The Ticket: Palin and Huckabee sent aides to RNC meeting on 2012

The media's Sarah Palin rumor of the day
*
From Holly Bailey at Yahoo's The Ticket blog:

Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee have been cagey about whether they'll run for president in 2012. But the pair still sent political aides to a meeting at the Republican National Committee this week about party logistics headed into next year's presidential campaign

According to Politico's Jonathan Martin, newly elected RNC chief Reince Priebus convened the meeting, which included staffers from the potential Palin and Huckabee campaigns, as well as aides representing all-but-declared candidates Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney. Notably, Mitch Daniels, who said last week that Indiana's budget crisis might curtail his 2012 efforts, didn't send anyone to the meeting.

Is it true? Considering that it comes from fact-challenged Politico, who knows? Nevertheless, this should add plenty of fuel to keep the ol' media speculation motor spinning...

- JP

Here we go again: TPN wants Gov. Palin for RNC Chair (Updated)

She says thanks, but no thanks
*
Just when we thought the "Sarah Palin for RNC Chair" drum had been tossed on the ash heap of history, Judson Phillips starts banging on it again. Phillips, you may recall, is the founder of Tea Party Nation, and he's planning to send a letter to Gov. Palin asking her to run for Michael Steele's job at RNC. Although he hasn't mailed the letter yet, Phillips is mass emailing it to everyone on his list in hopes of "getting the band back together again." As if that will somehow make the cockamamie idea seem more palpable to the party's most recent vice presidential candidate:

Dear Governor Palin,

John Kennedy once said, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

Right now, your country needs you as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

We are in a fight for the survival of our country. The Democrats have walked off the socialist cliff and are driving the country headlong into the abyss. Unfortunately, there are many on the Republican side who do not seem to get it. They are the embodiment of the old political joke that says, with the Democrats you get more of the same and with Republicans you get less of the same.

We need you as Chairman of the RNC. You have shown in the past no hesitation to take on the establishment. You did it in Alaska. If we end up with establishment control of the GOP and their support for an establishment candidate in 2012, Obama and the socialists will have won. An establishment candidate will not work to repeal Obamacare and the other programs Obama, Pelosi and Reid have put in place. We need someone who will put conservatives in control of the party apparatus, not RINOs.

Michael Steele has spent Republican money with the gusto of a liberal. You showed in Alaska, you know how to put the brakes on unnecessary spending.

Finally, you are a superstar. You have an unbelievable ability to light up a crowd and to raise money. Both of which the Republican Party needs. Something is really wrong with the GOP when the RNC cannot fund a get out the vote campaign for mid-term elections. The GOP needs a conservative who can raise money and energize the troops. You are the only one out there with these unique talents.

We, the undersigned, are asking you to ask yourself what you can do for your country and to step up and become a candidate for Chairman of the RNC.

Thank you for your consideration and for what you continue to do for this great country.

Judson Phillips, Founder - Tea Party Nation

The election for chairman will be held in January, and Steele is expected to run for a second term. Others have also expressed interest in the position, including Saul Anuzis and Maria Cino.

Phillips has restarted a drumbeat which was last heard in July. By our count, this makes the third time someone has tried to make a wave to recruit Gov. Palin to run for the Chairmanship, only to have it wash out on both previous attempts. We reiterated our thoughts during the second wave why we were not inclined to pick up sticks and join in the drum chorus:

As we said back when the idea of replacing Steele with Gov. Palin was first floated, we're not so sure that she would want the job.

[...]

Plus, the chairmanship of either major party is largely a thankless job and literally a hot seat. It is mostly a place where politicians go to die after their they can no longer be viable candidates for elective office. And we don't believe Sarah Palin is necessarily through with being a player in elective politics. She hasn't ruled it out, and she's even hinted that if the right situation presents itself, she will take advantage of it. We're not among those who believe the push to sit the governor in the RNC chair is an ee-vill conspiracy by her political enemies to take her out of the 2012 presidential race, one which she hasn't (formally at least) yet entered. We're just not convinced going to the RNC lies along the path she has planned for herself. At best, it is a detour with few rewards and plenty of pitfalls.

