Palin Promotions

LaDonna Hale Curzon, host and executive producer, Sarah Palin Radio was at the Republican National Convention’s Radio Row as part of Talk Radio News Service where she interviewed both Sen. Chuck Grassley and Saul Anuzis, Co-Chair of the RNC. Subjects included: Gov. Palin not speaking at the convention and being missed, the 2012 elections and campaigns, media competition and choice, and GOP trends.

On Gov. Palin and Her Not Speaking at the RNC Convention

Curzon in her closing minutes of the Anuzis interview asked if he knew whether former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin had been invited to speak at the Republican convention. Anuzis said he did not know but “a lot of people missed her. I wish she was there. Look, I understand the controversy,” he said adding that some people like her and others don’t, “just like any other politician.”

He continued,

“but the reality is she’s a leader in our party. She has got a huge following, is well liked and is one of our superstars – at least in my opinion, and I think that I would have liked to have seen her there. Whether or not she spoke or not, obviously she deserved to speak as much as anybody else in one regard, but I think that just having her as part of the process was [important].

She’s clearly a team player. I mean you listen to her on – whether it’s talk radio or talk TV – and what she does. She’s doing everything she can to help the ticket. She’s a good messenger, and so – personally I missed her.

I remember in the last convention, she was nominated. We were sitting there in Michigan and all of us put on our Redwings jerseys, because you know she’s a big hockey fan. Her son actually played here at Western Michigan and went to hockey school in Michigan. I talked to her and Todd about it one time. We met at a Governor’s Association.

I don’t know whether or not she was invited. I missed her and I know a lot of others did and I’m hoping that she’ll continue to be active and having the positive voice that she currently has to help elect more conservatives and more Republicans.”

RNC Chair Reince Priebus said on the Mark Levin Show that Gov. Palin was offered a prime-time speaking spot at the convention. Gov. Palin said “this year is a good opportunity for other voices to speak at the convention and I’m excited to hear them,” in a written statement posted on GretaWire. The same day, Gov. Palin also said, “her mission is to help — not hurt. That’s why she has ‘stepped back’ to concentrate on down-ticket races.” Gov. Palin in fact stumped for three candidates in Arizona during the convention: Paul Gosar, Jeff Flake, and Kirk Adams. Gosar and Flake won their primaries.

2012 Convention Excitement

Anuzis said he had not seen as much excitement in a Republican Convention between 1980 and this one. He said the media needed a convention center of their own, for some 16,000 journalists from all over the world were on-site covering the proceedings. He said people from all over the world are interested in our processes and technologies and often take them back to their home countries to replicate.

Romney’s Likeability: Those Who Really Know Him Like Him

Curzon asked Anuzis about mainstream media reports pertaining to Romney’s likeability. Anuzis said that people who really know Romney like him and his story is very powerful. He said jealousy over success is anti-American.

Curzon asked Anuzis about the odds of Pete Hoekstra winning his Michigan Senate race. She had interviewed Hoekstra in mid-August. Anuzis said Hoekstra has a good chance of winning because many people are tired of Sen Stabinow’s rubber-stamping for Obama. He said if Romney wins Michigan, Hoekstra’s odds will improve all the more.

In response to Curzon’s question about whether he would take a job in a Romney administration if offered, Anuzis said he would be honored, but the Romney campaign is now only 60 days out of the election and the focus needs to be defeating Obama.

Obama Vulnerable

Curzon asked Anuzis about a Public Policy Polling sample which shows Obama ahead. He said those polls are snapshots in time and the Romney campaign is competitive – ahead in some places, behind in others. Anuzis said Obama is not over 50% anywhere. He said 50% is the key number when considering how well an incumbent is doing. An incumbent polling under 50% consistently – like Obama – is vulnerable.

Anuzis said he had seen and heard highlights of the Democratic National Convention and how they pushed big government. “What better could highlight the difference between Republicans and Democrats than their own words?”

Complete Audio Transcript of Interview with Saul Anuzis, RNC Co-Chairman

Gov. Palin a Voice of Common Sense

Sen. Grassley told Curzon to “say hi to Sarah,” and that he loves seeing her on Fox News. “She’s a voice of common sense,” he said.

Sen. Grassley Posits Three Senate Scenarios for November

The 2012 Republican National Convention marked Sen. Grassley’s ninth he has attended. Curzon asked if Sen. Grassley would continue as Chair of the Judiciary Committee if Republicans take the Senate in November. He said that “it won’t be decided until November.” When asked if he thought Republicans would take the Senate, he posited three scenarios: Democrats: 51-49; a 50/50 split; or Republicans 51-49. He said “unless Romney has a sweep,” the Senate is “going to be close.” He said today, Romney would have a close fight in Iowa, but Republican registration is up by 21,000 in that state since 2008. He said even people who voted for Obama are disappointed in his presidency.

