Thankful for my Beautiful Mommy!!! A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice!!!

Happy Mother's Day to Sarah and Bristol Palin, as well as all of the other moms out there. I love my mom. If that old notion is true that a girl's mom is her best friend, then my mom is definitely mine. For my entire life, my mom has always put her kids first, making sure that we were always provided for. While my dad is awesome, and I love him to death, there is just something special about a girl's relationship with her mother. There are so many "girl moments" that I can recall having with my mom while growing up. I can recall a ton of funny moments and those moments that I had when all I wanted to do was be held and cry on her shoulder. I know I am lucky when I can truly say that my mom has ALWAYS been there for this Conservative Girl with a Voice.


I definitely know there were times when my mom probably wanted to pull all of her hair out over the antics of her three children, but she never quit believing in my brother, sister and me. She has always taught me to dream big and set big goals for myself. I can still remember the little things like her helping to run the PTA and always being there to pick me up after school and being the team mom for my softball teams. She has been there through think and thin- from consoling me in middle school over my "boy troubles" to taking me in her arms and telling me how proud she was of me even after I screwed up that puzzle during my appearance on Wheel of Fortune. I am so blessed and thankful God gave me a mom who has never given up on me even during the times I wanted to give up on myself.

I had a great childhood, full of so many ups and few downs, and mom made that possible. My mom was the individual who's responsible for the personal relationship I have with Jesus Christ. I will never forget sitting on the swing set, mom was on the swing beside me, when I was about five years old and accepting Jesus into my heart. I will forever be thankful to her and dad for bringing my brother, sister and I up in a loving, Christian home.

My mom has taught me so much, and I cannot wait to have a daughter whom I can teach the same lessons. One of the best lessons my mom has taught me is to always believe in myself and know that I can achieve whatever I set my eyes upon. This whole "world is my oyster" philosophy sticks with me to this day. I will never forget what mom told me recently as I sat in the car, on our way home from my Wheel of Fortune taping. I kept telling my family that I couldn't stop kicking myself for having screwed up that puzzle. I would have won about $17,000 and two trips- one to Britain and another to Cabo. I kept going on about the "what ifs" when mom told me to look her in the eye; now, for all you out there, you know good and well that when mama says to look her in the eye, you better listen and do it pronto! When I looked over at her, here is what mom told me:

"Rachelle, you were so blessed to be chosen to be on America's number one game show. Out of the millions who try out each year, you were selected. I know God has big plans for your life, and being on Wheel of Fortune is going to look like a small fete when you look back on your life. It is something to add to your bucket list. You are a beautiful, smart, intelligent young woman, and I know you will continue to succeed and do great things."

At that moment, with tears in my eyes, I knew my mom was right. I knew I had been blessed with the opportunity to do something so many people will never get the chance to do. With this said, I realize that I have so much to be thankful for and so much that I still want to do and achieve. It is because of the values and work ethic that mom has instilled in me that I know I can do it as long as I continue to work hard and rely on God in my life. Thank you, mom, for always helping me to believe in myself and NEVER giving up on me. I am so blessed and honored to be able to call you "mom." Although I may not tell you this everyday, I love you!!!

(Click here to visit Conservative Girl with a Voice and become a follower. Follow me on Twitter @rachellefriberg.)

Governor Palin and the Fiorina Furor

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com

The other day, I ticked some people off when I blogged about the whining going on as a result of Governor Palin's endorsement of Carly Fiorina for the California Senate race. Seems like some who disagreed with the governor took it personally and assumed I was talking about them. The truth is if the shoe doesn't fit, don't force the sucker on. If you weren't whining, obviously I wasn't talking about you, so pass it on to those who were. Some people on other venues were indeed whining, and if those particular individuals have a problem being called out, that's too bad. Like Governor Palin, I'm bold enough to stand by my statements.

I have always been the first to say we are not going to agree with anyone 100% of the time, including someone who has garnered as much respect as Governor Palin. That's life. Nonetheless, I simply cannot get used to the vehement anger displayed by some whenever she does something with which they don't agree. I say again what I've said before: the very thing that drew people to her is the very thing that makes people furious with her when she doesn't do what they expect. They were first drawn to her for being a maverick, a free-thinking, principled individual who is willing to take the heat to do what she believes is right. This same quality annoys the snot out of people when what she believes is right is not what they believe is right.

