September 30, 2009

Sarah Palin's book is called "Going Rogue."

Why "rogue" and not "maverick"? "Maverick," of course, was John McCain's word, which Palin adopted and used in her speeches as she ran alongside him.

Here's a dictionary definition for "maverick":
1 : an unbranded range animal; especially : a motherless calf
2 : an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
Here's a dictionary definition for "rogue":
1 : vagrant, tramp
2 : a dishonest or worthless person : scoundrel
3 : a mischievous person : scamp
4 : a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave
5 : an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation
"Rogue" has way more negative meanings in the dictionary, but "maverick" is the word long applied to John McCain, and for Palin, it can't signify her independence properly. Both words are applied to animals, and here the difference is good for Palin. The maverick animal is unbranded or motherless — unowned. This is a fate that falls upon the poor creature. The "rogue" is specifically a horse that resists being controlled by others. It is exhibiting its own will, and not the victim of happenstance. Now, fate touched Palin when McCain choose her, and she did get into trouble when she exhibited will, and the maverick's people called her "rogue":
The title of Palin's book is apparently a reference to stories that came out before Election Day that advisors to GOP Presidential Nominee John McCain felt Palin was "going rogue" and not following the advice and message of those running the campaign.
The idea of misbehaving works particularly well for a woman, especially a woman setting herself apart from the men. If we speak of a man misbehaving — being a rogue — we think of him straying sexually. But a misbehaving women — in my book — sounds like a great feminist: someone who thumbs her nose at the patriarchy.

And then there's Rogue, the X-Men character — "The more Rogue used her mutant power, the more her mind became filled with fragmentary psychic echoes of the people she absorbed." So the title is going to have a completely different feeling to the millions of people who know the word from the comics.

***

You can help support this blog if you use this link to buy "Going Rogue."

104 comments:

rhhardin said...

Armstrong and Getty suggest "Going Rouge."

But one has a bet that if Palin is the nominee in 2012 he'll eat his truck.

sonicfrog said...

It will be no time at all before we see this picture with Palin's face over-layed on the image!

Chip, where are you.

rhhardin said...

Rogue sentiment is generally positive.

Nature's aristocrat, one of our set, reliable because independent.

They come from the hearty equating of various senses of "honest" to each other.

A patronizing equating of senses gives pastoral sentiments, "Simple people are true to the facts of nature."

Wm Empson, _The Structure of Complex Words_, p.205

ricpic said...

Sarah's a traditionalist, an unapologetic traditionalist. That's what makes her enemy #1 to the Left. If a leftist organ called her rogue I could understand it. But that she calls herself rogue can only mean that she buys into the lefty meme that left is center. Sad.

Fred4Pres said...

"Going Rogue" is a mild perjoritive, but in her case it was breaking out of the trap Steve Schmidt and others of the McCain brain trust put her in. So it is a good description and an okay title.

Henry said...

Going Rogue has assonance. If she picked Maverick she would have had to title her memoir Scampering Maverick or Calving Maverick or something like that.

Dustin said...

I'm glad you put up the Amazon link as an unabashed tipping mechanism.

Please do that more.

rhhardin, I think one of them is going to have to eat their truck, because Palin is going to be the nominee. Enough people can stomach Palin being the nominee, and a lot of her supporters can't stomach any of the other front runners. She's a big middle finger directed at the GOP's beltwar leadership, and it's almost irrelevant to some of her supporters that she's got so much baggage.

I think Obama's a lesson we aren't learning. Being president is not for everyone who looks appealing on TV.

Irene said...

"Going Rogue" also brings Teddy Roosevelt to mind. Although a patrician, Teddy Roosevelt cultivated his "Rough Rider," populist, reputation. Palin has no patrician baggage to shed, and she can spin herself as a spirited, mischevious filly to stir her populist base.

In Teddy Roosevelt, we had a patrician who served the general good of a populist nation. What we have now is a patrician who snears at populism.

miller said...

This will be a 200+ thread in no time.

Palin is simply wonderful to watch. She posts on Facebook and gets the President of the United States to respond.

I mean, sit back and think about that.

Fred4Pres said...

Palin's ability of driving Andrew Sullivan completely and utterly bonkers has to be a gift.

jeff said...

"If a leftist organ called her rogue I could understand it. But that she calls herself rogue can only mean that she buys into the lefty meme that left is center. Sad."

