Daniel M. Ryan: Palin-hatred, and what it shows

A President Palin would run her cabinet like President Reagan ran his
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At Enter Stage Right, Daniel M. Ryan observes that leftist hatred of Sarah Palin opens a window into the liberal mind, and the humility Gov. Palin demonstrated in the writing style we see in her second book gives us insight into how, if elected president, she would manage her cabinet:

When Mrs. Palin first stepped onto the national stage, there was actually little hatred. The treatment she got was snooting, which well-adjusted people from faraway places and small towns often face from the urban elite. Tina Fey's act, which some people to this day confuse with the real thing, relied on the stereotype of the "Hick from Wasilla."

Unfortunately for the stereotypers, Mrs. Palin proved to be a rather shrewd Governor of an entire state. Shrewd enough to match wits with the supposedly all-powerful oil companies and emerge the better. This shrewdness came through even in interviews where she had supposedly made a fool of herself (or was made a fool of.) Moreover, she proved to be a quick study on the campaign trail.

[...]

As a private citizen, she revealed a previously hidden talent for coming up with zingers that resonated all over the country. There have been liberal carpers who claim she didn't write America By Heart, but no-one had claimed that she didn't coin the revealing phrase "death panels." Her ability to connect with the country became obvious with her Facebook postings. It wasn't until last year's campaign that we saw another previously hidden talent: the knack of making a supposedly unelectable candidate electable. Her track record in this arena is much better than President Obama's.

Again, the liberals found that they had woefully underestimated her. Hence, the outpouring of raw hatred under the cover of "restoring civility" after the Arizona shooting.

[...]

Believe it or not, it was Stanley Fish who revealed something very perceptive about Mrs. Palin. He picked up on her unegotisticality in his favourable review of America By Heart. He noted that she, as a writer, had the habit of standing aside and letting other writers say their piece through extensive quotations. This habit is that of a teacher, the kind that lets a student say his or her piece without "guidance." Should she achieve the Presidency, it's likely that she'll run her cabinet that way: the very opposite of an egotistical moralizer.

That's how President Reagan ran his cabinet, and he was indeed criticized for it. There were allegations that Don Regan and James Baker III were running personal fiefdoms. His leadership style displeased some, particularly control freaks, but did work well; humility often does. This precedent should answer some questions about her qualifications – to wit, "she's qualified when it comes to delegating."

Her teacher's style answers to another kind of animosity. There are people, not exactly qualified in the humility department, who would be rankled at serving in a cabinet under "Teacher Sarah." I offer the personal opinion that such rankling says more about them than her.

[More]

- JP

The Ignorant Fishermen reviews 'America By Heart'

"Sarah is the right woman at the right time"
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Here are some excerpts from the review of America By Heart by The Ignorant Fishermen:

As TRUE Americans today have cried out to Almighty God for help – just as our Founding Fathers did- to restore our nation to a place in which it would turn from its gross wickedness and secular lawless bent, it would seem in Almighty God's grace and mercy that He has heard our prayers. Sarah is the right woman at the right time. I know that this statement is too much for a lot of people to handle but it is what it is.

Sarah’s American vision is the vision of our Founding Fathers, which comprehended the absolute need to obey and honor the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God. In this book, Sarah shares her views of America, family, faith and flag from this perspective.

The other day I downloaded Sarah’s new book, “Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag” on my iPod. As I began to listen, I personally loved the personal touch in which Sarah herself narrates this book. One of the things that I greatly enjoyed about this book is that Sarah shares and echos my personal beliefs of America and that she is not intimidated to speak of the very ideals that made America great! This book will fire up the conservative American and that individual will be nodding “that’s right!” all thought her book.

Sarah’s “Reaganesque” qualities have been quite refreshing these last couple of years and a great encouragement to TRUE Americans everywhere. We have lack genuine conservative leadership in America for some time and Sarah has seemed to fill this void. As the American apostate movement (progressive secular left) seeks to overturn and replace our Judeo/Christian culture, morality, Constitution, and God given liberties, Sarah has been a voice for millions who seek to preserve our nation and to keep it the way it was founded. Sarah's book will totally fire up all those who genuinely love TRUE freedom, TRUE liberty, the American dream and its Founding ideals.