Sen. Grassley: GOP Trending More Conservative

Sen. Grassley said the Republican Party is now trending more conservative. He said when Pat Robertson’s people came in “everyone got all worked up” and the same thing happened with the Paul people. In each case, the result was new blood in the party. He said Obama brought a lot of people into the Democratic Party as well. “Whether it’s on the right or on the left, the more people we have participating in our political process, the stronger our democracy is,” Sen. Grassley said. He said the biggest change in politics generally is more partisanship, but reiterated that this means more participation and “strengthening of our democracy.”

Liberal Media Losing Influence in Face of Competition

“If you go back 20 years, three networks controlled 80% of TV. Now, they control maybe 20% – 25%. You’ve got Fox News. You’ve got [networks] on the right and on the left, and in the middle, and you’ve got the Internet, the social networks – every opportunity to get a political view out and people get it out,” he said. He said the liberal press remains too liberal but does not have the influence it once had in the face of new competition.

USDA Should Educate, not Dictate

Curzon asked Sen. Grassley what he thought of PETA’s disgusting stunt in which they took bets on how soon he would die after objecting to the US Department of Agriculture’s vegetarian push. Sen. Grassley said that the USDA should educate Americans on proper diet, but not dictate.

Sen Grassley on Gov. Palin Electrifying Conventions

When asked about rumors that Gov. Palin would have been the mystery speaker, Sen. Grassley said, “that would be nice. And I remember four years ago, the electricity that comes because of her announcement, but more important after her speech.” Curzon said “I had heard people talk about it and they have never seen anything like it.” Sen. Grassley responded, “Let’s hope she’s not the only one who can do that, but she has a unique ability to do it, and speak to really – just kind of – common sense. I don’t think she’d be insulted if I said she’s a common-sense speaker.”

The mystery speaker turned out to be Clint Eastwood, whose “empty chair” schtick highlighted the absence of Obama’s leadership. Gov. Palin Tweeted about “Empty Chair Day” on September 3.

Complete Audio Transcript of Interview with Sen. Chuck Grassley, IA

SarahNET Radio Host Kevin Scholla appeared on Steven Rosenblum’s Conservative Republican Forum (CRF) to discuss a wide range of subjects related to Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and current political news, specifically her endorsements, and why he believes she should have been given a prominent speaking role at the forthcoming GOP convention in Tampa.

Everybody knows who Sarah is…Sarah Fires People Up

The interview aired prior to Gov. Palin releasing her Statement on the 2012 Republican Convention, which strongly implied that the decision on Gov. Palin not speaking there was at least partly hers. “This year is a good opportunity for other voices to speak at the convention and I’m excited to hear them,” Gov. Palin wrote in her statement.

But, in the final hours before Gov. Palin issued her statement, Scholla said in part,

“If anybody was at CPAC…if anybody has seen her speak anywhere recently, she draws the excitement….Meantime, you ask the common person on the street, everybody knows who Sarah is. They don’t know who half of these people are. Sarah fires people up. Just look at the CPAC speech. If anyone wants to see anything, look at the energy at CPAC. Why did she give the keynote there? And that was a Romney crowd! He won the straw poll there. People were for Mitt Romney at CPAC this year, but guess what? They were brave enough to put her up there and it was a smashing success and it has been the same way before or since.”

He continued,

“Nothing like it. She talks like people want to hear and she knows what’s going and it’s not political. It’s not teleprompter. You have a guy now who only reads a teleprompter. This is a woman whose teleprompter went out during the convention and didn’t miss a beat, so this is speaking from the heart, from a servant’s heart, and speaking the truth, and speaking about a country that she loves so much.”

On Gov. Palin’s Endorsement Success Record

On Gov. Palin’s endorsements, Scholla said, until Steelman, “she was batting 1000. She lost only one. She still has Zoller out there. She has major victories with Cruz, Hatch, Mourdock, and Fischer.” Gov. Palin “endorsed [Sandy] Adams. You don’t need title to make a difference and she’s proven it.” Scholla said her endorsements are “very much affecting what’s going on. They will force Romney to govern from the right. But, it also shows how the party is so dysfunctional.”

As this story goes to press, Gov. Palin has an 85.71% endorsement success rate on the 2012 candidates she has endorsed in which an election has been held (Ed. Note: though Scott Walker was not officially listed as an endorsement, I am counting him as an endorsement, since Gov. Palin numerous times supported him and stumped for him during the failed recall attempt. She re-stated her support hin while endorsing Lt. Gov. Kleefisch. I consider her actions more than sufficient to count as an endorsement, even absent the words, “I endorse”). Her 2010 success rate was 67% overall, which was still far better than just about any politician on either side of the aisle.

Scholla referenced a Florida seat in in a Democratic Party stronghold that no Republican is willing to touch. Two Democrats are vying for the seat in a bitter identity politics-based campaign. “Gov. Palin and a few others like Allen West have a steel spine, but this stuff knocks out good people from running,” Scholla said. Returning to endorsements, he said, Gov. Palin “does not endorse based on who is a perceived conservative or Tea Partier. She will endorse incumbents who are doing a good job. “It’s about character, integrity, trust and following the Constitution.”

On Romney-Ryan

Scholla said he “likes the Ryan pick” in general, but “loves the pick compared to short list that was being considered. It was one of the best moves Romney camp has made so far.” He expressed concern that McCain people working for Romney could throw Ryan under the bus. Scholla said he “never expected Romney to be nominee.” He took issue with McCain “liking” Obama in 2008, while “Gov. Palin gave the [real] Straight Talk….McCain tanked because the economy tanked,” he said and Obama got the votes from large groups he was able to successfully rally around him.

The difference this time is that Ryan as a Vice Presidential candidate is trying to get us out of an existing mess. Gov. Palin was hit with the mess at the least opportune time, yet performed far above the call of duty.

Scholla said the “visceral hate toward Gov. Palin is rooted in her being a woman.” Though Gov. Palin advocated for Allen West to be Romney’s running mate, “we have to unite behind ticket. Ryan can handle himself too,” Scholla said.

He expressed hope that unlike McCain, Romney will counter-punch on Obama’s attacks. “Romney should not be doing what McCain did.” Scholla said there should be “no Obama is over his head” playbook. “Obama is intelligent, and knows what he is doing. He is moving the country to the left.

Scholla also noted that the Democrats unite wholeheartedly even after bitter primaries. Republicans in contrast are lukewarm in their unity and these divisions end up costing them elections.

Stacy Drake spoke to this in Scott Conroy: Palin’s Absence From Convention may Expose Rift. Drake wrote:

“Just remember, don’t lose sight of what Governor Palin is focused on. It’s really what we should all be focused on. Staying angry about this isn’t going to help this country one bit. We have better things to do with our energy.”

Bristol Palin

Scholla expressed his absolute support of Bristol Palin and her show Life’s a Tripp. He decried the hypocrisy and double standards applied by those who rail against Bristol, but think “it’s cute” when celebrities who hold leftist views do the same things she has – or far worse. He thanked Bristol for posting his interview with Todd Palin about Stars Earn Strips on Bristol’s Blog.

Scholla’s Background

Scholla is a sports and news anchor, as well as an announcer for professional and college sports teams. The Palin Update on SarahNET Radio is one of at least two online shows he hosts. Scholla works “Batman hours.” The Palin Update started when the Palinista community thought Gov. Palin would run for President. The show was conceived to provide factual coverage on her and counter the lies spread by the mainstream media. After she decided not to run, Scholla knew Gov. Palin had a bright political future and the show continued without interruption. The show airs each weekend with a new interview, news, and Palin family updates. “We follow the whole beat.” The Palin Update is promoted on YouTube, US for Palin, Facebook, Twitter, and SarahNET Radio, among numerous other venues where it is syndicated, such as the American Grizzlies United / Organize4Palin State System (AGU). Scholla is the AGU’s Pennsylvania State Coordinator. Conservatives4Palin also features selected shows.

Hard-hitting Palinista, Mr. L said about the Republican Party establishment’s mentality as the primaries were concluding, “‘we have to do party unity. We have to have conservatives and Republicans coming together. It’s all got to work. We have to beat Obama.’ … and this is how you think the strategy is to be? To play a stupid game with a stupid, antiquated convention? You can’t give this woman the respect she deserves?”

Offered Two Speaking Slots in ’08 Before VP Pick. Now?

He continued, “she was offered two slots in 2008 before she was even picked as VP. In those emails, you see it. And now, they are playing this game with thinking about not inviting her, and then the snub – maybe she will get invited and we’ll have to sit and take it when they give her a crappy spot in the speaker’s list, ‘and we’re going to trickle out all these names, just to get you to bust.’ And all these names that they’re tricking out are all these identity groups….it’s the same thing as what the Democrats do. The identity politics, instead of what Reagan fought for, which was to empower the individual.”

Mr. L believes that if Gov. Palin is given a lesser spot, she should decline. I originally shared this opinion, but retracted it. I now think Gov. Palin would turn that lemon into lemonade for the good of the country. As a C4P commenter (moniker: wpmwindsong) pointed out in a conversation with me about this, “She has always said that it is not about any one person. It is about saving America. That is why she is a treasure. It’s not about her.” The commenter also pointed out that “prime time is not about the time, but about the person.” Simply spoken, any time for Gov. Palin will be turned into prime time. I agree, but I do share Mr. L’s anger over how Gov. Palin has been treated.

