Althouse: "Palin went into a tailspin."

January 11, 2010

"Palin went into a tailspin."

"She stopped eating or sleeping, and drank only a half a can of diet soda a day.... When her aides tried to quiz her she would routinely shut down - chin on her chest, arms folded, eyes cast to the floor, speechless and motionless, lost in what those around her described as a kind of catatonic stupor...."

102 comments:

tim maguire said...: Sounds like a normal reaction to realizing what a travesty of a campaign McCain was determined to run.; 1/11/10, 9:39 AM
MayBee said...: I wonder if she was praying?; 1/11/10, 9:42 AM
Alex said...: Can Palin sue these bastards?; 1/11/10, 9:45 AM
AllenS said...: She was on tv constantly. I can't ever think of a time that she looked speechless and motionless with her chin on the chest, arms folded. I'm calling bullshit.; 1/11/10, 9:49 AM
victoria said...: Sue who? Sue them for telling the honest truth? Please, her delusions are only matched by our dear Florida's delusions.

Vicki from Pasadena; 1/11/10, 9:50 AM
bagoh20 said...: I heard she eats babies and they're not even her own.; 1/11/10, 9:52 AM
Arturius said...: I thought this particular comment was quite telling:

Halperin and Heilemann tell ABC News their book is based on interviews with over 300 people. They add that many of the revelations aren't based on quotes, but paraphrased statements.

With that kind of endorsement, I would take anything from that book with a grain of salt.; 1/11/10, 9:53 AM
bagoh20 said...: Why are lefties so scared of this woman? If she's nuts or lame, there is nothing to fear from here politically.; 1/11/10, 9:54 AM
DADvocate said...: Given the obvious attempts to besmirch Palin, I have trouble believing anything written about her anymore. I sincerely doubt she's as bad as portrayed as much as Obama was sold as the light skinned non-Negro talking savior.; 1/11/10, 9:55 AM
Sharc 65 said...: Brilliant question, MayBee! I don't think Palin would make a good president, but she's a great lightning rod for the left. I've learned much more about liberals than I have about Palin over the last couple years. From the comments at the original article:

"after watching and listening to palin, its [sic] pretty [sic] to see why she had a retarded baby..she's one herself, its [sic] just genetics."

There's the erudite compassion we're all striving for.; 1/11/10, 9:57 AM
traditionalguy said...: Very good propaganda indeed. This inside the campaign stuff is carefully designed to explain that Palin is really and truly mentally unfit and a quitter. This work is being done done by the same Image Makers whose control she resisted during the McCain campaign. They want to have control over any candidate's image or they will show off that they can destroy the candidate by deliberately feeding the media gossip adding to a candidates worst possible image instead of working to improve it. That amount of insider betrayal must have been a shock to Palin who was used to having strong supporters in the insider jobs.; 1/11/10, 10:00 AM
michael farris said...: Palin is the new Hillary Clinton.

There aren't that many similarities, besides being female and a magnet for over-the-top ridiculous attacks by people who become unhinged at the very thought of them.

I might add a penchant for getting in over their heads, but I'm not quite so sure about that.

wv: colorism: part of what got us the current potus.; 1/11/10, 10:01 AM
Anonymous said...: Bear in mind that the article was written in an alternative universe in which Hillary Clinton has been getting "high marks as Secretary of State". It's possible that none of that Palin stuff is in the Earth version of the book.; 1/11/10, 10:01 AM
michael farris said...: To clarify, almost all politicians have a habit of getting in over their heads, the successful ones manage to surface again. Clinton has managed that more than once, while I'm not so sure about Palin's survivor rating.

wv: cochex : a new class of airline ticket, crowded and uncomfortable but not cavity searches ... yet.; 1/11/10, 10:04 AM
Ned said...: Liberals are scared of her because of her confidence...and belief in God. Liberals are afraid of their own shadow because nothing they believe in is grounded...in anything. Just say BOO and they will jump sky high.

Their only means of defense is to spew hatred at their opponents...because they cannot effectively backup any of their beliefs...like voting for obama...; 1/11/10, 10:05 AM
KCFleming said...: "Book 'Game Change' portrays Sarah Palin as unstable ignoramus..."

I heard women shouldn't be President because their uterus and hormones make them crazy every once in awhile.; 1/11/10, 10:05 AM
J. Cricket said...: And remember, Althouse was very excited about Palin's candidacy and still seems to think that this train wreck is qualified for public office.; 1/11/10, 10:06 AM
Professor Steve said...: This doesn't pass the sniff test - it smells contrived.
Contrast this with the the Edwards' stories over the past week. Specific people quoted (names given). Behavior and words consistent with our observations of the Edwards' themselves (public and private behavior match). These "revelations" give a Jekyll and Hyde quality to Palin that may seem interesting (titillating?), but don't match our personal observations of the woman.

