Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Report: Palin To Go To Korea For Major Foreign Policy Address

Josh Painter at Texans for Palin has this scoop-with the usual wait for official confirmation advice. If this report is correct (and the link fleshes it out) this is a major foreign policy invite for Palin which recognizes her standing in the world.

To be invited to such a prestigious forum as key note speaker puts, once again, to rest the lie that Palin is somehow "irrelevant" even more so if by October when the event is scheduled she is an official candidate for president of the United States.

AFP: Gov. Palin to visit South Korea

Will meet with South Korean presidential candidates and major politicians
*
If an AFP report is correct, Sarah Palin will visit South Korea for the first time to speak at a Seoul forum in October, the organizers said Thursday:

Maeil Business Newspaper said the former vice presidential candidate would make a keynote opening speech at the forum organized by the paper from October 11 to 13.

Palin will speak about the US economic crisis, policies to tackle fiscal woes and her country's role in the world at a time when its superpower status is diminishing, the paper said in a news report.

"She also plans to meet with South Korea's next presidential contenders and major politicians during the forum," it said without elaborating

Also speaking at the forum will be Former British prime minister Gordon Brown and Larry Summers, ex-director of US President Barack Obama's National Economic Council, the paper said.

- JP

Political World On Fire.What Will Palin Say In Iowa/N.Hampshire Sat-Monday?

For someone who has been written of by the media countless times Sarah Palin is sure creating a fire storm of speculation. It is amazing how someone considered "irrelevant" and "yesterday's person" can have media descending on a Tea Party meeting in Iowa which Palin will attend this Saturday, with CSPAN televising her address this Saturday.

Now, with the confirmed announcement that Palin will attend a Tea part event in New Hampshire (which Romney will also address) the media and bloggers have burst into a frenzy of speculation. Hot Air commentators, Perry and Palin supporters particularly, have exploded, in a plethora of comments, with the usual personal attacks as they defend their favorite.

More partisan Palin sites like Texans for Palin give insider detail, and the irrepressibly pro-Palin site Conservatives4Palin has hundreds of comments from chewing their nails Palin supporters, who have been busily working out car pooling details on getting to the Iowa event from all over the USA.

The main stream media e.g. ABC News The Washington Post and high profile blog sites like Politico, Real Clear Politics etc. have been covering the upcoming events in detail and the pace of this will only increase as the countdown commences. "Only three more days" trumpets a Conservatives4Palin headline.

There is of course good reason for all this fervor. The 2012 campaign can't really commence in a settled candidate mode until Palin makes her decision whether to run, and if she does not run whom she will endorse. There are tactical considerations also, as the Washington Post article presents, e.g. if she gets in will Romney benefit if she takes support from Perry?

Will a Palin candidacy collapse the religious conservative support for Bachman/Cain/Santorum as I speculated and if that support goes to Palin, does that put her in the lead or close to it?

Since Palin will not have the vetting period that all other candidates get, which explains their rise after they announce and, like Bachmann their steady subsequent decline, will her "post announcement bump" prove to be a permanent solid base?

There is also a lot of pundit career enhancing or destroying riding on Palin's announcement which she indicated will come in September, so the Labor Day scenario is not necessarily the end game-yet.

I have compiled a list,with links to their statements so there is no denying them, of 78 pundits who stated that Palin will run and 56 famous pundits who said Palin won't run. I look forward to presenting both lists, with the appropriate "eating crow" symbol anytime from September 3rd to September 30th.

Having not spared myself in the list of prognosticators, there will be one more person thus added to the list of pundits, fans, enemies, candidates, "Trig isn't Palin's child" fantasists, "I told you so" smart alecks from either side, satirists, late night talk show hosts.

This disparate crowd, who are variously, anxiously, nail chewingly, dreadingly, and a whole gamut of other emotions, happily, waiting on the phenomenon that is Sarah Palin. Well, as C4P breathlessly stated "only 3 days to go."

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Palin To Fly To New Hampshire After Iowa Speech Addressing Tea Party.-Confirmed

UPDATE; CNN CONFIRMS WITH FURTHER DETAILS AT THIS LINK

AT THIS LINK

It would seem highly improbable that Palin would go to all this trouble if she were not running. Here is the latest from The Iowa Republican

Happy 23rd Anniversary To Todd and Sarah Palin! A Photo Celebration

This grand photo essay was put together by Fay at the Sarah Palin Information Blog which is an outstanding site for all things Palin.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Obama Should Follow LBJ/W.T. Sherman When He Makes His Job's Presentation

Based on his record so far, and his statement that unemployment would fall below 9% and that he would be a one term president if he didn't get the unemployment rate down President Obama could indeed best serve the country with his forthcoming job growth proposals.

