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Sarah Palin's 'Mama Grizzlies' Ad: Calling All Pit Bulls and Pink Elephants

1 year ago
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Sarah Palin's first campaign-style advertisement for SarahPAC, a political action committee dedicated, according to its website, "to building America's future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation," has hit the Internet. The video, just shy of two minutes long, is by far Palin's most concerted -- and polished -- effort to appeal to conservative women, a subset of voters Palin has affectionately dubbed the "Mama Grizzlies."

The footage, culled from Palin's recent appearances and speeches (no trace of John McCain is anywhere to be seen, the poor guy), features crowds of women rallying in support of the former Alaska governor, carrying babies, waving signs proclaiming their frustration at being "tax-bled hockey moms" and avowing that Palin "loves her country." Click play below to watch:


Dubbing this political moment a "mom awakening," Palin posits that "moms know when something's wrong," and in this case she means the direction the U.S. of A is heading in -- though the former VP candidate offers scant specifics about what needs to be done. Instead she trots out homespun female power aphorisms, calling her foot soldiers "pit bulls" (with lipstick, no doubt), and proclaiming that the "pink elephant" stampede is coming this November. Lavender donkeys, beware.

Some pundits posit that this is Palin's outreach to middle-of-the-road female voters, her effort put some heart into the seemingly emotionally out-of-touch (male) GOP leadership, lately seen apologizing to BP and dismissing the country's economic woes as "ant"-sized. But is Palin's video really the "Come to Mary" moment that the right has been looking for? Doubtful.

First off, these grizzlies, pit bulls and elephants are virtually all white. Palin's video makes no effort to suggest that her supporters are part of a new and improved big-tent GOP that is championing minority upstarts like Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal. I counted one non-white face in there, right around the 1:05-minute mark, and it wasn't clear if she was an actual Palin supporter or someone who happened to be sitting in the audience waiting for, oh, I dunno, Haley. Republicans are well aware of the importance of the minority (and soon to be majority) vote come stampede time, but Palin's white-pink elephants (call them rosé?) seem blissfully unaware of this.

Second: The rhetoric is as inflammatory as ever. With the exception of the "mom awakening" bit (which must scare the bejesus out of any curfew-breaking 16-year-old), and her calls for "cub protection," Palin's ad features much the same divisive language that arch-right-wingers have long been reliant on. One woman holds a sign saying "Annoy a liberal: work hard & pay your own bills." Zing! That innovative bumper sticker verbiage is right up there with "Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty" (though from another place on the political spectrum).

Palin herself rides the ole hobbyhorse of assailing the "fundamental transformation" happening in Washington, spooking birthers and Tea Partiers alike, for whom the word "fundamental" is inextricably linked to "Islam" and to whom "fundamental transformation" speaks to a socialist, Obamacared-for-America. Little surprise, then, that right around the time that we hear this, the viewer sees a woman carrying a "Don't Tread on Me" poster.

Of course, dissecting the Logic of Palin is somewhat akin to trying to decode the Fibonacci Sequence: don't bother, it just is. There's no question that this video will fire up the supporters who turn out for Palin rallies, draped in flags, carrying babies and wearing the energized looks of people who finally hear someone speaking their own language. Where it will lead them come November -- this year or in 2012 -- is anyone's guess.
Tagged: SarahPac

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vbluemountain

Go Mama....

October 31 2010 at 9:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mxwllriver

momma grizzlies dont stand on their legs when something comes to attack their cubs or do something "adverse" (good one sarah) to them; they put their ears back, get down on all fours, and run hell bent to neutralize the threat by mauling it until it either retreats or is mauled so severely that it is no longer perceived as a threat to the cubs...the act of standing on its hind legs is not a sign of aggression in the grizzly bear...grizzlies have poor eyesight but very keen smell so standing is a way to better identify things by smell...stick around sarah---you amuse me!

