Palin: Happy Birthday, President Reagan!

In honor of Ronald Reagan’s birthday, Governor Sarah Palin posted the following to her Facebook page:

Happy birthday, President Reagan! In honor of the Gipper’s 102 birthday, let’s watch his 1st Inaugural Address again…

Remembering D-Day and “those who sacrificed to liberate a continent”

Governor Palin honored in her tweet today “those who sacrificed to liberate a continent. “

As this introduction from the History.com article about D-Day indicates, the invasion of Normandy on what has come to be known as D-Day, was indeed the beginning of the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany.

During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.

Army.Mil has a slideshow of actual photos from the battle front as well as a lot of other information about D-Day, including this transcript from General Eisenhower’s speech prior to the invasion:

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

— Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

On the 40th anniversary of the Allies’ invasion of Normandy, Ronald Reagan gave a memorable speech,  as described by the The History Place in its Great Speeches Collection:

Standing on the very spot on the northern coast of France where Allied soldiers had stormed ashore to liberate Europe from the yoke of Nazi tyranny, President Ronald Reagan spoke these words to an audience of D-Day veterans and world leaders. They were gathered at the site of the U.S. Ranger Monument at Pointe du Hoc. Following this speech, the President unveiled memorial plaques to the 2nd and 5th U.S. Army Ranger Battalions. The President and Mrs. Reagan then greeted each of the veterans. Other Allied countries represented at the ceremony by their heads of state and government were: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, King Olav V of Norway, King Baudouin I of Belgium, Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, and Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau of Canada.

Video retrieved from ReaganFoundation

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Palin: Happy Birthday, President Reagan

Posted moments ago to Sarah Palin’s Facebook page:

America remembers our beloved 40th president today! In honor of President Reagan’s 101st birthday, American’s For Prosperity put together this great video reminding us of the time-tested truths Reagan stood for.

Last year at this time, I had the honor of speaking at the Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan Centennial dinner at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara. You can watch or read the speech here; it was an homage to Reagan’s famous “Time for Choosing” and a discussion of the state of our nation today.

During the Illinois leg of the One Nation Tour, we got to visit Reagan’s hometown of Dixon, as well as his alma mater, Eureka College.  It was a very moving experience, which I wrote about here, here and here.

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It’s Not That Sarah Palin Should Reconsider, It’s That She Must

By Gary P Jackson

A few weeks back the History Channel rebranded it’s sister channel, History International as simply H2. As part of the re-branding and re-focus, H2 ran a marathon of the great doccumentary series The Revolution.

This is a series of one hour shows that tell the story of the American Revolution, from the earliest days, to the establishment of our new nation. Though I had seen these shows before, I sat back and enjoyed them again.

The very last episode is a recap of the events, through the experiences of George Washington. The filmakers mean to impress upon the audience that George Washington was the “Essential Man.” You come away understanding just how essential George Washington was to our nation’s founding. As you look back at some of the events, you wonder out loud if the United States would even exist, if not for Washington’s wisdom and leadership.

Though he had more than a few early set-backs, It’s was General George Washington, serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, who took a bunch of farmers, ill equipped and often under-nourished, and beat the best army in the world. Beat them so soundly, the United States became a free nation. Washington’s leadership was essential.

After the great victory, trouble was still brewing. Congress was slow in paying the troops who won the hard fought battle for Freedom and Liberty. There was talk of a coup d’état. The military was ready to take up arms and overthrow Congress and the new government. This, of course, would have been a disaster.

It was George Washington who stopped this. His wisdom and steady demeanor were essential. Without Washington, it’s doubtful the young nation would have survived the insurrection.

When the nation’s leaders realized the original Articles of Confederation were not working, and the nation needed a better blueprint, it was George Washington once more, who worked in service to our nation. Washington would be there every day as our Constitution was drafted, and his input was essential.

When it came time to elect or first chief executive, our first President, the nation again turned to George Washington. President Washington set the tone for the office that presidents have followed since. [more or less] He set the tone for what a president should be, and how they should comport themselves. Remember, Congress, at first, wanted to make him a King. Washington’s wisdom and leadership was once again essential and kept Congress from making what would have been a mistake.

Another theme that run’s through Washington’s service to our nation is the fact he just wanted to go home after completing whatever service he’d just performed. Washington was a farmer and wanted nothing more than to get back to it. Washington never lusted for power or fame. He simply wanted to serve, and every time he was needed, he did.

In fact, as the story goes, after the war, Britain’s King George asked American painter Benjamin West, who was serving as the King’s historical painter, what would Washington do? Would he set up a military government? Would he make himself King, as was customary at the time? West replied: They say he will go home.” King George reportedly said “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

As I watched this final episode I couldn’t help but think of Sarah Palin and how she is our generation’s “Essential Man.”

Even before Sarah was chosen as John McCain’s running mate she was championing Liberty and Freedom, and fighting the kind of corruption and cronyism that is destroying our society.

She was also touting her beautiful Alaska as the nation’s solution for our energy problems. Sarah understood that our nation holds the largest energy reserves in the world, and all we have to do is go and get them. Her experience tells her we can do this, and do it in an environmentally sound way.

Once Sarah became a candidate for vice president her leadership and statesmanship were quite evident. Even with the feckless team McCain put together, Sarah was able to get her strong message out, and it resonated with the American people.

Not timid in the least, she went after Barack Obama with a vengeance. In her acceptance speech she correctly predicted what a complete disaster Obama would be. She wasn’t gentle about it either. In fact, when the rest of the GOP was afraid to criticize this product of a communist upbringing, Sarah was hitting him hard and she’s never stopped.

Though McCain lost, Sarah Palin was essential to that campaign. She was the one bright spot, the one who packed the stadiums and auditoriums. She was the reason Conservatives had a renewed hope.

After the loss, most thought Sarah would go home and fade into obscurity, like most VP candidates do after a loss. In fact, she wanted nothing more than to go home to her beloved Alaska and resume her job as Governor of the state she loves so much. The democrats had other plans.

She put such fear in the hearts of the democrat party that Obama’s minions went into overdrive trying to sabotage her governorship. Team Obama worked to create a situation where it was impossible for her to do her job. Obama’s team was successful, but in winning the battle, they lost the war. Rather than going away in defeat, Sarah became Obama’s greatest nightmare.

You name the major issue, and Sarah Palin has been the first major political leader to fearlessly speak out against the Obama regime.

She was right with ObamaCare, and with two words: “death panels” turned an easy bit of legislation for the Obama regime to pass into an all out war. Obama was successful in the end, but the battles that took place energized the nation. It was the beginning of what will be the end of Obama’s presidency.

Sarah Palin didn’t created the Tea Party, and goes out of her way to disavow any sort of leadership role. Indeed, the Tea Party is one of the most organic, spontaneous movements since the founding of our nation. Millions of Americans from all walks of life, and every political party, are simply fed up and want real change and real solutions.

