Incredible: The Official in Charge of the IRS Office Responsible for Targeting Conservative Groups Now Heads the Agency’s Obamacare Office

Updated: ‘Absolutely chilling’: IRS admits targeting conservative groups for ‘inappropriate’ scrutiny

Incredible… It Just Keeps Getting Worse: The Official in Charge of the IRS Office Responsible for Targeting  Conservative Groups Now Heads the Agency’s Obamacare Office

TheBlaze/TV:

Well, this can’t be good.

It appears that the official who oversaw the Internal Revenue Service office responsible for targeting conservative groups has moved on from that post and now heads the agency’s Obamacare division.

From ABC News:

The Internal Revenue Service official in charge of the tax-exempt organizations at the time when the unit targeted tea party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for the health care legislation.

Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012. But Ingram has since left that part of the IRS and is now the director of the IRS’ Affordable Care Act office, the IRS confirmed to ABC News today.

Her successor, Joseph Grant, is taking the fall for misdeeds at the scandal-plagued unit between 2010 and 2012. During at least part of that time, Grant served as deputy commissioner of the tax-exempt unit.

Grant said Thursday he would resign as commissioner of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division on June 3, TheBlaze reported. He was appointed to the post just eight days ago.

Here’s a May 8 press release announcing his extremely short-lived promotion.

Grant, Kay Named to IRS Leadership Posts

But here’s something ​really ​interesting: Ingram received more than $100,000 in bonuses between 2009 and 2012, slightly before and well after her office started targeting conservatives, the Washington Examiner’s Mark Tapscott reports.

“Ingram received a $7,000 bonus in 2009,” the Examiner report adds, “then a $34,440 bonus in 2010, $35,400 in 2011 and $26,550 last year for a total of $103,390. Her annual salary went from $172,500 to $177,000 during the same period.”

News that the IRS official heading the agency’s Obamacare office used to run the division responsible for conservative discrimination comes on the heels of House Speaker John Boehner calling for a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

“Fully repealing ObamaCare will help us build a stronger, healthier economy, and will clear the way for patient-centered reforms that lower health care costs and protect jobs,” Boehner said shortly after the House passed a “repeal Obamacare” measure.

“Obamacare empowers the agency that just violated the public’s trust by secretly targeting conservative groups,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-In.) added. “Even by Washington’s standards, that’s unacceptable.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell summed up his reaction to the Ingram revelation: “stunning, just stunning.”

Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter

Featured image C-SPAN. This post has been updated.

Related:

IRS official who oversaw unit targeting Tea Party now heads ObamaCare office

IRS official in charge during tea party targeting is now directing the agency's health care unit

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Confused by Obama’s Incredibly Brief IRS Statement? Here’s Krauthammer’s Take

Pelosi on IRS: It’s Bush’s Fault – Really??

Obama Administration Under Siege From 3 Huge Scandals: Here’s Why It Could All Come Crashing Down

Fox News’ Megyn Kelly Mocks Obama Team’s “I Know Nothing” Response to Scandals with “Sgt. Schultz” Clip!

IRS, Benghazi, and the AP: What do all three scandals have in common?

Why the IRS Scandal Should Lead to Obama’s Impeachment

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Obama is Putin or Chavez, Not Nixon

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Technorati Tags: defund ObamaCare,IRS,smoke and mirrors,lies,ObamaCare,Big Brother,ObamaCare surprises,manipulation of the public,The Blaze,truth,Sarah Hall Ingram,destorying America,saving America,fraudsters,fundamental transformation of America,pray for America,Perfect Storm,tea party,grassroots movements,conservatives

CPAC 2013 Highlights – Day 3

Sarah Palin Rocks the CPAC House… Holding-Up Her Big Gulp as She Ends Her Speech…

Video: CPAC 2013 - U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Video: CPAC 2013 - President Obama's Prayer Breakfast Club (feat. Dr. Ben Carson and Eric Metaxas)

If you haven’t seen it… See Dr. Benjamin Carson's Amazing Speech at the National Prayer Breakfast with

Video: CPAC 2013 - Mia Love, Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah

Video:  CPAC 2013- Brent Bozell, Founder and President Media Research Center

Video: CPAC 2013 - Former U.S. Representative Artur Davis

Video: CPAC 2013 - Phyllis Schlafy, Founder, Eagle Forum (Emcee: Steven Crowder)

Video: CPAC 2013 – Former Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK)

CPAC Star: We are not here to re-brand a party… We are here to rebuild a country!

