Opinion & Anlysis: Why I think Levi Johnston is the main reason why Palin quit
Submitted by Mitch Dworkin on July 20, 2009 - 1:55pm.
Current Events
Hello Everyone:
I do not think anybody outside of Sarah Palin, her family, and her inner circle of advisors really know for certain why she quit which is why I put the word "opinion" in the title of this post on purpose!
While this post is my opinion, it is a fact that Levi Johnston had a very strong hold over Sarah Palin's political career as long as she was either in office or if she ran for any office (either running for reelection as Governor of Alaska in 2010 or for President in 2012).
Sarah Palin's entire political career in my opinion was at the mercy of Levi Johnston and this is something that no political television pundit would probably ever publicly say because it cannot be tangibly proven, it would only help to empower Levi Johnston even further, and that could possibly upset the Palins to the point where they could lose their job if Palin and her many supporters complained loud enough!
My reasoning starts with the fact that Levi Johnston has supposedly been having some problems with Sarah and Bristol Palin over seeing his baby. Because of this, Levi uses his hold that he has over Sarah Palin which is to publicly talk about her "to pressure the governor to give him more access:"
http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/encounter/57746/
49 Minutes With Levi Johnston
By Chris Rovzar Published Jul 2, 2009
“He (Levi Johnston) thinks that by talking publicly about how the Palins prevented him from seeing his son, he was able to pressure the governor to give him more access. He now sees Tripp a few times a week, when Bristol swings by to drop him off…”
Levi Johnston has also been getting much tougher on Sarah Palin when doing public interviews lately:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ2GeZxiEdg
Levi Johnston on His GQ Photos & Sarah Palin's Fame Trip (1:43)
CelebTV
July 13, 2009
"Bristol Palin's ex spills about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation and his sexy GQ photos on the Today show."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ2GeZxiEdg
So Levi Johnston's hold over Sarah Palin to go public and air his complaints about the Palins to the entire country on national television if Sarah runs in any future races is factually true. Probably any major media outlet in the country (outside of FOX News and extreme right wing talk radio) would be glad to have Levi Johnston on their show and let him say whatever he wants to about the Palins!
If Levi says anything big about the Palins to the media while Sarah Palin is running in any race (whether it was for reelection in 2010 or for president in 2012), then it would basically be Levi's word about what supposedly happened against the Palin's word. Sarah Palin would then have to spend more time trying to put out all of the fires that Levi starts as opposed to using that time to run a serious campaign.
So if Sarah or Bristol Palin do not give in to Levi's demands about the baby or if they upset him in any way, then Levi in my opinion definitely has the name recognition and the star power to ruin any future political race that Sarah Palin runs in!
Sarah Palin quitting as Alaska Governor right now and not running for President in 2012 is basically ending any hold that Levi has over her and Bristol. That means Sarah and Bristol Palin can do whatever they want to Levi as far as the baby or anything else is concerned and Sarah will not pay any kind of a political price for it regardless of what Levi publicly says.
Levi Johnston probably cannot even come close to paying for the same kind of high quality legal services that the Palins can afford so I think that the Palins would have the advantage if Johnston tries to sue them over anything.
Sarah Palin's own political career is probably over right now in my opinion BUT any hold that Levi Johnston had over her and Bristol is also over as well. Palin will make a lot of money from her book deal, by charging thousands of dollars for making speeches, and by being a big fundraiser for the GOP and for far right wing GOP candidates because of her strong popularity with the hardcore GOP activist base!
So at the end of the day, Palin probably ended her political career but she did what was best for herself and for her family in my opinion. Palin by quitting now is getting rid of her Levi Johnston problem, she will make a lot of money for herself in the long term, and she probably realizes (though she would never publicly admit it) that she would not be able to win the Republican nomination in 2012 after quitting her job now (her primary opponents would constantly keep on saying "if Sarah Palin could not handle the job of being Governor, then how can she handle the job of being President?").