In this book, she quotes and speaks about great U.S. and world statesmen like George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Booker T. Washington, Calvin Coolidge, Abigail Adams etc. She speaks of our nation’s founding and our Founding Father’s vision for America. She speaks - with great pride - about our military men and women and how we are all indebted to them. She speaks about the Tea Party movement and the Tea Party American individuals who have let their voices be heard this last year. She speaks about TRUE feminism and against the evils of the perverted and twisted secular feminist movement of the godless left. She speaks about her love for her family and how they have been a great inspiration and blessing to her. She gives insight into some of her trials and how she was able to overcome them. She speaks about the slanderous and vicious attacks of the Secular leftist media on her and her family and how she was and is able to cope with these haters. She defines for us the term “mama grizzly” and she boldly talks about the failing family unit in America today, morality, abortion, God and the harmful social and cultural effects of secular socialism.

[More]

The reviewer's only negative comments about Gov. Palin's second book are related to her discussion of faith, which he believes she does in "very relativistic and pluralistic language." A fundamentalist Christian, he seems troubled by the fact that the governor didn't denounce Mitt Romney's Mormonism as a "cult" (as fundamentalists so often do) or attack JFK's Catholic faith (although she did criticize Kennedy for not embracing his faith in his famous speech to a gathering of pastors in Houston). We can only imagine the firestorm her critics would have torched had she done so.

This brings up what we see as a very important point. Though continually attacked by the secular left as a bible-thumping theocrat, Sarah Palin's faith is regarded by many on the extreme fundamentalist Christian right as "weak tea." She's too Christian for the extreme left and not Christian enough for the extreme right. Which calls to mind the old cliche that if she is taking flak from both extremes, she must be right over the target. As a politician, albeit a very different kind of politician than those we are used to, she should be expected to speak as a lay person rather than as a preacher.

Though Gov. Palin has never shied away from publicly expressing her abiding faith in the Almighty, Christ Jesus is a very personal Savior for her, and we not only understand that relationship, we sympathize with it. Many people prefer to leave deeper discussions of God the Son and God the Holy Spirit to church and other religious venues. Sarah Palin has never attacked or demeaned the faith of others, especially not in the pages of a book intended to be read by millions of people of various denominations, including the non denominational. It would be political suicide to do so, which is a fact that seems to be overlooked by some on the Christian right who seem to want their politicians to sabotage their own political viability by sounding like television evangelist preachers at all times. Bottom line: Gov. Palin is secure enough in her own faith to trust others to be secure in theirs. Let God sort 'em out. It is, after all, His job, not ours.

- JP

Hundreds brave cold weather for Sarah Palin's Anchorage book signing

The Palins chatted with book-buyers as the line passed
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The line began forming before sunrise in single-digit temperatures at a Costco store in Anchorage for Gov. Palin's book signing Saturday :

Christmas music played as Palin and former "First Dude" Todd sat at a decorated table between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. signing copies of Palin's bestselling "America By Heart." The Palins chatted with book-buyers as the line passed. News photographers and gawkers outside the line angled to snap photos of the Palins.

The event was open only open to Costco members. A photo gallery is here.

Alaska Pride reports that a couple of the usual suspects were among the crowd:

No significant disturbances broke out, although security ejected at least two people. One was a woman wearing a "Worst Governor Ever" shirt, and the other was a known anti-Palin blogger spotted by Todd Palin. Alaska Dispatch confirmed the blogger to be Jesse Lee Griffin, who edits The Immoral Minority. Griffin posted about the encounter, and said things were going well until he told Todd his name. Then Todd's face darkened, he whispered something in Sarah's ear, and Sarah allegedly told Griffin "Oh, you are the one who is trying to destroy my children!" Griffin was then escorted out of the place, sans autograph.

Some fools don't even have enough common sense not to try to mess with a Mama Grizzly's cubs...

