The end of Sarah Palin is here

[Silver Pines]

The end of Sarah Palin is here


By Chris Cillizza
January 26, 2017



Remember how former Alaska governor Sarah Palin was going to use her political celebrity to build an army of like-minded politicians via her political action committee?

Yeah, not so much.

Michael Beckel of the Center for Public Integrity flagged for me this news: Palin has officially shut down Sarah PAC as of the end of 2016. Kaput. Donezo.

But, that's not even the real story. Again, via Beckel: In the 2016 election cycle, Palin's Sarah PAC spent $830,000 on consultants and just $82,500 in donations to other candidates — a.k.a its ostensible purpose. Not only that but Sarah PAC spent $168,000 on travel and lodging expenses during the 2016 election — double what it donated to candidates, which is its ostensible … well you get the idea.

This was not an isolated incident. In the 2010 election cycle — when Sarah PAC was functioning on all cylinders — it raised $5.6 million and spent $4.3 million. Just $509,000 of that total — less than 12 percent of total expenditures — went to either candidates or political/party committees.

What the closure of Palin's PAC — and the remarkably small amount of spending on actual candidates for office — makes clear is that a) her time as a national leader for Republicans is over and b) Palin's prime interest was never really anything other than promoting her own political brand.


Read more at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/26/heres-definitive-proof-sarah-palin-didnt-care-about-much-in-politics-other-than-sarah-palin/?utm_term=.08e61082a4a7

[geronl]

She became a parody of a parody of a parody

[skeeter]

She became a parody of a parody of a parody

if given a choice between listening to a Palin rally and sticking a awl in their ear needlepoint would become the national pasttime

[chae]

I really liked her, and then I read her book, and the more she talked the less I liked her.  Her word salad Trump endorsement and  blaming Obama because her son beat up his girlfriend while drunk sealed the deal for me.

[corbe]

   She was great in her day
   in a Cassius Clay sorta way
   but time caught up to her
   and now she must defer
   To being the whacked out broad she always were.

[Rivergirl]

Every single word she spoke was a donation to DT.

[Norm Lenhart]

Speaking as one of her biggest defenders in the past, she lost my support when turning on conservatism and backstabbing Ted Cruz. I wasn't thrilled with her Romney approval and her continued backing of McCain was Strike two.

Word salad or not, the things she supported once were bedrock conservative ideals. Why she turned on them isn't an issue. Just the fact she turned on them. I regret the time and effort I wasted.

[endicom]

Probably true but I'd expect Cillizza to overstate things. Is this really unusual behavior for PACs?

[DiogenesLamp]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/26/heres-definitive-proof-sarah-palin-didnt-care-about-much-in-politics-other-than-sarah-palin/?utm_term=.08e61082a4a7[/url]

Oh goody!  People on our side sending the left wing Washington post more hits on their website so as to put more money in their pockets!   


Also helping them to spread the meme that conservative politicians are greedy lying corrupt sacks of sh*t is also very useful to our movement.   



This is how we WIN people!  Keep up the good work!   

[Norm Lenhart]

Probably true but I'd expect Cillizza to overstate things. Is this really unusual behavior for PACs?

Not really. They all spend more than they distribute. PACs are a business like any other.

[geronl]

Word salad or not, the things she supported once were bedrock conservative ideals. Why she turned on them isn't an issue. Just the fact she turned on them. I regret the time and effort I wasted.

 

[ABX]

I really liked her, and then I read her book, and the more she talked the less I liked her.  Her word salad Trump endorsement and  blaming Obama because her son beat up his girlfriend while drunk sealed the deal for me.

Her early story is great and something we can learn from. But then she let it go to her head and became the pop culture parody of herself. If she was the same person that took on the school board, took on the corrupt city council, and took on cronyism in the State government, she would still be someone to look up to. She traded making a difference for making a noise.  She went from fighting cronyism to campaigning for it.

[Silver Pines]

   She was great in her day
   in a Cassius Clay sorta way
   but time caught up to her
   and now she must defer
   To being the whacked out broad she always were.

@corbe

Lol

[libertybele]

Speaking as one of her biggest defenders in the past, she lost my support when turning on conservatism and backstabbing Ted Cruz. I wasn't thrilled with her Romney approval and her continued backing of McCain was Strike two.

