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Friday, January 28, 2022

Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin – Some Insight and an Excerpt!

By Co-Author: Ken Morris

Despite being filled with regret for his own actions while serving for nearly four years under candidate and then half-governor Sarah Palin, Frank Bailey came to fear that his former boss remained a voice in American politics. In Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, former insider and my co-author Frank Bailey said of his ideals when we first met, “I am still a Fox News Conservative.”

Frank went on to explain that Sarah Palin, despite her carefully managed image and “word salad” lip service to conservative ideals, cared little for the smaller government and social values that attracted him to her candidacy in 2005. She was (and he admits guilt in getting sucked in, and participating wholeheartedly) consumed not with governance, but with image, vindictiveness, and ultimately reaping worldly rewards.  A frequently used Palin password from before her run for governor, “Jabez”, provided a subtle clue as to her ultimate goal. From Chronicles 4:10: Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that Thou would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast [territory], and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!’ And God granted him that which he requested.”

From the very beginning, Sarah had a plan that God would answer her Jabez-like prayers. And while none of us (Frank, me, and third co-author Jeanne Devon) believe God played any part, amazingly her dream for riches came true; the three of us decided that she’d have been wiser to pray for happiness.

Well documented in Blind Allegiance, Sarah came to relate to yet another Biblical figure, Queen Esther, going so far as to borrow the one-time savior of the Jewish people’s most famous line on several occasions: “If I die, I die.” In our book, we document several emails where the governor (who said repeatedly, “I hate this damn job”) marveled at how God chose her, above all others, for divine purpose.

And while Frank was blindly allegiant to a woman he once truly believed was Ronald Reagan in a dress, Sarah was no less blind in her own faith in herself. She became convinced that she had Reagan’s so-called steely spine. She swore publicly that her skin was rhino thick, even to the point of lecturing Hillary Clinton to buck up and adopt Sarah’s ability to take the heat in the political kitchen. Frank and the others who knew the backbone filleted, thin-skinned truth, choked at the words despite continuing to believe in her mission. Not everyone in this world, they rationalized, is self-aware. If this were her only fault, they could live with that.

Unfortunately, this was the least of the character flaws that made her, in Frank’s words, “…not only ill-suited to head a political party or occupy national office, but would lead to a disaster of, well, biblical proportions.”
Sarah was, at best, an Old Testament Christian (an oxymoron since Christianity began with the birth of Christ and the creation of the New Testament). And she was a revisionist at that. An eye for an eye became two eyes for an eye. Eventually she translated that into the belief that any perceived slight deserved nothing less than personal destruction.

Even in the case of a man of God, who championed what Sarah claimed was her most cherished principal – the preservation of unborn life – when causing her public embarrassment suffered her wrath. After one of her famous last-minute charity event cancellations (so that she could finish her lacquered biography in time for Christmas sales) even he became a target. She ordered Frank Bailey to do opposition research on this man, searching through sex offender and criminal files, telling Frank, “Find something. He must have something on him that we can use.”

After returning to Alaska from the McCain/Palin defeat, as Blind Allegiance so shockingly documents, Sarah did virtually nothing but attack enemies and work the national media for attention. She pledged to go only on Fox News because they were the only fair and balanced network. Even this week, when Frank Bailey courageously went on Sean Hannity’s show, Fox demonstrated how “fair and balanced” they were when Hannity, in a pique of his own defensiveness, asked Frank, “Okay, what would you ask Sarah if you were me?” Frank said, “Ask her why she broke campaign finance law and illegally coordinated with the Republican Governors Association during the campaign,” an event painstakingly documented in our book. Not only did she illegally coordinate we prove, but she blatantly misrepresented that truth in her public statements.

What did Sean Hannity do with this little exchange? He edited it out of the interview, and did not tell his viewers they were watching an edited tape he advertised on his website as “Sean battles Frank Bailey over his controversial book about Sarah Palin.” Yeah, Sean Hannity cut it clean out, but left his otherwise nonstop attacks, not allowing Frank to complete his sentences. Is this what journalism has become? Is that what Fox means when they claim to be fair and balanced? For what it is worth, Frank reported to me this morning that he may still be a Fox News conservative, but he is no longer a Sean Hannity conservative. That’s progress.

The Epilogue to Blind Allegiance, which has not been widely reported on and that we offer here with permission from Howard Books, details a small incident from 2009 that provides a summation to the book. There is much symbolism in this vignette and a fitting end to Frank’s extraordinary and painful journey from Palinbot to Palin target. Meanwhile, Palin and her current blindly allegiant inner circle are attacking even the cover of our book as deceptive for having two photographs juxtaposed to create an eye-popping image. But, they have yet to address anything between those covers. Truth is hard to refute, and truth out of the very mouths of our subjects—quoted verbatim in emails they wrote–is impossible to refute (or to even refudiate).

As for Frank, he’s willing to offer Sean Hannity the highest rated show of all time: he will sit down, next to Sarah Palin, both wired to lie detectors, and answer questions about the truths contained in our book. We ask only that he not edit out anything that doesn’t fit his world view as he did in Frank’s interview last night. How Fair and Balanced would that be?

Epilogue

I’ve gone through life never holding grudges because life is too short
and that’s why I have a good disposition. God’s blessed me with that—
in fact it’s not me but Him in me that has always allowed me
to walk in forgiveness and peace.
—Sarah Palin, email to conservative radio show host Dan Fagan, June 18, 2006

Back in May 2009, a buddy on the board of trustees for an educational foundation contacted me about a fund-raiser for college scholarships. His idea was to auction off a bottle of wine signed by Governor Palin. I wrote Sarah, “Boss, are you ok with Kris autographing a bottle of wine? My friend thinks this will fetch more than any other bottle for their cause.”
Sarah agreed.

