'Sarah Palin for President' DOA in Iowa, but valiant spin doctors persevere

Sarah Palin's Presidential campaign is in an ER, somewhere in Iowa, but Palin is headed to a book-signing in Minnesota. The speculation about whether Palin will run is on the decline, but is still good for a few dollars more.

"It is the first Iowa trip of the campaign season for Ms. Palin, which is sure to awaken speculation about her own political intentions." -- New York Times

"Ahead of today's premiere of "The Undefeated," reports swirled that the former Alaska governor and her aides were inviting prominent Republicans in the key Hawkeye state to meet with Palin after the screening at the Pella Opera House. Those reports, originally circulated by the blog Politico, were shot down late Monday by Republican operatives and Palin's political action committee." -- ABC News/Politics

"Although the Iowa trip is sure to ramp up speculation yet again that she will enter the 2012 race, all signs point to a flying visit to the Hawkeye State completely focused on the film’s premiere." -- The Daily Beast

It's said that "The Undefeated" is premiering today; however, it was shown recently to a larger audience in Minnesota, and its creator, Stephen Bannon, discussed the film with Tina Dupuy. Dupuy wrote in The Atlantic, in part:

... The final 10 minutes of the film are spent comparing Sarah Palin to Ronald Reagan. People said that Reagan was too extreme, too conservative,and that he'd never be president -- and they were all wrong, according to The Undefeated. "Why do you think I did that?" Bannon asks.

For the power of the association, I tell him. So people will think the two politicians have similar qualities. He says the tea party movement is like the Reagan Revolution. I tell him I disagree. Palin is much more like Barry Goldwater, if anything. Goldwater supporters stormed the San Francisco Republican convention in '64, lots of them "never having been involved in politics before." Just like we hear about the tea party. There was also the belief among Goldwater supporters that if there was ever a true conservative, the large bloc of dormant true conservatives would turn out to vote for him. Goldwater's opponent, Lyndon Johnson, won in a historic landslide in the '64 election. ...

When Bannon says he made the movie for me, he means women. He calls them "new agenda women." Women whom Bannon describes as being still mad about how Hillary Clinton was treated during the primaries. Yes, Steve Bannon is trying to capture the PUMA and feminist vote by rebranding Sarah Palin.

If Palin were more competent she'd be far less controversial to women. Women don't like how Palin is treated, but for some, it's not because she's criticized by the media or scrutinized -- it's because she's held to a lower standard than other politicians. If a man had given any of her answers to Katie Couric or in any of her interviews since, no one would think to make a movie highlighting all his accomplishments while being governor of one of the least populated states in the nation for a fraction of a term. It feels condescending to women who are actually smart and accomplished that Palin gets called smart and accomplished. ...

Dupuy's article is "Sarah Palin Movie Maker Wants You to Love Her Like He Does."

Sarah Palin will be in Iowa, today. Tomorrow, Sarah, Bristol Palin to sign books at Minn. mall.

Note: The "reports swirled" link in the ABC News/Politics quote, above, goes to a story about Nick Broomfield's film about Palin instead of a story about Politico's report of a Palin campaign organization in Iowa. Gryphen has a post about Broomfield's film, here.

Bristol Palin on 'Good Morning America'

ABC News' Robin Roberts talked with Bristol Palin:



Yes, Bristol supports Sarah Palin for President! Is that surprising?
Whether Sarah will run has been discussed at the kitchen table, but Bristol isn't telling.

ABC News' story.

Sarah Palin left behind - Michele Bachmann in 2nd place

The New York Times has an interesting article about the "conservative" candidates for the Republican nomination:

... Just weeks ago, Ms. Bachmann was dismissed by many political analysts in both parties as a shrill conservative outlier with telegenic looks but goofy right-wing politics. She was caricatured on cable news talk shows as a warmed-over version of Sarah Palin. Now Ms. Bachmann ranks second (19 percent) to the front-runner, Mitt Romney (33 percent), in a post-debate [New Hampshire] Rasmussen national poll. And as the only woman in the race, she draws ardent support from many in the female-laden ranks of the Tea Party. ...

... But the woman from Minnesota faces overwhelming obstacles. Certainly, a Rick Perry candidacy would have the potential to overshadow her. Mr. Perry, a 10-year governor of Texas with a strong economic record, shares her outsider status, and like her, speaks Tea Party lingo and appeals to fiscal and social conservatives.

She will also have an uphill battle to attract independents, moderate Republicans and the party leadership, who are all much more likely to favor a richly funded establishment candidate like Mr. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, or Mr. Perry, who has won three terms as governor of America’s second largest state. One indication of her problems within her party came earlier this year when she tried to get a House leadership position but failed to gain enough support. ...

Luisita Lopez Torregrosa, the writer of "Bachmann Will Have a Fight to Stay at the Top Tier," tells of an expected "catfight" between Palin and Bachmann, but it looks as though Palin has been left behind, given Bachmann's second-place showing in a national poll. The article also describes the difficulties that Bachmann, like Palin, would have in expanding her support beyond the same Christian fundamentalist base that was attracted to Palin.

Would Perry run better against President Obama than either Palin or Bachmann? The attractive thing about either Palin or Bachmann is that their views offer Obama an opportunity to draw sharp contrasts with his views, which offers the opportunity of a landslide rather than a close election.

Is Sarah Palin quitting her bus tour, too?

Scott Conroy of Real Clear Politics writes in "Palin Bus Tour Takes Extended Pit Stop:"

Less than a month after she appeared poised to shake up the Republican presidential campaign, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has once again receded from the 2012 limelight. ...

