Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin Sign Books at MOA

Mother & daughter draw crowd of 1500
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Sarah Palin joined her daughter Bristol Wednesday for a book signing in the Twin cities area of Minnesota:

People lined up throughout the day at the Mall of America in Bloomington as Bristol Palin made an appearance for her new memoir, titled Not Afraid of My Life. My Journey So Far. Fans needed to purchase the book to get it signed.

To get Sarah Palin’s autograph, fans had to buy either America By Heart or Going Rogue.

According to the Associated Press, MOA estimated that about 1500 people turned out for the event. Photos here.

- JP

Three Bristol Palin Book Signing Appearances Announced

In Minnesota, Alabama and Arizona
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With her book, Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far released by William Morrow and now on sale, Bristol Palin will be on the road for several book signing events.

The single mom and motivational speaker will appear at the Mall of America rotunda from 6 to 8 p.m. June 29 in Bloomington, MN, a return to the Twin Cites where her mother accepted the GOP vice presidential nomination during the hurricane-truncated 2008 RNC convention in St. Paul.

Bristol is scheduled for another book signing at the Books-A-Million store in Birmingham, AL's Colonial Brookwood Village July 6 at 7 p.m. The eldest Palin daughter at 20 years old also has an appearance scheduled for signing her new book July 9 at 2:00 PM at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix, AZ. All times are local time.

Some of the buzz from bits of her book is covered by the lamestream media here. The Massey brothers talk about their upcoming project with Bristol for the Bio Channel here. It's not nearly as "salacious" as the gossip media is trying to spin it.

- JP

Tom Emmer makes it a race in Minnesota

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Palin-endorsed Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer has come from 9 points down last month to lead his Democrat opponent Mark Dayton by a point in a new poll by Rasmussen Reports:

Republican Tom Emmer and Democrat Mark Dayton are virtually tied now in the race to be Minnesota’s next governor.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Minnesota Voters shows Emmer earning 42% support to Dayton’s 41% when leaners are included. Independence Party candidate Tom Horner is a distant third with nine percent (9%) of the vote. Six percent (6%) like some other candidate in the race, and two percent (2%) are undecided.

The findings move the race to a Toss-Up from Leans Democratic in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Gubernatorial Scorecard.

[...]

Last month, with leaners absent from the totals, Dayton held a 45% to 36% lead over Emmer just after both candidates had won four-way primary races. Horner, who defeated four other hopefuls to win the nomination of the party that sent Jesse Ventura to the governor’s mansion, earned 10% support at the time.

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) should see a significant increase in its membership next year. Minnesotan Ed Morrissey comments on the race at Hot Air.

- JP

Palin-endorsed Tom Emmer closes the gap on Mark Dayton

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Tom Emmer has closed the polling gap with his Democrat opponent in Minnesota.

Ed Morrissey comments:

In the wake of the primary fight in Minnesota, former Senator Mark Dayton took a rather large lead against Republican Tom Emmer in the gubernatorial race. DFLers here crowed, claiming that the results showed that Emmer would gain no traction here after eight years of Tim Pawlenty, but perhaps the times aren’t a-changing here after all. A new Survey USA poll shows that the Dayton lead has all but dissipated, with Emmer moving into a virtual tie among likely voters:

In an election for Minnesota Governor today, 09/15/10, DFL candidate Mark Dayton and Republican Tom Emmer finish effectively even, within the survey’s theoretical margin of sampling error, according to this latest exclusive KSTP-TV poll conducted by SurveyUSA.

Today, Dayton gets 38%, Emmer 36%; Dayton’s nominal 2-point advantage may or may not be statistically significant. But: Independence Party candidate Tom Horner today gets 18% of the vote, stronger yet among older, more reliable voters, complicating the calculus either major-party campaign needs to capture the open seat.

[...]

What happened? In the first place, the previous polling reflected the interest from a high-profile, competitive DFL primary race, in which Dayton barely edged Margaret Anderson Kelliher for the nomination. Emmer spent the summer fundraising and organizing rather than advertising, saving his money for the general election. Dayton outspent Emmer by 16:1 during the two months prior to those initial polls.

