Sarah Palin won’t speak at GOP convention

From the Washington Post: Sarah Palin won’t speak at GOP convention

Sarah Palin has announced that she will not be speaking at the 2012 Republican National Convention, saying it’s time to give others a chance.
“This year is a good opportunity for other voices to speak at the convention and I’m excited to hear them,” she said in a statement to Fox News’s Greta van Susteren.
The announcement comes as Palin, who was the big-ticket item at the 2008 convention as the party’s vice presidential nominee, seeks to find a place for herself in a Republican Party whose establishment is wary of her unpopularity. Similarly, former president George W. Bush and former vice president Dick Cheney, who could also pose problems for the GOP by speaking at the convention, will not appear.
Palin reiterated that she fully supports Mitt Romney and his new running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), but said that she will focus her efforts on electing Republicans to Congress.
“As I’ve repeatedly said, I support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in their efforts to replace President Obama at the ballot box, and I intend to focus on grassroots efforts to rally independents and the GOP base to elect Senate and House members so a wise Congress is ready to work with our new president to get our country back on the right path,” she wrote.
Here’s the full statement:

“…Everything I said at the 2008 convention about then-candidate Obama still stands today, and in fact the predictions made about the very unqualified and inexperienced Community Organizer’s plans to “fundamentally transform” our country are unfortunately coming true. This year is a good opportunity for other voices to speak at the convention and I’m excited to hear them. As I’ve repeatedly said, I support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in their efforts to replace President Obama at the ballot box, and I intend to focus on grassroots efforts to rally Independents and the GOP base to elect Senate and House members so a wise Congress is ready to work with our new President to get our country back on the right path. This is imperative. As President Clinton said in 2008 while candidate Obama and lapdogs in the media were thrashing his wife’s record and reputation, this is “…the biggest fairy tale.” For the sake of America’s solvency and sovereignty we must close this nonsensical book in November…”-

Sarah Palin On Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan Ticket: 'We Must Now Look To This New Team'

The HuffPost of course is firmly on the Democrat side...they'll vet Republican politicians from pillar to post...but as far as Obama...oh, can't check on him!

From HuffPost Politics:  Sarah Palin On Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan Ticket: 'We Must Now Look To This New Team' 

On the day that Mitt Romney presented his vice presidential candidate before the political sphere, a former vice presidential candidate devoted the majority of her reaction to hammering President Barack Obama.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) released a Facebook statement on Saturday evening, congratulating Romney on the addition of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to his ticket.

"We must now look to this new team, the Romney/Ryan ticket, to provide an alternate vision of an America that is fiscally responsible, strong, and prosperous – an America that understands and is proud of her exceptional place in the world and will respect those who fight to secure that exceptionalism, which includes keeping our promises to our veterans," Palin said.

From that point on, Palin devoted the next 13 paragraphs to Obama's performance, attacking the president on issues ranging from taxes to unemployment.

"Obama’s vision for America will make the rest of the country look like California, minus the beautiful scenery and warm weather," Palin quipped.

Romney and Ryan's names did not appear again until the closing frame, where Palin urged voters to not forget about contests outside of the White House.

"Please continue to focus on the presidential race and on helping Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, but it’s also imperative that we get involved in the nation’s important House and Senate races," Palin said. "These candidates need our help to ensure that our next president has a responsible and ethical Congress that actually gets things done for America. Now on to November!"

Palin's relationship with Romney has been perceived as rocky at times. Prior to Romney crossing the majestic 1,144-delegate line, she was firmly in the corner of rival Newt Gingrich, urging voters to stand behind the former House Speaker.

"We need somebody who is engaged in sudden and relentless reform and isn't afraid to shake it up," said Palin back on Jan. 30. "Shake up that establishment. So, if for no other reason, to rage against the machine. Vote for Newt, annoy a liberal. Vote Newt. Keep this vetting process going, keep the debate going."
Back in mid-February, Palin was a vocal questioner of Romney's conservative record, specifically his health care past.

"I am not convinced and I don’t think that the majority of GOP and independent voters are convinced, and that is why you don’t see Romney get over that hump," Palin said.

 

On August 10, 2012, the Cheyenne chapter of the AARP hosted a seminar called Gray Matters - which was free and provided a free lunch - unfortunately fish and cheesecake, blech - from 4 to 6 was a reception for all travelers who had come in for the AARP National Spelling Bee to be held on the 11th.

I attended that and it was a lot of fun. The emcee introduced a few folks, we talked about words, there was a "mock" spelling bee (which only consisted of about 20 people getting up and being questioned on one word...) and so on. And there were finger foods there - Chinese food to be precise. Don't know where they got it from or if they cooked it on site (Little America is a hotel and resort where people come to play golf among other things) but it was delish.