- JP

Excerpt from 'America By Heart'

"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" delivers a message which is timeless
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ABC News has posted a substantial excerpt from Gov. Palin's America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag memoir on its "Good Morning America" webpage. Here's an excerpt from the excerpt:

We the People

When I was elected governor of Alaska in 2006, my friend Bruce, who'd helped out on the campaign, presented me with a black-and- white framed print of Jefferson Smith, the character played by Jimmy Stewart in the Frank Capra film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. It hung on my office wall in the governor's office in Juneau, and it hangs on my office wall in Wasilla today.

Call it corny, but Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is one of my favorite movies. It's a movie about hope. It's a movie about good triumphing over evil and idealism defeating cynicism. Most of all, it's a movie about the timeless truths of America handed down to us from our forefathers and foremothers. In other words, it's a movie Hollywood would never make today.

In case you've forgotten, Mr. Smith is about an American Everyman, Jefferson Smith, who goes to Washington to fill the Senate seat of a corrupt senator who died in office. The political machine chooses Smith because he is an ordinary man, a nonpolitician, and they think they can control him. But he holds fast to his ideals—the ideals of the American founding—and eventually defeats the machine. The movie was made in 1939, but its message is timeless: there may be corruption in politics, but it can be overcome by decent men and women who honor America's founding principles, the way the American people do.

No doubt, most of today's Hollywood hotshots think movies like Mr. Smith are sappy and uncool, foolish sentimentalism about a country they seem to prefer to run down rather than build up. During the Iraq War, Hollywood produced a whole slew of movies that portrayed the United States (read: the Bush administration) as motivated by vengeance and oil, with the troops as mindless pawns. But almost all of them bombed at the box office, because most Americans don't share this view of our country or our troops. The same cultural gap exists with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Americans love this movie. Over seventy years later, we still watch it and judge Washington against it, because it is happily, unabashedly pro-American— not pro-government, certainly, but definitely pro-American. It celebrates the values that come to us from our founding and that have made our country great.

The wonderful thing about Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is that it doesn't just cheerlead for America, or engage in a theoretical discussion of our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It puts these documents and their ideas into a human context. It shows us all the love, charity, and humanity that they embody when they are honored and adhered to.

[More]

- JP

O'Hannigan: Kennedy Catholicism and Sarah Palin

"This is not a debate that Townsend can win"
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At the American Spectator, Patrick O'Hannigan weighs in on the row between Sarah Palin and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend over JFK's 1960 address to a gathering of pastors in Houston. In her second book America by Heart, Gov. Palin expressed her opinion that then-Senator Kennedy should have embraced his Catholicism rather than distance himself from it, an opinion which stuck liberal heads on the spin cycle. O'Hannigan echoes Gary P. Jackson's observation that the governor " lives rent-free in progressive heads." He adds, "No one else with comparable name recognition demolishes progressive dogma just by getting up in the morning."

The response to Gov. Palin by JFK's neice in a Washington Post op-ed earlier this month, says O'Hannigan, "only exposed Townsend as another palooka in a family full of them":

Enter Rev. Charles J. Chaput, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Denver, Colorado. Archbishop Chaput is not a man who can be credibly accused of operating from a theology of "Christian Dominionism," as some of Palin's more excitable detractors say she does. But in phrasing that Sarah Palin would approve, Chaput called JFK's 1960 speech "sincere, compelling, articulate -- and wrong."

Speaking this past spring at Houston Baptist University, Archbishop Chaput noted that "Real Christian faith is always personal, but it's never private." That was one of the things about which John F. Kennedy was mistaken. Moreover, said Chaput, Kennedy's remarks in Houston "profoundly undermined the place not just of Catholics, but of all religious believers, in America's public life and political conversation." And "Today, half a century later, we're paying for the damage."

In other words, Sarah Palin's criticism of the Kennedy approach to faith accords substantially with criticisms offered by another Christian of unquestioned acumen. Not only that, but Chaput came loaded for bear, quoting another scholar to buttress the point that John F. Kennedy "secularized the American presidency in order to win it."

