Art Chance: Sarah Palin is no Kari Lake

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SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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By ART CHANCE

I’ve had a nodding acquaintance with Sarah Palin since her days as mayor of Wasilla. I worked in the Frank Murkowski Administration with her and she was usually at Monday morning staff meetings with the commissioner of Administration, as was I.   

I was peripherally involved in the events leading up to her leaving the Murkowski Administration to become every Democrat’s favorite Republican. Unlike most who aren’t Palin fans, I know why I’m not one. Facing the prospect of either working for her or for Gov. Tony Knowles again after the 2006 election was my principal reason for deciding my State career was over on July 1, 2006.

I’ve never met Kari Lake, Republican candidate for governor of Arizona, but I saw a lot of her while I was in Tucson for the last couple of months. The Democrats haven’t dragged out or made up any old love affairs or corrupt bargains so they’re left with their “extremism” stock in trade. I’m surprised they haven’t dragged out some pencil-necked boy who has worked with her to tell the snowflakes how mean and heartless she is. She strikes me as a very driven and organized woman. I watched several hours of her campaign and interview appearances over the last couple of months and there is never a misstep, gaffe, or flubbed line.

Lake is an interesting contrast to Palin.

Republicans have long had women running for and winning political office. Jeanette Rankin of Montana was the first woman elected Congress and took office even before women could vote. After Rankin, there were always a smattering of women in the Congress; more Democrats than Republicans, but then the Democrats had hegemony over the Congress from 1932 until 1994 except for one House session in the 1940s.

The women elected to Congress were uniformly matronly. Into the 1960s and beyond, they were very much 50-ish, and of the hat and gloves style of dress. Into the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher, the most powerful woman the modern world had yet seen, was firmly set in the matron image, as was Sandra Day O’Connor the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice, although she had a bit of  a cowgirl ambiance.

The Democrats began, though tentatively, the paradigm change with their vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro. She was a younger, and less the dowdy matron, though still conservative in dress and mannerisms. Fast forward to Hillary Clinton; despite her master’s thesis on Saul Alinsky and some vestigial “we want the world and we want it now” 1960s karma, her image was still that of a “stand by your man” wife and mother; she was downright frumpy at times. Somewhere in the 1990s, the modern Democrat woman image began to coalesce; the granola girl was a part of it, but the screeching harpie became the face of the Democrats; think pussy hats and “I am an angry woman.”

The Republicans went another way; the dowdy matron was gone. A new woman emerged; she was a young-looking 40-something, attractive, fashionably but not ostentatiously dressed, but more importantly she was smart, vivacious, and had a sharp tongue. Michele Bachman is the first that comes to my mind but others followed, including Sarah Palin.

Sarah flew closer to the sun with her run for the vice presidency. Those of us familiar with her cringed whenever she stepped before a microphone; a word salad was the usual result. But she became quite good at the off the cuff quip and the 15-second sound bite. I’ll give her credit for being one of the all-time best at the sound bite that sums up an issue and delivers a bite to the opposition.

I won’t give her any credit for having a clue about developing and implementing coherent policy. She flew with the winds; a Republican governor gave the Democrats their fondest dream with ACES oil taxes, and she probably still doesn’t know what a foolish thing she did. Nobody knows what happened to a half a billion dollars she gave to TransCanada for a vaporware gas line. You can lay most every bad thing in Alaska politics in the last dozen years or so at her feet: She called for Sen. Ted Stevens’ resignation and defeat. She endorsed Bill Walker.   She propped up Joe Miller. Now she’s dropped in and helped elect a Democrat to Alaska’s only House seat for the first time in 50 years. But she’s still pretty, perky Sarah and those who only know her from TV just love her.

Kari Lake is the latest iteration of the modern Republican paradigm; attractive, fashionable but not ostentatiously so, and has a rapier wit and equally sharp tongue.   She’s a former reporter and news anchor who can chew up and spit out snarky young lefty reporters with alacrity.   She’s who we needed when Sarah was getting chewed up by that dimwit Katie Couric or being danced a merry reel by the lefties with information requests.

I write this on Election Day. Kari Lake has a pretty good shot at being governor of Arizona tomorrow, or within a few days anyway.   

Sarah has a pretty good shot at being back in New York with her hockey player boyfriend.

Art Chance is a retired Director of Labor Relations for the State of Alaska, formerly of Juneau and now living in Anchorage. He is the author of the book, “Red on Blue, Establishing a Republican Governance,” available at Amazon.

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72 COMMENTS

    • It might, but it’s also likely that she’s defecated on Alaska one last time on her way out the door just by being there.

