The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Sarah’s Coming to Iowa

Posted on | August 11, 2011 | 28 Comments

NEWTON, Iowa
Tuesday, I met with Peter Singleton and Michelle McCormick of Iowa for Palin. And during our conversation, Peter kept referring to “when” Sarah Palin gets into the 2012 campaign. All the pundits have concluded that she’s not running, but . . . well, it’s Sarah Palin we’re talking about, so never say never:

After a more than two-month hiatus, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is planning to crash the presidential party once again with a heartland-themed re-launch of her “One Nation” bus tour this week in Iowa, according to a Palin fundraising email obtained by CNN.
Palin is bringing her Constitution-draped bus to the Iowa State Fair, just 30 miles south of where the Republican presidential field will take the stage on Thursday for a presidential debate in Ames.
It’s not yet clear which day the tour begins, but her surprise arrival in Iowa will happen before the closely watched Ames straw poll. Palin is not on the straw poll ballot.

Whether I’ll be able to catch Palin’s bus tour is an open question. She hasn’t published a schedule, although she has released a video:

Category: Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa, Sarah Palin

Comments

28 Responses to “Sarah’s Coming to Iowa”

  1. Joe
    August 11th, 2011 @ 3:37 pm

    Time for that video again…

  2. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 3:46 pm

    The fact that Gov Palin isn’t telling Singletary to stop what he’s doing tells me she’s running. Sarah’s not one to be quiet and shy when people are saying and doing things that don’t jibe with her.

  3. Joe
    August 11th, 2011 @ 4:10 pm

    Sssshhhhh, Sarah’s hunting Womneys! 

  4. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 4:12 pm

    I don’t think she’s running.  But this is from someone who’s never thought she’d run.  I take her at her word – she’s out unless the GOP doesn’t come up with any viable (conservative) candidate(s).  I think Bachmann comes pretty close to fitting her pistol.  Rick Perry – definitely does.

  5. RightSideOfTheInternet
    August 11th, 2011 @ 4:18 pm

    I’ve been thinking Perry/Bachmann with Palin’s blessing would be our electoral dreadnaught.  Takers?

  6. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 4:47 pm

    Let me chew on that a bit.  My first initial impressions.  On the one hand Perry and Bachmann’s ideologies and supporters overlap too much, so she wouldn’t be helping much in those areas.  On the other hand, I like the thought of the country electing it’s first (GOP) female VP.  Not to mention she’d run rings around Slo Joe in the VP debate.  And you could bet, he’d stick his foot in it, alienating the majority of women in the country.

  7. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 5:03 pm

    Sarah has been running since July 2009 when she left the Governors office. It’s what she does. I expect she’ll announce within the next 30 days.

  8. Adjoran
    August 11th, 2011 @ 5:07 pm

    Palin isn’t running.  While she has the following to get in late, virtually all the experienced fundraisers and campaign workers have already signed on with other candidates (Perry has his Texas team and the Gingrich remnants to work with).  The name of the game is delegates, and you need a strong organization to win enough of them.

    Also, she’s still on Fox News.  Remember at the first whiff Gingrich and Santorum were serious about running, they were off the air, and Huckabee was pressured into making a decision early.  I have to assume there was back-and-forth with Palin over it, too, and she has given them assurances she won’t be in the race this cycle.  Unless you contend Fox is giving her special treatment, it’s the only explanation that makes sense.

    The bus tour makes little sense if she isn’t running, it’s true, but it doesn’t make sense unless she’s planning to announce this weekend.  Other than that, she’s just drawing attention away from the actual candidates.

  9. Mitt-Mania In Des Moines : The Other McCain
    August 11th, 2011 @ 1:13 pm

    […] freaking tip jar. But then again, isn’t always time to hit the tip jar?PREVIOUSLY:Aug. 10: Sarah’s Coming to IowaAug. 9: Mitt Romney Comes to Des Moines, Attracts Massive Media CoverageAug. 9: Meanwhile, on the […]

  10. DaveO
    August 11th, 2011 @ 5:18 pm

    She’s not running for President. She’s there to define the GOP campaign for President; and begin campaigning for down-ticket folks. If there are not enough conservative GOP in the Senate to overcome McCain and his Gang of RINO, Obamacare SCOTUS replacements will live on to destroy what is left of the US of A.

    She will set the tone and terms of debate; and the smart candidates will kiss her ring. I expect Bachmann and Cain to get a boost from her presence, while Romney and Perry will maneuver to gain the support of the Palin political machine.

  11. Joe
    August 11th, 2011 @ 5:27 pm

    Adjoran makes some good points, but things are not jiving with what other people are saying.  If she is going to run, we will find out by next month.  That is my prediction. 

  12. Charlesmartel41
    August 11th, 2011 @ 5:40 pm

    Her choice of Harry Truman as a role model in the video is puzzling and a bit troublesome to me.

