Sarah Palin, wingnut welfare queen
Sarah Palin’s looting of the Republican Party proceeds apace. She got her gigantor book advance, and fancy new wardrobe from the Republican National Committee (‘donated to charity’ after she got caught). Now she wants them to pay the freight for her appearance at a Republican Party event in Iowa, according to Jonathan Martin:
The Iowa Family Policy Center’s effort to cobble together $100,000 for Palin would represent a striking departure from customary practice in the first-in-the-nation state, these Republicans say, noting that a generation of White House hopefuls has paid their own way to boost their party and presidential ambitions.
[...]
But representatives from other Iowa-based political advocacy groups said they would never consider shelling out money for what many politicians see as a privilege: the opportunity to speak to a room full of sure-fire caucus-goers who often serve as precinct captains and can be instrumental to a presidential candidate’s success.
“If somebody tells me they want me to pay an appearance fee, it tells me they’re not very serious about running for president,” said Ed Failor, Jr., president of Iowans for Tax Relief and an influential GOP insider.
“I found it really, really odd,” Failor said.
While this is bad news for Iowa Republicans, it’s probably good news for the GOP on a national basis, as it helps clarify that no one who wants the party to have a serious shot at 2012 will get behind her, or hold out for her to enter the race.
Update: Meanwhile, Holly Bailey at Newsweek is cutting Team Sarah a little too much slack:
For their part, the Palin camp tells NEWSWEEK there’s no fee. Meg Stapleton, Palin’s spokeswoman, tells your Gaggler that Palin “has not requested anything” and that she “does not charge people to campaign for them.” According to Stapleton, Palin would instead cover such travel costs through her political-action committee, SarahPAC. Of course, that doesn’t mean she’s going to Iowa. Palin’s book, Going Rogue, is due out Nov. 17, and she’s got a major publicity tour planned around that, including a Nov. 16 appearance on Oprah. “We don’t believe she will be able to attend with her tightly scheduled book tour, and the group has been told that through formal and informal channels,” Stapleton says in an e-mail this morning. “However, it appears that some enthusiastic members are willing to try anything to entice the governor as we look at her schedule.”
The first thing a flack should do is give no offense. By saying that Palin is too busy hawking her book to speak before an audience of Iowa Republicans, Stapleton is saying that Iowa just isn’t a priority for Palin. I guess it’s more evidence that she doesn’t want to run in ‘12.
Second, it’s not like anyone asked Palin to campaign for them, so why even bring that up?
Beyond that, if it’s true that Palin “has not requested anything,” Stapleton shouldn’t be speculating that some people in Iowa just magically got together one day and decided to raise a briefcase full of cash to lure Palin to their state. Because it’s just as likely that someone gave them the idea that there might be a financial inducement for the almost-one-term Alaska governor to drop on by.
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Reminds me of teenagers who’ve been indulged all their lives, then people are surprised when they have a meltdown over a Mercedes on “My Super Sweet 16.” Since she’s been on the national stage, she’s had her pricey wardrobe paid for by campaign funds, a book deal handed to her, etc. It’s only natural that she expects to keep on collecting for doing virtually nothing.
Hello Michael,
P.T. Barnum would have been proud. (“There is a sucker born every minute”)
Let’s just stop talking about her.
Obama got his book advance a week before he took office….and might I add, took office illegally…he knows he ain’t constitutionally qualified to hold that office, as his birth certificate sits sealed behind government walls in the state of hawaii
Your birther fan fiction is how I know you’re not qualified for anyone to ever pay you to write anything, but thank you for being a unique visitor to True/Slant.
In response to another comment. See in context »Hello andylevinson,
Thank you for that posting. I have never seen the work of a real “birther” before, I suspected that such people were imaginary. BTW here is a copy of Mr. Obama’s birth certificate right here on T/S.
http://trueslant.com/donovan/2009/07/27/elected-members-of-birther-movement/
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] Reagan library, even an Alaskan anti-abortion rally. She doesn’t hesitate to demand cash, even in Iowa. The 2012 Palin campaign has started by asking for the love-offering up front and insists the event [...]