Palin's Online Army Unbowed by Her Resignation - WaPo

[WillyT]

Palin's Online Army Unbowed by Her Resignation
By Jose Antonio Vargas

<snip>

Wherever Sarah Palin goes, supporters such as Mariann Benway will follow -- online.

Since Palin's stunning announcement that she is resigning her Alaskan governorship, Benway has been glued to her computer, reading everything she can about the former Republican vice presidential candidate. Yesterday afternoon, the 63-year-old retired court reporter was among the throng of online-enabled, Facebook-connected supporters who posted a comment on Palin's official fan page.

"Congratulations, Sarah, for a courageous move! You accomplished a great deal for your State in 2 1/2 years. I commend your courage in making a difficult decision. You know the East and West Coast elites will criticize, but they will no matter what. God is bigger than the MSM," Benway, of Whispering Pines, N.C., wrote on Palin's page. "There are many of us out here in Real America who see what's going on and are grateful you are speaking out. :rofl: Now that you're not the Governor, the ethics b.s. can stop. :rofl: I am praying for you, dear Sarah, and totally support you in whatever the future holds!""

Among rank-and-file Republicans, there is simply no one quite like Palin on the Web. That was the case the moment Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) picked her as his running mate on the GOP presidential ticket, and Palin's Wikipedia article became the most viewed on the edit-it-yourself site for a whole month.

It was still the case once her resignation hit the blogosphere and social networking sites. Google searches for Palin have spiked to their highest levels since the election, Galen Panger, a Google spokesperson, told The Post. Naturally, her team is capitalizing on the attention. Type "Sarah Palin" on Google and you will mostly see a Google ad for SarahPAC, her political action committee that is collecting e-mail addresses and donations.

She is, no doubt, a singular online attraction. Palin's supporters are just as ubiquitous and vocal as that of Rep. Ron Paul, who surprised the inside-the-Beltway establishment by raising millions of dollars online during his Republican presidential run last year.

If Facebook popularity is one measurement, no other national Republican figure comes close to Palin in sheer numbers. Within 24 hours, her Facebook fan page added nearly 100,000 new fans.
:rofl: (A handful of them, it must be said, are not exactly fans. Wrote a decidedly non-fan on the fan page: "Sarah you now appear as crazy as a march hare. But I do applaud you for your continued entertainment value! So long and thanks for all the fish.") :rofl: Still, most of the comments on her page are encouraging and supportive, echoing those of Benway. A typical comment, from men and women alike, reads: "I'll cast my lot with people like Sarah Palin any day of the week."

Palin's page lists more than 605,000 fans -- more than what Paul (131,400), Mike Huckabee (97,400) and Mitt Romney (65,300) have combined.

<snip>

More: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/07/06/palins_online_army_unbowed_by.html?wprss=44

How precious.

:crazy:

[Arkana]

1. Clearly she's Presidential timber!

She has over 600,000 kooks on her Facebook friends list!

There's no need for the 2012 election--just throw that terrorist Obama fellow out and put Saint Sarah in his place! She'll lead us to the Promised Land!

(That is, if your Promised Land is a post-apocalyptic wasteland reminiscent of the Fallout series of games.)

[Maeve]

2. Does that mean we can build a bridge out of her?

And does she weigh more than a duck?

[Arkana]

4. You could, but she's the kind of timber that snaps like a toothpick

when a car any bigger than a Prius drives over it.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. very small stones

are what exist between her ears.

[nc4bo]

3. Coincidence perhaps but I've seen more Mccain/Palin bumper stickers than I did during the GE

Repukes really gotta do better than this.

It's a joke. She's a joke. The entire party is one sick fucking joke.

[dalaigh lllama]

5. How funny they don't mention Obama has 6.4 MILLION fans on his page

and the next biggest group under the palin page is the group that's called "I have more foreign policy experience than Sarah Palin" at 226,000 members.

[Swamp Rat]

6. LOL!!

:D

[troubledamerican]

8. Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini were figures of ridicule. Who sparked a minority mob's passions.

Stalin was a failed poet, Hitler was a failed artist, Palin a failed sportscaster: Failed Narcissists.

All portrayed themselves as victims.

All sparked the passions of a mob that wasn't the majority.

All were single-mindedly obsessed with absolute power at any cost.

All shocked the MAJORITY who had written them off with ridicule.

[BlooInBloo]

10. Awwwww what a cute threat!

:rofl:

[BlooInBloo]

9. (shrug) If they are unbowed by their loss in the Civil War, why would this bow them?

[LostInAnomie]

11. Meh... a lot of people like scat porn too.

I'm not sure which group is more disgusting.