Fear & Loathing in Washington, DC - Part 1
That pretty accurately describes the mood in the nation’s capital these days - at least among those who harbor, at minimum, a healthy distrust of all things collectivist.
Herewith I present to you, the good citizens of Manly’s Republic, the first of what will likely be several reports on the time I spent in the nation’s capital July 3 and July 4.
I arrived in the city a little after 2 PM, having endured ungodly traffic the last 5 miles (Route 50 which, in the city proper, becomes New York Avenue) of a nearly 220 mile journey.
My room reservations were at the Capital Hilton, located on K Street, two blocks away from both Layafette Square - the park directly in front of the White House - and McPherson Square, from which the March for Liberty was scheduled to commence on the morning of July 4. After unpacking my uniform and setting up my laptop I proceeded to take off the rest of the afternoon.
Dressed in civvies, I walked around the city for several hours - during which time I received a phone call advising me that Sarah Palin had just resigned as Governor of Alaska, a true WTF moment that, apparently, left only me speechless. Within hours, every pundit anxious to establish street creds as the political Nostradamus of this generation held forth with the usual gaseous emanations. Some said she was crazy. Some said she was stupid. Others hinted that the system had finally crushed her.
I was still scratching my head - and scraping my shoe, as I had unwittingly stepped into a steaming pile of befoulment left behind by a Rottweiler the size of a Shetland pony.
My first instinct on the Sarah Palin matter was to have no instinct: this woman is an enigma - since the day she emerged from (literally) nowhere to become the Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2008 election, nothing she has said or done makes it possible to know with any moral certitude how she feels or what she is thinking about anything involving politics.
I know she is conservative - she said so - but what kind of conservative? In many respects George W. Bush was and is “conservative” - just not a Reagan conservative. Does that mean Bush is a RINO? Not really. For example, he is very much Pro-Life while the average RINO is indubitably Pro-Choice.
I’ve given the matter considerable thought over the past two days and especially during today’s drive home and will share my thoughts with you about Sarah Palin later today. At that time, you can forget anything you’ve ever read about her in the past 72 hours, because what I’m about to tell you will be the only thing that makes any sense.
Late in the afternoon I spoke with Patrick Beck, organizer of the March for Liberty, regarding the schedule of events for Independence Day. There appeared to be some confusion regarding the march itself: according to Beck, the Capitol Police were concerned over the number of people marching from McPherson Square to Upper Senate Park - about two miles away and across the street from the Senate side of Congress. Apparently the number of people he expected would be anywhere from twenty to twenty-five thousand. For this reason, Beck made a last minute change to his website advising people to go, instead, straight to Upper Senate Park.
Anticipating that many people would show up at McPherson Square anyway, Beck explained that he would be there around 9 AM and lead the patriots who showed up there on the march to the rallying point in the park. He said that midway he would break from the march and take the Metro to the park so he could kick off the rally.
When I checked the March for Liberty website that evening I was dismayed to see that on the forum many people had all kinds of questions about the logistics of the march and most of the questions went unanswered. Not a good sign, as this indicates poor follow through and spotty communication. That should have been my sign right there and then, but I still held out hope.
After all, this was the belly of the beast and only a few weeks ago the beast passed a bill that, should it ever become law, will certainly destroy the economy of this nation. THAT was something worthy of fear and loathing and ample warrant for crowds in excess of 25,000 people.
How I wish I was right. But I wasn’t.
Coming up in Part 2: the march for Liberty or, how I stopped worrying and learned to love disorganization, poor communication and D.C. cabbies.
“It happens.” –Forrest Gump
Speaking of steaming piles of befoulment…Can I biotch slap Colin Powell? Please?
1st, he endorses the Precedent…
This past week, he worried that the obamanation may be going too far and spending too much…
Today, he says that people shouldn’t hold Sotomayor’s ruling against the white (doesn’t mention the Hispanic plantiff) firefighters in Conn. that was overturned 5-4 by the Supreme Court (9-0 against her for using the wrong standard) against her during the coming confirmation hearings…
He’s worse than a RINO…
Colin Powell should be very grateful to Norman Schwarzkopf for making him look so good in 1991.
I look forward to it.
For what it’s worth, here’s my 0.02 cents worth that I sent in a private email to friends, after I had some time to think about:
And further, the more I think about this, the more this is the only thing that makes sense as the issue, at the HEART of the matter!
For the record: I wrote that to my email friends BEFORE I listened to her resignation speech.
