I’m thankful I don’t have any errands to run today in Philadelphia because the Palin media circus has come to town. I don’t even understand what the hell this tour is about.
It’s not a family vacation – at least most families don’t launch political action committees to fund a completely wrapped bus in order to promote themselves and ask people to follow along when they head out to visit monuments and parks. It’s not a grassroots tour because she’s refusing to contact local tea party or Republican groups. It’s not a media tour because even though she invited her favorite host for an interview on the bus and is telling people to follow her for updates, she doesn’t really want them to follow her or talk to her. She says that it’s not a publicity tour, yet she’s “about highlighting the great things about America.” Highlight how if not through the press or groups with contacts on the ground in these areas?Highlighting to her staff who are paid to listen to her?
I think that this observation sums up the purpose of the tour:
Sarah Palin and her advisers are refusing to tell members of the media where she is going on her current bus tour – and the former Alaska governor seems to be enjoying the cat and mouse game that’s resulted.
It is the “Pay Attention to Me Tour of 2011.” The way she’s acting based on the Twitter accounts of those following the tour and her comments to the media are really juvenile at this point. If she is trying to sow support from the grassroots activists who will fuel any potential 2012 campaign, she’s not exactly demonstrating competency in putting together these kinds of events with any success.
Can’t comment too much on the tour or Sarah Palin’s motives, but a high school classmate and her husband own the company that wrapped her bus. I spotted ’em in the video!
Your discussion of her is making her a success. She’s laughing all the way to the bank while people scratch their heads trying to figure out what she’s up to.
Her independent actions are speaking just like Ross Perot did in 92 and 96.
She only benefits from this post if her goal is nothing more than personal attention with nothing to gain in the political realm. If her goal is to return to real politics at some point in the future, then she is not “laughing all the way to the bank” by someone who points out that her actions aren’t in line with someone who can competently organize people or put out a message.
I have defended Palin for the same reason that I have defended tobacco and SUVs: I dislike their opponents and enjoy seeing them pissed off.
But I don’t actually like any of them.
Always keep your enemies off balance & stay in their OODA loop. She getting to set the media narrative & as always its driving them crazy.
Who cares if she runs, we won’t be getting another false, but widely reported, McCain affair scandal… that wasn’t.
No Bitter, the more people talk about her the more she stays relevant. The more relevant she is, the more books she sells, brings in from speaking engagements, earns from media appearances. Her being on the front page is political capital, or will become political capital. For every story that is done about her mystery bus and tour, that is one less story done about Romney, Pawlenty, Cain, and the others.
For not having a goal or mission of the trip, she seems to have a lot of people talking and get getting a lot of news time.
OK, I will be the bad guy. If she runs, I will vote for her!
That doesn’t make you the “bad guy.”
My position has always been that she’s great in the role of conservative values cheerleader. She can make issues relevant with crowds that are motivated to get in touch with their elected officials. However, this bus tour doesn’t serve a purpose in continuing that role. But it also doesn’t serve a purpose in promoting a candidacy. Hell, it actually makes her less credible on one issue where she’s had a valid reason to bitch that has really motivated people – the media’s treatment of her. If they want to be dismissive of her tour, they have every right to be this time around. She’s not talking about anything serious, she’s seriously disrespecting them and their time by being so obnoxious with the “follow me” message then the “oh gosh, you just have to work for it” attitude. It actually brings to mind Fred Thompson’s failed campaign. He treated the media the exact same way.
After watching Palin pull these types of stunts, I’m not even sure she’s useful as that cheerleader if she plans to keep this kind of worthless crap up. It’s a waste of money on the part of her PAC, and I don’t think the people who donated would appreciate it if they knew the kinds money it costs to pull this type of tour off vs. how that money could be spent to support a promising, up-and-coming conservative candidate.
She’s not going to run. She’s doing this for publicity to keep her speaking fees and whatever other deals up. If she ran for President and won, she’d have to take a pay cut. I don’t see that happening.
I’m amused at the lengths people who don’t like her will go to p*ss all over her.
She’s not playing YOUR game and that’s just terrible, isn’t it?
