They Lined Up Early For Gov. Palin's Andover Book Signing (Updated)

Some stood in the windy cold as early as 11 p.m. Saturday
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It was a familiar story during her Going Rogue book tour, and we are seeing it being repeated at every stop so far on her America By Heart signing tour. Sarah Palin fans lined up early in Andover Kansas for a chance to meet the former Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor:

Some stood in the windy cold as early as 11 p.m. Saturday night for the Sunday visit.

[...]

The 46-year-old is promoting "American by Heart," subtitled
"Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag." The book came out Tuesday and is her first since the million-selling memoir "Going Rogue." Palin will be joined by her husband, Todd, and other family members.

The Andover signing began today at 11AM at the Dillions Marketplace and concludes at 2PM, after which the governor will be on her way to Texas for a 6PM signing event at the Lincoln Park Barnes & Noble in Dallas.

Here's a report on the preparations that were made in Andover for Gov. Palin's visit.

Update: More on the Andover event from The Wichita Eagle.

- JP

Kansas GOP Senate primary election is Tuesday (Updated)

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Republicans will begin casting their votes in the Kansas Republican primary for U.S. Senate in less than 12 hours. The polls will open at 7 AM in the Jayhawk State and will close at 7 PM. Two U.S. Congressmen have been battling to be the GOP nominee, a candidate who will be all but assured of victory in the November general election in Republican Kansas. The Senate seat is being vacated by Sam Brownback, who is the front-runner to be the state's next governor.

Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran have been waging a contest to convince voters that each is the true conservative in the race. Moran has the larger campaign war chest and has led the lead in the polls, but Tiahrt has been narrowing the gap in the most recent polling. Although a Survey USA poll released on the eve of the primary election showed Moran with a 10-point lead, the race could actually be closer than that:

The pollster says that compared to two weeks ago, Moran is down one percentage point, and Tiahrt is up three. Tiahrt’s strategy to paint himself as the true conservative appears to be working, at least among conservative voters. Today he leads among conservatives by five percentage points, where two months ago Moran led by 21 percentage points in this group.

The poll notes potential trouble for Moran: “Most ominous for Moran: Among the 17 percent of voters who report they have already cast their ballots, Tiahrt is nominally ahead, 46 percent to 43 percent. Among those who tell SurveyUSA they are likely to vote, but have not yet done so, Moran leads by 13.”

If these potential Moran voters don't turn out tomorrow, it could be good news for Tiahrt.

Moran has been endorsed by Senators Jim Demint (R-SC) and Tom Coburn (R-OK). Tiahrt has the backing of 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, former White House chief of staff Karl Rove and political activist Phyllis Schlafly.

Updates...

Gov. Palin wrote tonight on her wall at Facebook:

Sarah Palin I want to remind the good people of Kansas to vote on Tuesday for Todd Tiahrt for U.S. Senate. He is a strong commonsense conservative who will serve Kansans with honor and help put our country on the right fiscal track.
About Todd
www.toddtiahrt.com
Kansans for Tiahrt

And from NRO's The Corner, "(Mostly) Good News from Kansas"

- JP

KS-SEN: Moran campaign denies political thuggery

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The U.S. Senate race in Kansas is heating up on the Republican side. Rep. Jerry Moran's campaign has denied issuing threats to the heads of two organizations that endorsed Moran's primary opponent Rep. Todd Tiahrt. More from the Wichita Eagle's editorial blog:

Moran spokesman Dan Conston called the allegation “political slime.” But Patricia Stoneking of the Kansas State Rifle Association and David Gittrich of the Kansans for Life PAC both said Moran campaign manager Todd Novascone — a former state representative from Andover — threatened that their groups would be sorry that they endorsed Tiahrt. Gittrich also claims that Novascone said he had a lot of dirt on Gittrich going back to high school. Tiahrt spokeswoman Michelle Schroeder responded: “Kansans should not have to fear Chicago-style threats from Congressman Moran or his staff simply because they don’t support his campaign.”

Sarah Palin has also endorsed Tiahrt.

- JP

KS-Sen: Tancredo switches support from Moran to Tiahrt

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Explaining that he had been "deceived," former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo today took the unusual step of formally withdrawing his endorsement of U.S. Senate candidate Jerry Moran and giving it to Todd Tiahrt, Moran's opponent in the Kansas Republican primary, according to a report at the Wichita Eagle's political blog:

Tancredo said Moran had deceived him.