Sarah Palin probably also knows that even if she somehow managed to win the Republican nomination in 2012 that she would probably NOT be electable in the general election. That is because of her very poor performance in 2008, because of how polarizing of a person that she is, and also because of her Levi Johnston problem. Even Michael Smerconish who is more conservative and Joan Walsh who is more liberal agree that Sarah Palin cannot grow her popularity outside of her base:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31963747/ns/msnbc_tv-hardball_with_chris_matthews/
'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for Thursday, July 16
Read the transcript to the Thursday show
Guests: Chuck Todd, Julia Boorstin, Pat Buchanan, John Payton, David Ignatius, Robert Baer, Jonathan Martin, Joan Walsh, Michael Smerconish
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: "We're back with Michael Smerconish and Joan Walsh. You've both had enough time to look at these charts. Let's look at this thing for 2012 among the preferences. Michael Smerconish, you first. Romney's at 26. Palin's at 21. And then Huckabee 19, and then the rest of them. What do you make of that, overall, what that says?
MICHAEL SMERCONISH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, I know is sounds surprising when you look at the strength of Palin's numbers, because you would expect, giving her resignation, that she would have dipped or declined in those polling figures. She hasn't among the base. I'm not surprised.
I hear from these folks as radio callers. They are the hardcore base. And, Chris, the more negatively she's portrayed nationally, the more emboldened they become in their views. The real question is, can she grow that base? And the answer is, no, she cannot.
MATTHEWS: Joan?
JOAN WALSH, SALON.COM: I agree completely with Michael. I mean, she went out on a note of blaming the media and blaming the East Coast elites, even though 15 of 16 ethics complaints were filed by Alaskans, her constituents, Chris. But as a Republican, you can't go wrong by bashing the media, and people believe she's a renegade. The things that make you or me or Michael say, she doesn't have the experience; why is she giving up this executive job, which is a great platform, to go away and do god knows what?..."
Here is the Hardball video to watch this dialogue which starts at about 1:24 into the video:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/31950841#31950841 (07:24)
Who will represent the GOP in 2012?
July 16: MSNBC contributor Michael Smerconish and Salon.com's Joan Walsh discuss a new poll predicting Mitt Romney as the Republican's most favorable candidate for President in 2012.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/31950841#31950841 (07:24)
Being popular with mainly your base and not with most of middle America is just not enough for Sarah Palin to win a general election for President. I think that she probably knows this even though she would never publicly admit it!
I also think that Sarah Palin has not been treated very fairly by many in the far left media such as Keith Olbermann so I would also consider that to be a reason why Palin quit and got out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh1umqieC7w
A Brief Historical Retrospective of Sarah Palin: Quitter Gov. of Alaska (8:52)
GateKeeper50hotmail
July 08, 2009
"Come watch while Keith Olbermann takes a very brief but humorous walk down a tangled twisting path in this narrow historical retrospective featuring the ex-mayor of Wasilla, that Quitter Governor of Alaska: Sarah Palin."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh1umqieC7w
In conclusion, I think that Sarah Palin's lack of electability and her being treated unfairly by many in the media probably played a role in her quitting but I think that her Levi Johnston problem was the biggest reason why she got out. Sarah and Bristol Palin obviously do not want to be at the mercy of Levi Johnston and have to keep on giving in to his demands for years in order to keep him quiet and to not to go public about something which would probably hurt Sarah Palin's effectiveness as Governor of Alaska and would probably also ruin any future political race that Palin runs in!
As I stated in the beginning, this is just my opinion but it is an opinion that is based on a fact about what Levi Johnston has done in the past and what he can keep on doing in the future as long as Sarah Palin is either in office or if she runs for an office in the future. It is also an opinion which you will probably not hear mentioned when political pundits are publicly talking about this issue because it cannot be tangibly proven and they would not want to risk losing their jobs by possibly getting the Palins and their many hardcore activist supporters upset with them!