This is not a debate that Townsend can win. She thinks Sarah Palin is making a subtle bid for a new Inquisition, but if Townsend had familiarized herself with Archbishop Chaput's similar argument, she would have known better. Instead, she writes about the "deep current of faith" in the Kennedy family, praises Uncle John for courage of the kind that Henry V tried to kindle in his men before the Battle of Agincourt, and dances around Senator Ted Kennedy's support for abortion (correctly described by Sarah Palin as "directly at odds with his Catholic faith") by disingenuously suggesting that Catholic moral teaching is of no more import than whether the Third Sunday of Advent is marked by rose-colored candles, because "the hierarchy's positions can change," and "in our church, we have an obligation to help bring about those changes."

[...]

When Palin contends that "morality cannot be sustained without the support of religious beliefs," Townsend misreads this acknowledgement of our collective debt to Judeo-Christian intellectual and religious capital as "a wholesale attack on countless Americans." Has she never heard John Adams' famous quip that "Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people; it is wholly inadequate to the government of any other"?

[More]

- JP

Sarah Palin: Leather-Bound Edition of 'Heart' and AK Book Signing Date

"This was like coming full circle"
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Posted by Gov. Palin on Facebook Thursday night:

Leather-Bound Edition of America By Heart & Alaska Book Signing Date

The leather-bound collectible edition of “America By Heart” is now on sale and can be purchased online here. I was honored by the thoughtful review of the book by Melissa Clouthier, which you can read here.

We had a great time on the book tour. It was wonderful meeting and speaking to so many fellow patriots. “America By Heart” was inspired by my travels around the country meeting great Americans following the “Going Rogue” book tour; so this was like coming full circle. Thank you to everyone who helped out on the tour and to everyone who attended the signings!

Our book signing in Alaska will be on Saturday, December 18, 11-2:00pm at the Costco in Anchorage.

I look forward to seeing you then. In the meantime, please enjoy the following photos a friend took at the Tulsa book signing.

- Sarah Palin

Gov. Sarah Palin at the “America By Heart” book signing in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Nov. 26, 2010. rights reserved

Waiting in line at the “America By Heart” book signing in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, on Nov. 26, 2010. rights reserved

“America By Heart” book signing in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
on Nov. 26, 2010. rights reserved

“America By Heart” book signing in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
on Nov. 26, 2010. rights reserved

Gov. Palin signs a copy of “America By Heart” at the book
signing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Nov. 26, 2010. rights reserved

Piper Palin joins her mother in signing copies of “America By Heart”
at the book signing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Nov. 26, 2010.
rights reserved

- JP

Melissa Clouthier reviews 'America By Heart'

"America By Heart is the anti-Audacity of Hope"
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Dr. Melissa Clouthier read America by Heart over Thanksgiving, and posted her review of Gov. Palin’s new book Sunday at Liberty Pundits:

Here is what I believe about Sarah Palin: She is a political force of nature. She should be taken seriously. She has a tremendous amount of political capital and would be a contender if she chooses to run in 2012.

In addition, Palin has driven the political debate since President Obama has taken office. She, more than any other Republican, has been a philosophical counter-point to Barack Obama, and really, to the establishment Republicans in Washington, D.C.

Her book deserves to be read on all these grounds. And anyone who claims to be an intellectual but refuses to engage intellectually by refusing to read her book deserves to be ignored.

[...]

Most Americans who read America By Heart will find little to object to therein. The Smarty Pants Set™, on the other hand, will despise the book. Sarah Palin takes aim at their cherished premises and counters them one by one.

In addition, Sarah Palin manages to write a highly philosophical book without sounding stridently ideological. Indeed, she says what most Americans believe but don’t say because they have been brow beaten into politically correct silence.

And yes, the themes and ideas espoused in America By Heart feel distinctly Reaganesque. However, unlike Barack Obama who studied tape of Reagan to get the gist of the lingo and mannerisms to appeal to broad audiences so as to deceive them into believing he had centrist ideas, Sarah Palin believes the ideas and sounds and acts…well, she sounds and acts like Sarah Palin. That is to say, Sarah Palin is a wholly unique political character and unlike anyone else in the political world.