Only mean that? OR more likely it was referring to the Republican handlers that said she had gone rogue in not following what they wanted her to do, say, act. I seriously doubt she gave any thought to what the lefty's think is center.

Shanna said...

The idea of misbehaving works particularly well for a woman, especially a woman setting herself apart from the men.

Indeed. “Well behaved women rarely make history” and all that. I think the title is kind of cheesy, but mostly because I don’t like the “going” part of it. I think Rogue fits and also makes her sound kind of cool, like an action hero (yes, I've seen xmen).

Richard Dolan said...

Anne: "'Rogue' has way more negative meanings in the dictionary ...."

In pop culture, though, I think "rogue" has taken on a more positive connotation. Think, for example, of some of the roles by Matt Damon, Denzel Washington and Harrison Ford, where they play a 'rogue' agent (often of the CIA). By bucking the Establishment, refusing to be 'get along, go along' types, they stand up for Truth and Justice.

I can see Sarah Palin identifying with that image.

traditionalguy said...

The games afoot, Watson. The recent connections of McCain with the Romney campaign are one thing, but watching the NYT and the MSNBC attack dogs temporarily build up Romney's image is going to be some amazing political theater.Will Romney become Time's Man of the Year? Stay tuned.

Paddy O said...

Going rogue also can have a Star Wars reference

Which adds even more to the idea that Palin is capitalizing on her Western conservative mentality, something that she probably inherently is more than McCain. Maverick implies someone making a unique path within the establishment--has that Top Gun or western gambler allusion.

Rogue means going their own way, outside the system, opposed to the system when it is opposed to them. It's misbehaving, but only according to the standards of some establishment. If the establishment is corrupt, then the misbehaving is applauded.

As Glenn Reynolds repeated apt quote suggests, even misbehaving doesn't necessarily mean sexual misbehavior for men nor does it have general negative connotations for a lot of people.

"I aim to misbehave" is the classic Captain Mal line from Firefly--that utterly superb show/movie of Western independence.

avwh said...

"Rogue" must be losing most of its negative connotations, marketing-wise. My son's new PDA/cellphone model is called a "Rogue" - that tells me the better synonym for "rogue" is "rebel" (consistent with Richard's post of the pop culture connotation).

chuck b. said...

Huh? That's a fun post, but she's just playing on the well-known remark from an anonymous (?) McCain staffer during the campaign, which Tina Fey quickly used as an hilarious joke on SNL. Always fun to be meta-critical tho'. Loved that you knew Rogue from the X-Men. You're so...smart.

AllenS said...

If you have an older dictionary, the word gay has a different meaning than now. The new meaning of rogue, is now supposed to mean totally cool.

Methadras said...

Wait. Are we sure its not Going Rouge? Because I think she looks fabulous in red.

traditionalguy said...

Rogue has a Romance Novel quality to it...Is there a bodice ripper cover on it? The Palin personality has a strong character component that is willing to fight for the right against a system that has the USA designated for the Trash Heap of History as the leader of the capitalist gangsters. We don't need a paid off Fake-President to get us a plea deal that half surrenders to that, we need a rogue point guard that intends to lead us to victory after victory.

garage mahal said...

Idiocracy:

Narrator: As the 21st century began, human evolution was at a turning point. Natural selection, the process by which the strongest, the smartest, the fastest, reproduced in greater numbers than the rest, a process which had once favored the noblest traits of man, now began to favor different traits. Most science fiction of the day predicted a future that was more civilized and more intelligent. But as time went on, things seemed to be heading in the opposite direction. A dumbing down. How did this happen? Evolution does not necessarily reward intelligence. With no natural predators to thin the herd, it began to simply reward those who reproduced the most, and left the intelligent to become an endangered species.

President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho: Shit. I know shit's bad right now, with all that starving bullshit, and the dust storms, and we are running out of french fries and burrito coverings. But I got a solution.
South Carolina Representative # 1: That's what you said last time, dipshit!
South Carolina Representative # 2: Yeah, I got a solution, you're a dick! South Carolina, what's up!

Unknown said...

Tina Fey forever destroyed the word "maverick" for Sarah Palin.

David said...

"Going Rogue" has great alliteration. Going Maverick sounds like James Garner's autobiography.

bagoh20 said...