Mitch Dworkin
http://mitchdworkin.com/
Check out my new website!
http://www.securingamerica.com/
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/16039
RESOURCES: Speeches, Articles, and Career Highlights to help define Gen. Clark!
Submitted by Mitch Dworkin on July 7, 2008 - 2:51pm.
http://www.securingamerica.com/ccn/node/7191
Listen to Gen. Wes Clark fight for Dems on Sean Hannity's radio program: An excellent example for all of us to follow and what we all need to be doing to help fight back against extreme right wing Neocon smear propaganda!
Rush Limbaugh pretty much confirmed what I said in this post that "Being popular with mainly your base and not with most of middle America is just not enough for Sarah Palin to win a general election for President."
In the Rush Limbaugh article below, Limbaugh admitted that Palin's popularity is with the Republican base (which by his definition is his own base) saying "It's not enough that the liberals are trying to destroy the one candidate that fires up the Republican base. She got a 72% approval rating in some other poll, favorability rating, as we mentioned" and when he admitted that he wants to get rid of the more moderate Republicans who he does not like when he said "Colin Powell, John McCain, some of these inside-the-Beltway types, let them go form their third party and let us have our Republican Party back. They're the ones hijacking this party from its days of victory. They're the ones that can take a hike and form your own third party, as far as I'm concerned."
Rush Limbaugh in my opinion is crazy if he really thinks that Sarah Palin can win a general Presidential election with mainly just support from his activist base and not from more moderate Republicans who represent middle America much better than his activist base does. I definitely think that Sarah Palin would need a miracle and for Obama to make an extremely huge mistake in order to win the 2012 general election if she happens to be the Republican nominee (Palin's chances of even winning the GOP nomination in 2012 are very doubtful in my opinion as I explained in this post):
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_072009/content/01125109.guest.html
After Relentless Media Pounding, Sarah Palin Close to Obama in Poll
July 20, 2009
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: We have talked about a group called Public Policy Polling from time to time on this program. They're in North Carolina. They're a major Democrat group, admittedly so, and they're troubled by some of their own polling. "Public Policy Polling's national survey --" this is just out today, by the way "-- shows Obama's approval rating continuing to drop." Now, in this poll, Public Policy Polling, Obama's at 50% approval, with 43% of voters disapproving, continuing a steady decline from 52% in June and 55% in May in this poll. "Compared to a month ago, his numbers are largely unchanged with Democrats and independents but he continues to lose the little bipartisan appeal he had to begin with. His approval with Republicans is now 12%, down from 18% in June. While he's continued to maintain a high level of popularity with African-Americans and Hispanics, his approval with whites is now at 39%. That's four points below what exit polls showed him earning last November."
Now, we move on to this. "The numbers from this poll also seem to indicate that Sarah Palin did not do herself any immediate damage with her decision to resign as governor of Alaska. Her favorability spread of 47-45 is the best Public Policy Polling has found over the course of six surveys conducted in the last four months. Also, her eight-point deficit against Obama is the first time it's been in single digits. " This is a prospective 2012 matchup. Rasmussen, 2012, Obama 45, Romney 45. And Obama 48, Palin 42, 2012 presidential spread, Rasmussen. How do I 'splain what? The Palin thing? Well, you know, this reminds me of a story. And this is not one of my most proud moments, I have to admit. I was very ashamed that this happened. Last Thursday night the beautiful and gorgeous and just wonderful Kathryn invited good friends of hers from Connecticut, the Goldmans, down for the weekend and they came over to the compound for dinner on Thursday night.
