Palin Says Conservatives Need Fresh Rhetoric In Familiar Sounding Speech

[DonViejo]

Sarah Palin's speech to CPAC was intended to rouse conservatives and hearten them about their movement. And it succeeded. But it also unintentionally revealed how difficult it will be for conservatives to make even cosmetic changes in the wake of a Democratic victory in the 2012 election.

"We're not here to rebrand a party," Palin said, but rather to "put on a fresh coat of rhetorical paint," suggesting conservatives have a minor image problem, not a structural lack of appeal to the majority of voters. But the very same speech overflowed with familiar conservative tropes that have helped cement the movement's unpopularity.

"Background checks: A dandy idea Mr. President," she said, before drifting into birther territory. "[You] should have started with yours."

"Bloomberg's not around," Palin joked as she slurped on a giant soda, "our Big Gulps are safe."

She called on conservatives to elect more far-right members who "chew barbed wire and spit out rust."

"Mr. President, we admit it. You won," she wrote. "Accept it. Now step away from the teleprompter and do your job."

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http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/palin-says-conservatives-need-fresh-rhetorical-speech-in?ref=fpb

[mainstreetonce]

1. She looked

and sounded like a crazy person.

[Cha]

2. poor palin.. she's stale. Too much Big Gulp?

[Joe Bacon]

16. Ah, Keep drinking those Big Gulps, Bible Spice because the insulin needles aren't far behind!

[Cha]

3. "Did she read this line off a teleprompter?"

David Axelrod ✔ @davidaxelrod

@politicoroger Question: Did she read this line off a TelePrompTer?

Roger Simon @politicoroger

@davidaxelrod Of course!

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/03/16/the-meaning-of-obama/#comments

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. New lipstick maybe?

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

5. Wow

A fresh coat of paint over the same old crap. Good luck with that.

[shenmue]

6. She's still bereft of ideas

Everything's normal, then.

[BellaLuna]

7. I'll give Sarah some credit

She's like a TV preacher who knows she can fool her flock to make money off of them.

She'll keep babbling her nonsense as long as the idiots donate to her 'PAC' - it's quite the gig actually - work very little and the money keeps pouring in.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

12. yup, just as Robert Tilton and Peter Popoff kept grifting after their collapse

so shall Sarah after her firing and loss of relevancy

[johnnyrocket]

8. Teleprompter? Really, what is this 2008?

CPAC is beyond pathetic for dredging up Trump, Palin, and Romney...a who' who of complete political losers.

[warrior1]

9. idiot

[yortsed snacilbuper]

10. I wonder if Obama Care would pay for her mental health examination,

she definitely needs help!

[struggle4progress]

11. oh yep sure you betcha it is that that it is that the american the american are people are wanting

is better republican talk. instead of going to the grizzlies game or grilling up some taters and fresh moose i mean. because it is a crisis is what it is and americans are hungry not just for some fresh grilled moose though that doesn't it sound really good? and so here we are while the wind blows and i know that you are thinking that too with me as i think it. oh boy and i say that from my heart not just today but also tomorrow and the day after that and yesterday and you understand how it is. so we just can't allow and that's what that book on hobbits that's what i learned and not just me but todd and also my beautiful daughters who i am so very proud of to be here except she had another commitment and it goes without saying that's why too

[quaker bill]

13. One of the cool things about beating Romney...

The most cool thing about beating Romney is that he is simply not President. However a distant but not too distant second is that the folks at CPAC and such do not believe we beat a "conservative" because they never believed Romney was a "conservative". Had we instead beaten Newt or Icky Ricky, they may have concluded differently, perhaps conceding that we beat "the wrong conservative", but a "real conservative".

The actual result allows them another cycle to find the "right conservative" to champion their cause. They actually think if they simply wrap he used diapers in pretty paper and put a bow on the package, we will consider them a birthday present.

They "do not need new ideas" just "new rhetoric". (This is a boon for them as they are deathly allergic to "new ideas" anyway.)

Of course what they don't get is that Romney became completely inviable with the 47% video. The funny bit is that there was nothing in that video that was contrary to their platform, in fact, it was still Romney soft selling their real ideas, those ideas which go unspoken but are considerably more harsh. The problem with the 47% video was its consistency with CPAC ideas and that it gave the real impression that Romney believed them.

This turned the race from a potential 2 point match to what would have been a 5 to 6 point loss if not for Sandy collapsing turnout in NJ and NY. Romney lost as bad as he did because he became a somewhat believable "conservative" with release of that tape. Had he been more believable, he would have lost by an even greater margin.

[Wounded Bear]

14. Same crap they said about Dumbya....

When you try to relate the truth about how Bush screwed the pooch, it was all "But he's not a real conservative/republican/whatever."

They only claim their 'successes' and there've been precious few of those lately. Without jerrymandering, they'd be a rump party.

[quaker bill]

15. There is some truth

to the adage that "success has a thousand fathers, but failure is an orphan". However in this case, they never believed Romney was a conservative, so it is easier. Had we beaten someone they were squarely behind, the rationalization would have been more of a challenge.

It usually takes 3 to 4 consecutive defeats before ideas begin to change. Even then it is not so much that ideas change as the defeated get discouraged and move on so new folks who never had those ideas can take over.

The decades of political training are almost irreversible taken individually. Individuals will often deny most of reality to maintain their belief system when pressed. To some GW Bush will forever be just short of messiah.