Rush Interviews Sarah Palin

While the Barbara Walters and Oprah interviews focus on Palin persona, Rush focuses on Palin the political powerhouse. The interview touches on many policy issues including the economy, unemployment, foreign policy including Iran and Afghanistan with some clarification on the issue of illegal immigration as well. The highlight seems to be her declaration that America is not quite ready for a third party:

You know, to be brutally honest, I think that it's a bit naive when you talk about the pragmatism that has to be applied in America's political system. And we are a two-party system. Ideally, sure, a third party or an independent party would be able to soar and thrive and put candidates forth and have them elected, but I don't think America is ready for that. I think that it is... Granted it's quite conventional and traditional, but in a good way that we have our two parties, and I think that that's what will remain.

It looks as though there won't be a third party run for Sarah in the future.

The Lefties are taking note of the number of times Palin uses the term commonsense:

If you're keeping score at home, that's eleven "commonsense"s in an interview than runs about 3,400 words.

Well, we've always known this about Palin -- she absorbs catchphrases rather than ideas, and then she runs those catchphrases into the ground. (Remember "hungry markets"?)

George W. Bush also glommed onto simple words and phrases -- you know, like "freedom." But at least that was aspirational. Freedom! What did it mean to be a champion of freedom? It was a worthy goal, even if the execution was abysmal.

Are we to presume "hope" and "change" are aspirational catchphrases. What does it mean to be a champion of hope, we've not seen very much of it coming from this administration. We certainly have seen very little commonsense.

Part I



Part II

Rush has a thread at Memeorandum
Transcript at RushLimbaugh.com

Palin Endorses Hoffman

From her Facebook:

The people of the 23rd Congressional District of New York are ready to shake things up, and Doug Hoffman is coming on strong as Election Day approaches! He needs our help now.

The votes of every member of Congress affect every American, so it's important for all of us to pay attention to this important Congressional campaign in upstate New York. I am very pleased to announce my support for Doug Hoffman in his fight to be the next Representative from New York's 23rd Congressional district. It's my honor to endorse Doug and to do what I can to help him win, including having my political action committee, SarahPAC, donate to his campaign the maximum contribution allowed by law.

Our nation is at a crossroads, and this is once again a "time for choosing."

The federal government borrows, spends, and prints too much money, while our national debt hits a record high. Government is growing while the private sector is shrinking, and unemployment is on the rise. Doug Hoffman is committed to ending the reckless spending in Washington, D.C. and the massive increase in the size and scope of the federal government. He is also fully committed to supporting our men and women in uniform as they seek to honorably complete their missions overseas.

And best of all, Doug Hoffman has not been anointed by any political machine.

Doug Hoffman stands for the principles that all Republicans should share: smaller government, lower taxes, strong national defense, and a commitment to individual liberty.

Political parties must stand for something. When Republicans were in the wilderness in the late 1970s, Ronald Reagan knew that the doctrine of "blurring the lines" between parties was not an appropriate way to win elections. Unfortunately, the Republican Party today has decided to choose a candidate who more than blurs the lines, and there is no real difference between the Democrat and the Republican in this race. This is why Doug Hoffman is running on the Conservative Party's ticket.

Republicans and conservatives around the country are sending an important message to the Republican establishment in their outstanding grassroots support for Doug Hoffman: no more politics as usual.

You can help Doug by visiting his official website below and joining me in supporting his campaign:
http://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com/donate3.html.

For More Robert Stacy McCain has a piece at The American Spectator who is reporting from New York.  McCain covered a press conference and rally featuring Dick Armey.   Armey and Hoffman share support for a flat tax which will simplify the tax code and create opportunities for growth that is badly needed in our economy.  Republicans need bold colors, to quote Reagan and echo Palin's sentiments in her Hoffman endorsement.  There will be districts that call for socially moderate candidates but the party must back those who support small government, lower taxes and economic growth.  Scazzofava is not a candidate of bold colors, she is indistinguishable on nearly all issues from the liberal Owens. 

For more on this see all the buzz at Memeorandum

Doug Hoffman Can Win

Chris Cillizza asks the question: Can Doug Hoffman Win in a post at The Fix. Buried in the post is a bit of news those rooting for the conservative Hoffman will find quite hopeful. Hoffman, who is running as a Conservative, appears to have bumped ahead of Scazzofava in the internal polling according to sources from both sides of the political divide:

In the latest Siena College poll released on Oct. 15, Owens led the field with 33 percent followed by Scozzafava at 29 percent and Hoffman at 23 percent. But, it was Hoffman who had gained the most since an Oct. 1 Siena survey; Hoffman moved up seven points in that time while Owens gained five points and Scozzafava lost five points. (Sources on both sides of the partisan aisle suggest that internal polling shows Scozzafava in third place now.)

Opinions vary on whether Hoffman can rise higher or whether he has reached the limit (or close to it) of his support.

Conventional wisdom suggests that while the North Country seat leans to Republicans in terms of registration -- as of April 2009 there were roughly 46,000 more GOPers than Democrats in the district -- there are simply not enough Republicans to split the base vote between Hoffman and Scozzafava and have either one win. (The district has long been represented by a Republican but President Obama carried it with 52 percent in 2008.)

Erick Erickson at Red State confirms Cilizza's reporting is consistent with what he has heard for over a week.  Cilizza is likely correct on the point there are not enough Republicans to split the base and have either one win but a quick look at the Siena poll  suggests support for Owens may be overstated in the poll.  The poll report shows on the issues it is only Hoffman who has gained support over the last two weeks:

“While voters give a small edge to Owens on virtually all of the issues, it is particularly interesting to note that it is Hoffman who has picked up the most support on every issue over the last two weeks,” Greenberg said. “When asked which candidate would be better on taxes, the voters divided virtually evenly among the three candidates.

Moreover, the crosstabs suggest the poll may have leaned heavily on Democratic respondents.  For example, Cillizza notes the district has a significant number of registered Republicans, yet the response to a question concerning favorability of Barack Obama shows a higher result than might be seen in other polls:

For a district that traditionally leans right and has higher GOP registrations to have increased favorability for Obama seems highly unlikely in a poll of likely voters.  The district voted for Obama by the same margin by which he was elected nationally.  The poll results are quite a bit more favorable to Obama than Rasmussen's polling shows as well.  Also support for Scozzafava is fading but support for Owens, even with a likely skewed poll shows support for him is soft:

Scozzafava is losing voters in all three affiliations, while Hoffman gains in all three:

Among Independents Hoffman made the largest gains picking up 11 points while Owens picked up 5.  With Hoffman making large gains among Independents and Republicans, the momentum seems clearly in his favor.  Cillizza reports that large cash infusions from Obama's NY fundraising will be poured into Owens coffers.  It is likely that ads will be targeted against Hoffman rather than Scazzofava.  For those who support sending a message to the GOP about backing liberals over strong conservative candidates, now would be the time to make a donation to the Hoffman campaign.   Click here to make a donation, remember every bit makes a difference.

For more see NRO editorial, " On the Right, an Upstate Upstart

The Other McCain  has an exclusive with Hoffman:

NY23 EXCLUSIVE: Hoffman asks Obama for Justice monitors to prevent vote fraud

H/T: Memeorandum