
The Massachusetts Senate election is right around the corner, and many of the GOPs 2012 presidential hopefuls have weighed in on behalf of Republican candidate Scott Brown. Tim Pawlenty is pushing for him. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's got his back, too. All of which is causing Democrats to ask, Where's Sarah Palin?
"She's one of the more vocal personalities representing the right wing of their party, and it's interesting that she's nowhere to be found in this race," said one top Democratic strategist--a view echoed by several operatives.
"Palin for America's enthusiastic endorsement of Scott Brown this weekend got us wondering - where on earth is Sarah Palin herself?" asked DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan in a statement to TPMDC.
Clearly, her supporters are anxious for her to weigh in. And, never one to be shy with an endorsement, Palin has -- in the last year alone - endorsed and in many cases offered financial support to a laundry list of far-right Republican leaders including Michele Bachmann, Rob Portman, Doug Hoffman, Marsha Blackburn, Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie. In fact, we're hard pressed to come up with a national party figure who's been more active in endorsing Republican candidates over the past year than Sarah Palin.""Will Sarah Palin join Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney and other national Republicans in their support for Scott Brown? Or, has the pit bull lost her bark?
It isn't exactly a mystery why Democrats would want to see Palin speak up for Brown. Massachusetts is an overwhelmingly liberal state, but Democratic apathy, and a lethargic campaign have at least one poll showing Brown ahead of Democratic candidate Martha Coakley. What better way to rouse sleeping voters than by injecting one of the most polarizing figures in politics into the race. Which is why it seems likely that Republicans aren't exactly itching for her to get involved.
Republicans close to the race say it is is unlikely Sarah Palin would make a stop in Massachusetts because her appeal is to a different region and to Republicans more focused on social issues. They believe the race will be won and lost on spending issues. GOP sources said there had been "no talk" of Palin coming to the Bay State.
Additional reporting by Christina Bellantoni.
The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
January 11, 2010 11:46 AM
There's that liberal media filter thing there again in action. Sarah Palin is pretending to be running for President of Real America of which Massachusetts is not a part. It wouldn't be proper for her to be campaignin' for candidates running for foreign offices in other countries, even if it is colder there than it is back in Wasilla. Besides, who would want to buy her book up there, ya know?
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GayIthacan
January 11, 2010 11:54 AM
Not to quibble or anything - but doesn't Palin's absence HELP the GOp candidate - by his opponents NOT being able to pin Palin on him?
He can then rightly claim, 'Look - I;m not a radical. The Teabaggers and Palin don;t even support me!"
I'm afraid there is method behind this 'madness' - and Palin and the GOP know precisely how to handle this situation.
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Pete Bilderback
January 11, 2010 12:02 PM in reply to GayIthacan
Yes, that's why Dems are trying to "bait" her into making an endorsement, so that they get their own electorate fired up and show up to vote for Coakley.
Actually, it's something of a win/win for Democrats. The truth is Republican voters in MA are not that different from Republican voters anywhere else, there are just less of them in MA. So if Dems point out the Palin has refused to endorse Brown, it has the potential to decrease Republican excitement about his candidacy. On the other hand, if she does endorse him, Dems can tag him as Palin's chosen candidate and get Dems fired up to vote.
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GayIthacan
January 11, 2010 12:06 PM in reply to Pete Bilderback
"So if Dems point out the Palin has refused to endorse Brown, it has the potential to decrease Republican excitement about his candidacy."
But that's my point. REPUBLICANs are going to vote for him no matter what.
It is the INDEPENDENTS they have to capture - and having Palin NOT endorse him is a POSITIVE for the guy - there being no 'wingnut' link to hit him with.
The REPUBLICAN base is already 100% behind him. They need no encouragement.
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Steaming Pile
January 11, 2010 12:38 PM in reply to GayIthacan
Actually, specials are base elections. The GOPers at least claim to be able to get their base fired up over the possibility of killing HCR at the very, very last minute after the Democrats have been working on it for a whole year. If this were, say, North Carolina, I'd be worried, but it's Massachusetts. If the Republicans win there, we have bigger problems than just the HCR bill getting stomped.
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Pete Bilderback
January 11, 2010 12:52 PM in reply to GayIthacan
Independents don't vote in large numbers in special elections. For both sides winning a special election is about motivating the base. Right now the Republican base is extremely motivated by the promise of killing HCR, which is the only reason some polls show this being a race at all, because there are a LOT more Democratic voters in MA than Republican voters. It's only a question of whose voters show up on election day.
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Sailormarlowe
January 11, 2010 11:59 AM
Sarah is probably content to let Massachusetts stew in its own fetid juices. It is also possible she doesn't know enough about Mr. Brown to comment on his candicacy. Sarah Palin is above and beyond the petty squabbling of the useless, corrupt two-party system.
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cube3u
January 11, 2010 12:05 PM in reply to Sailormarlowe
she doesn't know enough....spot on. The rest is nonsense.