Word salad or not, the things she supported once were bedrock conservative ideals. Why she turned on them isn't an issue. Just the fact she turned on them. I regret the time and effort I wasted.

   I've lost a lot of respect for Palin.  To me she is a has-been and will never be anymore than that.

[Cripplecreek]

She wasn't nearly as successful as her fans seemed to believe.

Of the candidates she endorsed I suspect a 25% success rate is probably a pretty optimistic estimate.

[Silver Pines]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/26/heres-definitive-proof-sarah-palin-didnt-care-about-much-in-politics-other-than-sarah-palin/?utm_term=.08e61082a4a7[/url]



Oh goody!  People on our side sending the left wing Washington post more hits on their website so as to put more money in their pockets!   


Also helping them to spread the meme that conservative politicians are greedy lying corrupt sacks of sh*t is also very useful to our movement.   



This is how we WIN people!  Keep up the good work!

@DiogenesLamp, can you chill with the drama?

I told you on another thread, I'm done with simple-minded thinking that tells me I have to live in a bubble and only read from certain "approved" sources.  If you want to see what that produces, go visit another site we're familiar with. 

If you don't believe the figures Cillizza gave, you're free to research and refute them.  If you can do that, I'll happily delete this post. 

I don't consider Palin to be on my side.  I think she's a self-promoting grifter and a rough-edged broad who probably will be better off staying in Alaska where she can be nearby the next time a family brawl breaks out.

[Just_Victor]

Remember how former Alaska governor Sarah Palin was going to use her political celebrity to build an army of like-minded politicians via her political action committee?

I don't know, but maybe once one of your army of likeminded politicians captures the presidency, it's time to retire anyway.

 

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Speaking as one of her biggest defenders in the past, she lost my support when turning on conservatism and backstabbing Ted Cruz. I wasn't thrilled with her Romney approval and her continued backing of McCain was Strike two.

Word salad or not, the things she supported once were bedrock conservative ideals. Why she turned on them isn't an issue. Just the fact she turned on them. I regret the time and effort I wasted.

Same here. I thought she was a cowgirl turns out she was just white trash going for whoever was paying the bills; so to speak.

[endicom]

Not really. They all spend more than they distribute. PACs are a business like any other.

"Michael, campaigning is bigger than US Steel."

[Cripplecreek]

I told you on another thread, I'm done with simple-minded thinking that tells me I have to live in a bubble and only read from certain "approved" sources.  If you want to see what that produces, go visit another site we're familiar with. 

Self appointed "minders" like the ones Saddam Hussein used to have to lead the media around to report the stories he wanted appointed.

[ABX]

Self appointed "minders" like the ones Saddam Hussein used to have to lead the media around to report the stories he wanted appointed.

The ignore button is a nice thing. I do notice however, as they scold others for using what they say are liberal sources, they themselves, selectively choose other liberal sources to post from. Some people don't want to discuss the issue, they want to just try to control things.

[Silver Pines]

Self appointed "minders" like the ones Saddam Hussein used to have to lead the media around to report the stories he wanted appointed.

I would suggest they mind themselves and enjoy the bliss inside the bubble.

[geronl]

Self appointed "minders" like the ones Saddam Hussein used to have to lead the media around to report the stories he wanted appointed.

GBR doesn't need a Zampolit

[txradioguy]

Oh goody!  People on our side sending the left wing Washington post more hits on their website so as to put more money in their pockets!   


Also helping them to spread the meme that conservative politicians are greedy lying corrupt sacks of sh*t is also very useful to our movement.   



This is how we WIN people!  Keep up the good work!

What's factually wrong with the stories?  was the spending to donation ratio wrong?  Too much money listed as being brought in?  Not enough?

Did you read the story?  Or are you going to be just like the Libs and dismiss the article out of hand without reading the whole thing?

[Cyber Liberty]

I used to "Like" her on Book face, but her constant cozying up to McStain against the conservatives in the AZ Party tore it for me.   The Party has had its ups and downs over the years, but they finally got it together at a State Convention and censured McStain for one of his many suck-ups to Obama, and she bitched and bitched about the terrible Party.

Bye-bye Sarah.  You could have been a contender.

[Cyber Liberty]

GBR doesn't need a Zampolit

That's why you can see stuff posted from so many different kinds of sources.

