Palin on GOP – They Turned Me into a Newt! Again.
7 06 2009To truly appreciate the latest incident between the Republican Party and Governor Sarah Palin, it’s helpful to take a moment to refresh our memories.
I posted a while backabout the strange and devolving relationship between Sarah Palin and the GOP when it comes to “making dates”. Here’s a quick recap.
First Palin says she can’t speak at the GOP winter retreat because she’s got homework in Alaska, and then shows up that same night at the Alfalfa Club Dinner across town in D.C. Then she commits to speak at the CPAC convention, confirms, and then cancels. Now, she’s all set to deliver the keynote address on June 8 at the Republican Senate-House dinner, it gets announced to the press, and published in all the papers and blogs, and over the airwaves, and then. Ohhhhhh! Lucy pulls the football! Again.
Then on March 31, this little gem from the Republicans about Palin’s involvement with the biggest fundraiser of the year:
“After initially confirming her attendance, Governor Palin’s team informed the Committees that her gubernatorial responsibilities in Alaska prevented her from committing until the end of the legislative session. We completely understand and respect Governor Palin’s focus on her official state business; however, there is obviously an enormous amount of planning that goes into this annual event. For that reason, we invited and are honored to have former Speaker Newt Gingrich join us as our speaker at the 2009 Senate-House Dinner. As one of our Party’s brightest minds and most energetic speakers, we are looking forward to having former Speaker Gingrich provide the keynote address on June 8.”
Keep in mind that the event in Auburn, NY that she attended yesterday was on her calendar long before the end of the legislative session, but for some reason she couldn’t seem to commit to the event above. So Newt was recruited.
Get ready for deja vu, all over again. Sort of.
It’s happening all over again, but this time the roles have changed. In this act, the role of Charlie Brown will now be played by Sarah Palin, and the football-pullin’ Lucy will be played by NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions.
After being invited — for a second time — to speak to the annual joint fundraiser for the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Palin was told abruptly Saturday night that she would not be allowed to address the thousands of Republicans there after all.
The Alaska governor may now skip the dinner altogether, and her allies are miffed at what they see as a slight from the congressional wing of the Republican Party.
The reason given for the snub, said a Palin aide, was that NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions was concerned about not wanting to upstage former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the fundraising gala’s keynote speaker.
Yes, after being invited back to the same event to speak, and after accepting the invitation, the governor has been disinvited to speak, and replaced by Newt Gingrich. Palin’s been channeling Newt anyway, so why not cut out the middle-man and go right to the source? Gingrich is obviously not particularly pleased with the governor for reasons which may or may not relate to her borrowing his article on Ronald Reagan. And, we’ve been getting the sense for a while that although Palin’s message seems to be resonating with “the base,” or as I would rather think of them “the base of the base,” when it comes to party leadership, she just can’t seem to get along. There are plenty of bodies under the bus that know exactly what it’s like to work with the governor. The GOP isn’t stupid. OK, well …. they’re not THAT stupid.
So why did she even get invited back again after the debacle back in March?
…last week — in part due to the urging of Republican überfundraiser and Palin friend Fred Malek — the NRSC extended a new invitationfor Palin to speak.
Ah, yes. Our old friend Fred Malek. We know him well.
But then a finance official with the NRSC called Palin aide Meg Stapleton Saturday night to say that Sessions didn’t want Palin to speak.
Recounting the conversation Sunday, Stapleton said she told the NRSC staffer: “Why, at a time when we’re trying to build the party, would you pull a move like that on somebody who earlier in the day just attracted 20,000 people?”
Palin was to sit [at] the table of NRSC Chairman John Cornyn of Texas, and Senate campaign committee officials were still trying Sunday to persuade the Alaska governor to attend.
I don’t think I’d pay a dime to attend the fundraising dinner, but to be a fly on the wall on Saturday night when all this was going down? Big money.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Palin says on Hannity and in her speech (regarding economic policy) it goes against the basic principals of Economics 101. If someone asked Palin, what ARE the basic principals of Economics 101″, could she answer that question?