[More]

- JP

Sarah Palin Fans Waited in Rain, Cold Before SC Book Signing (Updated)

Last stop -- for now -- on this book tour
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For hundreds of excited but chilly Sarah Palin fans in Columbia, SC, their long wait in the cold and rainy weather is over. Gov. Palin is signing their copies of America by Heart. In addition to her autograph, reports the Associated Press:

Everyone who walked up to Palin got a "Hi there! What's your name?" followed by a million-dollar smile and a few seconds of chitchat. County music blared over the store's loudspeakers as the line for Palin eventually snaked down almost every aisle.

The governor is wrapping up her second book tour (although she's hinted that future signing events may be scheduled) in a key presidential primary state:

South Carolina will be the first state in the South to send its Republicans to the polls in 2012, and Palin is well-liked here. An exit poll taken on Election Day found more than 80 percent of people who identified themselves as Republicans in South Carolina approved of Palin.

But they also split among Palin, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee when asked which candidate they favored to be the party's nominee in 2012.

At the Books-a-Million in suburban Columbia on Friday, it was hard to find anyone who wasn't planning on voting for Palin if she runs.

[...]

"We need someone like her to clean things up," said Gail Martin, who was getting a book signed for her and her 8-year-old daughter. "She's not like anyone up there now."

[...]

Martin's husband picked up the bracelet for her. But she wasn't going to miss meeting her hero Friday. The 36-year-old Navy veteran from Lexington was thrilled when U.S. Sen. John McCain from Arizona won the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. She became even more excited when she got to know Palin after McCain picked her as his running mate.

"She just stepped into the spotlight and handled it great. And then I found out she had a child with Down syndrome, and I knew she was what this country needed," said Martin, who has a 6-year-old daughter with autism.

Martin brought along her 8-year-old daughter Lauren, who started liking Palin after watching her climb mountains and go hunting on her new reality show.

Gov. Palin was last in Columbia in May to give her endorsement to Nikki Haley, who is now the Palmetto State's governor-elect. Just a few weeks later, Haley defeated three more established candidates to win the Republican Party nomination:

Plenty of cars in the bookstore parking lot had fresh "Haley for Governor" bumper stickers on the back.

"We now have a woman as governor," Martin said. "Wouldn't it be nice to have one as president too?"

Update: More coverage from The State, The Post and Courier and The Bellingham Herald.

- JP

Hundreds cheer Gov. Palin at Cincinnati book signing

"She stands up for her family and religion and what she believes"
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Gov. Palin is in the last hour of signing books in Cincinnati. Here are excerpts from a report by the Cincinnati Enquirer:

David Richardson said he has never before done anything like it.

Not for Reds or Bengals tickets. Not to see a favorite band. Not even for Black Friday Christmas bargains.

But Thursday night, the 66-year-old Loveland man camped outside, braving temperatures in the 20s and snow flurries for the chance to meet former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin today when she signs her new book, "America By Heart," at the Harper's Point Kroger in Symmes Township.

Palin arrived at the Kroger shortly before 11 a.m., saying she was enjoying the "Alaska-like" weather and "just so happy and blessed" to be in Greater Cincinnati.

"There are good, hard-working Americans here looking for answers to some of the country's challenges," Palin said, while dozens of waiting supporters snapped photos. "So it feels very good to be here."

Although she has drawn enthusiastic crowds since her 2008 campaign as GOP Republican presidential nominee John McCain's running mate, Palin said she still is humbled by the sight of hundreds of people waiting to see her.

"You have no idea how humbling," she said. "I just feel very blessed that we have a platform we can use to try to help do good for the people."

[More]

And here's a clip from the package aired early this morning on Fox 19 (WXIX-TV):


There was also coverage by WKRC-TV and WLWT-TV.

- JP

Cheering Crowd greets Gov. Palin in Carmel, Indiana

Some spent the night in the store
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Hundreds of fans gathered in a suburban store north of Indianapolis to get their copies of her book signed by Sarah Palin, according to a Columbus Republic story:

Palin greeted fans and signed copies of her book, "America By Heart," at the Carmel Meijer store Thursday evening. The Carmel visit is the only one in Indiana listed on Palin's Facebook page.

