I begin with a scheduling fact; for the first time in four years, the First Lady of the TEA party movement has decided to attend and speak at the Feb. 9-12 CPAC [Conservative Political Action Conference]. She will be the keynote speaker on the final day of that Republican conclave. I find the timing most revealing.
Many of us who have diligently followed this woman beginning with the days of McCain, believe that she has, indeed, taken herself out of the running for a presidential GOP nomination. Assuming the truth of that consideration, why has our First Lady decided to attend and accept this keynote assignment? I believe we have the answer embedded in her several public comments, none more comprehensive than her most recent Facebook addendum.
We all know that the woman can inspire. A return trip to her acceptance speech of 2008 establishes that fact. We, as a party (TEA/GOP) need a course correction. We need to be reminded of the need for unity under the banner of conservative Constitutional values.
I actually look for this speech to be one of the most significant of Palin's political career and one of the most critical to the developing primary campaign. There is no doubt that her coming CPAC speech will be substantive and critically important. Will it inspire? Will it bring us together in the midst of a potentially divisive primary season?
If she is working on this keynote address, now (and, of course she is), this Facebook article just might be its forerunner. I encourage you to read the entire Facebook message. From top to bottom, it frames the totality of the current debate without, I think, adding to the divisive nature of the selective process. At a time when Jeb Bush and his father are being used by the White House in an Obama effort to frame himself as an uniter, Sarah is busy doing what she can to keep the party together and on track. Salute to the First Lady !!
From Palin's Facebook, we have this revealing excerpt:
. . . . . . . . . this whole thing isn’t really about Newt Gingrich vs. Mitt Romney. It is about the GOP establishment vs. the Tea Party grassroots and independent Americans who are sick of the politics of personal destruction used now by both parties’ operatives with a complicit media egging it on. In fact, the establishment has been just as dismissive of Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. Newt is an imperfect vessel for Tea Party support, but in South Carolina the Tea Party chose to get behind him instead of the old guard’s choice. In response, the GOP establishment voices denounced South Carolinian voters with the same vitriol we usually see from the left when they spew hatred at everyday Americans “bitterly clinging” to their faith and their Second Amendment rights.
The Tea Party was once again told to sit down and shut up and listen to the “wisdom” of their betters. We were reminded of the litany of Tea Party endorsed candidates in 2010 who didn’t win. Well, here’s a little newsflash to the establishment: without the Tea Party there would have been no historic 2010 victory at all.
I spoke up before the South Carolina primary to urge voters there to keep this primary going because I have great concern about the GOP establishment trying to anoint a candidate without the blessing of the grassroots and all the needed energy and resources we as commonsense constitutional conservatives could bring to the general election in order to defeat President Obama. Now, I respect Governor Romney and his success. But there are serious concerns about his record and whether as a politician he consistently applied conservative principles and how this impacts the agenda moving forward. The questions need answers now. That is why this primary should not be rushed to an end. We need to vet this. Pundits in the Beltway are gleefully proclaiming that this primary race is over after Florida, despite 46 states still not having chimed in. Well, perhaps it’s possible that it will come to a speedy end in just four days; but with these questions left unanswered, it will not have come to a satisfactory conclusion. Without this necessary vetting process, the unanswered question of Governor Romney’s conservative bona fides and the unanswered and false attacks on Newt Gingrich will hang in the air to demoralize many in the electorate. The Tea Party grassroots will certainly feel disenfranchised and disenchanted with the perceived orchestrated outcome from self-proclaimed movers and shakers trying to sew this all up. And, trust me, during the general election, Governor Romney’s statements and record in the private sector will be relentlessly parsed over by the opposition in excruciating detail to frighten off swing voters. This is why we need a fair primary that is not prematurely cut short by the GOP establishment using Alinsky tactics to kneecap Governor Romney’s chief rival.