In my mind, "rogue" is most similar to a pirate character. Outside law and rules and decidedly self-serving. The kind of figure who enjoys populist support only at a distance, but eventually is brought to justice.

I think it perfect for a large portion of the American political temperature today, but ultimately she needs to become part of the system. If that happened, she would be a tough candidate. It won't. She will be neither rogue enough, nor insider enough to satisfy enough.

Condi/Palin - 2012 - Full Monty

MadisonMan said...

As far as candidates go, I'd rather have Palin than Santorum.

miller said...

Sarah Palin speaks and it's a dog whistle only leftists can hear - and boy do they react.

Can't wait for the Usual Suspects to begin posting in this thread about how much they Hate Palin and how could the Reichwingers even think of following her?

amba said...

"Rogue" is an appealing word. We say "You rogue, you," and "lovable rogue." There's a Rogue River out west, and the word has a nice rugged Western wildness to it. Particularly appealing for a woman, I agree.

It also goes with my sense of why Sarah could break the rules by quitting her job as governor and live to tell the tale.

bagoh20 said...

Garage, your pretty elitist ship is sailing and there are no carpenters on board. The smarter elites are deciding to stay ashore.

Paul said...

After four years of America hating Marxists trying to shank the country Sarah Palin will be the perfect antidote with her understanding of the values that made this country great and the need to to wrench power out of the dead hand of the State and give it back to the individual.

She's way smarter than people give her credit for but more than that she has integrity and spine in spades.

Some here believe the media spin and think she cannot win the nomination let alone the presidency. I think she'll win both handily.

We'll see who is right.

Unknown said...

David said...

"Going Rogue" has great alliteration. Going Maverick sounds like James Garner's autobiography.

Or Roger Moore's ;)

Squid said...

Idiocracy is a look at a dystopian future brought about by the complete failure of the educational system, and the complete reliance of ordinary citizens on mass media and a social safety net that allows them to live without effort (albeit in squalor).

I applaud Garage for bringing this warning to light, since it's the perfect cautionary tale of what happens when we let things go too far down the Obama/Biden path.

Barristers Handshake said...

I would've preferred a pictorial book entitled "Going Commando."

Cedarford said...

Maybe going rogue is her pattern in any job.

She is appointed to Alaska's Oil and Gas Commission, then quits.

As Fred4Pres said...
"Going Rogue" is a mild perjoritive, but in her case it was breaking out of the trap Steve Schmidt and others of the McCain brain trust put her in. So it is a good description and an okay title.

So she was selected to help elect John McCain President, then quit on him and what his team asked her to do.

Then quit her Gov of Alaska job....

I have no doubt the adoring fans of her Cult of Personality will buy her book, make her rich, and support Their Goddess for President.
Buoyed by her assurance that "Yah betcha that running for President is too important a job to quit on my supporters, and go rogue again.."

Meanwhile, hopefully, people like Romney, Jindal, Gingrich, Collins, Jeb Bush, Pawlenty will be looking at how to renew Republicans as a Party of good alternatives rather than just a Party "against what Pelosi and Obama want".

They have a big task. Reaganomics failed over the long haul, Globalism and Free Trade with dirt cheap labor taking American jobs has hurt us. Deregulating Wall Street so Freedom Lovers!! could run America and grow the economy without gummint being in the way was a complete disaster. As was the neocon dream of unilimited wars America was obligated to be sucked into, to help "grateful Freedom Lovers!!!" The financial recklessness of Bush and the Congressional Republicans..the best they can say is they only sinned less than Pelosi, Waxman, Geithner, Obama did in our financial destruction.

And the rest of the country rejecting the values of the Religious Right, outside the Deep South. How to manage to elect any candidate not veto'd by the Fundies...

Yep, a big task...and I don't see Palin as a part of it, othr than perhaps showing up to run..

Barristers Handshake said...

For those of you who are confused, see:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=going+commando

Johanna Lapp said...

Traditional Guy suggests that "Rogue has a Romance Novel quality to it...Is there a bodice ripper cover on it?"

No disrespect intended to a fine and honorable lady, but oh please, ohhhhhhhh pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaase.

phosphorious said...

We already had a "Rebel In Chief", why not a "Rogue in Chief"?

I'm sure it prove to be equally felicitous.

chuck b. said...

Also, in Tina Fey's Sarah-Palin-going-rogue joke, Palin was going rogue in order to raise money for 2012! So is this book! Ha!

