Sarah Palin Gives Donald Trump Needed “Bump”

January 21st, 2016

Awake Goy

Former Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate endorses presidential candidate Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican’s vice president candidate, endorsed Donald Trump in his bid to become the Republican’s 2016 nominee for the presidency. This endorsement came just 12 days before the Iowa caucuses scheduled for February 1. The timing of the announcement is strategic and could provide the winning edge for Donald Trump in Iowa, where according to most polls Ted Cruz holds a slight lead over him in the Republican race.

Sarah Palin rose to prominence during the 2008 presidential campaign, in which she was paired with Republican president candidate John McCain, Senator from Arizona. The Republican team would go on to lose to the Democrat team of Illinois Junior Senator Barack Obama and Delaware Senator Joe Biden.

Sarah Palin became known for her beauty, strict family values and folksy charm. An example of her folksy charm came forth in her endorsement speech in Ames, Iowa, on Tuesday—CNN quotes her as having said: “Looking around at all of you, you hard working Iowa families, you farm families and teachers and teamsters and cops and cooks, you rock and rollers and holy rollers! You all make the world go around and now our cause is one.” Palin’s speeches are often replete with words such “pussy-footin’ “, “hallelujah”, and “you betcha”.

Palin portrayed Donald Trump as a real estate developer, who is a “compassionate”, “refreshing” and “self-made” man. And declared that Trump “would bring the country back from President Barack Obama’s disastrous tenure.” (It should be noted that Donald Trump actually inherited a vast fortune from his father.)

Palin’s religious conservative image should strengthen Trump’s chances in Iowa, a state traditionally dominated by conservative voters. Her official endorsement is scheduled to be followed by another campaign appearance with Trump.

It is not known why the Former Alaska Governor did not throw her support behind the Ted Cruz candidacy. Palin was a strong ally with Cruz in his campaign to become a Texas senator, and Cruz seems to be more akin to Palin in his conservative views than is Trump. Cruz has said that he would not be in the United States Senate if it were not for Palin.

In a statement to CNN, Rick Tyler, Cruz campaign spokesman, made it clear that he thought it was a political mistake for Sarah Palin to endorse Trump. He said that Palin has been a champion for the conservative cause and inferred that her image would be tarnished by endorsing someone “who’s held progressive views all of their [his] life on the sanctity of life, on marriage, on partial-birth abortion”.

In a statement released Tuesday evening by his campaign, Trump said of the Palin endorsement: “I am greatly honored to receive Sarah’s endorsement. She is a friend, and a high quality person for whom I have great respect. I am proud to have her support.”