Hurricane Sarah (Politico Hit Job)

Politico ^ | Thursday, October 21, 2010 | Jonathan Martin

[kristinn]

The election is two weeks away, but the campaign trail reviews of Sarah Palin already are in, and they aren’t pretty.

According to multiple Republican campaign sources, the former Alaska governor wreaks havoc on campaign logistics and planning. She offers little notice about her availability, refuses to do certain events, is obsessive about press coverage and sometimes backs out with as little lead time as she gave in the first place.

In short, her seat-of-the-pants operation can be a nightmare to deal with, which, in part, explains why Palin doesn’t often do individual events for GOP hopefuls.

It’s not that Palin issues outlandish, rock star-like demands such as certain-colored M&M’s in the greenroom. At the events Palin does attend, officials say, she’s no diva; Kind and courteous is the more frequent description. (See: Photos: Sarah Palin's campaign appearances.)

But the high-maintenance aspects of dealing with the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee have angered and frustrated some conservative candidates and aides who once thought highly of Palin and, for more skeptical Republicans, simply confirmed their view that she’s self-centered and unhelpful to the cause.

All of it has become fodder for e-mails and bar-stool chats among the tightknit world of Republican political professionals.

Take, for example, the case of Palin’s interaction with the campaign of Sen. Chuck Grassley, an iconic figure in the Iowa GOP who has served continuously in elected office since 1958.

After contributing money from her political action committee, Palin indicated that she would also be willing to campaign for him. With the Alaskan coming to the state last month to raise money for the state GOP, a Palin aide offered Grassley’s camp a two-hour window earlier that same day for an event.

Recognizing the money Palin can raise, Grassley’s team said it wanted to have her do a luncheon fundraiser. Palin, however, indicated that she didn’t want to raise money, but preferred a “message” event on a policy issue. So no event took place.

Grassley aides remain puzzled as to why she would offer her help, then refuse to do what the veteran senator thought was most beneficial to his bid for a sixth Senate term.

“It says to me she’s not serious about running for president,” said a source close to Grassley, suggesting that a real White House hopeful would not have snubbed a figure like the senior senator in the state that begins the nomination process.

Similarly, the Iowa GOP was in discussions with Palin’s camp leading up to her appearance at its fundraiser to have her do a rally in the state’s conservative northwest corner. Rep. Steve King, who represents the area, got involved, and Palin indicated she was open to it. But she never gave the party confirmation. Finally, on the Wednesday before what would have been a Friday event, she indicated that she wouldn’t do it.

Palin’s camp, without denying the various accounts, noted that she had offered significant support to a number of candidates even as she was besieged with pleas for help.

“There is an enormous volume of requests for Gov. Palin to do all kinds of activities to help the party and individual candidates,” said Michael Goldfarb, an adviser to Palin. “She’s done as many of these events as she possibly can.”

He framed it as a matter of Palin putting her family first.

“People lose sight of the fact that this is a woman with certain responsibilities that other major figures in the Republican Party don’t have — in her case, five kids, one of whom is very young,” Goldfarb said.

Yet, the problems that GOP campaigns have when booking her for events illustrate the challenges Palin will have in the event she runs for president. In part because of trust issues, she will not expand her circle and establish the sort of infrastructure necessary to coordinate basic matters such as surrogacy and travel. She has a lone staffer with a background in opposition research handling all of her interaction with campaigns.

The setup has cost her in goodwill, an important political currency. The disorganization and restrictions are viewed as rude by elected officials and operatives who are accustomed to national political figures who operate in a more conventional manner and are willing to assist as local campaigns see fit.

SNIP

According to a source familiar with the situation, she backed out of planned interviews with conservative talk-show hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin the morning she was scheduled to talk to them. And her multiple schedule changes so annoyed Glenn Beck that he finally decided not to have her on his radio or TV show to promote the book.

SNIP

(Rest of lengthy hit piece at source link.)

[kristinn]

Mark Levin has already called foul on his mention in the article:

marklevinshow This is a flat out lie. Sarah Palin never backed out of any interview with me. Period. And John Martin, the... http://fb.me/IOcElEoI 12 minutes ago via Facebook

[dirtboy]

According to multiple Republican campaign sources,

When the sources aren't named, you know it's a load of hooey.