Onus for Party Unity on Romney and RNC

The RNC and the Romney campaign still have made no effort to reach out to the conservative base, Tea Partiers, and Palinistas to bring about this party unity. The onus is on the RNC and the Romney campaign to bring about the needed unity.

Gov. Palin has gone far beyond the call of duty in this regard on her end. On June 19, she said she’d vote for Romney in a heartbeat over Obama. On August 1, Gov. Palin said she has ‘No hatchet to bury’ with Mitt Romney. Following is her complete quote from that interview:

Well, I know, speaking personally, there is no hatchet to bury or no olive branch that needs to be extended between Mitt Romney and myself. We have a good relationship, and I have a great respect for him and I’m so thankful that the GOP has a strong candidate who understands the private sector and what it takes to get the economy roaring again – that he will be our candidate. So, I can’t speak though for their strategy and who it is that they will choose to be participants in the convention.

In the foregoing, Gov. Palin expresses her respect for Romney – whose operatives have a history of trying to politically destroy her for these past four years – and acknowledged that he is the nominee. She put this past behind her for the good of the country. Further, the Palinista community took great pains in the latter weeks of June and the early weeks of July to to root out irrational people who continue to push for a “miracle in Tampa,” traffic in “stealth campaign” conspiracies, spam websites with their slogans, and utterly refuse to get on board with Gov. Palin’s mission as she has chosen to execute it. Gov. Palin and the Palinista community have answered the call for party unity in the main and we’re certainly not going to vote for Obama.

Palinistas Not Alone in Feeling Alienated

And, it’s not just Palinistas who feel alienated. From NewsMAX’s Social Conservatives Demand Prime-Time Slot At GOP Convention:

“I think social conservatives are puzzled as to Romney’s effort, or lack thereof, toward intensifying the turnout of social conservatives,” former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell told Newsmax on Tuesday.

“It’s not as if social conservatives are not economic conservatives,” he added. “So if you think you can marginalize social conservatives and not impact economic conservatives, you’re foolish. Among a growing number of conservatives, their conservatism is indivisible.”

…

“Much of the social-conservative angst could be assuaged in a single stroke, if former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the gold standard when it comes to rousing the party’s grass-roots base, were given a prominent role.”

Whether the Romney campaign and the RNC will listen remains to be seen.

Voting for Romney? Or Against Obama

Mr. L spoke about his dealings with some Romney supporters and how they said that if he didn’t support Romney, he was “supporting Obama.” This line of attack does not surprise me in the least, because “Anybody But Obama” (ABO) is the underpinning of most of Romney’s support base. In A Sign of Things to Come?, I cited a National Journal article which stated that over 60% of Romney’s supporters are behind him not because they’re voting for him, but because they are voting against Obama.

Can Romney Really Afford to Disregard GOP Base?

Rasmussen Reports – which polls likely voters and is considered highly reliable – has a daily Presidential Tracking Poll. Today, Romney and Obama are in a dead heat with both men at 45%. Obama was leading by 1% yesterday. Yes, Romney out-raises Obama by a significant margin, but money alone is not going to help him defeat Obama. His polling numbers should be better than this.

Romney has to to close the sale with more voters; again the Romney campaign is responsible to bring about that unity. Mr. L noted that he receives a very high volume of campaign literature and phone calls from the Romney campaign soliciting donations. I can vouch for the volume, which averages at least one communique daily, not counting emails, which alone sometimes average up to three or more daily. The Romney campaign would get a lot more mileage by reaching out to conservatives of all stripes. Giving Gov. Palin the respect she deserves would be a good place to start unification.

The current course of taking conservatives – Palinista or otherwise – for granted is not a winning strategy, especially when Romney’s poll numbers should show him in a decisive lead and instead show him in a dead heat some days and behind Obama on others. Romney needs all the votes he can get. He is not in a position to alienate large constituencies – especially in the swing states.

Mr. L’s Synopsis

Following is Mr. L’s synopsis on his broadcast:

Mitt Romney & RNC have still not invited Sarah Palin to the Republican National Convention. Did you know that before she became a VP candidate, she was set to speak at TWO time slots at the 2008 convention? It’s in Palin’s emails. Now these bums in the GOPe and Romney campaign play their little game being hesitant about offering her one prime speaking slot. Frankly, a Romney GOPe diss against Sarah Palin is a diss against all grass roots conservatives and tea party patriots. They continue to do this at their own peril. Why I will NEVER defend Romney on ANYTHING ever again. Dealing with moronic Romney supporters online.

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.”