Ben Goldman is 13-years-old. He's the most amazing 13-year-old kid I've ever met. He has an inoperable brain tumor. His health is okay. It's inoperable. It's a long story here. But this young man is 13 going on 30 in terms of maturity and knowledge and what he knows. So he and his brother Nicholas and their mom and dad were down, and two cousins of theirs, so there were six of them. We just had hot dogs and hamburgers, I had the chicken and broccoli, staying on the diet. We had a little putting contest out on the putting green in the back and Ben took 'em over and showed them the game arcade that we have built for the kids. And then we sat down to dinner and the subject of Palin came up, and one of the two cousins was complaining about Palin in much the same way that a lot of Republicans complain about Palin and it got on my nerves and I blew up. I just blew. I actually am ashamed of the incident because I started screaming, I started yelling, but I've gotten so frustrated with people on our side.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/121715/Romney-Edges-Palin-Huckabee-Early-2012-GOP-Test.aspx
July 16, 2009
Romney Edges Palin, Huckabee in Early 2012 GOP Test
It's not enough that the liberals are trying to destroy the one candidate that fires up the Republican base. She got a 72% approval rating in some other poll, favorability rating, as we mentioned. And I had just, you know, on the golf trip the week before, I had to put up with this from Republicans and they were repeating what the media says about her, she's unsophisticated, she doesn't know anything about foreign policy, she's this and that and the other thing, and we're looking at a guy -- I'm looking at him on television right now -- the guy is destroying the US economy. We have a president who has as his intention the destruction of freedom, free market economics via this assault on the US economy. And Sarah Palin of course when she talks about economic matters is dead right on. There's no question in my mind Sarah Palin would be a 2,000% improvement over what we've got now. So would Romney, so would anybody else. But nobody's attacking Romney, nobody's attack Huckabee, but everybody is out for Palin. And I know why. It's because people are still, on our side, some of them still just hopeful that someday the Drive-By Media will love our candidate, and I keep telling these people they are telling us who our strongest candidate is by who they're trying to destroy.
The more you sit around and wait for NBC or CBS or ABC to validate Sarah Palin so that you can feel good about her, you're just going to be continually disappointed. I didn't explain it in this reasonable way I'm explaining it to you. I was literally shouting in my own dining room. Ben Goldman with a big smile, he thought it was a good show. (laughing) And I profusely apologized, I got up and gave these two guys, the two cousins, big bear hugs and I apologized. They had smiles on their face through most of it because, who knows they might have thought it was a good show, but I lost control there for about three minutes. Her numbers didn't drop because of her resigning. I knew they wouldn't. The conventional wisdom is she's finished, and it was Republicans who are leading the charge saying she was finished. And what it goes to, folks, is this never-ending, ongoing battle in the Republican Party trying to rid itself of conservatives. Redefine the Republican Party.
I'm telling you, there's a lot of talk about third party out there; that we ought to go third party. No. Let me tell you who ought to go third party, the people that hijacked our party: Colin Powell, John McCain, some of these inside-the-Beltway types, let them go form their third party and let us have our Republican Party back. They're the ones hijacking this party from its days of victory. They're the ones that can take a hike and form your own third party, as far as I'm concerned.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: You know what I'd love to see? I would love to see the party platform of a Colin Powell-led third party. I would love to see the party platform of a Colin Powell, Meghan McCain, John McCain-led third party. And here's what it would be. I can do it in one sentence. "We believe in the following, but we're not going to tell you what the following is 'cause if you don't agree with us, we might agree with you. It just depends." That would be the party platform of a Colin Powell-led third party.
END TRANSCRIPT
Read the Background Material...
• Public Policy Polling: Obama Continues to Drop
http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2009/07/obama-continues-to-drop.html
• Rasmussen: 2012 Match-ups: Obama, Romney Tied at 45%; Obama 48%, Palin 42%
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2012/2012_match_ups_obama_romney_tied_at_45_obama_48_palin_42
*Note: Links to content outside RushLimbaugh.com usually become inactive over time.
that Sarah Palin's political career in elected office is over in addition to her Levi Johnston problem.
Palin's Levi Johnston problem will go away once she is out of elected office and as long as she stays out of elected office:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/24/poll-majority-dont-approve-of-palin/
July 24, 2009
Poll: Majority don't approve of Palin
Posted: 02:51 PM ET
From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser
A new poll shows a majority of Americans don't approve of Palin.
