Posted on 12/02/2010 5:52:58 PM PST by onyx
"Come on, Sarah."
Once more, Sarah Palin came to Iowa. Once more, it was for a book signing. This time it was at the WalMart in Spirit Lake.
Again, no questions allowed by media (local or national) and no opportunities for possible 2012 caucus-goers to get close and ask what's on their minds.
Supporters -- like those standing in line today in Spirit Lake -- don't mind that. In fact, the people we saw were delighted to meet the former governor of Alaska. Palin, in an apparent great mood, joked with people in line, shook hands and even autographed one woman's boot.
But the Iowa press corps, accustomed to regular access and one-on-one interviews with White House wannabes, has grown impatient.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette writes, "Will a Mama Grizzly Maul the Caucuses?" questioning whether such a political rockstar will even bother with retail politics, even in Iowa.
Political columnist Kathie Obradovitch of the Des Moines Register is more blunt. She writes Palin cannot merely "flirt" with Hawkeye State voters.
It is early. None of the contenders for the Republican nomination have officially announced they are running. But, they've all done stints of retail politics in Iowa. All of them.
Tim Pawlenty. Mike Huckabee. Newt Gingrich. Halley Barbour. Rich Santorum. Mitt Romney.
Palin might not read the Register or the Gazette. But Iowans do.
"Maybe Later"
(Excerpt) Read more at politics.blogs.foxnews.com ...
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Spirit Lake, IowaIt was an unscripted moment on Sarah Palin’s tour to promote her new book, “America by Heart.” As hundreds of Palin’s fans filed inside a cordoned off area of a northern Iowa Walmart today, this CNN crew popped the question asked of countless potential White House contenders: “Are you any closer to an announcement on running for President?”
The country music that Palin’s handlers had blaring at the signing station presumably to drown out such questions suddenly stopped. We asked the question again.
“Am I doing interviews?” the former Alaska governor asked. “I thought I got to talk to the nice people. And where’s our music and where’s our good enthusiasm?” she persisted.
We repeated the question. “Not any closer. No,” she responded.
With the music still off, we squeezed in another question about former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s comments on Wednesday night’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” On the program, Romney seemed to take a jab at Palin’s decision to step down as Alaska’s governor. “It’s hard to imagine a circumstance where I would quit,” Romney said.
As of today’s book signing, Palin indicated she hadn’t heard Romney’s remarks. “What did Governor Romney say on the ‘Tonight Show’?” she asked us.
Upon hearing his comment, her response was brief. “Oh, he probably had some different conditions,” she said. It was an apparent reference to the controversies that swirled around her final days as Governor including ethics complaints and a legal dispute over a state trooper who was once married to her sister. Palin’s actions were cleared by a state board investigating the matter. In her resignation speech last year, Palin suggested that costly legal battles had forced her to step down.
There was no opportunity to follow up on Palin’s comments at the book signing. This CNN crew was informed our allotted time to cover the event was up. The event itself was tightly controlled. Customers were told no cell phones or cameras. Representatives of the media were escorted in to Palin’s book signing station, three at a time. As for that music, Palin asked us if we had turned it off. “Because that wouldn’t be cool if you did. These Iowa people, they got my back. And I got their back,” Palin said after one of her handlers put her hand in front of our camera.
For the record, we didn’t turn the music off. But it did help.”
The turnout at this stop on Palin’s book tour was a sign of her continued political strength. As Spirit Lake’s Mayor Blain Andera noted, more than 500 people stood in line for Palin’s autograph in a town of roughly 5000 people. Andera said he was leaning toward supporting a Palin presidential bid.
Palin urged many of the people in line to also watch her reality TV show, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” on cable’s TLC. “I think that she’s very funny. I watch her show every Sunday,” said Palin fan Emma Dau.
Another Palin fan, Shannon Dunham started camping outside of the Walmart at 3am for an autograph. “She’s just a generational, iconic figure and a great example for our girls,” Dunham said
I'm glad she made a visit to Norfolk Nebraska. (We don't get many good national conservatives here because we're already a red state.)
The news reported tonight there were about 1000 people there.
Liberal rags. Well that explains a lot. Thanks very much for the information!
Palin doesn't owe the press anything. They try to destroy her at every opportunity. What can they do to her for shutting them out that they haven't already done?
....I wouldn’t talk to the Des Moines Register either...I lived 10 years in Des Moines...it’s a great city but the paper is MSM all the way.
SP is setting the terms of engagement and it is alrealdy driving the Libs crazy. She is speaking to America through her show and book right now and there is not a damn thing the pressies can do about it.
Screw the press. She doesnt owe them anything. She doesnt need them, the more she avoids them, the more coverage she gets. She is winning the game by avoiding them. The press will never learn.
Why would she worry about granting some useless journalists any interviews? She’s there as part of her book tour. Hell... it’s probably a contractual obligation. And she got to meet lots of folks and sign lots of books. What’s not to like?
I honestly hope she’s making money hand over fist.
ROFL. You're so right! The press wil never learn and the press doesn't vote for her and she knows it!
Screw the press. She doesnt owe them anything. She doesnt need them, the more she avoids them, the more coverage she gets. She is winning the game by avoiding them. The press will never learn.In a few short sentences you have demonstrated an understanding of the situation far beyond that which is capable by all the Harvard geniuses in the media.
Good post.
Well, the joke is on the Des Moines Register. We can’t post from that rag here regardless....lol.
Copyright rules so that fish wrap gets no exposure on FR. Har!
Good for Sarah!!
What a bunch of cry baby turds.
She won’t speak to us, she aint treating us like we want to be treated, She hasn’t kissed one azz since she has been here. she can’t treat Iowans like that we are special because we caucus early.
What a whining pack of piss-ants.
bttt
Ms Palin should ignore the press as if bovine excrement, and wipe such off her boot if unavoidably necessary.
Seems to me, the caucus-goers were lined up to meet Sarah at the bookstore. Also, if anyone knows what's on the minds of voters around the country, it is Sarah Palin. If the press wants to find out, they can read her books.
Agreed!
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