Again, I don't have a problem with tasteful disagreement. Welcome to America. But I have read comments on various venues where people have whined, complained, and made accusations about her character. A few have determined they will no longer support her. You know, the "you didn't do what I wanted you to do, so I'm taking my toys and going home!" mentality. Why...because their character didn't govern her decision? Mature people, on the other hand, have just acknowledged they disagree and engaged in adult conversation about it.

Now, when looking at the full picture, it is obvious to me that her endorsement of Carly Fiorina was the common sense decision. She is the conservative with the best chance in this race. Others disagree with this. That's cool, too. But the whining?

FoxNews.com reports:

Despite facing fierce criticism from her supporters, Tea Party hero Sarah Palin isn't backing down from her endorsement of former Hewlett-Packard executive Carly Fiorina in the GOP's U.S. Senate primary in California.

Palin's endorsement surprised and outraged many of her supporters who expected her to pick Tea Party favorite Chuck DeVore.

[...]

But Eric Odom, chairman of Liberty First PAC, a Tea Party-fueled political action committee, called Palin's endorsement an "unforgivable sin," and her second strike after endorsing her 2008 running mate John McCain in his Senate race.

"This one is much worse, though," Odom wrote on his blog, arguing that Fiorina is not a "commonsense conservative."

"The first strike was painful, but tolerable," he said. "This second strike is downright confusing, dishonest, and leaves me feeling cheated."

"Unforgivable sin"? "Dishonest"? "Cheated"? Too bad I didn't have this quote to use as an example last week when I taught my students the definition of hyperbole.

Thankfully, most people I have conversed with or have been quoted do understand the governor's free spirit and refusal to be controlled by any person or any particular movement.

One such person is Palin faithful, Jason Recher. Recher's analysis:

"The governor is never one to go with the flow," Jason Recher, a spokesman for Palin said, explaining that the former Alaska governor respects the differing opinions but is sticking by her choice. "She is a very independent person, and she shakes things up in establishments -- including grassroots establishments -- all the time."

Anyone who paid the slightest attention to the governor's career knows Recher's comments to be factual. Governor Palin's actions are nothing new.

Another such person is Rita Heidkamp. Her perspective:

In Fairbanks, Alaska, Tea Partier Rita Heidkamp said she has no personal position on the California endorsement. But it's Palin's choice to make, and no one else's, said Heidkamp, whose group -- the Fairbanks 912 Project -- organized a local Tea Party tax day rally.

"She should endorse whoever she thinks is the best candidate," Heidkamp said. "That's her right and her responsibility."

Thank you, Heidkamp. Governor Palin doesn't make these decisions lightly. It is indeed her responsibility to make an endorsement that sits well with her conscience. Clearly, Fiorina is that person, and the governor highlighted exactly why in her Facebook note.

I left the following comment on Team Sarah:

It amazes me that after all we know about the governor and her track record in AK, some still don't seem to "get" that she is her own person and will stand by her own principles. She is no puppet on a string. After all, isn't that what we say we love about her?

The endorsement has been made. Now, the onus is still on Fiorina, DeVore, and Campbell to take care of their business. The election is theirs to win or lose, and the governor has said many times how much she loves contested primaries. So we'll see what happens.

As I wrote previously, I agree with Governor Palin: Fiorina is the only common sense choice in this race.

Read the full FoxNews.com article here.

(H/T Ian Lazaran)

Governor Palin's Mother's Day Present: USA Weekend

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com


For Mother's Day, Governor Palin gets a family picture that includes all of her children. That may not seem like much to some, but when you have five children ranging in age from two to twenty one, and a sixteen month grandson, that's quite a feat--and quite a present.

USA Weekend gives us a look into the Palin home, where we get to experience how the busy family operates on a given day.

Carol Clurman writes:

Even for one of the world’s most famous mothers, wrangling six kids — including two squirmy toddlers, a rather-be-elsewhere young veteran and a birthday girl impatient to light the candles on mini-cupcakes that Mom baked — makes reforming health care seem easy.

Welcome to Palin Central, a remote lakeside outpost where, for one recent afternoon, the woman in the headlines opened her home for an up-close look at her life.
What we found during three harried, uncensored hours was a working mom who gives new meaning to the term “multitasking.” One minute Palin, 46, is making a baby bottle, checking the latest stream of e-mails on her BlackBerry and asking Piper, 9, if she wants a playdate; the next she’s dashing out the back door, taking off her dangle earrings and doing a live TV shot on, yes, health care reform for Fox News. And this is all during our interview.

Any discussion of a presidential run during this interview? Just this from the governor:

For Palin, the juggling act is evidence of presidential bona fides. “I think this country would be served very well by a woman president, someone who has raised a family,” she says, stopping short of saying she wants to run in 2012.