Kris Perry, who signed most of the letters to constituents in Sarah’s name, did me the favor of signing the governor’s name. After the auction, I wrote Sarah, “Your signed bottle of wine helped raise $1,000 for scholarships for needy kids.”.

Sarah responded, “Cool! Thanks.”

Without an ounce of guilt—and now, with apologies to whoever paid a $1,000 for a fake signature—we misled the public about this simplest of matters. Why not just send the bottle to Sarah, have her actually sign, and be honest with everyone? The only explanation is that by 2009, we’d been denying truth so long on large issues that small matters didn’t seem worth the effort.

Just as Sarah really believed—beyond comprehension—that she held no grudges and walked in forgiveness and peace, we all became selectively immune to self-reflection. And in wading through this painful memoir, I realize that all of us Rag Tags had similar defects, none more so than me, the person who worked alongside her longer than any other.
The lesson learned, I guess, is that it takes an extraordinary person to deliver more than promises for a better future. We need to not only listen but also dig deeply into the character of our leaders before offering them our allegiance. And, more importantly, I will never, ever, surrender blind allegiance to anyone again, save God and family.

 

[This article is cross-posted at AlterNet]

Comments

comments

Comments
126 Responses to “Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin – Some Insight and an Excerpt!”
  1. rod gonzales says:

    a psychopathic liar/leader her red light running, her photo shoots, flashing pass the monuments of us history. fools cursing in the sarah bus, muffled by her ugly private demands! yuck!

  2. Judy5cents says:

    The book is downloaded to my Kindle and I’m reading it now. Love all the inside, from the beginning insights. If you read “Game Change” and the book on our own Carolina political embarrassment “The Politician,” you’ll want to read this one.

    And I have to say I admire Mitch Daniels for choosing his family’s emotional well being over the day to day hell of a presidential campaign. Just imagine how different the lives of the Palin children would be if their mom had made the same decision.

    Of course, they probably wouldn’t have that nice bus to ride around in.

  3. clydene says:

    Hey, Loved the book. I am recommending it to everyone!

  4. Linda says:

    When my family visited our national monuments and historical sites, we drove in a Buick station wagon. Didn’t need to make a “statement” about our vacation.

  5. LibertyLover says:

    She said recently that being President isn’t “Rocket Science” — while that may be true, I certainly want a well rounded thoughtful person at the helm, not some petty princess that would bomb Canada for a couple of Canadian Radio jocks pranking Sarah by being Sarkozy…

  6. G Katz says:

    The emails are coming, so says Mother Jones: http://bit.ly/ljnjz4

  7. Wurzelhexli says:

    So, Kris Perry is her official signature-faker. I have heard of auto-signature-pens, but never of a PERSON.
    Wonder how that would sit in a court of law…

    • jimzmum says:

      That bothered me. Thank you for mentioning it. Wonder what else she signed? Can Mrs. Palin now say, “I did’t sign it, didn’t see it, knew nothing about it” to keep her tail out of the crack again?

  8. CO almost native says:

    Excellent question. I hope they decided to leave him in the care of some loving, knowledgeable person who can provide a nurturing, stable environment where he can thrive, and not be a prop or photo opportunity.

  9. Heather J says:

    I just finished reading the book. My heart aches for Frank and the others that put so much love, time, prayer, actually their “all” to help that woman. From start to finish, my thoughts are that she is exactly as I “felt” her to be. Always the victim, the one wronged, using her children, using anyone around her.
    I got a glimpse of her when I read “Game Change.” Mr. Bailey’s story put it into a close up perspective of her. Thank you Mr. Bailey for providing us the real truth of this person.
    I pray America wakes up to these truths. It is a frightening thought that she would even be considered to be in any position that requires good, honest character, a decent moral compass to stay the course of commitment beyond the selfishness and pettiness that this book proves about her.

  10. Ripley in CT says:

    I’ve been waiting for an open thread, but since it’s not happened yet, I want to just ask this one question?

    Why isn’t Mrs. Palin’s youngest son on the trip? Why isn’t he ever involved in the family bonding experiences? They left him home whenever they went to do something cool for the SPAK show, they left him out of the tour of America’s most “revolutionary” places, and they leave him out of all media.

    Where’s Trig?

    • beth says:

      I hate to be mean, crude, and crass, but it’s rather obvious her youngest is no longer the cute, easily tote-able, chubber-nunk little tyke he was in his first two years of life; the 24/7 reality of his DS is *much* different than the one those first 24-months in which he was paraded around, would liked to have had us all believe.

      She was esteemed and praised for ‘choosing life’, was hailed as a ‘madonna’ (remember that “iconic picture” the haters ‘desecrated’?), and she milked it for all it was worth — people fell all over themselves to elevate her to near-sainthood for being the mother of a “special needs child” [personally, I hate that term!] Now that cute baby/toddler is no longer so universally cute and adorable — he’s a little boy with obvious deficiencies and chronic difficulties that people, instinctually, either turn away from or gawp at…he’s no longer ‘suitable’ for either her image or as a prop.

      I dispise the woman to my core, but I will say this for her: Finally! She isn’t dragging him around with her any more; finally! she’s letting him stay in stability and routine where he can get the complete attention, dedication, and assistance he deserves and needs. At least I *hope* that’s where her grifted monies have allowed him to be. beth.