Agenda journalism.; 1/11/10, 10:07 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Possibly she shut down and didn't look at them because she didn't want to talk to those particular A-holes. That's what I do....ignore people that I don't want to interact with.

Gossip and inuendo, perfect tools to either undermine a candidate or in the case of Obama, inflate a candidate. All hot air.; 1/11/10, 10:07 AM
traditionalguy said...: Re-reading the accusations about Palin's reaction to aides also seems like a reaction that a person who has standards of right and wrong would make when being instructed to lie about what she thinks. That takes a lot of mental processing when the job you just accepted requires that out of you.; 1/11/10, 10:10 AM
Synova said...: "This work is being done done by the same Image Makers whose control she resisted during the McCain campaign."

The same Image Makers who will never work again if the perception is that *they* mishandled Palin.

It simply *has* to be her fault.

What I've seen that she's said about it makes sense to me. No one seems to have asked *her* what her process was, how she works best, how she performs best.

I wonder if the Image Makers will be able to find work again even if they can find someone as credulous as Vicky, who will believe without question that they were brilliant and Palin impossible. Because even believing that, they're going to have to wonder what stories will be told when it's over.; 1/11/10, 10:11 AM
michael farris said...: "in an alternative universe in which Hillary Clinton has been getting "high marks as Secretary of State""

Are her ratings as SoS any lower than obama, biden and pelosi or congress as a whole? I honestly don't know.

My perception is that she's had no more than the normal number of, mostly trivial, screwups and a lack of any positive accomplishments. Strangely enough that probably helps her international image since 'not doing anything' is a highly prized and rarely encountered feature in politicians in many countries.

wv: ineyworm : a parasite far too disgusting to describe here.; 1/11/10, 10:13 AM
MadisonMan said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/11/10, 10:15 AM
MadisonMan said...: I will say that reading the comments in this thread, and then reading the comments in this one is an interesting exercise.; 1/11/10, 10:17 AM
David said...: You have to remember that this is a book written by journalists based on interviews with politicians. Those two facts alone undermine the credibility of a description that is at odds with the confident Palin we see in public. I take this with a box or two of salt.

On the other hand, we are eager to believe the nasty stuff in this book about people we don't think very highly of--Biden, Edwards, Obama. Yet some of the same credibility issues exist in these accounts. (I say "some" because the overwhelming urge to destroy Palin is such a factor in all reporting about her.)

The sad fact is that our public discourse has become so grounded in lies, exaggerations and personal attack that it's hard to know what to believe, and easy to believe anything that confirms our preconceptions.

To me the greatest disappointment of the Obama presidency is that he made promises to change this pattern of behavior. Indeed it was the fundamental premise of his campaign. Yet he and his allies have made no effort to do things differently.; 1/11/10, 10:19 AM
Der Hahn said...: Professor Steve - very good points. Her behavior as described also doesn't track with her subsequent public apperances.

vw : racibb - Mushmouth's reaction to Harry Reid's comments about Barak Obama.; 1/11/10, 10:20 AM
garage mahal said...: To me the greatest disappointment of the Obama presidency is that he made promises to change this pattern of behavior.

Obama is to blame for a book written by Mark Halperin? Oy.; 1/11/10, 10:26 AM
Arturius said...: To me the greatest disappointment of the Obama presidency is that he made promises to change this pattern of behavior. Indeed it was the fundamental premise of his campaign. Yet he and his allies have made no effort to do things differently.

Good point although I was under no illusions that he actually meant any of the hope and change rhetoric he spouted during his campaign. In retrospect, he was given the easiest possible environment to win the President simply by saying 'I'm the complete opposite of the people who have been running the show for the last eight years'. It didn't take much to paint McCain as Bush II and with the press in his back pocket he was gold.

What is disappointing to me are those who claimed they believed in his message yet now twist themselves into pretzels defending one broken promise after another. This simply reinforces my belief that any pol will do as long as 'its our guy'.; 1/11/10, 10:27 AM
Anonymous said...: For the left, gay is now preferable. Gay sex is not stained by the sin of patriarchal karma. Thus, artificial insemination and surrogate births save the newborn from eternal damnation.

Giving birth the old fashioned way, via hetero sex, condemns the child to the sins of the patriarchy.

Thus, Palin is insane, in that she is intentionally bequeathing the sins of the patriarchy to naturally born children.

She must be stopped before she transmits the stigma to yet another generation.; 1/11/10, 10:27 AM
Synova said...: MM, I didn't follow the thread about Elizabeth and John Edwards but my first *thought* was... when did it become acceptable to say that the lady dying of cancer is a horrible person?

Did she get *better*?; 1/11/10, 10:30 AM
Darrell said...: Yet, she was seen by ten of thousands on the campaign trail 12-16 hours per day.

May I call bullshit?; 1/11/10, 10:32 AM
Arturius said...: On the other hand, we are eager to believe the nasty stuff in this book about people we don't think very highly of--Biden, Edwards, Obama. Yet some of the same credibility issues exist in these accounts.