With that in mind then, when I did listen to the speech, I hit the roof, because you will notice how she laid the groundwork for her accomplishments and THE VERY FIRST accomplishment that she mentions as wanting to protect was: dun dun dun dunnn… the pipeline, or AGIA as it’s called!!
Just for the record, there is more substance in her resignation speech than one can comprehend with one viewing of it.
Only later when we completely understand where she is coming from, specifically, what is at the heart of the matter for Sarah Palin, then and only then, will it make complete sense.
But if one listens closely, with AGIA at the heart of the matter, then and only then does it start to become clear, add to that then, Obama’s aggressive policy moves, she simply couldn’t sit STILL up there in Alaska and see the rest of the country go to RUINS!!
Which would explain her clear intent in the speech, to help those in whatever way she can, that support and govern by true Conservative policies.
I also believe, that she sees a wide open door, the size of a barn, to get into media in some fashion, not that she hinted at that (she wouldn’t show her hand at this point), but I just got the feeling that she had received an offer somewhere involving media or a Conservative Think Tank, THAT SHE SIMPLY COULD NOT REFUSE!!
Colin Powell = Peter Principle (aka DWE)
Mad Dog, I’ve thought about the pipeline, and I think that’s part of it. Mary Matelin called her the “Queen of Energy.” She also thinks this is potentially a brilliant, brilliant “strategery.”
I think it is too, but for different reasons. Sarah believes she can positively impact the country, not just Alaska. As you so succinctly stated:
The MSM is actually quite entertaining as they have a collective cow over how unstable she really is. But, not only is she quite, quite rational, she has performed what I believe will go down in history as one of the finest “rope a dope” moments ever.
She’s got every one assuming this is a springboard for a run for the White House in ‘12. Yet I think she could give a flying you-know-what whether or not she gets the nomination. If it happens, great, if it doesn’t, that’s fine too. I really think there is a pretty well-thought out strategy that has a number objectives (energy policy, fiscal policy on and on), but one of the first of these may well be organizing and developing a truly viable brand new CONSERVATIVE PARTY. And she’ll work like a dog for any conservative if they are willling to leave the GOP in the dust and espouse the truly conservative platform of this as-yet named new party.
Think about it, why would she want to work for the Repubs when they have done nothing but throw her under the bus and behave like a bunch of weenies in knuckling under to the dems?
Remember in her presser she said something to the effect that “I don’t need a title like Governor to effect the kind of change that the country needs.”I think she would rather be king-maker than king, so it matters not whether she is the candidate or not.
What about not running for POTUS in 2012 but Senator in 2010. With a hopefully conservative majority, she could run the committee for energy, gain further knowledge, make friends and influence people, then run for POTUS in 2016 (if we still have a republic). It’s one of the ideas running through my feeble mind.
Personally, I think it’s brilliant. Let’s hope a shoe doesn’t drop.
I am not so hot about this third party thing as a viable alternative, for many reasons, but right off the bat, these definitely are critical reasons:
a) Ronald Reagan wouldn’t approve because he didn’t have to, and, instead with a message that rang clear, people voted for the message and not the messenger’s label…..
…just as Jonathan Krohn says:
b) If you thought the media labeled the Conservatives as NUTTY now, then you haven’t seen anything like we would see with Sarah at the head of a new third party specifically for Conservatives!!
We have a hard enough time re-branding the GOP, let alone start an entirely new brand!!
Sarah is shrewd, but not nutty (and there is a huge difference).
I corrected your quote, chewy, to reflect what I am going to tell you next, that I believe truly reflects an issue at the heart of the matter of her resignation………
This has to be whispered quietly, it’s so powerful……..
A Sarah Palin TV show all her own, that will trump any and all shows ever dreamed of…..
Three (3), maybe even four (4) hours long, that is the combination of a conservative “Oprah”; a conservative “Good Morning America”, or a “Today Show”, with elements of programming like: Hannity’s America, Glenn Beck (and others) that will get syndicated both on radio and TV just like Don Imus’s show was, that on the TV side would be bigger than all of the above combined and on radio side, potentially even trumping Rush.
Time will tell, but I believe that she has received just such an offer, including an offer from somebody like Newt Gingerich on his: http://www.americansolutions.com/ project.
This to me would fit her like a custom sized glove, whether or whether not, she ever ran for an elected position, this would be the most powerful voice we ever had, since Reagan, because of her smarts, popularity and charisma.
I personally think she has given this careful thought and is still weighing her options, but that anything and everything is totally open to her.
