There seems to be an unusual lack of clarity here, as Ed Morrissey notes in a post earlier this afternoon.
Various news reports indicate Palin will not be giving a speech, but it’s unclear if she was not invited to speak, given such a poor time slot that she didn’t want it, or was given a good time slot but decided to stay away for other reasons.
Palin issued this statement via Greta:
“…Everything I said at the 2008 convention about then-candidate Obama still stands today, and in fact the predictions made about the very unqualified and inexperienced Community Organizer’s plans to “fundamentally transform” our country are unfortunately coming true. This year is a good opportunity for other voices to speak at the convention and I’m excited to hear them. As I’ve repeatedly said, I support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in their efforts to replace President Obama at the ballot box, and I intend to focus on grassroots efforts to rally Independents and the GOP base to elect Senate and House members so a wise Congress is ready to work with our new President to get our country back on the right path. This is imperative. As President Clinton said in 2008 while candidate Obama and lapdogs in the media were thrashing his wife’s record and reputation, this is “…the biggest fairy tale.” For the sake of America’s solvency and sovereignty we must close this nonsensical book in November…”- Sarah Palin
Does anyone have any more definitive information?
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Comments
People have shared their opinions but no one seems to know if any of your possibilities is valid or if my personal favorite of “they gave her an ok time but required her to either let them write her speech or get their complete approval of what she said.”
Its understandable to NOT have Gov Palin speak, she would overwhelm any of the others, both in words and attendance…but it sure would make Mitts look like a big man if he did
I agree they probably don’t want to upstage Ryan who is very popular with the base but I doubt those are the only reasons. Looking at the lineup of Rino’s it’s obvious they don’t want a conservative like Palin, it might upset the ignorant, uninformed but beloved and much sought after Independents.
It struck me that Romney figured he could have the base without her via Ryan, and I’m inclined to believe she either wasn’t invited or took herself out of the scenario to save RR 2012 the embarrassment of looking petty and scared of her. A bit of a miscalculation on Romney’s part if the Governor wasn’t invited cuz lots of her supporters, like me, are upset. Therefore, I think the lack of clarity is deliberate and it points to a voluntary withdrawal for the reason indicated.
The thing is, people have been sliming Governor Palin for four long years and saying she wants to be a celebrity, she wants power, the limelight, she’s this that and the other, most of it negative. All along, Gov. Palin has wanted one thing: America governed according to constitutional principles. That is what she has been working hard to achieve. Moreover, she is a Reaganite to the core: she doesn’t care who gets the credit, mostly, as long as the job gets done, and she doesn’t violate Reagan’s 11th.
It beats me, though, how the most active Republican in the field, the most influential person in the party is ignored when people like Windbag Christie (what in Sam Hill has he done besides put up YouTube vids?) and RINO Rubio, who can’t match her experience or effectiveness, are elevated above her.
Anyway, she’s right. When all the people who will appear on that stage were keeping silent, she was fighting the good fight against Obama from jump and has been proven 100% right in her statements concerning him. Whatever they say will be a pale imitation of anything she’s said before.
Along with Christie and Rubio, we have two more RINOS, Mccain and Jeb. It would have been nice to have her speak instead of them.
Yeh. I’m trying to practice some self-restraint here, but how dopey, insecure, and small do you have to be to ignore one of the great Conservative assets right now? Very.
Self-restraint is hard.
Palin is a lightening rod, for both supporters as well as detractors. At this point, she is too big of a star. The convention has to be kept on track as about the issues and the candidates. The last thing we want is to give the media an opportunity to make it all about Palin and 2008.
The question should be, why would any Conervative want to be at a convention in which Traitor John McCain bashes Conservative hobbits for not going along with his Gang of Evil-Doers or BushCo Jeb bashes Conservatives as racist, xenophobes who are incapable of understanding the magnificent ways of the BushCo era?
And just because I am voting for Romney/Ryan: We can’t afford four more years of Obama does not mean I must rah-rah the Ruling Classer’s Republican Party.
If Palin isn’t going to be there, then neither should McCain. She was his running mate and the only reason he got as many votes as he did.
But McCain probably black-mailed his way in “If I don’t speak, I bad-mouth this ticket.” That old troll is capable of it and certainly doesn’t know when to get the hell off the stage. Please, mommy, make the bad man go away!!!
As for Jeb, he was a popular governor in FL which is a deathly important state so that doesn’t seem like a totally bad choice. However, I’d rather see Rubio up there because he is a very moving speaker and because of his ethnicity and popularity in FL.