Considering the comments supposedly made by Reid and Clinton essentially echo the same comments as Biden or Ferraro tend to confirm the theory that most Democrats are simply blind to their own ingrained racism thus I don't necessarily question their credibility in the book.; 1/11/10, 10:33 AM
Paddy O said...: The Washington Post article has this interesting tidbit:

Steve Schmidt described Palin as "very calm - nonplussed" after McCain met with her at his Arizona ranch just before putting her on the Republican ticket. McCain had planned to name Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., as his vice presidential choice until word leaked, sparking what Schmidt called political blowback over picking the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Schmidt said he asked Palin about her serenity in the face of becoming "one of the most famous people in the world." He quoted her as saying, "It's God's plan."

"very calm - nonplussed"

Palin's serenity was so intense after being asked to be VP that she was nonplussed. "I am confused and dazed by this calm I feel!" she, no doubt, exclaimed.; 1/11/10, 10:35 AM
G Joubert said...: No one seems to have asked *her* what her process was, how she works best, how she performs best.

It probably goes even further than just that. I'm betting it was by people who strongly disapproved of her as the running mate selection in the first place.; 1/11/10, 10:35 AM
MadisonMan said...: Did she get *better*?

Maybe she has the same doctor as the Pan Am bomber?

Seriously, though, as I recall -- vaguely -- EE's cancer was always described as slow-growth. But if a person is a horrible person -- not saying EE is, I don't know her -- them having cancer doesn't change that.

But anyway, both stories are hit pieces and should be viewed as such.; 1/11/10, 10:37 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Schmidt said he asked Palin about her serenity in the face of becoming "one of the most famous people in the world." He quoted her as saying, "It's God's plan."

Unlike The Won who said 'I have a gift'.; 1/11/10, 10:40 AM
Paddy O said...: "both stories are hit pieces and should be viewed as such"

Absolutely true. I didn't read the EE article because of it.

But they are hit pieces that, I think, come from motives worth trying to figure out. They are both hit pieces but they're not hit pieces that arise from the same reasons or goals.

Thought they do certainly share the same goal of former aides trying to distance themselves from criticism by blaming others.; 1/11/10, 10:43 AM
David said...: garage mahal said...

"Obama is to blame for a book written by Mark Halperin? Oy."

Here comes Garage, with his usual straw man argument.

Obama is to blame for failing to follow through on his promise for openness, transparency, bipartisanship. Very much to blame. He was going to have a new approach--open, fair, thoughtful, all inclusive.

We see now that it was complete bullshit. He never meant it. Or worse, he meant it but scrapped the notion because it was inconvenient.; 1/11/10, 10:46 AM
garage mahal said...: Obama is to blame for failing to follow through on his promise for openness, transparency, bipartisanship. Very much to blame. He was going to have a new approach--open, fair, thoughtful, all inclusive.

What does that have to do with this book?; 1/11/10, 10:52 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: What does that have to do with this book?

@ garage

Oh...NOW...you want to stay on topic.

/wink; 1/11/10, 10:55 AM
Anonymous said...: Seems like Althouse has become the Daily Dish. Now she can dress up in regal robes like Queen Mary Jane Milky Loads.; 1/11/10, 10:59 AM
MayBee said...: Absolutely true. I didn't read the EE article because of it.

Whatever part of the EE story is true, there is enough there to demonstrate her private personality was vastly different than the way she was sold.

I'm certain, had the Edwards found a way to win, we'd still be reading articles about their marriage ala the Jodi Kantor "Obama's Marriage" piece.

It is supposed to be the modern thing for wives to be some sort of co-partner for the Presidency. The feminist idea is to put wives out on the campaign trail as the wise, strong, devoted, smart spouse as opposed to the Cindy McCain quiet "stepford" spouse.

But my Word. What is more degrading than creating a whole new persona for the wife of a candidate?; 1/11/10, 10:59 AM
MadisonMan said...: Whatever part of the EE story is true, there is enough there to demonstrate her private personality was vastly different than the way she was sold.

Well, the obvious question then becomes: Do you think there is enough "there" in the Palin story? They -- the stories -- seem -- to me -- to be very similar.; 1/11/10, 11:04 AM
Steve M. Galbraith said...: We've had more than enough sources of Palin's behind the scences frantic behavior for me to conclude this is more than aides exacting revenge on her - and wow, the title of this book should be 'The Revenge of the Campaign Staffers.'

She's simply wasn't ready for what she was thrown into. She panicked, got scared, got angry..the usual reaction by many people in difficult situations.

She's not the monster that her critics view her nor is she some sort of American Margaret Thatcher ready for national office.

She is what she is - a small state governor that is in over her head and simply not ready for national office.; 1/11/10, 11:08 AM
KCFleming said...: "They -- the stories -- seem -- to me -- to be very similar."