Since then, Emmer has released a detailed plan to solve the budget gap and remake government. He has run a solid campaign, putting out a positive message. The Republican Party has taken the lead on focusing attention on Dayton’s record as Senator, which prompted Time Magazine to call him the worst Senator in Congress in 2006.

(More...)

Sarah Palin endorsed Emmer April 29.

- JP

Democrats' Despair in MN: Bachmann +9 Over Clark

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More Tuesday polling news, and it's not good for state and national Democrats, who have targeted Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota's Congressional District 6. Bachmann's campaign, which has Gov. Palin's endorsement, has not even begun to break a sweat, yet the Republican leads her Democrat opponent State Sen, Tarryl Clark by nine points. To deepen the Dem's despair, Bachmann is sitting on a campaign chest overflowing with cash.

Hot Air's Ed Morrissey comments:

KSTP notes correctly that an incumbent under 50% in a poll is usually a red flag, but not when the main challenger is below 40%, and a three-way race makes that dynamic a little different anyway. They also correctly note that Bachmann hasn’t really begun to campaign, while Clark has TV ads running already...

[...]

Clark is a tax-raising Democrat, not exactly what MN-06 usually sends to Congress in any year. Bachmann just completed a big fundraising quarter that gives her a big war chest to fund those ads, which will flood the zone closer to the election.

KSTP also describes this result as putting Clark “within striking distance,” but nine points is a long distance to strike.

More here.

- JP

Quote of the Day (May 7, 2010)

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CQ Politics:

"Republican Tom Emmer, who secured the GOP nomination for governor [of Minnesota] with a little endorsement help from Sarah Palin, now is leading all of his possible Democratic opponents, according to a Survey USA poll conducted for KSTP-TV."

- JP

Sarah Palin: Tom Emmer for governor of Minnesota (Updated)

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On her Facebook Notes page Thursday afternoon, Sarah Palin endorsed State Rep. Tom Emmer in the Minnesota gubernatorial race:

The Straight-talking “Hockey Dad” with a Message for Reform

A patriotic fiscally conservative “hockey dad” who got his start in politics by serving on his local city councils is running for governor of the great state of Minnesota. His name is Tom Emmer, and I’m proud to support him.

Tom has based his campaign on three founding principles: “Honoring the Constitution, Expanding Liberty and Fostering Economic Freedom.”

Coming from a working class background, Tom is known as a straight-talker who is unafraid of taking on the challenge of reining in the size and scope of government. A proud father of seven, Tom is in this race for the right reasons – to provide bold, principled leadership that will leave Minnesota fiscally stronger for the next generation. He knows that government overspending is the real obstacle to reform. Tom says, “When a family experiences a change in its income, that family adjusts its budget accordingly. If they have less money, they spend less money. This simple form of money management is completely lost on state government.” It’s common sense statements like that which make Tom such an attractive candidate for Minnesotans who want real reform.

A family man who wants to leave his kids a better future, a “hockey dad” who once played for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, a patriotic commonsense conservative who wishes to serve for the right reasons – that’s Tom Emmer, and I ask you to join me in supporting him for governor of Minnesota.

Please visit Tom’s website here, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. Let’s shake things up with this straight-talking “hockey dad” and his message for reforming government.

- Sarah Palin

Gov. Palin chose Emmer over a number of other announced candidates in the governor's race.

Update: The Star-Trib has more information on the endorsement:

“It's a significant endorsement," Emmer said. "Sarah Palin is the gold standard of grass roots politics in this country."

While outside endorsements aren't always game changers, Emmer said Palin's nod lends a significant boost to the campaign.

There will be 2,100 delegates at the convention tomorrow, and there will be 2,100 fans of Palin, he said.

Emmer said the endorsement doesn't include any contribution by Palin or a promise of a campaign visit.

Emmer's campaign wrote a letter to Palin about a month ago asking for an endorsement, said Bill Walsh, an Emmer campaign spokesman.

[...]

Palin and Emmer had a one-on-one meeting earlier this month when she was in Minnesota for a rally and fundraiser.

- JP

Matt Benda: We went. We saw. And Sarah Palin conquered

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Matt Benda is an attorney from the city of Albert Lea, Minnesota, is located 90 miles south of Minneapolis, where he attended the big rally at which Sarah Palin spoke recently. Here are some excerpts from his impressions of her, as written for his home hown newspaper, The Tribune:

What the smart people don’t get is that the more they jest Palin’s pedigree, the clearer it becomes that she is just like the rest of us. Early in her speech, she won over her crowd with one simple truism, “What I like about you folks in Minnesota is that you sound like me.” Of course, she meant her accent, which has also been criticized.

Yet, the look in people’s eyes told more — the former Alaska governor made them feel that a normal person (like them) could make a difference. In one more sentence — “Washington is addicted to OPM (sounds like opium) Other People’s Money” — she summarized one of the greatest concerns on people’s minds. She is likeable, speaks straight and is able to touch people’s hearts — the “Palin Effect” as explained in one recent article.

She also instinctively understood the implications of the huge policy shift President Obama recently took — from deterrence to appeasement — on national defense.

[...]

What the smart people don’t like is that Sarah Palin quickly framed this discussion in terms we all understand — standing up to the playground bully.

[...]

I for one will keep listening to Sarah Palin as she seems a lot like the rest of us here in Minnesota — just trying to make the world a better place.

Read Benda's full op-ed here.

- JP

Roars of approval for 'Bachmann-Palin Overdrive'

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GOP rock stars Sarah Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann shared the stage at the Minneapolis Convention Center Wednesday afternoon as a crowd of 11,000 roared its approval. The Star Tribune's Bob Von Sternberg reports that Gov. Palin was there to help Congresswoman Bachmann in her campaign for another two-year term in the U.S. House representing Minnesota's Sixth District:

"Let's do the rest of the nation a favor and keep her in Congress," Palin said.

"Let me ask you, Minnesota, do you love your freedom?" Palin boomed to a rapturous response.

She got an equally loud response when she asked, "are there any Tea Party Americans here today?" She called the Tea Party movement "a beautiful grassroots movement sweeping across the country ... The Tea Party is growing and steaming" having enlisted "people who are deeply concerned about the path our country is on."

Referring to campaign appearances during the 2008 campaign, including her debut at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Palin said, "I love being here because you all sound like me -- or I sound like you."

Referring to one of President Obama's biggest gaffes on the campaign trail, Palin said she imagined that "some of you are probably proud to cling to your guns and religion."

Palin and Bachmann hit the stage about 2:45 p.m to an explosive roar of approval and stood before a massive American flag, facing a sea of waving blue Bachmann campaign signs.

GOP officials said they handed out more than 11,000 free tickets and ticket holders began streaming into the hall two hours before the 2 p.m. event began.

Noting the turnout, Bachmann shouted, "take that liberals!" Speaking of the upcoming midterm election, "there is hope, there is change -- real change coming to this country this November."

As one of our readers commented, they should have named this rally "Bachmann-Palin Overdrive." Someone at the WSJ must have been reading his mind.

Here's the video of Gov. Palin's speech:



Video h/t: The Right Scoop, which has vids of all three major rally speeches here.

Update: More coverage from Politico, AP, MinnPost, MPR, CBS News, CNN and Washington Post.

Politics in Minnesota has some photos of Gov. Palin and Rep. Bachmann here.

- JP

It's the biggest bleeping deal in the Midwest today

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As our esteemed vice president would say, "It's a big [bleep]ing deal." The Minnesota Republican Party has handed out all 10,000 of its tickets for today's Michele Bachmann - Sarah Palin rally that promises to rock the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The doors will open at noon, and the party gets started at 2 p.m. local time, which coincides nicely with Sean Hannity's radio program to be broadcast live from the Convention Center. Rep Bachmann will also be streaming the event live on her website here. The Congresswoman says:

"It’s an exciting time to be a conservative in this country right now, and I encourage you all to stay engaged and keep up the fight! Let’s send a message to Washington this November that Obama, Reid, and Pelosi won’t ever forget!"