We also believe that there is no shortage of Republicans who could do a swell job in Steele's place. Mitt Romney is just one of many. He's a great fundraiser, isn't given to putting his foot in his mouth nearly half as often as Steele, and he is well-liked by the establishment types who dominate RNC.

[...]

As we said in our first post on this matter, the RNC Chairman's only duties are to raise cash, recruit candidates, give speeches and not generate bad press. Unlike Obiwan Kenobi saving the Galactic Republic from the evil Empire, the GOP will not be saved by its chairman, and Sarah Palin is not our only hope for having a capable person in the position.

[...]

Jonah Goldberg agrees that the next RNC Chair should be chosen from the GOP establishment:

"I don’t think it’s a great idea for Palin to become GOP chair. It would certainly be fun, and Kevin makes some good points as to why Palin should do it, but I think the ideal GOP chairman (uh, -person) should be the most tea-partyish establishment Republican possible."

Politico's Andy Barr offers two more reasons why Gov. Palin may not be interested in jumping into the fray for the RNC chairmanship:

Palin has been an ardent Steele defender during some of the most trying times of his chairmanship. She even lent her high profile to a pair of RNC fundraising events in October in California and Florida.

Palin also is weighing a potential presidential run during the same cycle in which Phillips would like her to serve as chairman of the party. Accepting such a post would effectively end her campaign before it starts.

Not much has changed since our post back in July, except now Phillips has picked up the drumsticks. But the drum he's beating seems to have a broken skin. Is that really a drum he's pounding, or is it just a dead horse?

Update: In a statement to ABC News, Sarah Palin politely declines:

"I respect the desire to have someone in charge of the RNC who understands the wishes of the conservative grassroots and understands that power resides with the people and not the vested interests in DC. However, the primary role of the RNC chair seems be that of fundraiser-in-chief, and there are others who would probably be much more comfortable asking people for money than I would be, and they would definitely enjoy it more."

h/t: Jackie

- JP

Paul West: Will Sarah Palin back Michael Steele for another term at RNC?

*
Some RNC members expect Gov. Palin to support Michael Steele for a second term as chairman of the Republican Party, according to the Baltimore Sun's Paul West:

The duo appeared together on Steele's recent coast-to-coast "Fire Pelosi" bus tour. And Steele came to Palin's defense on national television this week, telling critics of the former Alaska governor to "shut up."

Palin's endorsement would be a valuable asset in the coming chairmanship fight and could help counter those who say Steele is the wrong person to head the party going into the 2012 presidential cycle.

Steele has not publicly announced his candidacy, but he's campaigning hard for another two-year term. According to RNC insiders, he's already lined up half the votes he needs.

[...]

RNC spokesman Doug Heye has been quoted as saying that Steele and Palin have a "great working relationship." If she runs for president, could it hurt to have the top guy at national party headquarters watching out for her interests?

[More]

- JP

Reading too much into the Palin - Steele connection?

*
At The Daily Caller, Jonathan Strong asks, "Is there an emerging Palin-Steele alliance?"

First, she appeared on a RNC fundraising mailer in July. Then she gave a shout-out to Steele on Fox News, painting him as more in tune with the conservative base than other members of the GOP establishment. “More power to Michael Steele,” she said.

Then, the RNC announced Palin would be headlining two fundraising “rallies” with Steele in October.

Meanwhile, Steele has made several overtures to conservatives, including warmly embracing Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell when the rest of the GOP establishment was still bellyaching over what some believe is a lost Senate seat.

Steele has also praised Tea Party activists on his national “Fire Pelosi” bus tour. At the launch event for the bus tour were two Tea Party favorites: Reps. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota and Joe Wilson of South Carolina.

[...]

Some of Steele’s critics are fearful of a Palin-Steele alliance. One RNC member, an influential Steele opponent, said Palin could give Steele credibility with conservative activists, which could go a long way towards absolving Steele of what critics say are his many, many sins as RNC chair.

Some take this line of thinking further, suspecting that Palin might work to get Steele reelected as RNC chair, believing he could be a useful ally if she were to run for president in 2012.

