Sarah Palin still grabs limelight, even away from GOP convention

From HuffPost:  Sarah Palin Grabs Limelight Away From GOP Convention

When the Republican National Convention kicks off Monday in Tampa, the star of the 2008 GOP gathering, Sarah Palin, will be 2,000 miles away in Arizona, campaigning for congressional candidates. But don't bet against the former Alaska governor finding a bit of the limelight anyway.

Palin will be in little Gilbert, Ariz., helping serve up barbecue Monday afternoon alongside congressional hopeful Kirk Adams and later stumping for a couple of incumbent Republican congressmen, Jeff Flake and Paul Gosar.

If Palin will miss being at the big dance with Mitt Romney and other Republicans in Florida, she showed no sign of it in a Fox News interview Saturday. She chatted merrily about her plans for the coming days, in the familiar sing-song cadences (and run-on, multiclause sentences) that became her trademark in 2008.

“I’m making sure to get out there around the country,” Palin said, “and sometimes supporting underdogs — those that are underfunded, underpresented in terms of name recognition and surrogates out there on the political scene — making sure that those that need to be put on the map — because their message is the right message and their intentions are right — are heard from.”

A viewer unhappy with both sides in the presidential campaign asked whether they should simply not vote. Palin urged the woman to “give Romney a shot,” stressing the importance of removing President Obama and ending his policies, including the healthcare law she called “the mother of all unfunded mandates.”

Asked about the potential creation of a third party, Palin offered a bit of history and said it could happen again someday if Republicans don’t adhere to their principles.

“You know in studying history, look what happened in the mid-1800s when the Whig Party went away and the Republican Party surfaced because people, the electorate, got sick and tired of both parties fighting for power and [not] doing the will of the people,” Palin said. “That’s why the Republican Party rose up.

“So, you know, if history is any indication, it’s certainly a possibility at some point if Republicans don’t remember what the planks in their platform represent. And the planks in the platform are all about equality. They are about equal opportunity, to prosper and thrive in the most exceptional nation in the world, and how do we do that through a free market .”

That’s the way she said it. And with a smile.

Another viewer wondered whether Palin, who quit office before her term was over, would run for governor of Alaska again. The viewer got the opposite of a “you betcha” response.

“I would much rather be able to work on unlocking Alaska’s vast resources,” Palin said, “the largest state in the union, so rich in oil and gas and zinc and iron and copper and gold and the world’s richest wild seafood fisheries in … on our planet. I would rather work on unlocking our resources to help secure our nation for solvency for our sovereignty as a union than be holed up in Juneau again.”

So the star of Convention 2008 makes her way modestly into the brave new world of Convention 2012, where a new V.P. star, Paul D. Ryan, is due to be crowned. Far from the center stage, she’s bound to still find her way into the conversation.

 

Palin not present at RNC but still a presence

From CNN Politics:  Palin not present at RNC but still a presence 

Washington (CNN) -- Sarah Palin may have electrified the 2008 Republican presidential ticket when she was picked as John McCain's running mate, but just four years later her wattage has dimmed on the Republican stage.

She was snubbed for a coveted speaking role at the Republican National Convention in Tampa even though McCain, the senator from Arizona who surprised many when he selected Alaska's governor, is scheduled to speak. Other speaking spots were doled out to lesser lights like Rick Santorum, who vied unsuccessfully for the nomination this year.

Once the face of the tea party movement, Palin is not among speakers listed for the Tea Party Unity Rally on Sunday. Former presidential candidates Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, and pizza magnate Herman Cain are headlining.

With Republicans positioning themselves for a presidential run last year, Palin drew the most attention when she rode into Washington on the back of a motorcycle before launching a bus tour. She eventually opted against a White House bid.

Instead, Palin has hit the trail for down-ballot candidates in competitive congressional races, stumping for such political mavericks as Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock and more mainstream politicians like Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah.

Palin's mission: to recreate the same kind of success she had in the 2010 midterm elections when many of the candidates she endorsed won.

