Yes-23 » Sarah Palin

Former Alaska Gov. Palin insists Iowa visit to promote book, not politics

Lady Kathleen — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:51:12 +0000

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa
– Hundreds turned out for a Sarah Palin book signing in Iowa, an event the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate insisted was not for political purposes.

Palin’s stop Saturday at the Borders in West Des Moines brought her back to Iowa, which hosts the caucuses that kick off the presidential nominating season.

The “America by Heart” author has hinted that she’s considering a 2012 presidential run, but says the visit was to promote her new book and that’s all.

Security was tight, and Palin did no media interviews.

People who bought her book were shuffled to the signing table in small groups. But few complained, and most couldn’t contain their excitement.

Palin is scheduled to return to Iowa on Thursday for an event in Spirit Lake.

(This version CORRECTS APNewsNow. Corrects name of Palin’s book, ‘America by Heart.’ With AP Photos.)

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Arizona shooting: Don’t blame Sarah Palin — get public schools to discuss politics

Lady Kathleen — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:46:59 +0000

Narberth, Pa. Its the Republicans fault! Listen to their nasty anti-government rhetoric!

Thats been the party line among many of my fellow Democrats, ever since Jared Loughner allegedly shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and killed six others outside an Arizona shopping mall Saturday morning.

The real problem is public schoolsTheyre wrong. The real problem lies instead in our public schools, which have left millions of Americans unequipped to engage in rational politics. That makes them suckers for the kind of conspiracies that Mr. Loughner reportedly embraced, as well as for the mistaken idea that one party is to blame for all of this.

Lets be clear: Some Republicans really have engaged in demagogic bashing of government officials. But its equally demagogic to blame them for the Arizona tragedy. Back in the McCarthy era, left-wingers called this line of thinking guilt by association: you support civil rights for African-Americans, and so do the Communists, so you must be a Communist! Its sad and ironic to see liberals doing the same thing now.

RELATED: Giffords shooting: What the Civil War can teach us about political restraint

Or listen to the other popular Democratic line: Its all about Arizona. The place is crawling with gun nuts and tea party crazies, the story goes, and its ground zero for Americas anti-immigration movement. No wonder Loughner lived there!

Thats a shockingly irresponsible stereotype, put forth by the same folks that always tell you theyre fighting stereotypes. As the prayer vigils and other ceremonies in recent days illustrate, Arizona is home to thousands of decent and fair-minded people. By painting them all with the same brush, we echo precisely the kind of irrational invective that we often indict.

Cheap political pointsMost of all, we make it impossible to conduct a reasoned conversation across our differences. Instead of using this tragedy to score cheap political points, then, we might pause to ask why so many Americans across the ideological spectrum indulge in the politics of hate, fear, and foolishness.

The usual suspects are mass media outlets, starting with the high-decibal shout-fests on talk radio and cable TV. Or we point to the Internet, especially the darker corners where Loughner liked to troll. According to news reports, he thought that American currency was worthless and that the government was brainwashing people by controlling their grammar.

But that doesnt explain why such unfounded statements find such a friendly audience, not just in Arizona but across the country. As of last May, 14 percent of Americans said President Obama wasnt born in the United States, and another six percent said that was their best guess. When one of out five Americans entertains this kind of big lie, we all have a big problem.

And theres only one way to solve it: via our public schools. If Americans cant evaluate different points of view or conduct a dialogue across them then our schools need to teach these skills.

Classroom discussion: nearly extinctFor the most part, theyre not. Weve stripped the schools of almost anything thats divisive, contentious, or controversial. Is it any wonder that many of our citizens cant engage in reasonable political dialogue?

Open up a typical history or civics textbook, and youll see what I mean. At the end of each chapter, students are told to recall certain names and dates or to identify different aspects of government. But rarely are they asked to take a position on a hot-button contemporary issue.

Ditto for classroom discussions, which typically skirt such questions. In a 2003 year-long survey of 100 middle and high school social studies classes, Martin Nystrand and his colleagues found almost no actual dialogue about controversial issues. Ditto for a 2007 study by Diana Hess and Louis Ganzler, involving more than 1,000 students in 21 high schools.

Part of the reason has to do with restrictions on teachers, who have been disciplined or even fired for raising controversial questions in the classroom or for expressing an opinion on them. Most recently, a federal court upheld the dismissal of an Indiana teacher after she told her students that she honked her horn while driving past a Honk for Peace

Another problem concerns the training of teachers, who are rarely prepared to handle such issues. Instead, theyre warned against raising anything controversial, which might in turn raise the hackles of parents and school board members.

