Reagan’s continued lionization by the right is not because of some nostalgic notion that we are going to miraculously discover some Neo-Reagan.

It’s because he re-ignited a latent American patriotism that has direct, Constitutional lineage to the founding era.

It was this sense of American, Constitutional exceptionalism that had seemingly all but died out prior to Mr. Reagan’s ascendency.

His unapologetic re-introduction to Constitutional exceptionalism continues, & will always continue, to burnish his legacy as a great American hero.

Sarah respects & upholds that heritage quite well.
PALIN’12

tahDeetz

The only people i’m embarrased by are the idiots that show up to rallies and act like that woman who said Obama was a Muslim and that guy with the Obama monkey doll.

Speedwagon82 on May 4, 2009 at 7:49 PM

Agreed. Or the Truther/Birther weirdos who are currently fighting and attacking each other within their loon movement.

They are loons and sorry losers, period.

Where?

Those of you who have been alert enough to read our political vision, understand that we are taking a flexible approach to the role of government, summarized in this simple Cartesian model:

We’re radical cultural Conservatives who care about family…

Right now, McCain has as good a conservative voting record as any Republican in Congress.

Phil Byler on May 4, 2009 at 8:29 PM

And this is a good thing??? That’s what the problem is up the in Congress! The Republican party used to be the home of conservatives. When I was growing up I watched Reagan defeat Carter. He didn’t do it by going out at jumping on all the late night talk shows and giving glib one-line sound bites to the press.
He won not one, but two victories by telling people that the America that they were in was a fabulous place, and the only way to make sure it stayed that way was by keeping government out of your daily life.
All the people taking about the “Reagan Era” is over need to go ahead and join Specter in the Democrat party. The “Reagan Era” is not about Reagan himself, as he would have bene the first to tell you. He just was the most vocal and prominent person to say and act on the conservative ideas that matter to us.

He seems more like a Country Club Republican-all about getting elected, taking care of his rich buddies while governor but not really standing for conservatism nor doing anything really good for the people of Florida. Same goes for Crist.

From what I can tell, the true key to her alleged Reaganism has little to do with policy at all and everything to do with her being an unpretentious small-town kid whose fondness for hunting and hockey gives her a populist authenticity no other politician can touch.

You are right, Allah. And that’s why she cannot win a national election, she is too provincial to appeal to the urban voters. And you have to have at least some of those voters to win a national election.

And FTR, the only person who REALLY thinks Huck is virtually indistinguishable from Sarah Palin on the issues is Huck himself. His record in Arkansas tells a much different story.

NoLeftTurn on May 4, 2009 at 9:51 PM

Mega, major dittos! +1 and RIGHT ON!!!!!!!!!

The man is basically socialism light.

I think they are scared of Sarah because of us. If Sarah wins or Conservatives win elections then they are out of power. We then have control of the party and THAT is why Sarah scares them. They know we at this juncture mostly support her.

As to Jindal, he is okay with me but as Laura Ingraham said, this is also a PR deal and I am not sure he can conquer that part of what is national politics. He is going to need some more coaching on his delivery in order to win on a national basis. He is just as Conservative as Sarah, but he does not have the same delivery. Like it or not it is all about packaging and salesmanship.

I don’t like it when hacks like Meg McCain and Charles Johnson attack conservative Republicans and I don’t like Rush going on the offensive here. Jeb isn’t a Rino and though I didn’t care for his remarks about Reagan Nostalgia, I didn’t take it as an insult to Reagan or Conservatives.
Daemonocracy on May 5, 2009 at 6:54 PM

Rush didn’t call Jeb a “RINO”.

Rush disputed the media’s claim that Jeb Bush had slighted Reagan. Quote from Rush … “I can’t even find any place where he even mentioned Reagan.”

Rush is also good friends with the Bush family – and he’s defended them on numerous occasions. Does he agree with them always? Nope – and to maintain his credibility he has to go with what he truly believes – therefore he opposed Bush on amnesty, prescription drugs … etc.

