Sarah Palin’s Unlikely Supporter
EmailABC News’ Sheila Marikar (@SheilaYM) reports from Pella, Iowa:
There’s the stereotype of the Sarah Palin supporter, and then there’s Sonnie Johnson.
The 30-year-old African-American mother and wife is featured in “The Undefeated” as one of the many people Palin captivated when John McCain thrust her onto the national stage as his vice presidential running mate in 2008. In Pella, Iowa today for the premiere of the film, Johnson said she latched on to Palin when the former Alaska governor took the stage at the Republican National Convention.
“We were watching it on TV and my daughter was like, ‘A girl can be president?,’” Johnson recalled. “And I said, ‘Yes, baby, girls can do anything.’ That was the moment — I saw that look in my daughter’s eye, that anything in possible. The next week, I went to my very first political event, and that was to see Sarah Palin. John McCain and Sarah Palin.”
Johnson has become increasingly involved in the tea party since then, speaking at tea party events around her native Virginia. She’ll give the keynote address at an event held by the Charlottesville, VA. tea party on the Fourth of July with her young daughter by her side.
“She’ll be on stage with me,” Johnson said. “I want to get her involved, little by little. I like to say that for the black community, nothing will change until we learn to love our children more than we love the Democratic party.”
After Stephen K. Bannon cast her in his 2010 documentary about conservative women leaders, “Fire From the Heartland,” he asked Johnson to speak about Palin’s influence on her for “The Undefeated.” Other tea party personalities have failed to capture Johnson’s attention as Palin has.
“The main thing she says and she goes for is [for government] to get out of my life,” Johnson said. “That’s the kind of person that we need in the White House. One that takes responsibility and puts it back on the people.”
And while Johnson’s only met the former Alaska governor once before, she hopes to push her towards running at tonight’s premiere.
“I’ll peddle her today,” she said. “Basically, I put the option out there that if she’s going to run, I’ll be hers through 2012. Anything I can do, I’ll be hers.”
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“I’ll peddle her today,” she said. “Basically, I put the option out there that if she’s going to run, I’ll be hers through 2012. Anything I can do, I’ll be hers.”
That sounds a lot like what John Bailey said to Sarah Palin.
Posted by: brbr2424 | June 28, 2011, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
I am glad she believes that women can accomplish anything and teaches her daughter that. My one problem with this person is I do not know any democrat or republican that claim they love their party more than their children.
Posted by: John | June 28, 2011, 6:14 pm 6:14 pm
Unfortunately, women can’t be president. Just watching the vitriol that has been thrown at Sarah Palin makes that clear. The attacks on her family have been disgraceful. The attempts to dig through 24,000 pages of her email to try to find any dirt also makes it clear that America is not ready for a female leader. Best to tell our daughters to become teachers or mothers so they don’t become the next woman to be Palinized….
Posted by: Brandi | June 28, 2011, 6:30 pm 6:30 pm
So… was she asleep during the Democrat primary, when there was a woman actually running for president?
And I’m sure the “learn to love our children more than we love the Democratic party” will go over great with black voters. Racism is racism, no matter who speaks it.
Posted by: CPF | June 28, 2011, 6:50 pm 6:50 pm
Note to Sheila Marikar, the author of this piece: The twitter account @Bristol_Palin that you are following and responding to is a FAKE account. The FAKE @Bristol_Palin twitter account had been public for the past 6 months, but tonight is private–perhaps it is finally being shut down.
Many of your colleagues have fallen for this Fake Bristol. Please notify your fellow reporters at ABC News that @Bristol_Palin is not real and was actually set up to damage Bristol.
Posted by: Katherine | June 28, 2011, 8:14 pm 8:14 pm
There was a woman running in the Dem Primary, and she was pilloried by the misogynistic media… Palin got it X2, and she is still standing, and appears to be stronger than ever. Just sayin’.
Posted by: jim | June 28, 2011, 8:18 pm 8:18 pm
“There was a woman running in the Dem Primary, and she was pilloried by the misogynistic media… Palin got it X2, and she is still standing, and appears to be stronger than ever. Just sayin’.”
@Katherine: Couldn’t have said it better. I am an ex-Democrat and have had it with the way the democratic party takes the women constituency for granted. I am sick of how they treated Hillary. This was a woman that was many times more accomplished than Obama and after Obama’s presidency we can safely say she would have been many times more effective as a president. Now they are doing the same thing to Palin. I am just sick of the venom that has been thrown at her – just sick of it.
Posted by: VG | June 28, 2011, 8:25 pm 8:25 pm
“stereotype” Who put the stereotype on Palin?? All you Obama loving scumbags in the corrupt MSM. You people make me sick.
Posted by: Truth | June 28, 2011, 9:25 pm 9:25 pm
This woman is absolutely right! The democrat party–the party of slavery–has been an absolute disaster for black Americans. It’s time for all Americans, including the different ethnic groups, to stop voting 95% for one particular party.
Posted by: JoeB | June 28, 2011, 10:12 pm 10:12 pm
The attacks on Sarah Palin’s family “disgraceful?” What!
Does anyone remember the hateful and mean rhetoric Palin spewed on her own campaign trail re: Obama? Put your thinking caps back on people, and please remember what lies she started about our current Presiden O.
Palin was THE charactor that started all hate and then it boomeranged. Her followers took suit. I can’t imagine people would even vote for this dispicable woman.
Posted by: FauxPalin | June 29, 2011, 12:22 am 12:22 am
Fauxpalin. Am not aware of any PERSONAL attacts by Palin during election campaign oe since. Evidently you have read false stories. Be specific. She has ofcourse then and since criticized Obama’s inexperience, policies, decisions, actions or lack of action.