[Diogenesis]

“And The Most Irresponsible Journalist Award Goes to The Politico’s Jonathan Martin!
So tell me, how do you write a “news” story about an organization paying for a speaker when you don’t even know if the organization is paying for the speaker?
Ask “journalist” Jonathan Martin. He knows all about it.
You see, Jonny wrote a piss poor story the other day about how the Iowa Family Policy Center will be paying a large speaker fee if Sarah Palin comes to Iowa to keynote the IFPC’s fall funderaiser.
The only problem is that Jonny has no sources confirming that any exorbitant fee is being charged or paid.
Jonny also got some inside info from David Kochel, who was a top aide to former (and future) presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.
Hey Dave, didn’t I just read a story about how Mitt Romney tried to buy off the Iowa Christian Alliance?
I heard you helped facilitate that little scheme. And somehow you are shocked at the thought of a well-known political figure (who very likely isn’t running for president) getting paid a speaker’s fee for (gasp) a public speaking appearance? ..
and then we’ve got Tim Albrecht quoted. He was the Iowa spokesman for Romney’s 2008 caucus campaign.”
And it always seemed like, whenever the Romney people had rumors they wanted to start about other candidates,
Jonny was their go-to guy to get those rumors in writing in front of a national audience.

---

SSDD

Carpetbagger, death panel-imposing Mitt ("I am Myth") Romney:
"You will embrace these attacks on the GOP now, throwing the Election.
Create, then support, these attacks from our northern lands,
the media, and some of mine on the Obama team who will join you.
I will gain GOP favor by condemning the attacks and
ordering them opposed from our lands in the south.
Whichever way the tide runs, we will rise and be left standing. "

[IMissPresidentReagan]

If she is such a terrible deal, then why do people keep clamoring to have her campaign for her?

[conservativegramma]

I submit they are correct on one thing: Sarah IS a cat 5 hurricane. But her target is Democrats which is why she’s taking flak at the moment! They are crapping their pants with every day that goes by.

[jla]

Mrs Palin is about effecting change. Too many Republicans only focus on $$$

[reasonisfaith]

To those who write for Politico: if you’re going to make things up, shouldn’t you, at the very least, try to make it believable?

[Mountain Mary]

Politico is becoming more and more left all of the time.
I keep telling Jonathan that they should just ID themselves as an arm of the Demorat party.

[kristinn]

Sarah responded on Twitter a few minutes ago:

SarahPalinUSA Johnny, Johnny, Johnny...ya just made big mistake lying about Levin, Beck, Rush...U can lie about me, but taking on the Big Guns? Not smart 5 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

[dirtboy]

If Palin is truly as bad as the left makes her out to be, they wouldn't need to make up stories out of whole cloth about her, there would be plenty of folks willing to go on-record about their experiences with her.

So these articles end up backfiring on them. But they are so deranged about Palin, they apparently don't care.

[nhwingut]

Sarah responded on Twitter a few minutes ago:

I love her more every day. She is fearless in the face of the lib media hacks. And they know it. If she runs. It will be completely on her terms.

[nhwingut]

The laughable meme of the story is that unnamed people are pissed that Palin didn’t endorse them.

Yet we’ve been told that Palin is radioactive and no one wants her endorsement.

What is it Pollutico?

[MEGoody]

When the sources aren't named, you know it's a load of hooey.

Bingo. Unnamed "sources" are a great big, red, flashing light that should tell anyone reading/hearing the story "This is a big, fat lie."

[MEGoody]

Do you have any evidence that Mitt Romney planted this story, or are you simply into innuendo?

I'm not a Romeny fan, but planting innuendo is no different from what you seem to be accusing Romney of doing.

[Diogenesis]

Innuendo? The report was from the Iowa Republican.

[Josh Painter]

Grassley and King Campaigns Confirm with Latest Palin Smear that Jonathan Martin is Full of Crap

[MEGoody]

The report was from the Iowa Republican.

What report are you talking about? All I saw refering to Romney was innuendo and unsupported statements (in your posting). I'm asking for evidence.