In an interview with conservative pundit SE Cupp, former Senator (and possible presidential hopeful/wishful) Rick Santorum ticked off several reasons why he believes GOP supernova Sarah Palin is skipping this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), chiefly citing “financial benefit,” but also that she’s “the mother to all these kids.”
Is this a shot across Palin’s bow for 2012? Either way, it’s an unfair, sexist premise that has no basis in fact.
Here’s a clip of the interview, from GlennBeck.com:
Let’s just break that down for a second. He’s essentially saying that Palin turned down the CPAC keynote slot because she’s too busy gettin’ paid (Palin does command hefty speaking fees), but that he wouldn’t have turned it down because he’s not “the mother to all these kids.” Palin has five children. Santorum has seven, so the implication is that there’s something about being a mom that necessitates whoring yourself out for speaking fees, while dude parents can freewheelingly stick to their principles.
Now, I’m certainly not afraid to criticize Sarah Palin when she deserves it, but Santorum’s remarks are not only unfair and offensive, they’re also completely unfounded.
First of all, despite her ability to collect hefty speaking fees, Sarah Palin actually does manage to do things for which she is not being paid. I’m not that familiar with her datebook, but even I noticed her December trip to Haiti. The only payment Palin received for that trip was a heap of inexplicably bad press. There’s no comparison between visiting Haitian cholera clinics and keynoting at CPAC, but it definitely shows that time and money are not the issue.
Some others have wondered if Palin skipped out as part of a wider boycott centered around the inclusion of gay conservative group GOProud. Palin put that notion to rest in a recent interview, defending the group’s inclusion (while also casting them as adversaries by comparing them to liberals).
The fact is, Palin has now turned down four CPAC invitations, and while she’s never given an explicit reason, there’s a pretty obvious one, at least for the last two. American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene, the organizer behind CPAC, had Palin booster John Ziegler ejected from Western CPAC in 2009 after Ziegler grilled Keene about comments he’d made that Sarah Palin “whined” about media coverage, and that she “bailed” on her post as Alaska Governor.
Ironically, Ziegler also confronted Keene about allegations that his organization would do anything for money, offering him $20 to write a pro-Palin op-ed.
Aside from Keene’s attacks on Palin, there’s also a lot of dissatisfaction with Keene and the ACU among conservatives, in general. Most won’t speak about it publicly, but the FedEx scandal, the perceived coddling of fringe elements at that Western CPAC, and other issues have dimmed some of the group’s luster among conservatives. While CPAC is still the best game in town for most conservatives to meet, greet, and share influence with others, Palin stands apart. CPAC needs her far more than she needs CPAC.
That actually points up the biggest fallacy in Santorum’s argument. Palin is a money-making machine, which i s all the more reason why she could afford to take a weekend off to keynote CPAC.
If there’s really no such thing as bad publicity, then Santorum will likely get a huge bang for the buck with this interview. Something tells me, though, that it won’t be a net gain for his already dim presidential hopes.
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The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives has begun the process of repealing the Healthcare law. Some have argued that, because the Senate may not repeal it as well, and the President will likely veto it, the House’s repeal is purely “symbolic.”
Just as the reading of the Constitution on the floor of the House, on Wednesday, was symbolic of a “return to constitutionalism,” as Charles Krauthammer writes, the repeal of the Healthcare law in the House will be symbolic not just of the fact that Republicans have heard the will of the American people, but also that they fully understand that the new law is, only superficially, a jumbled and thoughtless mess of rules about how healthcare should be delivered and paid for in this country. In reality, the Healthcare law is a liberal power grab that is gradually permitting the federal government to control more of our lives, making more people dependent upon the government and continuing the culture of dependency among minority groups who, up until now, have mostly voted liberals into power. The symbolism of the repeal will ring loud and clear.
Liberal Democrats will be launching a big campaign over the next few days, doing what they always accuse Republicans and conservatives of doing- “fear-mongering.” They will be telling their constituents that, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the repeal of the Healthcare law will increase debt, that Republicans don’t want people with pre-existing conditions to have access to health insurance, and that Republicans want to defund Medicare, new chairman of the House Budget Committee, Congressman Paul Ryan, has set out why these claims are wrong.
However, one of the features of the new Healthcare law, already in effect, is the extension of healthcare coverage to adult children (up until 26 years old), a hallmark of the true intention of this law- to make more people dependent, while it raises premiums on private health insurers who need more money to meet this new requirement.