I agree. The country would definitely do well to have a woman president, but only the right one--and that one is named Palin.

Read the full USA Weekend article and see the family pictures here.

Devore's Amateurish Campaign Cannot Defeat Boxer

I have written on a number of occasions about the calculus of candidate endorsements. Political agreement is necessary but insufficient to warrant an endorsement. A candidate must have a reasonable chance of winning to be worthy of securing a major endorsement, else the endorser is squandering an endorsement. A string of losing endorsements diminishes the endorser's political capital. Despite protestations to the contrary, Gov. Palin got this endorsement right, just as she did the others. The following proves the point:

No Chance Against Boxer in a General Election

On November 6, 2009, the Los Angeles Times wrote that the outcome of a Boxer-Devore race would be inevitable, and not in Devore's favor. On November 16, 2009, Salon.com wrote that Devore could win a GOP primary but could not win a general election.

Poor Fundraising - Devore Already Spent 90% of Money Raised

According to a Washington Independent article published November 16, 2009, Devore raised $700K and has less than one tenth of it left. The Independent reported that Devore had raised $700K and had $60K remaining. Devore's fundraising situation was deteriorating two months prior, when according to a December 10, 2009 Washington Post article, Devore had only $144K and conceded he would have difficulty raising money to compete against Fiorina.

Devore Fights Republicans Working to Defeat Sen. Boxer

Devore has had a long-running feud with the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). Aaron Blake reported on December 17, 2009 that Devore would not be seeking the NRSC's help. Reid Wilson of the National Journal’s Hotline On Call, wrote on December 16, 2009 that the Devore campaign twice sent meeting requests to the wrong office. Further, though Devore is a Republican he has alienated the NRSC. Both sides are locked in heated arguments over who invited who to meetings, and allegations of favoritism, according to Reid.

According to Aaron Blake, who wrote "Outsider Senate Candidates Decline Republican Party’s Offer To Help," for The Hill on December 17, 2009, NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh said the Devore campaign "likes to play games." Walsh continued, "It’s unfortunate, but if and when they’d like to stop this nonsense and work with us on defeating Barbara Boxer next year, we look forward to meeting with them."

Devore is a Birther...

The Washington Independent wrote on November 16, 2009 that Devore was using Obama's birth records in an attempt to turn conservatives away from Firoina.

Class Warfare

On August 13, 2009, the American Spectator reported that Devore referred to Fiorina as a "dilettante" and a "rich moderate." More than three months later, on November 18, 2009, the Assoicated Press reported that Devore would "attack Firorina on core economic issues.

Devore Concedes Lack of Name Recognition

According to the Wall Street Journal, in a December 14, 2009 article, Fiorina is a nationally known figure; however, Devore has little name recognition outside his Orange County District. While he raised $1 million, Fiorina is projected to raise at least $10 million.

The Fiorina Campaign, is Focused, Organized, and Ready

The California Progress Report's November 17, 2009 assessment was that "Fiorina will almost certainly win her primary election over GOP opponent Chuck DeVore, which will pit her against Boxer in November." The Washington Times two days later would write about Fiorina's aggressive campaign against Boxer's cap and tax legislation.

According to a November 19, 2009 Roll Call article, Dan Scnhur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California and a former Republican political strategist said, "Fiorina has the potential to be the most formidable opponent that Boxer’s ever faced." The Star-Ledger wrote a concurring article on November 5, 2009.

Conclusion

To be a worthwhile endorsement, the candidate must be running an effective campaign and have good odds of winning. Endorsements are not merely about who is the most conservative. That is but one factor in a complicated decision-making process - a calculus. Governor Palin is politically astute, having been in politics for over 18 years. Every endorsement she makes is carefully considered. Some people might get upset because their dream candidate was not endorsed. Perhaps, if they took a mental step back and did some of the calculus involved, they would understand why their dream candidate did not secure the endorsement.

Candidate endorsements are not just about principles. They're about winning. They're also high-risk, for if one of her endorsed candidates loses, it reflects on Governor Palin. She is not going to squander the political capital she worked so hard to build, to make a few purists happy. Our goal between now and November 2, 2010 is to take back the House and the Senate, so that Obama's agenda can be stalled, neutered and reversed.