Palin shook hands and made chit-chat as the line moved through a cordoned-off area of the store.

Some waited for hours to see Palin, including a number who spent the night in the store.

Gov. Palin's "Going Rogue" book tour stopped in Fort Wayne and Noblesville last year when she signed copies of her best-selling first book.

More reporting on the Indiana event by The Indy Channel (WRTV-TV), The Indianapolis Star (which also has a photo gallery), WXIN-TV and a video package which aired earlier today on WISH-TV. The Indiana News Center reported this morning that Kristen Dorini, the first person in line, arrived at the store at 7:30 Wednesday night.

- JP

Gov. Palin's book signing in Spirit Lake draws fans from 3 states

Some of them showed up at her hotel this morning
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On the Des Moines Register's Iowa Politics Insider blog, Tom Beaumont reports that Gov. Sarah Palin was on a pace to sign more than 1,000 copies of her new book today in a Walmart store in the northwest Iowa resort community of Spirit Lake:

Palin, making her second trip to Iowa in the past week to promote “America By Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag,” arrived shortly before 11 a.m. at the store. Palin, who overnighted in the area, was delayed briefly when a small crowd of fans showed up in the morning at the hotel where she was staying.

Inside the back room where Palin was signing the books, country music played loudly while Palin feverishly signed stacks of books while making small talk with fans, like Julie Swanson, 32, of nearby Harris.

“I just love what she stands for. I love her values,” said Swanson, a stay-at-home mother of two-year-old son Luke. “I hope she runs for president.”

Two of Palin’s daughters, Piper and Willow, were with her, as they have been throughout the 16-city book tour, which wraps up tomorrow. At one point, Piper asked her mother if she could shop in the store. “Piper, look for a scarf, honey,” Palin said as the girl left the room.

[More]

In a separate story, Beaumont said this Iowa event also drew fans from nearby South Dakota and Minnesota, "judging by the license plates in the crowded parking lot."

Sioux City television station KITV has a few photos posted here.

Next stop on the book tour is this evening in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel, Indiana.

Updates...

From the Guv via Twitter:

"Awesome Iowa!Thank u! & just heard America by Heart is #2 NYT bestseller list behind Pres.Bush's good book,so thanks for sharing inspiration"

The Iowa Independent also covered the event here.

- JP

Herald-Leader: Sarah Palin draws a crowd to Lexington book signing

"Palin Man" has been to about ten of her book signings

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Sarah Palin fans by the hundreds flooded Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington Wednesday night to meet the former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate who visited the store to sign copies of her new book America By Heart:

The book, Palin's thoughts about the future of the United States and words from those she finds most inspiring, was released Nov. 23, about a year after her best-selling memoir Going Rogue.

[...]

Kaye Hughes of Lexington brought her daughter Kacie, a fourth-grader. The two secured their two books, which they will give to Kaye's mother and sister for Christmas, on Nov. 16, the first day they were made available. Even though the meet-and-greet was short, the Hugheses said meeting Palin and her daughter Piper made for an exciting evening.

"They were really trying to keep the line moving, but she shook both our hands and asked Kacie about school and just held onto her hand while she talked," Kaye said. "It was cool to meet Piper, too. They're both just very nice."

Tammy Pickett and Jennifer Cross's smiles and neon green sweatshirts shone across the store as they waited for their turn. Pickett embroidered both shirts, which read, "I came to meet the 45th president." She said she made similar sweatshirts when she met President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on their campaign trails.

Pickett said Palin liked the shirts so much she made an exception to her normal rule of signing only books; Palin signed both sweatshirts and had the women pose with her for a photo.

[More]

Thursday, Gov. Palin will make book signing stops in Spirit Lake, Iowa and Carmel, Indiana. The first leg of her book tour -- she's hinted that additional signings may be announced at a later date -- wraps up Friday with signing events in Cincinnati, Ohio and Columbia, South Carolina.

Update: Coverage from WTVQ-TV here.

- JP

What do 'progressives' do at airports while waiting for their flights?

