Did Team Palin uncover an October surprise in September?

We think Gov. Palin and her advisors sensed "a great disturbance" in the political force
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There's one thing about Sarah Palin that her supporters, critics and even "neutral" pundits all agree on. Her political instincts are remarkably prescient. She has been praised for this keen instinctive ability to read the political tea leaves throughout her entire career. When Gov. Palin announced on October 5 that she had decided not to run for president, she cited family reasons. What this really means is that it was a family decision, but we were left to speculate on what factors were involved in her family's deliberations.

There's no question that a national campaign would be a major disruption of family life for the Palins, and security issues almost certainly were factored into the decision. But political concerns had to have also been involved in what was ultimately a key decision involving the governor's political career. The words "at this time" from her official statement have been cited by some of her supporters as a clue that Sarah Palin, her family and her close advisors saw some new wrinkle in the political landscape that may have caused her to postpone her run, perhaps until 2016 or 2020.

You do not produce quality campaign ads like "One Nation" and "Together" simply to raise money for your leadership PAC or to build your image for public relations purposes. You don't cancel the southern leg of a bus tour that was to have included the early primary state of South Carolina because of family considerations, either. You don't have your lawyers make calls to early primary states to verify presidential filing deadlines unless you are still seriously considering a run. Likewise, you don't convene a round table with your closest advisors to map out strategy for a presidential run, unconventional as it may have been, if your aim is just to string people along.

No, something happened. We think Gov. Palin and her advisors sensed "a great disturbance" in the political force, probably at some point in September, that caused them to put on the brakes. Could it have been that they concluded that the fix is in for Mitt Romney? Consider Stacy McCain's bombshell Thursday that Cesar Conda, Sen. Marco Rubio's top staffer and a Romney loyalist, was instrumental in the Florida GOP's decision to move their state's primary up to January. The earlier states schedule their primaries, the more it helps Romney and hurts other candidates like Herman Cain. This revelation taken together with the GOP establishment's strategy to co-opt Sarah Palin's allies in the TEA Party, make it difficult to believe that such political factors as these were not involved at least to some degree in her decision not to run.

The primary shuffling will throw up obstacles that will be very difficult, if not insurmountable, not only for conservative candidates such as Cain, but also for any other candidate not named Mitt Romney. This had to have been a key factor in the political calculus of Sarah Palin, but don't doubt that it was a consideration for Chris Christie and Rudy Giuliani as well. Not just political instincts, but good political intel were likely involved in all three of these decisions not to run. Christie's quick endorsement of Romney so soon after he announced that he would not get into the race indicates that not only did the New Jersey governor realize that the fix for Romney was in, but like any political opportunist, he was determined to use it for his own future political gain.

Unlike Christie, Sarah Palin is not for sale and neither are her core supporters. In his follow-up piece for The American Spectator, Stacy attributes the increase in Cain's poll numbers largely to Palin supporters jumping on board the Cain train following the governor's announcement that she would not run. But if you look carefully at the polling data, it's clear that Cain's rise is almost directly proportional to Rick Perry's decline. What Stacy seems to have missed is the fact that Sarah Palin's strongest supporters are in no hurry to jump to any other candidate's ship. Indeed, her own ship is not sinking. It has only lowered its sails "at this time." Make no mistake: when a favorable breeze is felt, the canvas will again be hoisted. No one GOP presidential candidate even comes close to offering the complete package Gov. Palin's supporters still see in her. A few of her fair weather "fans" may go with the flow (or the media's "flavor of the month"), but her serious supporters know that only dead fish do that, as the governor has often said. No, it will take quite a lot for any other candidate to win the allegiance of the Paliniste. So far, we're not seeing it from any one of them.

- JP

News-Press: Sarah Palin energizes crowd in SW Florida

“The president's budget was a political document”
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Just back from visiting India and Israel, Sarah Palin brought her conservative message to a crowd of about 1,000 in Southwest Florida at the Naples Ritz-Carlton. The Fort Myers based News Press reports that her address "sounded a whole lot like a campaign speech for the 2012 presidential race":

“Tonight,” she said before delivering her speech at the Naples Distinguished Speakers Series Town Hall event, “I will call it like I see it. I will be blunt and candid.”