(CNN) — Two days before Sarah Palin steps down from office, a new national poll indicates that a majority of Americans have an unfavorable view of the outgoing Alaska governor. But the ABC News/Washington Post survey released Friday also suggests that seven out of 10 Republican voters maintain a positive opinion of last year's GOP Vice Presidential nominee.
Fifty-three percent of those questioned in the poll view Palin negatively, with four in 10 holding a positive view of her. The survey is the second this week, following a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll released Thursday, to find more than half of all Americans viewing Palin in an unfavorable light.
The ABC News/Washington Post survey suggests that there is doubt about Palin's leadership skills and her understanding of intricate issues. Fifty-seven percent say they don't think Palin understands complex issues, and 54 percent do not feel she is a strong leader. The poll finds that Americans are split on whether Palin shares their values and understands the problems most people face. A slim majority of people questioned in the poll say Palin is honest and trustworthy, with four in 10 disagreeing.
Palin is set to resign Sunday as Alaska governor, with a year and a half remaining in her term, and hand over power to Lt. Governor Sean Parnell, a fellow Republican. Palin says she intends to campaign across the country for candidates whose ideas she supports, raising speculation that Palin may make a bid for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
Seventy percent of Republicans questioned view Palin favorably, with just one in four holding a negative opinion. The favorable view drops to 51 percent among independent voters and to 20 percent among Democrats.
In a hypothetical race for the next GOP presidential nomination, the poll suggests 19 percent of Republican voters would back Palin, with one in four supporting former Arkansas governor and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and 21 percent backing former Massachusetts governor and 2008 White House hopeful Mitt Romney.
The ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted July 15-18, with 1,001 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for all Americans, and plus or minus 5 percentage points for the question on the Republican presidential nomination.
Filed under: Sarah Palin
she leaves office:
Here are the links to the article and to the new poll by "The Washington Post" and ABC News about Sarah Palin that Bill Schneider discussed in the CNN transcript below:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/23/AR2009072303799.html
Palin Favorability Rating Dips As She Nears Exit, Poll Finds
By Jon Cohen and Philip Rucker
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, July 24, 2009
"As Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin prepares for the next stage of her political career, a majority of Americans hold an unfavorable view of her, and there is broad public doubt about her leadership skills and understanding of complex issues, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll..."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_072009.html?sid=ST2009072400003
Washington Post-ABC News Poll (questions 23 and 24 are about Sarah Palin):
23. Changing topics, do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of Sarah Palin? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?
24. Please tell me whether the following statement applies to Sarah Palin, or not?
Here is the CNN transcript of Bill Schneider talking about Sarah Palin's poll numbers (Bill Schneider is very credible when it comes to talking about polls in my opinion):
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0907/24/sitroom.01.html
THE SITUATION ROOM
President Obama Expresses Words of Regret in Role Over National Controversy; Palin's Last Days as Alaska Governor
Aired July 24, 2009 - 15:59 ET
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: "One of the Republican Party's most talked about political figures, Sarah Palin, is getting ready to step down as Alaska's governor on Sunday.
Here's what the late-night comedian David Letterman had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": So, she's stepping down as governor. She's leaving the governor's mansion. Next stop: LensCrafters commercial.
Don't kid yourself. Sunday is going to be an emotional day. It's her last day and she's going to go out onto the porch and wave good-bye to Russia.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right. Let's bring in our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, who's been looking at some new poll numbers on this subject for us.
Bill, what's happening to Governor Palin's national image?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, it's deteriorating, according to a new poll by "The Washington Post" and ABC News.
Right after she was nominated for vice president at the Republican Convention last September, her national image was more than 2-1 favorable. Now most Americans have a negative opinion about her. This is the second poll this month that shows most Americans with a negative opinion of Governor Palin.
Democrats never much liked her. Among Independents, her favorability has gone from 60 percent to 40 percent.
Now, what about her Republican base as she sets out to campaign for Republicans across the country? Some damage there, too.