The surveillance camera knows
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Surveillance cameras at a store in Indianapolis International Airport caught a passing traveler on tape while he defaced books by Gov. Palin:

Airport police were called to the Borders bookstore in Concourse B on Tuesday morning after four of Palin's "America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag" books were found to have writing on the covers.

[...]

Police said surveillance video showed a man, who appeared to be a passenger, writing on the books on display near the entrance of the store.

The incident wasn't an isolated one. The store manager said that several books by Glenn Beck were also vandalized about six weeks ago.

- JP

Gov. Palin visits middle Tennessee for book signing

Arrives in an unpretentious minivan
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Sarah Palin's book signing tour took her to the affluent Nashville suburb of Brentwood, Tennessee Wednesday to promote her second book, America By Heart.

In the book, Palin tackles a variety of topics, from former President John F. Kennedy to "American Idol." She also voices her opinion about President Barack Obama.

The one-time vice-presidential running mate of John McCain greeted fans, answered questions and posed for pictures during her three-hour visit.

People began lining up Tuesday night outside the Costco in Cool Springs all night for a chance to meet her.

WSMV-TV's brief news story is here, and the station's video package, which aired at 12 Noon, is here.

- JP

Arkansans Brave Hours of Cold Weather for Sarah Palin Book Signing

Chilly temperatures and long line couldn't keep these Arkansans from Sarah Palin
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KARK-TV reports from Little Rock that hundreds of Arkansans waited hours in what felt like below-freezing temperatures for a chance to have Gov. Palin sign copies of her second book, America by Heart:

With her new book out and her new reality show on television, many wonder if this will lead up to another run for the White House.

[...]

The book cover for "America by Heart" says it's about Sarah Palin's take on what it's like to be an American. Today's long line was full of people who came out because they say they identify with Palin and her emphasis on faith and family.

The chilly temperatures and long line couldn't keep these Arkansans from Sarah Palin. They came bundled up, and started lining up before the sun came up.

Palin fan Richard Caster said, "Got here at 5 am, left the house in Mountain Home at 2 am."

Caster drove nearly three hours from Baxter County and was the first person in line at Sam's Club. But the line was filled with people equally as anxious to shake Palin's hand and get her John Handcock on her latest book.

Palin supporter Ben Jiles said, "I came down here to see Sarah Palin cause to me, she is a true American. She's connected with so many people not through everyday politics, but through the ideals we all live by."

[More]

Although only 500 people had the coveted wristbands which guaranteed their books would be signed, the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate signed a few dozen more than that, and the event wrapped up around 8 o'clock.

Max Brantley of the liberal Arkansas Times posted two videos of interviews with fans waiting in line here.

- JP

Sarah Palin signs books in Baton Rouge

She was greeted by "about five hundred adoring supporters"
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Gov. Palin visited the Books A Million store in Baton Rouge to sign copies of America By Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag. A crowd of about 500 enthusiastic supporters were waiting in line for her. A report from television station WBRZ:


Also covering the event were WAFB-TV and The Daily Reveille, the student newspaper for Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

- JP

Sarah Palin: 'America By Heart' Book Tour and Reviews

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Posted early Tuesday morning by Gov. Palin on Facebook:

“America By Heart” Book Tour and Reviews

The “America By Heart” book tour continues today in Baton Rouge, LA and Little Rock, AR. Click here for details.

I got a chance to speak with Jedediah Bila from Human Events last week. You can check out her great column about it here.

Last May I had the honor of meeting radio show host Hugh Hewitt at an event we both spoke at in Denver. He’s a great patriot, and I’m humbled by his kind words about “America By Heart.” You can read his review here.

I mention in “America By Heart” that National Review is one of my favorite magazines, and I used excerpts of articles by a number of NR writers. Among them is Kathryn Jean Lopez, who always has such wonderful insight into cultural issues, particularly in regard to building a culture of life. I’m honored by her thoughtful review of “America By Heart” and especially by her including it in the same review with Pope Benedict’s new book. You can read her article here.

Fox & Friends interviewed Luigi Zingales, the University of Chicago economist whose work I mentioned in “America By Heart.” You can see the interview here.

I look forward to seeing you in Baton Rouge and Little Rock today and signing your books!

