Sarah Palin’s Convention Speech Dooms Tea Party as Inclusive Reform Movement
Posted: Saturday, February 06, 2010
by Mogama
http://www.mogama.info
In the early part of her Tea Party Convention speech in Nashville, Gov. Sarah Palin said "The soul of this movement is the people." She called on Tea Partiers to "put your faith in ideas", not in a king or queen, or "any charismatic guy with a teleprompter." She doesn't want the Tea Party to be defined by one leader, yet it appeared Mrs. Palin wouldn't mind taking the reins of the movement.
The national security section of her speech was packed loaded with typical conservative fear mongering shrouded in cowboy tough talk. Concerning America's "war on terror", she said, "We are in a war, and we need a Commander-in-Chief, not a professor of law standing at the lectern." In a manner similar to President G.W. Bush, she added, we need a foreign policy that distinguishes America's friends from our enemies.
On the economic front she called continued deficit spending by the federal government "generational theft", meaning we're stealing opportunities from our children. While blasting Mr. Obama, the governor suggested lowering taxes for small businesses so they can produce more and hire more people. She did not mention that President Obama has been saying exactly that since his State of the Union address.
Speaking of smaller government, Gov. Palin said, "We need to get government out of the way." Mrs. Palin may not be aware that such a statement scares most minorities throughout these United States, and we vote too.
Palin let the cat out of the bag that she wishes the Tea Party to become the second coming of the McCain-Palin presidential campaign. Yet she cast the movement as inclusive of Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
While touting the inclusivity of the Tea Party movement, Gov. Palin paid teary tribute to President Ronald Reagan, assuming that Tea Party Nation would have backed Reagan policies.
Gov. Palin's speech reveals the true nature and composition of the Tea Party: die-hard Republicans; aggravated, embittered, and resentful antagonists of President Barack Obama, though there may be anecdotal renegade Democrats and independents splattered here and there. The speech reveals that she and her likes deeply despise President Barack Obama.
Gov. Palin went out of way to be as combative, mocking and partisan throughout her campaign-style speech. The really strange thing about the Tea Party is that its spokespersons pretend to be anything other than a political action committed (PAC) of the extreme right of the Republican Party. By inviting Palin with a Republican red meat rhetoric, the Tea Party has officially dimmed the lights on attracting true independent voters, or they have begun to drive away moderates. Paying Gov. Palin $100,000 to give an extremely partisan attack speech is hardly the way to widen the Tea Party tent. It does one sure thing, though: doom the prospects of the Tea Party as a group of revolutionary reformers made up of activists across the political spectrum.
Besides Palin's extremely partisan's speech, sights of skinhead-like images betray not a few tea partiers as hateful extremists scrambling for a new political mud hole. The speech was followed by Q & A with the speaker. The guy relaying the written questions said, "The two words that scare liberals are President Palin." Then the guy asked if Palin would run for president in 2012, to which the audience chanted, "Run, Palin, run"
To which I say, "If she was not qualified to be vice president in 2008, what has now qualified her to become president in 2012? Becoming the standard bearer of the Tea Party?"
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Thanks for writing this Mogama. I'm fascinated by the Tea Party movement, but I was only able to catch a few minutes of the speech. Still, it left me feeling like I must be a Liberal, because I really did find her speech scary.I find your views on her statement, "We need to get government out of the way." very interesting as well. When I hear this rhetoric I often wonder what minorities are thinking, if they hear what I hear. I would love to read more of your views of government "getting out of the way" and how this is viewed by minorities.