Yes.
'Women are often unstable, so too unstable to be President'.; 1/11/10, 11:09 AM
Joe said...: The quote has me a bit mystified; isn't this how most normal people who actually think behave? That is, you tune everyone off around you? Is being introspective now a political sin?

Enough of hyperactive, extroverted assholes who think that if you're not chumming it up there's something wrong with you.; 1/11/10, 11:11 AM
rcocean said...: Its been a year and the loser McCain aides are still attacking her.

To me, the most interesting revelation was that McCain expected Liberal Democrat Joe Lieberman to be his VP. When the loser aides finally talked to a few actual Republicans they found out the "Blow-back was incredible" - Duh!

So in August 2008 -a couple days before the deadline - they scrambled around and picked Palin. McCain had Five Freakin' months to choose a VP and have a backup choice vetted and in place and yet they scrambled around at the last moment.

What a bunch of losers!; 1/11/10, 11:14 AM
vbspurs said...: Why are lefties so scared of this woman? If she's nuts or lame, there is nothing to fear from here politically.

Because, as I said in another post, liberals do not trust people. That's why they expect government to step in and tell folks what to do, how to think, how to act.

This translates, in Palin's case, in a visceral fear that people will stupidly elect this woman anyway. In other words, they don't trust their fellow Americans to "do the right thing" and ignore her.

Cheers,
Victoria; 1/11/10, 11:15 AM
rhhardin said...: It takes positive action to hold an airplane in a tailspin.

Palin is a pilot though, so maybe she can do it.; 1/11/10, 11:17 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: There was one quote from the earlier sample of this book that I found particularly funny. It was the one about E. Edwards not wanting to hand out flyers at Wal-Mart. It was funny because it was framed as being insane, but really, most people wouldn't want to stand around handing out flyers, would they? I can picture someone saying that, and it being entirely reasonable.

As to the Palin thing, who knows? Does this book have footnotes? The Edwards excerpt didn't appear to indicate where the writer got his information.; 1/11/10, 11:18 AM
dreams said...: I don't believe that stuff about Palin. I have nothing but contempt for McCain's campaign staff.; 1/11/10, 11:24 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: 720 pages for 18.50. See? 2.5¢ per page. That's a good value for a book as long as you read the whole thing.

I tend to conflate Mark Halperin with Mark Halprin author of Winters Tale. Bad to do because they're worlds apart.

Tailspin is a weird word.

The word attempt to create visual imagery that is unsustainable. If a wing stalls on an aircraft or partially flies and partially stalls then the whole craft spins. However the craft spins, the whole craft spins, wings and tail. Damaged tail rudder and ailerons can cause spinning but but they're more for stability and a planes have been landed without them. Why the emphasis on the tail which cannot spin independently of the whole craft with its wings also spinning much more dramatically? I sense that falling from the sky is wishful thinking coming through.

Suggestion: Substitute "aerial" for "tail" to create the imagery of a full plane spinning and dropping from the sky and avoid creating the imagery of an automobile spin.

I think what the authors are describing is more like bi-polar, but that's not nearly as dramatic in print and not as satisfying for a large portion of their intended audience, which is most likely everybody.

But I really don't care about Palin, or this book, or the authors, or what people think about politics. Regarding books, my attention is set on Sabuda's new pop-up book on myths and legends that's pre-ordered for February. And I'm waiting for two cook books that are already ordered, but I'll read those in one night and to be honest, I'm really only mildly and marginally interested.; 1/11/10, 11:25 AM
victoria said...: Victoria,
If we trusted America to do the right thing we would have never elected Clinton or Bush (Sr or JR). if we had done the right thing we would have elected McCain in 2000. This is coming from a liberal democrat. The problem from McCain today is, apart from the fact that he is too darn old, is that he was destroyed by the Bush campaign in 2000 and never recovered his mojo. As a slightly left Republican, he would have been an inspired choice and would have led us with honor. Instead we got years of lies, transgressions, treason and "interrogation" that left us with a stain on our reputation not only in our own country but in the world.

Palin, no matter what her "calling" or her "charisma" (must be lost on me) cannot and will not EVER be a leader. She has shown over and over again her willingness to compromise and leave situations where it is uncomfortable for her. She is a loser. I am not afraid of her I am afraid for the American people if she is ever elected to higher office. Not ot be sexist, Mitt Romney gives me the heebee jeebies too.

Vicki from Pasadena; 1/11/10, 11:27 AM
MayBee said...: Well, the obvious question then becomes: Do you think there is enough "there" in the Palin story? They -- the stories -- seem -- to me -- to be very similar.

Really? You think the stories are similar? Elizabeth Edwards has been portrayed for years as a practically saintly figure. A health care expert (she was scheduled to speak at the DNC). The biggest asset her husband had.
They were so in love, so smart, so humble they still went to Wendy's for their anniversary.
She is simply nothing she was marketed to be.