Palin rouses the faithful at CPAC

Video: CPAC 2013- Ann Coulter

Video: Senator Ted Cruz Gives Keynote Speech at CPAC 2013

Jeb Bush Beats the Drum for Inclusion and Acceptance at CPAC

Rand Paul wins CPAC straw poll

No surprise here, as Paul's supporters worked hard to get out the vote for their man.

Robert Costa:

Rand Paul won the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, a victory that cements his status as a tea-party favorite.

Paul, who spoke at CPAC earlier this week, drew the support of many college-age activists and libertarians. Throughout the conference's hallways, the support for Paul was strong, and his backers handed out "Stand with Rand" posters.

Conservative leaders say Paul's victory is a sign of his popularity within Republican ranks. "I'm glad someone who says bold things is rising," says Arthur Brooks, the president of the American Enterprise Institute. "At a time when many conservatives are reflecting on the future, his views are connecting."

Boyden Gray, a former counselor to President George H. W. Bush, agrees. He says Paul may not be cheered in every corner of the party, but he's a formidable figure. "Even within the GOP, people are beginning to question big institutions, from big government to big banks, and Rand Paul is speaking to them," he says.

Senator Paul, a Kentucky Republican and ophthalmologist, follows in the footsteps of his father, Ron Paul, who won the CPAC straw poll in 2010 and 2011.

Paul's supporters were not the only activists pushing a candidate at the Gaylord National Hotel in suburban Maryland. Supporters of Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, and supporters of New Jersey governor Chris Christie also had informal get-out-the-vote operations.

But Paul's group was, by far, the most vocal, and its efforts paid off. According to a CPAC official, Paul was expected to win, and he drew heavy, consistent support.

Other Republicans on the ballot included Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Ted Cruz, Governor Bobby Jindal, and Governor Scott Walker. Rubio, for his part, came in a close second. Paul won 25 percent, and Rubio won 23 percent.

Tea Party favorite, rising Republican star, libertarian heartthrob - but a successful candidate for the GOP nomination in 2016?

It won't be his fiscal conservatism, or his ability to articulate conservative principles. But it may be his foreign policy positions that would make Rand Paul a bridge too far for a majority of Republicans. Is the party ready to accept isolationism as a foundational principle in foreign affairs? This remains to be seen.

Rand Paul is not as stridently anti-interventionist as his father and that has to count for something. But you can bet the major line of attack of Paul's primary opponents will be questions about his commitment to Republican foreign policy principles.

Rand Paul won the CPAC straw poll and was closely followed by Marco Rubio… and many feel that if Ted Cruz had spoken earlier in the event that he would have come in higher in the poll… but again, Sarah Palin rocked the house!!

Related:

CPAC 2013 Highlights – Day 2

CPAC 2013 Highlights – Day 1

Rand Paul takes a stand for the Facebook generation and tears apart Big Government spending

CPAC Star: We are not here to re-brand a party… We are here to rebuild a country!

American superstar: ‘STUPID people’ running country

Technorati Tags: CPAC,Conservatives,Constitutionalists,Libertarians,Republicans,Conservative Political Action Conference,GOP,Washington D.C.,speeches,CSPAN,CPAC schedule,Sarah Palin,Dr. Ben Carson,Ann Coulter,Mia Love,Ted Cruz,Phyllis Schafley,Rand Paul

Andrew Breitbart: One Year Later

“The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.” - Lao Tzu

Big Journalism.com: The funny thing is, Andrew would give me an endless hard time for quoting Lao Tzu--pretentious, he’d say.

But Andrew did live larger than life--which made his sudden passing so truly hard to believe and accept. He was a flame that burned twice as bright. It was in his DNA. I know. I knew him since he was less than one year old. (Some pictorial proof below.)

But if Andrew’s flame burned half as long, his legacy will never burn out. To the contrary, it will only burn brighter and brighter. It is one of love and laughter, of an amazing family consisting of his widow Susie and their four extraordinary young children, and of a friend, a patriot and a happy warrior.

It burns in my heart and the heart of all those who loved him and whom he so deeply affected.

It also burns as his mission continues and expands at Breitbart News Network.

In his book, Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World! (which was largely written at my kitchen table while I hovered over Andrew forcing him to focus) he wrote some words I find particularly pertinent about that mission.

First:

The left does not win its battles in debate. It doesn't have to. In the twenty-first century, media is everything. The left wins because it controls the narrative. The narrative is controlled by the media. The left is the media. Narrative is everything. I call it the Democrat-Media Complex--and I am at war to gain back control of the American narrative.

