The Truth HBO’s ‘Game Change’ Hides: Palin Carried McCain Until He Changed the Game
by Joel B. Pollak, BIG HOLLYWOOD
I briefly served as a volunteer speechwriter on the McCain-Palin campaign in 2008. I was never part of the inner circle, and even if I had “dirt” to dish, I wouldn’t dare violate the confidentiality agreement I signed – even though that hasn’t stopped some former McCain campaign aides from publicly blaming Gov. Sarah Palin for everything that went wrong.
But here’s the truth about the McCain-Palin campaign, which HBO’s upcoming “Game Change” film attempts to shroud in fanciful anti-Palin fiction: Palin carried the campaign. She would have led the Republicans to victory had it not been for the September financial collapse and McCain’s disastrous decision to suspend his campaign so that he could vote for the TARP bailout in Washington.
The Democrats knew it, too. That fall, I was back in the classroom at Harvard Law School, surrounded by students and faculty who not only supported Sen. Barack Obama but were, in some cases, involved in his campaign at senior levels. They feared Palin and, after her arrival, could barely talk about the election without a sense of dread. They had no answer for her optimism, her authenticity, her femininity and her courage.
On the ground in New Hampshire, where I volunteered after classes and on weekends, Palin’s nomination had led to a sudden groundswell of support. Where McCain had struggled to fill an arena, lines outside events featuring Palin seemed miles long. She had awakened and rallied the conservative base.
And then, just as quickly, after the bailout vote, support for the Republican ticket collapsed. People who had greeted canvassers warmly just a few weeks before refused to talk to us. Some took razor blades and sliced their McCain-Palin bumper stickers so that only the “Palin” half remained (a few switched the names so that Palin was on top of the ticket). McCain changed the game – and Obama stuck to his strategy, casting himself as a beacon of stability in turbulent times. And he won.
After the election, when the Republican establishment began to self-destruct, Palin rallied the conservative base yet again. She became an important voice in the burgeoning Tea Party movement. She helped lead Republicans to the greatest congressional victory in several generations. Her success stopped the Obama agenda dead in its tracks. That’s a real “game change” worthy of a film – and the story’s still being written.
Not so.
You’re overlooking the constant drumbeat from the left
and their driveby media cheering section
— virtually from Day One of Bush’s first term (actually from Election Day of the previous year)
about how everything negative about the country was his fault
— about how he was supposed to be such a “liar” and an “incompetent”
about how life in America had become a “nightmare”
— not to be reversed until & unless
the Republicans were driven from office.
And it worked.
Partly because his administration did such an execrable (actually nonexistent) job of DEFENDING itself
— even in the alternative media.
They thought even making an effort to stand up for themselves amounted to legitimizing the opposition; “lowering themselves to the level” of the trash — media bladders, code stink and the rest of the scum.
They were wrong.
Dead wrong.
They should have fought the slime & their smears tooth & nail — like Jim Carville had done w/ Clinton’s “War Room” — never letting a solitary, untoward word go by without a fight.
The economic setbacks of the latter part of 2008 were simply opportunities
— and the Demos exploited them; played them for all they were worth.
The point here is that by the time those economic blows struck, the groundwork had ALREADY been laid for a landslide victory.
For Conservatives, Winning’s the Thing
I am not an optimist but I believe that America has wised up to the reckless (understatement) empty suit (way too kind) in the Executive Office. If the MSM says that Obumbler maintains a 40 to 50 percent approval rating, deduct around 15%. Watch this space.
Almost all of us will vote for any candidate, other than Paul. So will many a now-regretful American. Obambi is just that bad.
Stan,
I sure hope you’re right – but right now the GOP prospective nominees are shooting at each other, not Ovomit. They need to be hammering away at the issues, showing how Obama’s incompetence has tanked the economy, all but destroyed the middle class and our retail base, and endangered our national security. Remember – the Ovomitnuts are touting Bin Laden…Romney, Gingrich et. al., need to point out the useless ILLEGAL war on Libya, the betrayal of Mubarak with an Egypt certainly NOT friendly to us or our interests, the refusal to get tough with both Iran and Syria while they were carping about Jewish Settlements and giving our money away to the Palys, oh, and that the sanctions are too little, too late. None are doing that – its McBozo all over again for now. And unless they get their activity sheet together, while I am hopeful Ovomit’s $4 a gallon dependence on his Arab friends and a few other things will turn the tide, I do fear the worse. Romney needs to make a credible case – especially to Conservative voters – why he would be a vast improvement over Ovomit. And Gingrich needs to settle down and stop the bitterness which will only help the little b*stard.
p.s. not one of them, unlike Michele Bachmann, has openly asked questions about that 1.4 Billion given to Palestinians over the past three years while our retail base went under and Americans suffered. If they don’t, it’ll be McBozo (NO “Ayers, Khalidi, Wright”) all over again.
The three above writers are far too pessimistic. The real campaign has not yet begun. If the economy does not improve, and it may get worse, Obama will lose. Many things could happen yet to confound the situation. Remember the economic collapse changed everything in 2008. Mind you every time I heard that nitwit, McCain say “my friends” I almost gagged.
