If Sarah Palin didn't run

I'm saying "if" because I know she is going to. But hypothetically, if she didn't run, it would be the most disappointing thing that happened to women in a long time. If she didn't run, it would mean that everyone at NRO who think women should leave the room, won. It would mean that the Left who are terrified of strong women, won. It would mean that her enemies who did everything to smear her and her family, won. It would mean that she would be reduced to a "kingmaker" for the men. It would mean a return to business as usual in DC. It would mean nothing will ever change in our country. It would mean Obamacare will be in full effect and never repealed. It would mean our country would go down a shit hole so deep it would take a revolution to get it out.

But she is running, so I know there's still hope.

No one is writing about what this means to women. Have you noticed how many people are so absolutely convinced she's not running? Does the dinosaur media think women would be happy just to be a kingmaker? Do they think we should be satisfied with that, while the boys run the country? Do they think about what that would do to Palin's own personal dignity? I honestly believe they think she should be happy she got as far as she did and not try to accomplish anything more. Beggars can't be choosers, you know. They are so ancient. They are so condescending and chauvinistic. I'm wholeheartedly talking about the Right elite establishment, too. People who are that convinced she's not running don't know anything about her. They haven't read her books and don't understand her passion. She's not going to play second fiddle to anyone (no VP ever again, no kingmaker) and she loves this country too much to not try and stop the bleeding if she can. She knows she has a chance so she's going for it. The people who think she's not running are just hoping she doesn't.

Liberal women do everything to protect men, coddle them and forgive their mistakes. They luuuurve Bill Clinton to this day. That's why it's taken so long for a liberal woman to run for President, in my opinion. The men of the Right are bewildered by women who do it all. They don't understand them, and want them to go away. I'm sensing that the men of the establishment Right are starting to loathe Palin and Michele Bachmann for being strong, take-no-prisoners women.

Even though I don't support Bachmann politically at all, I'm glad she's taking the bull by the horns and running for POTUS in 2012. She needs to strike while the iron's hot, just like a man in her position would do. It's good for women. When Palin runs and wins the nomination, a true paradigm shift will occur. Thank goodness.

Question: Would you make the effort to attend the Palin inauguration?

I'm still pretty busy and not had much time for analysis of current events, so I'll post a question out there for you.

Would you attend Sarah Palin's inauguration should she be elected as POTUS?

It will be a monumental event, especially if it's the next term. It will end Obama's socialist/communist agenda then and there (and after only one term!). She is a strong conservative and the polar opposite of him policy-wise. Every sane person will breathe a sigh of relief when she's elected. Not to mention the fact that she'll be the first woman president.

I've thought about it a lot. Personally, she's my favorite candidate (of course) and a huge personal inspiration to me. I waited in line for hours in the dark and braved sub-30 degree weather to attend her book signing. I've written this blog for over two years following her career since the 2008 election. I've read her books, watch every speech I can, read transcripts, watch her interviews and TV appearances. I will help with her campaign should she run, in any way I can. But that's all from the comfort and convenience of my home and local city.

By 2013, my daughter will be two and we'll most likely not have taken a family vacation yet. I don't know if we could take her to a big event like that with her being only two. However, I think it would be an important event for her to attend and say she was there later in life. But if we don't take her, I don't even think I could go alone and leave her at home. Also, would it be worth the cost? On one hand, it's something we could watch on TV. On the other, it's a monumental point in history that I would greatly love to see in person.

I don't know. What do you think? We've always said that if our favorite sports team ever ended up in the championship game/series we would go, since it doesn't happen very often. Sarah Palin being inaugurated as POTUS would be on an epically larger scale than a sports team, to me. Would you travel to attend her inauguration, or the inauguration of someone you really liked and inspired you? If so, who?

"Govern" vs. "Serve"

While reading Going Rogue I noticed something really important and I don't know if it's been mentioned anywhere else or not. Sarah uses the word "serve" where most other politicians say "govern." For example:

Ted Stevens served us for a long time.

I served Alaskans by ___.

In my terms as mayor, I served in a conservative way.

Those are just sentences I made up because I didn't want to copy directly from the book. But they are an example as to how Palin views public servants who we, citizens, elect. She views them as literally serving the public, not governing over the public. In each of those instances I've seen people use the word "govern," which if you think about it, is not what they were elected to do. That's such a refreshing distinction she uses.

"Sarah Palin's Governing Philosophy Emerges in Going Rogue" -Riehl World View

Great article at Riehl World View posted November 30 regarding Palin's immunity to insider politics and her passion for fighting corruption in government, as shown in Going Rogue. Here's an excerpt but you should read the whole thing:

Palin is said to have resisted the type of influence peddling to which many politicians succumb, even when it meant going against her early political mentors. While the governing mentality first demonstrated itself in Wasilla, it's claimed it stayed with her right to the Governor's office in Juneau.

In one of the first tests of her independence, Palin opposed a proposal touted by Carney, her political patron, to force residents to pay for neighborhood trash pickup rather than hauling their garbage to the dump themselves, as most did, and as Palin says she still does. Why was this so important to Carney? Because he owned the local garbage truck company.

The portrait of Palin that emerges [from Going Rogue] is not someone who is anti-government, but someone who is focused on making government provide critical services and programs, while trimming out the fat.

Reading Going Rogue

My preordered copy arrived yesterday and I started reading it last night. I'll post a review when I finish it.

I can't help but wonder while I'm reading is what John McCain must be thinking - not in the context of backstabbing aides, but in the campaign as a whole. Reading this book, you get to see the real Sarah who is of course an amazing person. The family photos in the book could be your family, my family, anybody's family. She is a regular American citizen who worked hard to be elected governor without all the networking, finances and endorsements of uber rich elite career politicians. And yet McCain didn't seem to appreciate her. Somewhere there was greatness in him to choose Palin but then he went soft on fighting Obama during the campaign and didn't try hard enough to make sure Obama didn't win. Now we have someone in the White House who hates the America that Palin embodies so much. I just don't get it.

And that's not how Palin wrote the book, from that perspective - not at all. That's just what *I* was thinking while reading it. It's a great shame that she isn't our VP right now. Reading the book you know she is exactly the person we need. We already knew that, but reading Going Rogue just reinforces it. My heart is broken that McCain/Palin didn't win. But the silver lining is that hopefully it paved the way for her to run for President, without having the shackles of being only the VP, and win!

Enthusiasm is at peak in MI for book tour stop

This article shows how excited Michigan is for their chance to see Palin. The author also lumps in Mike Huckabee's book tour but I think she only did that in an attempt to dampen the overly excited mood for Palin - what else do you expect from corrupt media I suppose.

If you read all the way down you'll see how one man says he likes Huckabee more than Palin but his wife chimes in and says they just want Obama out of the White House. I think she likes Palin more. ;)

West Michigan abuzz to see Palin, Huckabee live

www.freep.com
POSTED: 7:45 P.M. NOV. 17, 2009
BY KATHLEEN GRAY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Nearly every person at the Barnes and Noble Booksellers store in Kentwood this evening was buying a copy of Sarah Palin’s memoir “Going Rogue.”

Betty Ward, 73, of Coldwater, had two – one for herself and one for her sister. She had already been to a book signing down the road at the Schuler Books in Kentwood, getting two signatures from former Arkansas Gov. and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on his book “A Simple Christmas.”

“He’s about as honest as they come,” Ward said. “And she’s just another person like me. I would like to see her run for president.”

Ward made the two-hour drive to Coldwater for the books and was staying overnight in the hopes of getting Palin to autograph her copies.

The Woodland Mall, where Palin will begin her book tour Wednesday, was scheduled to close at 9 p.m. and store officials were expecting long lines when the mall doors reopened at 5:30 a.m. The book store was set to begin handing out wrist bands to people wanting Palin’s signature at 7 a.m. Wednesday.

“I’m going to try and come back and see if I can get my copy signed,” said Cheryl Lusby, 55, of Grand Rapids. “She’s such a strong and smart woman. And it takes a lot of guts to do what she’s done.”

Bert and Marianne Vandentop, of Grand Rapids, were two of the 300 people waiting in line today to see Huckabee. They didn’t think they would make it to the Palin event.

"We like her, but we like Mike better," said Bert Vandentop, 76. "Maybe they should team up."

Marianne Vandentop added, "We just want Obama out of the White House. The sooner the better."

The line at Schuler's snaked throughout the store and cashiers expected that Huckabee would sign 600 before the hour-long event was through. Huckabee is in the midst of a 64-city tour to promote his book of short stores.

Kent County was a good spot for both Republicans. Huckabee finished a respectable third in the presidential primary and in the general election, John McCain and Palin barely lost by a 48.9% to 49.4% margin, while the state as a whole went for Barack Obama for president by a 57%-41% margin.

Palin on Oprah, my thoughts

I thought it was a great interview. I've watched Oprah many, many times and I know how she interviews her guests. I thought that Oprah was respectful, professional and didn't ask any "gotcha" questions a la "The Perky One" (I just love that nickname that Palin gave Katie Couric by the way).

I've seen Oprah more relaxed and casual in other interviews. She wasn't this time but I don't think it was due to any dislike of Palin, quite the contrary. I think Oprah was a little intimidated by Palin's amazing presence in the room, her confidence, her intellect, her family, her accomplishments and her life in general. Oprah was the one who didn't want to get flustered, I thought. In other words, I don't think Oprah was motivated by any political agenda at all. That's my opinion.

Palin on running in 2012: She said that it's not on her radar. Not ruling it out, but not discussing it now. I expected that. She said she's focused on 2010.

Palin on Levi: She was a lot more friendly than I would have been that's for sure! She was so welcoming, warm and polite toward him and I thought she had the perfect response to those questions. The Palin family is offering Levi love, acceptance and a chance to be a father to his beautiful boy and he's not accepting and is instead going down a dangerous "unhealthy" path. She dismissed his silly smear campaign lies and wouldn't give him a smidge of legitimacy, which I thought was perfect. She also gave him an "out" which was she said that his handlers were the ones guiding him down this bad path and he shouldn't listen to them. I think he's scumbag on his own without his handlers but that's my opinion.

Palin on the Couric interview: She said it wasn't a seminal point in the campaign. Couric was pushing a partisan agenda and purposely asked gotcha questions. She called Couric "The Perky One" which was hilarious! She dismissed Couric a journalist, basically saying that she wasn't fair or professional. I am so glad she said that out in the open. I can't wait to read this portion of the book. I think Couric will have to take a few "mental health" days to deal with this smackdown.

There was a lot more and overall I thought it was great! I can't wait to see the rest of the interviews this week. I'm going to buy a copy of Going Rogue tomorrow at the bookstore where she's going to have her book signing in December (yipee!!) but I also have it on preorder from Walmart. Tomorrow is going to be a great day!

NYT: Palin is ungrateful to McCain

It's nice to know where the NYT stands on feminism and female equality. According to them women should be grateful for being picked for a high-profile job based on their merits. Women should be grateful for having the opportunity and not "complain" or "whine" if they get treated like dirt by the people who chose them. Or, they are really scraping the bottom of the barrel to come up with reasons to hate Palin.

All in all, Ms. Palin emerges from “Going Rogue” as an eager player in the blame game, thoroughly ungrateful toward the McCain campaign for putting her on the national stage.

How about this? Palin earned the right to be picked as a running mate, based on her experience and merits. She also has the right to fight back against the people who tried to destroy her career. Michiko Kakutani, the author of this NYT review, apparently thinks that as a woman, Palin should just sit in the corner with her hands folded in her lap and not say anything ever again.

Kakutani shocked that Palin considered being VP a natural progression to her career. Why? If Palin were a man, I guarantee she would be praising her confidence and assuredness. I seem to remember many, many, people doing that when Bill Clinton said he and others close to him knew would be president someday - even his nanny said it when he was a baby. Talk about elitism.

I was wondering if the NYT would review Going Rogue. Not only did they review it, they got their top liberal attack dog to do it. And all she accomplished was pushing more sexist, liberal lies about Palin. NYT is not progressive, it's regressive. Wake up.

New Going Rogue excerpt

From the Drudge front page:

HER TURN!
Fri Nov 13 2009 07:27:12 ET


Going Rogue: An American Life
by Sarah Palin
Chapter Four; Section 8, pages 255-257


By the third week in September, a “Free Sarah” campaign was under way and the press at large was growing increasingly critical of the McCain camp’s decision to keep me, my family and friends back home, and my governor’s staff all bottled up. Meanwhile, the question of which news outlet would land the first interview was a big deal, as it always is with a major party candidate.

From the beginning, Nicolle [Wallace] pushed for Katie Couric and the CBS Evening News. The campaign’s general strategy involved coming out with a network anchor, someone they felt had treated John well on the trail thus far. My suggestion was that we be consistent with that strategy and start talking to outlets like FOX and the Wall Street Journal. I really didn’t have a say in which press I was going to talk to, but for some reason Nicolle seemed compelled to get me on the Katie bandwagon.

“Katie really likes you,” she said to me one day. “she’s a working mom and admires you as a working mom. She has teenage daughter like you. She just relates to you,” Nicolle said. “believe me, I know her very well. I’ve worked with her.” Nicolle had left her gig at CBS just a few months earlier to hook up with the McCain campaign. I had to trust her experience, as she had dealt with national politics more than I had. But something always struck me as peculiar about the way she recalled her days in the White House, when she was speaking on behalf of President George W. Bush. She didn't have much to say that was positive about her former boss or the job in general. Whenever I wanted to give a shout-out to the White House’s homeland security efforts after 9/11, we were told we couldn’t do it. I didn’t know if that was Nicolle’s call.

Nicolle went on to explain that Katie really needed a career boost. “She just has such low self-esteem,” Nicolle said. She added that Katie was going through a tough time. “She just feels she can’t trust anybody.”

I was thinking, And this has to do with John McCain’s campaign how?

Nicolle said. “She wants you to like her.”

Hearing all that, I almost started to feel sorry for her. Katie had tried to make a bold move from lively morning gal to serious anchor, but the new assignment wasn’t going very well.

“You know what? We’ll schedule a segment with her,” Nicolle said. “If it doesn’t go well, if there’s no chemistry, we won’t do any others.”

Meanwhile, the media blackout continued. It got so bad that a couple of times I had a friend in Anchorage track down phone numbers for me, and then I snuck in calls to folks like Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and someone I thought was Larry Kudlow but turned out to be Neil Cavuto’s producer. I had a friend call Bill O’Reilly after I was inundated with supporters in Alaska asking why the campaign was “ignoring” his on-air requests for a McCain campaign interview. I had another friend scrambling to find Mark Levin’s number. Aboard the campaign plane I was within twenty-five feet of reporters for hours on end. Headquarters’ strategy was that I should not go to the back of the aircraft and talk to the press. At first this was subtle, but as the campaign wore on, Tracey or Tucker would call headquarters to request permission, and someone in DC would respond, “No! Absolutely not- block her if she tries to go back.”

The corrupt media is losing credibility with each passing day

This is the lede for a Boston Globe story about Palin's book tour and Going Rogue:

Sarah Palin was ridiculed as the Republican vice presidential nominee, pilloried after she quit in the middle of her term as Alaska governor, and has been tabloid fodder because of her daughter, a single teenage mom, and her former beau.

I smell desperation. I smell fear. They are clearly trying to cram every perceived negative about Palin into every single story about her. In this one they put it in the lede, so anyone reading the headlines for the day would see it even if they didn't click on the actual story. What desperation. They don't realize that they're just beating the same drum and no one is listening anymore. They're trying to create this false persona for her as the idiot, bimbo, low class failed governor but it's clear that no one is buying it. They repeat the lies so much that now everyone just rolls their eyes and moves on. They don't realize that Palin supporters are actually laughing at their desperation.

The Left and the corrupt media are literally foaming at the mouth about Palin's popularity. Palin supporters are eating up everything Palin; we can't get enough of her - any interview, facebook posting, tweet, anything - we are following, reading and watching with interest. The corrupt media has no sway whatsoever.

Advanced copies of Going Rogue have been released

Time Magazine's Mark Halperin gives us a glimpse of what's in the book:

What's In Sarah Palin's Book
by Mark Halperin | Thursday, November 12, 2009


Nervous and curious McCain-Palin staffers have been buzzing for weeks with speculation about what Sarah Palin has chosen to include in “Going Rogue.”


Books have begun being shipped out in advance of the November 17th release date. Last week, some of Palin's associates received copies.


Based on discussions with various sources who have seen or been briefed on the book's contents, here's what you can expect from “Going Rogue”:


* just five chapters—but they are very, very long.


* some score settling with McCain aides she believes ill-served her (names will be named).


* a hearty bashing of the national media.


* an account of how her upbringing shaped her maverick sensibilities.


* a testimonial to the importance of faith in her life.


* a warm and personal tone, written in Palin's own voice, despite the involvement of a collaborator.


Two things not in the book:


* Don't look for hefty policy prescriptions.


* Once source who has seen “Going Rogue” says it does not include an index. That would give Palin a subtle revenge on the party's Washington establishment, whose members tend to flip to the back pages and scan for their own names. If they want to know what Sarah Palin has to say about them, they will have to buy the book—and read the whole thing.

Interesting that Palin is going on Oprah Nov. 16

Palin is going to be on the Oprah show on November 16, to promote Going Rogue. I am so intrigued by this and wonder how it will turn out. We all know the history of Palin and Oprah from last year. Oprah went all in to help fellow Chicago resident Obama win the presidential election last year, even going so far as to produce an infomercial for him. Despite Palin's wild popularity Oprah didn't invite her on the show - which is fine, it's her show.

But now all of a sudden Oprah wants to give Palin a platform to promote her book. I'm skeptical. I know Oprah will be polite and nice. I don't think this will be a Katie Couric moment for her. I think she does have a shred of integrity left and wouldn't want to use her show for that purpose - to purposely make a guest look stupid. Although, if I remember correctly she embarrassed that writer who lied about his biography while he was a guest on her show - but that's a totally different situation. I do get the sense that Oprah is not a Palin fan by any means and doesn't respect her. I am riveted wondering what kind of questions she'll ask Palin.

Oprah obviously has the golden touch when it comes to endorsements and celebrities who go on her show instantly receive a certain legitimacy of their work that might take years to achieve otherwise - her endorsement of Obama is great example of this. It's interesting to think that Palin's appearance on the show might boost her popularity outside hardline conservative circles - which is what all the NR and RINO folks have been saying "she needs to do." But given Oprah's audience it might go the other way - they may continue to dislike Palin and also start to dislike Oprah for having Palin on.

No matter what we know that Oprah will achieve one thing - a massive boost in ratings. I know I'll DVR her show, which I never do. And I really will be excited to see how this turns out for both Oprah and Palin.

"Stand Up For Our Nation" coming soon

As has been reported, Palin is going to announce soon her new political organization called "Stand Up For Our Nation." I'm not an expert on PACs at all but I read that this will be a different sort of PAC than the one Palin currently has, SarahPAC. There are so many laws regarding politicians, money and legal activities (as we all know!) that this PAC will probably allow her to do things that SarahPAC won't. I'm excited for it!

Palin Plans New Political Group
The Wall Street Journal Washington Wire blog
October 14, 2009, 2:31 PM ET
Michael M. Phillips reports on the doings of conservative favorite Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin fans can expect to see a new Palin political organization surface as her memoir, “Going Rogue: An American Life,” hits the shelves next month.

“There will be an announcement about it coming up,” Palin associate Tim Crawford said Wednesday.

The New York Post reported this week that Palin’s new group will be called “Stand Up For Our Nation.” (News Corp. owns both the Post and The Wall Street Journal as well as HarperCollins Publishers, publisher of Palin’s book.) Crawford, who is treasurer of Palin’s existing political-action committee, SarahPAC, refused to provide any details about the new organization’s purpose or structure.

As the book release date gets closer, expect the Left to ramp up Palin bashing

I saw this blog article published by Zennie Abraham in the San Francisco Chronicle online edition titled "Sarah Palin "Going Rogue" will keep her out of office." Abraham's bio says that he works in the sports business world and that he's a video blogger who gets picked up by CNN. It was a very long piece and I have to ask - why are they going to this much effort to try and discredit Palin if her career is so over? That's what I keep hearing from the Left and the RINOs, that she's un-electable, a carciacture, career dead in the water, quitter, etc. Yet they keep coming out with these editorials, blog posts, articles and news stories about her.

In his post, Abraham tries to make the case for elites being the best politicians and why Palin will always fail as a politician because she is not an elite (?). Or at least I think that's what his point is.

Her new book "Going Rogue" is proof of what I've expected all along: that Governor Palin didn't want to learn how to be an effective politician at the highest levels of office. Like any member of the masses who obtains a little power and attention, it overcame the larger responsibility of governing and so she jettisoned being Alaska's leader.

What? That paragraph makes no sense. What is the "it" he's referring to? She was elected Governor of Alaska - since when is that "a little power and attention." It's the executive position of the largest state in the country. She ran it and was the first woman and youngest ever to do so. I don't understand when he says she didn't want to learn how to be an effective politician at the highest level. She was already there; she was already effective. Alaskans elected her. And how does he know what she wrote in Going Rogue - so how can it be "proof" of anything?

He tries to explain himself in the following paragraph:

By contrast, elite elected officials rise to power because they have an overarching sense of purpose that involves true social change focused more on helping people than a party or a group. The lynchpin idea of Ronald Reagan's assent to power was that government had become too large and inefficient at a time that America didn't need government spending to supercharge the economy.

So "elite elected officials" have a sense of purpose that involves true social change - not fake social change. And Palin has no sense of purpose, because she is not an elite. Got it. /sarc

He also throws Reagan in there and it doesn't make sense at all because Reagan was not an elite, but maybe that's the point he's trying to make - that Reagan is the exception to the rule because of the chance possibility that America didn't need government spending at that time (?) but Reagan outspent a lot of Presidents and increased debt so I don't understand how this fits with his argument but whatever.

Here are some more of Abraham's great ideas (all in this same post):

I fully expected Palin to resign from the GOP in the middle of the presidential campaign

...now we're in a position where without government spending the country's financial system would have collapsed.

No Republican or Democrat in power will tell you that we don't need the stimulus program, but will tell you that money's not getting our fast enough for their areas.

That's where we are today and why so many Alaskans thought Governor Palin lost her mind when she threw back part of the economic stimulus money.

Gov. Palin has become a kind of repository for the hopes and fears of the undereducated mostly white American masses.

Palin's message is outside of that of the power elite because it doesn't help solve the problems they're dealing with.

Let's not forget this was in the San Francisco Chronicle online. They probably paid him to write this trash. This is an example of the corrupt media trying desperately to prime their audience, however shrinking it may be, for some major Palin-bashing once the book comes out. This blog post is a steaming pile of you know what and the SF Chronicle doesn't care if it's published as long as it bashes Palin. The fact that it's poorly written, contains factual errors and misrepresentations is of no importance to them. I expect nothing less from the corrupt media now and in the coming weeks.

McCain says there were "clearly" tensions between Palin and his advisors during campaign

Above: Palin received flowers last week as her son Track's brigade is going out for re-deployment (Boston Globe).

McCain admitted that there were "clearly" tensions between his campaign advisors and Palin's "camp" during the campaign.

It seems to me that if there were clearly tensions between Palin and his advisors then the person at the top needed to do something about it at the time. It's like parenting, you don't let your children just fight it out, especially when something as big as POTUS is at stake. What does that say about McCain, that he clearly noticed tensions but apparently did nothing? We know Palin isn't the type to complain and I'm sure that she didn't have a "camp." I'm sure all the complaining came from McCain's advisors directly to him. We know Palin has a huge amount of respect for McCain and she was painstakingly committed to winning the election. She would never do something to jeopardize it. She's the type who takes hits and keeps on carrying on. So these advisors are clearly the ones who brought anything to McCain's attention, and it seems like McCain just left Palin to fend for herself.

Secondly, it's amazing that now McCain admits that there were clear tensions between his staff and her during the campaign - just in time for Palin's book to be released. I don't recall him admitting so much previously. It seems to me that he's doing a preemptive strike should anything be said about it in the book.

I have a great amount of respect for McCain, too. And I believe that he only has the best wishes for Palin at this point. I don't think that he believes what Palin's critics say about her. But it would be my wish if he disowned those advisors publicly and called them out for the backstabbing jerks they are. They deserve to have their careers ruined for what they did to Palin. But I know that's not how it works in Washington and McCain has been around a long, long time. We're just fortunate that we have Palin to turn Washington around hopefully in a few years.

Palin will be a strong force in 2012, McCain says
Last year’s Republican nominee for president predicted yesterday that Sarah Palin will remain a “formidable force’’ in the GOP, despite criticisms that the former vice presidential candidate lacked the substance and policy knowledge needed for national office.

Senator John McCain of Arizona said on CNN’s “State of the Union’’ he is still very fond of the former Alaska governor, whom he chose as his running mate for the Republican ticket in 2008. He said that there is a strong field of Republicans considering the 2012 presidential race, and that “Sarah is one of them.’’

McCain acknowledged that “there were clearly tensions’’ between some of his top campaign advisers and Palin’s camp during the run-up to the election, but he said that is natural in a hard-fought campaign. He said that although he does not always agree with Palin, her political popularity with many GOP voters is obvious.

“When we selected or asked Sarah Palin to be my running mate, it energized our party,’’ McCain said. “We were ahead in the polls, until the stock market crashed. And she still is a formidable force in the Republican Party.’’ -- WASHINGTON POST

Perfect title, perfect cover

I can't tell you how excited I am for "Going Rogue!!" It's been a really rough couple of weeks for me but when I heard this I could not stop smiling. This is going to be one heck of a memoir and I'm already pre-ordered. Go Sarah!

Sarah Palin's book is bestseller before going on sale
Thu Oct 1, 2009 3:12pm EDT
By Martinne Geller


NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Sarah Palin's upcoming memoir is already the top bestselling book on the shopping sites of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, a month and a half before the book goes on sale.


The memoir from last year's Republican vice-presidential candidate, titled "Going Rogue: An American Life," is scheduled for release on November 17, four months after the book deal was announced and much earlier than planned.


The memoir, which became available for pre-order this week, has been in Amazon.com's top 100 for three days, and just replaced the latest novel from "Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown at the top of the list.

Palin currently in NYC, meeting with HarperCollins

Palin spoke with Mike Allen last night to dispel the divorce rumors that won't die and revealed she was in NYC with Todd and her family meeting with HarperCollins to discuss her book.

Palin also revealed her light, happy and spirited mood in her talk with Allen. Something that I'm sure drives the liberals crazy. No matter how hard they try they can't break her spirit.

Palin calls divorce rumors "made up"
Politico
August 05, 2009
Categories: Sarah Palin

Mike Allen had a brief phone conversation with Sarah Palin last night. In doing so, Palin knocked down divorce rumors -- something her spokeswoman had already done over the weekend.

So why reiterate it again?

Who knows, but here is one guess: She and her advisers may have actually just wanted to put out that she was in New York City for book meetings and was there with husband Todd and the family.

In other words, a pre-emptive move before one of the NYC tabs or a blog up there saw her and ran an item.

From Playbook:

SARAH PALIN told Playbook in a brief phone call from New York City last night that she is NOT getting divorced, and that she and Todd have been talking about “our future together.” “Do you want to talk to Todd?” she asked. “He’s sitting right next to me.” But he didn’t come on the line. Sounding gushy as ever, the former governor called widespread blogosphere reports of a possible split “made up,” and quipped that she loves finding out “what’s goin’ on in my life from the news.” Palin said her upcoming book will convey a “pioneering spirit” and will “inspire those doing battle in their own lives.” She said she and the family had been doing “fun kids’ things” during her trip to Manhattan to meet with her publisher, HarperCollins Publishers.

Why I think Sarah will run in 2012

After the 2008 election, Palin went back to work immediately to Alaska. The legislature was in session and she focused completely on her work as governor. She did not make any national appearances save for the John Ziegler interview for Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected.

It was a cold few months where we didn't really have anything to report except for her accomplishments in Alaska, and I was a little worried that she just wanted to maybe run for governor again, but that was it. No presidential run. After getting burned so badly personally by MSM and the McCain staffers, it seemed like she was kind of forgetting about the national scene for awhile.

But ever since the legislative session ended, she's been setting the world on fire. It's pretty clear that she strictly wanted to do her job well and was completely focused on that. Now that the session's over she has the time to do other things and she's been using that time wisely and effectively.

She has yet to comment on her political aspirations, either as running for re-election as governor or president. But I think she will run in 2012 based on a few things.

Below is a list of the reasons *I* think Palin will run - in no particular order - and my thoughts behind them.

*She signed a book deal for a political memoir that will be released in late 2010/2011. A perfect opportunity to express her views in her own words so people can get to know her better before the election. A great opportunity to show her foreign policy expertise and de-bunk the stupid MSM lies about her.

*She uses Facebook and Twitter, and has two Blackberries. She's showing everyone that she's not a "chillbilly hick from Alaska;" she's adept at all the different forms of digital communication and filtering information. She updates them regularly and appropriately.

*She makes articulate statements on national issues that are not related to Alaska, but would give voters a chance to know "what does Sarah think about this?" For instance she made statements on George Tiller and William Long. In these situations I see Palin acting as the party leader. I want Michael Steele and our popular Republican Senators and Governors making statements like this where they can steer the party, in a way. So far, not many leaders have stepped up to bat and it looks like Palin is taking it upon herself to do so.

*She used Letterman's "joke" as an opportunity to improve how women are treated on a national level. She put the spotlight on how young teens and women's sexuality are still fair game for comedic fodder and her eloquent points convinced a lot of people that Letterman was wrong. She could have not responded at all, but she did and actually went beyond that by making it a national issue - testing the waters if you will. She also sent a strong message to those who attack her children, that she will not back down as they want her to. She fights back.

*During her speech introducing Michael Reagan, she discussed her naysayers at length. I urge you listen to that audio if you haven't already. She made this statement without hesitation, almost as if she had been waiting years to say it: "Those are the folks who want to tell me, they want to tell you, to sit down and shut up. We will not do that. I just can't, because I love my state. I love my country." After everything hurled at her this is what she says "I will not sit down and shut up." She is one strong woman who loves a challenge, loves to fight for what is right and doesn't let anyone walk all over her. I think she sent a strong message to the Democrats and to her "fans" if you will by saying that. She's going to run.

*During the Hannity interview she repeated the line that she will not sit down and shut up.

*She's been going on national TV shows, radio and cable shows, expressing her views without fear, without hesitation, with a TON of great information and political views. She went on Hannity (which wasn't a hard-hitting interview I realize, but still) and hammered out her opinions one by one in an intelligent manner. There was no "uh, uh, uh," there was no teleprompter. She went on the Today show and just cut Matt Lauer to pieces and told him point blank he was naive. She has a platform and she uses it well. She doesn't do the typical politician response of not really answering any question. She's putting herself out there as a real person, not a skeevy politician just trying to get votes.

*The "elite" RINOesque front runners, Huckabee, Romney and Mitch Daniels (Gov. of Indiana), have been given massive airtime from MSM and "elite" right-leaning media - and have pretty much epically failed. Romney posts on The Corner almost every other week, writes op-eds for various newspapers, and rarely says anything of substance. Huckabee has his own show that I don't think anyone watches. Mitch Daniels is the latest person they're telling us is the best thing since sliced bread and was given the cover on a recent issue of National Review. From what I read he seems like kind of a typical politician.

The problem with them is that they're all so entirely "meh" and forgettable. I'm sure they would be great presidents, but I'm really not enthusiastic about them in the least. Palin on the other hand, everyone knows from the campaign and can't get enough of her. She's the opposite of those guys when it comes to charisma and public speaking ability. 20,000 people showed up to Founder's Day in NY to hear her speak. She's getting people so excited about 2012 they literally can't wait to vote for her. Supporters are giving tons of money to her PAC so she'll have enough capital to run. She doesn't even have to ask, they just do it. So among the "leaders" she's miles ahead of them.

And finally...

*Her faith. She has faith in God's plan for her, that God is protecting her family. I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but her faith seems to guide her in a way that gives her the strength to fight these battles and people who are constantly trying to take her down. I don't know how else to explain it.

*Her love of her country. She has obviously said many times how much she loves her country. She loves freedom. She appreciates the sacrifices made in order to preserve freedom and she said she does what she can to maintain our freedom. She uses her unique gifts to serve her country in her way.

Palin signs book deal

More great news. We got official word that Palin signed a book deal to release her memoirs. There have been numerous reports since the election that she signed book deals but they were all false until today.

I hoped she would write a book soon and early. Put her ideas out there in her words, and it will give MSM and voters a chance to let it all sink in for a few years. Of course I'm expecting MSM to rip it to shreds but that'll be done now, instead of in 2011 during the campaign. I'm very happy about this.

h/t from vigilant Northern Exposer at Conservative Jedi: Palin to Release Memoirs