The Mudflats

“She is someone who has a passionate base that constitutes millions of Americans, but in the year since the election has ended, she has done nothing to expand her appeal beyond that base into the middle of the electorate where elections are decided.”

So says McCain campaign strategist Steve Schmidt of his guy’s former running mate Sarah Palin.  Was he the anonymous McCain staffer who said she was a “diva” and a “whack job?” We may never know.

But he was the one who refused to allow the McCain campaign to refute Todd Palin’s membership in the Alaska Independence Party.  Sarah Palin wanted the campaign to make a statement that Todd Palin’s secessionist tendencies were ridiculous. She said in an email to Schmidt:

“Pls get in front of that ridiculous issue that’s cropped up all day today – two reporters, a protestor’s sign, and many shout-outs all claiming Todd’s involvement in an anti-American political party,” Palin wrote. “It’s bull, and I don’t want to have to keep reacting to it… Pls have statement given on this so it’s put to bed.”

Schmidt’s response? After some back and forth in which Palin persisted that the issue be addressed, he responded:

“Secession,” he wrote. “It is their entire reason for existence. A cursory examination of the website shows that the party exists for the purpose of seceding from the union. That is the stated goal on the front page of the web site. Our records indicate that Todd was a member for seven years. If this is incorrect then we need to understand the discrepancy. The statement you are suggesting be released would be inaccurate. The inaccuracy would bring greater media attention to this matter and be a distraction. According to your staff there have been no media inquiries into this and you received no questions about it during your interviews. If you are asked about it you should smile and say many alaskans who love their country join the party because it speaks to a tradition of political independence. Todd loves his country.

We will not put out a statement and inflame this and create a situation where john has to address this.”

In other words, “It isn’t ‘bull.’ You want us to lie about this, and we won’t. Now, just be quiet.”   It will be interesting to see how the relationship between Palin and the McCain campaign will be portrayed in her new book, and if the McCain campaign staffers will respond to any allegations they feel are inaccurate.

Speaking at The Atlantic’s First Draft of History Conference, Schmidt was asked, initially, to respond to Palin’s forthcoming book, “Going Rogue”, and how he thought he would be portrayed in it.

“I think it may say that I was anti-rogue in the running of the campaign,” he replied, hinting at the frictions between him and Palin that have been extensively reported since the end of the 2008 campaign.

Schmidt did compliment Palin for engendering fascination among millions of people throughout the country. “Just look at her pre-sales numbers,” he said of her book. And he even added that it was not “inconceivable that she could be Republican nominee for president of the United States.”

But, he qualified, it would be “fairly inconceivable” that she could end up being president. “In fact, were she to be the nominee we could have a catastrophic election.”