The cost of keeping controversy out of classroomsTo be sure, teachers should not indoctrinate their own views in schools. But theres a big difference between sharing an opinion and requiring your students to accept it. Skilled teachers can lead a group discussion without leading it to a given conclusion.

RELATED: Across the red-blue divide: How to start a conversation

Do we want them to do it? Thats the biggest question of all. By insulating our classrooms from political controversy, we have raised a generation of Americans who often dont know how to think or act politically. And if you think Jared Loughner is the only one, you havent been listening.

Jonathan Zimmerman teaches history and education at New York University. He is the author of Small Wonder: The Little Red Schoolhouse in History and Memory.

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Sarah Palin Shuns Washington Politics Again

Lady Kathleen — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 06:27:23 +0000

COMMENTARY | For the fourth consecutive year, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has skipped out on the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Despite being offered the closing keynote speech–a chance to have the last word in front of thousands of conservative politicians, bloggers and voters–Palin has said “thanks but no thanks.”

In an email sent to the Washington Post, Palin stated “February is our busiest winter month and with all the prior obligations…I had to forgo some of the opportunities in the Lower 48.” CBS News reports organizers of the event said the former governor expressed interest but had a “scheduling issue.”

GOP presidential hopefuls will be there including Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich, all of whom seem to have been able to rearrange their busy schedules. Many tea party groups will be attending as well.

Apparently it’s a matter of Palin’s priorities this year or perhaps even holding one of her famous grudges.

David Keene is the chairman of the American Conservative Union which sponsors the event. Keene will be introducing several speakers to the estimated 10,000 people who will be attending.

Shortly after Palin’s resignation as the governor of Alaska in July 2009, Keene offered an op-ed to The Hill. Entitled “Sarah Palin’s challenge,” he defended her choice to step down.

“Ethics complaints were filed daily in a serious effort to crippler her national ambitions…. they were costing the Palin family a fortune in legal fees because even frivolous charges have to be rebutted…. So Gov. Palin quit to be free to do whatever she desires.”

Keene went on to compare Palin to other unemployed candidates for president who won the office including Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. But then Keene curiously turns on her.

“Palin’s advisers missed the fact, though, that the successful unemployed candidate, like Ronald Reagan in 1980…or even Richard Nixon in 1968, had already established his credentials as substantially ‘heavy’ enough to handle the job he was seeking. Sarah Palin hasn’t done that.”

Keene concludes Palin may not be able to handle another political position.

“Voters will be looking for someone they will be confident can handle national problems. Without a job to demonstrate that she’s that person, Palin’s task could prove incredibly difficult.”

A Palin never forgets. Maybe she doesn’t like David Keene for being critical of her as a potential presidential candidate. There may be simpler reasons why Sarah Palin is skipping this important event which could determine her political future.

Palin is already giving a keynote address at the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif. Feb. 4. She is headlining a centennial celebration of Ronald Reagan’s birth sponsored by the Young America’s Foundation.

Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, is aghast as to why the former governor of Alaska was chosen to speak at her father’s celebration according to Politico. Davis’ first response was “Are you kidding me?”

Palin’s birthday is Feb. 11 and maybe she wants the weekend off to celebrate. You only turn 47 once in your life.

Perhaps the simplest answer as to Palin’s no-show is the best. Maybe she isn’t going to run for president in 2012.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.

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Article source: Bing Polictics

NYT: In Iowa, Palin signs books but sidesteps politics

Lady Kathleen — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 23:08:57 +0000

A.G. Sulzberger / New York Times

West Des Moines, Iowa– The visit was, according to the official line, just a book signing — a chance for Sarah Palin to scrawl her signature for a few hundred fans on copies of her latest work. But against a backdrop of unceasing speculation about her future and coming after recent interviews in which Palin acknowledged that, yes, she was thinking about running and, yes, she thought she could win, her return to the state expected to play a central role in determining the next Republican nominee for president took on, intentionally or not, a distinctly political flavor.

The line of autograph seekers that snaked around the Borders bookstore buzzed with the same two questions that trail Palin these days: Would she and should she? Those expecting clarity, however, would leave disappointed. “Thank you for your encouragement,” was all she told them.

During her three-hour visit, Palin was insulated from both the crowd and the news media. She arrived and left through a separate entrance and spent her time behind a black curtain at the back of the store, though two of her daughters wandered freely, signing autographs. People were required to leave their cellphones and cameras before approaching Palin. Reporters were prohibited from asking questions, though photographers were allowed to take pictures.

“It really bothered me, actually,” said Todd Steinberg, 52, a medical worker from nearby Johnston, who described himself as a committed supporter. “I’d like to see her not be so closed or censored with her public appearances.”

