Palin Family Circus News - Saturday, November 13, 2010

Sarah Palin has "written" another book, America By Heart. The book won't be released until November 23rd, but it has already accumulated almost 5000 "reviews" on Amazon, where it is already being discounted by 50%.

Caffeinated Thoughts -- an excellent name for a pro-Palin blog -- has the rules for Sarah Palin's book signing in Des Moines, Iowa on November 27th:

• She will be only signing America By Heart, not [sic] other memorabilia will be allowed.


• Books must be purchased at the West Des Moines Borders and you must provide proof of purchase.


• There will be a limited number of wristbands (he [a Borders assistant manager] didn’t say when they’ll start giving those out). Only one wristband per person, and only two books per person. During the Going Rogue tour they typically gave out anywhere between 500-1000 wristbands.


• No cameras, phones with a camera, recording devices, video cameras, etc. will be allowed. Please leave those in your car or at the security check point.


• A wristband will guarantee your place in line, but it will not guarantee that you will get to meet Governor Palin (circumstances may not permit everyone in line to be able to get through).

Amazon tracks its customers: 55% buy Palin's new book, 37% buy George Bush's Decision Points, 4% buy Glenn Beck's Broke, and 2% buy Palin's Going Rogue. Amazon considers "customers" to be those by whom a book was purchased after viewing its page for Palin's new book. That 37% are buying Bush's book may lend some credence to the idea that many of Palin's fans are the Bush regime's dead-enders.


Philly.com has "Sideshow: Bristol Palin: A klutz to the judges, a dancing dream to 'the people'" It begins:

Is it . . . a plot? As Jimmy Kimmel put it: "Is there a tea party conspiracy?"

Or is it a collusion of like-minded people across this land, hurling buttered monkey wrenches into the works and sitting back for a laugh?

To the last question, we answer: Of course! D'oh. How else could Bristol Palin still be on Dancing With the Stars? ...

And ends:

There's a long history of the least talented being favored on these reality-contest shows. Anyone remember Sanjaya Malakar, the ponyhawked, talently challenged random who got to 7th place in Season 6 of American Idol? The judges hated him; the people voted, and he stayed. In Season 8 of DWTS, Lil' Kim (a pro, OK?) got booted, and rodeo who? Ty Murray stayed because his unknown fan base clogged the phone lines. ...

... Have fun, that's what we at "SideShow" say. It's the massed cussedness of tens of millions of TV-addicted young folks who like to stir it up. It's like spooning sugar in your enemy's gas tank. Or calling in a fake bomb threat to your high school. It's merry destruction, having a good old time with a dumb old show.

Bristol has reached DWTS' semi-finals, and Kelly Osbourne thinks she could win!

During troubling times great leaders stand up and explain things to the people in an address to the nation. Carrie Ann Inaba, a Dancing With the Stars judge, told People Magazine, "She might be in our finals. Wow." There is video of what Inaba told People, here, and, although she delivered her remarks while seated, her explanation of Bristol's success is worth considering.

Finally, Tina Fey has won the Mark Twain Prize For American Humor. When she received the award at Kennedy Center, she thanked -- who else? -- Sarah Palin. Did you know that "John McCain has a picture of Tina in his office and had been getting ideas long before he picked the former Alaska governor as his running mate?" The ceremony was taped and may be seen on your PBS station. Sunday night? Check your listings.

Palin Family Circus News - Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Sarah Palin may be trying to insinuate that she reads newspapers. The NY Times reported:

... In a post on her Facebook page Monday, Ms. Palin threw a sarcasm-laced jab at a Wall Street Journal writer who had criticized a statement she made about the rising price of groceries. The writer had accused her of “inflation hyperbole” on the Journal’s website. ...

... [S]he noted the irony that perhaps the Wall Street Journal writer criticizing her had not, in fact, read the Wall Street Journal.

“Now I realize I’m just a former governor and current housewife from Alaska, but even humble folks like me can read the newspaper,” she wrote on Facebook. “The newspaper. I’m surprised a prestigious reporter for the Wall Street Journal doesn’t.”

But it's very likely that Palin still isn't reading newspapers. Another article from the NY Times, which was written with the assistance of Palin's spokesperson Meg Stapleton, last February, noted:

She [Palin] reads daily e-mail briefings on domestic and foreign policy from a small group of advisers who remained loyal after her tumultuous vice presidential campaign in 2008.