      Splitting the red vote could foreseeably remove the best candidate’s ability to prevail and hand an undeserved win to Peltola.

      • Well guess who nailed it? Palin screwed Alaska on her way out the door by splitting the red vote and had she not Peltola would be in 2nd place and NB III would be in the lead.

        Now we’re stuck with an idiot for the next two years and that idiot was forced upon us all by a self centered clown that never fully embraced responsibility yet thinks she still has something to do w/ Alaska. Go away, Sarah; you’re hindering far more than you’re helping.

          • I don’t recall having fully read any of your prior posts, Yank. Now I know why.

            From your remarks I gather that you’re the kind of guy that benefits from democratic dole. EBT card firmly in hand and hopefully that WIC stuff comes through as well. Can’t be a card carrying democrat without the full accoutrement of free stuff.

            Get a job, learn to evaluate candidates based on the long term value they bring to the State’s health, and stop being a parasite.

          • You couldn’t be any more off TB. First, I’m not a democrat and second I’m a comfortably retired former Alaska business owner.
            I don’t need a job, other than it pleases me to put your ilk where it belongs-in the trash. And like I said, nothing but sour grapes and tough noogies to you.

          • Yo cranky retired business owner… You may qualify for free math classes at UofA and a stats class would help keep you from making more senseless assertions.

          • You’ve struck out again TB, as I’ve a master of science degree in mathematics (some years ago though).
            You may think you are on top of it but all you’ve got are your imbecilic ad hominem attacks. Tough noogies to you, again.

      • “………Splitting the red vote could foreseeably remove the best candidate’s ability to prevail and hand an undeserved win to Peltola……..”
        Ranked choice voting makes “splitting the vote” impossible. But hatred can destroy anything and everything, and that is exactly what just happened. Congratulations on achieving the RINO dream, even if you did it without even realizing what you were doing because your hatred blinded you completely.

        • RCV does not make splitting the vote impossible.

          Consider a remedial statistics class and spare me the hate speech drivel. It might work amongst twelve year olds but it’s a poor choice in this forum.

          • The “split vote” you insist is still possible doesn’t exist in this race for the obvious reason of hatred of a candidate. Research the definition of “hatred”: an intense dislike. Conservatives and Republicans who “intensely dislike” Palin, who three times (each time they faced each other) got more votes than Begich, absolutely refuse to cast second place votes for her, and a significant number of them actually voted for Peltola in the Special Election. That is not “vote splitting”. That is overt rejection based upon their “intense dislike” of the candidate.
            The RINOs have achieved exactly what they hoped for with RCV, and those conservatives who so foolishly voted for the ballot initiative bringing this pox down upon us, like always, fell for the sales pitch of how wonderful it would be, and with their own emotion and lack of intelligence, have killed their chances of ever becoming a political majority again, because my bet is that they’ll never get RCV repealed.

  2. Art, A very good effort above.

    I clicked onto to the link, Sarah Palin, every democrats favorite republican. After reading it I am still laughing!
    Sarah, is truly a Political Home Wrecker! Wickedly funny description in such an understated manner. Some of your best work Art. I trust all is well with you and look forward to seeing you again before my visa expires on this planet.

      • Palin didn’t elect Peltola. Voters did. And specificalky, those Begich voters who call themselves conservative, but who hate Palin so much that they actually voted Peltola as a second choice, are the ones who put Peltola over 50%.

  4. Todays Best Calculus Strategy RAKINGS …
    #1) Nick-B
    #2) Write-In: Suzanne-D
    #3) Sarah
    #4) Peltola

    Kari Lake certainly looks to be a promising Governor for AZ. Other notable conservative women leaders: Nikki Haley, Condoleezza Rice, and Kristi Noem.

    • Nikki Hailey is a rank opportunist who will turn on you when it suits her. She’s Palin, just more attractive.

      • Haha. Yes, on the more attractive…attractive because she doesn’t try to pull rank with State Troopers (Palingate) and because she’s far more intelligent than Sarah and EVERYONE working in politics is an opportunist.

  5. You’re not pulling that look down your nose Lloyd Bentsen trick on me! He lost anyway, however may have won by the new Alaska Ranked Choice Alchemy if Murkowski!

  6. Unfortunately, Kari Lake isn’t an Alaskan candidate. I’m a fan of hers. I’ll be ranking the red today, Palin & Begich. Keep Peltola out. Rank the red for Congress!

  8. Everyone would like to know what happened to the $500k that got sent to TransCanada? Another empty LLC? Money laundering in plain sight. Talk about using Russian ogliarch playbook tactics.