Political experts say Palin is also carefully calculating how to wield her burgeoning kingmaker status and star power to position herself for even greater prominence in the party.

"She has a tremendous amount of pull among the people who make up the 800-pound gorilla in the party -- the conservative base of the party," said Keith Appell, a Republican strategist and senior vice president at CRC Public Relations. "She will be a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future and beyond."

But first she has to figure out how to get back into the bigger national spotlight, political experts say.

During this presidential election cycle, Palin has been relegated to the farm leagues, said Norm Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and co-author of the book "It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism." It is a role that she slipped into through her own failure to bone up policy matters, he said.

"I think it's really interesting that she has fallen so far in the last year that they have no interest in having her appear at the convention," Ornstein said. "In a lot of ways this political capital she pretty much squandered by becoming a Fox News commentator and going on reality television instead of deepening her knowledge of policy issues. She decided to focus more on making money than on throwing herself into remaining deeply relevant in politics."

In her absence, some of the same Republican women who Palin supported as part of her "Mama Grizzlies" pack have come to gain broader acceptance by the party's mainstream. In 2010, Palin endorsed New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, calling her a "Granite State 'mama grizzly' who has broken barriers."

Just two years later, Ayotte will speak during a prime-time convention slot on Tuesday.

Palin's relative absence on the national stage also allowed Bachmann "to fill the vacuum," Ornstein said.

Palin's persona non grata status is "more a matter of they can't control her message as they've already learned," said Michele Swers, professor of American government at Georgetown University. "It's always useful when they can showcase Republican women, but they'd rather showcase Kelly Ayotte than Sarah Palin."

Some conservatives feel the party is giving the cold shoulder by not allowing her to speak.

"I think it's a big mistake," Appell said. "If no other reason you would have a very popular voice using prime time to peel the bark off Barack Obama in front of a national television audience."

For her part, Palin is careful in how she has phrased her notable absence from the convention's speaking roster.

"This year is a good opportunity for other voices to speak at the convention and I'm excited to hear them," Palin wrote in statement earlier this month. "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."

But do not count Palin out, political experts say. She still has plenty of pull and will likely bide her time before making her next big move.

 

"To say she is irrelevant would be a mistake," Ornstein said. "When she gets involved in a primary it has an impact. That doesn't translate into the broader national role that she could have had. But there are second, third, fourth, and fifth acts in American politics. The fact that she isn't a major factor in American politics now doesn't mean she won't be in 2013 or a subsequent point."

Palin backed Sarah Steelman in the Missouri Republican primary against politically beleaguered Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin. Republican leaders, including Romney, are now pushing Akin to drop out of the highly contested race against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill after the congressman's controversial comments on "legitimate rape."

During a recent Fox News interview, Palin suggested "maybe it is a third-party run of Sarah Steelman that I can get behind."

Palin is scarcely twiddling her thumbs while sitting on the sidelines. Her endorsements of congressional candidates have built an army of supporters inside the Beltway.

"If Romney loses by a big margin there will be a move by center-leaning Republicans to recapture dominance," Ornstein said. "But you're not going to see a lot of conservatives saying 'we were wrong about this.' You're going to have another chapter in this ongoing struggle. There will be a vacuum, Sarah could fill that vacuum."

And if Romney wins Palin will be right there on his heels making sure he sticks to his conservative promises, political experts say. She'll be joined by other conservative voices such as Bachmann, Cain, Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina—all vying for dominance of who represents conservatives.

"If Romney and (Paul Ryan) win, the question is do they implement a series of policies that fit the sharp conservative agenda," Ornstein said adding that conservatives will rally to force the Romney administration to keep its promises. "If (the Romney administration) tack to the center, who's going to be leading that charge ... Sarah Palin."

Sarah Palin weighs in on Todd Akin

From the Politico:  Sarah Palin weighs in on Todd Akin

Sarah Palin slammed GOP Senate hopeful Todd Akin’s decision to continue his bid for the Missouri seat and suggested that she might back a third-party challenger in an interview on Fox News on Tuesday night.
“He’s inviting himself back into this general election that’s coming up, and he’s going to get defeated. And that’s unfortunate,” the former Alaska governor said on “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.” “That is why we have to think pragmatically about this, and we have to think, well, what’s another option? Is a third-party another option? If it is, let’s go. The status quo has got to go.”

