Palin Promotions

A week after the New York State primary, I wrote, “A Sign of Things to Come?” which prominently featured this billboard that the leftist owners of Manhattan Mini Storage posted on their West Street/9A and 44th Street storage facility for months. The article was negative toward Romney and his primary competitors, but that is not the point. I noticed a trend that could have proven fatal to Romney’s election: low voter turnout. In “Sign,” I wrote about how Romney won New York State with less than 6% of the GOP base voting. Other states had similarly low turnouts. I concluded that poor turnout numbers in the general would result in Obama’s reelection. Unfortunately for us, that billboard became a self-fulfilling prophesy. Mitt Romney couldn’t beat Obama.

Why?

At least two articles suggest that poor turnout indeed was the death knell of the Romney campaign. Associated Press reporter Josh Lederman in Turnout shaping up to be lower than 2008, which was syndicated to the Kentucky Post, among others, said turnout in this 2012 general election – one so critical to the future of our country – was lower than in 2008. It gets worse. According to Lederman, the turnout was less than 2004 levels in many states! Conservatives4Palin‘s Editor Doug Brady expounded on how polling samples work and why turnout was fatal to Romney in: It’s the Turnout, Stupid!

“A comparison of 2008 election results and 2012 election results indicate Obama received about 9 million fewer votes yesterday than he did in 2008. But the data also indicate that the Romney-Ryan ticket received almost 2.3 million fewer votes nationally than the McCain-Palin ticket did in 2008. (Incidentally, that 2.3 million voter deficit is only marginally less than the number of votes by which Obama beat Romney in the popular vote.),” Brady wrote.

Brady wrote about how he listened to Rush Limbaugh yesterday while driving. I happened to also have been listening while driving between job sites. Limbaugh said this was a classic “turnout election.” That is, Romney’s success or failure would be decided by voter turnout.

Unity

Gov. Palin did unite behind Romney and called upon her supporters to do likewise – multiple times. She supported him in no uncertain terms since June and our community – in the main – followed her lead. SarahPAC gave his campaign $5,000. Gov. Palin kept her support low-key and chose not to speak at the convention or brag about the donation. She said she “wanted to help, not hurt and helping sometimes means stepping aside.” Many Palinistas, myself among them did step up to the plate, put our misgivings aside, and united behind the ticket. We made things very uncomfortable for those who refused, both in and out of our community.

But, Romney apparently did not close the deal with enough people to motivate their votes. Most Romney supporters were voting against Obama, and that is simply not a recipe for success. Was there voter fraud? There certainly were naked attempts at it in multiple venues that were well-publicized. But, Romney chose to concede the race and not pursue the matter of voter fraud. Whatever voter fraud did occur, Romney’s concession forever closes the book on voter fraud claims.

Christian Whiton, Fox News concluded that this election was a damning indictment of the Republican establishment and moderates such as Romney, Bush, McCain, and others. Whiton wrote, “Recovery begins with saying goodbye to this Beltway GOP establishment.” Whiton wrote that Romney and the party establishment took the conservative base for granted. Sounds familiar?

Sarah 2016?

Gov. Palin’s brother, Chuck Heath, Jr. posted “Sarah 2016” on his Facebook Page today. I think I can safely speak for all Palinistas when I say we enthusiastically support her running and would do all we can do to help get her elected. I dare say, we’d go to Hell and back to get her elected. On that level, I share in Chuck Heath, Jr.’s support of his sister.

But, I am not at all comfortable in building and pushing a “Sarah 2016″ narrative that originates from anyone other than her. “Palin 2012″ was born November 4, 2008 when Obama got his last electoral vote. Almost immediately, we forgot the narrative was ours, not hers. When Gov. Palin announced she was not running, it devastated our community because we invested so much in “her” narrative that was never hers.

Yes, I think “Sarah 2016″ absolutely must originate from Sarah Palin, and absolutely must not originate from us. Certainly, the Obama win creates a circumstance far more favorable to a “Sarah 2016″ run than a Romney win would have. But, latching onto and pushing the “Sarah 2016″ narrative as our own could set ourselves up for more hurt and disappointment. We’ve been there, done it and even got the T shirt. Gov. Palin running in 2016 or any other cycle is her decision to make, not ours and no amount of encouraging, egging on, or trying to force the issue is going to change this fundamental fact. Also, things are little different now that we are established supporters as opposed to four years ago, when many of us were wet-behind-the-ears fanbois and girls. Gov. Palin knows the support is there – we don’t have to prove ourselves by screaming “Sarah 2016″ everywhere we go for the next three years.