      • leenie17 says:

        As much as I dislike that he’s being excluded from the family while they’re on their whirlwind tour, I’m hoping he is finally getting the ongoing intensive therapy and technological assistance (glasses, hearing aids?) he needs. He lost so much of the critical developmental time while she was dragging him around the country on book tours that he’s, no doubt, got a lot of time to make up for.

        Sadly, much of what he missed while ‘on the road’ will never be made up since the window of opportunity for some of that development has already closed. Everything from here on will also be much more difficult because of those deficits. She’s done him a criminal disservice by using him to sell her book instead of making sure he received as much therapy as possible during those first 2 important years.

        Well, it seems as though she’s 0 for 5 in the mothering department!

  11. Lacy Lady says:

    http://on.msnbc.com/kKLyB1
    This is an article on SP as she leave DC. —–Still playing Cat and Mouse!

  12. Leona says:

    I am reading Blind Allegiance right now. I am definitely not a Palin fan. In fact, I think she is temperamentally and ethically not fit to hold any sort of public office. Thanks for sharing more details about her narcissistic behavior, her aversion to criticism on any level, and her manipulation of gullible people.

    I do have a couple of criticisms of the book itself:
    (1) there are a lot of typos. The copy did not receive the thorough proof-reading it should have received.
    (2) I wish there were an index in the back.

    All in all, however, a compelling book that shows the way Palin uses people up and throws them away.

    • PollyinAK says:

      Yes. I noticed the typos too. It must have been very annoying to the authors to see them when the book was printed. As a former newspaper person, I noticed them easily. However, I am glad that they rushed the publication through. We REALLY needed the book out at this timely moment, when SP is doing that dang “bus tour”…!!

    • OMG says:

      I didn’t notice the typos except in the emails which were printed ‘as is’ without correcting their original content or form (which was explained in the beginning of the book).

    • Zyxomma says:

      More and more books are published with glaring typos. I discussed this with a friend who has an insider’s view, because she works in the paper industry. She told me that as long as the typos add up to 10% or less of the total manuscript, they do NOT get corrected.

      We discussed this because in Jean M. Auel’s latest Earth’s Children book (The Shelters of Stone), the name of a character was misspelled. It was spelled “Willomar” in three books, but it’s Willamar in the fifth book (he did not appear in The Clan of the Cave Bear, the first book).

      This is a problem for all of us who love to read, and apparently, it’s not going to go away. All the major publishers are complicit in this.

  13. Irishgirl says:

    John Ziegler has read Blind Allegiance!

    “It is a tired (and not always true) cliché that every story has at least two sides and it was fascinating to read an insider’s view of what may have been going on inside the same operation which I was dealing with from just outside the gates. While I am mindful that Bailey is not to be taken as a 100% credible source, there are several stories he tells which have forced me to do quite a bit of rethinking and soul-searching as I try to reconcile all the conflicting data I have accumulated over two and a half years of being associated, to varying degrees, with Sarah Palin.”

    Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/31/some-surprising-thoughts-on-palin-movie/#ixzz1O2NFFGXC

    • PollyinAK says:

      WOW!!!! Thank you for posting this link. I am passing this on. Bailey’s book got a “serious” Palin person re-thinking!

      • Irishgirl says:

        I’d love to hear what he has to say when he has reflected on it for a while. Something obviously struck a nerve.

    • Ken Morris says:

      John,

      Very nice and surprising comments and article (Mudflatters, I recommend you link and read). As you no doubt realize, the attacks on us (but not on the actual content of the book) have been unrelenting and made by people who did not read Blind Allegiance.

      For reading and considering the message I am grateful.

      Ken Morris

    • G Katz says:

      Well, I never thought I’d read anything like that from him. Maybe the tides are changing. We can hope.

  14. jimzmum says:

    The problem with Mrs. Palin and the rest of those people is their constant lies about their fierce loyalty to the Constitution. Well, only for their kind of people.

  15. mike from iowa says:

    I saw Ken Morris on Free Speech TV last night talking with Thom Hartman.. Fell asllep before Amy Goodman was on.

  16. OMG says:

    A very astute cartoon about Palin’s ‘rise’:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/toles?hpid=z3

  17. Spence says:

    If it wasn’t Palin it would be someone else. We are living in an era where making money and media manipulation trump all. They roil and roll at us constantly like storm waves or assembly lines run amuck that never cease — until we are too exhausted and too poor to fight back. Could that by any chance be intentional?
    Aw shucks!

    • Lilybart says:

      processed white bread and circuses…..politics has not changed since Ancient Greece.

  18. Cathy Heyworth Harris says:

    I always haved disliked Mr. Hannity, and now that its been exposed that he is a coniving mediac (I keep seeing visions of the Hurt movie where he rigs the false tears), I understand why I disklike him. Will Hannity apology for being a scumbag television “reporter”? Nah.

  19. AKPetMom says:

    I have to admit, in the esteem that I hold most politicians, Palin seems to be a perfect politician: Uncaring, unfeeling, ego driven, crass and careless. I guess she really does fit the bill of what politicians, at least 80% of them are, in this current age.

  20. LibertyLover says:

    Frank Bailey should get together with David Brock “Blinded by the Right” author…

  21. kilob says:

    The key to Palin….. Schizophasia.

  22. Veej says:

    I was married to a mentally ill person (it was documented). It is ALWAYS hard, when looking at life with that kind of individual, that one needs to retain perspective as a sane (ok, reasonably!!) person. There is no reconciling the mentally ill mind with a person who is not mentally ill. We are all “pissing in the wind” here and on other blogs. From all appearances $P is truly, truly, truly mentally ill and there is no understanding in that for most “normal” folks.