In this senatorial race, Fiorina, not Devore is the one who can beat Boxer. Devore's campaign has squandered funds almost as soon as they were raised and alienated key Republicans through its amateurish operations. Devore also does not have national name recognition critical in a federal election. The foregoing clearly indicates that winning a primary will be next to impossible for Devore, and Boxer will win a general election with him as the opposition.

Governor Palin most absolutely did the right thing endorsing Fiorina.

Bristol Palin says Palin 2012 would be awesome

Bristol Palin made her first appearance on "The View" Wednesday on ABC, and talked about the challenges of teen motherhood, custody arrangements for her 16-month-old son Tripp, her mother possibly running for President, and Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin impersonation.

Bristol, now a spokesperson for abstinence,  promoted The Candie’s Foundation, a non-profit organization hosting numerous events and launching new multi-media campaigns aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy. It also coincided with National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, May 5th.

“It’s not just affecting me now; it affects me for my whole life,” Palin said of her choice to have sex, resulting in pregnancy. “It’s not the best situation.”

Palin also tried to dispel the impression that she may have it easy as a single, teenage mom who is part of a famous family.

“I live by myself. I’m out on my own,” she said. “My family is not at my disposal. I’m a single mom.”

When asked about her mom, Sarah Palin, running for President in 2012, Bristol replied, “it would be awesome."



Read more articles by the National Sarah Palin Examiner at Examiner.com

Sarah Palin On The Factor: Who Is Not Aware Of Our Judeo-Christian Roots?

Sarah Palin Shakes Up California (and the Nation) Endorses Carly Fiorina

Regular readers know that I spent a lifetime in sales and management, which gave me quite an insight into successful leadership, and what makes a great leader. Reading Sarah Palin’s notes on the occasion of her endorsement of Carly Fiorina for the United States Senate reminded me of a great leader I had the pleasure to work with, who taught me what it took to be effective.

Roy was an incredible man. He was a real master of strategery and a solid tactician. I never saw someone who could think so fast on his feet, and manage affairs so well. He was great with people, if not a bit gruff at times, deep down, he was a real softy, but only to those who knew him best.

One thing Roy understood is that sometimes, to get the desired result, you had to shake things up. Sometimes that meant taking a decent team member, that just wasn’t getting it done, and wasn’t gonna get it done, and putting in someone that could, and would. Sure, egos would get bruised, but professionals understood, and in the end, everyone was much to the better for it.

Leaders lead, which brings me to Sarah Palin:

Let’s shake it up in California! (Updated)

I’d like to tell you about a Commonsense Conservative running for office in California this year. She grew up in a modest home with a school teacher dad, worked her way through several colleges, and then entered an arena where few women had tread. Through a combination of hard work, perseverance, and common sense, she proved the naysayers wrong to reach the top of her field, where she led with distinction – facing hard truths, making tough decisions, and showing real leadership through a rocky transition period. Where others had failed, her company had weathered the storm and settled on a stronger new foundation.

Her name is Carly Fiorina, and I’m proud to endorse her for U.S. Senate.

Carly is the Commonsense Conservative that California needs and our country could sure use in these trying times. Most importantly, she’s running for the right reasons. She has an understanding that is sorely lacking in D.C. She’s not a career politician. She’s a businesswoman who has run a major corporation. She knows how to really incentivize job creation. Her fiscal conservatism is rooted in real life experience. She knows that when government grows, the private sector shrinks under the burden of debt and deficits. We can trust Carly to do the right thing for America’s economy and to make the principled decisions she has throughout her professional career.

Please consider that Carly is the conservative who has the potential to beat California’s liberal senator, Barbara Boxer, in November. I’m a huge proponent of contested primaries, so I’m glad to see the contest in California’s GOP, but I support Carly as she fights through a tough primary against a liberal member of the GOP who seems to bear almost no difference to Boxer, one of the most leftwing members of the Senate. Carly needs our support in this crucial election year when we have a real chance of putting an end to the Pelosi/Reid "Big Government" agenda.

I hope you’ll join me in supporting Carly. Visit her website here, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter. Read up on her positions and plans to help get us on the right track.

California is still Reagan Country, and Carly promises her "Reagan Conservative" values will be put to good use for her state and for our great nation. Shaking it up in California is long overdue. Let’s help Carly do it!

- Sarah Palin

Update: I’d like to add a few things about my Carly endorsement because some reaction right out of the chute calls for more information:

Carly has been endorsed by the National Right to Life, the California Pro-Life Council, and the Susan B. Anthony List. She is pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-military, and pro-strict border security and against amnesty. She is against Obamacare and will vote to repeal it and prevent the government takeover of private companies and industries. Carly is also a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. Like me, she is a member of the NRA, has a 100% NRA rating, and she and her husband are gun owners. She is pro-energy development and believes as I do in an all-of-the-above approach to energy independence. She is against cap and tax. And most importantly, Carly is the only conservative in the race who can beat Barbara Boxer. That’s no RINO. That’s a winner.