Second:

Walk toward the fire. Don't worry about being called a racist, a homophobe, a sociopath, a violent heteronormative xenophobe with fascistic impulses. They say all those things about you because they're keeping you inside the Complex, forcing you to respond to their playbook. They want to stop you in your tracks. But if you keep going, if you tell them you can stop their verbal bullets and keep walking, you'll send messages to people who are rooting for you, who agree with you. That's how you build an invincible movement willing to play by its own rules.

As CEO and President of Breitbart News Network, and as Breitbart.com attests over the last year, let me assure you that Andrew’s mission and vision only grows brighter with every day that passes.

Now, as promised, let me show you a few pictures. Why? Because for all of us who knew Andrew personally, and especially for those who did not--supporters and detractors alike--at the end of the day, I think it is important on this anniversary, to humanize Andrew. He was a man who did extraordinary things that guarantee him a place in the history books of this great country, but still a man.

We should all take personal inspiration from that. No matter who we are. No matter where we came from. No matter which side of the aisle we are on. There is nothing we cannot do if we live with passion and are willing to sacrifice and fight for what we believe in. Andrew embodied that very premise.

I call the following picture, “First Business Meeting.” It took place in 1972 over the hood of my Mom’s Ford Country Squire, with authentic, fake wood paneling. What could be so serious to four year olds? I have no idea.

Cut to Halloween, late-70’s. This was a last minute costume. The key: some eye black, two Dodgers caps (like we didn’t have 20 or so lying around), and Andrew’s father’s extra-large orange shirt.

A little more friendly than 1976:

Lastly, this picture was taken as an afterthought at the end of the photo shoot for Andrew’s Righteous Indignation book cover, slightly over a year before Andrew passed away. I’m grateful to Andrew’s brother-in-law, Marc Atlan, both for originally suggesting we take it, and then for presenting it to me several days after Andrew’s death.

I love Andrew, my brother. And I miss him more than words can express. Thank you to everyone who over the last year has provided his loved ones comfort and support, and who today remember him and his family in their thoughts and prayers.

Related:

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‘Hating Breitbart’ Earns Blog Bash Best Movie Nomination

One Falls Along the Way… Goodbye Andrew Breitbart

Breitbart Lore, Speculation and Tributes

The mainstream media in Washington, DC is apoplectic after Gov. Sarah Palin backed Andrew Breitbart’s project, "The Vetting."

Breitbart to Conservatives: "Unite or Perish!"

Politico: ‘Occupy Unmasked’ Breitbart’s ‘Last Major Piece of Work’

The mainstream media in Washington, DC is apoplectic after Gov. Sarah Palin backed Andrew Breitbart’s project, "The Vetting."

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Technorati Tags: Andrew Breitbart,alternative media,standing up,remembering,strength,friends,Conservative

Famous Painter Jon McNaughton's Controversial painting... Obamanation - In case you missed it or want a second look

I love this guy’s work!!

Video: Famous Painter Jon McNaughton's Controversial painting... Obamanation - (LESS THAN 3 MINUTES)

Obamanation (One Painting That Says It All)

TAKE THE CHALLENGE… go to www.JonMcNaughton.com

I chose to use an undisclosed studio so I could paint privately, without interruption, to focus on the task of embedding in a single painting all the subtle, mindless, radical and dangerous atrocities of the Obama administration.

I am just one person, a citizen of this country using my first amendment rights to speak out through my art. This is my declaration that we have never had a president do more to harm our country than Barack Obama.

To those who scoff or wish to trivialize this painting, I challenge you... I DARE YOU... study the links of the various symbols and metaphors that you see. There are over 60 in the painting. No person can analyze this image and learn about these facts and still, in good conscience, vote for Obama in 2012.
I do not hate Obama, but I hate the fact that I had to paint this picture. Has the painting gone too far? I knew when I did this that most Obama supporters would reject what I have done. But as a Conservative, I'm fed up with the corruption in Washington. And I'm sick of the political correctness that has derailed our country!

My art is an expression of the times in which I live and people will know how Jon McNaughton felt about being alive in America in 2012.
Take the Challenge! If you still choose Obama, congratulations...you're a part of the Obamanation.

Go to www.jonmcnaughton.com

McNaughton Answers Questions Regarding "Obamanation."

What do you hope to accomplish?

Someone once said, "there is nothing more irritating than being awaken from a sound sleep"—I hope to wake up a few. If anyone is undecided about voting for Obama, please study the painting, take the challenge, share it with your friends and help us to expose this man and vote him out of office this November.