Having Rubio there tells me all the talk about securing the border–is there any such talk?–is just blather. Rubio thinks like a Democrat. I don’t care about his cute life story. I care that he advocates amnesty for illegals. The GOP should not be playing race and ethnicity games like the Democrats. I don’t care Rubio is of Cuban ancestry. I do care that in a time of economic distress he wants to focus on adding thousands of illegals to the job market and calling that burden amnesty.
Unless Rubio is vying for a cabinet seat, it doesn’t matter what he wants with regard to immigration.
What matters is getting owebastard out of the White House, and if Rubio can facilitate that by helping deliver Florida’s electoral votes to Romney, then bring him on.
The time to be purists is during primary season. After that, you play the hand you’ve been dealt and you play it to win.
Pretty Boy Rubio will be up there. He’s either introducing Romney or Ryan.
Does anyone have any more definitive information?
No, but I’m willing to speculate. 😉
Palin’s statement sounds pretty chipper. My guess is that she and Romney have reached an understanding about a role for her. I don’t know what, when, or where that role might be, but Romney would be foolish not to solicit her talents and Palin would be short-sighted not to cooperate. I trust they both understand that.
Palin=Secretary of Energy.
Cf. Neo’s comment below and mine immediately after it, and turfmann’s a couple of days ago.
(Fwiw, with all due respect to turfmann and Neo, what I posted crossed my mind some time ago. I’d been thinking about how Palin could repair the damage to her Presidential resume created by her resignation.)
You people are comical. Listen yoursleves!
She has accomplished nothing but helping to ensure an Obama victory in 2008 and quitting her governship in 2009. Oh yeah, shes a reality TV star too. One that happens to drive indies away in droves.
It is so refreshing to see a VP choice actually able to articulate ideas and sound like they know what they are talking about. They didnt have to hide Ryan in a closet for three weeks before his first interview. It was the next day. Palin didnt even know what the Bush Dcotrine was when he son was marching off as a participant in it!
Please. Not having her “spectacle” at the convention is the smartest thing the GOP can possibly do this year.
I say this as someone know has only ever voted for the GOP (save 2008 when Palin was on the ticket).
Here’s a rock, crawl back under and catch some zzzzzzz’s.
For a woman who had to do everything on her own and never got help from anyone, she’s done pretty darn well for herself. She has a tremendous amount of clout and is using her influence to our benefit.
Spot on!!! 🙂
Sarah rocks!
“She has accomplished nothing” — I would encourage you to continue not paying attention. Thank you.
“Palin didnt even know what the Bush Dcotrine was” — Given at the time she provided an answer there were 3 viable definitions of The Bush Doctrine and she did in fact accurately state one of them, just not the definition the MSM liked. Let’s call this one a miss on your part.
“Not having her ‘spectacle’ at the convention is the smartest thing” — You could be right because she’d set fire to the place.
“…only ever voted for the GOP (save 2008..” — Seriously, you need to get some fresh air. There have been some really good non-GOP choices over the years(Obama not being one of them). I like people with good ideas and can lead.
The “comical” thing is … on the Bush Doctrine, gotcha question … Palin was closer than Chuckie, Charlie got it wrong, even though he had the answers written on his palm for him.
Krauthammer has to school curmudgeon Charlie:
“Yes, Sarah Palin didn’t know what it is. But neither does Charlie Gibson. And at least she didn’t pretend to know — while he looked down his nose and over his glasses with weary disdain, sighing and “sounding like an impatient teacher,” as the Times noted. In doing so, he captured perfectly the establishment snobbery and intellectual condescension that has characterized the chattering classes’ reaction to the mother of five who presumes to play on their stage. ”
“http://ginacobb.typepad.com/gina_cobb/2008/09/palins-bush-doc.html
Oh, my, you are so ill-informed that I’m having trouble understanding how you found your way to this erudite blog.
{sigh…} I have to do this again!?
For the terminally clueless: PLEASE go back and track the polls during 2008 after Palin was introduced. The GOP ticket steadily increased standing, while Obama complained that Palin was stealing his “reformer” schtick. What finally derailed McCain was McCain himself, after he suspended his campaign to return to DC during the meltdown.
Sarah Palin was the main reason that so many people turned out for the GOP that year.
It’s just plain rude for the GOP not to include Palin.
I expect she will stay away in exchange for something like Secretary of Energy.
In exchange for delivering her constituency on Election Day, IMO she should be offered something like responsibility for putting the country on the path to energy independence (I presume that such a role can be created in a way that passes Constitutional muster).
Success at that would reposition her to run for President.
Wouldn’t that be great?! DOE, remove all obstacles, then use her free time to work on other freedom-extending endeavors. Win, win, win!