She didn't disappoint.

“The occupants of the White House do not have the concerns of Israel in their best interest,” Palin said 48 hours after having dinner with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister.

And then she got rolling around the globe ... Iran, Libya, Brazil, China.

Obama's recent trip to South America had her riled up over America's current energy policy.

“We have tens of billions of barrels of oil warehoused underground in Alaska,” Palin said. “But the president goes to Brazil. It's gone from ‘Drill, Baby, Drill' to ‘Drill, Brazil, Drill.’”

Regarding Iran, she said the White House had a chance to make an impact there earlier this year during a student uprising, but passed.

She said the United States’ policy on Libya is inconsistent, and that she's concerned that China is building a vast arsenal of sophisticated submarines and aircraft.

Palin said the right foreign policy ought to be, “If you're in it, win it. If there's doubt, get out.”

Palin said the nation's debt of more than a trillion dollars is the country's biggest threat.

“The president's budget was a political document,” she said.

About a Democratic political slogan “Winning The Future,” Palin energized the crowd.

“That is too easy ... the acronym WTF,” she said, and the audience loved it.

[More]

The News-Press said that her audience Wednesday night was made to order for Gov. Palin, as Collier County is one of the most conservative areas in Florida. Her appearance was also covered by the Naples News here.

- JP

Gov. Palin to speak next week in southwest Florida

March 23 at the Naples Ritz Carlton
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Shortly after arriving back in the U.S. following overseas visits to India and Israel, Sarah Palin is scheduled to speak at a town hall meeting in Naples, Florida Wednesday, March 23. The Naples Town Hall website describes the mission of its Distinguished Speaker Series as "presenting speakers of domestic and international expertise in a responsible platform of issues and ideas that stimulate thought, enhance understanding and promote dialogue."

The event is scheduled for the Naples Ritz-Carlton at 6 PM Eastern Time. Tickets for Reserved and Preferred seating are already sold out.

h/t: Karen

- JP

Allen West for U.S. Senate 2012

Thank you, John Cornyn
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And here we were beginning to think that one of Texas' great embarassments, Sen. John Cornyn was good for nothing. But the Senator, by virtue of his latest numbskull undertaking, has caused us to rethink that assessment. According to a report at The Hill, Cornyn tried to recruit Vichy Republican and MSPDS hack Joe Scarborough to challenge Florida Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012. Of all the harebrained things Cornyn has done, this one pegs the needle on the Outrage-O-Meter.

Clinical Law Professor William A. Jacobson is just one of the many voices rising in opposition this morning to Cornyn's latest act of RINOcery, opining on his Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion blog:

It is bad enough when the NRSC backs milquetoasty RINOs like Charlie Crist.

But recruiting a founding member of the No Labels group is a step way too far. Joe Scarborough already said he wanted no part of you, what don't you understand about "no labels"?

And recruiting someone who is out front in proving he can bash Sarah Palin harder than any Democrat will lead to a revolt and schism in the party...

[...]

If John Cornyn wants to rip this party apart, then he has found the way. Does he want our energy and money devoted to stopping a GOP senatorial candidate, or stopping Barack Obama?

Prof. Jacobson asked his readers for their suggestions on who is the next Marco Rubio in Florida, and a commenter named freshman Rep. Allen West of the 22nd Congressional District. Sounds like a winner to us. Thought Col. West would be a formidable running mate for Sarah Palin in 2012, he is probably needed more in the U.S. Senate.

So Cornyn is good for something, after all. He's got us interested in the 2012 Florida GOP primary race for U.S. Senate and determined to defeat whatever Vichy Republican he and his corrupt NRSC will back. We have every confidence that if Col West chooses to accept that mission, he will successfully carry it out. Now to find a primary challenger to take on Cornyn here in Texas for 2014...