Tancedo wrote this (as released by the Tiahrt camp):

Dear Kansan,

In February of this year I endorsed Congressman Jerry Moran for the United States Senate.

I came to this difficult conclusion after receiving untrue and incomplete information from the Moran for Senate campaign and Congressman Moran himself.

After independent research, I have learned disturbing information about Congressman Moran’s support of amnesty and benefits for illegal immigrants.

He voted against my amendment to defund sanctuary cities, essentially granting amnesty to all illegal immigrants in each of those cities.

Congressman Moran also voted with Nancy Pelosi to remove citizenship verification for illegal immigrants to receive welfare benefits.

Then he raised your taxes to pay for those health care benefits.

Congressman Moran even opposed money to secure our borders and build the fence.

In addition to hiding his own record, Congressman Moran distorted and maligned Congressman Todd Tiahrt’s record on illegal immigration. Congressman Tiahrt has been innovative in his approach to sealing the borders, written legislation to close loopholes so you and I don’t pay for benefits to illegal immigrants, and led the charge to keep tough immigration laws at the forefront of the debate in Congress when so many others are letting President Obama take the lead.

Because I care about the burden illegal immigration places on this country, I am withdrawing my endorsement of Congressman Moran and proudly endorsing Congressman Todd Tiahrt.

If you care about the damage illegal immigration does to our society, I hope you can join me in supporting and voting for Congressman Todd Tiahrt.

- Congressman Tom Tancredo

By switching his support from Moran to Tiahrt, Tancredo joins Sarah Palin in backing Tiahrt. The 2008 vice presidential candidate gave the 4th District Congressman her endorsement June 24.

- JP

Is Todd Tiahrt happy to have Gov. Palin's endorsement?

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From what we see on his campaign website, you betcha!



- JP

Gov. Palin endorses Todd Tiahrt in Kansas U.S Senate race

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On Facebook today, Sarah Palin endorsed U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt, GOP candidate for the United States Senate seat currently held by Sam Brownback, who is retiring from that body to run for governor of Kansas:

Thank Todd Tiahrt for True Public Service

I’m happy to endorse Todd Tiahrt’s campaign to be the next U.S Senator from Kansas. Todd is a protector of our Constitution, a pro-family, pro-Second Amendment Commonsense Conservative who has never voted for a tax increase and has fought to end the wasteful spending coming out of Washington. He didn’t just stand on the sidelines complacently, but instead actually battled against the bailouts, the debt-ridden stimulus spending, the cap-and-tax energy schemes, and Obamacare. In fact, remember on the day Obamacare was being debated, Todd Tiahrt was on the House floor all day working to defeat it, and he’s helped lead the charge to repeal and replace Obamacare the moment it was signed into law. We can count on Todd to take on the liberal spending agenda of the Obama administration and fight for lower taxes, more individual freedom, and less government intrusion.

Please join me in supporting Todd Tiahrt’s campaign by visiting his website at www.ToddTiahrt.com and following him on Facebook and Twitter.

- Sarah Palin

Tiahrt is the leader of Kansas' U.S. House delegation and sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee. His main opponent in the August 3 GOP primary is another U.S. Congressman, Jerry Moran.

- JP

Sarah Palin Rouses Crowd of Thousands in Wichita

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Sarah Palin delivered what The Wichita Eagle reported as "a rousing speech" Sunday night at a fund-raiser for the Bethel Life School Association of Wichita. Speaking to a crowd of a several thousand, the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate praised Wichita as a city of "hard working and patriotic liberty-loving Americans":

"People here are not afraid to stand up and speak out for what they believe in," Palin said.

She said the country needs people like that to correct problems such as the economy and "Obamacare" health reform.

"The powers that be in Washington, they've got it all wrong. They want to tax and spend our way out of our problems," she said.

Palin drew one of her longest ovations by saying, "We should not be working for our government. Our government should be working for us,"

"Washington has broken faith with the citizens they're supposed to be serving and many of us want to take it back," Palin said.

She ripped the new health reform laws. "The more you find out about Obamacare," she said, "the more you're going to pressure your officials to do something about it."

"Obamacare must be repealed and replaced," she said to loud applause.

Palin urged the audience to register to vote, then elect leaders "who understand the constitution and reflect our values."

America, she said, needs to return to the exceptional country it used to be, and can do that through faith in God, strong families and values of the heartland.

The Eagle's article was accompanied by a photo gallery here.

