Gov. Palin on Pirro: Obama's Foreign Policy Makes No Sense

"My goal is to make sure Obama is not re-elected in 2012. His foreign policy makes no sense," Governor Palin said tonight on a two-segment interview with Jeanine Pirro from an undisclosed location. "I am happy Prime Minister Netanyahu stood his ground and explained to the President that he is flirting with disaster....Anyone who understands history, geography, and the Old Testament knows Israel is surrounded by enemies," she said.
As a candidate, Obama agreed that Jerusalem should not be divided. Now, he wants to cede East Jerusalem - which is the holiest part of the city containing the Temple Mount, and the Wailing Wall - to Hamas and the Palestinians. "America is on the wrong side on this issue. Prime Minister Netanyahu does not need to be lectured by President Obama on peace," Gov. Palin said. "We the people need to rise up and let Israel know that we support them and they have friends here."

On forgiving $1 billion in Egyptian debt, Gov. Palin said, "That is the $14 trillion question. Why are we borrowing money from foreign countries to loan to foreign countries? When the Muslim Brotherhood might take Egypt over, "why should we forgive $1 billion in debt?"

When asked about why various states and companies are requesting and receiving ObamaCare waivers, Gov. Palin responded, "because ObamaCare is bad for the economy and health care." Even those who were proponents of ObamaCare are now seeking waivers in droves. "These folks realize that ObamaCare is not good. it's a job killer." But fully 20% of the waivers have gone to Nancy Pelosi's district. Pelosi was one of ObamaCare's fiercest supporters and and infamously stated that we had to "pass it in order to know what was in it." Gov. Palin asked rhetorically, "who's been requesting waivers and who's been declined?" She said the matter should be investigated and a failure to investigate indicates Congress is not serious about getting to the bottom of it and could indicate possible corruption.

Switching gears to 2012, Judge Pirro pointed out that Herman Cain has announced his candidacy and asked Gov. Palin what she thought of him. "I like Herman Cain...He's not a politician. He is a business man. He knows how to make payroll and pay his employees' benefits. He also knows how to make a good pizza.

On whether Newt Gingrich can recover from his "social engineering" crack about the Ryan Plan, Gov. Palin said, "Newt does recover. It's a blip on the radar screen, but it could mean that he believes the government should mandate we buy something" we may not want or might not be able to afford, in violation of the Commerce Clause. "I don't like the government telling me what to buy." She cited the example of motorcycle helmets. "I think you would be crazy not to wear one (when riding a motorcycle), but I don't like the government telling me I have to buy a motorcycle helmet," Gov. Palin said. "Americans are a freedom-loving people and have common sense."

Regarding media interviews, double standards and the "gotcha" game, Gov. Palin said conservative candidates need to be prepared for it. "I'm not a fan of flip-flopping on issues," she said, but conceded that under the "hot spotlight," we all screw up.

When asked if the media would stop Gov. Palin from running for President, Gov. Palin said no, but what would dissuade her is the effect on her family, especially her younger children, parents and siblings. "I want to protect them," she said.

The interview concluded on a light not with Judge Pirro playing "Dancing Queen," which is Newt Gingrich's ringtone. Gov. Palin uses standard ringtones, but if she were customizing it, in the mood she was in today, she'd pick Gretchen Wilson's Redneck Woman



Gov. Sarah Palin's May 21, 2011 Jeanine Pirro interview retrieved from SarahNET

Gov. Palin on Greta: Hammer Our Records, Lay Off Pettiness

"Hammer on our records, but lay off the petty stuff!" Governor Palin said last night in an interview with Greta Van Susteren. In an exchange that was unusually testy, Van Susteren said that candidates too often take the bait and Gov. Palin fired back, that when reporters call you and are going to run a story whether it is true or not and you don't respond to them, you've lost the opportunity to set the record straight - but now you've 'taken the bait.' "I'll promise not to take the bait, but you get the facts out: who, what, when, where, why, and how." she said.
Gov. Palin said that candidates' past actions are reflective of character and are fair game. She said that there was a double standard wherein Obama's record and past associations were not explored, but conservative candidates appeared to receive higher scrutiny. Greta retorted that she has seen horrible things said about Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, and based on that observation, she believed female politicians are being targeted.