... Palin's openness with reporters about her intentions to visit Iowa and South Carolina -- in addition to her highly scrutinized stop in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire -- lent credence to her repeated assertions that she was indeed seriously considering a White House bid.

Though Palin and her staff never announced a timeline for the remaining legs of her trip, aides had drafted preliminary itineraries that would have taken her through the Midwest and Southeast at some point this month. But those travel blueprints are now in limbo, RCP has learned, as Palin and her family have reverted to the friendly confines of summertime Alaska, where the skies are currently alight for over 19 hours a day and the Bristol Bay salmon fishing season is nearing its peak. ...

Conroy's story goes on to tell of Palin's failure to re-connect with the governors of Iowa and South Carolina, Palin's fans expressing their frustration on the internet, and rumors that Palin has offered Texas governor Rick Perry her support.

The only real news from SarahPac has been the incredible offer of a DVD of Palin's bad movie, "The Undefeated," which they've placed on sale for $100 a copy. The movie was summed-up very nicely by Tina Dupuy in The Atlantic's "Sarah Palin Movie Maker Wants You to Love Her Like He Does."

There are some more stories: TPM has "Sarah Palin Reportedly Quits Bus Tour Halfway Through;" Mediaite has "No Joke: Sarah Palin Reportedly Quits One Nation Bus Tour Halfway Through;" and The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart wrote "Sarah Palin parks ‘One Nation’ bus tour."

Update: Gryphen has posted Miss Always-Right's response to the news that she quit her bus tour, and he has updated with news that Palin has also quit her planned tour of Sudan -- before it started!

The case continues: She quit because she has jury duty? Miss Always-Blame-Government strikes again.

Tina Dupuy saw Palin's bad movie

Writing for The Atlantic, Tina Dupuy tells of her discussion with conservative filmmaker Stephen Bannon after seeing "The Undefeated:"

... The final 10 minutes of the film are spent comparing Sarah Palin to Ronald Reagan. People said that Reagan was too extreme, too conservative,and that he'd never be president -- and they were all wrong, according to The Undefeated. "Why do you think I did that?" Bannon asks.

For the power of the association, I tell him. So people will think the two politicians have similar qualities. He says the tea party movement is like the Reagan Revolution. I tell him I disagree. Palin is much more like Barry Goldwater, if anything. Goldwater supporters stormed the San Francisco Republican convention in '64, lots of them "never having been involved in politics before." Just like we hear about the tea party. There was also the belief among Goldwater supporters that if there was ever a true conservative, the large bloc of dormant true conservatives would turn out to vote for him. Goldwater's opponent, Lyndon Johnson, won in a historic landslide in the '64 election. ...

When Bannon says he made the movie for me, he means women. He calls them "new agenda women." Women whom Bannon describes as being still mad about how Hillary Clinton was treated during the primaries. Yes, Steve Bannon is trying to capture the PUMA and feminist vote by rebranding Sarah Palin.

If Palin were more competent she'd be far less controversial to women. Women don't like how Palin is treated, but for some, it's not because she's criticized by the media or scrutinized -- it's because she's held to a lower standard than other politicians. If a man had given any of her answers to Katie Couric or in any of her interviews since, no one would think to make a movie highlighting all his accomplishments while being governor of one of the least populated states in the nation for a fraction of a term. It feels condescending to women who are actually smart and accomplished that Palin gets called smart and accomplished. ...

Dupuy's article is "Sarah Palin Movie Maker Wants You to Love Her Like He Does."

Bristol Palin's book due next week

Aren't all autobiographies self-serving?

According to US Magazine, Bristol Palin has revealed the circumstances of her child's conception:

When Bristol Palin lost her virginity, it wasn't the romantic experience she had envisioned.

In her new autobiography, Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far, the 20-year-old single mom reveals that, while drunk for the very first time, she lost her virginity to Levi Johnston during a camping trip.

Palin says she woke up alone in her tent, with no recollection as to what happened. Johnston, meanwhile, "talked with his friends on the other side of the canvas."

PHOTOS: When stars lost their virginities

When she confronted him about their sexual encounter, Johnston, now 21, told Palin what she wanted to hear: they wouldn't have sex again until they were married.

But, Palin writes, they became intimate again shortly after. When she learned she was pregnant in 2008, Palin was on birth control pills prescribed to treat her cramps; it took eight home pregnancy tests to convince her that she was expecting. ...

This revelation makes the book interesting. It will be worth reading to find out whether any context is provided which would motivate the inclusion of this information.

The AP article linked-to by US Magazine looked a little bogus -- The Ponca City News: Our AP Features -- but I did find what looks like a more genuine AP article, "Bristol Palin calls her ex 'the gnat' in new book."

Personally, I don't think Bristol Palin should do penance for becoming pregnant, and I don't fault her for seizing the opportunities that have come her way.

Update: The New York Post has another story, "Levi? Puke! Bristol Palin reveals the joy of teen love." That story differs from the AP story in some ways. Perhaps what the AP reported isn't a story of conception, but rather her story of the loss of her virginity. It's not something that can be clarified without reading the book.

Palin used at least six e-mail accounts

One organization, DocuTicker, has organized Sarah Palin's e-mails in an inbox format. Their post is "Palin Used Six Email Accounts as Governor," which has a link to Sarah's Inbox.

The AP has a story, "Alaska investigates apparent gap in Palin emails." That gap occurs near the beginning of the e-mails. There may be another gap, at the end of the e-mails. On the first page of Sarah's Inbox, the last e-mail is dated 07/01/2009. It's predecessor is dated 10/06/2008.

In the About box at Sarah's Inbox -- on the left sidebar -- there is a caveat about the e-mails.

The AP article has some interesting information about how the e-mail from personal accounts was collected.