Unknown said...

Cedarford said...

She is appointed to Alaska's Oil and Gas Commission, then quits.

So she was selected to help elect John McCain President, then quit on him and what his team asked her to do.

Point 1 - she quit to fight the corruption.

Point 2 - they quit on her, doing everything they could to cut her down.

I know the Left is petrified of her, but the facts are easily verified.

AST said...

How old is your dictionary? The most current meaning of the term would be an agent who is no longer following orders. Isn't that what all those Bourne movies were about?

chuck b. said...

Here it is: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/mccain-qvc-open/805381/

So funny.

McCain Fine Gold! Hahaha.

ethan said...

You can help support this blog if you use this link to buy "Going Rogue."

You're ludicrous.

And every so often, when you're by yourself, looking in the mirror, you know you are.

Barristers Handshake said...

Her book is already the #2 Bestseller at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/ref=pd_dp_ts_b_1

John said...

The image of the loveable rogue became very popular in the late 18th Century. The 18th Century was the era of the orignal metrosexual. Elite men wore wigs and high fashion. The public grew tired of this effeminate image. Thus, crooks and theives and men of action became folk hereos. Gradually the elite image of a hero and of ideal manhood began to shift. The public found new more masculine hereos in men like Lord Nelson and Andrew Jackson as the 18th turned to the 19th Century.

In this age of "smart diplomacy" and someone getting elected President because they were alledgedly "errudite", I think the public is quite ready for a shift towards the more masculine. In that sense, the title is quite apt, although I am sure not meant that way

stuiec said...

"Going rogue" is a colloquial expression describing an employee or agent throwing off the shackles of organizational rules and operating under self-direction. Redford's character in Three Days of the Condor is forced into "going rogue" when his agency decides it must kill him and the rest of his unit to keep them quiet about a secret illegal operation.

The phrase is apt for Sarah Palin, who was badly used by the McCain campaign after the convention. They gave her restrictions and rules that made her less than ineffective, and she's not going to put up with that treatment anymore.

Triangle Man said...

A subtitle is needed. From what is she going rogue?

Big Mike said...

Put me in the category of people who are at least thinking of buying the book but don't like the title very much. I absolutely wouldn't want a President who regularly "goes rogue."

I agree with Glenn Reynolds; I Aim To Misbehave would have been a better title.

traditionalguy said...

The Dem's new slogan: "You can put rogue on a Palin, but it's still a Palin" , or was that rouge? Seriously, Sarah can win if the Republicans want to win in 2012. Then we'll find out whether she will apply the Bush doctrine to Chavez and friends on the southern border that EL Obamas has been investing his resources into so heavily of late.

Jeremy said...

You actually think Princess Sarah owns a dictionary or even knows what the word means?

The woman can't even name a single publication she reads...so how would she know anything about the definition of the title to her own book?

And does ANYBODY really believe she wrote this thing?

GFL.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

and it's almost irrelevant to some of her supporters that she's got so much baggage.


Some of us actually like her baggage and admire her for it.

Palin is criticized by the elitists in the Democrat and Republican Party for many things, that are really viewed as positives by the general public.

Jeremy said...

Slow (and I do mean s-l-o-w) Joe: "Palin is going to be the nominee."

C'mon, don't tease.

The Democrats would literally pay the Princess and the GOP for her to be the nominee.

Jeremy said...

Bunny - "Some of us actually like her baggage and admire her for it."

Of course you do...and that exactly why she and John lost the election.

There's nothing like a politician lugging around negative "baggage" to jump start their future.

DUH.

Jeremy said...

Sarah Palin is not selling well on the lecture circuit, an industry insider told the New York Post.

"The big lecture buyers in the US are paralyzed with fear about booking her, basically because they think she is a blithering idiot," the source said. "They don't want to tick people off."

What a shock.

miller said...

LuckyOlson, you do realize you post more about Palin than anybody else?

She has your number, boy.

sonicfrog said...

Ok. I'll bite on Palin's experience serving on the Oil and Gas Commission. Yes, she quit because she was frustrated at the corruption she saw within the committee (some details here) and wanted to expose it. She couldn't legally do so while on the committee, so she quit.