Sarah Palin, I believe, had a hard time preparing for the VP campaign. I believe she probably did lose her appetite, get quiet, have trouble focusing. I don't think any of that is different than the way she's been portrayed publicly.

It seems the better Palin comparison is Biden.; 1/11/10, 11:32 AM
MadisonMan said...: Similar in that they are both attacking the women via un-named sources.

(I think they're unnamed -- haven't really read the links too closely. Just assuming they are because aren't they always in a book like this?).; 1/11/10, 11:46 AM
MayBee said...: Similar in that they are both attacking the women via un-named sources.

Men are getting attacked via unnamed sources as well.
IMHO, the only person not attacked or undermined in the book is Obama. Which is, I suspect, the point of the book (if not the sources).; 1/11/10, 11:51 AM
Mark said...: It sounds like the book is heavily endorsing the "Palin is a quitter" attack du jour. In fairness, Palin did herself no favors in leaving the Governorship, but I understand both prongs of her reasoning (that the non-stop attacks on her were bad for the State, and that she could make more of a political difference -- and not go broke -- as a private citizen). Staying in office presented its own set of short- and long-term problems.

Victoria from Pasedena take her own pass at Palin, saying she will never be a leader.

These attacks fall apart in the face of the evidence, though. The image presented in the book of a listless dim bulb bears no relation to the person who delivered that electrifying convention speech, nor to the person who outdrew both McCain and Obama on the campaign trail. And on balance, I think leaving office was braver than staying. (Others of course will say it was more stupid.) Whatever, since then she certainly hasn't backed down and certainly hasn't seemed to lack for energy.

And as to leadership and inspiration, Palin is the only person in America right now -- including Obama -- who can change the terms of national debate with a simple Facebook post.

I have to give Heilemann and Halperin credit for going after dirt on both the McCain and Obama campaigns. In the end though I think their political DNA was just too strong to let them to look at the anti-Palin sources with skeptical eyes.; 1/11/10, 11:51 AM
MayBee said...: Here's a better way to say what I think: every anecdote in that book has a motive behind it.; 1/11/10, 11:58 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: 'Women are often unstable, so too unstable to be President'.

Damn straight. I've seen Mrs. Hoosier during a particular bad visit from her Aunt Flo and I make sure the ammo is locked up. Don't want that anywhere near the nuclear warhead code book.

Bad day of cramps and wooosh! There just went Paris.; 1/11/10, 12:18 PM
Jon said...: And yet somehow,just days after going catatonic, she did quite well in the debate- in fact, according to Pew polling viewers felt she did better against Biden than McCain did against Obama.; 1/11/10, 12:24 PM
Opus One Media said...: Well ya'betcha! I just loved this quote:

"If I had known everything I know now, I would not have done this," the book quotes Palin as saying."

Honeybunch, there possibly isn't a well deep enough to hit the bottom of what you don't know.; 1/11/10, 12:56 PM
Opus One Media said...: vbspurs said...

"Because, as I said in another post, liberals do not trust people."

operative word here is people and implied "without a brain in their noggin"..that part seems not to have been included in your quote....perhaps an oversight...all generalities aside.; 1/11/10, 12:59 PM
Bob Ellison said...: Why does anyone pay attention to what Mark Halperin says?; 1/11/10, 1:20 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: operative word here is people and implied "without a brain in their noggin"..

And that describes you to a tee hdhouse proving everytime you post here that there is no limit to the depths of human ignorance. Hell I have shoes smarter than you.; 1/11/10, 1:24 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Honeybunch

No Palin thread would be complete without a dash of rank sexism.; 1/11/10, 1:32 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Palin seems to have recovered quite well.; 1/11/10, 1:34 PM
Shanna said...: Possibly she shut down and didn't look at them because she didn't want to talk to those particular A-holes. That's what I do....ignore people that I don't want to interact with.

Possible, but I'm going to call BS on the whole thing. I don’t believe a word out of these people’s mouth’s about Palin. Especially something that came from 300 random people.

Some people are willing to believe anything just because it's negative, in regards to her. I don't see her as the type to go catatonic.; 1/11/10, 1:41 PM
Shanna said...: But if a person is a horrible person -- not saying EE is, I don't know her -- them having cancer doesn't change that.

If she had say, left her husband
to drown in a lake, I would totally agree with you. But since what she actually did was get cheated on and publicly humiliated while dying of cancer (and at some point possibly call her husband a hick?), I think it would be nice to leave her alone. Especially since she’s not even dead yet.; 1/11/10, 1:47 PM
Jeremy said...: I predicted this months ago:

Sarah Palin Joining Fox News; 1/11/10, 2:31 PM
1775OGG said...: Of course, the thing I like best about Halperin and Heilemann is their statement that they worked completely off from memory, never once taking full notes, if I recall their statement correctly!; 1/11/10, 2:50 PM
Opus One Media said...: Freeman Hunt said...
"Honeybunch
No Palin thread would be complete without a dash of rank sexism."

oh did i write that?; 1/11/10, 2:57 PM
Opus One Media said...: Hoosier Daddy said...
" Hell I have shoes smarter than you."