Will ANY conservatives be speaking? Or even any interesting and rabble-rousing voices like Rudy? (Rudy had the best speech in 2008.) How about Gingrich?
Pam Bondi, Florida attorney general.
Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida.
Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey.
Ted Cruz, former Texas solicitor general and 2012 Republican nominee from Texas for U.S. Senate
Mary Fallin, Governor of Oklahoma.
Luis Fortuño, Governor of Puerto Rico.
Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina.
Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas.
John Kasich, Governor of Ohio.
Susana Martinez, Governor of New Mexico.
John McCain, United States Senator from Arizona and 2008 Republican nominee for President of the United States.
Sam Olens, Georgia attorney general
Rand Paul, United States Senator from Kentucky.
Condoleezza Rice, former United States Secretary of State.
Rick Santorum, former United States Senator from Pennsylvania and 2012 Republican candidate for President of the United States.
Rick Scott, Governor of Florida.
Scott Walker, Governor of Wisconsin.
Brilliant. No Newt, no Ken Cuccinelli (one of the most dynamic and fearless conservatives in America and candidate for governor), no Rudy, no Palin.
Hell, Raven, I’d have given Santorum and Hucksterbeee and a six-pact of Shiner for Newt, but I am not running this show.
Next cycle, you and I should put this rodeo together….
No Allen West!!?? He’s a rock star!!
And what the hell is Pam Bondi doing on that list!!?? Pam Bondi?? GMAB. Disgusting.
The only one worth watching would be Luis Fortuño. The rest are a snore.
Sarah Palin- TEA Party
I loved Rudy to. He was great.
Gingrich won’t be speaking but he’s running workshops every morning of the convention. You can bet he’ll do everything he can to make the Republican platform a meaningful one. Gingrich just like Palin would make all the others pale in comparison if he was delivering a speech.
http://www.humanevents.com/2012/08/11/three-challenges-for-the-2012-republican-platform/
She should be asked to speak and treated with honor and dignity, as she was our torch bearer last time around – she almost got John McCain up to even, against insurmountable (media-bias/Soros) odds. She is a bright and inspiring light, and has done more to affect the debate than any other person who will speak at this Convention.
It makes the party look small and petty – and scared – to leave her out.
At a time when the pick of Ryan shows the opposite – don’t water it down with stupid fear-based exclusion.
Two run, one wins, a loss should not mean you kick your gladiator to the curb. There are too few gladiators already.
It makes the party look small and petty because the party is small and petty. Sarah and the Tea Party is busy handing them their a$$ in run off after run off. There’s no revenge like success.
My take is Romney is lukewarm [at best] towards Palin, and vice versa. She really never came out with a strong message of support for him.
Romney is the strong CEO type and calls all the shots. Simply put, I don’t believe he wants her in Tampa, and she was not invited.
It’s my understanding Palin will be speaking at the Democrat National Convention in Charlotte, undercover as Tina Fey.
Some of youze guys are a hoot!
1. The Prof. points out the issue of Palin speaking at the convention is ambiguous…nobody knows for sure.
2. But many of you assume she isn’t speaking, and bring the slime.
3. Tribalizing the Conservative movement is best done via very convenient memories, apparently.
The people some of you call RINOs and “squishes” include Sarah Palin herself (who actively supported McAnus for re-election), Marco Rubio (who Palin would support in a heart-beat), and Allen West.
“I support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in their efforts to replace President Obama at the ballot box, and I intend to focus on grassroots efforts to rally Independents and the GOP base to elect Senate and House members so a wise Congress is ready to work with our new President to get our country back on the right path.” —Sarah Palin
I’d LOVE to see Palin speak, but I don’t yet….
1. know she won’t, and
2. if she won’t, whether she had a role in making that decision.
And, regardless, I WILL join her in promoting the Conservative movement with all the flawed, imperfect people comprising it.
Just heard on Fox ….Romney took in 5 million since Ryan
Not a criticism -just numbers.
Romney as been garnering $3 million per day for 2 months. So there is no actual spike
There’s possibly a lag as some older people might have sent cheques via snail mail.
I don’t think Obama is getting anywhere near his billion.
Dump Bondi, Bush, McCain and Rice. Insert Mia Love, Richard Mourdock, Newt and Ken Cuccinelli.
Mia Love, Richard Mourdock, Newt and Ken Cuccinelli.
Each of whom identify as Re______icans.
WE are the insurgents. The GOP is who and what it is. They DO get to pick who they will. That is just reality…for now.