I applaud her for that. It's hard to find ethical people in politics. But being a whistleblower does not make up for the lack time spent doing a job. Because she was there for less than a year, there is not much of a record of accomplishments to attribute to her during her tenure. Same for her stint as Governor. The only government job she held for a long time is mayor of Wasilla, and she left with middling reviews. Other than that,

She may very well be much sharper than she comes off (I assume you don't get appointed to chair the Oil and Gas Commission if you're a complete dolt) but her tendency to quit in the middle of things will not help her case with the undecideds if she runs for President.

How are you going to feel comfortible electing someone to the highest office of the land, who is on the record expressing this attitude:

Palin said it was hard to do her job with potential civil penalties hanging over her head if she talked about what went on at her agency. She said the experience was taking the "oomph" out of her passion for government service and she decided to quit rather than becoming bitter.

Does anyone not think that there is X to the n'th more corruption in Washington than in Alaska that she, as President, will not be able to talk about?

If she wins, I just hope the VP candidate is one hell of a qualified individual, and not a Quayle or a Biden.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

There's nothing like a politician lugging around negative "baggage" to jump start their future.


Negative to you, maybe. Not necessarily to others.

You really should attempt to get out of your basement and wipe the Cheetos dust from your chin once in a while. You might find that there are more opinions than just your own out there.

sonicfrog said...

"Then we'll find out whether she will apply the Bush doctrine to Chavez and friends on the southern border that EL Obamas has been investing his resources into so heavily of late."

Of course, she'll have to study to learn what the "Bush Doctrine" is first.

OK, that was low..... but it was there, so I had to take it! :-)

Big Mike said...

I don't expect Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, or Mitt Romney to be the 2012 nominee. Whoever that person is, he or she is keeping a low profile right now -- and from a tactical perspective that's exactly right.

Palin is perceived by the left as being the front runner (and Glenn Reynolds' polls support that perception), but the main thing she's doing is being a lightning rod. And the more frothing at the mouth the left wing is at the very mention of her name (are you listening Jeremy?) the more they discredit themselves in the eyes of voters. And winning voters over is where the game is at.

traditionalguy said...

Jeremy...Sarah Palin is happy to hear about your support for her GOP nomination. All contributions you would like to make will be doubled by her supporters like me. And by sending them thru me, you won't get on the GOP mailing lists which send stuff out faster than Macy's sale pamphlets.

miller said...

I love watching LuckyOldson scampering to post comments about Palin.

It's delicious. She drives him and Sully absolutely bonkers, and I'm sure she gets a kick out of it.

She's remarkably comfortable with herself.

Ger said...

Ann should have linked to the audio book rather than the hardcover.

Everyone knows Palin's base is primarily illiterate rednecks - thus they'll have to listen to somebody read the book to them.

JackOfClubs said...

Does this mean we get to start calling McCain "The Motherless Calf from Arizona"? I kind of like the sound of that...

Jeremy said...

Bunny - "Negative to you, maybe. Not necessarily to others."

That's my point, bonehead.

The latest Bloomberg Poll has her Very
Favorable ratings at a whopping 13% and her Very Unfavorable at 35%.

Those are not the kinds of numbers that give her the look of a winner.

For whatever reason (far right conservatives, fundamental Christians, teabaggers) YOU of course, and the other wing nuts think she's a winner.

The last election proved otherwise, and if you don't think her "negative baggage" didn't contribute, you're dumber than I thought...and that would really take some doing.

reader_iam said...

"'You can help support this blog if you use this link to buy "Going Rogue.'"

How is this ludicrous? Althouse knows that there are many among her readers who are going to buy the book anyway. What's wrong with her noting, even promoting, that already settled, determined purpose in a manner which supports this blog, which those already determined buyers consume regularly, mostly for free?

Also--and perhaps I'm reading too much into what you wrote, Ethan, in seeing the shadow of an assumption--it is quite possible that Palin's book will be purchased and read even by people who are skeptical of her, or who don't support her but don't hate her, or even who do hate her.If those folks are going to buy and read the book anyway, and they are regular consumers of Althouse's output, why not buy it through the link?

reader_iam said...

I'm trying to think if there's a book written by (directly, or ghostwritten) a U.S. president of modern times that I haven't purchased and read. *Offhand*, I can't think of one.

I *think* that's true of veeps, too.

It's also true of most books by top aides, as well.

Althouse, I will use your link when I order Palin's book (assuming it's still eligible under the terms of my Prime membership).

Jeremy said...

traditionalguy - I realize you're in need of an income, but I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere.