The Wall Street Journal's account of Palin's dust-up with the paper is here.

Today, The WSJ's MarketBeat column continued the paper's interest in Palin with "Sarah Palin: Monetary Policy Wonk." The article ended, after noting how Palin is abusing the truth about what Ronald Reagan said about inflation, "If you’re gung-ho on the prospect of Madame President Palin, that’s great. Just be careful about taking investment advice from her."

Now, Gawker has confirmed what we already know: "Sarah Palin Still Can't Read or Understand a Newspaper."

There is another challenger to sure-thing Republican nominee Sarah Palin. The NY Daily News reported:

Former [New York] Gov. George Pataki hinted at a possible presidential run on Monday, noting his mayoral credentials were a lot more impressive than potential rival Sarah Palin's.

Pataki joked that Palin's former job as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, was nothing compared with his one-time job as mayor of Peekskill in Westchester County.

"It was a challenging job, mayor of Peekskill, let me assure you," Pataki said during an interview on ABC News' "Top Line."

"Twice the size of Wasilla."

Pataki also managed to complete his governorship without resigning.

Bristol Palin's False Steps considers Bristol's longevity on Dancing With the Stars. Last night, Bristol made a move that judge Bruno Tonioli called “the Pencil Sharpener.”

Updated November 10: Bristol not only survived another week, she has made it to the DWTS semi-finals! CBS Predictions isn't giving her much chance of success, however:

Despite receiving the lowest scores after Monday night's performance, Bristol Palin and her dance partner Mark Ballas have made it to the semi-finals of "Dancing with the Stars." Former football star Kurt Warner was sent home on Tuesday.

Bristol's continued success in not getting voted off the "DWTS" island is due in part to fans of her mother, Sarah Palin.

She certainly hasn't wowed the judges, typically receiving among the lowest scores from the judges throughout the competition. The judges try to be kind and offer some compliments, but it is faint praise. "It's so important getting those heels and toes right. And by and large, Bristol always does that," judge Len Goodman told Bristol on Monday night's show.

Odds are that Bristol will not win. Even if she won the phone-in vote, the judges would have a major issue giving her the trophy versus Jennifer Grey or Brandy, both of whom outshine the 20-year-old teen advocate by a wide margin on the dance floor. Whatever the outcome, Bristol challenged herself on a national stage, made some good money and provided another outlet for the Palin media machine. ...

Don't you worry, Bristol. Enjoy laughing on your way to the bank.

Palin Family Circus News - Tuesday, October 18, 2010

The circus continues ...

The NY Times' Maureen Dowd called Sarah Palin (and the other Mama Grizzlies) Mean Girls, "grown-up versions of those teenage tormentors who would steal your boyfriend, spray-paint your locker and, just for good measure, spread rumors that you were pregnant."

Palin shot back, according to CNN, but, for now, Dowd has had the last word!

Of course, this blog called Palin a mean girl long before Dowd did, but we don't claim that Dowd reads the blog. If we did that, we'd have to claim that at least one other NY Times writer gets her news here.


So, Sunday we got a new HDTV to see DWTS (just kidding, but did get the TV). It seemed that it was on forever before Bristol danced. Does anyone know why that show is so popular? The TV is nice, though. My public library has about 200 blue-ray movies, and when we're through those no worry, because I've got cards at other libraries. We did buy "The Day The Earth Stood Still," and will buy another to turn the TV into a virtual aquarium. Netflix is a possibility, too. We live in a cable-free, dish-free zone. But I've digressed; back to the circus with Politics Daily, which says,

Responding to judges' pleas to include more performance in her performances, Bristol's partner, Mark Ballas, decided to bring in clowns to work with her on expressing herself. But that wasn't the end of the clowning around. Ballas also elected to begin their jive to the Monkees theme song dressed as, well, monkeys.

Didn't we know there was a circus here?

Palin Family Circus News - Saturday, October 16, 2010

Meg Whitman, like several other nationally prominent Republicans, has evaded the question of Sarah Palin's qualifications to be President. The LA Times reports:

Asked whether she thought Palin was qualifed to be president, Whitman said: "Technically, she’s qualified to be president because you have to be a U.S. citizen and be in good standing. I think the voters of the United States are going to decide who's going to be the next Republican nominee and there's going to be a lot of competition for that."

There are millions of people just as qualified as Palin, using the "constitutionally qualifed" standard.