The spelling bee started at the ungodly hour of 8:30 am (Well...8:30 is not so ungodly but I had to get up at the ungodly hour of 6:30 to get there in time for registration, etc.) It started with 4 rounds of 25 words each - which was a Written Test.

The first 25 words were extremely easy. They asked words like "Greetings" and "Navel" and "Mince." I suppose a few might have been considered difficult... "Animus" and "Lacuna."


The second 25 words were equally easy, but I did miss MUGWUMP.


I assume they did this just to help everyone settle the nerves and get new people used to what was going on. People had trouble hearing some of the words (hey, they were all over 50 and most over 60) and the Pronouncer  would come down and tell them the word face to face and have them say it back, etc. Indeed, the Pronouncer did an excellent job.


Third round was where they started asking the difficult words.


I missed:
QUESTIONARY INERCALATE
TUATARA
SKOSH
VIRIDITY
WIMBLE

The fourth round was the real killer. I only got 12 out of 25 right. I missed:

FELICIFIC
DOVEKIE
FLYTING
NAPERY
COTYLEDONARY
WELTSCHMERRZ
OPPUGNER
AECIOSPORE
SYNCYTIAL
KNUR
IRIDIUM
TUYERE
HYOSCYAMINE

I then stayed for the Oral rounds and was joined by one of my friends from my Scrabble Club. (I think an audience could have assembled for the Written rounds, too. There were chairs there and family were in them...but I think most people only wanted to come see the Oral rounds where you actually saw the speller's faces as opposed to their backs, etc.)

Two of the people I met last night at the reception made it to the Orals. One of them it was his first trip to the Bee and he was successful his first time out. Made it through about 10 rounds. (In the Orals, you miss two words and you're out.) Another one was an elderly woman from Minnesota who also got through about 10 rounds before being knocked out.

There were three sisters and a brother who had come as a sort of family reunion. The eldest sister made it to the Oral rounds but was bounced after only two rounds. This was too bad and it was because she was a bit unlucky - she got two 6-syllable words in a row while some of the others were getting much easier ones (but still, not ones I could have spelled). But she was disqualified along with several other people in the same round, so hopefully she didn't feel too bad.

The words in the Oral Rounds were extremely difficult. Several times more difficult than the toughest words in the final round of the Written.


But, had I studied for a year, I think I could have handled them.


And it is my intention to study for a year and  get into the Orals next year.


So, why is the title of this blog entry 60 is thenew 40?


Because it is.


People are living longer. You don't want to outlive your money and more importantly you don't want to outlive your sense of enjoyment of life. And learning new things every day is enjoyment and keeps the mind active.


The AARP Spelling Bee is held every year, and it gives you an excellent reason to travel to Cheyenne and see The Cowboy State. You'll meet lots of interesting people.


You do have to study.


I studied very desultorily for about a month...combine all the time I studied and it was about 10 hours. Not nearly enough, but then, I'm a good speller so the Written Rounds were relatively easy - except for that killer last round.


Why learn words that you'll never, ever say in real life?Well, because they're interesting. And the concepts of what you'll learn, you can apply in other areas. So it's a win win.


So start planning to live a long, healthy, active, intellectual life, and do it now, however old you might be!

Sarah Palin PAC amps up cash haul

Where in the world are all these donators getting their money? And why give to Sarah Palin who is not a politician, just a commentator?

From Politico: Sarah Palin PAC amps up cash haul
Sarah Palin’s political action committee picked up its fundraising pace, raising nearly $780,000 over the past three months, according to a report filed Friday evening with the Federal Election Commission.

The second-quarter report is an uptick in fundraising from the $388,000 Sarah Palin PAC raised during the first three months of 2012. Palin spent nearly $580,000 over the past three months, including cutting three checks to GOP candidates. Palin contributed $5,000 to tea party favorite Richard Mourdock before he ousted veteran Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) in the primary. Palin also contributed$5,000 a piece to Nebraska Senate candidate Deb Fischer and Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate had been a fundraising powerhouse, but has struggled to keep pace after she decided not to get into the 2012 presidential race. Palin has just over $1.1 million cash on hand, according to the report.

Much of the money Palin spent went to consultants, speech writers and direct mail. Palin’s PAC doled out more than $115,000 to consultants for fundraising and compliance, research, coalitions and logistics. She also spent big on direct mail and postage, spending more than $360,000.

 

Sarah Palin: Condoleezza Rice would be ‘wonderful’

Condoleeza Rice might me wonderful - but she has said she doesn't want the job. She's not a politician.

From Politico:  Sarah Palin: Condoleezza Rice would be ‘wonderful’
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the last GOP running mate, predicted former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would make a “wonderful” vice president for Mitt Romney.
“I think that Condoleezza Rice would be a wonderful vice president, and she certainly has much more experience than our sitting president does today,” Palin said Thursday night on Fox News’s “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.”