    • leenie17 says:

      As someone who has also dealt with a mentally ill family member, I will agree that it is impossible to understand or predict their behavior. We all work from the perspective of a healthy, logical, thoughtful mind and simply cannot follow the convoluted paths their thought processes take, or make sense of their actions. Whenever we think we’ve finally figured them out and know what they will do in a given situation, they inevitably switch course and head off in another direction.

      I also agree that she is seriously mentally ill and I am horrified that someone with such a deep, dangerous illness came as close as she did to the White House.

  23. ks sunflower says:

    Have been watching Hardball. Although Christ Matthews interviewed Frank and he seems to agree that Sarah is not what she sells herself as, he went on and on and on (and dare I say it – on) about her bus tour.

    Now, Chris seems to be a sucker for blondes and women generally, but he kept emphasizing how great a campaigner she is — “she moves with energy . . . just look at her . . . she’s nothing in that studio in Wasilla, but when she’s out there, she has energy . . . .” Of course, she was wearing a set of her red high heels, a tight skirt, that white shirt with black stripes (how many days can she wear that?) her huge flag pin — mincing her swishy hip walk as she “moved.”

    He also went on about how great she looked in her helmet.

    I have never care for Chris Matthews much because he’s too self-absorbed (why he ever invites anyone on his show is beyond me because he talks over them more often than not), but when he raves about Sarah’s appearance, though admitting she is a showman and knows how to work crowds and the media, he seems to forget that it isn’t about her image. He thinks she will run and be a threat.

    Gees – red shoes, tight skirt, long hair in a helmet while dressed in leathers – is that all that matters anymore?

  24. Lee323 says:

    My local bookstore (a national chain) doesn’t have Bailey’s book, and couldn’t say when or if they would get it in. A young clerk confided to me that the store manager is a big Palin fan, and wasn’t ordering them. I remarked to him that censoring his customers’ reading preferences by limiting the availability of the book was distasteful and unbecoming of a national bookstore chain (not to mention a poor business practice). The young clerk agreed, and said he couldn’t stand Palin himself. He offered to order the book for me, but I said I would take my business elsewhere….and to pass that fact on to his manager.

    Anyhow, I bought a copy this afternoon from Walmart (and that really says something about my determination because I despise going to Walmart). The manager of the local bookstore can try to shove his personal politics down his customers’ throats…..but it will only hurt his business….and help the behemoths like Walmart. Pretty ironic when you consider that bookstores are fighting for their lives these days….

    Anyhow, congratulations to all three authors of “Blind Allegiance.” I’m looking forward to reading the book.

    • Blooper says:

      Yeah, that is pretty crazy but I’ve often thought this scenario could happen (and likewise with a liberal book store owner not carrying Rush or Hannity’s books). Censorship is censorship no matter the political bent. I’d like to know which store of which chain that was in. I’m sure the parent company wouldn’t be too happy that this manager was hurting their own sales by not selling a popular political book?

      • Lilybart says:

        If I owned my own store, there would be no Hannity there, but what the poster described was a national chain, and it seems they should stock all the books.

    • Linda says:

      The locally-owned book store in Ithaca, NY, was going out of business but an employee came up with the idea to make it a cooperative book store. Shares were sold to anyone who wanted to be a member. The original owner has been hired as manager, it’s reopened and doing well. I recommend that everyone order your books from locally-owned stores only – Walmart won’t miss your business!

      • LibertyLover says:

        I love independent bookstores! I shop there when I can even though it is a bit of a drive.

        I have only bought a few ebooks. I bought this one on my Ipad because I was lazy and wanted it when it came out. A most enjoyable read.

        I just read the part of Sarah’s return home after McCain/Palin lost the 2008 election and I remember AKM’s post way back when about standing in the freezing cold and not being able to leave for security reasons. Too funny. Reading this book brings back so many memories of past posts by AKM!

        Well done, you three authors.

    • Millie says:

      Lee:

      I hope you contacted the your local manager’s boss about this matter via email or in letter form. I’d do it immediately! I’m sure the big boss over this particular store would not like hearing about the censorship of Bailey’s book. A national book store is in the business to SELL books in all of their branches and to be profitable. This particular local branch manager should be fire.

      Please give us the name of the store and the branch manager’s name. If you won’t go after him, I’d be happy to help you out!

    • laurie says:

      Does anyone know if Sam’s Club favors right wing books? I used to buy lots of Oprah Book Club books there. I don’t go as often, but it seems they have less of a selection of books than they used to and the last time I looked the books were all right wing and/or religious.

      • carol says:

        I was at Sam’s yesterday, seriously considered Blind Allegiance, but decided to get it at my local book seller instead, so yes, they have it there. I, also, have noticed more of the right wing books than the lefter leaning ones.

  25. Lacy Lady says:

    As for Hannity on Fox news——I remember once he said he hung wallpaper . I also remember that this is what Hitler done at one time. Just saying!

  26. carol says:

    I’ve wondered, still wonder, what it is about her that stimulates such interest? I’ve guessed at reasons, but it just makes so little sense that such a willfully ignorant person can generate such a following. then one must remember that there were people who believed Harold Camping and planned to see God on 5/21, despite what the Bible stated. I’ve decided to counter any proPalin people (but I don’t want to meet any of them, but I can foresee that happening) with questions like “what about her foreign policy/energy policy/domestic policy, etc., do you like?” If anyone asks me what I think of her, my standard reply is “oh, the ex-half term-quitter fraud?”