    • “Everyone would like to know what happened to the $500k that got sent to TransCanada? ……..”
      It was eaten up by lawyers and lobbyists, just like the billions consumed by the same leaches annually worldwide in every endeavor out there. Opposition to the TransCanada pipeline route came from both the Bush administration and the Canadian government. Biden has proved with Keystone that they can even kill a pipeline that is in construction, or like Nordstream, they can destroy a pipeline that is even pumping gas. So if you want a pioeline, you’d better go to Washington DC and lube the right bananas. Mr. Pipeline (Bill Walker) groveled at the toes of the paper tiger. Zi was the wrong cartel leader.

  9. Kari Lake is an election fraud kook who seems to have a problem with reality. I bet if she loses tonight, she’ll claim is was rigged but you won’t hear any of that nonsense from her if she wins.

    • look at what’s happening in Maricopa County, AZ today. Voting machines not working, people waiting for over 2 hours to vote. Kari Lake isn’t exaggerating when she says AZ elections have issues.

  10. Hey Art. She’s won the last 3. ELECTIONS. Hey Art, Did Trump come up here to put on a Rally for YOU, or any other Sarah Bashers. She was one of Trump’s closest ADVISORS in His Early Campaign. She worked hard to get Ted Cruz, Nikki Haley, and Rand Paul and other Members of The Freedom Caucus. While you where writing Memory Columns–I haven’t read this one cuz I have heard it all before. Her list of ACCOMPLISHMENTS dwarfs the negative half truths said against her. She helped lay down the Planks of the Tea Party with Glen Beck, and Coined the Phrase Death Panels. Remember that Art. Did you Mask Up during Covid —Nobody Noticed—-Sarah didn’t and the Whole World talked about it for Days. I could go on but I don’t want to overstay my Welcome here—Thank You Suzanne. Hey Art—No Cigar..

      • And she still got more votes than Begich, three elections in a row over the period of just a few months. I guess that’s gotta’ hurt, huh? Grit those teeth a little harder, grab a fresh box of chalk, and head back to your drawing board. Manipulation just doesn’t work as easily as it did in the good old days, Art………..

        • Holy smokes, man. Have you not noticed that she lost yet is claiming victory and appointing membership in her team? She’s nuttier than a fruitcake and you’re defending idiocy. Look around you!

          • “…….She’s nuttier than a fruitcake…….”
            And she STILL got more votes than Begich for the third time in a five month period of time. Spin like a top, and I’ll continue to point that fact out like a stuck copy machine. You will never escape that fact.

    • Sarge,
      I voted for the Train Wreck named Sarah as my #2, doing my civic duty, if only because electing a vapid, self serving cheer leader beats electing a welfare plantation commie. Besides that, I knew she would quit inside two years and like her Democrat Counterpart A.O.C. would be ineffective in causing the State or Republic much harm.

      Here in Alaska her accomplishments include, Endorsing Bill Walker, Trashing Uncle Ted, resulting in his loss to Begich, Stabbing Parnell in the back, ( see endorsing Walker) and siding with the Democrats in taxing the Oil Industry, ( while chanting Drill baby Drill). Oh, and quitting her job as Guv…

      Sarge, at some point you just might wanna think about who Sarah really works for, other then herself. She has a history of siding up to the Commie Democrats, as she did with Mary of many last names. Sorry Sarge, but your girl is an Alaskan Home Wrecker, always has been. Ya’ sure you bet ya!

  11. You worked for Frank Murkowski, whatever happened to him? And how about his daughter, she was determined to make it on her own without any help from her dad.

      • There’s a list of employers I’d hate to put on my resume. Democrats and RINOs all. I’d probably prefer to just claim unemployment and homelessness. Were you key in all the accomplishments of those administrations?

  14. Art Chance’s pic is right next to the word RINO in the dictionary.
    He’s a sycophant of SD.
    I love SD – she does a GREAT job within website – but her SDS has been shocking to me.
    Let’s see…
    Sarah’s resume vs Kari Lake (who I love).
    Ran for Wasilla city council – won.
    Ram for Wasilla mayor – won.
    Nominated to be head of the Alaska Oil & Gas commission – served admirably and called out the corrupt “good ‘ol boy system” – and resigned her position based on principal.
    Ran for governor – taking on the greatest political machine in Alaskan history.
    Destroyed Murkowski and became governor.
    Nominated to be Vice President – for one of the most poorly run presidential campaigns in modern history – John McStain.
    Kari – MSM media personality for 20+ years.
    Chance – political hack
    Just sayin’…
    Ran

      • Do you think Peltola is going to return any love to conservatives or even RINOs for the incredible feat of getting her elected, Art? This was a ranked choice election. All the conservatives and RINOs had to do collectively was rank the Republicans, and they were collectively too stoopid to do it. Giant egos and miniscule intelligence, as has been proven fir the past 75 years nationwide.
        We don’t need live. We need brains. And we’re going to get neither.