- JP

Allen West Ad: 'All of This'

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30-second political ad for Alan West, the retired Army Lt. Col. who is running for Congress in FL-22 with Gov. Palin's endorsement:


h/t: Stacy McCain

- JP

The American Pundit: Now Charlie Crist Flip-Flops on Sarah Palin

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Stephan Tawney at The American Pundit makes the observation that the desperation of worthless weasel "Sorry Charlie" Crist, who trails a surging Marco Rubio in the polls by double digits, is not a pretty sight:

The likes of Sarah Palin are too extreme, we’re told by a guy who said he was “impressed” with her and thought she’d make a great president just two years ago. He also said she is “bright”, “impressive”, and ready to be commander-in-chief should something have happened to McCain. “She’d do a great job,” as vice president, Crist told CNN.

Palin hasn’t changed since 2008 but Charlie Crist’s political ambitions — and his party registration — have.

Conservative Floridians obviously find Rubio much preferable to Crist, the mother of all Vichy Republicans. So he's reaching out to Democrats and left-leaning independents. What else is the governor who lost his spine to do? Other than bash Gov. Palin and other good Reagan conservatives as "too extreme," that is.

- JP

Alan 'Guttershark' Garyson is going down Nov 2

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According to a new Sunshine State News poll, Palin-endorsed congressional candidate Daniel Webster is maintaining a firm 7-point lead in Florid's 8th district, well positioned to send "increasingly malodorous" incumbent Democrat Rep. Alan Grayson back to the sewer he slithered out of:

Webster, a former state senator, leads Grayson, D-Orlando, 48-41... In a previous poll, conducted Sept. 25, Webster led Grayson 43-36, an identical 7-point margin.

"Webster has to be the favorite here. Grayson has failed to turn his negative image around, and is still viewed in a negative light by a 55-38 margin," said Jim Lee, president of Voter Survey Service, which conducted both polls. "This means Grayson has very little if any room to grow."

[...]

"The key difference in the poll when compared to last time is that Webster is surging with independents, now leading them by a 48-33 margin over Grayson, which is a reversal from a 42-33 Grayson lead in the last poll (a net swing of 24 points)," Lee reported.

Kathy Mears, a spokeswoman for Webster, said, "Although we are being outspent and deluged with some of the most negative and dirtiest ads in the country, we do sense a great deal of support from voters in the district. We trust that our positive message will win the day in Central Florida."

[...]

Since the Sunshine State News Poll shows Webster’s margin widening to 11 points among voters who say they are most likely to cast ballots (51-40), Lee projected that the Republican could top 50 percent on election night.

Even though both Webster and Grayson have increased their support in their respective bases (Webster up 7 with Republicans, Grayson up 8), the swing of independents against Grayson could prove to be his undoing.

And the congressman's rising unfavorable rating -- now worse than Obama's -- appears to be downright lethal.

"Grayson’s favorable-unfavorable image is now a staggering negative ratio of 55-30, compared to a negative 47-36 ratio in September, so it’s apparent his TV campaign has completely backfired," Lee said.

Grayson, who apparently suffers from a psychological disorder somewhat akin to Tourette's Syndrome on steroids, has accused Gov. Palin of inciting "zombie minions to take me out, like she was trying to shoot a moose from a helicopter." He went so far as to compare the seriousness of the "death threats" to "John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X," and "John Lennon."

In her rousing speech at the GOP rally in Orlando over the weekend, Gov. Palin referred to Grayson as a jackwagon:

"So many candidates around here running for the right reasons. You've got Rick Scott and Allen West. And you've got Pam Bondi. And Steve Southerland. And you've got Daniel Webster. OK, running against you know who. OK, we've got to stop just for one minute here with this one. The word that comes to mind, jackwagon. For some reason I think of Allen Grayson and jackwagon. Please, for the rest of the country, may that one-term wonder be retired, too. Please vote for Daniel Webster. Veterans for Webster."