That said, it has been Sarah Palin who has inspired the millions of Tea Party members. Millions of people who have never had a political bone in their body have stood up after hearing Sarah speak.

Many women, have been inspired by Sarah to run for office, and have won.

Sarah has criss-crossed the nation delivering her message of Liberty and Freedom. She’s stood in the desert of Searchlight, Nevada and in the snow, surrounded by violent union thugs, in Madison, Wisconsin. She’s inspired us at every turn and has been essential to the Tea Party’s growth and success.

In 2010, when she was needed, Sarah looked at the many candidates and started endorsing those she felt met the standards necessary to get our nation back on course. Sarah endorsed well over 100 candidates in local, state, and national races, and while they didn’t all win, I doubt anyone has had a better win-loss record. It was Sarah’s voice and Sarah’s support that was essential in taking back the House and gaining seats in the Senate. It was her essential support that helped women like South Carolina’s Nikki Haley to become Governors.

The momentum from all of this caused the greatest political turnover in the nation since Reconstruction after the Civil War! Some 660 plus democrats in statehouses around the country lost their jobs.

Sarah’s role in all of this was essential, as few other politicians were out there in the trenches fighting for us. Without her, it’s doubtful such a major political shift could have ever taken place.

Sarah Palin has been one of the few, who don’t do foreign policy for a living, talking about America’s disastrous course. She’s been months ahead of everyone else, and has been proven right. She’s still the only one who has a specific foreign policy doctrine. None of the presidential candidates have articulated anything that comes even close. The Palin Doctrine is specific and makes sense.

Sarah was also one of the few out there warning about quantitative easing, and how it would harm the economy. None of the permanent political class, including the Republican presidential candidates, had a word to say.

And she was right. The policy of buying up our own debt has hurt our economy, devalued to dollar to the point of near irrelevance, increased our debt, and resulted in our credit rating being downgraded for the first time in history.

Now does all of this make Sarah Palin some sort of genius? Nope, it just means Sarah has a lot of common sense, something essential in life, and something that is completely lacking in the halls of Congress and the White House!

I must confess that all of this was rolling around in my head at a time we all thought Sarah was running for President. I had started to write about this several times, but as often happens, something else took priority.

I wonder, had I written before what Matt Drudge called “a bad day for America” ….

I’m on record as saying I support and respect Sarah’s decision not to run, going so far as suggesting a way forward. Well, looking at recent events, I must say in all sincerity that I still support Sarah and respect her, but simply can’t sit here and pretend that it’s all OK.

You see, Sarah is still essential. She is the one person with the ability to lead Conservatives to a lasting and enduring victory.

It’s Sarah, and Sarah alone, who has the wisdom, and most importantly, the skill, to help us achieve victory. Unlike the others, Sarah Palin has a successful record of doing exactly what must be done to get our nation back on the path to solvency. If we are to preserve Liberty and Freedom, we must have Sarah Palin leading this fight.

Sarah has said she plans to play a major role in 2012. I suspect she wants to again help elect members to Congress, and possibly a governor or two, as she did in 2010. That’s a noble effort, and no doubt she’ll play a pivotal role as she did in 2010.

There’s an issue though. You see, we can elect members to Congress, but we don’t always know if they will deliver. Some of the class of 2010 turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. It happens.

As much of a service Sarah would be to the nation by helping elect members to Congress, we are still at the mercy of those members, and without the proper leadership from the top, the desired results may never occur.

While the executive branch is on equal footing with the legislative branch of government, the president sets an agenda, and if the president’s party is in power, their agenda is likely to be supported strongly, especially if that agenda is one that makes sense.

Sarah has laid out a pretty aggressive agenda over the last few years, one that includes a real energy policy, a serious road map back to prosperity, and as of late, one that includes ending corruption and cronyism, and all of the situations that lead to it.

No one is seriously talking about reforming government, taking on the massive corruption, but Sarah Palin. Certainly none of the presidential candidates, as some have their own ethics issues.

If ending corruption and cronyism is something Sarah Palin wants done, then it’s going to take her, sitting in the White House, to make this happen. Even then, it’s going to be the fight of her life, but she’s the only one who will even take the fight up. And she has a successful record of winning such fights.

Speaking of our presidential candidates, lets look at those who have a serious chance at being the nominee:

Mitt Romney: The likely nominee. No Conservative wants this guy. He’s a human windsock. The ultimate finger-in-the-wind politician. He wasn’t a very good governor, and he created the first system of socialized medicine in America. Worse, his people actually consulted with the Obama regime when ObamaCare was being set up.

Like his father, Mitt is a Northeastern liberal. There’s not a single issue that he doesn’t have two or even three positions on. As governor Romney passed over more Conservative judges to appoint out and out liberal democrats, and his administration was full of liberals. It’s scary thinking about the sort he would appoint to the Supreme Court.

It’s who Romney is though. He’s likely our nominee, and will probably lose to Obama. Sadly, even if Romney wins, we all lose.

Rick Perry: Readers know I have no respect for this man. When Sarah Palin talks about corruption and cronyism in both parties, she’s referring to Rick Perry. Texas has few real ethics laws, and Perry has taken advantage of this throughout his long political career. He’s created a system of cronyism and patronage that even makes the folks in Chicago green with envy.

He talks the talk on illegal immigration, but in Texas has done nothing but encourage more illegals to come. He’s given lip service to ending Sanctuary Cities, but done nothing to make that happen. Despite the fact legislation has passed the Texas House and Senate that would ban Sanctuary Cities, Perry has refused to use the bully pulpit to urge reconciliation of the two bills, so he can sign this ban into law.

The Texas Tea Party has demanded Perry come home and deal with what he has called “an emergency situation” and get the ban on Sanctuary Cities done.

Let’s not forget the Texas DREAM Act, which grants illegal aliens in-state tuition discounts, something Perry says if you don’t support,that makes you “heartless.” Perry’s biggest campaign supporters are for open borders between Texas and Mexico. It’s no wonder he doesn’t do much to stop the illegals from invading Texas.

Perry talks jobs, but the only jobs program he actually controls is a complete failure that misses targets and is really nothing more than a slush fund for Perry to reward his cronies.

Perry even has his very own “Solyndra” type scandal in Convergen LifeSciences.

Texas is in good shape compared to the rest of the nation, but that’s more in spite of, rather than because of, Rick Perry. Texas has always been strong relative to the nation. We’re a right to work state, have a favorable tax code, and good weather. Texas is very business friendly.

Perry, like Romney, talks the talk, but you can bet that, if elected, he’d continue the cronyism and corporate welfare to his buddies. As a member of the Republican Establishment™, you can bet absolutely nothing would be done to reform government.