Gov. Palin closed the segment that aired on Fox News by saying, "compare, contrast, and explore their [candidates'] records. Their decisions affect our lives."

In the opening minutes of the interview, Gov. Palin said the "principles of the [Republican Party] are sound and the planks in our platform are right for America."

"The media's appropriate role is to hold candidates' feet to the fire, but not to play 'gotcha,'" she said.

"We have the right to ask Newt Gingrich 'what were you thinking when you said the Ryan Plan is 'radical right wing social engineering'? The Ryan Plan will save us $1.2 billion per day and it preserves Medicare for seniors," Gov. Palin said.

When asked about running for President in 2012, Gov. Palin said, "I do have the fire in my belly" and that she "adamantly supports" traditional American values and free markets. But the "practical and pragmatic" decisions weigh on her mind. Gov. Palin has a large family and she wants to be sure her children can handle the rigors, scrutiny, and attacks a Presidential campaign will bring. Gov. Palin acknowledged that her children "have been through it all," from the prior campaign and its aftermath.



Our Entire Raw, Unedited Interview with Former Gov. Palin retrieved from GretaWire.

Diversity. The Unspoken Truth

By Ambusher (Carl)

Is diversity a good thing for a society? In many ways it is, but it also has its ugly side, which people do not like to talk about. This article is about the ugly side of diversity. Many people are coming across our borders illegally, for the most part they are uneducated an have no work skills except the ability to do back breaking labor jobs no one else wants to do. Now, this worked in the 1930's, 40's and 50's when millions of workers were needed to do hard manual labor. But, in this modern society, those millions of hard labor jobs no longer exist. So what do they do when they get here? Well, they compete for what low paying crap jobs that do exist and in some cases help drive down wages of jobs to create work for themselves. Now, these are not bad people, they are people looking for hope and a better way of life. Yet, they are entering a work force they are ill prepared for and are causing harm to the very work force they wish to join. When they cannot find work, some burden the welfare and healthcare system. Some, in desperation, turn to crime. The answer is simple, close the border. Demand that these Countries step up to the plate and take care of their own people and increase the quality of living. If later, these immigrants still decide to come to America, it will be by their own choice...and legally.

Track Palin Gets Married

Track Palin, 22 married his high school sweetheart Britta Hanson, 21, People Magazine reported tonight. The ceremony was held in Hatcher Pass.

"Our families couldn't be happier!" the Hansons and Palins tell PEOPLE in a joint statement. "These are two hard working, humble, active, studious young adults who grew up together. We're tickled that after two decades of friendship we proudly witnessed their marriage, knowing their new life together will be blessed."

The statement as published in People Magazine continued:

"The couple will have a larger wedding celebration this winter at Alaska's Alyeska Ski Resort "when extended family and friends from the Lower 48 can travel north for a long ski weekend," says the statement from Sarah and Todd Palin and the Rev. Duane and Elizabeth Hanson...."The Hanson and Palin families are ecstatic and proud that Britta and Track married in one of our favorite spots in America, spectacular Hatcher Pass, Alaska," says the statement. "It's a site we've all shared fun memories of skiing, snowboarding, hiking and snowmachining."

Track is an Army Reservist and spent a year in Iraq. Governor Palin presided over his deployment ceremony. Once the commercial fishing season concludes, he will study at the University of Alaska, where his wife is also studying to be a nurse.

The staff of US for Palin congratulates Track and Britta on their marriage.

H/T Donna Corvino, Palin Gals and Guys for Story Lead

Photos Courtesy of the Palin Family and People Magazine

Palin on "Follow the Money": Will Announce 2012 Decison When Ready

"I'll announce my decision [to run for President in 2012 or not] when I'm ready and my family is ready," Governor Palin said tonight in an interview with Eric Bolling on the Fox Business show "Follow the Money," from an undisclosed location. "I will not follow media-dictated deadlines. The legal deadlines will dictate," she said. In expressing her preferences for a 2012 candidate, Gov. Palin said she wants to see someone who will "take on both sides of the aisle and reign in big government and allow the economy to thrive."
Gov. Palin's remarks on 2012 were in the closing minutes of her single-segment interview with Bolling. Much of the interview focused on the "unflippingbelievable" ObamaCare waivers, Newt Gingrich's slamming of Paul Ryan's budget plan. "Every time I hear Pelosi's explanation [on why ObamaCare needed to be passed], it makes my skin crawl," Gov. Palin said, adding that Obama care is un-American, unconstitutional, and unaffordable. She could not understand why Pelosi is allowed to grant waivers to some companies and not others. Gov. Palin said it constituted corporate cronyism and favoritism and was unfair. "If there is no investigation, the government is not serious about ethics reform," she said.