I also love the bizarre slant the wing nuts here put on the liberals love of following and trashing every insane move the Princess makes. (A spectacular, 400 page memoir of a political career encompassing 3 terms as mayor of Wasilla, AL (WOW!)...and written in all of 4 four months? Now, THAT should tell you something.)

She represents everything the left or any thinking person in America sees as the best possible GOP candidate to guarantee 8 years of President Obama and a Democratic majority in Congress.

Most voters who actually understand politics, and who saw what happened in the recent election would be looking elsewhere, but here and with the vast majority of wing nuts, teabaggers, etc...you appear to think Princess Sarah actually helped John McCain.

She was and will be a disaster...and the liberals and independents love every minute of it.

chickelit said...

You can help support this blog if you use this link to buy 'Going Rogue.'

Done! Thanks for the suggestion. I also bought a copy of "Donbas" which I'd been meaning to get for some time.

Free shipping too, woohoo!

Jeremy said...

90% of the Princess Sarah books will be bought by the GOP money machine and distributed to the wing nuts.

Shanna said...

"The big lecture buyers in the US are paralyzed with fear about booking her, basically because they think she is a blithering idiot," the source said. "They don't want to tick people off."

I will be interested if this turns out to be true, or complete nonsense. I have my suspicions, but will be happy to see the numbers when they are in (just out of curiosity, who are the "industry insiders" of the lecture circuit? Is there only one lecture circuit? And it exists in NY?).

reader_iam said...

My two cents about the "Going Rogue" title: I don't particularly like it; I think it sends mixed messages; I'd have advised against it. But, big deal and who cares what I think? It wasn't chosen with me in mind and, truth be told, I don't care about *that.*

garage mahal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
reader_iam said...

Shanna: I think the price tag possibly might be another bit of an issue, and I'm wondering--just a bit, don't hit me too hard--if there's a bit of concern stemming from a bit of a track record on Palin's part of backing away from or canceling or whatever-ing from previously booked speaking/appearance engagements. I think that's a fair concern, however faint, and I think even diehard Palin supporters ought to be able to understand that, even if they disagree.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

The phrase "going rogue" has a different connotation than "rogue."

It implies Gene Hackman looking for missile codes on a submarine while Denzel Washington tries to stop him.

sonicfrog said...

Holy Separated at birth Batman! I've just discovered that Sarah Palin is Rogue's secret identity!!!!

Alex said...

Sarah Palin is the Jack Bauer of politics. I think that's a good association.

Alex said...

90% of the Princess Sarah books will be bought by the GOP money machine and distributed to the wing nuts.

9/30/09 1:21 PM


:shrug: I guess I'm one of the 10% that will buy it Costco.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

sonicfrog- great find

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

All political books are preaching to the choir. Few people pay 30 bucks to read something they disagree with.

sonicfrog said...

All talk radio shows are preaching to the choir. Few people pay 30 bucks to read something they disagree with.

There are a few TRS's out there that foster discussion, Medved comes to mind, but they are a precious few.

For anyone interested, I would recomend listening to Dan Carlin's "Common Sense" podcast. You may or may not agree with him, but he's a smart knowledgeable guy, is a history buff, and will make you think.

Paul said...

"Going Rogue"

Wait...doesn't that mean not wearing underpants?

reader_iam said...

John Lynch:

Well, then, count me among the few (and with a long, long history of such buying). I can assure you, however, that I am far from being either unique or alone, even if in the minority.

reader_iam said...

(Also, as far as the $30 goes, there is something called paperbacks and, more frequent the past decade or two, remainders.)

Phil 314 said...

Yawn

Shanna said...

Shanna: I think the price tag possibly might be another bit of an issue, and I'm wondering--just a bit, don't hit me too hard--if there's a bit of concern stemming from a bit of a track record on Palin's part of backing away from or canceling or whatever-ing from previously booked speaking/appearance engagements.

Perhaps, reader. As I said, I will be curious to see the numbers, if she really gets on a speaking tour. Considering the fascination people still have with her, I imagine she might draw a lot of people.

And it may have come off as snark, but I really am curious how the whole lecture circuit background works. It seems like it might be rather spread out, so I’m wondering if the “industry insiders” would have information nationwide trends or local ones. But, although I don’t hate Palin, I’m not one of her diehards either, so it’s not skin off my nose.

reader_iam said...