I never said I didn’t like her. I think she’s done an excellent job and fulfilling certain roles within the Republican Party. In fact, I do like her when she does uses those skills to advance causes she cares about.
I’m just noting that this tour really doesn’t help her accomplish anything. It’s not a matter of my-way-or-the-highway, I just don’t see how this meets any goal she might have to advance her role – whether as a candidate or just an influencer – in the GOP and/or tea party circles.
In fact, by brushing me off as just a Palin-hater (which I’m not), you’re really playing the it’s “YOUR game” or no other way. I’m laying out an argument for not seeing what purpose her tour serves. If you believe it does accomplish some great goal and that the costs are justified, make your argument. Don’t just assume that people who have a reasonable disagreement with the tactics of your favored political personalities are haters.
Palin is setting herself up to be a GOP powerbroker. That’s what this is all about.
She’s just keeping the buzz going, which makes perfect sense since she seems to be setting herself up as an influencer rather than a candidate. Even if she were running, this would be much too early for substantive campaigning (and it’s summer anyway) but all she really needs to do is stay in the public eye and stay associated with populist things like Rolling Thunder. If you look at it in a certain way, it’s even brilliant — the anti-Washington public figure taking the media with her on an all-American family vacation
the anti-Washington public figure taking the media with her on an all-American family vacation
I’m not sure how anti-Washington it is to take your vacation on a PAC-funded bus. That seems to send quite the opposite message instead. :)
“I’m not sure how anti-Washington it is to take your vacation on a PAC-funded bus. That seems to send quite the opposite message instead. :)”
Good point. I didn’t realize it was PAC-funded. Sad to say, that’s pretty mild in the modern annals of Washington-ism
I’d vote for her against most of the primary field, and certainly in the general election.
But this tour is about money. She isn’t going to actually run for president; playing with the idea is good money. She is going to rake in money (personal and campaign), and have more than enough to win a senate seat in 2012 or 2014 (if she decides she wants to be a senator).
For a long time, I’ve considered Palin an amusing side-show. I’m not sure if I’d vote for her–and most likely won’t, at least, in the Primaries–and I’m not sure if she expects people to vote for her, either.
To the degree that she shines light on conservative issues, she’s been pretty good. To the degree of trying to figure out her ultimate motives, she’s been a huge enigma to me. This bus tour is yet another thing that causes me to ask, “Just what the heck is she thinking?!?”
It could be that she has a fantastic plan that’s falling into place. It could also be that she, herself, has no idea what she’s doing, and that she’s making it up as she goes along.
I think she played by teh GOP game last time and got run over by the bus. So she’s making up her own game as she goes, and pissing off everyone.
Would be interesting to see her run. I think it would do all of us a load of good to have both parties flushed from the ground up and put back together again, the crapper has long been plugged with DC BS.
Just remember that for all the GOP official structure bashing, those are still the networks it takes to get elected. Yes, it is possible to win outside of those networks, but much harder to do in a primary election based on national issues.
I strongly suggest that if you guys are going to back the candidacy of anyone who runs a non-traditional campaign, that you be the first to step up, and I also suggest toning down your anti-party rhetoric. It won’t help your chosen candidates at all in a primary.
Trust me, I have big problems with our local party infrastructure and methods. I am not a party faithful. In fact, I resent having to register with a party to participate in the primaries here in Pennsylvania. I’m not a GOP apologist, but I am a political realist. Bitching about how horrible the people who actually turn out to vote in primaries are isn’t a path to success.
Its not bitching. Its political reality, a lot of the US is waking up from this 2 party sleep, and realizing how we have been screwed over by both of them.
It would be refreshing if the Democrats had the same sort of realization happening in their ranks.
“2 party sleep”?
Heh. Oh yes, because some third party is really going to come to rescue of everyone who is tired of both the Democrats & Republicans. Hate to tell you, but the people who are fed up with each of the parties have little to nothing in common. They won’t unite behind a third party. Even within their own idealogical ranks, they won’t unite behind candidates or alternatives.
But you just keep on believing. It’s almost amusing.
The main fight in 2012 won’t be Democrats vs. Republicans. It will be big-government Republicans vs. small-government Republicans.