Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin...up until two years ago, she was somewhat elusive, rather unheard of. Now, Sarah Palin is one of the most talked about characters in the GOP. Many think that she will run for president in 2012, although few think she will be successful in gaining the nomination - at least not in 2012.

The Tea Party loves Sarah Palin, and she's been the endorser of several key Tea Party candidate upsets. For instance, Joe Miller from Alaska, and Christine O'Donnell from Delaware.

Most recently, Palin endorsed Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman, calling them her 'Mama Grizzlies', and despite her eager endorsements, neither Whitman or Fiorina were present at that particular venue.

Sarah Palin's Alaska will be a show on TLC soon, and is a simple reality miniseries. It will show us the personal side of Palin...but will that hurt or help her political ambitions?

See below for a video of Sarah Palin. What are your thoughts? Do you love her or not?

Rich Iott Nazi Reenactment Creates Criticism

Rich Iott's Nazi reenactment is creating criticism, and that doesn't come at a big surprise. After all, Nazi reenactment isn't exactly something you would think a politician would be doing. However, GOP candidate Rich Iott's past is rife with such actions, and as such he's even been disowned by his own party.

Rich Iott is a GOP candidate in Ohio running against incumbent Congresswoman Maria Kaptur. He says that he has a love for history, and therefore reenacted Nazi SS soldiers for an organization called Wiking.

Wiking says that they do not support Nazi principles.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor has removed Iott's names from the party's "Young Guns 2010" section for this year's campaign.

So which is worse...dabbling in witchcraft or Rich Iott's Nazi reenactment?

Social Security Cost of Living Increase 2011? Don't Count on It!

Social Security cost of living increase 2011? Don't count on it. Social Security recipients typically enjoy a modest annual increase in their benefits due to the increase in cost of living from year to year. Because of laws enacted in the past, benefits will never go down should cost of living go down.

The increases are typically modest - only a few per cent. However, it costs the government billions each and every year.

The Associated Press reports that an official announcement is supposed to be made by the Social Security administration this week which indicates that no COLA will be made this year - only the second time ever since inflation adjustments were made. The first? Last year.

This could be a blow to Democrats during the 2010 mid-term elections. At least 12 Senate Democrats voted along with the GOP earlier this year to fail to pass a provision that would have allowed a bonus payment of Social Security this year to make up for the lack of COLA adjustments..

Not only wasn't that passed, but the hopes of Social Security cost of living increase 2011 are slim, if not unexistant.

Art Robinson Clashes Against MSNBC Host Rachel Maddow

Art Robinson clashes with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. Robinson is a House of Representatives hopeful from Oregon , and is a Republican candidate. Maddow FINALLY got a republican to come on her show, but to her chagrin Robinson wasn’t exactly agreeable.

This was a painful interview to watch, and if you missed it you can see it in the video below. Art Robinson answered the basic questions posed about his race, but grew irritated when pressed about issues such as his campaign funding.

The incumbent is a Democratic Representative named Peter DeFazio. In 2008, he won his seat with 82% of the votes.

Strangely enough, when Rachel Maddow asked Art Robinson about the source of some campaign funding, he went on a 2 minute tirade about DeFazio while Maddow tried to stop him.

Do you think Art Robinson has any chance at becoming a representative after clashing with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mitt Romney: Sarah Palin "Re-Energized" GOP [VIDEO]

Mitt Romney says that Sarah Palin "Re-Energized" the GOP. It's hard to believe that Meghan McCain is for "Team Romney" but really doesn't seem to like Sarah Palin - but then the former Massachusetts governor is pro-Palin.

Romney says that the former Alaskan governor is a fresh face that helped start the Tea Party movement, and that she also helped inspire a lot of women politicians. He said "We have a lot of women candidates running for office.When John McCain sat down and probably put down a list of who are some of the leading women in the Republican Party he could select as a VP, it was probably not a real long list and that's going to be different."

Whether or not the former VP hopeful will make a run for president in 2012 has yet to be seen, but she seems to be on the GOP short list along with Romney, Chris Christie, and Newt Gingrich.

Palin has been a force within the Tea Party and the GOP. Although she's made some different decisions, she still remains front and center in the media. Love her or hate her, Sarah Palin has changed the face of the GOP - but tell us what you think is that good or bad?

Sarah Palin 2012 Candidate for Presidency? SarahPac Releases "Ad"

Sarah Palin 2012 is a hot search term, and after the Glenn Beck rally there were lots of rumors of a Beck/Palin ballot in 2012. Beck has "no desire" to be President, although Sarah Palin has been coy when asked if she will run for President.

