"Hello Madison, Wisconsin! Woo. You look good. I feel like I'm at home. This is beautiful." Sarah Palin welcomed a grateful mini-multitude of Tea Partiers braving snow and rain to greet the Mama Grizzly of All Mama Grizzlies at the steps of the State House this afternoon. "These are the frontlines in the battle for the future of our country. This is where the line in the sand has been drawn, and I am proud to stand with you today in solidarity." LOVE that anti-statist Polish trade union reference! Update: Transcript.
Sorry, Iowa and New Hampshire. Sarah Palin just redrew the electoral map in a rousing challenge to President Obama's creeping statist agenda in front of the State House in Madison, Wisconsin this afternoon. We watched and live-tweeted her Tea Party keynote. A few excerpts from our own and others' tweets (hard keeping up! Will link later when a transcript becomes available) to give you the flavor:
Our president isn't leading … the only future that Barack Obama is looking to win is his reelection.
You ignored us in 2010, but you cannot ignore us in 2012. You willfully ignored the will of the American people. You ignored it when you rammed through Obamacare …
Madison, you defended that 2010 electoral mandate. You are heroes. You are patriots.
The 2012 election begins here. We will take the courage and the integrity that you showed all of America.
We will fight for America. And it starts here in Madison, WI. It starts here. It starts now. Mr. President, GAME ON.
"Whaddya think, Jim? She going for it?" Melissa Clouthier twittered James Pethokoukis following the speech. Jimmie P's (that's what Larry Kudlow calls him) reply:
Talked to someone other day who knows Palin. Said he didn't know if she'd run. Sounded like a candidate today … In addition, she may not know yet. Won't run traditional campaign if she does.
"Sarah never does anything in the traditional way!" we protested. The conventional wisdom had it that the President himself had opened campaign season with his tin-eared, confrontational debt-reduction speech Wednesday, but disintermediating the powers that be via her own eclectic mix of media old and new, "shooting to where it's going, not to where it's been," Palin once again caught traditionalists off guard.
A special shout out to Brian of The Right Scoop for providing the timely live feed for all of us insatiable consumers of political fodder.
Update: Forgot to mention the parallel story picked up from twitterbuddy Michael Haz, who was on the scene:
Protestors blowing sirens, drumming, cowbells, whistles to drown out free speech … giving Palin the finger … closing in. Right behind me. Screaming. Ringing bells. I can smell them.
Update II: Story trending on Memeorandum. Update to the update: Top story next day!
Update III: Michelle Malkin Buzzworthy link!
Update IV: Quote of the Day Honorable Mention from Josh Painter at Texas for Sarah Palin.
Update V: Professor Jacobson links in a triumphant "Fight Like A Girl":
But even more than that, Palin took a phrase usually considered an insult and turned it into a compliment.
In one sentence, Palin did more to advance the cause of women in politics than all the Women's Studies Ph.D's in all the universities in this country combined.
Update: Sissy Willis reminds us of the day.
Crossposted at Riehl World View, Cloven Not Crested and Liberty Pundits.
Sarah has the spirt of America as do the Tea Party supporters. Keep the home fires burning while the bonfire of freedom grows.
Posted by: goomp | April 16, 2011 at 05:23 PM
"Sarah Palin just redrew the electoral map"
So a an often mentioned but unofficial gop candidate... remains mentioned and unofficial. How did this change anything exactly? Apparently she gave a speech her supporters quite liked. Good for her but not exactly game changing, if it were Obama would have changed the game every other week for the last two years.
Posted by: Tlaloc | April 16, 2011 at 05:45 PM
AWESOME SPEECH and we have it posted now on Common Cents......
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
Posted by: Steve | April 16, 2011 at 08:17 PM
I'd be shocked if Palin wasn't running for Prez after this speech.
Game on, indeed.
Posted by: KingShamus | April 17, 2011 at 08:08 AM
Sarah Palin just redrew the electoral map
Yes, she did. I think commenter Tialoc missed your point. Palin gave a relevant speech "out-of-turn" regarding the electoral map. This changes things. It shows that leaders like Palin can better measure the pulse of the body politic because of coverage reported and relayed here and elsewhere (Not that Sarah Palin reads or follows Sissy and Althouse--she should though).
Posted by: chickelit | April 17, 2011 at 10:39 AM
"I think commenter Tialoc missed your point. Palin gave a relevant speech 'out-of-turn' regarding the electoral map. This changes things. It shows that leaders like Palin can better measure the pulse of the body politic because of coverage reported and relayed here and elsewhere"
You're conflating "gave a speech I like" with "able to measure the pulse of the body politic." In other words your assuming that if you like something everyone must. Palin's negative favorability strongly suggests that you are not in the mainstream with your view of her.
So again: what exactly changed here? The people who like her still like her. The people who don;t like her still don't like her. She's still not declared a candidacy. What *exactly* changed?
Posted by: Tlaloc | April 17, 2011 at 01:49 PM
What *exactly* changed?
Yes, she still has her supporters and that has not changed.
But now she's taking her message and her cause directly to those who wish to shut her down. This is inspiring.
Posted by: chickelit | April 18, 2011 at 03:36 PM