Showing posts with label politico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politico. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Fourteen reasons why Palin will run for president

Vanity Fair made-up seven reasons why Sarah Palin will run for President after Greta Van Susteren made-up gave seven reasons why Palin will run. So, we have fourteen reasons why she'll run. Aren't we lucky?
1. “she has never said no”

2. “she made a promise to Piper”

3. “she’s received an outpouring of Facebook and Twitter support”

4. “we have not heard much from her since her bus tour which makes me suspicious that she is gearing up”

5. “as the days go on, some of the declared Republican candidates are having a few troubles—whether it be a gaffe or troubles raising money”

6. “something something real Americans”

7. “I read in the Des Moines Register that there are Palin volunteers—not from a Palin organization—all over the ground in Iowa”

8. “the lease on the tour bus doesn’t expire until 2013 anyway”

9. “money”

10. “the reality show was a complete bust”

11. “there seems to be a media strategy”

12. “she has already gone through the media digging into her life”

13. “lost a bet”

14. “are there any signs she is not running other than that she is not physically in Iowa and has not declared a candidacy?”
It's good to see humor being used to swat down these "Sarah's running" stories.

If you're having any trouble distinguishing Van Susteren's reasons from Vanity Fair's, see Vanity Fair's "Seven Reasons Why Sarah Palin Is Running for President, According to Her Best Friend, Greta Van Susteren" to learn which are Van Susteren's reasons and which are Vanity Fair's.

Politico's "Van Susteren thinks Palin is in" has the reasons from Van Susteren's blog.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

A 'scathing' film about Sarah Palin is on the way

Politico's Molly Ball is reporting:
Nick Broomfield, a well-known British filmmaker, is “close to finishing” a “scathing” film about the former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential nominee, according to the Los Angeles Times. ...

... Palin’s parents and several former aides appear in the film, in which she is portrayed as a “ruthless politician who has trampled over opponents,” the Times reports. ...

... Best known for “Kurt & Courtney,” a documentary about the late grunge rocker Kurt Cobain and his widow Courtney Love, Broomfield’s subjects have also included former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, American serial killer Aileen Wuornos and the rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. ...
The Los Angeles Times article, linked-to in Politico's story, mentions that Sarah Palin did have something to do with the creation of "The Undefeated:" "While Palin does not appear in the film [The Undefeated], the site Real Clear Politics reported that she helped coordinate interviews for it."

For more about the pro-Palin film, ABC News has "Sarah Palin Filmmaker Wanted to Debut Documentary in the Field of Dreams.

I wouldn't worry about the pro-Palin film swaying the undecided. Most people have made up their minds about Palin, and American audiences are sophisticated film-goers, aren't they? They know it's the editing that makes or breaks a film, don't they? Someone could take the pro-Palin film's raw video and tell quite a different story with it through the magic of editing.

There is not much happening in Palin-world this morning, unless people consider it news that palin-bots are assembling their own cache of Palin's e-mails. It's just like film editing: people can insert, delete and move frames, just like they can e-mails, and have a narrator say anything they would like to have said.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Who's Who in Sarah Palin's e-mails? Lyda Green? -- UPDATED

The L.A. Times has an interesting, summary guide to who's who in Sarah Palin's e-mails: "Sarah Palin emails: The Alaska archive - who's who." There is only a picture associated with some of Palin's correspondents, but if the Times has articles about them, they link to the article(s).

The relationship between Sarah Palin and Lyda Green may be most interesting. "Kathleen," now at the blog Political Gates, once commented at palingates that Lyda Green had informed them -- them presumably being "Kathleen" and "Patrick" -- that Lyda Green had told them of one of Sarah Palin's miscarriages. That comment came in a post about Sarah Palin's book, Going Rogue, in which Palin described a miscarriage early in her life.

I was surprised, at the time, that they would blow away a "source" like that. And I am continually surprised that although they claim to have information from someone inside Alaska government that Palin faked a pregnancy, they will not even quote that source anonymously. Newspapers do it all the time: "A source who requested anonymity for some specified reason, told us, "Blah-blah." Readers are entitled to enough information to evaluate the veracity of the source.

Lyda Green's relationship with Sarah Palin, and her (Green's) motivation and veracity have become very interesting, now that the Washington Post's Rachel Weiner wrote, "Sarah Palin faced Trig rumors from start." An e-mail from Palin is quoted there, and it is clear that Palin blamed Lyda Green for the rumors that Bristol was the mother of Trig Palin.

