In her latest Facebook post (July 8, 2010), former Alaska Governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin addresses the “commonsense conservative” women of America. “You don’t want to mess with mama grizzlies,” she tells her audience. The brief video is aimed at conservative women and encourages them to take steps to save their families. Palin’s ease and stage presence has come a long way from her September 24, 2008 interview with CBS anchor Katie Couric.
Palin’s Views on American Foreign Policy
Sarah Palin’s “Mama Grizzlies” video points to the November 2010 mid-term election. But there are underlying statements that may link her message to a June 30, 2010 Facebook post in which she details her view of American foreign policy. In the July 8, 2010 video she states the necessity to “get things done for our country” and refers to the “fundamental transformation of America" under the Obama administration.
Her June 30, 2010 post is far more specific, taken from a speech she gave at the Freedom Fest in Norfolk, Virginia on June 27, 2010. In that post Palin opposes any time frame for pulling American troops out of Afghanistan. Regarding Israel, she faults the Obama administration for being critical of Israeli policies. Referring to the administration, she writes, “They escalated a minor zoning issue in Jerusalem into a major dispute with our most important ally in the Middle East, Israel.” She also approves of the May 31, 2010 Israeli flotilla attack.
Palin’s analysis, although not addressing the specifics of Israel’s settlement freeze or the Gaza blockade, is, however, more clearly defined from her Couric interview when she said, “The bad guys are the ones who say Israel is a stinking corpse and should be wiped off the face of the earth. That’s not a good guy who is saying that.”
Palin’s Appeal to Conservative Women
The Mama Grizzlies video appeals to conservative women, a group that has supported Sarah Palin since the 2008 presidential election. The website Women for Palin, created at the time of her vice presidential bid, states that, “Women across America are inspired by Governor Sarah Palin and the revolutionary things she can do for America.”
The Hill (July 9, 2010) reported that Palin’s campaign efforts seek to assist conservative females. “These ‘Mama Grizzlies’ as Palin calls them, includes women like California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina and South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley.” Stephanie Schriock, writing in the Huffington Post (July 9, 2010), observes that Palin is appealing to “feminism” “to turn back the clock on women’s rights…”
Is Sarah Palin Preparing for a 2012 Presidential Bid?
Observers like Marc Ambinder (The Atlantic, July 8, 2010) suggest that the brief Mama Grizzlies video is “an advertisement…for brand Sarah” but notes that none of the traditional pre-campaign organizations have been set up, like fundraising and grass-roots committees. Joshua Green, however, writes that Palin “earned $12 million over the last year,” (The Atlantic, April 25, 2010) enough to build a campaign war chest. According to the Washington Post (January 30, 2010), Sarah PAC, Palin’s political action committee, raised $2.1 million in 2009, with $1.4 million received during the last 6 months of that year.
Palin’s “Mama Grizzlies” campaign will deepen her support among conservatives. Her support of the Mama Grizzlies fending off the “pit bulls” in the November 2010 mid-term election will create allies she will need if she does decide to run for president in 2012. For Palin, this new campaign is all about “a mom awakening.” As of late July 9, 2010, the Mama Grizzlies video has been viewed 275,929 times.
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