But NO ONE has stood up for Bush the “Global Terror Warrior” more than Rush Limbaugh. In fact – Rush has done more to defend the Bush’s than they’ve done themselves.

Which is why I’d like for him to STOP defending them. You cannot help those who won’t help themselves and in spite of numerous – scathing – and unprecedented attacks from Obama – the Bush’s have remained either completely silent or waged only token, weak protest.

If they don’t care about the Bush legacy – why should Rush?

We need to work on a message. A leader will emerge eventually but a message needs to be out there first. An economic message. Most Americans are with conservatives on the social issues (traditional marriage, belief in god, second amendment, partial birth abortion), we don’t need to run on them.

Presidential material? I dunno. But I do know she has talent and could make as much or more of a contribution to this country than 90% of all the congresspeople I’m hearing, regardless of the party label.

Talk about weak. I can’t imagine letting anyone take the heat like that. I never saw one of those jerks even speak up about the stupid clothes story, and she returned them to the GOP office. Did anyone admit that to the press? Explain it? Nope.

And this is why they have zero credibility and, frankly, aren’t terribly welcome at tea parties.

That said, we need to move past her as the candidate because, for some reason, most American women just do not like her (only about 35% favorable). Without the women vote the candidate really has no chance. And I don’t think there is any way to sway the women vote. As anyone who is married would agree, it is very difficult to change a women’s mind once its made up. ;)

JeffVader on May 5, 2009 at 4:17 PM

^^This is faulty thinking.

The reason Palin’s stock isn’t that high with some demographics is due to the “hit job” the press did on her – and continues to do on her. And they’re doing it because, of the entire GOP field – they fear her the most.

“Oh well” you say … “she’s still irretrievably tainted” ??

Well, you’d best find a way to correct that because if you allow the media to successfully “tar” her – then you are just simply setting up the next GOP “hero” or “heroine” to be “tarred and feathered” using the same formula.

You cannot ditch Sarah Palin and move on to the next “fresh face” because the media will simply run the same hit job on them. My evidence? Look how McCain was the darling of the news media – until he became the nominee last year – then he became “McRage” to them. They killed him. When Bobby Jindal peeked his head above the bushes earlier this year and it looked like he might be the next “GOP Hope” – they immediately slammed him too. Completely brutalized his “rebutal” to Obama’s SOTU speech. Even threw in some “Southern Racist – look at that Plantation he’s speaking from!” for good measure – even though Jindal is an ethnic Indian.

Hehe – you can run from Sarah Palin – but you will not be free.

You must break the “cycle of media slur” and you can’t do that until you’ve discredited the media. The best way to do that is to take the body of work amassed against Sarah Palin by them and hold it up to the American public so they can see and are convinced. Otherwise – they just move the slur machine on to the “next big GOP thing” and it will take some time before you have enough on them to discredit them.

It’s really to easy to do now. Most of the stuff hurled at her is absolutely ludicrous – it simply has to be organized and communicated to the American public. You can abandon her – but you’ll be doing the yeoman work of a coward for leaving her on the field of battle like that – and you will not solve the ultimate problem – which is the media and their slur tactics.

I’ll remind her this lady was simply an Alaskan house-wife who got into politics to improve her community. She went on to become governor due to her extensive talents in the field of executive service. She proved herself HONEST by taking on the established corrupt figures in her own party. She may be conservative and pro life – but she wasn’t thrusting it down anyone’s throat. She was minding her own business until McCain pulled her for his running mate. When the media rightfully concluded she was a hazard to Obama – they set out to destroy not only her political career – but her and her family’s reputation as well. They continue to this day.

You cannot move on until you defeat them in the battle of Sarah Palin. That is unfinished business the party needs to address.

You’re full of crap.

Exhibit A: PUMAS who would never vote for Obama- until most of them did.