Sarah Palin accuses Barack and Michelle Obama of being unpatriotic
Sarah Palin has accused Barack and Michelle Obama of being unpatriotic and suggested that they were racist.
By Alex Spillius, Washington 6:26PM GMT 19 Nov 2010
Telegraph
The attack is likely to deepen the impression that the former Alaska governor is too divisive a figure to win the presidency.
In leaked extracts of her new book, Mrs Palin delves into the minefield of racial politics, arguing that the first African American US president is among those who regarded the conservative tea party movement as racially prejudiced and who thinks that “America is a fundamentally unjust and unequal country”.
As proof, she dredged up a quote from a 2008 campaign speech in which Mrs Obama said “for the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country”.
Mrs Palin went on to say: “I guess this shouldn’t surprise us, since both of them spent almost two decades in the pews of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s church listening to his rants against America and white people.”
Mr Obama remains personally popular despite his Democratic Party allies being heavily beaten in the recent midterm elections. His wife moreover is according to numerous polls the best-liked the political figure in the country, thanks to her support for military families and campaign against childhood obesity.
In America By Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag, which is published next week, Mrs Palin was choosing a line of attack against the First Lady that most other opponents of the president have abandoned long ago.
She characterised the First Lady as only being proud “when her husband started winning elections”. In full context, Mrs Obama’s meaning was that she felt a surge of pride at the way young people were finding hope in the country’s future.
The former vice-presidential candidate’s second book is regarded as a launch pad for a bid for the 2012 Republican nomination, which Mrs Palin this week admitted she was “seriously considering”.
Many Democrats think the president’s chances of winning re-election would improve vastly if Mrs Palin was his opponent.
Vice-President Joe Biden had to stifle laughs when asked about the possibility of an Obama-Palin matchup on morning television yesterday.
“I don’t think she could beat President Obama,” he said, “but she’s always underestimated, so I don’t think I should say any more”.
Early reviewers have described Mrs Palin’s new book as mostly a fairly predictable paean to conservative American values.
But it also contains a withering put-down of talent show contestants, particularly those on American Idol, and the “cult of self-esteem”, which she blames partly on Mr Obama.
“No one they have encountered in their lives – from their parents to their teachers to their President – wanted them to feel bad by hearing the truth. So they grew up convinced that they could become big pop stars like Michael Jackson.”
Her observations came without apparent irony, despite the fact that her own daughter Bristol is competing so ineptly in Dancing with the Stars that there are strong suspicions she has only stayed in contention because of the support of her mother’s fans voting from home.
Mrs Palin herself has also begun broadcasting her own reality show about her family life and her home state.
Sarah Palin says what she thinks.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see if she stands by these comments. On balance, I probably agree with her sentiments.
Wanting to be president is not necessarily an indication of one's patriotism as It is an interest in power. The Obama's were not interested in celebrating America as much as they were interested in changing America.
Would Palin lose support from anyone because of these comments?
Would she reignite support for Obama?
I think a smarter strategy would be to damn Obama with faint praise and not with a direct attack on his wife and his patriotism.
Palin already has her base covered. Her objective should be to broaden it. Spoken comments and opinions such as these are not smart politically.
Let's see what happens.
Palin should be discussing issues, expressing specific ideas and demonstrating the skills that would make her a good president.
ReplyDeleteThis type of discourse may be emotionally appealing, but will it get her elected?
Mr Obama remains at about a 47% approval rating, well above where Reagan and Clinton were two years in.
ReplyDeleteEven with the Republican wins, the Democrats hold more electoral votes than the GOP.
It would develop into a battle for a couple of "swing" States, as it always seems to do.
It would also become analogous, to Reid v Angle, though writ across a larger landscape.
Despite bob's continual assurances to the contrary, that ended with Reid winning by 10 points.
Her proxy lost, in Alaska:
ReplyDeleteSenator Lisa Murkowski will have to wait for official certification as the winner of the Alaska State Senate race.
Alaska federal judge, Ralph R. Beistline of the U.S District Court ruled on Friday that Joe Miller’s challenge of misspelled write-in ballots raises “serious” legal issues but said the case doesn’t belong in federal court and should be decided by the state court instead.
But the judge did grant Miller a temporary injunction to halt official certification of the election, provided Miller brings his case before the state court by Monday.
...
As it now stands, Murkowski is ahead by over 10,000 votes, including the contested ballots. Even if Miller were succesful in disqualifying them, he would still lose by 2,200 votes.
And in other Palin news:
ReplyDeleteChristine O'Donnell Projected to Lose Delaware Senate Race to Christopher Coons
The two Senate races that the Republicans COULD have won, Nevada and Delaware, but they went down in flames.
The Palin proxy unable to mount a serious challenge to an incompetent incumbent in Nevada.
I think a smarter strategy would be to damn Obama with faint praise and not with a direct attack on his wife and his patriotism.
ReplyDeleteGood insight, might well be right. Except it's hard to really find much to praise. Maybe she could praise him for taking the wolves off the Endangered Species List.
There were six or more republican House candidates that lost because foolish voters pulled the lever for for some Libertarian, Constitution, or other impossible candidate.
It's always the same, in that regard.
Rat forgets her overall percentage of wins was quite good. Including his hero Rand Paul, whom she shouldn't have endorsed. Was wrong about Reid, hadn't counted on the big drive them to the voter booth from the Casinos effort. And trusted the polls.