An anecdote of sorts. I belong to a seniors table tennis club here in Phoenix Az. My club has foretold the last three election through their conversations. Right now NOBODY talks of voting for Obama. Many snickers en they mention his name. In the real world nobody believes him or admires himexeptfor the terminally insane and challenged. Of course this is Arizona but they have been right before. Hopefully they will bright again.
As for Sarah, I am in love with her so let no one dare take her name in vain!
I also think that obama will win in spite of himself. Leaving foreign policy out, which will not trump domestic economics, the motivation of voters should be seen and how they perceive the parties “solutions”. Basically the republicans are perceived by the majority of voters as wanting to cut govt programs which is perceived to include medicare, social security and welfare. Obama is seen as presiding over the titanic and trying to keep it from sinking through bailouts and welfare. The republican economic solution is based on cut govt spending and “grow” the economy but many fail to see how in todays time this can happen with all the jobs and capital overseas and no protection in sight for US business and labor. Also, it is perceived that applying the usual “tighten the belt and everything will be ok” idea can only work by further lowering the US standard of living to compete with asian labor and illegal immigrants. One of the reasons Romney has a chance is that he is not perceived to favor getting rid of most govt programs. The republicans are failing to present solutions that appear relevant to the current economic parameters but are just trotting out old solutions and ideologies. The conservatives are viewed as just wanting to flood labor markets with immigration and create labor competition globally that lowers Americans’ standard of living. The democrats are seen as flooding the labor market with illegals to get votes. I think that many voters who favor conservative principles are also afraid that it just wont work and that something has to be done to protect americans that can work. Republicans and conservatives need to do some creative thinking that is timely and practical if they want to go beyond occupying a pulpit, to lead a country and obtain the votes that exceed a minority. This is not to do with what I want but what I think will happen and why. None of this takes into account the strong possibility of major war.
Palin’s nomination was a turn-off for many Jewish voters, especially female ones, who preferred seeing Joe Lieberman chosen. I remember going out with several, not just one, former Shrillary supporters who openly told me how much they disliked her and would now be voting for Ovomit – even knowing what an anti-Semite and coward he was, maybe because they were intimidated by her, but maybe too, that they saw her choice as a sop to the far Christian right, the part that nowadays puts the “Ron Paul ‘012” bumperstickers on the backs of their trucks. I never saw it as such – the real culprit was the incompetent, blithering ass John McCain aka McBozo who could bellow “F You” at a fellow Republican Senator who didn’t like his “shamnesty” but couldn’t even say “Ayers, Khalidi, Jeremiah Wright” in the debates with Ovomit. But I know where THEY were coming from.
Don’t get me wrong. I liked Palin, part of me still does. But we turned away a much better woman candidate for President, just as Conservative, but 100 times more intelligent when the Bachmann campaign ran out of steam.
Who knows? McCain was a terrible choice that year. Romney, or better Huckabee, and much better Fred Thompson, were he younger might beaten Ovomit. But a dislike of Bush and the failure to stop Soros’ destruction of the U.S. Economy might have done any Republican in – plus a little thing called “White Guilt” – even with the knowledge of what a creeping monk ass Ovomit was – and is.
p.s. I also know where Bland is coming from. But Romney needs to get his act together, and stop the negativity. Newt would have been a better choice, and I will vote for him in the primary – but bitterness and character flaws don’t make for a GREAT President. Romney in the long run could be a Great one – he needs to make those changes now -not soon, or otherwise forget Israel – both of our countries can’t afford four more years of a piece of crap.
Palin is not a candidate, and it doesn’t look as though the race will ever go to a brokered convention. The latest polls:
Michigan Republican Presidential Primary Rasmussen Reports Romney 40, Santorum 34, Paul 10, Gingrich 9 Romney +6
Michigan Republican Presidential Primary Mitchell/Rosetta Stone Romney 36, Santorum 33, Paul 12, Gingrich 9 Romney +3
Arizona Republican Presidential Primary Rasmussen Reports Romney 42, Santorum 29, Gingrich 16, Paul 8 Romney +13
— Real Clear Politics
Santorum stands to lose a double-header this week. Even if he pulls an upset in Michigan, which apportions delegates, Romney has winner-take-all Arizona in his pocket. At the moment, Romney holds about half the total committed delegates — that is, he has as many as all his opponents put together. He is also polling well ahead in New York and California, with their huge delegate counts. By contrast, Santorum looks good only in Pennsylvania and a host of low-count states. Gingrich has a good chance in Georgia and Texas; but he has little support outside of the South — and that is good for the party, since the Grinch trails Obama FAR worse than Romney, Santorum and Paul in the nationwide polls. Electing Newt, in short, is a sure-fire recipe to another Barry Goldwater debacle.
Palin stands to be a motivational speaker at the convention. Maybe Herman Cain will speak as well. They will rally behind the winner, which is to say, behind Mitt Romney. There will likely be a boost in the polls right after the convention, and then Obama will probably win. That may even happen if New Orleans gets flooded again during a hurricaine, and one of our nuclear reactors melts down during a tidal wave. An Israeli strike on Iran would probably mess things up big time, of course; but that’s the least of my concerns in the matter.
Palin? Who’s Palin? Is that Sarah Palin, as in “Palin in 2016?” We may be under martial law by then, or worse. I’m actually not all that concerned. I’m more concerned about Israel.