Puzzled liberals took to the Web to express their ignorance of Sarah Palin's use of the jackwagon term. It's little wonder the military-hating left does not recognize the word. It's slang coined by U.S. troops to designate a useless person or a piece of equipment that doesn't function properly.

- JP

Full Video: Gov. Palin Orlando Speech 10-23-10

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Courtesy of Palin TV:


Help Palin TV acquire more Sarah Palin videos. Contribute here

- JP

Palin, Steele, Rubio rally GOP faithful in Orlando

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Sarah Palin told a fired-up crowd of 2,000 Florida Republicans that the financial future and personal freedom of Americans depend on the GOP faithful turning out the vote for conservative candidates across the nation in ten days. Bill Cotterell of the Florida Capital Bureau reports:

"Winning means that we secure our nation, we secure our free markets, we secure our freedoms," Palin shouted to about 2,000 flag-waving, chanting supporters at a convention center near Walt Disney World.

The former Alaska governor was the featured speaker at a two-hour pep rally the Republican National Committee dubbed "Sprint to the Finish," boosting the candidacies of GOP nominees for the U.S. Senate, governor, state Cabinet seats and the U.S. House. RNC Chairman Michael Steele and state GOP Chairman John Thrasher said four Florida districts -- three of them in conservative Central Florida -- are key to the party's prospects of winning control of Congress on Nov. 2.

The GOP needs 10 Senate seats and 39 in the House to take over Congress. Rally participants, who paid $25 a ticket to hear Palin and a succession of top state party leaders, waved signs emblazoned "Fire Pelosi," a reference to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

[...]

Palin made a strong pitch for Florida GOP nominees and predicted the party would prevail, at the state and national levels. But she said everything depends on "our ground game in the next 10 days."

Joining Gov. Palin and chairman Steele at the rally was Marco Rubio, who leads in the race for the U.S. Senate against Democrat Kendrick Meek and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who dropped out of the Republican primary after it become clear that he wouldn't be the winner. Crist is running as an independent in the general election:

Rubio said to cheers that he would work to repeal health care reform and would have voted against stimulus money.

"This election is about turning out and voting," Rubio said. "This is all it's about right now."

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele thanked Tea Party supporters for their contributions to the Republican Party.

"They restored our faith in the Constitution," Steele said.

The RNC chairman and Gov. Palin both criticized incumbent U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, the Democrat congressman who has been accused of getting a third-party candidate to run in his race under the "Tea Party" label in an attempt to siphon votes from Daniel Webster, his Republican challenger. The 2008 vice presidential candidate referred to Grayson as a "jackwagon," military slang for a useless person or piece of equipment.

Update: CNN also covered the rally here. The Orlando Sentinel's story is here. The Pensacola News Journal's report is here.

- JP

New Rubio Ad: 'Things Change'

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Rubio's campaign uses Charlie's own words against him:



Hmmm. Does Crist remind anyone of another politician, one with an "R" after his name?

h/t: Jennifer Caballero

- JP

Free admission for veterans to Victory 2010 Orlando Rally

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According to Free Republic, Sarah Palin has invited all veterans to attend the Victory 2010 rally in Orlando Saturday for free:

"That's right, she wants all us current and former Grunts, Squids, Blue suiters, Marines, and Coasties to be her special guests this Saturday, October 23d. The event is at the Marriott World Center near Walt Disney World. Admission is normally as much as $90 for this Victory 2010 fundraiser, with all the profits going to ensure a strong Conservative victory this year!"

"If you have an ID card or other proof of service, bring it."

Things will get under way at 3 PM Florida Time. Ticket information for civilians is here.

- JP

Mrco Rubio to join Gov. Palin and Chairman Steele at Florida rally

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According to Politico's Andy Barr, Florida U.S. Senate nominee Marco Rubio (R) will appear with Sarah Palin and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele at an RNC fundraising rally Saturday.

