Gov. Palin's speaker's fee is her business

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Why is the left so obsessed over Sarah Palin's speaker's fee while what Al Gore gets paid for lying about climate change produces nary a blip on the radicals' radar? We present excerpts from two recent op-eds on the topic.

Ron Devito writes in The Cypress Times that Gov. Palin made money the old fashioned way; she earned it:

Governor Palin’s detractors have a rather strange fixation with the idea that she gets paid well for some of her speaking engagements. Anyone who follows news related to Gov. Palin will invariably encounter a story in which her speaking fee is a major subject of discussion, with the implication that there is something wrong with her earning money to speak, and consult.

People pay big money to see and hear Gov. Palin speak, whether it is a Washington Speakers Bureau paid speech, rally, book signing stop, or other event. VIP privileges at Gov. Palin’s command even greater sums often reaching a stratospheric $5,000/person, that money going to benefit the event organizers, not Gov. Palin. Even at her free events, people spend thousands of dollars, travel thousands of miles, and endure waits of over a day just to talk with Gov. Palin for 10 seconds, shake her hand and get an autograph.

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Gov. Palin’s detractors bristle and see it as “cashing in.” They posit that all she cares about is money and herself. It’s not just leftists who carry on with this meme; so-called conservatives who should know better have jumped on that bandwagon.

Gov. Palin is a sought-after speaker, which is why she is on the Washington Speaker Bureau’s roster. The Washington Speakers Bureau is in business to earn a profit. They earn their money by providing high-demand speakers – such as Gov. Palin. The Bureau schedules and coordinates her events – a win-win for the Bureau, the event organizers, the participants, and Gov. Palin herself. Most importantly, there are no misunderstandings, as there were in Gov. Palin’s pre-speakers bureau days, when her small staff was overwhelmed with thousands of requests...

Stacy Drake addresses the same non-issue at A Time For Choosing, schooling the salivating, self-appointed Palin critics, Sarah Palin earns money… Get over it:

At the beginning of this week, the leftist media spent dozens of man hours spewing out the same, tired old theme. That being the fact that Sarah Palin makes money and for some reason the world should be outraged about it. I understand why they would try this trick in the beginning. I get that the left has to throw the entire kitchen sink at Governor Palin, due to her Teflon ‘mojo.’ But still, I find this absolutely ridiculous. They are making themselves look very foolish to anyone paying attention.

After the speech Palin gave in Turlock for the 50th Anniversary of CSU Stanislaus, and the subsequent harassment she, as well as the organizers of the event received for doing such – it goes back to this theme. It is a pure political strike conducted by left-wing officials and their close friends in the press. No other former public servant, or possible future candidate has had to deal with this sort of scrutiny on their wallets.

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I think one of the worst aspects of the treatment Sarah Palin received in California, is that it was started by government officials. Jerry Brown made a mockery of his elected office by assisting in the stunt created by the future wannabe Candidate for San Francisco Mayor, and former Hawaiian shoplifter, Leland Yee.

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Governor Palin asked Jerry Brown from the podium at the speech in Turlock a very interesting, very valid question. She said, “This is California. Do you really not have anything better to do?” Great question, governor! I happen to know for a fact that he does.

California is a mess any way you slice it. I have never witnessed Jerry Brown do anything with his department to help correct the dire state of our state. In fact, Jerry Brown is the person most responsible for unionizing the public employees here with SEIU, whose pensions are one of the main culprits for the current fiscal mess that IS California. And guess what… Jerry Brown earns his income from tax-dollars so perhaps a little more scrutiny on Moonbeam is a good idea.

You can read Ron's full commentary here and Stacy's here. Since the word "capitalism" is so repugnant to the average Palin detractor's inner socialist, perhaps we should use the term "economic freedom" instead. Yes, "progressives," conservatives can play your stupid word games too.

- JP

Why the obsession with Gov. Palin's speaker fee?

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As we reported Tuesday, a state assemblyman from the People's Republik of San Francisco has his thong in a knot over the amount of the speakers fee that the CSU Stanislaus Foundation is paying Gov. Palin's agent, the Washington Speakers Bureau. Under terms of her WSB contract, the amount of the fee is not to be disclosed.

Meanwhile, the fallout from a dispute between Tea Party Nation's founder and one a disgruntled former member has led to a lawsuit has rekindled the fires surrounding the amount of the fee Gov. Palin was paid for her speech at the Tea Party National Convention in February.

Why are people, especially the Left and its media flea circus, so obsessed over how much Sarah Plain gets paid to deliver a speech? We don't recall this sort of hysteria about the fees that Bill Clinton or Al Gore charge for speaking. Has Palin Derangement Syndrome so rotted the brains of Gov. Palin's political foes that they can no longer concentrate on Things That Really Matter?

Update: Newspaper publisher Bill Mattos, who was a member of the California State University Stanislaus Foundation for over 15 years, writes in an op-ed:

"Many who oppose Palin’s visit want to know how much she will be paid (in recent speeches she has earned up to $100,000), but the foundation is prohibited from releasing that information per her contract. What those who care about the university should be asking is 'How much will we raise for the students.'"

Mattos figures Gov. Palin's appearance could bring in $200,000 or more to the CSU Stanislaus Scholarship Fund.

- JP

About those speakers fees...

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The political Left and their trained media lapdogs mention Sarah Palin's speakers fees as often as they can in their efforts to portray her as some kind of political mercenary. We wonder how eager they will be to report this:

Orange County GOP Chairman Lew Oliver disclosed Monday that the county party organization will pay Sarah Palin only travel and hotel costs for her speech at the group's annual Lincoln Day Dinner.

“There is no speaker’s fee,” Oliver wrote in an email to the Orlando Sentinel about the March 12 Palin event, for which tickets are selling for $250. For $1,000, fans can get VIP access, which includes a photo and reception with the former Alaska governor.

- JP

Sarah Palin: No financial gain from Tea Party speech

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Once again, a number of pundits on both the left and the right were wrong about Sarah Palin. The former governor has been the subject of considerable criticism from many, including some widely respected bloggers in conservative circles for demanding, they alleged, a six-figure dollar amount for the speech she will deliver to the Tea Party Convention. Gov. Palin debunked that notion in her discussion with Bill O'Reilly tonight.

Here's the transcript of that discussion (from about 5:30 in the second segment):

BOR: Finally, you're going to do a Tea Party event in Nashville, Tennessee in February. Now, I predicted that you may run on the Tea Party ticket in [2012].

SHP: Well, there is no Tea Party ticket.

BOR: There could be.

SHP: I am so thankful for the Tea Party movement, for people having a place for their voice to be heard. I can't wait to do this event, and there are a lot of Tea Party events...

BOR: keynote, here right?

SHP: I believe I am the keynote. There will be other speakers, too, though, but I can't wait to get to hear from those who are so concerned about our economy and about our national security issues and share with them what I believe the solutions are.

BOR: They'll love you at the Tea Party, boy. They will love you!

SHP: Well, I can't wait to be there, and there's always that controversy it seems surrounding whatever it is that I announce I'm going to do. There's controversy involved in this one because the Tea Party offered me a speaking fee. I will not financially be gaining anything from this.

BOR: You should, though. You have a family to support. Take the money.

SHP: You know what's more important? More important than money in my pocket from an event like that is being able to turn it right back around and contribute to campaigns, candidates and issues that will help our country.

There are some apologies owed to Sarah Palin. This is what happens when otherwise very smart conservative bloggers take for granted the crap in articles from left wing sources such as Politico. You can understand how the nutroots left would run with any old BS they get from the lamestream media that they think they can use against Sarah Palin, but conservative bloggers should know better.

- JP