"It does no good when fiscal conservatives are bashing alternatives to ObamaCare," Gov. Palin said referring to Newt Gingrich's infamous "right wing social engineering" comment that he back-pedaled on. "Newt certainly has the right to his opinion on Paul Ryan's plan is fiscally responsible...only a small portion has to do with Medicare reform....the plan would save $1.2 billion per day, $200 million per day on medicaid, $300 million per day by repealing and replacing ObamaCare, and $200 million per day [on miscellaneous wasteful spending]."

When asked about Schwartzenegger's child fathered as the result of an affair with his housekeeper, Gov. Palin said, "I feel bad for his children - his beautiful children. It's an irresponsible and disgusting thing he did. It speaks to his character. It's sad."

Gov. Palin closed the interview complimenting Bolling for his focus on "drilling for our own sources and mining for our own sources." Bolling promised Gov. Palin he would have her back to discuss energy independence.



Gov. Sarah Palin's May 18, 2011 Eric Bolling interview retrieved from SarahNET.net

Gov. Palin on Hannity: Just Say No to Lamestream Media

"I don't know why politicians have to apologize after getting dinged in a 24-hour news cycle," Governor Palin said tonight in a two-segment interview on Hannity's TV show from an undisclosed location. Her remark was in reference to New Gingrich's apology for saying that Paul Ryan's budget plan constituted "right wing social engineering."
Gov. Palin re-affirmed her support of the Ryan plan, which she said would save our country $1.2 billion per day, while Obama's policies are leading the nation on the road to bankruptcy.

She said that all Republican candidates need to be prepared for the "gotcha" questions from "leftist lamestream media." Further, Gov. Palin said "we should ignore the lamestream media. Don't let them change our position in a 24-hour news cycle and don't let the mainstream media dictate the debate.

Hannity played footage of David Gregory accusing Newt Gingrich of racism over his "Food Stamp President" remark - a reference to the spike in the number of people on the program since Obama took office. Gov. Palin said that the question itself was "racist-tinged" and false charges of racism are leveled to end the conversation. She said we should call the mainstream media out on this behavior. She said Gingrich's assessment was legitimate in light of our government's overarching, over-taxing, and over-spending ways.

Hannity noted that the media ignored Obama's association with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, but plays "gotcha" with all Republicans. Gov. Palin said "we should ignore some of these reporters, use new social media and fair and balanced reporters and don't play the lamestream media's game."

On 2012, Gov. Palin said she is "still assessing, and the field will continue to change. People will come and go before that legal decision has to be made. I'm still thinking about it, praying and talking with family." She said she wants to see a candidate with Tea Party principles, who realizes that we are "Taxed Enough Already."

When asked which candidates she would like to hear from, Gov. Palin said "I want to hear from all of them. All human beings bring strengths and weaknesses to the table....I live for fighting for family, faith, and freedom in our country." Gov. Palin said it was still early to announce. "Once the line-up is set, I'd like to see if the candidate had the opportunity to cut over-spending and save other people's money, and protect our Second Amendment rights, and all our other Constitutional rights."

Gov. Palin reiterated her point that we should do our homework and not let the media define the candidates for us.

Gov. Palin concluded the interview re-stating her assessment from yesterday about the ObamaCare waivers going to Nancy Pelosi's district. "It's crony corporatism on a smaller scale. It's a corrupt system, this ObamaCare fiasco with all these waivers coming down. It's favoritism and it's unfair."



Will Palin Jump Into Presidential Race? Part 1 retrieved from Fox News.



Will Palin Jump Into Presidential Race? Part 2 retrieved from Fox News.



Sarah Palin Rates 2012 Candidates retrieved from Fox News.