- Sarah Palin

If you notice, Sarah had to do a little bit of an update. It seems that some don’t understand why Sarah made this bold move and endorsed Carly over Chuck DeVore who some consider the "real" conservative. Though I’m in Texas, both I and my West Coast buddy Stacy Drake kind of liked Chuck DeVore.. We hoped Sarah would take a look at Chuck.

The thing is, Sarah did take a look Chuck as well as Carly, in context of the big picture. Here’s the deal, extensive polling shows that DeVore had peaked, and was backing up, losing ground, while liberal "Republican" Tom Campbell was barely edging out Carly for the nomination. Sarah looked at this and knew she had to shake things up.

Electing Tom Campbell would be like giving Barbara "Don’t Call Me Ma’am" Boxer another six years. Campbell is not simply a RINO (Republican in name only) he is, to borrow from Mark Steyn, a DIABLO (Democrat in all but name only)

He's pro-abortion, has an "F" rating from the NRA, pro-gay marriage, pro-cap and tax, and so on.Campbell has taken campaign donations from a convicted terrorist, which makes him a lot more like Barack Obama than most in the Republican Party would like! Here’s the thing that I imagine really set Sarah off though: Campbell has consistently voted against supporting Israel, and as someone who has repeatedly taken Obama to the woodshed for his personal jihad against our Jewish friends and allies, one just can’t see Sarah putting up with that in her own party.

In short, Tom Campbell is De De Scozzafava on steroids! Not exactly what our nation needs.

As for DeVore, he has his own issues,... with ethics,... and we know what Sarah thinks of unethical politicians, now don’t we! Seems that DeVore was using [taxpayer] money from his state office to pay his campaign staff. That’s a very big deal.

While we are talking about DeVore, he and his people showed their true colors today. Many of us liked the guy, but he, his staff, and supporters threw a hissy fit when Sarah announced she was going to endorse Carly. DeVore’s spokesman Joshua Trevino had this to say about his boss's failing campaign:

This grassroots movement is actually a grassroots movement, Carly Fiorina thinks she can find the sheepdog to corral the sheep. Chuck DeVore knows they’re not sheep at all. They’re Americans. And they’ll make their own decisions.

Stay classy there Josh!

This kinda reminds me of the guy who asks the most popular girl to the high school prom, gets turned down, and then decides to go key her car as revenge. Very immature.

BTW...the "sheepdog" reference comes from the infamous Demon Sheep ad attacking Tom Campbell for lying about being a fiscal Conservative:







Remember now, DeVore sought Sarah’s endorsement, which make the reaction by him and his supporters a real turn off. There’s no crying in politics Chuck!

Stacy Drake offers up her must read take on all of these developments, as a Californian, here.

The bottom line on all of this is quite simple really. Tom Campbell is unacceptable, and Chuck DeVore is simply unelectable. So unacceptable is Campbell that leaving Senator "Don’t Call Me Ma’am" in office is almost more preferable! Campbell is more dangerous than Senator Boxer. At least Boxer has never taken money from a convicted terrorist Tom Campbell has! And despite her really long list of faults, Barbara Boxer has never failed to support Israel. Tom Campbell, on the other hand, sides with the Obama regime and share’s the disdain for our friends and allies.

In short...electing Tom Campbell would be a total disaster for the nation.

Sadly, for those who support DeVore, even after he and his supporters lack of class and professionalism, all you may succeed in doing is electing Tom Campbell.

With that thought in mind, we are enthusiastically endorsing Carly Fiorina and encourage our readers to do the same. Carly was the CEO of Hewlett-Packard. She is the only one in the race who has ever had to make payroll. Not sure about anyone else, but I think we need more seasoned business leaders and a hell of a lot less trial lawyers and "constitutional law professors" in D.C. How about you? 

Sarah Palin is a true leader. She has looked at things, seen what must be done, and picked a winner, someone of principle, who is herself a leader. Sarah has shaken things up for the good of the team. I bet if Roy was still with us, he’d smile in approval and say "Let’s go!"



Carly is known for her rather inventive and entertaining campaign ads, and I agree with my pal Stacy, this is one of the best campaign ads ever. Simply epic. Enjoy: