The Immoral Minority

McCain campaign manager, and past Sarah Palin cheerleader, Steve Schmidt says "Going Rogue" is "total fiction".

2009-11-14T16:36:00.005-09:00

Is Palin really going rogue? Hardly. Getting even is more like it.

Palin's biggest score to settle is with those senior advisers--Republicans all--in the John McCain campaign, on whose shoulders Palin lays the blame for her failed and tortured debut on the American political stage last fall. Most notable among them, of course, is "The Bullet," Steve Schmidt, who took over McCain's teetering campaign in July of 2008 and was a staunch advocate of Palin's selection as McCain's running mate.

He has told the Huffington Post that Palin's allegations against the McCain campaign are "total fiction."

Schmidt now joins a host of former McCain staffers, including Mark Salter and Nicolle Wallace, who have challenged the veracity of Palin's book even before it hits the streets on Tuesday. One McCain aide who worked closely with Palin and who "liked her personally" described Palin's account of the campaign as "blatantly and absolutely inaccurate."

Palin goes on to make allegations that Schmidt used profane language in front of Piper (Who should NEVER have been there in the first place), that he told her to get off of her diet, and that he called her stupid after she was pranked by two Canadian disc jockeys. (I actually would not have blamed him for that last one.)

It should come as no surprise to ANYBODY that Sarah Palin's version of events do not match up with Steve Schmidt's, or the rest of the McCain staffers, version of events.

You can read all about it from my friend Geoffrey Dunn by clicking the title and visiting the Huffington Post.

Update: Shannyn Moore has her own bone to pick with Sarah about another lie she told in her snotty little book.

At 4:00 Alaska time is the long awaited debut of "Moore up North", with the lovely Shannyn Moore! Don't miss it!

2009-11-14T12:47:00.007-09:00

(From left to right we have host Shannyn Moore, Alaska gubernatorial hopeful Bill Walker, Begich Press Secretary Julie Haquest, and AFL-CIO President Vince Beltrami.)

The show premiers on KYES channel 5, at 4:00 our time today.

I missed the taping last Wednesday due to horrible weather conditions and an uncooperative semi-truck in my path, but I heard it was very cool and will make damn sure not to miss it today from the comfort of my home.(I understand it will be made available on YouTube in the very near future if you are unable to watch it today.)

And after you finish watching this groundbreaking program, if you still have not had enough Shannyn Moore for the day (and really how could you?), then be sure to tune in to 700 KBYR on your radio dial, to hear Shannyn live at 5:00 Alaska time. (I also understand she might be joined by AKMuckraker. So you know you don't want to miss that!)

This next week may be all about Sarah Palin, but clearly Saturdays belong to Shannyn Moore!

( H/T to AKM for the photo.)

Jimmy Kimmel has Miss South Carolina Teen USA in 2007, Caitlin Upton, ask various people "where babies come from?"

2009-11-14T09:12:00.006-09:00

Now this is how somebody who was disgraced on national television can turn their life around and let everybody know they are a good sport. Take notes Sarah.

Part Two

Okay when Octo-mom squirted that mayonnaise on Upton I almost lost it. That was hysterical!

You know I may have to watch the Jimmy Kimmel show more often.

The AP takes note of the strange absence of Levi from Palin's book. It looks like Sarah finally blinked.

2009-11-14T06:21:00.006-09:00

(Check out this bizarre photo of Walters with Sarah, Willow, and Piper. Sarah is still desperate to paint them as one big happy family.Photo courtesy of AP photographer Steve Fenin)

Sarah Palin's new memoir describes heart-wrenching anguish about her teen daughter's pregnancy playing out before a national audience. But the 413-page tome doesn't contain a single reference to the father of her grandson, soon-to-be Playgirl model Levi Johnston.

My understanding is that originally "Going Rogue" ripped into Levi with a vengeance.

It is pretty clear that his warnings to her have been heard and that SOMEBODY decided not to call his bluff.

However if Sarah has convinced herself that she is safe from having her deepest secrets revealed, then she is in for a rude awakening. E-mail boxes are being stuffed, and cell phones are ringing off of the hook, with people who want to tell all they know about Sarah Palin.

Choosing to write this book may have been the dumbest thing she has ever done.

By the way I guess this is not the FIRST time that Sarah blinked. This from the Wall Street Journal:

Ms. Palin was particularly angry at bloggers and the media, associates said, for speculation that her baby Trig was really the child of Bristol, her daughter.

At one point, according to people familiar with the discussions, Ms. Palin considered pursuing a libel suit against at least one blogger, the Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan. Ms. Palin decided against such a move because of the publicity it would bring.(That is bullshit. She well knew that the case would open up to public scrutiny the lies she was working so hard to keep secret.)

Mr. Sullivan, in response, said asking "factually verifiable questions is obviously not libel."

A spokeswoman for Ms. Palin didn't respond to email requests seeking comment. (No surprise there.)

Update: Speaking of bloggers and rumors, here is a page from "Going Rogue" that discusses MY part in the Palin media circus.

She addresses the missing ring as no big deal because it was only $35 anyhow, and once again makes the claim that Todd's looks keep her happy in the marriage. Unbelievable.

I guess she is just refusing to acknowledge that Todd moved out of Wasilla awhile ago, and that the rumors of marital problems have been substantiated by numerous sources. Including an even more recent one, that is just about as close to the family as you can get.

(H/T to my friend Celtic Diva for the page.)

Finally Sarah gets her wish as she becomes the focus of everybody's attention.

2009-11-13T19:34:00.007-09:00

This courtesy of MAD magazine.

Behold, our exclusive preview of attempted Vice President and former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as "Blunder Woman," where she battles against David Letterman, imaginary death panels, and her desire to quit everything she does.

Then we have the upcoming Barbara Walters interview, in which Sarah decides to discard about four pounds of hair. (I kid you not. Just take a look at the video.)

We also learn that Caribou Barbie will be making a stop at Fort Hood, to hawk her book to the grieving soldiers. Haven't they suffered enough?

If you find yourself wondering today, "How did this woman ever get elected as Governor of Alaska?" , my friend Jeanne Devon (AKMuckraker) will enlighten you over at Huffington Post with an article adapted from her chapter in the book "Going Rouge".

And for the conspiracy minded you may be interested to learn that Palin seriously considered suing Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Dish and that the Wall Street Journal is supposed to have a story about that sometime today. (Oooh babygate stuff!)

Wall Street Journal has more excerpts from "Going Rogue". Guess who gets a mention?

2009-11-13T15:16:00.003-09:00

The book seems almost exclusively made up of Palin taking time to even the score with those she feels hurt her feelings, damaged her career, or both.

She attacks Katie Couric for being unfair, blames the McCain campaign for the scandal about the clothes, talks about her "nice mom moment" with Tina Fey (I am dying to get Fey's take on that meeting.), and of course complains that $50,000 of the $500,000 debt she accrued was the cost that McCain campaign acquired for vetting her. (If they paid THAT much, and found out so little, they got ripped off big time! I would have done it for a fraction of that money, and actually I ended up doing it for free anyhow.)

But, bar none, THIS is my favorite part thus far:

After the election, Sarah Palin writes, she found herself “inundated with frivolous ethics complaints” that would require enormous time and energy to address. (Hey Linda, this is for you!)

Worse still, she writes, the media began to treat her in a tabloid fashion, rather than reporting actual news. Lawsuits and legal bills began to mount, and all in all her family began to take what she describes as a “beating.”

The irony is that she’d assumed that once the election was over, she would “go back to the job I loved. But what a difference ten weeks can make. Before my plane even touched down in Anchorage, shocking character assassinations of those I love had begun.”

Virtually everything that she had once been able to count on was now turned upside down, she says. Her friendly relations with the local media? Over and out. Relationships that had once been civil and fair, were now being used to attack her and make her appear inept, she wrote.

And the national media was unrelenting, she says. They continued to work in Alaska, “sniffing for tabloid stuff.” Reporters, she writes, camped out at the end of her family’s driveway in Wasilla, while others badgered her parents and siblings.

If anything, she writes, the attacks were even worse on the Internet, where bloggers felt free to write whatever they wanted. “When the bloggers weren’t busy pushing fairy tales, they would post threatening stories about any number of looming scandals that would drive me out of office,” she writes.

Eventually, she writes, it seemed that virtually every thing she did or didn’t do became grist for the national media, an experience she found “pathetic and chilling.”

Particularly distasteful, she writes, was an off-color joke told by David Letterman about her 14-year-old daughter Willow. It was also painful to read that she and her husband Todd were divorcing. This was a surprise, particularly since Palin writes that she considers her husband to be a hunk.

“Dang, I thought. Divorce Todd? Have you seen Todd?”

So, according to her, she was not about to divorce Todd, because of his looks?

Hmm I guess attractive people like Kim Basinger, Tom Cruise, or Michael Jordan, NEVER get divorced because they are much too good looking.

She also fails to mention all of the times since my post that Levi, Mercede, and others have ALSO mentioned the talk of divorce and that Todd is no longer welcome in the marriage bed. Did that "surprise" Sarah as well? Or was she simply taken by surprise the FIRST time that she realized people knew?

I am kind of shocked to see such a direct reference to my "Splitsville" post. I think personally I would have avoided mentioning it at all.

But then again there is not a whole lot that we have in common.

Except of course the amount of time we both spend on the Alaska blogs. Hi Sarah!

Rush Limbaugh calls Sarah's book "one of the most substantive policy books I've read." Somebody needs his medication adjusted.

2009-11-13T09:45:00.003-09:00

Okay first off the book is 400 pages! No WAY did Rush already read the book!

So we KNOW he is lying.

Here is what I think happened.

Rush talked to Sarah on the phone while gazing lustfully at the Sarah poster that he has on his wall and occasionally reaching down to "adjust himself".

When she agreed to go on his show suddenly all of the blood raced away from Rush's brain to "other areas", and he decided in those few seconds that Palin must have written the most important 21st century political opus of our time. When in fact we know that is more likely for a room full of monkeys with typewriters to accomplish that task than for Sarah Palin with a room full of ghostwriters.

Sadly all Rush will be left with, after Sarah leaves his studio, is a crappy book from a bitchy adolescent girls perspective and some soggy Kleenex's to remember her by.

You know like every other Tuesday night in the life of Rush Limbaugh.

Levi meets Donald Trump. May even have secured a role on the "Apprentice".

2009-11-13T07:29:00.005-09:00

via The Insider

You know I think that Levi genuinely impressed the Donald.

It is clear that Levi places his son above EVERYTHING. I said before, but it bears repeating, that Levi is only offering up interviews and pursuing modeling in an attempt to provide for Tripp. That may sound contrived but it isn't.

(I need to give yet another hat tip to my friend Bree Palin.)

With all of the attention being paid to "Going Rogue" let's not forget about the book that will reveal the truth behind Sarah Palin's career.

2009-11-13T06:11:00.008-09:00

MS (Maya Schenwar): Although your book is being released the same day as "Going Rogue" and has a similar cover, it doesn't seem like you intend to trick readers into buying the book when they mean to buy "Going Rogue." What was your aim in compiling this anthology?

Betsy Reed: We want to emphasize that although the cover has an element of satire, the book is not a parody. Our goal was to present a serious appraisal of Sarah Palin's record and an assessment of her role in American politics - and her future in American politics. She is a very well-packaged celebrity at this point, so we felt it was important to show her beneath the gloss.

Richard Kim: "Going Rogue" has already printed 1.5 million copies, and it has been number one on Amazon for weeks. We can assume that it's going to be painting her in the most generous and heroic light, and it's really important to tell the other side of her story, about her record in Alaska as governor, what she did on the campaign trail and what her politics are, and not to fall prey to the Sarah Palin branding machine.

BR: We're seeing this argument take shape where anyone who's critical of Sarah Palin is portrayed as launching unfair personal attacks on her. Our book is not personal at all; it's about who she is politically. There's really nothing about Levi Johnston in the book.

MS:Why do you think Sarah Palin remains so widely accepted by conservatives as a viable national politician, despite her obvious shortcomings?

RK: A part of that is definitely the narrative she sells; being a mom from Alaska. Also, she also does share the views of 20 percent of the electorate: the far right. And it's clear that they are not actually thinking in this moment of winning national elections. They're not even trying to hold onto a seat in New York's 23rd district, which has been in Republican hands since the 1850s. That was the race where Sarah Palin intervened and hacked out the moderate Republican. So that's a big question that's unknown: Is the Republican Party going to follow Palin into basically suicidal territory in terms of a national election?

BR: I think she does have quite a strong following among a certain cohort of Christian, conservative, white, married women. The Republican party is a mostly male phenomenon, but I think Republicans recognized that they needed to do better with women when they picked her.

RK: Going back to what Betsy said earlier, the narrative that she sends out of being persecuted is actually deeply resonant now with that portion of the Republican Party, which is out of power in the White House, out of power in Congress, and seeing the policies of the Bush years being rolled back. She constantly says, "I'm not being recognized by the national media, so I'm going to go rogue and tell you the story directly." In that way she can bypass Washington and bypass the media world.

BR: It's nothing new - The American right has always felt itself to be aggrieved. They always present themselves as fighting against a liberal elite. During the Bush years, obviously, they controlled everything. But now with Obama, there's a receptive audience for Sarah Palin's line of being the victim of this liberal conspiracy.

MS: Criticisms of Sarah Palin always seem to contain this combination of outrage and humor. That's a hard balance to strike, and I'm interested in how you dealt with that balance in compiling the anthology.

RK: Some of the humor in the book just comes from quoting Sarah Palin. She's funny enough just on her own. There's a piece in the book that puts Sarah Palin's own words into verse, in haiku form.

So, some of the writers have a lot of fun with her. She has a sort of comic element, but then there are also terrifying elements to her, like the ignorance that she exposed in her interviews with Katie Couric or with Charlie Gibson.

That balance is represented in the book. The appeal of her youth, her wardrobe, her charm has been used to evade the hard political questions of her record and her knowledge.

(You can read the rest of this interview from the folks at Truthout by clicking the title, and also purchase your own copy of "Going Rouge" for a mere $16.00 right here.)

But if you simply cannot start your day without some "Going Rogue" information, my friend Geoffrey Dunn has your fix over at Huffington Post with an article he calls "The First Ten Lies from Going Rogue". Enjoy.

Is Lou Dobbs "Going Rogue"?

2009-11-13T05:48:00.003-09:00

Well according to Jon Stewart he sure is.

Wait until you see how the Daily Show graphics team "Palinizes" the famous CNN racist curmudgeon.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Lou Dobbs Goes Rogue

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After a day of dealing with Sarah Palin news I think we all deserve a break. President Obama visits Alaska. Your moment of Zen.

2009-11-12T19:17:00.000-09:00

(A very grateful tip of my hat to Dennis Zaki.)

Snippet of Sarah Palin interview on Oprah. Oh god the laugh! It is so eeevill!

2009-11-12T16:35:00.006-09:00

Top seven signs that somebody is lying. How many can YOU spot?

1. No eye contact. Generally, if someone is lying they will not look you in the eye, at least during a certain part of the conversation. Normally, people make eye contact for at least half of a conversation, so anything less than this could be suspicious. One caveat: there are some people who will take great pains to make eye contact with you even if they're lying, simply to make you think they're not.
2. Change in voice. A change in the pitch of a person's tone, or a lot of stammering (umm, ah), or throat clearing could indicate a lie.
3. Unusual body language. If a person taps their foot a lot, fidgets with their hands, raises their shoulders, turns away from you or brings their hand to their face (to touch their chin or nose, etc.) -- in other words, if they act nervous or uncomfortable -- it could mean they're telling a lie. Also watch out for blushing (or becoming pale) and increased blinking.
4. Something sounds fishy. Making statements that contradict each other, are inconsistent or don't sound quite right are usually part of a lie.
5. Overly defensive. Sometimes when a person is lying they will become extremely defensive, refusing to answer any questions and even accusing you of lying. This may mean they have something to hide.
6. Changes subject easily. If someone is lying and you change the subject, chances are high that they'll go right along with it. A person telling the truth, however, will likely ask why you changed the subject and want to go back to it.
7. Humor or sarcasm. A guilty person will often try to change the subject using humor or sarcasm.

Okay not to belabor the point, but the laugh that issues forth after Oprah asks about Levi coming over for Thanksgiving is downright maniacal! The first thought that came to me was "bone chilling". And then her verbal response afterward just makes her seem even more bat-shit crazy.

Not only do I think Levi should not accept an invitation to dinner, I think he should stay the hell out of Wasilla on Thanksgiving! I mean holy crap!

The Huffington Post has some excerpts from the book for your perusal as well.

Here is one excerpt that is getting a lot of attention:

And she says that most of her legal bills were generated defending what she called frivolous ethics complaints, but she reveals that about one-tenth of the $500,000 was a bill she received to pay for the McCain campaign vetting her for the VP nod.

She said when she asked the McCain campaign if it would help her financially, she was told McCain's camp would have paid all the bills if he'd won; since he lost, the vetting legal bills were her responsibility.

I just heard on Hardball that the McCain campaign is calling this allegation "completely untrue" and "outrageous". (You can see that Hardball segment here.)

Are they suggesting that Sarah Palin is a liar?

You know I am guessing there will be a lot of that in the near future.

Update: Here is the quote from the McCain staffer. (Thanks Mona!)

"That is one hundred percent untrue," said the McCain official, who would only speak on the condition of anonymity in deference to McCain. "All those bills are from her personal attorney Thomas Van Flein, mostly relating to the Troopergate investigation and other ethics investigations. It is not legal to pay for those investigations out of general election funds, even if the campaign was so inclined."

Oh snap! Even Meg Stapletongue will not back her up on this one.

"The book remains embargoed," Stapleton said in an e-mail to CNN. "The Governor will appear on Oprah first to discuss the book's contents.”

Uh oh! When even your most faithful pet attack poodle will not back you up there is a good chance you are telling a lie that the facts will not support.

Palin tells Oprah she would like to make up with Levi Johnston. Uh oh somebody is getting nervous!

2009-11-12T11:07:00.008-09:00

While not directly saying whether or not Johnston is invited to Thanksgiving dinner, Palin said her family still has affection for Johnston. (Huffington Post has the video.)

"It's lovely to think that he would ever even consider such a thing," Palin told Winfrey. "Because of course you want - he is a part of the family and you want to bring him in the fold and kind of under your wing. And he needs that, too."

Okay just for the record I believe that "under your wing" is a euphemism for a headlock. And Levi would be insane to get that close to the Palin family without Tank Jones standing right there with him.

Yeah if they are going to set a place for Levi at Thanksgiving then they damn sure better have an extra seat for Tank as well. And possibly an extra turkey or two. Have you seen the size of the guy?

Discussing her new book, "Going Rogue: An American Life," on Winfrey's famous couch, Palin said she and her family want to make peace with Johnston and move past the dramatics that have unfolded in the media over the last year. Johnston was once engaged to Palin's daughter, Bristol, and is the father of Palin's grandson, Tripp.

"I think he needs to know that he is loved and he has the most beautiful child, and this can all work out for good," Palin said. "It really can. We don't have to keep going down this road of controversy and drama all the time. We're not really into the drama. We don't really like that. We're more productive."

And by "productive" Sarah is clearly referring to her time in San Diego telling her ghostwriter to "type faster, dammit!"

Palin also called her interview with Katie Couric during the campaign a "bad interview," but said the campaign staff encouraged her to continue to do others after that.

Can you believe that the campaign staff wanted the person running for Vice President of the United States to give interviews? What is THAT about?

"The campaign said, 'Right on. Good. You're showing your independence. This is what America needs to see and it was a good interview,'" Palin said. "And of course I'm thinking, if you thought that was a good interview, I don't know what a bad interview is because I knew it was a bad interview."

Oh it was bad alright. But without that interview we never would have been blessed with this wonderful SNL skit.

If ONLY the Oprah/Palin interview could be THIS entertaining.

Oprah lets America down.

2009-11-12T06:00:00.005-09:00

Apparently Palin left Oprah's studio with good feelings and warm memories. In short Oprah did NOT ask Sarah any really tough questions.

So for everybody who had hoped that Oprah was too independent and strong minded to conduct a soft ball interview with Palin, sorry to disappoint you.

Winfrey seems to have interviewed her in the same manner she would use to interview Jennifer Aniston, instead of the manner in which she would interview Joseph McCarthy, which would be the much more APPROPRIATE approach.

Here is Sarah's Facebook post about her "interview".

Willow, Piper, and I are in Chicago and just wanted to let you know that I had a great conversation with Oprah today. We taped the show for Monday, November 16th, and enjoyed it so much that we went way over on time. The rest will air on Oprah.com. Oprah was very hospitable and gracious, and her audience was full of warm, energized and (no doubt) curious viewers.

- Sarah Palin

Oprah, Oprah, Oprah. You HAD her. She was right there in YOUR studio. In front of YOUR audience. Under YOUR control. You could have crushed her like a bug!

But no. You just let her slip right through your perfectly manicured fingers. Where is your patriotism?

Did you not receive all of the information and questions from the thousands of people who wanted you to finally confront her on the questions that she has thus far refused to answer? Did you not hear the passion in their voices? Did you not recognize their concern?

I believe the plan is for the bloggers to head over to Shannyn's on Monday and watch this travesty together. I imagine there will be a number of catcalls and adult beverages to dull our disappointment. We might be live blogging it but I will let you know.

Oprah, Oprah, Oprah.

Carrie Prejean almost walks off of Larry King Live due to questions. Apparently she did not understand that an interview involved questions.

2009-11-12T05:02:00.007-09:00

(I replaced the old video, which was removed, with a new longer YouTube video.)

It is pretty clear that Carrie has been coached to provide a few basic responses to questions, "We can't talk about mediation", "worst mistake of my life", "I was attacked for my beliefs", but when that does not work she simply flees.

Can you believe they let a gay man's phone call come through? Do they have NO respect for her deeply held anti-gay religious beliefs?

Be honest who else, just for a moment, thought she was about to respond with a "In what respect Charlie?"

I mean did she even complete the "Sarah Palin Interview Tips and Question Dodging Symposium"? If she had she could have simply responded with an "I'll try to find you some I'll bring em to ya!" But NO she clearly did not get through the final class "Show the camera your best side, smile pretty, and babble incoherently".

You never saw her hero Sarah Palin walk off of an interview did you? Sure she walked off of her job, but dammit not an interview!

The Sarah Palin talk show?

2009-11-11T18:31:00.005-09:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Five chapters?

No index?

Are they sure this is not just a coloring book for her fans?

So there is "score settling with certain McCain aides"and "bashing of the national media" all delivered in a "warm personal tone"? Well it is nice to see that she is not going to leave out the crazy!

Well I am shocked! Shocked I say, that there is not a chapter dedicated to the Alaskan bloggers! Are we simply to be lumped with the other media? Will she dare to skip us altogether? Oh I doubt it, I just heard again today that she was FIXATED on us.

P.S. By the way it looks like Harper Collins Sarah Palin gamble may not pay off for them. Color me unsurprised.

Lou Dobbs makes a run for the border, jumps the fence, and leaves CNN.

2009-11-11T17:04:00.004-09:00

"Constructive problem solving" is code for attacking the Democrats.

Gee I wonder where Dobbs will end up? You know it seems like something I should be able to piece together. After working for a venerable cable news station like CNN I doubt he would be happy at any other news organization. I mean who could compare?

So perhaps he wants to work someplace where NEWS is not the main product. You know someplace where they may mix in a little news, but mainly they focus on getting out a certain ideological message. Like Lou used to do on HIS show.

Damn! What media outlet is well known for that? I swear it is on the tip of my tongue.

Oh well maybe I will think of it later.

Time Magazine talks about Palin's "Going Rogue" media blitz. There is a warning in here for those who believe Sarah is yesterday's news.

2009-11-11T11:06:00.005-09:00

....when Palin emerged from a self-imposed semi-exile on Nov. 6 to speak before 4,000 fans just outside Milwaukee at what organizers called the largest pro-life gathering in Wisconsin history, two things were abundantly clear: Palin is now a thoroughly professional rogue — and she is going to sell a ton of books. She has become her own reality show.

No argument there. The woman is a combination of the "Beverly Hillbillies", "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", and "CSI".

Perhaps she could call her reality show "Lifestyles of the Wasilla Hillbillies: An American Crime Scene." Just a thought.

The line began forming at the state fairgrounds more than three hours before the main event and stretched longer than half a mile. The crowd wore buttons bearing her image and passed the time making jokes about the media while eagerly snatching up T-shirts a local talk-radio station was giving away that labeled Palin "America's Conservative Conscience." (Do you know how you can be positive that somebody does NOT know Sarah Palin? When they use the word "conscience" to describe her.)Once inside the cavernous exhibition hall, they chanted, "Sarah!" with growing fervor until their heroine appeared, flexing her distinctive charisma in a killer red dress, high heels and her trademark glasses. The event was closed to the press, and cameras were barred from the hall, not only to preserve the mystery and anticipation before her formal debut but also to protect against unflattering YouTube postings. I bought a public ticket for admittance, as did several other journalists.

Although Palin occasionally faltered and tied herself in verbal knots, the adoring listeners could not have cared less. They laughed at every joke, cheered in all the right places, hushed when Palin suggested a pro-abortion-rights mind-set could lead Democrats to neglect special-needs children or older people. She brought the audience members to their feet with a defiant charge: "Don't let anyone ever tell you to sit down and shut up." (Apparently this is her new catchphrase.)

She denounced America's abortion rate with vehemence and told the group that anyone who supports legalized partial-birth abortion is a "coldhearted extremist" or a "coward." While abortion was her principal target, she sprinkled her outrage all over the place. She went after President Obama, mocking his signature phrase "Change we can believe in" and suggesting he had authorized moving the words "In God we trust" from the face of a new $1 coin to its edge. (In fact, the coin's format was re-engineered several years ago by Republicans in Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush.) (Even Fox News could not let her get away with THAT whopper!)

(Update: You can hear Palin on tape giving that speech about the"In God We Trust" accusation right here. H/T to Bree Palin)

If her facts were off target, her tone hit the spot. Palin is expertly channeling the disenfranchised and disgruntled of the Republican base. As Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa told TIME, "She's the only thing between 2004 and 2009 that's ever given any energy to the Republican Party — No. 1, because she's a woman, and No. 2, because she expresses herself well."

Palin has told friends she stands ready to help candidates in the 2010 elections, despite her negligible influence in the Nov. 3 off-year showings — newly elected GOP governors in New Jersey and Virginia largely rejected her help, and her chosen candidate in a special election for a New York congressional race lost a seat that had been reliably Republican since the Civil War. Nevertheless, she exerts a particular sway on her party's officeholders, goading them to avoid compromise with the President, making it more difficult for Obama to achieve his campaign pledge of bipartisanship in Washington. That's the part of Palin's rogue message her supporters love most of all. (To read the entire article just click the title of this post.)

As crazy as it seems Palin is still a political force in this country. I am dumbfounded by the fact that she has discovered this disaffected group of people who are susceptible to her "charms". And even more surprised that the group seems to be growing ever larger, and attracting the support of the more established Republican politicians who cannot help but notice they are being abandoned by the voters.

So one has to wonder what will become of the Republicans? Can they survive this potential hijacking of their party, or will Sarah Palin help usher in the end of their dynasty? The dynasty, ironically enough, that Ronald Reagan helped to create.

In my opinion the GOP should be courting the likes of Frank Bailey and Levi Johnston and trying desperately to get their stories published. Once Sarah Palin's credibility has been damaged beyond repair the Teabagger's will have lost their figurehead.

I guess they will still have Michell Bachman, but really how long can it be before the people in the white coats come to lock that crazy "rhymes with witch" up?

Republicans prepare to resurrect Town Hall meetings in attempt to ignite passions over Senate Health Care bill.

2009-11-11T08:19:00.002-09:00

Republicans are looking to resurrect the angry town halls of August in the last few weeks of November.

Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander said Republicans are “quietly” planning some 50 in-person and telephone town hall gatherings over the next three weeks to drum up opposition to Democratic health care bills. Republicans believe this effort will pick up new urgency once Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) releases his long-awaited bill — possibly next week.

(You can read more by clicking the title.)

Well it did not work the first time obviously, since Congress just passed a health care reform bill, but hey why change a lame stupid horse in midstream?

I cannot believe these morons are resorting to these same embarrassing tactics after all of the ridicule they suffered during the August screaming matches. I guess their bag of tricks is just about empty.

And don't imagine that there are any reasonable Republicans left with enough guts to resist going along with this bullshit. There aren't!

Allow me to present exhibit A.

For Immediate Release

Murkowski Announces Town Hall Meeting on Health Care in Chugiak

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that she will hold a town hall meeting in Chugiak on health care reform next Wednesday, November 11, 2009, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Mirror Lake Middle School.

“In my efforts to keep Alaskans informed about the health care debate in Washington, I will hold a health care town hall meeting in Chugiak next week,” Sen. Murkowski said. “I continue to hear from Alaskans on this critical issue. The opportunity to share with my constituents what I know about the legislation that is being debated in the Senate and the House of Representatives and to hear their views is an important part of the representative process.”

Sen. Murkowski held health care town halls in Anchorage, Fairbanks, the Mat-Su Valley and the Kenai Peninsula in August, a video town hall from Washington with residents in Kodiak in September and two telephone town halls with Alaska constituents earlier this year.

WHO: U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski

WHAT: Town Hall meeting on health care reform legislation

WHEN: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Mirror Lake Middle School
22901 Lake Hill Dr.
Chugiak, AK 99567-2069

Yep that's right, our very own Senator will be holding a Health Care Town Hall revival at Mirror Lake Middle School! Republicans make sure you get there early!

And whatever you do, don't forget to bring those delightfully misspelled signs accusing the people who do not agree with you of being Socialistic Homosexual Fascists. I just don't think ANYTHING illustrates who you are, and the level of your intelligence, quite like those signs.

Jimmy Kimmel pokes fun at Sean Hannity's leering interest in Carrie Prejean sex tape.

2009-11-11T06:46:00.003-09:00

Kimmel even got a little shot at our ex-governor in there.

Jon Stewart catches Sean Hannity lying about size of crowd at GOP Health Care Rally.

2009-11-11T05:52:00.004-09:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Sean Hannity Uses Glenn Beck's Protest Footage

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

p>Unbelievable! Anybody who still thinks Fox News is a real news organization needs to see this!

Just for fun. Stephen Colbert's "Better know a District: Delaware".

2009-11-10T20:46:00.002-09:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Better Know a District - Delaware's Mike Castle

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

U.S. Speedskating

"She ain't nothing" Says defiant Levi Johnston about ex-future mother-in-law Sarah Palin. Now we are talking!

2009-11-10T16:10:00.007-09:00

In his custody fight for son Tripp, Levi Johnston says he's up against a powerful foe: Sarah Palin.

Johnston, 19, claims the former vice presidential candidate has been part of an effort to keep Tripp away from Johnston by exerting influence on 19-year-old daughter Bristol, who is Tripp's mother.

"She has a big impact on what Bristol does and thinks," Johnston tells Entertainment Tonight. "Bristol looks up to Sarah. I don't know why they just don't want me in his life."

But Johnston insists he doesn't fear Palin as he gets ready to sue for joint custody. "She ain't nothing," he says. "Just because she ran for vice president and was the governor of Alaska, doesn't intimidate me. Sarah has no legal thing on Tripp, she's just the grandmother."

He adds: "By the end of the year we're gonna go to court for joint custody. I'm just done with it. When there's a kid involved you ain't walking away."

It looks like Levi is digging in.

Even though my sources told me that Levi does NOT want to go to court to see his son, it looks like things may be heading in that direction if they keep using his son to punish him. Levi is starting to stand up for himself, even with his handlers.

I have also heard that one of the sticking points is fear from the Palin's that Levi will let Tripp be photographed.

Go ahead, ask the question.

Why would it matter if he were photographed if there are already pictures of Levi with Tripp in GQ Magazine and a televised interview with Bristol and Tripp conducted by Greta Van Susteren?

Yep that is the question alright.

Update: Here is Levi's interview on ET.

By the way it appears that Levi's real quote is "She ain't NO thing", instead of "She ain't nothing" as was quoted by the People magazine.

Did you hear this part?

Diane Dimond, when asking Levi about Palin's resistance to letting him see Tripp, "What grandmother would take that away from their grandchild?"

Levi's one word answer, "Sarah". I love it!

Frank Bailey's Sarah Palin tell-all, is a no-go.

2009-11-10T14:49:00.004-09:00

Frank Bailey’s co-authors for “Renegade: Sarah Palin's Hatchet Man,” are pulling out.

Word came in a brief emailed statement today from Joy Morgan and her daughter, Christiana Grace, Southern California public relations pros who were writing the book with Bailey.

Bailey was Palin’s close aide, director of boards and commissions, and a figure in the “Troopergate” investigation last year.

“Releve Marketing and PR of San Diego, CA has made the decision today to no longer represent or co-author Frank Bailey's upcoming book Renegade: Sarah Palin's Hatchet Man.”

It was a pretty abrupt announcement, since just yesterday Morgan and Grace sent out a press release to promote the book, saying that “although Palin has worked hard on attaining a polished public image, behind the scenes things were often a very different story. Bailey, one of Palin's closest inner circle, tells that story.”

Grace wouldn’t say why she and her mother are dropping out, but said it’s nothing personal.

“Frank Bailey and I have been close friends since college and we remain close friends,” she said.

Grace declined to provide any contact information to reach Bailey regarding the book.

Well isn't that interesting?

I wonder WHO contacted who? (Update: Turns out it was TONS of pressure!)

I know that Frank Bailey was gung ho to write this book, so whatever transpired might be something he wants brought to light.

Gee I hope this is not a trend. Though I cannot imagine whoever is pulling Palin's strings having the power to stop ALL of the potentially damaging books coming out.

But believe me Bailey HAS the goods. Make no mistake about that!

According to Paul Krugman "The G.O.P. has been taken over by the people it used to exploit."

2009-11-10T05:51:00.005-09:00

In a New York Times Op-Ed, Paul Krugman discusses the danger of ignoring the "Teabaggers".

The key thing to understand about that rally (last week in Washington) is that it wasn’t a fringe event. It was sponsored by the House Republican leadership — in fact, it was officially billed as a G.O.P. press conference. Senior lawmakers were in attendance, and apparently had no problem with the tone of the proceedings.

What all this shows is that the G.O.P. has been taken over by the people it used to exploit.

Furthermore, the loss of both Congress and the White House left a power vacuum in a party accustomed to top-down management. At this point Newt Gingrich is what passes for a sober, reasonable elder statesman of the G.O.P. And he has no authority: Republican voters ignored his call to support a relatively moderate, electable candidate in New York’s special Congressional election.

Instead the "Conservative Party" chose Doug Hoffman, a "carpetbagger" who did not live in the district, did not understand the issues facing the voters, but actively embraced the wing-nutty philosophy of the Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin crowd. He lost, but not by the kinds of numbers that should make any of us feel secure.

Real power in the party rests, instead, with the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin (who at this point is more a media figure than a conventional politician). Because these people aren’t interested in actually governing, they feed the base’s frenzy instead of trying to curb or channel it. So all the old restraints are gone.

Essentially the patients are now running the asylum.

In the short run, this may help Democrats, as it did in that New York race. But maybe not: elections aren’t necessarily won by the candidate with the most rational argument. They’re often determined, instead, by events and economic conditions.

In fact, the party of Limbaugh and Beck could well make major gains in the midterm elections.
The Obama administration’s job-creation efforts have fallen short, so that unemployment is likely to stay disastrously high through next year and beyond. The banker-friendly bailout of Wall Street has angered voters, and might even let Republicans claim the mantle of economic populism. Conservatives may not have better ideas, but voters might support them out of sheer frustration.

I had a conversation on the phone yesterday with somebody who was thrilled with the idea of the Republican party actively destroying itself. But I expressed concern at what might rise up to replace it. Sure Democrats might reap the benefits in the next major elections, but what happens ten years from now? If this fringe group, now rapidly becoming the Republican majority, stay disaffected, they may become even MORE polarized and disconnected from reality.

In the not too distant future Americans will be dissatisfied by the Democrats, it may be happening even now, and start looking for an alternative. What if the ONLY alternative were a Glenn Beck listening, Sarah Palin loving, "Teabagging" conservative? What if THAT person gets into the White House, or becomes the majority in the Senate?

The crazy thing is that THIS is exactly what Sarah Palin said she would be focusing on when she gave her resignation speech, and against all logic, it actually seems to be happening. She has tapped into a truly frightening fringe group of Americans, and somehow managed to validate them in the eyes of the Republican party.

And now instead of simply being used by the GOP, they are infecting the GOP and causing it mutate into a party they feel more comfortable with. And if the Republicans fail to change enough, they will simply bleed it dry and take up residence in its decaying corpse.

The point is that the takeover of the Republican Party by the irrational right is no laughing matter. Something unprecedented is happening here — and it’s very bad for America.

On this last point I am not in total agreement with Mr. Krugman. I believe that pointing out the lunacy of the group with the use of humor and parody is very powerful indeed.

I think that a great deal of credit can go to Jon Stewart for pointing out how ludicrous the Bush administration was through the use of humor, and Tina Fey's contribution to the outing of Sarah Palin, as a pretty package with nothing inside, cannot be celebrated enough in my opinion.

The bottom line is that, regardless of which medium is used, it is important to constantly reveal the agenda behind Sarah Palin and the wing-nuts, and to open the eyes of the American people to what is really happening in the political arena right now.

(Please click the title to read the rest of Paul Krugman's important article.)