I think “Sarah 2016″ and the onus for pursuing it or not rests with Gov. Palin. She’s got 20 years of experience in politics. She knows how to file FEC paperwork and organize a campaign. As seasoned veteran supporters, let’s defer to Gov. Palin’s professional judgment and wisdom on this. Let’s support what she is doing and how she does it and learn the lesson that 2012 should have taught us.

Bold Colors Candidates

Gov. Palin’s final endorsement success rate for 2012 is 64.28% based on nine out of 14 candidate having been elected for either a primary or the general (two endorsements were made after the primaries in their respective states).

In my numbers, I count Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Gov. Palin said she was not using the words “I endorse” for him, because she wanted to draw attention to his Lieutenant Governor, Rebecca Kleefisch. Gov. Palin, however, reaffirmed her staunch support of Gov. Walker and explained why she avoided the use of endorsement phraseology in reference to him. Those who insist Gov. Walker not be counted are free to use 13 as the number of endorsed candidates. Gov. Palin’s 2012 endorsement success numbers improve to 69.23% overall with 13 candidates counted as endorsed.

Of the nine successful endorsements, seven went on to win the general, resulting in an endorsement success rate of 77.77% for this subset. These winners did not just eke it out. They won by landslides. This is as much vindication of Gov. Palin’s Reagan Conservatism as Romney’s loss is a damning indictment of the establishment which must be consigned to history’s dustbin. Most politicians would kill for Gov. Palin’s endorsement success numbers: 64.28% (or 69.23% if you don’t count Gov. Walker) overall; and 77.77% of her primary winners going on to win a general.

The 2014 mid-term election cycle gives Gov. Palin another round in which to purge, cleanse, and rebuild via candidate endorsements. So does 2016 and the off-cycle elections in 2013 and 2015.

Let’s Build a New First Party…

During this time, we need to root out the party bosses at every level. We need to begin the war against Rule 12 in earnest.

We need to be better about sharing things on social media. Don’t ask! Just share! That’s what the leftists do. We need to push Facebook to fix their mobile setups and their smartphone apps to enable sharing. Our devices are crippled from effective sharing. We should be able to share on our iPhones/Droids just as we do on our desktops. Social media is about sharing, not just admiring our own musings.

We need to leave our comfort zones. We’ve been too myopic and preached way too much to the choir. Having the “best” Palin site, the Palin site with the most traffic, or being the “most famous Palin site” means nothing if the larger world does not read our content or even know we exist. We’re just kidding ourselves if we think we have the Internet all wrapped up. We don’t. Not in the least.

We need to stop wasting our time on mindless conspiracy theories of all stripes and the toxic debates that surround them.

We need to work more and complain less. How many among us called for Romney/Ryan? Put up a sign? Shared campaign material? Live-Tweeted campaign tweets during the debates? Convinced at least one person to vote the ticket? How many of us did these things for Gov. Palin’s Bold Colors candidates?

Obama’s win and our failure to retake the Senate is our call to arms. So what are we going to do?

The time to rebuild is now. You do not need a title to make a difference. Leadership is not about the position you hold. Leadership is about what you do.

“Let’s have a new first party – a Republican Party – raising a banner of bold colors – no pale pastels – a banner instantly recognizable as standing for certain values which will not be compromised.”

-President Ronald Wilson Reagan,
1975 Address to Young Americans for Freedom

Let’s build that new First Party together…

Our work continues…

Governor Palin today Tweeted:

SarahPalinUSA: DAN BONGINO FOR U.S. SENATE

Though political pundits often dismiss conservative candidates running in deep blue… http://t.co/3u6kqAgb

The URL above leads to a Facebook Status post, which is re-printed here in its entirety:

Though political pundits often dismiss conservative candidates running in deep blue states, I don’t believe in ignoring good candidates simply because they’re fighting uphill battles against the odds. In fact, I find such candidates incredibly brave and especially worthy of encouragement. In many cases, they are often the most articulate and courageous new conservative voices out there.