For those who do not have adult children in the 21 to 26 age range, would it surprise you to know that these adult “children,” who are now covered, are not required to even live with their parents to remain on their plans, and that they may even be married and still be covered under their parents’ health plans?
Through the new Healthcare law, liberal Democrats have gradually introduced the concept that adult children should remain dependent on their parents, and when their parents are not around, perhaps the government can take over in that parental role? Of course, this new rule comes at a time when the economic decline made it difficult for young adults to obtain jobs. This is how the gradual creep of dependency begins: introduce a law which creates dependency on the government at a time of crisis, so that uninformed Americans will see it as a caring and positive intervention to help them in their time of need. This is how every entitlement legislation begins, and why none has ever been totally eradicated thus far, mainly because people have come to expect these benefits.
One of the newly elected members of Congress who understands well the liberals’ drive to make more Americans dependent on the government is Colonel Allen West of Florida. Congressman West will be serving in the Congressional Black Caucus and hopes to represent conservative philosophical ideas such as the importance of individual responsibility, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
In addition, as a result of the left’s encouragement of this culture of dependency, those who are truly in need will no longer have to seek voluntary assistance from neighbors and communities. Conversely, neighbors and communities will not be encouraged to voluntarily reach out to others because the knowledge that the government will provide for their friends’ needs may cause them to think twice. As such, dependency on the government creates more distance, and less connectivity, among members of a community.
At this point in time, any resistance to repealing the Healthcare law, and replacing it with commonsense legislation that reflects free market principles, will be almost entirely about continuing the culture of dependency, a hallmark of liberalism, that has taken over this country. We can be sure that liberals from the previous Congress will try hard to keep this culture in place. Their ability to remain powerful depends on it.
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CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt - Celebrity <b>News</b> <b>...</b>
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CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt - Celebrity <b>News</b> <b>...</b>
The foreign correspondent was the victim of a "brutal and sustained" attack.
CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt | Fancast <b>News</b>
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Remember way back when Season 9's Alex Lambert claimed, via Twitter, to be living on the streets? Then a rep from 19 Entertainment, which has a development.
bench craft company credit card
CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt - Celebrity <b>News</b> <b>...</b>
The foreign correspondent was the victim of a "brutal and sustained" attack.
CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt | Fancast <b>News</b>
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Remember way back when Season 9's Alex Lambert claimed, via Twitter, to be living on the streets? Then a rep from 19 Entertainment, which has a development.
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CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt - Celebrity <b>News</b> <b>...</b>
The foreign correspondent was the victim of a "brutal and sustained" attack.
CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt | Fancast <b>News</b>
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Remember way back when Season 9's Alex Lambert claimed, via Twitter, to be living on the streets? Then a rep from 19 Entertainment, which has a development.
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CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt - Celebrity <b>News</b> <b>...</b>
The foreign correspondent was the victim of a "brutal and sustained" attack.
CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt | Fancast <b>News</b>
Shocking details have been released regarding the incident involving CBS News Chief Foreign Correspondent Lara Logan during the protests in Egypt. CBS News issued a statement Tuesday revealing that Logan is currentl in the.
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Remember way back when Season 9's Alex Lambert claimed, via Twitter, to be living on the streets? Then a rep from 19 Entertainment, which has a development.
bench craft company me
CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt - Celebrity <b>News</b> <b>...</b>
The foreign correspondent was the victim of a "brutal and sustained" attack.
CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt | Fancast <b>News</b>
Shocking details have been released regarding the incident involving CBS News Chief Foreign Correspondent Lara Logan during the protests in Egypt. CBS News issued a statement Tuesday revealing that Logan is currentl in the.
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Remember way back when Season 9's Alex Lambert claimed, via Twitter, to be living on the streets? Then a rep from 19 Entertainment, which has a development.
bench craft company reviews
CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt - Celebrity <b>News</b> <b>...</b>
The foreign correspondent was the victim of a "brutal and sustained" attack.
CBS <b>News</b>' Lara Logan Sexually Assaulted in Egypt | Fancast <b>News</b>
Shocking details have been released regarding the incident involving CBS News Chief Foreign Correspondent Lara Logan during the protests in Egypt. CBS News issued a statement Tuesday revealing that Logan is currentl in the.
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