I guess that is why you think so well on your feet...; 1/11/10, 2:59 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: I think she found herself in one of those impossible situations where there was nothing she could do with those people. I've had the same experience, where people try to shove me into a racial box and, because they're friendly - supposedly on my "side" and trying to "help" me - there's not much I can say that won't rile them to anger, sensing insult, so I shut down.

Now'a'days, I'd be much more likely to speak up, as Palin is now that she's free of them, but at the time,...; 1/11/10, 3:17 PM
JAL said...: Shanna --

The issue wasn't about whether or not it is nice to say unpleasant things about sick people.

The issue is EE continued to push John Edwards for the US presidency KNOWING that he had affair on the campaign trail (with a ditz, no less) -- and then when it looked like he wouldn't be the front runner they were willing to settle for less (VP - AG of the US) while he had a baby on the way with another woman.

Sheesh.

From the article (given that it is probably overblown, though documented as opposed to SP's reputed "tail spin") it seems that EE had her heart set, and saw her future as playing a part in national politics, possibly being FLOTUS, and it was dashed, tampled and spat upon by her husband's infidelity. (Can infidelity spit?)

Nothing like the death of a vision to make one's temper flare.; 1/11/10, 3:19 PM
JAL said...: I am reading Palin's book. (Yes, Joy Behar, conservatives know how to read. [And don't they all sound so intelligent and well informed on that clip? Ad hominem all the way. Oh yeah, and the "comedienne" chickie is the one who thought it would be funny for Palin to go to NYC and get gang raped by the brothers. Isn't that racist?])

The McCain handlers wouldn't let her run.

If you read the book you know that this woman runs.

She's done three marathons. (Take that you macho wimps.) The discipline it takes to train for a marathon is something one cannot blow off. It indicates something quite positive about her determination and focus.

I think this staff simply did not take the time to get to know this person. They are the one that panicked because she didn't squish into their predetermined mold. She didn't squish into the mold when she started in politics on the Wasilla City Council, either. Those guys thought they had the Token Female and got someone who thought and acted on different principles than what they expected and planned on.

They should have let her run. It is a huge part of who she is.; 1/11/10, 3:37 PM
garage mahal said...: Palin definitely knows how to run. Away.; 1/11/10, 4:31 PM
HT said...: traditionalguy said...

Very good propaganda indeed. This inside the campaign stuff is carefully designed to explain that Palin is really and truly mentally unfit and a quitter.
___

I won't speak to the mentally unfit part, but is there any question that she quit mid-term?; 1/11/10, 5:02 PM
jeff said...: "Bad day of cramps and wooosh! There just went Paris."

You make that sound like a bad thing.

"Palin definitely knows how to run. Away."
At what point would you have resigned garage? After you drained every penny of your bank account? After selling all your assets? I'm curious.

Same question for HT; 1/11/10, 5:06 PM
John Stodder said...: I think this staff simply did not take the time to get to know this person. They are the one that panicked because she didn't squish into their predetermined mold.

This overlooks the fact that were it not for McCain and his evil handlers, Palin would still be an obscure governor of a small state. She had fans among the conservative illuminati, but as only one of a group of governors they liked.

Steve Schmidt and Sarah Palin might hate each other, but they've also made each other's careers.; 1/11/10, 5:40 PM
Anonymous said...: jeff --

"At what point would you have resigned..."

Don't expect anything but a bullshit "I would have stuck to the end" from them. Easy to say from a distance.; 1/11/10, 5:41 PM
traditionalguy said...: HT...No more of a question for the weak minded than whether or not the USMC quit on us during the Chosin Resevoir advance to the ocean in the winter of 1951. They left behind them most of the Red Chinese Army dead in the snow and made it out from certain death to fight again; but yes, they quit on us just exactly like Palin did. Great point.; 1/11/10, 5:42 PM
traditionalguy said...: HT...To make sure you understand the 30,000 Marines who fought in the Chosin Breakout never stopped fighting and never abandoned their duty or their fellow Marines in the long fight. As a Christmas present to Mao Tse Dong, they also wrecked the 60,000 man Army that had them surrounded north of the resvoir. Of course Sarah is familiar with that kind of weather and that kind of predicament being surrounded by enemies in the Alaskan winter and her Alaskan Oil development fights.; 1/11/10, 5:53 PM
Synova said...: "This overlooks the fact that were it not for McCain and his evil handlers, Palin would still be an obscure governor of a small state. She had fans among the conservative illuminati, but as only one of a group of governors they liked."