Sarah Palin has been in California, and she will appear at a Republican National Committee rally, today, in Orange County. But two of California's office seekers are staying away:

A Field Poll released last week found that 58 percent of the state's registered voters hold a negative view of Palin, although she remains quite popular among Republicans. In addition, two-thirds of independent voters would be less inclined to support a candidate endorsed by her.

That could help explain why California's two most prominent Republican candidates this year — gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman and Senate candidate Carly Fiorina — will be absent from Saturday's RNC rally in Anaheim.

San Jose Mercury News' article also describes Palin's appearance and speech, yesterday, alongside Howard Dean, in Sacramento, California's capitol. Palin tried to convince the audience that Republicans are on the side of the little guy, saying, "This election is about the little guy, the common man, independence, and the middle class — those forgotten and ignored for far too long, and now they're fighting back," but she then slipped-up by saying, "They — we — are saying enough is enough."



The LA Times' Top of the Ticket column has an article about Sarah Palin's Alaska. The column says, "I'd rather be doing this than in some stuffy old political office," Palin is heard saying while looking out on across a beautiful snowy vista. And how can you not agree with her? The show begins November 14, and a 30-second promotional video can be seen at The LA Times.



Any publicity is good publicity? Celebrity Cafe is reporting, "The porn actress best known for her parodies of Sarah Palin says she will not do films that require unprotected sex."

Palin Family Circus News - Friday, October 8, 2010

Delaware's Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Christine O'Donnell, is the latest to evade a question of whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be President. The NY Daily News reports:

Sarah Palin's finding out the Tea Party is a tough crowd.

Palin's mini-me, Delaware Senate contender Christine O'Donnell, ducked a question over whether Palin is qualified to be President, joining fellow Tea Party Senate hopeful Joe Miller in declining to comment.

Palin, the face of the budding Tea Party movement, is widely seen as a contender for the GOP nomination in 2012.

O'Donnell broke her boycott of national media Thursday and chatted with CNN reporter Jim Acosta. In response to his question about whether Palin was qualified to be commander-in-chief, O'Donnell said:

"Is she running for President? Again, hypothetical."



New York's "Nobody Wants to Say That Sarah Palin Is Qualified to Be President," tells us, in part:

Sarah Palin sure has some fair-weather friends. ...

Guess what's going to happen now, besides Todd Palin sending a sassy e-mail to Christine O'Donnell. Reporters are going to start asking every prominent Republican with electoral ambitions whether they think Palin is qualified to be president, hoping for another awkward dodge. Any such dodges, along with those of Miller and O'Donnell, will be reported in the media and contribute to the erosion of whatever viability Pain has as a presidential candidate. Palin has her friends Joe Miller and Christine O'Donnell to thank for that.

About one year ago, Mississippi's Republican governor, Haley Barbour, damned Palin with faint praise by saying that she is constitutionally qualified to be President. Guess what? Millions of others are also, too.



Salon's "America Hates Sarah Palin" has:

According to a new CBS poll, America really doesn't care for Sarah Palin. She is viewed favorably by 22% of Americans, and unfavorably by 48%. Those are not great numbers for a potential 2012 candidate. ...

... The polls also serve as a reminder that the Fox/Tea Party bloc of enraged older white people, for all their bluster about taking "their" country back, represent a sliver of the population. ...

The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart has the best palinsight around and wrote of a Palin candidacy:

Taking time out from bashing out-of-touch elites, Sarah Palin went to West Palm Beach on Wednesday to tape a webcast for newsmax.com and made a laughable pronouncement. According to Jose Lambiet's "Page 2 Live" blog at The Palm Beach Post, the former half-term governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee said that she would run in 2012 if "the American people" want her to.

Earth to Palin: they don't. ...

... Now, this might difficult for Palin or her legions of fans and admirers to accept, but "the American people" have consistently said they don't think she is qualified or should be president. You will recall that last month I said Sarah Palin is everywhere -- and going nowhere. A CBS News poll released on Oct. 6 shows nothing has changed. ...

... Palin told her Palm Beach audience that she wasn't sure if voters were ready for her "unconventional," "out-of-the-box" style. As the polls have shown since late 2008, they're not.

"Earth to Palin?" Let me go all palingates here and offer "proof" that the Palins are from another planet:

Palin Family On Their Home Planet

Click the photo to enlarge it

More photos from TLC's "Sarah Palin's Alaska" can be seen here.