In 2012, we must cede no ground in our effort to win back control of the Senate and secure the House. We must fight every race to make sure we equip our next President with a wise Congress ready to work for all Americans. We also owe it to voters in every state — even the deep blue ones — to support good candidates for office so that they have a genuine choice in November. That is why I’m honored to announce my support for Dan Bongino in his Senate race in the “deep blue state” of Maryland.

Dan is not a politician, but he has spent his career protecting them. He is a decorated United States Secret Service agent who served under three Presidents. Dan has seen what politicians have done to our country, and he’s decided, “If I’m not part of the solution, I’m part of the problem.” He based his candidacy for U.S. Senate in Maryland on a strong commonsense conservative platform, won his primary, and is now fighting an uphill battle against a 45-year career politician who in fact inherited his first political office from his uncle at the tender age of 23 way back in 1967 and has been in elected office ever since.

This is more than just a race of Republican vs. Democrat or conservative vs. liberal. It’s about taking our country back from the career politicians in both parties who have spent us into debt, nearly taxed us to death, enriched themselves, rewarded their cronies at our expense, and have no vision to help the private sector create the jobs we need to get this economy moving again. They are the reason why Congress’ approval rating is at an all-time low. In supporting Dan Bongino, we are offering Maryland voters a clear choice either to continue with the failed policies and crony capitalism of the permanent political class, or to shake things up with Dan Bongino and cast a vote that helps put our country back on the path to prosperity.

- Sarah Palin

More here: http://twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA

This week on The Palin Update with Kevin Scholla: Another Sarah Palin endorsement! Governor Palin throws her weight behind Martha Zoller, candidate for the House in Georgia! Meantime Sarah Palin gets out the vote for Ted Cruz in Houston at a raucous rally! Voters can help both Zoller and Cruz at the ballot box on Tuesday. Also, Governor Palin supports Chick-fil-A while blasting Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Plus, the Governor touts Todd Palin’s new show and remembers the great Sally Ride! It’s all on SarahNET Radio ON DEMAND!

Zoller Excited to be on Gov. Palin’s Endorsement Short List

Scholla observed that Gov. Palin’s 2012 list is more exclusive, more targeted than 2010 – focusing principally on Senate candidates. He asked Zoller how it feels to be on that exclusive list. “I’m very excited about it, because I think Gov. Palin represents what’s best about the Tea Party, what’s best about people who want to commit to their country,” Zoller said.

Zoller on Listening vs. Talking at Constituents

“Gov. Palin said, ‘it’s time that our elected officials stopped talking at us and started listening to us.’ She says, ‘you will do that,’” Scholla said.

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do and that’s what I’ve done. I’ve been in the corporate world, I’ve helped run my husband’s medical practice, I’ve worked to raise a family, but I’ve also built a media career over the last [16 years as a talk radio host]. That’s what I’ve done. I’ve listened to people. You can’t be successful in talk radio [without listening]. Talk radio is not just about talk. It’s about listening,” Zoller said. She added that her talk show background will help her, because “talk radio is a discussion….you learn a lot from your listeners,” aside from it keeping you current with issues.

Zoller’s MAP for Prosperity: Accountability, Bold Reform, Citizen Engagement

Zoller’s Map for Prosperity was borne out of her campaign’s multiple travels throughout Georgia’s 20-county Ninth Congressional District. She met with potential constituents at gazebos, town hall meetings and local functions and asked them what they want from their next Congresswoman. Those desires formed the three core missions of the MAP: accountability, bold reform, and citizen engagement. “Accountability: they wanted that if Congress didn’t balance the budget, they didn’t get a full paycheck.” Zoller said that this happened in the 1930s – the Great Depression, and that it needs to happen now because times are tough.

She supports term limits, and under the category of bold reform, “it’s about cutting spending first. It’s about getting regulations out of the way for small business especially,” and examining the tax code. Zoller said she is a “fair taxer,” but said “we don’t have a Presidential candidate who supports the fair tax, so we’re going to have to fight to change the tax code.”

Under citizen engagement, Zoller plans to use her communication and listening skills to inform constituents of what is happening in Washington, D.C., and include them in the process.