In fact with Texas’ lax ethic laws, and the corruption that follows, Rick Perry had an incredible opportunity to champion real reforms here in our state. Instead, he embraced the system in place and wallowed in it.

Newt Gingrich: A smart man, too smart for his own good. [and ours] The other night I got into a huge fight with fellow Palinistas who are thinking Newt is their man.

I pointed out Newt is a serial adulterer, something these folks were suddenly willing to forgive. All of a sudden morals mean nothing if “their guy” has a chance of winning.

Of course, these cat’s missed the point completely. If a man can’t be trusted to keep fidelity with the person he is most intimate with, then all bets are off.

Case in point. A few years back Newt sat on a couch with democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and shilled for Al Gore’s global warming hoax. Now Newt has since tried to apologize for this betrayal, but the man doesn’t get it.

At the time he was canoodling Pelosi on the couch, Conservatives were in a major struggle to stop the global warming zealots from enacting suicidal cap and tax laws. We were working hard to get the truth out. Facts that prove beyond a doubt it was all a hoax. That man made global warming was a myth designed to make shysters like Al Gore a lot of money. Gore is one of the major investors in the system that would have traded carbon credits. A $10 trillion a year business, had cap and tax been passed.

And here’s good old Newt lending legitimacy to Al Gore and the global warming fraud.

This is one of Newt’s huge problems. He thinks too much. He wants to be “in on the conversation” and doesn’t understand that all he is doing is adding legitimacy to an otherwise illegitimate issue. He’s done this more than once and given hard core leftists aid and comfort.

Instead of “being in on the conversation” as Newt is always want to do, a wise man would point out the illegitimacy of the subject, and move on.

That’s not the only time Newt has seriously betrayed Conservatives. He famously chose to support Margret Sanger Award winning liberal Republican De De Scozzafava over a true Conservative, Doug Hoffman.

When called out on this, Newt refused to see the error in his ways, getting indignant with Conservatives. Seeing her hope slip away, Scozzafava dropped out of the race, then rewarded Newt’s efforts by promptly endorsing the democrat Bill Owens, who by the way, is actually more conservative than she was. This makes Newt just as smart as those who run the NRSC, who endorsed the likes of Arlen Specter, Lisa Murkowski, and Charlie Crist, all who promptly left the party when the going got tough. Typical Establishment™ thinking.

For those with short memories, Sarah Palin was one of the first to support Doug Hoffman, and after her endorsement pretty much every major Conservative in the country joined her. Hoffman lost a close race, and one wonders where things would have ended had Newt either endorsed Doug, or just stayed away.

There’s much more, but you get the picture.

Newt constantly betrays Conservatives. He means well, but there is always some shiny new object to catch his eye. He simply can’t keep fidelity to the movement, and his want to be “in on the conversation” no matter how ridiculous, causes more hard than it does good.

Newt would make a decent chief-of-staff for someone, but you’d have to be crazy to put this man in the White House.

Herman Cain: I really like Herman Cain. Have for a long time. Problem is, he has absolutely no experience. He’s never run a city, never run a state.

Sure, he was a successful CEO, but that isn’t the same. Working with legislators to get difficult bills passed is a skill set a successful president must have. It may turn out that Cain is great at this, but we don’t know, he has absolutely no record of being able to turn his wonderful talk into action. It’s a bit frightening at a time like this, with the nation staring into the abyss.

Another issue is Cain’s lack of foreign policy chops, and he seems to think he can just sublet that out to his State Department, once elected. Foreign policy is the one area the president has a lot of control over. I’d like my president to at least have a coherent thought, and not have to hold a half dozen press conferences to “clarify” everything he says on the subject. This is one of Cain’s biggest problems, he has to “clarify” many of things he says. That doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in the man.

Cain has some ideological issues that are troubling as well. He supported TARP and even wrote an op-ed saying it was just fine for the government to own banks, and that it would be a win-win for us all. It’s not and it wasn’t. There’s more, but you get the idea.

Now I like Cain, and want to like him as a candidate, but there are just so many questions that can’t be answered. It’s basically a situation where we’ll have to elect him to see what we got. It’s like Nancy Pelosi’s [in]famous “you gotta pass the bill to see what’s in it“!

I’m hoping Cain can do something to inspire some confidence. I want to see Cain do something that can inspire some confidence!

This brings me back to Sarah Palin. Sarah is the complete package. She is a solid fiscal Conservative. Her record of fiscal responsibility, of slashing spending [in good times] cutting government waste, lowering liabilities, and creating budget surpluses is unmatched by any of the GOP candidates.

Sarah’s record of fighting corruption is legendary, and goes back to her earliest days in elected office, almost two decades ago. And Sarah Palin has no problem whatsoever taking on corruption in her own party, which is why the Republican Establishment™ worked so hard to keep her from running for president.

If we are to see corruption and cronyism seriously addressed, Sarah Palin is the only one who will do it. Sarah talks about this in every speech now, even international ones, but giving speeches isn’t like being in office and making things happen. And Sarah has proven when she’s sitting in office, she makes things happen!

As Governor, Sarah was able to make good on every single campaign promise. Her’s was an aggressive agenda and she and her team got it done at a record pace. She accomplished more in her three years than most politicians, including governors and presidents, will in a lifetime.

We’ve looked at Sarah’s foreign policy doctrine, it’s one that puts America first, supports our friends, and keeps an eye on our enemies. It’s one that keeps us out of misadventures and nation building, while at the same time protecting our interests around the world. It’s one built on common sense.

Something else: Sarah Palin has done something that even Ronald Reagan, one of our greatest presidents, didn’t do. Sarah has inspired millions to get actively involved in the Conservative movement. Not just vote, but get out there and do whatever is necessary to effect real change. Millions are active daily in the pursuit of a better America.

When she says one doesn’t need a title to make a difference, she’s certainly describing the millions who are doing just that. No current presidential candidate is capable of that sort of thing. None can inspire millions to actively work toward making America better. Sarah can, and has.

Sarah doesn’t just speak to Conservatives. Sarah is the one who appeals to independents and even democrats. She comes from a normal blue collar upbringing and knows exactly what us regular folks have to deal with on a daily basis. She is the only one who can speak to pretty much any group with authority. Her appeal is universal, because her message is universal.

I know Sarah Palin has said no to a 2012 presidential run. But I want to officially ask the Governor to reconsider this decision.

Sarah Palin is our “Essential Woman.” We need her leadership in order to restore this great nation. She’s not going to be able to do this from the sidelines. It’s going to take her being in office to make sure the changes needed are accomplished.

Sarah can help elect hundreds of people to office, and likely will, but we are still at the mercy of those people, and whether or not they can do what they say they will do. With Sarah we don’t have to worry, she walks the walk. Besides, her presidential coattails will be quite long.