Shanna:

I imagine she might draw a lot of people.

Oh, I do, too. But that's the audience, as distinct from the organizations etc. that book speakers and the booking agents which function as go-betweens.

Synova said...

Perhaps this book is about her "Going Rogue" and the *next* book will be something more serious but still feisty.

"Also, in Tina Fey's Sarah-Palin-going-rogue joke, Palin was going rogue in order to raise money for 2012! So is this book! Ha!"

Oh, that one! I thought that was really funny.

Even funnier was the intro of "Idiocracy" where the "smart" people refused to breed... but possibly not in the way the film makers intended.

Someone I know (who usually reminds me very much of C4, actually) wrote this about Sarah Palin.

"The people who argue that Sarah Palin is a prole, therefore stupid, also argue she is a prole, therefore stupid, nasty, hateful, vile disgusting and repugnant – which is why prolishness is a vote winner: her enemies will expose the fact that they hate a very large proportion of the voters."

And also this.

Jon said...

I notice that on Intrade, among those betting on the identity of the 2012 GOP nominee, over the past 4 months Palin has steadily risen from 6th place to 2nd place, now virtually tied with Romney. Her shares have quadrupled in value, rising from a low of $6 immediately following her resignation, to $20 today (Romney is at $24).

PJ said...

All political books are preaching to the choir. Few people pay 30 bucks to read something they disagree with.

Maybe so, but I'll bet a lot of folks will pony up at half that price (which is the Amazon price right now), especially if the purchase allows them to (a) troll for passages in which Cuda sounds like an idiot and/or (b) support Professor Althouse's blog. I mean, this is currently the #2 best selling book on all of Amazon; those buyers can't all be illiterate wingnuts, can they?

miller said...

I'm sure that Sarah Palin is very concerned that some people are looking to find fault in her book.

Plus a lot of people will find their talking points not from the book but from what sites like Puffington Host will report.

And, I'm sure there were some people who've bought Billary's books and have read them, but I can't imagine that was an interesting task.

What we need is a Robert Caro-type treatment of President Present.

chickelit said...

$16.55 is not a lot for a hardcover book. Buy something else and the shipping is free too.

I like supporting worthy and deserving causes. Althouse has a tip jar too somewhere.

Jeremy said...

Jon - The Intrade crowd also gives there being any other President than Obama in 2012 a 1.6% chance.

And Romney's actually about a 27% choice.

MamaM said...

Bone head? Phone head?
Or maybe she's a cone head?

Jeremy's a Literate
Sis-Boom-Bah

All the books
He claims to read
Don't seem to help
Relieve his need

To try to win
By calling names
Most often used
In children's games

Where power over
Looks like strength
It seems he'll
Go to any length

To prove he is a Literate,
a Literate, a Literate.
It seems he'll go
To any length
To prove he is a Literate

I know, I know...I'm supposed to ignore him. But honestly, I find his angry, bullying style more of an affront then the toilet water mentioned earlier.

Something about him reminds me of my younger brother, and I'd like to give him a smack and tell him find something to do besides poke, sneer and deflect.

Guess I'm still mmm, mmm, MMMMAD! Which is good to know.

Peter Hoh said...

I'm not sure I can define it, but "going rogue" has a meaning not bound by the dictionary definitions of "rogue."

I suspect that it owes something to earlier phrases such as "going off the reservation" and "going commando."

Where's that Saffire, now that we need him?

Paddy O said...

"there being any other President than Obama in 2012 a 1.6% chance"

Which is great. Because if there's any other President in 2012, that would mean some kind of great tragedy had happened, and Obama did not finish his term.

I wish it was even lower than 1.6%. I'm all for Obama leaving office, but in early 2013 when his term ends, and he leaves as he should.

Synova said...

I don't think that "Going Rogue" has the connotations of being out of control. But certainly there is a strong association with going against whatever particular authority is supposedly in charge of you.

The "well behaved women" quote is extremely well known, particularly among feminists. Funny, really, that Palin seems to catch so much hostility from that quarter for not knowing her place.

I disagree with Instapundit about "I aim to misbehave." I LOVE that quote. It was entirely appropriate for the movie, and fittingly understated for the character. It might have some of the right feel but I think it's more forward looking and declarative than what would probably work best for what seems to be her political autobiography.