A live blog about Palin's e-mails can be found at msnbc.com's "Live blog: All the released Palin emails are now back in their electronic form, online"


Update:
Politico's "Palin emails show top Alaskan lawmaker blamed for Trig Palin rumors" has a statement from Green disclaiming involvement: '"I was never part of the network that thought that Sarah wasn't pregnant," Green said in an interview. "I said, 'That's a non-starter for me.'"'

Green has undercut an earlier statement she made, "It’s wonderful. She’s very well-disguised. When I was five months pregnant, there was absolutely no question that I was with child," which has been used by some to support an argument that Palin wasn't pregnant.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Palin Family Circus News - Friday, June 10, 2011

Politico's Molly Ball reports in "AMC will distribute Palin film:"
"The Undefeated,” a flattering new documentary about Sarah Palin, has inked a distribution deal with North America’s second-largest movie theater chain [AMC] for a July 15 release. ...

... The film, which Palin has seen but has no involvement with, casts the former Alaska governor and vice-presidential nominee as the hero and epitome of the tea party movement — an ordinary citizen stirred to action to restore common sense to government.

It leaves out or downplays many of the controversies that have dogged Palin. Bannon said they didn’t fit into the story the film sought to tell.
This might be interesting to see, if it catches on with the public, just for the insights into film editing it would offer.


Jonathan Capehart's "Rollins slap at Palin shows Bachmann isn’t afraid of a fight" explains "why an attack on Palin is a safe and potentially beneficial move on Bachmann’s part."


Hero of the tea party movement? Politico's "Will rivalry make Sarah Palin run?" may be looking for a Palin/Bachmann catfight:
... Bachmann, a native Iowan who is strongly attractive to the same social conservative, tea party forces who favored Huckabee, is suddenly positioned to take the first GOP contest by storm.

Team Palin is likely in panic mode. It fears Bachmann can win Iowa and become the new leader of the GOP’s tea party, social conservative wing. It might even be enough to get Bachmann the presidential nomination that Palin covets.

The Washington Post's Alexandra Petri writes about historical revisionism in "American History X — Palin, Paul Revere, Wikipedia, and our passion for revision." Someone is always wrong on the internet.


Was Margaret Thatcher disgraced when an "ally" said, "Lady Thatcher will not be seeing Sarah Palin. That would be belittling for Margaret. Sarah Palin is nuts?" Some of Palin's fans seem to think so, according to "Sarah Palin snub by Margaret Thatcher aides infuriates US rightwing." Don't be surprised to see Palin show-up in London on July 4th, where Thatcher is going to be present at the unveiling of a Ronald Reagan statue. Didn't she crash the "Rolling Thunder" party?


NPR's "Sarah's Choice: Email Dump Will Add To Doubt That She Will Run" offers up five indications that Palin won't run: 1) The wall of negative numbers has grown too tall; 2) The bus tour of the Eastern seaboard that began Memorial Day; 3) When in New York, Palin ate pizza and talked politics with Donald Trump; 4) Another key stop in Gotham was a visit with Palin's boss, Roger Ailes; and 5) The aftermath of the Paul Revere gaffe.

The e-mail dump is going to be available on-line and Bill Dedman of msnbc.com writes:
... Among those emails withheld from the public were those detailing potential state appointees, judicial candidates and others having to do with legal advice, settlements and staffing issues. Others appeared to have nothing to do with state business, such as one message about "children, dinner, and prayer."

Others removed from public view include several having to do with newspapers and editorials, including two citing a “response to Juneau Empire article.” Another two related to a “child custody matter,” and a meeting with “W. Monegan,” who had served as the Alaska public safety commissioner until being dismissed in July 2008 in connection with the scandal known as "Troopergate." ...

The e-mails are going to be made available at Crivella West, but it may take some time to scan all of them in order to make them available on-line.

The Washington Post's Jena McGregor, anticipating the e-mails' release, may have found something Sarah Palin has in common with Anthony Weiner! Indeed! "Anthony Weiner scandal appears to quiet congressmen on Twitter."


The Washington Post's Rachel Weiner writes, "Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s e-mails show constant discussion and concern about how she is portrayed in the media, on matters big and small."