Posted by: Colint | June 29, 2011, 12:59 am 12:59 am
Black woman as “unlikely” supporter…. funny…. imagine that, a black who isn’t brainwashed into loving the useless Democrats. Wow… what a revelation.
Could she have figured out the lie… figured out that the Democrats are race baiters?
Posted by: PhilipJames | June 29, 2011, 4:08 am 4:08 am
Hard to believe any pro Palin/anti-Dem piece actually made it into the ABC website.
Posted by: JeffG | June 29, 2011, 7:26 am 7:26 am
Run Sarah Run.. The lamestream media have experienced a total meltdown after 2 years of attacking Sarah Palin all that they have to show for it is a face full of egg.
If, as one of the responders to this article have noted, did indeed have hateful and mean rhetoric let her/him backup their statements by showing their proof. It just not out there.
Posted by: Sonny Phillips | June 29, 2011, 7:34 am 7:34 am
@Joeb: If you look into the birth certificate matter, you’ll find it was Clinton’s supporters who started that whole mess…
Posted by: sukie | June 29, 2011, 9:10 am 9:10 am
I cannot believe the title of this piece
of ……
What were you thinking ABC?
Posted by: glennmcgahee | June 29, 2011, 9:36 am 9:36 am
Talk about racist, look at the title of this article. So, if there is a stereo type of Palin’s supporters, guess who created it ABC.
Posted by: Kathy | June 29, 2011, 9:52 am 9:52 am
Wow, you found one black person who liked Palin. Amazing.
Too bad Snowbilly Snooki will never hold elected office again.
Until then, you brainwashed Palinite zombies can go see her movie, ironically titled “Undefeated”
That’s funny…I remember her being part of the ticket that lost in the election of 2008.
But don’t ever let facts get in the way of how a wingnut thinks. You people get your marching orders and you stick to it like you’re the Borg.
Suckers!
Posted by: Pauly D | June 29, 2011, 12:15 pm 12:15 pm
“We were watching it on TV and my daughter was like, ‘A girl can be president?,’”
if you listen closely, you can hear Hillary Clinton smacking her head on her desk.
Posted by: cleek | June 29, 2011, 1:24 pm 1:24 pm
Sarah Palin asked why celebrities had hearts filled with so much anger and hate for the Palin family. Everyone else said DUH……..the Palins knock the President, Levi, Bachmann, the McCains–this is only in the last day or so–everyday they offer their mean, snarky comments about someone who they carry a grudge against. Their books are full of digs and cruel remarks. Why can’t these hillbillies stop their whining about how they are victims and look at themselves in the mirror? Bristol today said that Bachmann is dressing herself to copy her Mom. Get real–the Palins are the ones who are getting all the plastic surgery so they look like someone else. The Republicans spent a lot of money trying to get the Palins to look presentable in public and McCain even suggested that these grifters go to charm school to learn their manners and how to behave in public. Palins are so jealous of everyone that they believe that you look better if you are a bully and try to tear someone down. Bristol badmouths the father of her son–what low class.
Posted by: Mark | June 29, 2011, 1:42 pm 1:42 pm
“Unlikely” supporter? Excuse me? What kind of racist crap is that, Ms. Marikar? Who in Hell decided who is unlikely and who isn’t? You have a problem with this woman thinking for herself?
Posted by: princetrumpet | June 29, 2011, 7:30 pm 7:30 pm
“Couldn’t have said it better. I am an ex-Democrat and have had it with the way the democratic party takes the women constituency for granted. I am sick of how they treated Hillary. This was a woman that was many times more accomplished than Obama and after Obama’s presidency we can safely say she would have been many times more effective as a president. Now they are doing the same thing to Palin. I am just sick of the venom that has been thrown at her – just sick of it. ”
Perfectly said, I’m a former democrat, a hillary supporter, who supported McPalin. Women in general have it worse, and conservative women, other conservative minorities are treated like crap, and no one says anything.
Obama thinks women are “likeable enough” as he called hillary, gave her the finger, had has his campaign songs “99 problems, b*tch ain’t one of them”…. oh yes, we PUMAs have not forgetten 2008, not one bit.
I was a loyal lifelong democrat until May 31th, 2008, I changed my registration to Independent that week, and never looked back since.
I’ve realised some of the biggest racists and bigots in this country are white liberals, they treat minorities like pets, “I have a black friend”/// “Oh I have a black friend as well”, “I have an asian friend”, “oh so do I”
As a nonwhite minority myself, I used to think conservatives were all racists, and then I went back and started reading up on history, the first black colleges were founded by repubs, right to vote for blacks, by repubs, John Lennon, a closet conservative. The tea party made me understand what constitutional conservatism means, its not what the dems paint it as and lie about.
I consider myself a constitutional conservative now… not the crony corrup repubs like Tom Delay, but like Rand Paul, Rubio, Haley, Palin, constitutional conservatives.
As for this movie, can’t wait to see it myself.
Posted by: former democrat now independent | June 29, 2011, 8:41 pm 8:41 pm
It really is something to see all the leftie big men go after the Conservative women.
Peculiar, and perhaps pathological…maybe some weird Mommy thing going on…
They certainly want to see inside her underwear, and crawl into her uterus.
Posted by: Rev Dr E Buzz | June 30, 2011, 9:26 am 9:26 am
It seems like there is censorship going on in this threat…not surprised.
Posted by: FreeVoice1960 | June 30, 2011, 6:33 pm 6:33 pm
Why do your articles always annoy me? Why is she an “unlikely support”? Because of her skin color? So stupid. I hate when people put other people in a box. It’s unfair.
Posted by: bellagrazi | June 30, 2011, 8:08 pm 8:08 pm