Palin’s remarks came hours after Akin, in defiance of GOP influentials from Mitt Romney to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, refused to drop his challenge to Sen. Claire McCaskill, the incumbent Democratic senator from Missouri. Akin, a congressman from the Show-Me State, was under intense pressure to do so after a weekend flap in which he suggested that in the instance of “legitimate rape,” biological defenses often prevent pregnancy.

“Bless his heart, I don’t want to pile on Todd Akin, because in some respects, I understand what he’s trying to say here, in standing on principle, that he doesn’t want to be perceived as a quitter, but you got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them,” Palin said, adding, “Missouri is a must-win state.”
Akin, she said, is not the one to secure the state for the Republicans.

“This is not going in his favor,” Palin said. “So you have to step aside … from your self-desire to get in there and serve and do what you believe is right, and you have to, in a sense, take one for the team, and you have to step aside, hand the mantle to someone else.”

In the interview, Palin championed Sarah Steelman, who was her choice for the ticket in Missouri’s bloody Republican primary, and added that if Akin doesn’t drop out by the end of September, “it’s going to be a third party then.”

“We’ll do whatever we can to not quash this opportunity that we have to take Missouri for the good of the country and for the good of every citizen of Missouri, to take it back, put government back on the side of the people,” Palin said, adding later, “It’s doable. It’s winnable — Missouri is. And that leads to winning the Senate.”

Palin has not called Steelman, she said.

 

Sarah Palin: Steelman can beat McCaskill

From Washington Post:  Sarah Palin: Steelman can beat McCaskill

Sarah Palin says she isn’t gloating, but she does believe she’s right.

It’s not too late for Sarah Steelman, who should have been the Republican contender in Missouri’s bid to unseat incumbent Claire McCaskill (D) in the U.S. Senate race, Palin says. Steelman could still run – as a third-party candidate.

“Maybe it is a third-party run of Sarah Steelman that I can get behind,” Palin told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren on Tuesday’s “On the Record.” “Granted ‘the status quo has got to go’ would be an odd name for a third party, but we’ll coin it, adapt it, run with it, if that’s what it takes in order to get a common-sense constitutional, happens to be pro-life woman in Missouri to clean up this mess that’s been created and at the same time, take back the Senate.”

McCaskill has been targeted as one of the three most vulnerable Democrats in the Senate; a GOP win could mean a Republican majority in the next Senate.

Rep. Todd Akin, who beat both Steelman and businessman John Brunner in the contentious GOP primary earlier this month, has gotten himself in hot water with Republicans ranging from former Gov. Mitt Romney to talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.
 
Akin, in a weekend television interview, said a woman’s body could defy biology by preventing pregnancy in cases of “legitimate rape.”
 
The National Republican Senatorial Committee pulled $5 million of advertising support and Akin was urged by party leaders to withdraw from the race by a deadline of 5 p.m. CST Tuesday.

It became obvious after Akin let the deadline slide that he wasn’t going to sit this one out for the team. Like a stubborn Missouri mule, he is going to run in this election, although he will avoid the Republican National Convention next week in Tampa.

Palin, who says she knew when it was time to quit the governor’s gig in Alaska, gave him some advice on Van Susteren’s show. “Bless his heart, I don’t want to pile on Todd Akin because, in some respects, I understand what he’s trying to say here in standing on principle, that he doesn’t want to be perceived as a quitter. But you got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them.”

If Akin refuses to quit, the solution’s simple: Enter Steelman, who has served as a state senator and treasurer, as a third-party candidate, Palin says.

It’s been done before. Sen. Joe Lieberman kept his Senate seat in Connecticut after running as an independent when he lost the Democratic primary in 2006.

