Why Sarah Inspires Me

Thanks to a thoughtful friend, I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Sarah and her husband Todd last evening, after she gave an incredible keynote speech at this year's CPAC. 

I've attended several events to hear Sarah speak, but am always very cautious not to appear like some sort of fangirl, so I tend to stay out of the way and watch from afar while others rush her for that perfect photo op. This was not that kind of setting, and I fought back tears as I simply tried to say thank you, smile and move along so that others could have the same opportunity. 

I've often said I'd love the chance to just sit and visit with Sarah. I know we'd have much in common, and much to discuss. She's one in a million, but what makes her that 'one in a million' isn't that she's got gifts the rest of us don't have. Quite the contrary. The thing that makes Sarah special is that she is the one that's bold enough to say and do what others refuse to do. This is exactly what inspired me in 2008 when I first heard of the little known Governor of Alaska who was about to rock the world. Or, at least my world. 

I've often shared bits of my own story here, but as I stood there tonight trying to explain to my friend why this meeting she arranged was so special to me, I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude. I began to shy away from blogging exclusively about Sarah not long after the 2008 election because I began to see some who followed her politics behave more like groupies than citizen journalists. While this may or may not have been the case, I felt like she had been so mistreated by the media that I was somehow adding to that by continuing to put her under such a microscope, so I backed off and began writing for Smart Girl Politics and pursuing other activities where I felt I could be more useful. In no way did I think she was less effective, I honestly personally felt like I should just leave her alone for a while. And so I did. 

Hearing her tonight reminded me why I was so moved by Sarah's story in the first place. Hers isn't so different than many across this nation, she's the wife of a wonderful hard working hubby, she's got five lovely children, she's a Christian, she loves the outdoors, she isn't afraid of guns, she saw a need in her community...the difference between Sarah and the rest of us is that once she saw that need, she stepped up and did something about it. The rest is history. 

I wonder if she has any idea what an impact she's had on both men and women across this nation? 

I began to hear Rush Limbaugh talk about Sarah just before Senator McCain announced that she would be joining the McCain ticket for President. I remember flipping channels the day he was supposed to make his announcement, and by that time, word was pretty much gospel that she would be joining the ticket. To say that the mainstream media lost their minds is a gross understatement. They went absolutely nuts. I remember yelling at the television, and beginning to do google searches on some of the crazy stuff they were spewing. It took almost no effort whatsoever for me to discover that, as I suspected, it was all lies. I kept telling the hubby that I had to do something. Anything. He suggested I do the thing I love to do most - write. And so I did. 

I began blogging sometimes multiple times daily, depending on the news of the day. I decided that even if I only reached three people with the truth about Sarah, and conservatism, that was okay. I asked God to bless my efforts, I gave the blog a name and I started writing. Only a few weeks would pass before the local newspaper discovered my blog...only a few more weeks before a cable news network picked it up, and I got to experience a taste of what hate mail and harassment is all about. I always wondered what it must be like for her if a mommy blogger like me received such treatment. 

The loss in 2008 was devastating, and the loss four years later was no less devastating. The battle we continue to wage is no less important...in fact, it may be more important today than it has ever been. I believe it was Ben Carson who challenged the CPAC audience yesterday by saying that no, there isn't a George Washington or an Abraham Lincoln in America today...but there is you. And me. 

What Sarah taught me more than five years ago is that I, too, can make a difference. My voice may never reach the national stage like hers did, but I can make an enormous difference in my own community, in my own circle of influence. When I started, I knew virtually nothing about politics, and here I am today having researched and learned, blogged about politics for years, worked as a political consultant, editor and new media director,  all the while influencing my 15-year-old photography-loving daughter to do the same. 

Thank you hardly seems like enough to say to Sarah. Those two words hold more meaning than I could express in a mere minute or two meeting...but I sincerely hope that, by inspiring others, I can pay forward all that she's done for me. In many ways, I feel like Sarah - by being her bold, bad self - gave me my wings and taught me how to fly. That may sound a bit corny - ok, it sounds a lot corny, but few women in my life aside from my sweet mother have had the impact on my life that Sarah has. I am feeling incredibly grateful and deeply humbled tonight. 

God is good. 

Now, let's get to work taking this country back, shall we? 

Sarah Palin Keynote Speaker At CPAC

Sarah was invited back to CPAC this year as the Keynote speaker, and I honestly believe she gave one of the best speeches she's ever given. Please be sure to watch and share!

