AFP: Gov. Palin to visit South Korea

Will meet with South Korean presidential candidates and major politicians
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If an AFP report is correct, Sarah Palin will visit South Korea for the first time to speak at a Seoul forum in October, the organizers said Thursday:

Maeil Business Newspaper said the former vice presidential candidate would make a keynote opening speech at the forum organized by the paper from October 11 to 13.

Palin will speak about the US economic crisis, policies to tackle fiscal woes and her country's role in the world at a time when its superpower status is diminishing, the paper said in a news report.

"She also plans to meet with South Korea's next presidential contenders and major politicians during the forum," it said without elaborating

Also speaking at the forum will be Former British prime minister Gordon Brown and Larry Summers, ex-director of US President Barack Obama's National Economic Council, the paper said.

- JP

Sarah Palin to speak in Madison at Tea Party rally Sat. (Updated)

"She doesn't pull punches..."
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According to the organizers, Gov. Palin will be the keynote speaker at a tea party rally in Madison this weekend. SarahPac's Rebecca Mansour has confirmed. Here's the press release, courtesy of WisPolitics.com:

Americans for Prosperity, The Founders Compass:
Sarah Palin to speak at Madison tea party
4/14/2011

Contact:
Matt Seaholm 608- 658-2312
Nancy Mistele 608-575-8589

MADISON, WI - Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will deliver the keynote address at the Madison Tea Party.

On Saturday, April 16th, Governor Palin will rally tea party patriots from throughout Wisconsin at the state Capitol in Madison to celebrate past victories and to protect Wisconsin's future. Joining Governor Palin will be talk show host James T. Harris and John Fund columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Fund is an author, pundit and columnist who pens the weekly "On the Trail" column for OpinionJournal.com.

The April 16th Taxpayer Tea Party in Madison will feature:

Sarah Palin - Former Alaskan Governor, VP Candidate, pundit, author
John Fund - The Wall Street Journal
Tony Katz - Pajamas Media
James T. Harris - talk show host
Chuck Day - vocalist
Nancy Mistele - The Founders' Compass
Matt Seaholm - Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin State Director
Vicki McKenna - WIBA/WISN rock star of radio
Meg Ellefson - Wausau Tea Party
Kim Simac - talk show host, Northwoods Patriots
Tiger & Shannon Heberling - Stood up to union threats
Nancy Milholland - Racine Tea Party
Ross Brown - We the People Madison chapter

The Wisconsin State Director of Americans for Prosperity, Matt Seaholm, says he is excited Governor Palin will be attending the tea party on Saturday.

"Governor Palin is a strong voice for taxpayers and for reforming government to make it more accountable," Seaholm said, "She doesn't pull punches and is one of the most influential and followed commentators in politics today."

The Founders Compass is an online resource for tea party members to organize, inform and reach out to other patriots. Additional information on the event can be found at TEA Party rally on April 16th on Facebook. Registration and transportation can be found by visiting the website of Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin.

Gov. Palin has worked with Americans for Prosperity before. She spoke at AFP's "Defending the American Dream" event in Clarkston, Michigan last year.

Update: Andrew Breitbart will join the party.

- JP

TheBlogProf: Sarah Palin in Michigan

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TheBlogProg was at the Sarah Palin speech this morning in Clarkston, Michigan:

The event occurred right after massive thunderstorms rolled through the area. Thousands showed up anyway including huge tea party groups. There were supposed to be counterprotesters there but for the few hours that I was there I could not find a single one. And I was looking! The crowd was upbeat and cheery despite the rain. Many were there at 6 in the morning to see Sarah Palin speak at 9am. The auditorium at Mount Zion Church was packed full of patriots and there was also a good ensemble of media there as well. Several thousand showed up to enthusiastically greet the former Alaskan Governor and Vice Presidential candidate. The auditorium at Mount Zion was packed full.

The blogging Michigander captured some video and photos from the event:

I got about the first 25 minutes of her speech before someone from American for Prospertity asked me to stop. I obliged but pointed out that just about everyone with a cell phone was recording the speech anyway. AfP were filming the whole thing with 3 professional cameras, but nobody could tell me if it would be uploaded to the internet.

Read TheBlogProf's full after action report here.

May Day in Michigan: Palin and the President

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Both Sarah Palin and President Barack Obama will be in Michigan (and only about 50 miles apart) giving speeches May 1, notes Tom Gantert of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy's Michigan Capitol Confidential:

Palin will speak May 1 at the Americans for Prosperity's "Defending the American Dream" event at Mt. Zion church in Clarkston. President Obama will give the spring commencement address at the University of Michigan on the same day.

Scott Hagerstrom, the chairman of the Michigan chapter of AFP, said he felt lucky to get Palin, since he was told she gets 2,500 requests a year.

Hagerstrom said one of the reasons he wanted Palin to speak was "her willingness to take on the status quo."

"People are tired of politics as usual," he said.

The AFP event starts at 8 a.m. and goes until 4 p.m. Palin will speak before noon, Hagerstrom said. Tickets range from $59 to $99.

Some political junkies are already characterizing the dueling May Day events as a preview of 2012 presidential campaign. The latest PPP survey show that Gov. Palin has closed on Obama's lead in the poll and is now in a statistical tie with the president.

- JP