In the 2010 election, Lisa Murkowski won as a write-in candidate in Alaska after her defeat by a Tea Party candidate in the Republican primary. No one had won a Senate seat by write-in since Strom Thurmond did it in 1954 in South Carolina.

But there are a couple of problems: The deadline for independent candidates to get on Missouri’s ballot was July 30, according to the Secretary of State Web site. And because of the state’s “sore loser” law, Steelman can’t run in the general election as a write-in candidate after losing the primary.

Steelman’s only hope at this point? If Akin would step aside, that she’d be the pick by the GOP. Will they listen to Mama Grizzly Palin this time?

 

Palin endorses Fla.'s upset winner Yoho

From Politico:  Palin endorses Fla.'s upset winner Yoho

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin endorsed veterinarian Ted Yoho in his bid for a House seat in Florida’s 3rd district on Tuesday.

“Underdog candidates like Ted aren't running because it’s easy, and they don't plan on going to Washington to just ‘go along to get along.’ No, these underdogs are running to fight for sudden and relentless reform and they know the hard work it will require to make it happen,” Palin said.

Yoho made national headlines last week when his campaign took out 24-year Congressman Cliff Stearns in Florida’s GOP primary. Stearns had held an enormous cash advantage over Yoho, and Yoho had never run for a political office but still managed to win with by the slimmest of margins.

 “If you’ve had enough and are ready for some real reform that puts government back on our side, please join me in supporting Dr. Ted Yoho for Congress in FL-3. Let’s send this commonsense businessman to D.C. to fight for us. He won’t forget who sent him there,” she said.

 Palin has endorsed a number of candidates this year, many of them who were facing competitive primaries and her support for Yoho comes after his primary. Her endorsement scorecard is mixed but most recently she had backed Sarah Steelman in Missouri’s Senate GOP primary, over John Brunner and Rep. Todd Akin.  Akin, who is now facing calls from national Republicans to remove himself from the race, had won that primary.

 Yoho is a very safe bet for Palin. While his story is surprising, he’s not really the underdog anymore heading into the general election; his district is solidly Republican and there’s little chance Democrat J.R. Gaillot could pull an upset.

 “I’m honored that a strong conservative leader like Sarah Palin is backing my campaign and I cannot thank her enough for her endorsement. I admire Gov. Palin for her relentless passion to challenge the status quo and to advance the conservative cause,” Yoho said.

 

Sarah Palin thanks Wayne Brady for joke apology

From The Hill:  Sarah Palin thanks Wayne Brady for joke apology

Sarah Palin thanked Wayne Brady on Monday night for the actor and comedian's "gracious" apology after he referred to her son Trig in a televised joke.

"A lot of people hate you," Brady said a week ago to Comedy Central producer Jeff Ross onstage at the "Roast of Roseanne Barr." "Especially Sarah Palin, because you remind her of what Trig is going to look like when he’s 40."

Trig Palin has Down syndrome. Brady, who is better known for his family-friendly comedy style, was reportedly booed for the joke at the event.

"I could defend it as a performer, but I would rather apologize from the bottom of my heart as a father," he wrote on his Facebook page Friday. "I understand how a parent, who loves their child, who tries to nurture and shield them when they cannot defend themselves, would take offense. I have many times experienced this feeling. I've had awful things said about my daughter."

Trig's mother, former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate Palin, also responded through Facebook.

"Thank you, Wayne Brady," she wrote Monday night. "Trig truly is a blessing. I swear, to his family anyway, that extra chromosome he's got is a Love Chromosome! Thank you for your gracious comment today."
Brady explained he did not write the joke but took "full" responsibility.

"I thank everyone who's expressed their opinion for reminding me that my voice is heard ... It's easy to forget sometimes in front of cameras and lights," Brady wrote. "To the Palins, please know that no malice or harm was meant. To the other families who were touched negatively, I hope you'll be able to accept this apology as well."

TMZ first reported Brady's apology.

 

Sarah Palin endorses Bongino for Senate

From the Baltimore Sun: Sarah Palin endorses Bongino for Senate

Former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has made another foray into Maryland politics, endorsing GOP candidate Dan Bongino in what she calls his "uphill battle" for the Senate, his campaign announced Monday.