Scholla said that Gov. Palin’s 2010 and 2012 endorsements have mapped out their goals, objectives, and positions on issues for the offices they seek. Zoller said “the MAP is a big hit,” because it’s something constituents can hold in their hands and see clearly where she stands on the issues. Every member of her staff will have a copy and will be expected as part of the jobs to “be as close to the MAP as they can be.”

Zoller: Changes Will Be Discussed Honestly. No Spin, No Bull

She said if something needs to be changed, “we’re not going to spin it. We’re going to go to the people and say, ‘we’ve found this out; here’s what we’re going to have to do….we’re going to communicate up-front so that we don’t have to dance around on the backside.”

Zoller’s Conservative Coalition

Scholla said that Zoller is fighting the GOP establishment and voters now have an option other than simply what the party bosses want to proffer. Her list of endorsements is a “who’s who” of conservative heavy hitters, including Sean Hannity, Eric Erickson, and Mark Levin. Organizations such as Susan B. Anthony List, which owns and operates Team Sarah, Freedom Works, and Citizens United have endorsed Zoller. Tea Pary Express, Tea Party.NET, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich have endorsed her as well. Being Gov. Palin endorsed candidate, Zoller is automatically on the American Grizzlies United 2012 Primary Candidates List.

Zoller said she has been able to build a conservative coalition encompassing grassroots Tea Partiers “all the way up to conservative leaders who don’t always get behind the same person. They’ve gotten behind me, because first of all, they know me and they know the caliber of my work. I have been on the air for more than three hours a day for more than a decade.” She said her opponent has “pulled things out of context and tried to make me look silly, but you know what? People know me. They know what sounds like me and what doesn’t sound like me,” she said. Though her campaign has had less money than her opponent, Zoller said she “we have been conservative and we have done more with less.”

Zoller on Chick-Fil-A President’s Free Speech Rights

Scholla asked Zoller about her thoughts on the Chick-Fil-A flap, in which Chicago’s Thug-in-Chief mayor, Rahm Emanuel wants to deny the chain a permit, because its owner is for marriage as being one man and one woman. “The bottom line is Dan Cathy expressed his freedom of speech to say what he’s doing with the profits he is earning from his company which is privately held. He supports organizations that support the traditional family. He didn’t bash gays; he didn’t bash same-sex marriage; he didn’t go out and criticize anybody. He said what he is for. Okay? He has the right to do that,” Zoller said. She continued, “In fact, we’ve been going to Chick-Fil-A all week long. We go all the time, but we made a special point to go more this week.”

She said that when she went, the parking lot was full and people were backed up waiting to get in to secure a spot. Everybody was supporting Chick-Fil-A. She said that someone on Facebook posted that “you’re anti-gay because you’re supporting Chick-Fil-A.” Zoller messaged the poster and gave her cell phone number. “What are you so angry about,” Zoller asked the woman who called her back. Zoller then told her the truth about the interview and asked her, “don’t you believe in freedom? Don’t you believe you have the right to go anywhere you want and spend your money? Why are we letting organizations tell us that? Rahm Emanuel is wrong. Massachusetts is wrong, but I was very surprised that Mayor Bloomberg who wants to control the amount of your Big Gulp said ‘Chick Fil-A has the right to be anywhere they want to be’”

Scholla and his four-year-old partook in a Chick-fil-A dinner earlier in the week. Zoller said, “it’s a good product. It’s not the cheapest out there, but it’s good quality, good service and you know what? They’re a privately held company that employs a lot of people and you have the right to go there or not go there.” She said people should not pushing to boycott the chain because the owner is pursuing his own values. She said the President has received death threats and the VP died of a heart attack, which may have been unrelated, but the owners were under a lot of stress.

“You cannot support free speech and the Constitution only when you agree with it,” Zoller said. “You have to support it all the time.”

Zoller on Bitter, Bloody Primary Race

Scholla noted that “some news reports have called this primary race, ‘bitter, sometimes even bloody.’” He asked, “Would you go with those descriptions?”

“I would. I didn’t want it to be that way, but the establishment is terrified of me. They have a hand-picked successor and he has not been able to run on his record. All he’s done is run on attacking me,” Zoller said. “I’ve got a long public record. If you want to find 10 or 15 seconds of me saying something that might seem out of character, you can find it, because a lot of times part of talk radio is being a devil’s advocate, getting discussions going. I’ve done a lot of television,” she said. “There was one particular clip out there that he took 15 seconds out of a one-hour interview and tried to characterize my position on immigration based on that. In fact the news organizations who did the interview said [his actions were] misleading.”

