While disappointing (enraging, even), I don’t begrudge the American people their decision. Part of living in a democracy is that oftentimes we make horrifyingly dumb decisions (see Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush in 2004). Besides, if we survived four years of the dippy peanut farmer from Plains and eight years of the illiterate pothead from Crawford, we can survive four (or God forbid eight) years of ‘change we can believe in!!1″

I’ll have more of that over at A. A. Armitage’s Alliterative Allegories, but right now I want to direct my words to the millions of Americans who supported her and are looking forward to 2012.

I am so proud of Sarah Palin today. The grace and aplomb that she showed while under relentless attack by the media should be a template for conservative women. But she never lost that charm, that twinkle that endeared her to people like me: average Americans who needed an alternative to the politics as usual in Washington. No matter how cruelly she was mocked or how viciously she was attacked, or how tactless the assault on her family, she never gave in and never broke down.

This is the kind of woman that America needs. This is the kind of standard-bearer that the Republican party needs if it wants to make a comeback. The defeat of the Republican party, while horrifying, is not surprising. When you turn your backs upon the principles that brought you support and begin to behave like the Democrats, of course you are going to lose. But Sarah Palin never has.

We need a leader who will show the party tough love as Sarah Palin did in Alaska, a leader who will not tolerate abuse of power, will not accomodate those who betray the public trust, and who will not falter in the face of party interests. As we saw with John McCain’s nomination, the candidates needn’t be slaves to the party, but indeed the party should facilitate the candidates and officials’ service to their constituents.

The GOP is a big tent, there’s no doubt about it. But if we adopt the ideals of Sarah Palin, it will be a sound tent as well. There should be no room in this tent for those who abuse the public trust. There should be no room in this tent for officials who use their offices for personal gain. There should be no room for those who abuse the federal earmark process, wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on frivolity designed to get them elected. If these people are welcomed into the “big tent” simply because their name has an (R) next to it, then you can count me and others like me out.

So I believe that the subtitle of this blog, “Republicans ascendant in the age of Palin”, can still ring true. If we devote ourselves to the ideals of differentiating between right and wrong, if we dedicate ourselves to doing what is right rather than what is easy and expedient, if we show the American people, rather than tell them, the difference between us and the Democratic Party, we will triumph.

When the difference is obvious, when the choice is clear, the American people overwhelmingly choose conservatives. In 1980 we had Ronald Reagan. In 1994 we had Newt Gingrich. In 2010 and 2012 we will have Palin. It’s up to us to hold our leaders accountable and to shape the party instead of letting the party shape us. If we have learned nothing else from this election, let it be that.

We will know whether our next president will be Barack Obama or John McCain. We will know whether this blog’s aim, the election of Sarah Palin to the Vice Presidency, is realized.

I would like to take this time, then, to encourage all of Sarah Palin’s supporters to get out and vote. I live in California, so my vote and electioneering is not helpful. Alas, I don’t have the privilege of living in a swing state. But for everyone who does, take advantage of that position and get out the vote.

For the Republican faithful in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio in particular, I can’t stress how important this is. I realize that this has been drilled into you by the media, but I am making a direct appeal: vote, and get your friends to vote. We can do this.

And remember, friends: 2012 is only four short years away. Now is the time to begin.

But I don’t want my inability to devote time to posting to be in any way construed as a lack of support for Sarah Palin. I still think she’s the cat’s pajamas. She is without a doubt a stellar candidate and, despite a few slip-ups in interviews (which I blame on the McCain campaign’s ridiculous handling of her), I think she’s intelligent, thoughtful, and well-qualified.

And in 2012, she’ll be even more qualified. Just think: if Barack Obama wins (God forbid) on Tuesday, that means that the bar is so low you can trip over it. Anyone can be President. You won’t have to have done anything of importance. You’ll just have to have a nice narrative story and you must be able to talk real good. If that’s all it takes to be President, I imagine that the end of the Republic is nigh. But after this, the canard about Governor Palin being ‘inexperienced’ will be exposed for the bunk that it is.

It is encouraging that the media has continued to throw ridiculous stories at Sarah Palin. The few that aren’t based entirely on falsehoods (like the $150,000 wardrobe one) are so shallow and absurd that it’s clear that the media is attempting not to critique or analyze Governor Palin, but to destroy her. To anyone for which this hasn’t been obvious since September 1st, 2008, it should be evident now.

But no matter who wins, I urge readers of the blog to get ready. A new movement is sweeping American conservatism, and it’s PALIN FEVER. 2012 will be the year of Sarah if we work together and start now!

Rusty Shackleford at The Jawa Report (brought to our attention by a concerned tipster, Yomi) outlines a smear campaign, potentially by employees of a PR firm linked to Obama, that has the capability of devastating Obama’s campaign.

Check this out–this is going to be getting media attention over the course of this campaign. If you thought ‘Troopergate’ was big, wait until this investigation gets into swing.

WHAT TO do about the war, what to do about the economy, what to do about those rimless glasses and that saucy updo? Style has never been more important than it is in this election.

–LA Times’ Booth Moore, “Sarah Palin’s style: the issue at hand”

She may be broke but she’s not flat busted! Governor Palin certainly has a distinct fashion sense, and thank God that she has avoided the pantsuits (which I maintain sounded the Hillary campaign’s death knell).

The media pretends that they have to magnify every irrelevant issue (her daughter’s pregnancy, her husband’s DUI, troopergate, and now her fashion sense) because they have no actual substance to investigate. But as we’ve shown, there’s plenty of substance to go around.

But whatever lack of substance the media manufactures is no excuse to tell lies about the Governor’s stance on sex education, censorship, etc.

In addition to negotiating trade and cooperation with Russia, Governor Palin has been involved with negotiations with Japan, Korea, China, Canada and Germany (and those are just the top five! [source]).

I found these results by googling “alaska trade”. I didn’t have to log in to anything and required only an internet browser and Adobe Acorbat Reader (which is free), so I can certainly see why the media has been as yet unable to discover these obscure facts.

If you’re wondering why there is a link to the Obama/Biden campaign website with an invalid URL, there’s a good reason. This is the page that once listed a copy of the list of books that Sarah Palin wanted banned. The list is undeniably false, given that it contains books that were written and published after Governor Palin’s alleged attempts to ban them.

Yes, Obama is change we can believe in, all right. His campaign has become Rovian in their use of dirty tricks, lies, and half-truths to attempt to smear their enemies.

But what’s telling is that, instead of issuing an apology to Governor Palin for continuing an absurd, slanderous lie, the Obama campaign has simply deleted the page and are content to pretend that it was never there. Classy.

“Palin for President 2012″ is a blog that says it is starting a movement to elect Sarah Palin the President in 2012. There’s not much on the website or blog yet but I will be closely monitoring the site. Any friend of Sarah Palin’s is a friend of ours. Sign me up!

You can find their blog here, and if you know any other websites/groups/blogs that want to elect Palin the President in 2012, leave a comment and I’ll add them to the blogroll at right on the page P4A: Palin 2012.

Stay tuned for details!

Thanks, and game on.

This post is stickied, so please read below for new, updated content!