We already know this answer…..NO, she couldn’t.
BTW: Why does she always throw in a comment about her college degree. She really needs to quit “bragging” about her B.A. It’s not like she has an advanced degree from an esteemed university.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:55 AM
Actually, the first Autism Awareness Walk in Alaska was held on April 26, 2009 in Soldotna. My autistic nephew was one of the walkees.
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/040109/new_295454996.shtml
June 8th, 2009 at 9:56 AM
The wheels on the bus go round and round…..
June 8th, 2009 at 10:20 AM
BahstinBoyo aka Wrangler Tractor Palin ” I got a ‘D’ in Algebra. See? I can spell it! Actually, I got a ‘D+’ because I also put the correct date on the final! LMAOAM!”
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!
June 8th, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Why, at a time when we’re trying to build the party, would you pull a move like that on somebody who earlier in the day just attracted 20,000 people?”
***
Megaphone is such a hack! “[p]ull a move” come on find some professional way of reacting on behalf of the governor!
BTW: Was that Meg in the red get up and new doo at Founders Day Parade?
taking that red “thang” from Sarah’s closet. Too done up for a yokel parade me thinks!
June 8th, 2009 at 10:22 AM
“Palin’s one exposure to real economics came in one of the five cow colleges she attended, where she got a D and gave up. She is ignorant of the world of money, as she betrayed with her answer on the Freddie Mac question this winter.”
Anyone have a link?
June 8th, 2009 at 10:26 AM
I can understand why they told her they wanted her to attend, but not speak after Newt.
Who wants to hear the same speech twice?
June 8th, 2009 at 10:30 AM
let it run “BTW: Was that Meg in the red get up and new doo at Founders Day Parade? taking that red “thang” from Sarah’s closet. Too done up for a yokel parade me thinks!”
Was she even wearing make-up?
Meg, was showing herself off as the local girl gone big. This time next year she will be in a hat and sunglasses wearing khakis hoping no one see her.
June 8th, 2009 at 10:33 AM
I believe the correct term for what happened to Sarah is “newtered”.
June 8th, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Saracuda’s B.A. stands for…
Beautifully Awesome
Been Around
Belicose Arse
Betray Always
Bull***t Artist
Bilking Alaskans
Etc, etc,etc…
June 8th, 2009 at 10:42 AM
@158: Isabella. Couldn’t tell about make up ! Although I have disapproved of her lipstick skills in the past. Meg had the big glasses and phone attached to her ear. Wow power! I actually have a big problem with Meg’s role in all of this. Her head may have gotten bigger than SP’s at VP nomination time! I would LOVE to know what her real agenda is and/or what “dirt” she has on Sarah Palin.
June 8th, 2009 at 11:12 AM
89 Isabella Says:
June 8th, 2009 at 5:36 AM
Palin, always late and wearing a big ass corsage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ain’t that the truth, sister!
(as i wipe away a mouthful of cracker crumbs that are now scattered across my desk. LOL!)
June 8th, 2009 at 11:21 AM
Could anyone enlighten me? I don’t mean this as anything other than I just don’t get it.
If my husband has a business trip out of town, I truly do not see anything wrong with his staying an extra day to see the sights, or visit his great-uncle’s grave in the “other” town, or whatever. He’d use his own money for the extra day, and his vacation time (as needed).
So what’s the problem in this case for SP to do “other” things while in New York? From what I understand, the PAC paid the airfare, if not the whole trip. It almost sounds as if she’s doing “work” while on her own time – “vacation”. Most employers are tickled when someone does extra work without overtime pay.
As I said, I don’t mean this for … I am simply missing something here, apparently.
June 8th, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Discontinuous Permafrost
ROFLOL
Terrific pun!
June 8th, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Flash from AmericaBloG:
In another sign of the sway that Sarah Palin and her supporters in Palin Nation hold over the GOP, NRCC chief Pete Sessions is working behind the scenes to get Palin reinvited to the big GOP fundraiser tonight, GOP sources say.