Sarah Palin thanks Canadian Prime Minister for his support of Israel

Sarah Palin, in a Facebook message to followers Tuesday, extended her gratitude to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his country’s “exemplary support of our friend Israel”. 

“As significant and dangerous progress is made by Iran no doubt wanting nukes, and with the continued threats against Israel by radicals in the region, Canada’s steadfastness is praiseworthy.”

Her remarks follow a visit to Jerusalem by Prime Minister Harper and his wife Laureen on Sunday, during which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him a “great friend of Israel”.

“He has strongly opposed attempts to delegitimize the State of Israel,” continued Netanyahu, “and has taken a praiseworthy moral stand against these attempts.”

According to a CBN news report, Canadian Prime Minister Harper has consistently “supported Israel in every military operation” since he took office in 2006.

Palin continued her Facebook message by encouraging followers to hold the mainstream media accountable when they get distracted by the likes of a Seattle Seahawk Cornerback gone mad on national television.”…its priorities in coverage perhaps distract from REAL issues that actually affect your life. Hold government accountable. Let’s do our own homework in order to know how the actions of leaders worldwide impact America. And thank you, friends to (my) East! It’s wise and prudent for Canada and America to stand together against evil that would seek to destroy Israel.”

Image courtesy of Facebook.

Article originally published at Community Digital News, where I am a columnist. 

Dan Savage – The liberal bullying of Sarah Palin

Remember Dan Savage, the openly gay anti-bullying advocate who lit into high school students at a national high school journalism conference with a profanity laced, anti-Christian rant in the spring of 2012?

Remember when he called the one hundred or so students who walked out on him during that rant “pansy-a**es”, and then that very next week was chosen by the Obama White House to head their anti-bullying campaign?

Thanks to a Newsbusters article last week, we learned that the very same Dan Savage recently wrote a review on Sarah Palin’s latest release “Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas.” Except, he didn’t actually read the book – not the entire thing, anyway. His reason? Well, I’m sure there were many, but the primary one he cites over and over is that Sarah Palin didn’t actually write the entire book. How he would know this, I’m not entirely sure.

Within a few sentences, the anti-bullying advocate immediately began trashing Mr. and Mrs. Heath, Sarah’s parents. It will come as no surprise that profanity and whining ensued, calling Sarah the “mother of all rightwing trolls.” Savage’s fear of weapons quickly became evident as he complained about Sarah’s gift of a “nice, needed, powerful gun” for Todd, even rolling out the Newtown shooting as an example to complete his anti-gun rant. Because we all know Sarah was single-handedly responsible for that horrific event. 

Continue reading...

Sarah Palin to President Obama: ‘no more playing the race card’

Former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin wished Facebook followers a happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, including in her remarks one of King’s most notable quotes.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Palin added a message for the President.

“Mr. President, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and all who commit to ending any racial divide, no more playing the race card.”

Her advice follows the release of a 17,000 word profile of the President, written by  New Yorker magazine‘s editor-in-chief David Remnick, in which the author discusses why President Obama seems to be losing ground with some of his white voters – particularly older white voters.

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Sarah Palin’s “Amazing America” coming this spring to the Sportsman’s Channel

The Sportsman Channel will soon have a grizzly on the team – a mama grizzly, that is. The channel announced early last month that the former Governor of Alaska, and 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate will join the team in April as host of the weekly original series “Amazing America”.

Dubbed the “First Lady of the Outdoors” by Gavin Harvey, CEO of Sportsman Channel, Governor Palin will take viewers on a “coast-to-coast” journey through “Red, Wild and Blue America” showcasing “some of the most original, interesting – and sometimes inspiring – people, places, and pastimes connected to America’s outdoor lifestyle”.

Given her love for the outdoors, the passion she and her husband Todd share for hunting and fishing, and the fact that she’s spent much time traveling all over the United States in recent years, I can’t think of a better host to attract viewers to the all-American outdoor channel.

It seems Sarah is particularly hopeful the show will motivate young ladies to step outdoors. “I’m especially encouraged to have opportunities to empower young women to get outdoors, be self-sufficient, and work extremely hard so they can live life vibrantly,” Sarah told her Facebook followers earlier this week. “See, I’m convinced the world will be a better place,” she continued, “when we have more girls holding fish in pictures and fewer holding selfie cameras in front of the bathroom mirror.”

Continue reading...

We Want Sarah To Speak At The Convention!

My friend John Hawkins over at Right Wing News published a blog post today that is most definitely worth reading and participating in.