Zoller has struck back, contrasting her opponent’s record on voting for tax increases and a debt ceiling increase within the last three months. “We are contrasting his record and staying positive, but we are not taking this stuff lying down,” she said.

“This is a game they’ve been playing recently. They did it with Romney when he went into WaWa and ordered a sandwich,” Scholla said. He also recounted Huckabee’s description of a quote against former Congresswoman, Gabby Giffords that was pulled and implied to be said after she was shot as part of a lunatic’s rampage. “It doesn’t get dirtier than that,” Scholla said.

Zoller said her polling numbers are up, there are three candidates in the race, “and there is a path to win without a runoff, and I will not give up until 7:00 on Tuesday when the polls close.”

Zoller’s Areas of Commonality with Gov. Palin

Scholla asked Zoller to tell Palin supporters what she has in common with the former Alaska Governor.

“I’m a firebrand Tea Party conservative. I’m also the mother of four….We have that in common. I am an outsider. I have fought the establishment, but I have also been a person who deals honestly with people and with issues.”

She invited listeners to go to http://marthaforcongress.com and volunteer, donate, or email her and let her know that you’re praying for her or supporting her.

This week on The Palin Radio Update with Kevin Scholla: A special Endorsement Edition of the program! Governor Sarah Palin backs Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake in his U.S. Senate bid! Tune in to hear this proven conservative crusader! It’s all on SarahNET Radio ON DEMAND!!!

Lonely Battles Against Earmarks

Rep. Flake has been a US Representative since 2001. The Congressman turned Senate candidate has been fighting earmarks for his entire political career, often taking on his own party. The Bridge to Nowhere, the Teapot Museum, and the Punxsutawney Weather Museum are three of the more infamous earmarks Rep. Flake fought against. Rep. Flake said, “I was removed from my committee spot on Appropriation as punishment for what I was told was ‘bad behavior,’” because he dared to point out Republican excesses in spending. In October 2006, a 60 Minutes show aired, featuring his father Jake Flake in their home town of Snowflake, AZ and showing Rep. Flake losing on 39 separate votes related to spending. The Republican Party lost its majority that year and that’s when Rep. Flake was removed from the House Judiciary Committee.

Palin Endorsement a Praise of Rep. Flake’s Work

Scholla said that Gov. Palin rarely endorses incumbents he considers her endorsement of Rep. Flake to be “a praise of [his] body of work.” Gov. Palin said Rep. Flake is “a proven conservative crusader.” Rep. Flake said he knew about Gov. Palin since long before her 2008 Vice Presidential running mate nomination and has always admired her. He was delighted to receive her endorsement and said there is a lot of love for her in the state of Arizona.

Background

Rep. Flake comes from a family of 11 children and has five children himself. Two are at home, two are in college, and one graduated. He spent two years in southern Africa as a Mormon missionary and worked to help Namibia become independent. Rep. Flake also ran the Goldwater Institute for seven years, which is of special significance to Scholla, for Barry Goldwater’s Conscience of a Conservative got Scholla started in politics years ago.

This week on The Palin Update with Kevin Scholla: After backing a series of challengers, Sarah Palin endorses incumbent U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah! Hatch joins Kevin to discuss the Palin nod, his record, and his thoughts on Mitt Romney. Also, Governor Palin calls out union thugs in South Carolina for their disturbing antics regarding Nikki Haley. Plus, Palin remembers a fallen friend on Memorial Day weekend. Tune in RIGHT NOW! SarahNET Radio!

Gov. Palin’s Endorsement

In endorsing Sen. Hatch, Gov. Palin said,

“Orrin Hatch is part of the one percent. No, not that one percent you’ve heard about. He’s part of the one percent of national politicians who I think should be reelected. Orrin Hatch is a life-long conservative whose dedication and devotion to the conservative cause and to his beloved and beautiful state of Utah is well documented. Orrin was a Utah state campaign chairman for a fledgling and failing presidential candidate deemed “too conservative” and “unelectable” by the media. Ironically, that candidate was the man who restored our country to be a “shining city on a hill” – Ronald Reagan.”