He could do this by following President Lyndon Johnson's action when he too was down in the polls by saying;

"I will not seek, nor will I accept my partys' nomination for president in 2012."

Or, he could make it more emphatic by echoing William T. Sherman's statement when he was proposed as a presidential candidate;

"If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve."

Either, or better yet, both of these statements would be the best thing president Obama could do for unemployment, aftert all adding one to the umemployemnt total i.e. him is neither here nor there. Such an announcement would cause a huge leap in the share market as confidence would immediately be restored to samll business owner and large industry alike and the economic healing process would get underway.

Steve Forbes Says "Palin Will Run" In Outstanding Economic Analysis Interview With BBC

Former presidential candidate and multi-millionaire publisher Steve Forbes stated that "Palin will run" in a wide ranging, challenging interview on the BBC's "Hardtalk".

The host, Stephen Sackur, pressed Forbes hard on his attitude to what needed to be done to rescue and restore the American economy, and Forbes not only gave clear, concise answers, but presented the conservative point of view in sharp reply to pointed questions .

Sackur seemed to be questioning from the state intervention viewpoint, which would be expected from someone coming from an interventionist country. Forbes made the point in reply that such a system has failed, not only in Britain, but in the USA under the Obama administration.

Forbes was clear that not only did the fault lie with the interventionist Fed, but that the Bush administration was at fault as well. The answer for the future was, that as well as his economic prescriptions, and to ensure that politicians did not make the same mistakes over and over again, voters needed to elect responsible members to congress such as those the Tea Party provided support for.

When asked who he would support from amongst the current GOP presidential contenders Forbes said that he had not made up his mind yet. He would do so "over the next few weeks as there may be others who might enter the race". He made the point that Perry is on a learning curve, as his strident statements about Bernanke might suit a local race, but were not so suitable for the wider race he has embarked upon.

When Sackur asked him pointedly if he thought that further contenders might include Sarah Palin "whom you have made supportive comments about in the past" Forbes said that he thought she would enter the race, and he would make his mind up shortly as to whom he would support.

My interpretation is that Forbes would support Palin, a key Tea Party player as, perhaps, someone he would see as being true to Tea Party ideals and policies should she get elected. Further she is battled hardened on the national scene, unlike Perry, and could enter the fray without the learning curve, or for that matter the vetting, he is being subjected to.

The fact that Forbes hasn't settled on a candidate to support and has, it appears to me, indicated he will wait until Palin declares one way or the other, bodes very well for her should she decide to run as his support would be a valuable asset.

The BBC has provided (not in all areas) links to segments of the interview featuring the economic analysis, and also the full interview, at these links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/9570926.stm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/iplayer/?q=steve%20forbes

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Nothing Better On A Sunday Than Abbott & Costello "Niagara Falls"

An immortal piece of comedy from the immortal team. The "Bum" is the same actor who plays "Mr. Fields" the landlord in the television series and his lawyer in this clip.

I first saw "slowly I crept" as a child on our 10 inch Dumont black and white television-found a photo (below) of the Dumont in the family album-state of the art back then, and was hooked forever. It is good to know that some childhood impressions last, validly, forever (now where can I find a Kukla, Fran and Ollie clip?)

For younger folk who can't believe such technology existed in due course the next generation will think the same about the I-pad etc. For me, at the time,as can be seen, the b&w was pure magic!

The Right Must Rise Above Politics Of Attacking The Physical

I've removed "The Astute Bloggers" from the Blogroll. (as well as Red State and Free Republic for other reasons) because of the imagery they choose to use as per the examples below.

Disagreeing with an opponents political/social./moral philosophy in vehement, even polemical terms is one thing but attacking their physical appearance-especially if it is caused by treatment for cancer goes beyond the bounds of decency.

Chavez may be a socialist but he is not Hitler or Stalin neither has he declared war. To wish physical suffering on a political opponent is low. Michelle Obama may be a spendthrift but does not deserve such distortion. These sort of tactics do the right no good, neither do the autocratic, intolerent, egocentric ones of Red State and Free Republic.