Among Republicans, her favorability has gone from a solid 88 percent to 70 percent, and among white Evangelical Protestants it's down 15 points to 62. But, you know, last year, solid majorities of Republicans and white Evangelicals held strongly favorable opinions of the governor. No more.
Her strong support from base has fallen sharply. Just 41 percent of Republicans and 35 percent of white Evangelicals now say they strongly favor her.
BLITZER: Have the ethics controversies in Alaska really damaged her?
SCHNEIDER: Not so much. Most Americans continue to see Governor Palin as honest and trustworthy, but most Americans do not see her as a strong leader.
Her sudden resignation does not seem to have gone over well. Strong leaders don't quit.
The public was never certain about Governor Palin's intellectual abilities. Even last fall, the public was split over where whether she understands complex issues.
Now most Americans say she doesn't. She is, in fact, a very divisive figure.
When asked whether Governor Palin shares your values, Americans are split almost evenly. Eighty-three percent of Republicans say she shares their values. Her views may rally the conservative base, but they turn off other voters. She comes across as a walking culture war -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Interesting numbers. Sunday, she steps down as governor of Alaska.
Bill Schneider, thank you..."
Sarah Palin's main popularity is with the hard core Rush Limbaugh base of the Republican Party. There is almost no way I can see how Palin could ever hope to win a general Presidential election in 2012 with these kind of low poll numbers outside of the hard core GOP activist base!
she tries to run for President in 2012 and if Sarah and Bristol Palin do not give in to all of Levi's demands about his son and/or anything else that he wants from them:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0908/10/lkl.01.html
CNN LARRY KING LIVE
Kathy Griffin Takes on Joan Rivers; Levi & Kathy Kiss & Tell; Child Beauty Pageant Winners And Their Parents
Aired August 10, 2009 - 21:00 ET
KATHY GRIFFIN, GUEST HOST: "All right. You know my plan. My plan is that Sarah could make all the trouble go away if she moves you into the big house, everybody gets along, and you actually get to help raise the kid. Why is that a problem?
LEVI JOHNSTON: I don't know. She screwed all that up. I'm not really looking forward to being around that family anymore.
GRIFFIN: Yes, I understand. That's how guys are with in my family. I'm willing to kill them for you. I mean, get along. We all get along together..."
Here is the YouTube video link of this interview (Levi's quote about Sarah Palin right above starts at about 07:25 into the video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTtBMp1fYoY
Kathy Griffin Interviews Levi Johnston On CNN's Larry King (10:35)
NewsPoliticsNews
August 10, 2009
"Kathy Griffin Interviews Levi Johnston On CNN's Larry King - 08/10/09"
yesterday. I was very glad to see a well known and respected pundit like Paul Begala publicly say this about Palin because I definitely believe it is true and it is what people need to hear:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0908/14/sitroom.02.html
THE SITUATION ROOM
Vick Gets Second Chance in NFL; President: Don't Start from Scratch; Twitter Fight over "Death Panels"
Aired August 14, 2009 - 17:00 ET
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: "Newt Gingrich, former house speaker, giving advice to Sarah Palin, what to do in the coming months, weeks, years -- write a book, become a regular commentator on TV, create a national project or center, work really, really hard. Good advice for Sarah Palin from Newt Gingrich? Give us the back story.
TERRY JEFFREY, CYBERCAST NEWS SERVICE: The idea of residents in Washington, D.C., and New York is not credible. She should remember the first residence Ronald Reagan had in Washington, D.C., was 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
BLITZER: No condo in D.C. or New York.
PAUL BEGALA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely right. Newt is a brilliant political strategist. Speaker Gingrich. I don't mean to be disrespectful. Frankly she would do well to listen to him. I would change D.C. and New York to Iowa. But he's trying to treat her like she's a serious person. She's not. She's about a half a whack job and does not have the intellectual heft of a Newt Gingrich or almost anybody else in the Republican Party and I think she's proven that. I admire Newt Gingrich for pretending she's a serious but she's proven herself to be an intellectual whack.