    • JClark says:

      I have noooo idea what pro-Palin folks see in her. I think that’s just as nutty as it gets. As for myself and I’m sure many others, what attracts me to her is the daily entertainment. I know that if she’s IN the news, she will have said something stupidly insane! It’s that whole train wreck thing…..you just can’t look away!

  27. Lacy Lady says:

    After seeing the &**^%%$ on her bus tour, all I can say is that people are still drinking the Kool Aid.

  28. Blooper says:

    Great article, Ken. It sounds to me like the operation Palin was running was more like a cult than anything else. The most successful leaders of cults are able to make their followers believe whatever version of reality they want them to believe and it seems like Palin (and unfortunately still is) quite successful at it.

    Having said that, I’m glad Frank saw the light so to speak and is able to enlighten us all through this book that you and Jeanne helped to get published.

  29. Enjay in E MT says:

    Made a couple librarians happy this afternoon when donated my 2nd copy of Blind Allegiance to them. Said they would get it in the system tonight & on the “just arrived” shelf tomorrow!!

    Yahoo!!

    • mady says:

      It makes me happy to hear that! I just ordered it on my nook. So far, there is no way to pass on e books.

    • Lilybart says:

      Librarians as a whole are not Palin fans!!

  30. Harriet in NC says:

    I just finished “Blind Allegiance” during a 4-day weekend spent in an ocean front rental on beautiful, breezy Oak Island, NC. I think the little blurbs advertising the book are misleading. For example, along the top of the cover, it says “SCATHING – the Daily Beast.” I would describe it more in these terms: an honest, revealing, well-written page turner for anyone interested in the circus that was election year 2008. It is a must-read for anyone who continues to insist on putting this paranoid, defensive, and insecure woman on a pedestal.

    Surely there is a law somewhere that says the people of Alaska are entitled to repayment from the Palin clan for the years spent NOT governing their state. The Palins are remarkably talented GRIFTERS (all of whom would probably have to look that word up before launching their next campaign of denial).

  31. aussiegal77 says:

    The whole Palin bus tour thing is puzzling. But I think at the end of it all it comes down to emotional politics. As long as Palin can divide America and presidential candidates into Real Americans and Fake Americans – then she will be in her element.

    I hope the MSM will tire of her jerking them along and then just ignoring them – can they not see she’s cackling at them from the bus? Why not just send 2 interns with iPhones to follow her family vacation paid for by SarahPAC? Then have them blog it? Palin isn’t even a serious person running officially for 2012. Once she announces her candidacy – treat her like a candidate. Until then – she is a private citizen yelling LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!! LOOK AT ME!!! from a bus. Cover it for a day or two then move onto the next attention whore.

    P.S. Even if she gets desperate and promises a scoop – the interns will get it on their iPhone and blog it before the day is out. Cheaper and still gets the job done. I’m tired of everyone in the Press treating her like as she’s got a clue about anything.

    • ann roberts says:

      I am too!! She’s doing this to detract attention from the book written about her.

  32. OMG says:

    I wonder when Roger Ailes will wake up to the fact that Palin is in control now. She controls her message and seems to control the message from Fox. Nobody will speak against her. She controls Hannity, O’Reilly (to a lesser degree) and of course her BFF (or should I say lap poodle) Greta. It won’t be long before she makes a complete fool out the Ailes–should be fun to watch.

    • BigPete says:

      Magical Mystery Tour

      Palin controls her own message by blogging the trip herself, and forcing everyone to check her website to see what she’s saying and where she’s going AND MAYBE EVEN MAKING A CASH DONATION.

      • physicsmom says:

        No one is forcing anyone to go to her page. The media needs to IGNORE HER! Then, only the few thousand people who choose to visit her page will know what she’s spewing and they will not be able to affect U.S. policy or anything else. Editors need to pull their reporters and start covering other news – nothing to see on the Tour to Nowhere.

    • Cheryl says:

      OMG – I’ve never considered that before, but you’re right! Palin controls Ails and everyone else at Fox. That’s why no one makes her accountable for the nonsense she spews or do they ask her follow up questions.

    • Lilybart says:

      Ailes may be forced to give the President his own show on FOX if she keeps lying to him that she won’t run.

  33. Irishgirl says:

    I propose something else. How about anytime we see an article about Palin…..we just log in and say FECK OFF. Do not engage them.

    • ks sunflower says:

      I like that phrase. I will if you will, hehe. Then everyone here will know it’s either you or me when they see it elsewhere. My, we will be the naughty mudpups.

  34. GoI3ig says:

    Hannity is a piece of crap. He would never agree to such a stunt as having his queen exposed by a polygraph. Remember Keith Olberman offered him $1,000 a second to be water boarded since Hannity says that isn’t torture. Of course momma’s boy Sean wouldn’t take that challenge.

    The book was great. Anyone capable of critical thinking can see Sarah P. for the fraud that she is. Unfortunately, there is no hope for some of the Palinbots.

  35. Winski says:

    A true PSYCHOPATH… Her becoming the leader of the Flying-Monkey Brigade makes perfect sense… And how was her predecessor in 1939 eliminated??? Someone DROPPED A BUILDING ON HER…

    BUT the dumb-ass media seems to think she’s the best thing to come along since boxed milk… Either they got lazier or dumber – or both…

    • LoveMyDogs says:

      You know, she is planning on going to Iowa….tornado alley??? just sayin’….