If the right is to be seen as having a valid prescription for a renewed America that prescription must include rising above the sort of level where the "progressive" left has camped itself.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Des Moines Register "Palin Could Take Campaign From 0 To 70 in Nothing Flat"

A wide ranging analysis of the potential in Iowa for Sarah Palin, should she announce a run for president, possibly as soon as September 3rd in Iowa, was posted Chief Political Reporter, Jennifer Jacobs for the Iowa newspaper The Des Moines Register.

Jacobs interviewed two dozen ordinary Iowans and a range of political operatives in a balanced article.listing pros and cons of whether Palin should run (which on balance came out in the positive) which included statements such as;

"Strategists here said she’s an attractive candidate for many reasons: big name, big charisma, big self-confidence, instant media access, loyal base, socially conservative, tea party sympathizer — and she strikes fear in the hearts of other Republicans, who don’t want to be attacked by her.

“She is a folk hero,” said longtime Iowa GOP operative Doug Gross. “People are intensely interested in her. She gives voice to a part of the party that feels voiceless — the economically stressed and culturally out of place.” and " “She could win the nomination based on message quality alone.”

The full article is AT THIS LINK

The Female Nude In Art Superior To Page 3 Girls

With the "Page Three Girls" what you see is what you get.There may be an expression of character but it is a character for the camera. The plethora of pulchritude which "The Other McCain" Website refers to most weekends in its aptly named "How to get a million hits on your blog" runs the gamut from cheesecake to Hollywood publicity shots.

Presuming one is of age, and has some experience of what a woman looks, like there is an alternative to viewing the photographic image-not that such viewing is detrimental as it can be fulfilling of course as the female form is one of the beauties of creation.

The female nude, as seen by great artists throughout history, gives an added dimension-or rather dimensions. The great artists presents the form,the inner character, a statement of the values and mores of the society they live in, and of course presents the character of the artist.

Here are a few examples of this inner/outer-model/artist presentation and a link to a huge list of artists with examples of their nudes.
The glorious Tamara de Lempicka (who was the delightful subject of a previous post) is my personal favorite artists for her biography alone. Gay and gently masochistic, always a great combination in imagery

Dali is always fun

The nude in surrealism has its own sub-category.

Nude Art Galleries

Pierre Auguste Renoir

Bookmaker Wm.Hill Changes Palin Nomination Odds From 20-1 To 10-1

August 2011

Palin For President - Odds On US Presidential Race At William Hill

by Renee Israel

Excitement is already building for the US Presidential race, and the Republicans are currently the focus in the build up to the vote on their party's representative for the 2012 US Presidency.
Recently, we've seen some interesting movement at the Gibraltar based British bookmaker, William Hill. Until now, Sarah Palin was an outsider in the race, falling behind in the shadows of Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. Her odds were around 20/1 that she would win the Republican nomination.
However, surprisingly, Palin's odds dropped to 10/1 and she may not be an outsider after all in the weeks leading up to the nomination.
The current favourite to win the Republican nomination is Rick Perry with odds of 11/8, followed by Romney at 2/1. Sarah Palin has not officially entered the race yet, but there is strong speculation that she will, leading to a flurry of bets.
Other odds:
Michele Bachmann - 4/1
Ron Paul - 7/1
Jon Huntsman - 14/1
Rudy Guiliani - 28/1

Who will win the US Presidential Race

Elections for the US Presidency will be held in November next year, and the current favourite to win is Barack Obama at 4/5. This is despite the fact that Obama's approval rate has fallen below 40% and he has the potential of becoming a president that is voted out after only four years in office.

Don't miss...

However, analysts don't see a better alternative in the Republican camp. The Republicans view Barack, according to Barry Reid, political commentator, as the "Prince of Darkness, a cerebral elitist who is selling America down the drain." But they don't seem to be able to offer a better choice.
Michelle Bachman may be a colourful novelty, but her views have the potential to frighten away the leftist bloc and she will not last long.
While Mitt Romney is considered a front runner in the Republican race, "there's no evidence of fire in his belly," according to Reid. He is considered dull, despite his success as the governor of Massachusetts and his all-American picture-perfect looks.
Rick Perry, governor of Texas for over a decade, has more "fire" but has the tendency to put his foot in his mouth too often for his party's liking.
So can Sarah Palin offer a good alternative for the Republicans? Watch the odds at William Hill and other bookmakers.