RSS Feed MenuSarah Palin supporters are divided over her commitment to endorse John McCain’s Senate reelection bid. Though some understand and support her decision, many Palin supporters have criticized her for the decision, even comparing her to that most dreaded of creatures: a RINO.
Palin announced her support several weeks ago, before it was clear that conservative former Congressman J.D. Hayworth would challenge McCain. Even at the time, reactions were mixed.
But since Hayworth’s effective (but unofficial) campaign launch last week, criticisms of Palin’s endorsement have sharpened.
Perhaps most notably, Paul Streitz, an early online supporter of a Palin 2012 Presidential bid – who is now independent of his online group “Draft Sarah 2012” — sent an email to Palin supporters strongly condemning the former Vice Presidential candidate for pledging to support McCain among many other things:
She has now chose to align herself with several bad actors. What should this be called, the Rinoization of Sarah Palin.
At the time of the election, perhaps Sarah Palin could have been forgiven for her ideas on immigration (and lack of knowledge) because she was governor of Alaska, not Arizona. But in the intervening months, she has done little but promote herself as a celebrity, known because her brief time on the national stage..
She is certainly entitled to write a book and make money for her and her family, but other than what has she has done to support Republican and patriotic candidates.
Where was she in VA?
Where was she in NJ?
Where was she in Mass?Guiliani showed up in Mass because he knew what was at stake. Perhaps, Sarah was too busy talking to her agent about her Fox deal. Where the hell was Sarah?
Napoleon once said that he wanted Generals that went to the sound of the cannon. That they instinctively were fighters. He also said he wanted generals that had bon chance, good luck. Well, Sarah has had good luck, but she has not gone to the sound of the cannon, where critical battles were fought in 2009.
The email has received strong condemnation from some Palin supporters. But it has also sparked a serious debate about Palin’s commitment to conservative causes.
The criticism of Palin’s support for McCain is not a surprise. Palin’s core supporters often overlap with Tea Party supporters and immigration hawks; McCain’s positions are at odds with these demographics.
McCain initially supported the Bush and Obama Administration economic policies — including TARP and several bailouts — that are wildly unpopular among Tea Party activists. Also, McCain is a leading proponent of “comprehensive immigration reform,” which would give “amnesty” to illegal immigrants in the United States, a policy that angers immigration hawks.
Even on some national security issues, usually considered McCain’s greatest strength, Palin supporters disagree with McCain. Most notably, McCain has denounced some “enhanced interrogation” techniques like waterboarding. Far-right conservatives that support Palin, meanwhile, are mostly in favor of waterboarding.
Many wonder who Palin would support in the Arizona GOP primary if she were not personally indebted to Senator McCain? (McCain the man; not McCain ‘08 the campaign. She is still likely displeased with many of the campaign’s advisors.) Would she support McCain based on ideology alone?
Probably not. But she is not approaching the issue ideologically. Palin is, instead, dealing with the tradeoffs of reality. Ideological purity is often not possible, let alone desirable.
Yet still Palin supporters, Tea Partiers and even GOP leaders clamor for purity.
Far-right activists idolize their leaders, both past and present. (Is there a more supposedly “pure” conservative than the Tea Party’s stilted historical memory of Reagan? Maybe Sarah Palin circa mid-2009?)
But as soon as these ideal leaders adjust their positions to the inconvenience of reality many far-right activists are all-too quick to turn on their own.
To borrow an image from Andrew Sullivan, even Palin is having some trouble riding the tiger of populism.
teabag // Jan 28, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Teabagger on Palin action. Fun to watch but it will not end well. Looks like the Teabag convention is falling apart with all the rats leaving a sinking ship. LOL
jdipeso // Jan 28, 2010 at 3:58 pm
President Reagan was far more astute about the realities of governing than either the left-wingers will acknowledge or the tea party crowd will admit. Reagan’s genius was his ability to balance principle with pragmatism – a skill well beyond the grasp of purity-obsessed ideologues at the far ends of the spectrum.
teabag // Jan 28, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Regans ability was to Gun Run and deal drugs at the same time. Iran/Contra will forever be the legacy of yet another criminal President.
race42008.com » Blog Archive » Draft Sarah Founder Turns On Her, Praises Rudy Giuliani // Jan 28, 2010 at 6:29 pm
[...] whom I called out previously for his Buchananite leanings, has turned on the woman he loves. He now wants no part of the movement he helped begin. Why?: She has now chose to align herself with several bad actors. [...]
WinterTommy // Jan 28, 2010 at 10:21 pm
“Where was she in VA?
Where was she in NJ?
Where was she in Mass?”
I’ll tell you who was there behind all three of those wins… Mitt Romney.
NJ and VA: http://mittromneycentral.com/2009/11/04/romney-behind-both-gop-gubernatorial-victories/
MASS: http://mittromneycentral.com/2010/01/17/win-or-lose-mitts-getting-some-credit-for-browns-big-mo/
Mitt Romney continues his Golden Streak: http://mittromneycentral.com/2010/01/20/mitt-romney-continues-his-golden-streak/
VIDEO: Scott Brown personally thanks Mitt Romney for encouragement and support: http://youtu.be/XLN6GBIhpI4
Ever since Mitt cordially bowed out in early 2008, he’s been working extremely hard to help conservatives in all the major elections. There is no question he is the most qualified for 2012.
franco 2 // Jan 28, 2010 at 10:43 pm
Palin is obligated, and this detracts from her appeal to conservatives. News flash to FF…. She ain’t gonna run anytime soon. She’s in the private sector. Furthermore, I don’t think Palin helps candidates. She has some star power with large elements of conservatives, but they are going to vote for their candidates anyway, she is radioactive with Democrats. She would have hurt the Scott Brown campaign and this is why she stayed away. The MSM and Democrats would love to have made that race about Palin. McCain, unlike Scott brown, has real enemies among conservatives. Conservatives who are at odds with McCain are not going to be swayed by Palin or anyone else in the least. McCain calling in favors from Palin won’t help him, but it will damage her, and that is exactly why he will do so. McCain is vindictive when it comes to his ideological cousins and kind to his ideological opponents. I think he suffered psychologically in the Hanoi Hilton, that is the only explanation I can find for his bizarre behavior.
I naively thought McCain chose Palin to help him win the Presidency, but in retrospect it looks more like McCain chose her for his Senate run. McCain is happy to be a US Senator for the rest of his natural life. Time to change the guard, or the prisoner as it were.
GOProud // Jan 29, 2010 at 11:35 am
TeaBagged lifts some heavy water for the far left fringe whack jobs: “Regans (sic) ability was to Gun Run and deal drugs at the same time. Iran/Contra will forever be the legacy of yet another criminal President”.
I missed that story. Reagan got impeached? I thought that was your hero in slime, Slick Willy. But hey, Reagan turned over 8 yrs of his presidency to Bush 41 –cemented the conservative movement that now threatens Obama and the far Left’s tentative hold on America’s political heartbeat… that was Reagan’s legacy. A center-Right America, a restoration of American values, a resilent conservative movement, hundreds of fellow conservatives elected in local, state and national office and the reversal of decline that marked JimmineyCricket’s “reign”.
GOProud // Jan 29, 2010 at 11:40 am
Paul, with respect, no one with an ounce of seriousness in them thinks Paul Streitz (L-CT) is anything but a crazy libertarian loon.
He’s a loon. Evidence: “It is time to get the troops out of Iraq and put them on the Mexican border. Thousands of Mexicans and other illegal aliens from other countries come into this country every day. This is an invasion, not immigration.”
And you use him a someone with credibility? Come on?