I’m back from the Last Frontier with this week’s dead tree cover story on Sarah Palin, written with the very excellent editor-at-large David Von Drehle. I don’t think this will be the last we hear from the soon-to-be-former governor. To me, one of the most interesting aspects of the story is how vehemently the Palin camp blames Barack Obama.
2012 Election
Sarah Palin’s America
All this talk about Sarah Palin’s constituency being “real Americans” raises the question, yet again, of who the unreal Americans are. Last September, when the Governor burst upon the scene like a head-on collision, I wrote that Palin’s America–white folks, small towns, traditional values–was a Republican fantasy, a vestige of Ronald …
The Sarah Palin I-Quit-arod
Should we really have been so surprised? Quitting things seems to be a defining trait of Sarah Palin. This, after all, is a woman who attended five colleges in as many years:
Palin’s first stop, at the University of Hawaii in Hilo in 1982, didn’t last long, according to Johnson. Palin and three Wasilla friends who expected sunny skies
…
Sarah Palin To Quit As Alaska Governor
Late last year, I spoke with a number of Republican Party activists about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. What would she need to do to have a chance in 2012? Could she be the conservative star that the media seemed to think?
The answers were more or less the same. She was a clear talent, they said, with a lot of drawing power. There was …
Michele Bachmann is Cens(us)less
The constitution doesn’t require much participation from the American people. It protects their rights — free speech, to bear arms, a fair trial, etc – but it doesn’t even make voting mandatory. The one action it does require is for citizens to stand up and get counted, which is why every 10 years the census bureau floods the …
The McCain (and Palin) Campaign Apparently Isn’t Over
Todd Purdum wrote a very dishy story on Sarah Palin in the latest issue of Vanity Fair. But even more revealing of how dysfunctional campaigns really operate is Jonathan Martin’s account of what happened next. If John McCain’s team was like this on the campaign, it’s interesting to imagine what a McCain White House would have been like.
Races to Watch
Yes, there are other races going on outside of the presidential campaign. Here’s a rolling package that will update daily of the top congressional races (I did the Warner/Gilmore race which is not exactly a nail biter but is the Dems most likely pick up in the Senate). And for the trifecta: will Schumer get his 60 seats?
30 Days Out…
Lots of process talk on the political tom-toms right now about McCain pulling out of Michigan and re-deploying resources to other states. This moving forces around the map like Gen. Rommel in the desert stuff may be catnip to the media and a huge pre-occupation of the campaign staffs, but it can obscure the big picture. McCain is in …
Bail Out Odds and Ends
Some odds and ends floating around the Hill today.
First, read along as our brave colleague Barbara Kiviat liveblogs Paulson and Bernanke’s hearing with the House Banking Committee today.
Second, the House GOP is seriously balking at the bail out and without them it’s going to be very tough getting anything through. As Tom Cole, …
The Palin Surprise
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
A dispatch from the road on how the Obama folks have handled, and are handling, the Palin surprise.
The Swooning Over Sarah…
About the loneliest precinct in the GOP these days is the one reserved for troublesome Republicans who think Gov. Sarah Palin was a poor VP choice, even after The Speech. Well, here I am. Hello? Anybody else? Wow, there is a big echo in here…
In my postings here and my appearances on NBC I’ve made the case that as far as helping …
Palin.
They went for shock and awe. They got it, especially the shock. Now comes the awe. The question is will it be very good or very bad.
The Sarah Palin balance sheet. Pros; most impressive young conservative Governor is the country. The base will love her, grass-roots side of convention floor will be happy. She has charisma and can …
Mount Olympus…
Just heard Obama Manager David Plouffe’s view of the world at a groovy TIME magazine event. I’ll post some thoughts on it a bit later. But for now, a quick review of last night’s Hillary speech and a dire prediction about tomorrow’s planned spectacular at Invesco field.
Hillary gave the best speech of her career. It will do …