It was President Reagan who referred to Sen. Hatch as being “Mr. Balanced Budget.”

“Should have known you’d get a Palin endorsement since her salon is the Beehive and you live in the Beehive State. Too much of a stretch on my end?” Scholla asked jokingly. “No, I don’t think so. Sarah would find herself right at home here in Utah. This is a very conservative and a very good state,” Sen Hatch said. Scholla asked, “why do you think the Governor got behind you and were you surprised at all?”

“Well, we’ve been friends and quite frankly, I think she is a terrific human being. I was really overjoyed when she decided to endorse me, and it came kind of as surprise to me. Although, I surely wanted her endorsement and…I was just tickled to death….I feel very deeply toward her,” Sen Hatch said.

Sen Hatch’s Opponent Has Slammed Tea Party…

“Some people expressed shock that Palin went for you, but you are the conservative in this race and Palin has lauded your record and explained it thoroughly to those who maybe didn’t know outside of Utah and your opponent – some have tried to label him as the “Tea Party candidate,” but isn’t it true that he slammed the Tea Party movement and tried to distance himself from it,” Scholla asked.

“I don’t know that that’s true. He’s a very fine fellow, but the problem is he’s just very ambitious and frankly he has tried to paint me like I’m not conservative. I guess my 36 years 90% American Conservative Union voting record is too liberal for them. Nobody else in the Senate has that.”

Gov. Palin’s Endorsement Reflects Integrity, Courage

Scholla said that Gov. Palin’s endorsement reflects character and courage. While she often endorses underdogs and Tea Party challengers, sometimes she does endorse incumbents. “I think that really stresses how genuine she is.” It’s not about whether the endorsed candidate is an incumbent but whether he or she can do the best job.

“Anybody who doesn’t know this doesn’t know her. I mean she’s a straight shooter, she’s honest, she’s intelligent, she’s absolutely beautiful. I think she and Todd are the most handsome couple I’ve ever seen. You know, they’re just good people. You know, she’s the type of person who has the guts to stand up for what she believes in and what she wants and I think that’s why so many people in this country love her. That’s one reason why a lot of the Democrats hate her too. They know that people pay attention to her and they should.

This is a woman who is extremely bright, she’s a terrific conservative. Everything she’s done in life has been pretty darned impressive. She’s a wonderful mother and wife. I mean my gosh, she’s a very, very brilliant political figure who you don’t want to take on. She can hold her own with anybody. I have nothing but admiration for her and I used to really get upset when the media tried to always put her down. And they did so much of that. It was very, very unfair the way she was treated. But, she held her own, and kept her chin up. I think she’s won the respect of an awful lot of people throughout the country and throughout the world,” Sen. Hatch said.

The Case for Sen. Hatch: Senate Finance and Judiciary History

“Let’s talk about your race sir. Why should Utah keep you. Speak to the voters,” Scholla said.

“Number one, I am the strong conservative in this race and I’m trying to be Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee….that’s the most important committee in the whole Congress. To get this country back under control, to get it on its feet and do what’s right – that committee plays a pivotal role, because that’s where the tax code is, that’s where capital gains taxes are, that’s where the death taxes are, that’s where the entitlements are: Social Security, Medicare. We’ve got to get those under control, or our kids and our grand kids aren’t going to have a future. About 60% of all spending is in that committee….I’ve chaired two private committee and if anybody is a measure of whether I chaired them well – the first one was called the Health Committee – Health, Education, Labor and Pensions – that was in the Reagan years.

And the second was of course Judiciary where most people watched what I did to save Clarence Thomas, Rehnquist, Scalia, even Roberts and Alito, and others as well. Not only them, but Circuit Court of Appeals judges across the country who will hear thousands of cases that will never come before the Supreme Court and decide cases for their particular regions that are very, very monumental, and of course all the District Court judges as well.

But ranking in the Finance Committee, if I can become chair of that committee, you’re going to see a change in the way things are run,” Sen. Hatch said.

Scholla said the Supreme Court justice nominees are a critical element in the Presidential race, because we want to replace retiring justices with those who will follow the law and interpret it vis-à-vis the Constitution, and not be activists.