We're not sure how strong of an "alliance" the two may have forged, but Gov. Palin and Chairman Steele are certainly old friends, and they share a mutual respect. Also, the relationship between the two is hardly "emerging." It goes back possibly as far as the RNC Convention in 2008, when Steele delivered a stem winder of a speech that was lavish in its praise for the soon to be confirmed vice presidential candidate. In April of 2009, Steele introduced the governor at a Right to Life event in Evansville, Indiana. In his words of introduction, the chairman confessed that while the world eagerly waited for John McCain to name his running mate in the closing days of August, 2008, Steele was hoping that Sarah Palin would be McCain's choice.

Since then, the two have gone to bat for each other. When some Republicans took the Democrats' side on Gov. Palin's characterization of rationing under ObamaCare as "death panels" in August of 2009, Steele stood up for her. When leftist journo Andrea Mitchell slammed Sarah in November of the same year for having resigned her office four months earlier, Steele defended her decision and told the lamestream media to "give the woman a break."

When Steele came under fire in January of this year for his remark that the GOP "wasn't ready to lead," Sarah Palin went on Fox News in prime time to voice her agreement with the chairman and to applaud him for taking on the party establishment. She also sent Steele an email message to offer her encouragement. In April, after she had asked the RNC to stop advertising that she would attend an RNC fundraiser, she was asked -- again in prime time on Fox News -- if there was a split between her and Steele. The governor's reply was unequivocal:

"I support Michael Steele. I am glad that he is the leader of the party, administratively. If those within the party are choosing to go in different directions, his term is up in eight months, and they can vote somebody else in. I think he's doing a great job. Michael Steele is an outsider. The machine, I think, is tough to penetrate. I know that Michele [Bachmann] and I both have kind of felt that in our careers. I think it's been good to have an independent outsider trying to create some change in the Republican Party."

So the mutual respect and admiration shared by Gov. Palin and Chairman Steele is not a recent phenomenon. Each has come to the other's defense when the other has come under attack, and if some pundits want to read more into that than meets the eye, let them. We happen to think that they simply and quite genuinely like each other, a bond strengthened by the fact that various members of their own party's establishment have at times treated both like red headed stepchildren. They have both had to fight to achieve their current stations in politics -- nothing was handed to either one on a silver platter. And they see eye to eye on many of the political issues that matter. For the time being, that should be plenty enough to explain their enduring friendship.

- JP

CNN: Sarah Palin to team up with Michael Steele at RNC rallies

*
CNN's Political Ticker, citing "multiple Republican sources," reports that Gov. Palin and RNC Chairman Michael Steele will join forces next month to hold two fundraising rallies:

The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee will team up with the RNC chairman at an event in Anaheim, California, on October 16 and in Orlando, Florida, on October 23.

According to a copy of the invitation acquired by CNN, contributions for the events range from $25 per person to attend one of the rallies to $30,400 per couple for a private meeting and reception with Palin and party leaders.

The Republicans' plans were first reported by Politico.

In August, in what was considered a surprising move at the time, Palin attached her name to a letter and survey that was mailed to RNC donors soliciting contributions for the committee's Victory 2010 program, a nationwide get-out-the-vote effort.

Gov. Palin, who has the cultivated her reputation as a political outsider, appears to be making an effort to mend fences with the GOP establishment now that the primary season is ever and as she considers a possible 2012 presidential bid.

Since the end of the 2008 campaign, the governor's relationship with the GOP establishment inside the Beltway has been a cool one. According to CNN, she angered some Washington GOP insiders in March of 2009 by not participating in a joint fundraiser for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). But she actually did attend the event, although she was not one of the speakers. A year later, she asked the RNC to remove her name from an invitation to a party fundraising event in New Orleans that listed her as one of several invited guests because the committee didn't bother to ask her before using her name to promote the event.