In 2010, the former Alaska governor backed Republican Brian Murphy in his unsuccessful GOP primary bid against former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Bongino, a retired Secret Service agent, is challenging first-term Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin.
"Dan has seen what politicians have done to our country, and he's decided, 'If I'm not part of the solution, I'm part of the problem,'" Palin said in a statement released by the Bongino campaign. "He based his candidacy for U.S. Senate in Maryland on a strong commonsense conservative platform, won his primary, and is now fighting an uphill battle against a 45-year career politician who in fact inherited his first political office from his uncle at the tender age of 23 way back in 1967 and has been in elected office ever since.

"This is more than just a race of Republican vs. Democrat or conservative vs. liberal. It's about taking our country back from the career politicians in both parties who have spent us into debt, nearly taxed us to death, enriched themselves, rewarded their cronies at our expense, and have no vision to help the private sector create the jobs we need to get this economy moving again."

Bongino said he sought the support of the former Alaska governor "because she has a well-documented history of fighting against political insiders and establishment figures from both political parties driven by personal political aggrandizement rather than a desire to create a better tomorrow for our children."
"The citizens of Maryland have been subjected to the failed 'bureaucracy first' ideology of an entrenched political class for far too long," he said. "I am determined to bring both a middle-class perspective and value system back to an unresponsive class of insulated politicians."

The Cardin campaign said it was "not surprised" by the endorsement, "since Sarah Palin is a symbol of the Tea Party Republicans."

"Sarah Palin's track record in Maryland is not very good, even among Republicans," the campaign said in a statement. "She endorsed Bob Ehrlich's opponent and we know how well that went."

The success rate of candidates endorsed by Palin since the vice presidential nomination brought her to national attention in 2008 has been mixed, though it must be said that she has backed longshot outsiders as well as establishment frontrunners.

Her support is credited with helping former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz upset powerful Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst last month in the Republican primary there for U.S. Senate, and with bringing attention to South Carolina state Sen. Nikki Haley in her successful 2010 run for governor.

But her support of Murphy that year ago had little apparent effect on the Republican primary, which Ehrlich won easily.

"I don't believe in ignoring good candidates simply because they're fighting uphill battles against the odds," Palin said in her Bongino endorsement statement. "In fact, I find such candidates incredibly brave and especially worthy of encouragement. In many cases, they are often the most articulate and courageous new conservative voices out there.

"In 2012, we must cede no ground in our effort to win back control of the Senate and secure the House. We must fight every race to make sure we equip our next President with a wise Congress ready to work for all Americans. We also owe it to voters in every state — even the deep blue ones — to support good candidates for office so that they have a genuine choice in November."

 

Paul Ryan, worse than Palin

From Examiner.com:  Paul Ryan, worse than Palin

True, Mitt Romney’s new nominee for vice president possesses certain attributes that Sarah Palin lacked, namely a wonky intellect and speaking voice that does not sound like nails on chalkboard. But Paul Ryan may actually turn out to be a worse veep choice than Ms. Palin for several reasons.
1. Ryan further delays, and perhaps permanently scraps, Romney’s move to the center. Eric Fehrnstrom, a top Romney aide, signaled that the candidate intended to reinvent himself as a moderate after winning the primary season. But we never got that promised Etch-a-Sketch moment and now, likely, never will. How is Romney going to take advantage of his shape-shifting to attract independent voters if he continues to run as a “severe conservative”? McCain didn’t need Palin to establish his independent, mavericky bona fides, but Ryan moves Romney in the wrong direction.

2. Palin’s nomination gave McCain a nice, but short-lived, bounce in the polls – and enlivened McCain-Palin campaign rallies. By contrast, Ryan gave Romney no national bounce in the polls and was greeted with a tepid response from voters. Romney only got a slight bounce in Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin, a place Obama can electorally afford to lose but will probably still win anyway. And since Ryan needs to be kept away from seniors and more electorally significant places like Florida (see Point No. 3, below), the newly minted team had to split up when Romney headed south. Palin played everywhere, if that was your flavor of crazy.