Are you doing this for the money?

No. I paint what is important to me, but I know there are many who feel the same as I do about Obama. I am a professional artist. I make my living providing a service and I get paid to do it. The vast majority who view my work never pay a nickel. They pass it around on the Internet with their friends or see it on someone's wall.

This is just propaganda.

It seems funny that when a liberal artist paints a political motif it is called artistic expression, but when a conservative does the same thing critics call it "propaganda." When I think of propaganda I think of early twentieth century war posters commissioned by the Nazis and Communist regimes. It usually conveys a negative meaning, so I know why my critics like to use it to describe me. But I am not the government! I am simply one individual, a citizen of this country using my first amendment rights to speak out through my art.

Do you think this is art?

What is art? There are many certified art experts who would love to tell you the answer. Their opinions mean little to me because I only paint to satisfy my desire to share a message. For me, art has a way of communicating both thoughts and feelings that words fail to adequately express. If my art causes another to think and to feel, it is a success. I use metaphor and symbol because it leaves more for the viewer to discover, but for the few who choose to take the time to study I have the interactive website where I meticulously explain my images. I paint realistically because it communicates to the broadest audience. I paint political and religious subject because they are close to my heart. Whether someone from the history books could have painted it better means nothing to me. My art is an expression of the times in which I live and people will know how Jon McNaughton felt about being alive at this time in our history.

Is the original for sale?

Yes, and prints are also for sale on the website.

h/t to Victoria Baer

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Painting of Obama Trampling Constitution Resurfaces, Artist‘s New Work Tells ’Enslaved‘ Americans to ’Wake Up!’

GB: Crash Course Review – Re-Writing History with Judge Andrew Napolitano (Part 3 of 5) – Features McNaughton

Technorati Tags: art,political art,Jon McNaughton,Obamanation,politics,you be the judge,news,art and politics,The Forgotten Man,political paintings,patriotic paintings,patriotic art,fighting back

The Conservatives" Movie Trailer: A Generation Awakens

Video: "The Conservatives" Movie Trailer: A Generation Awakens

Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin, Jonah Goldberg, Monica Crowley, Walter Williams, Stephen Moore, and Peter Schweizer star in Young America's Foundation's upcoming movie, "The Conservatives."

Technorati Tags: Mark Levin,Michelle Malkin,Jonah Goldberg,Monica Crowley,Walter Williams,Stephen Moore,Peter Schweizer,Young America's Foundation,movies The Conservatives,conservatives,conservatives stand up,America wakes up,Ronald Reagan

Could There Still Be a Palin Reconsideration?

I’m hearing this question and rumblings over and over again from many sources:

Could Sarah Palin be getting into the race after all?  Is there still time for her to reconsider or be drafted?

Palin herself has not said anything but some of her supporters in Iowa, and other placers, are. They have made a TV commercial that is going to debut in Iowa tomorrow, four weeks and six days before the Iowa caucuses.

From The Daily Caller:

Supporters of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Gov. Palin have unveiled a television ad they plan to air in Iowa. They hope the ad will compel her to reconsider her decision not to run for president in 2012.

The ad debuts Nov. 30 on KCAU in Sioux City, Ian Lazaran of Conservatives4Palin.com, which raised money to run the spot, told The Daily Caller.

The video does not explicitly ask Palin to reconsider. It simply shows her giving a speech and saying, “We will not solve our economic problems in this country until we confront the crony capitalism of our permanent political class.”

“This is socialism for the very rich and the very poor but it is a brutal form of capitalism for the rest of us,” Palin says. “It’s the collusion of big government, big business. It’s at the heart of President Obama’s economic vision.”

Video:  The Challenge  - To Run in Iowa

Palin: We will not solve our economic problems in this country until we confront the crony capitalism of our permanent political class. This is socialism for the very rich and the very poor but it is a brutal form of capitalism for the rest of us. It's the collusion of big government, big business. It's at the heart of President Obama's economic vision. We need sudden and relentless reform. That will return power to we the people. We need people with a proven record of reform. I served in public office in a state that had a corruption problem. I fought that corrupt system. I took on a corrupt and compromised political class. The challenge is not simply to replace Obama in 2012. The real challenge is who and what we will replace him with.   Uploaded by PalinTV on Nov 22, 2011

The Hill has some more details:

Conservatives4Palin, a volunteer group that is unaffiliated with Palin and SarahPac, said on its website that it hopes to run the ad this week in Sioux City, Iowa.

