Over the weekend I picked up on something that I mentioned on The Pink Flamingo. If Sarah Palin was among the governors lobbying for the passage of the BBQ Pork Bill, then it would come back to haunt her, and could even “ruin” her chances in 2012. I think we reach the point where we know when “we smell an odor” – to put it politely. (Oh, and she kills innocent wolves)
I think the guys are suffering from the old green eyed monster.
When I “smell an odor” when it comes to the bad-mouthing of Sarah Palin, the first place I always look is Mark Sanford. For some strange reason I’ve yet to comprehend, conservative sources are falling for Sanford’s line of bull that promotes him into the next great fiscal GOP hope. He is not. In South Carolina, Sanford is considered the WORST Republican Governor – ever (modern governor).
On Feb 3, Governor Palin released a statement regarding her MISREPRESENTED trip to DC and the stimulus package. Yep, I smell a big liberal rat.
“...FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 09-18
Governor Palin Continues to Express Serious Concerns with President’s Stimulus Package
February 3, 2009, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin again today expressed her serious concerns with President Obama’s proposed stimulus package. In a joint letter sent to Alaska’s congressional delegation, Governor Palin, House Speaker Mike Chenault and Senate President Gary Stevens cautioned that unrestrained spending, initiation of new programs that the states may be asked to continue after the federal stimulus is gone, and the borrowing of hundreds of billions of dollars to pay for it may result in serious economic problems in the future.
Governor Palin recently traveled to the nation’s capital to personally express her concerns with the stimulus package with business, economic and political leaders. The trip was not an effort to endorse or lobby for the current stimulus package now before Congress.
“I agree with the decision of Senator Murkowski and Congressman Young to vote NO on the package,” Governor Palin said.
The governor has strongly supported funding for infrastructure that creates good American jobs and will have a positive effect on the nation for generations to come.
“It’s a given that a stimulus package is needed and will happen,” Palin said. “With guaranteed spending on the table, I am arguing for needed construction projects and tax breaks that will truly stimulate the economy and create jobs, and against increased federal programs that will become a state’s unfunded mandate to continue funding for generations.”
Senate President Gary Stevens agreed. “We need the funding but not more federal programs to maintain,” he said. “We need to make wise use of limited state funds.”
House Speaker Mike Chenault added, “The letter addressed to members of Congress and the Alaska Delegation basically tells those members where Alaska sits on the issues of the stimulus package and how it will affect Alaska as far as a funding formula goes. So it just gives them a little bit clearer picture on what the needs are for the state of Alaska in comparison with the rest of the nation.”
Governor Palin and the legislative leadership also highlighted the conventional fuels that Alaska has to offer and the need to find ways the federal government can help bring the state’s clean burning natural gas through a pipeline to the midwest….”
Maybe it was Sunday that I wrote to Stephen Maloney that something bothered me about the coverage. He mentioned a few things that continued the thought process. Then I read that Newt said Palin had an excellent chance, and probably could take Iowa. That really started me thinking.
“…former House Speaker Newt Gingrigh said today that the 2012 Republican Party nominee will emerge from “a wide open field” — but he suggested that AK Gov. Sarah Palin would have a “substantial advantage” in Iowa, the first-in-the nation caucus state, where she has “a very big base.” “If Sarah Palin seeks out a group of sophisticated policy advisers and spends time developing a series of fairly sophisticated positions,” Gingrich said during his 33rd visit to the Christian Science Monitor breakfast series, “she is very formidable.” If the economy is still “a mess” a year from now, however, then Gov. Mitt Romney’s business experience might become more relevant, Gingrich added. The former Speaker also mentioned another possible contender, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is expected to run for Texas governor….”
A email circulated to some very serious Palin supporters today confirmed additional suspicions. Several names came up, one of whom could be doing some serious “dissing” of Sarah Palin.