3. Ryan was Obama’s choice for VP, not Romney’s. Ryan’s nomination confirms that even Romney thought he was losing an election being framed as a referendum on President Obama. But in changing it to a choice-election, Romney fell into Team Obama’s play-book with its preferred – and some would say hand-selected – opponent in the form of Paul Ryan. Ryan is best known for his deficit finagling in the form of the Republican “Roadmap,” which can be easily summarized, and lampooned, as “right wing social engineering” aimed at privatizing Social Security, voucherizing and ending Medicare as we know it and block-granting and slashing Medicaid. When was the last time one let one’s opponent select one’s running mate? At least no one outside the McCain campaign can claim credit, or shame, for choosing Palin.

4. Palin was the first female on a Republican ticket. Ryan is a white, rich guy of the majority religion. Nothing to see here. Move along. And even as the first Gen-X’er on a major party ticket, Ryan is not likely to attract the youth vote when that youth discovers his regressive views on abortion (never, not even in cases or rape or incest), personhood (from fertilization, criminalizing even some forms of birth control and in vitro fertilization), gay rights (generally opposed) and immigration (against the DREAM Act).

5. Palin could see Russia from her doorstep. Ryan lacks even that foreign-policy experience.

6. And finally, did I mention Medicare? Well, let me mention it again. It’s not just that Romney-Ryan would decimate the social safety net that has developed over 80 years since the New Deal. The real issue, consistent with the theme Obama has already chosen for his reelection, is that the Republicans would make all of those cuts NOT to balance the budget (which under Ryan’s plan isn’t even projected until 2060!), but instead so they can give a big, fat tax break to the One Percent. Given the state of the nascent recovery, this may not be a great year to be running as an incumbent. But it’s an even worse year to be running as Daddy Warbucks, or his current reincarnation, Romney Hood.

 

Sarah Palin Wants Barack Obama To Replace Joe Biden After 'Chains' Comment

From PerezHilton.com (A gossip site):  Sarah Palin Wants Barack Obama To Replace Joe Biden After 'Chains' Comment

Vice President Joe Biden is under fire after he said that Mitt Romney would help big banks and Wall Street put the middle class "back in chains."
Mama grizzly Sarah Palin thinks "the disgusting comment" is "the nail in the coffin" for Joe's career in the White House and wants Barack Obama to replace him!
Why? Because "48% of the community" he was speaking to consisted of "black Americans."
Sure, he was talking about the effect of Romney's economic policy on EVERY middle class American, but apparently using the word "chain" is racist these days. Considering the speech wasn't race related, don't you think it's actually MORE offensive for white people to go ahead and try to make it race related?
We do!
Way to take three words completely out of context and take advantage of the struggle African Americans have faced for centuries so you can push a political agenda, gurl!
The former VP candidate proceeded to suggest that Hilary Clinton should replace Biden while continuing:

"If that's not the nail in the coffin, really, the strategists there in the Obama campaign have got to look at a diplomatic way of replacing Joe Biden on the ticket with Hillary. And I don't want to throw out that suggestion and have them actually accept the suggestion because then a Obama-Hillary Clinton ticket would have a darn good chance of winning."

That was some fancy reverse psychology, but somehow we don't think Obama is going to fall for it.
Speaking of "disgusting comments," remember when Palin placed cross hairs on a map that targeted 20 House Democrats who voted for Obama's healthcare bill and then encouraged Americans to "reload" in the fight to get them out of office?
Remember what happened next?

Remember that the loon who shot Gabby didn't know anything about that - he disliked her because he'd asked her a question and she didn't answer it to his satisfaction?

 

Why Isn't Paul Ryan Getting the Sarah Palin Treatment?

I think Palin had to deal with a lot more serious attacks than "whose going to look after the kids", but each author writes from what's important to them...

From HuffPost Blog:  Why Isn't Paul Ryan Getting the Sarah Palin Treatment? 