Finally, Sarah Palin recently illustrated her ignorance of foreign policy in an attack on President Obama. At one time, we agreed with the Russians that nuclear parity was a desirable goal. Call it "mutually assured destruction," if you like; it's the world we live in. There are two capabilities with respect to this policy: offense and defense. When the two sides are roughly equal and then one side begins to develop or hints at developing a defensive capability, the other side will say, "Unfair!" Why? Because, if one side improves its defense, that improvement would diminish -- perhaps nullify -- the other side's offensive capabilities. The strategic balance of power would shift. We would no longer have nuclear parity. A new arms race would begin.

Palin is apparently unaware that her hero, Ronald Reagan, was comfortable with nuclear parity. Palin's contention that bolstering Russian nuclear defense capablities will result in a new arms race is the opposite of what will happen; it will forestall a new arms race, because it will maintain the balance of power. Palin claims to be interested in reducing government expenditures, so she would be well advised to consider that point. Finally, President Obama said, "We [are] committed to working together so that we can find an approach and configuration that is consistent with the security needs of both countries, that maintains the strategic balance and deals with potential threats that we both share."

Palin's ignorance of foreign policy can be attributed to an ignorance of recent history. What does she read?

Monday, June 6, 2011

Palin Family Circus News - Monday, June 6, 2011

This morning there was a package of sliced, smoked salmon on the tabloid racks. Underneath the salmon was Globe, featuring a story about the Palins on the cover -- divorce.


You may have heard or read of the Wikipedia edit war as Palin's fans attempt to re-write the history of Paul Revere's ride. Historical revisionism is very reminiscent of what went on in the Soviet Union.

The usually apolitical Computerworld has published "Sarah Palin fans try to rewrite history on Wikipedia." This tendency of Palin's fans to re-write history necessitates a thorough review of all their claims about her, because, if they can't refrain from historical revisionism in a matter that might have blown over with time, how can they be trusted to accurately portray her record as governor and mayor?


"Only 23 percent of voters surveyed say Palin is qualified to serve as president. Sixty-three percent say Palin is unqualified." -- Poll: Mitt Romney qualified, Sarah Palin not


How Are Critics Liking the Hot New Sarah Palin Documentary? Gawker's Jim Newell writes, in part: "The documentary about herself that Sarah Palin secretly commissioned, The Undefeated — a.k.a. Triumph of the Grift — will debut in Iowa at some point later this month. And some lucky film connoisseurs, mostly all for conservative publications, have already viewed advance copies! So does it give Errol Morris a run for his money, or is it undiluted shite? Critics are torn."


Bill Dedman of msnbc.com writes, concerning the 24,199 pages of e-mails about to be released by the state of Alaska:
... Soon after the emails are released, msnbc.com plans to scan them in and put them online in a public archive, restoring the electronic records to electronic form. This archive will be co-sponsored by Mother Jones magazine, which also requested the documents back in 2008, and with Pro Publica, the nonprofit investigative newsroom, just as msnbc.com did with a batch of Todd Palin emails last year. Those emails showed the vigorous role the "First Dude" played in the operation of state government. Here is that archive.

Not all the e-mails are being released. The state had said that it it is withholding thousands of pages because of privacy concerns or the executive or deliberative exemptions in the state public records law, as it withheld documents in the previous release of Todd Palin emails to msnbc.com. ...

Fox News seems to be tuned-in to the Sarah-Palin-is-a-wannabe-comedian meme, but can't seem to distinguish Palin from Tina Fey.


factcheck.org's "Palin's Twist on Paul Revere" isn't helping her.


This post's "painting" of Paul Revere's reaction to Sarah Palin's revisionist history was found here. It is derived from a portrait of Revere by John Singleton Copley, here.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Palin's 'Rolling Menace' Tour

It looks as though Sarah Palin is headed back to Alaska. Just in time, before anyone is killed or injured by the bus! There is this report from Politico:
Sarah Palin’s bus is plastered with a mockup of the U.S. Constitution. But her entourage — both the three-vehicle motorcade that includes the bus and the smaller, two-SUV version she uses for smaller events — hasn’t been very respectful of the traffic laws.

They speed. They run red lights and stop signs. They make last-second lane changes to get off the highway, sometimes without signaling. ...
While reading "Sarah Palin's tour a rolling menace," I lost count of the number of traffic tickets the bus' driver should have received.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Fox News considering Palin suspension

In his "Afternoon Fix: Sarah Palin goes to Fox News," The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza wrote:
Sarah Palin met with executives at Fox News in New York today, a not-exactly-historic stop on her tour of historic American sites. (The former Alaska governor was at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty earlier in the day.) Palin is a paid contributor for the network; she called them “my bosses.” There’s been speculation about whether Palin’s contract with the network will be suspended as she contemplates a presidential campaign. “Right now there is no change in her status with FOX News," said executive vice president of programming Bill Shine in a statement after the meeting.
And Politico's Ben Smith wrote:
After a long meeting at Fox today -- where execs may not have been pleased by the interview she gave CNN -- Sarah Palin emerges with her contract intact.