Certainly none of the current Republican candidates will effect the changes needed. Most aren’t even talking about the issues that really need to be addressed, instead they are involved in petty fights with one another. It’s like there is no adult in the room! And none have a record that suggests they’ll actually follow through with the happy talk.

America is at a tipping point. We need solid proven leadership from someone we know can do what she says she will do. Someone with a record of getting the difficult things done, and make it look easy while she’s doing it.

Sarah Palin has built up a legion of supporters. In Iowa alone there was in place all she needed to win the caucuses. Most of her supporters are looking for someone to inspire them, and are in no hurry to get behind another candidate.

If Sarah were to reconsider, it would be a game changer. She would have the support needed to be the Republican nominee, and she would most certainly whip Barack Obama like a rented mule.

Sarah Palin has worked hard since 2008 advancing Liberty and Freedom. She’s worked hard to energize the Conservative movement in ways we’ve not seen in a generation or more. No one can blame her for deciding she’d rather step back and take a minor role, stay closer to her beloved Alaska, and her beautiful children. She’s earned that much needed respite from all that goes with leading a national movement.

Our nation is in trouble though. Many forces are attempting to destroy the very fiber of our society. Sarah Palin is the one person in a position to make a difference. This is not to say others won’t make a difference, but it’s Sarah who can become our nation’s 45th President, and effect the real change needed for our nation to thrive. This is something only Sarah can do.

None of the current presidential candidates have the talent and ability to get this done. None of the other candidates have the vision for our nation that Sarah has and Americans want.

It is my great hope that Sarah will seriously reconsider her decision not to run for president. There is plenty of support for this. If she does enter the race, even at this late date, she will have the support necessary to win the Republican nomination and the presidency. She might miss a filing deadline or two in a few states but not many, and not enough to matter.

Sarah, your nation desperately needs you. Please reconsider and answer your nation’s call.

Sarah, you are our Essential Woman.

Defining a servant’s heart

What follows is the monologue from today’s The Roderic Deane Show:

Tell me, my friends, how do you define a servant’s heart? More importantly, how will we know when we see it?

For the record, I don’t currently entertain the thought of elective office. It’s not that I wouldn’t be willing to govern as a true servant for my constituents, it’s just that I’ve chosen a different path in life. I do try and carry a servant’s thoughts with me as I go about my job. The goal is to make things work for my clients and to do so in an ethical and honest fashion. In fact, I hold honesty as the very first ideal in my professional life. I figure that honesty will supply all the ethics I need.

But what about those who choose to govern? What standards should we expect of them?

From my standpoint, first and foremost should be honesty. As a constituent, I never want to be “spun”. I want the unvarnished truth about whatever circumstances an official was elected to deal with. If stuff ain’t workin’, tell me! I’m a big boy, but I can only deal with the truth. I need to know the facts to advise my response, not bullshit, sorry, I meant spin.

Secondly, I expect anyone I vote for to adhere to the highest standard of ethics. I expect that person to rise above whatever “laws” have been prescribed for their particular office. In fact, I expect a Biblical interpretation of ethics. A STRICT Biblical interpretation! And no, I’m not talking about “an eye for an eye” kind of stuff. I’m talking about the Golden Rule “Treat others as you want to be treated” kinda stuff.

Why do I say that? Because the laws of man can never be depended on to guide a person’s soul. A Biblical interpretation can, as can a servants heart.

Take for instance the ethics laws in the State of Texas. They don’t have a lot of restrictions, outside of prohibiting outright fraud. The intent of the laws that are there can be circumvented rather easily.The State of Alaska, however, has taken ethics to a whole new level. It doesn’t leave nearly as much to interpretation, nor should it. We know what can happen when one doesn’t take a Biblical view of ethics and depends on man’s law. You’re only get people to go with the minimum requirements.

Did you ever wonder why we have so many attorneys in this country? We’ve had to construct a myriad of laws to, basically, guide man’s ethics. The thought of a servant’s heart seems a distant memory to most. Remember when a handshake used to count so much? What about man’s word, a promise? I guess it depends on what the meaning of the word word is.

Sarah is pointing us toward something when she calls on the need for a servant’s heart. I think that the Washington elites can’t see it because they’ve invested themselves completely in the so-called “rule of law”. And yes, we are a country that believes in the “rule of law”. I’m going to up the ante a bit, however. I really think that the majority of this country believes in the “rule of God’s law”, not man’s law. Man’s law can be written to the advantage of a small group of individuals and we see that all the time. If my attorney is bigger and better than yours, I’ll win in an interpretation of man’s law. But do we need some high-priced lawyer to help us define God’s law?

In the past, who did we depend on to help us understand God’s law? The answer is simple. We depended on our spiritual counselor, our preacher or our pastor. But even with the very best of intentions, we’ve seen where the bureaucracy of a church can thwart the rule of God’s law. Look no further than the Catholic Church and their terrible lack of an immediate response to all the pedofiles in their midst. Look no further than the scandals that have continued to rock the world of televangelism. Look at the terrible consequences that have been wrought on the world by the medieval tenets of sharia law.

We have always governed ourselves as a Judeo-Christian nation and the vast majority of Americans still believe we should continue to. I would venture to say that we have supplanted the term “conservative” for “Judeo-Christian” in these politically-correct times. We’ve lost sight of our roots and run from them for fear of persecution. Many now run for fear of being persecuted due to their “conservative” beliefs. It’s no different than Peter denying knowing Jesus three times. The good news is that Peter recognized what he had done and took himself to task for it. Now, too, we see many Americans awakening to what they have denied in the past. We’re seeing it in the Tea Party today. Why do you think that so many people are now telling pollsters that their support of the Tea Party has waned? It’s because they fear persecution, it’s not because they don’t still believe in what the Tea Party stands for.

That notion was borne out in the November, 2010 elections and it’s going to happen again in 2012. The difference will be who we choose to lead the Republican ticket in the Presidential election. We need someone to embody the principles of the Tea Party, of conservatives and of Judeo-Christian belief. We need someone that understands how much more important God’s law is to our growing worship of man’s law. We need someone with a true servant’s heart to lead us back to our roots.

If we try to define what “a servant’s heart” is, we must first look at the Bible. A “servant” is one who does his master’s bidding. In Judeo-Christian belief, we have but one master in this life and that is Almighty God. Maybe now you can begin to understand why Sarah Palin, Judeo-Christians, the Tea Party and conservatives are all intertwined. It’s because they all implicitly understand the meaning of “a servant’s heart”. It also why those who oppose these groups are so afraid. They know fully well that only God’s law is a threat to man’s law and their cling to power.

…and that’s my two-cents worth for the week.

You can listen to the show HERE.

Governor Palin Takes One Nation Bus Tour to Reagan’s Illinois Home

By Adrienne Ross – http://www.motivationtruth.com

Governor Palin’s bus tour is in full swing–in Iowa yesterday, in Illinois today.

