Palin

December 6

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Congratulations, Bill Cassidy!

On Friday, she posted this message on Facebook:

Sarah Palin

December 5 · Edited

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Louisiana, tomorrow is your day! Please elect Dr. Bill Cassidy to the U.S. Senate – ending eighteen years of liberal, out of touch Mary Landrieu’s service. The enthusiasm for fresh leadership was in the air recently when I joined Col. Rob Maness and The Duck Commander, Phil Robertson, as they rallied for victory by uniting Louisianans in support of Dr. Cassidy.

Here’s lesson for National GOP Leadership: take a page out of the Maness/Cassidy primary playbook! After a very competitive primary battle, the two good candidates quickly settled differences over a bowl of gumbo and are now working hard together to defeat the liberal incumbent who votes with Barack Obama 97% of the time! These good men put patriotism over politics. Now it’s up to you Louisiana; show the country how it’s done with votes for Cassidy and these great U.S. House candidates:

In the 6th District, vote Garret Graves for U.S. Congress – http://www.garretgravesforcongress.com/

In the 5th District, vote Dr. Ralph Abraham for U.S. Congress –http://www.ralphabraham.com/

Thank you! God bless your great state.

– Sarah Palin

Check out Ron Devito’s article:

Winners Circle 2014 – Palin Powered Victories

Photo retrieved from US4Palin