“Right now there is no change in her status with FOX News," said executive vice president of programming Bill Shine in a statement. The "right now" didn't appear in earlier statements.
If Palin is honest with her "bosses," we should know whether she's going to run before she announces. That will be when Fox News suspends her, like it suspended Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. Apparently, the network has Palin under surveillance, 24/7, and her status as a paid contributor is being constantly evaluated.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Sarah Palin Pregnant Again? Photo proof!

This photo is from The Washington Post's "Palin rewrites the rules but is that enough?" I thought a little levity was in order. I couldn't resist. She looks pregnant. Can anyone prove she isn't pregnant?


In other news, Vanity Fair's "Sarah Palin’s “One Nation” Tour Is a Secret Publicity Tour?" is interesting.


She's finished in Iowa before she gets there: "Sarah Palin calls to eliminate energy subsidies."


She's sure she can beat Obama: "Palin confident she could beat Obama." So why have some of the big-name Republicans -- full-term governors! -- announced that they won't run? Wouldn't they have a better chance of beating Obama than Palin?


And what now? Sarah Palin is in the presence of The Donald!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Sarah Palin's 'Wild Ride' -- Part II

Politico's story, "Mission for anti-Palin movement: Expose her," is interesting. The story seems to raise expectations for the upcoming books by Frank Bailey, Joe McGinniss and Geoffrey Dunn. Will any of them achieve "their ultimate goal: the absolute and complete exposure of Palin as a fraud unworthy of a role in American civic life?"

I don't know the value of beating a dead horse, but some believe that the only way to completely expose Palin as a fraud is to prove that she did not give birth to Trig Palin. They've been unable to do so. It must be very frustrating. Why doesn't the mainstream media state that she faked the pregnancy? Is there a "spiral of silence?" I think not. The mainstream media wants evidence that would prove that Palin faked the pregnancy. With evidence, the story would be everywhere.

What is that evidence? It isn't pictures from the internet; it isn't a statement by anyone that Palin didn't appear to be pregnant. It's a birth certificate! which would name the birth mother. But in Alaska it isn't until 100 years after a birth that birth records are available to the public; until 2108:
  • A person may obtain only his or her own birth certificate, except for parents who may obtain their own child's certificate.

  • A birth certificate can also be furnished to a legal guardian, a legal representative, or to a person who provides documentation showing the birth certificate is needed for the determination of property rights. A legal guardian must submit a certified copy of the guardianship papers granted by the court when requesting a birth certificate. If you are a legal representative, include a letter stating whom you represent and how you are related to the person named on the record.

  • Use the full first, middle, and last names as they appear on the certificate when filling out the request form.

  • We can only process requests for births that occurred in Alaska. For births that occurred outside of Alaska, requests must be sent directly to the appropriate state.
Of course, one could ask Sarah Palin to show the birth certificate (assuming that she has one or can obtain one from the state). But she is under no obligation to do so, because the burden of proving that she is not the natural mother rests with those claiming that she is not the birth mother; and she is not required to cooperate with them.

Some have said that Obama showed his (birth certificate), so Palin ought to show Trig's. Imagine that! Trig Palin isn't running for President; he won't be eligible to run for another thirty years or so.

I could go on, but time would fail me to tell of all the absurdities ... , so I'll just tell you what I think. This is my personal opinion. Like all opinions it doesn't prove a thing: The "Wild Ride" is a tall tale. Sarah Palin never said she leaked amniotic fluid; her dad, Chuck Heath, did. Some people exaggerate. Some may have thought that the "Wild Ride" painted a larger-than-life, heroic picture of Palin. So, was she pregnant? I don't know! It's possible she faked it, but possible that she was pregnant. I may never know, but I won't believe that she faked it unless convincing evidence appears.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Palin pal says she is not running

From Politico's Palin not running, Graham says:

Sarah Palin doesn't like politics and is not running for president, Rev. Franklin Graham says.

The influential - and controversial - pastor has traveled with Palin to Haiti and said said the former Republican vice presidential candidate "likes speaking on the issues, and I agree with many of the issues she brings up. I don't see her as running for president."