Celebrity Cafe's "Bristol Palin Hasn't Noticed Weight Loss From Grueling 'Dancing with the Stars' Workouts," quotes Bristol: "I haven't really noticed a change in [my body] ... I think most people lose weight [on the show] because they're too stressed out to eat. I haven't had that problem!"



The NY Daily News has "Sarah Palin: 'Dancing with the Stars' asked my husband Todd to be on ABC show before Bristol joined."

Todd must have sloughed it off onto Bristol, because he can't dance, right?

Palin Family Circus News - Friday, September 24, 2010

The Washington Post's Stephen Stromberg offers a dose of common sense on Palin/2012:

... Anyway, in Palin's case, it's all meaningless for now. She's saying and doing some of the things that indicate presidential ambitions. But if she's just in it to enhance her influence on a segment of the electorate and/or make lots of money, she would be doing the same things. No matter what her real intentions, she has to keep America wondering if she will actually run. The prospect, however remote, of Palin in the White House is critical to her unusual marketability. Supporters are even more motivated to listen -- and buy -- when there's a chance she will one day represent their views in high office. Detractors pay attention out of concern she'll do just that. Journalists meet demand from both groups by reporting on pretty much anything Palin-related, and pollsters take time to conduct surveys testing her viability. It all feeds her mystique -- and fills up her bank account.

If she's smart, she'll keep this up as long as she can, then announce she's not running. She couldn't win, since so much of the country thinks she's simply unqualified. But she could try to play kingmaker as a leader of the Tea Party, her endorsement swinging a portion of the GOP primary electorate behind her chosen candidate.


Sarah was "scared to death" when Bristol went on DWTS, but Bristol returned victorious to Wasilla -- with dance partner Mark Ballas -- where they were welcomed with a "huge rally." A video and short story are at ET Online.


DWTS' Mark Ballas Finally Meets Sarah Palin!

Sarah texted Bristol, "We are so proud of you. Congratulations! It looked like you were having fun!" Bristol, 19, told UsMagazine.com Tuesday.

Up next for the teen pregnancy activist? The quickstep!

"I'm looking forward to a dance that's more proper and pretty," Bristol said. "I won't have to shake my hips so much!"

The source of Us' picture is "Me and Mama Palin."


Kelly Osbourne tells People that she is upset that no one from the Palin family was in the audience when Bristol danced on DWTS:

"I have a real soft spot for Bristol Palin. I really do. I think she's going out there and trying, and to not have a family member in the audience is the hardest thing in the world," Osbourne, 25, says in an interview set to air Thursday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Osbourne adds: "Half of that show is family support, and to go out there that first week and not have anyone there, and having everybody looking at you the most – I give her so much credit."


Tina Fey has weighed in on Bristol's DWTS performance:

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Tina Fey may not have had a reason to do her Sarah Palin impression lately, but the “30 Rock” star is still interested in the former vice presidential candidate and her family, including Bristol, who made her debut earlier this week on “Dancing with the Stars.”

“I thought she was a pretty good dancer,” Tina told Access Hollywood in New York City on Thursday. “I thought she did well.” ...


See? Stephen Stromberg is right! Even a comic book is trying to cash in on will she run? The Today show's Rick Schindler wrote about the Archie cover, here.

Palin Family Circus News - Thursday, September 23, 2010

E! Online asked a D.C. insider about Palin's chances in 2012:

... Like, could she really stand a chance to unseat Obama?

Not really, according to our bipartisan insider:

"I can't imagine for one minute that the national party leaders would be OK with it. That said, [Palin] could very likely pull a Ross Perot and run on her own, which would be a freaking nightmare for both parties, actually. It all makes my head hurt, and kinda makes me want to pull the covers over my head and never leave the house." ...

... After all, this beauty-pageant moose-hunter really does come straight from the Reese Witherspoon cut—way crafty and you really wouldn't know it. Sure, Reese does it with a perky smile while Sarah does it with a Paris Hilton dumb-dumb attitude, but the media-manipulating is something Sarah P has picked up and learned to do quite well. Clearly, she didn't entirely realize these powers back when she ran alongside John McCain, but, she does now.


Tom Diemer of Politics Daily wrote:

[I]n response to a question from Fox News' Greta Van Susteren: What would be a reason for her to run in two years?

"If nobody else wanted to step up, Greta, I would offer myself in the name of service to the public. But I also know that anybody -- anybody -- can make a huge difference in this country without a title, without an office, just being out there as an advocate for solutions that can work to get the country on the right track."