“What we do next after the television ad goes up is a more difficult question,” the announcement said. “If this ad is able to build some momentum for the Governor, the best way to keep that momentum going may be to commission a national GOP primary poll that includes the Governor as one of the options. We’ll see if it’s possible given our resources. We’re open to other ideas but the greatest challenge may be that time is running short for her to reconsider.”

Hope does spring eternal but the reality of life is, at this late date it would be impossible for Palin to jump into the race. She has already missed the deadline to appear on a number of early state ballots.

The fascination with Palin jumping back into the race, something she has not even hinted at, is a symptom of something else going on in the Republican Party.

Right now, the conservative base remains shattered. It is split among a number of candidates. The problem is we are now on top of the Caucus date and the primaries begin a week later.

Conservatives are going to have to unite behind the most electable conservative. Otherwise, we are going to see Mitt Romney be the nominee and just as we had a choice in 2008 between two liberals, if Mitt Romney is the nominee, the only question will be which of the two liberals wins in 2012.

Video:  Sarah Palin @ The Tea Party of America Rally Indianola, Iowa September 3 2011

Future Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin gives the keynote speech at the Tea Party of America Rally in Indianola, Iowa to a huge crowd in essentially in the middle of nowhere. 1000's upon 1000's got rained on all morning, then just before Sarah Palin took the stage, the rain stopped. Must be Ronald Reagan looking down. Thanks To CSPAN!

Why Sarah Could Win & Long Lost Sarah Palin Emerges From Released Emails Victoriously

2012: Obama has convinced us?… First GOP Presidential Debate Tonight

Tonight at 9p ET on Fox Cable News, GOP hopefuls Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and Gary Johnson will square off in the first Republican presidential debate of 2012. So, what issue are you most looking forward to hearing the candidates’ positions on?  Shows that GOP field is fart from set!  GOP debate countdown begins in South Carolina.  Many of the GOP candidates have not officially  thrown their hats in the ring and others opted to skip the SC Debate, angering may SC’ers.

We are not members of the Republican Party - local, state, or national (although we have been, in the past). Nor do we financially support the various national Republican organizations. We decided long ago to support only individual candidates, since the national organizations have a disappointing habit of supporting liberal candidates.

In 2008, we cast our ballot for Sarah Palin, despite the fact the John McCain was the Presidential candidate. Since then, we have consistently said we would never again vote for a liberal GOP candidate like McCain.

But the longer we watch the Marxist reign of Barack Hussein Obama II, the more we realize that the 2012 Presidential election may be unique. We are beginning to believe that the next national election will decide whether or not the United States of America remains a Constitutional Republic.

We do not want our America to melt into the murky darkness, as so many declining nation-states have done, and are doing. We'd prefer to see elected officials who are citizen-servants, rather than elitist political-class rulers. We'd rather see a limited Federal government, which our Founders envisioned. We'd like to see many Federal departments and programs curtailed or abolished. We'd rejoice over a balanced budget, reduced debt, and relaxed regulation. Obama and his minions seem to hold the polar opposite view.

During what surely will be a rigorous Republican Presidential primary campaign, we will support Constitutional conservatives. We will politely and respectfully point out the policy deficiencies of liberal Republicans, sometimes referred to as "RINOs" (Republican In Name Only). And you can count on us to continually deride the progressive, anti-American policies of the Obama Regime.

But in November 2012, we will vote for the victorious GOP candidate, whoever that is, because we are convinced that this nation cannot survive a second Obama term.

Special thanks to @jjmnolte for inspiring these thoughts.

POSTED BY RESIST TYRANNY AT 10:02 AM

** I read and review dozens, if not more, articles and videos per day.  The Progressive Machine is in full swing and they have a slush fund of money before even starting their fund raising for Election 2012, which from the last election we know was not played by the rules.  We also know that the media will do their bidding.  So it is up to each of us to do our part!  We need to volunteer, support, donate to and promote the candidate we want in the primary… but no matter what or who is the final GOP choice, unless you want another 4-years of Barack Obama and the end of the American Dream… the end of the American Experiment, we then need to pull together for that person… the GOP candidate.  We also need to be involved at the polls and in counting the votes plus insisting on recounts and even another ballot if there are problems.

I also heard a expert John Hogue last night, who has made accurate predictions for decades, say that nothing is set in stone.

Obama can be beaten… and it is the GOP’s, the tea party’s, conservative and independent America’s and patriotic concerned American’s, of all races, creed, color and religion, to lose or win.  We all have one job between now and November 2012… to save the country we love!