Oh, yes, some guy named "Tim" will be there also:

"Pawlenty, one could say, is the odd man out here. He's not as aggressive in his conservatism as Palin or Bachmann--he's been a Sam's Club conservative, so they say, as governor--but he has presented his conservative credentials to the broader political audience, and he has looked to slash spending from Minnesota's budget, which the 2012 GOP primary electorate will like. So maybe he's the odd man out in a room with Palin and Bachmann, but not quite a sore thumb."

With Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin together on the same stage, Shannon Bell wonders:

"Is there enough duct tape in the entire state of Minnesota to keep liberal brains from simultaneously exploding?"

[...]

"Both are strong, conservative women who have turned the political world on its head in the last couple of years. Bachmann and Palin have both served as democratic lightning rods in the last several months for being outspoken advocates of conservatism and anti-big government."

At 4:30 p.m., Gov. Palin will host a fundraiser for Rep. Bachmann at the Minneapolis Hilton. Entry-level tickets for the late afternoon event went for $500, with serious donors shelling out up to $10,000 for a table for ten at an exclusive "private reception with photo opportunity."

Update: CNN may also live stream the event here (h/t: Free Republic), and the Star Tribune says it will stream it here.

- JP

10,000 tickets to Palin-Bachman rally distributed

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All 10,000 tickets for Wednesday's GOP rally featuring U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Gov. Sarah Palin Wednesday have been distributed, and there are no more, says the Minnesota Republican Party. That 10,000 figure doesn't include however many tickets were counterfeited by "progressive" criminals. Doors to the Minneapolis Convention Center open at Noon, and the rally will start at 2 p.m.

According to the Minneapolis (Red) Star Tribune:

Palin and Bachmann will address the crowd, as will Gov. Tim Pawlenty and other Republican glitterati. Conservative media star Sean Hannity will be on hand to sign his new book and do his television show from the convention center.

The rally tickets were free. Tickets to the afternoon fundraiser cost $500, with prices skyrocketing to $10,000 for a "private reception with photo opportunity." Couples who shelled out $10,000 also got to fill a table for 10 at the Minneapolis Hilton.

Bachmann's re-election campaign will get the first $4,800 of any money donated from an individual. Cash gifts beyond that will go to the state GOP.

- JP

Gov. Pawlenty to join Gov. Palin and Rep. Bachmann at Minnesota rally

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Minnesota GOP Chairman Tony Sutton announced Friday that Gov. Tim Pawlenty will join 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann at the Republican Party’s upcoming rally at the Minneapolis Convention Center:

"I am thrilled that Governor Pawlenty is joining us for our April 7^th rally with former Governor Sarah Palin and Representative Michele Bachmann. Governor Pawlenty is a great leader for our state who is sure to energize our wonderful grassroots activists. With over 7,000 tickets already given away to this one of a kind event, it’s clear Minnesotans are fired up and ready to go for November."

Fox News host and radio talker Sean Hannity will also be there.

- JP

MN GOP announces ticket information for Palin-Bachmann rally

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Minnesota GOP Chairman Tony Sutton Tuesday announced ticket information for the April 7, 2010 rally with former Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The rally, which begins at 7:00 p.m., will be free and open to the public:

“The phones have been ringing off the hook here at the Republican Party of Minnesota since we announced that Governor Sarah Palin would be in town for a rally with our great Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. To get tickets to this event, please visit rally.mngop.com or call 651.222.0022. These tickets won’t last long,” Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton said.

More information from the Republican Party of Minnesota website here.

- JP

Bachmann campaign names time & place for fundraiser hosted by Gov. Palin

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Rep. Michele Bachmann's campaign has released more details on the April 7 fundraiser Sarah Palin will host for the congresswoman in Minnesota:

The event will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis, MN, with a private reception and photo opportunity starting at 4:30 p.m., a general reception at 5:00 p.m., and dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Honorary Hosts for the evening include Governor Tim Pawlenty, Senator Norm Coleman, Congressman John Kline, and Congressman Erik Paulsen.

Anyone interested in attending should email Zandra Wolcott at zww@michelebachmann.com for more information.  Plans are also being made for a rally, and they will be posted here when they have been finalized.

