Just two days ago, Sarah Palin said, '[Karen] Handel would "fight like a mama grizzly" and help usher out the state's "good ol' boy network."''"Are you ready to elect a pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, commonsense constitutional conservative, who will fight like a mama grizzly for you and the values that you hold dear?" Palin asked a cheering crowd in a hotel ballroom.'
Last night Handel trailed Nathan Deal, her opponent in Georgia's Republican gubernatorial runoff, by less than 1% of the vote, which would have qualified her for an automatic recount under Georgia law.
This morning, Handel skipped a Fulton County Republican unity breakfast and conceded defeat, before military and overseas ballots had been counted. "She's got a lot of things going on," said Shawn Hanley, chairman of the county party. "I'm not too concerned. A lot of her supporters might want to take a day off."
"Taking a day off was exactly what Republicans could not afford to do, said House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, when he addressed the 200-plus crowd of party stalwarts in the ballroom at 103 West on West Paces Ferry Road."
What happened? Why didn't Sarah Palin encourage Handel to count every vote? Paul Bennecke of the Republican Governors Association said that Deal's ideas are what Georgia needs. "[Palin's] choices in governors’ races have hewed closely to preferred candidates of the Republican Governors Association," according to a recent NY Times article.
Sarah Palin bowed down and kowtowed to the Republican Governors Association; Mama Grizzly sat down and shut up.
This post was informed by several articles, here, here, here, and here.
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Politico has Palin's hot streak goes cold
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What has happened is the national Democratic party's preferred outcome, which may now assist former governor Roy Barnes' bid for the governor's office. Nathan Deal, the Republican candidate, is vulnerable to ethics charges ...
When the going gets tough Sarah Palin quits! She let Karen Handel and her supporters down just like she let Alaskans down.
Here is Handel's concession statement:
“I want to thank all of my friends, supporters, volunteers and my campaign team for a tremendous effort over the last 16 months. We ran a terrific campaign, beat the odds to come in first place in the Primary, and came so very close in the runoff election.
“As of this morning, we are four tenths of a percentage point behind Nathan Deal with absentee ballots and overseas military votes yet to be counted.
“We certainly have the option of requesting the automatic statewide recount. But we are not going to do that.
“The best thing for our party is to rally around Congressman Deal as our nominee in the fight against Roy Barnes. Barnes would return Georgia to a past that is best kept in our rearview mirror. We must marshal all of our resources to defeat him.
“I spoke with Nathan this morning and let him know that I endorse his candidacy and look forward to the fight against Barnes. I have also called on all who were supporting me to give their same commitment and energy to Nathan.
I thank the people of Georgia for the opportunity to serve them and for allowing me to interview for the job of Governor. This was an amazing journey, and the friendships that Steve and I made enriched our lives immeasurably. I look forward to finding a way to serve this great state in the future.”
Republicans around the country are now weighing in. Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele said in a statement that “there is no doubt that Georgians will rally behind the pro-growth, limited government agenda of Nathan Deal.”
There is no love for Sarah Palin, there.
I prefer to think she bowed down to the whole Republican Party. They were the ones originally told her to "sit down and shut up."
There are quite a few republicans here in GA who didn't want Palin inserting herself into our gubernatorial race, but she did it anyway. ajc.com has an open vent section, and some people were saying that Palin needed to mind her own business and stay out of GA politics. Now that Deal has won, some republicans are saying they'll either vote for Barnes or not vote at all in November.
$arah will have another book out in no time claiming to have saved every candidate that she endorsed AND she'll be "victimized" by those who lost.
After what she "wrote" about the McCain campaign you would think that these knuckleheads might know better.
Oh wait...looks looks they ARE catching on:
The Huffington Post | Elyse Siegel First Posted: 08-11-10 04:31 PM
Prior to Tuesday's runoff, Georgia State House Speaker David Ralston (R) said, "I would want to know how long Governor Palin has known Secretary Handel and how long she's known Congressman Deal." (He added that his own endorsement of Deal was based on decades of friendship.)
"I don't do these things lightly," he said of the process that leads him to support a particular candidate. "I don't do them to write a book or get on a talk show."
Georgia Congressman No Fan of Palin Endorsements:
Mr. Kingston said on a radio show on Wednesday that Karen Handel, Ms. Palin’s choice for governor in Georgia, was the most moderate Republican in the race — and signaled that he hoped the former Alaska governor holds her fire in other G.O.P. primaries.
"Most moderate!" Take that, commonsense conservatives.
“Why Sarah Palin decided to get in the race is beyond me,” Mr. Kingston told “America’s Morning News.” “I don’t know why she feels compelled to get into primaries all over the country. But, you know, fortunately Georgia voters are doing their own thinking on things like this.”
(Later asked if he wished Ms. Palin would “just kind of butt out of it,” the congressman said: “I wish she will, because what she is doing is dividing the Republican Party at a time when we don’t need to be divided.”)
About a Palin endorsement in Maryland: Sarah Palin endorsements help push GOP farther from the center and Meet Sarah Palin's favorite Md. pol
Keep in mind, Sarah never gets behind anyone beyond a cursory investment. She never even put money into her backing of Haley in South Carolina, she felt her presence was good 'nuff.
Where was Sarah when her nominee for the Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Kopp was being criticized for a rumored non-prosecuted or investigated sexual harassment incident years ago? He resigned within days with nary a word from his Commander in Chief.
Where was she when Wayne Anthony Ross, that colorful racist misogynist - though fully capable of defending himself - was being pilloried for his obvious record and lost his confirmation with the Alaska Legislature for Attorney General?
How about those "ISSUES" that strengthened her flimsy RECORD she took credit for but never followed through? ACES, AGIA, the State's ethics law, divestment in Darfur, symbolically rejecting only a tiny fraction of the epic stimulus funds against 'weatherization' of Arctic climate construction? She's letting it all twist in the wind - fightin for Alaska and our country by defending (LOL) the constitution.
Why would she back a candidate with a percentage point difference before the count is done? Palin's record is to make a big splash so her followers latch onto that 'accomplishment' but she never follows it through.
She quits everything.
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