Maybe "I Aim to Misbehave" can be the title of her next book. ;-)

richard mcenroe said...

Ann,as long as we're waving the dictionary around, look up the definition of Obama's Secret Service codename, Renegade.

Those guys in the sunglasses are pretty sharp sometimes.

And I'm torn between ordering the book through you and ordering it through the same Bookstar I ordered Unfit for Command at, just to watch the veins pop out on their foreheads again...

Synova said...

"...just to watch the veins pop out on their foreheads again..."

Hard choice. ;-)

Beth said...

What does "help this blog" mean? Help it do what?

Peter Hoh said...

Beth, help this blog means help it make some money.

None but a fool write, except for money.

traditionalguy said...

"Going rogue" is like Marlon Brando's character in Apocalypse Now. Our lady of Palin will have to go rogue to become the first Woman President, and do that as a rogue because many women are jealous of her personal popularity with the men. That's a Rogue twofer.

blake said...

Even funnier was the intro of "Idiocracy" where the "smart" people refused to breed... but possibly not in the way the film makers intended.

I'd be interested to hear what you mean by that, Synova.

I thought it was interesting, though: They didn't seem smart so much as neurotic, to me.

Smart but flawed is way harder to convey than raw stoopid.

Synova said...

I've only seen the beginning of the movie. It was the montage illustrating why dumb people overtook the earth. It followed a couple with very high IQ's (I believe it included the IQ next to their names) and a dumb Redneck (with his IQ as well.) This is from very faulty memory, understand.

The "smart" couple are explaining that they want children and are planning this out.

The "dumb" guy knocks up his girl friend in high school.

Time passes... the "smart" couple explain why they have to wait for children. The "dumb" guy married his girl-friend and now they have three kids in all.

Time passes... the "smart" couple explain why now is not a good time to have kids. The "dumb" guy has monster children in middle school and knocks-up the neighbor.

Time passes... there has been a set back and the "smart" couple has to wait longer. The "dumb" guy's oldest is in high school and reproduces, branching the ever expanding family tree graphic on the screen.

Time passes... it's now convenient for the "smart" couple to have a family but they are having trouble conceiving. The "dumb" guy now has seven direct off-spring and a couple of grandkids. The graphics pop onto the family tree.

Time passes... the "smart" couple is trying fertility treatment. Their "family tree" still contains only two. The "dumb" family tree is up to a couple dozen and more pop on.

Time passes... the "smart" husband has died from an aneurysm while using pornography to produce a sperm sample. Half of the "smart" family tree pops out of existence. The "smart" widow explains that she'd like kids and hopes to some day meet the perfect man to start a family. The "dumb" family tree overflows the screen.

... I know I'm not getting the details right because I only saw it once but that's the gist.

I found it hysterical... first, because I really don't believe rednecks are dumber than any other person, and second, because that's exactly what the supposedly "smart" people do. And hasn't Althouse linked enough articles on the travails of professional women trying to find some man to reproduce with? The career timing is never right, not even after finding the fellow. And then, of course, there is the *proper* concern about overpopulating the Earth.

Every now and then some "smart" person will suggest that "smart" people should view passing on their genes as a *good* thing and have more children, maybe even *three* of them.

I find it really funny because it's just not *smart* to behave in a way contrary to biological success. It's actually rather irrational. (In a sort of technical sense of the word "irrational.")

blake said...

Synova,

No, that's exactly right as a description, and compares with my take on it.

However, I'm quite sure the film-makers "got" that. (Knowing that the filmmaker was Mike Judge, creator of "King of the Hill".)

It was just a fun way to launch a movie with a bunch of "stupid jokes".

As a survival point, the couple's rationales are only "smart" if they're only concerned about themselves (more than leaving a future generation).

My observation re the theory—which has been argued seriously—is that you don't get a kind of cute, decaying-but-automated-so-still-running society. You get a complete breakdown which doesn't give one the luxury of being that stupid.

reader_iam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
blake said...

Nah, that's not the point, reader. These people know each other for the same time as the "dumb" people. But between their careers, the economy, and so on, they end up putting things off until it's much harder. In other words, it was a choice.

You really—well, I really felt bad for them—and, of course, it's not stupidity but education. (I know that's the message I got growing up, though not from my parents.)

But the point is, there are consequences for that. And I don't remember anyone talking about those when I was growing up.

And this is not subtle movie.