Unlike Newt, she could leave his organization to run for office if she chose to do so, all the while still benefiting from that same publicity, when running for office.
Sarah honorably stepped down to step up to the national level. Like an eagle soaring the Cuda is free to go on offense.
Like Gondor calling Rohan for help along the Anorien (White Mts.), she calls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6LGJ7evrAg
By the way, she will giving the big speech at a fundraiser in heart of Reagan Country in Simi Valley, CA at the Reagan Library on Aug. 8th.
Obama and Co. are s**ting their pants.
Check out C4P.
Sarah is crossing the Rubicon.
I’m still chewing on it. I heard what Mark Levin said, I heard what Mary Matalin said … I’m anxious to hear from the Colonel.
Particularly listen to Rush’s take on this (you tube audio).
Key points: Sarah can do anything she desires to do, including Radio, TV, policy influence, fund raising, running for office, etc. but she has to do it in the lower 48 and this frees her up to do just that.
Oh, that, and the inside the beltway pundits hate her, which is why they are going nuts over this, saying that she has lost her mind, because he (Rush) is living proof that one can be successful by NOT doing it with a traditional formula.
A very cryptic first installment by the Colonel. I hope this doesn’t mean that the Washington march didn’t go well, but that does seem to be what he is hinting at.
(See, Mad Dog, I can still hope! ;>) )
That did evoke a Sunday afternoon, out loud chuckle from me…
Hope springs eternal….especially if you are an “Amer-i-can”..
Yes I can, yes we can…something Obama obviously never believed, despite TOTUS telling him so….
Geez, louise, I just spent a substantial amount of time and effort responding to Mad Dog’s very thoughtful and reasoned refutation of my earlier comment, and it all just disappeared! LOL. I will try to start over and be less verbose in my response. (Kids came to dinner tonight, so I wasn’t able to respond until now.)
MD: I think you misunderstood my point. I am NOT talking about rebranding the Repubs. That product (brand) is as rotted as week-old fish. Nor am I talking about a 3rd party. Been there, done that, attended the concession speech.
No, I’m talking about a brand new beginning! No, wait, wait before you scoff, think about it. If “Change you can believe in!” (Retch) can be a rallying cry for the ininformed masses, imagine how people of real CONVICTION could get behind our Sarah leading a Phoenix-like movement to bring conservativism back from the ashes.
To me, this is an electrifying thought!
Now, you may be correct that the venue for this is some super-hype media deal, but our Sarah far out-mavericked the one who called himself that. (No disrespect intended for someone who endured what he did at the hands of the VC: I honor his war record and consider him a great hero, I just think he’s a candy-assed RINO is all.)
I don’t see her personality type being able to “Suck it up, when a Fortune 500 company who is a big advertiser for her or her backers does something that she fundamentally disagrees with. No she would want free rein. Remember Rush and the Orange juice debacle a number of years ago? Snapple as well? He made both a boat load of money, but they succumbed to the massive amount of blow back (exaggerated by the left) and dropped him flat.
More recently, GM has played talk radio like a fiddle by signing deals with the likes of Hannity, Limbaugh and Ingraham who are all now hawking their wares. As much as I love them all, you have to know it has tempered what they have said (or not said)about some of the boneheaded moves made both before and since BHO has become their CEO-in-Cheif.
You could be right, but I don’t see the media as the home for Sarah just yet. We’ll see though. I do think it will be interesting, and I sure haven’t had this much fun since the announcement in Ohio last summer!
But thanks for your response.
Thanks chewy, I see that you cleared up the third party idea.
You were talking basically the same thing as I was saying in cleaning up the brand name of the Republican Party.
Sarah Palin is an enigma, as Col. Rash has said, so trying to explain her is futile for the most part.
Kisses MD. Like I said, I think we’re on the same side. Let’s get this movement a’movin!!!.
Since the chaos of Honduras, the recent comments on Kenya via King Skateboard, the whole going around the Senate to negotiate a treaty, the “debate” going on in Iran, the Israeli subs on the move, and Russian finding a new interest in Africa plus their desire to take over OPEC- I too have decided to embrace King Candyland. I am overwhelmed!
Well not really, but here is something to relate to in many ways, while bringing a small smile to our comradesque faces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qtgm5g5Gyo
As silly as Bugs looks in this bit, you have to believe Putin is looking at President Chutes&Ladders as if he resembles Bugs. I can just see him thinking, “you are a maroon!”