    • Dagian says:

      You know, Flying Monkeys poop while on wing. We can only hope that $arah happens to be underneath a flock of them one fine photo op… 😉

  36. OMG says:

    I just posted this on the open thread but in case everyone is moving over here…

    “Truly the dumbest `American exceptionalism’ attack yet
    By Greg Sargent

    “I didn’t think the right’s “American exceptionalism” attack on Obama could get any dumber, but Sarah Palin has now outdone them all. She’s now faulting Obama for insufficient praise for our armed forces:

    “She also made a slight dig at President Obama for saying Monday at Arlington National Cemetery that his “most solemn responsibility as president [is] to serve as commander in chief of one of the finest fighting forces in the world.” Answering a question about Memorial Day, Palin said, “This is the greatest fighting force in the world, the U.S. military. It’s not just one of the greatest fighting forces. And I sure hope our president recognizes that. We’re not just one of many. We are the best.”

    “As it happens, the reporter got Obama’s quote a bit wrong. This is what Obama actually said: “It is my most solemn responsibility as President, to serve as Commander-in-Chief of one of the finest fighting forces the world has ever known.” But this isn’t good enough for Palin: If Obama doesn’t say that our armed forces are the bestest, baddest, most ass-kicking-ist fighting forces in all of human history, he’s subtly denigrating the troops.”

    for the rest of his post:
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line

    • GoI3ig says:

      Adjusted for scale, I would have to say that the Spartans were pretty darn tough.

      • Susan says:

        And who could forget Genghis Khan, emperor and military conqueror. Ruling the largest empire ever formed.

      • Dagian says:

        “The group of female warriors was referred to as Mino, meaning “Our Mothers” in the Fon language by the male army of Dahomey.[2] From the time of King Ghezo (ruling from 1818 to 1858), Dahomey became increasingly militaristic. Ghezo placed great importance on the army and increased its budget and formalized its structures. The Mino were rigorously trained, given uniforms, and equipped with Danish guns (obtained via the slave trade). By this time the Mino consisted of between 4000 and 6000 women, about a third of the entire Dahomey army.”

        “European encroachment into west Africa gained pace during the latter half of the 19th century, and in 1890 King Behanzin started fighting French forces in the course of the First Franco-Dahomean War. According to Holmes, many of the French soldiers fighting in Dahomey hesitated before shooting or bayoneting the Mino. The resulting delay led to many of the French casualties.

        However, according to at least two easily-identifiable sources, the French army lost several battles to them—not because of French “hesitation,” but due to the female warriors’ skill in battle that was “the equal of every contemporary body of male elite soldiers from among the colonial powers” (Amazons of Black Sparta, Stanley B. Aplern, C. Hurst & Co. London 1998.

        Ultimately, bolstered by the Foreign Legion, and armed with superior weaponry, including machine guns, as well as cavalry and Marine infantry, the French inflicted casualties that were ten times worse on the Dahomey side. After several battles, the French prevailed. The Legionnaires later wrote about the “incredible courage and audacity” of the Amazons. The last surviving Amazon of Dahomey died in 1979.”

        I dunno. Sounds like these women deserve recognition for their training and effectiveness too.

    • AKMuckraker says:

      Just a quick reminder – the Open Thread stays active until the next one is posted. People use comments under specific articles to post on-topic comments about that article, and return to the Open Thread for current discussion on any topic. Thanks.

  37. 24owls says:

    Many, many years ago when the country was in turmoil over the Rodney King beating I asked my mother if the different races were going to tear this country apart and she said “no, religion will”. I naturally didn’t believe that she was correct, she had lived through the era of the civil rights movements, how could anything be as difficult and as vindicive as that in the last 50-60 years? Today I see and hear how correct she was, as so many people have God talking in their ear, or God is on their side or believe so strongly that God is going to save them no matter they’ve done. Frank Bailey, as I come to understand, is a deeply religious person himself but was so blinded by the false prophet sarah that she led him to do aweful things that he knew were unjust and hurtful and lies. He finally feels the guilt and betrayal and is trying to come to terms with that and she … nothing, nothing, nothing – just keeps rolling along because she is so convinced that God will let her in the pearly gates regardless of what has been done here on earth.
    Michelle Bachmann (sp?) has been stomping around the state, Neut and Rick Santorum all using God’s name as if He has riding along in the bus with them, having a conversation over a coffee or beer. Wish God would use his “whack-a-mole” mallet and drive these fake christians back into the ground.

    • leenie17 says:

      What amazes me is how they can absolutely convince themselves that behaving in ways that are completely contradictory to what is taught in the Bible or what Jesus preached is peachy keen because God has decided that it’s okay for them to do it. I’m not sure exactly WHERE they get their heavenly dispensation from or why they believe they were chosen to receive it in the first place.

      They just don’t see the hypocrisy in what they do and they feel no guilt in committing what they would consider to be sinful and immoral acts if done by anyone else. They can lie, cheat, steal and deliberately hurt or destroy others but, somehow, do it all with a clear conscience because they were ‘chosen’.

      I just don’t get it. And that’s probably a good thing!

      • leenie17 says:

        I DO like the “whack-a-mole” idea.

        If that ever happens, may I please have a seat in the front row??? 🙂

      • LoveMyDogs says:

        Does anyone else see the parallel with the citizens of Germany circa 1939?

        It is good that Frank had his “come to Jesus” moment sooner rather than later. And I hope that he finds some peace. I believe that he is sincere. However, it still doesn’t excuse his behavior. I know, I know, he isn’t looking for excuses. Nevertheless, it is people like Frank who have and are promoting and enabling this creature to do her best to destroy my country and escalate the feelings of the world against us. Didn’t we have enough of that with Dubyah?