In addition, she has supported a number of anti-establishment Tea Party candidates for the House, the Senate and governor against the party's preferred candidates in GOP primaries, and several of them won their races. Now that the Washington GOP is getting behind those candidates with campaign contributions and other forms of support, Gov. Palin appears to be more willing to work with Republican insiders. In her speech to the Iowa Republican Party’s Ronald Reagan Dinner September 17, she told a record crowd in Des Moines, "In just 46 days Republicans will put their ideas and their experience on the line to let the voters decide. It is time to unite."

Politico's Ben Smith comments:

Steele is under fire from the GOP Establishment, as always, this time for his travels outside the battlegrounds, and sometimes outside the 50 states. Palin's willingness to show up for him -- and not, say, for the "shadow RNC" led by Karl Rove and other GOP figures -- enhances his stature, and perhaps his bid for a second term of his own.

He and Palin may not have all that much in common, but they've backed one another in the past, and they're both genuine outsiders at this point, with the same enemies inside the party.

- JP

Washington Times: RNC pays some Palin legal bills in exchange for help

*
Washington Times chief political writer Ralph Z. Hallow reports that the Republican National Committee is paying some of Sarah Palin's legal fees in exchange for her help raising money for the RNC.

A check for $128,518.85 has been sent to Gov. Palin's attorneys. RNC Treasurer Randy Pullen said Chief Administrative Officer Boyd Rutherford told him the check was in exchange for Gov. Palin's assistance with RNC Chairman Michael S. Steele to raise money for midterm election campaigns.

"The initial payment was for Palin to do several different fundraising events and sign fundraising letters for the RNC," Mr. Pullen said. He said the RNC has committed to sending the Anchorage law firm a second check of an equal amount, which would bring the total to $257,037.70.

Asked about Mrs. Palin's role with the RNC this fall, spokesman Doug Heye declined to say whether her fundraising help was the purpose of the check. He said only that "the disbursement relates to legal fees incurred during the summer and fall of 2008, when Democrats engaged in a partisan witch hunt against Gov. Palin. Based on conversations in 2008, the RNC decided to step in to help."

Other Republican officials have worried about the state of the national party's finances under Mr. Steele, in a midterm election season in which Republicans see huge numbers of Democratic seats in play.

Mrs. Palin reportedly amassed more than $600,000 in legal bills.

[...]

"As far as I am concerned, if they want to pay her or someone else, there is nothing wrong with it," said Mr. Pullen, who is also the elected chairman of the Arizona GOP.

"That was payment for services she was providing, including a couple speeches, a couple fundraising letters and a telephone call," Mr. Pullen said. "There was not a contract so far as I know. It was verbal."

The RNC can use Gov. Palin's help. The Democratic National Committee reportedly out raised the RNC last month $10.9 million to $7.9 million. The Democrats have $13.4 million in the bank compared to the RNC's $4.7 million. The only financial advantage for the RNC over its Democrat counterpart is that the RNC is carrying a lower debt load: less than $1.2 million, compared with the DNC's $8.4 million.

- JP

Clouthier: Why Sarah Palin Signed RNC Fundraising Letter

*
At Liberty Pundits, Melissa Clouthier explains why she thinks Gov. Plain has signed a letter which is being mailed out, along with a survey, to the RNC's donor list soliciting contributions for the committee's nationwide GOTV efforty known as Victory 2010:

Sarah Palin has finally recognized her friends in D.C. They ain’t the NRSC or the NRCC, that’s for dang sure. Palin’s endorsements have been in direct odds with the NRSC’s and NRCC’s more often than not. Moreover, the NRSC and NRCC have worked overtime to undercut Michael Steele both publicly and privately and then gone to donors and asked them to donate there. This insanity is self-destructive, of course, because the RNC has the mechanism to get the vote out. The leadership in the House and Senate, though, are more about accumulating power and rewarding buddies than transforming the party. In fact, party transformation and reinvigoration, would probably hurt their incumbent arses, so what’s the motivation to change?

[...]

In short, Sarah Palin has far more in common with Chairman Michael Steele than she has with the leadership on the Hill, and, I might add, more to gain, personally, by befriending the RNC. Should the RNC start raking in some money, it may well help some of the grassroots races the Tea Party folks so passionately care about.