Its the Rino takeover of the party. They don’t want any conservatives there suggesting things that don’t involve discredited ideas from the 1930’s
Umm… RINO is really sort of a malapropism.
I prefer COIN (conservative in name only), because you HISTORICALLY could be a Republican and be a Progressive. See Roosevelt, Teddy. See also Nixon, Dick (Tricky). In fact, during the Progressive Era, a great many Progressives were also Republicans.
And, has it occurred to you that…when you assert you are NOT a Republican, but a conservative…you have no right to define what a Republican is?
Conservatives have common cause with the GOP. We are not the GOP. We are a bigger, more influential force today than ever, IMNHO.
Will we ever totally shoulder out the moderate and even liberal Republicans?
I am a registered Republican. Our values have been pretty much the same since the 1850’s. Sometime’s Rino’s like teddy or Nixon get in, but they are the aberration, not what we aspire to be. Try to confuse them.
I can’t tell if you are ignorant of history, or simply chose to ignore history.
Either way, you are simply wrong. I lived through a GOP era where they were NOT conservatives by ANY FLUCKING standard.
I LIVED the Goldwater period, and the Reagan administration where many of those in effective opposition were Republicans.
And are you seriously denying that MANY of the MOST prominent Progressives were Republicans? If so, PUT UP YOUR REFERENCES. I will happily pwn you.
Scott Conroy over at RealClear Politics is reporting that Romney’s team thinks they have the Tea Party vote sewn up now with Ryan and that they don’t need Palin. She was supposedly offered a non-primetime speaking slot and declined.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/08/13/does_palins_absence_from_convention_expose_rift_115086-2.html
Have to say that I fully agree with this quote from the end of the article:
“…a prominent GOP strategist with close ties to the Tea Party told RCP that he blamed the Romney campaign for not fully appreciating what Palin brings to the table.
“The Romney campaign from day one has missed her draw to the Tea Party,” the strategist said. “Even with Paul Ryan, they still miss that she’s been there from the beginning.”
What do you say we take what Palin said at face value. Unless or until we know more, anything else is pure speculation. It may be fun but we won’t know any more than we started with.
Catwoman don’t need no fancienancieboys telling her what to do.
to GS who wrote: “Palin’s statement sounds pretty chipper. My guess is that she and Romney have reached an understanding about a role for her.”
I felt that as soon as I learned of what she said. I can see that Mama Grizzly licking her chops knowing what others don’t know about a relationship forged and agreements made.
She just has that zing in her voice and eyes now.
I don’t think so. As a female you must have noticed the distinct style change. (men have ).
In-your-face downright in -your-dreams -boy..
Nope can’t see her with the Gope.
I’ve read in the past that Sarahpac rented some space just outside the convention center. This should be fun. She could use it to help Tea Party candidates she endorsed/supported in 2010 and 2012.
Yes that was the plan about 6 months ago & i believe deposits were paid.. I think somewhere for peeps to mingle as they flee ‘b o r i n g & Bush speakers .
You could get all of the fun without paying to get into the convention. Drinks & vittels will be at normal prices . for normal people.
If this is the kind of decision making we can expect from Mitt, I worry about how much he will disappoint when he becomes president.
How in the hell can you not pick two bell ringers like Palin and Newt? Something happened behind the curtain.
Sarah talked around the issue and according to POLITICO, Reince Priebus said:
“I think a lot of her and hope that she does speak,” Priebus told Greta Van Susteren on Fox News on Monday night.
It’s called intelligent campaigning, zippy. You don’t give the opposition ammo by inviting divisive figures.
I like Sarah, and I think Newt really is one of the “smartest guy[s] in the room,” but they both carry high negatives with the general population.
The conventions are just staged pep rallies and don’t really interest me that much as they’re mainly a media show.
I already know who I’m voting for and the conventions on either side will not persuade me or hardly any others to change sides in my opinion. So I don’t get very antsy about who’s speaking and when or why.
I’ll probably watch a couple speakers that interest me (or catch it later on the interwebs).
R&R will win in a landslide as long as they make this election a stark choice between the two opposing sides – that is the only way this election will be decided – and it is not accomplished at the convention.
Sarah Palin,
Dinesh D’Souza,
Sarah Palin,
Bobby Jindahl,
Sarah Palin,
Newt Gingrich,
Sarah Palin,
Scott Walker
Sarah Palin,
Ann Romney,
And did I mention Sarah Palin?
And the candidates, of course.
I don’t care about the rest. They can stay home.
And, Allen West,
Mia Love
And Ted Cruz.
Let’s not present “a referendum but a choice” and fulfill the scripted talking points of the talking heads.