- JP

Tickets for Sarah Palin Wichita event go on sale Feb. 20

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From the Wichita Eagle comes word that tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 20 for Sarah Palin’s May 2 keynote address for a fundraiser benefitting the Bethel Life School Association.

The event is being held at at Intrust Bank Arena to raise money for scholarships and equipment at the school, which is affiliated with Bethel Life Center, an Assemblies of God church, according to KansasCity.com.

Tickets will be available at the arena box office in Wichita, online at the Intrust Bank Arena website and by telephone at 316-440-9000. Ticket prices should be posted by Feb. 14.

- JP

Sarah Palin speech electrifies Kansas crowd

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Barbara Hollingsworth, who provided a running account of Gov. Palin's speech via Twitter in real time, wrote it up for the Topeka Capital-Journal.

Here's a portion of her report:

Even Palin couldn't ignore the excitement her appearance generated. Back stage, she said, a chamber member told her, " 'Man, this is like a Van Halen concert.' I said, 'Man, I wish.' "

In her speech, Palin sounded off on national security, government bailouts and limited government ideals. And she offered lots of praise for the hometown crowd.

"In a time when folks so fear that much is going wrong, your town is an example of how to get it right and how to soar," said Palin, who was joined in Salina by her daughter, Piper. "Shoot, your state's motto even has it right: to the stars through difficulties."

[...]

Telling the crowd she was going to "call is like I see it," she said Washington, D.C., politicians need to "back off." While Americans have lost jobs and learned to live with less, she charged that government has become more bloated.

"Over the past year, Washington has replaced private irresponsibility with public irresponsibility," she said.

The country, she said, needs health reform "not backroom deals." She suggested measures like allowing insurance purchases across state lines and tort reform.

Also, she said the country needs to pursue "all of the above approach to energy." She said increased drilling for oil must be pursued.

"Drill here and drill now and tap our own plentiful energy supplies," she said.

The Obama administration, she said, has lost its way on foreign policy. She said people wonder if the United States is still a "beacon of hope" for freedom.

"We need a foreign policy that distinguishes America's friends from her enemies and recognizes the true nature of these threats that we are facing," Palin said.

In the end, her speech brought the crowd to its feet.

Read the full C-J story here.

Here are some excerpts from Brent Wistrom's account of Gov. Palin's address for the Wichita Eagle published on Kansas.com:

The former governor of Alaska drew some of the loudest applause at the Bicentennial Center when she criticized law enforcement officials for questioning a suspected Christmas Day airplane bomber for only 50 minutes before reading him Miranda rights.

"We need a commander in chief, not a professor of constitutional law," she said as her words drowned in applause. About 6,000 people filled the arena.

Palin said that investigators should have asked more questions of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab before granting him Miranda rights, a right to remain silent and contact a lawyer.

"Treating this threat as a mere law enforcement matter places our country at a grave risk," she said.

That resonated with several people after the nearly 40-minute speech ended.

"I think my new motto is 'America is ailin', we need Palin,' " said Wayne Burke, a minister from Arkansas City.

As he left, he said: "It fired me up."

Salina.com also posted a brief preview here of Michael Strand's story for the Saturday edition of the Salina Journal.

- JP

All Atwitter in Kansas: Covering Gov. Palin's Speech

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Barbara Hollingsworth, who covers the Legislature and other political matters for The Topeka Capital-Journal, is in Salina covering Gov. Palin's speech for her paper. She reports that Sen. Sam Brownback is there because he says he wanted to be there and hear what she had to say. U.S. Congressman Todd Tiahrt is there, as is state ag secretary Josh Svaty. Follow Hollingsworth's tweets here.

Tommy Report at C4P reports that alwaysfiredup is also tweeting updates here, and Kansas First District Congressman and U.S. Senate Candidate Jerry Moran tweeted here that he is introducing Gov. Palin -- "a fellow conservative with the same principles and values" -- tonight. 

- JP

Sarah Palin Is in Salina for Chamber Speech

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According to Salina Journal reporter Tim Unruh, Sarah Palin arrived in Salina, Kansas Thursday night at 8 P.M. The former Alaska governor is scheduled to speak tonight to the annual meeting and dinner of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce:

Palin will speak to a packed house at the chamber event at the Salina Bicentennial Center. She is the first in a long line of well-known chamber speakers to sell out the Bicentennial Center. More than 6,000 tickets were sold for the event.

Chamber President Dennis Lauver says he and other chamber of commerce members met the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate at the airport. Gov. Palin and one of her daughters then checked in to a local hotel, Lauver said.