Tickets for the rally at the Orlando World Center Marriott start at just $20.10 and range in price up to $127.25, but attendees who ante up $950 for their tickets get to meet Gov. Palin.

- JP

Politico: Allen West rakes in $1.6M

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Retired Army Lt. Col. Allen West announced last week that his congressional campaign against Rep. Ron Klein (D-FL) raised $1.6 million in third-quarter campaign funds, topping his second quarter total of $1.4 million:

The Republican has emerged as a fundraising powerhouse, raking in more than $5.4 million so far for his campaign. Klein, who has yet to announce his third-quarter figures, had raised $2.5 million though Aug. 4. West’s second-quarter takeaway was the highest of any GOP non-incumbent candidate so far.

In a statement announcing his haul, West noted that “over 97 percent of our donations have come from individual contributions." His campaign said the average contribution was about $78.

West has the support of Gov. Palin and the Tea Party movement.

- JP

Jonathan Martin: Sarah Palin speaks to electability issue

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Politico's Jonathan Martin was able to get some of the conservative heavy hitters who attended Newsmax's private dinner with Sarah Palin in Palm Beach Wednesday to share a few details about the event.

Martin was told by three of the attendees that Gov. Palin "implicitly addressed" the issue of her electability by reminding the dinner guests that Ronald Reagan's critics said couldn’t win in 1980. She reportedly told the gathering that those who don’t have conservative convictions will always say a true conservative can’t win.

Pointing out that the knock on Reagan was that he was also too far to the right, the former Alaska governor repeatedly invoked the 40th president and conservative icon, at one point citing the quotation he was most fond of: that America is a “shining city on a hill.”

One attendee told Martin, “I think she sees herself as heir to Reagan.” The pundit says that by invoking the Gipper at an event such as this, the 2008 vice presidential candidate is showing that she is, "at the very least, thinking through how she’d make her case if she pursued the presidency."

Martin takes recent comments and actions by the governor and those closest to her as strong signs that she wants to be taken seriously as a potential White House contender. He argues that just meeting with the GOP donors, strategists and activists who were among the dinner guests speaks to her presidential intentions.

Martin's sources say Gov. Palin did not directly address a White House bid at the event:

Rather she used her remarks and a question-and-answer period with about 50 conservative insiders to discuss topics such as health care, the midterm elections and the state of the GOP.

Palin discussed the importance of keeping the tea party movement in the GOP but criticized establishment Republicans who she said weren’t listening to the party’s grass roots by supporting moderate candidates over conservatives. If the party recaptures Congress, she said, Republicans must govern differently than in the Bush years and show more fidelity to small-government principles on spending.

Each of the attendees who spoke with POLITICO said they were impressed by her performance, particularly when she took questions and spoke off the cuff.

“Palin was engaging, charming, and well-informed on the issues and the campaigns going on around the country,” said Ralph Reed, a longtime GOP strategist who is now running a social conservative group called the Faith & Freedom Coalition. “While circumspect about her future plans, she was clear she wants to see the party and the country go in a more conservative direction.”

Though Sarah Palin herself refrained from openly discussing any plans she may or may not have to run, that did not prevent "many in the room" from discussing just that:

“I was surprised about how many people in room said ‘yes’ when I asked if they could see themselves supporting her,” said one attendee. “I was expecting to hear what you mostly hear — ‘I hope she doesn’t do it’ or, ‘She’s more effective doing what she’s doing.’”

Some of the guests identified by Martin were Reed, Michael Reagan, Grover Norquist, Dick Morris, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and key Republican donors such as former GOPAC Chair Gay Gaines, businessman Lee Hanley and former Reagan Ambassador to Switzerland Faith Whittlesey.

Some others named by the Palm Beach Post's Jose Lambiet were Miami builder Stanley Tate, Jonathan Sandys (a grandson of Winston Churchill), West Virginia's John Raese (the surprisingly strong candidate for the U.S. Senate) and Florida State Rep. Adam Hasner.