1. “Palin Lied”
We were informed by as still yet un-named Republican member of Congress that Palin lied to them. The story ranged from a GOP “source” to an “un-named” member of Congress. I have my suspicions. If someone in GOP ranks is telling takes out of school about Sarah Palin, the big fat southern fried rat I smell is Mark Sanford.
And so, the dirt goes something like this:
“…Which brings us back to the issue of Palin’s smarts. I don’t think she’s an idiot, I think she was poorly prepared for high office, but might well be as bright as some say. That said, assuming that she is in fact interested in a 2012 presidential run, what she needs to do now is leave the spotlight for a while and actually do the hard work of preparation. As a start, that means visiting with House Republicans while snubbing the Alfalfa crowd, not the other way around. And it means boning up on policy and making a substantive contribution to the party’s debate….”
I really do see Mark Sanford’s knife-print between Sarah Palin’s shoulder-blades. Sanford is still sulking because John McCain did not choose HIM to be VP, instead going with an “unknown” who just happened to be a woman, and a damn yankee to boot.
In the NRO Corner, Mark Hemingway appears to have fallen for the Mark Sanford BS.
:…As I wrote below, I’ve been surveying Republican governors for their thoughts on the stimulus. Again, so far Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Rick Perry of Texas are the only governors explicity opposed. There’s no question that with many state budgets overwhelmed that this has put governors in a tight spot. One press flack told me not for attribution that the governor privately had grave misgivings about the bill, but the political reality is that it is likely going to pass so they were publicly in the position of fighting for their state’s fair share of tax dollars. I suspect a number of other governors are in that pickle. And then there are some governors such as Jindal, Palin and Pawlenty that have expressed varying degrees of opposition to the bill or aspects of it, but are trying to work with the legislation all the same. So I don’t know if that quite makes them clearly against it in the way that Sanford and Perry are….”
2. The Perry Endorsement
Sarah Palin has endorsed Texas Governor Rich Perry in a run for re-election as governor. My sources suspect that a Palin-Perry ticket might not be a bad idea.
I’m not sure about this one. My good-old-boy Texas connections (non political) who are all life-long Republicans and still like GWB, don’t really like Perry. The CSM is running a great cartoon of Palin.
Palin and Perry?
3. The hopefuls:
Mike Huckabee is reported (by my sources) to have done his share of belittling Sarah Palin. According to Alan Colmes, Huck is running.
My sources say Ron Paul does not like Palin.
I suspect, and sources confirm the Romney people are doing a lot of the complaining back-stabbing of Palin.
Don’t ever think Mark Sanford is not planning to run. When dealing with Mark Sanford, it’s all about Sanford and only Sanford.
Trackposted to Rosemary’s Thoughts, third world county, Political Byline, Allie is Wired, Walls of the City, The World According to Carl, DragonLady’s World, Democrat=Socialist, and Conservative Cat, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
February 10th, 2009 on 3:41 pm
Clearly you don’t live in South Carolina, Because Mark Sanford is, and always will be, considered an incredibly successful governor. He’s a reasonable, small-government, constitution abiding man, not a socialist.
February 10th, 2009 on 4:23 pm
Sorry, Jessica, but until I moved to New Mexico I spent most of my life in South Carolina, in Oconee County, living near Fair Play on Hwy. 59. I attended Clemson. In the mid-1990′s I was chair of the Oconee County GOP. I have numerous friends in SC, and business contacts. Sanford has been a joke.
SJR
The Pink Flamingo
February 16th, 2009 on 11:32 am
I know this post is a few days old but I just found it through a Google search.
Sanford is pretty popular in the circles I move in but he’s definitely not popular with the establishment GOP because they don’t like people shedding sunlight on their own spending splurges. He always struck me as a principled guy who stood firm on spending.
I’ve long been thinking he and Palin should team up. And Palin is not a Yankee by any means. The essential attribute of a Yankee is attitude–not lattitude. She’s all about the rugged individualism and mistrust of central government that made this country what it is.
March 20th, 2009 on 2:41 pm
Well you got the damn yankee part right about Sarah Palin if you didn’t get anything else right.