sarah palin writes on her hand: hi mom!

What is it with Sarah Palin and Sharpies?!

As her weapons of choice, they’re proving lethal.

Once again, the all-knowing, all-seeing former governor gets word of a pseudo-controversy stirred up by Loony Lefties and neutralizes their hostility with charm and humor.  If they keep this up, their manufactured rage will be revealed as (gasp!) manufactured…?  Quel horreur!

Well played, Governor Palin.  Well played…

- tdc

*Kudos to Gateway Pundit for first dibs on the story and links to photos

the levi tales: a jive turkey, mama bears, and a tank in a china shop

It seems someone left a pen open on the Last Frontier and there’s a jive turkey runnin’ loose up there!  And by “jive turkey” I mean Levi Johnston.  What is it with this guy?

Like many of you, I am of the opinion that the less attention paid to him in the public theater, the better.  It’s sort of like when I - however briefly - lost my mind as a toddler and decided I was going to throw a tantrum on the living room floor.  After making sure I wasn’t bleeding or otherwise in mortal danger, my father would give me a disapproving “have you lost your mind?” look and I would decide that indeed I had, and it would be best for all of us if I just got up and put my toys away as I was asked.

Levi Johnston needs to get up off the floor.

The spectacle that is Ricky Hollywood is becoming more unseemly by the day.  If he’s not giving a Palin-bashing interview on television, he’s doing one in print.  One day he’s dressed up in Armani for a photo shoot, the next he eschews his clothes altogether and ends up in Playgirl.

I’ve addressed my thoughts on why Levi behaves as he does in a previous post, so I won’t rehash them here.  Suffice it to say, though, that he’s getting some bad advice from the two people he seems to be turning to for guidance these days:  a lawyer named Rex Butler, and a private investigator cum-bodyguard named Tank Jones.  How else can one explain the fact that Levi rarely visits his son, Tripp, and has given only a fraction of the financial support necessary to feed and clothe the one-year old?  Rex and Tank may very well be upstanding, productive members of society, but I find it hard to believe they have Levi’s best interests at heart, let alone Tripp’s.

The situation that Bristol Palin and Levi find themselves in is as challenging as it is delicate.  Raising a child and sorting out custody arrangements in the glare of the public spotlight (no thanks to Mr. Johnston) can only compound the pressure upon two young parents.  As of now, however, only Bristol seems to be up to meeting her responsibilities as a mother.  While Levi jet-sets around the lower-48, mingling with celebrities, Bristol is up in the wee hours of the morning, getting her son ready for the day and getting herself off to work at a full-time job, all the while pursuing her college degree.  She seems determined to follow the example of her own multi-tasking mother, devoted to making a good life for herself and her son.  The Mama Bear gene is alive and well in the Palin bloodlines.

In contrast, by most accounts Levi has not had the benefits of a stable home life.  His family has been in disarray for who knows how long, and he doesn’t seem to have any familial role models to turn to for guidance.  So, what does he do?  He turns to Rex and Tank.  And, perhaps here lies the key difference between Levi and Bristol - the thing that drives one of them to use her talents and intellect to pursue her goals, while the other shrinks away from the effort required to even try.

With no one to look up to, how is it that a boy becomes a man?  Are we to believe that he has no choice but to turn to his lawyer and bodyguard?

I sincerely hope that Levi comes to realize that his childish campaign against the Palin family is not just harmful to Bristol and Tripp, but to himself as well.  In the end, none of his antics will be worth it because he won’t have gained anything but a couple of heavily-taxed bucks, and few moments of notoriety.  More importantly, he may end up losing everything - and everyone - of real value that he already has.

Bristol doesn’t need Levi to be a “husband”, though it would be nice if she had a partner.  And, little Tripp doesn’t need a meal-ticket so much as he needs a father.  No one expects Levi Johnston to be perfect, but most everyone would agree that he should at least step up and be a man.

- tdc

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*Photo credit - adn.com

an hour with sarah palin and glenn beck

I have no comment other than to say it was a joy to witness the first face-to-face meeting between Governor Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck.  They have proven to be two of the most humble and sincere individuals in the public arena today - their conversation speaks for itself.

- tdc

governor palin has a solid debut on fox news

I hadn’t seen the 60 Minutes thing.  I had been warned, you know, don’t watch because it’s a bunch of BS from Schmidt.

Governor Sarah Palin in her debut as an analyst on Fox News

“BS” indeed…but at least we got another good quote from the Governor out of it!  In her own words, she was “green”, but overall, she did a solid job in her debut as a Fox News pundit.  Her no-nonsense style was tempered with the grace and diplomacy we’ve come to expect - she will be a valuable presence on the network.

As she gets a few more of these appearances under her belt, look for Sarah Palin to hone her already-considerable communication skills, offering her perspective on the important matters of the day.  Thankfully, we can expect her to tackle meatier subjects than the under-achieving, smarmy Republican strategist, Steve Schmidt.

Follow the links below for the full video clips of Governor Palin’s interview with Bill O’Reilly on The Factor.

- tdc

red-ink tsunami: how NOT to fix our financial crisis

The consequences for public budgets and policymakers are immense. The scale of these deficits and the expected duration of the downturn will require a fundamental, transformational re-alignment of the way that governments choose their tasks, define success and generate the revenue to fund their work.

I encourage you to follow the link for Harvard professor Stephen Goldsmith’s pragmatic look at our country’s current financial situation, and his list of five strategies that won’t help us get back in the black…

- tdc

2012 Draft Sarah Committee Fundraising Drive

Adrienne Ross, member of the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee in Upstate New York, shares the organization’s fundraising goals for the year ahead.  2012 DSC is an official FEC-registered group run by dedicated volunteers - they are in it for the long-haul.

If you believe in Sarah Palin and want to help mobilize the grassroots effort on her behalf, consider a donation to the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee.  Governor Palin can’t do it alone, and neither can DSC!

- tdc

Note: the design conservative is unaffiliated with the 2012 Draft Sarah Committee, but heartily supports the work of all those who put their resources, time, and efforts into disseminating the truth about Governor Sarah Palin and her record.