What do new GOP VP candidate Paul Ryan and former GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin have in common?
They're both the parents of young, school-aged children. Ryan's children -- ages 7, 8 and 9 -- are in that childhood sweet spot. They're just old enough not to need attention every moment of the day, but there's plenty of carpooling, after-school activities and homework to be done that means parents don't get to sit down until after the kids are asleep -- if they're lucky.
Parenting in the 21st century is a full on, tag team sport. Except that for some reason, we still live in an age where mothers are expected to be the ones who carry the load, while dads (I know there are exceptions) chip in less frequently.
The not-so-funny thing is this: The media outcry over "who's going to take care of the kids" was deafening when Palin accepted John McCain's invitation to join him on the 2008 Republican ticket. I have yet to hear anyone ask Congressman Ryan how he can possibly hold up his fatherly duties to his three elementary-school-aged children while doing his job as a Wisconsin representative AND campaigning across America as the person Mitt Romney hopes can save his presidential campaign.
Of course, I know some people will say, "Well, he has a stay-at-home wife and Palin's husband worked outside the home for a living." Except that's not really the issue. I explored this ongoing double-standard in the chapter of my book, Mothers of Intention, entitled "Who's Taking Care of the Kids?"
As I remarked in that chapter: "We're a country with some serious mother issues." We still are. Those issues haven't gone away and, sadly, they probably won't in my lifetime. It's not just a conundrum about how modern motherhood plays out in the political realm -- there are plenty of other media portraits of motherhood responsible for the ongoing belief that if you're a woman with small children, you're the one who must shoulder all the responsibility for your kids' upbringing, regardless of whether you also have what George Clooney's character in the movie Intolerable Cruelty called a "square" job.
Regardless of who is bringing home a paycheck, we continue to collectively obsess with "having it all" and work/life balance and who is or is not a "working mother." These so-called debates refuse to vanish and will continue to keep our attention as long as a June Cleaver version of motherhood is stuck in our heads.
Rick Santorum got a bit of a pass on this recurring meme since he was very public about the time he took away from the campaign trail to be with his young daughter Bella, who has a condition called Trisomy 18, which occasionally requires her to be hospitalized. But at least we were talking about a portrait of modern fatherhood where a high-profile dad visibly took time for his young child who needed him.
Whether you agree with the conservative politics of wunderkind Ryan or uber-mom Palin or not, one thing I would love to see change is the assumption that dads of small kids get a pass when it comes to the discussion of taking care of families. Or -- if they continue to get a pass -- then mothers of small children who run for office (or hold high level power jobs like Marissa Mayer) should get a pass, as well. Can we take our collective judgment about who should be taking care of the kids and refocus the conversation on these two questions: (1) How can we change policies so that mothers and fathers alike can take part in the obligations of child-rearing? and (2) Can we all agree that it's time to quit beating up on the mothers of America when it comes to this wide-ranging, "all-having" conversation?
Joanne Bamberger is the author of the Amazon.com bestseller, Mothers of Intention: How Women and Social Media are Revolutionizing Politics in America, the first book to examine the rise of the political motherhood movement.. Joanne, a Washington, D.C.-based writer and political/media analyst, is the founder of the political blog, PunditMom. She also contributes at Politico Arena and Babble Voices.

 

Something Conservatives & Liberals Can Agree On: Let Sarah Palin Speak at the Republican National Convention

From HuffPost Blog:  Something Conservatives & Liberals Can Agree On: Let Sarah Palin Speak at the Republican National Convention

