Palin fans revolt over Terry Branstad endorsement

Remember when Sarah Palin endorsed Carly Fiorina for U.S. Senate and her Facebook page overflowed with fans of Chuck DeVore? We're seeing a sequel unfold right now. Last week Palin endorsed Terry Branstad for governor of Iowa.

The four-term political retiree, coming back for a fifth term with a huge poll lead, has been attacked by conservatives for a less-than-Goldwaterian record; Mike Huckabee endorsed Bob Vander Plaats, the unsuccessful 2006 lieutenant governor nominee who went on to run Huckabee's 2008 Iowa caucus campaign. Comments on Palin's Facebook page are mostly running against her choice. Below the fold are some of the first few garment-rending cries:

Sarah... You blew it on this one.... Branstad is another one of the "good ol' boys" of the Republican party that you opposed and got rid of in Alaska... Bob Vander Plaats is the true conservitive in the race that you should have backed... There is still time for you to change your mind! Sarah, I think you made a big mistake endorsing Terry Branstad for governor in Iowa. #1 He is supported by liberal & moderate republicans, he is politics as usual. #2 it makes you appear to be just another mainstream Republican who really doesn't want true change in our political system. You sat with Dennis Prager in Denver and nodded your head. Terry Brandstad is NO DENNIS PRAGER! If you really believe what Dennis Prager said in Denver you must rescind your endorsement of Brandstad! I hope someone is really reading these comments. Sarah, I'm disappointed. You missed it on this one. Iowa needs to move forward and not backwards. A vote for Branstad takes us backwards. Why revisit the past? A vote for Bob Vander Plaats will take us forward and out of the mess we are in as a state that has been controlled by liberals long enough. Sarah - I am terribly disappointed in your endorsement of Terry Branstad. He is part of the "Republic Establishment" in Iowa, and IS NOT the best for Iowa. Rod Roberts is more aligned with what your values, and I am amazed that you do not see that. I wish you would have considered your decision a little more carefully. I only hope you are not becoming a part of the "Republican Establishment" too. I pray God has better things planned for Iowa and Iowans.

Let's assume for a moment that Palin is considering a 2012 run. If so, this endorsement makes even more sense than the Fiorina endorsement. Barring a meltdown, the widely-liked Branstad is going to be governor of Iowa in seven months. Even if he stays neutral in the presidential race -- as Gov. Chet Culver (D-Iowa) and Gov. Tom Vilsack (D-Iowa) did in the open Democratic primaries of 2008 and 2008 -- this endorsement adds to Palin's win record, erasing some of the bad taste of her Vaughn Ward, Tim Burns, and Doug Hoffman endorsements.

Via HotAir, which also grabbed this video from IowaRepublican of Branstad learning of the endorsement and then, chuckling, declining to immediately endorse Palin.