I think it would be hard to argue that her eventual presidential potential wouldn't be greater if she were still the obscure governor of a small state. She'd be getting more of the conventional experience she needs to have, and Levi might be married to the mother of his child (I don't suppose we can know if that is better than not being married to her. I'm still considering the possibility that Levi is a decent boy dealing with life as imperfectly as someone his age can be expected to.)

People were noticing her before. There's no reason that a 45 year old shouldn't expect 16 or 20 more years to gain prominence, and no reason to think they won't.

And how can Schmidt's career be made? Perhaps this won't hurt his employment, but would *you* hire him?; 1/11/10, 5:55 PM
garage mahal said...: Don't expect anything but a bullshit "I would have stuck to the end" from them. Easy to say from a distance.

Funny no other governors found themselves in that situation. Hmmph. I would say I wouldn't have put myself in that position to begin with by pulling the shit she did.; 1/11/10, 5:56 PM
traditionalguy said...: Garage...No other Governors panic the Democrat machine that owns all of the national power today like the warrior from Wasilla does. Governor Napolitano of Arizona was a sweet go along to get along with the Natonal Democrats, and no problems arose for her. Does that mean that Napolitano was a good Governor and Palin was incompetant? The Ethics charges filed if Palin sneezed were all jokes anyway.; 1/11/10, 6:09 PM
John Stodder said...: And how can Schmidt's career be made? Perhaps this won't hurt his employment, but would *you* hire him?

Book deals, TV commentating gigs, speaker circuit. He could make a good buck as the Palin scold.

Yeah, his campaign rat days are over, but I think that's the pattern now. If you run a national campaign, instead of maintaining discretion, you tell all and cash in. "The inside dope on John McCain" is hardly sexy enough to rate an article in the Saturday Evening Post, but claims about Palin's sanity and intelligence from a person purportedly in a position to know -- Fort Knox, baby.; 1/11/10, 6:15 PM
John Stodder said...: As to the Palin thing, who knows? Does this book have footnotes? The Edwards excerpt didn't appear to indicate where the writer got his information.

According to the review in today's NY Times, no footnotes and minimal attribution. This book was written a la Bob Woodward. If you talked to them, they made you look good. If you didn't, they made you look bad. John and Elizabeth Edwards must have REALLY pissed them off. Although these Two Americans surely had this coming.; 1/11/10, 6:18 PM
mariner said...: David:
On the other hand, we are eager to believe the nasty stuff in this book about people we don't think very highly of--Biden, Edwards, Obama. Yet some of the same credibility issues exist in these accounts. (I say "some" because the overwhelming urge to destroy Palin is such a factor in all reporting about her.)

You undermined your own thesis.

Some of us don't believe the stories about Palin because they so obviously contradict what we've seen with our own eyes and heard with our own ears.

We believe the stories about John Edwards because they're entirely consistent with what we saw about him.

AND of course there's that left-wing slant.; 1/11/10, 6:26 PM
garage mahal said...: Garage...No other Governors panic the Democrat machine that owns all of the national power today like the warrior from Wasilla does.

Democrats drool at the thought of a half term quitting governor like Palin running for any office.; 1/11/10, 6:27 PM
mariner said...: MayBee:
IMHO, the only person not attacked or undermined in the book is Obama. Which is, I suspect, the point of the book (if not the sources).

(Light Bulb)

By Jove, I think you've got it!; 1/11/10, 6:34 PM
traditionalguy said...: Garage...You need to find a cure to that drooling problem. Maybe progressives mouths hanging open in stunned terror is causing this problem. Remember that breathing deeply and drinking a glass of water helps during the panic attacks.You betcha!; 1/11/10, 6:39 PM
Synova said...: "Funny no other governors found themselves in that situation. Hmmph. I would say I wouldn't have put myself in that position to begin with by pulling the shit she did."

She got an ethics complaint because she took a picture with a fish a year before the campaign.

She got an ethics complaint for answering a journalist's question in her office.

She got an ethics complaint for wearing a jacket with a company logo on it.

Any *normal* person would never try to pull what she did.

She got an ethics complaint for the ONE thing that turned out to be a valid ethical problem... for setting up a legal defense fund.

No OTHER governor or politician would EVER try to set up a legal defense fund!

Honestly, garage, do you listen to yourself?; 1/11/10, 6:40 PM
section9 said...: No. Garage doesn't listen to himself. He's a complete hack. Were it not for the fact that his Palin posts are so damn predictable, using six-month old memes, I'd say he's drawing a check from Axelrod.

The one thing about the Halperin book that indicates to me that this is a bit of toadying up to the guy in the White House is that Obama comes off looking so good. More buttlicking from the press.; 1/11/10, 8:11 PM
knox said...: I think she found herself in one of those impossible situations where there was nothing she could do with those people.

Yup. Probably she was feeling a combination of utter hopelessness and helplessness. Did Palin make some mistakes (mostly due to sheer inexperience)? Sure.