    • Done with it- Won Wasilla City Council, Won Wasilla Mayor, won the Guv office once. (way back when). Was selected for the V.P. slot by McCain, got a taste of the big time and came back to quit her job to get in on the $ and National Fame. You forgot that part. Moved outside and wants to be a media star. No problem there, comes back and jumps into the race on April Fools Day. Has no campaign organization and even less individual Alaskan Donations. Didn’t work at campaigning much because she knew she had you and the other 25% of the enchanted vote. Played the rogue spoiler part to a T and will doubtless get a half dozen more interviews on Fox where she can play the victim of RCV, the good old Republican Boys Club, the eclipse of the moon, all the while screwing Alaska over. Sadly you will never get the picture, your girl is a wrecking ball and the Democrats know how to swing her.
      Yeah, I too am DONEWITHSARAH

      • “……I too am DONEWITHSARAH……..”
        And you are also done with political power. You now have a Democrat representing you in Congress, and one of two senators in the Senate who defies description. She doesn’t represent Alaska. She represents the Party of Davos.
        Good luck, Done. Get your fork, poke yourself, and see if it’s time to try to extricate yourself from the heat. My bet is that you aren’t as Done as you think you are……….

  15. So very tired of the endless stream of baseless attacks on Sarah Palin from this media source. You never promote a better candidate just attack the 1st place finisher and for some idiotic reason try to convince people to vote for the 3rd place finisher. I’m done here…

    • Detail what is baseless. I suspect the only things you know about SP are from her press releases and commercials. Some of us actually know her as a public officer.

      • I itemized ten character attacks that are baseless, maybe others can do better:

        1. ‘every Democrat’s favorite Republican’ – Baseless character attack
        2. ‘cringed whenever she stepped before a microphone’ – Baseless character attack – Most of us loved it when she took the microphone and gave her momma bear point of view and her sense of humor comparing her likelihood to working for Al Jazeera to seeing Elvis at the Mocha Moose!
        3. ‘a word salad was the usual result’ – Baseless character attack
        4. ‘sound bite that sums up an issue and delivers a bite to the opposition.’ – Baseless character attack
        5. ‘I won’t give her any credit for having a clue about developing and implementing coherent policy’ – Baseless character attack
        6. ‘She flew with the winds’ – Baseless character attack
        7. ‘a Republican governor gave the Democrats their fondest dream with ACES oil taxes’ – Baseless character attack, pretty sure that was Walker with his theft of the PFD!
        8.‘You can lay most every bad thing in Alaska politics in the last dozen years or so at her feet’ – Baseless character attack
        9. ‘She propped up Joe Miller.’ – Baseless, character attack
        10. ‘Now she’s dropped in and helped elect a Democrat to Alaska’s only House seat for the first time in 50 years’ – Baseless character attack, pretty sure this was a gift from the Alaska GOP endorsement of ranked choice voting and Nick Begich
        Only thing you got right was – ‘She endorsed Bill Walker’, which she has repeatedly apologize for since. Also, her boyfriend Ron Dugay lives in Florida, not New York!

        If my fellow so called Republicans would follow Reagan’s 11th commandment, maybe they’d win more elections.

      • Sarah failed to continue a child rape case, that your Frank started in 2006 before leaving office. Sarah let the ABI ghost that case, and the mother and children suffered.
        To date, they let a child rapist leave Alaska.
        Then, Sarah failed to notify a person about a trust account in state coffers. Since the late 60’s, and it’s become a huge acct. When inquiring minds want to know? Sarah let her helpers loose to stalk and terrorize anyone who asks questions. Didn’t care if it was women, children & elders. Sarah lied and is still being manipulative with the huge trust account, and is doing it until the courts say she can’t, doncha know. Sarah always spins anything that points to evidence of her criminal activity. Then, Sarah has been encouraging those around her, Pie Spy LLC crews, to do the same for anyone asking questions. Now it’s backfiring and she’s going to wish she had said no to Putin. Play with fire, you get shot. Or fall out a window or down a flight of stairs. Chit happens.

    • What goes around comes around. Todd Palins words not mine. Sarah Palin should be in prison.
      She attacked those imaginary “threats” (families).
      Backfired on her biggly. Payback is coming.