Palinista Angst Over Mitt Romney

Many Palinistas – myself among them – believe Romney is not a conservative because he has flip-flopped on issues such as abortion and gun control. It was Romney’s own campaign manager after all who made the infamous “Etch-a-Sketch” statement. Many of us believe these flip-flops betray an astonishing lack of integrity.

Many of us also believe Romney lacks courage, always making what he thinks is the “safe” choice and trying to “be all things to all people.” Many of us believe this is reflected in his endorsements, and in statements such as, “I am not familiar precisely with exactly what I said, but I stand by what I said, whatever it was.” This statement was uttered in reference to Romney touting his super PAC off to running ads discussing Obama’s association with Jeremiah Wright. Yet, Romney had no problem with the same super PAC pursuing a scorched earth campaign against his primary opponents and claimed to be unable to control their actions.

Romney is the ultimate architect of ObamaCare. ObamaCare was drafted with its basis on RomneyCare, and as Conservatives4Palin reported a long time ago, Romney sent 12 of his advisers to Washington, D.C. to help Congress write ObamaCare. Obama may be the father of ObamaCare, but Romney is the grandfather.

Finally, Romney’s operatives tried to destroy Gov. Palin throughout the McCain-Palin campaign and afterwards.

Thus, many Palinistas have what could best be described as a seething, boiling hatred of Romney and some among us have threatened to stay home and not vote at all if he is nominated. I think not voting is absolutely wrong – we should get out and vote – but I am among those who will not give Romney or the RNC one penny in donations or one second’s worth of my time in support. Some Palinistas grudgingly accept Romney and will “hold their noses” and vote for him in the spirit of “anybody but Obama.” Certainly, he will need their votes in the swing states if Obama is to be defeated. A few Palinistas have become full-bore Romney supporters and are either actively supporting his campaign, making large donations or both.

Scholla to Sen. Hatch: Do You Think Romney is a Conservative?

With all the foregoing in mind, Scholla, acknowledged that Sen. Hatch is a Romney supporter and said, “some Palin backers are less than thrilled with how the Presidential process has turned out on the GOP side. They don’t think Romney is a conservative. Do you?”

“I know he is. I know Mitt very, very well, and he is not only conservative, he’s got the brilliance and the ability to bring this country under control and back on its fiscal feet again,” Sen Hatch said.

“Look, I know him intimately and very, very well. He’s as conservative as anybody, but he’s also open-minded and he’s also somebody you can work with, and he is also somebody who would try to bridge the chasm between the two parties.”

Romney and the Winter Olympics

“We in Utah really know him, because were going downhill on the 2001 Winter Olympics. We couldn’t raise any money, we couldn’t get the venues up, we couldn’t do things that had to be done. There were accusations of fraud and mismanagement. There were even some criminal allegations. They weren’t right and they weren’t accurate, but nevertheless…and everything was stopped. It was going to be the biggest eyesore in U.S. Olympic history.

We brought Mitt in. Overnight, he turned it around. He started raising the monies, the billions of dollars that were necessary. He got the monies to set up the most beautiful venues in the history of the Winter Olympics. We had the best Winter Olympics in the history of the Winter Olympics, and not only that, at the end we wound up with a $100 million surplus to keep the venues alive.

That’s what I call real leadership and this is a guy who can take charge, who’s successful and knows how to make others successful. You know, just a short while ago, I wrote Mitt and I said, ‘Mitt, don’t try to be something you’re not.’ I said, ‘just admit that you’re a wealthy man, that you’re rich and that your goal in life is to provide opportunities to for everyone else to have the same opportunity you’ve had in life.’ And, he’s been doing that, and I’m telling you, it’s starting to come across. I’m telling you, he’s going to win this,” Sen. Hatch said.

Romney vs. Obama

Sen. Hatch said that “deep down the American people don’t believe that the President has what it takes to pull our country out of this mess. They like the President. I do too. He’s charming, he’s articulate, he’s charismatic, but a lot of people are starting to come to the conclusion that he’s not up to the job and his suggestions always add up to ‘let’s have more federal government spending.’”

Sen. Hatch continued, “Romney knows how to turn it around. When he took over Massachusetts, they were $3 billion in the hole, and you know $3 billion is a lot of money. He not only turned that around, he balanced the budget every year he was in the governorship, and I remember being up there in Massachusetts, and even Democrats were talking about “our Mittie.’”