He is otherwise undecided on the other presidential candidates, he said in an interview aired Sunday on ABC's "This Week." ...

And from ABC News' story, "Franklin Graham: Trump Might Be Candidate of Choice," the clip from Christiane Amanpour's interview with Graham on "This Week:"



I don't know whether Graham has been told by Palin that she won't run.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Sarah Palin doesn't play in Bethlehem

Sarah Palin failed to visit Bethlehem during her visit to Israel. She drove to a checkpoint, then turned around.

William Butler Yeats wrote of visitors to Bethlehem, years ago:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Politico has a story about Palin's spin on her failure to enter Bethlehem, but the Guardian article, linked above, states: "Tourists need to carry passports to cross checkpoints into the occupied Palestinian territory ... ." Bethlehem is not part of Israel.

It is not Sarah Palin's hour.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Politico get its story about Palin/Griffin 'feud' wrong!

On March 6th, Politico's Andy Barr wrote:
Sarah Palin is taking a swing at Kathy Griffin, calling the comic a "bully" for frequently targeting the former Alaska governor's family for ridicule.

"Kathy Griffin can do anything to me or say anything about me," Palin said in an interview Saturday on Fox News. "She's a 50-year-old adult bully, a has-been comedian." ...
Today, March 8th, Politico's Juana Summers wrote:
Kathy Griffin called Sarah Palin's family comedic fair game after Palin complained that the comic too often puts the former Alaska governor's family at the butt of her jokes. ...
But PopEater's Rob Shuter reported on January 5th, long before Palin complained:
You would think that after the backlash Kathy Griffin received for making fun of Bristol Palin's weight, the red-headed comedienne would have learned her lesson. Well, think again. Kathy has her eye set on a new Palin to make fun off. "I think it's Willow's year to go down," Griffin snarked to The Hollywood Reporter. "In 2011, I want to offend a new Palin."
Kathy Griffin made fun of Bristol's weight gain in early December of 2010. It was the subject of one post, then a follow-up post.

Why would anyone of presidential stature engage with what she, herself, calls "a 50-year-old adult bully, a has-been comedian?" And why three months late?

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Sarah Palin is Going to India?

Politico's Andy Barr is reporting:
Sarah Palin is traveling to India next month to rub elbows with Indian politicians and Bollywood stars.

The former Alaska governor is scheduled to speak at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi on March 19. ...

... The conference’s choice of Palin is an odd one. She will be the only American politician attending the conference, which is stacked with Indian and Pakistani officials, business leaders, public figures and entertainers.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is kicking off the conference Friday morning with the keynote. Palin’s speech comes Saturday night and brings the conference to a close.
Ah! The closing speech: Dessert; s'mores; a happy ending. Although Palin may not be contributing anything substantive to the conference, a closing speech shouldn't be a throwaway. eHow's guide, "How to Write a Closing Speech," addresses several things every closing speech writer should know. I'll put on my Sarah Palin hat wig and give you her reaction to each of the guide's points:
1) Understand Speech Structure
Organization? Word salad isn't allowed?
Explain who I am and mention my credentials? But -- woe is me! -- I quit.
2) Summarize Key Ideas
Ideas? What ideas?
3) Give Them a Clue
If that door opens -- Oops! will someone -- anyone! -- please! -- peel me off that door?
4) Make Them Feel Something
DON'T RETREAT!
5) Get Them to Take Action
RELOAD!
Perhaps I've lent her more self awareness than she has.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Grow up, Sarah!

In "Palin can dish it out, but she can’t take it," Cynthia Tucker of Atlanta's Journal-Constitution tells Sarah Palin to "grow up:"
Earlier this week, Politico wrote about a trove of e-mails, contained in an unpublished manuscript written by Frank Bailey, a former aide to Sarah Palin, which show the former governor as the petty, vindictive, self-centered and hyper-sensitive personality any halfway attentive observer has long known her to be. With an enemies list which would put Richard Nixon to shame, Palin is obsessed with every perceived slight, every criticism, every mention of her that is less than glowing praise. She goes after not just liberals, Democrats and the “lamestream media,” as she calls us, but also Republican bigwigs who, she believes, are unfair to her ...

... Palin has absolutely no business in public life. She is temperamentally unsuited to modern-day politics, where officials and their family members — even children — are subjected to harsh criticism, unfair attacks, scurrilous rumors and even violent threats. ...