      • “……..Sarah Palin should be in prison……..”
        There’s a new theme. So far, Hillary, Trump, Biden, and Palin are all headed to prison…….in the minds of the anonymous.
        I would say that it’s time to start construction on your own personal arks, but God promised that He wouldn’t cleanse the Earth by water again. Watch for the bright flash coming from Ground Zero at JBER. This world is beyond redemption.

    • Xlnt choice, Sir. I applaud your keen decision making skills and wish you luck finding an unsuspecting victim to foist Ms. Palin upon.

  16. Hey Art. Sarah will return ALL THAT LOVE when the Rank the Red #2 votes make her Alaska’s New CONGRESSWOMAN. You , Dan Fagan , and All the Sarah Hater’s could get together and have a HATE FEST. Singing Quitter, and Wrecking Ball songs. While she packs her bags for Washington DC She will be on The World Stage Again, while you write nobody cares columns about your past, and FAGAN goes on the air with another 3 hours of SARAH HATING. for THE. 20TH. YEAR. HATING—What a Waste of Life.

    • None of you people know the real Sarah Palin. I do! She would make a great case study for 4th-year Psychiatry students. An entire class. An entire textbook. But it still wouldn’t address the main issue: how could a woman be so messed-up in the head?

      • Hey T, you married her, vowed Better or Worse to her, then Divorced Her you write Downer Comments, and She never Comments Back. You Need to sit down and have a good talk with yourself.

      • Control freaks cannot control themselves.

        At least you got out of the nightmare.

        Problem is the damage left behind.

        Why dont you network and see who needs what? I know that one she really hates needs a house built. Practice restorative justice. Even if Sarah never will. You’ll be glad you did it. Probably make Sarah go completely mad. Lol. Shrug. Why not?

    • Sarge,
      Look at the math for a moment please. ( totals rounded off)
      Sarah- 57,000
      Nick-52,000
      Chris 4,000
      113,000 total vs Mary 101,000.
      But what percentage of voters actually Ranked the Red and were then counted towards Sarah’ total? Let’s assume it’s 80%, ( seems very high but for sake of your argument let’s do it) that would give Sarah something like 44,000 more votes, which added to her first place votes would mean that her total is then 101,000 votes. Oh, look Mary has over 101,000 votes already… Hmm
      I hated Math in school Sarge, but hey reality is what it is. Sarah should have stayed home in AZ.

      Your Rogue , Democrac enabling Wrecking Ball has once again delivered another blow for the leftist! Go Sarah!
      P,S. I voted Sarah as my #2, so don’t blame me.

  17. “……..Sarah Palin is no Kari Lake……..”
    And it appears that neither are newly elected officials.

  18. “…….if they can sort out the Maricopa Cty. morass.”
    The last time it got “sorted out”, conservatives took it in the shorts like every time before that, and the Biden/Democrat Machine then started a social/media campaign trying to force their political opponents to say on camera or written word that the election nationally was valid, or they might face January 6th style oppression, as if by forcing people to say it made it so.
    Face it, Art; it’s over. Conservatives are way too stupid and cowardly to face and successfully fight this level of evil.

    • Republicans can’t tell a Minus Tide from a Red Wave. If they couldn’t get a WIN On the Economy, Border, Crime, Biden, Pelosi, Gender Bender Schools, and Trump’s greasing their skids, and that’s National. State wide Dems and RINOS are in control. Forest Dunbar is a Senator., Lisa will probably be back in D C , with Mary.. A New Generation of Voters is in CHARGE. They will vote Democrat—Against Their Own SELF INTEREST, they already HAVE.

  20. Men like Art are the reason the GOP is in the position it is in.
    Middle of the road moderates that always take style over substance.
    That’s why they hate the Trumps, Harleys, Palins of the world – they prefer the Jeb’s, George’s, McConnells, Grahams, and Romneys – nice neocon, globalist, free traders, open borders types.

  21. I enjoy Art’s articles and even more his responses to readers comments. Art knows how to add fuel to the flame wars and I always enjoy a large bonfire. It makes me feel warm and cozy .

  22. As a former registered Arizona Republican, John McCain was the absolute worst. He bragged about being bottom if his class. Something everyone should strive for. You too can be a loser and get elected in Arizona! Just because I am no longer a registered Republican doesn’t mean I can’t relate, I just don’t think the current crop has our country’s best interest at heart. We lost something. Pride? Unity? One Nation? Vote for the person you can support. Not the party. Party members change. (Reagan was once a democrat, so was Trump). The wind blew 4 years ago apparently. Lake too was a democrat who supported President Obama.

  23. Dear Complete Partisan Hack that wrote this crap: How’s the whole Kari Lake thing workin’ out for ya, genius?

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