O4P NY Meets Staten Island Young Republicans

"Governor Palin galvanizes her supporters. It's only the leftists and the RINOs who find her 'polarizing', because she'll upset their little apple carts," I said at a Staten Island Young Republicans meeting held in an anteroom of Canlon's Restaurant last night. I had secured the group's invitation to speak about Organize4Palin and its New York State operations.



Young Republicans is the oldest political youth organization in the United States having been around since 1859. The 152-year-old organization is divided into state and county chapters. I was a member of the Queens chapter some 20 years ago, while working on my Journalism degree at St. John's University. My lawyer held Young Republican meetings at a local driving school in South Ozone Park. He was a delegate during the 2008 GOP Convention and was on the floor when Governor Palin delivered her electrifying VP candidacy acceptance speech.

In my remarks describing Organize4Palin's New York work, I said,

In New York State, Organize4Palin is focused on booklets and palm cards for distribution at meetings and events. Our Accomplishments booklet is written in English and Spanish. We are hanging wall flyers in supermarkets. We will be conducting a test door-to-door campaign on a small scale with palm cards. We already know that zip codes 10021 and 10022 in Manhattan were the largest donors to McCain-Palin 2008 in the entire nation. We're going to identify the top five Election Districts in those two zip codes and because it's mostly apartment houses, walking door-to-door does not work too well. There we'll do a direct mail campaign.

The members of the board nodded their heads in agreement. I continued,

We have researched New York State’s laws pertaining to signature gathering for a primary election. Our Orange and Rockland County Coordinator is able to charter buses for rallies and campaign events. While our activities are not high-profile like the early states, we are building membership and laying the groundwork to help bring victory home.

One of the board members asked me why I thought Gov. Palin is the best candidate for 2012 and how I came to support her.

Gov. Palin has nearly 20 years of executive experience in positions of increasing responsibility. None of the other candidates do. Last year, she endorsed 81 candidates and 68% of those candidates won their elections. In a subset of those - Take Back the 20 - 18 out of the 20 candidates won their elections. That's a 90% success rate. Gov. Palin is not a Neo-Con. She is a solid Reagan Conservative. She also has star power and name recognition. Remember when Saxby Chambliss had his special run-off?"

The board members nodded "yes."

All of today's candidates went down there. They were lucky to get 100 people in a room with them. Gov. Palin filled four stadiums. The fire marshals had to start turning people away or they would have had to shut her events down. Obama was also down there stumping for the other candidate. Chambliss won.

I explained that I have supported Gov. Palin since the day of her VP candidacy announcement when I heard her voice on the radio in mid-speech.

"I've been doing this for nearly three years now and when Gov. Palin endorsed Michael Grimm for Congress, I did door-to-door at something like 2,400 houses." Two members chimed in acknowledging that I was with them on the campaign. I explained how I had campaigned in Pennsylvania on two weekends for McCain-Palin 2008 with the Democrats for McCain group.



One member said he had voted for Herman Cain in Young Republicans' straw poll. Most of the people in the room did not know who Herman Cain is. The member said, his concern about Gov. Palin is that she is "polarizing." It was the same concern expressed by Debra Leible, Executive Committee Chair of the Metropolitan Republican Club, where I had presented last Thursday for the Log Cabin Republicans.

"Well, she does wear polarizing glasses, so I can see why you would say that, but all kidding aside, Gov. Palin galvanizes her supporters. It's only the leftists and the RINOs who find her 'polarizing', because she'll upset their little apple carts. Remember, Gov. Palin took on Big Oil. In Alaska, the State Constitution says that the people own the resource and are to share in the profits. Gov. Palin replaced the tax system with a new one called ACES - Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share - which brought the tax code in line with the state Constitution. She rooted out waste and fraud in both parties, including her own. Her own party - the Republican Party would not list her on their website and in promotional materials. So, when people say she is 'polarizing,' you need to understand their motives."

Literature Distributed:

Gov. Sarah Palin: Accomplishments

Logros de la Gobernadora Sarah Palin

Gov. Sarah Palin: Leadership for All

Is Gov. Palin a Quitter? Don’t Believe the Hype

Organize4Palin 4″ x 6″ Palm Cards

In addition to @us4palin, you can follow Organize4Palin NY‘s activities at @ny4palin.