Leaving race out of it, this statement makes me think about how the recession we're in was caused largely by government getting out of the way of the banking industry (see Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act for details.) I guess it makes for great sound bites, but how many people actually understand what's being said?I hope I'll find the words to express in an article how minorities usually perceive a call for government to get out of the way. Thanks, Bruce, for your comment. ~mogama~
Mogama, although I do agree with her on many issues such as smaller government, lower taxes, and more restrictions on abortion, this woman continues to scare me, especially with the "cowboy talk." She's proved herself to be nothing but an ultra-partisan demagogue, much like Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity.Don't be deceived. People of her ilk claim their tough talk is only targeting terrorists, but believe you me, they have utter contempt for Miranda rights, Habeus Corpus, the Fifth Amendment, and other rights that we hold dear. They would suspend or abolish them for all the rest of us if they could.If Palin does manage to win the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 (which I think are odds are 70-30 against), she will get crushed in the general election, even by an unpopular Obama. That would be disaster of epic proportions for the Republican Party. For their sake, I hope she sticks with the Tea Party. Despite what she may think, Sarah Palin is no Ronald Reagan.Like you, Terry, I share many of Gov. Palin's and conservatives' moral positions, but it takes more than strong moral values for one to lead a giant nation like the United States. And my fellow Americans who see Mrs. Palin as our next president may not be taking America seriously enough. ~mogama~Bingo, on all counts. It's not her Conservative stance that is worrisome, but her braggadocio very much resembles what we hear from the likes of Venezuela President Hugo Chavez.
Why do 'minorities' have to rely on the government? Why is a big intrusive government on "in their way " too? You sound like a Marxist.My latest article answers your question about why minorities rely on the government. Now Jack, I'm sure you know that WE ALL rely on the government in one way or another. Thanks, Jack, for your comment. ~mogama~I hope you got my email- I over reacted with my comment. Sorry. thanks for writing.There was no need for you to apologize. We need differing thoughts and opinions here. A different voice challenges me to rethink some of my own thoughts. In fact, your question triggered a new article that I will post tomorrow. Thanks, Jack, for the courage to voice what you think. I count it a privilege that you took time to read my writing. ~mogama~I appreciate that you were so quick to recognize how ridiculous your assertions are in this comment. For the benefit of the others who don't get it, one of the primary roles of the Federal Government, as stated in the Constitution, is to protect the rights of the citizens. There is a much greater danger of minorities having their rights trampled than for the rest, but we all rely on this.
As for the Marxist remark, I think that speaks for itself.Hi, Vince. It's not the first I've been described as Marxist or Socialist. I can take the heat that comes with making one's thoughts public via writing. ~mogama~
It's nothing short of scary to think that she might get into power. 'I can see Russia from my house'...Whaaa???Don't worry, Richard. Gov. Palin is a talented woman indeed, and charismatic too, but she's not becoming president of the USA in this lifetime, unless I have no clue of contemporary American politics. ~mogama~
Hi Mogama,I think the biggest weakness I see in Ms. Palin is her inability to "hear" herself from someone else's point of view. She loves the sound bite, but seems tone deaf to why she would scare anyone. She seems to believe that everyone understands her except the extreme liberal.I grew up in rural areas and now live in the suburbs of Houston... her "real America" statements could not be further from the truth. Even when I was a blind-eyed conservative, I wanted out of "real America" as soon as possible. When she says government needs to "get out of the way", I think of little towns that are controlled by a few people and if you get on their bad side you will have not justice or protection. The town policeman is married to the judge's sister who is a cousin to the mayor who is fishing buddies with the editor of the only newspaper. People who like those kinds of statements have never lived on the wrong side of that kind of system.Her statement that Scott Brown was "just a guy with a truck" is laughable considering that the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent at least $500K to his race, an amount matched by the RNC. They sent him dozens of NRSC staffers as well. I'm not saying that makes Scott Brown a bad guy, I'm just saying that he's no Maverick. He is deeply indebted to the Republican party as any politician out there.Hi there, Jean. Your comment sheds much light on the subject, especially your line about the powerfully connected in just one town of "real America". So Scott Brown was not exactly this independent Tea Party guy that tramped the political establishment? Wow... Thanks for posting your comment. ~mogama~The first time I saw that info was in the Houston Chronicle. Texas Senator John Cornyn was bragging about the stealth way they funneled money into the Mass election without the Dems knowing, so I did a little research... it's true.I must admit this info empties my initial excitement about Scott Brown, because I thought his election was proof that truly independent candidates can still win state elections, and hopefully national elections, in America. There goes my hope bubble. Again, thanks, Jean for sharing the outcome of your research here. ~mogama~
Hello Mogama,This whole issue of a movement seems like a facade ? Doesn't it ?Well, from what we're learning about those bankrolling the Tea Party, your word "facade" might be a very accurate description of the movement, especially the version we witnessed in Nashville, Tennessee, where Gov. Palin gave her big speech the other night. Thanks, Ravi, for commenting. ~mogama~
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