NBC’s Alex Moe reports:

DIXON, Ill. — Sarah Palin continued her “One Nation” bus tour today here, the boyhood hometown of former President Ronald Reagan. The former governor, along with her husband, daughter Piper, and niece were shown around Reagan’s home; Rock River, where he was a lifeguard; and passed a statue in his honor. Ann Lewis, chairwoman of the Dixon Reagan Sentinel Commission escorted the Palin family around.

Palin told NBC News that it was important for her to come here, because “this is one of those places everyone in America should come to get a sense of Ronald Reagan’s foundation — to understand his humbleness and graciousness.”

At all two stops, she was greeted by numerous supporters asking for autographs and pictures. Palin also made one reference to her new granddaughter that was born a few days ago when speaking with supporter at the Reagan house.

More here.

Photo retrieved here. See another here.

President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 Memorial Day Speech

President Reagan’s Remarks at Memorial Day Ceremonies Honoring an Unknown Serviceman of the Vietnam Conflict on May 28, 1984.

By Gary P Jackson

Each Memorial Day we remember those who gave their lives in order to protect all we hold so precious. Throughout the history of the United States brave men and women have fought to maintain our God given Liberty and Freedom. Far too many have died in the service to our cause, as they have not only protected our nation, but helped to free people world wide who also sought Liberty and Freedom.

I am always in awe of every man and woman who serves. In the world we live in today, it’s inspiring to see these brave citizens who honor our nation with their sacrifices, so the rest of us can enjoy the life we do.

There are never enough words to express the gratitude we all owe these men and women, or the families of those who have sacrificed their lives for us all.

The above video of Ronald Reagan is particularly meaningful. He speaks about the soldiers of Vietnam, who served their nation honorably, but didn’t get the appreciation they deserved when they returned home. This is, and will always be one of our nation’s great injustices.

Though we can never bring those lives lost back, we can make sure we thank our members of the military at every opportunity. As a nation we are truly blessed to have such fine men and women among us.

May God bless all who serve and all who gave their last full measure of devotion.

How The GOP Establishment And The Media Are Trying To Stop Sarah Palin From Running For President

By Gary P Jackson

The Republican Establishment has always been hostile to the Conservatives who make up the solid base of the party. Oh, they’ll take your money, and your vote, but past that, you need to sit down and shut up. They know better than us rubes.

The elites REALLY hated Ronald Reagan. To the GOP country club set, Reagan was a “B movie actor” an “amiable dunce” and someone who was not “intellectually curious.” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it!

It’s the default position they take on everyone who isn’t one of them.

How often do we find the GOP establishment sounding like the far left, when they talk about solid Conservatives?

By the way, the above comments were the nice things they said about Reagan. Both the GOP and the left were screaming that if elected, Reagan would start a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. The fear mongering was incredible.

The establishment pretty much pushed George H.W. Bush on Reagan as his running mate, and even then, that wasn’t good enough for the liberal leaning country clubbers, who ran former congressman John Anderson as a third Party candidate.

In fact, this is why, despite an electoral college blowout, Reagan only received 50.1 percent of the popular vote in 1980. Though it wasn’t even close, one has to wonder if the GOP elites real agenda was to bleed off enough votes to give Carter a second term, rather than see Reagan, a real reformer come to power.

Nothing has changed with the establishment either. In the spring of 2009 Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney and others went on a ridiculous “listening tour.” Speaking for the group, Bush proclaimed the era of Reagan was over, that it’s time for the Republican Party to give up its “nostalgia” for the heyday of the Reagan era and look forward, even if it means stealing the winning strategy deployed by Democrats in the 2008 election.

Clueless. Utterly clueless. They held their first meeting at a pizza joint in Arlington, Virginia. The National Council for a New America (NCNA) didn’t last long. When you can’t even get people to show up when you have pizza and beer ….

By the way, as if to put an exclamation point on the Bush/Romney lunacy, it was the return of Reagan ideals, and Reagan principles, that saw Conservative Republicans win a historic election in November of 2010. They took back the House in a big way, gained in the Senate, moved into Governor’s mansions nationwide, and saw an unprecedented shift in state legislatures, as over 650 democrats lost their jobs to Republicans. Some states went Republican for the first time since Reconstruction. [after the Civil War]

It seems the country clubbers’ reports of Reagan’s demise were greatly exaggerated.

So …. what we see happening to Sarah Palin is nothing new. It’s just the “good old boys” doing what they always do.

With that said, the GOP elites fear Sarah Palin as much, if not more than the left does. They certainly fear her more than they did Reagan, something I once thought impossible.

Sarah Palin has proven she has no patience for corrupt, go along, get along, business as usual Republicans.

In Alaska she took on the entire Republican Party, which was swimming in corruption. Serious corruption. The FBI was marching politicians off to prison months after Sarah took office as Governor. Even GOP party chair Randy Ruedrich was hammered, and paid the largest fine in Alaska’s history. As a result, the Alaska GOP refused to put Governor Palin’s photo on their website. Childish and petty, but that’s the elite mindset.

Despite the sniping and nonsensically attacks, both the GOP and the media know that Sarah Palin is a strong, capable leader, and if elected would shake things up, and change Washington forever. She will mess up the elites’ little playhouse.

In a follow up to his Top Ten Signs Sarah Pain Is Running, Tony Lee has the Top Ten Ways GOP Establishment and Mainstream Media Try to Dissuade Sarah Palin From Running For President.

Now if you follow these things closely, none of this is new to you, as you see it all the time in the news. And if you read the comments sections on many websites, you’ll see this sort of nonsense parroted by fans of the RINO crowd.

It’s really interesting to watch. You’ll never hear Sarah Palin, or any of her supporters say a candidate shouldn’t run for office.

Well, except for Trump, but that’s just me.

Oh, we may think they are unqualified, or a disaster waiting to happen, but no one will tell them not to run. Competition is good. It makes the best candidates better. Keeps them sharp.

On the other hand, the Republican establishment is flat out saying Sarah Palin shouldn’t even run. As former Carter and Mondale staffer, and faux conservative Charles Krauthammer once said: “She needs to leave the room.”

This was during the debate on ObamaCare, right after she coined the term “death panels.” That was only the turning point in the entire debate, and she has been proven right a thousand times over, but since she’s not from the right side of the tracks, little elites like Charles dismiss her, just as he did Ronald Reagan during his time.

Let’s look at just a few of these:

1. Be a kingmaker (or queenmaker)

As noted by the likes of Grover Norquist and many other pundits and establishment Republicans, Palin, their reasoning goes, would best serve the party as a kingmaker. What they are essentially saying (try to follow the logic) is that Palin’s endorsement should be the gold standard but her candidacy would not be appreciated. Even more ironic is that should Palin run, it diminishes the kingmaking capabilities of the traditional and spoiled cast of characters who are used to getting their brass rings kissed every four years.