If anything, the visit mostly offered a reminder that Palin — a paid Fox News commentator, star of a reality television program and mother of a dancing star — sure knows how to draw a crowd, pulling in at least five times the number of people who turned out here the previous week for Newt Gingrich. Donna Otis, 66, a small-business owner from Des Moines, said: “There’s a draw for her I can’t explain. You want to see Sarah.”

There was a mix of strong opinions as to whether Palin, a former Republican nominee for vice president and governor of Alaska, should declare herself a candidate. (A poll here over the summer of likely Republican voters found that Palin was viewed favorably by 58 percent and unfavorably by 39 percent, with just 3 percent undecided.) “I would like her to run and I would definitely vote for her,” said Mary Kirkpatrick, a retired United Parcel Service worker from Des Moines, clutching a newly purchased copy of Palin’s book, “America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag” (Harper), which was published Tuesday. “But there is no need to rush right now because she’s doing things like this and her face is constantly on TV.”

Kristin Blackman, 39, took the opposite view, saying that Palin was an effective advocate for the views of conservative Christian women. “I don’t necessarily want to see her in office,” she said. “I like the role she’s in right now.”

The start of the political season here has been slower and more tentative then usual. Palin and her political plans, whatever they may be, continue to loom large over a slowly assembling field of possible candidates eager to be the party’s choice to take on President Barack Obama. But while others have begun lining up support, Palin has developed a reputation for being inaccessible, leading some to question how serious she is about running.

“There are a lot of people who are willing to engage with her, but right now its almost impossible,” said Craig Robinson, who was political director for the Iowa Republican Party during the last caucus and now runs the website The Iowa Republican. “If I wanted to reach out, I wouldn’t know how to do it.”

This is Palin’s third visit to the state since the last presidential campaign. She will return again Thursday at the end of her nine-day, 13-state book tour for an appearance in Spirit Lake.

Her events here have been criticized for being mostly staged, with less of the give-and-take seen as critical in a state where voters are used to meeting politicians in person. Amy Linney, general manager of the bookstore, said that when Gingrich and former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas held far smaller book signings at the store, “there weren’t as many stipulations.”

But after signing more than 500 books, Palin left her table to approach the stragglers who had been told they had arrived too late. With a beaming smile, she patiently signed more books and urged the crowd to watch her show the next night.

And she sidestepped a question from a reporter about when she would decide to run. “Oh my goodness!” she said.

Then another person asked for her autograph. “Thanks for changing the subject for me,” she said.

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Article source: Bing Polictics

Palin Crib Notes vs Obama TelePrompTer

RodZ — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:30:43 +0000

I think the following just about says it all:
Obama Uses Teleprompter to speak to 6th Grade Class

President Barack Obama points to the media, as he enters to speak, after a discussion with 6th grade students at Graham Road Elementary School in Falls Church, Va., Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010 (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) hat tip Bill
————

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Sarah Palin, Tea Party: Is The Left Afraid?

RodZ — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:36:41 +0000

I watched the MSNBC screaming heads go crazy over the Tea Party folks and Sarah Palin. It is just funny to watch them spin the political impact of Sarah Palin and the Tea Party people. As you know they paint Sarah as dumb and the Tea party as an extreme right, out of control, bunch of stupid people. They are not any of those things.
Do I want Sarah Palin as President? Absolutely not, but not because I think she is dumb. I believe that like Obama, she does not have the knowledge, skills or experience to be the President of this country. We have seen the results of leadership based on an extreme ideological agenda coupled with inexperience. I don’t want a repeat of that even if it is coming from the right.
The majority of Tea Party people are every day folks like most of America, they want our government to work for us. It seems to me that responsible leadership can sit down together and compromise on important issues without bankrupting our country or forcing us to live with one sided legislation that benefits no one except the politicians and the special interest groups. I believe that the majority of Tea Party people want the same thing.
Is Sarah going to run for President? Who knows, I do know that she is driving the left crazy because they see her as less than intellectual and not in the same class as they are. The intellectual snobbery that the screaming heads put forward towards her is the same as they put forward towards Bush. Sarah is just like most Americans, plain spoken, hard working and knows that if presented an opportunity to enhance their life one should take advantage of it. So she wrote a book, so she gets paid for speaking, so what? If you look at all the “retired” politicians you’ll find them doing the same thing. More power to her for making a buck.
The Screaming heads are upset about her Face Book page, calling it juvenile, I guess they don’t realize she is reaching over a million people and the number is growing. Maybe they do realize that and that is what is upsetting them.
Say what you want about the Tea Party and Sarah, they speak to the people, not down to them and they are raising awareness of the lefts political agenda. The good news to me is that because of these actions the people of America are becoming more involved in the political process and their government.

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