It seems to me she ought to get 100% of the Jewish vote, but she won't. "If the political winds change, I'll stand with the muslims" says our Christian President.
The blacks will stick with him, even though he's done next to nothing for them, it's the Latinos and independents where the fight will be.
I doubt her comments have lost her any support, given an opponent like O. Whether her comments gained her any, hard to tell.
At least she's willing to criticize, unlike McCain. She wanted to then, they made her shut up. They lost.
Sarah, by the way, usually full of good sense, says it's time to start profiling at the airports.
ReplyDeleteAnyone disagree?
no.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you don't like the term profiling, just substitute something like enhanced targeted surveillance.
ReplyDeleteIt is not the "over all" percentage, it is the targeted races where she was to make a "great" impact.
ReplyDeleteNevada and Delaware were the two "big ones".
Rand Paul would have won, with or without Mrs Palin, she is a Johnny Cum Lately, to the Librarian Movement. Rand's father has received more votes for President than Mrs Palin has.
You may like her, bob, but her nomination by the President will leave Obama in the White House.
Alaska, Nevada and Delaware tell the tale. With Nevada leading the list, followed closely by Alaska, where her life long opponent kick her ass. With a write in campaign. That is beyond historical precedent, happening only once before in the history of Senate campaigns in the US.
Truly telling the lack of support she can generate, even in Alaska.
That you over look key opposition constituencies and tactics, par for your play on the course of life.
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ReplyDeletePalin is an empty suit, or rather empty pantsuit, spouting bromides to a group of lemming supporters.
Could she win the nomination? Hard to say. In a group of twelve GOP candidates her base could make a difference. When it gets down to two or three, I doubt it very much.
In the latest election, Paul the soccer-predicting octopus or my dog could have picked as many winning candidates as she did by mere chance.
Calling for profiling of airline passengers (if she actually did) would have been one of the few things she has been specific on. I could definitely agree with her on the profiling, though I would still wonder what was the other thing she was right on that day.
As noted by Michael Totten in the 'New York Post', the TSA like all law enforcement seems to always be fighting the last battle. Someone tries to smuggle flammable liquid aboard a plane, they ban all liquids. Exploding shoes? Ban the shoes. I guy tries putting explosives in his underwear? They offer a choice between virtual strip searches or sexual assault. When a passenger wrestles the bomber to the ground, Neapolitano says, "It proves the system is working."
When seconds count the TSA is only minutes away.
Instead of foisting their PC logic on a lowering public and sexually assaulting children and grandmothers, the TSA should adopt the logical approach to air travel that Israel does.
Porn vs Profiling
When people claim the terrorists have won, does that reflect the genius of the terrorists or is it an indictment of a sterile bureaucracy devoid of ideas and merely reacting to events over which they haven't a clue?
And in a retrograde version of the Island of Dr. Moreau instead of chanting “Are we not men?” the American public baa’s “Are we not sheep?”
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I guess she wrote that chapter before her little darlink stunck up the joint on DWTS.
ReplyDeleteThe USGS downgraded NPR - Alaska's crude reserves from 10 Billion Barrels to 1 Billion Barrels. A 90% Haircut. I'd like to hear her opinion on that.
EIA, IEA, The U.S. Military, and the German Military, among many others are of the opinion that we will soon be in a world of hurt, energy-wise. I'd like to hear what she has to say about that.
The Alaska Pipeline is on schedule to become the world's largest chapstick in only a few years. She could opine on that.
Warren Buffet, and the other 399 of the Wealthiest U.S. citizens pay a little less than 17% to the Federal Guvmint. That would be a good subject to do a little bloviating on.
Many/most Large U.S. Corporations channel their profits to subsidiaries in foreign countries, and, by leaving those profits over there, pay no Federal Income Tax. It not only costs us somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 to $200 Billion/Yr in unpaid taxes, it robs us of the "Investment Dollars." Surely she would have an opinion on that.
We subsidize the Fossil Fuel Industry to the tune of $52 Billion/Yr, but the fairly meager "Renewable Tax Credits" will Expire on Dec. 31. I wonder if she has an opinion.
China is beating us to death with their subsidization of industries, parlayed by an enslaved population working at starvation wages, and whipped along by Enormous, blatant Currency Manipulation. I haven't heard her mention this, either.
Of course, in fairness to the mama griz, none of the other potential nominees has mentioned any of the above, either.
ReplyDeleteWe are well, and truly, hosed.
She's been quite specific on a whole lot of stuff. Drill everywhere, that's specific. It's Quirk's beloved democrats and his environmentalists that have been the problem. Build nuke plants, that's specific, Deuce should love her for that. She's not against ethanol, Ruf should love her for that. She doesn't trust the Russians, we should all love her for that. She lives her life authentically, we should all try to do that. Special needs kids would have a special place in her White House. We should all appreciate that. I could go on and on, what's the use. Misogynists all.
ReplyDeleteQuirk is down on her cause he knows she wouldn't give him the time of day. He doesn't like that.
And she won't be hiring a court jester. He doesn't like her for that.
PALIN'S SPECIFIC POSITIONS
ReplyDeleteHere
And she's four square behind Israel. WiO and Allen and Mat should love her for that.
ReplyDeleteI do. Whit too, I think.
rat and Quirk of course are appalled at this. Simply appalled.