This one probably pisses me off the most, though there are several more running for that “honor.”

As pointed out, the logic behind this one is insane. In 2010 Sarah Palin’s endorsement was the only one actively sought, and the one that brought great success. She endorsed over 100 candidates in local, state, and national races, over 60 of them won.

Most notably were candidates like South Carolina’s new Governor, Nikki Haley. Haley was stuck in dead last, fourth place, even after establishment candidate Mitt Romney endorsed her. Sarah came in, made her endorsement in person, and Nikki was immediately the front runner, and of course won big. Plenty more stories like that from 2010.

So how is it that someone, who’s endorsement is the gold standard, isn’t worthy of endorsing herself, and making a run?

Here’s how I look at it: Anyone who NEEDS a kingmaker is not fit to be king, and anyone who can BE a kingmaker CAN be king him or herself. In Sarah Palin’s case that goes double.

There was a variation of this when the GOP was throwing Michael Steele under the bus. All of a sudden the elites thought they had found the “perfect” job for Sarah! A way to use her significant managerial talents, and fund raising ability, and keep her tied up so she couldn’t run for President. There was column after column written proclaiming Sarah was the absolute perfect person to become RNC chairman. We had a different idea.

It’s pretty insulting, when you really think about it. The elites want Sarah to do all the heavy lifting, then get out of the way so they can reap the benefits. They are just too cowardly to say what they are thinking: They’d rather she be barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen makin’ sandwiches!

After she’s done all of their work for them, of course.

3. You’re too divisive

Another argument is that Palin would be too divisive to win a general election. And the only thing those who say this cite are polls released over a year before any voter of importance started paying attention to the election. In these early polls, there is probably some type of Palin effect (or a reverse-Bradley/Wilder effect), as Sheya at Conservatives4Palin noted, where voters either do not want to tell pollsters they support Palin for fear they would sound stupid or are withholding their potential support until she announces her candidacy, if she indeed does.

Further, as Pollinsider noted, Palin always has a strong floor, which potentially helps her in the primary (if the GOP primary has many entrants) and the general election (2012 may be a “base” election like 2004 where turnout matters, so the floor that Palin starts off with would give her significant advantages over other candidates who do not have that built in floor).

Ronald Reagan was “divisive” too. He was so divisive he won two landslide elections! In fact, Reagan was a mere 0.18 percent away from winning all 50 states in 1984.

Polarizing is another word they use. Like Barack Obama isn’t polarizing?

We live in a polarized nation. You have the extreme left, and Conservatives. The mushy middle, those sainted, sacred moderates, that we are constantly told we must pander to, are almost non-existent these days. At this point you either want to return to First Principals and the constitutional republican form of government created by our founders, or be part of the “Glorious Communist Revolution” the democrat party is selling. There simply is no other choice. No middle ground.

The fact is, Conservatism, real conservatism, works every time it’s tried, and solid Conservatives win elections. Especially presidential elections. All one needs is an articulate candidate who can actually walk the walk.

That would be Sarah Palin.

Here’s the truth about polls, especially this early. They are at best meaningless. At this point in the 2008 race the whole world just knew the contest would be between Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton. As late as mid-1980, Ronald Reagan was 31 points down to Jimmy Carter. Reagan carried 44 states and Carter a mere 6.

What polling now is really about, is the media’s attempt to set a narrative. If one digs deep into the internals, it’s easy to spot the methodology used to get the results desired. You can manipulate samples and questions to achieve any result you want. One simply can’t take these as any sort of “snapshot” of reality. The only polling that matters is the one taken on election day.

Another thing Sarah’s detractors put out there is her approval ratings. I lived through the Reagan era, and the attacks on him were vile. Just nasty and very hateful. I remember editorials about Reagan’s age, complete with illustrations of Reagan in the morgue, implying he would die as soon as he took office, so why bother.

One could find Reagan was portrayed as an evil genius and a senile old man, in the same article! A lazy dunce who couldn’t do anything and an evil warmonger who couldn’t wait to destroy the world.

It was sickening.

They were NOTHING compared to the vitriol we see thrown at Sarah Palin though. Nothing is off limits . Sarah, her husband, and her children are all “fair game” to this bunch. The left and their media partners have thrown everything at her including the kitchen sink, so yeah, her numbers may be a tad low. As Sarah herself has said many times: “If I believed everything I read about me, I wouldn’t like me either!”

Many detractors use these sort of things to say she’s “damaged goods” and we need to pick a candidate the media will like. Problem with that is, if we pick a candidate the media will truly like, he’ll be a democrat!

Republicans were fooled in 2008, as they usually are. John McCain, bless his heart, was the media darling. He was every left wing commentators favorite Republican. “If only John McCain would run for President,” they loudly proclaimed. “He is a republican we could support!” That lasted until he got the nomination, of course, then the long knives came out.

The New York Times endorsed McCain in the Primary with glowing stories, then as soon as the nomination was secured, started running bogus reports that John had been having an affair with a lobbyist. Sickening, but that’s how they work.

The media always sets the narrative the Republicans must choose a “moderate” candidate or risk losing those precious little darlings. Of course, the Republican establishment always buys into this nonsense, as do way too many GOP voters.

Barack Obama is the most far left radical ever to run for President, let alone be elected. Somehow I missed all of the articles from the “concerned” media warning the democrats about the need for a “moderate” candidate.

Why Republicans continue to fall for this media nonsense is beyond me.

In 2007-2008 it was common knowledge the left was holding their fire on Mike Huckabee because they knew he would be an “easy kill” in the general election. Nothing has changed by the way, Huckabee is still an “easy kill” which is why you see the left treating Huckabee nicely now, and the Daily Kos‘ official pollster, PPP, always manages to find just the right sample to make Huckabee the front runner in their polls.

If Sarah Palin was such a disaster, in the minds of the left, they wouldn’t spend every waking moment trying to destroy her! Same goes for the little elites in the Republican Party. Indeed, the left would be propping her up and hoping we’d be “dumb” enough to make her the nominee!

As for the GOP, if she was THAT bad, she’d get destroyed in the primaries and that would be the end of that.

The other problem with those who think Sarah Palin is somehow “damaged” is this: She has been absolutely hammered by the left and weasels in the GOP since September of 2008, and she’s still standing tall.

In a way it’s a good thing, as Sarah is the most vetted candidate in the history of the Republic! At this point her detractors have nothing else to attack her with. They are down to recycling old attacks from years ago, that didn’t work the first time around.

In a way, the haters have inoculated Sarah and made her all but bullet-proof to any attacks.

Put another way, Sarah’s numbers have gone as low as they can. They have no where to go but up, and that’s what a campaign is for. BTW, people should never forget that among Republicans, Sarah still has higher approval numbers than anyone else, and it’s Republicans who decide who their nominee is.