[Norm Lenhart]

"Michael, campaigning is bigger than US Steel."

Campaigning and consulting are the path to riches in the modern age. Neither requires any actual need to back up the hype, just to keep saying what people want to hear.

I never really understood the logic of hiring a professional consultant/consulting firm. If I want something done, I'm going to ask someone that actually knows what they are doing, not a PR dept that worked for my opponent last cycle. I'd find that a pretty hard situation to trust.

How is a guy that did his best to torpedo you/your side of the aisle gonna be relied on? He isn't gonna dish out the goods on your opponent due to NDAs so what good is he? And as most of these guys are mercs by design, there is a strong likelihood that they personally or their people/contacts/network DID work for the opposition.

[Cyber Liberty]

The ignore button is a nice thing. I do notice however, as they scold others for using what they say are liberal sources, they themselves, selectively choose other liberal sources to post from. Some people don't want to discuss the issue, they want to just try to control things.

Meanwhile we have posters who say TBR is a terrible place, with information locked down tighter than the old USSR.  Just read up and down this thread.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

The moment it happened for me:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syAb_7Qt1TE

[ABX]

I used to "Like" her on Book face, but her constant cozying up to McStain against the conservatives in the AZ Party tore it for me.   The Party has had its ups and downs over the years, but they finally got it together at a State Convention and censured McStain for one of his many suck-ups to Obama, and she bitched and bitched about the terrible Party.

Bye-bye Sarah.  You could have been a contender.

She (her page) also started posting a ton of half-truth, clickbait, buzzfeed type articles. I dropped a lot of pages for formerly good people like Alan West because they all seemed to have sold out to clickbait companies. I am not sure anyone that has anything to do with the person they claim to represent on those pages actually are involved in them. I would not be surprised if some company like Buzzfeed now owns most of those pages and just targets the articles to the audience. I know a couple of local community pages I run started getting offers to buy them as soon as I reached a few thousand followers.

[TomSea]

I would never begrudge her per McCain, former running mates, the Veep especially, do not criticize the top of the ticket.

I read some other pieces by the author whom seems reasonable but just because he says it, doesn't mean it is so.  He probably is a liberal.

America is a country that forgives and a country of 2nd, 3rd and 4th chances.

She got off to a bad start and the media certainly didn't overlook that.

[TomSea]

McCain is the only reason we know about her.

That's it's own topic.

[Silver Pines]

I would never begrudge her per McCain, former running mates, the Veep especially, do not criticize the top of the ticket.

I read some other pieces by the author whom seems reasonable but just because he says it, doesn't mean it is so.  He probably is a liberal.

America is a country that forgives and a country of 2nd, 3rd and 4th chances.

She got off to a bad start and the media certainly didn't overlook that.

@TomSea

Again, if you would like to do some research and disprove Cillizza's figures, I'll delete the original post, or ask the Mods to do it.

[Norm Lenhart]

I would never begrudge her per McCain, former running mates, the Veep especially, do not criticize the top of the ticket.

I read some other pieces by the author whom seems reasonable but just because he says it, doesn't mean it is so.  He probably is a liberal.

America is a country that forgives and a country of 2nd, 3rd and 4th chances.

She got off to a bad start and the media certainly didn't overlook that.

Only when people do something to earn those 2nd third and fourth chances.

McCain was 'owed' one mulligan in the name of decency (and IMO not even that), not eternal fealty 'no matter what' he did.

[Cyber Liberty]

I would never begrudge her per McCain, former running mates, the Veep especially, do not criticize the top of the ticket.

I can appreciate that.  I live in AZ, and I too allowed her a lot of leeway because if McStain hadn't have chosen her for Veep, nobody but I would have heard of her.  But when she started attacking the people in the State Party, she was attacking my friends and that was enough.

[Cyber Liberty]

Only when people do something to earn those 2nd third and fourth chances.

McCain was 'owed' one mulligan in the name of decency (and IMO not even that), not eternal fealty 'no matter what' he did.

 

[Norm Lenhart]

McCain is the only reason we know about her.

That's it's own topic.

Not me. I knew about her long before from her battles up in Alaska.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Exhibit A of when someone's 15 minutes stretches into 8 years....