JEFFREY: She has rock-solid principles and is ready to fight for those principles.
BEGALA: Not her job...
BLITZER: All right. Thanks, guys. Have a great weekend..."
Sarah Palin in my opinion is uninformed on most national issues and she is mainly a stooge for the Rush Limbaugh wing of the Republican Party. I think that she blows like the wind in any direction where she thinks that she needs to go in order to try and please that fringe group of activists which is why she makes so many stupid and outrageous comments!
Ralph Nader will only be remebered in history for his being the spoiler who threw the 2000 Presidential election to Bush and retired baseball player Bill Buckner will only be remembered in history for his error which helped to cost the Boston Red Sox the 1986 World Series.
John McCain’s legacy may be tarnished just as badly as Ralph Nader's and Bill Buckner's where he may only be remembered in history for his irresponsibly bringing Sarah Palin into the national spotlight if she either causes the country any serious damage or if she helps a Neocon ideologue to cause the country any serious damage!
I hope that many more well known and respected pundits will step up to the plate like how Paul Begala did and publicly say what needs to be said about Sarah Palin, the very stupid things that she says, and her promoting extreme right wing ideologues like Rep. Michele Bachmann:
August 8, 2009
Palin: Obama’s ‘death panel’ would decide Trig’s care
Posted: August 8th, 2009 12:43 PM ET
(CNN) — "Sarah Palin is accusing President Obama’s health care plan of looking to create a “death panel” that would weigh whether her parents or son Trig were “worthy of health care.”
"Americans delve into the disturbing details of the nationalized health care plan that the current administration is rushing through Congress, our collective jaw is dropping, and we’re saying not just no, but hell no!" the former Alaska governor said in a post on her Facebook page late Friday..."
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=113851103434
Sarah Palin: Statement on the Current Health Care Debate
Sarah Palin's Notes
Statement on the Current Health Care DebateShare
Friday, August 7, 2009 at 3:26pm
"As more Americans delve into the disturbing details of the nationalized health care plan that the current administration is rushing through Congress, our collective jaw is dropping, and we’re saying not just no, but hell no!
The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.
Health care by definition involves life and death decisions. Human rights and human dignity must be at the center of any health care discussion.
Rep. Michele Bachmann highlighted the Orwellian thinking of the president’s health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of the White House chief of staff, in a floor speech to the House of Representatives. I commend her for being a voice for the most precious members of our society, our children and our seniors..."
I very seriously doubt that Sarah Palin wants to see numerous stories, reports, and discussions like these in many major media outlets for years to come whenever Levi Johnston comes out and says something if she stayed in office as Governor of Alaska, if she ran for reelection in 2010, or if she tries to run for President in 2012:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/31896439#31896439 (07:08)
Palin's road to resignation
July 13: Hardball's Chris Matthews is joined by MSNBC's Pat Buchanan and The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson to discuss Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation and why the Alaska governor reportedly ignored advice from a top official in the Republican Governor's Association to finish her term.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/31896439#31896439 (07:08)
Levi Johnston (on The Today Show) comes up from about 04:16 to 05:40 into this video.
Here is the Hardball transcript of the key part of this video:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31905856/ns/msnbc_tv-hardball_with_chris_matthews/
'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for Monday, July 13
Read the transcript to the Monday show
Guests: Eugene Robinson, Pat Buchanan, Julia Boorstin, Sen. Richard Durbin, Sen. Orrin Hatch, Ron Suskind, David Corn, Maria Teresa Kumar, Howard Fineman
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: "Here is, by the way, the father of Palin‘s grandson. I love how we have to say these things. Levi Johnston on “The Today Show.” I have a problem quoting this guy. But he is a family member, you know. You never know how much intrigue there is with these guys. Here he is on “The Today Show” this morning, going after his almost former—well, his almost current mother-in-law, which is not surprising in American life either, a fight like this. But here he is.