- JP

Gov. Palin: I'll run for president if the American People want me to

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From Jose Lambiet's "Page 2 Live" at the Palm Beach Post:

"...Sarah Palin told a small studio audience during the recording of a Newsmax.com webcast Wednesday in Palm Beach that she would run for president in 2012 if 'the American people' want her to."

Lambiet has included an online poll and prefaced it with the question "Well gang, do we want Sarah Palin to run for president?"

Visit the page to read the rest, and please vote in the poll. We're not usually real big on online polls, but this one seems... special.

;-)

-JP

Sarah Palin: Be glad you can see November from your house!

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Posting on Facebook Thursday, Gov. Palin talked about her week's activities and asked her followers to support 17 conservative candidates in four states:

Traveling the Country Where We See a New Generation of Leaders Emerging

Had a great visit with Newsmax and the great folks in the Sunshine State yesterday! I spoke to Michael Reagan about his father’s grand legacy and to Dick Morris about not accepting what President Obama wants America to believe is some kind of “new normal” of economic woe. I spoke to concerned Floridians about the energy in the Tea Party movement, and explained that I wrote a lot about it in my book, “America by Heart”; and I had the privilege of being interviewed on Sean Hannity’s show regarding voter turnout favoring conservatives this year.

Florida is fortunate to have great candidates willing to run and serve for all the right reasons. The repeal of the mother-of-all-unfunded mandates, Obamacare, is foremost on the minds of so many concerned Floridians, along with job, jobs, jobs. Thankfully they have candidates bold enough to promise to shake things up, put “We the People” first, and support free market and results-oriented solutions to all these challenges. Please support these great Sunshine State candidates:

Rick Scott for Governor

Pam Bondi for Attorney General

Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate

Steve Southerland (FL-2)

Allen West (FL-22)

Sandy Adams (FL-24)

Today I’m in beautiful, historic, special Alabama! I speak at Faulkner University and am shouting out a big Alabama holler for some great candidates:

Beth Chapman for Secretary of State

Martha Roby (AL-2)

Tonight I’ll be calling into an event for two great candidates in Hawaii:

John Willoughby (HI-2)

Scott Henderson (State House District 7)

The Aloha State is ripe for positive, patriotic change under the leadership of these good Americans with servant’s hearts in our 50th state.

Tomorrow it’s back to Texas for a Woman of Joy conference and talking to Texans about some of their great candidates:

Rick Perry for Governor

Greg Abbott for Attorney General

Bill Flores (TX-17)

Francisco "Quico" Canseco (TX-23)

Dr. Donna Campbell (TX-25)

Blake Farenthold (TX-27)

Stephen Broden (TX-30)

Onward and upward. Be glad you can see November from your house! Real change is just around the corner, America!

- Sarah Palin

We're pleased to see the governor give Bill Flores a shout out. TX-17, where we reside, is carved out of a long corridor of central Texas which extends from the Edwards Plateau all the way down to the Brazos River Valley and includes the cities of Cleburne, Waco, Bryan and College Station. Although the 17th is a overwhelmingly Republican district, it has been represented by only Democrats since its creation in 1919.

Chet Edwards, the incumbent, has held the seat since 2005. Edwards is one of the blue dog Dems who is fighting for his political life, and he's running harder against Speaker Pelosi and President Obama than some Republicans are! But no matter how hard Chet runs from his own party, he can't hide his votes in favor of both the stimulus and financial bailout bills. They are two strikes against him. Nevertheless, he can't be underestimated. At the end of June, Chet was sitting on a $2.1 million campaign chest, while Flores had only raised $415,000. So please follow Gov. Palin's lead and support Bill Flores!

- JP

Bedard: Sarah Palin Takes A Big Step Toward 2012 White House Run (Updated)

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At a Palm Springs reception and dinner organized by Newsmax's Christopher Ruddy, Sarah Palin charmed the top conservative leaders who gathered there to meet her, reports US News columnist Paul Bedard in "Washington Whispers":

Former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is raising new speculation in conservative circles that she is already preparing for a 2012 presidential bid. In the latest and clearest example of her plans, Palin met with some 50 national conservative leaders Wednesday in Palm Beach, Florida where she discussed economic and diplomatic policy and led some to declare that she's in the race.

