With the media all abuzz about whether Sarah Palin is laying the groundwork for a 2012 presidential bid or whether she's cleverly dropping subtle hints to keep herself in the spotlight, I decided to repost a blog that I originally wrote in January 2009 indicating that Mamma Grizzly had serious presidential aspirations from the time Obama took his place in the Oval Office.
Alaska Governor and former GOP vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, ventured back to Washington for the first time since the election last weekend for the Alfalfa Dinner, a venerable gathering of the city’s political elite. It seems somewhat suspicious that the “Mavericky” Palin, who ran on an anti-establishment platform, is suddenly hangin’ with the good ol’ boys club that she so vehemently derided throughout her campaign.
But Palin’s alleged reason for attending the dinner was to see the President. Prior to departing Alaska for Washington, Palin proclaimed “How often will I get an opportunity to have dinner with the President? I will take up that offer to do so.”This is a rather surprising response coming from Governor Palin, who scathingly attacked Obama’s character throughout the campaign with comments such as, “Our opponent … is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country,” alluding to Obama’s scant interactions with 1960s-era radical, Bill Ayers. Thus, guilt by association would suggest that, by attending a dinner with Obama, Palin, too, is “pallin’ around with terrorists”.
Palin catapulted into the public eye when she was chosen in early September of 2008 to be GOP presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate. She immediately galvanized the base with her ultra-conservative social values. Although she had great difficulty at times navigating her way through interviews and answering basic civics questions, her lack of experience and knowledge were greatly offset by her plucky personality, her charm, and her good looks, as well as the “breath of fresh air” the so many believe she brought to Washington.
So, why this abrupt departure from her outside-the-beltway, anti-elite persona? It’s now widely believed that Palin is gearing up for a presidential bid in 2012. Further fueling this speculation is Ms. Palin’s establishment of a Political Action Committee (PAC), a private group that is organized to elect political candidates and which helps would-be-candidates create grass-roots constituency and develop a nationwide political network. On January 26, 2009, Governor Palin filed a six-page report with the Federal Election Committee (FEC), thereby submitting the required documentation for her PAC.
The homepage of Palin’s PAC reads, “Dedicated to building America’s future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation. SarahPAC believes America’s best days are ahead. Our country, founded on conservative principles and the fight for freedom, must confront the challenges of the 21st century with integrity, innovation, and determination.” It goes on to say that “SarahPac is a federally registered political action committee that supports Gov. Sarah Palin’s plans to build a better, stronger, and safer America in the 21st century.”
Aides have said that SarahPAC will help serve as a vehicle for her political activities going forward. Palin, however, denied that it means she is running for president.“No. Not at all. Not at all. No. It’s helpful to have a PAC so when I’m invited to things, even like to speak at the Lincoln Day dinner in Fairbanks, to have the PAC pay for that instead of have the state pay for that because that could be considered quasi-political,” the Alaska Governor said.
On her SarahPAC Web site, the Governor states that it’s important for citizens of all political persuasions to get involved in this time of economic crisis and international challenge. Ms. Palin also emphasizes that supporting SarahPac will enable her to provide a “strong voice for energy independence and reform.” And will afford her the resources necessary “to help find and create solutions for America’s most pressing problems.”
So while the media frenzy continues and reporters, bloggers, and pundits, alike try to read the tea leaves into Sarah Palin’s political future, there is one additional piece of the Palin puzzle that could very well prove to be the smoking gun.
In addition to Sarah Palin’s PAC application, there is one other document in the FEC database that renders Sarah Palin’s name. (The screen image is being used because, shortly after I uncovered the application, it was removed from the database.) The report is entitled: “Palin, Sarah”. And below the Governor’s name, it simply states the following information. Office Sought: President; Election Year: 2012; State: “Presidential Candidate; and Party: “REP (Republican Party).
With the submission of this document to the FEC, it’s now hard to deny that Sarah Palin has full intentions to seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and is ready to square-off with Barack Obama in a race for the White House.