EUGENE ROBINSON, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Almost, was going to be.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEVI JOHNSTON, FATHER OF GOV. PALIN‘S GRANDSON: She means a lot to me. You know, I‘d do just about anything for her. But I really don‘t think I would vote for her if she ran for president.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe she‘s equipped to be president?
JOHNSTON: Yes and no. I mean, she‘s very smart, but I just don‘t think she can handle the stress level as governor. I don‘t think she can handle it as president or vice president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEWS: There‘s your witness, Pat. We couldn‘t find Kato Kailin (ph).
PAT BUCHANAN, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: I said this morning that Todd Palin ought to take that kid down to the creek and hold his head under water until the thrashing stops.
MATTHEWS: I think she may have been a winner in that one, the mother-in-law.
(CROSS TALK)
BUCHANAN: This is one of her problems. She‘s up there with these ethics charges, trying to run the state. She‘s got this stuff on “The Today Show.”
MATTHEWS: I‘m taking her side against him..."
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http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0907/13/sitroom.03.html
THE SITUATION ROOM
Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings Begin; Was Michael Jackson Murdered?
Aired July 13, 2009 - 18:00 ET
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: "He used to be a family insider, and now he's offering his insight on why Sarah Palin is stepping down as the governor of Alaska.
We're talking about Levi Johnston. He's the father of Palin's grandchild. He says money, lots of money, is a big motivator.
Let's go to Mary Snow. She's in New York following these developments for us -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, just to refresh people's memories, Levi Johnston is the former fiance of Bristol Palin and fathered a child with her.
Now he is volunteering his own theory about money and pressure that he claims played a factor in the governor's decision.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): Nineteen-year-old Levi Johnston isn't holding back with his views on why Governor Sarah Palin, his son's grandmother, is resigning.
LEVI JOHNSTON, EX-FIANCE OF BRISTOL PALIN: I think it's because she -- she got a few offers, and she decided to take the money, and she was a little stressed out at the same time.
SNOW: Johnston had just emerged from an interview in New York in which he talked about the time he lived with the Palins before he and Bristol Palin broke off their engagement. He told NBC's "Today Show" that there were tons of offers coming in, after Palin lost her GOP vice presidential bid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TODAY SHOW")
JOHNSTON: Well, there's been talk about it would be nice to just take the money and run or do...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what she said?
JOHNSTON: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSTON: Yes. That's what -- and do -- make a reality show, maybe, or just something easier.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Johnston claims the kids weren't interested in doing a show.
Palin has said one of the reasons she's stepping down is because of what she called frivolous ethics complaints by political operatives descending on Alaska.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: Todd and I, we're looking at more than half-a-million dollars in legal bills just in order to set the record straight.
SNOW: Johnston told NBC's "Today Show' that he believes fame went to her head.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TODAY SHOW")
JOHNSTON: She speaks her mind. She's an incredible lady. And -- but there are times, you know, where she's -- she's not up front with everybody. But, for the most part, she is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Johnston, who was asked about cashing in on his own Palin connection, says he's been getting offers for movies and reality shows, and he even posed for "GQ" magazine.
A spokeswoman for Palin declined comment, but did say last week, "It is interesting to learn Levi is working on a piece of fiction while honing his acting skills."
As for what's next for Palin, in a "Washington Times" interview, she said she's not quitting politics. Instead, she plans to campaign for conservative issues, and would even campaign for conservative Democrats.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And after Palin leaves office July 26, she has at least one speaking event already lined up. A group of Republican women in Simi Valley in California says Palin will be a guest speaker at an event they are holding the Reagan Presidential Library on August 8 -- Wolf.
BLITZER: I assume -- I assume she's going to be on the speaking service -- circuit a lot.
How is her political fund-raising coming along?
SNOW: We got some new numbers today into her political action committee. That was formed back in January, reports of raising about $730,000 in the first six months of the year. Now, this political action committee was -- the goal is to help support candidates for federal, state office, and it also shows that she has about $450,000 in cash still on hand -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow, thank you..."