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jeffgee
January 11, 2010 12:46 PM in reply to Sailormarlowe
Unlike the petty personal squabbles she has with anyone who doesn't treat her like the queen she thinks she is.
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Schmed
January 11, 2010 12:57 PM in reply to Sailormarlowe
Sarah Palin is above and beyond the petty squabbling of the useless, corrupt two-party system.
Bullshit. Palin backs Hoffman in NY-23
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Sailormarlowe
January 11, 2010 12:01 PM
"candidacy", that is.
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Barry Champlain
January 11, 2010 12:01 PM
As in, "the Confederacy". And there you go. Amazing how the media never really illuminates that the Risen South (and all that implies, vis-a-vis institutional racism, et.al.) is Sarah's constituency. It's as if there were some sort of gentleman's agreement not to mention this.
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Signalman
January 11, 2010 12:21 PM in reply to Barry Champlain
Respectfully, I don't think that's the case. The GOP in the Deep South (where I have lived almost all my life) is very much an old-boys' club, ladies need not apply. Look around the states of the former Confederacy and see how many female elected representatives you can find. Next, see how many (if any) ladies are actually in leadership positions in the GOP in any of those states. Having grown up down here and having had a parent involved in more than one election campaign, I've seen how this works. The only thing white Suthun boys like less than a black man getting involved in politics is when a woman tries to do it, too.
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Sailormarlowe
January 11, 2010 12:49 PM in reply to Barry Champlain
Sarah Palin was born & raised in the far Northwest. How does she represent the "Confederacy"? What "risen South"? Typical misogynist, sexist lefty rhetoric to attack a strong, liberated, beautiful woman. Palin/Bachmann, 2012. By the way, Michele is from Minnesota, where they sip mint juleps and spit tobacco juice over the porch rail.
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Barry Champlain
January 11, 2010 1:07 PM in reply to Sailormarlowe
Well, dude, the answer to that is: "Every damned thing Sarah has ever said publicly", okay?
For a better education on how this plays to that New Confederacy, see ex-NCSteve's comment, above, on the exact same entity, which he calls by Sarah's own name for it: "Real America".
I will assume you know nothing about the "dog whistle", either? Right.
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WaitWut?
January 11, 2010 5:42 PM in reply to Sailormarlowe
Palin was born in Idaho. Bachmann was born in Iowa. Neither is qualified to compete in a horse race, much less a presidential race.
But, you know that already.
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sunnysteve
January 11, 2010 12:23 PM
Sarah talks for money. And only for money.
See past news articles about her speaking fee for appearing in Iowa. Articles today about her speaking fee ($100,000) at the tea baggers' convention being planned in Tennessee.
The girl is getting rich. She's following Rush Limbaugh.
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Cervantes
January 11, 2010 12:23 PM
And vice versa, I assure you -- if only she would oblige.
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PeninsulaMatt
January 11, 2010 12:43 PM
Clearly God has not told her to get involved in the MA Senate race.
He knows that she would hurt the GOP candidate with independents.
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krisd
January 11, 2010 2:32 PM
While Sarah Palin hasn't officially endorsed Scott Brown, if you look at the bios of the Brown Brigade online, they clearly identify themselves as "Palin Supporters" and even sport pink or blue "P's" for Palin on their twitter icons as they "tweet for Brown" http://twibbon.com/join/Support-Sarah-Palin. There are also groups like http://www.palinforamerica.com. So, one could say Palin is here in spirit even if she won't come to visit.
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Michael A
January 11, 2010 2:44 PM
She was too busy negotiating her fox entertainment deal. Check this out:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/11/palin-fox-news-contributo_n_418809.html
Gee, what a shock.
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Tanjaoui
January 11, 2010 6:11 PM
A lot of Republicans in MA are Weld style Republicans: fiscal hawks with libertarian social leanings (Romney subsequently did a 180 when he went national and - disastrously - tried to paint himself as a socially conservative candidate). Sarah Palin is a little too down on the farm (or, lately, office park) for them.
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Richard L. Adlof
January 11, 2010 6:23 PM
If she wants to maintain her PERFECT record for failure . . . She needs to jump on this this NOW!
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David Jack Smith
January 13, 2010 5:36 AM
Not getting enough of the magnificent Sarah Palin?
JOIN the Democrat 'All-Palin, All-The-Time' party.
WATCH MSNBC - The 'All-Palin, All-The-Time' cable news channel
READ HUFFINGTON POST -- The 'All-Palin, All-The-Time' blog written by leftycrazies4Palin
Further inane questions posed by the so-called Democrat A Team handlers parachuted in from 35,000 feet to help Martha (maybe about the croak) Coakley... as enabled by Democrat Talking Points Memo
Is Ted Kennedy Sending Messages From Beyond the Grave To Help or Hinder Coakley?
Is Martha Coakley avoiding the Florida Sen race?
Is There Life On Mars and What's Martha Coakley Doing To Find Out?
Answer the questions Ms Coakley. Answer the questions.
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