July 10 2010 at 12:29 PM Report abuse +4 rate up rate down Reply
copperkettle3

For the Democratic party, Sarah Palin is the dream GOP challenger against Obama in 2012. She is the book cover, where McCain was the entire book. This will still hold for when she runs against Obama. Bumper sticker slogans of Palin vs. understanding and action of Obama. We'll know in 2012.

July 09 2010 at 8:50 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
wolfsonnydiane

Lets review she advocates getting goverment out of your life[ do not regulate bussiness] She advocates tax cuts to grow jobs. Isnt that exacly what republicans did the last 8 years? Do we have more jobs now then we did then ? Hasnt all our problems the last 3 years been directly linked to lax regulations and enforce ment of regulations. I know that i sure dont want to continue those proven failed policys. What doesthat say about those who advocate continuing those policys

July 09 2010 at 2:05 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
dc walker

Palin: college educated, mother of five one served in Afghanistan; helped her husband in fishing business; PTA member; Mayor of a city; Mayor of the largest state in the Union; worked on the oil and gas commission of her state; created an office to protect the oil pipeline; worked with gas companies and Canadian government to incorporate the clean gas pipeline to the US; can hunt and fish to feed her family in dire times. I may not vote for her for president but I must say she fits liberal/conservative/feminist/tough labels for any woman I ever saw, go Sarah.

July 09 2010 at 1:49 PM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
tplapper

Name one President who hasn't grown the government.

July 09 2010 at 12:38 PM Report abuse +6 rate up rate down Reply
theburning3rd

I guess a woman carrying a "don't tread on me" poster is a noteworthy thing now. It is offensive to the left, some turncoats, and a few other-party members that some of outspoken people getting involved are proud women, so much so that they show up to look around and also puzzle to themselves about this new predicament. You can show up freely at a rally all you want; Palin will continue to round up these outspoken supporters.

July 09 2010 at 12:31 PM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
berevealer

The writer of this article should be more focused on facts of the story instead of injecting a bias of liberalism.

Fact is, liberals mostly have not much of an idea of how to run the country fiscally and doundly but sure do have the mentality of spend as much as you can when it is other peoples money [taxpayers] or put it on credit.

When Americans are concerned about government and its disregard for ethics and responsible decisions for improving the country overall the demcorats/liberal republicans have shown malfeasance and lack of responsibility and sound practices toward that improvement.

Sarah Palin brings forth the reality of how to make that change for reigning in spending and irresponsible elitist government officials. Too many lawyers are in office and continue to make laws that require the most mundane legal issues require a lawyer to represent you thereby reinforcing their future whether in office or not.

Quit electing lawyers and start electing fiscally conservative individuals regardless of ANY party affiliation.

July 09 2010 at 11:17 AM Report abuse -4 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to berevealer's comment
christierandall

Sarah Palin only brings mucho denaro for herself...
Has she ever once offered any kind of solution to anything? no...she just rattles on with her conservative slogans.

July 09 2010 at 8:01 PM Report abuse +7 rate up rate down Reply
jerhoad

Seems like a racist column to me. And then there is the disparagement of people who work hard and pay their own bills. Disturbing that some openly embrace with gusto the "diversity' of sloth and immorality and castigate those who hold higher standards - like working and paying your own way.

July 09 2010 at 10:50 AM Report abuse +4 rate up rate down Reply
andrc657

She needs to be interviewed by the mainstream media and not hide behind those TEA PARTY REPUBLICANS over at FOX NEWS. When she is questioned thoroughly about the important issues of the day people will realize she's not ready for prime time, at least any where but at FOX.

July 08 2010 at 11:46 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to andrc657's comment
ettu

What you seem to be saying is, you wish she would put herself in front of the Liberal wolf pack. Why would she, why should she? Sarah addresses the issues important to the majority, and she is doing just fine in her own venue. Seems the POTUS picks his crowd carefully, before getting on stage.

July 09 2010 at 11:34 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
christierandall

I totally agree with you...she will only take questions that she has reviewed in advance.

July 09 2010 at 8:02 PM Report abuse +4 rate up rate down Reply

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