- JP

Gov. Palin will hold joint fundraiser for Rep. Bachmann and MN GOP April 7

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When Sarah Palin visits Minnesota in April, she will do more than just stump for GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann. Minnesota GOP Chairman Tony Sutton says the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate will also raise money for the state party:

FEC reports show that a committee dubbed Minnesota - Bachmann Victory Committee was formed to raise money for Bachmann's congressional campaign and the MNGOP. When asked about the committee, Sutton said it was formed because Palin, the former governor of Alaska and John McCain's running mate in 2008, will hold a joint fundraiser for the MNGOP and Bachmann on April 7th.

These types of committees are typically organized so big name fundraisers can hold events for more than one group, candidate, or combination of the two.

- JP

Sarah Palin attending Minnesota fundraiser tonight

From Dennis Lien of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press:

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin apparently has agreed to attend a private fundraiser Monday for a Minnesota conservative group called the Freedom Club.

The group has sent out an invitation identifying Palin as the featured guest at the event following her noon book signing at the Mall of America. The invitation, which asks couples or individuals to contribute $5,000, will be at the Hilton Hotel in Bloomington.

Proceeds taken in by the Freedom Club will go toward electing Republicans to the Minnesota House, according to the invitations which were sent out by the group.

Star Tribune Blogger Rachel Stassen-Berger reports that Rep. Michele Bachmann will also be at the event.

- JP

500 in line for Sarah Palin at MOA before dawn

The Star Tribune reports:

Staying up all night. Missing classes and work. The cold. The exacting rules. None of that stopped hundreds of Minnesotans from lining up to see Sarah Palin Monday at her book signing at the Mall of America.

Before dawn, about 500 people snaked in a line about a quarter-mile long at the mall for the chance to interact with the former Republican vice presidential nominee.

The mall stop is part of Palin’s tour to smaller cities across the country to promote her book, “Going Rogue.”

[...]

Erica Dao, a spokeswoman for the Bloomington mall, said the first people began lining up at around 4:30 a.m.

[...]

By 9 a.m. more than 800 people were in line, Dao said.

The Star Trib's Monday edition also has some Rules for Rogues at MOA here, photos here and tweets here.

- JP

Democrats' Alinsky tactics spread from AK to MN

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The Democrat Party, using networks of local blogger operatives, successfully bogged down the Alaska state government with a series of bogus "ethics" complaints and FOI requests, all designed to destroy former Gov. Sarah Palin. Now the party of Hope and Change is using the same strategy in Minnesota:

"Three Minnesota bloggers filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Michele Bachmann this week, claiming the Republican violated House franking rules in an email to constituents."

Sound familiar? In the early stages of using the strategy, Obama's goon squads seem to be concentrating on on states that have attractive, conservative women of faith in public office:

The bloggers say Bachmann advocated for the National Automobile Dealers Association, which is a political organization. They say that violates House franking rules, which stipulate that members can only refer readers to government resources and private groups doing public policy programs such as the Red Cross.

We believe it is of no small significance that the dealers association (N.A.D.A.) provided legal and other support to those Chrysler and GM dealers who believed they were being unfairly shut down when Obama's fascist takeover of the two automakers required the corporations to close large numbers of their dealerships.

The strategy being used in Minnesota and Alaska is a variation of the Cloward-Piven Strategy, which is explained here. Just because the latest variant of the strategy, which employs Alinsky's methods in a manner that would do Uncle Joe Stalin proud, has so far only been employed against conservative women, don't think for a moment that your own state's young male conservative guns are somehow immune to Cloward-Piven and the Democrat goon squads who employ it. It will eventually be used against them as well.

The Democrats are ignoring the old warhorses on the right and aiming their Stalinist tactics right at the GOP's most promising young stars -- those who have been touted in recent years as being "the future of the Republican Party." Obama's most ardent supporters are determined to see to it that the GOP has no future, except for the squishy sort of candidates who can be counted on to lose elections to their Democrat opponents. No one even remotely Reagan-like will be allowed to stand untainted by their vile smears.

Exit question: What do you, dear reader, intend to do about it?

- JP