"This was an indication that she's strongly considering running," said one insider. "She was very knowledgeable and gave intelligent answers, despite how she's been characterized," added the insider. "And she was extremely charming."

[...]

One conservative leader told Whispers that Palin's trip to Newsmax was the strongest sign yet that she's planning to run.

During her stop, Ruddy and his staff presented Palin with a faux Newsmax cover showing her running for the presidency. It was headlined: "Yes in 2012."

At a later reception and dinner, she made her case on several issues to top conservative leaders, among them, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, pundit Dick Morris, activist Ralph Reed, and John Raese, the West Virginia Republican Senate candidate who holds a surprise lead over Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin.

[...]

Conservatives have warmed to Palin in part because of her golden touch in picking Tea Party candidates to back in House and Senate races, giving her a ready-made support base in a presidential bid.

Also on hand was Michael Reagan, who interviewed the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate for an October 12 Newsmax webcast. The two have a history of mutual respect. Gov. Palin introduced Ronald Reagan's elder son at an Anchorage rally in June of 2009 celebrating the late president. After his brother Ron smeared her and the Tea Party movement on a leftist cable tv show, Reagan issued a written statement saying his father would've embraced the movement and supported Gov. Palin. And after Sarah Palin's acceptance speech at the 2008 RNC Convention, the radio host compared her favorably to President Reagan in his Human Events column, "Welcome Back, Dad."

Update: More on the Newsmax interview here.

- JP

Sarah Palin greeted by Michael Reagan in Palm Beach

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The Crowley Political Report describes Gov. Palin's visit to the Palm Beach area Wednesday:

Her first stop was at the West Palm Beach headquarters of NewsMax where she stepped from a black SUV and was greeted outside by radio talk show host Michael Reagan, son of the late President Ronald Reagan and Christopher Ruddy, founder of NewsMax.

"Hi guys. How are you? Hi." Palin said as she waved to onlookers while Palm Beach photographer Lucien Capeheart was snapping away.

After her visit to NewsMax, Palin headed to Palm Beach where she attended an exclusive dinner at The Breakers with a group of conservative heavy hitters.

The governor also answered a few questions from the local press outside of the NewsMax offices:


h/t for the video: TheRightScoop

- JP

Crowley: Gov. Palin at Palm Beach dinner Wednesday (Updated)

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The Crowley Political Report, which posted on September 24 that Gov. Palin would attend a dinner at The Breakers in Palm Beach in October, now reports that the dinner will be Wednesday. Crowley's source is "a person who has been invited, and will attend the event":

Our source won't say much more so we still don't know who is hosting the Palin dinner but we fully expect she'll be saying nice things about Republican congressional candidate Allen West among others.

Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are island residents and Crowley Political Report would not be surprised if they show up at the dinner.

If true, this explains why the Liberty & Freedom Foundation fundraiser, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed.

Update: More buzz on the governor's busy day in Palm Beach.

- JP

Gov. Palin's Miami Appearance Postponed

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Brian Hamacher of WTVJ-TV in Miami reports that Gov. Palin's scheduled Miami appearance at a Liberty & Freedom Foundation (LFF) fundraiser Wednesday has been postponed.

Tickets for the event, which was to have taken place in American Airlines Arena, went on sale in September. Ticket holders can reportedly get a full refund or use their tickets at the rescheduled appearance, the date and time of which has not been announced.

We contacted the Arena ticket office, which verified the postponement. LFF says the reason for the postponement is a "scheduling conflict," but no other event for Gov. Palin on that date has yet been publicly announced. According to a Crowley Political Report post published Sept. 24, the governor will supposedly attend a dinner at The Breakers in Palm Beach, but no date or further details have yet been announced for that rumored event.

- JP