Palin [...] said she was currently in a "comfortable place" in her private role. Palin, since resigning as Alaska's governor midway through her term last year, has emerged as a sought-after public speaker, television personality and successful endorser of Republican candidates she considers "common-sense conservatives" or, in the case of like-minded females, "mama grizzlies."


E! Online also tells us that Mama Palin (!) will be there -- where? -- DWTS, where else?

Usually, producers save the big guns for the end of the season, but Dancing With the Stars' string-pullers are wasting no time in capitalizing on Bristol Palin's family connections, as her Very Special Homecoming episode is, from the looks of things, airing Monday night.


Finally. Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco -- Batman and Robin, if you will -- have answered the question mainstream media refused to touch. Not because it was scandalous, but more likely because nobody gave it a thought until it was raised on "The T. Ocho Show."

Whatever, it's out there now and the Bengals' wide receivers give their measured takes on this very serious topic: Sarah Palin: In the White House or in Playboy?

Palin Family Circus News - Monday, August 30, 2010

Tonight! We'll learn whether Bristol is going to be on "Dancing With The Stars." Isn't it exciting? Even the Washington Post's readers are interested:

ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," which has recently become an "American Idol"-esque ratings behemoth, is going to announce its celeb dancers Monday -- and appears to have outdone itself. At a televised press conference scheduled for Monday night (which will be live-blogged by the TV Column) show co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke are expected to announce former GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, will be among the high-steppers. ...

... Bristol is more than ready for coronation of Queen of Reality TV, reports The Post's Emily Yahr, as the 19-year-old mother has been a tabloid favorite since her mother ran for office in 2008 and subsequently, Bristol's pregnancy -- and relationship with the baby's father, Levi Johnston -- became A Big Story.

The announcement should occur between 8:00 and 10:00 PM, presumably eastern time, and an announcement will be posted at the paper's TV Blog.

Update: The Post hasn't updated its blog. Bristol will be on the show, according to People magazine. Now, for some more suspense: the celebrity/professional pairings will be announced Wednesday. Are we being played?


The Post's readers want more than news of Bristol. The paper's Reliable Source column posted something with an interesting title, "The Palin paradox: What's real and what's reality show?" What an interesting question. Why would anyone pay Sarah Palin to do a reality show when people can watch her gaffes and pratfalls for free? The paper calls it a "three-ring circus," starring Sarah, Bristol, and Levi. The article has video of Levi's recent appearance on the "Early Show" and Sarah's recent encounter with a teacher in Homer, Alaska.


There is "No chance of a Beck-Palin ticket in 2012, Glenn Beck says he has 'zero desire' to be president:"

President Obama said Sunday he's not going to worry much about false rumors - and "can't spend all my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead."

Obama, who is dogged by boneheaded but persistent accusations that he wasn't born in the U.S., told NBC's Brian Williams, "I will always put my money on the American people" and that he doesn't focus on misinformation.

The President said he didn't watch Glenn Beck's rally Saturday on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial but was not surprised that the Fox News host was "able to stir up" people during difficult times.

Meanwhile, Beck told supporters Sunday that a Glenn Beck-Sarah Palin ticket in 2012 is off the table.

"I have no desire to be President of the U.S., zero desire," Beck said on "Fox News Sunday." "I don't think that I would be electable."

Plus, he's not smart enough, Beck said.

"There are far too many people that are far smarter than me to be President," Beck said. "I'd like to find one with some honor and integrity. I haven't seen them yet, but they'll show up."

Sorry, Sarah. Glenn Beck has apparently ruled you out. He may think you're smart, but he's still looking for someone "with some honor and integrity."

It probably wouldn't work with Palin at the top of the ticket either. "Sarah Palin would be an ineffective president, say 6 in 10 Americans, according to new poll," has the bad news:

Sarah Palin is a force to be reckoned with, but the majority of Americans don’t think she’d make an effective President.

A new 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll released Monday found that despite her star status, 59% of Americans don't think Palin would be a hit in the White House.

Even among Republicans, just 40% said the former vice presidential candidate would make an effective President. ...

... Results showed 75% of Democrats and 63% of independents did not feel she would be effective in office.

Only 26% of those surveyed said they felt confident she would be a successful President, including 47% of Republicans, 12% of Democrats, and 21% of independents.

So there you have it. All of today's circus news.