Palin was reacting to increased speculation Rice would be Romney’s vice presidential pick, driven by conservative commentators Matt Drudge and Rush Limbaugh, both of whom have touted Rice in recent days.

Palin, who opposes abortion rights, wasn’t concerned about Rice’s own views on abortion.
“I would certainly prefer a presidential and vice presidential candidate who had that respect for all innocent, precious purposeful human life and showed that respect via being a pro-life candidate,” she said. “We need to remember, though, that it’s not the vice president that would legislate abortion, and that would be Congress’s role. And we’ll keep that in mind.

For her part, Rice has said in the past she has zero interest in elective politics.

 

BELLEVILLE: Patriots in the Park event to feature guest speaker Sarah Palin

From the View:  BELLEVILLE: Patriots in the Park event to feature guest speaker Sarah Palin

Former vice president candidate and Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin will be making a stop in Belleville July 14 as a part of Patriots in the Park, hosted by Americans For Prosperity Michigan.

George Blichar, Americans For Prosperity Michigan communications associate, said the event is a kind of grassroots outreach program.

Patriots in the Park, which will be held at the Wayne County Fairgrounds, will feature several speakers in addition to Palin including Sen. Patrick Colbeck, Troy Mayor Janice Daniels and area Tea Party leaders.

Blichar said Palin was reached out to because of her values and notoriety.

"She is just a very prominent name, and people tend to respond to that," he said. "She's always been a great supporter of limited government and free market and freedom. We really appreciate the types of speeches she's given."

The Patriots in the Park event is meant to start a dialogue about current social, political and economic issues affecting the United States, Blichar said.

"It's just kind of grassroots outreach essentially," he said. "We like to out on events so people can come together and network. None of this really works if people aren't talking about it. It gets people riled up."

Americans For Prosperity is partnering with the Willow Run Tea Party Caucus to put on the event.

The website for the event describes it as featuring "great speakers and entertainment for the whole family as we meet friends to talk about many of the issues facing our nation. With socialized health care, high gas prices, record debt, high unemployment, and a host of other issues, we've really got our work cut out for us."

Americans For Prosperity, Blichar said, is a grassroots organization that focuses on free market and limited government. The Michigan chapter has 75,000 members, and is financed through member contributions.

Blichar said he hopes the event stirs conversation and action.

"I hope they come away with a better sense of just where we stand as a country and whether or not they want to get involved with something bigger than themselves," he said. "I just hope people have a great time, I hope they have great conversations."

Patriots in the Park will take place noon to 6 p.m. on July 14 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Belleville. Tickets are free, but those wishing to attend are asked to pre-register online.

 

Sarah Palin: Mitt Romney needs to set ‘hair on fire’

From Politico.com:  Sarah Palin: Mitt Romney needs to set ‘hair on fire’

Sarah Palin warned Tuesday that Mitt Romney must do more to energize conservatives before Election Day, saying the Republican presidential candidate should light the base’s “hair on fire.”

“Romney, he has said before that he doesn’t want to have to light his hair on fire. Well, there are a lot of his base supporters, independents who are saying, ‘Well, light our hair on fire, then! Remind us how important it is that we get engaged in this presidential election because it is the election of our lifetime,’” Palin told Sean Hannity of Fox News.

She was referring to Romney’s remarks in February that he’s not interested in saying “outrageous” and “accusatory” statements just for the sake of shoring up support. “You know I’m not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support,” he had said.

But Palin insisted Tuesday that an electrified base would be key to a Romney victory in the fall.
“We saw in the 2010 electoral victory and we saw in the Wisconsin recall victory … that the base, the independents, the tea party patriots, need to be energized and get out to vote,” the former Alaska governor said. “Otherwise, the right is not going to be able to get in there, into the White House and reverse the course that Barack Obama has put us on, towards bankruptcy and insolvency.”

Known to accuse journalists of having a liberal slant, Palin also said media “manipulation” would continue to pose as an uphill battle for Romney.

“Four years ago, Sean, they chose their one and they did all that they could to usher him into the White House. We are going to see the same tactic this is go around,” she said. “The filter that the media has is something that a politician, a candidate, has to be extremely astute in — kind of decimating that filter and getting through it so that the public has the correct information.”

The ex-vice presidential candidate also weighed in on the GOP nominee’s options for a running mate, referring to Sens. Rob Portman and Marco Rubio and Rep. Paul Ryan as “all good choices.”

She suggested that Romney will want to play it safe by picking someone who is more of a “known commodity” than she was in 2008, “so that the media doesn’t do what the media did to me — making things up and kind of thrashing somebody’s reputation and record in order to distract from what the election really was supposed to be about.”