Free Republic

We'll have more on this shortly, but Kay Henderson reports that Rick Perry and Sarah Palin have been left off the Ames Straw Poll ballot after a meeting of the Iowa GOP's state central committee today:

Sarah Palin's camp is reaching out to activists and operatives in Iowa about setting up meetings while she's in the state Tuesday for the screening of a documentary about her - including with Chuck Laudner, a former Iowa GOP executive director and prominent conservative. Laudner confirmed to POLITICO he'd gotten a call from Palin's advisers either Friday or over the weekend asking about meeting with him while she's in Pella for the screening of "The Undefeated."

Sarah Palin appears to be designing her impending visit to Iowa to be as low-key as possible. The former Alaska governor is slated to arrive in the small Iowa town of Pella on Tuesday to attend the premiere of "The Undefeated" -- a flattering documentary that highlights her accomplishments in office and bangs the drum for a potential insurgent campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Though she is never lacking for attention, Palin's trip figures to be scrutinized especially closely, since it will mark her first appearance this year in the nation's first voting state. Politico reported on Monday that...

DES MOINES, Iowa—Prominent Republicans here pretty much splinter into two camps on the question of whether Sarah Palin will jump into the 2012 presidential race. One side points to a mysterious California lawyer named Peter Singleton as proof the former Alaska governor will definitely run. The other side points to Mr. Singleton as proof she won't. "When it comes to Palin in Iowa, it's pretty much Peter Singleton," said Iowa Tea Party Director Ryan Rhodes. "The guy is everywhere." Crisscrossing the state in a series of rented cars, the 56-year-old Mr. Singleton has spent the better part of five months...

State Republican parties in three areas that President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit this week are organizing rallies to counterprogram his trip. In Iowa, Missouri and Illinois – where the president plans to talk up his economic program in a series of appearances aimed at rural America – local GOP leaders are planning "Stand Up for Freedom" rallies, featuring state Republican officials and members of Congress participating via Skype. As Democrats seek to grasp political momentum through Obama’s “White House to Main Street” road trip and an aggressive debate over financial regulatory reform, the Republican demonstrations could be a...