Jack Kelly: Palin up, Obama down

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Jack Kelly, columnist for both the Toledo Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, remarks on the recent convergence in poll numbers for President Obama and former Governor Sarah Palin:

The turnabout in fortunes is all the more remarkable because no political figure in recent history has been subject to such vilification from our news media as Mrs. Palin. No malicious rumor was too preposterous to report. No accomplishment was important enough to mention.

Meanwhile, no presidential candidate or president has received more favorable press coverage than Mr. Obama.

[...]

That's changing, in both directions.

Kelly cites as evidence positive comments following Sarah Palin's Gridiron Club speech by journalist Dan Thomasson and liberal columnist Clarence Page. He also quotes from a suprisingly favorable review of Going Rogue written by Stanley Fish for the New York Times:

"Perseverance, the ability to absorb defeat without falling into defeatism, is the key to Palin's character," he wrote. "Her political opponents, especially those who dismissed Ronald Reagan before he was elected, should take note."

Read Jack Kelly's column in its entirety here.

- JP

Sarah Palin charmed her toughest critics at Gridiron Dinner

Sarah Palin charmed a room full of her toughest critics Satuday night, according to Dan K. Thomasson, vice president/news for Scripps Howard Newspapers and editor of Scripps Howard News Service, a 50-person Washington news bureau:

The very fact she was willing to take the chance of appearing in a room full of her most disdainful critics is testimony to her courage as if that were ever in doubt. But when you're shooting percentage is as good as the ex-basketball star from Wasilla's has been of late, confidence leads one into situations that might otherwise be called foolhardy. Her luck held and she came away with at least a consensus of grudging admiration, having hit several threes and a driving lay-up.

The mere politeness that normally prevails in this setting disappeared in a welter of good will and produced at times the most extraordinary scene of inside the Beltway cynics and their significant others asking for autographs, an event almost as phenomenal as she is. Meanwhile, her husband, Todd, who she recently made graphically clear in answer to tabloid rumors of a pending split was a hunk no woman in her right mind would give up -- "Are you crazy! Have you seen Todd?" -- was the center of similar attention from the ladies.

Thomasson contrasted the good-natured demeanor of the Republican Party's 2008 vice presidential candidate at the event with the other featured speaker, Democrat Congressman Barney Frank, who:

"...sat unsmilingly and obviously uncomfortably throughout Palin's appearance, obviously aware that he was upstaged in star power even in a town where his acerbic wit is celebrated."

In Thomasson's view, although former Gov. Palin may not have convinced any in the assembly of overwhelmingly liberal and Democrat-supporting media types to pull a voting lever for her in a future election:

"...she did, however, pry open the eyes of some of those who have refused to regard her as little more than a jumped up political gate crasher one step removed from a trailer park."

[...]

So as she sat coolly sipping wine and taking a bite now and then and chatting amiably with the Gridiron's gracious outgoing president, Richard Cooper of the Los Angeles Times and the incoming Ann McFeatters of Scripps Howard, she was every bit the remarkably good looking, self assured and determined friendly young woman who no one should take lightly, capable of charming an audience that fashions itself even tougher than she is.

Read Thomasson's op-ed unabridged here.

- JP

GretaWire: Transcript of Sarah Palin's Gridiron Speech

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Thanks to an e-mailer she didn't name, Greta Van Susteren has posted the text of the speech Governor Palin delivered Saturday night at the Gridiron Dinner in Washington, DC on her GretaWire blog. The mysterious e-mailer was, says Greta, in the audience, so here are some excerpts:

Good evening. It’s great to be in Washington and I am loving the weather. I braved the elements and went out for a jog! Or, as Newsweek calls it, a cover-shoot. It’s a privilege to be here tonight at the Washington DC Barnes & Noble. Tonight, I'll be reading excerpts from my new book. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Going Rogue... Wasn’t sure if I’d go with that title, and somebody suggested I follow the East Coast self-help trend and go with, “How To Look Like A Million Bucks…For Only 150 Grand.”

[...]

Well, sometimes you just have to trust your instincts. When you don’t, you end up in places like this. Who would have guessed that I’d be palling around with this group? At least now I can put a face to all the newspapers I read. It is good to be here and in front of this audience of leading journalists and intellectuals. Or, as I call it, a death panel. To be honest, I had some serious reservations about coming to visit your cozy little club. The Gridiron still hasn’t offered membership to anyone from my hometown paper in Wasilla, the Matanuska-Susitna Valley Frontiersman. And my dad thought it was just a plain bad idea to leave the book tour for some football game. He might have a point!

I’ve been touring this great, great land of ours over the last few weeks. I have to say, the view is much better from inside the bus, than under it! But really, I am thrilled to be with you. And I’d like to thank the Gridiron for the invitation and Dick Cooper for his introduction. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, this has to be the most extraordinary collection of people who have gathered to viciously attack me since the last corporate gathering at CBS.

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That Democrat speaker I referred to is, of course, the one-and-only Barney Frank. And I’m the controversial one? Barney, the nation owes you and the government a debt. A huge, historic, unbelievable debt. But, it’s good to be here with you, Mr. Chairman. Because by Chairman, I don’t just mean the House Financial Services Committee. As far as I can tell, Barney’s also the Chair of AIG, CITI, and the Bank of America. I don’t want to say that the U.S. Government is taking over the role of the private sector, but I have to admit, on the flight here, thumbing through a magazine and looking at a photo of President Obama with the President of China, the person next to me pointed at it and said, “Hu’s a communist.” I thought they were asking a question.