This, of course, runs counter to conventional wisdom. Hating on Michael Steele has become a sport these days.

[...]

Anyway, a partnership between Sarah Palin and Michael Steele could be a win-win. It seems they have both made a decision–really, neither one have anything to lose. Both are pretty much loathed by establishment Republicans. Why not unite her fund raising and star power with the RNC’s network and ability to organize?

Dr. Clouthier makes sense. Though we have expressed our own frustration with Steele, it's important to note that Gov. Palin has been nothing but supportive of the chairman. The pair seemed to share a mutual respect and genuine liking of one another when they appeared together at the Indiana Right to Life Dinner in April of 2009.

Another possible factor: Beyond Steele and Fred Malek, Sarah Palin doesn't have that many friends among the GOP establishment, and it stands to reason that she would want to strengthen and increase those ties. If signing on to this fundraising effort garners her support in the committee, it will only help her should she run in 2012. Plus, Gov. Palin is committed to replacing as many Democrats on Capitol Hill as possible with Republicans in November. To avoid letting defeat be yanked from the jaws of victory, it's important that the RNC raise as much money as it can to help GOP candidates. The governor realizes that, and she's showing that she can contribute more to the party's efforts than just making endorsements and spreading her own PAC money around.

This is smart politics on her part.

- JP

Sarah Still Steadfastly Supports Steele

*
Last night on 'Hannity,' host Sean Hannity asked Sarah Palin if there was a split in the Republican Party between her and Chairman Michael Steele. Her reply:

"I support Michael Steele. I am glad that he is the leader of the party, administratively. If those within the party are choosing to go in different directions, his term is up in eight months, and they can vote somebody else in. I think he's doing a great job. Michael Steele is an outsider. The machine, I think, is tough to penetrate. I know that Michele [Bachmann] and I both have kind of felt that in our careers. I think it's been good to have an independent outsider trying to create some change in the Republican Party."

Real Clear Politics has the video clip here.

Politico reported last week that Gov. Palin had asked the RNC to stop advertising that she would attend an RNC fundraiser being held in conjunction with the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.

This is a smart answer on Gov. Palin's part. She stood her ground and didn't allow RNC to use her to promote a function she was not taking part in. But by publicly showing her support for Steele, she proved once again to GOP insiders that she can be a team player. It would be foolish for her to call for Steele's scalp, as that would only play into the hands of the Democrats. If Steele can mange to come out on top of his situation, he will owe her big time. Finally, she's correct in that Steele's term will expire in a few months time, so it would serve only the Democrats' purposes to try to oust him now, even if she had lost confidence in him.

Recall that Ronald Reagan never publicly disclosed his real opinions of either Gerald Ford or George H. W. Bush, but he didn't think that highly of either man. Sarah Palin is wisely following both the Gipper's example and his eleventh commandment.

- JP

Politico: Sarah Palin just says "No" to corrupt RNC

*
Politico reports that Sarah Palin has asked the Republican National Committee to stop using her name in its promotion of a fundraising event she does not plan to attend:

Palin’s staff has twice told the RNC to remove her name from an invitation sent to donors, obtained by POLITICO on Wednesday, showing her as an “invited” speaker to the four-day fundraiser in New Orleans, timed to coincide with the SRLC event in Louisiana.

Palin, who will appear at SRLC, “will not take part in any RNC fundraiser in New Orleans,” an aide said.

Gov. Palin doesn't take too kindly to people using her to promote events that she prefers not to be associated with:

Palin previously asked to be removed from a Conservative Political Action Conference invitation, which twice listed her as an invited speaker though she hadn’t agreed to attend the event.

Sarah Palin is right to tell the RNC to stop using her name to promote its events and raise money. We don't blame her a bit for not wanting her name to be associated with such a corrupt and dysfunctional organization as the RNC. Recent news headlines about Chairman Michael Steele's lavish spending on himself and some committee members' idea of a fun night out on the town demonstrate that RNC is not an entity any sane person would want to enable. Plus, the RNC's “six-figure transfer” of funds to support Dede Scozzafava and its history of funneling large sums of cash to Arlen Specter clearly demonstrate that donors would be better off directing their contributions to individual campaigns and PACs rather than trusting the RNC to do it for them.