It’s the story of the day that GOP leaders have been battling over who’s to blame for the fact that Palin was “snubbed” when she was mysteriously disinvited from the big fundraiser, which is for the two Congressional committees, the NRCC and the NRSC. Politico laid the blame on NRCC chief Sessions, claiming he didn’t want her to upstage keynote speaker Newt Gingrich, prompting a round of bitter finger-pointing.
But GOP sources say that Sessions right now is working the phones to try to get Palin to attend, after all. The Hill, in what seemed like an answer to the Politico piece, reported that the real culprit behind Palin’s disinvitation had originally been NRSC chief John Cornyn.
In addition to working to ensure that Palin does come, Sessions plans to stress party unity in his speech tonight. “Together, we are showing America that we are a unified party with the best solutions to create jobs and grow our economy,” Sessions will say, according to an advance copy sent my way.
Part
June 8th, 2009 at 11:41 AM
okay get this interesting connection……..Scarah is to go to TX for “energy” talks (probably help with her pipeline) this week, she’s invited to sit with TX John Cornyn……..but wait, she’s uninvited by TX Pete Sessions who has a whole lot in common with Scarah, a DS child and was probably very instrumental in backing Scarah’s special needs advocacy campaign, who woulda thunk it. He’s got a heck of a page on his helping special needs resume link at bottom of page. Also too, read his news page, some interesting articles there.
So let’s see, there is the TX Rick Perry for Gov connection, and of course Bush, Cheney, Rove, Griffin and Malek connections.
And awe, isn’t that so sweet, they are trying to “persuade” her to attend, like come on Scarah, don’t be mad.
“The reason given for the snub, said a Palin aide, was that NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions was concerned about not wanting to upstage former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the fundraising gala’s keynote speaker.”
“Palin was to sit [at] the table of NRSC Chairman John Cornyn of Texas, and Senate campaign committee officials were still trying Sunday to persuade the Alaska governor to attend.”
http://www.petesessions.com/downsyndrome.htm
June 8th, 2009 at 11:49 AM
#165, lol……..you already had an article up while I was trying to put two and two together…..
tick, tock………time to throw Meg Forktongue under the bus?
June 8th, 2009 at 11:55 AM
#165
if this version is true, we texan mudflatters may have found one reason to respect john cornyn…
June 8th, 2009 at 11:56 AM
Has this been posted yet?
From Time Mag online:
>>How in the world is the Republican Party going to orchestrate its comeback if it’s having such a tough time organizing the seating chart for one fundraising dinner? That, at least, is the question being posed by many amused spectators of the GOP’s puzzling game of musical chairs it appears to be playing with Sarah Palin. <<
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1903421,00.html
June 8th, 2009 at 12:28 PM
[...] prickly relationship with GOP establishment has continued apace. Alaska blogger Mudflats summarizes the history…First Palin says she can’t speak at the GOP winter retreat because she’s got homework in [...]
June 8th, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Buffalo Girl, I was about to say something like that. Do we have a Mudpuppy on the scene? You know, waiting tables or such. (You can hear all kinds of interesting things waiting tables. The “guests” think you are part of the furniture.) This is going to be almost worth the price of admission just to watch the antics, say little of the speeches. I’ve got my popcorn ready.
June 8th, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Ok, haven’t caught up on all the reading yet, just got home form work. I did catch something though that raised an eyebrow, and I’ll go back after this post and read it all.
I thought it said that Palin “credited Newt” somewhere in the speech she plagiarized. Is that right ? Did she credit him ?
The point being, she is admitting outright that she plagiarized the speech !
And after she was called on it, she goes back and says “well, I credited him somewhere”.
She’s not even denying she stole the speech, just that she used it and credited him !
Amazing !
June 8th, 2009 at 1:08 PM
EyeOnYou Says:
June 8th, 2009 at 12:54 PM
Fred Malek on Hardball right now!