... Sarah, grow up.
Sarah Palin can dish it out, but she can't take it.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Palin Trumped by The Donald

The Bemidji Pioneer has a report about the Beltrami County Republicans presidential straw poll:

... With 46 delegates voting in the straw poll, both Hucabee [sic] and Pawlenty scored nine votes, good for 19.6 percent each.

Delegates at their annual convention were told that Hucakbee [sic] won the straw poll, followed by Pawlenty, but Cobb said a data input error occurred when posting the results into an onsite computer.

Delegates picked from a list of 23 potential presidential candidates, including newcomer billionaire Donald Trump, who got 4.3 percent of the vote. ...

... Among notables, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney each had three votes or 6.5 percent. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin got none. ...

Sarah Palin may be scared of reporters, authors, bloggers, columnists and cartoonists, but Donald Trump is scared of germs. He considered running for office in 2000, but couldn't bring himself to shake hands with the voters. Time magazine's Margaret Carlson was, I believe, the first to write, in 1999, about Trump's phobia:

... I have come to New York to see if Trump, the umpteenth person to form a presidential exploratory committee this year, is as big a jerk as he sometimes seems to be. Not that being a jerk automatically disqualifies a person from becoming a candidate these days: anyone with airfare and a website can jump in. But he's the first real estate developer with a skyscraper-size ego to run, a man famous for prompting Marla Maples' tabloid headline BEST SEX I'VE EVER HAD, and for refusing to shake hands for fear of germs. As he shakes mine, I ask him if he's got over this phobia. "I don't mind shaking the hand of a beautiful woman," he croons. "It's worth the risk." ...

This post's photo came from a Politico story, "Minn. poll: Trump bests Palin."

Friday, February 18, 2011

Sarah Palin Parades Her Ignorance on Long Island

Sarah Palin was paid to appear at the Long Island Association, yesterday. Jeff Zeleny of the NY Times attended, and he wrote about her appearance in the Times' The Caucus blog. Zeleny noticed these statements made by Palin:
Ms. Palin said she believed that increasing the Treasury Department’s legal borrowing limit would simply “create the allowance for big spenders to get in there,” rather than save the country from defaulting on its financial burdens. She said that “the government receives so much revenue” every day that she doubted the money would run out to pay for critical operations.
And
“People are ready for our governmental establishment to be shaken up,” Ms. Palin said, adding that if she decided to become a candidate, she would campaign aggressively face-to-face with voters, not simply from a distance. “In a heated primary, it allows for some great debate – very heated discourse – all those things we need in order for those voters to decide.”
And
When asked why she opposed all types of gun control – with the moderator openly disagreeing with her – she said that the “bad guys” aren’t going to follow the laws, anyway.
And
And as she talked about the escalating price of gas and groceries, she said, “It’s no wonder Michelle Obama is telling everybody you better breast-feed your baby – yeah, you better – because the price of milk is so high right now!”


At the same appearance by Palin, Politico's Ben Smith noticed that as she addressed the situation in Egypt, she expressed a lack of confidence in democracy and Egypt's voters:
"We also have to be very wary of who it is that is being invited ot the table to discuss how the reform in that country is taking place," Palin said. "I’m talking about the Muslim Brotherhood," she said, deploring what she saw as "almost an invitation to them to sit at the table and talk."

"If they are radical enough to have already spoken against liberties and freedoms, then you have to wonder, is this a good deal for Egypt and for America's interest -- certainly for our ally Israel [whose] security and their safety ... must be forefront on our list of concerns," she said.

"We have to make sure that a group like the Muslim Brotherhood isn’t invited in to take over because that certainly would defeat all the purposes of those protesters," she said.

On Tuesday, The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson wrote "The GOP loves freedom, but not for Egypt." Palin may not support democracy in Arab nations, because she -- or rather the source of her talking points -- may be concerned that people unfriendly to Israel could be elected. Does Palin know that Israel itself is on the verge of becoming a majority Arab country? Will Israel continue to be a democracy? An attempt to strangle a potential democracy in a country neighboring Israel is an attempt to kick the can down the road; it isn't a long-term solution to any problem Israel may face. A description of Israel's demographics can be read in Wikipedia's "Arab Citizens of Israel."