[...]

Speaking of books… Did I mention mine? Going Rogue... Makes a great stocking stuffer. Available now at a bookstore near you. Hey, I have to pay for my campaign vetting bill somehow.

Really, the response has been great. So I’ll close by reading a final passage. Page 403: I’ve been asked a lot lately, “Where are you going next?’ Good question! Wherever I go I know that, as with anyone in the public eye, I’ll continue to have my share of disagreements with those in the media. Maybe even more than my share. It will come as no surprise that I don’t think I was always treated fairly, or equally. But despite that, I respect the media very much. It’s important. A free press allows for vigorous debate! And that debate is absolutely vital for our democracy.

So as hard as it can sometimes be, we must all look past personal grievances. We must move beyond petty politics. And we must allow these incredibly talented and hard-working women and men to ask the hard questions and hold us, and our government, accountable. Because their mission is as true as the sun rising over the Talkeetna nd Susitna Mountains. Okay – so none of that is actually in the book. Not a word. But I do believe it!

And I believe we live in a beautiful country blessed with so many different people who want the best for their children, families and for our great nation. I’m so proud to be an American. And that is what I’ll be talking about when I travel to, really where I’m headed. No better place than here to announce where I’m going. I’m going to Iowa! I’ll be there tomorrow from noon to 3:00 pm at the Barnes & Noble on Sergeant Road in Sioux City. Come early. Long lines are expected.

Thank you everyone. God Bless the U.S.A!

We noticed that Gov. Palin's quip about being able to see the Russian Embassy and the one asking that her parents, who were in the audience, not be treated like the Salahis are not in the transcript. Either they were lost in the transcription process or they were ad libbed. Anyway, read the "full" transcript here.

Update: Comment from Dan Riehl:

"The attendees at the DC dinner numbered twice what they usually do? Pretty impressive for someone we are always told is insignificant."

- JP

Updated: Sarah Palin closes in on the White House

USA Today's On Politics blog explains its headline thusly: "Geographically, that is." The Congress Team goes on to say:

The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee will be a mere seven blocks from President Obama's residence when she appears tonight at the winter dinner of the Gridiron Club, a 124-year-old organization of Washington political scribes. The club's dinner annually pairs one Republican and one Democrat to deliver what are supposed to be funny speeches before a cozy audience of political writers and spouses or dates. It's a forum where Washington's judges of political horseflesh can yuck it up with favorite news sources or check out up-and-coming talent. A couple of years back, a fresh-faced young senator named Barack Obama was the Democratic speaker.

The Gridiron Club is allowing media types to chirp to their Twitter pages from the event, and USA Today's Susan Page is already tweeting here, CNN's John King here and TIME's Karen Tumulty here.

Updates: Some one-liners from Sarah Palin's speech (Culled from tweets by King, Page and Tumulty):

Palin said if GOP ticket had won last year, she would be veep and Biden would be "selling his book, Going Rogaine."

Palin tells gridiron she loves her hotel room in DC: "I could see the russian embassy"

Palin takes a shot at steve schmidt, "if I ever need a bald campaign mgr,it appears all I am left w is james carville."

Palin joke in speech re book travels : "the view is so much better from inside the bus than under it."

Palin said she was addressing "leading journalists and intellectuals, or as I put it, a death panel."

Palin said "sometimes you've got to trust your instincts and when you don't, you end up in places like this "

Palin jokes big announcement: "tomorrow I am going to Iowa ......noon to 3p at barnes & noble "

Palin tells gridiron that in dc "I went out for a jog. Or as newsweek calls it--a photo shoot."

Palin at gridiron jokes normally dem speaker next but: "McCain campaign staff asked if they could have that time for rebuttal."

Palin's parents show up unexpectedly at gridiron. She says, "don't treat them like the ... Salahis".

Palin jokes book title debate included "the audacity of the north slope."

More from the AP, Chicago Sun-Times, Wall Street Journal and Politico.

Our fave Saracuda quip of the night:

Palin joked that she was looking at a magazine cover of Obama and Chinese president Hu Jinato during an airplane flight. A nearby passenger stated, “Hu’s the Communist,” she related.

And, Palin said, “I thought he was asking a question.”

Patterico tries to explain the Hu joke to clueless media leftist Andrea Mirtchell, but realizes she's a lost cause.

- JP

Confirmed: Sarah Palin will speak at Gridiron dinner in D.C.

The word from Carol Lee at Politico:

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be the Republican speaker at the Gridiron Club's Winter Dinner on Dec. 5, the club announced Friday.

Gridiron Club President Dick Cooper told club members earlier this afternoon that Palin accepted an invitation to speak at the black-tie affair, according to a member of the club's executive committee.

Meg Stapleton, a spokeswoman for Palin, confirmed that Palin planned to address the dinner in an e-mail to POLITICO: "The Governor was honored to accept the invitation."

Palin's attendance at the exclusive event – put on by a group of top Washington journalists – will mark the second time the former Alaska governor has flown to the capital to mix with the city's political elite. Earlier this year she attended the annual dinner put on by the Alfalfa Club, an insiders' organization that exists to throw an off-the-record winter bash.

- JP