        I will say again that I am glad this book was written. I picked up the one and only copy of it at my local bookstore. It will be passed around before being donated to the library. The first person that I will give it to is my conservative friend who gave me her copy of “Going Rogue” (although she tells me that she would vote for Obama–oh horrors–over SP if it comes to it).

        Having also gone to Eagle to volunteer in the clean up effort, I can attest to much of what both he and YBG have said about it. But when asked by the Canadian BBC (radio) reporter why I was there, the only thing that I could say was “Because it is the right thing to do”. I am not sure that SP ever put foot on the ground in Eagle. YBG, correct me if I am wrong but didn’t she just do a fly over?

        • yukonbushgrma says:

          Initially she did just do a flyover. The damage here was far worse than downriver at that point, but instead she flew to Fort Yukon and put feet on the ground there.

          She did show up here later — well, sorta. She flew in to the airport (between the City of Eagle and Eagle Village), had a photo op there, got on a 6-wheeler with others in her entourage, and made a quick trip out to the Native Village on the temporary road. I don’t believe she ever made it in to the City or to the emergency coordination center, although I could be wrong about that.

          To an outsider, one would have come away thinking the only people who were affected were the folks in the Village. Definitely not so.

      • Lilybart says:

        Jesus would not want any of his followers to run for President. It really isn’t possible to serve God and Mammon. Even President Obama, who acts more Christian than most, still drops bombs on people.

        And if you have to authorize bombing people from drones to be President, then no REAL Christian could be President.

        Isn’t it more important that billions of people are going to an eternity in hell than tax rates?

    • VernD says:

      Scarah is the Antichrist. Just sayin….also too

      VernD

      • LoveMyDogs says:

        Who knew the anti-christ would be a moron?

        • Dagian says:

          Well, Hitler wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box himself. Charismatic, vicious, bat guano crazy and found like-minded syncophants who one-upped him in ideas (“The Final Solution”) in a mad rush to curry his favour.

          Sorry. Wandering off-topic again.

          Kinda reminds me more of “The Master and Margarita”. Of course, it’s been 20+ years since I read that book. I should go rummage around and find a copy. I don’t want to talk out of my hat on this!

    • jojobo1 says:

      You and me both 24owls

  38. Irishgirl says:

    Frank may have been the go to man….but I imagine he wasn’t included on a lot of other potentially damaging “stuff.”

  39. Ron says:

    I guess I’ll be drinking my $1,000 bottle of wine tonight.

    • ks sunflower says:

      Wouldn’t that be a huge irritant, even if you paid for a charitable cause. The woman has absolutely no conscience or shame.

    • Tan says:

      DOnt tell me YOU were the recipient of that fake signature wine? God, isn’t she just AWFUL! How long does it bloody take you to sign something ONCE!!!!

  40. LibertyLover says:

    Is anyone comfortable with Sarah Palin with her hand on the nuclear button?

    • Dagian says:

      No–h#ll no!

      “current President and his family. The contrast to the Palins is stunning.”

      Yeah–how much money has he donated from his book royalties to charity to date? Versus Snowgrifter Sookie’s charitable donations to…anything?

      THAT is one reason I can imagine she may not actually run for President. The financial disclosure statements. Imagine $P having to declare how much money she earns AND how much she gives away, and to whom.

      • OMG says:

        That’s not fair…she gives away lots of money,,,of course it’s other people’s money (through her PAC for buses and hotels and fine meals and first class airfare or private jet travel that supports all those people in the hospitality and aircraft industries. And remember, she gave a whopping $1000. of PAC money to a special needs charity once. We’ve just all got to remember that it’s her money now, she earned every winking million.

        • Dagian says:

          *smacks head*

          Of course, you’re right. How could I have forgotten? 😉

          • Bretta says:

            Not to forget out of all those twenty-five millions that she gave $10,000 in the 2010 campaign to candidates.

    • laprofesora says:

      I am only comfortable with her hands tied up in a straight jacket. Seriously.

  41. LibertyLover says:

    See* not “se”

  42. LibertyLover says:

    I am also half-way through the book, although, I have it on my iPad and there are no pictures. I will have to sneak to a bookstore and se if there are some in hard copy.

    As for choosing our leaders and their character, so far, I like the integrity of our current President and his family. The contrast to the Palins is stunning.

    • ks sunflower says:

      That was one of the great disappointments in downloading to my Kindle for PC – no photographs. I wonder why they don’t include them – would it take too long to download. At least the price was reduced. Sigh. Heading off to a bookstore to peak at the photos as well.

      • Bretta says:

        I checked Google books – I could only see a couple of photographs (in the preview version).

        I did get a hardcopy as well as the Kindle version – hardcopy showed up a week after release.

      • Tan says:

        Are you sure there are no photos? I used to think the same on kindle, but if you keep on clicking through at the end of the book, the photos should be there. Easy to miss though, as one thinks the book is finished. At least it is like that on my kindle when there are photos in a book (kindle for iphone)

        • ks sunflower says:

          Thanks for the tip. That’s exactly what happened. Whew.

          Silly me. Thank you, Tan.

        • JClark says:

          There are some black and white photos in Bailey’s book. They are no big deal and not worth a special trip to a store to see. Some Alaska views, and a few typical *on the campaign* type photos you see everywhere.

  43. BigPete says:

    Gone Rogue

    Right now, Roger Ailes is probably filled with regret for his own actions, and is quite fearful that his part-time field correspondent might ruin GOP prospects for the presidential elections.