All of Palin's views, expressed on Long Island, can be easily rebutted or can be used to show that she hasn't the knowledge and experience necessary to be President. The views that she expressed can even be used to show that she has no interest in government or governance. Papers are due in fifty minutes -- just kidding! But, seriously, Palin is too ignorant to know how ignorant she is.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Palin's Hiring of 'Chief of Staff' Evidence of Organizational Failure, not Presidential Candidacy

CNN reported:

Sarah Palin has added a veteran Republican strategist [Michael Glassner] to serve as chief-of-staff for her political action committee, Sarah PAC, CNN has learned. ...

And Politico reported:

Sarah Palin has hired a veteran operative to serve as a chief of staff to her loosely organized team, one of the biggest indicators yet that the former Alaska governor is leaning toward a run for the White House. ...

The fact is that nobody -- Todd Palin? -- was officially in charge of SarahPAC. That lack of management has led to a lot of problems, so it shouldn't be surprising that the PAC should bring someone in with management (and fundraising) experience. To construe the appointment of a chief-of-staff as evidence that Palin is going to run is something -- well! -- something straight out of the fevered minds of palinistas and palinoiacs. CNN's characterization of Palin's team as "loosely organized" was echoed in Politico's post, which stated, "Glassner will be tasked with bringing greater organization to the far-flung and small staff that resides in several different states and time zones."

Palin's has been quite an amateurish organization and has been long overdue for a shakeup. Glassner's first task will be to organize the existing staff, to improve its discipline, fund raising, expenditures and reporting. Heads may roll; the existing staff must be professionalized before any consideration can be given to staffing-up in anticipation of a run, if one is being considered. Remember, too, that if Palin runs, it won't be SarahPAC that manages the campaign.

There is a little deja vu in Glassner's appointment. Glassner became involved in Palin's VP campaign just before the VP debate, which, in 2008, according to The Wall Street Journal, might have been an epic fail:

... in recent days, Gov. Palin flubbed quasi-mock debates in New York City and Philadelphia, some operatives said. Finger-pointing began, and then intensified after her faltering interview with CBS anchorwoman Katie Couric. However, she performed better when she took questions from the press after touring Ground Zero and remarked about her parents' visit there after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Her performance also sparked negative responses from some conservative pundits, and she has slipped in some polls. Last week, nearly half the respondents in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll said she is unqualified to be president, while one in three said they were "not at all" comfortable with the idea of Gov. Palin as vice president, up five points from a poll in early September.

Until the weekend, the highest levels of the McCain campaign were focused on Sen. McCain's response to the financial crisis and his own debate against Sen. Barack Obama.

The McCain campaign has put in place several other well-regarded advisers to Gov. Palin, including head of vice-presidential operations Michael Glassner, who has worked for former Sen. Bob Dole, and Mr. Eskew, who worked for President George W. Bush's campaign and administration. ...

The Journal's report lends credence to what we're told in Game Change (pg. 401):

Given the acuteness of [Nicolle] Wallace's concern, McCain's advisers felt they had to bring the candidate into the loop that Saturday. Bluntly, they described to him their unease about Palin's mental state. McCain suggested that they move the debate prep to his spread in Sedona [Arizona]. Give her room to breathe. Let her bring her family. A change of scenery might do her good. Cindy would be there to support Palin, and a doctor friend of the McCains would be on hand to observer her.

Perhaps the PAC's namesake hasn't yet become organized, or has become disorganized, or ... . An interesting question is: Who realized that the PAC was disorganized and decided that a chief-of-staff should be hired?

Some of Glassner's other experience with the McCain/Palin campaign was reported in The Washington Post's "McCain Lists Top Bundlers," and The Huffington Post's "McCain Bundler, Booted Over Role In FCC-Fined Telecom, Now Staffs Palin."

Update, February 13, 2011: Added the quote from the Wall Street Journal. Reading between the lines, it may be that Glassner, who was head of operations for the 2008 VP campaign, became more directly involved with the candidate after her disappointing interview with Katie Couric and poor performance during debate preparations.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Sarah Palin Quits CPAC a Fourth Time

ABC's The Note is reporting that Sarah Palin has declined an invitation to give the keynote address at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference. From Sarah Palin Turns Down Coveted Keynote Speaking Slot At CPAC Conference:
After skipping the popular Conservative Political Action Conference for the past three years, Sarah Palin has once again turned down the invitation of CPAC officials to address the conference this year.

CPAC organizers invited Palin to deliver the closing-night keynote speech on Saturday Feb. 12, immediately following the announcement of the results of CPAC’s annual presidential straw poll, but after several days of negotiations, she declined. ...
Officially, a "scheduling issue" prevents Palin from attending this year's conference.