Gov. Palin Galvanizes Conservative Base

“You know, I got so doggone mad at a lot of the media in this country, because they were constantly berating her and I can tell you right now, John McCain’s a friend of mine. I care a great deal for him; he’s a wonderful man, a hero, but the fact of the matter is Sarah is the one who got the conservative base out because they were kind of angry at John or at least concerned about John and she was the one that got out the conservative base and without her, I don’t think we’d have done as well as we did, so look, I have nothing but admiration for Sarah Palin. I think she is a terrific human being and I’m just honored that she would endorse me,” he said.

Romney Operatives Trying to Destroy Gov. Palin?

Scholla said, “I’ve heard, Senator from some Palin supporters. They feel that some Romney operatives, not the Governor himself, but some operatives have been less than gracious toward Gov. Palin in trying to maybe marginalize her and her supporters. Would the Romney camp be better served and smart to embrace Palin and her loyal following and get her involved in this as we move forward, especially if he becomes the nominee officially?”

“Well, I hadn’t heard that. I think the Governor has a healthy respect for Gov. Palin, and I know he’d want to have her on his side helping him in this race and I know she will be. She knows how important this race is to the country. He knows it is. Mitt Romney is not the type who would reject anybody who is sincere and dedicated in wanting to support him…in all these Presidential races, and I’ve been in every one of them since the Jimmy Carter/Gerald Ford race, in all of them you have people who work in the campaign that pop off and make comments they shouldn’t make. I haven’t heard any of those though, and I’d be surprised if any Romney people would be disparaging to Sarah Palin and if they would, I’d like to know their names, because I’ll call them and tell them to knock it off.”

Many Palinistas, however, would argue that since Romney’s operatives were working at his behest, he has the ultimate responsibility for their actions. He also had the ability to stop these operatives and fire them. He chose not to, thus he is not only culpable, but he is the ultimate author of their actions.

Gov. Palin and her Role at the Convention a Question Mark

Scholla said a lot of Palinistas got angry over an article citing un-named GOP sources discussing whether or not “Gov. Palin would have a big speech at the RNC with Romney as the nominee or whether they would push her and her supporters aside and say ‘well the Palin supporters aren’t as big as people think or important.”

“I personally believe that she’ll be speaking at the national convention and that she should be. I don’t control that…and they have so many people who want to speak and many of whom they’re actually going to give an opportunity to speak but I don’t know how that’s all going to work out. But, I would hope that they would call in Sarah Palin to say a few things and I hope that Sarah will get completely behind Gov. Romney because we have simply got to win this election….I don’t think we can stand another four years of this type of leadership, and keep in mind this coming from somebody who actually looks for the good in people, and likes the President, but I don’t like his leadership, and I don’t like what he’s doing and I don’t think he believes in American Exceptionalism….I think he thinks we’re just like anybody else,” Sen. Hatch said.

“This country can pull out of any mess it’s in, but it’s gotta have the right leadership. My experience has been if you want to reform the tax code, if you want to get entitlements under control, and so many other things, you’re going to have to have dynamic presidential leadership, and that’s what I think Mitt Romney will provide. And I think people like Sarah Palin can be very, very helpful in helping him to provide that kind of leadership.”

Special Note for AGU/O4P

American Grizzlies United/Organize4Palin has not endorsed any Presidential candidate. Anyone holding any rank – volunteer, regional coordinator, or state coordinator – within AGU/O4P can neither endorse nor denounce Romney when acting in an official capacity on an AGU state site or social media venue such as Twitter page, or Facebook pages and groups.

Gov. Palin has repeatedly said that she will support the GOP nominee and will support “anybody but Obama.”

Mr. L is a New York-based Palinista and operates the website Mr. L’s Tavern. He is known for his hard-hitting, frank opinions that pull no punches. “Sarah Palin throws her endorsement to Sen Orrin Hatch of Utah and some Tea Party conservatives want to throw this good conservative woman under the bus. I find it laughable that some conservatives are criticizing Palin for this endorsement,” Mr. L said in describing his webcast. He rightly questions the sincerity of “four-year” supporters who disavowed their support of Gov. Palin over this endorsement.