Now let’s look at a what would happen to a “media approved” candidate:

Everything would be just peachy until they got the nomination, then all hell would break lose, especially since the media would be trying to protect their messiah, Barack Obama.

They would go to any length to destroy anyone who dare try and take Obama down. But instead of having years to prove they’re not the Anti-Christ, the poor hapless Republican nominee would have six months, tops, to prove they weren’t the devil reincarnate.

Good luck with that.

This media approved candidate would also have to have a spine of steel and set of core principles to match. Of course, if they were that sort, they wouldn’t be “media approved” in the first place.

The fact is, Sarah Palin is the one leader who never panders to the media and actually seems to relish the fact she’s not in their good graces. She understands if that bunch was loving her, she’d be doing it all wrong.

Sarah has proven she can beat the media at their own game.

Read all of Tony Lee’s Top Ten, spot on assessment here.

The GOP establishment are just as much to blame for the mess this nation is in as the hard left. They have been little more than enablers to extremists. In many cases, they actually agree with them.

You got guys like Romney, who created socialized medicine in America before the left could pull it off, and Tim Pawlenty who is jealous he didn’t beat Romney to it! Oh, and don’t get me started on Pawlenty’s embrace of the global warming fairy tale.

Then there is Newt Gingrich. He’s taken being an enabler of the left to a whole ‘nuther level!

With “friends” like these, who needs enemies!

The media and the GOP establishment have been working night and day to stop Sarah Palin. They wouldn’t be putting out the effort if she wasn’t a threat, and you better believe Sarah Palin is a serious threat to business as usual in D.C.

And that’s a very good thing!

I started working on this piece before Sarah Palin gave her game changing speech in Madison, Wisconsin, interviewed with Sean Hannity,and hammered Obama on Libya …. twice.

There’s a new talking point out there now.

It seems, according to those “concerned” GOPers, that Sarah Palin isn’t making the required pilgrimage to Iowa like every good little candidate should.This is a sure sign, they point out, that she isn’t up to the task of running.

Besides she’d give up all of the money she’s making. Might as well sit this out and “anoint” some feckless loser who’ll get slaughtered by Obama in the general election.

After all, it’s bound to be someone’s “turn.”

These people obviously never actually listen to the woman, or are so used to empty rhetoric from their bunch, they don’t understand Sarah Palin doesn’t do empty rhetoric.

If “Game On!” wasn’t plain enough, maybe what Sarah has said over and over since then will help. Sarah has made a point of saying it’s way too early for anyone to start running for President. In her mind, there is simply more important things to do, especially since the election is 18 months down the road.

Here’s a message to the left wing media and those GOP elites:

If Sarah Palin decides to run, and we’re almost certain she will, she will win the Republican nomination and the presidency, handily, and there isn’t anything you can do about it.

An “Average American” Appeals to Governor Palin to “Save Our Ship”

By Adrienne Ross – http://www.motivationtruth.com

George Rogers Clark, writing for The Patriot Post, expresses in detail why Governor Palin is the common sense choice in 2012. Not only does he lay out the reasons this is so, he appeals to the Governor to take her place as the official leader of the free world.

It is time for Sarah Palin. According to pollsters and pundits, she may not seem the obvious choice for 2012, but no “obvious” choice has been identified. So, allow me to enumerate my reasons; it will give my critics clear, concise targets to engage. Their criticism is welcomed, but it will only serve to strengthen the resolve of the grassroots who will elect Palin.

1) In his book, “The New Reagan Revolution,” speaking to and about Sarah Palin (pages 84-85), Michael Reagan brings to clarity the forces opposing Sarah; the grassroots who elected his father and will also support Sarah; and what she must do to win. It looks like a plan for success.

2) In my perception, “The New Reagan Revolution” began in the ramp-up to the November 2010 elections. As yet, the revolution has no clear, singular leader. Perhaps more than any other individual, Sarah Palin has the Reagan-like qualities and presentation of her message to be that leader.

3) The Tea Party, with tireless support and efforts by Sarah, made the difference in November. If not for those hard won gains, America would have lost all hope of surviving the onslaught of the socialistic policies, unprecedented spending and debt creation of the Obama regime. Those bold and angry, grassroots Americans who are the Tea Party brought focus to the urgency of our problems. We also owe Sarah our gratitude; while contributing to the cause, she proved she could inspire and lead.

Click here to read the rest of his reasons.

Clark then pens a letter to Governor Palin:

Thank you, Sarah Palin, for all you have done for America. You have done more while not holding office than most with seats in government have done. It is clear: without the revolution beginning in 2010, our liberties as well as our money might all be gone by 2012.

But, as you know, Sarah, success in November has only purchased our nation a little time. The hope it engendered in the people, however, has already empowered our new leaders in Congress to take the fight to the enemy. Sure of the support of the people, they have already begun the difficult task of restoring the financial strength of America.

The handwriting is indeed on the wall: America must restore our financial strength or lose our liberty. Time is short.

Will you help us, Sarah?

[…]

Liberals, media, and even many Republicans underestimated and misjudged Ronald Reagan. More importantly, they misjudged the American people. They thought a moderate candidate, or even a progressive, would reel us in with more “bread and circuses.” They thought that after Carter, we would want change, but not too much. A true conservative, like Reagan, was not to their liking. The people saw it differently.

We loved every word that Ronald Reagan breathed. The “experts” were wrong about him, and about us. He helped us find hope in ourselves and encouraged faith. The change he sought was a return to principles and values that would lift us out of the haze so that we could see the horizon and pilot the ship on a straight and true course.

We have considered the contrasts of the hope, change, and course set by Reagan and those of Obama; they are startling.

Sarah, the “experts” have missed the mark again. You have already helped to energize a new revolution. The situation is far more extreme, but the American people are ready to remove Obama, as we did Carter. Obama is an astute politician and a very good speaker; he was a formidable opponent in 2008. Voters allowed the media to successfully sell him. But, now we know where he really stands. He will be a one-term President.

[…]

Who will be our next President? I believe it should be Sarah Palin. I believe it can be Sarah Palin. I believe there is strong support for that result among the grassroots now, and that it will spread to a broader base soon enough.

Your love of this nation is clear. I appeal to you, Sarah, to lead.

Read more here.

(h/t Sheya)

Mark Levin On Sarah Palin, Ronald Reagan, and “Intellectual” Elites

By Gary P Jackson

Mark Levin was on fire Monday morning, releasing a scathing refudiation of Republican “intellectuals” and their complete inability to recognize and understand Conservatism and it’s principles. Levin rightly points out that George Will, an elitist if there ever was one, never got what Reagan was about. I’m sure it had something to do with the fact Reagan often wore blue jeans, a no-no in Georgie’s world.