[DiogenesLamp]

If you don't believe the figures Cillizza gave, you're free to research and refute them.  If you can do that, I'll happily delete this post. 

I don't give a crap if a writer from the Washington Post  has achieved a quantum score of infinity in accurateness,   it is foolish to bash or help others bash people identified with your own side,  and it is foolish to help put money in the pockets of people who hate you and want to destroy you.   


To help you grasp the essential point here,  I will cite Winston Churchill. 


"If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons."


If that doesn't get the point across,  how about Reagan? 


Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.


Spreading leftist talking points is detrimental to the cause,  even if they happen to be true.   Helping to put money in leftest pockets by linking to them as sources of news,  is also bad tactics. 

[Cyber Liberty]

McCain is the only reason we know about her.

That's it's own topic.

Who's this "we" of whom you speak?  Do you have a mouse in your pocket?  You certainly aren't speaking for me, I knew of her well before the 2008 campaign, and I live in AZ.  I guess I'm a bit of a junkie about this stuff.

[TomSea]

@TomSea

Again, if you would like to do some research and disprove Cillizza's figures, I'll delete the original post, or ask the Mods to do it.

How defensive, the article than about some figures.

@CatherineofAragon

If one singles out my post while others don't discuss "the figures", I think that is unfair treatment.

[Frank Cannon]

You folks are too harsh. She may be down and out politically and a dunce, but she is still hot. That's all I care about.

[TomSea]

As usual, I guess I'm taking Ted Cruz's actual position, not criticizing Palin, which he went on record of doing before.

As usual, the Cruz cult don't follow what he said but stone others who don't see things like they do.

[Norm Lenhart]

.  I guess I'm a bit of a junkie about this stuff.

No, just informed beyond the typical MSM-level politics of the average 'conservative'. Which makes you a rare individual, unfortunately.

[DiogenesLamp]

The ignore button is a nice thing. I do notice however, as they scold others for using what they say are liberal sources, they themselves, selectively choose other liberal sources to post from. Some people don't want to discuss the issue, they want to just try to control things.

Well since I am the one that brought up the subject,  perhaps you are referring to me?   


I dare say you will search long and hard and futilely before you find an example of myself citing the Washington Post or the New York times on a political matter. 


I do not use Fascist Book.  I avoid Google like the plague.  I don't twit.   I'm not a member of the Apple Cult.  I don't Amazon.  I don't see left wing movies.  I don't starbuck,   and I don't knowingly give any money or prestige to Liberal oriented companies.   


I urge others to do the same.   If you don't realize you are in a war,  you will inevitably lose. 


I'm not trying to control anyone,  I am merely pointing out what seem to me to be good practices for waging a political conflict with the left. 


People can chose to follow them or not,   just like they can be grown up enough to deal with criticism when they hear it.   
 

[Norm Lenhart]

As usual, I guess I'm taking Ted Cruz's actual position, not criticizing Palin, which he went on record of doing before.

As usual, the Cruz cult don't follow what he said but stone others who don't see things like they do.

The Ted Cruz you used to mock multiple times a thread and post neverending memes against?

Dunno who you think you're fooling but it isn't many of the people here. You punched your ticket on Ted Cruz a LONG time ago.

[Silver Pines]

@DiogenesLamp

I don't give a crap if a writer from the Washington Post  has achieved a quantum score of infinity in accurateness,   it is foolish to bash or help others bash people identified with your own side,  and it is foolish to help put money in the pockets of people who hate you and want to destroy you.   

Pretty sure you read me the first time when I said she isn't on "my side." 

So am I to take it that you aren't going to do any research of your own to try and refute those figures? 

Got it.

To help you grasp the essential point here,  I will cite Winston Churchill. 

I consider you a hysteric, lacking in reason, and susceptible to the worst aspects of clannish party politics...not qualified to instruct a kindergartner.

Grasp that.

[Vulcan]

[Oceander]

GBR doesn't need a Zampolit

Then it's a good thing it doesn't have any. 

[Silver Pines]

@TomSea

How defensive, the article than about some figures.

What?

If one singles out my post while others don't discuss "the figures", I think that is unfair treatment.

It's "unfair" for me to "single out" your post by responding to it?  And offering to remove my original post if you can disprove the figures?

Okay then.

Another person who won't try and refute them.