Well done, Gov. Palin.

- JP

Gov. Bob McDonnell invites Sarah Palin to Virginia

*
On his monthly "Ask the Governor" program on D.C.'s WTOP radio Tuesday morning, Governor Bob McDonnell said he would welcome Sarah Palin to Virginia to campaign on behalf of GOP congressional candidates this year:

"I have a great deal of respect for Sarah Palin,'' McDonnell said. "I thought she added a great deal of energy to the Republican ticket with John McCain. She's a principled conservative. She's not afraid to say some tough things."

McDonnell again denied that he did not want the former vice presidential candidate to come to Virginia to campaign on his behalf last year. "I think you've got that wrong,'' he said. "We could not get her here because she was in such demand."

Last year, Palin's spokeswoman told us that McDonnell repeatedly and personally asked her for help but then changed his mind. Palin, the spokeswoman said, still offered to come all the way up until Election Day.

McDonnell also defended RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who is in hot water again, this time for allegedly spending tens of thousands of donor dollars for luxury hotels, private jets and other expenditures.

"I think he's a good leader. People always like to focus on the controversy and not on the good news,'' McDonnell said. "Listen, he helped to win the governors races in Virginia and in New Jersey, helped to win the Senate race up in Massachusetts. That's a pretty good track record. I think ultimately you're judged by your results."

Steele helped funnel a record $8 million to the campaigns of Republicans in Virginia last year.

- JP

Jeanette Pryor: The Truth About Sarah’s Ruby Slippers

Another outstanding blog post by Jeanette Pryor:

Everywhere in America, people are reading* that Sarah Palin didn’t run an Iditarod through Neiman Marcus, after all. She wasn’t a diva. Ms. Klein, the New York fashion consultant who outfitted the entire Palin family, has told the true story. Sarah wasn’t a diva who loaded her sled with high-end fashion while posing as an average PTA mom. There really was a brilliant magician who shook her head at the family when they arrived in their, “real-life everyday clothes,” and, after pulling the last pin out and tugging on the last loose thread, sent the altered Palins onto the stage of history.

[...]

The Time’s article is a turning point in our country’s relationship with Sarah Palin. It proves that life really is all about the shoes. In this case, Sarah Palin’s shoes. “If the media got the shoes wrong, what else did they make up about her.”

*The New York Times article Jeanette Pryor refers to is here. Please go here to read Ms. Pryor's post in full.

- JP

Will they taunt her a second time?

The action by McCain campaign staffers to purchase clothing for Gov. Palin that she never asked for and didn't think she needed, and then give the bill to the Republican National Committee may have been boneheaded, but it was legal. The Hill reports:

The FEC dismissed a complaint by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) against Palin and the RNC, ruling that the approximately $150,000 spent on clothing for the governor and her family was permitted as coordinated party expenditures.

National political parties are allowed to spend a limited amount of general election funds on behalf of and in coordination with presidential candidates.

In a letter dated May 15 and addressed to Melanie Sloan, CREW’s executive director, FEC Assistant General Counsel Susan Lebeaux said it had reviewed the allegations, found no violations and had closed the file April 30.

"There is no reason to believe the Republican National Committee and Tim Morgan, in his official capacity as treasurer, or Governor Sarah Palin violated" the law, Lebeaux wrote.

Despite the name, CREW is a liberal front group, and the overwhelming majority of its complaints have targeted Republicans. In fact, Roll Call has reported that CREW frequently attacks "groups and individuals who are the foes of CREW’s donors." Executive Director Melanie Sloan has ultra-partisan Democrats John Conyers, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden on her resume as former employers.

Understandably, CREW was not happy with the FEC ruling. Word is that Ms. Sloan is weighing two options as possible responses to the decision. It is rumored that CREW will either pick up its remaining marbles and go home, or else it shall taunt the RNC and Gov. Palin a second time.

Now we know where the "Alaskan Anklebiters" got their bright idea to file baseless "ethics" complaints against Gov. Palin.

- JP