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Video: Go West for 2012

The Hate for Sarah Palin

By Mark Levin - March 14, 2011

The corporate hate for Sarah Palin at Politico is obvious. The latest is here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51218.html

But if you google Politico and Palin, the evidence of a Politico agenda is overwhelming. And the manner in which Politico’s editors pursue their hate-Palin agenda is to cherry-pick the individuals they quote to make the point they want made.

A couple of quick things: 1. As I demonstrated last week, remarkably George Will missed the Reagan Revolution not only in 1976 but as late as 1980.  In the 1979 Republican Presidential Primary, his first choice was Howard Baker, his second choice was George H. W. Bush, and his third choice was Reagan.  Not until days before the 1980 general election did he write on November 3, 1980 that Reagan deserved election.  For all his wonderful columns, the Republican electorate better understood the needs of the nation and the excellence of a potential Reagan presidency than Will.  It is hard to believe he was so wrong about a matter of such great import, despite Reagan's presence on the national scene for many years.  2. Charles Krauthammer was not only wrong about Reagan, as late as 1980 he was a speech-writer for Vice President Walter Mondale.  Krauthammer, like Will, not only missed the significance of the Reagan candidacy, but was putting words in the mouth of a terribly flawed politician from a philosophical perspective. I certainly do not begrudge, but in fact encourage, liberals becoming conservatives or Democrats becoming Republicans.  Reagan was a Democrat who famously changed parties.  But I do not believe that individuals touted by a left-wing "news" site as two of the leading conservative intellectuals, who stunningly opposed Reagan's candidacy while both were of mature age and mind, are necessarily reliable barometers in this regard.  The "non-intellectual" voters knew better.  3. It is apparent that several of President George W. Bush's former senior staffers are hostile to Sarah Palin, including Karl Rove, David Frum, and Pete Wehner, to name only three. (Even Barbara put her two cents into the hate soup!)  Pete is a good friend and a very smart guy.  That said, Bush's record, at best, is marginally conservative, and depending on the issue, worse.  In fact, the Tea Party movement is, in part, a negative reaction to Bush's profligate spending (including his expansion of a bankrupt Medicare program to include prescription drugs).  And while Bush's spending comes nowhere near Barack Obama's, that is not the standard.  Moreover, Bush was not exactly among our most articulate presidents, let alone conservative voices.  I raise this not to compare Bush to Palin, but to point out only a few of the situational aspects of the criticism from the Bush community corner.  (If necessary, and if challenged, I will take the time to lay out the case in all its particulars, as well as other non-conservative Bush policies and statements.  No Republican president is perfect, of course, but certainly some are more perfect that others, if you will.)

This is not to say the folks cherry-picked by Politico are without accomplishment and merit.  They clearly are accomplished.  But that's not the point.  Most were not involved in either the Reagan Revolution or the Tea Party movement, and were not, to the best of my knowledge, early outspoken supporters of either.  What is necessary is a fulsome debate on each candidate's substance and policy positions.  Most of these Politico stories are little more than excuses to attack Palin, intended to damage her early on in case she should decide to run.  This has been going on for some time now.  If she is as weak as some think, why the obsession?  Why the contempt?  Moreover, Palin has used social media and other outlets to comment substantively on a wide range of issues and policies.  In fact, she has spoken on a wider array of issues than Youtube governor Chris Christie, popular among most of these folks, and her positions have, for the most part, been solidly conservative.  (Christie's positions on numerous issues important to conservatives are all but ignored by some of those complaining about Palin; indeed, the same could be said of potential presidential contenders Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitch Daniels, among others.)  My purpose in mentioning Christie here is to juxtapose the demands by "the intellectuals" on one politician versus another.  Their inquisitiveness seems influenced by their political bias.  That's not unusual, but it requires underscoring lest their opinions be viewed or promoted as objective.

As a Reaganite pre-dating Reagan’s 1976 candidacy, the contempt for Palin does, in fact, reminds me of the contempt some had for Reagan, especially from the media and Republican establishment, although no comparison is exact. I’ve not settled on a favorite would-be presidential candidate, but I also know media hit-jobs when I see them. I am hopeful more conservatives will begin to speak out about this or, before we know it, we will wonder why we are holding our noses and voting for another Republican endorsed by “the intellectuals” but opposed by a majority of the people.

A Tale of Two Speeches: Sarah Palin and Barack Obama on the Tragedy in Tucson

The Audacity of American Exceptionalism

Fear Factor: Palin Derangement Syndrome

See:  Journolists: The Truth of Media Fraud Confirmed