June 8th, 2009 at 1:11 PM
It’ll be facinating to see how the gloss over Palin plagarizing Newt and Palin’s being univited, and gosh where will she sit? Gotta tear myself away and run to town. what time is the dinner tonight?
right now it’s 5:20 EST
June 8th, 2009 at 1:12 PM
sorry for the typos…..hurrying so I can get back to Scarah soap opera.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:24 PM
I wish I lived near where they’re holding the dinner. Wouldn’t it be great to put up an “I can see a plagiarist from my house” sign?
June 8th, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Or even to just show up with a sign saying “Speakers– be sure to copyright your speeches”
June 8th, 2009 at 2:01 PM
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23491.html
Seems as if Newt is keeping quiet.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:21 PM
Collected these from all over, adn, mudflats, wonkette etc. ten reasons she was uninvited.
1) They got concerned when she emailed Newt for an advance copy of his speech.
2) They can’t find a Babelfish “Sarah Palin to English” translator.
3) they are concerned she has a Wizard of Oz hangup, might tap those ruby red peep toe pumps together three times and say, “There’s no place like the White House”.
4) She doesnt have a thing to wear!
5) When asked about plagarism, she said there were no locusts in Alaska.
6) The children weren’t invited.
7) The RNC is realizing that having wingnuts stand up in front of large groups of people and ramble BARACKOBAMAISACOMMIESOCIALISTTRYINGTOKILLUSWITH SWINEFLUANDSELLUSTOTHEFRENCHKILLABORTIONDOCTORSBOMBKOREAAMEN or the like is not going well for them, as political strategies go.
9) Van Flein is charging overtime for damage control.
10) they suddenly realised she was actually intending to show up.
June 8th, 2009 at 6:08 PM
I will be leaving for two weeks and hope you can keep things going. Have to brag that I am taking a cruise with Elderhostel from Boston to Montreal. I highly recommend Elderhostel for those of you who have retired and want to keep learning. I don’t have a lap top, and will very much miss the daily thoughts and entertainment from Mudflats.
Midway through the vogyage I will wear my “I <3 Mudflats” t-shirt. If I don’t come back, look for me in the Atlantic.
sandra in oregon
June 8th, 2009 at 6:17 PM
I would not want Palin speaking at any event, Sessions probably cannot stand to hear her voice, nor her red shoes. She is not original and believe me I bet you that as soon as the GOP boys are alone that they have a good ol’ chuckle about the way she speaks.
June 8th, 2009 at 6:50 PM
sandra, bon voyage! I would not expect you to end up in the ocean, given the itinerary (Boston to Montreal is pretty safe). Will you be stopping in Saint John, New Brunswick? If so, and if convenient, you might be able to meet one or more mudpups!
June 8th, 2009 at 6:51 PM
BTW, midway through your voyage could definitely count as Saint John!
June 8th, 2009 at 6:52 PM
Interesting, sandra in oregon….I’ve always wanted that itinerary to add to my list of cruises taken…
My husband and I, in all but 3 cruises where we sailed with my sister, have gone on 7 total, but now he’s so advanced into “stroke syndrome”/Alzheimer’s I don’t trust him on a ship, or in a stateroom with a balcony. My sister and I have talked about putting him temporarily in a care facility so that we can take the cruises together that I would have with him, were he still healthy.
I heard about Elderhostel just the other night when I was watching the TV Guide Channel’s “Survivor Winners: Where Are They Now?”. Seems the near-60-year-old teacher who won (was it just last year? time flies!) has retired from teaching and he and his wife are spending part of their time volunteer guiding for Elderhostel.
June 8th, 2009 at 7:01 PM
Aw darn, sandra, it looks like your cruise bypasses my fair province by a bit, stopping in Halifax. How will you ever learn about the fate of the Loyalists (unless you google, that is)?
June 8th, 2009 at 7:09 PM
Sandra, have a WONDERFUL time!
And take pictures! lol
Nan