2011 will mark the fourth year that Palin hasn't appeared. Last year, Palin stayed away from the conference, citing what she considered inappropriate business dealings between the American Conservative Union (ACU) and David Keene. (CPAC is a project of the ACU's foundation (the American Conservative Union Foundation) and is its largest annual conference. David Keene is Chairman of the ACU.) In 2009, Palin accepted an invitation to speak, but dropped out. In 2008, Palin dropped out at "the last minute."

This year, the Family Research Council and the Heritage Foundation are boycotting the conference, because GOProud, a gay conservative organization, is participating.

Why won't Sarah Palin go to CPAC? Perhaps there isn't a speaking fee. Or, perhaps she's not ready to face the fact that she's like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh in some respects; Beck delievered CPAC's keynote last year; Limbaugh delivered 2009's. Perhaps Palin's failure to appear is an expression of solidarity with the Family Research Council and the Heritage Foundation. Whatever the reason, she's missing the party: Michele Bachmann, Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels, Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and John Thune, all of whom are being talked about as the Republican nominee in 2012, will be there.


Update:
Politico's Ben Smith noted that SarahPAC will have a presence at the conference, so, he thinks, Palin isn't aligning herself with those boycotting because GOProud is participating; rather, Smith cites Palin's past feuding with David Keene.

Politico's Andy Barr wrote a story last year, about last year's CPAC, "Palin rebuffs CPAC, Keene," which may provide some more insight about the feud between Palin and Keene:
... Keene has criticized Palin in the conservative press, telling Newsmax in July that she was "whining" about her press coverage and was not yet ready for primetime.

"Conservatives like her, but you've got to have more than that," Keene told the outlet. "You've got to be more than a rock star. If in fact she's interested in the presidency, she has got to establish herself as someone you can envision in the Oval Office. And it's become more difficult to envision than it was at the time of the election." ...


Update: CNN's Political Ticker noted: "Palin declined similar invitations from the group in 2010 and 2009. But the decision to skip the event this year will be treated with fresh scrutiny in light of the fact she has expressed interest in running for president and nearly every other likely 2012 candidate will be there ... ."


Update:
NY Times' The Caucus blog has a post, here.


Update:
In "Why Palin snubbed CPAC," Politico's Andy Barr adds the boycott to Palin's feud with Keene to explain why Palin is a no-show.


Update:
The Washington Post's Right Turn column is becoming skeptical about Palin.

Palin failin' in Arizona

From Politico:

Even in Republican Arizona, Barack Obama has a healthy lead over Sarah Palin.

With the state swinging away from Democrats, having Palin on the ballot come general election time next year is Obama's best hope of winning the Grand Canyon State, according to a new poll. Democrats have taken Arizona in only one presidential race since 1952.

The survey by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling found Obama topping Palin 49 percent to 41 percent in the state. That's significantly better than he fares against other candidates — Obama trails Mitt Romney by 6 points, Mike Huckabee by 4 points, and is locked in a tie with Newt Gingrich. ...

The article goes on, briefly, to attribute Palin's poor numbers to a preference for Obama: 51% disapprove of Obama's performance and 57% view Palin unfavorably.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Sarah Palin Hits the Front Page

Usually, to find Palin news at Google News, one must type palin into the search box. This morning, "Palin caught in crosshairs map controversy after Tucson shootings" is on their front page.

The Washington Post article, by Dan Balz, describes how Sarah Palin got herself into this pickle and concludes with:

Palin allies point to language and imagery used by some critics on the left as evidence of a double standard. But John Weaver, a GOP strategist, said Palin is being held to a different standard precisely because she may have presidential aspirations.

"You can't put the actions of this insane person on her doorstep or anyone's doorstep," he said in Palin's defense. But, he added, "having said that, there's a difference between how people judge the conduct of a blogger and a political leader or someone who may want to run for president of the United States."

An indication of how far behind the curve many are is the article's quote of Politico's Jonathan Martin, who wrote that Palin would now have to decide "whether she wants to be Ronald Reagan or Rush Limbaugh." Sarah Palin hasn't that choice anymore, if she ever had it.

Politico's article by Jonathan Martin is here.

The Week has "Will the Arizona tragedy end Palin's presidential hopes?" which is a short roundup of opinion on the matter.

Tim Pawlenty, a possible 2012 Republican presidential candidate, said that Sarah Palin is a "remarkable leader," but that he would not have used the cross-hairs imagery used by Sarah Palin.