With an endorsement record that now rivals those of many established Washington politicians, Sarah Palin has re-launched her “”Take Back the 20″” campaign. Its aim — pun intended — is to unseat Democratic incumbents who supported last year’s health care reform package H.R. 3200, often referred to by Republicans as “”Obamacare.””
Earlier this year, Palin drew sharp criticism for featuring a map on her web page riddled with crosshairs targeting Democrats in vulnerable congressional districts.
Tucson’s Gabrielle Giffords is among the 20 Democratic incumbents whom Palin intends to use for target practice.
Giffords and her Republican challenger Jesse Kelly are now neck and neck, according to the latest polls. Palin’s endorsement of Kelly came as a surprise to many.
Kelly made headlines last month for a highly critical, off-the-record statement about the former governor-turned-celebrity: “”Endorsing people because they’re going to win, because you want to be on the right side of a Senator, is not the kind of political courage that’s going to take this country back.””
Despite Kelly’s obvious aversion to Palin and her brand of politics, he has accepted her endorsement with open arms. “”We are honored to have the support of Governor Sarah Palin,”” Kelly’s campaign said in a written statement.
Kelly’s photo is now prominently displayed on Palin’s “”Take Back the 20″” website, just below the crosshair-covered map titled “”We’ve diagnosed the problem. Help us prescribe the solution,”” a chilling innuendo.
Like the rest of the Republican Party, Kelly knows better than to be on the wrong side of a Palin endorsement. Her numbers don’t lie. Palin is 7-2 for Senate endorsements, 7-6 for House endorsements and 6-3 for endorsements of gubernatorial candidates. Her record of success has shocked even her harshest opponents.
But Palin still remains a blank page on a range of issues regarding the economy, defense and energy. Rather than touring the country giving paid speeches, she should channel her energy into articulating substantive policy positions.
While she tears down established and politically relevant politicians around the country, Palin has yet to prove that she is even worthy of holding higher office.
And her disdain for H.R. 3200 and Democrats, like Gabrielle Giffords who had the integrity to vote for the legislation, is purely manufactured.
If Palin truly cared about rectifying the problems inherent to this country’s for-profit health care system, one that she and the Republican Party seem intent on preserving, she would dedicate her time and money to lending a helping hand to the estimated 50.7 million uninsured Americans rather than using her celebrity status to ensure the nomination of a handful of Republican nobodies.
Too busy profiting from the speaking engagements that have earned her upwards of $12 million since she quit her job as Alaska’s governor, Palin fails or simply refuses to realize that her youngest son Trig, who suffers from Down syndrome, stands to benefit from H.R. 3200. The legislation bars health insurance providers from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions.
After her reality show “”Sarah Palin’s Alaska”” premieres on TLC this November, Palin should take a trip on over to the nearest free clinic and get a taste of what reality is really like for those that are uninsured.
Palin’s “”Take Back the 20″” campaign, like her endorsement of Jesse “”soft as jelly”” Kelly, is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to inject herself into the political discourse and line her pockets.
Sarah Palin needs to catch a sleigh ride back to Wasilla, Alaska where she can complete her unfinished term as the state’s governor and keep her nose out of Arizona’s politics.
— Nyles Kendall is a political science junior. He can be reached at letters@email.arizona.edu.
