On 11-07-10, ROSS SAUER said to TIM RICHARDSON:   
      
      
   TR> Depends on what `district' he was senator for........   
      
      
   RS>Yeah, use a juvenile playground reject "debate tactic" of bringing up a   
   RS>mistake on my part from *YEARS* ago, in your usual desperation to divert   
   RS>from the actual issue.   
      
      
   AWwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Did I hit a sore spot, Otto? And that ain't "form *YEARS*   
   ago"......its not that far in the recent past.   
      
      
   RS>BTW, DeMinted ..........   
      
      
   Speaking of "a juvenile playground reject "debate tactic"........" in the same   
   post you accuse someone else of using such, you resort to it yourself!   
      
   Physician....heal thyself!   
      
      
   By the way.....while you're suckin' your toes, here's something to go into a   
   rage over:   
      
      
   Palin Loyalty Tough to Beat in a GOP Primary Race - Armstrong Williams -   
   Townhall Conservative   
      
      
   Editor's note: This column was originally published under the wrong byline --   
   the correct author is Armstrong Williams.   
      
      
   Sarah Palin continues to be a polarizing figure after her days as McCain's   
   presidential running mate. Irrespective, a popularized Palin has resonated   
   within the hearts of many Americans across the nation. Palin has rocked and   
   shocked the national political climate for the upcoming 2012 presidential   
   elections. She has resurrected GOP candidates to victory, raised a ton of   
   money,and continues to be a potent political force that is both feared and   
   admired.   
      
      
   Some in the GOP establishment has recently tried to marginalize her and   
   suggest she's the reason they didn't capture the Senate in the recent midterm   
   elections.   
      
      
   However, most with any common sense and understanding of how she continues to   
   impact the political landscape finds this utterly ridiculous.   
      
      
   Two years ago Sarah Palin was a divisive figure capable of scaring away even   
   those on the fringe of voting for the McCain-Palin duet. She had botched   
   big-stage interviews and fell victim to public scandals. McCain and his staff   
   eventually turned on her. Irrespective, somehow a popularized Palin continues   
   to connect with many Americans and has become their symbol of a possible new   
   renaissance across the Heartland.   
      
      
   She is nothing short of a ball of fire that has creatively rallied groups,   
   such as her Grizzly Moms, to stand up for conservative principles and be   
   heard.   
      
      
   More recently, she was able to turn election races around for many   
   conservative candidates in South Carolina and. The possibilities of what she   
   can and has accomplished in American political theatre are endless and   
   downright heart-warming to her devout supporters.   
      
      
   Does anyone now doubt Sarah Palin's increasing star power on the political   
   stage? It's somewhat reminiscent of President Obama's. However, instead of   
   reaching out to the esoteric intellectual left, she is reaching out to   
   Independents/Conservative families with small-town values.   
      
      
   The talk of the town now in Washington, D.C. and across the nation is whether   
   or not she can translate this into a serious presidential contender and the   
   GOP's nominee to face President Obama in 2012. Has her brand been seriously   
   damage by her resignation as Governor and the fact that she has become a well   
   paid brand name as a Fox News contributor and highly sought after speaker who   
   reportedly has been paid ten million dollars over the past year.   
      
      
   Let's take a look at the larger field of potential Republican candidates and   
   her prospects for the 2012 GOP show down.   
      
      
   I have no desire to go into details about each of the already-crowded field of   
   prospective Republican presidential candidates now. Even though its early,   
   it's quickly becoming obvious who the contenders will be. At this point in   
   mid-November, we know a few things: Mitt Romney is definitely running. So are   
   Mike Huckabee and Tim Pawlenty. Sen. John Thune and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels   
   are quietly pondering the idea, but as the decision date draws close, you can   
   bet they'll be in the GOP mix. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour should run,   
   if only so we can hear his popular witticisms.   
      
      
   There will be others, of course, but the one person every pundit is asking   
   about is Sarah Palin. Will she take the plunge in the wake of a successful   
   season for her brand of Tea Party politics or will she continue to make moose   
   gobs of money on the speaker circuit?   
      
      
   If the Republican primary process even remotely reflected how party members   
   felt about her, Palin would not finish near the top if votes were cast today.   
      
   A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 67% of Americans say Sarah   
   Palin is not qualified to be president. No surprise there. Yet when   
   Republicans were asked the same question, fewer than half (47%) said she was   
   indeed qualified, while 46% said she was not. Those are fairly interesting   
   numbers, particularly among party followers.   
      
      
   A quick glance at the GOP nomination process, however, coupled with the   
   presumed crowded field, and one can easily see how Palin not only captures the   
   nomination, but wins it fairly easily.   
      
      
   Think of it as the Palin Loyalty Factor (PLF). If there are 7-9 GOP candidates   
   headed into Iowa and New Hampshire, several will draw from the same base of   
   voters, splitting an already small segment of voters who would look beyond   
   Palin's charisma and appeal for something of more substance. Yet Palin's   
   voter corps would, through thick and thin, still register in the 15%-20%   
   range, a percentage that, while small in nominal terms, would easily form a   
   plurality of Republican voters and send her over the top.   
      
      
   The PLF would be hard to undermine, as well, because the intensity of her   
   voters is remarkably strong. I’ll be interested to see how Gov. Palin   
   conducts herself in the months to come, challenging the President’s agenda   
   while holding Republicans' feet to the fire of her conservative principles.   
      
   Many will attempt to glean glimpses into how Palin would run a presidential   
   bid based on how she moves through 2011. We know one thing: Palin has a lot to   
   prove to voters to win their support in a general matchup against Obama.   
      
      
   Love her or despise her folks, Mama Grizzly is a force that you must come to   
   grips with now and in 2012.   
      
      
   Armstrong Williams   
      
      
   Armstrong Williams is a widely-syndicated columnist, CEO of the Graham   
   Williams Group, and hosts the Armstrong Williams Show. He is the author of   
   Beyond Blame.   
      
      
      
      
      
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