- Sarah Palin

- JP

Gov. Palin signs books in Metairie, Louisiana

"You may have shaken hands with the future president"
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Mary Sparacello of The Times-Picayune reports on Gov. Palin's book signing event this evening in Metairie, an unincorporated city of about 145,000 adjacent to New Orleans:

Nancy Adams and her daughter Jolie Taubin of Covington had waited all day Monday to be one of the first people to meet Sarah Palin and shake her hand at a book signing in Metairie. They said the wait was worth it.

"It was an experience you won't forget," Adams told her 9-year-old daughter after they met Palin.

Adams and Taubin were two of hundreds of people who waited hours to meet Palin on Monday night at a book-signing at Barnes & Noble on Veterans Memorial Boulevard.

Palin signed copies of "America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag." The book hit bookshelves Nov. 23, and Metairie was an early stop on the national tour. Palin will be in Baton Rouge at a Books-a-Million on Tuesday morning.

When Palin stepped behind the book-signing table, the excited crowd cheered and broke out in scattered chants of "Run, Sarah, run," encouraging Palin to run for president in 2012.

About 300 people were waiting in line Monday morning for the bookstore's doors to open so they could buy the book and get a wristband for the signing, said Jennifer Simon, community relations manager for the Metairie store. Bookstore employees wouldn't release a final count of wristbands given out.

Palin smiled widely, shook hands and spoke with everyone as she autographed books.

"Six children," the mother of five and former vice presidential candidate exclaimed to one woman. "You have me beat."

Attendees said they were surprised at how friendly Palin was. "She's very personable, very charming," said Gwen Mitchell of Destrehan.

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Gov. Palin was last in the New Orleans area in April at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.

More from WGNO-TV (here, here and here) and WWL-AM/FM (here).

- JP

Second book tour brings Sarah Palin back to Texas

Die-hard fans in Houston lined up for today's 11AM signing as early as 5PM Sunday
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Gov. Palin's America By Heart book tour brought her back to Texas Sunday and Monday. KTRK-TV aired this package on the Houston event this morning:


Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth reported on the book signing in Big D Sunday:


More on the Houston book signing from KHOU-TV and KPRC-TV.

- JP

Hugh Hewitt: Sarah's setup for 2012

A review of "America By Heart"
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Hugh Hewitt reviewed Gov. Palin's America by Heart for the Washington Examiner's Monday edition and found it to be "a very fine read, one that displays a unified theory of America and a complete understanding of the key currents that will swirl through the politics of the next two years." He also judges it to be "a near perfect setup for a presidential run":

If the book has a target, it is in fact the coastal elites that define and drive so much of American culture. The big foots of Manhattan-Beltway-Los Angeles media aren't going to be familiar with Charles Stanley or Max Lucado, but Palin is comfortable quoting them in support of her points. Some of those elites might recognize the names of Fred Barnes, Arthur Brooks, Jonah Goldberg, Kathryn Jean Lopez, and Rich Lowry, but they may blink at Palin's quick references to the Brooks' key book, "The Battle." The odds are good that these elites are not regular readers of National Review or the Weekly Standard and thus not remotely familiar with the arguments that powered the red wave this past November.

Palin's grasp of the current political moment is comprehensive. She knows the conservative movement. She is generous about those who lead it with her, spending time praising Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, for example. And contrary to press reports, she allots very little ink to direct criticism of the president.

"America by Heart" is an upbeat, positive affirmation of traditional American values. I have often thought and said that not since Richard Nixon can any Republican divide a room more quickly than Sarah Palin, and this is because she is so completely the anti-anti-American, totally comfortable with and confident in her assertion of American exceptionalism. Palin is also very much the counterforce to Al Gore, not only as the repudiation of his ideology and his politics, but also as a base-rousing, media-driving original whose appeal cannot be blunted by the endless abuse she receives from the unwatchable washed-ups on "The View" or elsewhere.

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Hewitt rains on the hopes of liberals who wish she would just go away, calling Sarah Palin "a powerful American voice, one that will remain that way for years to come, whether she runs for president in 2012 or not."

- JP