Hot Topic (11/14): Love her or hate her? Sarah Palin
'Going Rogue' is Sarah Palin's shot at redemption and revenge
She aims to reclaim the narrative of her political career.
By Robin Abcarian and Maeve Reston
Reporting from Los Angeles and New York - For Sarah Palin, whose electrifying debut on the national stage at last year's Republican National Convention was followed by perceived missteps and critical media coverage that left her feeling unappreciated and under attack, "Going Rogue: An American Life" is a shot at redemption as well as revenge.
Like just about everything she has done publicly since she was thrust into the national spotlight as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate, Palin's entry into the literary world has been splashy and contentious.
Her three-week, 14-state tour, to be kicked off Monday by an appearance on “Oprah,” is an opportunity to recapture the narrative of her own career, keep her political options open and make heaps of money in the process.
After suddenly resigning the governorship of Alaska this summer and lying low for a few months to write her memoir, she crashed back into the limelight this week with a book that topped bestseller lists well before its release on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the Associated Press said it had managed to purchase a copy, and reported that Palin's book, written with journalist Lynn Vincent, offers a folksy account of her life that reveals, among other things, the anguish she felt about her unwed teenage daughter's pregnancy and its public dissection.
But, said the AP, it is also a score-settling account.
Palin is angry about being depicted as a clotheshorse during the campaign, angry about getting stuck with $50,000 in legal fees related to the vetting process for vice president, angry about being "bottled up" from the press by McCain staffers and angry about what she sees as unsympathetic treatment by the media, as personified by CBS News anchor Katie Couric, whom she accused of badgering, condescension and bias.
Palin's performance in a series of interviews with Couric was widely panned, with even members of her own party characterizing her as unprepared and uninformed.
(McCain campaign attorney Trevor Potter said by e-mail that the campaign never billed Gov. Palin for costs incurred during the vetting process. Couric, through a spokesman, said her interviews "spoke for themselves.")
According to the AP account, Palin is also still upset about not being allowed to give a concession speech on election night.
Friday, true to pugnacious form -- remember when she likened hockey moms to pit bulls? -- Palin used her Facebook page to accuse the AP and other news outlets of "erroneously reporting the contents of the book."
For her legions of fans, many of whom have been dispirited by the Republican Party's perceived drift since the election of Barack Obama, the publication of "Going Rogue: An American Life" is a balm, and an inspiration.
"She really is part of this new, organic movement with the tea parties," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which supports female antiabortion candidates. "She lifted her little finger and inspired an entire movement."
Dannenfelser said Palin proved she is in tune with the disaffected wing of the GOP when she campaigned this month in New York for a Conservative Party congressional candidate, forcing a moderate Republican candidate to drop out. Conservative Doug Hoffman lost, but Palin showed her impact on the GOP.
Republican political operatives were split on whether the book (or what is known about it so far) will advance her political prospects. Everyone agreed it's a great financial move. Complying with state disclosure requirements, she reported receiving $1.25 million. Her book contract is reportedly much bigger than that.
* * *
Are you a fan or critic of Sarah Palin?
Why?
Would you like to see her run for political office again?
Will you watch the "Oprah" interview next week?
no.
she is a total moron. she is a bigot. she didn't even finish her term as governor. she needs to read some newspapers. she does not represent women's rights. she ruined mccain's shot at the presidency (i would've voted for obama anyways so i'm not sure if she was a pro or a con in that sense). i'm not sure she can hear her own voice.
if she runs again it would probably be good for the dem. party. she is such a mess and so crazy. would i want her to run? as in get the rep. nomination? i guess, sure, lets get an easy win.
out of sick curiosity, i probably will watch her on oprah...if i remember and if i'm not doing something else. :).
i love my baaaaaaaaaaaaby Clayton! 11-29-08.
I'm sorry, but I prefer that my political leaders read a newspaper now and then. Not every day, you understand, but at least recently enough for them to be able to name a single newspaper.
Also, what the hell kind of leader resigns her public office as soon as she's famous enough to make more money by writing a memoir? If she became president, would she resign after the first two years and just tell everyone that, really, it's better for the people because she's not going to be a lame duck!
On a slightly unrelated note, I had to laugh when they quoted the person as calling the teaparty movement "organic." I tend not to associate the word "organic" with anything sponsored by a huge corporation.
Definitely. If the republicans want to offer her up as their 2012 sacrifical lamb, that is fine with me.
Quoting areid1023:
no.
she is a total moron. she is a bigot. she didn't even finish her term as governor. she needs to read some newspapers. she does not represent women's rights. she ruined mccain's shot at the presidency (i would've voted for obama anyways so i'm not sure if she was a pro or a con in that sense). i'm not sure she can hear her own voice.
if she runs again it would probably be good for the dem. party. she is such a mess and so crazy. would i want her to run? as in get the rep. nomination? i guess, sure, lets get an easy win.
out of sick curiosity, i probably will watch her on oprah...if i remember and if i'm not doing something else. :).
Hate is a strong word...I think she is a total joke, air head like most beauty queens as of late....She has no business in government, hopefully the Republican party will see this and cut her loose...she is a liability as I see it.
Grammie6
Wow, where to begin....She came out of nowhere and then disappeared into thin air. Now she is back with the campaign behind her.
Before I knew anything about her I always felt that she was picked as a running mate because she was a woman. No offence, but politics is full of backhanded ways to make people's brains numb. And this was just another tactic of the republican party to show the nation that they accept change.
After watching her infamous interview with Couric I was convinced that she was thrown in the mix for controversy and "soccer moms". The right wing had to have some form of leverage even if it was a feeble attempt to gain the radical rights's approval and the average Joe's. Personally, I don't care for Couric either. I don't like the way she handles interviews...the pretentious smile she uses to cover up the contempt she has for the person she is interviewing.
I do have a small part of me that feels sorry for Sarah Palin. She has been tossed around and exploited. She knows her interview was bad. It was the people working for her that were, well in a nutshell, lying to her. The people behind the campaign had to know what they were getting her into. And I have a little hunch that maybe McCain didn't want to take the presidency since there was such a mess to clean up. If you think about it, would someone who was serious about running for presdidnet pick a governor that barely anyone knew about? I don't know, it is just my point of view.
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- Cafe GroupAdmin
on Nov. 14, 2009 at 2:29 AM