  13. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 5:55 pm

    Adjorn…What the Gov is doing is taking politics to a new level. Whereas
    1) Ink-by-the-barrel ruled the electorial process for votes, it has been negated by mulitple other publicity means…ie twitter, e-mails, Blogs etc.
    2) It used to be that the biggest campagein chest won (money buys publicity buys name recognition buys votes) is no longer valid. The Gov is tied with ORomney spending far less then 10% of his expenditures.
    3) Tactically she runs a clean programn meeting people, speeches, promoting conservatism with no unbiased negativity.
    To ignore these changes when they are so successful is to be left behind in a new political world.

    The real question is…who is going to be her VP?

  14. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 6:30 pm

    It’s been predicted in these pages (don’t remember by who) that she was waiting for a statute of limitations to expire and that July 26, was the magic date. My prediction is that if she has made a decision she’s not running.

  15. DaveO
    August 11th, 2011 @ 6:32 pm

    Statute of limitations on what?

  16. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 6:59 pm

    Alaska ethics law. My understanding is that there’s a statute of limitations: if she does certain political / fundraising things within two years of leaving the governors office, some Copperheads can file more bogus ethics charges.

  17. ThePaganTemple
    August 11th, 2011 @ 7:52 pm

    Might be a sign that she’s running and trying to appeal to a broader base. She’s probably worried about turning off independent voters. Invoking Truman might be just a way to win them over. It depends on how you see Truman. Some people see him as a typical corrupt, liberal Democratic Party hack, others see him as a no-nonsense, strictly business politician who was strong on defense and for the common man. I’m sure she’s appealing to the more populist image.

  18. DaveO
    August 11th, 2011 @ 7:53 pm

    An artificial date will stop Alaskan Dems and Republicans from filing ethics charges at the drop of a dime? Doubtful.

  19. McGehee
    August 11th, 2011 @ 8:41 pm

    I don’t think she’s running.  But this is from someone who’s never thought she’d run.

    In 2008, I was sure she’d decline to run for VP for a number of what I still think were very good reasons but apparently weren’t good enough.

    Ain’t no way I’m-a try to predict what she’ll do now.

  20. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 9:22 pm

    Ok, don’t predict.  Hazard a guess.  Just don’t bet on it!  Lose-lose prop in dealing w/ today’s political world. 

    I think Sarah originally marched off into the govt/political world, with love of country and state in her heart, naively thinking all she had to do was to be honest, and fight for what she believed in, to make things better.  She’s since learned.  Maybe not as much as she needs to, yet, but enough I think that she’ll do the right thing for her country.  The MFM has savaged her.  Leaving her, unjustly, with a negative perception among most Americans.  I believe she realizes this.  I believe she’s learned enough, thru her test of fire, in the MFM-Proglodyte crucible, that she can best help her country, on the outside.  Not as a candidate, but as a guide.  Whose voice should be heard.  Considered.

  21. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 10:06 pm

    And how have their campaigns fared lately.

  22. Deetz
    August 11th, 2011 @ 10:10 pm

    Reagan didn’t declare until November 13, 1979, sans teh Twitter & Facebook.

    Palin ‘wants’ to run against both Perry & Mitt.

    Dispatching them both especially, in addition to the rest of the field, will solidify the GOP & Tea Party behind her.

    tD

  23. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 10:12 pm

    When the judge will just toss the charges as being outside the statute of limitations? Yes. Doing otherwise sets a lawyer up for charges of unprofessional behavior, which can cost them their law license.

  24. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 10:15 pm

    No, but it will cause an automatic motion to dismiss and bar sanctions for filing something after the statute of limitations has run out. There is a thing called “abuse of process” that can be invoked when the statute of limitations is known to have expired.

  25. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 10:36 pm

    Abode…that limitation was speculation on why she hasn’t anmnouced by bloggers not The Gov.
    My guess is the delayed announcement is working out so well she’ll keep going on it.

  26. Charlesmartel41
    August 11th, 2011 @ 10:53 pm

    “Some people see him as a typical corrupt, liberal Democratic Party hack, others see him as a no-nonsense, strictly business politician who was strong on defense and for the common man.”
    ============

    I think you’re right.  He has somehow gained a reputation with many as the latter.  However, he was in fact very much the former.

  27. Anonymous
    August 11th, 2011 @ 11:43 pm

    In a C-Span 09 poll he ranked 5th among modern presidents.
    I suspect you don’t get in any trouble with independents citing him as a good example, nor enough trouble with conservatives to be damaging.

    He was a classic mid twentieth century Big Labor Democrat.

  28. LIVE! AMES STRAW POLL COVERAGE: Fear and Loathing at Hilton Coliseum UPDATE: BACHMANN WINS! : The Other McCain
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