One Mans Opinion

One Mans Opinion 5/18/2011
By Dewaine Shoulders

I don't know if anyone noticed, but I took a month off. I was working on another book and otherwise taking in the political landscape with one eye while keeping the other on the road-of-life that's ahead of me. Also, I had to take some time off in order to maintain my sanity - with all of the pre-election predictions and the calls for this person or that person to toss their hat into the proverbial ring.

Plus, it's a crazy time in America, and there's too many loons to deal with. It makes it harder to focus on the big picture. Speaking of the Big Picture, let's see what's been happening since we last talked.

Here's a good one - Birthergate (ala Donald Trump) and the now infamous Obama Record of Live Birth/ possibly forged (possibly, probably, whatever?) Birth Certificate/ Photoshopped copy of a possible faux copy of a possible faux Live Birth Record from someone that... Oh, you get the point.

Then there's the Osama/Usama (I say Osama, you say Usama...) bin Laden ordeal - as in bin Laden getting whacked Soprano-style by SEAL Team 6 (copyright - The Walt Disney Company?).

And then, there’s the $4 plus a gallon "Let's Take America to the Cleaners" campaign run by The Anointed One and his Socialist Green Friends (Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Injustice...). Obama says he wants to drill domestically for oil, just not anyplace where there might actually be any.

Now, This Week in Politics…

Donald Trump teased us all this past month or so, whether he'd run for President. That speculation ended Monday when NBC dangled the $60 million carrot in front of him for another season of The Apprentice. He says his passion is his business, and running for president would be a cut in pay for The Donald. I can't say that I blame him for garnering the publicity, but now - back to reality already in progress.

And least we forget the lackluster statement last Saturday on his Fox TV show, Huckabee, where Smilin' Mike said he'd not be in the running for the president's job. Did I hear a collective Awwww? Wait, that was my next-door neighbor about to sneeze. Never mind.

Then there is good old Newt Gingrich, who not only said he was running, but has already given most of us in the GOP reason to ask him to step aside already. This past Sunday, he blasted fellow GOP member, Paul Ryan, for trying to do a 'Right-wing social-engineering job' on America. Newt, one piece of advice, shaddup already! You may have a chance at getting a few votes if you do, otherwise you'll be giving more credence to Ron Paul.

Speaking of Ron Paul, he's announced his intentions to take the youth vote away from the GOP and hand another victory to Obama Bin Laden... I mean, the Community Organizer in Chief.

Let's face the facts folks... The election is a year and a half away and many big and not so big names will be entering the race between now and this fall. Nevertheless, the only one that people are still talking and wondering about is Sarah Palin. Will she run? Well, will she?

Now, here’s where I part company with conventional wisdom or plain old Vulcan logic. My basic questions are: Is she being shrewd and hanging back to see whose running? Or is she doing a Donald Trump and teasing us? I tend to believe in the former and not the latter of the two. She is looking at all of the potential candidates and doing what all potential candidates normally do (or should do anyway) - look for their weaknesses and use them to her advantage. She is a politician after all… But, before I urinate anyone (my PC term for not POing anyone), she's so much more. Sarah Palin is using the common sense approach to running for president.

If someone is going to run on a platform that is close to hers, she'll not run and back them, ensuring that person will get far more exposure than what might be otherwise expected.

But, if no one out there in GOPland has the cajones to run on what this nation truly needs to do in order to save itself from bankruptcy, rebellion, anarchy, etc., then look for Sarah Palin to come into the race (probably in the mid-summer/early fall - if I were a betting man).

Now, just as I took a month off to get my head together and do some other important work, I suspect that Sarah Palin is doing that very same thing. She's not the stupid bimbo, airhead that the lamestream media and the leftist bloggers would have everyone believing. She is a thoughtful, calculating woman who knows when the time will be right for choosing (strike while the iron is hot, Old Ben Franklin said).

I just hope that when the time comes, Ms. Palin will do what's right for America and run. I think after seeing the early contenders already in the running, and those that will run (Romney, et al), Sarah Palin could win the GOP nomination hands down, and take on that corrupt, anti-American bunch of nincompoops already running the nation.

But that's just my opinion, I could be right.

More Impatience of the Palin Army and the Wisdom of Sarah

-from Patrick's World USA

That "draft" you feel is because the door is wide open.