- JP

Salina prepares for an evening with Sarah Palin

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Salina Area Chamber of Commerce staff and local police agencies are preparing for the chamber's annual dinner Friday, where Sarah Palin will be the keynote speaker:

More than 5,000 tickets have been sold for the event at the Bicentennial Center featuring the former Alaska governor and 2008 running mate of Republican John McCain. Palin is the first in a long line of impressive Salina chamber speakers to sell out the Bicentennial Center. In fact, organizers recently reconfigured the seating to make another 600 seats available.

Palin's appearance means more officers will be deployed that night to monitor security and help patrons as they enter and leave the event. Police spokesmen are being tight-lipped about how many extra officers will be on duty, as well as how much the extra security is estimated to cost, save to say that the chamber is picking up the tab.

No opportunities for the general public to get autographs, photographs, give gifts to or greet Gov. Palin in person have been scheduled.

Although the media are being allowed to attend the event, they are barred from recording her speech, and will be restricted to a section inside the arena cordoned off to accommodate reporters and photographers. Media passes will be required for legitimate member of the press to enter the arena. Television affiliates from Wichita, Manhattan, Topeka and Kansas City have all made arrangements to cover Palin's Salina appearance.

Gov. Palin will meet personally with about 400 people in "meet and greet" receptions which will be held for the sponsors of the dinner both before and after the event.

Meanwhile in Florida, another chamber of commerce is also preparing for a visit by the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate:

In Daytona Beach, Fla., where Palin is booked to speak at the annual Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce dinner on Feb. 15, ticket sales have been "very robust" despite prices of $100 for chamber members and $150 for nonmembers, said Jim Cameron, a lobbyist and spokesman for the group.

There are 1,400 seats available for Palin's appearance, and "we're approaching that number pretty quick," Cameron said.

Gov. Palin plans to arrive in Daytona a day early to attend NASCAR's Daytona 500 stock-car race at Daytona International Speedway.

- JP

Two Unconfirmed Sarah Palin Appearances in Feb.

Two local chambers of commerce, one in Salinas, Kansas and another in Daytona Beach, Florida, claim to have booked Sarah Palin to appear at their events in February of 2010.

The Kansas event, scheduled for Feb. 5th, is The Greater Salina Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet and membership meeting:

"We are so pleased that Governor Sarah Palin has accepted our invitation to come to Salina as our keynote speaker for the Chamber’s annual meeting," Daran Neuschafer, Chairman of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, said. "Governor Palin was clearly identified as a top choice as speaker early in the process, and the event committee is thrilled that she’ll be with us February 5. To hear from someone with the Governor’s unique experience and perspective of the political landscape will create an exciting evening for everyone, and just continues our long list of high-profile speakers."

The Salina Chamber's pdf flyer even includes a legitimate-appearing page from the Washington Speakers Bureau, the agent representing the former governor for her speaking appearances.

The Florida event is the 90th annual meeting of the Daytona Beach/Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce in February:

Chamber chairman Ted Doran confirmed today the former Republican Vice President candidate and Alaska Governor will have an hour to address an audience that could top 1,000 at the Feb. 15 meeting.

Neither event, however, has yet been confirmed by Sarah Palin or anyone who is authorized to speak for her. We'll keep an eye peeled for that confirmation.

Say, wasn't it just just about a month ago that the Sarah slammers were crowing about how Sarah Palin bookings were such a "tough sell" because the former governor was so "divisive"? Hmm, these two bookings, plus a speaking engagement at the College of the Ozarks in December and Palin's keynote address to Wisconsin Right to Life this Friday seem to have that big liberal lie debunked.The Arctic Fox doesn't appear to be having any problem filling in her dance card for speaking engagements at all. Strange, all of the leftist websites and hysterical gossip columnists were claiming that Sarah couldn't get a booking if her life depended on it. Just goes to show that you can't trust what people who harbor so much hate in their hearts say about Sarah. Telling lies is their stock in trade... 

h/t: Free Republic

- JP

Palin runs away with GOP straw poll in Kansas

At Saturday's Olathe Republican Party annual Picnic and Straw Poll, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin scored a big win in the presidential straw poll for 2012.

Gov. Palin won 36 percent of the votes cast for president. Mike Huckabee was runner-up with 26 percent. He was followed closely by Mitt Romney, who finished third with 25 percent. Bobby Jindal was a distant fourth with 9 percent, and Ron Paul finished last with 4 percent of the votes.

- JP