As you may have heard, Sarah Palin isn't being given a speaking slot at the Republican National convention. Not only is Sarah Palin the single most prominent woman in the Republican party, a strong advocate of the Tea Party, and an electrifying speaker, she was the also VP candidate in 2008 and was one of the biggest impact players for the Republican Party during the 2010 elections. Not only does Sarah Palin deserve an opportunity to speak, she would be a tremendous asset at the convention. Read the rest here.

 ...And please consider signing the petition. Thanks so much!

Ann Romney's Right to Choose...Isn't All That Important

It seems, rather than the most recent DNC talking points about Republicans waging a war on women, that instead the Obama regime has chosen to wage an all out war on mama grizzlies. And that is not cool.

Liberals, given the opportunity, tend to be the gift that keeps on giving. Hilary Rosen, an advisor to the always lovely DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, proved yesterday that she is no exception when she claimed that Ann Romney--stay at home mother of five boys and sixteen grand babies--has "never worked a day in her life". This ignited a firestorm and, as Michelle Malkin pointed out on Twitter, Rosen managed to do something the GOP couldn't do: unite the right behind Romney.

Most, on both sides of the aisle, rushed to the nearest microphone and denounced what Rosen proclaimed. However, it seems that new "tone" the President called for only really applies to...well...Republicans. The tone coming from the left on this issue? On twitter, it's repulsive. Twitchy has done an excellent job of compiling just a few of those nuggets of toned down rhetoric from the left. Check it out. (language alert)

Now, I don't know about you, but this whole controversy makes my blood boil. And, while the left is calling this outrage "trumped up" and "phony",  I can assure you with a great deal of certainty, it's not. And it's not going away.  Salon's Joan Walsh, in an interview yesterday on MSNBC, claimed that only rich women stay at home with their children. Apparently Joan doesn't get out much.

I'm a middle class mother who, until two years ago, stayed at home with our children. When they were old enough to go to school, my husband and I chose for me to go to work part time so that I could supplement our income and pay for them to attend a private school. Every penny I make goes right to the school bill. I never see a dime of it. In doing our taxes this year, we discovered that we are, in fact, spending about triple what I make on gas expenses, and in taxes, therefore making my being away from the home front so much a complete waste of time in terms of earnings. THIS I can thank the Obama administration for.

When our children were born, I worked a lucrative, full time job. The decision for me to stay home with our children wasn't a hard one, it simply meant sacrifices would be made. Did we feel others were wrong for making a different choice? No, it's a very personal choice, and frankly, it's not one every woman can handle. For us, the decision was made that I would be the one to stay home and provide care for our children rather than sending them off to daycare to spend most of the day being cared for by someone else. I've worked a lot of jobs in my lifetime, including waitressing, and janitorial work...nothing was as difficult as being a stay at home mother. The job never ends, there is never a vacation or a day off. But, it was also the most rewarding job I've ever had...because it wasn't a "job" at all. You see, I don't see caring for my family as "work", just like I didn't see having children as a burden. They are a joy, and a gift to be treasured. I count myself very blessed, having been given the great honor of spending time at home raising our babies while my husband was hard at work, providing for our family.

Mitt and Ann Romney are very blessed. They have worked hard for all of their lives to have the income that has afforded them the nicer things in life. That's the beauty of America. Not only did Romney stay at home and raise five boys, she also survived breast cancer, and suffers with MS. I'm sure it wasn't easy, and because of her limitations, she very well may have had someone to do the cleaning for her. Who cares? Just because you or I don't have the wealth that the Romney's enjoy, does that make them any less deserving? Does Mrs. Romney having someone to do the cleaning suddenly make her an unfit stay-at-home mom? I know several people with five boys, and I can assure you that every waking moment was probably spent keeping up with the boys while barely having enough time to even take a shower! I, for one, admire her for it.

Look, the thing we're arguing about here really boils down to freedom. Why is it that liberals always feel the need to criticize those who CHOOSE family over career? If the right to choose is so important, then why isn't my right to choose included? It's my body, and my life, after all. Shouldn't I get to choose life, and my version of a "career"?

It's food for thought, my friends. They're inching away at our freedoms, and doing all they can to make what used to be an honorable "profession" in America, one just for the nut cases. Ladies, it is time to awaken that sleeping giant within you and begin to fight for those babies you've worked so hard to take care of. Because one day, your freedom to stay at home and raise them yourself may be stripped away...and you may find that you, and millions more just like you, could have simply taken your babies with you to the voting booth and cast a vote that would have made a significant difference.

Think about it.