But McCain's capaign, from the staffers all the way up to the Man Himself, were utterly incompetent. What's their excuse?; 1/11/10, 8:20 PM
Eric said...: Whatever part of the EE story is true, there is enough there to demonstrate her private personality was vastly different than the way she was sold.

With Edwards there have been hints all along that she wasn't quite normal. I think John Edwards is a jerk, but on some level I feel for the guy.; 1/11/10, 9:11 PM
garage mahal said...: No OTHER governor or politician would EVER try to set up a legal defense fund!
Honestly, garage, do you listen to yourself?

I don't see any other governors that had to quit half way through their term. And if the lawsuits are so damn frivolous, why can't the Wasilla Warrior swat them down with ease? Quitting your job and running from problems and then blaming everyone for them isn't the sign of strong person, and certainly not warrior like.; 1/11/10, 9:42 PM
JAL said...: Terry Moran just got his snide lick in on Governor Palin at the end of Nightline.

Do these people ever listen to themselves? Or do they just high five each other after taking a shot?

They sound like midle schoolers.

Tell me why I should pay attention to the MSM again? Quick. Why?; 1/11/10, 11:09 PM
JAL said...: Hey Garage. Are you a runner?; 1/11/10, 11:09 PM
ElvenPhoenix said...: garage:

Have you ever had to deal with lawyers? With the court? I have, and let me tell you, it's no picnic.

My ex files on me every year or so re: custody of our daughter. I live 5 minutes from his house, we have 50/50 possession...yet he still finds reasons to file even though she is almost 16 and doesn't want any change in possession.

What happens is that I get served and have to pay an attorney to represent me (and my daughter's) interest - get her in front of the judge to say she's happy with the current situation and doesn't want any changes. ASAP. This last time he refused to accept the judge's dismissal so I had to pay my attorney MORE MONEY so she could "conference" with the judge and the opposing attorney...and the judge could uphold his previous dismissal.

I STILL have to pay my attorney THOUSANDS of dollars every time the SOB files on me - even though I have "won" every time.

This is what it is like when you have someone using the legal system to harass you. They file something, you have to pay to defend it - and most of the time, since we don't have a "loser pays" system, your bank account gets depleted by an enormous amount even if you are in the right and "win".

And to make it even better, his company has a "legal aid" benefit, so it doesn't cost him much to file, I (a stay at home mom with a 2 year old) have to figure out how to come up with the money to fund my legal fees without impacting my husband, 2 year old, or stepchildren.

No one wins when you have to go to court. Court should be the last recourse, not the first. And it (and attorneys) definitely shouldn't be used to harass and intimidate.

Sorry for the rant, but every time someone complains that Palin is a "quitter" for resigning the governorship when she was under enormous pressure from legal bills acquired from frivolous ethics complaints, it makes steam come out of my ears. If you haven't experienced the inefficiency and sometimes total unfairness of having suits filed against you, you just can't understand. The emotional and monetary cost is incredible.

Think of it as the Sword of Damocles...there it is over your head and it doesn't matter what you do at some point it's going to fall, despite your best efforts.

Palin was right to resign...hey, I've quit a job here and there in my life - have you? And were you a "quitter" for deciding that there were other, better places to spend your time and make your money? 'Cause that's something else that makes me mad. She had a job. She could not perform to her expectations due to outside influences and decided that it would be better for her, her family, and her State if she resigned the position to her lieutenant who did not have the same baggage. Everyone benefits from her resignation - except those that want to cause her pain by continuing to file unwarranted complaints against her.

What is your problem with this?; 1/11/10, 11:56 PM
Opus One Media said...: So let me get this straight...

Sarah doesn't seem to know North from South Korea and thinks Saddam was behind 9-11, she joins up with a helpless and hapless campaign only to find out that she is inconsequential and rightfully so, quits as governor, spots Russia (mind you not Siberia) from her perch on some crow's nest, hasn't read a damn thing in years, and has no concept of what hole she stepped in and you guys want her to be president?

just clarifying 'cause i can't believe it still.; 1/12/10, 6:48 AM
David Davies said...: So, Garage Mahal.

Suppose some thug had done a 'Tonya Harding' on Michael Jordan when he was playing for the Bulls, and damaged his knees so badly that he couldn't do the job he was hired to do. Wouldn't resigning from his position as an active player been the right thing for him to do?

You have taken the definition of 'hutzpah' to new and lower levels. First you kneecap the person, making it impossible to do their job. Then you screech about that person being a 'quitter' when they hand the job over to someone else.

You are a pathetic, sniveling, and vile person.; 1/12/10, 8:07 PM
David Davies said...: Opus,

Yeah, Siberia is part of Russia. What atlas are you using? And you can indeed see Russia from Alaska. Big Diomede and Little Diomede in the Bering Strait are only a few miles apart. Haven't you traveled? You should. It might begin to cure your ignorance.; 1/12/10, 8:12 PM