Some of the candidates and potential candidates are stumbling out of the gate. Two big names, Huckabee and Trump, have withdrawn their names. The GOP establishment is trying to play up Romney and Huntsman while hoping all along that maybe Mitch Daniels could be their answer as an establishment guy who comes off conservative. Off in the distance you’re starting to hear something. Listen closely, it sounds like “run, Sarah, run.”

It’s been a rocky start to the Republican presidential primary season. Sarah Palin watches as active and potential candidates stumble over their tongues and their records. She’s not even in the race and her potential opponents are opening the door wider for her by either withdrawing, making verbal gaffes or having decisions from their past time out poorly with the issues of today.

The media has been very careful about her as well. A lot of the commentary the past week or so has been broader based. Analysts still give their take, but they don’t focus strictly on her. Some don’t want to play her up against the rest of the field. Others don’t want to jinx her. Instead, they talk about her in context rather than lavish her with praise or, surprisingly, level her with vitriol.

There are signs that the media are waking up to the fact that the trashing of Sarah Palin no longer goes unanswered. Palin’s army responds like lightning in the new media and on talk radio to any sleight. This is not to say the media has changed their opinion of her. It just means that should she decide to run, they won’t have free shots at a moose in the open like they did in 2008.

The new media is where things will happen for Palin. Already, the Palin army is making it known across the Palinosphere that they want her to run and they want her to run now. A quick read of Josh Painter’s Quotes of the Day from May 16, 2011 will give you a sense of the mood. How much longer do you think the Palin army can keep the powder dry? It’s almost as if they will run her for president even if she says no.

Palin’s followers are devoutly respectful toward her. They don’t like to tell Sarah what to do because in the early days when they did that, Sarah always did something else and surprised them because it always turned out better than they expected. Her army would read her reasoning and then smack themselves in the head after realizing that she went outside the box again and it worked.

Ever since she resigned, this writer realized there is no way to guess her next move. I’m simply a mere mortal. That day, someone at the beach asked me what to make out of her resignation. I told them only Sarah knows the answer. When I read her Facebook note the next day where she asked us to trust her, that’s the day I ripped up the Poli Sci degree and threw out the textbook.

We must trust her, as we've trusted her in the past, that she knows exactly what she's doing. When I asked Jedediah Bila about it she said "If Sarah Palin plans to make a run for it, she will undoubtedly take her time and do it right."

Palin sits to the right of the dealer at the Texas Hold ‘em table. From there, she can wait to see who folds, who checks and who bets. No one can get a read on her. There is no tell.

Palin followers always whispered to each other in email chains or private messages. Will she do this? Will she do that? Everything was hush hush lest it screw up her strategy or give the mainstream media fodder to go after her. But now, we’re just talking wide open right out in front of her.

All this chatter about doors being blown wide open and the lay of the land looking like she told us it would have to look in order for her to run is happening right in front of her. She reads Twitter. She reads Conservatives4Palin and other websites. She must be laughing, thinking that we don’t see her in the room. I expect her to turn around and say “I hear you talking about me running and I will tell you when I tell you.”

During the Miller – Murkowski primary when it was too close to call, the Palin army was on Twitter going back and forth. There were a bunch of them going after Murkowski, the establishment and the precincts where the votes were being counted. It was as if there was a melee in the room and suddenly someone whistled real loud. “Keep your powder dry,” Palin tweeted and suddenly things were calm again. She sees us. She knows we’re here.

Rumors are flying around like crazy. Some are saying it’s a lock she’ll run. Others are saying she’s not going to run. You can feel it in her army. They are itching to go. They are making no bones about it, either. Sarah sees this. Sarah knows this.

We are seeing a metaphorical gathering of a crowd of people forming on Palin’s cyber front lawn. Soon there may be thousands tweeting her, Facebooking her and writing blogs calling on her to run. At some point someone somewhere is going to look her in the eyes and say “we need you, you’re our only hope.”

It’s a huge request. The presidency is a life changing experience. If Sarah Palin is willing to take that on, so is her army. They’re not afraid. Politically, if they die they die. It’s Sarah Palin or bust in 2012.


This is an addition to my original post on Shining City on a Hill : The Impatience of the Palin Army and the Wisdom of Sarah.

Dr Gina Loudon will be on my Blogtalk Radio show tonight at 11pm ET 8pm PT.