SarahPac, a Political Action Committee has released an ad, and although it is not a campaign ad, it has the appearance of one. Could 2012 be the year of true change, where the people start to rule the government, not the other way around? That's what the ad below seems to suggest.

Sarah Palin has gone from a political no-body to a superstar with a bestselling book and a daughter on Dancing with the Stars in less than two years. Although Meghan McCain had her doubts about Palin, she's been able to leap over any obstacle and stay on top.

Currently, Sarah Palin is #4 on the list for favored candidates for the GOP ticket. If it came down to Palin and Barack Hussein Obama, who would you choose in 2012?

Pledge to America 2010 Another Empty Promise? [Full Text]

The 2010 Pledge to America has surfaced from the GOP. The "Pledge to America" is being compared to the 1994 "Contract to America" and as such is getting criticisms. The Republican party is promising to make changes, including ending the outrageous spending patterns of Congress and lowering taxes.

The Contract to America was deemed a failure, as it was unable to overcome a Clinton Veto. The Pledge to America is more economics than values based, and is a summary of what the GOP will do if they return to power after the mid-term elections.

Among the promises in the 21 page document are promises to repeal the healthcare reform, replacing it with "common sense" solutions, returning spending to "pre bailout" and "pre stimulus" eras, and also continuing the Bush tax cuts.

The Pledge to America is criticized by the Democratic party. This is not unexpected. They claim that the GOP fails to mention that the promised cost cutting will be "painful" and that extending the Bush tax cuts will cost the economy trillions over the next 10 years.

Will the Pledge to America be followed? I guess that we will find that out after the 2010 mid-term elections. What are your thoughts?

GOP Pledge Draft

Tea Party Update: Does Tea Party Amount to "Republican Cannibalism?"

The Tea Party updates keep coming in.  There are many who believe that the Tea party amounts to "Republican Cannibalism."  The cataclysmic results of the recent mid-term primaries indicate that the Tea Party is much more than the shot-gun wielding rednecks that the Democrats would like to portray them as. 

Still yet, the Tea Party is causing more than just a divide in overall politics - they are also forming a divide within the GOP as well. 

Karl Rove has been one of the most vocal opponents of Christine O'Donnell's senate bid, despite being a high-profile Republican strategist. You can see him criticize her here.

He's said “Why did she mislead voters about her college education? How come it took nearly two decades to pay her college bills so she could get her college degree? How did she make a living? Why did she sue a well-known…conservative think tank,”

He went on to mention that she has said a lot of "nutty things" that could cost her the Senate seat.  Perhaps the nutty things she's been saying include in 1999 saying that she "dabbled in Witchcraft" while appearing on Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect."   A video of that can be found here.

O'Donnell shot back at Karl Rove and some statements he made about her saying “Everything that he is saying is un-factual. And it’s a shame because he is the same so-called political guru that predicted I wasn’t going to win. And we won and we won big,” 

A side note - Christine O'Donnell did win, but I don't know if I would classify her win as "big."  She beat the state Republican party backed candidate by some 1,500 votes.  Overall, many venture to say she cost the Republicans the senate seat as her opponent lead the Democratic candidate in the polls by 11%, whereas O'Donnell trails the Democratic candidate by the same amount. 

O'Donnell cried "Republican Cannibalism" when the GOP said they wouldn't back her for her bid.  They later came back and announced that they would. 

So is Christine O'Donnell and the Tea Party updates indicative of "Republican Cannibalism" or not? Will the divide in the GOP cost them their shot at dominating the House and the Senate?

Newt Gingrich's Ex Wife Speaks Out About 2012 Presidential Race

Newt Gingrich's ex wife spoke about about the Republican's potential 2012 Republican presidential bid.  There are many that have coined Newt Gingrich as the quintessential Republican, as they remember his years as Speaker of the House during the Clinton administration.

During the Clinton impeachment trials, Gingrich touted the Republican party as the party with family values.  However, as his second wife claims he's far from a family man.

She opened up about how Gingrich discussed divorce terms with his first wife while she was recovering from cancer surgery.  When he got divorced from his second wife, he told her she was a Jaguar and all he wanted was a Chevy (?!?!)

So will Newt Gingrich run for President in 2012? He's raised money to do so - he's got more money that Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney combined. Still yet, his ex wife doesn't believe that he will be President...although that's how he sees himself.

As we enter a presidential election cycle in 2012 it will be interesting to see what happens, and who will become the Republican candidate for president.

Reference: Esquire