    It does seem unfair to criticize Mama Grifter for her “get rich or die trying” attitude – she’s an ‘exceptional’ American Republican Evangelical, not a Buddhist.

  44. slipstream says:

    Drat! I overpaid for that bottle of wine!

    • Irishgirl says:

      Read and weep! 😉

    • Bretta says:

      I wonder if it was a decent bottle to begin with – and has the person drunk of it?

      • KateinCanada says:

        Lets hope that the bottle’s owner frames Bailey’s epilogue (gets his autograph?) and makes it a set with the wine bottle, and then auctions the whole lyin’ mess on eBay for several thousand. Or maybe it should go in a case in the Alaska museum with other sick Sarah souvinirs?

        Seriously- after exposure, the bottle may now be worth the thousand bucks.

    • Wurzelhexli says:

      Maybe you can now go to court and sue her for fake merchandising?

  45. Enjay in E MT says:

    Since reading Dunn’s book and about half-way through Blind Allegiance:

    I wonder how $P manages to look at herself in the mirror every morning.
    Is she blinded by the halo she proclaims Gawd put on her head?
    Can she not see the deep blackness on her soul for the lies, deciet, hypocracy?

    I would be praying for salvation – not the presidency!

    • Dagian says:

      “I wonder how $P manages to look at herself in the mirror every morning.”

      My bet is she sees what she WANTS to see. Reality has no part in her morning libations, mental or physical ‘make-up’.

      She needs multiple kicks in her frontal lobes. I wish to be amongst one of those who deliver the blows.

      • renee99503 says:

        That is the problem. She gets up every day, looks in the mirror and thinks she sees the President of the United States.

      • WakeUpAmerica says:

        It is easy for her to look at herself in the mirror and ask, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” She is mentally ill; that alone explains the whole bizarre Palin clown car.

    • Susabelle says:

      I have also read Dunn’s book and am almost finished with Blind Allegiance.
      These should provide a very strong argument revealing Palin’s mentality and ability to be in any office of power.
      These are scary times. When will some one come out and show this woman for the empty head she realy is?
      CAN SHE EVER BE STOPPED !

  46. Sourdough Mullet says:

    I hope this short piece gets distributed widely, so that even those people who don’t read the book can get a quick glimpse of the truth behind the Sarah Palin Facade.

    I’m about halfway through the book, and it is an amazing read. Although I was all too familiar with Sarah Palin and her shenanigans, I found plenty of surprises in it. And it’s great that so much of the ugly truth about the Palins is revealed in their own hand, from the emails they wrote themselves. A big Thank You to all the authors for their hard work and their TRUE “steely spines”, in shining a light on this fraudulent, vindictive woman.

  47. Ken Page (aka) Micky-T says:

    Thanks Ken and Jeanne for helping Frank Bailey get such a burden off of his chest. His story, which to me came across with not one single once of vindictiveness in it, needed to come out. Never in my wildest thoughts while reading this book did I think that at the end I would feel so much emotion towards this man that bared the truth to all of us. His trip to Eagle is when my eyes swelled with emotion. Thank you all for this book. Thank you Frank Bailey!

  48. far from fenway fan says:

    ” … I will never, ever, surrender blind allegiance to anyone again, save God and family.”

    The problem with allegiance to God, as Sarah so well demonstrates, is that it can be totally subjective, his “telling you” what you want to hear. And as for family, I love mine dearly but blindly allegiant? No. Looks like Frank still has work to do!

    • fromthediagonal says:

      My sentiments entirely!

    • ks sunflower says:

      I agree.

      Oftentimes, parents who blindly support their children fail to see where those children need guidance, a firm hand, and discipline. We see too many of those kinds of parents in schools where they blame everyone else and refuse to believe anyone else but their kids. What happens? Their kids suffer because they never learn what counts: self-discipline, accountability, sacrifice, how cause and effect affects their lives (they need to learn that there are consequences for bad behavior).

      Blind allegiance to God empowers, Lilybart says, self-delusion. It also empowers incompetent or corrupt clergy to take advantage of those who place their trust in them.

      Blind allegiance is a clarion call for rationality, for self-examination, and the caution we all need when those who would use or abuse us come calling. We all have moments when we want to be taken care of, to have someone make tough calls for us, but unless we use our own judgment with objective analysis (and sometimes an intuitive sense that is usually based upon experience), we can all fall victim to those we blindly follow, to those to whom we transfer our own power and decision-making. Whether a corrupt and self-absorbed politician such as Sarah, a wandering spouse, or children pushing the boundaries of proper behaviors, we all need to resist the temptation to follow anyone with blind allegiance.

      It’s one of the most powerful titles a book like this could have. I am so grateful the title conveys the lessons learned (or that are still being learned – by Frank and by us all).

  49. Lilybart says:

    Will anyone in the media ever see that she says the opposite of everything that is true about her? Walks in forgiveness and peace? Simple family vacation, no attention please….ugh

    • Irishgirl says:

      She wouldn’t last spitting time here in Europe.

      • Moles says:

        Or here in Australia. She’d be laughed off the stage.

        • OMG says:

          Same right next door in Canada (where most, sadly not all, think she is an unpleasant joke).

      • Wurzelhexli says:

        I wouldn’t be too sure about that… Crazies are all over the world – look at her in India and Israel. (True, there are MUCH fewer than here in the US, but still there are quite a few gullible ones…)

    • Jason from Oakland says:

      Blind allegiance to someone with blind ambition. Frank Bailey is regaining his sight.