Conservatives and liberals disagree on many things like, for example, Sarah Palin.
Liberals have caricatured Sarah Palin as a dumb, rifle-toting, government-slashing, hot Alaskan mama. They're actually right about all of that except the dumb part.
In addition to that, Sarah Palin is also the most prominent woman in the Republican Party and the finest feminist role model currently walking on terra firma. After all, is there anybody who comes closer to realizing that feminist maxim "You can have it all" than Sarah Palin? She's a former beauty queen who has a successful marriage and a big family; she worked her way up to governor of Alaska, became our VP candidate, was a MVP player in the 2010 elections, and did more to help women get elected during that cycle than anyone else alive, became a TV star, wrote best-selling books, has gotten wealthy, and she's considered to be a great leader by conservative men across the country. That's 4-5 successful lifetimes' worth of work wrapped up in one woman who hasn't even hit fifty yet.
Getting beyond her almost superhuman resume, Sarah Palin has earned her right to speak at the Republican National Convention. Just the fact that she was the VP selection in 2008 should get her an invite. Furthermore, look at the incredible impact she made in 2010. She endorsed Nikki Haley, Renee Ellmers, Kristi Noem, Susana Martinez, Chris Christie, Sean Duffy, Bob McDonnell, Tim Scott, Rand Paul and Allen West, among others. Say what you want about Palin, but she helped elect some of the biggest up and coming political rock stars in the Republican Party.
She's also a wildly successful woman who understands how to articulate conservative values, which might be helpful given that the Democrats have falsely claimed that the GOP is waging a "war on women." Last but not least, Palin is such an electrifying speaker that some Republicans oppose inviting her because they fear she might overshadow Romney and Ryan. Is that really a big concern for the GOP? Having too many charismatic spokesman presenting the Republican message?
That's why we should hear from Sarah Palin in Tampa. She has earned the opportunity, she would fire up the crowd, she'd help the Republican Party, and even liberals should be happy if the American people get a chance to hear a little more from Sarah Palin. That's why Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee should let Sarah speak.

 

Sarah Palin Is Wrong on Replacing Joe Biden with Hillary Clinton

I include the links that the original article included. Note the "political cartoons on Sarah Palin."  Although I do see they also have a link for "Top gaffes from the mouth of VP Joe Biden"...

From US News and World Report:  Sarah Palin Is Wrong on Replacing Joe Biden with Hillary Clinton

Sarah Palin became the latest to make the suggestion, which is a pretty good indicator that it would be a bad idea—or at least, a bad idea for the Democrats. Palin, responding to Biden's remarks in Virginia that GOP contender Mitt Romney's plans for Wall Street would "put y'all back in chains," had the following advice, according to Fox News:

If that's not the nail in the coffin, really, the strategists there in the Obama campaign have got to look at a diplomatic way of replacing Joe Biden on the ticket with Hillary. And I don't want to throw out that suggestion and have them actually accept the suggestion because then an Obama-Hillary Clinton ticket would have a darn good chance of winning.

[See a collection of political cartoons on Sarah Palin.]
True, Biden's comments had an unfortunate, although almost certainly inadvertent, racial underpinning to them, especially since his audience had a good share of African-Americans. But then, Romney's recent ad accusing President Obama of gutting welfare reform—a charge that has been widely discredited by independent fact-checkers—has a racial component as well. And telling Obama to "go back to Chicago," a city with a substantial African-American population, could arguably be cast as derisive towards urban America.
[See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 campaign.]
But the Clinton talk—which never comes from the White House, but more commonly, from Republicans or some Clinton die-hards who still can't accept that Clinton wasn't the nominee—is still baffling. Biden is an asset, even when he tends to say things without first editing them inside his head (in fact, there's something rather refreshing about that tendency). The vice president is one of the most substantive people in Washington, especially on foreign affairs and budget issues he dealt with for years on the Hill. His relationships with senators on both sides of the aisle help ease the brutally partisan environment in Washington that has kept the two branches from working together.
[Top Gaffes from the Mouth of Vice President Joe Biden.]
And while Clinton has done a stellar job as secretary of state, there's no evidence that she would enhance the ticket from an electoral standpoint. There's not only a disturbing degree of racism out there (the determined view that Obama is "other" is sadly proven by the number of people who still don't think he was born in the United States), but there's a strong backlash against female power as well. You think it's hard getting a woman or an African-American elected to high office?Try putting both of them on the same ticket.
Palin, of course, has a right to her opinion. But if she says a Biden-Clinton sub would have been good for the Democratic ticket, you can be well-assured it's not.

 

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!