Friends in Unexpected Places

I met Eric Blankenbaker while covering Governor Palin's Long Island Association speech this past February. He was helping the event organizer as a freelancer. Blankenbaker helped me find a space at the press box to set up my tripod and get a good angle toward Gov. Palin to capture her with my zoom lens. I had attended the speech both as the lowest tier paid guest, and as a media representative. Lori Calabrese and Jedediah Bila also covered the event onsite with me. Blankenbaker was one of very few people who helped ensure I was able to properly cover the story and who understood me as a supporter of Gov. Palin's. Here is where it gets better: the event organizers would tend to consist of fellow conservatives - maybe not Palinistas per se - but fellow conservatives nonetheless. Blankenbaker, I would later find out - is a Democrat.

The LIA event proved to be a rather expensive series of painful lessons learned for me. I'll never again forget the ISO setting on my camera to use at poorly lit indoor events, and I've learned just how far I can push an iPhone 4 with pre-recorded video. Even more importantly, I learned something about friends that day. Just because someone is of the same political stripe as you does not a friend make. I also reinforced my knowledge that some friends truly are guardian angels, especially one who lives over 1,000 miles from me. Since Gov. Palin spoke at LIA, many events have come and gone. She traveled to India and Israel, and delivered a rousing speech in Madison, WI, among many other venues.

Blankenbaker called me about three weeks ago and asked if I would be willing to participate in an interview for his Masters Degree project. At that time, he disclosed to me that he is a Democrat. He took a risk. I could have declined the interview on the spot. I set my ground rules - I would not be associated with anything derogatory to Gov. Palin. He agreed. So, on May 4, I met him at the New School. Located in Greenwich Village, the New School is about as liberal as you can get. I was also taking a risk. Sometimes, you have to take risks in life.

In this video - compiled by a Democrat - you'll see a collection of Tea Party members talking about all the various news sources they get their information from. While one supporter could not articulate her positions well, Blankenbaker provided fair and balanced coverage. In his coverage, he provided video footage which shows that Tina Fey, not Gov. Palin uttered the infamous "I can see Russia from my house" quote. I had referenced it in the interview and Blankenbaker backed it up with footage proving my point.



When Blankenbaker shared the video with me, he wrote:

I also want to thank you for sitting down with me. I learned a lot about the other side of the political sphere and it's always good to remember that no matter what vilifying pundits and Hollywood types try to do, we are all human beings. I think I really tried to humanize our subjects in the piece. One interesting piece of feedback from my classmates was that they were really impressed that we took on the subject matter. As you know, The New School is pretty liberal and one student said he came away realizing that people on the Right are just like him (emphasis mine).

In New York, many conservatives register Democrat so they can vote in a primary. An "R" after someone's name in New York does not necessarily translate to Reagan Conservative. Blindly assume a "D" after a person's name means "enemy" and you could lose minds, hearts, and votes. Human beings label and compartmentalize, based on stereotypes. These labels form the basis for assumptions. We do it for convenience and standardization. But, we need to be critical thinkers. We know what happens when we assume. The first three letters of "assume" should give a strong hint. It's something to consider when winning the hearts and minds of independents and Blue Dog Democrats in a possible Palin 2012 campaign.

O4P CA; Sarah Palin is the New Pink!

ATTENTION; Common Sense Americans & Freedom Loving Citizens:

Don't wait too long.

Take a look within yourself and what you believe. What you know to be true.

Then take a look at where Obama is heading us. We are living in extraordinary times and we need an extraordinary candidate.

Barack Obama and his Congressional Sugar Daddies are spending and regulating us beyond all profitability. We're broke.

They must be stopped.

We must look to Reagan's vision for America and welcome the moment of truth. The time for choosing is upon us.

There is only one candidate who has spent the last 20 years making a real difference. Both legislatively and executively at her local, state, and now national level; she has brought about real change. With a servants heart she is now ready to steer this ship around.



Now is the time to get involved.

Please join: Organize4Palin (O4P) TEXT: 4Palin to 74679

Click HERE to register



Follow O4P CA on Twitter: @CA4Palin

Thomas S Schmitz

Organize4Palin CA

Follow me on Twitter: @ThomasSSchmitz