Krauthammer has long been a disappointment. He’s intelligent, for sure, but often quite wrong when it comes to basic issues. Oh, Charles can be brilliant at times, especially on complicated issues. But when it comes to the every day meat and potatoes issues, Charles just doesn’t get it. Of course, what does one expect from someone who not only worked for President Jimmy Carter but Walter Mondale, as well, when he ran against Ronald Reagan!

Calling Charles Krauthammer a “Conservative” is like calling David Frum, David Brooks, Kathleen Parker, and Peggy Noonan “Conservatives.”

The American people are well past allowing our “betters” to continually tell us how we should think, and who we should vote for.

The hate for Sarah Palin

The corporate hate for Sarah Palin at Politico is obvious. The latest is here

But if you google Politico and Palin, the evidence of a Politico agenda is overwhelming. And the manner in which Politico’s editors pursue their hate-Palin agenda is to cherry-pick the individuals they quote to make the point they want made.

A couple of quick things:

1. As I demonstrated last week, remarkably George Will missed the Reagan Revolution not only in 1976 but as late as 1980. In the 1979 Republican Presidential Primary, his first choice was Howard Baker, his second choice was George H. W. Bush, and his third choice was Reagan. Not until days before the 1980 general election did he write on November 3, 1980 that Reagan deserved election. For all his wonderful columns, the Republican electorate better understood the needs of the nation and the excellence of a potential Reagan presidency than Will.

It is hard to believe he was so wrong about a matter of such great import, despite Reagan’s presence on the national scene for many years.

2. Charles Krauthammer was not only wrong about Reagan, as late as 1980 he was a speech-writer for Vice President Walter Mondale. Krauthammer, like Will, not only missed the significance of the Reagan candidacy, but was putting words in the mouth of a terribly flawed politician from a philosophical perspective. I certainly do not begrudge, but in fact encourage, liberals becoming conservatives or Democrats becoming Republicans.

Reagan was a Democrat who famously changed parties. But I do not believe that individuals touted by a left-wing “news” site as two of the leading conservative intellectuals, who stunningly opposed Reagan’s candidacy while both were of mature age and mind, are necessarily reliable barometers in this regard. The “non-intellectual” voters knew better.

3. It is apparent that several of President George W. Bush’s former senior staffers are hostile to Sarah Palin, including Karl Rove, David Frum, and Pete Wehner, to name only three. Pete is a good friend and a very smart guy. That said, Bush’s record, at best, is marginally conservative, and depending on the issue, worse. In fact, the Tea Party movement is, in part, a negative reaction to Bush’s profligate spending (including his expansion of a bankrupt Medicare program to include prescription drugs). And while Bush’s spending comes nowhere near Barack Obama’s, that is not the standard.

Moreover, Bush was not exactly among our most articulate presidents, let alone conservative voices. I raise this not to compare Bush to Palin, but to point out only a few of the situational aspects of the criticism from the Bush community corner. (If necessary, and if challenged, I will take the time to lay out the case in all its particulars, as well as other non-conservative Bush policies and statements. No Republican president is perfect, of course, but certainly some are more perfect that others, if you will.)

This is not to say the folks cherry-picked by Politico are without accomplishment and merit. They clearly are accomplished. But that’s not the point. Most were not involved in either the Reagan Revolution or the Tea Party movement, and were not, to the best of my knowledge, early outspoken supporters of either.

What is necessary is a fulsome debate on each candidate’s substance and policy positions. Most of these Politico stories are little more than excuses to attack Palin, intended to damage her early on in case she should decide to run. This has been going on for some time now. If she is as weak as some think, why the obsession? Why the contempt? Moreover, Palin has used social media and other outlets to comment substantively on a wide range of issues and policies. In fact, she has spoken on a wider array of issues than Youtube governor Chris Christie, popular among most of these folks, and her positions have, for the most part, been solidly conservative.

(Christie’s positions on numerous issues important to conservatives are all but ignored by some of those complaining about Palin; indeed, the same could be said of potential presidential contenders Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitch Daniels, among others.)

My purpose in mentioning Christie here is to juxtapose the demands by “the intellectuals” on one politician versus another. Their inquisitiveness seems influenced by their political bias. That’s not unusual, but it requires underscoring lest their opinions be viewed or promoted as objective.

As a Reaganite pre-dating Reagan’s 1976 candidacy, the contempt for Palin does, in fact, remind me of the contempt some had for Reagan, especially from the media and Republican establishment, although no comparison is exact. I’ve not settled on a favorite would-be presidential candidate, but I also know media hit-jobs when I see them. I am hopeful more conservatives will begin to speak out about this or, before we know it, we will wonder why we are holding our noses and voting for another Republican endorsed by “the intellectuals” but opposed by a majority of the people.

Ronald Reagan was vilified by the Republican elites. It was very much like the attacks and petty sniping we are witnessing now against Sarah Palin. As is always the case, the Republicans fought harder against the Conservative, Reagan, than they did Carter!

What they are doing to Palin is nothing new. The fact is, the GOP country club set has always held true Conservatives in great contempt. Those who reflect the feelings and aspirations of the Republican Party base of voters, those true Conservatives are always attacked, ridiculed, and otherwise slandered by the cucumber and mayo sandwich crowd.

The problem with the Republican Party, the elites, is they would rather lose elections than lose power. The Republican Party, pre-President Reagan, was totally content to sit back and be the minority party, allowing the democrat party to run roughshod over the entire nation. They were happy to just sit at the table and have some power. Settling for what ever table scraps they were allowed by the democrats was fine with them.

It wasn’t until 1994 that Conservative Republicans prevailed, and ended 40 years of Democrat control of Congress. This was a natural extension of the Reagan Revolution. Sadly, once in office, many of those Republicans became just as entrenched and out of touch as the democrats they replaced. More worried about staying in office than running an efficient government.

Now the elites have carved out their little zones of power, and are not about to give them up. Not about to change the way they do business.

The Tea Party as a whole, and Sarah Palin in particular, is a direct threat to these entrenched little elites. That’s why these elites fight so hard. Things must change. Government is broken. It’s a disaster. The nation itself is staring into the abyss. We have a debt we may never be able to pay. We have an energy crisis, an economic crisis, and a national security crisis. “More of the same” is not going to cut it. Things must be shaken up, and a new path chosen.

The problem with choosing new paths though, is many of those on the old path are left behind. And these little elites don’t want to go along with the new path, especially if they lose their influence and power.

Sarah Palin represents a real threat to the Ruling Class, in both parties. She is not a “business as usual” type of leader. She’s well known as someone who “shakes things up.” Her lengthy record of leadership as a Mayor, energy regulator, and Governor shows that she doesn’t waste time doing things as they’ve always been done, just “because” and she doesn’t suffer fools well. This is bad news for the elites, because they are a foolish bunch.